EEVblog

By David L. JonesTechnology Education

EEVblog episodes

October 08, 2024 EEVblog 1644 – Mailbag: CrowView Monitor, Casio Game, 4-20mA Encoder, Wurkkos Battery, Rulerize
More mailbag!
00:00 – Crowview Monitor & Keyboard
https://www.elecrow.com/crowview-note-all-in-one-portable-monitor-phone-to-laptop-device-with-full-featured-type-c-sbcs-mini-pc-pc-game-console-compatibility.html
08:11 – Casio Border Army Game+Watch
11:34 – Minipa ET-1700 Pocket Multimeter
13:24 – Adafruit PCB Ruler
14:14 – PASS Card Game
15:13 – Crusty Raspberry Pi
17:40 – Sinusoid 4-20mA Rotary Encoder
29:29 – Wurkkos H1 USB Battery Bank
36:05 – Rulerize, transparent ruler sticker
https://www.rulerize.com/
Forum: https://www.eevblog.com/forum/blog/eevblog-1644-mailbag-crowview-monitor-casio-game-4-20ma-encoder-wurkkos-ba/itor-phone-to-laptop-device-with-full-featured-type-c-sbcs-mini-pc-pc-game-console-compatibility.html
41 min
October 01, 2024 EEVblog 1643 – DON’T BUY this Cheap 7kW 32A EV Charger
You get what you pay for in EV chargers. Don’t buy this super cheap New Energy brand 7kW 32A EVSE Charger.
Does it even meet the IEC 62752 it claims on the label? Or the US UL 2231 standard?
MIDA brand EVSE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SrZgN_EuRGw
10 min
September 27, 2024 EEVblog 1642 – Can I Resurrect My First Digital Multimeter?
Can I resurrect my first digital multimeter? A Soar ME-533
Forum: https://www.eevblog.com/forum/blog/eevblog-1641-can-i-resurrect-my-first-digital-multimeter/
00:00 – My first digital and analog multimeters, Soar ME-533 + Micronta 22-201U
03:20 – Battery terminal corrosion, of course
05:13 – My first pair of pliers and screwdriver
06:11 – Teardown
08:10 – Removing the LCD
10:24 – LCD under the microscope, the magic fluid escaped
15:14 – Conductive LCD traces on glass
Meter was also branded Dick Smith Q-1446 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6C0HnkR7EM
19 min
September 27, 2024 EEVblog 1641 – How DC Solar Isolators Work (TEARDOWN)
How DC Solar Isolators Work (TEARDOWN)
00:00 – Teardown of Benedict LS25 Solar True DC Isolator Switch
04:29 – How the contacts work
06:02 – How arc chutes and arc barriers work
12:11 – 5000V arc testing
Datasheet: https://www.benedict.at/files/documents/6617533-DC-Switch-Disconnector-D946E.pdf
Forum: https://www.eevblog.com/forum/blog/eevblog-1641-how-dc-solar-isolators-work-(teardown)/
15 min
September 18, 2024 EEVblog 1640 – Mailbag: 4k Microscope, Panaplex Displays, Piezo Singing, RF magic
More interesting mailbag!
00:00 – Forest M Mimms Make: Maverick Scientist: My Adventures as an Amateur Scientist
https://amzn.to/4e7fSup
Signed copies: https://www.makershed.com/products/maverick-scientist-hardcover
Engineers Mini Notebook are still available!
https://amzn.to/3zvSkjJ
https://amzn.to/3XLRJnn
https://amzn.to/3XLMHY7
https://amzn.to/4dd9cJQ
In the Lab with Jay Jay: https://www.youtube.com/@InTheLabWithJayJay
03:30 – Unmanaged615
https://www.reddit.com/r/TheAmpHour/
04:40 – Piezo tranducer sensor thing + singing capacitors and hydrophones
08:18 – Simpson panel meter with GORGEOUS Beckman Panaplex display!
13:41 – 10GHz RF tank level sensor, teardown + how it works
Lightbox Engineering https://www.lightboxengineering.com/
20:16 – Tomlov TM 4K AF Max Microscope
https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_DDJDCgF
Forum: https://www.eevblog.com/forum/blog/eevblog-1640-mailbag-4k-microscope-panaplex-displays-piezo-singing-rf-magic/
40 min
September 18, 2024 EEVblog 1639 – Keysight InfiniiVision HD3 Oscilloscope Teardown
Teardown of the new Keysight InfiniiVision HD3 14bit Megazoom V ASIC oscilloscope
https://www.keysight.com/us/en/products/oscilloscopes/infiniivision-2-4-channel-digital-oscilloscopes/infiniivision-hd3-series-oscilloscopes.html
Forum: https://www.eevblog.com/forum/blog/eevblog-1639-keysight-hd3-oscilloscope-teardown/
30 min
September 06, 2024 EEVblog 1638 – NEW Keysight Megazoom V ASIC 1GHz HD3 Oscilloscope!
