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 Forum index » DIY Hardware and Software
Fun useful tips
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Cfish



Joined: Feb 24, 2016
Posts: 477
Location: Indiana

PostPosted: Thu Dec 01, 2016 3:23 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

prgdeltablues wrote:
My tip:


I've got into the habit of measuring the resistance between V+, ground and V- before I install any ICs, and checking the result against the schematic.





Just caught a dead short on a factory strip board today, that I failed to spot on a thorough pre build inspection. Lost a pretty new power supply over not doing this a couple of years ago. Is a good habit.

I also power the board with ICs out and do a final voltage check, saved powering pin 7 on a TL072 more than once with this step. And if that piece of steel wool is there, it shows up with the magic smoke in the ICs where it belongs.
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Inventor
Stream Operator


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PostPosted: Thu Dec 01, 2016 3:34 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

Here is my "Neat Freak Technique" video, me at 2x speed sounding like a very informative chipmunk:

https://youtu.be/wLqEPZiYrj0

Les

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Cfish



Joined: Feb 24, 2016
Posts: 477
Location: Indiana

PostPosted: Sun Dec 04, 2016 7:23 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

When I'm building a fixed filter for a cigar box organ.

Deciding exact resistor values for a voltage divider.

Setting exact gain on an opamp, to offset level lost in an affect.

I find having a couple of decade resistor boxes and a decade capicitor box to be big time savers.

I know they are pretty old school. But these cheap old yard sale buys get a lot of use in my projects.


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gabbagabi



Joined: Nov 29, 2008
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PostPosted: Wed Dec 28, 2016 11:57 am    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

Love this Thread!

Thanks PHOBoS for reminding me on sprint layout!
After all this years i have the feeling the software is doing what I want, not the other way round Smile

cheers
bb
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alanwilder81



Joined: Sep 03, 2016
Posts: 310
Location: italy

PostPosted: Wed Dec 28, 2016 4:41 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

hello chaps,

i bought some CA 3046 's in SOIC format.Very, very small. The SOIC to DIP adapters cost a fortune,so i've been thinking of making my own mini pcb's to solder the micro chips onto, just like is depicted in picture.
has any of you done that ,or ,come up with different or better ideas ?
cheers all Smile


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Grumble



Joined: Nov 23, 2015
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PostPosted: Wed Dec 28, 2016 4:49 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

yes, for 1$25 you buy 20 pcs double sided HERE and the transport is free.

Ok, its not full diy.... :roll

But it works great Very Happy


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alanwilder81



Joined: Sep 03, 2016
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Location: italy

PostPosted: Wed Dec 28, 2016 5:19 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

thanks Grumble ! Smile

holy crap ! that's sooo cheap compared to the rip offs i've seen around the net. Up to 8 euros each in some cases Shocked Shocked
will make sure i buy some of them, it looks like Holland is the place to go for good bargains Rolling Eyes Rolling Eyes
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Grumble



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PostPosted: Thu Dec 29, 2016 1:05 am    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

alanwilder81 wrote:
it looks like Holland is the place to go for good bargains Rolling Eyes Rolling Eyes

China Rolling Eyes Laughing
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AlanP



Joined: Mar 11, 2014
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PostPosted: Thu Dec 29, 2016 1:40 am    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

Couple tools that are not obviously useful --

Tweezers. Very useful for fine manipulation, easier in the hand than needle nose pliers (it's not like we're working with 240VAC gauge wire, usually.) The cheapo kind normally used for eyebrows is what I have, works a treat.

Stainless steel dental pick. Solder does not stick to this material. Use either desoldering braid or a solder sucker to remove as much molten solder as you can from a plated through hole on a PCB, and if there's a remaining bit you cannot get rid of, heat the solder up, poke the dental pick through, and let the solder cool while holding the pick through the hole, as deep as possible. If you buy the same (cheap) resistors and caps I do, you'll find that there is enough room to jam the replacement part through. It's also useful for shoving parts of component leg out of a plated through hole. Small Bear carry these, in their Tools section. It's more a niche-ly-useful tool.

8mm and 10mm ring wrenches. The 10mm fits Alpha pots (9mm and 16mm pots both), and the 8mm fits 3.5mm jacks of all kinds (except knurled and those weird ring slot ones), and also toggle switches.

Spare aluminium enclosure, or other heavy metal paperweight. This is a very non-obvious usage.
Take your enclosure. Stick a big blob of blu tack on. (You did get a packet of this after I recommended it in the first page, right?)
Take your surface mount PCB. Jam it onto the blu tack, HARD. The board is now stable to solder onto, and you can turn it around for better angles (can't do that with a vice, easily!)

