Back in 2013 I designed a board to power a Raspberry Pi in a vehicle. It provides 5V regulated for the R-Pi and 12V switched for accessories. The idea is to power up the R-Pi when the ignition was switched on and allow the R-Pi to power down after the […]
The Original Fault The cincinnati milling machine, with milacron sx 850 controller, dating from 1993, was occasionally complaining of a SIBA failure. This is the IO rack that connects to the main controller by a fast serial link. Not much information is available and second-hand replacement parts cost a fortune […]
My First Radio Scanner This is the first scanner I bought; probably 7 or more years ago.. Mainly because it was cheap at the time. It covers the 433MHz frequency range but I am pretty sure it defaults to FM and cannot be manually switched to AM reception. Another problem […]
Two controller boards and a Fluke multi-meter Security panel board repair Several of these boards have failing power supply capacitors affecting reliability. These boards have internal power planes with little or no thermal relief. This means that removing, clearing the holes of solder and replacing the capacitors is tricky without […]
To buy new or repair In this case, the cost of a new unit was much higher than the cost or replacing the 20 LEDs. There were 3 faulty LEDs which affected the appearance of several others. They are arranged in 4 groups of 5 LEDs. The circuit boards used […]
An Accidental Slip I received a Futaba T14-SG 14-channel RC Transmitter to repair. It had a damaged LCD display ribbon cable and damaged ribbon connector on the main board. The result of an accidental slip while tightening a internal nut that came loose. It can happen to any one. The […]
We have had a 5-foot fluorescent in the kitchen for many years. For the past few years it has been running a thin 35 watt echotube and adapter. The ends have been hot for years and the plastic tube holders are falling apart. This light is often left on for […]
The Story Back in December I bought a new 24V 5A switch-mode power supply from a seller on our local Trademe auction site for NZ$45 delivered. When it arrived I tested it and nothing, no output. The options were to send it back or fix it. The risk is that […]