Electrical Engineering V3

[Chryseus]

[img]http://i.imgur.com/mSKZaiA.png[/img]

Welcome to the thread dedicated to the wonderful world of electrical engineering.
Please read all of this post if you're new to the thread, it contains a lot of useful information.

[img]http://i.imgur.com/kTPmCxO.png[/img]
[b]Join the official discord channel [url=https://discord.gg/qDgEFBq]https://discord.gg/qDgEFBq[/url][/b]

[img]http://i.imgur.com/3deLY.png[/img]

Electrical engineering is a rather broad term that can be applied to quite a number of subjects, but largely
electrical engineering or EE refers to circuit design, construction and when things go wrong (which they usually do), repair.

EE is by far one of the most accessible and arguably fun sciences to get in to, you don't need tons of cash to build
useful and interesting things plus it's generally quite a safe science as long as you take appropriate care around high
voltages.

[img]http://i.imgur.com/UaUZBMR.png[/img]

A lot of people into electronics often come from or eventually take up amateur / ham radio, so here are some useful resources:

[url=https://hamstudy.org/]US/Canada Amateur Radio Licensing Quizzes/Flashcards/Studying[/url]
[url=http://rsgb.org/main/]UK Amateur Radio Licensing & Information[/url]

[img]http://i.imgur.com/87QUH.png[/img]

Before you can start building stuff you will need a few basic items that practically every single engineer relies heavily upon.

A multimeter for measuring voltage, current and resistance, either digital or analog works fine but digital is generally preferable.
A breadboard for experimenting with different circuits.
Wire to make connections on your breadboard, you can get breadboard jumper kits as well. (23 SWG solid core recommended if you want to make your own)
A soldering iron - If you intend to make a permanent circuit or want to remove components from broken or unwanted equipment.
A notebook for keeping things like equations for easy reference.

You'll also need some components to get started with, generally it's a good idea to make your first order fairly large and varied so you always
have some components to hand, there is nothing worse than running out or finding you don't have something, an example list follows:

[quote]A pack of at least 500 carbon or metal film resistors of the E12 series.
A pack of electrolytic capacitors, 1uF to 1000uF rated for at least 25V.
A pack of ceramic capacitors, 10pF to 470nF (not critical but useful to have).
Selection of potentiometers.
Selection of Light Emitting Diodes (LED), 3mm or 5mm size work well.
Rectifier diodes such as the 1N4007
Signal diodes such as the 1N4148
Some general purpose NPN and PNP bipolar junction transistors (2N3704, 2N4403, BC238, BC327)
Some general purpose N channel MOSFETs (2N7000)
Some general purpose N channel JFETs (2N5457)
A few power transistors (BD139, BD140, IRF540, FQP27P06)
General purpose operational amplifiers (LM324N, LM741)
General purpose comparators (LM339, LM311)
555 Timers (NE555)
Voltage regulators (LM317T, 7805)
Switches including the DIP variety which fit in breadboards
Electromechanical relays[/quote]

This is just an example of some of the parts you might want, there is a vast number of components with some being
better suited to certain applications than others.
If you are unsure just ask, many of us will be happy to make you a shopping list for your specific budget.

[img]http://i.imgur.com/sNbTT.png[/img]

[url=https://docs.google.com/document/d/1u5UTcWSSzAKCu52mSKMIJsJKH4pbQS57VRre0cr0Jb0/edit?hl=en_GB&pli=1]Electronics Reference[/url]
List of various useful equations and other information.

[url]http://www.allaboutcircuits.com/[/url]
A very informative e-book that can be read online or downloaded, it explains things
very nicely and with plenty of pictures and diagrams so it is suitable for beginners.
I highly recommend although the book is not complete.

[url]http://www.eevblog.com/[/url]
Excellent video blog all about electronics, definitely worth watching.
Also has an excellent forum suitable both for beginners and professionals.

[url]http://www.williamson-labs.com/[/url]
Some useful images but the site design will make your eyes bleed.

[url]http://www.repairfaq.org/[/url]
Interesting information related to electronics repair.

[url=http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Radio_Electronics%20_Master_Page.htm]Radio Electronics[/url]
Very interesting and informative electronics magazine from 1948 to 1992

[b]Tutorials[/b]

[url=http://i.imgur.com/JMGJr.png]Chryseus' guide to transistor amplifier design[/url]

[img]http://i.imgur.com/0r4KT.png[/img]

[img]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/93/The_Art_of_Electronics.jpg[/img]
[b]Art of Electronics by Paul Horowitz and Winfield Hill[/b]
Without a doubt the most complete and informative book on electronics.
If you're going to buy any book this should be the one, although it is not really designed for beginners.

