Standard zinc-air cell vs mystery gas generating cell. (flame test) @bigclivedotcom

bigclivedotcom I thought it would be a good idea to compare one of the mystery gas producing cells from an air freshener with a standard zinc-air hearing aid battery.

I bridged both with a 270 ohm resistor to give a controlled current flow, and sealed them inside syringes with some silicone grease on the plunger for an extra seal, then left them to do their thing.

A zinc-air battery is a type of cell that uses the oxygen in ambient air to facilitate an internal chemical reaction. They have some small holes in the cell case, and are supplied with a tab that covers them during storage to prevent the chemical process occuring. To use them you pull the tab off to expose them to air, and they then produce a voltage of about 1.3V.
They are commonly used in hearing aids because they have quite a high energy density and once activated tend to be used immediately.

In this weird application they are deliberately starved of the oxygen they need to generate current, and when a load is applied the smaller voltage they produce passes current through the load and they produce hydrogen gas at a rate determined by the current flow. This allows devices like grease dispensers and air-fresheners to use a simple resistor to set a gas generation speed with no external power required.

When I first discovered this approach in an automatic grease dispenser I mentioned it to AvE who was the inspiration to take the grease dispenser apart in the first place. He has done his own experiment linked here:-
youtube.com/watch?v=Ppm9b0JAQCQ

Here's a link to the video where I discovered these cells being used in an automatic lubricator:-
youtube.com/watch?v=Be9RU3PU1bw

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updated 2 years ago

Standard zinc-air cell vs mystery gas generating cell. (flame test)

bigclivedotcom 2022-07-12 | I thought it would be a good idea to compare one of the mystery gas producing cells from an air freshener with a standard zinc-air hearing aid battery.

I bridged both with a 270 ohm resistor to give a controlled current flow, and sealed them inside syringes with some silicone grease on the plunger for an extra seal, then left them to do their thing.

A zinc-air battery is a type of cell that uses the oxygen in ambient air to facilitate an internal chemical reaction. They have some small holes in the cell case, and are supplied with a tab that covers them during storage to prevent the chemical process occuring. To use them you pull the tab off to expose them to air, and they then produce a voltage of about 1.3V.
They are commonly used in hearing aids because they have quite a high energy density and once activated tend to be used immediately.

In this weird application they are deliberately starved of the oxygen they need to generate current, and when a load is applied the smaller voltage they produce passes current through the load and they produce hydrogen gas at a rate determined by the current flow. This allows devices like grease dispensers and air-fresheners to use a simple resistor to set a gas generation speed with no external power required.

When I first discovered this approach in an automatic grease dispenser I mentioned it to AvE who was the inspiration to take the grease dispenser apart in the first place. He has done his own experiment linked here:-
youtube.com/watch?v=Ppm9b0JAQCQ

Here's a link to the video where I discovered these cells being used in an automatic lubricator:-
youtube.com/watch?v=Be9RU3PU1bw

I specifically avoid using intrusive mid-run video adverts, which means I don't earn as much from my content as other YouTubers.
If you enjoy these videos you can help support the channel with a dollar or two for coffee, cookies and random gadgets for disassembly at:-
patreon.com/bigclive
Patreon supporters get early access to advert-free videos as they are made, and also regular live streams.
This also keeps the channel independent of YouTube's advertising algorithms allowing it to be a bit more dangerous and naughty.
Other contribution options are available at:-
http://www.bigclive.com/coffee.htm

#ElectronicsCreators

Younger me made weird stuff (older me still does)

bigclivedotcom 2024-06-23 | It's fun to visit past projects from decades ago, and see what sort of stuff younger-me was making back then. This is a little rechargeable light I carried in my toolbox for a while.

It used very early white LEDs that look a bit tame by modern standards, but were cutting edge back then. Note that NiMH cells are not like lithium cells. They can handle trickle charging for reasonable durations due to the chemistry recombining end of charge outgassing back into electrolyte.

The circuit also has a weird anomaly that looks like it was either a crackpot idea or a mistake.
But on the whole, I give the circuit an 8 out of 10 for functionality. While a bit cramped inside, a lot of shaped insulators had been inserted for good electrical separation.

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Back from a YouTube ban! Faulty soap foam dispenser - with schematic

bigclivedotcom 2024-06-21 | If you wonder why there haven't been videos for a while, it's because I received what I believe to be a very unfair strike from YouTube for a harmless 18 second short where I singed the end of my beard with a lighter in a controlled manner.

I bought this unit a while ago for a long term test of different units. Many of the other units had annoying technical issues, including one that saw its own foam and kept squirting more out, thinking a hand was there. And another that would crash and turn off every time foam was dispensed (probably an undersized lithium cell).

These units do tend to wear out over time, and a very common issue is the foam enhancer blocking. I may force some water through the foam enhancer in reverse in this unit to try and clear any debris out of the very fine moussing mesh. It does sound slower than I recall, so it could have an issue with loss of lubricant on the pumps wobble plate, or is perhaps struggling to push the liquid through a clogged mesh.

Nice logical circuitry though, and the software seems to be pretty good too. The standby battery life is exceptional given that the hand sensor remains active 24/7.

The foam pumps in these units are a dedicated unit designed for the many hand-soap or sanitiser foaming dispensers in use. The use of foam instead of liquid soap means that a refill lasts ages, but still gives you the effect of a good portion of soap.

The sensor PCB was very nicely implemented, with it's little black foam surrounds to ensure low infrared leakage between the emitter and detector. A test of the detector showed a massive change in resistance between ambient light and pointing an infrared remote at it. Literally from 10's of megohms to tens of kilohms.

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LIDL air freshener teardown

bigclivedotcom 2024-06-11 | Just a simple teardown of a very standard device to see how its construction differs from others. This video is also a nice relaxed one to make my life easier while travelling.

