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Corla Plankun posted:I went out and bought a weller soldering iron when I first read this thread and it is terrible. Unless you want one with dicksucking features and other things, this is really about as good as you'll ever need. http://www.amazon.com/Weller-WES51-Analog-Soldering-Station/dp/B000BRC2XU Heats up extremely fast, has tons of tips available, the stand is awesome, the iron is very light and the cord is unngghh levels of soft and pliable. One of my favorite purchases. e: it's honestly so nice that sit me down in a good chair with that iron and a panavise and I can board solder all day long happy as hell. It's extremely relaxing, and I sorta wish I could have a part time job assembling hobby-level boards for people who don't want to do the work. Hypnolobster fucked around with this message at 10:28 on Feb 17, 2010 |
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Feb 17, 2010 10:26
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ValhallaSmith posted:Metcal/OKI is what I use. You can find them cheapish on ebay for used ones. Tips are expensive but last if you take care of them. I use Metcal/OKI at work. At home I have a cheap Hakko 936 knockoff. It does the job but I'm outgrowing it, and work has really spoiled me.
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Feb 17, 2010 13:30
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Can't go wrong with a metcal. An older model (sp200, ps2e) with handpiece and stand for under $100 is a steal on ebay. A friend of mine recently got a used MX500 (newer) for $200 and it's pretty slick; not because of the power supply itself but because it has really great tips available (which aren't compatible with older models).
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Feb 17, 2010 15:22
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Keeping your iron tip clean and free of oxidation will help it last much longer. Use this after every connection or two and this any time the tip looks dirty and won't get clean and it should last for a long time.
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Feb 17, 2010 16:28
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jacteh posted:I use Metcal/OKI at work. At home I have a cheap Hakko 936 knockoff. It does the job but I'm outgrowing it, and work has really spoiled me. I'm not sure about the quality of a knockoff, but I have a real Hakko 936 and it's absolutely excellent. As far as I'm concerned it is in every way equal to or greater than everyone's favorite, the WES51; the iron itself is smaller, lighter and easier to maneuver, and the temperature recovery seems faster than the WES51s I've used. It has the same enormous variety of tips and crazy flexible silicone cord and excellent temperature-holding and warmup. Nice solid aluminum iron holder, too -- not the weird springy things that Wellers have. Oh and the whole thing is ESD-safe. I mostly keep a slightly smaller tip on than usual (1.5mm or so) and keep up my skills when I don't have a project by making little half-inch tall wire sculptures of men and horses and so on. Great tool. We have a couple of Metcals in the electronics labs, but I've never used them. Unless you're soldering fancy SMDs on a regular basis I can't see a need for anything better than the 936. Corla Plankun posted:Do any of you all have a REALLY GREAT soldering iron? See above. orange lime fucked around with this message at 20:33 on Feb 17, 2010 |
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Feb 17, 2010 20:25
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Kinda cross-posting from Hardware/Software thread: I'm working on a project through my college to repair a Link Trainer. We want to replace the "crab," which is used to draw a flight path onto a map. Everything is easy except for that drat synchro. The crab is steered by a synchro which is connected to the bottom of the cockpit. We want to use the synchro outputs with the speed to plot the FP on a computer. We don't know what aspects of the signals are important (phase, magnitude) or what algorithm to use to interpret them. Any help in those regards would be much appreciated. No pix now, can't get them til Monday if anyone wants. e - actually here are some net pix http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3296/2754191641_79f80675be.jpg http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ac/Link-trainer-ts.jpg This device is essentially an analogue computer, running on vacuum. The calculations are done using trig and valves. SillyOldBag fucked around with this message at 10:33 on Feb 18, 2010 |
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Feb 18, 2010 10:27
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Can you hook up the output to an oscilloscope? That'll give you a better idea of what's going on. That's cool as hell by the way
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Feb 18, 2010 11:15
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I haven't gotten a chance yet, but I'd like to. The problem there is that the machine is in the lobby right now, and it's all closed up. To get access to the innards I'd need the head of the department. Maybe he'll let me play with one of the spares though.
