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akio123008

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  1. Like
    akio123008 got a reaction from MuffinDealer in Old phone charger reuse ideas ?   
    Just throw them in a bin and keep them. When screwing around with other electronics, at some point you're going to end up needing a 5V supply. Then it's always good you have a bunch of spare phone chargers.
  2. Agree
    akio123008 got a reaction from alexonpeace in The Plus Side of External PSU - or, why DC to DC is a Game Changer for Solar   
    For an ATX PC, yes, but in a few years, we might be using ATX 12VO and in that case only a 12V converter would be required, the rest would be built into the motherboard.
  3. Like
    akio123008 got a reaction from alexonpeace in The Plus Side of External PSU - or, why DC to DC is a Game Changer for Solar   
    Problem with that is, for most loads you'll use, those losses will actually be smaller than the losses in an inverter.
     
    As an operator of a small off-grid system that runs on 12V, I've considered running everything on the 240V inverter, to avoid wire losses, but it turns out the inverter wastes more power than I'd save by running everything on 240V.
     
    Now of course that does depend on a lot of factors, like the 12V wire gauge used, the inverter, the distances you need to cover, and the loads you attach, so it might be different for other people.
     
    For larger off grid systems that operate at higher DC voltages (which is inevitable for higher power systems) you can use a normal AC power supply just fine. A standard ATX PSU will run fine on anything between 100-250V DC. (as @mariushm also pointed out.)
     
    Also, if you really want to run a PC on 12V, you could try to rig up your own power supply. There's plenty of 12V adjustable DC converters you can buy, if you can make sure to operate that in the ATX spec, and attach some computer PSU cables to its output, there's no reason you couldn't use that as a power supply.
  4. Informative
    akio123008 got a reaction from Origami Cactus in Bosch ebike battery communication protocol   
    I'm trying to repair a bosch ebike battery (specifically a "powerpack 400").
     
    The battery cells are all in perfect condition, but the BMS board has died. so I need a new BMS. (pretty much every single component has been fried)
     
    Here's the problem: the Bosch BMS has an extra 3-pin connection that allows it to communicate with the ebike drive system, so using a normal "dumb" BMS board from Amazon or Aliexpress won't work, since of course the bike will only work if it can communicate with the battery.
     
    I don't think I need to mention that of course, this Bosch BMS cannot be obtained, even by a proper Bosch certified bike shop. I've been trying to hunt one down for weeks now, without success. 
     
     
    Now because I don't want a perfectly good battery to go to waste and a new 500+ euro unit to be bought, I really want to fix this. What I need to do is somehow fake the communication from the BMS with some kind of microcontroller that I can put in the battery. I'm quite experienced with electronics and microcontrollers, but I have no clue what kind of communication protcol the bosch system uses. I've seen some comments online that the battery uses CAN bus, but even if that's true that's still too little information to spoof the BMS. Therefore I'm hoping someone here knows some more details about the communication protocol these battery packs use or where to find this info, so that I can try and rig something up to make the bike think there's a proper Bosch BMS in the battery.
     
    Thanks in advance!
  5. Agree
    akio123008 reacted to emosun in This was all a waste of money. - HDR on YouTube Rant   
    I feel like hdr isn't that great anyway. Case and point , the last 100 years of non hdr content from humanity seems pretty good.
  6. Informative
    akio123008 got a reaction from Jorgemeister in What would happen if I plugged a power source into a USB-C port on a desktop?   
    These seem to be the main two conclusions. Here's how it works;
     
    In theory, when you wire two voltage sources of identical voltage together, nothing happens. I have 5V on wire 1, and 5V on wire 2, so connecting them in parallel just creates a 5V source with more current capacity, like hooking up a couple of batteries in parallel.
     
    In practice, the voltages of the two sources isn't always exactly the same. For instance with batteries, say one battery is at 12.5V and the other one at 13V. If I connect them in parallel, a surge of current will flow because we've got 0.5V over an almost zero resistance load (just a wire). That surge won't last long though, because the batteries' voltages will rapidly change to equalise, so they'll both end up at 12.75V and current stops flowing.
     
    The same would happen with USB ports; they won't have exactly the same voltage to start with, so one might be at 5.01 and the other at 4.92 or whatever, and so some current would flow, depending on how big the difference would be.
     
    If that current is particularly large it could destroy one of the ports, but I suspect because USB is quite low power, and because the voltage regulation is quite good (aka both will be pretty damn close to 5V) that won't happen. So you'd probably be fine, but it's not an ideal solution by any means.
     
    If you want to connect multiple sources to each other, a better way of doing it is by putting some resistors in series with the sources. Usually quite small resistors, because the voltage differences are small too (say <1 ohm). This way the current is limited and your sources are prevented from affecting each other too much.
  7. Funny
    akio123008 reacted to jerkwagon in What with Linus sexually harassing his employees? I mean if a bar manager talked to his female bartender like this, that person would be fired.   
    I know Jake is ok and playing along with innuendo.  But its quite sad to see a CEO of company who prides themselves on how well he treats his staff. To openly sexually harass staff in his videos im pretty sure breaks any sort of "code of conduct " in their employment contracts..   I know he's quite immature and likes his fart jokes etc.  But I thought linus would have more class than this.. I Know this is going to turn into a flame war,  i mean theres no real defending him.  I mean theres video of it, and again my point is, if this happened in another industry or between a male and female, it would be unacceptable.  He should really lead by example, 

     
     
    video for context.
  8. Like
    akio123008 reacted to Aranwe in DIY preamp for dynamic microphones   
    Hey everyone, I just wanted to share this project I've been working on.


