hybridfree/eevblog-posts huggingface dataset:
DIY kits - sticky and/or vblog episode - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: Mephitus
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: December 16, 2015, 04:30:17 pm
content: I was wondering if we might be able to get a sticky, either in the beginners or projects section dedicated to DIY kits? An episode of the eevblog might be kind of fun if Dave got a few of the kits available in places like aliexpress or sparkfun with a quick review of each. May even be pretty good fun, or cute, if he did them with Sagan. (I know I cant wait to do such things when my son gets old enough.) It may even be worth a try as a mini-episode every now and then to show off a kit.As someone still in the starting parts of learning EE, as many that have come before me, I have had an interest in trying the kits out there. Having a place for people to show off and/or review the kits they have would be rather useful. It could also be an easy way to help encourage both newcomers and younger viewers.
Teardown & electronics explanation for digital calipers - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: leonhart88
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: December 10, 2015, 05:51:38 pm
content: Digital calipers are pretty ubiquitous nowadays and are extremely cheap for the accuracy they can provide. There's a lot of info out there that talks about how they work at a high level (ie. two plates with unique patterns, capacitance changes as the plates move, etc.), but not much that talks in depth about the theory of their operation and electronics.Might make for a useful and educational teardown video.

author: timofonic
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: December 13, 2015, 01:15:58 am
content: It might be interesting. It can involve many basics applied to a real use
Debunking this will be just as interesting as Batteriser. - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: Dread
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: December 17, 2015, 05:57:47 pm
content: Amazon has been selling these new smart smoke alarm batteries for $35 USD.IMO this 5 year life span is not possible, same size as a regular 9V and it's powering it's own internal WiFi.Something does not smell right from Roost LTD and the name alone is a hint that I may be on to something,http://www.amazon.com/Roost-900-00001-Battery-Alarms-Single/dp/B00ZWQHVP4/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top?ie=UTF8This one sounds like a Job for Dave.Rob

author: Ian.M
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 17, 2015, 06:14:50 pm
content: I don't see any particular problem as long as it doesn't wake up and report too often. e,g, if there's still plenty of charge, and the alarm hasn't been triggered (which it must detectby current draw), it might only wake up once a week to join the WiFi network and report its status.

author: free_electron
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 17, 2015, 06:19:09 pm
content: not bunk. you can even swap the internal lithium cellhttp://shop.getroost.com/?variant=3384877253this thing only activates its wifi WHEN there is an alarm, or battery low. otherwise it sleeps. it is sound triggered. if the alarm fires , the microphone wakes the wifi that then broadcasts a packet.in other words : you can not contact this thing via wifi when it is asleep. it can only be woken by sound. (that is why the setup procedure requires your smarphone to emit the beep to wake the module and do the initial installation.)
Effect of DC bias on capacitiors vs their DC ratings - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: beng
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: September 15, 2015, 12:37:36 am
content: I have always been told that when substituting capacitors, the general rule was to choose caps with the same or next higher voltage rating and the same or +20% or so capacitance.The voltage rule was because the effective capacitance varies significantly vs the DC bias voltage between two caps with different voltage ratings.However I was surprised to learn recently that the effective capacitance of electrolytic capacitors was not as badly affected.(compared to ceramics for eg)So I think a fundamentals episode on this topic, comparing various capacitor types/voltage ratings and capacitance values would be very informative.Rgds Ben

author: rs20
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 16, 2015, 05:37:55 am
content: Dave has already done a video on DC bias effects on capacitance in certain types of ceramic capacitor. There's not much need for a further video, since other types of ceramic, plus all electrolytic, polypropylene, mica, tantalums etc etc, do not exhibit the DC bias effect to any typically notable degree. The high-value ceramic capacitors are the odd ones out here.Edit: This is my 1000th post! Hooray! Only 24 more till arealmilestone!

author: Circlotron
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 20, 2015, 02:02:57 am
content: I did some measurements on some 10nF 50V multi layer ceramics some time ago, taking them up to several times their rated voltage, and the capacitance reduces so much with voltage that the stored energy varies almostlinearlywith applied voltage rather than the square of the voltage.