The heater has a resistance of 24,000 ohms, so at 240V it will pass 10mA and dissipate 2.4W of heat. Local variants will have a different resistance value for a similar power at your supply voltage.

Some aromas are based on oil as a carrier, and others seem to be based on glycol. It may depend on the aroma chemicals used. The packaging of this unit specifically describes it as a scented oil unit.

These units could be an interesting short-notice source of a small heater block, complete with heat resistant sleeving.

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Scavenging a Poundland vibro-motor

bigclivedotcom 2024-06-09 | Some devices can be a very useful source of motors, and this one contains a low voltage and fairly low current motor that will potentially find use in solar ornaments and other projects.

Removing the motor was tricky. I ended up having to use a hacksaw to carefully cut a slot through the plastic casing to allow it to be parted enough with a flat-blade screwdriver to allow the motor to be extracted. If the tip is cut off it may allow the motor to be pushed out.

The eccentric weight came off the 1mm shaft very easily.

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ASDA/Walmart George brand solar light showdown

bigclivedotcom 2024-06-07 | These lights are available in 50, 100, 250 and 500 LED sets in warm white or coloured. I got a set of each type to check out the circuitry and solar panel size.
The LEDs are wired as a long parallel string with visible intensity drop across them when bundled together. By cutting the string shorter the intensity of the remaining LEDs will increase.

Note that these are the type of sleeved LED that will inevitably wick in water and corrode. But the solar panel can be repurposed for other stuff if that happens.

As with most solar lights, there is scope to customise them by changing the inductor to set a new LED current according to how much sunshine you get. The NiMH cell can be upgraded and the LED string can be adjusted in length.

If you have a window that catches a lot of sunlight, these may be suitable for use indoors too, and should last a lot longer due to being kept dry.

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Revisiting an OLD project from 20 years ago - with schematic.

bigclivedotcom 2024-06-05 | When I made these panels 20 years ago, I never envisaged that it was similar to how some future LED bulbs would work, but using multi-chip LEDs and a linear regulator.

The weird choppy sinewave is definitely screwing with the test readings. I think the energy meter got the most accurate result. It suggests I may have been running the LEDs quite hard. In hindsight, that 1K resistor is probably getting quite hot too.

The LEDs sold on eBay in packs of 100 by BestHongKong and ChiWing were cheap compared to the high cost of individual LEDs locally, but had reliability issues, as many of the first gallium nitride LEDs did at the time. Having been accustomed to the indestructibility of traditional red LEDs it was a surprise to discover that the new technology was not as robust.
I learned about the unreliability the hard way when I built some of their blue and white LEDs into TV props. Fortunately the failures kinda matched the scene, so it wasn't so visible.

The 3D printed ioniser case is for the universal 100-240V modules, so it will work anywhere in the world. It should also fit the 12V modules too. Once I get back from this trip I'll play about with the design and see how it evolves. I like the conical design, since it elevates the ion emitter above the table and creates a slight upward airflow.

This ioniser is for a friend who sells paranormal research tools, and wants to see how the electrostatic charge in the air affects the charge sensing ghost detectors.

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A look at the Wagobox Capsule enclosure

bigclivedotcom 2024-06-03 | I've not seen a bad Wagobox (Connexbox) product yet. From the first Wagobox to the more recent products they've all been fresh, innovative and very functional.

Now that other countries outwith Europe are discovering the convenience and versatility of the Wago connectors, I thought it would be worth showing some enclosures designed specifically for them.

The Wagobox capsule could be very useful for mounting outdoor electronic modules in a way that protects them from the elements. Things like WiFi or LoRa nodes come to mind.

As with the other products in the range, these units seem logical and functional. The metal bonding plates for steel wire armour cables seem to be well implemented.

As always, I'm open to the thoughts of people who have used these products, and how they have fared over time. Let me know your experiences in the comments area.

Here's a link to the connexbox website (not a sponsor).
connexbox.com

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Otis clone or just a very common button style?

bigclivedotcom 2024-06-01 | Having looked at an official Otis Elevators illuminated button, I got a couple of similar ones from AliExpress to compare the construction.

These are visually nice buttons and have a solid feel due to the stainless steel actuator, albeit that it's pressing a fairly standard tactile switch. The 24V LED circuit restricts their use in lower voltage circuits. (Elevators and other industrial equipment tend to use 24V DC control circuit power.)

The connector and pinout is different to the Otis one, and bizarrely the three wire version versus the four wire one just has two pins shorted with a blob of solder as a common +24V.

The other oddity is the plastic retainer being a snap fit onto the stainless steel button. I wonder if those plastic parts crack much.

Here's the link I got the buttons from. Note that there are many other sellers of similar buttons.
aliexpress.com/item/1005006015123930.html

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Perplexing Temu solar filament lights

bigclivedotcom 2024-05-30 | These lights have a really nice case and appearance. I actually had high hopes of them being a great light. They even seemed to have a dedicated all-in-one charge control and PIR monitoring chip.

Then I dug a little deeper.....

A simple diode test between the solar panel input pins and the power pins of the chip showed a single diode drop. So the unit does appear to be using the built in protection diodes of a standard microcontroller. I tested to see if the unit did anything to regulate the charge on the lithium cells by turning on the LED filament to shunt the voltage down a bit, but it didn't.

At this point it appears to be luck whether the lithium cell gets overcharged or not.

Thankfully they're fairly low capacity. The large cell measured 500mAh, the smaller one measured 300mAh.

Two improvements to these lights would be adding a small protection module to the lithium cell, and adding a resistor to limit the maximum current through the LED filament. That will also give longer operational time on a charge.

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Solar paw teardown - with schematic

bigclivedotcom 2024-05-28 | Nothing really radical about the circuitry, but the visual effect is very neat. Especially with the LED placement.