    Some of you may have seen DIY Perks's video where he makes a DIY USB microphone. I really liked the idea so I decided to build one myself. Mechanically his design is amazing, but I wanted to make some improvements on the electronics side 🙂 
     
    The preamp used in the original video was designed to work with electret microphones. These are a special type of condenser microphones that require a very low voltage opposed to true condenser microphones, that require 24 or 48V phantom power. Electret microphones are therefore commonly used in portable devices and are often very small, which is why most people associate electret microphones with poor quality. There are a few capsules with bigger diaphragms like the JLI-2555BXZ3-GP, but those can be hard to find.
    My preamp is a multi stage transistor based preamp that offers high gain, so it can work with dynamic microphones. It is built around the BC848 NPN transistor and is designed to boost a microphone signal to a suitable level for an ADC converter. 
     
    1. Stages
    There are 4 stages in total.
    The input stage is a common emitter design that offers a high input impedance and adds +18dB to the signal. Next are two low harmonic distorsion differential amplifiers that boost the signal to the desired output level. Finally there is a common collector circuit that offers a low output impedance. On the PCB there are multiple jumpers to uncouple the stages and probepoints to test each stage individually. This also allows to bypass one of the differential stages if less gain is required, or add another preamp if you need more !
     
    2. How to build one
    If you want to build a preamp for yourself, all the design files and specifications are on github (https://github.com/AranweLTT/mic_preamp). I am still actively working on documenting the project and improving the design, so any feedback is welcome ! Please let me know if anybody would be interested in a kit, or even ready to go PCBs available for purchase.

    3. Does it actually work ??
    I ordered a first prototype on JLCPCB and surprisingly enough there was only one major issue : I forgot a trace in the current mirror for the differential amplifiers so I had to fix this. Other than that I measured the gain above +46 dB, and tested it out with a dynamic microphone which worked flawlessly ! Even though the preamp has a micro usb input for power, I used a lab power supply because even after filtering the power is very noisy over usb… 
     
    3. Improvements !
    I'm already working on a amplified headset output so you can monitor the output directly (software monitoring has an aweful delay, so you either go hardware monitoring or you go home). I'm also planning on integrating a codec directly on the pcb rather than having to add one downstream. This way it is a true USB microphone (for now the micro usb port is only for power!! No data !!)
     
     
    Please let me know if you have any ideas. Also if there's any 3D designers that can help me out with designing an enclosure your help would be more than welcome !)
    Tschüss !
     

     

     

     

     
    schematic_preamp_v4_2.pdf
  9. Informative
    akio123008 got a reaction from Falcon1986 in Whatsapp performance over wifi   
    @Falcon1986update:
     
    Enabling RTS on the access point appears to have solved the problem. I've set the threshold to 1 to use on every packet and so far it's good.
  10. Like
    akio123008 got a reaction from Lurick in Whatsapp performance over wifi   
    @Falcon1986update:
     
    Enabling RTS on the access point appears to have solved the problem. I've set the threshold to 1 to use on every packet and so far it's good.
  11. Funny
    akio123008 got a reaction from whm1974 in Disabled Designer Looking For Help   
    Why not just use this machine then
     
    nvm I see the problem that's a pain to keep carrying back and forth.
     
    Luckily there is. How about something like:
     
    "Hey, this machine is too slow and I need something better for the work I do. Please get me a new one"
  12. Agree
    akio123008 reacted to Arika in Portless Laptops are Coming! Run Away! or are they going to be awesome?   
    wow, that looks stupid as fuck.
  13. Agree
    akio123008 reacted to Avocado Diaboli in "OK Boomer" - Why do we say no discrimination is allowed, but ageism is OK?   
    "OK Boomer" isn't meant to attack age. It makes fun of a certain mindset. You know, that mindset where people born in that era tell younger people that in order to find a job they just have to walk up to a company and tell them they want to work there. Or that saving up and buying a house these days is just as easy as it was 50 years ago. What a lot of boomers fail to take into consideration is that their generation has been the beneficiary of many things the previous generation built up and now they're clinging to it without allowing any future generations to prosper. They bought up all the available land and real estate as a means to bolster their retirement, leading to people renting forever instead of owning property because it's now too expensive to buy. They drove up the demands for employment so that everybody these days needs a degree for a job that actually pays the bills. But they're not willing to participate in financing said education. Boomers didn't have to invest thousands to get a degree that would provide them with a decently paid job. But they refuse to see all the barriers that current generations have to navigate. And then they wonder why later generations get disillusioned and flippant with them, when they had everything handed to them by their progenitors and believe that they've earned it themselves while calling everybody after them entitled snowflakes.
  14. Informative
    akio123008 got a reaction from MarkSwe in COVID-19 - READ THE RULES BEFORE REPLYING   
    Pro tip:
     
     - toilet paper
     - paper towels
     - tissues
     - napkins
     - and other papery products
     
    Can be used interchangeably. 
     