author: T3sl4co1l
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 20, 2015, 02:07:23 am
content: Yes, outside of the initial high-C region, energy storage is essentially linear (or, C(V) goes as 1 / V).Which goes to show, if you need bulk energy storage, and it has to be ceramic, you're better off with C0G, which has constant C and therefore quadratic E(V). This isn't unreasonable for high voltages (the energy density is better than electrolytics), but is rather impractical in cost!Tim
Lab Reference Clock: Explanation and demonstration - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: alexanderbrevig
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 25, 2015, 01:54:21 pm
content: This is actually a question I just realized I did not know the answer to:Why would one use a lab reference clock?I imagine I'm not the only beginner that does not really know what it's needed for, and I think it would make for a nice episode with a great deal of traps for young players.What do you think?
Fairphone 2 - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: OldTimer555
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: November 23, 2015, 11:20:43 pm
content: There's an article about something I've never seen. Probably a joke.But why not? Why must the products be non-repairable, after all they cost a lot, and it's not really that hard to design them to be repairable.http://www.geek.com/news/fairphone-2-shows-the-big-boys-how-to-build-a-repairable-smartphone-1639913/

author: Simon
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: November 24, 2015, 06:52:57 am
content: It's not a joke, I have the fairphone1 and it is ok and was cheap at £200 considering they made sure no dodgy conflict minerals were used and everyone who made it got paid a fair wage. Unfortunately version 2 is almost £400 I suppose due to the fact that you can replace stuff and they have made it modular although I'm not sure what you can make modular about it.

author: coppice
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 24, 2015, 07:23:29 am
content: They say they source conflict free tin and tantalum, but equipment makers don't source materials like that. They might sources components certified to be made with conflict free materials, but are there any component makers offering such things?

author: Simon
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: November 24, 2015, 07:33:54 am
content: Yes there is an emphasis on conflict free minerals and there are certifications. I think they may have personally visited the mines to to make sure the workers have the right conditions etc. It was a social project more than an economic and technical one, the aim was to prove we can do things properly if we want to.

author: Simon
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: November 24, 2015, 07:41:38 am
content: Quote from: blueskull on November 24, 2015, 07:40:15 amYet has a factory in Israel

author: timb
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 24, 2015, 08:51:12 am
content: Quote from: blueskull on November 24, 2015, 07:47:10 amRight, but technically if the chips are produced in Isreal, a war zone, and said chips are used in other finished goods (a PC, for example) doesn't it then make the chips themselves conflict materials, if you will? Think about it.Think about it...Sent from my Tablet

author: timb
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 24, 2015, 09:28:26 am
content: Quote from: blueskull on November 24, 2015, 09:25:47 amIt's a joke.Sent from my Tablet

author: AndyC_772
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 24, 2015, 09:41:48 am
content: Quote from: blueskull on November 24, 2015, 07:40:15 amDo you mean that Intel is doing something specific in this area, or they're just complying with their legal obligations under the Dodd-Frank act, just like any other US manufacturer has to?

author: Simon
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: November 24, 2015, 12:39:40 pm
content: I think the conflict free bit is to stop human rights abuses (slavery) AND money from being given to warring factions to fuel conflicts with.
Forum links to videos - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: rdl
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 17, 2015, 05:32:17 pm
content: When a text link is posted to a youtube video a preview image is automatically inserted in its place. If JavaScript from youtube is disabled or blocked, all that is seen is an unclickable big black box (if that). If possible it would be good to also keep the original url as a clickable text hyperlink, maybe below the placeholder image or something.
vco's - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: croyleje
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: June 02, 2012, 08:25:08 am
content: how about something on voltage controlled oscillators especially something about making your own i have tried a couple but they never reach there upper end calculated valves never makes to the top endalso love the soldering re-ball idea

author: Rerouter
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 02, 2012, 08:31:41 am
content: about VCO's just remember, jellybean op amps are far from ideal, your expected 0-5V output on an op amp might be 0.2-4.8 and same for the input, and you must compensate for that,also some capacitor types shift in capacitance for a change in frequency,

author: Zero999
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 02, 2012, 09:16:28 am
content: You need to provide more information: schematic, frequency range, desired waveform, topology etc.

author: ThijssjihT
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: August 26, 2015, 11:12:30 am
content: Bumb, because I would like a vco video too- How does it work?- What calculations can you do?- How to design your own vco?

author: retrolefty
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 26, 2015, 02:10:13 pm
content: Quote from: ThijssjihT on August 26, 2015, 11:12:30 amWhile the MC1648 chip is very dated, it's datasheet gives a lot of practical and theoretical background on VCO theory and design.

author: AF6LJ
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 12, 2015, 04:13:00 pm
content: This is a very broad subject.You would want to break it down into varactor and non-varactor tuned VCOs.