[img]http://i.imgur.com/lJsRW.png[/img]
[b]Complete Digital Design by Mark Balch[/b]
An excellent book that covers all the basics such as boolean logic,
karnaugh maps, binary arithmetic and more advanced topics such as serial
communication, microprocessors and the practical design of digital circuits.

[img]http://i.imgur.com/LLUjU.png[/img]
[b]Troubleshooting Analog Circuits by Robert A. Pease (Bob Pease)[/b]
An excellent book by an excellent author, this book contains a lot of useful
information that is invaluable if you are interested in getting into electronics
repair.

[img]http://i.imgur.com/iuSjW.png[/img]
[b]Power Electronics Handbook by Muhammad H. Rashid et al[/b]
A huge amount of information on power circuits and components
a must have if you're interested in power electronics.

[img]http://i.imgur.com/EL9kLjg.png[/img]
[b]Getting Started in Electronics (Forrest Mims)[/b]
Excellent book for beginners with plenty of well drawn illustrations and
straightforward explanations, highly recommended.

[img]http://i.imgur.com/drJqn1p.png[/img]
[b]Semiconductor Physics and Devices 3rd ed (Donald Neamen)[/b]
An advanced yet very informative book on semiconductor physics and device
operation, if you want a better understanding of semiconductors this is definitely
worth a read.

[url=https://archive.org/details/ModernElectronicCircuitsReferenceManual]Modern Electronic Circuits Reference Manual[/url] - A [b]huge[/b] amount of useful circuits.
[url=https://archive.org/details/ElectronicDevicesCircuits]Electronic Devices & Circuits[/url] - lot of useful information, old but still good.
[url=https://archive.org/details/TransistorCircuitAnalysis]Transistor Circuit Analysis[/url] - transistor circuit analysis in depth.
[url=https://archive.org/details/MicroprocessorInterfacingTechniques]Microprocessor Interfacing Techniques[/url] - rather outdated but you may still find something of value.
[url=https://archive.org/details/PracticalElectronicsHandbook]Practical Electronics Handbook[/url] - short but worth a read, nice handy chip reference at the back.
[url=https://archive.org/details/HigherElectricalEngineering]Higher Electrical Engineering[/url] - good book for learning more advanced EE.
[url=https://archive.org/details/PropertiesOfElectricalEngineeringMaterials]Properties of Electrical Engineering Materials[/url] - very math heavy but some good info.
[url=https://archive.org/details/LinearApplicationsHandbookVolume11990]Linear Applications Handbook Volume 1[/url] and [url=https://archive.org/details/LinearApplicationsHandbookVolume21993]Volume 2[/url] - old but full of great info.
[url=https://archive.org/details/TransistorSuperhetReceivers]Transistor Superhet Receivers[/url] - some good info if you're interested in RF.
[url=http://www.hobbyelektronica.nu/15/15/15_15_c.htm]IC Manufacturer Identification[/url]
[url=http://chippackage.tecnoface.com/]Chip (IC) Package Catalogue[/url]

[img]http://i.imgur.com/kudaa.png[/img]

[url=http://ocw.mit.edu/courses/electrical-engineering-and-computer-science/6-002-circuits-and-electronics-spring-2007/]MIT 6.002 complete lecture - Circuits and Electronics[/url]

[img]http://i.imgur.com/yKD6rx4.png[/img]

[url=http://www.linear.com/designtools/software/]LTspice[/url]
Simple yet very powerful free circuit simulator, highly recommended.

[url=http://www.falstad.com/circuit/]Java Circuit Simulator (no longer requires Java)[/url]
Very simplistic but highly visual circuit simulator, great for beginners but beware lack of accuracy and horrible MOSFET model, free.

[url=http://www.digikey.co.uk/schemeit/]SchemeIt by Digikey[/url]
Not a simulator but good for producing good quality schematics, has some other features that may be of use, free registration required.

[url=http://circuitcalculator.com/wordpress/2006/01/31/pcb-trace-width-calculator/]PCB Trace Width Calculator[/url]
Helpful tool to calculate required trace width.

[url=http://www.m0ukd.com/calculators/air-cored-inductor-calculator/]Air Core Inductor Calculator[/url]
Great if you need to wind some RF coils.

[url=https://www.omicron-lab.com/quickfil.html#5]QuickFil - Passive Filter Design Software[/url]
Extremely good free passive filter design software, does not work on modern 64bit OS so run it in a VM.

[url=http://www.hdtvprimer.com/KQ6QV/atlc2.html]Arbitrary Transmission Line Calculator 2 - ATLC2[/url]
Very useful tool that allows you to calculate the parameters of arbitrary transmission lines.

