Newbie questions and doubts.

[motterpaul]

"For the record, concerning the LED issue, there was never any argument about which leg goes to ground (cathode) but that you could put the CLR between 9v and Anode -OR- Cathode and ground.  Just clearing that up."

Holy Mother of Jesus. I tested this CLR - LED on my breadboard five times and it never worked with the CLR on the cathode. Then the second I read it from you, I turned around and looked at my breadboard and it is wired that way and the LED is lit up.

I am like fully embarrassed. That never worked for me before, and now it does. Ever feel like God is trying to teach you a lesson in humility? Not until I take a stand and insist I am right do I get shown I'm totally wrong - F.. U. C. K.

Cavi - I fully apologize on that account.  I really do. I'm speechless here

I swear to God, I don't know what to say, having the LED on the cathode never worked for me, or else my mind just didn't see it. I flipped the flow, but I didn't realize I had the CLR on the cathode.

ever feel like someone is watching you from behind? this is freaky.

Sure - laugh at me, I deserve it, but don't look, I'm .... pitiful.

(edited - I had cathode/anode reversed in definiton).

[dbat69]

motterpaul wrote

Sure - laugh at me, I deserve it, but don't look, I'm .... pitiful.

We all learn, - for me its also usually the hard way after I've stuck a size 20 shoe in it   But this is not the place that I've found that you get laughed at for a goof, everyone (especially the regulars) are always willing to help and pass on their experience (in some cases vast experience) of building these circuits.

I too am a noob and am learning loads from this forum and the helpful comments that are posted.  Some of the info, like Javi just posted a week ago in the Maestro Fuzz, is brilliant and saves everyone a lot of time and effort - time we would have also had to spend sorting the circuit, and for me probably hitting it with a hammer (to make me feel better) when I can't get the sound out of it

I hope peace and harmony can be restored

[Beaker]

"For the record, concerning the LED issue, there was never any argument about which leg goes to ground (cathode) but that you could put the CLR between 9v and Anode -OR- Cathode and ground.  Just clearing that up."

So why is it that you can put the resistor on either leg of the LED, and it not make any difference to the way the circuit works?


The best way to describe this is with an analogy. This dead simple circuit - battery, LED and resistor, connected by wire, functions in a similar way as a hot water central heating system, with water representing the flow of electrons.

In our central heating system, you have a water pump, pushing water around a closed loop. This is the same as the battery "pushing" the electrons around. Voltage is just a measure of electrical pressure, so 9V from our battery is analogous to 9 psi from our water pump.

Then we have a non-return valve to prevent back flow. this is the same as your diode - only allows electrons to flow in one direction, but as it is a light emmiting diode, it lights up too. Bonus!

The resistor is kind of like a water pressure regulator, reducing the water pressure to a point that it does not "blow" the non-return valve.

(BTW yes I know the resistor is current limiting resistor - it's the current that will blow your LED, not the voltage. Not at 9V anyway. This is where the analogy gets a bit ropey.)

If you think about it, because it is a closed loop system, it really does not matter if the pressure regulator is before, or after the non-return valve.

In exactly the same way, it does not matter if the resistor come before the LED (between battery and anode), or after the LED (between cathode and battery). That there IS a resistor in there somewhere, is the important bit.

I hope this helps.

[Silver Blues]

motterpaul wrote

I can't believe anyone has a soldering gun with a tip that lasts more then a week of soldering.

Between my dad and I we have like five different soldering implements. My (his old) Weller that I mentioned earlier is a freak of nature. I can't even fathom how this tip has lasted so long. It's even still pointy, if a little curved . We also have a cheap but not too bad Mastercraft station that eats tips for breakfast. The company's own tips are awful quality and blunt so quickly, and even better quality replacement tips don't fare too well. He had an old Archer iron that only recently bit the dust from a heater issue, that only needed one tip replacement (and a well-deserved one too, the thing looked like a BB with a threaded base). We recently bought a Pro-Point iron (that heats up so fast it's astonishing) whose stock tip could not stand to be in free air for any period of time before oxidizing to the point of no heat transfer. We bought a compatible Weller-ish replacement tip and now it performs great. Then there's the 200W Taiwanese solder gun.

Something I do that I'm sure is unusual is that I actually dip my tips in flux to clean them. I have one of those brass wool stands (which are awesome btw, recommend to anyone - sponges are a joke after one of these) but nothing works better to clean a lot of buildup than tip > flux. Dad and I share a tin of Kester Acid Paste Flux (that I'm sure is also older than me) which works brilliantly.

