Category: acquired things

The Energy Detective TED 5000-G Teardown

Published February 2, 2011

Back when I owned a TED 5000-G, before realizing that it has a critical software design flaw which makes it unusable on my network, I decided to open up the enclosures and see what’s inside. Since it’s a power monitoring system which uses PLC (power line communication, one type of which is the familiar X10) to communicate to a data logger and an embedded webserver I figured it would be fairly interesting.

Here’s the teardown photos, with the more interesting chips called out. Links to full-res photos are in the top right corner of each page:

MTU:
    · Unopened
    · Enclosure Opened
    · PCB Top
    · PCB Bottom
        – Microchip PIC24FJ64GA004: Microcontroller.
        – NXP TD5051AT: Home automation modem. Used for PLC.
        – Cirrus Logic CS5461: Power measurement device; does the monitoring itself. EOL’d on 15-Dec-2006, Data Sheet Mirror (PDF).

Gateway:
    · Unopened
    · Enclosure Opened: ZigBee Daughter Board plugged into mainboard.
    · Mains Connection: Ground / earth pin is not connected.
    ZigBee Daughter Board:
        · PCB Top
        · PCB Bottom: Note printed antenna near bottom of photo.
            – Microchip PIC24FHJ64GA106: Microcontroller.
            – Microchip MRF24J40: IEEE 802.15.4 radio, used for ZigBee communications.
    Mainboard
        · PCB Top
            – Microchip ENC28J60: Ethernet Controller.
            – Microchip PIC24FHJ256xxnnn: Microcontroller. Can’t read entire part number.
            – Macronix MS25L3205D (PDF): 32Mbit Serial Flash
        · PCB Bottom
            – Vossel VS1307Z (PDF): Real-time clock, keeps time with main power off by automatically switching to backup source (CR2032).
            – NXP TD5051AT: Home automation modem used for PLC; same as in the MTU.
CTs:
    · CTs: Sealed, not easy to disassemble. Likely nothing interesting inside.

I was really looking forward to getting a TED, and save for the PLC quirks and the webserver bug that made it unusable, I really liked the device. The PCBs themselves also appear to be very well made, and I particularly appreciated that they were closed with simple Philips and Torx fasteners and thus easy to look inside of. If Energy, Inc. releases an updated version with the firmware fixed I’ll consider buying another one, particularly if they stop using PLC and move to all-ZigBee (or some other PAN) for communications from the MTU(s) to the Gateway.

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Four-Bolt Stem on the VooDoo Dambala

Published February 2, 2011

Due to the two-bolt clamp on the stem on the VooDoo Dambala I’d occasionally have problems like this where the bar rotated precipitously while going off a small drop. While at this year’s MMBA Annual Meeting in Lansing I found the 80mm Specialized stem seen above for $10. I fitted it tonight, and hopefully it’ll keep the bar solidly in place.

At 80mm it’s maybe 5mm shorter than the previous Bontrager stem, but I don’t think this will make much of a difference. At least now I’ll be able to ride without worrying about the bar suddenly changing position. And, if it proves to be too short, it was cheap enough to not be a big deal.

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Blade Tandem Rescue RTF

Published February 1, 2011

On the way home from work I stopped at Larry’s Performance RCs in their new location just off of M-59. I’ve been wanting a radio-controlled helicopter for a while and I wanted to see what they had. After talking to one of the sales guys for a while I picked up a Blade Tandem Rescue RTF for $64.95, which is quite a bit cheaper than the normal $90 to $200-ish that they sell for online.

Being an RC design this helicopter has considerably more range than the IR designs, and one doesn’t have to keep the controller pointed at the unit. It’s also possible to use this controller with a number of other models of RC helicopter and basic airplane, which means that if I ever want a more complicated model I can simply buy one without controller and and reuse this one.

So far I really enjoy flying it. It’s challenging and will take some learning, but I’m getting the hang of it. I’ve crashed it enough that two of the plastic pins which hold the shell in place have broken and thus the housing doesn’t sit quite right any more. One of the broken pins can be seen on the front above. It’s not interfering with the flight, but it’s not as perfect as it could be. I may take the housing off as a whole, as this should lighten it up and allow me to get more flight time. The only downside to this is that the LEDs on the body are affixed to the plastic shell, so removing it will require disconnecting the shiny blinky lights.

While flying it around the house I failed to notice that a metal tray full of greasy water had been left sitting in the sink. When the helicopter crashed in the kitchen, into the greasy water it went. I tried to clean it off, but now there’s a thin layer of some random fat all over it. While I wiped off as much as I could from the exterior plastics some water definitely got inside. Hopefully it hasn’t damaged it.

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CF Card Hole in Netgate alix2d13 Enclosure

Published January 28, 2011

This morning when a beta version of pfSense on my PC Engines alix2d13-based firewall crashed I decided to make it easier to swap the CompactFlash card from which the OS runs. While physical access to the card is not normally required to upgrade the OS, there have been a few cases recently where I had to remove the card and image it. After the third time of removing 12 fasteners just to remove the card I decided to follow pfSense developer Jim-P’s example cut a hole in my firewall’s enclosure.

After marking the CF card location in the case and stripping it, only three cuts with a small cut-off wheel were needed to make the long cuts, then the remaining bits of metal were easy to bend out of the way with a flat-blade screwdriver. A bit of quick smoothing and deburring work with small files resulted in a nice, smooth hole through which the CF card easily fits. While the card remains not hot swappable, it’ll be much easier to remove the card should I need to access the card from another machine. Since the card sits a bit inside the face of the enclosure I had to add a tape flag to make it easy to remove. Pushing it back in is a little awkward as well, but as this won’t be done much it shouldn’t be a problem.

