#86 More eBay Goodies (for the price of a cup of coffee)
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 3 ก.ค. 2024
- As I'm looking for stuff on eBay (or any of the Far Eastern web sites) I often stumble across items that make think: wow! Can I make use of that?
Sometimes, it's so cheap (yet good) that I think: I don't care whether I have a need right now, I'm going to buy one anyway. I'd rather have a gadget to experiment with than a cup of overpriced coffee anyway!
So no code this week (I'm actually out of the country) but here are the links to the items I found noteworthy, and even if these don't pique your interest perhaps others you find along the way might!
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Links:
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Temperature Controller:
www.aliexpress.com/item/50-11...
Clear case for above:
www.aliexpress.com/item/Clear...
Slider switches, 50 pieces:
www.ebay.co.uk/itm/32194618444...
Temperature controller instructions etc
github.com/RalphBacon/eBay-Go...
Schematic for the W1209 Thermostat board
github.com/TG9541/stm8ef/wiki...
(scroll right to the bottom of the file)
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If you like this video please give it a thumbs up, share it and if you're not already subscribed please do so :)
My channel is here:
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/ ralphbacon
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How can I remember this? Memory tip: "See" Ralph Bacon, geddit? - วิทยาศาสตร์และเทคโนโลยี
The temperature controller was neat. Reminds me of the more common STC-1000 controller. It's practical if you only want to connect 230v stuff and need to increase AND decrease temperature. I use it to control the fermenting of beer in a fermentation cabinet (old fridge) where the STC-1000 turns on the fridge if the temp is above the set range and turns on a heater inside the fridge if it's too cold.
That's a good way of adjusting the temperature for your beer fermentation. But does it take a while for the fridge to noticeably drop the temperature I wonder? Bear in mind this module here can be set to H(eat) or C(hill) but not both at the same time. Thanks for posting that info Functional Design, good to hear from you.
Ah! Just what I've been looking for, to add extra cooling to my steeper drivers in the control box, and also let me know their temps. Will be on Ali Express asap! Thanks for your videos.
Yes, Lakesidearmorer, it would work really well for this sort of thing. Let's hope the price doesn't go up after your purchase!
Nice one Ralph. Since I first found you on youtube I now buy mainly from Bang Good. 2 weeks is nothing. In the early 70's orders from Maplin (who did really weird covers on their catalogs back then) took about 2 weeks same went for RS Components. However I'm not buying my new scope from China directly. My old Fluke multimeter(8024B) will be getting replaced with an up to date model, I haven't decided yet if I'll source it here (GB) or abroad. You have saved me money Ralph and now I can buy more and so more fun for me. Big thankyou. :)
Hey there IbnBahtuta! I'm glad I'm saving you money! That said, Banggood is a tad more expensive than I'm used to (mainly because the good old British Pound has taken a bit of a Brexit nose dive recently) and I find AliExpress.com to be better value (because it's like a mini-eBay with hundreds of supplies all competing for our dollars). Also...
Also, GearBest is worth a look, but like Banggood they too look a bit expensive these days to me. If you are paying in US $, however, they will all look remarkably cheap! [Just saw your comment on 'here' being GB so I guess pounds are the order of the day]. NIce to hear from you, keep saving money!
I would suggest some sort if an alcoholic beverage on ice for calibration because it makes the math more fun (and the overall fun as well). For accuracy water in crushed ice is by far the way to go, but... Anyway, thanks for the video!
I totally agree, Robert, plain crushed ice is all very well (and accurate) but a dash of lime, a shot (or two) of Tequila, some Triple Sec, ah yes, so much better. You would then end up with a totally inaccurate thermostat because alcohol freezes lower but the question is, by that point would you still care?
Well... I was as stupid as a sober man can get. The calibration would of course be fine if the ice is melting. Even ice in pure alcohol will melt at 0 degrees if we assume it's water ice. It's Friday and time for a drink. It would have been a great excuse if I drank before commenting. ;-) Lesson learned: Never trust a 50 year old Norwegian software developer with your physics problems.
