Unusual circuitry twist - emergency light module

[@hmartinlb]

So nice of them to provide extra solder pads in case the fuse blows, so you can solder in a new fuse.

[@LTDunltd]

When you went to page 2 schematic, and I saw the "logic" circuit I knew it as a self latching, auto shut off when the battery voltage dropped to a certain lever. I've built several of these years ago to indicate power loss on equipment control panels. The auto off function was so if the power loss happened during unoccupied times. the batteries would not drain to zero.

[@augustaking8]

Nice explanation of that latch dropping out at low volts.

[@Alacritous]

I haven't looked for a while, but you used to be able to buy replacement battery packs for cordless home phones that were nimh batteries that look like they have a connector like that so you can probably just buy a higher capacity battery pack off the shelf to put in that. Edit: I just looked and you can get 800 mAh battery packs and the connector does look very similar.

[@NinoJoel]

These are still all over the place and cheap. These packs are standard with Manny things like phones and walkie talkies

[@terrym1065]

Interesting circuit even if a bit hard to explain, which you did an admirable job of, thank you Big Clive.

[@martinbalmforth2665]

You need a T shirt that says ‘ONE MOMENT PLEASE’

[@mxslick50]

When you said smoking hot resistor, I immediately went back to hearing Fanny Flambeaux's gang name.... if you know, you know......

[@getcartercarpark.]

A very interesting emergency light that looks like it can be easily improved upon, even if just to mount it on a box containing larger NiCad cells. Like emergency light D cell pack. That would make the light run for hours when there is a mains failure. Thanks for the very explicit video. Makes for easy following. TNX K Watt

[@DrHarryT]

Change the batteries to NiMh, same voltage. [3 cells in series, 3.6V]

[@NinoJoel]

No need for that. They use a standard cell package with standard connector. Search for cordless phone battery's. They are dropin replacements and cheap

[@amorphuc]

Wow. Thanks Big Clive. Very interesting.

[@brabhamfreaman166]

10:08 Simultaneously at once…! What happened there Clive😂?

[@ralphj4012]

Interesting design. Seemingly, a pre-grinder video.

[@Stuart-AJC]

Intereresting device BC, thanks for explaining it. Towards the end I think you meant to replace the 1uF dropper cap with 470nF not 470uF ?

[@bigclivedotcom]

I'll check that and add a correction in the description.

[@TomCee53]

I suspect the design point is enough light to keep from stubbing a toe as you find a flashlight or leave the room. I have a similar device that plugs into an outlet, but it has a removable light. It’s been around since before NiMh became popular and has an optional night light function.

[@sam28z]

Very interesting design and explanation, no ic and all using voltage dividers and discharge differences, clearly the goal is reducing production cost! Not sure how the rectified AC was dropped down to ~7v though? Effect of the resistor size and limiting capacitor?

[@bigclivedotcom]

Current limiting and the zener diode.

[@mik13ST]

Hmm, why does it say "LED " near the audio clip terminals on the AnTai? Does it have some LED testing functionality? Or maybe it's just that it has an LED display?

[@andygozzo72]

nicad? i thought their use had been banned?

[@bigclivedotcom]

They are still used in emergency lighting, as they are still the best choice.

[@ShadowzGSD]

emergency lights do not have to last for 3 hours, depending on property and location. they do have to last for rated duration though, rare now but can see emergency lights rated for 1 hour or 3 hours.

[@zebo-the-fat]

Neat design!

[@BRUXXUS]

Great explanation! I find self latching circuits really clever and interesting.

[@zh84]

As a computer type it is rather reminiscent of a flip-flop.

[@ConstantlyDamaged]

Kinda like auto-siphon systems in that regard. Yeah.

[@TomCee53]

Today it most likely would use a programmable chip for even this simple a function.

[@DrHarryT]

It appears the batteries were discharged which are rated @.3A yet when you gave it mains if started charging @.77A, well over 2C of the rated capacity of the batteries...Not good

[@BkR090]

Somebody had some transistor fun😊

[@simoncee9011]

Very apt as we have suffered with a power cut today during storm Burt.

[@zh84]

I hope you are back on now!

[@BrazzaB1]

I'm surprised that the battery dot was not bright pink!

[@mazinsidddique9269]

well explained

[@rich3500]

It looks like they have used the npn/pnp transistor equivalent of a thyristor so as to effectively customise the operation to their requirements. I wonder if they could have used a thyristor like the common C106 to switch the LEDs instead?

[@TheFirstGhirn]

Thank you for your ever insightful look into the world of Chinesium products. For the low price it might be a good one to stick in near the breaker box since the flashlight that I keep there never seems to work. (and us old farts don't remember to use our phones for lights)

[@phonotical]

300Mah?what was the point in including something stupidly low, chances are the battery would fail long before the light was ever even tested

[@carlfranz6805]

Yep... Just like my heated socks from TEMU. 😂

[@azfarfenner9834]

It's only 5 bucks

[@boilabum]

Lol I have 1.2v 800mah nimh cells I bought 15 years ago, AA, AAA, C, D, been through at least a couple thousand uses/recharges, and still work fine. Re evaluate your idea of the different battery chemical technologies please and thank you. I might add I used them for high lumen flashlights for rough camping conditions for at least a decade and now they power my TV remote. 15 year old cells work my Amazon fire stick remote for at least 5 years now. I recharge them when I get a new firestick. Been through 3 of them now. The larger cells sit in my ancient backup maglights. Anywho. Continue your ignorant hatred of old tech please :) it's cute

[@NinoJoel]

I have been working with these back when they had neon lights. They normally lasted 10 years and more without any maintenance before they could produce enough current for the neon tube to start

[@phonotical]

