Metal Plastic Electronics

Taking apart a Halco 89003 T8 LED lamp. Drawing up a schematic diagram of the internal power supply. And generally seeing how it’s put together. A fun little exploration.

I make a 4-foot T-8 lamp fixture out of some aluminum composite material (ACM). It’s an interesting material to work with.

I install a new ¾ inch MDF spoilboard on a homemade CNC router.

I’m upgrading a 5 and a half year old Gigabyte AB350-GAMING motherboard from a Ryzen 1600 to a Ryzen 5700X. At least that is the plan. Trying a Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO V2 CPU cooler to see if PBO will give any extra performance on this old motherboard.

Searching for a dsPic MPU for my electronic load project. With the chip shortage, it is definitely slim pickings. But there are still a few deals to be found. And I’m trying one of them: dsPic33CH256MP508.

I was needing a few low-power, less than 10-watt, loads for a multi-output power supply project. So this is the result of my attempt to build a low-cost load bank. They have 1-ohm resolution with banana jack value selection.

Making an aluminum knob with a 6 mm diameter by 18 mm long stud. Trying out a knurling attachment for the mini lathe. It’s going to be a wild ride. Well, not really. But I do destroy an oil brush.

I bought this test lead set from Amazon a few months ago. It’s a very cheap 5-piece hook-clip to banana-plug kit. One of the leads had to be repaired, so I go over that. And just a look at the set after using it for a couple of months. The Sumnacon 39-inch multimeter test lead set. Item: https://a.co/d/5gdh6yb

The hopper on my Mr. Coffee BVMC-BMH23 coffee grinder broke. Can it be salvaged from the trash bin?

In doing the final test of the power supply, I ran into a strange instability problem. Doing a bit of exploration of that problem. Part 17 of the DCL1 electronic load project.

A test of the Almhs Universal Mini Bender. Can a decent-looking spiral be easily formed using the pins and dies that come with the bender?

Testing some 2-watt flameproof resistors. Comparing a Stackpole RSF2, a Panasonic ERG2S, and a Vishay PR020002. How much does resistor physical size affect temperature rise?

I’m putting the Zhenyu 5-color fully insulated banana plug kit to use. Digging in a bit on the quality of the plugs. Noting some of the strong points and some of the shortcomings. This Amazon item: https://a.co/d/5EjsQsz

Testing complete, I’m now building the power supply that will go into the electronic load project. A few surprises, and a few mistakes along the way. And when it comes to high-frequency transformers, I find out why more layers more bad. Part 16 of the DCL1 electronic load project.

I’m going over three banana plug kits that come from Amazon. Their general fit and finish. The Sumnacon 39 inch multimeter test lead set. Item: https://a.co/d/5gdh6yb The Zhenyu 5 color fully insulated banana plug kit. Item: https://a.co/d/5EjsQsz The Goupchn 5 piece banana plug silicone test lead kit. Item: https://a.co/d/eLmyM5g

With the MAX17691A test board working well. It’s time to test wind some transformers for the voltages and currents needed. Can I even get enough copper wire in a tiny pot core? The challenge to find a stable way to gap the core. It’s all in a tiny adventure ahead. Part 15 of the DCL1 electronic load project.

Starting the quest to build a multi-output DC-DC power supply for the electronic load. Initial test of the MAX17691A from Maxim Integrated. A very small integrated power switch flyback controller IC. And winding some small transformers for the initial testing. Loads of fun for all. Part 14 of the DCL1 electronic load project.

Building a protection module to install in the OIVO DualSense charging Cradle. The circuit uses the Toshiba TCKE805NL eFuse for its overvoltage protection function. KiCad project file link: https://github.com/mlplel/tcke805-oivo-protect-board

A short review of the Nature Power 110-watt solar panel bought from Home Depot. A test of the power output. And a little overview of the small battery charge controller that comes with the kit. The label on the solar panel says it is a monocrystalline panel. The ad listing it for sale says it is a polycrystalline panel. The solar cells on the panel have a blue color so I believe it is a polycrystalline panel.

Installing a 1TB Samsung 980 Pro with heatsink into a PS5. The production date for the SSD is December 21, 2021.

Making the pieces needed to mount the NOGA MG9038CA cine arm to an Avenger F301 baby wall plate. And making an adapter to mount a Manfrotto 143BKT camera bracket to the 1/4-20 end of the cine arm. A little machining on the mini lathe along the way.

Turning some small pieces of acrylic into a small storage rack. Made to hold the BOX-ALL 96 compartment and 144 compartment storage boxes.

A quest for the reason some PS5 DualSense analog joysticks have a small click when moved.

Replacing the USB cable on a Razer Kraken X, model number RZ04-0296 headset. Sometimes the headset would work fine. Other times moving the USB cable would cause the sound to come and go.

Reviewing the NOGA MG9038CA Cine Arm. Finally, getting an arm to precisely position a camera. How well will it work?