In light of recent events, yes I do hope we can all cool down and return to the camaraderie that defines this site. As much as we all like to rant about things like this (I'm not innocent either), we all must remember that we were new once too, once upon a time the noobs we speak of were us. Getting up in arms over someone lacking knowledge due to being new is as useless here as it is everywhere (looking at you, Call of Duty and League of Legends, as much as I enjoy you).

[rocket88]

amen buddy.

btw, i too clean my tips in flux, my dad did and does it, which is who taught me so i just picked it up. i can honestly say i either have great luck with tips, or just really take care of them, as i don't go through them that fast. i mean if i've killed a time in 6 months to a year i'ld be shocked. oh, and i too have some irons that have the curved pointy tip syndrome.

[Beaker]

Not sure what it is with Weller tips. They have a load of really old Weller irons at the college where I work. All the tips are ancient but still good.

They bought a load of new Weller irons a couple of years ago, and the tips don't last five minutes.

Yes, flux cleaner, and brass wool is the way to go. My Xytronic tips are still perfectly good after years of use.

[inefficiency]

I read somewhere, either in the leaflet that came with the iron or on the Weller website, that flux can erode the tip prematurely.

I guess at this point I might as well anyway, because they're dying on me.

I have some brass wool that I use for cleaning the tip, but I have a little pot of flux too. What do you guys do? Just give the tip a little dip in there?

[Silver Blues]

Yeah, I poke at the wool every few joints, and if there's serious buildup I just give it a quick dip.

[IvIark]

I bought a soldering station a couple of years ago but still use a basic Xytronics iron which I bought in either 2008 or 2009 most of the time.  I bought lots of extra tips with different size ends etc, but I still use the one that first came with it and the end it still perfectly shiney.

Although to be fair I probably don't build as much as most people on here!

[ξεναγος νεκροπολης]

d.i.y.
do it yourself

that's not something that allows you to just make something for yourself without paying money.
it's not something that allows you to JUST have fun on your free time.(which is good to happen btw)
it's not something that somebody could act like an expert or like a boss.(just think how mark and miro could act in that case...)

being the boss, JUST having fun, and just earning money are opportunities that capitalism is offering with a lot of human loses.......i'm not like that. none of us should ever be one!

most of us are not Christians,so we shouldn't stop writing about what we believe on this subject just in the name of "general good" , and that's why i make this statement to make my self clear cause i feel like a newbie member of this community and i can tell that i love what people have build with care. and i'm following with ALL my heart.
this community is the best one out there not cause we don't speak. nazis didn't speak too...it's the best cause till now we help its other...

so...for me...

d.i.y is SHARING.sharing the knowledge. not just taking the knowledge.all i've learned till now, was from the knowledge that other people shared AND BY LOTS OF SEARCHING, READING AND DOING. and it's still out there. everyone can read it, i didn't deleted it! and i'm trying to help other people too, to find that knowledge. i didn't knew about the guides  or the forum by the first time i've visited this site (probable through a google picture or something...)
BUT i can apologize for a stupid question i made.
i'm not seeking for enemies.
i'm looking for friends.
that's what i think javi wanted to say


for me also, EVERYTHING you do is a political action.

from being a sexist, to being a racist.
from being "the expert"(with the attitude), to acting like an ass.
by thinking that you are not doing something political, for me is like you're fooling your self.
everything is a political action!
if you don't accept this, try and tell Michel Foucault that he is stupid...try and tell that the England's workers "class war" newspaper was no good for the rest of the world...try and tell that you are the pope or the owner of apple, in the same time someone's trying to find food for his children in a racist state.

we are ALL politically acting.
and by our actions everyone is making his conclusions about our personality.

javi i'm 100% with you on this post.
i totally understand what you what to say.
and the most important
motterpaul i understand you too.

it was hi time for me to stand up for what i think this diy thing is.
we are all trying for something common, or we are all trying to eat each other.
better eat the rich.
newbie Savvas.

[rocket88]

buddy, no need to say sorry. i'm glad that you've learned a lot. we've all been in this same in the situation. i know i found the main site by accident, and thought to myself " i think i can actually do this. started to build, asked tones of stupid questions at the beginning, have learned a lot from people like mark, miro, javi, R.G. Keen, induction, paul (p.r.r. on DIYSB), just to name a few, sorry if i'm forgetting anyone. btw, i think you hit the nail on the head. most importantly from my point of view, is everyone here really does want to help each  other out, it's a true community.