As with most solar lights, if you really like this one, then it's worth spending a little bit of time waterproofing the interior. Whether that's using a lacquer on the PCB or some form of grease on the PCB and battery contacts to keep water away from them, it's worth doing. I wonder if a spray of mechanic's fluid film would work.

The inductor sets the LED intensity and affects the run time. Places with lower amounts of sunlight could use a higher value inductor like 220uH to 330uH. Places with high levels of sunlight could get a bit more intensity with a lower value like 56uH.

This could be a nice symbolic garden light for members of the furry fandom. Or it could be hacked to run on a USB cable and resistor for indoor use.

This light came from Temu (not a sponsor), but is available from other online sellers too:-
temu.com/goods.html?_bg_fs=1&goods_id=601099519077930

A search for solar paw light comes up with many similar listings. I think this one cost around £4 for one.

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The glitter lamp nerve gas legend

bigclivedotcom 2024-05-28 | Every time something new gets introduced, the negatarians and conspiracists come out of hiding to say nasty things about it. That happened with glitter lamps, when the career-haters implied they contained nerve gas.

The reality is that some very old "fast movement" glitter lamps contained solvents like trichlorotrifluoroethane which could break down into phosgene gas when exposed to intense flames. But the reality is that even with a building fire, the risk would be extremely low.

Trichlorotrifluoroethane is no longer used due to being a solvent that interferes with the operation of the ozone layer.

Modern glitter lamps tend to use a water based liquid with a heavy salt like calcium nitrate to make the glitter buoyant, and pose no major risk unless you drink the stuff (not recommended!)

The glitter bottle in the video was a DIY one based on perchloroethylene dry cleaning solvent, holographic glitter and mineral oil to balance the density. The solvent based glitter lamps are quite complex to make due to the unknown plastic used in most glitters. Some are soluble in the solvent and will gradually dissolve, making the glitter heavier by changing the plastic to aluminium ratio.

Temu panel indicators - may need customised

bigclivedotcom 2024-05-26 | I'm a bit perplexed by the fact that the 220V indicator had two resistors in it, but with one literally doing all the work. One resistor is 39K and one is 2K, meaning the 39K resistor is dissipating almost all of the power as heat. For the higher voltage buttons on AC a capacitive dropper would have been a nicer option.

The 12V indicator is fine though, although it does push the single LED at around 20mA.

I'm not sure I'd recommend these indicators for anything other than home workshop use. The physical construction is nice, but the circuitry has been shaved to the edge.

The short where I blew up one of the indicators is here:-
youtube.com/shorts/79vXZENXCZY

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Extra long chatty project build

bigclivedotcom 2024-05-24 | A very long and relaxing project build where I answer questions and chat for two hours. These ultra long videos aren't usually as popular as the shorter ones, but can help people relax and sleep.

This project does involve mains voltage, and should only be attempted by those with good electronic assembly experience. The end result is a technical art item and not intended for use as a toy by children or non-technical adults.

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Why some RCDs/GFCIs are damaged if used in reverse

bigclivedotcom 2024-05-23 | With recent regulation changes to address the issue of RCDs/GFCIs being damaged when used in solar power systems that can feed power back to the supply network.

The issue is that some (not all) RCDs/GFCIs have a short duty cycle coil designed to be pulsed at high current very briefly to trigger the breaker. They can rely on the breaker tripping to kill power to the coil. If the breaker doesn't trip or the power is being supplied from the wrong side, the trip coil and its drive circuitry will potentially be energised long enough to cause damage.

Horrific LED tester that can literally kill you - (with scary schematic)

bigclivedotcom 2024-05-22 | If you have one of these then you may wish to either stop using it or completely change the way you use it. At the very least, wear insulated gloves and make sure the unit is unplugged after use. Do not rely on the onboard switch.

There are safer units available that convert the incoming power to an isolated and current limited supply, but this one pretty much puts full mains voltage straight out.

The bizarre LED dangling through a ragged hole in the ungrounded case may actually be a crude FUSE! Because if the positive lead touches grounded metalwork there will literally be a dead short, with just the internal rectifier and the LED in series with the mains supply. LEDs do actually make surprisingly good fuses due to having a microscopic encapsulated bond wire. They do sometimes blow in half though... Sadly, the LED will not save you from electrocution. It takes much less current to kill a human than to blow an LED bond wire.

Technically speaking they could have made a marginally safer unit by putting a capacitor on each leg of the supply and limiting the current to a much lower level. Even high power resistors could have been used for that. It would still pose a shock risk, but with much less chance of being fatal. But for a proper reliability test on a faulty LED panel a higher current may be useful.

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DIN-rail lightning strike counter

bigclivedotcom 2024-05-20 | Yeah! Weird device that I've never come across before. I kinda want to fit one in my DB just for the gimmick value.
It's basically a digital counter with non-volatile memory, that detects high current pulses being shunted by a surge protector and gives a running score.

This could be used to monitor for when a new surge protection module was needed, but it is only designed to detect high current pulses, so won't show the accumulated small-transient shunting that can be caused by highly inductive loads in the vicinity.

Quite novel though, with sensible design and a stunningly low standby current of just 0.1W.

Given that the input is electrically isolated (on this particular unit), I wonder if it could have other event counting uses with a simple low voltage input.

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Temu solar street light with generous solar panel & LiFePO4 cell

bigclivedotcom 2024-05-18 | I have to admit, this exceeded my expectations significantly. The plastic light housing was slightly disappointing, but viable, since the power of the light is only around 5W with a fully charged cell and maximum intensity selected.

The solar panel itself seems fairly robust, and is based on a glass panel with the silicon cells laminated onto the back with a white plastic film.

I'm in the progress of testing the LiFePO4 lithium cell, but it does appear to have the correct dimensions (32700) for a 6Ah cell. The cell test is currently in progress.

