moment of stupidity  - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: PStevenson
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 20, 2012, 07:38:56 am
content: this is one of those things where you see someone else has done it and think "what a fucking idiot" and then you do something equally stupid. anyway I was testing a circuit that needed an audio signal and because I couldn't be bothered turning around and plugging in the signal generator I thought "fuck it I'll use my iPod" so I did, tested the circuit and thought nothing of it till later on when I tried to listen to my iPod and one side was quieter than the other so I tried a new pair of headphones - same problem. so I have buggered up my iPod, great.anyway not too pissed off (yet) I decided this would be a good opportunity to wreck the iPod casing and take it apart.I found the issue immediately, on the headphone socket a tiny 5 pin device had exploded off the flex wire below the headphone socket (I'd be interested to know what this is if anyone knows)so I went out to my junk shed and found my box of broken iPods and luckily it turns out that the iPod classic shares the same headphone flex wire with iPods from the 5th generation onwards so it was easily fixed plus of course you can buy them from eBay anyway.so the moral of this story I guess is don't be a lazy bastard and use an iPod as a signal source (even if it is slayer) and get a shed and keep it full of all your old junk cause one day you may need it!I've attached a picture of the part I'm talking about, on the other side of it there is a small speaker mounted to make that stupid clicky sound which EVERYONE turns off

author: T4P
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 20, 2012, 08:04:43 am
content: They just won't supply enough current before attempting to ricochetI did use my phone in past as a signal generator and didn't go on using it( Yes , it was Megadeth but oh well )

author: Psi
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 20, 2012, 08:51:05 am
content: Audio isolating transformers can be quite usefulhttp://www.jaycar.com.au/productView.asp?ID=AA3086&keywords=audio+ground+loop&form=KEYWORD

author: Baliszoft
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 20, 2012, 09:47:59 am
content: I do use the output of my computer's soundcard as a signal source (quite often). I'm using a 10k current limiting resistor though - nothing has gone wrong (yet) - it is an expensive 8 channel card however.

author: T4P
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 20, 2012, 10:40:36 am
content: Quote from: Baliszoft on April 20, 2012, 09:47:59 amExpensive ... I would think X-Fi ? Or something from ASUS ? or something else along the lines

author: PStevenson
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 20, 2012, 11:10:23 am
content: Quote from: Baliszoft on April 20, 2012, 09:47:59 amm-audio?it was pure laziness, I do have a signal generator I just couldn't be bothered to plug it in when I had my iPod just sat there doing nothing haha

author: olsenn
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 20, 2012, 12:08:51 pm
content: I have more moments of stupidity then I do moments of clarity or inspiration.

author: AlphZeta
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 20, 2012, 12:45:25 pm
content: QuoteYep, I have always kept all my broken electronics (at least the smaller sized ones) and it always come in handy when I need to get some hard-to-find parts

author: PStevenson
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 20, 2012, 09:42:13 pm
content: Quote from: olsenn on April 20, 2012, 12:08:51 pmluckily I had enough intelligence to correct my error, though it cost me a night of sleep, I can't sleep without music on - the voices in my head get too loud

author: Kibi
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: April 20, 2012, 11:01:00 pm
content: Years ago I blew my Sony Walkman to hell by using it as a signal source. It turned out that the common terminal of the headphone jack on my model was not the same as the -ve terminal of the power input jack, I just assumed it was. It went bang in a loud way with smoke and everything.I have never used any of my personal listening devices as a signal source since.