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20 Mar 2020 00:21:27 UTC
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Christmas lighting picks 2017.
Some Christmas lighting materials that I feel are worthy of mention for this season. Please excuse the extreme exposure variation. If you enjoy these videos you can help support the channel with a dollar for coffee, cookies and random gadgets for disassembly at:-
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These little air "fresheners" (chemical aromatisers) are quite interesting, because they have an actual solenoid valve that vents the aroma from the cans directly. In this video I take one to bits and then take the valve completely to bits too.
If you enjoy these videos you can help support the channel with a dollar for coffee, cookies and random gadgets for disassembly at:-
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While quite neat, this light could be looked on as a project for making a better and longer lasting version. It's supplied with a suspiciously low capacity 14500 lithium cell. The number means 14mm diameter and 50.0mm long, and these normally have a capacity of around 750mAh, so the 280mAh measured is well short of the desired capacity. That makes it an easy upgrade to just put in a new cell - preferably one with solder tags, as soldering directly to a lithium cell like this is a bit taboo due to the risk of heat damaging the internal separator.
There's also a position inside for an alternative rectangular cell with a rough dimension of 30mm by 40mm by 7mm. If the plastic cell guides are carefully cut out it could be possible to get a bigger cell in, including ones salvaged from disposable vapour devices. It should be viable to get a 1500mAh cell in to get five times the run time.
Note that the LED PCB needs to have the glue cracked and then the PCB rotated to align the slots with the threaded sides to come out easily.
When tested on a bench supply the current was:-
4.2V - high=200mA medium=125mA low=60mA
3.7V - high=150mA medium=93mA low=43mA
3.0V - high=58mA medium=37mA low=17mA
Processor cuts off at 2.4V
Quite a nice light with potential as the base for a custom project.
If you enjoy these videos you can help support the channel with a dollar for coffee, cookies and random gadgets for disassembly at:- https://www.bigclive.com/coffee.htm
This also keeps the channel independent of YouTube's algorithm quirks, allowing it to be a bit more dangerous and naughty.
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When I saw this on eBay I wondered if the chunky brass connector on the antenna was going to be referenced to the mains supply. It didn't disappoint. In the wrong circumstances it can impart a serious electric shock. (Especially if live and neutral are swapped.)
If you have one of these, be aware that it needs to be mounted fully inside a plastic enclosure.
Other than that fairly significant thing, the only other obvious issue is the parallel zener diodes, where series connection would spread the load better. They're also dissipating a significant amount of power. If using this module I would look at changing the dropper cap for a lower value one matched to the real current requirement of the circuit with relay activated (around 50mA). Keeping in mind that the hold current of the relay is lower than the initial pull in current.
If the supply is wired correctly, and the neutral is referenced to local ground, the potential on the antenna socket with respect to ground should be relatively low, but a reversed supply will allow a very high current shock. Basically the live feed, a diode and then you.
I missed one small detail off the schematic of the receiver. The button is wired between a microcontroller pin and the 0V rail.
It was only when I watched the video after recording it that I realised the F and N markings on the remote control are the last letters of off and on. I've never seen that before.
If you enjoy these videos you can help support the channel with a dollar for coffee, cookies and random gadgets for disassembly at:-
http://www.bigclive.com/coffee.htm
This also keeps the channel independent of YouTube's advertising algorithms allowing it to be a bit more dangerous and naughty.
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I saw this a while ago and decided to get some to try. It's designed to go into routed channels as a "bendable" LED strip with a separate diffuser section that presses into the routed channel.
Not having a router, I used one of my existing 3D printing scripts to make a square frame with rounded edges.
What you see in this video is my very first attempt at using the materials, and other than having to refine my LED tape laying techniques, it worked very well for a first try (just 5 minutes to complete). The videos showing this material being used in factories, show them using a pointy tool to help dress the LED tape around bends and corners.
For pro users there are two tools for cutting the material. A curved one for the round ends of the routed channels and an angled one for mitres on right angled corners.
There appear to be a few sellers of this material on Aliexpress. You buy the material and LED strip separately, but they choose the matching LED colour for you. The combined price is comparable to the rolls of integrated LED neon strip. It was much easier to terminate the wires on this stuff, and unless glue is used it is probably quite easy to repair sections.
Here's a link to the seller I bought this tape from:-
https://www.aliexpress.com/store/910456205
Supporting the channel with a dollar or two on Patreon helps keep it independent of YouTube's quirks, avoids intrusive mid-video adverts, gives early access, bonus footage and regular quiet Patreon live streams.
https://www.patreon.com/bigclive
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A look inside a typical microcontroller based lighting timer (6 hours on 18 hours off), plus some random doodles to see how it could be implemented with standard logic components.
