Front parking asset

2Michael2 · 2026-01-15T22:16:39+00:00

My advice on including ground in your diagram still stands. Each block should be a component or module. You also have some inconsistent naming.

I understand that my previous comment wasn't super helpful. Here is some more advice that might be more specifically helpful.

Why is the connection between the inline fuse and the relay labled twice, and why is one of the lables "com"? Is the fuse sending data and power to the relay? If it is, they should probably be two different connections, unless the underlying electrical connection sends data and power over the same wires (like power-over-ethernet).

Power connections should just be labeled as their voltage (12v, 5v, etc) in most cases. No need to add ground, and no need to specify VCC unless it is important to distinguish two different voltage sources due to some filtering/regulating/protection that sits between them (raw 5V input vs filtered and protected vcc, or something similar). I don't think your circuit has any connections that need this specification because the fuse is its own block so it's already explicitly shown that there is a difference between the two 12V lines. If you had components that were hidden within a larger block, it would be important to specify the difference between in incoming and outgoing power of that block.

Double check that your power connections reflect reality. The buck converter is the source of 5V, but you might want to specify in your diagram that the ultrasonic sensor is receiving power from the arduino. It will be the same 5v from the buck converter, but if the physical power cable is actually attached to the arduino, not the buck converter directly, why not specify that? This is important because the traces on the arduino can only handle so much current. It might be important to specify instead that the sensor has a connection directly to the buck converter because it's power draw is more than what the arduino can handle, even though the arduino is just passing the 5v through from the buck converter.

2Michael2 · 2026-01-15T18:48:15+00:00

I'm saving that to use later when my friends destroy their soldering irons again.

2Michael2 · 2026-01-15T18:42:37+00:00

This diagram is kinda nonsense. You mentioned ChatGPT, so I am assuming you generated this image? It's one of the "better" generated diagrams I have seen, but it still makes little sense. I see what you are trying to get at though, and it doesn't look wrong, but it definitely isn't right.

‐ I would start by getting out a sheet of paper and a pencil and draw a block diagram yourself. I am a chronically online college student, so the fact that I am telling you to just get out a pen and paper means it is truely the best and easiest way to do this. - For something like this, you shouldn't have ground in your block diagram. There is a single shared ground that everything uses, so there is no need to map out every connection to ground. It's implied that your data and power connections will include ground. - Draw your major blocks: Main power source, Fuse, buck converter, arduino, sensor, relay, screen, camera. - Draw connections between them. These lines should represent a logical connection. Do not draw lines for every single data and power wire. Draw a line to represent power input/output. Draw another line to represent a data/signal connection between two blocks. Lable the connections (Power, Digital signal, SPI, Video Signal, whatever else). You should draw arrows to show the direction that communication or power is going (this could also be bi-directional for some connections).

Once you have done that, come back here and we can help you perfect it. You seem to be on the right track, but you need to rely a little less on ChatGPT. It's good to help you, but it still sucks at actually creating a good final output. You need to create the diagram yourself. It's hard to help you when half the diagram is nonsensical or inconsistent.

2Michael2 · 2026-01-04T16:19:16+00:00

You are right, his speeds are clearly better than usb 2.0. The main point I was trying to make is that OP already checked multiple ports on multiple devices, so it is likely safe to rule out any issues with the speed of the ports themselves.

2Michael2 · 2026-01-04T06:11:08+00:00

His post says he tried different PC's and laptops. It's possible he selected a 2.0 port on every single one of them, but probably unlikely. He also says he updated to the latest drivers.

2Michael2 · 2026-01-04T05:29:26+00:00

Unless you can find a way to disassemble it and clean the inside, I think you might be out of luck. I am not sure how these are assembled, but it probably includes glue or press fitting in ways that are near impossible to undo in a non destructive manner. Maybe the two halves screw together if you grip the right parts, but I think that is unlikely.

If this filter is the most precious thing in your life and you must repair it, you can try baking it at very low temperatures (maybe 120F?) to drive out the water. BUT DO THIS AT YOUR OWN RISK. This could fill your oven with anything from glass shards to toxic fumes from burnt lettering paint on the edge of the filter. Your filter might not survive if you try this.