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Feb 18, 2010 11:50
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lurklurklurk posted:Kinda cross-posting from Hardware/Software thread: Hopefully, your system works just like this, and you'll be able to monitor the difference in phase on your sender. The thing to note is that synchros are really rate-driven devices since the receiver starts moving as soon as there's a change. A constant phase offset means constant rate-of-change of input. Of course, if you disconnect the receiver coil, then it's back to an absolute position encoder.
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Feb 18, 2010 14:52
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babyeatingpsychopath posted:The military synchros I've worked with were very simple. There are two coils on the sending end and two on the receiving end. One coil from each set is connected in series, and is static. Putting an AC Signal into this coil set induces voltage into the movable coils. The sending end coil is attached to whatever you're monitoring, and the receiving end coil is attached to a needle. When power is applied, the receiving end acts like a motor to cancel the difference in position between the monitored device and the needle position. When the sending end thingy changes position, a phase difference causes the receiving end to drive the needle to match it, frequently at very high speed. Sounds like all I need is the phase and not the amplitude, which would be nice, but it think mine is a little different. I believe there are 4 coils per end, one on the rotor which moves and 3 static at 120 deg intervals around the rotor. This ought to complicate the matter a little more, but if yours were all phase then mine should be too.
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Feb 18, 2010 22:03
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lurklurklurk posted:Sounds like all I need is the phase and not the amplitude, which would be nice, but it think mine is a little different. I believe there are 4 coils per end, one on the rotor which moves and 3 static at 120 deg intervals around the rotor. This ought to complicate the matter a little more, but if yours were all phase then mine should be too. Sounds like you've got 3-phase coils. The ones I worked with used one phase to energize and had a 3-phase takeoff for higher directional sensitivity. It should give one signal 120 degrees out on three wires, and a three-phase rotor on the needle end. This is a more fail-safe configuration as you can lose either an energizing or rotating coil (sending/receiving) and still have 240 degrees of indication, possibly up to 300 degrees depending on whether the coil or connecting wire failed open or shorted.
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Feb 19, 2010 00:53
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babyeatingpsychopath posted:Sounds like you've got 3-phase coils. The ones I worked with used one phase to energize and had a 3-phase takeoff for higher directional sensitivity. It should give one signal 120 degrees out on three wires, and a three-phase rotor on the needle end. This is a more fail-safe configuration as you can lose either an energizing or rotating coil (sending/receiving) and still have 240 degrees of indication, possibly up to 300 degrees depending on whether the coil or connecting wire failed open or shorted. Yeah it's a three phase system, but I don't understand ho you'd still have 240 deg of indication, I might understand better when I get it under the scope.
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Feb 19, 2010 08:27
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Can anyone tell be about Arduino micro-controllers? I'm thinking about getting one but I'm not sure exactly how to use one, or what to use it for. I have no experience with MC's at all so is it something easy to jump into and do some cool projects with? Whats the coding for it like?
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Feb 20, 2010 20:55
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It's just C, and it's super easy to get started with. If you want to figure out what to use them for, feel free to start tossing us ideas. You can do pretty much anything with digital logic, from simple LED scrollers to CNC routers.
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Feb 20, 2010 21:08
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Popete posted:Can anyone tell be about Arduino micro-controllers? I'm thinking about getting one but I'm not sure exactly how to use one, or what to use it for. I have no experience with MC's at all so is it something easy to jump into and do some cool projects with? Whats the coding for it like? Well they're actually project boards with an Atmel microcontroller, there's no such mcirocontroller as an "Arduino".
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Feb 20, 2010 22:10
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ahhhh ok thanks, well if it's in C then it shouldn't be much of a problem. I really have no clues as to what project I want to do with one, I just thought it would be something cool to mess around with.
