December kit builds: relays and LEDs

Welcome to the first fo the 2023 December kit builds.
This one made it's first appearance in Mailbag Monday 167 • Mailbag Monday 167
The seller calls this kit:
Street Lamp Automatic Energy-saving Control System Experiment Kit Electronic Production Parts DIY Smart Street Lamp Control
And you can get one here, if you want: pileofstuff.ca...
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This isn't the only way to do it.
It's probably not the best way to do it.
But it's how I did it.

[@davidwalters8225]

Don't be so hard on yourself. Even Mr. Carlsons lab has problems, that is the way with electronics. Great video I enjoyed it much.

[@tonysheerness2427]

You got your money's worth from this project, kept you amused for 2000 years.

[@jjab99]

I must admit, when I am building a kit, I like it when it does not work the way I expected. That's the time I really look into the circuit and investigate what is going on and so I learn more by mistakes than first time working builds. We all learn more by mistakes and remember next time not to make those mistakes. Have fun, stay safe and keep on building, Joe

[@Johadart]

Hi Kent, great first kit build, for December, keep up the good work, oh I will purchasing these kits you provide links for, this one looked very interesting, I’ve never done smd soldering, so it’s going to be a challenge for me. Cheers my friend. 🤙🏼🇦🇺 Joe from Australia 🤙🏼🇦🇺

[@pileofstuff]

I've been soldering since my teenage years, but I only really attempted surface mount in the last few years. It's definitely a skill that needs tome practice to get good at. I may get good at it eventually... If I live long enough.

[@geneirwin645]

I would suggest you invest in a small roll of thin solder. It will help your SMD soldering a lot, you will get much smaller blobs, and more flux since the solder is thinner, but still has to have room for flux, - I have a roll like this and I'm finding it quite good for surface mount.

[@fredflintstone1]

even when using a solder iron and solder with flux, I find it helpful to flux the board when soldering surface mount bits 🙂

[@peatmoss4415]

I think you did just fine! BTW, I checked the know-it-alls' channels, and they don't have any videos....

[@pileofstuff]

I have observed the same thing. Curious, isn't it!

[@DustinWatts]

For the 3rd yer in a row, my December is much more fun! For some reason I like seeing people build kits. It's one of my many quirks... Should do more on my channel btw. I think there is a greater niche audience for these! Btw... the way you do surface mount resistors, the way you are doing is the best way if you do it with a soldering iron! :)

[@davidwalters8225]

I wish you would add summer time kit builds. Good and fun!

[@DustinWatts]

@@davidwalters8225 We makers should come together and create a Kit Build channel. One dedicated channel just for kit builds! :D

[@istvanzilizi6194]

You might consider to add flux and use some copper braid (with flux of course) to make those soldering joints nice 🙂

[@damnedjose]

cool video... uh, i listened to how you outsmarted yourself, but i really could not follow it, as i'm a total beginner........ sorry your trouble shooting was a semi-ordeal! looking forward to the next kit build.

[@George_Salt]

I recognise what this circuit is, but only because I saw one in action last night whilst fishing. The first red LED is a circuit status indicator, not connected to the light detector so you can safely trim both back to be flush with the board. If anything, that status LED should not be visible to the detector. At dusk the light detector turns on the street lamps (the other LEDs) and starts the timer circuit, so that after a period of time it switches off half the LEDs for economy mode. As I was fishing last night along the prom I could see every other light switch off as it got to the point anyone sensible should be home in the warm. Very noticeable as it happened sequentially in blocks of lights. The two variable resistors are setting the dusk threshold and the time delay before economy mode.

[@pileofstuff]

That's a good description. Thank you.

[@MrCalldean]

Seeing you use the loupe so much in this video makes me think that it's a surprise you've never gone with a video microscope.

[@pileofstuff]

I have one. It just takes up a lot of space on my bench. Plus, as it is only a single lens, it eliminates my binocular vision and I lose depth perception. For only a few quick inspections, it's easier to use the handheld magnifier. I'll probably pull it out if I am doing an entirely surface mount project, though.

[@unclefrogy743]

sounds like the trouble shooting is part of the learning with cheap "simple" kits. was doing one a while ago that had bad chips in it figuring out if it was the chip or the circuit or the assembly was fun in the end. Eureka! it was the chip.

[@loveminis31]

555 timer ends up the most circuits with LEDs that do neat things of course the Wright transistor does good switching to. Looking forward to get December

[@FUNKLABOR_DL1LEP]

15.000 whooo❤❤❤

[@tinygriffy]

I very much hope you will live to let us all see perfect SMD soldering ... Hot air FTW ! ;) Thanks for the Video !

[@lambert0259]

HI, I noticed from the circuit diagram their are no Diodes across the relay coils to stop the reverse voltage when the relays turn off.

[@pileofstuff]

Yes, that is one of the quirks of this thing.

