Dragon's Lair Fans - Arcade Lifestyle

General Chat => Technical Area => Topic started by: level42 on January 11, 2013, 02:55:32 PM

Title: Monitoring +5V on PCBs
Post by: level42 on January 11, 2013, 02:55:32 PM: I've always wanted to have a means of knowing the power supply level going on in my games without having to turn the cab around open it and use my Fluke multimeter....so:

I just bought 10 of these.....

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Mini-LED-DC2-5-30V-Red-Volt-Voltage-Meter-Display-Digital-Voltmeter-Self-Powered-/140898541601?

The price is totally incredible, free shipping........

Pictures look like quality is OK.

There are others on ebay, a little more expensive, but these start at 4,5V which I found a bit high for monitoring 5V and also they show only 1 digit behind the comma.
Also they don't seem to be adjustable, and this is (see the pot), so I can adjust them to match my Fluke....

Plan is to put them in the coin door area of games (maybe somewhere else @SW, coindoor is a bit out of reach ATM....maybe I will use a couple on SW, voltage differs quite a bit on a huge boardset like that...) so they are easy to see but don't mess up the cab on the outside. On Berzerk it can go on the PCB drawer of course....

Will connect them to test points on the PCB. Will need to extend the wire of course. Will also need to use twisted wires to prevent any external fields from messing up the results shown.....

Will report back when I got them...
Title: Re: Monitoring +5V on PCBs
Post by: Luigi on January 11, 2013, 03:06:22 PM: Now that's a cool thing...looking forward to your report! Thanks for sharing :)
Title: Re: Monitoring +5V on PCBs
Post by: Belike on January 11, 2013, 04:44:51 PM: Übercool, please inform us if you ever receive them, I would also give them a try on a switching power supply. :)
Title: Re: Monitoring +5V on PCBs
Post by: Elgen on January 11, 2013, 06:35:44 PM: I have mounted a similar on the homemade SuperGun I did a few years back

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1825635165893.110508.1390686556&type=1&l=d171261ea5

Works like a charm }:-P
Title: Re: Monitoring +5V on PCBs
Post by: anunaki on January 11, 2013, 06:56:50 PM: I got one of these on top of my switching power supply connected to my supergun, nice and handy
Title: Re: Monitoring +5V on PCBs
Post by: f4brice on January 11, 2013, 07:07:44 PM: Thanks for sharing.
Looks very interesting indeed !
I'm waiting for your test results.
Title: Re: Monitoring +5V on PCBs
Post by: Etienne MacGyver on January 11, 2013, 08:15:28 PM: Great idea !
Title: Re: Monitoring +5V on PCBs
Post by: level42 on January 31, 2013, 06:45:17 PM: They finally arrived today so:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aWV4qaWSQCQ
Title: Re: Monitoring +5V on PCBs
Post by: ckong on January 31, 2013, 08:26:00 PM: Nice! :) Thanks for the vid. I guess that thre will be a wave of these little cheap things come to europe. ;D
Title: Re: Monitoring +5V on PCBs
Post by: Q*ris on January 31, 2013, 08:56:44 PM: Thanks for all the details, cool idea, I could use some too.
Title: Re: Monitoring +5V on PCBs
Post by: Etienne MacGyver on January 31, 2013, 09:30:30 PM: Nice PSU you got there ;) :D ;D
Title: Re: Monitoring +5V on PCBs
Post by: Luigi on February 01, 2013, 08:21:52 AM: They're no longer available :(

edit: OK, for a few cents more you get these (http://www.ebay.com/itm/Mini-LED-DC2-5-30V-Red-Volt-Voltage-Meter-Display-Digital-Voltmeter-Self-Powered-/360564716367?_trksid=p2047675.m1850&_trkparms=aid%3D222002%26algo%3DSIC.FIT%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D14323%26meid%3D5281103705162880575%26pid%3D100011%26prg%3D1095%26rk%3D5%26sd%3D140898541601%26) :)
Title: Re: Monitoring +5V on PCBs
Post by: level42 on February 01, 2013, 09:07:20 AM: Yup those are the same, different seller though. And the guy I got them from sold 959 of them so.....I guess he'll have them back on stock, but the price difference isn't something to loose sleep over I guess ;)
Title: Re: Monitoring +5V on PCBs
Post by: Belike on February 01, 2013, 02:39:39 PM: No.1. thanks for sharing. ;)
Title: Re: Monitoring +5V on PCBs
Post by: level42 on February 01, 2013, 06:41:14 PM: Oh forgot to mention, I also measured how much current the little guys draw and it's around 23 mA. Not too bad, can't expect LCD currents (much lower) for a LED display. Anyway, it won't trip your powersupply or anything....