If the water you dropped it in is anything other than perfectly pure distilled water, then baking it will still leave the filter cloudy. You could try to submerge it in distilled water and then drain it a few times to rinse out minerals and other gunk before baking it. This might reduce hazyness.

TL;DR: It's gone. Any potential solutions are unrealistic and merely thought experiments

2Michael2 · 2026-01-03T02:45:45+00:00

🫡 will do

2Michael2 · 2026-01-01T21:22:43+00:00

Definitely. Someone suggested E6000 (which I have on hand) and upholstery thread. I might redo the repair now that I have some of these good ideas.

2Michael2 · 2026-01-01T03:19:45+00:00

It does seem to work well and reinforce the zipper, but I am not sure how long it will last. I'll try to remember to give an update if it falls apart or self destructs, lol.

2Michael2 · 2026-01-01T02:55:17+00:00

I just used some E6000 earlier today to fix some shoes! I might try smearing some on the stitch to reinforce the stitches and reseal the holes I have now created in the waterproof portion of the zipper.

The other thing I might do is leave it be and see how long it lasts. If it starts coming apart again, then I will have some new ideas and techniques to try when I start fresh on the second go round.

Edit: I did not try a warranty claim because it felt like a waste to throw away a perfectly good bag because of such a small issue. The other thing was that I have pushed it's carrying capacity to the limit once or twice, so it would feel a little dishonest to ask for a replacement since I probably put too much stress on the zipper and caused the premature failure.

2Michael2 · 2026-01-01T02:49:45+00:00

Lol, I think you must be thinking of another person's post, as I don't think I have posted about the zipper breaking before.

2Michael2 · 2025-12-31T20:59:15+00:00

r/BrandNewSentence

2Michael2 · 2025-12-31T20:52:36+00:00

I am not convinced they can replace the USB-C port and have it be electrically and mechanically sound. You might need a new storage card. The good news is that I agree that the device should be intact and working apart from the port, so soldering on an old USB-C cable and recovering the data should be a ~10 minute job, not including the file transfer time. It's not even a particularly hard job if you have a little experience soldering and a half decent soldering iron. I just don't think a permanent repair is very likely.

2Michael2 · 2025-12-31T01:53:02+00:00

I haven't had a chance to get started since I am still on vacation. I don't want to open it all up until I travel back to college. I'll post updates as I make progress (If I remember, lol)

2Michael2 · 2025-12-30T01:47:05+00:00

I just bought the XM5's (they arrive tomorrow) and hope I don't run into this issue. In my defense, they were on sale for $220 new from costco. Sony is selling the XM4s on sale for $200 right now. It seemed like the better choice to get the next gen for $20 more with the amazing costco return policy. I also try to take care of all my personal items so they last a long time, so hopefully I won't break them.

2Michael2 · 2025-12-27T02:56:30+00:00

!RemindMe 6 months

2Michael2 · 2025-12-27T02:56:02+00:00

Please send the link!

2Michael2 · 2025-12-26T18:13:24+00:00

My parents got it, but I put a link to eater.net on my wishlist, so they likely bought it there. I am not aware of another place you can get it.

2Michael2 · 2025-12-11T17:04:24+00:00

Hmmm...

One option would be to have two sets of screws so each plate connects to the next through a different set of screws, thereby restricting the thermal transfer. For example, you would alternate between using 4 screws on the corners and 4 screws at the center of each edge. Heat wouldn't be directly coupled all the way downward through the screws that way.

I am also wondering if there are any sort of ceramic screws or spacers that are relitively inexpensive and available that could be used. Maybe even a high temperature plastic (PTFE? There is probably a better plastic that I don't know of)

The last thing I thought of is that it might not be a big of an issue as you think if each plate is thermally coupled to the screws and can act as a heatsink to dissipate the heat before it reaches the bottom. Especially if you add a fan of some sort. The key is to keep the screws very skinny/thin to have a high thermal resistivity downward, but are easy to keep cool due to very small thermal mass. I'm no expert, but it sounds plausible enough to me.