Another interesting video, Ralph! Thanks.
Glad you liked it, Andy, plenty of others for you to watch!
The temperature controller you can use to keep Bens den in the garden cool in the summer.
Good idea, I'll ask him if he wants me to do that!
Greetings from Welsh Wales, Ralph. I enjoyed watching this - so have subscribed. Love Big Clive and Julian Ilet, but I have been looking for a new electronics 'face'... :) Looking forward to watching your previous videos and future ones.
Hey John, croeso i fy sianel TH-cam. I've no idea if that's right but Google is my best (translator) friend!
I'm so glad you liked the video and, as you say, there are plenty of others to watch covering a fairly wide spectrum of Arduino-related electronics. But once again I hear these name, "Clive", "Julian", I mean just who *are* these fly-by-nights? Heh heh (I'm so envious of them). At least you found a new electronic 'face' now! Great to hear from you and enjoy the videos.
P5 is compressor protection. 5 minutes is the usual delay time for better Air Conditioning units. It allows their high pressure lines to bleed down so its not so hard on the compressor. In some circuits it can even be so difficult for the compressor to start that it draws excess current which in turn triggers the fuse or breaker which is a real PITA. ( Usually operator and the operator is unaware of the nature of the circuit. )
Thanks for that information John, at least we now know what that P5 delay is for! When you say "operator is unaware of the nature of the circuit", you were not referring to the engineer who unplugged British Airways power supply last weekend were you, and then reconnected it in "an uncontrolled manner"! He needed a P5 mode too :)
Bought bought and bought.. Cheaper than UK postage alone, if you send a parcel internally the same size it wouldn't be free.
Sounds like a bit of a spending spree there, Darren! You're right about the parcel costs, I'm not totally sure how the Far Eastern companies can afford to send stuff around the world like that for "free". I heard a rumour that the Chinese Government subsidises shipping costs but I can't verify that. Even so... cheap indeed!
And yup, just ordered one of those temperature control boards using your link Ralph. Great for a project for my sons greenhouse.
Works quite well, do let us know how you get on with it John.
Will do Ralph. Not sure how long they take to arrive. I have also ordered a 9V to 5V buck converter so I can power it with a 9V battery. I am sure there'll eventually be external power out there but he is renting the property and I don't want to run any external armoured cable. But... do you have any alternate suggestions as to how best to power these devices (and Arduinos et al) when no AC is readily available?
Solar panels charging a LiPo (or sealed lead acid) battery of some kind is usually the way to go for greenhouses. A decent solar panel or two charging two or more 3.8v LiPos (via a charging module to prevent over/under charge) then a buck/boost converter to get it back to 5v. I did a video about this in broad detail, might be video #50 I'm thinking of. It's exactly the thing I'm thinking about my workshop, not for day-to-day power but maybe just to keep it ticking over during the day when I'm not there. Wind power is also an option but expensive and believe it or not you do need a decent, reliable wind source.
Thanks Ralph, in which case I shall seek out and watch video #50! That's after I have finished watching video #92 😊. Have been thinking for a while about the JYE DSO150 mini scope, especially at the bargain price it is available for. Again... unless that is, if you have any further thoughts on it or other alternatives? I will be ordering this (or a.n.other if you suggest) and many other Arduino/electronic/toolkit/storage/stuff/gadget/gizmo/components items later this evening. Oh yes... and a Pixie Kit 40M Transsceiver for my amateur radio intermediate project haha! Now then... I should really make a start tomorrow on building my hobby desk so I don't spoil my music and radio desk. 👍
PS: If I do buiy it, I will be sure to use your link :)
Nice video! Keep it up!
Glad you liked it, Mr. Bass Boost! Plenty more where this one comes from, who knows there may be others you like too. Great to hear from you.
