I also have a couple of questions on the "meter movement" on page 27.
Where is it in the kit list? What is the part called?
Where can I buy one?
Cheers
Hi rstofer
The thing is its not the entire meter you need, just the mechanical movement. I would like to complete it, but moving on til I can source one is certainly a thought worth entertaining, and now I have a new problem .... I have been searching through my bags and bags of parts from digikey and mouser for 20 minutes looking for my 1N914 Diode
I need some parts stores
You will run across obsolete component requirements throughout the book. The book is OLD!
So, hit up Google and see what shakes out. "replacement for 1N914" is one way to find a substitute.
I like the old 1N914 and I have a hundred or so. They are still available but the 1N4148 is easier to source.
Part of the learning experience will be substituting obsolete components and the other will be in scaling the problems. You might not have a particular resistor or capacitor value. Coming up with a substitute and intuiting how the results will change turns out to be more important than the original experiment.
You will run across obsolete component requirements throughout the book. The book is OLD!
So, hit up Google and see what shakes out. "replacement for 1N914" is one way to find a substitute.
I like the old 1N914 and I have a hundred or so. They are still available but the 1N4148 is easier to source.
Part of the learning experience will be substituting obsolete components and the other will be in scaling the problems. You might not have a particular resistor or capacitor value. Coming up with a substitute and intuiting how the results will change turns out to be more important than the original experiment.
I am using the brand new version of the student manual that was recently released (not the old spiral bound silver thing), and have got a 1N914 in the suggested kit. Good to know that finding ways round the problem will still be of use though!
Re: "Meter Movement"
It appears that the objective here is to learn how to design a circuit that allows one to measure Voltage, Current, and Resistance over several ranges with nothing but a power source and a few resistors and a simple meter. The exercise teaches how a VOM multi-meter (whether digital or analog) works. And it gives you the understanding how to measure and scale various electrical properties.
For example, if you were making a bench power supply, you would understand the principles of using a shunt to measure current. Doesn't matter whether you are displaying the current on a vintage D'Arsonval panel meter, or feeding an Analog to Digital converter input.
When the book says "bare meter movement" it means a simple analog panel meter. It does not mean the very fragile and delicate D'Arsonval motor mechanism INSIDE the case. Unless you intend to become an "electronic archaeologist" and repair the antique things it is sufficient to understand that the meter needle moves relative to the amount of current through the coil.
If I were doing this experiment, I would get something like: 50UA DC PANEL METER - CAT# PMD-50UA
$12.00 each" http://www.allelectronics.com/item/pmd-50ua/50ua-dc-panel-meter/1.html
Using a meter that already has all the Volt, Amp, Ohms scales printed on it (as that Ebay Simpson replacement) is "cheating" as it has already worked out the non-linear resistance scale, etc. The objective of the exercise appears to be working out the circuit configuration, resistance/shunt values, and creating your own scales, especially for resistance.
Will a panel meter contain any resistors?
I have the latest version as well but the book itself is still OLD. Whatever updates that may have been made certainly haven't drug it into the 21st century. In some ways, this is a good thing. The book is still using DIP components instead of moving on to SMD and adapters.
There are going to be a lot of issues with obsolete components and working around that fact is part of the exercise. From a hobbyist point of view, that may be the more important lesson. There are a lot of projects on the Internet that are old enough that component availability is an issue. It's good to know how to work around that fact.
Will a panel meter contain any resistors?That is why I selected the very lowest value (most sensitive) DC ammeter from the wide variety of mechanically identical meters offered on that page. The 50uA meter is the LEAST likely to contain ANY internal shunt, etc. And even if it did, it wouldn't change the objective and learning from the experiment.
All the other meters certainly contain shunts (for higher-current Ammeters), and/or series resistance (for Volt meters) and/or rectifiers (for AC meters). They are fundamentally all the same 50uA meter movement, but with various other internal components to allow measuring higher amps, volts, AC, etc.
And that is essentially the purpose of the experiment. To first measure the sensitivity of the basic meter movement, and then design the external circuit to allow measurement of other things based on that.
I have the latest version as well but the book itself is still OLD. Whatever updates that may have been made certainly haven't drug it into the 21st century. In some ways, this is a good thing. The book is still using DIP components instead of moving on to SMD and adapters.
There are going to be a lot of issues with obsolete components and working around that fact is part of the exercise. From a hobbyist point of view, that may be the more important lesson. There are a lot of projects on the Internet that are old enough that component availability is an issue. It's good to know how to work around that fact.Hm that is disappointing to hear, especially as someone looking to learn. Thanks again for your help however.
I'm not thrilled either. On page 30, it mentions an experiment set up by the instructor. A footnote mentions that those doing it at home, and instructors, can get the instructions on the website. Are they there? Nope. (I just emailed them about this.)
I'm not thrilled either. On page 30, it mentions an experiment set up by the instructor. A footnote mentions that those doing it at home, and instructors, can get the instructions on the website. Are they there? Nope. (I just emailed them about this.)
Did you get a reply at all? I also sent him one over a week ago but got nothing back.
I'm not thrilled either. On page 30, it mentions an experiment set up by the instructor. A footnote mentions that those doing it at home, and instructors, can get the instructions on the website. Are they there? Nope. (I just emailed them about this.)