Industrial machine beacon

That would definitely fall into the category of art.

Big Clive

The Padauk microcontrollers. One time programmable microcontrollers found in huge numbers of cheap products.

Big Clive

Astable multivibrator - 2 transistors.. Modern 8-pin SoC - 50-100k transistors.. How far we've come!! But then I do recall Mike (of 's Electric Stuff) talking about a microcontroller for $0.01 - hard to beat that..

Gordo

I wonder what it would compare to one from RS or CPC. I did look at taking one apart but is glued shut and work would not like me to damage one.

N. Shaun Tremayne

You could make a giant supercomputer from a panel of those :)

Raven Luni

They are great little things - interesting to see and reminds me I bought some last year, but think it was a seller doing a set (RGBY) IIRC that brought the price per unit more into the cheap tat league Same look / SMD components etc but I assume different resistor values ( as were 24v)

RDM

Perhaps a "flasher" would be more accurate...

Finally got my Hopi from China, but with North American plug and serial output via the USB port. I wonder though, growing up in the USA learning about different Native American tribes, if the Hopi brand name is possibly pronounced "hoh-pee", which is the way the Hopi tribe of NE Arizona pronounces it. (Coming from China, I sort of doubt it)

Adam McKnight

When I was a nipper my Dad pate siren and a blue flashing light beacon on my bicycle. So used to race around the local area with a siren on and a blue light pulsing 😂 Thinking back, how I never got stopped by the old bill, I don’t know.

I think Dave at EEVblog mentioned an interesting approach to designing ultra low quiescent current products. A device that emulated a battery, but with micro current monitoring. One of the worst things about designing low current products based on PICs is making sure every source of rogue current draw is covered with registers and I/O being put into a stable state. Then when something does go wrong the processor sometimes remains awake in a crashed state and drains the battery very quickly. Your analogue approach is probably the best choice.

Big Clive

Reminds me of days spent designing skiplights. Battery life is the top priority.

Mike Page

This looks really cool tbh

But did it blow up?

NightshadeLenar

You're probably right. The pleasure of finding faults is like solving puzzles. (Except when you're in a factory, the fault is serious, and everyone is waiting for you to fix it.)

Big Clive

Far from being annoyed, there was a hint of joy in your voice when you discovered it didn't work. :)

Wim

That asymmetric LED layout is driving me nuts. Just seems lazy.

Jason Brinkerhoff

Awesome I'll likely have three similar ones close to hand here at work

Michael Thompson