The Smell of Molten Projects in the Morning

Ed Nisley's Blog: Shop notes, electronics, firmware, machinery, 3D printing, laser cuttery, and curiosities. Contents: 100% human thinking, 0% AI slop.

The New Hotness

  • External DVD Battery Pack Status

    One of the battery packs powering the GPS+audio interface on our bikes has completely failed, with zero volts at the output and no charge indication. The other five chug along as well as can be expected:

    Initial-brand DVD External Packs - 2013-11
    Initial-brand DVD External Packs – 2013-11

    The push-to-test button on Pack 4 has become increasingly erratic over the last few months, rendering the charge status LEDs mostly useless, so it has two curves: the lower capacity came directly from the bike, the higher hot off the charger.

    For reference, here’s what they looked like in May 2012:

    External Li-Ion packs - 2012-05
    External Li-Ion packs – 2012-05

    And right after they arrived:

    Initial External Li-Ion packs
    Initial External Li-Ion packs

    Given their nearly constant use and charge cycling, I’m impressed.

    Those Lenmar DVDU923 packs look similar, at twice the no-name 2010 price. So it goes…