@@boilabum mate, go outside some time this week, please, get with the times, it's a whole different world out there sausage

[@LaLaLand.Germany]

Dear Mr. Big, how do You enlarge a small fart circuit to a full blown tornado? That trick of enlarging circuits to a readable proportion is very neat, nobody else does that. Being able to draw on with felt pens shure could help me understand what´s going on. Could You please fill us (me) in? Do You take a picture and print that out? It shure can come costly to make my inkpisser do gloss DIN A4, it even needs a special cartridge for photos. Your blown pics shure look good. I´m trying to learn electronics and this hands on technique could help, I´m a weird learner. I just fixed my old vacuum, it broke down with the symptom of a shaky contact. Bought a little board that held a possible culprit, totally dismantled the hole shabang to find …a nothingburger. None was broken or burnt, just a lot of coal dust from the brushes. Before the four motor wires gave me one reading, I should have had two. That´s when I decided to go all in, it is already broken so: what gives… I cleaned the dust off and out- Would You look at that: two readings! The bugger works! Put all back together: liftoff! And it is even stronger than before, I measured 100 watts more consumption, it uses 870, now- from 700something.I can see that: the dust made connections where they didn´t belong. And this is totally unrelated but I am stumped and very happy, lovely christmas present. Never had this before, I´m used to having magic smoke but not a nothingburger. That´s why I like this hobby: never a dull moment. Happy Holidays und Guten Rutsch, Mr. Big!

[@tiffanyganton550]

KZbin- somehow 700 likes with 450 views, thought those were the days of olde yet it seems they still haven't figured out this whole data thing

[@Mark1024MAK]

I’d like to see you modify it with a 470µF capacitor 😂

[@dj_paultuk7052]

We just had the batteries replaced in many emergency lights at work (south UK), and i was talking to the sparky that was doing the job. They were all Ni-Cd batteries. I was quite surprised they were still being used. Anyone know why they are still used in this application ?.

[@bigclivedotcom]

Better suited to higher current trickle charging than NiMH and safer than lithium cells. Some new lights use LiFePO4 cells though.

[@JendaLinda]

NiCd are not used very much these days. NiCd batteries suffer from so-called memory effect so if not charged properly, they quickly lose their capacity.

[@NinoJoel]

They have been banned here. Only exemptions are emergency lights and the like.

[@robp9129]

Thank you BC 👍👌👏👏

[@JosephGetchel]

Why do you suppose they used Ni-Cd batteries instead of some type of Lithium rechargeable? And besides, Ni-Cd have the unfortunate propensity of developing "memory" when they are kept fully charged!

[@richardwernst]

Did I miss why it doesn't turn on when the battery is connected and no utility power supplied?

[@bigclivedotcom]

It has a section of circuitry that provides a trigger pulse when the power fails.

[@jonnyduncan7056]

It doesn't look like it goes on a 1 gang flush box or is it a 2 gang box. Needs to be at least a 35mm by the look of the depth of it..

[@bigclivedotcom]

Probably designed for a Chinese wall box sizing.

[@kyoudaiken]

Neat, so this thing has a flip flop in it! But I always wonder why they put in such sad battery packs. There must be a surplus of these somewhere in China.

[@AndyFletcherX31]

NiCad cells are banned in the UK for all but a very few specific applications so apart from the other non-compliances for toxicity reasons it would be illegal to install commercially or dispose of in the normal waste.

[@theelmonk]

Didn't realise they were actually banned, I thought they';d just become obsolete. No wonder I'm struggling to find replacements (NiMH is not always drop-in equivalent).

[@phonotical]

They're not banned... ​@@theelmonk

[@ShadowzGSD]

banned! 🤣 nope.

[@NinoJoel]

​@@ShadowzGSDthey are. With some exemptions tho like emergency lights lol

[@ShadowzGSD]

@@NinoJoel so not banned then! 🤣

[@frogz]

i must add another comment now that i am sitting down and watching the video, at time of writing this video has 506 likes and 494 views, i love it

[@boilabum]

Thanks for your videos. They are fun. I especially love all the fudd comments. Applogies if I ruffle any viewer feathers. Nimh battery tech is going to be with us for a long long time yet.

[@g.h.190]

Cadmium is a nasty heavy metal. As young I read a story about an industry polluting ground water in a city making everyone sick, and it scared me a lot. I don't want any NiCd cells in my home.

[@lint2023]

Can anyone answer: Will a 18V Li Ion battery charger for my drill batteries charge much larger aHr batteries than were available when it was new? I would like to have much larger capacity batteries.

[@keithcarpenter5254]

Yes, it'll just take longer. 😊

[@lint2023]

@@keithcarpenter5254 Thanks. I have hoped that would be the only difference. Nearly 20 years ago the largest available battery for this was 3aHr but now you can get 6 aHr. I know the charge profile is CC then CV for Li Ion and I couldn't answer if the larger battery would also try to draw more or overloading current in the CC phase. I guess my question was what is the relation of battery capacity to charging draw, if any.

[@chrismayer8990]

👍♥

[@johnwynne-qx6br]

Thumbs 👍

[@frogz]

generic comment to help feed al gore and his rhythm, i'll watch this later :D

[@andyreact]

Well explained Clive! 👍

[@paulprosser1289]

Why do you make your videos so difficult to watch by filming at 30 fps so mains powered lights strobe badly. Some of us watch on television sets and the flickering can be nauseating. I expect better.

[@ShadowzGSD]

i was going to leave a different reply but you doggo distracted me.

[@NinoJoel]

No clue what flicker you mean?

[@bigclivedotcom]

The strobing is rolling shutter caused by the fast exposure in the well lit filming area.

[@nigelgilbert8820]

You expect better? Well, you get what you pay for.