If you missed it before, TI is offering the Chronos Watch as their current week’s deal at $38 (plus shipping.) The eZ430 deal includes the wireless enabled watch, CC1111 USB RF access point, and a CD containing software and documentation. This is the watch featured in a recent post on hacking RF devices in the […]
Category Archives: tools
Electronically controlled nichrome-wire cutter
Dilshan Jayakody presents an electronically controlled Nichrome-wire cutter: In this project we construct electronically Controlled Nichrome-Wire Cutter. The main feature of this cutter is its (non mechanical) variable temperature controller. The temperature of the Nichrome-Wire is controlled using TL494 PWM controller. In this design TL494 is oscillated with fixed frequency and only varying factor is […]
Hot-air rework station repairing
Oakkar7 shares his experience repairing his hot-air station: I quickly checked the problem. There is no air flow at the nozzle. But I still heard the air compressor sound. Today, I tear down and find out the problem. My rework station is a cheap china made, LK852D brand. Here is what inside.
Open source RFID evaluation tools
A group from the University of Oulu (Finland) has developed and released a set of open source tools for auditing RFID signals. They describe, We have provided in this toolkit a systematic analysis for the RF protocol of RFID systems. The tools are either written for the Gnuradio software and the USRP software radio hardware […]
TinyG controller for CNC
TinyG compatible controller for CNC. Build on ATXMEGA256A3. 2x Step-down DC-DC for 3.3V and 5V. Plugin adapters based on DRV8818 or DRV8825 from TI and miniUSB or bluetooth link to host computer. Via akb77.
WORKSHOP VIDEO #59: 946A+ solder reflow hot plate
This week we take a look at the 946A+ solder reflow hot plate from our last Shenzhen equipment haul. There’s a ton of no-name 946A+ out there, ours happens to be D-GOLD. They’re all pretty similar, and run about $50 in Shenzhen. Using a kitchen hot plate is a common hack for DIY reflow soldering, […]
WORKSHOP VIDEO #56: TM220A table top pick and place overview
Today we take a look at an inexpensive pick ‘n’ place machine found on the Chinese auction site Taobao for 22800RMB (about $3,600). A pick and place is a machine that puts electronic components onto a circuit board that has been coated with solder paste. To complete the prototype you just place the populated PCB […]
TM220A pick and place first test
Managed to get the language to English by setting the language configuration to ‘0’, then loading a pick and place instruction file. After loading a file everything is magically English. Settings won’t save without a special warranty voiding password from the manufacturer though. Exported placement data from a DP LED matrix badge to test it […]
WORKSHOP VIDEO #55: Infrared reflow oven Qinsi QS-5100
After you’ve dispensed solder paste it’s time to reflow all that solder. This is where the reflow oven comes in. It seems like reflow hot plates are a more popular choice in most small shops because they’re smaller, cheaper, and it’s easier to monitor the reflow process. A reflow oven is a lot more convenient […]
DEFCON 20: Hacking Measured Boot and UEFI
UEFI secure booting has been on the minds of many hackers and open sources advocates. Some believe that it will lock out certain operating systems in favor of vendor’s proprietary systems. (There have even been recent reports of bricking Samsung laptops just by trying to boot Linux.) In this video from last Summer’s DEFCON 20 […]
DIY vacuum part pickup tool
Geir shared his idea on how to convert the AOYUE 968 fume extraction tube into a DIY vacuum part pickup tool. All you need is a cheap manual pickup tool, a small valve, and lots of tape (the universal tool). Via the forum.
Dual headed component pickup vacuum pen
Last goodie for today is a dual headed vacuum pickup pen. A pump creates a vacuum to the pin. Set it down on a part and cover the small hole in the side of the pen to suck up the part. Position and then release by removing a finger from the vent hole. This was […]
853 PCB preheating station
A PCB preheater warms boards before removing parts for repair. This makes it easier and less traumatic to remove big parts like smd voltage regulators, TQFP and BGA chips. The hot plate can serve dual use as a preheater, but as the preheater manual explains this won’t work for PCBs with placement on both ends. […]
PE 968A solder paste dispenser
This is a air driven solder paste dispenser with suck back for precise solder droplets. Size of droplets and repeat interval are set on the front panel. Dip switches on the back control 16 different modes. Seems to be exactly the same at similar 983a dispensers on aliexpress but a whole lot cheaper in Shenzhen. […]
Next tool shipment arrives on schedule
Should have board preheater, paste dispenser and part suction pickup things. Ordered the air compressor for the dispenser 5 minutes past deadline for delivery today so this will get tested tomorrow.
Reflow oven at 200 solder temperature looks good
Nice solder job with peak temp at 200, no noticeable scorching on the pcb. Oven must run a bit hot. Need a thermocouple to do some more testing.
Reflow oven USB jack test with new heat profile
Cranked the solder temperature down to 210 and tried some boards with bigger parts. Still looking good, though the paste dispenser will help a lot as the tweezers aren’t the right tool. The lower solder temperature still scorches the boards making the tidy white silk a sort of blond roux color. That is a lingering […]
Tips and tricks on how to tidy up your bench
If you’re like us then your desk is always a total mess of microcontroller programmers, prototype PCBs, wires, tools, etc… This article covers a few tips and tricks on how to tidy up your workspace. While the article is written for heavier tools and equipment than what we use, there are some cool universal tips […]
Hot plate reflow test 1 and 2
Reflowed two 0805 caps on two qfp protoboards. One at 250 and one at 240c.p Both took about 30 seconds to reflow. Anyone know the optimal temp for crappy old lead solder paste? Board at 250 looks scorched but that could be from the reflow oven instead. Will do a second test to find out.
First reflowed board
Worked great soldering two caps to a proto board with old crappy lead solder paste. No adjustment or levitating the board with other boards or any funny business. Need to try a full board to see it really in action.