    Consider not being picky this time when the tissues you wanted aren't there but you're right next to a pile of toilet paper.
     
     
  15. Funny
    akio123008 got a reaction from Estiar in COVID-19 - READ THE RULES BEFORE REPLYING   
    Pro tip:
     
     - toilet paper
     - paper towels
     - tissues
     - napkins
     - and other papery products
     
    Can be used interchangeably. 
     
    Consider not being picky this time when the tissues you wanted aren't there but you're right next to a pile of toilet paper.
     
     
  16. Like
    akio123008 got a reaction from Wakou in Alternatives to canned air   
    Just leave the dust sit there?
     
    I know lots of people here are quite obsessed with keeping their rig completely dust-free but really your rig doesn't mind 😉
  17. Agree
    akio123008 got a reaction from Tan3l6 in Alternatives to canned air   
    Just leave the dust sit there?
     
    I know lots of people here are quite obsessed with keeping their rig completely dust-free but really your rig doesn't mind 😉
  18. Funny
    akio123008 got a reaction from Mojo-Jojo in COVID-19 - READ THE RULES BEFORE REPLYING   
    Pro tip:
     
     - toilet paper
     - paper towels
     - tissues
     - napkins
     - and other papery products
     
    Can be used interchangeably. 
     
    Consider not being picky this time when the tissues you wanted aren't there but you're right next to a pile of toilet paper.
     
     
  19. Like
    akio123008 got a reaction from Sithhy in You look awful… and it's my fault. (Sponsored)   
    Both the dynamic and the condenser setup sounded worse than some cheapo USB mics I've heard.
    You're not making a very strong case for separate audio interfaces here, an AT2020 USB for instance would sound better and for less money.
     
    There's better USB mics than Blue Snowball or Yeti.
     
     
     
     
  20. Agree
    akio123008 got a reaction from EphraimK in COVID-19 - READ THE RULES BEFORE REPLYING   
    Pro tip:
     
     - toilet paper
     - paper towels
     - tissues
     - napkins
     - and other papery products
     
    Can be used interchangeably. 
     
    Consider not being picky this time when the tissues you wanted aren't there but you're right next to a pile of toilet paper.
     
     
  21. Informative
    akio123008 reacted to LAwLz in Apple sues NSO Group, creators of Pegasus spy software, warns activists of state-sponsored attacks [UPDATED]   
    There were some versions for Android that didn't require user interactions, but they did not work on all different Android devices.
    The malware also left more traces of itself on iOS devices, hence why most of the research was conducted on iPhones (because the evidence was destroyed on Android).
     
     
    Source: Kaspersky
     
     
  22. Agree
    akio123008 got a reaction from Uttamattamakin in This is NOT going Well… Linux Gaming Challenge Pt.2   
    Exactly.
     
    Linux on desktop is a pain. Call me a Windows fanboy or whatever, but I ain't moving to Linux any time soon. I'd rather even use macos.
     
    I am actually not unfamiliar with Linux, and I use it for servers/specific application machines all the time. But for my daily driver desktop machine, no thanks. 
     
    To a lot of people here, a computer is like a hobby, and screwing around with it to get stuff to work isn't a big deal, (it used to be for me too) but to me now my daily driver computer is simply a tool that needs to work. I want to put as little time or effort into it as possible. I don't want to think about the computer, I want to think about what I use the computer for. 
     
     
  23. Agree
    akio123008 got a reaction from InstantNewt in This is NOT going Well… Linux Gaming Challenge Pt.2   
    Exactly.
     
    Linux on desktop is a pain. Call me a Windows fanboy or whatever, but I ain't moving to Linux any time soon. I'd rather even use macos.
     
    I am actually not unfamiliar with Linux, and I use it for servers/specific application machines all the time. But for my daily driver desktop machine, no thanks. 
     
    To a lot of people here, a computer is like a hobby, and screwing around with it to get stuff to work isn't a big deal, (it used to be for me too) but to me now my daily driver computer is simply a tool that needs to work. I want to put as little time or effort into it as possible. I don't want to think about the computer, I want to think about what I use the computer for. 
     
     
  24. Funny
    akio123008 got a reaction from SgtKilgore406 in COVID-19 - READ THE RULES BEFORE REPLYING   
    Pro tip:
     
     - toilet paper
     - paper towels
     - tissues
     - napkins
     - and other papery products
     
    Can be used interchangeably. 
     
    Consider not being picky this time when the tissues you wanted aren't there but you're right next to a pile of toilet paper.
     
     
  25. Agree
    akio123008 got a reaction from TintelFruit in "Why Do Command Lines Still Exist?" is getting it wrong   
    I mean, I acknowledge that a command line can be a very powerful tool, and that sometimes you pretty much can't do without one, but won't say I like using one.
    I prefer a GUI whenever possible.
     
    My main frustration with command line interfaces is how easy it is to lose track of what you've messed up changed.
     
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