As someone fluent in Mandarin, I believe black technology is a direct translation from Chinese which is supposed to translate to something similar to "secret technology" or "special weapon" in the case of games/sports.
I'm glad you mentioned the potential issue with the twisted connection: heat cycling. In the U.S., this type of connection would not pass inspection. Electrical connections must be done by mechanical means (wire nut, compression, wago, screw, etc.). This, on its own, is not mechanical means. Sure, you could throw a wire nut on the end of it and be compliant, but you're still royally screwing over the next guy that has to work on it. This much twist on solid wires can weaken the copper, causing it to break in half when you try to undo it. That's fine when you have 20" of wire sticking out, but most of the time, you cannot afford to make the wire any shorter than it already is.
in all fairness the product itself can be used just fine. Have a couple and they work perfect for pretwisting. Just use a drill at slowest speed (brushless or nothing) and you can easily get a good twist on thicker 12AWG wires far faster, toss on a wirenut and call it a day. It's extremely handy. Hell, you can even use it with hand tools to make life easier
I feel for US electricians that have to deal with wire nuts. I only find them in fairly old installations over here and it's always a royal pain in the behind.
I built a custom dual panel ultrawide mini monitor for my workbench using a pair of those iPad LCDs. Put it on a sliding rail under my top shelf, and used a GoPro handlebar mount to get a tilt and swivel for it. It's combined 4096x1536 is a high enough resolution to show detailed schematics and diagrams, but not very tall, so it doesn't obscure the workspace below. I used a cable chain to guide the power and video cables to the PC at the side of the desk. Even if just using it to play youtube videos to pass the time while working, I could slide it to the side and rotate it to face me. It was perfect! The LCDs and drivers, the GoPro mount, the cable chain, and even the screws all came from AliExpress. The slide rail (closet door slide), aluminum U channel (for the frame), and the polycarbonate (screen protector) all came from the local hardware store. The plastic used to close up the back was taken from some salvaged Gamestop poster holders. It was a great project!
@@stoutscientist nope, the Switch needs the cable to provide power for it to even try to send a video signal. Also it’s notorious for not following USB-C spec and many hubs/dongles don’t work with it.
For this test, he used the same Samsung phone that was later shown charging wirelessly in the video, that pretty much grants it's one of the various Galaxy S phones and all of those have DisplayPort output via USB-C...
Beacons like that need to be used with multiple gateways, and you move the beacon within the system rather than move your phone around. Home assistant can be set up to do useful presence detection in rooms if you carry a beacon like this.
I've tried doing this with 5 receivers spread around a 12' x 20' (3m x 6m) area. Even with those I was only able to get accuracy of about 8 feet (2.5m). The RSSI varies based on the orientation of the antenna, obstacles, etc.
@@mikebenza that sounds about right. The best case is you can use it for sensing presence in one room vs another, but still not with a very high accuracy.
You got to mess around with the settings regarding distance and accuracy. What ESP32 chip/board you use matters. I got way better results with an m5stack ESP32-C3 than I did with a ESP32 weoom but you have to tweak some of the default settings, you can find the ID (or one of the options for tracking, night be iBeacon) in the companion app for HA if you want to track your phone. For a smartwatch or beacon like this you really need a free third party app or use Espresense built in functionality to find the right ID of the device you want to track. Works great for me up to 12 meters but I have the cut off set to 8 meters. It really depends on the number of ESP32's you have, living space, wall material, ect.. I'm unsure why the C3 worked better and is more accurate. Last time I checked it only works with the C3 or original ESP32. You can't use an S2 or above and it's not needed either. The m5stack also looks way more stylish so it doesn't need to be hidden either which probably helps.
11 місяців тому+69
I was also thinking about getting that mini screen. The LCD panels are sourced from older iPad replacement screens as I understood, so no wonder why they look very good. But in the end I've got a used older 4:3 TFT LCD screen. It was even cheaper and was good enough for my need.
Yeah, the aspect ratio is definitely the weakest point on there. [I think they're actually 3:2, but anything not 16:9 or 16:10 definitely feels weird these days]
It's not a great idea if you have to buy a $25 screen. I have a 1080p display from an old Acer laptop and a $17 driver board that works perfectly. The only problem is finding a way to mount/secure the board and fragile cables without breaking out my ghetto fabrication skills.
Not gonna lie, it's fun just browsing the site to see what's available. It's even more fun to have the products reviewed by a knowledgeable maker. Thank you!
There are a lot of products that I browse and I feel somewhat urged to buy them just for curiosity, just for trying them for a few minutes. Scott's videos are perfect for satisfying that curiosity.
I Realized that Aliexpress only shows me stuff i've searched before, and not the stuff i want. When i google for stuff and enter aliexpress in the search i find sellers that i couldn't find before while searching locally on Aliexpress... Kinda annoying.
Came across that wireless charging a few months ago when I wanted one, thankfully I got myself the KPON branded one instead (a hexagon shaped one), it works perfectly here, 10W charge, comes with the wall adapter (requires a QC 2.0 12v 18w one at least), the relay coil and even an alignment tool. Pretty nice device, on my 18mm MDF desk it doesn't need the relay coil and works with just the sticker to "target" the phone. More expensive but considering it actually works, would say it was worth it. Efficiency is likely quite bad as I would expect of not only wireless charging but long distance one at that, the phone heats up a bit more through it's use than the cheapo short distance pad I use normally, but it really does it's job on my desk. Couldn't trust that "say goodbye to bondage" description but it's the best description I've read in years when searching for that type of product.
I also got the KPON charger. It charges my phone at a rate of +2100mA according to a battery app. I initially used it through my entire desk which is 28mm thick, but that charger very slowly at about 600mA. I ended up routing a slot in the underside of the desk so the distance is now about 15mm.
@@Zwamdurkel Is it slow through a thicker surface even with the relay coil? Interesting to know if so, wouldn't have imagined. On my 18mm MDF one I can get it to show it's "fast charging" so more than 5w at least, gotta get an app that actually measures it out of curiosity.
