EEVblog #1019 - Mailbag - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 05, 2017, 04:36:15 am
content: Dave gets IoT angry in this MailbagSPOILERS:Bolt IoT challenge Dave to get an Internet Of Things App working in 5 minutes. Will he do it or will he lose his collective...https://www.boltiot.com/Arduino based DIN rail PLC controller, the Controllino:https://controllino.biz/Total Solar Eclipse Stamps:https://www.usps.com/stamps/solar-eclipse.htmPolish 1980's teardownsExtensive collection of VOIP Media Gateway server rack cards

author: boffin
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 05, 2017, 04:57:41 am
content: OK OK; I'll post here, rather than theoriginal #1019 threadThe speaker connector is the standard DIN connector, as nasty as they were, that's what was on European stuff in the 70sThe receiver has a lot of SW and LW bands in addition to the 550-1600 AM and 88-108 FMThe component tester has a HUGE number of fanboys on your website...https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/$20-lcr-esr-transistor-checker-projectIt's a pretty cool device.

author: Pratik_Panda
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: September 05, 2017, 07:21:32 am
content: Haha, it is crazy what people do with IoT these days. They would rather use WiFi to unlock their home gates even if it takes 15 freaking minutes rather than just turn a key like they have been doing for centuries.

author: bjcuizon
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 05, 2017, 07:32:17 am
content: Hmm...looks like someone just got a massive collection of serious telecomm/networking hardware right there.

author: NivagSwerdna
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 05, 2017, 07:33:20 am
content: 22nd July 2028, totality passes straight over Sydney 04:00 UT and it's a four minute long beauty.I might have to be there!!

author: Gary350z
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: September 05, 2017, 07:44:02 am
content: Quote from: boffin on September 05, 2017, 04:57:41 amFixed link:https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/$20-lcr-esr-transistor-checker-project/

author: Barny
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 05, 2017, 07:51:54 am
content: The chinese thingemebob at the end looks like the copy of an german open source project.Its called the AVR transistor tester.It tests all sort of transistors and diodes and other components.https://www.mikrocontroller.net/articles/AVR_TransistortesterIts an interesting little thing.Sadly your display dont work.Ups, I shouldn't wait to long to post the message.

author: McBryce
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 05, 2017, 08:09:50 am
content: Those speaker connections on the Polish tuner were the standard speaker connection on most cheap European Hifi gear in the 80's and 90's. The connector looked like this. What was used in Australia?McBryce.

author: komet
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 05, 2017, 08:16:11 am
content: The DIN speaker connector was the obvious choice when I built this amplifier as a kid. This was 1988.

author: Barny
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 05, 2017, 08:20:32 am
content: Hey, that's exact the same connector my Blaupunkt car radio uses.(It's an old Jetta II from 1991)

author: bjcuizon
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 05, 2017, 08:43:32 am
content: Quote from: McBryce on September 05, 2017, 08:09:50 amToday's springy type speaker connectors were obviously "under development" at the time.Why didn't they use binding posts though?...As they were around since 1905ish. Are they concerned with the safety of the user? Well, they didn't use this in PA gear (with high output voltages), did they?

author: jonovid
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 05, 2017, 09:00:25 am
content: did you not know the internet of things ISthe rube goldberg machine of our time.you're supposed to have fun trying to figure it all out Dave!the 70s hi-fi tuner amplifier & red phone, reminds me of tandy / radioShack or rat shack stuff.it works but, only just, with the minimum number of electronic components needed. long before the chinese discovered product re-engineeringWow data center rack boards lots of goodys here!Arduino based DIN rail PLC controller - did it get static damage on teardown?chinese transistor resistor diode Mosfet resistor, capacitance , inductance testerI have two of them awesome little chinese testers. you get a transformers Autobot logo on start up!.both of mine have good LCD screens, use a good battery Dave!

author: McBryce
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 05, 2017, 09:08:59 am
content: Quote from: bjcuizon on September 05, 2017, 08:43:32 amNo, they were mainly used on those low-cost 3in1 (Record player, Tapedeck, Radio) Hifi units of the time that came with matching speakers, where you couldn't trust the owner to connect the leads the correct way around if you used seperate posts. We're not talking high-end gear here, just this type of low-end rubbish.McBryce.

