A Crummy Commercial

After the recent loss of the 4 LED bulbs to lightning: https://wb9kzy.blogspot.com/2025/08/lightning-strikes.html  I replaced them with 4 bulbs stolen from other fixtures inside the house.  So I went on Ebay looking for replacement LED bulbs and found these: The idea is that instead of the snow-cone style (where the LEDs sit on an aluminum circuit board) of LED bulbs like the ones that were damaged, I thought that these newer style bulbs with the two long "filament" style of LEDs would be perfect for the bath: The problem with snow-cone bulbs is that they are more like a spotlight, the light shines in a smaller than 180 degree arc.  With the filament style bulbs the light has a much wider arc.  This is perfect for bath vanity style fixtures: where a set of bare bulbs is able to shine down (and up) as well as straight ahead.  This makes them more useful since there is a higher light level when leaning into the mirror to see something up close. These particular bu...

Learned another lesson today: take a picture. I've been a photographer since grade school but possibly that hasn't always served me well in the 21st century.   Nowadays once the camera has been purchased each picture taken is essentially free.  In the olden days it cost money to buy film, develop and print it - and I did my own B&W developing.  In addition, it was a certain time sink to process the film.  So maybe I'm unconsciously avoiding picture taking ? Today I was working on this: It's the clock module from the old Westclox clock that has been on/off the shame shelf seemingly since the battery leak. https://wb9kzy.blogspot.com/2023/05/boss.html    I had ripped out the battery contacts (all corroded) and soldered wires to an external battery holder.  But something just wasn't right.  Sometimes it works, sometimes not - bad for a clock.  It's a shame because the module kept excellent time. Today I was going to touch up the solderi...

I was going to record a movie with the PVR - I've mentioned the PVR before: https://wb9kzy.blogspot.com/2024/06/class-10-works.html  So I try turning it on and nothing, no red LED, nothing.  Was it another victim of the recent lightning strike that got some LED bulbs ? https://wb9kzy.blogspot.com/2025/08/lightning-strikes.html  So I tried opening it up but first encountered this somewhat cryptic label over one of the screws: I actually had to use my electric drill to get the Philips screws out - usually the electric drill only gets used during maple sap season ! Anyway, I immediately saw a rather unsightly color around the electrolytic cap and the bridge rectifiers: Yuck !  Of course it's a switching supply with the AC line voltage being rectified and then pumped down to lower voltages used by the digital parts.  I've got plenty of 1n4007 rectifiers but 22 uF electrolytic caps at 400 volts ?  I might have to buy one of those. BTW I don't think this would ha...

Recently I had gotten on the Nordic Track for under a minute when whoops !  My feet came out from under me - the strap had broken. The Nordic Track was a pretty ruggedly designed machine - meant to mimic cross country skiing motion.  There are two one way rollers under the skis which drive a flywheel.  The strap is a length of nylon webbing about 1 inch wide that rides in a groove on the flywheel.  The strap is wound most of the way around the wheel and is tensioned by a spring.  As the machine is used the strap rubs on the wheel generating warmth to the touch.  But this friction and heat must eventually break down the strap until snap ! Note that this is a much better system than the old stationary bike I had from AMF.  It just had an adjustable pressure roller on a wheel - eventually the wheel bearings heated up and froze. Here is a picture of the removed strap: Ebay still has listings for the strap: https://www.ebay.com/itm/255879679323  But $2...

I mentioned the roof at American Family Field leaking during the Brewer game in Milwaukee on 2025-08-09: https://wb9kzy.blogspot.com/2025/08/two-highlight-videos.html  There were storms here on the island on that Saturday, too.  The power was out for about 1/2 hour in the late afternoon.  But before that there was a very close lightning strike near my house, flash and thunder at the same time and LOUD !  Luckily I had turned off the modem, computer, disconnected antennas and the phone line. But after the power came on I didn't check the outside and garage lights.  There is a long buried wire from the garage to a lamp near the mailbox.  It's on a ground fault circuit which usually trips during a storm.  But trying the lights a few evenings later (after resetting the GFI breaker) the lights were found to be dead.   The next day I checked and found these 4 dead LED bulbs: The three LED lamps on the left had been outside and they all rattle just ...

I've got a couple of SHARP WWVB clocks - actually three but one is dead.  The one I have in the basement started acting up, some segments of the LCD are missing: The bad one is on the right.  The problem is with the DAY (should be WED) and the tens of minutes (should be a 4).   Here are closer but fuzzier views: Good clock bad clock I checked the AA cells, they are both Energizer Lithium which read over 1.7 volts as do the cells in the good clock.  I got out the dead clock mainly because taking it apart wouldn't hurt anything and to see how the LCD was connected to the clock chip.   I was expecting some kind of pressure-elastomeric interconnect but these appear to be bonded together with some kind of stick-em like double sided tape or conductive glue or ??  Anyway it doesn't look like there is a way to just swap the LCD easily.  The back of the clock has the WWVB receiver: see the green-red wire near the hole ?  that was intended to bring the piez...

Apparently the problem with the Muter was the IR decoder module.  Monitoring the output of the module there would be periods of noise pulses: Then the noise might shrink and the output would invert ! Sony TV mute code 29, output inverted from active low to active high, weird !   I'm guessing that this is some problem inside with the AGC ?   Here is a picture of the defective module: Anyway, found a Sharp decoder module in the parts box, unfortunately it isn't made anymore but it is a 40 kHz module which works with the Sony remotes. I hooked it up to the Muter in place of the defective module and now the Muter works ! However I will still abandon adding a timer to the Muter.  A mini-one button IR remote will be made for the Sony CMT-EP313 stereo with built in delay timing.  I found an example of a one button remote in the junkbox: from the now defunct All Electronics :( But with the 9V battery holder it would require some voltage regulation for use with a PI...

