Lighted Magnifying lamp diopter power for SMT circuit board soldering

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From the User Manual.
"To connect to your Quantum, hook up the battery and wait about 10 seconds for it to initialize.
You’ll hear some beeping as it goes through its self-test, and at the end of the long 3-second beep
it should be discoverable over WiFi. "

From the Assemby Manual
"Connect your battery to the pigtail. You should hear three quick beeps, then a long one. If you
do not hear any beeps, immediately disconnect the battery and go to the troubleshooting
section. "
So it seems that as long as you get to the long 3-second beep everything os OK.
 
Quantum eggtimer finished!!!

...

2) If I plug a LED bulb into the main/drogue can I test my Quantum's deployment circuit that way???

Again thx for all the help.

Geoff

Congratulations!

I found that the LED alone didn't show circuit continuity when I hooked it up to the Quantum for testing. I added a resistor in parallel to the LED and it worked fine after that.
 
Parallel?? Not in series?? What size resistor??

Geoff

My LED was OK with the current that the Quantum could put out, so I wasn't as interested in that. I needed a resistor in parallel to provide a current path when the Quantum was testing continuity. If it didn't see continuity, I couldn't arm it for the rest of the test. I'll get a picture of my test light setup when I can.
 
The latest version of the Quantum firmware (1.07A) handles the startup a little differently, each short beep corresponds to an "OK" for an internal self-test. If you get the long beep, everything passed. This is similar to what the Proton firmware had all along... it makes it easier to identify something that may not have been soldered correctly.
 
The latest version of the Quantum firmware (1.07A) handles the startup a little differently, each short beep corresponds to an "OK" for an internal self-test. If you get the long beep, everything passed. This is similar to what the Proton firmware had all along... it makes it easier to identify something that may not have been soldered correctly.

Thank you for such a quick response, I really enjoyed assembling the "Quantum". I hope to continue you use Eggtimer Products and appreciate your excellent customer support.

Geoffrey
 
...Fyi this is the Magnifying Lamp I purchased. The 5X magnification was perfect, although I wouldn't argue with a stronger magnification if you so choosed.

YOUKOYI LED Magnifying Lamp Metal Swing Arm Magnifier Lamp - Stepless Dimming, 3 Color Modes, 5X Magnification, 4.1" Diameter Glass Lens, Adjustable Industrial Clamp for Reading/Office/Work.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07F8R4GZ6/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1


And recommended by mpitfield:
10x with 25mm with LED, Focused Eye Loupe Jewelry Magnifiers for Gems, Hobbies Antiques Models,Interchangeable Reticle Scale

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B072R1Q346/ref=ppx_od_dt_b_asin_title_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

This lighted Loupe is incredibly handy, although $20 more then your standard Loupe, the lighted option is a big help when inspecting solder joints and the optics are excellent.

Geoff
 
Congratulations!

I found that the LED alone didn't show circuit continuity when I hooked it up to the Quantum for testing. I added a resistor in parallel to the LED and it worked fine after that.

Ok BG, I get it now "parallel" I'll give it a try. What size LED did you use?? 5mm?

Geoff
 
Here's my deeply janky setup. There are two parallel circuit paths:

Test Light.jpg

Red wire in - brown resistor - black wire out
Red wire in - LED - blue resistor - blue resistor - black wire out

I didn't remember the resistors in series with the LED, and I'm really not sure why I have two of them. Most likely, It was what I could get on hand easily and the two in series was the right total resistance. The brown resistor is the one that makes sure there's continuity that I added later. The PCB is one of the ones that has different traces on the back side, something like this one, though not exactly this product: https://www.amazon.com/Prototype-Un...eywords=pcb+breadboard&qid=1580835263&sr=8-30

I think it's a 5mm LED, and I sanded the top of the LED just a little to change it from a spotlight to more of a floodlight.
 
I use two old non-LED Christmas tree light bulbs in series for continuity testing things. They work great, will always pass continuity checks, and (with experience) give you an idea if the battery may be weak. Of course they are no longer available...
 
In some circumstances the LED can be very useful for indicating an electrical state. However, the testing of a continuity circuit is not one of those circumstances. The LED is nothing like an igniter electrically as it is a non-linear device. Additionally, the LED is polarized and needs to be connected correctly. The igniter and incandescent lamp are both linear resistive devices, with similar(ish) resistances. An LED typically has a high 'resistance' until the forward voltage exceeds about 2.5 V at which point the LED switches on. Above this voltage the LED 'resistance' will drop to maybe about 20 Ohms and the voltage-current relationship becomes relatively linear - until you over drive it - hence the need for a series current-limiting resistor.

So, for continuity testing of altimeter deployment outputs, I always use small 12V incandescent lamps. The non-LED lights suggested by caveduck are a good option. Similar ones can be purchased from RadioShack or Amazon, etc, over your side of the pond. I get them from Jaycar here in Oz. Even the standard incandescent lamp from a torch is good.

SL2675-12v-mini-lamps-largeImageMain-515.jpg
 
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