General: Issues preventing to blog… :(
It’s been a while I haven’t posted anything.
Been having some Issues preventing me from spending time on my hobbies so, I hope I eventually will be back with as much content as I used to post weekly.
Azear's Build-Blog
Building, Scavenging, Fun !
Desoldering Wednesday – January 26th, 2011
I know I have skipped last week; not because of lack of content but simply because of an overwhelming life 🙂
so here’s for this week (and the last one):
1- Remote control from an old VHS
2- one part of the front panel of the VHS stated in #1.
3- the 2nd Sanyo 900mhz phone I previously had put in piece (came with 2 units)
4- The few components I could get out of the business card scanner
5- an optical mouse that was not working properly
(( now I have my 2nd rotatory encoder for my CoBS ))
6- Parts from a Xbox – to – RF video converter
And… that’s all ! hope you enjoyed !
Tools: Vintage (Adorable?) Bench MultiMeter !
This ain’t the classic portable multimeter that you’re used to see around theses days… this one is massive, bench-top and vintage (read: adorable) ! The unit is a Heathkit Service Bench VTVM, model IM-13.
It’s about a feet long, 6 inch deep and 6 inches high… so it makes it quite a nice piece of equipment. When I got it given to me, It had 2 ‘probes’… one which is a multifunction probe (low capacitance probe, scope demodulator, peak to peak probe, RF probe) and the other one is a simple point probe (nothing fancy). Both use the 1/4 ‘audio’ jack to connect so I can’t use them on a Oscilloscope ( 😦 ) BUT… the multipurpose probe might serve me as an example/template for making my own Scope Probe 😛
Also, I got lucky enough to find the Schematic for service (in case it breaks) on the interweb 😛 The guys at ‘Vintage-Radio.info’ (Link) were nice enough to create an archive of all the Heathkit schematics (maybe not all but got quite a bunch)! So, thanks again guys @ Vintage-Radio.info!
Scavenging Sunday: January 16th, 2011
Tiny ScavSunday this week ! 🙂
1- RF adaptor for an Xbox
there is barely nothing in there, I was pretty deceived.
2- my lovely old mouse that happen to ‘die’ on me… after I tried to fix it.
(sorry for the reversed image)
3- another mouse but this time, a J-mouse with a DB9 connector ! (Ol’ School!)
4- A board from a chime system my father found me.
( If only everybody could be as generous as him! heh 🙂 )
… and that’s it for this week ! 🙂
Tools: Old Fluke 8022B multimeter
Back when I was younger, I had been given an old Fluke 8022B Multimeter. It was bulky, old-looking (already 8-ish years ago) and dirty but it did worked like a charm ! This was, by far, the most awesome multimeter I have had played with at that time… and last Saturday, I picked it up at my father’s house… still working like a charm ! According to the owner manual I’ve found online, it has been built in ’81 ! that’s… like 30 years ago ! the great this is that this little monster can test up to 1000V and as low as 200mV ! and it’s even a digital display 😛
enjoy!
Desoldering Wednesday: January 12th, 2011
Sadly, a short update this week (life been keeping me WAY too busy…)
1- The Sharp Electronic Calculator I got from work…. now in parts:
and to be honest, that printing assembly gave quite a good fight … but I still managed to get the pieces out 🙂
Make-It: Ibanez Tube Screamer T-808/TS-9 Clone! (Phase 2)
I managed to find a bit of time to work on this little monster! So, I got the board ‘planned’… or almost all planned.
Previously, I had decided on the external location of the parts but had no clue about the board by itself. Now, I got all the little drawing done on the protoboard. This is going to be a sick-crowded board ! About 40-50 parts on a 3″ x 2″ board, as minimal jumper as possible. So here it is… ( Each black round around a hole mean that there is something that goes there… either a part lead, either a jumper lead or a wire).
UPDATE: For those out there who would have wanted to have a better view of the designed board, here’s the GIF version of the connections.
(End of update)
Sadly, I can’t finish it since I noticed that I’m missing some parts for it (and I don’t want to do a botched job while using wrong parts). But at least, here’s a few ‘progress’ pictures of how crowded the board will be. (1st pic is about 1/2 of the parts, 2nd pic is about 3/4 of the parts; none have jumpers or wires yet nor potentiometers hooked).