First full charge cycle on the 32700 (32mm diameter - 70mm long) lithium cell shows an impressive input of 5.5Ah. And it's notable that the FM2112 protection module (LiFePO4 equivalent to DW01) ended the charge earlier than expected, so it does look like a genuine 6Ah cell.

The circuitry is minimalist with good functionality. I like the fact that it uses coloured battery status LEDs in the main LED window. One quirk is that they are powered from the unregulated positive rail, so if the cell reaches full charge and the protection circuit kicks in, the solar panel voltage could theoretically float high enough to allow current to flow through the battery indicator LEDs and the chip protection diodes on those pins.

There does appear to be a second resistor upside down in the LED current limiting position.

With a fully charged (3.65V) cell the eight LED power settings are as follows:-
1.7A = 5.1W (calculated with LED voltage of 3V)
1.5A = 4.5W
1.3A = 3.9W
1.1A = 3.3W
0.9A = 2.7W
0.7A = 2.1W
0.5A = 1.5W
0.3A = 0.9W
0.1A = 0.3W

As the cell discharges the power will fall progressively. Roughly half the power at mid discharge, and progressively lower as the cell drops to its end of discharge voltage of 2.5V. As the cell reaches 2.5V the battery level indicators start flashing and just below that level the unit cuts out.
At that point the LED current has dropped to just 7mA at full intensity setting, so the unit could still be putting out at least a faint glow on dark winter nights with low daytime sun.

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LCD bar fonts & fruit machines

bigclivedotcom 2024-05-17 | Just a random snippet of a colour LCD bar font and a typical feature-packed British fruit machine.
Filmed as a short because there's unavoidable music, and that means some parasitic music rights company will claim all financial revenue from this video despite me not wanting their poxy music in it in the first place. Because music is the blight of YouTube.

Hack your solar lights into Uranus and other planets

bigclivedotcom 2024-05-16 | Hacking new LEDs into solar lights and ruggedizing them against the elements has always been a thing on this channel, and as summer is approaching it seems a good time to buy a couple and see if they've changed much inside.

Nothing much has changed, so that makes popping in a new LED (or two in series) quite an easy project. It lets you customise your lights and experiment with different colours and LED styles.
I like the idea of a planetary theme with these translucent globes, since some planets have vivid colours, like Neptune, Uranus and Mars.

If you live in a part of the world with lots of sunshine then you can swap in a lower value inductor for a brighter LED, and if desired, the NiMH cell can be upgraded too.

Conversely, if you live in a darker part of the world you can extend the run time of lights at the cost of intensity, by changing the inductor to a higher value, up to around 470uH.

As always with solar lights, placement is important. They should be a clear view of the sun directly for as much of the day as possible. The difference between direct sun exposure as opposed to just seeing a bit of the sky is massive. Sometimes it pays to shuffle the location of lights.

Waterproofing the PCB and trying to prevent water creeping down the sides of the solar panel is important. Electrolytic corrosion can destroy lights very quickly. It's sometimes useful to drill a drainage/breather hole in plastic lights too, to reduce the amount of internal condensation. That also lets bugs in, but it's a small price to pay for the increased longevity of the light.

Vaseline, silicone grease, nail varnish, spray lacquer, and other protective coatings can be used to shield the PCB and cell in your light from water.

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Solar MPPT lithium cell charge module

bigclivedotcom 2024-05-14 | I started off feeling quite enthusiastic about this new and interesting integrated circuit. But after a bit of exploration I'm not sure it's any better than the classic TP4056 type chip.

The promise of adjustable charge voltage threshold was dashed when it turned out you can only adjust it upwards. Especially when the block diagram hints at a more versatile option.

It's notable that it has much lower tolerance of overvoltage on the solar panel input (6V) than the classic TP4056 (8V).

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Fixing a Temu light - with schematic

bigclivedotcom 2024-05-12 | To be fair, this fault was very odd and would have slipped through basic testing. It only shows up when you attempt to charge the unit, and even then it still lights its "charging" indicator.

My best guess for the switched supply to the PIR sensor is for lower standby current when the processor shuts down on low cell voltage at about 3.2V

This unit uses much simpler circuitry than a previous version which used a dedicated chip with control over timing and sensitivity. Those variables are set in the software in this unit, but there's still scope to tweak the light sensor level by substituting the 1 Megohm resistor for a higher or lower value.

Standby current is OK at around 45uA, given that the unit always has an active movement detector.

The lithium cell supplied is a bit minimal, but it's easy to swap in a new cell under the PCB. For year-on-a-charge use you could even add an external cell.

These lights are great for off-grid or power-cut prone locations. They provide a very convenient splash of light on demand at night, and with normal triggering will last a long time between recharges. They also lend themselves well to solar charging with a basic 5V panel.
The magnetic pad allows the light to be moved around as needed.

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Airwick fart neutraliser - with schematic

bigclivedotcom 2024-05-10 | Seriously... This unit was supposed to be able to detect farts and then quench them with chemical aroma on demand. Well it did until I broke the sensor (not with a fart).

I'm not sure if these are still available in other countries, but they weren't on the shelves long here.

The circuitry is interesting, but bizarre. In hindsight I could have emulated the sensor with a variable resistor and seen how it affected the other circuitry, but as it is probably only switched on briefly at an unknown timing it would have taken a long time to catch it in the act. It may also test in very short time bursts, so without a data logger it would have been tricky.

The design of the circuitry is surprisingly complex and makes me wonder if they just squeezed the max out of a basic function chip to keep costs low.

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Would you trust a Temu 80A electrical connector?

bigclivedotcom 2024-05-08 | Without full metallurgy tests it's hard to say exactly what alloy this electrical connector is made of. The attraction of a strong neodymium magnet was very slight, even with the outer plating and nearby steel screws removed. I'll guess a brass alloy with a nickel plating.
A subsequent test on random brass plumbing fittings also showed a very slight attraction of the same magnet.