@@KalvinjjIt did not work through my 28mm desk without the relay coil. Even with the coil the speed was only 600mA. That's why I routed out the underside of my desk
The ad segment reminded me of an old adage: the different between analogue and digital electronics design is that the people designing analogue circuits know when they are making a radio transmitter.
Those orange lever-lock connectors are the best thing ever, a little dielectric grease and its perfectly weatherproof and takes a LOT of force to separate the connection
I found a similar power supply on Amzon for a similar price, but was let down when orders got mixed up and I got a heating pad and arthritis glove instead🙃. This turned into a mixed blessing as I do a lot of indoor bouldering and my finger joints get a little sore. The arthritis glove turned out to be great for that. Eliminates most of the pain almost instantly. Anyway, I do want to get the power supply as it could be useful for random projects. I'll see how AliExpress goes...Thanks👍🏽
The all seeing eye knew you were developing arthritis. This was no mixup. Now, you can just think of what you need, and it'll show up at your door in six to eight weeks.
You can use the Bluetooth beacon with ESP32s. They can be placed in all rooms as receivers and the signal with the best signal strength then "wins" :) Perfect to track pets for example. Say if they like to hide or if you want to unlock the cat door for them if they come close.... Or be reminded to let them in if they are close to the door :)
wanted to write the same thing. I got one on my key and use it with esphome so my home assistant knows if I am home or not and adjusts automations accordingly. Works well better than WiFi and GPS tracking without privacy concerns and the batteries last forever...
I salvaged an ipad 4 screen a few years ago and recently ordered basically the same controller board you feature here. Hopefully it will work as good as it did for you. I think I will combine it with an SBC to make a Batocera console. Or possibly add in an SDR dongle to make a standalone SW radio. I look forward to seeing your project ideas for this device.
I bought the same beacon 3 months ago. I hung it on my keychain and integrated it into my homemassistant via ESP32 (esphome bluetooth proxy). This allowed me to set up automations to turn the lights on/off and trigger my robot vacuum to clean. I think this beacon is a good solution instead of using a phone with wifi or a smart watch with bluetooth. I don't have to wait for my phone to connect to wifi for the light to turn on (which can take a few minutes). I save the watch's charge because the discoverable mode is turned off. At the same time, with my esphome and beacon settings, the maximum delay for turning on the light does not exceed two seconds, and the CR2032 charge is still more than 90%.
For the wire twist tool, even before you mentioned the reliability over time, I was thinking adding some solder with a torch and plumbing solder would make that connection very reliable.
As for the wire twister you can definitely twist any wires. If the goal is not making a connection at the tip, just hold it to twist the wires and yes you can definitely twist breaded wires, not for making a connection at the tip but to TWIST them. I for once see this as user error and see this tool as very useful but tbh, you could probably make one at home.
Why on earth would you want your wires in this difficult to maintain mess? How do you then insulate the remaining copper? Just bung a load of electrical tape over it I suppose? Ghastly! The tool, and the connections it makes are utter garbage at best, outright dangerous at worst. Why on earth this was given a thumbs up is beyond me.
I LOVE this series. On Scott's recommendation, I bought and included in a project, some capacitive touch fingerprint sensors. Keep them coming, and thank you!! 😍😍
The box says "say goodbye to bondage" while talking about guests under the table and NOBODY designing the box thought to check what that may have meant?
About the USB-C Connectors. They have a spot for a 0402 5.1K resistor. Solder it in and boom you have a USB-C to USB-C capable socket. This place is marked as J1 or R1
On the usb c port. On the other side is a litte cc pad (or a r1 pad, dependingon the board version) where the resistor comes to enable pd! Thats the correct way. No need of the resistor vetween data pins and ground. The resistor is correct between cc pin and ground
You can get proper bench PSU's like the TENMA 72-10480 for the same price if you want to adjust voltages during testing.. Also comes with proper over voltage, over current etc..
At 6:59 you mentioned it being impossible to hide a wireless charger in a drawer. You can cut a recess for the device from inside the cabinet or under a desk which will let you put the device close to the surface of the desk. Cut the recess most of the way, leaving 3mm thickness of your surface. Thinner is better for charging, but thicker is better for strength. If you don’t have tools to cut the recess, you can cut all the way through then laminate a new surface (like kitchen counter material) on top.
I bought same driver board and screen, I spotted the driver board has a control input section, possible for a video on how to create our own touch button input instead of the dial? Im worried the dial for browsing the menu etc will give one day. Thanks!
If you do a video on the DT3 USB cable tester (as shown at the very end of this video) you should consider "hacking" it with a CR2032 power switched lilypad coin cell holder glued on the back and wiring that into the GND/VCC on the input side. Now you have made the tester purely portable without need for a USB power source. It makes the unit much more useful. Keep up the posting of cool electronic / tools from AliExpress !
You have a superpower. I just want to build a peripheral with an LED that lights up when I get a computer alert. This stuff you’re doing is black magic to me.
just made the iPad monitor because of your video. I bought a bricked ipad off ebay for $9, gutted it, cut away some of the frame, and stuffed in the driver board. works great!
Thanks for the VNA download link. I bought a nano vna and it is sitting on my desk until I have time to callibrate it and become more familiar with its abilities. The PDF will be very helpful for all that it can do above showing me impedance relative to frequency on the extended complex plane called a Smith Chart which is primarily why I bought it. I do think it offers a good deal more.....
I would've bought only the driver board , the LCD would've fished it from eBay scraps... I find these videos useful since I also buy stuff from AliExpress. Thanks, Scott!
its $27 for a brand new screen, and saves you the hassle of tearing the glass off an iPad. You can also buy a new touch panel for $17, and the controller board has touch input. All you have left is figuring out the drivers for touch support on your pc or RPi.
9 місяців тому
@@frostbite1991 they are not brand new. I bought one and got a garbage reconditioned screen
Beware, those power supplies are hot garbage. I've had one blow a MOSFET, another shorted to the case due to a ridiculously long capacitor lead they didn't trim, and of course they can only supply about 60-80% of their rated power without the aluminum windings in the transformer or inductor melting their insulation. One overheated so bad it melted the isolation between primary and secondary and brought mains voltage to the output. If it plugs into mains, stick with a name brand like Meanwell. Or at least make sure it has the proper UL/CSA/ETL/GS certification.
