Mini portable uninterruptible power supply (manual)

Some additional picture of the UPS shown in my last post 
My Mini UPS:

The manual:

Mini portable uninterruptible power supply

Recently i received this mini portable uninterruptible power supply (UPS) that i ordered after seeing a YouTube video of this interesting device. On AliExpress it is advertised as "Mini Portable UPS Router 5V 9V 12V Uninterruptible Power Supply for WiFi, Router Large Capacity Backup Power Adapter Ups Backup"

From the title you and seeing two Ethernet connectors you could think it contains a router or Wifi, however Ethernet connectors ar only available as this small power supply also can provide power over Ethernet (PoE). With a small switch you can select between 15V or 24V PoE.
Is also has a 5V USB outlet and 3 sockets providing  5, 9 and 12 Volt. It has a lithium battery and a circuit to act as UPS when main power stops. On top is an on and of switch and an indicator showing charging level. A European and USA type cable are provided for the main power voltage. Also included are a 'normal'cable and a 'split' cable for the 5,9 and 12 volt connectors.
It is a nice device that maintains power in the event of a power failure and provides some often used voltages. The 5V USB connector is also useful to have. It is not possible to draw all the advertised power at the same time and the power output is somewhat limited. For example it is not possible to power my FritzBox router using this device. If it could power my FritzBox i probably would have ordered immediate a second one to keep my network on in case of a power failure.

Product specification:

Battery capacity: 10400MA

Input: 85-265Vac

Frequency: 50-60Hz

Output: USB 5V/2A

DC 5V/1A

DC 9V/1A

DC 12V/1A

POE 15V/0.6A

POE 24V/0.6A

Output power (max):18W

Operating temperature:-10℃~40℃

Humidity:10%-90%PH

Product size about:16CM*10CM*3CM
Weight 440 gram.

Below photos of the box and the unboxing:

Cannibalizing an airplane headset

 

For experiments i needed a plug to make some connections. As, during the years i have collected airplane headsets i decided to cannibalize one and change it in a test wire, keeping the audio plug on one side and putting crocodile clips on the other side. 
I did cut the wire and removed some of the plastic insulation. The wires in the airplane headset where even more thin than i expected. Just a a thin metal wire with a thin layer coating on on it. I scratched away the thin coating and after measuring the connections i soldered a small wire to it and put new insulation using  heat shrink.
For the three distinct connections i wanted different colors. I had some new black and red alligator clips. Black is used for the common and red for the signal at the tip. An old, not so good, white alligator clip was also used. (On the photo it looks more yellow.) I cleaned the white "alligator jacket" and put the "jacket" on a new good "alligator".  The white alligator clip is for the for the middle ring of the plug.

The ear/hearing parts of the airplane headset where not needed yet. However as i already had the heat shrink with hot air gun and my soldering iron and some parts i decided to also make new connections on them.

To one earpiece i added alligator clips, to the other two banana plugs. I hope by adding this connections the hurdle to also use this earpieces, e.g. for a quick test, will be a lot lower. The earpieces where tested with my signal generator and they did work correct.

Mailbag june 2023

A new month just has started, time for a new mailbag post. Two products (The multi-meter and the component tester) where already discussed in separate blog posts. Most other items are for my new to build hobby space.
In this blog i also included the link to the Aliexpress page.

