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Simple ATX bench power supply
For some time I had this old ATX power supply gathering dust and getting moved from one place to another. I kept wanting to transform it into a bench supply. ATX supplies are switched power supplies...
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DIY metal stencils – research & materials
Stencils for SMD solder pasting are becoming less expensive. Companies like ohararp.com makes your custom Kapton-polymide film stencils for $25 per 8×11″ sheet. Not bad, but I’m not sure if they allow...
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DIY metal stencils – a step through
This is a step through to make your own metal stencils for PCB solder paste application. In the last post I described my trial and error details of picking the materials. I am using beverage can...
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Moteino programming jig
Once I assemble Moteinos, I will need a way to load the bootloader and test programming from the Arduino IDE. Since I plan to sell them without soldered headers (unless people want that option), it’s...
View ArticleDIY metal stencils – video update
UPDATE: See the “definitive tutorial” post on how to make these. I posted this video of the latest SMD stencil I made for my Moteino project. I ended up shrinking the pads by 8mil on this one, the...
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DIY SMD metal stencils – the definitive tutorial
In previous posts (here and here) I described my efforts and research to develop a DIY method to make good quality SMD metal stencils at home. I have since experimented some more and I believe I found...
View ArticleMoteino manual pick and place SMD assembly
Quick video of how I assemble Moteinos. This includes using a home made metal stencil to spread solder paste on the pads and a manual pick and place apparatus for speedy placement of SMD components....
View ArticleDIY manual SMD pick and place machine for $20
I’ve shot this video over several days a few weeks ago and finally had some time to put it together. Kind of rough cut but I think it proves the point that you can build a very effective pick and...
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Sump pump alert with Moteino & HC-SR04
Here’s another project I wanted to do for a long time. I wanted a sump pump flood warning alert system in place, for peace of mind when I’m gone from home for prolonged periods. For whatever reason I...
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Illustrated guide to making simple jigs for programming and testing
When I built the first revision of Moteino I had to come up with a way to program and test them quickly without having to solder the headers. I saw how others built complicated jigs for this purpose...
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Illustrated guide to making a simple solder paste application jig
For a few months I used to tape scrap PCBs on my work desk and apply solder paste there. It was the quick no-brainer solution, but the more designs I had to assemble the more issues I started having...
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Mailbox notifier project upgrade
Time for an upgrade to my mailbox notifier. I long wanted to give it an upgrade and folks kept asking. Here are the things I wanted to change/add: the transistor was a rather unnecessary complication...
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Reflow oven insulation
My reflow oven is very low tech. I haven’t modified it at all and even so I’ve been using it to reflow thousands of PCBs ever since LowPowerLab started. It has top and bottom elements, but the heat...
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Laminator dimmer hack for PCB or stencil toner transfer
This post will walk you through a dimmer enhanced laminator mod that allows an alternative method to transfer toner to PCBs or metal stencils. The clothing iron transfer method works pretty well to...
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So you can’t afford a $200 lightbox?
I’m going to try to break the blog silence with something worthwhile your precious reading time, my dear reader. There’s much to blog about and what’s going on at LowPowerLab but for now something...
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SwitchMote – one step closer to reality!
Just got another batch of SwitchMote and SwitchMote Shield PCBs from OSHPark the other day and I put one together for a test run. In the meantime Kris K has suggested I try another type of cover for...
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Lasercut strip feeder for your pick & place
Got pick & place? Cool. Got cut strips components but no strip feeders? No? Then this post is for you. Problem: You need to assemble a small run of boards in your pick and place and buying full...
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Mailbox Notifier Upgrade #3
As I explained in my lipoly+freezing=failure post, I ran into a snag with the brand new Lithium Polymer battery operated MotionMote that serves as my mailbox notifier. It discharges quickly after being...
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GarageMote WeatherShield Upgrade
Now that WeatherShield is available to take high accuracy temperature, humidity and pressure measurements, it’s time to spread it around the property and watch the trends. I’ve already posted an...
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Laser Etching SMT Stencils Tutorial
If you make PCBs and have any SMT components you likely need an SMT stencil to apply solder paste and then bake everything in an oven to reflow the paste. I’ve previously written an extensive tutorial...
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