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  1. flippineck

    Talking to (ELM327-based?) OBD2 reader's UART over USB-RS232

    Connected okay using Win7 PC & original software, with reader plugged into vehicle. Got this coming back from the adapter amongst allsorts of other info from the serial port snooper: IOCTL_SERIAL_GET_PROPERTIES: Retrieve COM properties Packet Size=64 Packet Version=2 services...
  2. flippineck

    Talking to (ELM327-based?) OBD2 reader's UART over USB-RS232

    Thanks peeps. Yes I tried ATZ but there was no response to that either. The OBD dongle does know when I type characters in the terminal, I get a little flash on it's USB RX lamp every keypress. Beyond that I don't know what it's doing.. whether it's actively receiving characters or just flashing...
  3. flippineck

    Talking to (ELM327-based?) OBD2 reader's UART over USB-RS232

    I have an OBD2 vehicle fault code reader possibly based on an ELM327 chip. It has an OBD-style plug on one end which is intended to plug into a car diagnostic port, and a USB-B socket on the other end which you plug into a computer USB port. My Windows 7 PC recognised the device over USB and...
  4. flippineck

    Back to back AAA cell whim, bad idea?

    Cheers Steve. I reread the manual & saw it actually does say (in the disclaimers section) that if one looked into the beam & had a failure of one's blink reflex there could be a problem. My lad loves 'Power Rangers' as do his friends, I had horrible visions of what might happen!
  5. flippineck

    Back to back AAA cell whim, bad idea?

    I have a laser spirit level which takes two AAA cells. they slide lengthways into the side of the level, one positive end first, one negative end first. the battery compartment cover has a sheet of copper which connects the two exposed cell ends together, so that the cells end up in series once...
  6. flippineck

    dissipation in a zener diode

    I am experimenting with an unstabilised DC power supply (solar panel array rated at 44V open circuit) which in practise seems to fluctuate up to about 45V open circuit in operation. Could I ensure the output stays at or below 40V by connecting a suitably high power & heatsinked 40V zener diode...
  7. flippineck

    impose current ceiling

    Been a while but still keep coming back to this. The whole mosfet-based idea works well but I'm still wading brain deep in the heat transfer maths and physics. Ultimately this is definitely the way to go I think for my main project. Deviating from the main project for a while though I bought a...
  8. flippineck

    LED PSU board, wondering what it is..

    Thanks. I'll google those animals :-)
  9. flippineck

    LED PSU board, wondering what it is..

    Thanks Bob - just double checked though and in this instance the capacitor's definitely connected across the incoming mains supply, rather than in series with it
  10. flippineck

    LED PSU board, wondering what it is..

    Only because I saw 200+ volts coming out of it.. I figure not? It rectifies I guess.. and I suppose the VDR's are for transient suppression or something.. but what's the cap for? Power Factor Correction? Wild guess, an animal I've heard of but never really understood?
  11. flippineck

    LED PSU board, wondering what it is..

    The black pen on the LED board is where I was trying to follow the interconnections of the LED chain. Seems to be a long mainly series chain involving all 15, with 2 'taps' going off to IC pins. The white wires were originally whole - I snipped them whilst investigating applying low voltage DC...
  12. flippineck

    LED PSU board, wondering what it is..

    Yes.. to answer my own question, I should buy these or similar http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/281606153831 But, any illumination on what the capacitor-across-the-mains board is would still be interesting!
  13. flippineck

    LED PSU board, wondering what it is..

    I have a small circuit board out of a cheap chinese LED light. Live and neutral arrive at the board from a 13A 240V UK AC mains plug. Live then passes through a fuse before arriving on one side of a 0.1uF capacitor. Neutral tracks directly across the board to the other side of the capacitor...
  14. flippineck

    Advice on antifreeze heater?

    Got a problem here with small 12V diaphragm pumps bursting in the cold. They are for feeding water from an outside 1000L storage tank, into a static caravan's plumbing system. Temperatures here in the UK drop below freezing regularly during winter. What's the lowest? I don't really know if I'm...
  15. flippineck

    Getting kids into electronics

    Nearly bought one of those 100-in-1 project kits for my lads 7th birthday today. He's recently demonstrated the ability to read instructions and follow them through ok, by himself. When I actually got to the store and looked at the kit I decided to leave it & he's getting Power Rangers instead...
  16. flippineck

    Making some external battery module instead of plugging a device to a wall

    so working on the output specs of the supplied psu, Out: +9 V @ 1.4 A • Max total output power: 12.6 W you'd maybe need 3 pp3's in parallel to feed it for the thick end of an hour (off the shelf dry batteries a la supermarket) But, the power drain is likely to be sporadic & highly dependent...
  17. flippineck

    Making some external battery module instead of plugging a device to a wall

    Just to clarify, does the rfid reader itself expect a 9V DC power input? Looking at the spec sheet the 90-264V appears to be the power adapter's mains input, with the power adapter's 9V DC output being the power that's fed into the rfid reader itself? I see it says "US, European, UK, and...
  18. flippineck

    Amps are big.

    Yes the maths should have been obvious to me I guess.. If there's 10A on offer then the bulbs will take it! Just pleased that my PSU survived the ordeal. Pity I've already left averagely good ebay feedback! Next time I won't use a plywood frame-thing to hold the bulbs. What was I thinking...
  19. flippineck

    Amps are big.

    Having spent an evening soldering 12 off, 20W 12V halogen lightbulbs together to create a 'dummy load' to simulate something behind a battery charger eating up the energy supplied by solar panels, I was quite suprised. Rigged them up as six strings of two each series string, all connected in...
  20. flippineck

    Gas meter plug?

    Aye, I recognise that beast.. had one in lancashire in the mid 90's. I think they were fairly common, must be some way of getting the info on it..Tried to zoom in & get some ID off it but no joy. Any ID numbers etc off your own meter that can help identify the type? If it's a live gas meter...
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