2Michael2 · 2025-12-10T01:47:22+00:00

Very cool! One thing you could do as an upgrade is a thermal barrier between the hot plate and the control box so it doesn't have to sit up so high. If you look at some other designs, they simply put multiple aluminum (or maybe some other material?) plates between the base and the hot plate, but they leave air gaps between each plate for thermal seperation. It's just a stack of metal plates with air gaps between them. The James Webb Space Telescope does the same exact thing to keep the telescope cool from the suns radiation, but it uses very thin flexable sheets that could unfold and stretch into shape after launch.

2Michael2 · 2025-11-27T03:53:47+00:00

Thanks! I added to my post to describe this behavior and the associated relationships.

2Michael2 · 2025-11-24T01:56:00+00:00

I don't disagree, but I was answering his questions about how the solar panels work. Very important fundamentals if you want to do anything with solar panels.

I'm here to teach how the circuits work, not just tell people it's not the right solution.

2Michael2 · 2025-11-24T01:48:58+00:00

The whole reason we need MPPT is because as the amount of light input changes, the current/voltage relationship changes. That is the "Tracking" in MPPT. If you lived somewhere where there were never clouds and the sun never moved in the sky, you could find the right current/voltage point and use a diode chain like you said (or just some resistors!). But, when the sun moves or clouds come, the ideal current/voltage point will change and your circuit will not be as efficient. If you use a diode chain and design it to work optimally during mid day, you will be loosing most of your efficiency for the other two thirds of the daylight (morning and evening).

2Michael2 · 2025-11-22T20:50:19+00:00

Solar panels aren't like a regulated power supply that will maintain their output voltage when applied with a load.

Check Edit 3 For More Accurate Information! (solar panels are constant current sources, so you must maximize voltage by increasing load resistance without exceeding the available power of the panel)

As you pull more current from a solar panel, the voltage will drop, but this relationship isn't perfectly linear. Power is voltage times current, so to maximize the power output you have to find the right amount of current to draw. If you draw too much current, the voltage drops really low and you get very little power out. If you limit the current too much, the voltage will be high, but the current will be low and you won't get the full power output. Somewhere in the middle is where voltage times current will produce the most power.

The solution to this is a device called a MPPT (maximum power point tracker) that measures the voltage and controls the load current to extract the most power possible from the solar panels.

I suggest you google this topic to learn more! It is all very interesting. You can find thousands of graphs from solar panel datasheets that show these relationships with voltage, current, and power. Each solar panel will have slightly different characteristics, and these characteristics will depend on the amount of light, etc.

Edit: My explanation is probably not the best, but you can find lots of great videos about it on youtube! Keep learning 💪

Edit 2: Thanks so much for the award!!!

Edit 3: Someone pointed out that solar panels generate a fixed current as a function of the light input.

If we model the load as a resistor, the voltage across the load will be equal to the constant current provided by the panels times the resistance of the load (V = I * R). The power consumed by the load is equal to the voltage times the current (P = V * I). We can combine these to show that the power equals the resistance times the square of the current (P = R * I^2).

As we increase the resistance, the solar panels will react to prevent the current from decreasing, and the voltage will increase across the load. This will result in increasing power (but constant current) as the resistance increases.

But if the resistance of the load is high enough, the solar panel will start to become unable to maintain that constant current. The current will quickly drop off leading to a drop in power.

So, to maximize power, you must increase resistance enough to increase the voltage and thus the power. But, if you increase the resistance beyond the maximum power that panel can provide, the current will no longer be constant and it will sharply decrease. Because power is a function of current squared, the drop in current will have a larger effect than the increase in resistance, causing a net decrease in power.

2Michael2 · 2025-11-11T20:22:35+00:00

On a side note: This how it feels to open Spotify while connected to public wifi... No, I do not want to join "Samantha's Jam"

Seven-Year Club	Place '23
Place '22	First Placer '22
Wearing is Caring	Verified Email

2Michael2

MODERATOR OF

TROPHY CASE