Brass is technically an alloy of copper and zinc, with the colour being affected by the ratio. With the cost of copper these days, it's no surprise that it looked a light golden colour, suggesting more zinc than copper. Then again, I'm sure there are probably cheap alloys being made that look like brass to cut costs.

In this application the chunkiness and very close vicinity of the coupled wires is probably a benefit for the application of acting as a single pole power distribution block.

China has a huge manufacturing industry, so it's no surprise that they have a lot of machine components at fairly low prices. This block cost £3 which compared favourably with a similar distribution block from a UK seller at £12.

I'd consider this block for personal panel projects, but not for an industrial application where the cost of machine down-time makes the use of prominent brand items more important.

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Neon tube driver hacks

bigclivedotcom 2024-05-06 | Ever fancied a real glass neon tube as an ornament in your home? With the progressive replacement of traditional neon signs with the short lifespan LED versions it's getting harder and harder to find a traditional neon making workshop.

The equipment used to make neon is quite complex and very expensive. Not just the vacuum pump and manifold system, but the very high power bombarders that heat the tube by passing a lot of current through the internal vacuum to burn out all the tubes internal surface impurities.

I strongly recommend saving any old neon signs that you can, or if you're lucky and find a neon workshop, then it may be viable to get a short custom tube made for ornamental use.

Neon signs require a high voltage, current limited supply. One of the cheapest and easiest ways to get a suitable low voltage version is to buy one of the CCFL (Cold Cathode Fluorescent Tube) drivers online. These ones seem quite well rated and are used for powering vehicle CCFL angel-eye tubes used as borders around headlights.

The hacks shown here allow you to customise the output to suit your tube. I kept saying nanofarad instead of picofarad. It's rare I use picofarad values. In this case they range between about 22pF to 47pF. It's interesting to note that in the PC-case cold cathode tube era, the short length tubes just had a lower value capacitor fitted in their drivers.

These power supplies are usually good for about 2' (600mm) of 12mm neon tube or a bit longer for the argon/mercury/phosphor tubes.

Over time I expect these power supplies to get rarer and rarer. So it might be worth grabbing one now. They're not that expensive at the moment. This one came from an AliExpress seller:-
aliexpress.com/item/1005001561157745.html
A search for angel eye ccfl should find them.

Here's a UK seller who makes straight demo-tubes for collectors and educational establishments.
ebay.co.uk/itm/256366499235
Note that he can ONLY ship within the UK due to the destructive and expensive nature of international shipping.

I'll ask about and see if any of the USA neon benders are interested in putting some straight tubes (easier to ship) on eBay.

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Another scarily minimal fan control module - with schematic

bigclivedotcom 2024-05-04 | I've featured a bigger version of this in a previous video. But this is probably the most minimal version other than adding a very simple on/off remote control module.

I meant to say 18W apparent power for the module's low power factor. Not an issue until the power companies start charging for it (and they will).

The module is designed for three speed fans where the fan motor has a capacitor and tapped winding that allows three different speeds based on which of the taps is powered. It also has an output for a fan swivel motor.

The design is impressive for the very basic power supply running a microcontroller. Companies like Padauk specifically tell you to avoid using their microcontrollers with capacitive droppers for reliability reasons. It can result in a very noisy and spiky power rail due to coupling of mains borne electrical noise.

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eBay 98kW LED flashlight (slightly exaggerated) with schematic

bigclivedotcom 2024-05-02 | Another of the many products on eBay where the sellers try to outdo each other with very ambitious ratings. Far too ambitious in this instance.

The construction of the light is interesting because it has been optimised for fast manufacture.

The circuitry is ultra minimalist, including the USB charging circuitry that doesn't inspire a lot of confidence. Don't leave one of these on continuous charge.

Other than that, it does work, the beam focus feature works well and it doesn't have too many useless modes.

The cell capacity tests at a very ungenerous 160mAh and the charge circuit does keep trickle charging the cell after the LED has stopped flashing, and when I monitored it for a while it peaked at a slightly uncomfortable 4.27V then suddenly settled back down to 4.21V, making me wonder if it had energised the load briefly when I wasn't there as part of its charge control.

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Hot dogs in cans or jars?

bigclivedotcom 2024-05-01 | How do you like to buy your hot dogs - in cans or jars?

In reality I know this short is going to press a few American buttons, as it seems an oddity that we buy our hot dogs like this in the UK.

Inside a tiny ASD Diamond British street light

bigclivedotcom 2024-04-30 | This is one of the smallest proper street lights available. It's made by a British company called ASD and uses a conventional LED panel and a programmable driver.

After the video I was able to reprogram the driver to run the LEDs at just 10W. It's handy being able to read the driver settings of one light and then clone them to another. Ideal for where you are replacing a failed driver, since the faulty one will often still be readable due to its NFC circuitry being powered by your phone's coil.

The Tridonic app seems to work better than the others I've tried for different brands of driver. It still has some quirks, but was very usable.

The mode option was for extra sensor functionality to detect people or vehicles, and dim the light up and down as needed with duration and dimming speeds fully programmable.

The built in logging of run time and electrical anomalies is quite interesting. It has advantages for the manufacturer for detecting false warranty claims where the light has been exposed to unusually high voltage due to miswiring or a lost neutral.

If you work on one of these lights, be aware that the latching system is not released from the top as it may initially appear. It is released from the underside at the pole entrance point. Don't jam a screwdriver under the top and try to lever it open with force.

Note that the wires on the LED panel are a one-way trip. They cannot be removed without cutting them. Trying to release them may actually damage the panel. In normal use the panel would only be changed if it had failed anyway.

