| operations |
| comment | | "parent_author":"",<br>"parent_permlink":"utopian-io",<br>"author":"electronicsworld",<br>"permlink":"blinkit-or-electronicsworld-tutorial-1-how-to-upgrade-a-usb-stick-led-to-a-brighter-one-diy",<br>"title":"Blinkit | Electronicsworld - TUTORIAL 1: How to upgrade a USB stick LED to a brighter one (DIY)",<br>"body":"![preview tutorial1.png (https:\/\/steemitimages.com\/DQmUtH48T5xA1EEt2UGhbHgH1FKsFrtPmXoHihS7PBijzA4\/preview%20tutorial1.png)\n\n\nUsually usb sticks have an internal led which is used to check when it is plugged and when data is being transfered it starts blinking. However its brightness coulde be relatively low and thus it would be nice to improve its brightness features in order to improve the experience with Blinkit and never miss again a notification. For this reason this tutorial will be very benefitial to Blinkit project as the replacement of the existing led with a more powerful one will significantly enhance brightness.\n\n### What is Binkit?\nBlinkit can blink a USB stick led and blink smart lamp's on Steem related actions.\n\n#### What Will I Learn?\n\n- Desolder the smd led of a USB stick\n- Solder a brighter and bigger LED in place of the smd LED\n- How to do this in a safe way\n\n#### Requirements\n\n- USB stick\n- Digital multimeter\n- Soldering iron\n- Soldering paste\n- Soldering wire\n- Wire cutter\n- Tweezers \n- 5mm Standard LED \n- Hot Glue\n\n#### Difficulty\n\n- Basic: Soldering skills\n- Basic Electronics skills\n\n#### Tutorial Contents\n\nToday we will start our journey with the Blinkit Project,<br> made by @techtek,<br> where he asked me to look into \"How to safely,<br> modify the LED of any USB stick\" one of the possible upgrades is to make the LED more bright and here started my journey on how to upgrade a USB stick's LED to a brighter one. \nYou know,<br> that tiny LED (smd LED) we find in most USB sticks that lights up when we transfer data to it?\n \nWith this tutorial and [Blinkit (https:\/\/github.com\/techtek\/Blinkit\/) you can make your USB stick **blink** much brighter,<br> with just a few simple steps.\n\n---\n\n<br><\/br>\n\n### Let's start with our DIY tutorial...\n\nBefore implementing the steps we must chose the right LED and the right setup in order not to damage the USB by burning some connections inside the chip. For this reason we must know that most common LED\u2019s require a forward operating voltage of between approximately 1.2 to 3.6 volts with a forward current rating of about 10 to 30 mA,<br> with 12 to 20 mA being the most common range. In most cases LEDs are operated from a low voltage DC supply,<br> with a series resistor,<br> used to limit the forward current to a safe value. Here's a schematic on how the connections should be made and an explanation on how much should be the value of the current limiting resistor in order to operate on a safe side (i have chosen 10mA to be on the safe side which is in the range of smd led current draw)\n\n![ (https:\/\/i.imgur.com\/XjEPWtR.png)\n\nBoth the forward operating voltage and forward current are proportional and vary depending on the semiconductor material used but the point where conduction begins and light is produced is about 1.2V for a standard red LED to about 3.6V for a blue LED. This is why the choice of the LED for this DIY project requires some easy but needed setup in order not to damage the USB stick's hardware.\n\n\n# DIY Tutorial \n\n\n\n## Step 1\nOpen your USB housing in order to have access to its circuit,<br> most of the time it can be easy opened by sliding something in between the housing,<br> and twisting it open.\n\n![IMG_20180415_000038.jpg (https:\/\/steemitimages.com\/DQmeLmsgng3sUTXqEoRU1PsLMdZPYizzqmsYVQ1mdGDHGSJ\/IMG_20180415_000038.jpg)\n\n<br><\/br>\n\n## Step 2\nLocate the smd LED and its relative current limiting resistor. \n(normally it should be around 330 Ohm which you will se written as 331 on the smd resistor)\n\n![IMG_20180415_000038.jpg (https:\/\/steemitimages.com\/DQmT6uYumcrLQyYz3w7oWFt7gKQP5boVw1UtcL9qGETYHWW\/IMG_20180415_000038.jpg)\n\n![IMG_20180415_0000021.jpg (https:\/\/steemitimages.com\/DQmQQPRabDhuezA4wJGgeCPEE5tyhcz5F6TgTaD729nrsNV\/IMG_20180415_0000021.jpg)\n\n\n<br><\/br>\n\n## Step 3\nAttach the USB sticks PCB to a USB socket in order to let it light up.