author: G0HZU
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 05, 2015, 11:16:40 pm
content: I've designed a few VCOs for professional use but this was way back in the 1990s. Some narrowband and some wideband at frequencies up to a couple of GHz.I've since designed a few up to about 7GHz for test fixtures but these days many people just buy ready made VCOs from Mini Circuits or Zcomm or they buy cheaper 'integrated' VCOs.At work, we stopped designing our own VCOs because the NRE costs were so high. They require a lot of design effort and a lot of testing across temperature and vibration. For professional design it's generally much cheaper (overall) to just buy premade VCO units unless the product is very high volume.To do a decent tutorial on VCO design up at UHF would require a lot of input from the person making the video and I think relatively few people would need to know/absorb this level of info anyway.There are plenty of books on this subject and that's probably the safest way to learn this stuff (for those that want to learn VCO design in detail using modern simulation techniques etc).
Suggestion: Boolean search - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: timofonic
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 12, 2015, 12:11:21 pm
content: Hello.[I will expand this message later with more info. This is just a reminder.]Sometimes I try to find information over EEvBlog forums and I miss Boolean operators.They are very powerful for searching information.I will explain this better later.Regards.

author: Vgkid
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 13, 2015, 09:56:04 pm
content: I understand what you mean, but my biggest issue with search is either not being able to find any threads(or 1-2 threads) with pertinent information, or finding many threads containing the correct search word. The thing with the boolean operators is that for the easiest approach, threads would need to be tagged with tags, so you can either omit/include certain tags.

author: tggzzz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 13, 2015, 10:05:38 pm
content: Use google and prefix your terms with site:www.eevblog.com? Not perfect, but nothing is.

author: Vgkid
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 14, 2015, 09:24:15 pm
content: ^^^ Thats what I do when search isnt helpful.

author: timofonic
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 04, 2015, 05:13:44 pm
content: This information congestion issue is quite common in forums. It can be solved by providing wiki integration. I'll explain ithere.
Send this topic, problem. - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: klaus11
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: October 27, 2015, 10:00:25 am
content: Not getting the message send this topic, sure there is a problem

author: crispy_tofu
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 27, 2015, 10:24:44 am
content: Tested on iCloud and Hotmail.Works on iCloud.Doesn't work on Hotmail, overzealous spam filters?
Syntax Highlighter - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: andre_teprom
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: January 23, 2016, 05:36:49 pm
content: I noticed that this feature is not available here, but it's very useful for viewing codes at the browser. I'm unaware about SMF template, but few years ago I added this functionality to an electronics forum in phpBB, and it was quite easy.
Suggestion: Comparison of current meters - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: wesphillips
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: October 11, 2015, 07:11:22 pm
content: How about an episode that compares the accuracy of clamp style current meters and conventional (in circuit) current meters. I am curious if the clamp style are as accurate.

author: SteveLy
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: October 18, 2015, 06:13:39 am
content: Confusing topic:current meters = meters of todayammeters = meters that measure current

author: crispy_tofu
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 18, 2015, 06:24:01 am
content: Quote from: SteveLy on October 18, 2015, 06:13:39 amLOL, I thought that the OP was talking about the meters of today as well!Besides the confusing title, this would be vaguely interesting to watch (but then again, everything is).
Implementing digital filters with microcontroller/DSP - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: NiHaoMike
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 18, 2015, 04:31:37 am
content: I think it would be nice to do a video on how to implement a digital filter in a microcontroller or DSP, starting with a free mathematics package such as Scilab or Octave and then going on to actually implementing the filter in code.

author: SteveLy
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: October 18, 2015, 05:34:25 am
content: It is a good topic, perhaps for new Fundamental Friday series, that can be as simple or complicated as you like. But IMHO a software independent treatment of the basics would be preferable - everyone is going to have their own preferred way of implementation, programming language/package.
Video about component tester of Hameg Scope - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: Godzil
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 17, 2015, 09:44:53 am
content: Hi Dave,For a "retro" equipment based video you could do one about the Component Tester that most of the Hameg scope have, it could also turn on making one, or just explaining how it work, for a "normal" scope that only have a X-Y mode.I think it could be interesting

author: Stephan_T
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: September 19, 2015, 02:36:49 am
content: There is a very nice video of Alan (aka w2aew) about this topic:#49: Simple Component Tester using Oscilloscope - Octopus Curve TracerThe function of such a component tester could even be improved (at least on an old analogue scope) when we would add a trigger that causes a little blanking pulse on the z axis (intensity of the beam). This could display a small marker at the 45° point of the period, which would make it easier to recognise an ellipse either as capacitance or as inductance. Otherwise both look exactly the same.It would also be nice to discuss the recommended values for the octopus circuit a little bit more in detail. What voltages, currents, resistors and frequencies are useful and uncritical in case of different components.
Negative Feedback T-shirts EU/Fabrily - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: PeterZ
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: August 20, 2015, 09:15:09 am
content: Just got my t-shirts from Fabrily. Here's two hi-res pics for anyone considering getting these:

author: Godzil
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 17, 2015, 09:49:14 am
content: And?I'm quite satisfied by the one I bougt, don't see the point hereEdit: I'm stupid it wasn't a topic about a quality problem"negative feedback" is the name of this t-shirt....So I'm very happy if the one I ordered@Dave: do you plan to put the other design on fabrily?