author: cezar
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: September 05, 2017, 10:06:58 am
content: Dave, too much criticism to the component tester. I find it very useful to do a quick check for diodes, transistors pins, caps, etc. They cost almost nothing and it is worth having it on the bench

author: jonovid
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 05, 2017, 10:50:00 am
content: Quote from: cezar on September 05, 2017, 10:06:58 amSo lets test the chinese component tester & lets see how it stands up to professional standards.

author: cezar
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: September 05, 2017, 11:52:45 am
content: Quote from: jonovid on September 05, 2017, 10:50:00 amare there any 'professional' testers which can test almost every component? - I doubt. I don't think these Chinese testers are to replace anything professional.

author: McBryce
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 05, 2017, 12:55:39 pm
content: Quote from: cezar on September 05, 2017, 11:52:45 amThe Peak DCA75 (made in the UK no less!) is a lot more professional and trustable than those Chinese toys. It won't do LCR, but it will give you a lot more info and can even do curve tracing if you connect it to a PC.http://www.peakelec.co.uk/acatalog/dca75-dca-pro.htmlMcBryce.

author: b_force
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 05, 2017, 12:56:33 pm
content: Quote from: cezar on September 05, 2017, 10:06:58 amI guess Dave missed an entire (pretty big) on going topic on this forum?I have actually seen many companies using these little devices.They are super cheap, and decent enough to check if your components are faulty or in the same ballpark.Nothing wrong with them. (the software only misses a few important steps, like zeroing out lead resistance)Btw, these FPGA boards look cute, but the chip itself seems obsolete?

author: Brumby
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 05, 2017, 01:03:53 pm
content: Quote from: jonovid on September 05, 2017, 10:50:00 amSeriously? Those component testers are not meant for any professional assessments.I have one - and I find it very useful for sanity checks ... especially for go/no-go checks on semiconductors and passives recovered from boards or that have unknown provenance.It's a great little item for any hobbyist.The one major criticism I have is when trying to test SMD components - which is what the 3 flat areas of the PCB are for. Just so fiddly.

author: madires
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 05, 2017, 01:58:56 pm
content: Oh my, Dave completely missed one of the 10 most popular threads of this forum.The MTester runs a modified firmware version (based on the k-firmware), but you can program the current k or m-firmware:k-firmware:https://github.com/svn2github/transistortester/tree/master/Software/trunkm-firmware:https://github.com/svn2github/transistortester/tree/master/Software/Markus(read the README!)documentation:https://github.com/svn2github/transistortester/blob/master/Doku/trunk/pdftex/english/ttester.pdf

author: boffin
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 05, 2017, 02:05:51 pm
content: Quote from: Barny on September 05, 2017, 07:51:54 amNot really surprised, the 'good battery' that he tried was still only 7.2v

author: RGB255_0_0
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 05, 2017, 03:14:11 pm
content: This one has almost as much hate coming to you as the mailbag with all the PC gearStill, it seemed you were pretty disinterested with much of it and it was displayed with your contempt.

author: Gabse
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: September 05, 2017, 03:53:32 pm
content: The Component Tester (I send to you directly from Aliexpress, yes it is one of the cheapest, but i have the identical one) is a very clever opensource Project (https://www.mikrocontroller.net/articles/AVR_Transistortester) started by Markus Frejek and Karl-Heinz Kübbeler, published under BY-NC-SY License, but it was than faked by Chinese Manufactures. It can measure all sorts of components including Transistors, Diodes, FETs, IGBTs, Triacs, Resistors, inductors... It shows the polarity, and all important values like hFE, Uf, Capacity, ESR, UGS... I thought you might not heard about them before and maybe are interested in the way it works, so I sent you one. I know, that it is not a professional tool, but for hobbyists might very useful. The LCD is probably so dim, because the second battery was probably flat too, it says VBat=7V instead of 9V. The pins of the socked are Labeled 1,2,3, and the Tester will automatically detect the pinout of the component, and show it on the LCD. Btw, the Zif socket is not genuine TEXTOOL, There is written TEXTDOL on…

author: madires
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 05, 2017, 04:30:43 pm
content: Actually Markus Frejek started the Transistor Tester project and abandoned it after a while. Karl-Heinz (k-firmware) took over and I've (m-firmware) joined in a little bit later.

