How to Assemble - The Geekcreit® LCR-T4 Tester

I've been taking old stuff apart to learn more about electronics. Practice removing parts without breaking them and it's an easy way to get test components. I plan on playing around on a breadboard.
MAN! so many projects come to mind and the fun doing them. I can't wait!
Stick Around.

Anyway, I wanted an easy way to test these old components.

I found this tester under $11 on Banggood.com.

Geekcreit LCR-T4 Mega328 Transistor Tester Diode Triode Capacitance ESR Meter With Shell

This thing Rocks! I have a Digital Meter, but this is really easy to use.

Chances are if you bought one of these things you have been researching it already. Not sure what else I can tell you about it. Stick a part in and push the button.

Assembly - 

It came in a bunch of parts with no instructions. A quick search online - found some. The assembly videos I watch were not exactly for the same model.

The Plexiglass is a little different. The videos I saw showed building onto the back. But mine is made to build on from the front plexiglass. Not hard to figure out, you will understand what I mean.

The picture of the parts on the Banggood site are the ones they sent me, but the pictures of the assembly unit on Banggood site are not the same. Check out where the screws are on the front.

Anyway, I hope this helps someone.

Peel of the protective cover

Got all the parts laid out, and peeled the protective plastic off. I keep my nails short. I had to use a knife to get the plastic started.

The 4 studded spacers at the top

First stick the screws and spacer into the front plexiglass as shown. 

Insert the LCR-T4

attaching

Put the LCR-T4 face down onto the protruding screws. The top screws get another spacer, but the screws in the middle just get nuts.

Slot lined up

sides on

Put the sides one, making sure the slot on the side line up with the arm on the component holder.

battery in, and back cover on.

Stick a 9V battery in it, and put the back on.

I didn't plan on putting the lanyard on, but incase I want to hang it somewhere it might be easier. I made sure the string would not hang on anything. I thought if I put it in the front, there might be a chance of it hanging on the corner of LCD.

LCR-T4 Tester - Images

Just fooling around sticking components in it. Thought you might want to see it.

 

 

Dim Bulb Tester

Some scrap parts

The DBT - Sounds like a pro-wrestling move, but its not. Well if it is I'm not aware of it.

The DBT (Dim-Bulb Tester) I'm referring to is a type of electrical short tester. If the electronic device you are plugging in has an internal short, the DBT light will be bright, and draw the power. It will help protect the device from further internal damage. 

If the light is dim or off that means the device you have plugged in does not have a direct short.

One of my projects is to repair a couple of old radios and record players. I know they need a lot of work and I want to be safe. As I work on them, I can test them to make sure I do not have a short somewhere. Also if I come across an old radio or amp I want, I can them using a DBT.

DBTs are cheap to make yourself, and very handy.

1. Detects Shorts.
2. Protects the device if it has a short.
3. Could help prevent you from getting shocked.

The version I made requires;

1. small electrical box
2. outlet and cover
3. old light fixture
4. some wire
5. some scrap wood
6. few screw
7. Light Bulbs - Must be incandescent light bulbs.

Low wattage bulbs (florescent, LED) defeats the purpose of the DBT. We did not have any incandescent bulbs in the house. You need a bulb that will draw the current.

I bought some 60W incandescent light bulbs. I got the Edison style. I thought it l would look cool.

I did some research and saw that some people also had a switch to switch off the bulb circuit. I was afraid I'd forget which way was on or off. So I made mine so that if you're using it, its on. I also wired the bulbs in series instead of parallel. Series will draw more current.

Electrical Schematic

I was thinking if I had a bad bulb, I would have to unscrew it and check it with an ohm meter or plug it into a lamp or something. So I made a shorting plug so I can test my DBT. With the shorting plug it simulates a short.

Added a shorting wire

Using a Variable Autotransformer would be also idea (Its on my list) to be able to slowly increase the voltage. Variac is often used to describe a Variable Autotransformer. Variac is a trademark name. You can use a variac to slowly turn up the voltage on new capacitors as well.

Porch Swing - P8

GEEEZ only took me a little over a year.... So many projects and things going on.

Got her stained

A couple of weeks ago I bought some chain hung the bench.

I was thinking I would hang the bench to figure out where to drill the holes through the arms for the chain.
Came to find out that I measured the distance between the eye hooks right, but when making the swing I didn't take in account of the porch swing arms.



These arms are just too close to the house.





Pulled the arms off, hung the bench. I hung it real low, because I was not sure if the chain I bought was strong enough. bouncing on the bench found out it was not strong enough.

2 weeks later I finally made it back to Homedepot to pick up some thicker chain.