[img]http://i.imgur.com/SarKH.png[/img]

Bitsbox - Small selection of components but very cheap shipping, £1.50 UK, £2.75 Europe, £4.00 anywhere else.
RS - A well known supplier with large selection, shipping is fairly cheap but no Paypal.
Farnell - Another excellent supplier with a very large selection, minimum order applies and no Paypal.
DealExtreme - Sells a lot of made in china stuff but you can get some good deals.
AliExpress - Another good Chinese supplier.
Rapid - Decent selection but not the cheapest, shipping outside the UK is also fairly expensive.
Maplin Electronics - Similar to rapid but even more expensive, not available outside the UK as far as I'm aware, avoid.
Digikey - Excellent selection of components but fairly expensive shipping.
Sure Electronics - Small selection but some good value for money component kits.
Sparkfun Electronics - Nice selection with some good deals, still quite expensive.
RSH Electronics - Small selection with some great bargain packs, cheap delivery £4.00 international
Tayda Electronics - Decent selection of cheap parts, direct from Thailand so expect some delay in delivery.

[b]eBay Sellers[/b]

[url]http://stores.ebay.com/Thai-Shop-Etc[/url] - Cheap components
[url]http://stores.ebay.co.uk/Tayda2009[/url] - More cheap components

[img]http://i.imgur.com/vUYZE.png[/img]

Working with electricity is generally quite safe, however here are a some useful tips that will help you avoid severe injury or in the worst case death.

[b]Avoid working with mains electricity unless you are confident with what you're doing
Probe live circuits with your right hand and keep your left hand in your pocket
Keep your hands clean and dry
Do not wear any metal objects even around low voltage
Never go near high energy (3 phase) systems with a non-industry grade multimeter
Use a properly fused multimeter to avoid risk of explosion
Ensure high voltage capacitors are discharged before touching a circuit
Never make changes to household wiring unless you REALLY know what you're doing
NEVER EVER play around with microwave ovens they're lethal
Always check the mains cord on unknown equipment for damage[/b]

[img]http://i.imgur.com/KSl0E.png[/img]

Keep your breadboard clean and perform regular checks for high resistance or open circuits.
Know how to use your multimeter properly and safely.
Get a good quality soldering station and use leaded solder.
Make sure your iron has temperature control.
Flux is very useful particularly when soldering older oxidized stuff.
Never rely on circuit simulations or assume they're correct.
Get an oscilloscope as soon as possible, they're extremely useful.
Don't buy toy oscilloscopes like the DSO Nano or USB scopes.
Always draw out your schematic before building to help avoid accidents.
Keep your work area clean and well lit. (if possible)
Always experiment it helps greatly in learning, do not rely on a textbook alone.
Design your circuits using common sense and some basic math, a full analysis is rarely needed.
Breadboards are not suitable for high frequencies or high current. (> 1A)
Be very aware of possible ground loops, particularly if using an oscilloscope.
Keep your soldering iron tip clean, never dip it in flux or any other liquid and avoid applying pressure to it.
Use small soldering iron tips, preferably chisel type.
A soldering gun should never be used on circuit boards.
Never use solder meant for plumbing, 60/40 and 63/37 electronics solder with a flux core is standard.
Learn how to read the information given in datasheets and apply it to your circuit.

If you have anything to add post or PM me.

[quote]
[b]Previous Threads[/b]
[url]http://www.facepunch.com/threads/880827-Electronics-and-Embedded-Programming[/url] - By Ddrl46
[url]http://www.facepunch.com/threads/1092907[/url] V2 - By Chryseus
[url]http://www.facepunch.com/showthread.php?t=1160372[/url] V3 - By Chryseus
[url]http://facepunch.com/showthread.php?t=1207850[/url] (V1 of Electrical Engineering) - By Chryseus
[url]http://facepunch.com/showthread.php?t=1250138[/url] (V2 of Electrical Engineering) - By Chryseus
[/quote]

[Leestons]

Thanks for making the new thread, Chryseus.

[DrLuke]

New thread smell! Quick, mask it with some magic smoke scent!

[Cakebatyr]

You missed a golden opportunity to make a Chinese knockoff joke in the title.

[editline]24th February 2015[/editline]

[Quote]So I'm in small-town Vancouver Island for the next two days, I walked into a second hand store and they have an Astron RS-35A power supply on the shelf with a dead capacitor. They're not selling it because as I said its dead.

Is repairing that feasible at all or is it a massive safety risk?[/quote]

Back to the last question in V2

[Fuxed]

[QUOTE=DrDevil;47203063]New thread smell! Quick, mask it with some magic smoke scent![/QUOTE]

[URL="https://www.sparkfun.com/products/retired/10622"]Don't forget to refill it after you've let the smoke out though[/URL].