\n\n![IMG_20180414_235919.jpg (https:\/\/steemitimages.com\/DQmfVAipVBojqJNWpSFf1DKqEbmgP7yUjTfcSqs4n66GDi9\/IMG_20180414_235919.jpg)\n\n<br><\/br>\n\n## Step 4\nWhile the USB stick is attached and the led is ON,<br> use the digital multimeter to locate the Cathode (-) and the Anode (+) of the smd LED,<br> then also measure the voltage (VS) across resistor and led and take note of it (in my case it was around 3,<br>6V). You can now detach the USB stick from the USB port and do your calculations (using [Ohm's law (https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Ohm%27s_law),<br> see image below) to determine the series resistor to use knowing that the forward current we have chosen (IF) is 10mA and knowing the forward voltage drop across each type of LED (image below in the table). \n\n<img style=\"float: left;\" src=\"https:\/\/steemitimages.com\/DQmRS1thwuLJb9QwGpmLa4qGLhgZsFVpvcHrAMWqbqhcvsJ\/IMG_20180415_0000021.jpg =200x200\">\n<img style=\"float: right;\" src=\"https:\/\/i.imgur.com\/sUYEWuY.png\">\n\n\n![ (https:\/\/i.imgur.com\/1T7l973.png)\n\n\nSince the voltage VS i measured on my USB stick was 3,<br>6V,<br> which is in the range of the forward voltage drop of the WHITE LED,<br> using Ohm's Law,<br> I can replace the existing led with a standard white led and do not necessarily require a current limiting resistor. If in a situation VS=6.6V i was to use a Red led for example which has a voltage drop around VF=2V i would require a 460 Ohm Resistor to keep current limited to 10mA.\nIn that case this would be my setup for the LED (image below). The resistor will be placed on the anode of the led.\n\n![007.jpg (https:\/\/cdn.utopian.io\/posts\/e76a08bc81f19e1b3abee08d65c602f7daab007.jpg)\n\n\n<br><\/br>\n\n\n## Step 5\nPaying attention not to heat up too much the circuit to avoid damaging the USB,<br> use the soldering iron and the tweezers to desolder\/remove the smd LED from the circuit along with its resistor (putting some soldering paste on the two components before desoldering will help removing them quite easily) then short the 2 pins on the pcb where the smd resistor was located\n![IMG_20180415_0004091.jpg (https:\/\/steemitimages.com\/DQmZ6dqLroqjQ2mJtZsJk22gZHGdoDeaM3nxx6gwzD5GHZW\/IMG_20180415_0004091.jpg)\n\n<br><\/br>\n\n## Step 6\nWith the help of a cutter or with the tip of the soldering iron or 5mm drill make a hole on the bottom of the USB housing to let the new 5mm LED fit well while the housing is closed.\n![IMG_20180415_003925.jpg (https:\/\/steemitimages.com\/DQmb2MFWgqwPDmKDdkKyyZVKxUYJD7d8y2eiDUTLFCMAqJX\/IMG_20180415_003925.jpg)\n\n<br><\/br>\n\n## Step 7\nTake the right measures and trim the leads of the new 5mm led in order to regulate the location of the LED (i have chosen to have its LED partly out of the housing as i have found to be somehow more powerful but you could fit the entire LED inside if there is enought space inside the housing.)\n\n![IMG_20180415_004254.jpg (https:\/\/steemitimages.com\/DQmPtGUyM8beKnJKiPFcuhapY2BVbPF9b4Gc8XicsULwBkK\/IMG_20180415_004254.jpg)\n\n<br><\/br>\n\n## Step 8\nFinally localize the Anode and Cathode of the 5mm LED and solder the LED on the pcb where the previous smd led was located (pay attention not to stress too much with the soldering iron as the connection on the pcb are very small thus fragile when exposed to too much heat and for a long time)\n\n![IMG_20180415_010300.jpg (https:\/\/steemitimages.com\/DQmSdVLb2Gj8J9RgcvCNwVZJkhC8MBk4MgEWkKGQNV9NxHN\/IMG_20180415_010300.jpg)\n\n<br><\/br>\n\n## Step 9\nWith the use of some hot glue you will be able to give some good stability to the USB in the housing and fix it to the pcb from inside and avoid some internal damages due to the detaching of the pcb connections.\n\n<br><\/br>\n\n## Step 10\nClose the housing and connect the USB stick to double check if everything is working fine.