Awesome stuff! Thanks a bunch, dude! 😃 I would love to find a TP4056 kinda board with mounting screws, like the USB-C connector! Anyway, stay safe there with your family! 🖖😊 And happy holidays!
I have never seen your videos before nor do I know anything about electronics or electricity, however, youtube told me to watch this video at 5:39 am so here I am. Video was good so I’m subbing 👍🏻
I put those BlueTooth beacons on my cats so I know if they're at the front or back doors wanting to be let in. PIR to detect motion (saves power), Arduino + BT wakes up to read the tag and send a signal to chime. Bluetooth doorbell basically.
6:50 i've never had a type-c port break on my phones yet and i keep using them for 7 years mostly, with at least charging it once a day. All you got to do is poke the accumulated dirt out with a needle every few months and it will last long enough to not get software support anymore. wireless charging is only good for convenience and wasting energy ( yes i use it too on my pixel buds ).
Those panel mounted USB-C ports have pads for a 0402 5.1k resistor to be soldered onto. In my experience, Type-C PD chargers don't use the USB data lines at all and only use the CC lines for picking the voltage. What sucks is USB-C conversions for devices that originally charged over micro USB, since they use the data lines to accept charge. If they don't receive anything on the USB lines, then they just refuse to charge, despite having voltage applied to them.
@@fitybux4664 - as long as it's only external. :D My kids 27 now so it's not an issue, but when she was ~5 and I misplaced her at the mall I would have killed for a tracking device! You wanna talk going insane for a few minutes?! :O
You should also check the EMC emissions of the switching power supply units, as these are often real EMC slingshots that cause radio interference if they have not been correctly suppressed.
I've been using the abusemark driver for ipad screen for years now, it's really good. Nice to see china have made their own version too, I'm tempted to switch, since it has USB C.
The wire twister tool gives me the heebie-jeebies. Because there's nothing better than joining wires together and leaving a huge uninsulated twisted mess of copper. You *might* be able to use it for earth connections, as long as you're sure it's never going to have a chance to connect to anything else.
I'm horrified by the commenters that think that thing is a good idea! I'm also shocked that GreatScott gave it a thumbs up! Sure the electrical connection may be good now... but how do you insulate the tag-nut of mangled copper you're left with. How do you disconnect and reliably reconnect one wire to test a single circuit? There's no way an electrician in the UK would get work like that signed off. I'd imagine not in Europe or the US either. I loathe wire nuts, but even they would be preferable to this bodged shite.
Just looked at those USB-C ports because I think they are going to be very useful, and they have a 6-pin version now that breaks out the CC1 and CC2 pins for you! That's great for me because I want to use them as a power injector in my car for a stereo that does not provide enough current on it's own.
I've been wondering about using old ipad/iphone screens and that stuff for projects for awhile now, but never had the confidence to actually try them. I have a bunch laying around I bought as a joblot years ago & just stored away, so may finally get some use out of them. great vid, subbed
Did you ever turn the 4-pin USB-C sockets around? Mine have pads to solder a SMD resistor on the back side. No need for those big resistors on the front or even soldering on the pins directly.
The driverboard for thr iPad, headsup for people who are buying one, aspect ratio does not work, will always say out of range, has to stay on FULL, also, its says it has a control input, its not, its usb. To make touch buttons instead of a dial, remove the dial and replace with 3 tac switches.
I LOVE THIS SERIES! one thing i'd find super cool to see here would be a 3.3V or 5V USB-C power module, that is also a battery cell manager (charging, protection etc) so you could use kt directly for your u-C Projects.
heat and cold cycles stiffing the metals loose the elasticity so the problem have the vago connectors than make the spring not properly working after a lot time. Its the other way around is more safe the twist's cable in long run that the vago.
a note on the "black technology" term on the wireless charging pad, "black technology" is just a direct translation of a chinese slang that means futuristic/forbidden technology, it's mostly just used as a buzzword to sound cool or attract the less technically inclined customers so i kinda hate it when i see the term used on taobao which is basically the "original" aliexpress that is only available in some parts of asia
@@steameier8590 it's possible through some third party re-shipping services like one called superbuy, but it will definitely cost more for the shipping compared to someone more local like me buying in SEA Edit: and you would still need to find the listing you want for those services to order for you and those listings would be in Chinese 95% of the time along with the Chinese only UI of the atrocious PC website or not as atrocious app
I would like to use BLE beacon in a practical place: ESP32 inside my car, beacon inside my parking (attached nexto to the door)... ESP32 will detect this beacon an will invoke to home assistant a door opening signal ( via RF signal ). This sounds complicated , but assuming a neighborhood door I cannot modify motors and others... I have to do a "passive system" addon
if you can controll the trackers acceleratometer then you could use it to measure rotation and movement of objects, if you know rotation you could use them for VR tracking since you only need the joint rotations.
9:43 : Ok but keep in mind that this type on connection are illegal in most countries mainly because the insulation between two conductors which depends on the skills of the electrician, but also because of the cooper stress which can easily broke, and that can be very dangerous in unbalanced three phase system for example (neutral break).
@@greatscottlab So as it turns out the "ipad air 2" I had laying around has its screen fused with the digitiser 😆 and I've got a bandaid on my thumb because glas is sharp 😂
I bought the iPad screen and the driver board, thanks for the recommendation! In the video it looks like that the driver board got an internal audio amp. You connected a speaker without amp. Does this also work for the 3.5mm jack? Just connecting a small speaker...
That wire twisting is known for being not reliable for over a century; it's not allowed by regulations. But if you 1. Solder it after twisting or 2. Use spring cap on top or 3. Weld the end, then it will become reliable. I.e. it's not as simple.
