EEVblog Electronics Community Forum

EEVblog => EEVblog Specific => Topic started by: EEVblog on April 05, 2016, 12:54:07 pm

Title: EEVblog #866 - Mailbag
Post by: EEVblog on April 05, 2016, 12:54:07 pm
Is this a slice of Dave's Brain?
Find out in today's Mailbag

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=slPbAlT2I1M (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=slPbAlT2I1M)


SPOILERS:
A silicon wafer bonanza!
A temperature sensing plasma etching wafer
http://www.diychristmas.org (http://www.diychristmas.org)
Bullshit Bingo
Model car controller
A very expensive single photon counter teardown and some experimentation.
Random cheapo Chinese Ebay items! A shocking pen, a wet baby monitor, and the world's worst soldering iron.
Title: Re: EEVblog #866 - Mailbag
Post by: alexanderbrevig on April 05, 2016, 01:11:51 pm
benched!
Title: Re: EEVblog #866 - Mailbag
Post by: MatthewMorgan on April 05, 2016, 01:59:57 pm
I was the one who ordered that horrible soldering iron.

It cost me £0.99 (AUD$1.86)

I think it might be one of the worst items he has every seen,

If people want i can order him something even more dangerous.
Title: Re: EEVblog #866 - Mailbag
Post by: RGB255_0_0 on April 05, 2016, 02:04:01 pm
9:45 - new Internet meme TBH.
Title: Re: EEVblog #866 - Mailbag
Post by: n3vti on April 05, 2016, 02:24:14 pm
I loved your reaction to the cheap Chinese products.  :-DD
Title: Re: EEVblog #866 - Mailbag
Post by: RGB255_0_0 on April 05, 2016, 02:29:29 pm
I loved your reaction to the cheap Chinese products.  :-DD
Would love them to be sent to Bigclive.
Title: Re: EEVblog #866 - Mailbag
Post by: mverber on April 05, 2016, 02:46:30 pm
What was the input impedance of your scope set at when you looked at the output pulses from the Photon Counting Module?  I think it's designed to provide TTL pulses into a 50 ohm load -- if your scope was set for high impedance, the impedance mismatch might explain the ringing and higher than expected voltages you see on the pulse. 
Title: Re: EEVblog #866 - Mailbag
Post by: MatthewMorgan on April 05, 2016, 03:22:41 pm
This is where i got the crap iron from:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/DIY-220V-40W-Electric-Vacuum-Solder-Welding-Soldering-Iron-Tool-Pencil-Tip-/252311675127? (http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/DIY-220V-40W-Electric-Vacuum-Solder-Welding-Soldering-Iron-Tool-Pencil-Tip-/252311675127?)
Title: Re: EEVblog #866 - Mailbag
Post by: ModemHead on April 05, 2016, 04:04:46 pm
I loved your reaction to the cheap Chinese products.  :-DD
Would love them to be sent to Bigclive.
Are you 100% sure?
Title: Re: EEVblog #866 - Mailbag
Post by: Mephitus on April 05, 2016, 04:38:00 pm
You have no idea how jealous I am over those wafers. I have been wanting some to put in a proper frame for the wall.
Title: Re: EEVblog #866 - Mailbag
Post by: SeanB on April 05, 2016, 04:39:11 pm
Just in case anybody is looking for the ebay listing..

http://www.ebay.com/usr/aberco (http://www.ebay.com/usr/aberco)

Postage to the rest of the world...... Ouch!

did order 2 though, and will frame them if they arrive intact.

