A great little device

[Numb-nuts 1]

I am often asked to distribute CCTV VGS or BNC signal to several display panels around the business or home. VGS splitters generally use a 5 volt PSU and so yet another huge plug in PSU is required making your wiring look untidy. With this unit you can tap 12v off your existing PSU and solder a plug on the end doing away with yet another PSU. I found this small transformer on ebay and have tried them out with great success, I buy the encapsulated ones but they are available un encapsulated so they are variable still and so could be used in other applications. Most professionals will already know about this so this is a tip for the DIYer mainly.

 

[the toss 0]

I am often asked to distribute CCTV VGS or BNC signal to several display panels around the business or home. VGS splitters generally use a 5 volt PSU and so yet another huge plug in PSU is required making your wiring look untidy. With this unit you can tap 12v off your existing PSU and solder a plug on the end doing away with yet another PSU. I found this small transformer on ebay and have tried them out with great success, I buy the encapsulated ones but they are available un encapsulated so they are variable still and so could be used in other applications. Most professionals will already know about this so this is a tip for the DIYer mainly.

 

 

I make my own, takes 20 minutes of soldering & fully adjustable up to 2 volts less than the input voltage ( max 35V) Even housed in the same box but without the fancy sticker. Total cost $7

[Numb-nuts 1]

Frankly I wish I were savvy enough to make my own but I must accept my limitations.

It's a foolish person that delves in where they don't have a road map.

But this advice was more for the DIYer that derives satisfaction from taking on technical projects, granted that some of those would have the capability to build their own, I am dealing with someone else's equipment and am not prepared to risk it aside from the fact that I couldn't build one if my life depended on it.

 

If your skills are such that you can build one I applaud you and say all respect to you for it.

I am too busy to learn something like that and the soldering has never been a strong point of mine since I never sat down to learn the skill.

 

When it comes to soldering I get by, but I try to avoid it if I can. It is my intention to buy a soldering station one of these days and learn to solder properly there are some competitively priced ones listed "you know where".

[the toss 0]

I'd still be interested to know where & how much they cost. I've been building electronics since I was 10 so soldering is as easy as breathing. I have a mate who has been welding since he was 12. His welds look like they have been applied with a caulking gun they are just SOoo neat. There is nothing he can't do with metal - BUT he cant solder. Its funny what you take for granted. I dont use an expensive iron. A 60W adjustable with changeable tips is all you need unless you are going to play with SMD (surface mount device) componentry. I have had a go but my hand is not steady enough & my eyes are not good enough so I stick to discreet components.

[Numb-nuts 1]

When I said "you know where" I was referring of course to that place we none of us admit to using but all of us do. I mean of course ebay!

Yes it's the same with me and rj45s, I was on here complaining I couldn't get the knack and then one day it suddenly clicked and I hardly ever have to re do them, now although I am super confident with them. It saves me a heap of time and money too. I was thinking of getting a soldering station from ebay and try to start learning to solder properly without melting all the insulation off the wires I am trying to solder in the first place. This one comes with a guide book so it looks promising. I just want to be able to make up custom leads occasionally, solder on DC power plugs, (I know I know I have lots of the screw down ones) to solder up special fuse boards etc I am not keen on electronic assembly as such though. I always hated math at school although strangely I loved physics as it seemed to mean something, in fact physics was resposible for me improving in math considerably at school.

 

The boards are found by searching ebay for step down dc-dc I like the encapsulated ones as they are waterproof and cannot be interfered with and they are small enough to go in a wall box if needed. The advantage of the bare boards is they can be used as a local 12v to 12v regulator to give a nice smooth current and some can even step up a little. I would like to try this when I think there might be too much voltage drop or am I dreaming again?

 

By the way I'd love to be able to weld, we had a try at soldering lead once at college, (I did construction management) most of it ended up on the floor as soon as we heated it , it simply rolled away and ran onto the floor. phew