Usb-c: There are special dummies out on Ali, where you have solder pads to choose which voltage you like. So if you want to power a small led lamp with 12v,it works. @wire spinner: I'm an electrical engineer. PLEASE, don't use those! In the end you have to apply some isolation again because of live voltage. It is simply not a trusted connection method. I German we have a phrase for this: "TÜV sagt nein"
The beacon could be useful for something like office use. Bluetooth detection is deliberately bad on phones for security reasons with deflection up to 10 meters for dumb devices. So for me it seems like a good device. Since I have used devices that are worth more with only 1-5m accuracy that perform worse by not connecting at all. It can be useful for large scale implementations that don't require the most accurate data points for it to work. Just a general area. An example could be if someone is using a boardroom or not. If someone booked a room using a custom boardroom meeting app. But never showed up in a allotted time, make it available again for use by others. This way a person just has to be in range of the room not necessarily be tracked with pinpoint accuracy
I could see a use for the beacons for presence detection for smart homes. I'm currently using a Gigaset beacon with iObroker, but that doesn't have a button.
I'd love to see your take on repurposing a desktop power supply. Basically everything I've watched on the topic uses the same element (a DSP5005 converter), which not only sounds inefficient but also wasteful, given that ATX PSUs have 3.3 and 5V rails. While I'm not experienced enough to work out something else, I'd gladly watch a piece of content from you on that subject :D
What i'm looking for for a und hile now is a usb c smd part that has the necessary resistors build in and fits otherwise the footprint of a usb micro port. This would enable a relatively clean and easy swapping and upgrading of older devices
Also as an electrician in Europe, that cable twist thingy would not make approved connections. It overstrains the cables and the insulation is ripped of and as seen by your example they even hurt the insulation below your connection point. So if you use that at a construction site you would just get a fail on the inspections. Also if you use it for diy 230V connections at home and something happens the insurance company will see this connection and you won’t get a single penny there bubba😅
I co-developed a location engine for my company and we use fixed Bluetooth beacons for trilateration and get sub 1m accuracy with out device in a room with 10-15m spacing. The best solution is to fix these and use a phone to measure RSSI values and perform trilateration from this.
One use case for such a beacon would be a "person present" detector, e.g. in conjunction with Home-Assistant or similar. That Temp/Humid won't work wouldn't be a problem then.
The beacon sounds interesting. I wonder if the accuracy is something to do with phone/app rather than the device. Also I wonder how open it is to be used without phone, say rpi or arduino. With phone alone I don't see much use for it.
Hello Scott can you please give us a review of your "load tester" the one you use pretty much in all your videos. What are the specs we should be looking at and what are the pros and limitations of the one you have in comparison with the rest in the market. Thanks
Scott, could you please make a video about usb-c video output from phones; does the phone needs to be MHL compatible or only the DesktopMode option needs to be activated? On the other hand there are driver boards that can take video on usb-c and others can only be powered up...
Thanks for the great video. The wire twisting tool looks pretty cool, but one must be careful about grabbing the base of the wires... in the video, several of the wires have damaged insulation after twisting, which would be a problem.
More so what the hell do you then do with the clump of mangled wire you have not connected? Just bosh a load of electrical tape over it? Heat shrink and hope one of the ends doesn't poke through... How do you separate one circuit for testing, then reconnect it? just lob off 6 inches of cable each time then twist them all again? not very practical. Horrific way to connecting wires! unmaintainable, dangerous nonsense.
This power supply is the kind you can find in 3d printers (mostly 24v 200/300w and meanwell brand for quality). I got a 5v/50w one and a 12v to power SBCs in the future. The no name ones were quite known to blow up easily in 3d printers in the past, but so far no issue here.
As someone fluent in Mandarin, I believe black technology is a direct translation from Chinese which is supposed to translate to something similar to "secret technology" or "special weapon" in the case of games/sports.
Thanks for the information :-)
So it's funny even on the native language, nice
This guy will never run out of videos thanks to aliexpress 😂
Haha kind of true ;-) But maybe viewers will get bored someday....who knows.
As long as AliExpress is such a hit or miss this series will always be useful 😅
@@greatscottlab My favorite series on your channel
it's a treasure trove of random gadgets you might want to use lmao
@@greatscottlabWe dont know. This series helps us viewers to find components that we needed or didn't think of existed. So please continue
I'm glad you mentioned the potential issue with the twisted connection: heat cycling.
In the U.S., this type of connection would not pass inspection. Electrical connections must be done by mechanical means (wire nut, compression, wago, screw, etc.). This, on its own, is not mechanical means.
Sure, you could throw a wire nut on the end of it and be compliant, but you're still royally screwing over the next guy that has to work on it. This much twist on solid wires can weaken the copper, causing it to break in half when you try to undo it. That's fine when you have 20" of wire sticking out, but most of the time, you cannot afford to make the wire any shorter than it already is.
in all fairness the product itself can be used just fine. Have a couple and they work perfect for pretwisting. Just use a drill at slowest speed (brushless or nothing) and you can easily get a good twist on thicker 12AWG wires far faster, toss on a wirenut and call it a day. It's extremely handy. Hell, you can even use it with hand tools to make life easier
I feel for US electricians that have to deal with wire nuts. I only find them in fairly old installations over here and it's always a royal pain in the behind.
I built a custom dual panel ultrawide mini monitor for my workbench using a pair of those iPad LCDs. Put it on a sliding rail under my top shelf, and used a GoPro handlebar mount to get a tilt and swivel for it. It's combined 4096x1536 is a high enough resolution to show detailed schematics and diagrams, but not very tall, so it doesn't obscure the workspace below. I used a cable chain to guide the power and video cables to the PC at the side of the desk. Even if just using it to play youtube videos to pass the time while working, I could slide it to the side and rotate it to face me. It was perfect! The LCDs and drivers, the GoPro mount, the cable chain, and even the screws all came from AliExpress. The slide rail (closet door slide), aluminum U channel (for the frame), and the polycarbonate (screen protector) all came from the local hardware store. The plastic used to close up the back was taken from some salvaged Gamestop poster holders. It was a great project!
How did you do the cable part? It connects with only one usb c?
@@GabrielGBjas i literally just ran two HDMI cables. The computer treats it as two 2048x1536 monitors side by side.
sorry to ping you months after, does touch with the display adapter pcb?