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Feb 20, 2010 22:50
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BattleMaster posted:Well they're actually project boards with an Atmel microcontroller, there's no such mcirocontroller as an "Arduino". To be more specific, and Arduino is a project board with an atmel microcontroller running a special bootloader that allows it to be easily programmed. If you have an atmel microcontroller and programmer you can make an arduino easily enough, and it doesn't really need the project board to run. http://www.instructables.com/id/Standalone-Arduino-ATMega-chip-on-breadboard/
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Feb 20, 2010 22:54
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ok cool I was just wondering this as well, since I just ordered a breadboard and all that other stuff. Maybe I'll just by the Atmel and make my own.
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Feb 21, 2010 00:26
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No, if you have no experience just buy the kit. To be perfectly honest, by the time you're experienced enough to breadboard and program a microcontroller yourself you've outgrown kits like Arduino, PICAxe, and such.
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Feb 21, 2010 01:11
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Buying the board is not a whole lot more expensive then the price of all the components, and proper boards and stuff, anyway. Go ahead and buy one, if it looks interesting. They're great for just messing around.
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Feb 21, 2010 02:09
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ante posted:Buying the board is not a whole lot more expensive then the price of all the components, and proper boards and stuff, anyway. And the shields are kind of nice, it makes it real easy to integrate things without a ton of wires and poo poo hanging out everywhere.
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Feb 21, 2010 03:30
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I need some help, I'm making a PID temp controller using these instructions: http://www.susanminor.org/forums/showthread.php?t=315 I've got it all wired up and have test the connections to make sure theres no shorts; however, when I plug it in my PID controller doesn't turn on. It flickered on for a second but I haven't seen it on again. I'm hoping I didn't toast it.  I'm thinking that since this is coming from the wall I need some thicker wire, I'm using 18-gauge. Should I grab some 16 gauge? Would it make a difference?
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Feb 21, 2010 22:29
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If the wire wasn't think enough you wouldn't see the controller briefly flicker, it would work until the wire melts or causes a fire.
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Feb 21, 2010 23:11
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Any ideas then? Edit2: Ok it's got to be a loose wire, when I twist the PID one way it turns on and off if I turn it another way. What the hell. Shazzner fucked around with this message at 23:48 on Feb 21, 2010 |
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Feb 21, 2010 23:28
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The poster of that article is going to cause a fire  Turn off the power, do continuity tests on all your connections (the little soundwave icon on your multimeter), and for the love of god, screw down all of your components. Loose poo poo ends in tears.
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Feb 21, 2010 23:57
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ante posted:The poster of that article is going to cause a fire Yeah looks like the stranded wires were getting frayed when crimped onto the connectors, I'm going to redo some of the wires with solid core wire and maybe add some solder at the ends. I thought I could hear it arcing on one connector. haha this is going to such a fire hazard.
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Feb 22, 2010 01:08
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ante posted:It's just C, and it's super easy to get started with. The actual Arduino language is a lot closer to Java than C. If you were writing code to be burned as hex to the chip, then it would be C.
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Feb 22, 2010 04:23
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orange lime posted:The actual Arduino language is a lot closer to Java than C. If you were writing code to be burned as hex to the chip, then it would be C. What are you talking about, it's not like C, is C. They call it the "Arduino Language" but it's standard C except that the preprocessor automatically includes a header file with a bunch of basic I/O functions and ease of use macros in it.
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Feb 22, 2010 04:27
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orange lime posted:The actual Arduino language is a lot closer to Java than C. If you were writing code to be burned as hex to the chip, then it would be C. The actual Arduino language is, in fact, C. The header file that gets included adds a lot of macros and there's a decent library of prewritten code, but it's just C compiled by a C compiler.
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Feb 22, 2010 04:29
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He's probably getting thrown off by things like the Arduino serial library, which uses member pointers to functions to simulate methods and also uses java's naming conventions to trick people into thinking they're using Java (or maybe C++ circa 1994 as written by an OOD jackass).
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Feb 22, 2010 04:38
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Shazzner posted:Yeah looks like the stranded wires were getting frayed when crimped onto the connectors, I'm going to redo some of the wires with solid core wire and maybe add some solder at the ends. Never connect wire directly to those connectors. Always use ring terminals/stake-ons.  orange lime posted:If you were writing code to be burned as hex to the chip, then it would be C. What do you think a compiler does?