FNIRSI DSO-TC3 Component tester, Osilloscope and Signal generator https://blog.jeronimus.net/2023/06/fnirsi-dso-tc3-component-tester.html
Angen 683 multi-meter https://blog.jeronimus.net/2023/07/multimeter-angen-683.html
Waterproof Tile Marker Grout Pen (White) This is not an electronics product, however i decided to keep it in this mailbag list. (I left out some other items like shoes and a phone case.) As i needed one and these pens where relative cheap i ordered two different at different resellers. https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005005394585022.html?spm=a2g0o.order_list.order_list_main.16.fd011802vagIVz https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005005586270459.html?spm=a2g0o.order_list.order_list_main.21.fd011802vagIVz
AC-DC 110-220V Switching power supply module AC-DC isolation input output 5V /12V /100mA /500mA The description of this cheap small (35*25*15mm) power supply module module mentions that it has an input of 110/220 Volt and gives 5V 100mA and 12V 500mA. I do not yet have a specific project to use it however to me it seems an interesting module. However before keeping it unattended connected to mains power i want to do more testing as sometimes these cheap modules sometimes can be dangerous.  https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005004928760031.html?spm=a2g0o.order_list.order_list_main.31.fd011802vagIVz
In-line blower Boat boat marine yacht 3inch In-Line Marine Bilge Air Blower Mute Strong Ventilation Fan for Yacht Boat RV rod High-flow 128 CFM (3,800 liters per minute) capacity provides ventilation for the engine compartment, galley, bilge 25% more efficient than that of the traditional straight line blower, guarantees fast air circulation to improve air quality. ABS plastic construction with built-in molded mounting brackets. Corrosion proof design and water resistant motor casing for use in the marine environment. Hose connections each end, for use with 75mm (3in) diameter blower hoses. Easy to install, either vertical or horizontal is applicable. The installation and operation instructions are included. The mounting screws are not included and are used for intermittent use. Specification: Item Type: Marine Bilge Air Blower Material: ABS Color: Optional Voltage: 12V, 24V (I ordered the 12 Volt version)  Flow Capacity: 130 CFM (Cubic Feet per minute) 3800 LPM (Cubic Liters per minute) Current Draw: 2.5 Amp Size: Length: Approx. 8.0in (200mm)  Width: Approx. 4.3in (111mm) Height: Approx. 4.6in (116mm) I don't have a boat , however i did see this product in some YouTube videos, also in a video where it was used to build a DIY fume hood. I want to use in my new (to build) hobby space for (local) fume extraction when soldering, using glue or other items. Perhaps i also will do some chemical experiments. This item is only for fume extraction, not for dust extraction as it has no dust collector! I did not test it yet, however according to the specs the airflow is 3800 LPM (Cubic Liters per Minute) = 3800*60 = 228000  liter/hour. I don't know yet the size of my new workspace, however e.g. a  3*2.5*5 meter workspace = 37.5 m3 = 37500 liter. This would result in 228000/37500 = ~6 air changes per hour of that complete workspace using one of these small relative cheap ventilators. (Assuming no dead corners).  https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005001478009493.html?spm=a2g0o.order_list.order_list_main.36.fd011802vagIVz
Adapter BNC Female Jack To MCX Male Connector Plug Connector Ordered two of these connectors, especially to use with my FNIRSI DSO-TC3 Component tester, Osilloscope and Signal generator https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4000981057118.html?spm=a2g0o.order_list.order_list_main.26.fd011802vagIVz
Wall Socket ethernet (6 port) I ordered this 6 Ports RJ45 5e 6 Female To Female Faceplate Socket Panel For Internet LAN Cover Network Extender to use in my new (to build) hobby space. https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32880728758.html?spm=a2g0o.order_list.order_list_main.40.fd011802vagIVz
Wall Socket with HDMI and Ethernet Two Ports CAT6 RJ45 LAN Socket With 2x HDMI2.0 Female Plug Wall Panel In White Color also to use in my new (to build) hobby space. https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005003962039838.html?spm=a2g0o.order_list.order_list_main.41.fd011802vagIVz
USB connectors 10pcs 4Pin USB 2.0 Female Power Jack 2P 4P USB2.0 Charging Port Connector Data Interface with Cable USB Charger Sockets. To use in project and also to make some fixed USB connections in my new (to build) hobby space  https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005005359666110.html?spm=a2g0o.order_list.order_list_main.46.fd011802vagIVz
Lazy Suzan Square Lazy Susan 360° Heavy Duty Metal Bearing Rotating Swivel Turntable Plate Desk Table Rolling Swivel Plates For Furniture  Only this year i learned that this rotating bearing is called "Lazy Suzan". I want this to use in my new (to build) hobby space. https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005005387209074.html?spm=a2g0o.order_list.order_list_main.51.fd011802vagIVz
KVM switch For 2 PC Sharing Keyboard Mouse Printer Plug and Play Out 4KUSB 2.0 HDMI-compatible KVM Switch Video Display USB Switch Splitter. I wanted this to switch a screen between my laptop and a Raspberry 4 and it works perfect. Before this i used a HDMI switch (and had 2 mouses on my desk. The keyboard was only connected to the Raspberry). However now i can also easy share my keyboard and mouse and use it on the laptop. For the occasions when i don't want to disconnect the screen from the raspberry pi and at the same time i need to do something on my laptop i use the keyboard and mouse-pad on the laptop.    https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005004491221051.html?spm=a2g0o.order_list.order_list_main.56.fd011802vagIVz

