electronics News - Page 10 of 19 - CNX Software

December 26, 2019January 3, 2020 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 7 Comments

SH72 Soldering Iron Looks Similar to TS100, Sells for around $10

TS100 is a popular soldering iron in the shape of a pen, and whose temperature is controlled by an STM32 microcontroller. Parameters such as temperature, temperature steps, sleep time and others can be setup over USB, and the soldering is powered by a standard 19V power supply often used with laptops. TS100 sells for around $50, while the more recent USB-C powered version (TS80) sells for a little over $70. But a new model that looks similar to TS100 minus the OLED display is now selling for around $10 on Banggood. SH72 soldering iron features and specifications: Temperature range – 220-400℃ Temperature control knob Available/supported tips – SH-B2/SH-BC2/SH-C4/SH-D24/SH-I/SH-K/SH-Ku (Hakko types) Power Supply 12-24V DC input up to 65 Watts via 5.5 x 2.5 mm barrel jack Modes of operation – 12V >=1.5A (18W); 16V >=2A (32W); 19V >=2.1A (40W); 24V >=2.7A (65W) Dimensions Control handle – 110 x 16 x […]

November 13, 2019 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 8 Comments

Moving Your Arduino Project to a Final Product: 8 Useful Tips

This article was written in collaboration with Jonathan Bara from Neoden USA Using Arduino to create your own tailor-made electronics equipment is a preferred method of thousands of electronics manufacturers worldwide, big and small. Arduino projects effectively start at the software to inform the Arduino microprocessor as to what to do, and then from there, move to the prototyping stage. An Arduino prototype is typically a very rough-looking machine whose only main goal is to prove that the concept at play is functional and worthy of refinement. After this stage, thought then goes into how to create a finished product that’s efficient, properly made, and ready for mainstream use. However, it isn’t always extremely easy to know when your prototype should go to the final design stage, or if there are still some kinks to be worked out. To make this process easier, here’s a list of ten tips when […]

September 30, 2019 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments

MUSTOOL MT99 is a $14 Smartphone-shaped Digital Multimeter

About a year ago we covered MUSTOOL MT8206, an inexpensive 2-in-1 multimeter & oscilloscope, and today we noticed another product from the company on Banggood. MUSTOOL MT99 is yet another cheap digital true RMS multimeter, but what’s different is the form factor. The tool looks like a smartphone and as such is more portable than competing multimeters. MUSTOOL MT99 specifications: Display – 3.5″ EBTN LCD with 3-line for voltage, frequency and analog bar… Mesurements DC voltage – 0.5 to 600V/0.1V ±(0.8%+3); input impedance: 10M Ohm AC Voltage – 1V to 600V/0.1V ±(1.2%+5); input impedance: 10M Ohm Resistance – 1Ω-10MΩ (1.2%+3); overload protection 250V AC/DC Capacitance 0.5 uF to 1000uF/0.1uF (3.5%+8) Up tp 6000uF/1uF (4.5%+10) Overload protection 250V AC/DC Frequency – 10Hz-1000Hz (2%+10); RMS above 1V AC Automatically identify diode and continuity Maximum display value – 9999 Live/neutral wire check Data hold, automatic power off Misc Automatic shutdown Portable hanging hole […]

September 23, 2019 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 4 Comments

Piper Computer Kit 2 is a DIY Raspberry Pi 3 Computer for Kids’ Education

Kids can easily build theirs own computer and then learn more about electronics and programming thanks to Piper Computer Kit 2. The kit is based on Raspberry Pi 3 SBC, a 9″ display, a power bank, and all bits and pieces required for assembly. There’s also a 16GB microSD with the OS and the company’s PiperCode software to learn the basics of programming. The complete kit comes with the following items: SBC – Raspberry Pi 3 Model B Storage – 16GB MicroSD card Display – 9″ 1024 x 600 LCD display with HDMI cable Audio – Integrated speaker 25+ laser-etched wooden and acrylic pieces 50+ hardware pieces 20+ electronic components Battery – 7,800 mAh rechargeable battery/power bank Phillips-head screwdriver 8 square foot laminated blueprint USB Mouse This is whay it looks like after around two hours of assembly time. Kids can then start playing Raspberry Pi Edition Mineccraft and some […]