Quick note on the USB video function: It takes a DisplayPort signal, so the USB device must support USB DisplayPort
If he has a Nintendo Switch he should try that (I think that uses USB C DisplayPort although I could be wrong)
@@stoutscientist nope, the Switch needs the cable to provide power for it to even try to send a video signal. Also it’s notorious for not following USB-C spec and many hubs/dongles don’t work with it.
@@TheOfficialOriginalChad That's what I was afraid of
@@stoutscientist don’t be afraid. We will get through this together.
For this test, he used the same Samsung phone that was later shown charging wirelessly in the video, that pretty much grants it's one of the various Galaxy S phones and all of those have DisplayPort output via USB-C...
Beacons like that need to be used with multiple gateways, and you move the beacon within the system rather than move your phone around. Home assistant can be set up to do useful presence detection in rooms if you carry a beacon like this.
Stuff like ESPresense?
I've tried doing this with 5 receivers spread around a 12' x 20' (3m x 6m) area. Even with those I was only able to get accuracy of about 8 feet (2.5m). The RSSI varies based on the orientation of the antenna, obstacles, etc.
@@mikebenza that sounds about right. The best case is you can use it for sensing presence in one room vs another, but still not with a very high accuracy.
@@Haldi4803 that's definitely one to try
You got to mess around with the settings regarding distance and accuracy. What ESP32 chip/board you use matters. I got way better results with an m5stack ESP32-C3 than I did with a ESP32 weoom but you have to tweak some of the default settings, you can find the ID (or one of the options for tracking, night be iBeacon) in the companion app for HA if you want to track your phone. For a smartwatch or beacon like this you really need a free third party app or use Espresense built in functionality to find the right ID of the device you want to track. Works great for me up to 12 meters but I have the cut off set to 8 meters. It really depends on the number of ESP32's you have, living space, wall material, ect.. I'm unsure why the C3 worked better and is more accurate. Last time I checked it only works with the C3 or original ESP32. You can't use an S2 or above and it's not needed either. The m5stack also looks way more stylish so it doesn't need to be hidden either which probably helps.
I was also thinking about getting that mini screen. The LCD panels are sourced from older iPad replacement screens as I understood, so no wonder why they look very good.
But in the end I've got a used older 4:3 TFT LCD screen. It was even cheaper and was good enough for my need.
Yeah, the aspect ratio is definitely the weakest point on there. [I think they're actually 3:2, but anything not 16:9 or 16:10 definitely feels weird these days]
It's not a great idea if you have to buy a $25 screen. I have a 1080p display from an old Acer laptop and a $17 driver board that works perfectly. The only problem is finding a way to mount/secure the board and fragile cables without breaking out my ghetto fabrication skills.
Not gonna lie, it's fun just browsing the site to see what's available. It's even more fun to have the products reviewed by a knowledgeable maker. Thank you!
reading the sales blurb is one of the more interesting things. 🤣🤣
There are a lot of products that I browse and I feel somewhat urged to buy them just for curiosity, just for trying them for a few minutes. Scott's videos are perfect for satisfying that curiosity.
No one's expecting you to lie, what is this trend of starting a sentence off like that??
@@dcallan812 sometimes i wonder if they let their competitors write the descriptions
I Realized that Aliexpress only shows me stuff i've searched before, and not the stuff i want. When i google for stuff and enter aliexpress in the search i find sellers that i couldn't find before while searching locally on Aliexpress... Kinda annoying.
Came across that wireless charging a few months ago when I wanted one, thankfully I got myself the KPON branded one instead (a hexagon shaped one), it works perfectly here, 10W charge, comes with the wall adapter (requires a QC 2.0 12v 18w one at least), the relay coil and even an alignment tool. Pretty nice device, on my 18mm MDF desk it doesn't need the relay coil and works with just the sticker to "target" the phone. More expensive but considering it actually works, would say it was worth it.
Efficiency is likely quite bad as I would expect of not only wireless charging but long distance one at that, the phone heats up a bit more through it's use than the cheapo short distance pad I use normally, but it really does it's job on my desk.
Couldn't trust that "say goodbye to bondage" description but it's the best description I've read in years when searching for that type of product.
I also got the KPON charger. It charges my phone at a rate of +2100mA according to a battery app. I initially used it through my entire desk which is 28mm thick, but that charger very slowly at about 600mA. I ended up routing a slot in the underside of the desk so the distance is now about 15mm.
@@Zwamdurkel Is it slow through a thicker surface even with the relay coil? Interesting to know if so, wouldn't have imagined.
On my 18mm MDF one I can get it to show it's "fast charging" so more than 5w at least, gotta get an app that actually measures it out of curiosity.
@@KalvinjjIt did not work through my 28mm desk without the relay coil. Even with the coil the speed was only 600mA. That's why I routed out the underside of my desk
The ad segment reminded me of an old adage: the different between analogue and digital electronics design is that the people designing analogue circuits know when they are making a radio transmitter.
Those orange lever-lock connectors are the best thing ever, a little dielectric grease and its perfectly weatherproof and takes a LOT of force to separate the connection
I found a similar power supply on Amzon for a similar price, but was let down when orders got mixed up and I got a heating pad and arthritis glove instead🙃. This turned into a mixed blessing as I do a lot of indoor bouldering and my finger joints get a little sore. The arthritis glove turned out to be great for that. Eliminates most of the pain almost instantly. Anyway, I do want to get the power supply as it could be useful for random projects. I'll see how AliExpress goes...Thanks👍🏽
The all seeing eye knew you were developing arthritis. This was no mixup. Now, you can just think of what you need, and it'll show up at your door in six to eight weeks.
@@kenmore01 with a little help from my purchase history😂
TBH I'm wondering how this stacks up to Mean Well supplies.
You can use the Bluetooth beacon with ESP32s. They can be placed in all rooms as receivers and the signal with the best signal strength then "wins" :)
Perfect to track pets for example. Say if they like to hide or if you want to unlock the cat door for them if they come close....
Or be reminded to let them in if they are close to the door :)
wanted to write the same thing. I got one on my key and use it with esphome so my home assistant knows if I am home or not and adjusts automations accordingly. Works well better than WiFi and GPS tracking without privacy concerns and the batteries last forever...
