Programmable DC Electronic Load Tester (Array 3710A/ProTek L-300)

Cool Tools, DIY, Electronics
January 16, 2014 No Comments

csi3710a-1

 

As many of you know I’ve been busy finishing my latest hardware creation, Myro:Air and as part of a certification process, the USB port on the back of the unit must be able to provide a stable 5V at both 1A and 2.1A loads.  Long story short, it’s been quite the process to test the power supply consistently until I found this nice Programmable DC Electronic Load system.  It’s marketed under many different brands like TekPower, Circuit Specialists & ProTek but it usually also contains the model number of 3710A and is made by Array.  The best part is the price — $349 for the 360VDC/150W and $499 for the 360V/ 300W version.

I purchased the unit from Circuit Specialists and will post a full video review soon.  It’s allowed me to easily test different component profiles as well as test the required overload protection of Myro:Air’s USB circuit.    The unit also features a built in multimeter that can also measure the voltage of the circuit under load though I still prefer to use my DMM for more accurate measures.   I’ll also demonstrate the PC software it ships with in the video.

Feel free to post an questions in the comments and I can answer then in the video.

Circuits Specialists CSI3710A

TekPower TP3710A via Amazon.com

 

 

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2013 ESPN/ABC Holiday Gift Guide

Electronics
January 15, 2014 No Comments

guide

 

2013 was a great year for tech lovers and I’ve finally found a moment to post a link to my Technology Holiday Gift Guide showing all the gadgets I recommended and ran last month on ESPN and a few ABC Owned television stations.   Even though the Holidays are over these gift ideas are still relevant for upcoming birthdays or heck, even a well deserved gift for yourself.  Also, if you ever find a cool tech product please let me know about it as I’m always compiling a list of ideas for the next gift guide.

– 2013 ESPN Gift Guide: Technology

– 2013 ABC Owned Television Stations Gift Guide: KGO San Francisco, KABC Los AngelesWABC New YorkWPVI PhiladelphiaWLS ChicagoKTRK Houston, KFSN Fresno,WTVD Raleigh

 

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RC10 is back as limited edition release!

Electronics, Fun & Games, Kids, R/C Models
August 13, 2013 No Comments

RC10 Classic 3Q L_Body On_lg

When I was a kid I always had my eye on the Team Associated RC10 but it was very expensive.  I was however still lucky to get my hands on a Tamiya Grasshopper (also recently rereleased), but it was never a RC10 replacement.    I come to find out that Team Associated has rereleased the RC10 Classic kit for a limited time.   Still made in the U.S.A. (or “a good portion of it is”) with the same basic parts (full list of changes here) — I believe the tooling has changed but for the most part they are identical (read about it more here).   Even the most iconic component, the gold anodized aluminum tub chassis, is included except it has been updated to fit either a 6-cell NiMh or 2S LiPo battery packs.

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Sneak Peek II – Myro:Air AirPlay Streaming Device

Electronics, Home Automation, Home Theater, Videos
June 19, 2013 No Comments

Hey folks!  Thought I’d post a quick video showing the progress of Myro:Air, the world’s first AirPlay device featuring the highly-respected Wolfson WM8741 DAC and 2-way control via Russound RNET and RS-232 (Crestron, Control4, AMX, etc).  Enjoy!

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