Circuit Break - A MacroFab Podcast

By MacroFab, Inc.

Dive into the electrifying world of electrical engineering with Circuit Break, a MacroFab podcast hosted by Parker Dillmann and Stephen Kraig. This dynamic duo, armed with practical experience and a p... more

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FAQs about Circuit Break - A MacroFab Podcast:

How many episodes does Circuit Break - A MacroFab Podcast have?

The podcast currently has 448 episodes available.

Circuit Break - A MacroFab Podcast episodes:

September 30, 2020MEP EP#244: Comic-Con for Engineers - Chris Carter
MEP EP#244: Comic-Con for Engineers - Chris Carter
Chris Carter
The owner of Mercury Inc.

Mercury Inc. is a design consulting firm with expertise in electrical mechanical software and firmware development
DFM for PCB Assemblies
Industrial Design
What is this?

Special Assembly
Unique processes

Sequences and events

Design for Serviceability

Documentation

Change logs
...more
54min
September 23, 2020MEP EP#243: Schematics and Connectors, Name a More Iconic Duo...
MEP EP#243: Schematics and Connectors, Name a More Iconic Duo...
Parker
Battery Charger debacle update
Two batteries recovered, One failed

Amazon Sidewalk draws electronics from among TI, Silicon Labs and Semtech
Amazon Sidewalk, a new shared wireless network for IoT consumer device

DXF to Board outlines?
Eagles DXF importer doesn’t work all too well

Suggestions?

AutoDesk Fusion seems to import just fine
Stephen
Connectors on schematics
Rfdave on slack channel asked a question about this
Am I the only person who hates a schematic consisting of 1 connector, 2 IC’s, 4 bypass caps with all of the interconnects being done with net names, and no interconnecting wires?

Currently working on a design that has multiple boards with cable interconnects

How do you like to show this?

Reference Designator?

Potentiometer board - one board to rule them all
Using slots to make panel mount “solder lug” potentiometers into pcb mount
Not a lot of values in each taper is available in a through hole version

This means a lot less wiring is required.

EDA schematic and grounding
...more
54min
September 17, 2020MEP EP#242: The Heartbeat of Cats and LEDs
MEP EP#242: The Heartbeat of Cats and LEDs
Parker
Battery charger and maintainer died
Took all my batteries with it

Company is replacing the unit

Nothing looks particularly wrong with the PCB Assembly besides it being gross

SF1565SG
Current Mode PWM Controller

FQPF12N60C
Fet used in the PWM Controller

HT46R004 HolTek MCU
Cost Effective?

Cat Feeder Unreminder
Ordered a breakout board for the AEM10941

Super Caps SCCS30B106PRB
10F @ 2.7VDC

Solar Panel AM-1816CA
84µA at peak power

This is specced at 200lx

Will this be enough?
LTC2956 draws 0.8μA

LEDs at 40μA a piece

Total draw when Cat Feed Indicator is on is 40.8μA

5F x (4.5V-3.6V) / 0.0000608 = 74,013 seconds -> 20 and a half hours!
Stephen
Magnetics
Transformers arrived!

Be specific with what you ask for and ask questions. I almost got bit with dimensional issues

Diy Tag connect
Made a pogo pin test connector

Mill-Max 0955-0-15-20-71-14-11-0 Pogo pins with solder cup on back

Using FR4 as mechanical supports

Designing a Pawl system to clasp the pcb

Next Revision
Make the landing pads bigger

Add something for strain relief

Move the pins slightly down for more spring

Add more anti rotation pins
...more
48min
September 09, 2020MEP EP#241: Failing to Electrocute the Chicken
MEP EP#241: Failing to Electrocute the Chicken
Parker
Bit of feedback on a live stream
People suggesting YouTube live

Will set this up for episode 242

The little things no one sees that make projects take forever

3D printer update completed
New fans

TI calls for lower-cost sensors to boost robot adoption
“We don’t see as many robots as we’d like”

Elon Musk’s Neuralink implant
Pig example
Stephen
High voltage low current measurement - The circuit evolves
Adding resistance measurements

The new process
Use the resistor measurement probes to measure the screen resistors values and record those

Use the resistor measurement probes to measure the cathode resistors and record

Plug test harness into the DUT

Begin test

Program will read voltages and using the resistance measurements it will give you a target voltage.