@@gorgorgonzales3090 I use "is my phone in my wifi" tracking. Can you explain which privacy concerns you got with this method? 🤔
Look for espresence
Works well with homeassistant or other mqtt enabled devices
I salvaged an ipad 4 screen a few years ago and recently ordered basically the same controller board you feature here. Hopefully it will work as good as it did for you. I think I will combine it with an SBC to make a Batocera console. Or possibly add in an SDR dongle to make a standalone SW radio. I look forward to seeing your project ideas for this device.
I bought the same beacon 3 months ago. I hung it on my keychain and integrated it into my homemassistant via ESP32 (esphome bluetooth proxy). This allowed me to set up automations to turn the lights on/off and trigger my robot vacuum to clean.
I think this beacon is a good solution instead of using a phone with wifi or a smart watch with bluetooth. I don't have to wait for my phone to connect to wifi for the light to turn on (which can take a few minutes). I save the watch's charge because the discoverable mode is turned off. At the same time, with my esphome and beacon settings, the maximum delay for turning on the light does not exceed two seconds, and the CR2032 charge is still more than 90%.
Just beware that you are not the only one who can track it.
For the wire twist tool, even before you mentioned the reliability over time, I was thinking adding some solder with a torch and plumbing solder would make that connection very reliable.
Electrical codes for mains power in most countries don't allow wires to be twisted in that way, nor can they be soldered.
As for the wire twister you can definitely twist any wires. If the goal is not making a connection at the tip, just hold it to twist the wires and yes you can definitely twist breaded wires, not for making a connection at the tip but to TWIST them. I for once see this as user error and see this tool as very useful but tbh, you could probably make one at home.
Why on earth would you want your wires in this difficult to maintain mess? How do you then insulate the remaining copper? Just bung a load of electrical tape over it I suppose? Ghastly!
The tool, and the connections it makes are utter garbage at best, outright dangerous at worst.
Why on earth this was given a thumbs up is beyond me.
I LOVE this series. On Scott's recommendation, I bought and included in a project, some capacitive touch fingerprint sensors. Keep them coming, and thank you!! 😍😍
The box says "say goodbye to bondage" while talking about guests under the table and NOBODY designing the box thought to check what that may have meant?
Always a great insight Scott thank you for sharing your knowledge and findings!
My pleasure!
6:19 "Say Goodbye to bondage" lmao 😂😂
Always a joy to watch your Hidden Gems series 😊
"Say goodbye to bondage"... oh China, you so funny!
About the USB-C Connectors. They have a spot for a 0402 5.1K resistor. Solder it in and boom you have a USB-C to USB-C capable socket. This place is marked as J1 or R1
I love this series! Please keep making them!
On the usb c port. On the other side is a litte cc pad (or a r1 pad, dependingon the board version) where the resistor comes to enable pd! Thats the correct way. No need of the resistor vetween data pins and ground. The resistor is correct between cc pin and ground
You can get proper bench PSU's like the TENMA 72-10480 for the same price if you want to adjust voltages during testing.. Also comes with proper over voltage, over current etc..
At 6:59 you mentioned it being impossible to hide a wireless charger in a drawer. You can cut a recess for the device from inside the cabinet or under a desk which will let you put the device close to the surface of the desk. Cut the recess most of the way, leaving 3mm thickness of your surface. Thinner is better for charging, but thicker is better for strength.
If you don’t have tools to cut the recess, you can cut all the way through then laminate a new surface (like kitchen counter material) on top.
I bought same driver board and screen, I spotted the driver board has a control input section, possible for a video on how to create our own touch button input instead of the dial? Im worried the dial for browsing the menu etc will give one day. Thanks!
6:21 "Say goodbye to bondage" Awwww... 😞 😆
Haha
If you do a video on the DT3 USB cable tester (as shown at the very end of this video) you should consider "hacking" it with a CR2032 power switched lilypad coin cell holder glued on the back and wiring that into the GND/VCC on the input side. Now you have made the tester purely portable without need for a USB power source. It makes the unit much more useful. Keep up the posting of cool electronic / tools from AliExpress !
Thanks for the tip. Will do :-)
Love the Screen for use as a Computer Performance Monitor Screen. USB-C, allows for the upgrade from our Mini USB to updated, and upgraded periferals.
You have a superpower. I just want to build a peripheral with an LED that lights up when I get a computer alert. This stuff you’re doing is black magic to me.
just made the iPad monitor because of your video. I bought a bricked ipad off ebay for $9, gutted it, cut away some of the frame, and stuffed in the driver board. works great!
Thanks for the VNA download link.
I bought a nano vna and it is sitting on my desk until I have time to callibrate it and become more familiar with its abilities. The PDF will be very helpful for all that it can do above showing me impedance relative to frequency on the extended complex plane called a Smith Chart which is primarily why I bought it. I do think it offers a good deal more.....
I would've bought only the driver board , the LCD would've fished it from eBay scraps... I find these videos useful since I also buy stuff from AliExpress. Thanks, Scott!
its $27 for a brand new screen, and saves you the hassle of tearing the glass off an iPad. You can also buy a new touch panel for $17, and the controller board has touch input. All you have left is figuring out the drivers for touch support on your pc or RPi.
@@frostbite1991 they are not brand new. I bought one and got a garbage reconditioned screen
@@frostbite1991 Do you know which touch panel would work on these controller board? The iPad touch have too many pins.
Beware, those power supplies are hot garbage. I've had one blow a MOSFET, another shorted to the case due to a ridiculously long capacitor lead they didn't trim, and of course they can only supply about 60-80% of their rated power without the aluminum windings in the transformer or inductor melting their insulation. One overheated so bad it melted the isolation between primary and secondary and brought mains voltage to the output. If it plugs into mains, stick with a name brand like Meanwell. Or at least make sure it has the proper UL/CSA/ETL/GS certification.
These lcd driver boards are great if you need second or third screen for cheap and you have some lcd panels laying around.
True
Love your Videos. These Videos real help people choosing the right products.
Is the lcd driver also supporting the touch control?
