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  1. Ian

    Solar charging module for LiFePO4 batteries

    I've done some more reading up and I'm wondering if the TP5000 would do the job: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/TP5000-4-2V-3-6V-1A-Lithium-Battery-Charging-Board-Charger-Module/32716899385.html It'll charge LiFePO4 batteries - although I don't know if it'll allow me to charge and draw power...
  2. Ian

    Solar charging module for LiFePO4 batteries

    I've recently started tinkering with ESP8266 boards, and one of the projects I'm going to build will involve having the board sitting outside for years recording data (this pond water level meter). It would be ideal if I could use a LiFePO4 battery, which is trickle charged via a small solar...
  3. Ian

    What does your workshop / workbench look like?

    @kellys_eye - not only do I have the same wood/workshop overload (I've been working on clearing it today), but I've been fitting those exact same Racco 44 cabinets this week! Sadly two of them arrived damaged from CPC, so I'm getting the replacement ones tomorrow (then pics!).
  4. Ian

    What does your workshop / workbench look like?

    That sounds exactly like where I was a month ago! I ended up building a workbench with a build in wood store (80% of the wood fits in there, but some longer lengths and larger sheets need to go elsewhere). Now that I've got more space, I've cleared a desk for electronics work and I'm laying down...
  5. Ian

    What does your workshop / workbench look like?

    I thought it may be fun to have a thread to post pics of our electronics workbench/workshop/desk areas - so other members can get ideas on layouts, storage and equipment configs. I'm currently in the middle of ordering equipment for a space I've cleared out in my workshop, so my pics will be...
  6. Ian

    No Email Alerts

    Excellent, glad it's working now Chris :).
  7. Ian

    No Email Alerts

    Hi Chris, It looks like Yahoo have started to mark our e-mails as spam - could you please check your junk mail folder and see if it's in there? If so, can you click "not junk" and it should flag them as ok :). Let me know if that works and I'll look in to it further if not.
  8. Ian

    Sensor choice for pond water depth

    Thank you all for the replies - some of the methods like the LVDT would be too expensive for this project unfortunately, as it's just for a bit of fun. I was hoping to do the build for under £20 or so - I've got most of the components already, so should be doable with a bit of planning. I think...
  9. Ian

    Sensor choice for pond water depth

    Thanks guys - I'll check out the float/potentiometer method and see how doable it would be. Our pond is only small (and is raised), so I can't easily get it to auto-fill without running pipes above ground (although if I was to build a pond from scratch, I'd definitely do this). Will do :)
  10. Ian

    Sensor choice for pond water depth

    Ah but where's the fun in having a non-electronic method ;). I'm more doing it for a bit of fun, with a practical purpose as a secondary consideration - I'd be interested to log the data too, so that I can see trends throughout the year (could be useful to predict when the goldfish will spawn).
  11. Ian

    Sensor choice for pond water depth

    We've got a small pond in our garden, but with the warmer weather in summer I will often need to top it up manually with water when the level gets too low. I thought it might make for an interesting project to have a battery powered IoT device (likely ESP8266 based) track the water temperature...
  12. Ian

    8x32 LED Panel (WS2812B) Power Requirements

    Haha, funnily enough I think she'd probably like it more than me :D
  13. Ian

    8x32 LED Panel (WS2812B) Power Requirements

    That looks fantastic! I think integrating an array of IR proximity sensors with the WS2812B panel would be beyond my skills at the moment, but I really like the look of this, so perhaps it's something I can try in future. I imagine a full wall of these things would be great fun (and trippy!).
  14. Ian

    8x32 LED Panel (WS2812B) Power Requirements

    Sure! Here's a quick animated GIF - the scrolling text reads ElectronicsPoint.com, but it's quite bright so it's hard to read: In a couple of weeks I hope to have time to work on a project using it, so I'll document it in full then. I'm hoping to make a display which scrolls through lots of...
  15. Ian

    8x32 LED Panel (WS2812B) Power Requirements

    The parcel finally arrived, so I've fired up the display with a quick test via an ESP8266, mocking up some text and an icon. With the brightness level and number of pixels I'll likely be using, it looks like I'll be topping out at 250mA - far less than I had feared :). I think I'll just power...
  16. Ian

    3D Printer Thread

    Very nice! Things are likely to change in the run up to Christmas, so it may be better to check in a couple of months - it can change that quickly. A printer that looks pretty interesting is the Monoprice Select Mini - it's a compact 3D Printer that is really very affordable and it's finally...
  17. Ian

    3D Printer Thread

    Have you got any thoughts as to what may be a cost effective solution for mounting a 3D printer? I mounted some noisy pumps using dense blocks, bolts and an anti-vibration mat - but this would look a little messy in my office. I like the idea of the aluminium plate, but I think that's going to...
  18. Ian

    3D Printer Thread

    They're great for knocking up quick enclosures - thingiverse.com is also pretty good if you need to print some spare parts, as there are so many existing STLs that other users have uploaded. Yes, please do :D. I'd really like to see what other hackerspaces are like. My local town has just...
  19. Ian

    3D Printer Thread

    It's still developing quite quickly, I think it has reached critical mass (at least to an enthusiast level), so there are enough companies trying to innovate to keep things moving along. More importantly, there are now lots of filament suppliers to keep the prints flowing :). Print costs can be...
  20. Ian

    Magazines

    Wonderful!!! All the way back to 1954 :).
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