author: wiss
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 17, 2015, 05:16:53 pm
content: Link? I only get to the make your own tshirt when I go there...

author: Goater
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: September 17, 2015, 09:53:42 pm
content: Quote from: wiss on September 17, 2015, 05:16:53 pmTry this onehttps://fabrily.com/campaigns/negativefeedback
battery simulator - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: PA4TIM
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 14, 2015, 09:12:28 am
content: A logical follow up after the debunking video could be a video about battery simulators. I'm just building one because it turns out that a lab supply is not a very good replacvement for a battery. (in my case testing a charger/conditioner I build, it works fine with a battery but misbehaves with a labsupply.
Solar Inverter teardown/theory. - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: station240
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 05, 2015, 04:57:12 pm
content: Someone locally was giving away a dead Solar Inverter, which sadly I probably want get, as they are completely un-contactable.Anyway some poking around revealed Sunny Roo made some craptacular transformerless inverters, which are without warranty as obviously the importer went broke. Given there are other brands/models with the same sorts of issues, shouldn't be too hard to find one to pull to pieces.

author: nowlan
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 14, 2015, 03:28:24 am
content: I have been wanting to ask if anyone can explain to me how transformless works. I suppose id have to look at some patents first.Is it just like our switching power supplies, inductor boost 12-48v up to 300vpk and then pwm/filter 240v sinasoidal line?When I search for transformerless i only see the 240v buck 12v@20ma via capacitor.Also curious about how they follow the grid reference frequency. For instance when you have SunnyIsland, they generate 50hz when normal condition, but if a slave device is producing too much power, they speed the frequency along to 51hz to tell them to slow down/back off, and then 52hz or something to tell slaves to go offline.I would have thought smart meters at my switch box would detect the signal in the street to down, and isolate/island the house's production.
Practical Op-amp stability & Compensation - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: yashrk
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: August 01, 2015, 06:01:27 pm
content: Hello guys,Within few hours will be friendship day so Happy Friendship Day!!Few days ago I ran into a website which showed the Dave design of electronic dummy load to be a bit unstable. I am an EE so I have studied about the opamp stability and compensation but it doesn't touches to the practical application of the same.I request Dave any other fellow bloggers or vloggers to make video on finding out what we need to make opamp stable using bode plot be it using some software ? I have seen many videos online explaining what is bode plot but none of them have taken an unstable circuit and walk through every step on how to compensate it ?Till then if any one can point to any available resource will be great !!

author: TerminalJack505
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 13, 2015, 02:57:52 am
content: This is something I'd love to see Dave (or w2aew!) cover as well.So far as resources go, I ran across a collection of PDFs on op amp stability by a gentleman by the name of Tim Green. You'll find the PDFs in the ZIP file on thisTI web page.Also, here is avideo lectureon the subject of negative feedback control. Stability and compensation are discussed. You might already be familiar with this lecture series since it is part of India's excellent NPTEL E-learning programme. Hats off to India for making this resource available!

author: yashrk
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: August 13, 2015, 01:42:51 pm
content: Need to ask Chris Gammell also he a analog guy,Thanks for the linksMost of the videos I have seen are basically telling how the op-amp gets unstable and just a theoretical explanation of how to compensate for it, but ya no real world step by step guide for it.and Yes NPTEL videos also helps a lot while studding EE here, the content is closely related to the EE syllabus of most of the university here, so it like having best teachers in India teaching you for free.

author: DimitriP
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 26, 2015, 05:05:59 pm
content: These should keep you busy for a while ...https://e2e.ti.com/support/amplifiers/precision_amplifiers/w/design_notes/2645.solving-op-amp-stability-issueshttp://www.ti.com/lit/an/slyt087/slyt087.pdf
Episode suggestion: Efficiency of wireless charging - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: Highcooley
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: August 22, 2015, 06:27:07 pm
content: Hey DaveAs it seems, wireless charging is suddenly all over the place. Generally a very convenient way to get rid of the hundreds of chargers, the cable salad and the anoying propriatry connectors. But what about the over all efficiency of such systems? As far as my understanding of physics and electronics goes, the efficiency of a transformer drastically reduces the bigger the gap between the two spools is, no matter what exotic waveform is used to transform the power. But see how TI tries to convince developers with their bogus calculations:http://www.wirelesspowerconsortium.com/technology/why-not-a-wire-the-case-for-wireless-power.htmlEspecially compare slide 7 to 8. They claim that their system has a bigger over all efficiency than a wired charger assuming that their AC/DC "adapter" already has an 80% efficiency to begin with. They relativise to the end of the presentation but still assume a higher developed charging system in their next gen controller which should be more efficient than a regular charger. Smells like BS to me.Of course, the topic is a bit more complex than that. Less copper used, maybe less different chargers (if the industry will agree upon a common standard which seldom happened in the past), more efficient if the primary side detects when no device is in range and shuts down, but more electronics for the transmission and the detection is needed.Are we going a huge step back in terms of energy efficiency if we widely introduce this technology to humanity? Might be an interesting topic for a white board session. What do you think?Cheers,Andy