author: dardosordi
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: September 05, 2017, 06:08:22 pm
content: Please Dave, make another video of just the tester and compare it to some of your good gear, its an interesting piece of gear and many in the forum like it. Im pretty sure it will be an interesting episode.I think your review didn't do it justice, and looks like you were in a pretty bad mood when doing it, maybe it was the IoT crap or maybe you were hungry. Please consider it.

author: gardner
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: September 05, 2017, 06:40:14 pm
content: Quote from: dardosordi on September 05, 2017, 06:08:22 pmAgreed. I was quite surprised to see Dave first not realise what it was and then go on to dismiss it so quickly as worthless crap -- after putting two different dead 9V batteries in it. Maybe he was just in a bad mood after futzing with that IOT POS.I think these are almost magical little gadgets that are super useful for identifying and testing recycled parts. Much as I wish I could, I cannot justify owning a real LCR meter, but one of these doodads at $15 seems to do the business better than some of the cheaper ones I see reviewed.

author: Dubbie
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 05, 2017, 08:05:34 pm
content: I have a lot of good gear in my lab and my stupid little $20 component tester is definitely in my top 3 most used tools. Probably behind my multimeter and my scope. So handy as a quick check when making repairs or double checking random components when throwing together a prototype on a breadboard. Often I can't be bothered looking up a part number and just know I want an NPN bjt, so I'll just grab what's nearest and shove it in to get the pinout and confirm that it really is a npn bjt.

author: b_force
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 05, 2017, 08:56:21 pm
content: Quote from: Dubbie on September 05, 2017, 08:05:34 pmExactly this.

author: Macbeth
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 05, 2017, 09:14:53 pm
content: Quote from: gardner on September 05, 2017, 06:40:14 pmIt's astonishing that Dave doesn't even know what this is, despite in it's many configurations being instantly recognisable and probably the most popular cheap device ever for the world's budding electronic engineers and hobbyists. It has everything going for it including the longest running thread on EEVBlog itself ever.Has Dave/EEVBlog jumped the shark?I'm hoping he was just pissed off and narky because of his man-flu.

author: HKJ
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 05, 2017, 09:36:20 pm
content: I have looked at these small component testers some time ago:http://lygte-info.dk/review/ComponentTester%20Fish8840%20UK.htmlhttp://lygte-info.dk/review/ComponentTester%20MK-168%20UK.htmlhttp://lygte-info.dk/review/ComponentTester%20Multifunction%20Tester%20T1%20UK.htmlAnd the more professional Peak:LCR:http://lygte-info.dk/review/ComponentTester%20Peak%20LCR45.htmlSemiconductor:http://lygte-info.dk/review/ComponentTester%20Peak%20DCA75%20UK.html

author: Dubbie
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 05, 2017, 11:55:14 pm
content: All those links now seem to be broken HKJ

author: ChrisLX200
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 06, 2017, 12:10:57 am
content: Quote from: HKJ on September 05, 2017, 09:36:20 pmThanks for that, I have the third example you listed above and find it a very useful tool. Also cheap enough not to cry over should it self-destruct for some reason. The Peak models don't seem to offer much for the extra cost - and to get the full range of functions you essentially need to buy two different instruments.

author: b_force
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 06, 2017, 12:21:56 am
content: Quote from: Dubbie on September 05, 2017, 11:55:14 pmWork totally fine here.

author: Dubbie
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 06, 2017, 01:11:08 am
content: Maybe it's because I am on tapatalk

author: bjcuizon
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 06, 2017, 02:44:51 am
content: Quote from: McBryce on September 05, 2017, 09:08:59 amRight, I get your point.

author: GreggD
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: September 06, 2017, 01:46:53 pm
content: Did you see those SynCor power bricks, the inductors use pcb traces for windings. @time 14:20Oh! You did see that.Suppose all those FPGAs are on a single JTAG chain ?You don't tent vias if you want to probe or bed of nails the board and there is no good reason to do so unless it is wave soldered (frown-ey face)

author: Towger
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 06, 2017, 02:09:12 pm
content: Quote from: McBryce on September 05, 2017, 08:09:50 amProbably the exact same. I think Dave was pulling our leg when he did not recognize a bog standard 2 Pin DIN socket. They were used for all sorts of stuff, 'back in the day'. More recently Ikea have been using them for their clip on gooseneck LED lamps.