I'm having a 'Ralph S Bacon TH-cam Catchup' evening! :) Another informative video, Ralph.
Excellent, just let all the ads play too! I find them sometimes quite informative and interesting. Two days to my workshop, I'm very calm and not excited at all.
the thermostat you showed is actually pretty good. I have two. use them for incubators. the probe is an ntc. You can reprogram the microcontroller if you wish.
Now, Ed, I don't know whether you're from the UK or not, but the statement "is pretty good" could be a typical British understatement, could it not? Let's face it, this product is *awesome* (to borrow from the US vernacular) for the price. The fact you already have two is a good testament to their construction quality too, so thanks for posting that. As for reprogramming the µcontroller, I'll give that a miss this week!
Oh, no, not British at all. I am across the channel (a cheesehead) and we say things as they are so pretty good in this case means 'fantastic'
oops, I am mixing up two videos this one and your NRF24 video. stupid of me.
yes, the thermostat is fantastic
Maplins used to buy stuff from China & bang the price up, on their closing down sale, I got wire for the same price as you could from China & it had made in china on the bag. People forget that some of the big brand tech is made in China for them, for cheaper production costs.
Quite so, Malcolm. Apple iPhones are made by FoxConn (a Taiwanese multinational electronics contract manufacturing company, with a base also in Shenzhen). There's nothing to say Chinese or other Asian components or products need be below a decent standard but there will always be rogue traders out for a quick buck.
You made me go out and buy some more stuff .... :P
Sorry about that, but it works the other way too. Think about how much stuff I buy to do the videos? Some stuff is discarded never to be seen again whilst other stuff is useful and I share with you guys! So, if we are talking about buying stuff, I win! Ha, Ha!
It is amazing how cheap electronics are from China. And often "free" shipping.
Everyone is of the same opinion, Pekka, that's for sure. You have to keep aware of what is actually being offered, and of course watch the shipping costs don't start appearing (or creeping up). But mostly I've been pleased with what I've bought from the Far East (not just China, there's Singapore, Malaysia and a couple of others too!)
Hi Ralph!.
The best way to monitor Benny, is to put a Ibeacon in his collars, and then let an arduino scan for ibeacons and distance.
I ran this idea past Benny, Per Boye, who looked at me and said "Where's dinner?" so I'm not sure he really understood the concept! But it is a good idea, depending on how small iBeacon responders can be made. Something for the R&D phase, thanks for posting.
The Ibeacons can be found on ebay, they are in the size of a coin.
I'll progress this idea Per. Something is nagging me at the back of my brain (small though it is) that I might already have investigated this over a year ago... I shall have to check. Thanks for the heads up.
Being TOTALLY facetious for a moment ... Have thought about insulating your tank and pipes in the attic Ralph? I'm sure it would be cheaper than heating the roof space. 🤔😁😁
I can't remember in which context I mentioned the heating of the attic in this video, Bob, but rest assured my attic is insulated very well, including the water tanks and pipes. However, go up there during a snowy period and it is COLD, which worries me (yes, I know, I should worry less) but heating the attic with a 6' greenhouse tubular heater underneath the main tank seems to work very well (and does allow me to worry a lot less!).
Hello, what is that dark red foil called, with which you make the display more readable? Thank you
That would be acrylic sheet, used in lighting displays for theatres, for example.
Not LCD display but 7 - segment LED :)
Quite so, Graham, well spotted.
Hi Ralph very interesting products where did you get the nice red filter that you covered your display with, please
Hey Bob! I bought this from eBay (UK). I just searched for "red acrylic lighting gel" and you get all sorts of sizes (and prices). Here's an example (just that, not a recommendation, as it's for a small piece0 : www.ebay.co.uk/itm/106-PRIMARY-RED-LIGHTING-FILTER-GEL-THEATRE-DJ-CLUB-LED-DISCO-24cm-X-24cm-PAR-64-/161459286549
Thanks very much for your help
Bob UK
Nice review, and especialy this nice temperature module.
