In the WEEE-k #1 - my first attempt at a dumpster diving segment

[tron9000]

So this is a follow on from my original Post: https://www.eevblog.com/forum/other-blog-specific/want-to-do-my-own-segment-on-my-blog/

I final finished editing my first attempt at a dumpster diving video blog.


Please let us know what you think and any area for improvement.

Much appreciated!

[retiredcaps]

A good start.

Your audio levels need work.  During your first 8 minute segment, I could barely hear you.  So I cranked up the volume.  Then when you looked through the box, the volume was loud.  Then back at 16:50, I could barely hear you again.

[lukier]

Good introduction to the subject.

I tend to ignore rather common computing related parts, maybe except useful stuff like cables, focusing more on T&M.

In my WEEE dumpster things come in waves, depending apparently which department is doing a clean-out or some refurbishment. One week it is only biochem fridges and incubators, next week racks of old Sun servers, next week lecture room AV equipment. T&M stuff of any kind is rather rare, anything younger than the 80's even more, and surprisingly mostly from physics department. I've yet to see anything from electronics engineering dept., that would have the best stuff I suppose they know how to fix their toys or dispose them between themselves.

This and last week is was mostly lecture room AV stuff, so I picked up Hitachi CP-SX1350 projector that has missing air filter, but still ~500 hours of lamp life left and Sony EVI-D80P PTZ camera. The mechanics and optics are very nice, but the camera itself is just typical CCTV analog CCD. Maybe it would be possible to replace the sensor with something digital and add CY7C68013A for the USB.

[tron9000]

A good start.

Your audio levels need work.  During your first 8 minute segment, I could barely hear you.  So I cranked up the volume.  Then when you looked through the box, the volume was loud.  Then back at 16:50, I could barely hear you again.

Yes, well I'm using an IPad to record this, so I think I need to get a decent camera and mic. Also I'm just editing on youtube editor, which keeps falling over on me most of the time, so can anyone recommend a decent, preferably free, video editing suite? I'm running ubuntu linux, but I could get it to run on WINE.

Did anyone find it long winded?

[Muttley Snickers]

Thanks tron9000 for the video which I did find very informative in regards to EE waste and so on, you did ask for an honest review or opinion and my only criticism would be that at times I did find it a bit difficult to follow and that you may be speaking a bit too quickly for some of us slower folk to fully understand, it could also be an accent thing and most likely other people in your region wouldn't question it at all, no insult or offence intended whatsoever.

I even tried subtitles for the first time which turned to shit at 03:45 and became rather amusing at around 08:00 onwards....

That second display you showed looked a lot like a 40 pin field effect LCD similar to the Jaycar ZD-1886, you can download the data sheet or otherwise if it is the same display I have it all drawn up in a number of formats with every pin labelled, it's on my other pc so if you need me to post it up I can.

Best regards and many thanks.......

Muttley

[tron9000]

Thanks tron9000 for the video which I did find very informative in regards to EE waste and so on, you did ask for an honest review or opinion and my only criticism would be that at times I did find it a bit difficult to follow and that you may be speaking a bit too quickly for some of us slower folk to fully understand, it could also be an accent thing and most likely other people in your region wouldn't question it at all, no insult or offence intended whatsoever.

I even tried subtitles for the first time which turned to shit at 03:45 and became rather amusing at around 08:00 onwards....

That second display you showed looked a lot like a 40 pin field effect LCD similar to the Jaycar ZD-1886, you can download the data sheet or otherwise if it is the same display I have it all drawn up in a number of formats with every pin labelled, it's on my other pc so if you need me to post it up I can.

Best regards and many thanks.......

Muttley

None taken or implied!

That was actually one of my concerns: that I talk too quickly and having a camera pointed at me and the somewhat yorkshire accent compounded that! Plus I know that some people hate it when I prattle on and want to get to the point!

any info on that display would be greatly appreciated as I wish to get it running for my next video. Just had a Look on Jaycar and that looks exactly like it! Will play it safe and see if I can get a segment to light.

I already been down to the WEEE Bin again and scored some more goodies! stay tuned!

[Muttley Snickers]

Wait a minute

If it is the same unit just be careful as they are extremely prone to static, from memory dont hit it with more than 3 volts and use 470 ohm resistors on all used segments, I have used quite a few and as mentioned previously I have both pin mapping and notes on the other pc if needed.

They are very nice 4 X 7 segment displays but are very temperamental and sensitive to misuse.

Best wishes.