author: max666
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: August 23, 2015, 11:15:41 am
content: Just last week I saw a wireless charging pad at Ikeahttp://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/80289790/.I too am curious about the efficiency of these things. What if the case of the phone is out of aluminium? What if the charging pad is placed on a metal surface? Or is wireless heating a feature not a bug?Now to be fair, just because the gap between two coils is big doesn't necessarily mean the efficiency is low, it just means the coupling is low. With resonance and very high quality factor (Q factor) for the resonators I could still achieve high efficiency. But as far as I understand it, every conductive object in the vicinity of the coils will necessarily reduce the Q factor and thereby drastically reduce efficiency.But to the point, a wire will always be more efficient at transferring power than two magnetically coupled coils. And arguments like "If the wireless charger supports direct charging ..." are moot, because the same applies to what if wired chargers support direct charging.I will give them the convince and connector fatigue argument though.
Suggestion for making a BGA video - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: blueskull
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: October 17, 2015, 04:40:33 pm
content: Dave and all,I guess this is not only my demand. I'm thinking if Dave can make a BGA soldering and probably reworking video, so that when doing BGA myself, I can have a reference process to follow.I did a couple BGAs before, but the yield is not looking good. If there are some suggestions on this process it would be so nice.Of course, this should be done without $$$$ equipments. I'm really looking for a reliable way to do this with only hot air gun, iron, and probably IR oven.Thanks,Bo
Suggestion: video on converting voltages, current, etc. - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: Johntron
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: August 17, 2015, 06:19:30 pm
content: I'm still very new to electronics, and when I start integrating various simple circuits built in isolation I struggle with getting the right input voltage, current, etc. for each sub-circuit ("stage"?) given a single power supply. During development, a multiple-output power supply is fine, but how do I build the circuitry to power everything from a single power supply? Maybe I missed it, but I don't think the electronics tutorials playlist has anything like this.A video on the various ways of getting the right voltage and current as the input to a circuit would be really useful. There's plenty of information on voltage dividers, voltage regulators, and switched-mode power supplies, but what are some other options? How do I pick one when I have a set of constraints, like the first circuit connected in series outputting a dangerously-high voltage/current to the next circuit. I'm particularly interested in those that can be used between circuits rather than connected as a master supply. Some topics might include buck/boost converters, inverters, buffer amplifiers, cascade/cascode, etc. - not really sure, because I don't know!Also, a basic explanation of how to model circuits using Thevenin and Norton's equivalence theorems with common gotchas (like using components that invalidate the theorem) would be useful - things like how to choose values for current-limiting resistors, how/when to use constant current/voltage sources, etc.

author: timofonic
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: August 22, 2015, 01:22:07 pm
content: I'm a slow learner and novice, I would love that! Also, tutorials about KVL and KVC, also Gauss for dummies.This teacher has interesting videos, too...https://www.youtube.com/user/rolinychupetin
Lab Safety / General Electrical Safety - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: bassinder
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: August 09, 2015, 04:13:07 pm
content: Hello!It would be great to see a video about electronics lab safety and precautions (e.g. ESD safety, PSU safety, etc.). I often see safety overlooked in labs all over (even if procedures are in place), and think it would be big positive to have people thinking more about safety.If this is maybe too specific, than perhaps a more general video about general electrical safety could reach a wider audienceSeeing Dave curse people out for putting themselves at risk of electrical shock would be something else! Haha