I mostly managed to avoid having a rant about the deskilling of labour in the street lighting and traffic signal industry. There's a bizarre UK culture of falsifying electrical skills using one-day slideshow "training" in one of the worst electrical working environments possible - wet and well grounded.

One day I'll probably take a deeper dive into one of the electronic drivers. But they are massively complicated, with microcontrollers and network functionality.

The choice of LEDs is interesting. Quite well engineered and tested under real-life conditions during manufacture.

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Inside a USB dehumidifier unit and boosting it.

bigclivedotcom 2024-04-28 | This unit is intended for keeping small enclosed spaces dry by using silica gel desiccant to adsorb moisture on its surface, and then liberate it again when the unit is plugged into a USB power supply to power a small internal heater that drives the moisture out into the room.

Contrary to the instructions in the listing, the unit should not be left plugged in constantly, as that will just be a heater, and not a dehumidifier. Although, that could be useful in some applications.

The insides were slightly underwhelming in the construction and lack of desiccant, but that has now been corrected and is currently under test.

Test results so far:- The original 16 gram bag has adsorbed a pathetic 1g (1ml) of moisture.

The new fill has adsorbed 17g (17ml) so far. I've still to test its self-drying ability when plugged into a USB power supply.

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12v panel indicator on 240V goes bang

bigclivedotcom 2024-04-27 | I got a couple of packs of these 22mm electrical panel indicator lights and forgot that I'd ordered 12V versions as well as 220V ones. I soon discovered my error when I tested one on 240V.

So I thought I'd relive the moment for your pleasure.

PK-A22F high voltage module teardown with schematic

bigclivedotcom 2024-04-26 | I was kinda hoping this was a truly standard module that I could recommend for building DIY ionisers, but now I'm aware that there are other variants with the same name. These modules are suitable for other applications requiring high voltage DC at very low current. But the high voltage should always be regarded as being referenced to mains voltage.

The universal 110-220V voltage is really just fixed value resistors that get hotter when used with higher voltages. No problem, since we can stick a couple of sleeved quarter watt 18K resistors in series to help spread the dissipation when using above 200V.

The output voltage of these units is actually quite zesty compared to a classic ioniser, meaning they will potentially generate more charge in the air.

The principle of operation of an ioniser is that when a high DC voltage is applied to a sharp point it causes the air to take on a charge with respect to ground. That causes charged particles in the air to precipitate to surfaces in the room or makes them stick to filters in air cleaners.
A very slight electrical plasma (corona) discharge is also created at the ionisation tips, which results in creation of short-lived active air molecules as found in outdoor air, that have a deodorising and sterilising effect on the air as they revert back to stable molecules.

The use of carbon fibres is because they are very sharp and work well as ionisation emitters. Traditionally steel needles were used.

Here's a typical AliExpress listing for what looks like the same module:-
aliexpress.com/item/4000227970754.html

And one of the big spicy-mama ones, which appears to be universal voltage too:-
aliexpress.com/item/1005006643204352.html

Here's a video about the big one, with a schematic:-
youtu.be/rt6DEjCuKFU

A video showing the construction of the voltage multiplier unit for 220 - 240V countries:-
youtu.be/ZLB2UUQ35J0

And the Russian Nuclear Corporation Molecular Disruptor:-
youtu.be/IoN_EYtSuio

If buying the modules from eBay the keywords anion module should work.

Be careful about buying 12V modules. Because they create a high electrostatic charge with respect to ground they can stress the insulation or cause flashovers inside standard power supplies. Not a problem on vehicles or off-grid accommodation with 12V and grounded chassis, but if using with isolated supplies the negative on the low voltage side will need grounded.

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Looks like Uranus

bigclivedotcom 2024-04-26 | A modified solar globe light with a new LED that makes it look a soft pastel blue colour, just like the planet Uranus. (It looks a paler greeny blue in real life.)

Electrostatic ioniser module

bigclivedotcom 2024-04-26 | This is a common module found in air conditioners and cleaners for the "ioniser" function. It puts a strong electrostatic charge on the air, which helps precipitate out airborne particulate, assists with its ability to be filtered, and also adds a tiny amount of short-lived active air molecules as found in natural outdoor air.

Faulty illuminated sandscape frame (with schematic)

bigclivedotcom 2024-04-24 | Note that if this unit is plugged into a USB power supply while batteries are fitted, there is a risk of non rechargeable cells exploding. YAY! The unit was pumping about 500mA into a set of non rechargeable cells and almost 800mA into a rechargeable set, which will fry them quite quickly and possibly cause them to vent.

I recommend disconnecting the battery holder.

This product is quite interesting just for the frame and the LED diffuser. It could be used on its own with your choice of LED tape as a custom mood light.

This one was faulty when it arrived, with one section of LED tape not showing the warm white. Easy fix though. The wire was very thin, so I'm surprised the others didn't pop off too.

The diffuser material is a bit too long, so it could be trimmed a bit. I noticed that both sides hadn't been seated properly all round, so there's a bit of finishing to do if you get one.

A search on eBay for "sandscape" will find these effects. Shop around, as there is a wide price difference for the same units. Some listings call them quicksand art.

If using a syringe to adjust the water or air ratio, it's important to use a thin pointed hypodermic needle, as it has to push through the silicon sealant between the glass. Adjustments are a delicate juggle of removing air or water and then topping up again with the opposite. Over pressurising risks damaging the glass or seal. The instructions with the unit suggest using sterile water, but I'm inclined to use a touch of disinfectant to avoid "stuff" growing between the glass layers.

Shaking the frame will break larger bubbles into smaller ones, but sometimes bigger bubbles work better.

It's possible this effect was discovered as a happy accident, with someone putting sand between two layers of glass and then adding water to slow its movement down, then seeing the effect of the bubbles. It appears the inventor may be William Tabar who patented the idea in 1985. The first ones were made in Salt Lake City, Utah.