And btw Ralf where did you get this red filter what was puted on the display at the beging of your review?
Thanks for your kind words, Szymon, appreciated. The red filter I use is lighting gel, something like this: www.ebay.co.uk/itm/106-PRIMARY-RED-LIGHTING-FILTER-GEL-THEATRE-DJ-CLUB-LED-DISCO-24cm-X-24cm-PAR-64-/161459286549?_trksid=p2385738.m2548.l4275 which is for a 24cm x 24cm sized piece which means you can cut it down to size and have plenty left over too. Good to hear from you!
You may have benefited from a listing error with those switches. Your link now shows STG£3.69 shipping.
Hey BaronVonBiffo, don't be concerned. I've just checked 19th May 2017 @ 21:32 and they come up as:
50 Pcs 2 Position SPDT SS12d00G3 1P2T 3 Pin PCB Panel Vertical Slide Switch DM
£0.99
Free Services from outside UK | See details
So I looked up the "See Details" and it said:
Free P&P United Kingdom
Services from outside UK (Economy Shipping from China/Hong Kong/Taiwan to worldwide)
Estimated between Fri. 9 Jun. and Thu. 13 Jul.
Are you using eBay.co.uk or another variant - in which case I suppose the shipping charges could be different?
Ah, That explains it. I'm in Ireland so it seems they're charging us more. Another seller has them for US$0.99 with free shipping so all's well.
www.ebay.com/itm/50pcs-SS12D00G3-Slide-Switch-3Pin-2-Position-SPDT-1P2T-PCB-Panel-Mini-Vertical-/371953213017?hash=item569a239e59:g:2CAAAOSwH09ZG-c4
I enjoy all your videos - The recent Attiny85 and microwave detector episodes were particularly helpful and timely for me.
You have a great speaking voice.... you should do nature films for the BBC.
Keep the videos coming and thanks.
Perhaps I could be the new David Attenborough - I can almost do an impression of him too! Yes, I'll keep the videos coming!
Ali Express and eBay are different suppliers :)
That they are! Did I say differently?
I notice through your vids that you interchange metric and SAE measurements regularly without much hesitation. Is that normal across the pond because here in the western part of the colonies it's strictly SAE in our age group and we struggle with the metric conversion. I know a larger proportion of younger people in the 20-40 yr old age group had been taught metric somewhat in school
What you will see, in the countries which went metric 30 or 40 years ago, is that fairly old people use both, young people mostly use metric. The exception is a few specific topics where the old measures are used. One example, is people discussing personal height in feet and inches, and weight in kilograms. I don't know how they calculate BMI then.
I feel I'm being called "fairly old" here, by young whipper-snapper Robert! OK, I'm not a teenager any more but really!
I use the metric system as far as I can, although I do tend to sometimes revert to some standard measurements like one foot (it's just a more meaningful standard measure than 30cm to me) and when buying wood it's too easy to say a 2" by 4" post.
I deliberately sprinkle my videos with the old imperial measurements though, as I know that a large part of my audience is in the USA where metric measurements are not universally used let alone understood. That's also why I use both British Pounds and US Dollars - most of my audience can relate to one or the other of those currencies!
Haha, I am older than you.
Hello Ralph, nice to be a follower for some time now ;o)
you got a link to the small PIR and the large grey box?
and could you maybe scan this instruction for the temp controller, I got one, but no manual
thanks in advance KP
Hey, Poulsen Media (I like the very official name). I've uploaded a scanned PDF of the (poor quality) printed sheet so you may have to print them out and/or zoom in to read it all. And there's a link to the potting compound box too (the slightly larger grey one in my video). I just hope this helps! Oh, it's in the video description as one of the links (to GitHub).
thank you sir
No links to your purchases?