Scavenging Sunday: January 9th, 2011
In an effort to de-clutter my blog, I decided to post my scavenging of the week once each week (just like the Desoldering Wednesday).
1- Business card scanner:
I got this small scanner from work in their effort to clean up before the move… it’s now in pieces and it components are awaiting to be reclaimed…
2- Electric kettle
Again, clean up at work… On a side note, not much to salvage in an electric kettle…
3- VHS
I have been given an old VHS from my father’s friend. It was really dusty but I don’t care at all, parts are parts, even with 2 pounds of dust on it ! On a side note, I will be able to get a few nice parts from this ( the forward/backward switch on both the video & the remote, some ICs (74xx serie), Switches & relay).
Electronic: Gift from a friend
A while ago, at work, a friend (an Electrical Engineer, the same who gave a look at my Variable PSU circuit) told me that she had her leftover from her university components in a box and they don’t use it anymore. So, I could have it all for free… but it was well hidden in her house so she couldn’t find it… UNTIL… now ! ^_^
On Friday morning, I had the holy box on my desk when I came in ! Have a look and enjoy !
On the bottom part, there is the resistors & capacitors and some hardware, on the top part, there is diodes, logic circuits, eeproms, LEDs, transistors, variable resistances and some voltage regulators.
Once again, I want to say a big (read: HUGE) “Thanks” to this awesome friend who always been around when I had a weird electronic question, even if it’s really not part of our daily job ! 😀
Make-It: Ibanez Tube Screamer T-808/T-9 Clone! (Phase 1)
So I have found a schematic to replicate a Tube Screamer T-808 or T-9 made by Ibanez. After hearing the sound, I knew I wanted one (especially since I managed to borrow a small guitar amplifier from my father!)
the T-9 Vs the T-808 are fairly similar (the T-808 have a few more parts at the ‘end’ of the circuit) so my initial prototype will be to replicate a T-9 pedal. I already went to the Electronic Store to get the missing parts so, I’m ready to start. I also have already planned the hardware disposition in the box (better than for the FuzzFace :P)
As far as it is advanced, I have some parts of the board/schematic planned out but it’s going to e a pretty crowded board when I’ll be done with it (tons of parts, especially if I do the T-808 version) on a small-ish board 😛 I’ll keep you guys updated!
How To Dismantle: Sharp Electronic Calculator !
You probably have seen some of theses around offices and such! Yes, they are Electronic Calculator (not the pocket version btw). So let’s start our disassembling process…
Review & Rating:
Easiness to get opened: 9/10
Amount of parts: 4/10
Usefulness of parts: 3/10
Number of boards: 2 + mecanical + transfo
Disassembling After the Jump ! (Click ‘Read more’)
Desoldering Wednesday: January 5th, 2011
First one of 2011 ! and it’s a HUGE desoldering Wednesday ! Most of the board were desoldered on new year eve since I had decided to take it ‘relax’ 🙂
1- One of the board from the old Dell 21″ Trinitron monitor I put in pieces:
2- one of the 2 2.4ghz wireless phone board
( yes, that is a closeup on the SMD components )
3- an old P3 computer motherboard I’m tearing appart (a few headers and stuff is left )
( including SMD closeup ( more organised this time ) which include an ATmel-F MCU )
4- another wireless phone from which I got some neat stuff (including a small ATmel551 MCU)
5- The last phone (#4) charging station / Base
6- the board from a ‘slave’ charging station for a wireless phone. quite deceived of the amount of parts in there!
7- This one is only a leftover board that has been started in the past. Only 1/3 of the board was left in fact. From an audio Hi-Fi system.
8- the board from a Lexmark printer… well, in fact, it’s more ‘what I’ve been able to get out without breaking it’. Theses boards are very hard to work with (combo Solder + small thru holes I guess ).
9- the tiny board of a wireless keyboard, without the keyboard section.
10- Some front boards from a 29″ Toshiba TV
11- The Toshiba TV matching Remote
12- The board that is complementing the neck board of the Toshiba TV. (basically, next to the neck but not attached directly like the other board).
