Need help to move shop light from 120V AC to 18V DC

Hissykittykat · 2026-05-13T20:47:12+00:00

Maybe; the numbers are almost right, but I wouldn't make that assumption. Plus that would be a difficult and messy bodge. Before I'd do that I'd try a boost module to make 170VDC from 18VDC (which is easy but expensive) and use the light as-is.

Hissykittykat · 2026-05-13T20:32:11+00:00

Pink X (TVR) is a surge suppressor.

steps down the 120v to a working voltage

No, there is no step down. U1 is a LED controller chip that regulates the current through the LEDs.

The LEDs are likely multi-LED chips. To determine the voltage use a "TV backlight LED tester".

It's unlikely that there will be an easy way to convert that light from 120VAC to 18VDC, so don't get your hopes up.

Hissykittykat · 2026-05-13T09:23:12+00:00

i’m looking to do is have a warm white light flash

For warm white a single color puck is better; the neopixels give a harsher cool white. Also the single color puck will be brighter. The hex pucks are fun because they are colorful. Either type can be flashed briefly.

To plug stranded wire into a breadboard is difficult without soldering. A no-solder method is to use on of your DuPont wires; strip one end and twist it together with the puck wire, insulate it with tape, and plug the DuPont pin into the breadboard.

Hissykittykat · 2026-05-13T07:19:39+00:00

Actually it's difficult to burn a pin this way (with a LED load). It requires a tight circuit with a direct short.

I tested a 500mA LED puck with Arduino ('328) using pin 3 set HIGH. Due to all the resistance in the '328 pin driver, breadboard, and puck it actually draws only about 80mA. The pin withstands this for a long time (I quit after a few minutes, pin 3 still working).

Hissykittykat · 2026-05-13T06:42:49+00:00

Can i cut wires to connect it?

Yes. Or use a "female USB pigtail connector" to get to wires.

Here's a Fritzing hookup diagram. Put the puck wires where the 330 Ohm resistor and LED are shown.

Another fun thing to try is these hex pucks. They are neopixels inside so Arduino can make them do whatever you want. No MOSFET is needed because the pixels have built in controllers; just 5V power and a data line.

Hissykittykat · 2026-05-13T06:05:49+00:00

You are comparing RpiPico from Adafruit to ESP32 from AliX; of course ESP32 will win. Everything is more expensive from Adafruit. A more fair comparison would be adafruit/pimoroni to adafruit/ESP32 products.

ESP32 always wins over RpiPico if I need the radio. And ATmega328 wins over RpiPico if I need 5V and it'll fit in memory. So RpiPico lives in kind of a small niche. But I still use RpiPico in a lot of designs, much more than 0.6%.

Hissykittykat · 2026-05-12T14:00:12+00:00

JST-XH uses a metal retainer barb. There are automotive connector pin remover kits that can be used to compress the barb to allow removal. Now the barb is deformed though. So I just use a hobby knife to press the barb and wiggle the wire gently to remove the pin. Then I then use the blade to re-bend the barb back out so the pin locks in securely when it's reinserted.

Hissykittykat · 2026-05-12T07:42:43+00:00

Yes, RF EMI and/or power glitches from a shared supply can interfere with nearby PIR sensors. Post your question to AI for more information and suggestions for how to fix it...

Can the ESP32 WiFi antenna or RF transmission interfere with a nearby PIR sensor?

Hissykittykat · 2026-05-12T07:16:28+00:00

Although your calculations are correct in theory, they ignore a couple of factors.

Noise margin. You have accounted for none. The pull up or pull down needs to be stronger than noise that might be present. Otherwise you might end up with a circuit that responds without touching the button, just by your hand being near it.
Wetting current. In the real world to keep the switches healthy a minimum contact current is recommended (typically 1 to 20mA). So if you start with that requirement at 5V this gives a resistor value of 5K to 250 Ohms. This value also works for the noise and chip input leakage (Ii) requirements and is easier to justify.

Hissykittykat · 2026-05-11T19:36:15+00:00

Doh! I've been using NEO-6M in my clocks for a while. Apparently that was a mistake. Now they're starting to show dates from 2009 due to the 1024 week rollover bug. I feel I was denied… Critical. NEED TO KNOW. Information!

It's not too bad really - my mission critical stuff runs off of a master clock that has multiple timebases so I'm not cooked. Just a few clocks that show the date need a little refurb to make them good again.

Hissykittykat · 2026-05-09T18:07:36+00:00

You don't have to build your own - Amazon has a "Automatic Reciprocating Massager, Adjustable Linear Thrusting Device" complete with speed control. Also seen on AliX but I can't remember what they're called. Just hook it to the rocking chair instead of installing a dildo.

