Know How... 289

How to put a LED in a 4-Gang wallplate, Arduino driven dog deterrent, Anker PowerCore 20100 reviewed, how does the Mova Globe work, and a zombie laptop that drains the battery while turned off!

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LED in a Wall        
-- Robert Hafer        
"Does anyone know of a 33mm x 66mm display that can be driven by a microcontroller? I have a4-gang box with 3 light switches and a very analog indicator light that I'm planning on upgrading to smart switches ( that have their own indicators). They are Decora style switches and I'd like to put an informational display in the fourth spot, so all the electronics have to fit in a 1-gang space."        
        
4-Gang Wall Plate        
        
.96" i2C OLED    ~$6    
        
1.3" i2C LCD Module    ~$9    
        
20x4 LCD Display    ~$7  

Dog-gone-duino       
-- Joseph LaBonde        
"Does anyone have a suggestion for an Arduino driven speaker that can produce 23Khz-40Khz?
I am setting up a motion sensor dog deterrent."   
        
What you need is NOT a speaker, but a Piezoelectric Transducer!        
* 40Khz (35 Watt)        
        
NB: The "Piezoelectric Effect" is the phenomenon that occurs when a mechanical stress is applied to certain materials, resulting in an electric charge.        
* Timing crystals (components) utilize this effect: They are "Crystal Oscillators" -- When a crystal (like quartz) is packaged in such a way as to compress the crystal, it will provide a stable "clock signal" for our digital IC projects.         
* The effect can be REVERSED: If I run an electrical charge through a piezoelectric material, it will create a mechanical stress.        
* In transducers, this mechanical stress become vibrations that in turn create sound waves.    

Anker Power

Anker PowerCore 20100        
* Weighs 350 grams        
* 20 Amp-Hours of power        
* Can provide 5v 4.8A total (maximum of 2.4A for each port)        
* That's enough power to:        
 -- Charge an iPhone 6 more than 7 times        
 -- Charge an iPad mini 2-1/2 times        
 -- Charge a Samsung s6 more than 5 times        
        
Charges AND provides power through the same USB-C Port        
* Voltage Boost: (Will detect the resistance of your cable and adjust to its maximum charge)        
* PowerIQ: Has the smarts to detect what device it's connected to.        
* Charges in 10 hours with a 2amp charger        
* Comes with cables: C to C, C to A, A to Micro A        
        
* Does NOT support Qualcom Quick Charge        
* Does NOT charge a Macbook        
        
Anker PowerPort+ 5 USB-c    ~$40    
* 60W Total        
* Will charge MacBooks and other USB-C enabled devices at up to 60W        
* All other USB ports can do up to 2.4A per Port        
        
Anker PowerDrive+ 4        
* 54W total        
* Supports Qualcomm Quick Charge!        
* 1 USB-C, 3 x USB A        
* Voltage Boost and PowerIQ        
        
        
        
MOVA Globe    ~$145   
* It's a sphere within a sphere        
 -- The outer sphere is a clear acrylic        
 -- The inner sphere is suspended within a non-toxic fluid inside the outer sphere        
* INSIDE the inner sphere is an array of solar cells and a movement mechanism        
 -- There is a large permanent magnet at the top of the inner globe.        
 -- The magnet keeps orientation of a shaft.        
 -- The shaft is connected to a motor        
 -- When the solar cells get any power, the motor turns AGAINST the torque generated by the perm mag        
** And you get motion!        
        
        
Moar POWER!        
-- Will O'Meara        
"Can anyone send me a link to the adjustable UBEC padre mentioned in episode 242? I can't find it in the show notes."        
        
I've used several types of UBECs in my projects        
        
RTFQ Adjustable Voltage Regulator    ~$1    
 * 1V to 17V Output        
 * 5V - 23V Input        
        
DC - DC Converter     ~$2   
 * 7.4 - 22V Input        
 * 5V Output (up to 3A)        
        
DC - DC Step Down Power Supply    ~$6    
 * 5-23V Input        
 * 0-16.5V Output (3A)        
       
        
Zombie ate my laptop power!        
-- Chuck Anderson        
"I've got a Dell Inspiron 5748 laptop and the problem I've had since I got it about a year and a half ago is that the battery will drain when unplugged even when it is shut off - and yes I mean shut completely down, not in sleep mode.  

The battery seems to have good lasting power when I'm using it on the battery (usually just over 4 hours), so I have a hard time believing it's a bad battery because I would assume it should drain even faster when powered on if that were the case."        
        
Let's collect data!        
1. It's a year and half old        
2. He confirms that he's shutting off and not putting it into standby or hibernate        
3. Battery lasts over 4 hours when running        
        
Let's Diagnose!        
1. 1-1/2 years - Probably Windows 10        
2. With a runtime of 4 hours, battery pack (4-cell 40Whr) is probably ok.        
3. Since the battery pack hasn't gone into a runaway reaction, the problem is probably not hardware        
        
Let's Troubleshoot!        
1. Remove ALL "Dell Power Optimization" tools (Windows has its own)        
2. Go into power settings and disable anything that might be trying to take the laptop.        
3. CLEAN reinstall of the Operating System        
        

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