Circuit Break Podcast #74

Reverse Biasing Opamps

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June 30, 2017, Episode #74

Parker learns Python and OpenCV and Stephen gets silly with transformers.
  • July Hardware & Electronics Engineering Meetup by MacroFab & Mouser Electronics event is live! Come grab some food, beer, and socializing if your in the Houston area.
  •  Parker
    • Been learning Python and OpenCV
      • OpenCV is an open source computer vision library
      • PyImageSearch
      • Setup PyCharm
      • Using Requests to use and get information from the MacroFab API
      • Built a 3D printed chassis for holding a 5MP USB camera
      • Taking pictures of PCBs and removing lens distortion
    • RPI3 CM PCB done
      • Will be testing over the weekend
      • 6 Pack of beer riding on this board!
      • Board does power up correctly.
    • COMPIOT board Opamp blew up!
      • Symbol on Schematic unlabeled for the power inputs of the opamp
  • Stephen
    • Still Making the three synth modules (two envelops and one filter)
      • Waiting on the CA3146 transistor IC
      • This is an obsolete part
      • Stephen wants to use it for legacy reasons
    • Making some power supplies for tube mics (the same one that we made for JOSH).
      • Have to figure out how to make a 6.3V or 12.6V high current rail along with a 200V to 300V low current rail.
      • Stephen is going to use transformers that I have at my shop.
      • One drops 120VAC to 10VAC and the other raises the 10VAC up to 230VAC
      • The 10VAC rectified can potentially give 12.6VDC. If not I can drop it to 6.3VDC.
      • The 230VAC rectified can become 325VDC.
  • Pick Of the Week (POW)
    • 130-in-1 Electronic Playground from SparkFun
      • With the closure of Radio Shack where would you buy one of these intro kits?
      • $50 is cheaper then Radio Shack even!
  • Rapid Fire Opinion (RFO)

Are you interested in seeing a blog series for the synth we’re working on? [Let us know!](mailto: podcast@macrofab.com)

Figure 1: OpenCV working with PyCharm. Detecting cat faces!

Figure 1: OpenCV working with PyCharm. Detecting cat faces!

Figure 2: 3D printed camera fixture.

Figure 2: 3D printed camera fixture.

Figure 3: Distorting the camera image.

Figure 3: Distorting the camera image.

Figure 4: Opamp Total FAIL!

Figure 4: Opamp Total FAIL!

About the Hosts

Parker Dillmann
  Parker Dillmann

Parker is an Electrical Engineer with backgrounds in Embedded System Design and Digital Signal Processing. He got his start in 2005 by hacking Nintendo consoles into portable gaming units. The following year he designed and produced an Atari 2600 video mod to allow the Atari to display a crisp, RF fuzz free picture on newer TVs. Over a thousand Atari video mods where produced by Parker from 2006 to 2011 and the mod is still made by other enthusiasts in the Atari community.

In 2006, Parker enrolled at The University of Texas at Austin as a Petroleum Engineer. After realizing electronics was his passion he switched majors in 2007 to Electrical and Computer Engineering. Following his previous background in making the Atari 2600 video mod, Parker decided to take more board layout classes and circuit design classes. Other areas of study include robotics, microcontroller theory and design, FPGA development with VHDL and Verilog, and image and signal processing with DSPs. In 2010, Parker won a Ti sponsored Launchpad programming and design contest that was held by the IEEE CS chapter at the University. Parker graduated with a BS in Electrical and Computer Engineering in the Spring of 2012.

In the Summer of 2012, Parker was hired on as an Electrical Engineer at Dynamic Perception to design and prototype new electronic products. Here, Parker learned about full product development cycles and honed his board layout skills. Seeing the difficulties in managing operations and FCC/CE compliance testing, Parker thought there had to be a better way for small electronic companies to get their product out in customer's hands.

Parker also runs the blog, longhornengineer.com, where he posts his personal projects, technical guides, and appnotes about board layout design and components.

Stephen Kraig
  Stephen Kraig

Stephen Kraig is a component engineer working in the aerospace industry. He has applied his electrical engineering knowledge in a variety of contexts previously, including oil and gas, contract manufacturing, audio electronic repair, and synthesizer design. A graduate of Texas A&M, Stephen has lived his adult life in the Houston, TX, and Denver, CO, areas.

Stephen has never said no to a project. From building guitar amps (starting when he was 17) to designing and building his own CNC table to fine-tuning the mineral composition of the water he uses to brew beer, he thrives on testing, experimentation, and problem-solving. Tune into the podcast to learn more about the wacky stuff Stephen gets up to.

Special-thanks-to-whixr-over-at-Tymkrs-for-the-intro-and-outro!

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