Congratulations Chris and Dave on the 100th episode!
Just had two suggestions about the Eevblog booth for Electronex.
http://www.electronex.com.au/First is you invite Eevblog members to send in any boards or kits they have done - particularly open source ones. I was thinking something like a big map of the world with the boards mounted to show where they came from. A few selected projects can be set up so they can be demonstrated, along with the uCurrent, prototype USB power supply, etc. A webpage could be set up with links to all the projects on display.
The second idea is a lot more ambitious. We set up an Eevblog group project that is very modular and with a very tight time scale.
What I was thinking was a modern curve tracer for transistors, fets, etc and perhaps opamps.
The construction would be a number of standard sized modules all mounted on a flat sheet - could be wood or a PCB motherboard - with a perspex sheet over the top. The reason I was thinking of a curve tracer is that they have almost disappeared as a piece of hardware, but they are brilliant for visualizing how devices work. Also many older parts have almost no specs. It is not uncommon to see a one sheet spec sheet for a transistor.
Looking at the fundamentals feels to me to be a big part of the Eevblog. It is why we get so many people learning electronics here and I have always thought that is great. A device to look at characteristic curves for devices, and something that most of us could afford to build sounds like something in line with the Eevblog.
The project would probably be Arduino based and the plots would be done on a PC via the USB interface. Could even use a web browser for the interface. The testing would be single shot short interval, rather then continuous like the older tracers used to do so that the device under test never gets hot.
Neat prototype hand-wired boards would be allowed given the short time scale. With the modular design, we would just have to make sure some main modules work, and then more ambitious modules - like capacitance measuring modules - can be added if they are ready. Keeping the design modular encouraged people to continue to evolve better modules.
Dumb idea?
But then again, maybe Eevblog members may want to give it a go knowing it is probably at least a 50% chance it will not be ready in time. If the initial overall design is right, then individuals would end up working on a single specific module - like a relay matrix board, a programmable current source, a programmable voltage source, voltage measuring board, current measuring board, an AC source board (could use one of those cheap function gen boards from China), and so on. They would probably have about a month to get a module working from scratch. A team could work on a module, which would help to ensure that something is working by the end of the month. A sponsor would be a big help.
It would need volunteers to manage it to take the pressure off Dave, and the micro programming and PC Software would have to be up and running probably by mid July (nothing too fancy - just functional). Prototype modules would need to be done by mid of August, and Dave would need perhaps five copies of each working module. I am going to say up front that programming drives me nuts, so I would stay clear of that area.
Believe me I do know exactly everything that could go wrong, and this would have to be done as an Eevblog group project, not just a Dave project. I would understand it completely if Dave wants to have nothing to do with taking a prototype device to Electronex. The thing that would be on show would be the Eevblog community that Dave has set up, rather then the tracer as a product. If it is a bit rustic, that could be a welcome relief for visitors suffering from UPO (Unaffordable Product Overload) from the other booths.
If it is too ambitious, anyone with a simpler idea for a community project?
Richard.