September 2, 2019August 6, 2020 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 3 Comments

PT100 Resistance Temperature Detector (RTD) Probes Support Extreme Temperature Ranges

I’ve been playing with temperature measurements in several hardware platforms such as Texas Instruments eZ430-Chronos Watch, Sonoff SC environmental monitor, Wemos D1 board with aDHT21 temperature sensor, or more recently ANAVI Thermometer with the last three platforms based on ESP8266 WiSoC. All four devices/boards above have temperature sensors designed to measure ambient temperature with for example DHT22 having a range of -40 to +125 degrees Celsius. I had also come across DS18B20 waterproof temperature probe to measure liquid temperature several times with a range of -55 to 125°C. Good for most use cases, and for example you could check boiling water with the later. But I had never really thought about measuring data for much lower or much higher temperatures, and this morning I came across two “PT100” temperature probes on IC Station new arrivals feed namely WZP-187 ($4.89) and an unnamed probe ($3.42) respectively capable of -200°C to +400°C […]

May 27, 2019 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 4 Comments

REFLO Air is a $200 Open Source Hardware Portable PCB Reflow Machine (Crowdfunding)

While possible, it can be challenging to solder SMD components with a soldering iron or a heat gun, and going with a reflow oven is much easier and normally yields better results. But reflow ovens are usually fairly bulky, and somewhat expensive. MagixBox’ REFLO Air PCB reflow machine is much more compact making it more portable, open source hardware, and affordably priced since the early bird pledge starts at $199 on Crowd Supply. REFLO Air specifications: Control panel with LCD segment display and buttons Heat Control 100-300°C temperature control K-type thermometer Cooling fan Power Supply-110V-220VAC Max Power – 200 Watts Dimensions – 138 x 138 x 51 mm Weight – 900 g The company also offers optional accessories for its PCB reflow machine with a 3D-printed phone holder to use the phone’s camera to magnify the reflow area, a mini vice made of aluminum, and a semi-automated XY table. The […]

April 30, 2019 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 4 Comments

Battery powered MEGO Portable Power Supply fits into Breadboards

Breadboard power supplies like MB102 have been around for years, and some even designed a variable power supply for breadboards, but EVO-IN-MOTION MEGO looks much neater as a fully enclosed power supply, 4 to 24V output, fitted with a LiPo battery, and a display to show current voltage. MEGO enabled on-the-go breadboard projects without any cables for the power supply. Just connect the power supply, and you’re good to go with power delivered from the built-in battery. MEGO power supply specifications: Output Voltage – 4-24V DC Maximum Power – 6W Safety – Overload protection; short circuit protection Typical Power Efficiency – 88% Voltage Display Accuracy – <1% Ripple Voltage – <1% Load Regulation – 270mV Battery – 7.4Whs (2,000 mAh @ 3.7V) Misc – Power button;, adjust knob for output voltage; low battery and charging LEDs Dimensions – 73 x 59 x 32 mm Weight – 100 grams Temperature Range […]

April 4, 2019 by Karl Johnson - 6 Comments

SainSmart DS213 Review – A Portable Mini Digital Storage Oscilloscope

Hey Karl here with another oscilloscope review. We are going to look at the DSO213 (aka DS213 mini DSO). It is a new handheld oscilloscope in the DSO line. I recently reviewed an oscilloscope that was a tethered USB oscilloscope and will use it as a comparison. The DSO213 is a compact, battery powered, oscilloscope that increases some specs over previous version the DSO203. DS213 Oscilloscope Unboxing and Teardown Pictures . I thought this was an interesting design choice. Pogo type pins connect this board. This series of scopes has been reviewed quite a bit and they have been well received and for a hobbyist they seem to be adequate. Model DSO213 DSO203 MCU STM32F103VE STM32F103VE ADC HWD9288 AD9288 Channels 2 analog, 2 digital 2 analog, 2 digital Analog Bandwidth 15MHz 8MHz Max Sample Rate 100MSa/s 72MSa/s Maximum Memory Depth 4K 4K Horizontal Sensitivity 100nS/Div~1S/Div(1-2-5sequence step) 0.1uS/Div~1S/Div(1-2-5sequence step) Vertical Sensitivity […]