Here’s a few photos taken tonight while cutting the hole in the case:

· After marking the enclosure was clamped to some very dense foam for cutting with a cutoff wheel.
· More cuts made with the cutoff wheel. After this point the metal was gently bent away and the hole was filed.
· Looking at the Netgate enclosure from inside showing the nice alignment with the CF card slot.
· Front view of the Netgate enclosure with a CF card hole cut in it.
· The CF card fits very nicely in the hole.
· View from inside showing how well the CF card fits.
· Because the CF card will not hang out of the slot tape was added to facilitate extraction.
· CF card placed in the alix2d13 board via the hole in the Netgate enclosure.

Now to wait for the next build to come out and reimage my CF card. This build should contain three ftp helper changes that should resolve the issue I had this morning. Hopefully a problem that I had with disappearing certificate authorities is also fixed.

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Tasty British Treats

Published January 18, 2011

A package that I’d been looking forward to arrived today from Dominic. Inside was some nifty software and a whole assortment of wonderfully British treats, including proper Sellotape (!!!), curry noodles (ramen-like, I believe), a resupply of PG Tips, some silly buttons, a cute WWF card, and some wonderful-looking candy, including a Curly Wurly which Danielle loved when we were in the UK back in 2008. This is wonderful. Not only is there a bunch of stuff to munch on, but I shouldn’t run out of tea for a while and can (hopefully finally?) do some nifty things to a map that I’ve been working on. Yay! This is great!

(Yes, I know that the arrangement of the photo is terrible. Sorry. I was being lazy.)

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XC Skiing on MLK Day

Published January 17, 2011

Being Martin Luther King, Jr. Day I headed out to Stony Creek to do some XC skiing. While the trails weren’t groomed, there was enough of a track worn in that skiing was still fun. (Photo) I ended up skiing lots of two track, likely totaling somewhere around 8 miles.

Before leaving the house I fitted this year’s joint Metroparks / Oakland County Parks. Despite costing $48, this pass is an excellent buy for anyone who regularly goes to both organization’s parks, particularly someone like me who doesn’t live in Oakland County. While the normal price for an annual Metroparks pass is only $25, the non-resident Oakland County Parks pass is a whopping $45. Thus, by purchasing the joint pass (also known Parks Perks Pass) it’s $22 cheaper for me to get access to all the parks than it would be if I’d bought the passes separately.

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Non-Winning AUTO-intelliKEY Teardown

Published December 30, 2010

This is a non-winning AUTO-intelliKEY, a fake key-shaped vehicle remote sent out as a promotion by a local Kia dealer to try and get people into the store. Apparently some of these keys will actually active different locks on some vehicles, and those specific keys win prizes. This photo shows the inside of the unit, with just some metal domes where contacts would otherwise be and no other electronics. Thus this key doesn’t work and is not a winner.

The flier that this was mailed on also includes a scratch-off number and barcode, all of which offer other prizes that must be checked at the dealership. Since I’m not going to be visiting the dealer to check on the state of these numbers then I guess I’m just like the poor souls who failed to claim a $30,000 cash prizes (Lisa C.) and a new vehicle (Lorayne D.).

If you’d like to see some more photos of the AUTO-intelliKEY teardown, take a look here.

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Geiger Counter Headphone Jack Fixed

Published December 30, 2010

Thanks to my dad, many years ago I came into possession of a fair amount of cold war-era Civil Defense radiological monitoring equipment. One such item is the CDV-700 Geiger counter pictured above. For years the headphone jack had been broken which meant that I couldn’t use it to hear the telltale clicks whenever it detected radiation.

After a friend stopped by tonight to pick up some parts (a box of tubes that had been collecting dust) our conversation had me wondering if some of the things around my house are radioactive, so I set to work fixing the rather odd headphone jack. After fixing it I was able to establish that none of the odd tubes or aircraft equipment in my living room was radioactive.

Hopefully in the next few days (or weeks) I’ll find the time to photograph all of this old gear just to document it. It’s not particularly special or rare equipment, but it was a very physical tool through which I learned about both the fear of nuclear war and how a society can be placated by giving it the perception of control in the face of overwhelming force. I love having this stuff around for both the technical and historical aspect of such detection equipment and the memories of playing around with it while growing up.

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Carbonating / Kegging Supplies

Published December 28, 2010

While planning a New Year’s Eve party I realized that it’d be particularly handy to have supplies for dispensing kegged beer with CO₂. Well, after a run to Cap n’ Cork I now have everything needed: a CO₂ tank, regulator, thick-wall PVC line, a corney keg, picnic tap, keg rebuild kit, and ball lock fittings. I also picked up cherry and cream soda mixes and a special cap that allows one to carbonate things in plain plastic bottles. Now I can make carbonated water, juice, milk, or anything else whenever I want. Hmm. I think I could even try carbonating fruit…

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Bottom Bracket Replacement in the VooDoo Dambala

Published December 25, 2010

After the bottom bracket issues on the single speed I ordered a new FSA Platinum ISIS bottom bracket to replace the failed RaceFace SRX. This evening after a shorter than expected Christmas I fitted the new bottom bracket and now the drivetrain is working just as it should. Installation went smoothly and after cleaning the chain and slightly readjusting the tension it’s ready to ride.

Now to wait for spring time to come and single speed weather to begin again… Or maybe my neighbors (spanning the four miles to River Bends) will properly clear their snow…

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