author: timofonic
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: August 22, 2015, 01:09:25 pm
content: I agree. I would like that!I would love to see Dave grumpily complaining to workers not following safety and their reactions! All in a hidden camera...But technical explaining if nice too!
Moving QucsStudio to proper section - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: timofonic
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: August 22, 2015, 01:06:31 pm
content: Hello.Sorry to ask a lot for this, but there's no way to make this happen.https://www.eevblog.com/forum/index.php?topic=3075.0There's a forum thread about QucsStudio, but isn't in the appropriate section. Please move it.Thanks in advance.
PCB ruler design competition - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: Legit-Design
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: February 17, 2014, 08:23:26 pm
content: So we have Electronics engineering video blog, how about let the viewers design something trivial like a PCB ruler. I think it could spawn some really awesome and creative ideas. Maybe get more people involved in PCB and Electronics design.Competition could be promoted by The Amp hour and other youtubers it should have real prizes like other EEVblog contests. Also winner gets (double) thumbs up.Winner could be decided in Amp Hour show by Dave, Chris and guest whoever it might be. Or Dave can decide it alone.Maybe some rules to limit the rulers like size, µruler seems like a good form factor, or limit to something free eagle can handle? Manufactured pcb is not necessary since gerber can made into 3D rendering and most pcb packages include 3d preview. PCB ruler can include circuitry but circuitry should be demonstrated.Points for novelty, cost optimization, cool factor, whatever.The ultimate pocket ruler for special tasks?https://www.adafruit.com/products/1554https://www.sv1afn.com/pcbruler.html

author: timofonic
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: August 20, 2015, 06:35:34 am
content: I agree...Here's some idea: adding template symbols...https://www.eevblog.com/forum/index.php?topic=36383.0

author: miguelvp
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 20, 2015, 04:28:25 pm
content: Quote from: Legit-Design on February 17, 2014, 08:23:26 pmNice, ordering one
PSoC - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: y.salnikov
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: August 20, 2015, 05:54:07 pm
content: Hi, Dave.What do you think about reviewing PSoCs? It's cheap as MCU, flexible as CPLD (very tiny, so) yet can be used by beginners. Does PSoC have it's place in industry or it is hobbyst-oriented IC? As i know there is only one vendor that produce it, why it so unpopular, maybe it's "very hard" patented? (Sorry for my english)

author: Maxlor
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: August 20, 2015, 10:37:04 pm
content: PSoC is a Cypress brand, that's why there's only one manufacturer. There are other chips that combine an MCU with programmable logic though.In my personal opinion, the PSoC4 range looks interesting. But, since electronics is my hobby, I get to make silly demands like requiring a toolchain that works on my Linux computers. Cypress doesn't do that, unfortunately, so it looks like I won't be playing with their chips.

author: Godzil
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: August 20, 2015, 10:51:01 pm
content: Cypress PSoC are basically CPLD/FPGA with a hardware CPU core, Altera have such component as for Xilinx.It have it's advantages and inconvenient, you may not need a chip as powerful as an ARM for the Altera Cyclone V SoC for example, it will not replace a simple softcpu that we can use on some design that allow to use a smaller FPGA, but if you need a powerful CPU in your FPGA, this is a nice solution

author: y.salnikov
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: August 21, 2015, 01:38:28 pm
content: PSoCs are very low cost, for example PSoC 4 is only $2 with free international shipping from cypress. As for software i totally agree. I'am using virtualbox in linux to run psoc creator and it's very inconvenient. There is project on githubhttps://github.com/kiml/PSOC_compilerit's attempt to use only free software to compile programs for PSoC5 but its on early state.

author: miguelvp
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 21, 2015, 03:30:28 pm
content: Yeah PSoC are awesome specially their 5LP prototype kit $10.Just go to the forum main pageEEVblog Electronics Community Forumtype PSoC on the search box and you'll get 184 hits on threads related to PSoC.As for Dave doing something for a single manufacturer, well the learning curve to get everything out of a PSoC would take too much of his time, and anything else wouldn't give justice on the PSoC capabilities.
how to find a factory to fabricate the pcb sample? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: wxm145
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: August 04, 2015, 01:16:53 am
content: how to find a factory to fabricate the pcb sample?

author: BravoV
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 04, 2015, 03:17:57 am
content: How come thewww.pcbgogo.comweb site looks identical towww.pcbway.com?Are you a broker of pcbway ?Cause I tried the instant quote for the identical pcb on both sites, and yours always few dollars more expensive ?
MPPT converter, on/off the grid AC injector desing theory/practice? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: lightman
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: August 02, 2015, 05:17:53 pm
content: Hello Dave.I have been following you for about a year after I found one of your fantastic reviews!, and endup watching everything you have done.I am dealing with solar panels for my first time and found out about your experience, but you used off the shelf, sunnyboy "black box" which is impossible here to buy because of regulations and ridiculous costs!, here a sunnyboy like the one you have costs half of what costs a small flat! insane!.what about doing some video about inverters to inject power to the AC power grid?, how to handle phasing, over current, power outages!, how to go on/off the grid when mains goes out and come back.I know you probably don't have many outages in you area, but here is very frequent, and sometimes quite long.Also how MPPT converters works!, I mean, i know the theory but no idea how to desing one!.I will love to see you addressing those points.what do you think?thank youlight
"Burned" Out Apple Airport Express - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: DrDeke
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: July 28, 2015, 09:44:10 pm
content: I hope this is the right place to post this, so here goes.I have an Apple Airport Express that failed in sort of an interesting way. It dropped off the network, the status LED went orange, and the unit then proceeded to sit there and get very hot to the touch over the next few hours and emitted the electronic smoke smell.I was thinking about sending this in for a quick mailbag/teardown, but I was wondering whether Dave was likely to be interested. I'm not sure it would be of widespread general interest, but I know he likes to rant about safety-related design decisions so I thought "who knows"?Cheers,Rusty