Got it hung and it is great to sit on. Its going to be nice to sit and read a book in it.

I still need to touch up the stain where I took the arms off, but Im calling it pretty much done at this point. Its on my "list" to build another one for the backyard. My Dad had an old swing-set frame he had a porch swing in at one point. that swing is log gone, so he let me have the frame.

You can see the start of some jasmine my wife planted on that old trellis. It smells so nice when it is blooming.

Drivebelt Tensioner

When I replaced the drive belt a while back I found that the tensioner bearings were rough and made some noise when I spun the pulley.

I ordered tensioner from RockAuto.com

Today I finally got a chance to install it.

Unfortunately I did not take many pictures. I started at dawn, and I was in a hurry to beat that Texas heat. Besides my hands were pretty dirty.





I released the tension on the belt from underneath the truck with 1/2" ratchet, and slipped the belt off the Air-conditioning Compressor. Used a 13mm socket on the bolt that holds the tensioner on. It was so tight that I ended up loosening the bold with a beaker bar from the top side. Then went back under to remove the bolt the rest of the way.

It was a TIGHT fit. I was able to pull the old tensioner out from the bottom. The new tensioner was a little thicker, it would not fit between the compressor and fan shroud. I was able to slip the tensioner between the fan blades from the other side of the engine and work it around to the side it needed to be on.
Started the bolt on the tensioner, but left it real loose so that I could get the drive belt back in place easier since the belt slips between the pulley and motor.
Once the belt was in place; I tightened the tensioner bolt.

Used that 1/2 ratchet to compress the tensioner to get the drive belt back on over the compressor. checked all the pulleys to make sure the belt was on correctly.
Snugged the belt tensioner down more, and started the truck.
Everything looked good.

How long? The hardest part was figuring out how to get the new belt tensioner back in. I tried a bunch of things before I discovered working it around in the fan.
It took a couple of hours, and a some choice words.

Next time will be a lot faster.

Barbell and Weights restore 2

After removing all the rust I could, or wanted too. I primed and painted them.


I know the paint will get scratched off, but maybe they will last much longer

Stacked all the weights in the garage.
Dad said when he bought them around 1958 they were all black. He had to clean them up once before this time. He painted them Blue. I painted them different colors thinking it would be easier to distinguish the weights easier. Plus thats the paint I had in the paint locker. I did not have but 1 half full can of blue paint.

Back when Dad painted them, they did not have spray paint cans. He said they used what they had, thinking about I wonder why they had blue paint to begin with.

Barbell in all its glory

Dan Lurie 12 1/2 LBS weight

Dan Lurie 10 LBS weight

Dan Lurie 7 1/2 LBS weight

Dan Lurie 5 LBS weight

Dan Lurie Weights on a 6 foot Dan Lurie Barbell

Barbell and Weights restore

I've been looking for more ways to burn calories.



My father has some old Dan Lurie weights he purchased in the late 50's. He was going to let me use them.




I started cleaning them up but found a really good deal on another other weight set on Craigslist that I could not pass up. I may or may not do a post on the weight set I bought.










I will be giving these weights back to my Dad, but in much better condition.



The weights have been sitting outside at his house for years. The barbell is hardened steel so it's mainly surface rust, but under were the weights were, there is some pitting.

My guess is; since the weights were left, the barbell would not dry very fast after a rain.
Everything I've read is that you should remove the weights when you are not using them. With out a weight rack, that makes it a pain to put them someplace.

real rusty where the weights were.

On the bar, I used a wire brush to get the major rust chunks off. Then some light sanding.

I used some rust remover chemical on the barbell. I don't have a picture of that here. I already sprayed it with primer.

The weights, I just used a wire brush on a drill.

Some primer - I actually did not take any pictures of the weights, Barbell and Collars primed. Close your eyes and picture them gray.

After some wire brush action

Ive Started painting the barbell and weight also. I will post an update with pictures when Im done.

Some light sanding.

See how that Barbell shines? I thought about keeping it that way, and just putting come kind of protective coat on in. Thinking I would keep it in my garage, But decided I did not want to mess with it anymore than I had too. Plus since I got that other weight set and will most likely taking this back to my Dad's, it will probably be kept outside.

collar before wire brushing

collar after wire brushing

weight before wire brush

weight after wire brushing

Again, I will take some more pictures of it painted. Dad said when he first got it, they were all black. Some time over there years he replied them a Royal Blue. That royal blue color really looked nice. Too bad I only had 1 can of royal blue. Looks like the collars were red, I will repaint those red (actually I already have, but only 1 coat so far)