[Zero-Point]

[QUOTE=Cakebatyr;47204050]You missed a golden opportunity to make a Chinese knockoff joke in the title.
[/QUOTE]

"Electronics Engineering Thread V3: Only $2.59 On DX.com"

[Chryseus]

[QUOTE=Cakebatyr;47204050]Back to the last question in V2[/QUOTE]

If it's a linear supply there is no risk at all really, for a switching supply just don't poke it while it's on, preferably attach any test equipment while off and have a box of fuses or a circuit breaker in case it blows.
Don't attempt to attach an oscilloscope (or any other earthed equipment) unless you have an isolation transformer.

Also these threads on FP have been going for over 5 years.
Cake for everyone.

[t]http://cdn.cakecentral.com/e/e0/900x900px-LL-e044287f_gallery8240841321067463.jpeg[/t]

[Cakebatyr]

Speaking of test equipment, how would I go about verifying my repairs work? My multimeter ($15 sparkfun, with the illegal yellow case) certainly won't cut it.

[Chryseus]

[QUOTE=Cakebatyr;47205359]Speaking of test equipment, how would I go about verifying my repairs work? My multimeter ($15 sparkfun, with the illegal yellow case) certainly won't cut it.[/QUOTE]

It's fine if you use it on the secondary side.
To be honest it will probably be fine on the primary as well, although you might not want to hold on to it just in case.

[Cakebatyr]

Luckily my sunglasses are also CSA certified high impact/chemically resistant safety goggles :v:

[url]https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B003N3VNQ6/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_92n7ub12MJMEC[/url]

[Van-man]

[QUOTE=Cakebatyr;47205407]Luckily my sunglasses are also CSA certified high impact/chemically resistant safety goggles :v:

[url]https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B003N3VNQ6/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_92n7ub12MJMEC[/url][/QUOTE]

Reminds me, I need new driving sunglasses, since the rubber "nose holder" thingy between the eyes has deteriorated.
I also used my old expensive sports sunglasses as safety glasses when using a angle grinder on metal and welding :v:

[Cakebatyr]

I've owned that pair for 10 months now, they are fantastic and very comfortable. The entire bottom side is rubberized to provide a seal against debris flying up but doesn't leave big (or any) marks on your face afterwards.

Also it's yellow. And cheaper than most "cheap" sunglasses and comes with a [URL=http://uvex.us/uploadedFiles/ProductConfiguration/ProductLiterature/Uvex_Lens_Tech_Update2011.pdf]data sheet![/URL]

[Chryseus]

[QUOTE=Cakebatyr;47205508]Also it's yellow.[/QUOTE]

Of course, I bet it's lemon scented as well.

[Cakebatyr]

Damn, since its already hooked up to all their audio gear they plan on repairing it themselves and using it.

[LoneWolf_Recon]

I've just passed both my Technician (Entry Level) & General Class licensing for Amateur Radio!

Now I can finally put my plans into motion for a 40m PSK31 telemetry network!

[proboardslolv5]

Oh I'm glad!

I just got an arduino! I dont have an LCD but I do have 16 LEDs.

The first thing I did was create an 8-bit display which can display numbers from 0-255. here it is displaying the range of 0-255

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iv8Cf0VA198[/media]

Then I decided I wanted to display text. This simulates text by displaying the pixels of each character in sequence from left to right. When you move the board quickly from left to right, you can see the text! it's not as good as I'd like it to be, but I've slowed the video down to show the concept.

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hfi5PjvWwDE[/media]

heres some still added together to show the letters.

I have it showing ABCDE (this says CDEBA but whatever)

[img_thumb]http://i.imgur.com/Hk7kHRO.png[/img_thumb]

[Cakebatyr]

[QUOTE=LoneWolf_Recon;47214435]I've just passed both my Technician (Entry Level) & General Class licensing for Amateur Radio!

Now I can finally put my plans into motion for a 40m PSK31 telemetry network![/QUOTE]

One of us! One of us! Gooble Gobble!

Lets CQ.

[LoneWolf_Recon]

[QUOTE=Cakebatyr;47215681]One of us! One of us! Gooble Gobble!

Lets CQ.[/QUOTE]

Definitely, my paycheck is coming in rather soon, thus I can invest in a better radio than my current Baofeng and talk with you over my soon-to-be 40m setup (I also stumbled across this really nifty [URL="http://www.hamqsl.com/solar3.html"]ionosphere propagation tool[/URL]). I also want to start considering a call sign postcard.