Stanley knife (not a boxcutter, of the snap-off blade type, but a proper Stanley knife.) Partly to open up boxes, but also partly for when you're debugging boards that you stuffed up good and proper at the PCB design stage, and need to cut traces, but don't want to ruin the edge on your current Exacto blade.
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alanwilder81



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PostPosted: Thu Dec 29, 2016 3:26 am    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

hey Ed,

i thought the shop was Dutch,as i took a look at its website and i recognized some dutch words. Damn china Cool Cool
anyway its a to go place for cheap products to buy in bulk Rolling Eyes Rolling Eyes

how do you go about soldering those tiny smd chips by the way ? Smile Smile
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alanwilder81



Joined: Sep 03, 2016
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PostPosted: Thu Dec 29, 2016 3:38 am    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

thanks alanp ! Smile
very useful tips ! this thread is getting very interesting.
i expect more and more people to come here and share their knowledge as well as making the most of what is being documented.

How i would have coped with synth DIY without internet is beyond me.

Besides the obvious,say all of the golden schematics we find at a click, what's really unvaluable is the almost real time advices, answers and tips from expert chaps that willingly enlighten poorly trained boys like me.

let's guys keep this fantastic work up Cool Cool
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Grumble



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PostPosted: Thu Dec 29, 2016 5:38 am    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

alanwilder81 wrote:


how do you go about soldering those tiny smd chips by the way ? Smile Smile

My daytime job is at a biomedical enginering division at a university and they had some surplus microscopes, which happens to be a stereo microscope with a large focal distance that proved to be a great help when soldering components this small.
Especialy the age I find myself in Cool
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alanwilder81



Joined: Sep 03, 2016
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PostPosted: Thu Dec 29, 2016 8:40 am    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

Ed you are so lucky Smile
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alanwilder81



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PostPosted: Thu Dec 29, 2016 8:43 am    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

i will have to get by with some magnifying lens Smile
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Cfish



Joined: Feb 24, 2016
Posts: 477
Location: Indiana

PostPosted: Thu Dec 29, 2016 5:19 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

I had seen this tip a long time ago on YouTube, and have only recently tried my hand at etching circuit boards and realized how useful the tip really is.

You can use a sharpie to touch up imperfections in a toner transfer before you etch the board.

In the last board I etched I didn't get a good transfer and was impressed how well it worked.

Last edited by Cfish on Thu Dec 29, 2016 5:46 pm; edited 1 time in total
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alanwilder81



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PostPosted: Thu Dec 29, 2016 5:43 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

to Chris,
which you tube tips are you referring to? The small smd to DIP adapter?
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Grumble



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PostPosted: Sat Jan 07, 2017 5:01 am    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

Ever noticed when soldering that the smoke always gets in your eyes, mouth, lungs?
That is because your body is warm, so the air around your body heats up and starts to move up.
I have a sort of solution for it: I just fixed an old pc fan to an old desk lamp and powered it with about 7 volts, and that is just about enough to suck the air (smoke) away from my work and disperce it.
One improvement could be to add a carbon filter, but this works for me.


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PHOBoS



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PostPosted: Sat Jan 07, 2017 7:13 am    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

GMTA ? Laughing


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Grumble



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PostPosted: Sat Jan 07, 2017 8:04 am    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

Wonder how many diy-ers have a bike backlight at their workbench cyclops
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Grumble



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PostPosted: Sat Jan 07, 2017 8:06 am    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

PHOBoS wrote:
GMTA ? Laughing

GMWA Rolling Eyes
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Cfish



Joined: Feb 24, 2016
Posts: 477
Location: Indiana

PostPosted: Sat Jan 07, 2017 11:14 am    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

Ok guys, the last 2 posted pictures prompted me to open a work bench pictures thread, just for fun.

Grumble and PhoBos, you have again inspired me Very Happy
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alanwilder81



Joined: Sep 03, 2016
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PostPosted: Sat Jan 07, 2017 1:32 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

it looks like this thread has turned into a work bench pics contest. Who's winning what? Smile
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alanwilder81



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PostPosted: Sat Jan 21, 2017 3:35 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

hello chaps

what ìs your favorite solder iron wattage ? 15 W or 30 W for PCB components soldering?
i am a beginner ,so i would feel better and on a safe side by using a 15 W iron. any thoughts? Smile
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blue hell
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PostPosted: Sat Jan 21, 2017 3:47 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

It is best to have a temperature regulated soldering iron.

When that is not an option I'd go for 30 or 45 Watt or so.

15 Watt would only be useful for really small work.

A common mistake for people starting on soldering is to use not enough power or a temperature set too low.

This may seem like a contradiction, as it seems safer to work on a low temperature. But ... on low temperatures it takes longer to make a good solder connection and this will do more damage than soldering quickly with a properly set temperature.

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also .. could someone please turn down the thermostat a bit.
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wackelpeter



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PostPosted: Sat Jan 21, 2017 4:51 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

second what Jan wrote above...

I'm using only a small and really cheap no Name soldering Station, but i can regulate the temperature. Cost me only 20 Euro or so... Nothing fancy and they only last 2-4 years but they'll do the Job for me...

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