DIY Archives - Page 2 of 2

DIY SMD Vacuum Pickup Tool

TslaFebruary 6, 2022February 11, 20230

In this post, I’ll show my DIY SMD vacuum pickup tool. I bought this vacuum pump SMD pickup but it had no way to be turned on/off. There is only a hole on the vacuum “pen” that you can cover with your finger to make or release the vacuum. I decided I would mod it and make it operable with a footswitch. When pressed the vacuum pump is turned on and when you let go the vacuum pump is turned off while the valve is opened at the same time to release the vacuum and instantly drop the SMD part from the nozzle.

DIY Solder Paste Dispenser

TslaFebruary 5, 2022February 11, 20233

In this post, I’ll show my DIY solder paste dispenser. It’s powered by a 12V adapter and can be operated by a footswitch(connected via banana connectors). It uses a small membrane air pump/compressor to dispense the solder paste/flux. Additionally, there is a solenoid air valve connected to the airline so the pressure can be released after you let go of the footswitch which prevents the solder paste or flux from oozing out. The pump and valve timing is controlled through a relay module by an attiny45 microcontroller.

DIY Power Supply From An Old Computer PSU

TslaFebruary 2, 2022February 3, 20220

In this post, I’ll show a DIY power supply I made from an old computer PSU. This is a great way to get a fairly powerful lab power supply with a range of different voltages for cheap. I used a breakout board I bought online as it’s much quicker and simpler than drilling holes for all the connectors into the case and then soldering all the wires.

DIY Quiet Air Compressor

TslaDecember 8, 2019March 20, 20230

In this post, I will show my DIY quiet air compressor. I took the compressor from an old fridge and used an old whipped cream dispenser as an air tank. The compressor is very quiet and can thus be kept indoors(under my table in fact). The air capacity isn’t the greatest but it’s good enough for my needs(doing some pneumatics experiments, solder dispenser, …). The air pressure, however, can easily get up to 8 bar(around 120 psi). In addition to compressed air, you also get a vacuum line. You could, for example, use that for making a vacuum chamber or a vacuum pick up tool.