electronic etch-a-sketch

[jamiewoody]

i got one of these for $2 i finally got it apart (i had to crack it open like a nut! the screws were so non-standard...some weird concave phillips hybrid!)....

once inside, i discovered some cool bleeps and bloops....but the crash was pretty frequent. i discovered a place for a reboot switch, which was convenient. again, the annoying startup song each time...

so, has anybody had much luck with these?

[jamiewoody]

another thing i discovered, is some cool re-animation  with the lcd screen, when probing for bends!

i dont know if i can really do much with this. the annoying startup song is one. and, it crashes so frequent, it would be kind of a pain to use.

[Dylan]

I haven't bent one of these, but if something's crashing a lot because of the bends, try putting diodes on the switches or whatever you're using to control the bends.

[jamiewoody]

diodes in series? before of after the switch? if a potentiometer, diode with the neg, variable or positive pin?

what about an LED, since it is a diode, and i have an abundance of these? lol!

[Dylan]

Yes in series. And LED, I highly doubt it. But if you need to get rid of those LED's you can always send them to me .

[jamiewoody]

nah, i still use them for lights! 

i have, however been told that leds are good as diodes in other functions than lamps. as a matter of fact, if my memory serves me correctly, i noticed an led inside the sk1. a friend told me the marshall govener pedal is powered by leds!

also, in my "buzz box" synth, (formetly known as the tiger quiz wiz), i was able to increase the output by wiring an led to the potentiometers. this was strictly by probing that i found this. other places in the circuit, it seemed to suck gain, which i did not want.

[Gordonjcp]

It's probably worth taking a bit of a look at how diodes work, before using LEDs like that.  You want to search for the term "forward voltage".

[jamiewoody]

i'm searching forward voltage right now.

funny thing about "anti-theory", it helps to understand what you are rebelling against! ;-)

[jamiewoody]

i read that a 1N4148 is a general purpose diode for low voltage circuits. http://www.kpsec.freeuk.com/components/diode.htm

question, in reading that diodes are polarized, is the end with the ring the positive end?

also, if i find a bend, and i want to wire a potentiometer, for instance, i assume the diode with be closer to the board, then the pot?

thanks for your patience with my annoying questions.

[Bogus Noise]

The end with the ring is the negative end! Check the bit headed 'Connecting and soldering' in the link you posted.

Doesn't really matter which component the diode is closest to.

[jamiewoody]

thanks.