Reddit mentions: The best diodes

Hey there! I work with LEDs a lot (but only strips of LEDs, not singular small pieces, but it's one and the same), and I'm a foamsmither too! Here's some of my work!

For LEDs, you can use any 3V small coin-battery operated LED like this. To power them, you can just use any 3V coin battery like this, perfect for what you're using! You may also opt to use a holder like this, if you want to wire them and easily replace them (instead of having to leave the coin in between the LEDs). They're easy to set up, the longer leg is positive, the shorter is negative.

If you're looking for transparent pieces you could use acrylic plastic, but that's a little expensive too. I use acrylic all the time, and getting a round piece is very tedious. The problem with dark red acrylic sheets is that the LEDs do not shine well through them, or at least, in bright lights like con settings, they don't show very well. Here's an example from my Project Zed blades, they shine well in the dark, but not well in the light.

If you do wish to opt that route, you can order a sheet of red acrylic plastic from here. I use these guys all the time, they're great. You could ask them for a commission, but it's like a $100 minimum (which is super expensive). It might take a few days to get out to you if you're on the East Coast like I am.

With painting, you are supposed to prime and paint with EVA foam. The best way in my own opinion (there are lots), for both ease of durability and quality of paint is to spray with plastidip, and then use acrylic paint like Liquitex Basics to paint over it (my favorite brand). When you're done painting it, spray a coat of plastidip over it again to seal it. Unless it rubs against other pieces or touches anything, there's a good chance it won't chip or scuff at all. After I made the switch, a lot of the paint job on my armors held up really well!

I've never worked with wood glue before, I've used gesso and that worked really well at showing off the colors I wanted to, but it's very susceptible to chipping when rubbing, unless you put a lot of coats on it. If it's foam, I don't know if moisture would not rub off of wood glue, but it definitely doesn't on plastidip. I walked through a huge rain storm for NYCC and just wiped the rain of and it was like I first painted it.

Apologies to you for the follow up wall of text (and shameless plugs) but feel free to message me or comment if you need additional help! :)

Theres a lot of guides out there and most of the hard work has been done for you. You can buy a kit with a pcb, case and switches.

However if you want to build a fully custom keyboard you can try to follow what I tried the other day.
Theres a few things parts youll need for a keyboard.

1. Layout: You can make your own layout or you can use one of the popular layouts. Copy the raw data.
   
   
2. You can buy a case and plate, 60% are fairly common and universal. However you can build your own. Paste the raw data from (1) and generate a CAD file for your case. You can have it laser cut out of wood, acrylic or Aluminum. If you are using Aluminum for the plate, get 1.5mm thick aluminum so the switches will snap into place. However if you use something like wood or acrylic, you'll need something thicker. I found some scraps of 5mm wood. The switches wont click but you can hot glue them in place.
   
   
3. Switches: choose the kind you like.
   
   
4. Youll need to buy: Wires (20-22 gauge wire will work, but I just stripped and old ethernet cable), Diodes (Someone already did the research and decided this one is the best one. You'll need one for every switch.)
   
   
5. MicroController: Teensy 2.0/3.0 or ProMicros. These are well supported.
   
   
6. Lastly you'll need an QMK. Paste the raw data from (1) or you can use one of the presets. Choose the type of controller. This is where you will create a firmware for you keyboard. Save the Hex file.
   
   
   You'll need to wire your switches into a matrix. Make sure the switches are in the right orientation. Wire them to the pins on your microcontroller. Make sure they match with the rows and columns that you chose on the QMK. Lastly, you need to flash your keyboard. Theres a few guides online for this, but if you choose the teensy you can follow this.

There are three things you'll need, the battery, a charging board, and a diode. If you know someone who does some modding they might already have the second two. They usually come in sets of a few, making them cheap individually, but if you buy them yourself on Amazon or eBay and need just one, you'll spend a bit more money. However, diodes are super common in things like power adapters, so if you have a junk one laying around, you can most likely get one for free. By power adapter I mean the plugs with the big black end that never fit into a surge protector. If you crack one of those open, you'll probably find a few free diodes. I got mine from an old charger for a broken Phillips hair trimmer. If you have to order them and don't mind waiting much longer for shipping, Aliexpress has super cheap individual charging boards and diodes. I'm impatient though and didn't want to wait a month for shipping. I would also recommend using one of those little wire connector things between the charging board and the GBA so you can disconnect the whole thing easily. I'll link it all below.