I was wondering the same thing
No, not to my knowledge after buying and using it
These videos are mini Christmas present opening sessions each time. Keep them coming
Damn it's pretty impressive that the sponsor is putting out a guide with a lot of knowledge out for free, you don't see that often
Wire twister plus added soldering on top is probably very top-notch.
Awesome stuff! Thanks a bunch, dude! 😃
I would love to find a TP4056 kinda board with mounting screws, like the USB-C connector!
Anyway, stay safe there with your family! 🖖😊
And happy holidays!
I love hidden gems series!
Awesome. More to come ;-)
Thank You for doing the "Leg Work" for us, Scott!! 😍🤩🙂
I could watch a video like this every day and not get bored :D nice finds this time!
I see you're a man of culture as well. Karlach, Gale, Shadowheart, the best trio indeed.
I have never seen your videos before nor do I know anything about electronics or electricity, however, youtube told me to watch this video at 5:39 am so here I am. Video was good so I’m subbing 👍🏻
9:50 - "Smart sexy vibrator"? One of these things is not like the other. LOL
About wago, twisted wires are considered as the best method for joining wires, wago is clean and fast but not good enough as twisted wires
Say goodbye to bondage as a slogan for wireless charger? 😂
I put those BlueTooth beacons on my cats so I know if they're at the front or back doors wanting to be let in. PIR to detect motion (saves power), Arduino + BT wakes up to read the tag and send a signal to chime.
Bluetooth doorbell basically.
I now check this channel weekly for the next AliExpress vids
I love these series!!
Me too ;-)
6:50 i've never had a type-c port break on my phones yet and i keep using them for 7 years mostly, with at least charging it once a day. All you got to do is poke the accumulated dirt out with a needle every few months and it will last long enough to not get software support anymore.
wireless charging is only good for convenience and wasting energy ( yes i use it too on my pixel buds ).
Those panel mounted USB-C ports have pads for a 0402 5.1k resistor to be soldered onto. In my experience, Type-C PD chargers don't use the USB data lines at all and only use the CC lines for picking the voltage. What sucks is USB-C conversions for devices that originally charged over micro USB, since they use the data lines to accept charge. If they don't receive anything on the USB lines, then they just refuse to charge, despite having voltage applied to them.
Oh no, really? I was already planning on upgrading several older gadgets from Micro-USB to USB-C with those boards
You can however find true USB C PD boards there that let you select the required output voltage.
If you only want 5V then all you need is two 5.1k resistors, one on each CC line (don't connect the data lines)
@@tim0steele I think you missed the point about this not working for USB C power supplies.
@@stevetodd7383 it does, just 5V
Super glad I came across these products, as I recently misplaced my baby. 0:14
Hoping to find him/her soon. 😜
Good luck!!
Is putting an Apple AirTag on babies really a thing? 😆
@@fitybux4664 - as long as it's only external. :D
My kids 27 now so it's not an issue, but when she was ~5 and I misplaced her at the mall I would have killed for a tracking device! You wanna talk going insane for a few minutes?! :O
You should also check the EMC emissions of the switching power supply units, as these are often real EMC slingshots that cause radio interference if they have not been correctly suppressed.
A buck regulator power supply would be cheaper than the PSU mentioned in 11:30 which has limited range.
I've been using the abusemark driver for ipad screen for years now, it's really good. Nice to see china have made their own version too, I'm tempted to switch, since it has USB C.
congrats to your collaboration with fern! They've chosen the best youtuber for that job^^
The wire twister tool gives me the heebie-jeebies. Because there's nothing better than joining wires together and leaving a huge uninsulated twisted mess of copper. You *might* be able to use it for earth connections, as long as you're sure it's never going to have a chance to connect to anything else.
I'm horrified by the commenters that think that thing is a good idea! I'm also shocked that GreatScott gave it a thumbs up!
Sure the electrical connection may be good now... but how do you insulate the tag-nut of mangled copper you're left with. How do you disconnect and reliably reconnect one wire to test a single circuit?
There's no way an electrician in the UK would get work like that signed off. I'd imagine not in Europe or the US either. I loathe wire nuts, but even they would be preferable to this bodged shite.
@@kal9001 in the US they do it like this and they put plastic caps on it i know its stupid But they do it like this
Just looked at those USB-C ports because I think they are going to be very useful, and they have a 6-pin version now that breaks out the CC1 and CC2 pins for you! That's great for me because I want to use them as a power injector in my car for a stereo that does not provide enough current on it's own.
I've been wondering about using old ipad/iphone screens and that stuff for projects for awhile now, but never had the confidence to actually try them. I have a bunch laying around I bought as a joblot years ago & just stored away, so may finally get some use out of them. great vid, subbed
Did you ever turn the 4-pin USB-C sockets around? Mine have pads to solder a SMD resistor on the back side. No need for those big resistors on the front or even soldering on the pins directly.
The driverboard for thr iPad, headsup for people who are buying one, aspect ratio does not work, will always say out of range, has to stay on FULL, also, its says it has a control input, its not, its usb.
To make touch buttons instead of a dial, remove the dial and replace with 3 tac switches.
I LOVE THIS SERIES!
one thing i'd find super cool to see here would be a 3.3V or 5V USB-C power module, that is also a battery cell manager (charging, protection etc) so you could use kt directly for your u-C Projects.
Cool idea!
heat and cold cycles stiffing the metals loose the elasticity so the problem have the vago connectors than make the spring not properly working after a lot time. Its the other way around is more safe the twist's cable in long run that the vago.
Usb c port get damage yh.
But your battery get hot with wireless charging so i keep me cable and sometimes wireless with me powerbank
a note on the "black technology" term on the wireless charging pad, "black technology" is just a direct translation of a chinese slang that means futuristic/forbidden technology, it's mostly just used as a buzzword to sound cool or attract the less technically inclined customers so i kinda hate it when i see the term used on taobao which is basically the "original" aliexpress that is only available in some parts of asia
Thanks for the feedback. Good info :-)
Is it possible to order from Taobao as an European?