And the range it can be connected to and displays goes up to 30VDC. You can't used it below I believe 2,5V because I guess it just won't work below that voltage since it's being "fed" but the measure leads too.
Title: Re: Monitoring +5V on PCBs
Post by: bencao74 on February 08, 2013, 09:45:01 AM: Jep,

I`ve used similar ones when I released my supergun take last year. I like them

(http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NEJr5B2j5j0/UIlbTzcr3fI/AAAAAAAAEtM/T-C0AGOkIi0/s320/Shop+264.jpg)

(http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XaHEafQnUi8/UIlbVeTdJzI/AAAAAAAAEtQ/4q_Gi4r4PX8/s320/Shop+271.jpg)

(http://sphotos-c.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/s480x480/602623_10152168934305942_1059774087_n.jpg)

I`m not sure if I showed them at the EUCade...
Title: Re: Monitoring +5V on PCBs
Post by: level42 on February 12, 2013, 05:06:22 PM: In fact: I had wanted to ask you where you got those nice voltage measuring modules for those boards but I did a little e-bay surfing and found them right away :)
Title: Re: Monitoring +5V on PCBs
Post by: bencao74 on February 13, 2013, 07:02:26 PM: ;D

I should post more about my projects.
Title: Re: Monitoring +5V on PCBs
Post by: level42 on February 15, 2013, 10:17:49 AM: Yes !
Title: Re: Monitoring +5V on PCBs
Post by: Luigi on March 13, 2013, 09:01:32 AM: Mine were shipped on 5.2. and they didn't arrive yet..I guess they're lost :(
Title: Re: Monitoring +5V on PCBs
Post by: Belike on March 13, 2013, 09:30:42 AM: Mine arrived after 4 weeks, don't loose your faith. ;)
Title: Re: Monitoring +5V on PCBs
Post by: Belike on March 15, 2013, 10:53:58 AM: Installed 2 of them, one to my test bench and the other to the Nova Big Screen's Hantarex US 300

(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-qCTgEA9R0XU/UULteoSeV5I/AAAAAAAAHLw/QzBXZc8d914/s720/5V%2520display%2520001.jpg)

(https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-8yg185f0ykM/UULtdaXenUI/AAAAAAAAHLo/QpxEDvxwoN4/s720/5V%2520display%2520004.jpg)

I used a bit of McGyver effect to attach the wires :D
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-81p9v-MzWq0/UULtdC10vmI/AAAAAAAAHLg/HE_MUVp0xH0/s720/5V%2520display%2520007.jpg)

(https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-GIZ9-I5Z4cI/UULtfFIFnLI/AAAAAAAAHL4/0d48eNKSmM4/s720/5V%2520display%2520009.jpg)
Title: Re: Monitoring +5V on PCBs
Post by: Luigi on March 15, 2013, 10:56:20 AM: Excellent. I will also add one of them to my BigScreen :)

Seller is informed and will re-send if they don't show up...I'll give them two more weeks.
Title: Re: Monitoring +5V on PCBs
Post by: level42 on March 15, 2013, 01:45:07 PM: (https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-81p9v-MzWq0/UULtdC10vmI/AAAAAAAAHLg/HE_MUVp0xH0/s720/5V%2520display%2520007.jpg)

I am pretending that I have not seen this.I am pretending that I have not seen this.I am pretending that I have not seen this.I am pretending that I have not seen this.I am pretending that I have not seen this.I am pretending that I have not seen this.I am pretending that I have not seen this.I am pretending that I have not seen this.I am pretending that I have not seen this.I am pretending that I have not seen this.I am pretending that I have not seen this.I am pretending that I have not seen this.I am pretending that I have not seen this.I am pretending that I have not seen this.I am pretending that I have not seen this.I am pretending that I have not seen this.I am pretending that I have not seen this.I am pretending that I have not seen this.I am pretending that I have not seen this.I am pretending that I have not seen this.I am pretending that I have not seen this.I am pretending that I have not seen this.I am pretending that I have not seen this.I am pretending that I have not seen this.I am pretending that I have not seen this.I am pretending that I have not seen this.
Title: Re: Monitoring +5V on PCBs
Post by: Luigi on March 15, 2013, 03:01:23 PM: (http://i.computer-bild.de/imgs/2/2/3/1/8/5/7/Die-Simpsons-in-HDTV-229x170-f6c037dede30c0f2.jpg)

;D
Title: Re: Monitoring +5V on PCBs
Post by: Belike on March 15, 2013, 05:11:19 PM: Quote from: Level42 on March 15, 2013, 01:45:07 PM
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-81p9v-MzWq0/UULtdC10vmI/AAAAAAAAHLg/HE_MUVp0xH0/s720/5V%2520display%2520007.jpg)

I am pretending that I have not seen this.I am pretending that I have not seen this.I am pretending that I have not seen this.I am pretending that I have not seen this.I am pretending that I have not seen this.I am pretending that I have not seen this.I am pretending that I have not seen this.I am pretending that I have not seen this.I am pretending that I have not seen this.I am pretending that I have not seen this.I am pretending that I have not seen this.I am pretending that I have not seen this.I am pretending that I have not seen this.I am pretending that I have not seen this.I am pretending that I have not seen this.I am pretending that I have not seen this.I am pretending that I have not seen this.I am pretending that I have not seen this.I am pretending that I have not seen this.I am pretending that I have not seen this.I am pretending that I have not seen this.I am pretending that I have not seen this.I am pretending that I have not seen this.I am pretending that I have not seen this.I am pretending that I have not seen this.I am pretending that I have not seen this.
Hahahha, don't worry, I finished it with some insulation stripes. ;D
Title: Re: Monitoring +5V on PCBs
Post by: Luigi on March 31, 2013, 01:43:52 PM: They arrived yesterday....53 days after they were shipped....snail mail :evil:
Title: Re: Monitoring +5V on PCBs
Post by: level42 on March 31, 2013, 02:57:15 PM: Wow that is extreme....
Title: Re: Monitoring +5V on PCBs
Post by: Belike on April 01, 2013, 02:51:04 PM: At least it was not lost. ;)