Battery: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07BTV3MXQ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1


Charging Board: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01DRT4PWY/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1


Diode: https://www.ebay.com/itm/182714565793?ul_noapp=true Or if you want to stick with Amazon Prime but pay more: https://www.amazon.com/NTE-Electronics-1N270-Germanium-Optimized/dp/B008UG12M6/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=1N270+diode&qid=1564894452&s=gateway&sr=8-4


Little connector thing: https://www.ebay.com/itm/20-Pairs-Micro-JST-1-25-2-Pin-Male-and-Female-Connector-plug-with-Wires-Cables/361418912735?epid=1083311732&hash=item54263ef3df:g:kOYAAOSwmrlUrPoE


This is the GBA that I modded recently. More pics and details in the fist comment. https://old.reddit.com/r/Gameboy/comments/cm7i4o/my_first_gba_mod_more_info_and_pics_in_the/

Well I tend to get carried away. You will use fewer LEDs than you expect. I have a pile of the things, and dont think I will need to buy more for a decade. The first thing I ran out of in the kit was 10k resistors, and the first thing I had to buy that the kit didnt have were a bunch of 2n2222 transistors. Best bet is to find a list of projects that interest you and buy the parts for them. Buy more of any parts that are present in multiple projects. I bought capacitor, transistor, and diode kits from amazon that have some of the most common of each.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06XSFNYFP/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01H1W6VV6/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B077KM7XTY/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

If you plan on making your own circuit boards (which you will if you want to keep your projects,) there are cheap perfboard assortments that are handy too. Last thing, because this list is getting out of hand, when I first started, I had electrical experience, but no electronics experience. When I started making my out circuit boards, I was using stranded wire, and tinning each wire before inserting it in the board. Worked just fine, but "hook up" wire (which I had never heard of), is solid core wire that doesnt need to be tinned. Good gravy did that speed up the process.

I thought I was done, but then I thought of more. I2C LCD screens are cool too.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01K1N4XM6/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/Qunqi-Serial-Backlight-Arduino-MEGA2560/dp/B01E4YUT3K/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1522421759&sr=1-1-spons&keywords=i2c+lcd&psc=1

They only use 4 pins including ground and power, instead of 12 or whatever the crap the standard ones need. Super easy to set up and use. Alright Im done. You wont be able to get on the plane if you try to take home any more than all that. :D

All good notes. Thanks! I found this, which seems to be a good assortment of both resistors and capacitors:

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BXXJBSA/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=A1VKUIWWBIDKZ9&psc=1

The Cutequeen assortment didn't have above 1M resistors, as you noted, so I went with this one. And I went with this set for some diodes:

https://smile.amazon.com/Ltvystore-100PCS-10Value-1N4001-1N5819-Assorted/dp/B01LW6N0AD/ref=sr_1_3?s=industrial&ie=UTF8&qid=1506366514&sr=1-3&keywords=diode+assortment

After shopping around a bit, I split my order between Mammoth and Amazon. There isn't one place that has the best prices on everything -- knobs are cheaper on BLWS, and their enclosures look to be priced well, but they don't have any pre-drilled options. (I bought a center punch step drill bit kit so I can drill enclosures myself, so this shouldn't be a problem in the future.) Also, BLWS's pots are cheap but they don't have the full range that Mammoth does (for example, no reverse log pots).

Anyway, thanks again for the help! I spent hours and hours sourcing parts but I think the next time I do it I'll be able to put my order together faster. Part of the process is just learning where to buy which parts.

Wow thank you so much, this was very helpful. :)

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If i am understanding you correctly, this is the new diagram (https://imgur.com/a/Y6XohGa).

1. Use the red and white power lines from the wall and connect them to this buck converter.
   
2. Configure the buck converter to change the voltage from 16 volts to 5 volts.
   
3. Connect wires from the buck converter to this bridge rectifier to convert the power from AC to DC.
   
4. Connect the wires from the bridge rectifier to the two power ports on the WiFi Relay
   
5. Solder the wires from the relay on the Wifi Relay to the two pins that activate the buzzer
   
6. Voila! :D
   
   ​
   
   One question I had was can I use the existing red and black lines to power both the original unit and the buck converter/bridge rectifier/wifi relay? Would i just cut off some of the plastic coatings of the black and red wires somewhere in the middle and wrap the other wires around the two?
   
   My thinking is that this would effectively make two "ends" for the wires that i can use to power the existing circuit board and the buck converter/bridge rectifier/wifi relay.

OK, so you buy a transformer that will step 120 to 90, or you wind your own. A quick search didn't turn up a 120 to 90 transformer, but alibaba or some other place might have one. You can find tutorials online on rewinding microwave oven transformers. Next step is to rectify 90VAC to DC.