[POLOPOZOZO]

Does anyone have experience with 74141's?
How necessary is it to put current limiting resistors between them and CMOS stuff?

[editline]26th February 2015[/editline]

Also, if an invalid state is sent to it, and the tube is blanked, that's how multiplexing can be done, right?

[Chryseus]

[QUOTE=POLOPOZOZO;47219922]Does anyone have experience with 74141's?
How necessary is it to put current limiting resistors between them and CMOS stuff?

[editline]26th February 2015[/editline]

Also, if an invalid state is sent to it, and the tube is blanked, that's how multiplexing can be done, right?[/QUOTE]

No need for current limiting resistors, TTL and CMOS stuff is high input impedance.
Yes you need to blank the tubes for multiplexing, you only want one active at a time.

[kokonut]

Just ordered a Rigol DS1054Z
The lead time :(

[Zero-Point]

[QUOTE=kokonut;47226519]Just ordered a Rigol DS1054Z
The lead time :([/QUOTE]

The struggle is real, but it's worth it.

[DrLuke]

The hardware is awesome, but the interface is so fucking sluggish, it makes me cry sometimes...

[pentium]

You BC folks: I hear word that Sphere Research might be having another blowout sale + driveway full of junky test equipment from April 3-5. I can say from personal experience it's worth the drive up from Vancouver or wherever you live.

[Cakebatyr]

So going back to ham radio (we should really create our own thread for that), I'm V[U]A[/u]7EEX, I checked my APRS log and noticed a V[U]E[/U]7EEX...

Turns out he's the president of the Langley Amateur Radio Club :v:

I should drop him a line...

[Chryseus]

[QUOTE=Cakebatyr;47232535]So going back to ham radio (we should really create our own thread for that), I'm V[U]A[/u]7EEX, I checked my APRS log and noticed a V[U]E[/U]7EEX...[/QUOTE]

Radio hams are very welcome in here, I've considered taking it up myself but haven't really had the time or cash to do so, if you want anything related added to the op just tell me.

[Ddrl46]

Woop, picked up a rather nice power supply. It cleaned up quite well.

[url=http://i.imgur.com/YXn6dhF.jpg][img]http://i.imgur.com/YXn6dhFl.jpg[/img][/url]

[Cakebatyr]

[QUOTE=Chryseus;47232560]Radio hams are very welcome in here, I've considered taking it up myself but haven't really had the time or cash to do so, if you want anything related added to the op just tell me.[/QUOTE]

The two subjects are very related, I'm just saying we should put a ham radio thread in GD.

believe you introduced me to the RTLSDR, from there I started playing with antenna designs and building a Hydrogen Line radio telescope, then I discovered the ham radio license included satellite communications and so I went for it.

[Colliseemoe2]

A professor at my university was trying to get a HAM radio club together last summer so a friend of mine got his tech license with me but the idea kind of fell through because everyone was too busy for it (work, class, etc.)

I've been thinking about getting into it on my own but it seems pretty expensive. Do you guys think it's worth the cost and time?

[Cakebatyr]

The license is $15 for 10 years in the US (Laurel VEC team will license you for free), in Canada its almost always free via a Volunteer Examiner (and the license is for life), in fact there was some controversy (full investigation) that a prof at [url=http://www.bcit.ca/]BCIT[/url] was charging $5 to license his students.

The actual radios can get pricey, but you're only looking at ~$40 for a Baofeng UV-B5 handheld VHF/UHF radio (that's the good one, anything with -5R or -82 in the model number is pretty shit) that will get you onto the local repeaters and if you happen to have an [url=http://www.irlp.net/]IRLP[/url] node nearby that gets you national/international coverage.

HF transceiver (the ones you can bounce signals off the ionosphere thousands of miles away type) start around $700 new, but I've heard of some (FT-817 in particular) go for $300 used.

Think of it no differently than buying a scope.

[editline]28th February 2015[/editline]

The US General license (tier 2 of 3) also includes the ability to assemble and transmit from [url=http://qrpkits.com/]pre-packaged kits[/url], so you can build a [url=http://www.qrpme.com/?p=product&id=RM4]Rockmite II[/url] (or "][" as the makers like to say) is a proven single-band CW (Morse code) transceiver for $50. Key issue this are low-power so you need a much better understanding of antenna systems than a 100W commercially produced one from Icom, Yaesu or Kenwood. You can also buy a [url=http://ae9rb.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=8]super-low power SDR transceiver[/url] in kit form. Unlike the Rockmite II or QRPKits, this one is pretty much restricted to digital modes due to its power output.

In Canada I would require an additional license in addition to my current license to assemble and transmit from a kit.