Turn trim pot to set idle current such that the power dissipation is met

The load is dynamic and this is an unregulated power supply

Looking for bananas
Want to have “multi-meter” banana connector

History of the banana connector

Technically a binding post
...more
50min
September 02, 2020MEP EP#240: Disturbed Solder Accuracy
MEP EP#240: Disturbed Solder Accuracy
Parker
Got a fully automatic screen printer!
ESE US-2000X

Potentially lower our minimal paste size

Twitch Live Stream podcasts?

Amazon multimeter probes
Stephen
High voltage low current measurement
Don't want to break the connection so a traditional ammeter isn't going to work

Sticking with the read both sides of a resistor method

Caddock 1776-C681 high voltage high resistance high tolerance divider
1/100 so 0 to 500v becomes 0 to 5v

ADC - MCP3551-E/SN
22 bit

SPI

2.4 meg ohm input impedance

Ideally the voltage divider has a “gain” of 0.01 but if the ADC is directly attached to the divider the gain is around 0.0096
Full scale would be 4.8V instead of 5V

Solution: add a buffer

AD8244BRMZ
Quad buffer

Typical offset voltage of 100uV

Gain error of 0.03% max on +/-15v rails

10T ohm and 4pf input resistance/capacitance - 10^12

Gain error is now 0.009999999901 - Close enough
...more
41min
August 26, 2020MEP EP#239: Frictionless Spherical Cow Transformers
MEP EP#239: Frictionless Spherical Cow Transformers
Parker
Garage Door opener hacking
Converting my normal style garage door opener to a “jackshaft” style opener

Reversing the direction of the A/C single phase motor?
Split phase motors

One phase is shifted with a large capacitor by ~90 degrees

In my application I just had to reverse the wires and the end stop wires

PyInstaller
Can take your python scripts and make it into a self contained application

Useful for non technical inclined people on your team

Cross Platform!

GUIs
Tkinter seems to work well in Win10 and Ubuntu 20 LTS
Stephen
High voltage low current measurement
Tony_W Recommended the ACS37002
Hall effect sensor that can be ground referenced in very high voltage applications

0.85m ohm conductor resistance

4.8kV RMS isolation voltage

VCC of up to 6.5V

-50 to 50A sensing range

Gain selection of 30mv/A to 60mV/A

In my situation I would want to monitor 0.1mA or 100uA. With a gain of 60mV/A that would be 60uV/mA so 0.1mA would be 6uV….. This may still not be the best solution because I would likely need a ton of gain and have to correct for any offsets.

Possibly to a tro prong approach - Measure voltage across known resistances in the circuit

Getting transformers manufactured for your product
What do you need to know?

How do you get started?

What are the specifications
Mains transformers

SMPS and flyback style “yellow tape” Transformers.
...more
51min
August 19, 2020MEP EP#238: Better Encryption than Zoom, Firmware Stacks with AND!XOR
MEP EP#238: Better Encryption than Zoom, Firmware Stacks with AND!XOR
AND!XOR
Previous podcast episodes:
Incognito Mode which was episode number 69

Arduino, The Gateway Drug To #BadgeLife which was episode number 109

Espress-ify? Designing Products Around the ESP-32 Platform which was episode number 144

Feel the Hum which was episode number 183

Firmware
RTOS vs No OS (i.e. Arduino or pure SDK usage)

What about a Bootloader?

Zephyr RTOS
DTS

Config

Drivers

Whats good about Zephry / What SUCKS about Zephry

Drivers

Middle Ware

GUI

App Layer

The Cloud

Flags and CTF

Patching firmware in the wild
...more
1h 21min
August 12, 2020MEP EP#237: Ice Cream Solder Paste Equipotential
MEP EP#237: Ice Cream Solder Paste Equipotential
Parker
Cat Feeder Unreminder
Started designing the parts and symbols in Eagle.