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Trashy and a bit dangerous, but a clever design

bigclivedotcom 2024-04-22 | Just about every penny has been pinched on this design. From the undersized resistors to the wiring of the LEDs themselves, which seems to be plain aluminium wire. I couldn't solder to it at all, so had to crimp connections on. That probably means it's relying on the high open circuit voltage to break down oxide formation in the crimped joints when in use. While playing with another string of sockets I had fitted with RGB colour changing LEDs, I had one socket with an intermittent open circuit in it. Either a fractured connection where the wire exits the sleeving, or a bad crimp connection. Very hard to find, as the slightest disturbance of the whole set fixed the problem briefly.

Update - it's NOT using phase angle control. It's pulse width modulating the LEDs on unsmoothed DC and when I shook the lights violently back and forth I was able to see around six distinct dots of light where it was visibly lit in each half wave. Based on the DC humps being at 100Hz and some of the PWM not being illuminated near the zero crossing point, it suggests a possible PWM frequency approaching 1kHz, but modulated at 100Hz. What I thought was a zero crossing point detector for timing is actually just sensing when power is cycled briefly to change mode.
With a longer string of LEDs they will be lit for less time on the unsmoothed DC and shimmer may be more visible.

When I first saw these in huge ornamental lights in the UK I was really surprised to see what appeared to be a long series string of LEDs, clearly running at a fairly high voltage. But literally just stuffed in amongst a mass of coiled aluminium wire forming a plant-like sculpture. It looked good, and it was nice that someone technically inclined could potentially swap in a new LED if desired. But it also meant there were exposed (but slightly recessed) live contacts on each LED's socket.

If an LED was nudged out a bit (easy to do) then there was also the risk of the live leads coming into contact with the metal frame. I'm guessing there may have been some incidents, as they later switched to a low voltage version with the classic heatshrink sleeved LED strings.

The circuitry is very neat though. The tying of pin four of the microcontroller to the positive rail has strong PIC12 vibes to it, as that is the master clear pin when pulled low, and it also doubles as the programming voltage pin, which means it usually needs tied to a supply rail.

The H-bridge for polarity reversal is also a classic design, with the NPN transistor also turning the opposite rails PNP transistor on. In this application the capacitive dropper limits the fault current if things do go wrong.

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This exploded - dont do it

bigclivedotcom 2024-04-22 | One of many explosions that have occurred during my experiments. This one was actually quite loud though, and the glass frit (ground glass intended as a nucleation area) literally disappeared into many areas of the room. It even blew the o-ring out of the lid. I'm glad I didn't go with a glass tube.

So perhaps methylene chloride in a partial vacuum is still the best way to make a bubble tube.

For reference, butane has a relatively low liquid pressure at room temperature. Something like 40PSI, which is why they can have plastic cased lighters.

Inside an Otis elevator button (with schematic)

bigclivedotcom 2024-04-20 | It's always interesting to take a look at elevator components. Especially Otis components because of their iconic history. This is a fairly standard illuminated halo button that may be used by other elevator manufacturers too.

A search on AliExpress for the keyword br27c will find similar buttons, but they may have different connections than this one. Usually 24V because that's a standard control voltage in industrial applications. I've just ordered a couple to look at.

The electrical configuration of this button is odd, because it has a four pin connector, but only three pins are used. A different style of button has the LEDs and switch on four separate connections.
It does make sense to use 3 wires though, as the switch signal is also 24V in some applications.

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Mad eyes with a weight!

bigclivedotcom 2024-04-20 | This is a fairly recent disposable vape device with an interesting twist. It uses the smaller capacitor cased lithium cell (no it's not a supercapacitor or a lithium capacitor), but has compensated by adding a metal weight for that quality feel.

This video was demonetised instantly as soon as it was uploaded. That's why I can't make full length videos on the technology in these devices. It's a whole load of work for nothing, despite not promoting the use of them. I'll maybe still make shorts featuring them.

If you enjoy the shorts and want more long-form technical content then you may wish to consider subscribing. But do NOT enable notifications, as I put out a video every two days.

Madri - will it surge?

bigclivedotcom 2024-04-18 | I wondered what would happen if a can of Madri beer was put through a Guinness ultrasonic surger.

The foam it produces is surprisingly wet and drinkable. Quite a pleasant drinking experience.

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Exploring & picking a lockable socket

bigclivedotcom 2024-04-16 | This is an MK socket with a key operated switch to allow authorised users to power items.

The way they've achieved the key-switch function with standard electrical components is very impressive. But can it be picked?

The part number for this MK socket is K2949BSS if you have a use for one. They're quite expensive due to being a specialist component.

For reference, the key is marked 92304.

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MK key operated socket

bigclivedotcom 2024-04-16 | Exploring an MK key operated electrical socket. In the full video I have a go at lockpicking it too.

Near unity power factor LED driver - with odd schematic

bigclivedotcom 2024-04-14 | A fairly deep dive into the odd but very interesting circuitry of a 0.99 power factor LED driver, that uses clever minimalist circuitry that is not documented on the chip manufacturer's datasheet.

I'm wondering if this is a pin compatible drop-in replacement for another brand that offers other schematic options.

The most obvious electrical weakness of the design is the unfortunate extra winding tap on the primary, that violates electrical clearance on the PCB. The extra screening track used between the MOSFET and sense circuitry is also routed directly under a sense resistor.

The chip is an MT7938 if you want to look at the datasheet. It's in English, but has some oddities to the wording. But it does convey most of the useful information.

The slight shimmer from the LED is low level ripple being picked up by the camera due to the intensity of the light output.

This video is probably not going to be popular. It will only appeal to a tiny percentage of YouTube viewers, but it still needed to be made to cater for those who appreciate the data. That's the curse of technical channels. The more technical they are, the less views they get.

