My Scratch Pad

[MadScientist267]

Tinkering around, trying out my cookie cutter approach to a "from scratch" project that just so happens to desperately need it. Meet the new charger's future grey matter.

Ok so voltage and current are mock up (but are "real" in the sense that the ADC is the seed... offset and slope calibration features used make them look "normal").

Temp is real, discharge port air temp as it leaves the laptop.

All the boxes are ticked for this one. It's a slice 'n dice special (as if I'd have it any other way, pffft)

[MadScientist267]

Progress... More tinkering... mixed with a little insanity LOL



Top to bottom on the display...

Analog 1 voltage (translated from count), 490Hz PWM -> 100K/0.01uF

Analog 2 voltage (despite the "A" LOL), 31.25kHz PWM -> 100K/0.01uF

Laptop exhaust at distance, in deg C

% calculated PWM duty

Output "count" (0-255)

Calculated voltage that should be seen by the inputs

Don't let #1 fool you, that's a shaky and flailing little joker, I snapped the pic at just the right moment, wink wink

#2 is rock solid and follows the calculated around like a puppy, consistently lagging by 0.03V (it was almost certainly updating when the pic was snapped lol)

Guess which one is gonna do Vfb and which one is gonna do Fan?

Lots of tail chasing during today's adventures but I'm happy to report, despite all the voodoo, no magic smoke was released and it's functioning as expected for its current state.

Good stopping point... I'm learning...

Steve

[MadScientist267]

Some things just ooze with cool factor...

[MadScientist267]

... and gonna be a lot of fun. Got lots of pics and even a quick video clip..

When/as I get the chance to sift thru them and get something to start off with, I'll hit this little blast from the past with its own thread and gift a little nostalgia for those who remember and a glimpse into what they missed for those too young to have been a part of the era, when the quest for getting the biggest screen up in front of the eyes was still well in its infancy, but could become reality for those with equally magical wallets

[MadScientist267]

Finally! A well lit bench!

The camera doesn't do it any justice LOL...

The lone 8W "flood" with the new 3ea 4x1W modules backing it makes just about anything visible now... the scattered light from the surface even makes the room glow rather bright...



I still need to finish the wiring up, and add the controls... These are the modules from the fish tank fixture some time back, so there is also a set of 6 total (2 per board) 1W blue dies as well, although I am likely going to set those up as "only night light". The white will be dimmable, so I may go that route with the blue as well, we'll see.

Gonna be nice to be able to read chip numbers and such without as much hassle for a change haha

[bj]

  Nothing like good light for a work area.  As the years go by, more and more so.  2X cheater lenses help too.   

[MadScientist267]

Indeed BJ. It's nice so far.

And looks like "Buddy Heater Rev 4" is taking shape... Now with Peltier! Lol



Looking into exhaust gas heat recovery and considering vented this year. So far the little bit of "on hand preliminary testing" has shown promise with just the pilot alone

[MadScientist267]

Krokpot Konvurt'blz...



Works decent, quiet, gentle, and reversible

[MadScientist267]

Couple of the guys in IRC felt the bench looked too clear and idle in the previous pic after having been cleared to install the lights easier, and then cleaned to make... ok I don't know why I do the latter LOL

Anyway I promised I'd post something while I was mid stream if I thought about it, and I did, so I did. And there's that lol

EDIT - Wolv said he wants my purple bins... so here's the other 11

[MadScientist267]

Thought I said I wasn't winding any more toroids...



Must have forgotten to add "from now on"...?

EDIT - Detailing the solder joints and showing scale... process to "strip"/tin varies greatly with wire size, in hand count, etc...

[bj]

  Torroids--but you are getting so good at it.  Why stop now? 
  Wolv is right.  Those bins are cool.  I have about a hundred of the ones you see
in all the hardware stores.  Not cool, but cheap, from of course, the local hardware store.

[MadScientist267]

Yeah the authentic "Really Useful Box" lineup is one of those truly genius things... The various sizes have "perfect compatibility" with other specific sizes, and the way they lock, open, sit on their own lid, and can still be stacked without losing any space... should be one of those "world wonder" things lol

Along those lines, I knew it wouldn't take long, never does... RossW, here's your money shots hahaha





Can't capture it all even, probably need at least 4 more pics hahaha and even then. Can't go any further in these conditions... Regularly forced to clean up and "reset" as I call it to go on to the next stage of whatever... Really slows things down and sometimes as many as half a dozen times a day I have to stop and grab a shovel... now if I could juuust find it in the rubble.......

As for the toroids.. LOL Its bitter sweet. Must not be art tho, if someone besides me appreciates the eye candy factor and I'm still around to hear about it Hahaha

I needed another one for the current project... I won't need to confess however, to anyone that should happen to open the lid at some point down the line. Neither are probably "best spec fit", but mine at least looks better at being incorrect Hahaha

[MadScientist267]

Quick peek at what provoked the mess this round... The nearly rebuilt blanket (and now Crock-o-Wax) controller.

Looks a lot better except for the little bridge situation there haha... they're going to get replaced eventually so didn't do much for them other than "make em work with the new feedback/filter network.

Main objective complete at least, pot now fails safe instead of wide open... lol first go was "just get something running that has better efficiency than the main inverter and doesn't use bang bang for control. That said, the pot stuck it out for that go but RatioWhack's pots are/were known for flaking out if overhandled so.... haha

[MadScientist267]

At the heart of it BTW, a stripped out to absolute bare essentials TL494 based cheap-as-they-get MSW inverter (everything but what's needed for the DC-DC push pull converter has been removed from the board). Only things then added are 2 ladder filters, one at the input and one at the output, with their common-mode bond, and a pot to set the output. It's clean as it sits (no EMI issues cropping up, despite a complete lack of shielding anywhere).

Plenty of cookie cutter applications for what's pictured below.



That's all that's left. More tinkering with the pot and padder values to get it dialed in like I want it and really, this one is finished  (hey who said that lol)

[MadScientist267]

Finally got access to an SEM, and a suitable 3D printer...



Located the one remaining brain cell I have left and printed up a spare...