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Feb 22, 2010 04:41
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ante posted:Never connect wire directly to those connectors. Always use ring terminals/stake-ons.
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Feb 22, 2010 20:29
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Does anyone have any recommendations of somewhere in the UK where I can order some pin headers + connectors and some nice multi-core cables so that I can knock up some decent connections between circuits? Fed up of having rubishy wires everywhere! Thanks!
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Feb 23, 2010 00:47
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Any of you know of a good solar energy forum? I'm planning a 5kW array for my house and want a good place to bounce around some ideas.
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Feb 24, 2010 14:35
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Hillridge posted:Any of you know of a good solar energy forum? I'm planning a 5kW array for my house and want a good place to bounce around some ideas. Make a thread; I've been studying it pretty hardcore from a professional installer's standpoint. I've got a whole slew of tools that (theoretically) can size everything from the panels to the switch/batteries/inverter/etc.
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Feb 25, 2010 00:42
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babyeatingpsychopath posted:Make a thread; I've been studying it pretty hardcore from a professional installer's standpoint. I've got a whole slew of tools that (theoretically) can size everything from the panels to the switch/batteries/inverter/etc. Cool, I was thinking about making one once I was a little further along. Which forum here do you suggest? DIY would work I think. I'm planning on a 5kW grid-tie system, preferably with panels from Evergreen Solar since they are made right down the road and I'd rather buy from the US than China if possible. I have a decent idea of what I'm using for racking and mounts, but I still need to do the main design involving the panels and inverter, and to do that I need to pick the model of each I plan to use. I've already figured out that a 5kW system should give me an annual production of almost 6000kWh. I can take this to PM/email if it's too out of scope for this thread.
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Feb 25, 2010 17:48
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Q!=E
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Feb 25, 2010 17:49
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Anyone have recommendations for touch LCD screens? Basically, I want to make this: http://www.artlebedev.com/everything/optimus-aux/ A macro keypad with keys that label themselves. (Currently, I'm using a Logitech G11; it has 18 macro keys but I can't make good use of them because I can't remember what's configured for all 18 keys). Now, since I need to look at the labels anyway, there's not really any need to use real keys; a single touch LCD could achieve the same functionality with significantly less effort. I'm looking for something as large as 10", though I'll probably have to settle for significantly smaller to keep cost down. So far, the two things I've found that look best are: http://www.saelig.com/DILLCD/DI052.htm which is 7" and $400 http://www.sparkfun.com/commerce/product_info.php?products_id=8335 which is a piddly 4.3" but comes in at a mere $95.
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Feb 25, 2010 20:14
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I'm currently designing a few custom touch screen LCD systems (3.5" QVGA, 7" WVGA, and maybe a 10 or 12"). It looks like you want a ready to go system, whereas I'm working with raw panels and my own driving hardware. $400 for a 7" seems awfully steep, as I can buy the raw panels for under $35 each (this is at volume pricing though). I would pick up one of those digital picture frames and see what they are using to control it. It might be something you can re-purpose. Edit: The touch screen and LCD display are two independent entities. The touch screen just sits on top of the LCD and is brought out as a 4 wire FFC. It is purely resistive and there are plenty of controllers out there to read it (they are basically special purpose A2D converters). There are fancier multi-touch capacitive screens like on the iPhone, but most LCDs have the resistive version. Hillridge fucked around with this message at 21:30 on Feb 25, 2010 |
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Feb 25, 2010 21:26
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My target would be nothing but wires (or close to it) between my Spartan-3E and whatever I get for the LCD; I'm fine with implementing any controller logic I'd need in there (and it has the ADCs I'd need for the touch screen). So the 7" one has way more than what I would need; it's main draw is that it's the largest screen/touch sensor combo that I've seen on electronics sites more oriented for people who don't really know what they are doing.
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Feb 25, 2010 22:27
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