\n\n![IMG_20180415_012122.jpg (https:\/\/steemitimages.com\/DQmQoCp3v9kXBzJaLkABrzYUynqdgmmvLuHatCNYrgphjyx\/IMG_20180415_012122.jpg)\n\nThe job is finished and now your old USB stick is ready for a improved Blinkit experience and thus ready to blink with the new LED which will provide a much stronger light.\n\n![IMG_20180415_013726.png (https:\/\/steemitimages.com\/0x0\/https:\/\/steemitimages.com\/DQmbg6cWKbkBLaFGyX2X2E4VZTuC6BHcwbVDSj4hAr67q5q\/BAR.png)\n\n\n<br><\/br>\n\n## **Optional modification:**\n\n## Step 11\nIf you would like a more homogene distribution of the light you could cut a small piece of the hot glue stick and drill a small hole inside it without passing from edge to edge and use it as a cap of your LED. It will make the light look more elegant and will let you notice all the incoming notifications.\n\n![IMG_20180415_013643.jpg (https:\/\/steemitimages.com\/DQmcJNLJcQCq4jsnkw5uy8fK1tfu6ZU6wmPNmN7iqPSeUBM\/IMG_20180415_013643.jpg)\n\nJOB DONE AND READY TO START BLINKING THE LED WITH BLINKIT !!\n\nThis tutorial could help you to improve the LED of your USB stick and improve the functionality of Blinkit. Other modification and Tutorials will be made,<br> and made available soon. With new DIY projects to let you enjoy led light notifications!\n\n\n\n![IMG_20180415_013726.png (https:\/\/steemitimages.com\/0x0\/https:\/\/steemitimages.com\/DQmbg6cWKbkBLaFGyX2X2E4VZTuC6BHcwbVDSj4hAr67q5q\/BAR.png)\n\n<center><h3>LET'S MAKE THE WORLD BLINK WITH BLINKIT!<\/h3><\/center>\n\n![IMG_20180415_013726.png (https:\/\/steemitimages.com\/0x0\/https:\/\/steemitimages.com\/DQmbg6cWKbkBLaFGyX2X2E4VZTuC6BHcwbVDSj4hAr67q5q\/BAR.png)\n\n![ (https:\/\/i.imgur.com\/HqmH58q.gif)\n\n![ (https:\/\/i.imgur.com\/SI4ahOm.png)\n\n<br \/><hr\/><em>Posted on <a href=\"https:\/\/utopian.io\/utopian-io\/@electronicsworld\/blinkit-or-electronicsworld-tutorial-1-how-to-upgrade-a-usb-stick-led-to-a-brighter-one-diy\">Utopian.io - Rewarding Open Source Contributors<\/a><\/em><hr\/>",<br>"json_metadata":" 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,<br>\"moderator\"<br>\"account\":\"samhamou\",<br>\"time\":\"2018-04-17T00:58:06.391Z\",<br>\"pending\":true,<br>\"reviewed\":false,<br>\"flagged\":false ,<br>\"questions\":null,<br>\"score\":null,<br>\"total_influence\":null,<br>\"staff_pick\":null,<br>\"config\"<br>\"questions\":[ \"question\":\"Does the tutorial address a minimum of 3 substantial concepts and no more than 5?\",<br>\"question_id\":\"tut-1\",<br>\"answers\":[ \"answer\":\"3-5 substantial concepts covered in the tutorial.\",<br>\"answer_id\":1,<br>\"value\":10 ,<br> \"answer\":\"Less than 3 or more than 5 substantial concepts covered in the tutorial.\",<br>\"answer_id\":2,<br>\"value\":5 ,<br> \"answer\":\"No substantial or recognisable concepts.\",<br>\"answer_id\":3,<br>\"value\":0 ,<br> \"question\":\"Concepts covered in the tutorial are indicated in the post text with a short description of each concept and when appropriate,<br> images?\",<br>\"question_id\":\"tut-2\",<br>\"answers\":[ \"answer\":\"Thorough text and images for concepts covered.\",<br>\"answer_id\":1,<br>\"value\":10 ,<br> \"answer\":\"Minimal text and images.\",<br>\"answer_id\":2,<br>\"value\":5 ,<br> \"answer\":\"No or very little text and images.\",<br>\"answer_id\":3,<br>\"value\":0 ,<br> \"question\":\"Does the contributor provide supplementary resources,<br> such as code and sample files in the contribution post or a GitHub repository?\",<br>\"question_id\":\"tut-3\",<br>\"answers\":[ \"answer\":\"Yes\",<br>\"answer_id\":1,<br>\"value\":10 ,<br> \"answer\":\"No\",<br>\"answer_id\":2,<br>\"value\":0 ,<br> \"question\":\"Is the tutorial part of a series?\",<br>\"question_id\":\"tut-4\",<br>\"answers\":[ \"answer\":\"Yes.\",<br>\"answer_id\":1,<br>\"value\":10 ,<br> \"answer\":\"Yes,<br> but first entry in the series.\",<br>\"answer_id\":2,<br>\"value\":5 ,<br> \"answer\":\"No.\",<br>\"answer_id\":3,<br>\"value\":0 ,<br> \"question\":\"Is there an outline for the tutorial content at the beginning of the post?\",<br>\"question_id\":\"tut-5\",<br>\"answers\":[ \"answer\":\"Yes.\",<br>\"answer_id\":1,<br>\"value\":10 ,<br> \"answer\":\"Yes,<br> but not detailed enough or does not cover all sections.\",<br>\"answer_id\":2,<br>\"value\":5 ,<br> \"answer\":\"No.