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Dead car plasma unit (fixed) with schematic

bigclivedotcom 2024-04-12 | My guess at what was wrong with this unit was completely wrong. It's as if they repurposed an existing circuit design and I initially thought they were trying to run a dielectric barrier plasma generator from DC.

In reality the fault was with component tolerances - possibly off-tolerance transistors. But having tested the transistors on a tester which identified then correctly and gave a plausible gain, I had a wild goose chase of component swapping.

Once I got it going I then found it did kinda work, but not as well as it should have due to the weird choice of output circuitry.

I get the feeling this is a clone of a clone with the factory not quite understanding the operation.

On a plus note, it's not one of the completely fake ones with a blue LED and fake circuitry. And we did get to do a very deep dive into the circuitry of this novel device.

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Strongbow dark fruit - will it surge?

bigclivedotcom 2024-04-10 | I wondered what would happen if a can of Dark Fruit cider was put through a Guinness ultrasonic surger.

The foam it produces is a fetching shade of pink, and quite nice to drink as a thick foam.

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Electric Lego for big boys and girls

bigclivedotcom 2024-04-10 | You can see a test and total (destructive) teardown of this switch in the related video:-

youtu.be/bnt1rRn7u0A

This did not come apart easily!

bigclivedotcom 2024-04-08 | An investigation of a generic Chinese illuminated latching panel switch, that ended up destroying it completely.

Usually I try to take things apart in a controlled manner, and then reassemble them after the video has been made. But not this time!

Keywords for finding industrial switches like this are - 22mm 380V panel
The phase to phase voltage in China is 380V and the standard panel cutout size is often 22mm.

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Condenser laundry dryer pump

bigclivedotcom 2024-04-06 | This video is partly about a special purpose pump, but also explains how a very common European unvented tumble dryer works. They're extremely efficient and require no external exhaust vent.

The simplicity of the design is stellar, with one main motor for drum rotation and the hot and cold air-path fans. The fans are the centrifugal type, so even when the machine changes drum direction briefly, the fans still push air around.

The water extracted from the clothing is pumped up to a pull-out reservoir which can then be poured into a sink. Alternatively, some of these machines can be plumbed directly to a drain.

By recycling the hot air in a loop, these machines have high efficiency, and also contribute to heating your home in winter. Unfortunately they also heat your home in summer, which isn't so good.
They also do leak a small amount of fine lint which adds to the usual dust issue in homes, but most of the lint is caught in a small lint trap that is cleaned before each cycle.

Because we have very high power available at all sockets in a UK home (32A 240V power circuits) we can plug these machines into any socket in the home. It's common to have the laundry equipment in the kitchen, but the dryer could be put in any spare room in the house.

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Fireball vs Sodastream. Will it carbonate?

bigclivedotcom 2024-04-04 | I'd never tried Fireball before. It's basically whisky with cinnamon syrup in it for a very sugary and aromatic taste.

But will it carbonate?

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Citrus juicing hysteria relief unit - with schematic

bigclivedotcom 2024-04-02 | An interestingly themed groin-juicer with the exciting feature of shorting out your USB port when attempting to charge it.

The most exciting thing about this unit is what appears to be a microcontroller with integrated lithium charging functionality, and a high current driver for things like LEDs or motors.

It does have a quirk though, possibly related to the voltage divider being used for charge sensing.

The choice of a jack plug for charging was probably driven by the desire to have a connector that could be pushed through a small rubber orifice to limit liquid ingress.

If anyone wishes to juice their fruit, here's a link to the item. Guide price £12 in case they jack the price up, so shop around if they do.
ebay.co.uk/itm/375000302164

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Testing an Ecoegg from ASDA

bigclivedotcom 2024-03-31 | Not my usual style of video, but when I saw this on sale in ASDA (UK chain formerly owned by Walmart), I was wondering whether the bold claims had any substance. The only way to find out was to test it.

This is basically a plastic shell filled with various beads, that claims to be an alternative to normal detergents, with a life of 50 or 70 washes. (70-wash as supplied and then smaller 50-wash refills.)

The white pellets are supposedly a concentrated surfactant (molecule that bonds with both water and oil), and the dark tourmaline pellets are supposed to ionise the water and make it more alkaline.
If the ball does liberate surfactants then keep in mind that it will also do so during the rinse cycles that are normally used to wash residual dirt and detergent out of your clothing.

The laundry industry is full of theatre with optical whiteners (ultraviolet fluorescing dye) that gives the impression of white clothing being brighter, and really pungent aromas that have been marketed to the point that people think that "fresh linen" is actually what fabric is supposed to smell like. Then there are the "softeners" that basically coat your clothing (and laundry equipment) in fragranced wax to give it a softer feel in the same way that oil and grease soaked overalls feel "soft" too.

You can wash most clothing in just plain water with no detergent, and it will rise out the natural bodily salts and dust, but it can leave a slight stale aroma after a while as plain water will not remove natural oils well. That's where it's useful to use a SMALL amount of detergent to help wash the oils out. I tend to use standard dish washing liquid, but be aware that some machines will foam excessively with dish soap and that can result in water spraying out the detergent drawer when the machine fills for a rinse. A small quantity of fabric conditioner washed down into the drum will get rid of foam virtually instantly.

While the laundry detergent manufacturers want you to pour huge quantities of their detergent into your machine, it only takes a small amount to clean normal clothing. Try using half the amount you normally use. The same goes for conditioner. If you want to use it to mask aromas then try using much less than normal.

The Ecoegg did impart a faint and fairly pleasant aroma onto clothing. And for non manual workers it may be enough to get satisfactory results. But for those of us who have physically active jobs a more traditional detergent may be a better option.

This may actually work for you if you alternate between conventional detergent and the use of the laundry ball to help cut down on chemical use.

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