Metal Plastic Electronics

Fixing a left door sag on a Samsung French door refrigerator. The door had dropped enough that the mullion was not catching in its groove. Not wanting to take the door off, I make a spacer for the lower left door hinge bushing. Model RFG298HDRS 00:00 Intro/Problem 03:33 Spacer Build 06:15 The Fix 08:38 Final Thoughts

I’m tearing apart a few-year-old Canon imagePROGRAF PRO-4000 11-color 44-inch printer. Looking for any good items that might be worth saving.

Finishing the last bit of hardware to make the load usable. Temperature monitoring of the power MOSFETs. Also testing the effect of the case cover on MOSFETs temperature. Part 31 of the DCL1 electronic load project

Fixing an extremely noisy LG dishwasher model LDF5545ST. The noise, coming from a bearing in the circulating pump drive-motor. Tearing down the circulating pump/motor to try and find the root cause of the failure. 00:00 Intro 01:20 Pump replacement 07:20 Pump teardown LG part number: ABT72989206 Part link: https://a.co/d/4caCxbc

The ice maker almost made it 5 months since the last problem. For this problem though, I wasn’t able to find a replacement part. So going to patch the water tray and see how it works. Items used: SCIGRIP Weld-On #4 J-B Weld Original Epoxy Link to first video: https://rumble.com/v2k4vda-countertop-ice-maker-repair.html

Testing out a hole punch kit from Amazon, the CC60 by Amzcnc. Try a few different thin materials along the way. Link to tool kit: https://a.co/d/4dvGg1j

The final load test. Can it survive 60 amps? To keep the energy level reasonable and safe, I’ll make a lithium-ion battery pack to test the electronic load at its maximum load setting. Part 30 of the DCL1 electronic load project

My last HP Officejet Pro 8100 finally died. Under Linux, I’ve stuck with HP printers for years. But wanting an ink tank printer, and just a printer. I’m going to give the Canon G5020 a try. Come see how it all turned out.

Something good from the dumpster to take apart. A large format Canon inkjet printhead. Come, enjoy the soothing and interesting disassembly process.

After listening to the fans running wide open for a few hours. I decided I did need to implement some fan speed control. Being that the fans have the 4-pin PC connector. They have PWM speed input and tachometer output. And I want to make use of both. Part 29 of the DCL1 electronic load project Some items used: MG Chemicals 4860P solder paste

In the exploration of my new programming toy. I’m throwing something quite old at it, an ATtiny13A. While old, not obsolete. The ATtiny13A is still in production and available in the 100,000s. And that did surprise me. But can I twiddle the bits in it from the new PICKit 5?

Oh, the excitement of getting a new toy. Disappointment, sadness and the you have to be kidding me, of a defective new toy. The journey to redemption and the satisfaction of an LED blinking. Come and enjoy the emotional roller coaster ride through time. Well, a couple of days of it anyways.

With the constant current mode working pretty well. I take a stab at the other 3 modes. Constant voltage has a surprise for me. Though if I would have thought about it more, it should have been obvious. And constant resistance is causing the difficulties that I kinda was expecting. Also, I try to get a bit more use from the hardware ADC filters. Part 28 of the DCL1 electronic load project

My Logitech M325 mouse is acting up. Not clicking when it should and unclicking when it shouldn't. With less than $3 worth of switches, it’s ready to drag and drop again. Link to 5 pcs switch kit: https://a.co/d/1od3VBD 00:00 Intro 00:55 Disassembly 02:04 Switch Replacement 04:50 Assembly 06:33 Replacement switch 06:52 Old switch teardown

Now that I’m finally happy with the power supply. It’s time to move on to making it work. As the constant current mode will work in a different manner than the other 3 modes. And it should be the simplest. I’m going to tackle that first. Also testing to see what kind of temperature drift I’m going to have to deal with. Part 27 of the DCL1 electronic load project

I’ve been looking for a low-cost crimp tool for the Molex CLIK-Mate terminals. So I’ve decided to give this iCrimp IWS-3220M crimping tool a try. I want to use 26 gauge wire in the terminals and from the dimensions of the tool, I think that may be iffy. But I give the Molex CLIK-Mate and SL terminals a try. Amazon link to the tool: https://a.co/d/2Z1QPR4 0:00 Unboxing 1:45 CLIK-Mate Terminals 4:55 SL Terminals 5:52 Final Thoughts

Laying out the new power supply PC board. Making sure it fits in the same mounting location as the old one. Then with the new PC board in hand, populating and testing ensue. Finally testing the dc load with its new power supply. Part 26 of the DCL1 electronic load project

While waiting on hardware stuff, I got back to some software. Trying to get a more organized layout for the display I/O program. What’s in place now is just bits and pieces from all over. And while working, leaves a lot to be desired. Part 25 of the DCL1 electronic load project

After using a Kaiweets KET12 lead kit for a little over a year. I decided to try the KET05 23-piece test lead set. I look at some of the prized attachments that come with the kit.

After discovering many shortcomings in my first power supply for the electronic load. It’s time to do it all over again. And maybe a bit better this time. Going over some of the part selections. And some of the reasons for using a particular part. Part 24 of the DCL1 electronic load project

Tracking down the switching noise spike that I thought was causing me a problem. And getting to the root of the real problem. Hopefully the final problem. Part 23 of the DCL1 electronic load project

I’m repairing a couple of problems with a Free Village HZB-12/C ice maker. I believe this unit is manufactured by Hicon Industry Technology Company. So probably many different brands have the same internal layout as this one. Parts used: Switch: https://a.co/d/2Je6a8o IR LED: https://a.co/d/1JKnn6L 00:00 Intro 00:48 Limit switch problem 03:55 Ice full problem 13:12 Disassembly 19:27 Assembly notes 24:10 Switch autopsy 24:53 Ice cycle

Some tests are undertaken for this episode. At last, getting an answer on what is causing the strange low current oscillations. And where should my common ground be? It’s movable but there are complications. Part 22 of the DCL1 electronic load project

In searching for the cause of my low current oscillations I opened a big old can of worms. Revealing power supply problems and power MOSFET amp problems. In the end, I’m neck-deep in oscillations. But there is no drowning on this project. I will prevail. Part 21 of the DCL1 electronic load project

Upgrading my computer to an RX580. But my power supply is a little on the anemic side. Wires are pulled and pushed. Fun all around.