You can buy a rectifier rated for 100A like this:

https://www.amazon.com/Baomain-1600V-Bridge-Rectifier-QL100A/dp/B008LTIMX4

I'd work on some sort of fan for your enclosure to increase the duty cycle, although you have 5x the current capacity in that particular rectifier, so I'd think that at 1/5 its rated capacity, it would have a 100% duty cycle. After that, you can use a capacitor to smooth out your DC voltage. The capacitor would have to be rated for 90v, and you'll have to try different capacitors to see which capacitance will give you the smoothest DC. (I'm sure there's an electrical engineering method to figure that out, but using an oscilloscope to look at your rectifier output will enable you to smooth it out by using different capacitors. Maybe an EE on here will wade in).

Finally, you'll need to buy a potentiometer rated for 90V 20A, and that will be used after the rectifier (or capacitor) to control your current to the motor. Negative back to rectifier/capacitor.

I think that's the basics. Most important for me would be isolating the mains AC from my DC circuit, proper insulation and grounding of the transformer and circuit, and other than that, making sure the thing didn't get hot.

Sure, the author there states he used a 1N4148.I think that's what I used too. These signals are pretty small. Any 'normal' diode should work. Amazon has them: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01M7S2ROI/ref=cm_sw_r_other_apa_g5EJBbJ2FZG34
Seems crazy to buy 100, but you won't find just one for $0.005.

The one you want to use is the small one that looks like a glass bead. It should have one black stripe on one end. This is called the cathode. (The opposite is the anode).

If you look at the diagrams in the link: https://mertarauh.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Diode-Open.png you see the little arrow symbol with a line across the point? That's your diode. The vertical line marks the cathode, so that will be the end that points away from your atmega (control board) input.

I suggest you read up a little on diodes so you know how to troubleshoot. It's never a good idea to just follow an internet stranger's advice blindly ;-)

https://learn.sparkfun.com/tutorials/polarity/diode-and-led-polarity

Edit: (response to your edit: question)I don't have a RAMPS so I'm not 100%sure, but those look like standard 0.1" headers. I think they call those DuPont connectors. You can order wires with those connectors already crimped on; saves you the trouble of doing it and they aren't expensive. Make sure you get female connectors if you intend to push them onto the pins on the RAMPS.

Just had one more thought.....with a cap on it, it is possible you could feed the inductor (fan coil) when powering off and get an inductive kick that would spike the voltage back to the main board... I'd have to take some readings and do the math to see if it can... may be nothing, may not... but i wouldn't be suprised .... to protect against that it would take a 24v zener diode wired in parallel with the cap so it clipped anything over 24v...

Something like this

https://smile.amazon.com/NTE-Electronics-1N5359B-Zener-Tolerance/dp/B008UFWSAW/ref=sr_1_9?keywords=24v+zener+diode&qid=1566000417&s=gateway&sr=8-9

I think 1N4148s are the standard, keeb.io has some that could work, otherwise there are cylindrical diodes like all the other ones on the board that can be picked up at Amazon. I'd probably buy both. Also, some solder wick will easily pull up all the solder.

Although, now that I'm taking a closer look at that picture, those pads under the solder bridges look like they might be a little crispy. Things could get a bit complicated if they end up coming off the next time you put the iron to them.

My one-and-only mechanical keyboard project was a 100% custom job. I started with www.keyboard-layout-editor.com to design my layout (heavily modified Ergodox). Sent the plates to www.ponoko.com to have them cut.

Then I got these parts:

• Diodes
  
• Hot-swap sockets
  
• Cherry MX Black switches
  
• Cheap DSA Keycaps
  
• Elite-C controller
  
• TRRS jacks (split keyboard only)
  
• TRRS Cable (split keyboard only)
  
  For wire, I just pulled apart some old Cat-5 cable I had lying around (I use that stuff for EVERYTHING).
  
  Then get the controller software from QMK and follow their instructions on how to get set up.
  
  This is the final product: ShiftySplit
  
  Hope this helps. I'm by no means an expert like some of the other folks around here but I'll try to answer any questions you have. Have fun!

It's actually pretty simple to wire the diode in! You know how LEDs only conduct when wired + to + and - to -? You want to do the opposite for this diode. On the wires coming from the converter, have a schottky diode across the 12V side, diodes + to the ground and diode - terminal to +12. That's really it. This diode will only conduct when you shut off a heavy inductive load such as a set of horns or a motor. Exact same function as the flyback diodes inside a e-bike controller.

I bought a pack of these diodes, main thing this the 15A continuous rating and the schottky type. Schottky diodes are generally your only choice for
diodes meant to conduct more than 10A.