After 13 YEARS Keysight have finally released the new MegaZoom V ASIC oscilloscope! Let’s take an initial look at the HD3 / HD300 series released today.
NOTE: I only had this scope for 24 hours from when it arrived to when I released this video, so please excuse the crudity of the video, I didn’t have time to build it to scale or to paint it.
https://www.keysight.com/us/en/support/HD304MSO/infiniivision-oscilloscope-4-analog-channels.html
Forum: https://www.eevblog.com/forum/blog/eevblog-1638-new-keysight-megazoom-v-asic-1ghz-hd3-oscilloscope/
00:00 – NEW Keysight HD304MSO 14bit ADC Oscilloscope with Megazoom V ASIC!
08:19 – Boot up
10:24 – New User Interface
14:12 – A few bugs
15:40 – 100MHz Signal Gen
16:28 – USB & Quick Action
18:13 – Intensity Graded Display DOWNGRADE?
19:30 – Ethernet remote and VNC
21:01 – Screen Scaling?
22:59 – Measurements
23:44 – Coming soon… X-Y & Roll
24:52 – 100uV/DIV ?
25:38 – Measurement on full data or screen?
27:34 – Trigger level range limitation, another coming soom feature
28:02 – Comparison to R&S MXO4, Half the noise, and 14bit vs 12bit
29:57 – Update rate comparison
30:44 – Noise measurement at 1V/DIV
31:17 – Custom ADC speculation
31:55 – BRUTAL Update rate comparison, Megazoom Magic
35:13 – Lack of bandwidth filters, maybe another coming soon option…
36:53 – 16 HD mode vs 18bit HD
37:10 – 14bit ADC TESTED
38:14 – Window docking & Tiling & Full Screen
39:08 – Zone triggering
40:31 – Serial decode
41:43 – NEW FEATURE: Fault Hunter
45:50 – 1GHz Passive Probe!
46:43 – Conclusion
53 min
September 03, 2024 EEVblog 1637: Solar Freakin’ Space Mirrors! – Reflect Orbital DEBUNKED
Reflect Orbital wants to put reflecting mirrors in space to sell sunlight to solar farms after dark. The numbers work out exactly as you expect them to. It’s Solar Freakin’ Space Mirror time!
https://www.reflectorbital.com/
BenNBuilds balloon test video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4hUNCtDTIZc
First Principles interview with Ben Nowack: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yDV3v0Xb4ow
S3 Interview video with Reflect Orbital: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4BcDoDs89rc
S3 2nd interview with Ben Nowack & Tristan Semmelhack : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kmC-u-fXueA
Space.com article: https://www.space.com/orbiting-mirror-boost-solar-power-production
ClimateCapital investment: https://www.climatecapital.co/portfolio
Understanding the Duck Curve: https://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy16osti/65023.pdf
Real time US energy price tracker: https://www.iea.org/data-and-statistics/data-tools/real-time-electricity-tracker
Forum: https://www.eevblog.com/forum/blog/eevblog-1537-solar-freakin-space-mirrors-reflect-orbital-debunked/
00:00 – Reflect Orbital, Sunlight After Dark
01:18 – Ben Nowack from BenNBuilds Youtube channel & the balloon test
02:55 – Sun synchronous polar orbit reflecting mirror satellites
03:54 – A look at the website claims, a 5km sunlight spot for 4 minutes
05:58 – This isn’t new, the Russians did it with the Znamya 2, albeit unintentionally
06:56 – Who’s behind Reflect Orbital?
08:12 – What is the Duck Curve?
09:31 – CLAIM: A 10m x 10m satellite mylar reflector into a 12U Cubesat
10:09 – CLAIM: 10’s to 100’s if BILLIONS of dollar per year revenue!
10:35 – CLAIM: $50/MWh energy sale price after dark
11:18 – CLAIM: $175k/year revenue from each satellite & launch costs
11:58 – CLAIM: 200W/sqm? Err, in what universe?
12:24 – DaveCAD calculations
13:10 – 100kW maximum capture is reduced by the tilt angle
14:05 – 5mW/sqm. FIVE MILLIWATTS! Is this a JOKE?
14:50 – But WAIT, what if you combine and focus all the satellites?
16:02 – It gets WORSE! Capacity Factor is a problem.
18:14 – 20MWh/year WOW!, that’s a lot, right? Right?
