Teardowns

Extension cord failure and teardown

I had some problem with breakers tripping. Then the source of the problem turned to be this extension cord made by Bachmann. Sparking and blackening outside and also inside It seems that child protection mechanism failed and part of it was stuck between contact bars. This then caused sparking on contacts, which caused blackening. End

LED flashlight battery holder resistance

I had some broked LED flashlights and I thought of using components from them. Especially the compact battery holder that takes three AAA batteries looks useful in other small projects. Those worked OK when lightly loaded. But when I started taking current for a small motor, I could not get acceptable power out of them.

Bad wire connector teardown

I have earlier written about bad cheap Chinese wire connect that did not live up to specifications and was potentially dangerous for mains power at http://www.epanorama.net/newepa/2018/01/24/cheap-quick-wire-connector-block/ Here is teardown of that Let’s open open it Here was all. The problem in construction that there is quite weak spring that pushes against wire. On the other

Phoenix Contact SSR teardown

Here is a tear-down of ST-OV2- 12DC/ 60DC/1 – 2905022 solid state relay from Phoenix Contact. This product is old, obsolete and manufacturing has been discontinued.   Solid-state relay ST-OV2- 12DC/ 60DC/1 – 2905022 is a plug-in power solid-state relay (plug to certain Phoenix Contact wiring terminals), with LED and protective circuit in input and

Copy protection module teardown

Here is teardown of a ALADDIN HASP software copy protection module that was designed to be plugged to PC parallel port. Because modern PCs no longer have parallel ports, this is obsolete technology ready for teardown. Not much to be, just few custom or custom marked ICs (ALHY1 and SPIN1) inside.

Phoenix Contact over voltage protector

Here is tear-down of PT 2X2-24DC-ST over voltage protector for 24V systems: PT protective connector with protective circuit for two 2-wire floating signal circuits. 24 V DC nominal voltage. HART-compatible. What is insideComponents close-upWhat was found was two dual gas discharge tubes ant two other over voltage protectors. The gas discharge tubes were connected to

Microphone videos

Here is a collection of interesting videos on microphones and microphone technologies: Audio 101: Microphones Dynamic vs Condenser Microphones, What’s the Difference? Audio recording tutorial: The different microphone types | lynda.com XLR vs USB Microphones, Which Should You Buy? $22 MICROPHONE VS $3600 MICROPHONE | Andrew Huang Voice-over Microphone || DIY or Buy How a