Let me know if you can think of other ways to achieve the timing.
If you enjoy these videos you can help support the channel with a dollar for coffee, cookies and random gadgets for disassembly at:-
http://www.bigclive.com/coffee.htm
This also keeps the channel independent of YouTube's advertising algorithms allowing it to be a bit more dangerous and naughty.
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I didn't even know what Grab was when I bought this. It turns out that it may be food delivery company in Singapore, which makes it odd that it was listed on eBay UK. It was from a seller who also had various other vehicle signs like "TAXI".
It wasn't expensive, so it may have use as a novel illuminated ornament.
To find it on eBay, search for the keywords "grab LED sign".
The construction is pleasingly simple. Just a bare PCB with black resist and the logo as a white screenprint. The logo is formed by simple LED/resistor circuits like LED tape.
Current draw at various voltages is:-
10V - 80mA
11V - 130mA
12V - 173mA
13V - 225mA
14V - 278mA
The construction is reminiscent of some LED art panels.
If you enjoy these videos you can help support the channel with a dollar for coffee, cookies and random gadgets for disassembly at:-
http://www.bigclive.com/coffee.htm
This also keeps the channel independent of YouTube's advertising algorithms allowing it to be a bit more dangerous and naughty.
#ElectronicsCreators
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I'm not sure what to make of this. It's technically intriguing but I'm struggling to work out its purpose other than possibly being for running older plug-in power supplies for equipment that doesn't use a standard USB style connector.
The device also has a very badly implemented USB port that is powered from a small linear regulator that is going to struggle at anything more than a few tens of milliamps on 12V and less on 24V.
The mains socket on the front actually puts out DC at a voltage that floats between about 90V to 200V+, so is only suited to universal switchmode power supplies that already convert the incoming mains to DC. It won't drive a capacitive dropper style lamp or an adaptor with a traditional transformer.
A particular oddity about the high voltage section is that it has a 100K resistor and LED across the main smoothing capacitor that can see in excess of 200V. It may be doubling up as a crude regulation load to stop the voltage peaking too high and also to help rapidly discharge the capacitor when the power is turned off. But the eighth watt resistor will be dissipating almost half a watt on a light load and will probably smoke quite quickly.
If you enjoy this channel you can help support it with a dollar for coffee, cookies and questionable electronic devices at https://www.patreon.com/bigclive
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Poundland has unleashed another LED lighting range for summer 2017 and it's HUGE. This is a review of some of the best stuff and some easy tweaks you can do to make it work better and last longer.
The strings of LEDs that Poundland has been selling over the past few years have been very good. Very long battery run time and well matched LEDs that result in a very gradual and even reduction of intensity as the batteries run down. They work well with rechargeable NiMh batteries.
If you enjoy these videos you can help support the channel with a dollar for coffee, cookies and random gadgets for disassembly at:-
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This is a faulty ground recessed uplighter that was sent for our exploration by Douglas.
It's a classic example of premeditated landfill, with no replaceable lamp and a sealed case to try and stop water getting in.
They are often mounted into a buried enclosure to ensure that anyone who works on them has to kneel on wet ground and fumble in stinky water to try and make a waterproof connection onto a cable that gets shorter every time a fitting is replaced. They're usually powered from panels where all the RCDs/GFCIs have been bypassed to "fix the tripping issues". (Not a good thing.)
If working on this type of light it's VERY important to ensure power is properly isolated. That can sometimes be difficult when they are fed from random panels and are powered but not lit. Water and electricity are a bad combo for humans.
You can see this type of light littering the pavements of cities and "architectural" areas. They either shoot light pointlessly into space while dazzling pedestrians, or put blotchy skidmarks of light up the side of buildings. They are notable for flickering gently as their corroded LEDs light the internal drops of water on their lens, and occasionally emitting steam from their submerged electrical connections.
You may have noticed I'm not a fan of this type of light. But they do have their place if used as low intensity marker lights, with low voltage power supplies and easily replaced cables going to a nearby pillar.
If you enjoy these videos you can help support the channel with a dollar for coffee, cookies and random gadgets for disassembly at:-
http://www.bigclive.com/coffee.htm
This also keeps the channel independent of YouTube's advertising algorithms allowing it to be a bit more dangerous and naughty.
...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4goqsDGro7w
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