Muttley

[tron9000]

ooo-eer, then if its been sat around for years, and assuming I'm not the only person to have picked it up, then maybe its dead jim!?

cheers for the heads up

[dexters_lab]

damd good start Chris!, subbed

[tron9000]

Cheers Dexter, same here.

I tried last night to get that LCD working. Got a 3V supply using an LM317 and decided that the best way to find which pi was which was to see if I could find pin 1 & 40 as there are state on the datasheet to be connected together (least that what I assume "PCB linkage" is) - after about an hour of trying to beep out the connections, no luck, but some of the segments did light up when I probed them, so Muttley's right about them really being sensitive!

Think I'll just try the multiplexed display.

[Muttley Snickers]

If you haven't used them before they can be a bit tricky first time around, best to stick them on a breadboard and more often than not you will need to bend the pins in as you would do with any large dip package to get them to align with the board, first insertion can be a bit scary and end up messy if you go too hard.

I used them on a series of 4510 / 4511 CMOS counters and still have a couple mounted permanently on some breadboards, I can pull out the schematics and notes if you want but I do remember running a truck load of 470 ohm resistors to the individual segments and the same on each common ( 1 & 40 ) back to ground when running the whole thing at 5 volts including the displays.

Too low a voltage will make them look muddy and too high will cause the segment to hold or ghost, every project will be different so a bit of tweaking is involved in finding a satisfactory medium with these displays, thats what I've found anyway.

Regards.

Muttley

[tron9000]

thanks for that.

Yeh I had to straddle 2 bread boards joined together. Just that bit too big for 1. I'll persevere with this. Cheers

[LaserSteve]

 I work at a major US University and used to be a field service engineer on the road.  I installed  complex systems at Universities. 

Right now due to a change a few years ago in how grant money can be spent, you will not see much EE trash from Universities and Colleges. At least in the US and Canada.  Canada's grant policy tightened up before ours did.  Money is tight, and post stimulus restrictions tie the money more to grad student salaries then new gear and repairs...

If its any good, other departmental technicians  are grabbing it.  It has to be dead/un-repairable/hazmat/have no useful parts/be older then 1990 before we're letting go of anything.

  Even if its dead, I'm going to be pulling fans/connectors/ FETs/displays/psus, even the PC board standoffs before I let it go on the truck. If I cant  use it, I'm offering it to my peers, even those who are hostile to me. We just don't have the budget to waste things.  I raid the disposal site nearly weekly. So do my peers...  I imagine its similar right now  in the UK... My UK peers have hinted things are tight,,,

Sorry...
Steve

[tron9000]

I work at a major US University and used to be a field service engineer on the road.  I installed  complex systems at Universities. 

Right now due to a change a few years ago in how grant money can be spent, you will not see much EE trash from Universities and Colleges. At least in the US and Canada.  Canada's grant policy tightened up before ours did.  Money is tight, and post stimulus restrictions tie the money more to grad student salaries then new gear and repairs...

If its any good, other departmental technicians  are grabbing it.  It has to be dead/un-repairable/hazmat/have no useful parts/be older then 1990 before we're letting go of anything.

  Even if its dead, I'm going to be pulling fans/connectors/ FETs/displays/psus, even the PC board standoffs before I let it go on the truck. If I cant  use it, I'm offering it to my peers, even those who are hostile to me. We just don't have the budget to waste things.  I raid the disposal site nearly weekly. So do my peers...  I imagine its similar right now  in the UK... My UK peers have hinted things are tight,,,

Sorry...
Steve

What you sorry for Steve?

I understand your standpoint completely, when things are tight, you have to make everything last as long as it should. It all comes down to funding really which roughly equates numbers of students through the door doesn't it? Just had our annual staff meeting and the figures are in the millions, though we'll see little of that in our lab - price of cheese and all that jazz!

I'm trying to find the wierd and wonderful as well as the cool and desirable, so I'm not expecting anthing like a bunch of fluke 87V's to land in there, but y'never know. (if I did, I would ask the person dumping them what the hell they're doing!?)

I have seen alot of cobbled together stuff, and should be fun trying to figure out what its for.

[Radio Tech]

I got a bit excited when I saw that LCD. Looks a bit like the one I need for a unit I am working on.
Seems mine is a bit bigger though.
https://www.eevblog.com/forum/repair/com-ser-laboratories-tear-down-possible-repair/msg392969/#msg392969

Not a bad video at all. 

[tron9000]

looks like a model with twice as many digits, I'm having trouble getting it working though, doesn't seem to be the same pinout as diagrams mutley supplied above - think I'll put it to one side till I find a project its needed for, or if somebody else wants it