\",<br>\"answer_id\":3,<br>\"value\":0 ,<br> \"question\":\"Does the writing style meet the Utopian standard considering formalness,<br> informativeness and clarity of the content?\",<br>\"question_id\":\"c-1\",<br>\"answers\":[ \"answer\":\"It is formal,<br> informative and well written with clear content.\",<br>\"answer_id\":1,<br>\"value\":10 ,<br> \"answer\":\"It is informative with clear content but not formal enough.\",<br>\"answer_id\":2,<br>\"value\":5 ,<br> \"answer\":\"The contribution could be more informative or contains unrelated information,<br> formality and clarity of the content are good enough.\",<br>\"answer_id\":3,<br>\"value\":4 ,<br> \"answer\":\"Not all sections were clear enough but overall holds value for the project.\",<br>\"answer_id\":4,<br>\"value\":2 ,<br> \"answer\":\"Not at all.\",<br>\"answer_id\":5,<br>\"value\":0 ,<br> \"question\":\"Was the provided category template for the editor followed?\",<br>\"question_id\":\"c-2\",<br>\"answers\":[ \"answer\":\"All points of the template were included with additional points as well.\",<br>\"answer_id\":1,<br>\"value\":5 ,<br> \"answer\":\"The template was followed without additions.\",<br>\"answer_id\":2,<br>\"value\":4 ,<br> \"answer\":\"The template was edited but the points were covered in different way.\",<br>\"answer_id\":3,<br>\"value\":3 ,<br> \"answer\":\"Not all points of the template were covered in the contribution but the structure is clear enough.\",<br>\"answer_id\":4,<br>\"value\":3 ,<br> \"answer\":\"The template was not followed but the structure is clear enough.\",<br>\"answer_id\":5,<br>\"value\":2 ,<br> \"answer\":\"The contents are not clearly structured at all.\",<br>\"answer_id\":6,<br>\"value\":0 ,<br> \"question\":\"Did the contributor tag other users?\",<br>\"question_id\":\"c-3\",<br>\"answers\":[ \"answer\":\"No other users were tagged by the contributor.\",<br>\"answer_id\":1,<br>\"value\":5 ,<br> \"answer\":\"Used tags are reasonable and all tagged people are connected to the project and\/or the contribution.\",<br>\"answer_id\":2,<br>\"value\":5 ,<br> \"answer\":\"The contribution contains mentions of other users that are not directly related to the contribution but related in other ways.\",<br>\"answer_id\":3,<br>\"value\":2 ,<br> \"answer\":\"The contributor misuses tagging of other users.\",<br>\"answer_id\":4,<br>\"value\":0 ,<br> \"question\":\"Did the contributor ask for upvotes,<br> resteems,<br> follows or witness vote?\",<br>\"question_id\":\"c-4\",<br>\"answers\":[ \"answer\":\"No\",<br>\"answer_id\":1,<br>\"value\":5 ,<br> \"answer\":\"Yes,<br> but not in a way that disturbs readability. \",<br>\"answer_id\":2,<br>\"value\":5 ,<br> \"answer\":\"Yes.\",<br>\"answer_id\":3,<br>\"value\":0 ,<br> \"question\":\"Was a graphical content like images,<br> charts,<br> videos or screenshots included?\",<br>\"question_id\":\"c-5\",<br>\"answers\":[ \"answer\":\"Yes,<br> the graphical content is included and adds more value to the contribution.\",<br>\"answer_id\":1,<br>\"value\":5 ,<br> \"answer\":\"No but the contribution works well without graphical content well.\",<br>\"answer_id\":2,<br>\"value\":4 ,<br> \"answer\":\"Yes,<br> but most of the graphical content\u2019s purpose is just for presentational matters.\",<br>\"answer_id\":3,<br>\"value\":3 ,<br> \"answer\":\"No relevant or useful graphical content is included in the contribution.\",<br>\"answer_id\":4,<br>\"value\":0 ,<br> \"question\":\"How would you rate the overall added value?\",<br>\"question_id\":\"c-6\",<br>\"answers\":[ \"answer\":\"Extraordinary value to both the project and the open source community overall.\",<br>\"answer_id\":1,<br>\"value\":20 ,<br> \"answer\":\"Significant value to the project or open source community.\",<br>\"answer_id\":2,<br>\"value\":15 ,<br> \"answer\":\"Some value to the project or open source community.\",<br>\"answer_id\":3,<br>\"value\":10 ,<br> \"answer\":\"Little value to the project or open source community.\",<br>\"answer_id\":4,<br>\"value\":5 ,<br> \"answer\":\"No obvious value to project or open source community.\",<br>\"answer_id\":5,<br>\"value\":0 " |
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