Hi Bruce! The links are in the video description. OK, I'll come clean. The links are NOW in the video description (since you alerted me to the fact that I had omitted them!). Thanks so much for the nudge, how did I forget? What do you think of these prices, crazy or what?
Hi Ralph, nice video. Thanks for all your work!
After watching your video I ordered two of these WS1209 controllers as well and they arrived today.
Played around with the first one and then suddenly magic smoke came out of it.
The reason being that diode D1 was mounted in the wrong direction.
I found a schematic of the board here: github.com/TG9541/stm8ef/wiki/Board-W1209.
D1 is the diode that protects the transistor against the back EMI when the relay switches off.
As it was mounted in the wrong way it was now actually shorting the 12V power supply via the transistor to ground when the transistor turned on.
That killed the 10 ohm resistor (R3) that is in series. Transistor and diode are ok.
After I fixed that, all worked except for the LED that did not turn on when the relay switches on.
The 1K series resistor for that LED measured open and is located under the display.
I desoldered the display, and to my surprise the resistor was not mounted at all!
Put one in, soldered the display back in place and now all works fine.
Quite some fun hobby time for less than two dollars!
The other unit was ok.
Keep up the good work. I enjoy your videos.
Ewald
I shake my head in disbelief, Ewald, at the poor quality of some Far Eastern components, but I must say big kudos to you for identifying and fixing it so well. I guess this is the price we pay for, well, the low price goods but that obviously didn't have an QA - apart from you! Funnily enough, (lots of) the magic smoke escaped from another component of mine last night, that could have been far more serious and which I'll mention in a future video, and may well quote you too. At least you exercised the old grey cells fixing this, great job, and thanks for your support for my (OK, Benny's) videos.
Hi Ralph,
Yeah I think I had one assembled on a monday by a pick and place machine that had a tough weekend. At least I can not imagine that somebody is assembling these units by hand. Maybe i am naive...Should that be the case we should no longer order items for such low prices anyway, but that is another discussion....
Most of the time I must say that the assembled boards from China are rather reasonable to (very) good quality. I am curious to what happened to your unit and what was the source of your smoking gun. By the way, the 10 ohm resistor did not die completely, it only measures 20 ohms now instead of 10. Happy i bought me a pack of 1000 or so smd resitors a while ago. I could now at least use two of them 😀
Regards,
Ewald
That made me laugh out loud Ewald, the thought of you getting out a huge reel of SMD transistors and finally peeling off two of them! But it still probably cost you less than buying a half dozen locally!
I'm with you regarding quality from the Far Eastern suppliers; the quality is generally fine to good, and mostly they're made by machine but there are still sweat shops out there assembling by hand - and it's easy to spot these as the quality is generally awful.
Can't say too much on my magic smoke component but it is slightly more serious than a single component burning out, oops, no spoilers says Benny!
No please, no spoilers. My only hope is that your house did not burn down though, as than the next video will take some time :-). It was not a big reel i had to peel them off, but a package of 74 strips for different values of resistors (10 each), so 738 to go. I bought it together with 57 x 10 capacitors. All together for a little over 10 USD. Amazing how cheap electronic components are these days...
You need to be very careful with these ebay listings. There is a new trend, where the ad has something like "50 pce for 0.99" or something like that, but when you go to the item you find that the actual price is 0.99 for 1 piece and 50 pieces is actually something like 10 pounds - still very cheap, but the listing is misleading. This trend has emerged as some means for the seller to "game" the ebay search engine, it is quite annoying.
I tell you what I have found on eBay, Robert, and it drives me mad.
Let's say we're searching for an Arduino Nano - usual selling price around the £1.80 - £2.30 range. As you find one listing for £2.10 you open it and find listings promoted by eBay from other sellers who advertise an Arduino Nano for 99p. You think "Surely not?" and when you open it you find that you can buy a Nano for £3.00, a Nano with USB cable for £3.50 or *just the USB cable for 99p*. MIsrepresentation or what? Grrr.