19:22 – Even 20MWh/year become ZERO if it consumes more than it produces!
20:09 – How did nobody do a back-of-the-envelope calculation?
23 min
August 30, 2024 EEVblog 1636 – Ultimate Multimeter Beginners Guide
The ultimate beginners guide to multimeters. What are they, how to choose one, and how to use them to measure electrical things.
EEVblog meters: https://eevblog.store/
Cheap $20 meter AN8008
Fluke 101 for $50
Forum: https://www.eevblog.com/forum/blog/eevblog-1636-ultimate-multimeter-beginners-guide/
00:00 – The Ultimate Beginners Guide to Multimeters
00:35 – Display Counts Explained
01:17 – Range Switch or Push Button?
01:43 – Don’t get a rechargable type or permanent backlight
02:05 – Autoranging vs Manual Ranging
03:05 – Multimeter Probes
03:36 – Rubber Holster vs Overmoulded Rubber
03:50 – Battery powered & Auto Power Off
04:06 – What can a Multimeter Measure? Voltage, Resistance and Current
04:55 – Do you need Current measurement?
05:38 – Capacitance & Continuity
06:39 – Continuity Testing Demonstrated
07:08 – Diode and LED testing
07:59 – Thermocouple Temperature Measurement
08:37 – Non-Contact Electric Field (NCV) Testing
08:57- Frequency, Duty Cycle, and Min/Max/Avg
09:18 – True RMS vs Average Responding
10:13 – Practical usage demonstrated
10:47 – Modern Multimeters are very robust
11:10 – Here is where it gets dangerous, current measurement.
12:55 – CAT Safety rating and fuses
14:23 – UL and ETL Testing Certification
14:43 – BEWARE of Battery LEAKAGE!
15:00 – Don’t measure Ohms in-circuit
15:43 – Auto Touch Hold
16:17 – DC Voltage Measurements
17:35 – AC Voltage Measurement
18:08 – Current measurement demonstrated
19:50 – Capacitance measurements demonstrated
21:20 – Ohms cable measurement
22:07 – Manual ranging demonstrated
23:02 – Bargraph function
23:45 – Conclusion and Recommendations
26 min
August 15, 2024 EEVblog 1634 – 15kWh AERL LFP Home Storage Battery Install
Installing a 15kWh AERL Life2 LiFePo4 solar home storage battery to my Deye inverter.
Thanks to Peter Watkinson from AERL, one of my long time viewers!
AERL were the first to invent and patent the Maximum Power Point Tracker MPPT used in all modern solar systems.
Analysis video that was cut from this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gAu8CvMjDrU
Full talk with Peter: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eldXifbNm2A
https://www.aerl.com.au/mppt-solar-charge-controller-history/
https://www.aerl.com.au/
AERL Life2 datasheet: https://www.aerl.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/AERL_LiFe2_Datasheet_REV_004.pdf
Deye manual: https://www.sunovagroup.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/SUN-3-6K-SG04LP1-AU-1.pdf
Australian Standard for Home Battery Installations: https://store.standards.org.au/product/as-nzs-5139-2019
LG Battery recall: https://www.lgessbattery.com/au/recall/recallnotice.lg
Forum: https://www.eevblog.com/forum/blog/eevblog-1634-15kwh-aerl-lfp-home-storage-battery-install!/
00:00 – AERL Life2 LFP Home storage battery installation
01:08 – Pre-wired 19″ battery storage rack
03:23 – 4AWG cables, quick-connects and bus bar
05:03 – The old EEVblog garage lab!
05:19 – Rate my Home Assistant RPi setup
05:43 – Peter Wilkinson from AERL
06:21 – The first patented MPPT from 1984
07:49 – LFP battery management PCB
08:14 – The 5.1kWh Life2 LiFePo4 LFP Battery
08:30 – LFP vs NMC fire risk and battery safety
10:16 – Is it safe and legal to install in the gargage?
11:03 – The 19″ battery rack
11:51 – How does the battery talk to the Deye hybid inverter?
12:42 – Feed-in tarrifs and battery viability
13:25 – Should you 100% cycle an LFP battery? And self managed batteries.
16:01 – Do the batteries load balance?
16:56 – Installation! (+ extra solar installer FAIL)
18:48 – The 35mm cable and crimping
20:59 – Wiring up the battery cabinet
21:48 – Installing the batteries in the rack
22:31 – First power-up smoke test
23:02 – Connecting the other batteries
24:55 – Re-connecting the grid
26:07 – The next day…
27:32 – How does the Deye inverter know about the Enphase Micro Inverters?
29:21 – Big load testing with the EV, oven, and aircon
31:17 – Conclusion
34 min