I was listening to a Brewers broadcast on an old Sony CFS-1030 boombox (AC powered) when suddenly I heard a pop - and then it was dead.  No smoke was seen or odor noticed so not sure what happened.  I got the box apart and there is no evidence of any problem, so now it's time to start buzzing things out to see what may have opened up or shorted.   I found the service manual here: https://elektrotanya.com/sony_cfs-1030.pdf/download.html  Here is the power portion of the schematic: The Australian version seems to have fuses, this one just has jumpers. I believe the problem was that I was using a small switchbox to turn the radio on and off (since it can't be turned "off off" because the power transformer is connected directly to the AC line).  Unfortunately this switch box has 3 positions: center off, full power and 1/2 power (half wave rectifier).  I was using the switch box with a foot heater which didn't care about AC versus pulsating DC.  Howeve...

I use hearing protection when using power tools but recently that also includes vacuum cleaners.  I use an old pair of Acoustic Research over the ear stereo headphones which are comfortable and do the job but I should use the old Peltor hearing protector instead.  The problem is the Peltor ear pads started cracking which exposes the foam making them less effective and less comfortable at the same time: too much time spent mowing the grass ?   I bought these replacement pads on Ebay a while back but today decided to find them and use them: It was hard to figure out the best way to get the old pads off, ended up just cutting them off with a scissors.  Then a quick peel and press and voila: They seem to work, sound is different - not sure if it is better or worse but at least it makes vacuuming more bearable. Update 2025-07-13:  unfortunately the stickem came loose on one of the new pads :(   I'll have to get some kind of glue or tape - maybe I will just ...

I finally repaired a bicycle flat tire today - one item I've used recently works well:  Park Tool Tire Patches.  They weren't super cheap at $1 each but the cool thing is that there is no little metal tube of glue - you know those tubes of stuff, as soon as the metal is punctured the clock is ticking and by the time you need a second patch, the contents of the tube have evaporated.  Also those old glue patches are iffy, sometimes they work, sometimes not.  The Park patches are easy, just sand the hole area with the included sandpaper, dust it off and then peel the backing and stick on the patch. Done. The only bad thing is that the patches are in a little plastic box that is easily lost - I KNOW there's another one around here somewhere ! I've got to see if Park also makes bicycle tubes :) Best Regards, Chuck, WB9KZY http://wb9kzy.com/ham.htm

I was watching this interesting Curious Marc video on fixing a Commodore Pet: source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nxilekpLp6g Even though Marc has virtually every tool known to the electronics industry it struck me that: no chip puller no anti-static straps no anti-static mat They got the computer to work and apparently it was not any worse for ignoring the above but still, those three items together would cost less than anything else in that lab !   Although these guys are younger than I am, I would suggest having magnification at hand to help assist in not putting stuff in backwards - also I cringed at running the computer with an EPROM where the EPROM window was uncovered (they had a lamp shining on it).  Light plus semiconductors equals weird stuff happening. I thought the prop rod for the Commodore Pet was a hoot, I never knew they came with those.  Not sure what that says about the need for access - especially in these days of something like a cell phone where t...

A friend has been mentioning getting on the air with digital modes.  While it's easy to hear and copy those modes with a computer and the software, generally an SSB radio is required to transmit.  And to make SSB work a microphone input is required.  I did have a mic cable setup for the K2 but I recalled that it didn't work when I tried to use it several years ago. The mic (a Shure 444 originally used with my HT-37) seems to work so I suspected the problem was with the way I had the jumpers set for the K2.  The jumpers looked OK at first but then I noticed that only one of the grounds was jumpered.  So I added another ground jumper (and also four uncommitted jumpers in case it needs to be changed in the future): not sure what the 4.7 k ohm resistor and wire are for, think it was for a fixed level AF output In the process of buttoning the K2 back up I managed to torque off the threaded shaft of the 1/2 inch aluminum standoff: Fudge ! I thought about buying a repl...

Now that maple sap boiling season is approaching I thought of this: received: 2017-03-03 died: 2017-11-11 My Nuwave induction cooktop was nice while it lasted.  It was perfect for finishing maple syrup (boiling down "almost" syrup until the sugar concentration is just right).  The problem seems to be the sensor but who knows where that is and where to buy a new one, certainly Nuwave is no help. no parts available on the Nuwave site BTW there was no warranty, it was purchased on Ebay for $65. What happens is that the unit comes on and will start (the fan and the LED temperature display) but nothing heats AND when the pan is taken off, it still runs which is why I'm thinking that sensor or sensors are involved OR maybe just the controller is NG.  I tried taking it apart once but nothing jumped out to me as damaged, there is stuff embedded in white goop of some kind, that might be the sensor/s. But now it's just another item on the shame shelf.  There isn't that much...

Curious Marc (and crew) mess up at times: source:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=snP_Fp--_PM origin of the smoke: see the little orange dots just visible on the slip ring The magic smoke wasn't really their fault but Ken trying to explain it away ?  NG :)  Also forgetting the magic phase shift cap a couple times ? Take aways:  even though it's completely different, use polarity protection (your fave method) ALL the time - yes I hate the smoke !  Also, if available, use current limiting to let you know when there are shorts by having the supply voltage wilt. Also:  isn't it interesting that with a room jammed with HP meters of all kinds and generations they use a Tek meter to find the short ?: Curious Marc also likes to use HP scopes in favor of Tek :) Best Regards, Chuck, WB9KZY http://wb9kzy.com/ham.htm