Will post more on twitter as I build the components and put together the symbols

Garage Door opener hacking
Converting my normal style garage door opener to a “jackshaft” style opener

Why?

LiftMaster, Chamberlain, Craftsmen are all the same

Mine is a Liftmaster Formula 1
Belt drive need to convert to chain drive to attach to the jackshaft

All of these use similar drive mechs

Other things that are needed
Garage door auto lock
SureLock Garage Door DeadBolt

Cable tension switch
LiftMaster 41A6104
Stephen
High voltage low current measurement
Resistive dividers?
Caddock 1776-C681

10M ohm

0.1% tolerance with 0.05% matching

Low PPM

This method is ok but requires a rather large current sense resistor which is not great.

Floating supplies
This is how multimeters work. The reference is floating.

Isolation solution
May go with an isolated solution - basically a power supply that isolates the secondary.

Isolated digital communication down to LV side.

Tests for pcb shielding
Did a shield plane test on a new pcb assembly.

Top and bottom pours that respect clearance rules.

5mm pitch via stitching.

All terminate to one pin on a 2 pin header.
Second pin connects to a plated bolt hole that goes to chassis.
...more
58min
August 05, 2020MEP EP#236: Excited Electrons
MEP EP#236: Excited Electrons
Parker
Lead Forming Topic
Tools

3D printed forms

Best practices?

Cat Feeder Unreminder
Choosing a solar panel
Solar Panels generally act like a current source across its useable power band

Specifications that are important
Power (Watts) - Max

Current @ Peak Power

Voltage @ maximum power point (Vmpp)

Vmpp - Voltage @ open circuit (Voc)

AEM10941 Solar Panel Chip
Max V is 5V so open circuit can’t be higher then this

MPP is set by 2 configuration pins

Ratio between Vmpp / Voc
Stephen
Voltage References and dev boards
MCP1501T-20E/CHY
0.1% initial Accuracy

Low noise

worst case 50ppm across -40 to +125

Capable of sinking and sourcing 20mA

AD584 Dev board
0.3% initial accuracy for the J version. The K version is 0.1%

Linear rail is shitty
Got 300 mm of knock off chineasium linear rail

Sounds like sand in the bearings

Held vertically the blocks get stuck…
...more
1h 1min
July 29, 2020MEP EP#235: Solar Freaking Cat Feeders
MEP EP#235: Solar Freaking Cat Feeders
Parker
Cat Feeder Unreminder
Pulsing current to light LEDs
http://donklipstein.com/ledlocup.html

http://www.discovercircuits.com/H-Corner/lowpwrflasher.htm

Timer IC
LTC2956

Power Management
Solar with super capacitors

Panasonic BSG series solar panels
Will have to do research on specifying solar panels

AEM10941
https://e-peas.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/DS_AEM10941.pdf

Built in LDO regulators
Stephen
Ball screws
Bought a small section of ball screw with the associated nut, nut housing, and end block

SFU1605 300mm - 16mm diameter and 5mm pitch

Trying to work out linear forces and the RPM range if it were to be driven from a stepper motor or servo

Mechanical engineering is tough

CNC work
Cut the first actual project on the CNC

Movable cradle for holding chassis - makes working on them super easy

Had to spend some serious time working on getting the machine to cut 90 degree
Iterative process

Flex in the machine - 0.02” accuracy

Going to cut some speaker cabs next

Added a simple fan radiator

8020 catalog arrives sometime soon….

ARP 2600 repair
A client found a unit that was put in a closet in 1984

It was only pulled out last weekend and is now in my hands to do some repairs
...more
1h

FAQs about Circuit Break - A MacroFab Podcast:

How many episodes does Circuit Break - A MacroFab Podcast have?

The podcast currently has 448 episodes available.

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