That is sadly all for this time (well, that was a BIGGIE Desoldering Wednesday !) but I promise to bring more of it as soon as I can ! (next Wednesday? I hope to not be late… *again* 🙂 )
Scavenging: An ol’ 29″ TV
I had this old TV at home that I was barely using… a 29″ TV with 3″ missing on top (quite annoying I tell you) but it was ok for the amount of TV we were watching… until … now. 🙂
The TV haven’t been turned on in the last year (or more) so… It rang my bell telling me that it was due for being ‘recycled’ my way 🙂 Only little issue, while removing stuff around the TV in the furniture, I accidentally turned it on with the remote… So, the anode was loaded -_-…
I carefully opened the case and carefully discharged the anode first. This step is MANDATORY if you’re going to play with a TV or a monitor… there is ALOT of current flowing in there and it act like a biggie capacitor so… if you don’t discharge it, you’re risking to electrocute yourself… and frankly… I don’t want any of my reader to get electrocuted so…. BE CAREFUL and Discharge it ! If you don’t know how to discharge an anode, check the net. there is TONS of awesome information on how to do it. (( for you guys who don’t want to google, here’s a link to Pinx’s Video Arcade website (Link). He’s showing how to safely discharge a CRT monitor using a HV probe but he also state that it can be done with a screwdriver & aligator clamp (the method I use) ))
So, I got everything out of this monster… Speakers & PCBs… and I got a surprise. I was looking at the board and was amazed by the amount of components that was there (I should have put that one in piece way before)! but also, when I flipped the board over, I noticed that that board had been repaired in the past ! the reparation is a bit the ‘hard way’ but if it worked 😛
And the speakers are some 7w sweet looking speakers 😛 much much better than what I had found in the previous TVs 😛
I also sliced the remote control for the TV… since well, a remote without a TV can be tricky to use 🙂 and… I love the little LEDs that are almost SMD components! They will sure come handy when I’ll build some other projects! In fact, I even have something in mind for them… but that’s a secret for now !
most likely, that biggie board will take me a while to get apart but it’ll worth it in the end!
Fix-It: Ross Distortion Guitar Pedal (Phase 1 – Final)
Ok, so I got this guitar pedal that was said to be not working… a somewhat oldie but in fairly good shape “Ross” brand Distortion Pedal for guitars.
Indeed, as the person who handed it to me said… if it’s plugged, no sound come from it… only a ‘hummmm’ … So I sliced it open (read: unscrew the back panel), checked out the circuit… everything and torn it out in piece… nothing… No visual issue, nothing looking wrong, chip is properly inserted in the socket… everything looks fine…
So… I had a genius idea… … … could it be the battery ? … I checked out the 9v … and it’s dead dead dead… -_- I replaced it with a new one … and Voila ! Magic happen again…
My advice for today… and to myself… Check the dang battery FIRST ! 🙂
(( on the bright side, I might take a quick look at how I could recreate a Distortion pedal like that 😛 the IC is a simple Low-Noise Dual Op-Amp 🙂 and all the caps/resistances are not a big deal 😛 soooo… I might make my own clone of it soon ! ))
Fix-It: Emergency Light System (Phase 2)
I still play with that thing once in a while when I have time to devote to it but… frankly, I’m clueless now.
I have tried a small 4.8v SLA battery ( after dropping the voltage to 4.8-ish volts from the charging system) but it doesn’t seems to charge … or not more than 1v after a while…
Next, I managed to get a 12v SLA battery from my father’s old Alarm system … and… same-ish issue, can’t get over 4v with it.
So now, I’m back to square 1 … or maybe square 2 since I fixed some issues already 😛 Anyways, I’ll try to get a real 6v SLA like the circuit is supposed to work with and try it again… in the mean time, enjoy the circuit with a battery (instead of a biggie Capa like the other time 🙂 )
General: Thanks Everybody & Happy New Year!
Wow, seriously wow…
I have hit the first 500 view on this blog yesterday! and it’s all because of you guys! I appreciate alot and it mean something to me. It mean that what I’m doing, people are looking at it and I can’t be more happy to say that I’ll continue to do my best to bring Idea and content to this blog!
I also wanted to wish you all a wonderful new year ( I know, I’m a tiny bit late… ) !
So stay tuned because more awesome stuff is coming!
(( Sneak peak: some tutorials, more dismantling process, more ‘Make-It’ projects and some really really cool MCUs projects! ))
Make It: “Fuzz Face” Clone Guitar Pedal
I recently got dragged into Guitar Pedals Schematics by a friend and It kinda gave me the ‘wants’ to make one for my father… so here’s the build log!