Reason for the detector saturating is internal opamp saturating, as the massive signal exceeds the common mode voltage of the amplifier, either on chip next to the photodiode, or the one outside doing current measuring. A possible solution is to install an optical switch ( though at the cost of the sensitivity going down a lot) to blank the optical path during laser firing. You can use a second detector as well so you get the rest of the data, and this lower sensitivity data from the dead period should still be usable.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electro-optic_modulator (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electro-optic_modulator)

The original use depends on the start of the pulse, and is specified for that. Saturation is not a worry on the typical system as they use a very good optical path to reduce leakage light. They want the first return pulse, and not the rest.
Title: Re: EEVblog #866 - Mailbag
Post by: JAH981 on April 05, 2016, 04:40:37 pm
SPOILERS:
Bullshit Bingo

I would love to translate the Bullshit Bingo for you!
Title: Re: EEVblog #866 - Mailbag
Post by: SeanB on April 05, 2016, 05:05:05 pm
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9NyQXNuHoTM (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9NyQXNuHoTM)

The SensArray
Title: Re: EEVblog #866 - Mailbag
Post by: redshift on April 05, 2016, 05:18:23 pm
I assume the blue tape is just to hold the dies after they get diced apart?

But does anyone have any more info about the plasma temperature sensing wafer thing?
Title: Re: EEVblog #866 - Mailbag
Post by: Fungus on April 05, 2016, 05:55:43 pm
I assume the blue tape is just to hold the dies after they get diced apart?

Yep.
Title: Re: EEVblog #866 - Mailbag
Post by: flextard on April 05, 2016, 08:03:43 pm
I have a similar silicon die documenting project as well and would love to help.
Title: Re: EEVblog #866 - Mailbag
Post by: Lovely_Santa on April 05, 2016, 08:20:16 pm
@ 27:00 when he opens the bag with the soldering iron (or something that is supposed to be a soldering iron at least...)
He's getting a "Why-do-I-even-open-this-bags-moment" : ooohhhhh, ohhhhhhh noo  :-DD

(http://cdn.makeagif.com/media/4-05-2016/Jv-u16.gif)
Title: Re: EEVblog #866 - Mailbag
Post by: Kjetil on April 05, 2016, 08:36:54 pm
SPOILERS:
Bullshit Bingo

I would love to translate the Bullshit Bingo for you!
The point of it (as the postcard mentioned) is that it doesn't need much translating. It just shows how international management bullshit is  :rant:
Title: Re: EEVblog #866 - Mailbag
Post by: station240 on April 05, 2016, 09:02:51 pm
I loved your reaction to the cheap Chinese products.  :-DD
Would love them to be sent to Bigclive.

Big clive already has that iron, he seems to be an expert at finding this crap himself.
Title: Re: EEVblog #866 - Mailbag
Post by: ChunkyPastaSauce on April 05, 2016, 10:42:15 pm
@ 27:00 when he opens the bag with the soldering iron (or something that is supposed to be a soldering iron at least...)
He's getting a "Why-do-I-even-open-this-bags-moment" : ooohhhhh, ohhhhhhh noo  :-DD

(http://cdn.makeagif.com/media/4-05-2016/Jv-u16.gif)

Yeah that was awesome - the nauseation/depression/loathing feelings were real, no rehearsal from what I could see. lol
Title: Re: EEVblog #866 - Mailbag
Post by: Smokey on April 06, 2016, 06:27:34 am
Just in case anybody is looking for the ebay listing..

http://www.ebay.com/usr/aberco (http://www.ebay.com/usr/aberco)