@@steameier8590 it's possible through some third party re-shipping services like one called superbuy, but it will definitely cost more for the shipping compared to someone more local like me buying in SEA
Edit: and you would still need to find the listing you want for those services to order for you and those listings would be in Chinese 95% of the time along with the Chinese only UI of the atrocious PC website or not as atrocious app
I would like to use BLE beacon in a practical place: ESP32 inside my car, beacon inside my parking (attached nexto to the door)... ESP32 will detect this beacon an will invoke to home assistant a door opening signal ( via RF signal ). This sounds complicated , but assuming a neighborhood door I cannot modify motors and others... I have to do a "passive system" addon
no one noticing "smart sexy vibrator" at 9:50? lmao
if you can controll the trackers acceleratometer then you could use it to measure rotation and movement of objects, if you know rotation you could use them for VR tracking since you only need the joint rotations.
Super videro, great check of products, screen seems to be best.
9:43 : Ok but keep in mind that this type on connection are illegal in most countries mainly because the insulation between two conductors which depends on the skills of the electrician, but also because of the cooper stress which can easily broke, and that can be very dangerous in unbalanced three phase system for example (neutral break).
Was looking for a small 3rd screen last week and just realised I have an old ipad with a broken digitiser laying around, genius!!
Awesome ;-)
@@greatscottlab So as it turns out the "ipad air 2" I had laying around has its screen fused with the digitiser 😆 and I've got a bandaid on my thumb because glas is sharp 😂
I bought the iPad screen and the driver board, thanks for the recommendation! In the video it looks like that the driver board got an internal audio amp. You connected a speaker without amp. Does this also work for the 3.5mm jack? Just connecting a small speaker...
That wire twisting is known for being not reliable for over a century; it's not allowed by regulations. But if you 1. Solder it after twisting or 2. Use spring cap on top or 3. Weld the end, then it will become reliable. I.e. it's not as simple.
Usb-c:
There are special dummies out on Ali, where you have solder pads to choose which voltage you like. So if you want to power a small led lamp with 12v,it works.
@wire spinner:
I'm an electrical engineer.
PLEASE, don't use those! In the end you have to apply some isolation again because of live voltage.
It is simply not a trusted connection method.
I German we have a phrase for this: "TÜV sagt nein"
When using these sorts of screens in projects, do you add any sort of glass protection in front?
Check that the ground connector actually has continuity to the chassis of the power supply - mine wasn’t
Will do. Thanks :-)
The beacon could be useful for something like office use. Bluetooth detection is deliberately bad on phones for security reasons with deflection up to 10 meters for dumb devices. So for me it seems like a good device. Since I have used devices that are worth more with only 1-5m accuracy that perform worse by not connecting at all. It can be useful for large scale implementations that don't require the most accurate data points for it to work. Just a general area.
An example could be if someone is using a boardroom or not. If someone booked a room using a custom boardroom meeting app. But never showed up in a allotted time, make it available again for use by others.
This way a person just has to be in range of the room not necessarily be tracked with pinpoint accuracy
I could see a use for the beacons for presence detection for smart homes. I'm currently using a Gigaset beacon with iObroker, but that doesn't have a button.
I'd love to see your take on repurposing a desktop power supply. Basically everything I've watched on the topic uses the same element (a DSP5005 converter), which not only sounds inefficient but also wasteful, given that ATX PSUs have 3.3 and 5V rails. While I'm not experienced enough to work out something else, I'd gladly watch a piece of content from you on that subject :D
What i'm looking for for a und hile now is a usb c smd part that has the necessary resistors build in and fits otherwise the footprint of a usb micro port. This would enable a relatively clean and easy swapping and upgrading of older devices
Also as an electrician in Europe, that cable twist thingy would not make approved connections. It overstrains the cables and the insulation is ripped of and as seen by your example they even hurt the insulation below your connection point. So if you use that at a construction site you would just get a fail on the inspections. Also if you use it for diy 230V connections at home and something happens the insurance company will see this connection and you won’t get a single penny there bubba😅
I co-developed a location engine for my company and we use fixed Bluetooth beacons for trilateration and get sub 1m accuracy with out device in a room with 10-15m spacing. The best solution is to fix these and use a phone to measure RSSI values and perform trilateration from this.
One use case for such a beacon would be a "person present" detector, e.g. in conjunction with Home-Assistant or similar. That Temp/Humid won't work wouldn't be a problem then.
I need to follow this more. I've got two answers I had for a long time answered straight away. Project in mind straight away.
Can't believe you didn't know about those cheap adjustable power supplies! They're all I use for medium scale projects like a 3d motion control system
Thanks for opening my eyes to iPad screen conversion!
The beacon sounds interesting. I wonder if the accuracy is something to do with phone/app rather than the device. Also I wonder how open it is to be used without phone, say rpi or arduino. With phone alone I don't see much use for it.
Thanks for including smol stuff
Hello Scott can you please give us a review of your "load tester" the one you use pretty much in all your videos. What are the specs we should be looking at and what are the pros and limitations of the one you have in comparison with the rest in the market. Thanks
So weird, those usb-c connectors have been popping up in my recommendations all week. Never seen them before!
Scott, could you please make a video about usb-c video output from phones; does the phone needs to be MHL compatible or only the DesktopMode option needs to be activated? On the other hand there are driver boards that can take video on usb-c and others can only be powered up...
Thanks for the great video. The wire twisting tool looks pretty cool, but one must be careful about grabbing the base of the wires... in the video, several of the wires have damaged insulation after twisting, which would be a problem.
More so what the hell do you then do with the clump of mangled wire you have not connected? Just bosh a load of electrical tape over it? Heat shrink and hope one of the ends doesn't poke through...
How do you separate one circuit for testing, then reconnect it? just lob off 6 inches of cable each time then twist them all again? not very practical.
Horrific way to connecting wires! unmaintainable, dangerous nonsense.
This power supply is the kind you can find in 3d printers (mostly 24v 200/300w and meanwell brand for quality). I got a 5v/50w one and a 12v to power SBCs in the future. The no name ones were quite known to blow up easily in 3d printers in the past, but so far no issue here.
More More More, I really like this series🎉😃😀.