I started to research schems for the Fuzz Face Jimmy Hendrix used (there was quite a few in fact) and after a hint from my father (Arbiter), I knew what to look for. I have found some REALLY awesome info from the guys at Fuzz Central (Link) on the original Schems for the Fuzz Face with different version available. I decided to try my luck with the ‘Silicon Era’-type (using 2x “BC109” transistors in my case). I really went with the original design (that I tweaked a tiny bit). Oh and … FYI… this little monster did cost me less than 20$ to build ! and I had almost no parts (except resistances and caps).
Started by gathering the parts and making my proto board:
as you can see, I went for a sweet old-style Pot button 😛 Oh and, I ‘though’ I would do the proto like that… but we all know that things ‘change’ here and there once in a while 😛
Once all the electronic was soldered, I started to attack the casing:
On a side note, If I would redo the case, I’d put both In and Out jacks on the same side to save a bit of space inside and I would redo the wiring to have less. Right now, everything goes to the board even if it’s just 2 wires connected together… so It adds up a bit… and quite honestly, it adds up FAST !
So here’s the semi final of the box:
After a bit of looking at it, I decided to hack in my circuit to add a ‘Power On’ LED… which wasn’t too hard afterall… and I put the labels on what-is-what 🙂
Enjoy !
Afterthoughts:
-Use both jacks on the same side to free up some space.
-Add the bypass switch (couldn’t do it in this one due to space issue).
-Wire the cables directly to where they should go instead to ‘All-To-Board’ method.
-Get Countersinks screw for the board and some better holding system.
-Get some audio wires/jacks to test that kind of prototype… because Alligator clamps can be tricky to work with…
Make It: Mouse Wheel From VHS Motor
Yup, another project that I started.
Basically, I scavenged some VHS motor from *D’oh, Captain Obvious* an old VHS and I though I could use that little monster to make a Mouse Wheel from it ! What a brilliant idea… except that I had no clue on how I would do this… but, after a bit of trial and error, I … am back to nothing because I haven’t figured out an efficient way of knowing when the ‘wheel’ have moved and in which direction… but it’s a progress ! Here’s the build log:
Start from an old VHS motor:
Then, get the guts out ( for some reason, I can’t get tired of saying that ! xD ):
One of my try was to hack in the PCB and ‘find’ when the motor spin and which side… but… failed 😦
at this point, I couldn’t get the MCU to detect whenever the little magnet was coming close to that sensor thinggy… so I had to forgot that idea
Then, I tried the microswitch approach, which might have some potential.
only issue so far is that the screw I’m using to do the trigger on the micro switches is a bit rough on the switches so, it might give a beatie to the switches… Another variation I’ve tried was to use a 3mm LED glued in but it’s a bit too long so the case cannot close properly (and that mean a no-go again).
The next plans are trying to see if I can use an optical reader and put something in the top part that will know when it moves but, i’m not sure yet how it’ll work… and, after that, I still have to hook it up to some USB mouse controller… so that’s not going to be done anytime soon… but I’m working on it 🙂
Desoldering Wednesday: December 29th, 2010
Yes, I know…. blablabla… Lack of update… blablabla… Christmas…. blablabla…Sorry…blablabla…
So, that done, I can focus on what happen this last 2 weeks:
1- some VCR board:
Woohoo ! Tons of Electrolytic Caps & Transistors !
2- Some motor-slave boards (small)
Theses motors run super smooth on the Variable PSU I built 😛 they can handle 10v easily !
3- wireless phone: (& closeup on SMD components)
There was some kind of goo on the board but I still got a good amount of stuff out!
4- an old 14.4kbps dial-up modem (& closeup on SMD components)
Theses SMD resistors are gigantic! and the ICs looked more like PDIP chips with the pin cut 😛
On this, I’ll see you next week !
(( Oh and… Tons of reorganization in my part box (-_-)” but it worth it !
TI MSP430: Received them !
Ok, TI has gave me a really hard time but it’s finally at home! 3 little & lovely Launchpad MSP430 set!
So, here’s the deboxing and the little soldering I had to do with it 🙂
1- Unboxing:
2- Extra Parts (from left to right, extra MCU, external Crystal & Headders):
3- Installing some of the new parts:
3.a- Installing the headers:
3.b- Installing the external Crystal (for more precise clock):
Voila ! 😀
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