Bought some wafers.  Should make a great addition to my nerd art along with my old revision production solder paste stencils and frames.
Title: Re: EEVblog #866 - Mailbag
Post by: FloFo on April 06, 2016, 08:21:01 am
Regarding the strange signal form on the Single Photon Counters: try using a 50 Ohm terminator at the Scope, should give a much better signal and removing most of the ringing and negative signal resulting in almost square 4.5V pulses with aprox. 35 ns length (at least that is what i measured with the Perkin Elmer SPCM-AQR-14).
Title: Re: EEVblog #866 - Mailbag
Post by: deephaven on April 06, 2016, 10:56:17 am
Re the Geocoin. I see that 41 Geocachers have "discovered" it on it's page at geocaching.com So there are at least 41 closet Geocachers frequenting this forum. Maybe there should be a special section for Geocachers as it can be fun making caches with electronics in them, so it's not completely off-topic.
Title: Re: EEVblog #866 - Mailbag
Post by: romelec on April 06, 2016, 12:39:04 pm
If people want i can order him something even more dangerous.
Something like this boiler ?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EViyccc2t9w (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EViyccc2t9w)
Title: Re: EEVblog #866 - Mailbag
Post by: MatthewMorgan on April 06, 2016, 01:50:17 pm
Or this?
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Car-Vehicle-Converter-Inverter-Adapter-DC-12V-24V-to-AC-220V-Charger-Power-USB-/361391736543 (http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Car-Vehicle-Converter-Inverter-Adapter-DC-12V-24V-to-AC-220V-Charger-Power-USB-/361391736543)
Title: Re: EEVblog #866 - Mailbag
Post by: Mephitus on April 06, 2016, 02:19:47 pm
If people want i can order him something even more dangerous.
Check out bigclive.com or https://www.youtube.com/user/bigclivedotcom (https://www.youtube.com/user/bigclivedotcom)
 :popcorn:

He regularly does videos on some extremely sketchy chinese ebay tat. Like a 5 port USB charger that had it's grounding sheath tied into the 220v mains. Or a "water heater" that just uses open contact plates straight from the mains to heat the water.
Title: Re: EEVblog #866 - Mailbag
Post by: MatthewMorgan on April 06, 2016, 02:21:26 pm
If people want i can order him something even more dangerous.
Check out bigclive.com or https://www.youtube.com/user/bigclivedotcom (https://www.youtube.com/user/bigclivedotcom)
 :popcorn:

He regularly does videos on some extremely sketchy chinese ebay tat. Like a 5 port USB charger that had it's grounding sheath tied into the 220v mains. Or a "water heater" that just uses open contact plates straight from the mains to heat the water.

Dave's reactions are comedy tho?
Title: Re: EEVblog #866 - Mailbag
Post by: Hypernova on April 06, 2016, 03:36:13 pm
Just in case anybody is looking for the ebay listing..

http://www.ebay.com/usr/aberco (http://www.ebay.com/usr/aberco)

Postage to the rest of the world...... Ouch!

did order 2 though, and will frame them if they arrive intact.

Reason for the detector saturating is internal opamp saturating, as the massive signal exceeds the common mode voltage of the amplifier, either on chip next to the photodiode, or the one outside doing current measuring. A possible solution is to install an optical switch ( though at the cost of the sensitivity going down a lot) to blank the optical path during laser firing. You can use a second detector as well so you get the rest of the data, and this lower sensitivity data from the dead period should still be usable.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electro-optic_modulator (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electro-optic_modulator)

The original use depends on the start of the pulse, and is specified for that. Saturation is not a worry on the typical system as they use a very good optical path to reduce leakage light. They want the first return pulse, and not the rest.

Bought the 20pcs pack, what good is disposable income if you don't use it, I spend more on the IEEE subscription I hardly use anyway.
Title: Re: EEVblog #866 - Mailbag
Post by: MatthewMorgan on April 06, 2016, 03:43:27 pm
If people want i can order him something even more dangerous.
Check out bigclive.com or https://www.youtube.com/user/bigclivedotcom (https://www.youtube.com/user/bigclivedotcom)
 :popcorn:

He regularly does videos on some extremely sketchy chinese ebay tat. Like a 5 port USB charger that had it's grounding sheath tied into the 220v mains. Or a "water heater" that just uses open contact plates straight from the mains to heat the water.

And i also am already subscribed to bigclive,

Anyway emailed him and he already has this item.
Title: Re: EEVblog #866 - Mailbag
Post by: jesuscf on April 06, 2016, 09:17:14 pm
If you want to play bullshit bingo visit http://www.bullshitbingo.net/cards/bullshit/ (http://www.bullshitbingo.net/cards/bullshit/) to get your card.