Multimeter Angen 683

This post is about my Angen 683 multi-meter that i recently received from AliExpress.

The last time i did buy a multi-meter was in 2017 when i got a M890G and i am still very happy with this 10 year old multi-meter. 

Sometimes people ask, what is a good (or bad) multi-meter and, on internet, you find many opinions about that. It also depends on how you are going to use the meter and it is easy to create multiple blog posts about this topic. In this post i only mention this relative simple ideas about it:

• Any (safe) multi-meter is better than no multi-meter. After a while you probably will need 2 multi-meters (to measure current and voltage at the same time experimenting) however for a starter in electronics start with one.
• If you work with higher voltages (>40 volt) it is important that your meter is safe.
• When measuring it is important that the measuring device does influence the measurement as less as possible: In the current measuring mode the meter needs to have a low resistance and in the voltage mode it needs to have a high resistance. This is especially important when you need to connect and disconnect the meter during an experiment. 
• Multi-meters can have additional features (special measurements or special ranges, temperature, frequency, capacitors, data logging, communication to other devices (bluetooth, wifi), voice output, light, robustness etc).  Some of these features are now common on most multi-meters, look for what you need. 
• For professional use and personal/hobby use can have different requirements (like yearly certified calibration or standardization within a company. 

Back to the Angen 683 multi-meter; Why did i select this one? Much of it was an impulse when i did see this nice meter. (However i did search for reviews and other options before buying it.)  Some nice features are now common available in this, and other, multi-meters that where not available when i did buy my previous meter. (Built in wireless mains sensor, flashlight, using rechargeable battery  etc.). Angen does sell many multi-meters. The price of the Angen 683 was relative low. I did pay just above 30 euros. (For my previous M890G i did pay just above 12 euros in 2017 and now (jul2023) this meter is sold new for around 20.50 euro). On my old meter i did miss the auto range. The Angen has auto-range and auto-selection. The meter is a little bit smaller than my old one however it still has a big display. The result is displayed digital and there is also an analog bar. A nice cover/case for the meter is included.

I have this meter now for a few weeks and i am extreme happy with it, also with the the nice, extreme flexible test leads.

Some reviewers of multi-meters mention that, in general with most auto-range meters, the display is slower that with direct select. For me the speed of the Angen 863 is oké and when i manual needed to select the range on my previous meter the total process was much slower.

During my first measurements i was a little worried when i heard a clicking sound. However that was a relay inside the multi-meter,

The only minus points until now are:

• On the (very nice) case is no indication that it is for this multi-meter. I solved this with a  label (printed with my Nimbot label printer ) so i can easy find it.
• Sometimes the touch screen gets black at small point where i made a selection and this changes back only after a small delay.

As expected the measurements are oké and comparable with what i measured with my other devices. On the internet (also on YouTube) you can find many reviews and tear-downs of this meter and also specs and the manual so i will not repeat that here. 

The Angen 863 is a nice multi-meter and i am very happy with this purchase.