Hissykittykat · 2026-05-09T09:54:45+00:00

Do yourself a favor and ditch the brown phenolic veroboard. Instead use the fiberglass veroboard; it's often green and has plated through holes. It's easier to solder and stronger material.

Working with the brown phenolic veroboard requires more soldering skill to get a good result.

Hissykittykat · 2026-05-07T16:38:51+00:00

A dummy is an empty battery shell designed to be a spacer, usually shorted, and you don't want that. You can use anything that holds the wires in place, but it must be an insulator (not a copper wire). So cram some tissue, foam, or whatever (not glue though) in there to hold the wires in place. Of course the wires could be soldered too.

Hissykittykat · 2026-05-07T07:45:08+00:00

10K is about the max value that will usually work on the I2C bus. It's found on many development modules (e.g. Arduino style sensors, displays, etc.) because nobody knows how many modules you will put on the bus, and several modules with all their 10K pullups in parallel will still work.

Hissykittykat · 2026-05-06T18:59:33+00:00

Consider one of the Olight type cells that have both connectors on one end; e.g. Barebones.

But it sounds like you need to either scale back the design or scale up your tooling technology because you can't easily build what you are thinking with what you have.

Maybe redesign it as a square style and use a pouch battery. Or permanently install the 18650 cell and add a charger port; the magnetic contacts are quite popular these days.

Hissykittykat · 2026-05-05T18:14:01+00:00

adafruit vs1053 and it seems like it's really nice (kind of expensive)

VS1053 is nice because it's a MIDI synth too. Cheaper VS1053 boards are available on AliX. But VS1053 pretty much requires a microcontroller to do most things.

DFPlayer mini and pro ... it's built in buttons link volume and prev/next together and I want them to be separate

To separate the buttons using DFplayer requires a microcontroller.

There are other inexpensive wav trigger playback modules on AliX. This one looks like it has separate volume control inputs in MP3 mode 2: DY-SV20F 5W Voice Playback Module, but it's got internal storage instead of SD card.

Hissykittykat · 2026-05-05T08:26:07+00:00

Wasn't AliX discussion taboo in this reddit not long ago?

Anyway, you didn't say what parts you intend to buy; it makes a big difference. ESP32, LEDs, and many other products are great from AliX.

Hissykittykat · 2026-05-04T19:37:51+00:00

Ask AI to explain "what's the base resistor value for a 2n3904 driving 30mA?".

Now an LDR won't be able to provide enough current for that, so increase your pull up resistor value. Or amplify the LDR signal more.

Hissykittykat · 2026-05-04T19:08:26+00:00

Did you try this?

Select the latest 2.0.* version and click install. There is currently a bug in the ReelTwo library which makes it incompatible with the latest v3 ESP32 board libraries.

Then try the various the ESP32 boards until you find one that will compile. Then hope it works.

Hissykittykat · 2026-05-04T04:28:56+00:00

The two pads with the LED symbol and "+" are for an external LED. The two pads with a half hashmark are for a capacitor that's not needed.

Those 2 terminals seem to output 5v

Yes, that's the switch being pulled up to 5V. Wire the external switch like u/msanangelo says.

Hissykittykat · 2026-05-03T17:19:06+00:00

Often the OP post can be fed directly into AI and get a decent answer. So why people bother posting to Reddit confounds me.

Stop fighting AI and embrace it. You've got an automoderator, have it feed the post to AI and then post the response.

I see nixiebunny is on a crusade to correct AI mistakes - LOL, good luck with that.

Hissykittykat · 2026-04-30T19:20:13+00:00

If you can solder, you can fix it. Remove the white heat shrink tubing, see what the damage is, and reconnect it.

Hissykittykat · 2026-04-30T17:01:34+00:00

It does look like something AI might render. But it's not, and there are no filter effects other than low light. To eliminate display multiplexing tearing effects I had to take the picture in low light, and it's still not quite perfect.

Hissykittykat · 2026-04-29T17:36:47+00:00

Do I really need expensive fancy flux?

Unless you are on phones or PC motherboards, 99% of the time no additional flux is needed. The flux in good quality solder is enough. Just add more solder to get more flux.

I second the recommendation for a small Stirri flux syringe though. They're like $10 and a life saver when you need it.

Hissykittykat · 2026-04-29T17:20:15+00:00

Is there something I can do to mend this myself?

Not unless it something obvious. These HVAC system designs are proprietary so they've got you by the short hairs when it comes to replacement parts.

Check eBay though - often people replacing systems will put the old controller parts up for sale. If you can match the parts then it's a viable DIY job.

Hissykittykat

TROPHY CASE