Title: Re: EEVblog #866 - Mailbag
Post by: strangersound on April 07, 2016, 06:46:24 pm
If people want i can order him something even more dangerous.

Please do, that shit is hilarious!  :-DD
Title: Re: EEVblog #866 - Mailbag
Post by: kcozens on April 07, 2016, 07:14:35 pm
Is this a slice of Dave's Brain?
Find out in today's Mailbag

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=slPbAlT2I1M (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=slPbAlT2I1M)

At 41:32 you show a geocaching item. I've never been geocaching but I know someone who has done it in the past. I wanted to find out a bit more about geocaching so I joined the main(?) geocachine website. I found that the tracking item in your video has been logged by several people as having been last seen on your workbench. :)  I have also discovered there are about 50 geocaches within about 3.2km (2 miles) of my home. I didn't realize how popular this hobby is in my area. I have plenty of caches for me to track down if I want to get involved. At least it would give me something to do on my other than going over the same old routes I tend to travel during my walks.
Title: Re: EEVblog #866 - Mailbag
Post by: Halcyon on April 09, 2016, 01:52:17 pm
Dave, what's the go with mobile reception in your lab? I noticed in this video you were on WiFi and your mobile reception was very low? I know the Sony Z3C isn't a crap phone (in terms of reception quality), so what gives? Either you aren't with Telstra or there is some very serious concrete going on and no pico-cells in your building?
Title: Re: EEVblog #866 - Mailbag
Post by: solarstandard on April 10, 2016, 06:49:53 pm

Amazing mailag episode! Thanks, Dave! I really liked the wafer production steps and the Single Photon Counter. I wish there would be someone like Dave doing optoelectronics (lasers, photon detectors, electro- and acoustooptics etc.)... I find these things very interesting (and happend to be doing a PhD in). Maybe there is, anyone have any recommendations?

Or maybe Dave could do it? <: He seems very modest in saying he's not an expert, but he's doing it very well!

Here's a few ideas on regarding the Photon Counter and the signal in the first 2 us:

1) The signal is some sort of real optical backscattering, 2 us is only 300 m roundtrip for light, maybe there's something reflecting it back. Although the abrupt end of the saturaton makes this explanation unlikely.

2) Trigger-to-laser emission jitter? You say there's a 600 ns delay between the trigger rising edge and the laser emission and you show a long persistence trace. Is it the same pulse-to-pulse? Maybe 600 ns is just the minimum delay and it varies in the range of 2 us. I'm assuming your laser is Q-switched and these can have pretty much random trigger-to-emission delay. I believe it gets worse with increasing pulse energy.

3) EMI from the laser Q-switch ring-down? (Again assuming your laser is Q-switched). I've had major interference problems with a table-top mJ-level Nd:YAG Q-switched system and my detection electronics. After the laser emission the detectors would pick up us transients which would get worse the closer they were to the laser head and the Q-swtich PSU. Even some meters away I would get unacceptble EMI. And it's all with shielded BNC cables, grounded cases etc. It did get better with double-shielded cables though and erm... some tin foil wrapping here and there. Maybe it's the Q-switch EMI pickup that is triggering your detector?

4) Finally, if the detector has a gate input, why not use a fast PIN diode with a TTL pulse shaper and use the laser pulse itslef to gate out the initial detector response? (You may need to get creative to have the gate pulse arrive before the laser pulse). If the problem persists, you'll know it has nothing to do with the laser pulse and most likely is purely electronic.

