Monthly Archives: February 2010

Electronics, Kits, Microcontrollers

Quick look at the Blinken Button

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Here’s a quick look at the new Blinken Button kit from Interactive Matter.

If you want to try your hand at surface mount soldering, this is a fun project that can be completed in a couple hours with a decent soldering iron and a pair of tweezers.  The instructions aren’t perfect (I had to short across the PCB pads for D1 and D2 to get my programmer to talk to the AVR, and at the moment you have to install Eclipse to compile the hex file) but I am confident that these minor issues will be fixed shortly!

Electronics

Datasheet Hell

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I would love to know what this datasheet says because I’d like to use this part in a project.

Details such as “the part will self ignite if you hook it up thusly” would be particularly helpful.

Can anyone read Russian (Cyrillic)?

Update:

Thanks to everyone who stepped up to translate the datasheet!  You guys are awesome!

Here is a photo of the tube that I am pretty sure goes with the datasheet above.  It’s a CI-3BG Glass Geiger Müller Tube from Electronics Goldmine.

Electronics Goldmine’s description mentions that this tube is intended to detect gamma rays.  Based on the translations, this is true, but the tube appears to be sensitive to beta radiation as well.  This is one of the things I was hoping to learn from the datasheet, in addition to the driver requirements and any hints about it’s original application.

The unique part about this tube (to me) is that the envelope is made of glass, and the “active area” (or whatever it is called) is fairly small – this is perhaps consistent with the intended application in very high radiation environments.  If anyone knows anything else about these tubes and their differences compared to more “traditional” metal-can Geiger tubes, please leave a comment!

No idea what I am talking about?  Wikipedia to the rescue!

Books and Resources, Electronics

Announcing the MightyOhm.com Wiki

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I am pleased to announce that the MightyOhm Wiki is now online and open to the public.

While there isn’t a ton of content yet, my hope is that the wiki will become a useful means to share information and resources relevant to the site.  At the moment, there are pages for electronics vendors, hardware/software tools, and PCB manufacturers.

Another page I have been working on for a while is the surplus directory, which lists surplus electronics stores around the country.  If you have a favorite surplus goldmine in your area, please create an account and add it to the wiki!

MightyOhm Has a Wiki.  Check it out.