author: Fungus
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 06, 2017, 02:32:06 pm
content: Quote from: Towger on September 06, 2017, 02:09:12 pmMaybe they don't have them in Australia.I remember seeing them on just about every cheap stereo in the 1980s (here in Europe at least).

author: Brumby
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 06, 2017, 03:05:56 pm
content: You won't see them much today - but they were not uncommon around the 70s and 80s.

author: b_force
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 06, 2017, 03:19:19 pm
content: Deutsches Institut für Normung.So not totally weird that Aussies and Kiwis are not very familiar with itHorrible plugs btw.

author: Cerebus
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 06, 2017, 04:12:45 pm
content: To cut Dave some slack, the function of the AVR multitester isn't obvious if you don't know what it is, and the user interface doesn't give any particularly helpful clues.On the other hand, he's dead wrong about that being a proper 3M TexTool socket. It's a (good) knock-off, I have a bunch of them. A genuine TexTool socket costs more than that whole board, even if you buy them in massive quantities.

author: tzok
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: September 06, 2017, 08:35:17 pm
content: The Polish meter you showed was an Mera UM-203 Multimeter. It was meant rather for amateur usage. They were produced for about 10 years, between 1981 and 1991. Back then Poland was a people's republic (not really communistic, yet under a heavy influence of Soviet Union), and our technical level was very low, Soviets delegated us to produce food and some heavy industry products (like trains and ships).As for the meters - they were not so bad for their price. In mid '80s they started to produce electronic meter in the same chassis. They were UM-Z2 and UM-Z3, both based on ULY7741 (locally manufactured uA741 clone) with 50k?/V and 100k?/V internal resistance. We've also produced a professional analog meters like UM-110 (10M?, uA776 based) and UM-112 (20k?/V) and famous V640 (for export they were branded Marconi TF-2650 or Convay model 639). As our money has no value in western world, we payed with these meters for components and patents we used.Here's my collection of Polish multimeters:From the top left: OM4, OM-V, UM-200, UM-202; UM-203, UM-206, UM-207, UM-221; UM-Z2, UM-Z3.If you are interested in multimeters made in former People's Republic of Poland please visit my webpage:http://multimetry.tzok.eu/

author: Falcon69
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 07, 2017, 01:37:57 am
content: Quote from: NivagSwerdna on September 05, 2017, 07:33:20 am4 minutes of totality? wow!It lasted less than 2 minutes here, and was only about 95% or so here in Portland, OR. It darkened the sky and made the shadows of my chain-link fence look like they were moving on the ground. I'm guessing because of the rays coming from the sun?! That was kinda cool.The shadows through the trees and bushes were all crescent shaped. Like a bunch of little half circles everywhere. The sky was twilight, almost dark, was kinda eerie being in the middle of the day. But, it wasn't like the twilight like you see near dusk. It was kinda strange, almost hypnotic. And no, I wasn't drinking. My nephew went up on the mountain. He said He looked across Portland and could see the shadow creeping across.If I had been able to drive to Salem, I would have seen it in totality and actually seen the stars out. But traffic was just horrible. There was like a million more people on the road traveling from all over (California/Washington, Nevada, etc.) to come see it. Traffic was horrible. Took my friends nearly 6 hours to make the 45-60 minute drive back from Salem. So I'm glad I stayed in Portland. Would have been nice to see totality, but I remember seeing it when I was 4 years old in 1979. I'll see it again. They say one occurs every 18 months or so somewhere across the planet.Maybe I'll save up and take a trip to Australia and see 4 minutes of it when it happens in 2028.Dave, FYI, those are Forever stamps. Meaning a letter (basically with the weight of the envelope and about 3 or 4 pieces of letter size paper), you can mail within the US forever with one of those. Even if they raise the cost of shipping said letter to 50 bucks!NivagSwerdna was very nice to go halves in on the cost and shipping it to ya.Hope ya enjoy them.Jason