Failure At the last indoor flying event I found that one of the motors on my quad was doing its own thing; beeping randomly, starting and stopping when the controller was in safe mode. The ESC is one of 4 HobbyKing SS (super simple) 20 Amp I bought about 2 […]
WordPress Web-Server Failed The original web server I was using failed to restart after applying some routine updates. It was getting stuck in POST and not getting as far as trying to boot the OS. I swapped out the power supply then RAM, but the fault stayed with the motherboard. […]
I have been updating information on a low voltage detector for 12V battery monitoring. When the applied nominal 12V supply drops below the trip set-point, the relay changes state. This can be used to switch off equipment or trigger an alarm etc. when the battery voltages drops too low. To […]
Selecting a ESC for your RC model Always Over-spec the ESC to be safe, even with the “good” ones. I’d suggest 50% over, and the HK ESCs are OK. For a 40A rated motor, choose a 60A ESC. Always start with a power meter connected and increase the throttle while […]
Another Failed hard drive Over the last several years I’ve lost three 500G and the latest a 1TB hard drives, all Seagate. All started making occasional clunking noises that turned into a regular clicking and no access. The 1TB drive failed within the warranty period. The NZ supplier had disappeared […]
This was a small one-off project due to the need to heat 120mm long pieces of 1.5mm stainless steel wire as part of an industrial process. It had to be quick, simple and safe. In total, about 7 hours work from initial evaluation to boxed and ready to connect to […]
This is an PIC16F assembly code example. Created originally about 10 years ago. It includes chip configuration and UART RS232 support using buffers and interrupts. The original application was a controller that consisted of a PIC16F876 connected to a PC via RS-232 and to a PIC16F676 via a fast clk/dat/int […]
Faulty HDD Power Supply This external hard drive power supply was unreliable suggesting a bad solder joint was the cause. It is rated to supply 12V DC at 2A and 5V DC at 2A. Inside Inside is a typical budget switch-mode power supply. The through-hole components make it appear quite […]