[@FUNKLABOR_DL1LEP]

@@pileofstuffbutthere are caps over the coils of relais....😂

[@frankowalker4662]

YAY, kit builds.

[@johncoops6897]

It goes in the driveway. When you drive in then switch off the car headlights, the garage lights go to full brightness, allowing you to exit and go to the front door. Then after a period of time they drop to half brightness, until the sun comes up.

[@onecircuit-as]

Interesting circuit…555 for the win! 👍😀

[@maicod]

a board holder of knowledge :)

[@markusallport1276]

How interesting, I am curious though what this circuit can be used for, and can you reverse the action... Can it start with half the LEDs then turn on all lights after timing is complete? I suppose that is possible if the relays were wired differently. Nice kit.

[@pileofstuff]

I'm not really sure either. I wonder if the little cars on the silkscreen suggest it is trying to replicate some sort of Chinese traffic signal?

[@RickSettle]

How would the circuit operate differently if a jumper was installed from the junction of pins 1 and 2 of the CD4011 to pin 11 of the CD4011?

[@pileofstuff]

I suspect it would work almost exactly the same as it does now. There is a lot in this circuit that could be simplified or eliminated and it would still work .

[@simondella6761]

We all go down the wrong rabbit hole sometimes

[@davebrooks993]

I don’t understand why they used relays instead of a mosfet or transistor? A transistor is just a few cents. Maybe these companies receive a discount bulk supply of random electronic components and it’s someone’s job to make something useful out of it and sell them in kit form. I enjoy watching the builds and going through the schematics.

[@pileofstuff]

I agree. This circuit cold have been simplified a lot. Some very strange design choices.

[@George_Salt]

@@pileofstuff - I suspect that if you translate the text it will turn out to be a demonstration circuit for showing how to control high voltage street lamps using a low voltage control circuit. I'm surprised they didn't go with a split 6v/12v circuit though.

[@danman32]

Now what is the practical purpose of this kit?

[@pileofstuff]

Some people have said it demonstrated a variable illumination parking lighting system. For me, it's just the fun of practice and tinkering

[@dhultgren1]

Remind me why I am a Patron 🤣

[@pileofstuff]

I appreciate the support

[@RK-kn1ud]

Glad to see you changed your soldering tip...but for the wrong reason. Conical tips suck for SMD soldering. Say it with me..."I will never use a conical tip for SMD soldering ever again". That said, Louis Rossmann has some good (very old, but accurate) videos on tips for SMD soldering.

[@TheUnofficialMaker]

so which tip do you suggest

[@RK-kn1ud]

@@TheUnofficialMaker I don't suggest anything. Unfortunately I cannot find the video I referenced either. From experience though, I would say that a tip that has the largest mass but contacts the two surfaces being soldered works the best. I've used a lot of tips that begin with D, B, and J. I use whatever can deliver the most amount of thermal shock the quickest. Conical tips suck because the surface area contacting the two components to be soldered is low...yours using the smallest part of the tip.

[@Okurkaarrgghh]

Conical tips suck for soldering.

[@johncoops6897]

Yeah, but he didn't use a conical tip. He used the smallest "hoof" bevel bit type 2C Personally, I only use chiseled, type D. As for Rossmann, he uses so much flux so it doesn't matter what bits he uses. You won't get solder bridges when soldering 10mm underwater in a pool of liquid flux.

[@HazeAnderson]

@@TheUnofficialMaker Knife Tip!

[@kousakasan7882]

December? It's November 30th here in California...

[@MusicalBox]

Don't complain. Maybe that means we'll have five "December kit builds" instead of four. There are 4 Thursdays left in December

[@gordanmilne7034]

This is related to the space time continuum,'s irregularity on the U S / Canada border or Beer.

[@Okurkaarrgghh]

Not everything revolves around California.

[@pileofstuff]

Only for a couple more hours...😉

[@davedemo8229]

love the channel could go without the beer in the front of every video

[@HazeAnderson]

When it comes to SMD .... flux. More flux. 👍

[@AJB2K3]

Warning: I haz the dumbz!

[@pileofstuff]

SPOILER ALERT!!11!

[@Tom111060]

More flux!

[@johngodden5196]

What is it with continental north americans and their pronouciation of that compound of tin and lead. It is called SOLDER not SODDER the letter "L" in the name is not silent. There is another channel on You Tube, who's name escapes at the moment, who is equally as frustrated as myself about the pronounciation of solder and he IS American.

[@pileofstuff]

Regional pronunciations are a pretty common thing.

[@jwrtiger]

Yeah, I live in California and for over 60 years I have been pronouncing it as SODDER. Funny when I try and include the L I pause so at my age I gave up. Another viewer caught my error on my jwrelectro channel. Sorry for the frustration but you make a very good point.

[@RottnRobbie]

... and how do you pronounce SALMON? ... CALM? ... YOLK? ... COULD? (Let me guess, you also pronounce the "F" in LIEUTENANT?) Maybe just get over yourself, get a life, then let others get on with theirs.