author: divelectservices
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: July 28, 2015, 09:55:43 pm
content: I am pretty sure Dave already received one on one of the recent Mailbag segments.It sounds like a simple power supply issue and prob would be easy to fix.

author: Whales
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 28, 2015, 10:47:34 pm
content: Crack it open and post in-focus photos of both sides of the board.
boards per forum not pcb - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: Deathwish
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: July 22, 2015, 06:05:42 am
content: Ok so I have a question and probably an annoyance to the Boss. I understand that this is primarily an EE blog, and that you have a Beginners section, but I also see a lot of posts that are way above even those of a beginner in that section, is there anyway of adding a "intermediate" level sub board that those who are not beginners and yet not advanced users can post too.Oh and when I see the same question of what Scope / DMM do I buy ?, is there any mileage in adding this as a sub forum to the beginners forum with "ask in here if you have read the thread but still want help" type thing.I talk carp most of the time, yes I know, but I do have comedy value honestly.

author: wxm145
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: August 04, 2015, 01:14:22 am
content: somebody also can told me how to open a new point in the forum?

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: August 04, 2015, 01:16:17 am
content: Quote from: Deathwish on July 22, 2015, 06:05:42 amIt's tough with the "beginner", intermediate", "advanced" thing. People will always get confused about where to put what. or they'll post more than one thread as often happens.

author: wxm145
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: August 04, 2015, 01:18:26 am
content: ;)thanks friend. i have got it and done it

author: Deathwish
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: August 04, 2015, 01:59:57 am
content: Well you could always have an intermediate board that requires admission by way of proof that you re doing a course in EE, and have year 1,2,3 etc sub forums within that, access to upper years restricted to completion of that years results on their course but lower to those that have done that if you understand my meaning, you could then have a full on EE only board above that would make many of your regs at that level happy as they would never see the likes of me or spam posts asking is my it's never going to work circuit in it.Just an idea.
measuring harmonic distortion - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: DazA1
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: July 26, 2015, 08:02:47 pm
content: After watching #769 mailbag and seeing Dave use the "Isolated Current Measurement Interface from PM Test Equipment" could Dave do a video on measuring harmonic distortion?The distorted AC current waveform of the scope obviously had lots of harmonics so i thought it would be interesting to measure the scopes own harmonic distortion on its self.I know its about FFT maths function but i dont know how to use it.Also i know Dave has the Gossen metrawatt Energy DMM which to my knowledge is the only DMM to measure harmonic distortion so that would be of additional interest.
How about an episode on ultracapacitors/supercapacitors? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: Ehryk
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: December 03, 2015, 07:00:29 am
content: I watched your cap comparison video from 2009, but it had no mention of ultracapacitors/supercapacitors, and could use an update. Could you do one on these high-capacitance caps, specifically with pros & cons and where they would and wouldn't work?

author: T3sl4co1l
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 03, 2015, 07:17:24 am
content: FYI, in short: ultracapacitors are to electrolytics, what electrolytics are to film caps: slower, higher density, lower voltage.There are some varieties that are halfway to batteries: you aren't supposed to fully discharge them, and their Q(V) curve isn't linear.And so by analogy, batteries are to supercapacitors, what electrolytics are to film caps. Sort of.The basic figure of merit, as far as speed and density, seems to be a proportional tradeoff. The speed is either how much you can safely dis/charge (battery's C-rate), or how fast you can move that charge to begin with (tau = C * ESR, or sqrt(C * ESL) if greater). A typical film cap might be 0.1uF and 50mohm ESR (tau = 5ns); an electrolytic, 100uF and 0.1 ohm (10us); a supercap, 1F and 0.1 ohm (100,000us!); a battery, 2.5Ah and maybe 4*C rate (= 15 minutes, or 0.9 billion us!). The energy densities go up and down as well (I don't have numbers handy, but you can peruse some datasheets and do the calculation yourself).An interesting consequence of this, answers the question: why no low voltage film caps?Sure, there are film caps of 50V and thereabouts. But not, like, 100uF worth of them. Film of that low voltage rating is just too fragile to fabricate, I guess. The yield on 0.1uF, even 1uF caps, seems to be good enough, but on 47 or 100uF or more, it must be poor enough not to bother. What do we do? Aluminum polymer! A typical example might be 47uF and 20mohm (tau = 1us, comparable to a large value metallized film cap), with a similarly enhanced ripple current rating, and comparable energy density.Tim

