Humble Electronics #013 - Inline Exhaust Fan 01.02

I soldered up a board with the speed indicator LEDs so I could test it and see how much space it took up. I also needed to test resistor values to get an even brightness and then test it with the system. 

I started with a section of prototype PCB that I figured would fit what I needed. Each of my 1205 SMD LEDs just fit between the holes on the board. I filled each hole for the LEDs with a bit too much solder. Getting the LEDs on the bumps was really hard and it looked messy too. 

Humble Electronics #012 - Inline exhaust fan 01.01

We exhaust our XTool M1 laser cutter out a window with the included tube. It's not perfect but works most of the time. When the wind is blowing towards the window, the smoke gets blown back into the house because there are fresh air intake vents on the underside of the laser case. We have avoided cutting on those days and it becomes a slight inconvenience. We've been looking at various ways to install an inline fan with the vent tube to make sure the smoke always blows outside. We've thought of using a computer fan or some other type of system that needs a bit of programming a microcontroller and a power supply. While able to be achieved, the cost may outweigh the benefit and we haven't committed to anything. My husband had some bee in his brain one morning this weekend and ordered this small USB powered fan from Amazon. I'm going to adapt this fan to our use. I don't recommend doing the same and I recommend just buying an inline fan. But, this blog isn't subtitled Humble Electronics for nothing. I like the challenge of using common items and parts in different ways. This is a current project that will take a few posts.

(image from the Amazon listing)

Humble Electronics #011 - PAD - 234 Analog/Digital Trainer 01.3 (Summer 2023)

Now let's look at the clock and frequency generator outputs. The oscilloscope images were saved to a USB stick directly from the oscilloscope and transferred onto the computer. 

I should have made these connections neatly but I thought this was going to be a quick run through the maximums and minimums. I ended up spending quite some time changing the variables and observing the output. The signals were not very steady but I think they stayed within 5% tolerance and got more stable the longer the unit stayed on. I set the voltage at 5V by the oscilloscope but after I did the first set of outputs I realized that I did not do it correctly. I had set the max voltage 5V, not the peak to peak voltage so I did it again but with a Vpp of 5.04V. I placed a piece of tape over the knob so I wouldn't touch it while I varied the wave type.

 

Laser Cutter #010 Dice Towers 04 and 05

These are the last dice towers I'm doing for now. One is folding and the other is Gothic style with many windows. They're both cut out of 3mm MDF. Open links if you are comfortable. I make no guarantees that any are safe.