Category: Blog

Jul 16 2011

Dead Battery

One of the Batteries from my Bosch cordless drill machine had died. I could buy a new one but that is rather expensive. So I opted to take the batteries out and put a cable on it. The cable plugs into my 12V power supply that powers my lights etc.

The cells inside (5 cells at 0V):

I have mounted a cable gland in the plastic enclosure from the old battery so I have a strain releave for the cable.

Plugged in the drill:

I added a diode to the power supply to protect my power supply against voltage spikes from the motor.

The downside of this is of course that I have a cable connected to it now. But I still have 1 battery that functions so I can still work wireless :p. But if I’m working at the workbench and the battery is flat, then I can use the cable to avoid waiting for the charger. Another downside is that my LED lights dim as I start the drill, this is because it draws too much current. The power of the drill isn’t as big as on the battery. My power supply delivers 12V while the battery does 14.4V.

May 28 2011

Updating my network

I was using my network more intensely to transfer files the last weeks. And I got tired of waiting, so it was time to update my network. So I ordered a new switch and router from de-computershop.be, and today they arrived :).

My old “fast ethernet” 100Mbit/s equipment:

Linsys WR454GL 4 port router
D-Link DES-1005D 5 port switch

My new “Gigabit” 1000Mbit/s equipment:

Linsys E2000 4 port router

Cisco SD2005-G2 5 port switch

The new gear is working great, the only downside is that you need to install a config program on the pc to config the router. It has a build in web interface, but it doesn’t cover all the settings :s.

May 22 2011

Radio flea market Eksel 2011

Today there was a Radio flea market in Eksel.

What I bought (for 37€ including entrance fee):

  • 2 4700µF 40V capacitors
  • 1 bag of pcb screw connectors
  • 1 bag of Micro-MaTch connectors
  • 1 bag of Micro-MaTch to pcb soldering Micro-MaTch flatcable connectors
  • 2 bags push buttons
  • 1 bag of LM1117MP-3.3
  • 1 bag PI filters
  • 3 bags fused Euro net entrances
  • 3 camera modules with macro lens
  • 1 pc power supply
  • 1 plastic box 255x200x80mm

Pictures:



May 01 2011

I Won Something In The 555 Contest!

I received an email from Chris Gammell, that I won a prize in the 555 Contest. It is one of the door prizes :).

What I won: $20 to SparkFun and 40 555 Timers from HackHut

Thanks HackHut and SparkFun!!!

Apr 17 2011

Radio flea market Lummen 2011

Today there was a Radio flea market in Lummen.

What I bought (for 51€ including entrance fee):
1x Power supply 48V 600W
1x Crimping tool for amp connectors
6x Capacitor 4700µF 50V
1x Solid state relais
1x Camera module
10x knobs

Feb 25 2011

555 Contest Entry

This is my entry for the 555 contest. I didn’t have much time to make something so the entry isn’t much.

This design is a fan controller. The base of it is a simple pwm circuit with the 555 timer. The problem with fan’s is that they don’t start at low voltages. So I added a capacitor (C2) to give it a little voltage boost at the startup.

 

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The circuit can also be easily adjusted to have a soft start. This can be useful when driving led’s etc. This way the light is not instantly bright.

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Jan 30 2011

“100W Temperature Controlled Soldering Pot” Review

I bought a “100W Temperature Controlled Soldering Pot” and decided to write a review about it.


KLT-360 Solder Pot Titanium Alloy Soldering Melting Tin 38mm 100W

Unboxing:
The box doesn’t contain much. Only the soldering pot and a chinese manual.

Take it apart:

The next thing to do is to open it up and see if it is safe enough to plug in to the mains.

After cutting the too long wires down to size I decided to take a closer look at the pcb. Then I saw that it was not temperature controlled like the dx site claims. The power to the heater is controlled, but there is no feedback. I made a circuit of it to proof it.

First I have made some good pictures of the pcb:

Then I placed the 2 pictures on top of each other and made the top one transparent:

Now it is easy to derive a circuit diagram from this.

Conclusion:
There is not enough space between the pcb and the enclosure, especially because it is made of metal, luckily it is grounded. The wires are cut too long.
The pcb looks like its soldered very good, I didn’t expect this with something this cheap.

Powering It Up:

Tinning Some Wire And PCB:

Temperature Accuracy Test:

I’ve put the thermocouple from my multimeter in it. In the lowest range of the soldering pot it should be arround 200°C and I measure 279°C. If it was really temperature controlled like dx claims then the difference would be too big. Because the power is controlled this could be expected.

Conclusion:

It is a pity that it is not really temperature controlled, but for the money you pay for it, it was to be expected. But this doesn’t really makes it work bad. If you use flux or soldering grease then the wires tin very easy.
So I think it is a good buy :). But keep in mind you still need to buy/have enough solder to put in it. You can use normal solder, but then its going to smoke a lot at first.

Jan 25 2011

Switch Clock

ON5DRE used my Switch Clock schematics to create his own switch clock.


More pictures: Link

Looks great ON5DRE!

Jan 11 2011

The Amp Hour

My site got mentioned on the amp hour :).

http://www.theamphour.com/2011/01/10/the-amp-hour-25-the-nasa-nostagia/

Dec 31 2010

Christmas presents

I got my Christmas presents today :).

What I got:
IC extractor
SMD test tweezers
figure sawing aid