Sweet, I did notice how some say LED's and some say diode's but I thought it was just a matter of preference. Would [these]( 100x 1N4007 Diode 1A 1000V Rectifier Diodes Arduino Motor Snubber Flyback https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00LUJFFAU/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_1GvSub1XPKT3W) work? How exactly do you use a kick back diode? I'm confused as to whether you use them inline to the power line to the solenoid or use them as a direct bridge in the middle of the line, and diagrams I've looked up haven't really made it clear.

Here is mine I followed this guide. When I bought mine it was only $14 on Amazon. If you start with the Jellycomb Numpad, you don't have to buy switches or a case... Just the Teensy 2.0 and the diodes.

There may be other options, this one is very easy to get you started.

Here's a diagram - https://imgur.com/a/oS7iO7I

And here are the parts (doorbell not included):

1. Sonoff SV
   
2. Bridge Rectifier
   
3. Capacitor
   
   I will note that the rectifier and capacitor that I have listed are likely grossly oversized, I just used what I had on hand since it was a one off project, and I didn't feel like figuring out the proper specifications for them.
   
   I have the Sonoff flashed with Tasmota. You can set the doorbell button up as a button on GPIO 14 through the configuration menu, then set the PulseTime option to 2 (0.2 seconds) in the console, so that the bell doesn't get stuck on if someone holds the doorbell button down.

https://www.amazon.com/Pieces-Chanzon-KBPC5010-Rectifier-Electronic/dp/B079KDL8Y5/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=50a+bridge+rectifier&qid=1558967574&s=gateway&sr=8-3

Appropriate rectifiers are cheap and commonly available. You don't NEED a capacitor to make a rectifier work, either, and for this particular application, it wouldn't make any sense to use one.

Getting back to the parent question - a rectifier would work just fine, and only add a few dollars to the cost of the showerhead. I suspect a rectifier WOULD make such a showerhead somewhat safer, too.

1. the round thing is a potentiometer, also known as a variable resistor per this sheet the 501 marking means its a 500 ohm pot, this particular one is a trimmer pot.
   
2. the red square thing is a capacitor from your description its a polyester film cap, found one at Alibaba
   
3. The diode you are looking at is a rectifier diode, you can find some on amazon HERE

you can try to hook up one of these from amazon, others have used them to make AC welders put out DC current. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B075L3QGH1/?coliid=I2HEZ87ICBUGVG&colid=3AAWQ25O41C9L&psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it

Hope this helps
2 12V Photoelectric relays
12V motor
6mm bore pully to match motor shaft
Project box
2 limit switches
Solar panel
Battery
If not solar powered. Aka no solar panel or battery

If you have any other questions let me know I am at work and I will answer what I can on my phone

Edit: I forgot a pully to run the rope from, but the motor I linked has so much torque you could go direct no problem, and lumbar to build the door. I estimated about 10$ for wood. I used all treated, as that's what I had laying around, but its probably not necessary as most of the door on my design was in the coop. I can make you a wiring diagram as well if you are interested. That reminds me you should use 4 zener diodes (just because you only need 4 doesn't mean you shouldn buy a 100 for future projects :) also if you goto an electronics store you will pay 5-6$ for 6 diodes) to stop flash back through the whole circuit from the reversing of polarity with the motor.

fix it.

https://www.amazon.com/Switching-Rectifier-15-Total-150pcs/dp/B07BTXK1NG/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?ie=UTF8&qid=1541172014&sr=8-2-spons&keywords=smd+diode&psc=1

Diodes and Teensy model I'm considering

Those are the most common type. You can get those off ebay or amazon(i got these recently). Probably cheaper off ebay, but you may wait about a month to get them.

Do these work?

https://www.amazon.com/Akak-Quality-Schottky-Blocking-15SQ045/dp/B01CXOQMJ8/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1497315863&sr=8-3&keywords=diode



Edit: I am powering a 5V 3W Peltier

> 1n4148

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00W8U1L6M/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

MIC 1N4007 DO-41 Axial Silastic Guard Junction Standard Rectifier Diode (Pack of 20) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00W17LOBO/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apap_XbBUDJnBcmndi

I recently did this for my gba.
This is the picture to use for the wiring. The links are what I purchased for my project.
https://imgur.com/a/QtW89

http://imgur.com/6CVwoAh

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01740GZBQ/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

http://www.ebay.com/itm/401095223079?trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00UPSVH36/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I tried adding one of these diodes and even measured the voltage to the led and it was around 3.8 so I don't think it is an issue with voltage. I had it working for literally one second when plugged into betaflight, but once I unplugged it I couldn't get it to work again.

Hmm, I actually have a lot of this stuff laying around, might have to make one for camping next year!

Also you mention the batteries discharging at night, should use a blocking diode because this will also happen if the panel falls into shade. Blocking diode should prevent it entirely

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01CXOQMJ8/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_xIBMBbPWBTADV