This guy, Cathode Ray Dude [CRD], does some fun stuff. He’s on the web via HTTPS at gekk.info and HTTP at www.cathoderaydude.com.
cathode ray dude dot com
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Category Archives: Learning
ChatGPT Title Case awesomeness
I have an item on my TODO list to make a program to convert text into Title Case. On a whim, I asked ChatGPT to do this for me, and it did! ChatGPT is automating me out of work!
Early Content #10: Enameled Bodge Wire With UV Solder Mask | In The Lab With Jay Jay
This post is part of my video blog and you can find more information about this video on this show’s homepage which is here.
You can support this channel on Patreon: patreon.com/JohnElliotV
In this video I solder three different sized bodge wires onto some perfboard for practice and for the purpose of exposition. After attaching the three bodge wires I cover them with UV solder mask.
If you haven’t heard of the expression “bodge wire” before, ChatGPT will explain.
I want to thank my mate Bruce from Branchus Creations for recommending the enameled wire of various sizes, the Swann Morton blades, and the Amtech flux.
I got three rolls of this enameled copper wire from AliExpress:
The diameters of the various rolls I got were:
| Size | mm | inches |
|---|---|---|
| Small | 0.07mm | 0.003″ |
| Medium | 0.16mm | 0.006″ |
| Large | 0.31mm | 0.012″ |
I got the “coppery” colour, not the red stuff.
The Swann Morton blade handles I got were these:
I got three types of blades in #15C, #15, and #10 sizes:
- Swann Morton Surgical Scalpel Blades Sterile Carbon Steel Available In 7 Size #15C 20Pcs
- Swann Morton Surgical Scalpel Blades Sterile Carbon Steel Available In 7 Size #15 20Pcs
- Swann Morton Surgical Scalpel Blades Sterile Carbon Steel Available In 7 Size #10 20Pcs
The #15C Swann Morton blade is the smallest and is so far my favourite. The #15C is the blade I use in this video.
My flux is:
The industrial/precision tweezers I mention in the video are these:
- Hakko CHP 3C-SA Stainless Steel Non-Magnetic Precision Tweezers with Very Fine Point Tips for Microelectronics Applications, 4-1/4″ Length (5 Pack)
- TOWOT Industrial Tweezers (SA11-15) (I got the five pack)
The solder lugs I refer to are these:
The perfboard I used in this video was a 2x8cm board which I picked up from AliExpress:
I use two microscopes in this video:
- Tomlov: TOMLOV DM602 Pro
- Yizhan: Yizhan 48MP Microscope
In the video I reference my thermal imager:
My gloves are:
- 24Pieces/12 Pairs Work Gloves For PU Palm Coating Safety Protective Glove Nitrile Professional Safety Suppliers Color: PU1350NV -DMF; Size: S
My head-mounted magnifying glasses are:
The soldering iron I use in this video is a part of my Horusdy soldering station:
My desoldering pump came in this kit:
The solder mask I ordered was this green stuff, but the stuff they actually sent me was red:
The solder I use in this video is:
My paint brush is the 5/0 sized brush from this set:
The blow torch I mention in this video is this one:
My Kapton tape and tape dispenser are these:
- Kapton Tape 5/8/10/15/20mm 100ft BGA High Temperature Heat Resistant Polyimide Gold Adhesive Tape For Electronic Industry 33m (various sizes)
- Green Multi-Roll Heat Tape Dispenser Sublimation 1″ and 3″Core Double Reel Cores Sublimation for Heat Transfer Tape, Semi-Automatic Tape Dispenser with Compartment Slots
The bench multimeter I use in the video is a:
- OWON XDM1041 Bench Multimeter
The isopropyl (IPA) alcohol I use in this video is this stuff:
Thanks very much for watching! And please remember to hit like and subscribe!
Following is a product I use picked at random from my collection which may appear in my videos. Clicking through on this to find and click on the green affiliate links before purchasing from eBay or AliExpress is a great way to support the channel at no cost to you. Thanks!
Amazon Basics Ratchet Screwdriver notes |
Let’s go shopping!
Testing CMOS cell battery
I was watching Computers running very slow, long boot time, unresponsive in windows. Let’s fix it. and Richard said that if your CMOS battery reads less than 3V then you should replace it.
JST PHD Connector Crimping
I found a good video that shows how to crimp a JST PHD connector: JST Connector Crimping. When crimping these JST connectors I use my ENGINEER PA-09 crimping tool. I use a 1.4mm crimp for the wire and a 1.9mm crimp for the insulation.
Xbox DVD capacitors
Have been researching Xbox DVD capacitors.
Lacquer thinner
In Electrolytic Capacitor Removal NO Desoldering Required Paul Carlson says he uses lacquer thinner to clean circuit boards. On the Wikipedia article for Lacquer thinner it says these are usually mostly acetone. Personally I would only crack out the acetone if the IPA wasn’t working for me. Acetone is serious business.
Op amp tester
I was watching How To TEST OP AMPS Using A Multimeter vs Op-Amp Tester Project Single Dual and I learned about this Operational Amplifier OP AMP Tester For Single Dual OPAMP TL071 TL072 TL081 TL082 Single/Dual Op Amp Test Board.
I have to cool it on the spending for a little while, but I’ve made a note of this on my shopping list.
Thermal imager FTW
I was just poking about with my new thermal imagers and I found one of my power bricks was warm, while the one next to it, on the right, was not. Turned out the one on the right wasn’t plugged in properly! It was supposed to be powering a USB hub, but the hub was bus powered, not mains powered, and I couldn’t tell. I mean, all of the lights were on, and the power brick was plugged in, so I hadn’t suspected anything. If I hadn’t made this discovery with my thermal camera I would probably never have learned that my USB hub was unpowered. I could very well have run into problems with devices plugged into it being under powered, and I would never have known why.
Philips QT4022
This evening I was working on a battery replacement for a Philips QT4022 hair trimmer for my friend. They don’t seem to make this model any more, it was hard to find useful info about them. I made some notes over here. In the end I accidentally released the magic smoke, but at least I got some practice using my soldering iron and my microscope (this evening I learned how to take photos with my microscope and transfer them to my computer, haven’t done that before).
I did start off making a video about this, but it all went very badly, so I’m not gonna be publishing that one. :P
I learned a few lessons:
- take photos of the circuit board before you take to it with a soldering iron. This is so that if you damage the circuit board or the silk screen you can still read the component markings on the photo even if you damage the board.
- use the max current and max voltage settings on the power supply and don’t exceed sensible values for those. (200mA for DC motor is a sensible limit, 6A is not.)
- if you’re dealing with a circuit that has batteries soldered in, and you’re attempting to desolder the batteries, you need to be careful the solder doesn’t melt and create a short circuit, because it can, and it will.
My soldering skills are pretty poor at the moment. What I need is lots of practice. I’m not sure what the best tips or the best temperatures are yet. I accidentally lifted some SMD components because I used too much heat too close to them.
RIP Philips trimmer.