author: Ehryk
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: December 05, 2015, 02:05:56 am
content: I appreciate your reply; ultracapacitors show promise as partial or full battery replacements, though, which seem to be new territory for capacitors.For example, this guy made a unit that is less than 1 pound and starts his car with ease:I think this would be a good video topic!
Quarter Of A Million Subscribers - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: June 20, 2015, 10:53:19 pm
content: It's official, overnight I hit a quarter of a million subscribers!For a guy who just rants about engineeringhttp://socialblade.com/youtube/user/eevblog/futureprojections

author: Fsck
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 20, 2015, 10:56:37 pm
content: it predicts a boost from 250k to 350k subs in a year. that kind of growth would be something to see.

author: tautech
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 20, 2015, 11:08:34 pm
content: Quote from: EEVblog on June 20, 2015, 10:53:19 pm

author: ozwolf
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: June 20, 2015, 11:24:38 pm
content: Congratulations, Dave. Great entertainment and information.Ozwolf

author: free_electron
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 20, 2015, 11:46:21 pm
content: i guess there is hope for the human race and the internet after all... it's not all cat video's.

author: sasquatch
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: June 22, 2015, 11:02:57 pm
content: Dave :- Please don't forget your youtube viewers to fulfill your patreon supporters - not all of us can afford to pay direct subs - and i'm guessing you still get a substantial income from youtube...... some of us miss mailbag Mondays/teardown Tuesdays/fundamental Fridays ....

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: June 23, 2015, 02:02:20 am
content: Quote from: sasquatch on June 22, 2015, 11:02:57 pmSorry, but things have been hectic the last few months, new baby, sick pre-schooler, family stuff, business stuff, side project stuff etc.
GPIB interface explained - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: Simon Weel
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: June 19, 2015, 11:45:53 am
content: Hi Dave,Lots of instruments have a GPIB interface, but I have no idea on how they are used? Maybe a video to explain?Cheers,Simon

author: edpalmer42
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 19, 2015, 04:00:53 pm
content: Maybe expand the topic to include all the common systems for remote equipment control & data acquisition.- GPIB- ethernet- serial- USBInclude hardware (adapters, controllers, cabling) and software ( OS options, drivers, languages).Damn, that might be too much for one video!Ed

author: free_electron
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 19, 2015, 04:30:33 pm
content: sounds like : lots of computers have usb ports ... i have no idea how they are used ...GPIB is a communication port to transport data and commands between machines. in this respect 'machine' can be an instrument or a computer or a drive or a plotter or a printer or pretty much anything.GPIB is resembles more to SCSI than to any other 'communication port' out there. serial, printer and usb ports are point to point connections.GPIB is like a network. traffic is shared on the pathway and there can be more than one controller. the bus is parallel ( as opposed to serial ) and uses handshaking. message cycles are hard defined by control signals.How do you use it ? simply connect all equipment you want to use together in a daisy chain ( avoid star topology due to reflections on the bus ) and connect one end to the controller.The controller can be a computer with a GPIB port or a converter like usb to gpib or ethernet to gpib.Make sure each machine has its own unique address on the busthen simply open the pipe and start sending messages to the machines. the messages and commands are detialed in the instruments users manual.most if it is human readable text.

author: edpalmer42
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 21, 2015, 04:43:14 pm
content: Quote from: free_electron on June 19, 2015, 04:30:33 pmBut isn't that how we all start?Quote from: free_electron on June 19, 2015, 04:30:33 pmYes, that's a version 0.0 pre-alpha summary of what would be required for a GPIB tutorial. Now add VISA, NI488, NI vs. Agilent vs. Prologix, SCPI, issues with old equipment, which high level language, LabView vs. VEE, etc. and maybe you've got a good starting point.EdP.S. I also thought that cabling had to be a daisy-chain. Turns out that the standard doesn't require that.
Episode topic suggestion - "Wireless charging technology and standards" - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: misterbork
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: June 04, 2015, 06:09:10 pm
content: Good afternoon,I love your shows and all the wonderful information you present with such enthusiasm on so many excellent topics!I have a suggestion for a show topic that hasn't been covered well anywhere that I've found - wireless charging technology and standards.I think this topic would be interesting from a theory point of view as well as a practical angle exploring the differences between the 2-3 major technologies currently dominating the market (qi & PMA).Please consider my humble suggestion and, most importantly, keep up the great work!