And yes, the output for these detectors should be loaded with 50 Ohms. <:
Title: Re: EEVblog #866 - Mailbag
Post by: tszaboo on April 15, 2016, 02:15:00 pm
I have half a dozen of these Foxanon (E14 6-ish W) running at home and they are not that bad. They use IC for current regulation, no blinking, the color temperature is sweet and they run more than a year no issues. Definitely not a Philips, but not Wung Hang Lo.
Title: Re: EEVblog #866 - Mailbag
Post by: Smokey on April 16, 2016, 01:41:46 am
Got my wafers today.  They look bad ass!  What do you guys think would be the best way to keep them centered in a picture frame so I can hang them on the wall?
Title: Re: EEVblog #866 - Mailbag
Post by: ccs46 on April 16, 2016, 02:53:34 am
I was the one who ordered that horrible soldering iron.

It cost me £0.99 (AUD$1.86)

I think it might be one of the worst items he has every seen.

Was that 0.99p delivered??

If people want i can order him something even more dangerous.
Please Do.  :popcorn:
Title: Re: EEVblog #866 - Mailbag
Post by: Mephitus on April 20, 2016, 09:18:15 pm
Got my wafers today.  They look bad ass!  What do you guys think would be the best way to keep them centered in a picture frame so I can hang them on the wall?

If I was completely bat-shit insane, I might just use some LOCA glue and put it between 2 panes of good optical glass in a suspended frame. But you would need to be careful as hell about bubbles. (LOCA = liquid optically clear adhesive)
Title: Re: EEVblog #866 - Mailbag
Post by: Smokey on April 21, 2016, 01:01:13 am
Got my wafers today.  They look bad ass!  What do you guys think would be the best way to keep them centered in a picture frame so I can hang them on the wall?

I ended up using some double stick tape in a circle around the outside of the wafer on the white mat that came with the frames and sticking the wafers to the mat.  Then the mat pushes them against the glass when you put the back on so I don't think they are going anywhere.  I'm super happy with how it turned out.
Title: Re: EEVblog #866 - Mailbag
Post by: Carl_Smith on April 21, 2016, 03:55:49 am
I have also discovered there are about 50 geocaches within about 3.2km (2 miles) of my home. I didn't realize how popular this hobby is in my area. I have plenty of caches for me to track down if I want to get involved. At least it would give me something to do on my other than going over the same old routes I tend to travel during my walks.

I was into Geocaching for a while but totally quit about 12 years ago.  I just recovered my account on the site about a week ago, and found there are around 700 caches within 10 miles of where I live.   But it turns out that a vast majority are "micro caches" that are just a tiny vial with a paper inside to sign, stuck with a magnet to a sign post or street light post.

I don't really get the point of those.  Years ago I did the geocaching to find interesting places to see.  I found more parks, hiking trails, interesting things like old bridges over creeks on old country roads in the middle of nowhere, than I had any clue existed in my area.  It was more about the journey and the interesting destination than actually finding the cache.   Walking 300 feet down the street and finding a paper in a vial on a sign post is not an interesting journey or an interesting destination.  Just another check mark on the geocaching site.  Guess I need to figure out how to do a search for "real" geocaches.

On another note, I've been thinking about how to repurpose an Amazon Dash button to be a "I was here" button for a Geocache.  I would need to be near an available WiFi AP though.   Maybe I should check if that's been done already...
Title: Re: EEVblog #866 - Mailbag
Post by: Nerull on April 21, 2016, 05:24:45 am
bigclive also got one of those irons, at least the wires on Dave's were attached:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OeILL08T08w (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OeILL08T08w)
Title: Re: EEVblog #866 - Mailbag
Post by: MatthewMorgan on April 21, 2016, 04:59:26 pm
I was the one who ordered that horrible soldering iron.

It cost me £0.99 (AUD$1.86)

I think it might be one of the worst items he has every seen.

Was that 0.99p delivered??

If people want i can order him something even more dangerous.
Please Do.  :popcorn:
Yes it was £0.99 delivered.
Title: Re: EEVblog #866 - Mailbag
Post by: EvilGeniusSkis on April 25, 2016, 06:43:59 am
Why does the tencor wafer have a daughter board on it? Why not just build the brains into the wafer?

And "wet baby alert"? I thought that was a standard app in all Neuro-electronics projects.