Joshua's Electronics, Repairs & Upcycling

"A #mineral made in a #Kamchatka #volcano may hold the answer to #cheaper #batteries, find #scientists.." https://bigthink.com//newly-discovered-mineral-petrovite-c

"#Engineers at #RiceUniversity have developed a new #reactor that can #convert carbon monoxide (#CO) into #aceticacid. Using tiny #coppercubes as a #catalyst, the device is relatively #simple and can operate for long periods at a time, allowing the unwanted #waste #gas to be turned into an #industriallyuseful #product.." https://newatlas.com//copper-cube-reactor-carbon-monoxide/

"#Scientists from the #UniversityofBath have made a #sustainable #polymer using the second most #abundant #sugar in #nature, #xylose.." https://phys.org//2021-01-scientists-sustainable-polymer-s

"The grass has a #badrap in the U.S. as an #invasive nuisance, but the plant can quickly #sequester at least #doubleand maybe even #sixtimesthe amount of #carbon as a similar stand of #trees.." https://insideclimatenews.org//the-radical-case-for-growi/

"#Scientists crafting a #nickel-based #catalyst used in making #hydrogenfuel built it one #atomiclayer at a time to gain full control over its #chemical properties. But the finished #material didn’t behave as they expected: As one version of the catalyst went about its work, the top-most layer of #atoms #rearranged to form a new #pattern, as if the square tiles that cover a floor had suddenly changed to #hexagons.." https://www6.slac.stanford.edu//2021-01-11-study-shows-twe

"#Princeton #researchers have created a #keycomponent toward unlocking a #communications #band that promises to dramatically #increase the amount of #data #wirelesssystems can #transmit.." https://www.nanowerk.com/nanotechnology-ne/newsid=56954.php

Tonight I'm working on a new 1PC battery design using an anode as the contact, which is well insulated and pressed. Similar to an electron tube design but without AC conversion, as electrons pass through the anode electrode from the cathode, leaving the positive ions cool while heat is transferred to the anode lead. The battery is fitted as to align the cell within the cavity. The 18650 cobalt battery is running at 4.27V/8.38Ah/35.2Wh. That's a whopping load of energy! The p...ower density matches that of many very powerful hand tools, besides the fact that this cell operates only at low operating voltage. But don't let that fool you! These wires, once in contact -/+ +/- will start to oxidize and burn fairly quickly, emitting small discharges, as so much energy contact is crossing across such little medium. A single battery like this could store rechargeable power from a 30W solar cell! Given sufficient step-up regulation and amplified conversion, I could dual the output. Now for the contact anode design, I actually dissembled an old 12V car charger device I had laying around in storage. This device contained the sensitive components I needed to fit the battery cell snugly inside, including, the primary wire marked as positive and its large diameter cathode lead, as well as the metal casing. Additionally, I reused LiFePO4 wiring and conductive sheeting. The casing is vital, though, and is where all of the connections and contact are made to sufficiently connect to the lithium cell, completing an input/output. Initial testing and measurements indicates good thermal-electric current stability throughout the device. #DIY #WIP #Reuse #Tech #Engineering #Physics #Electronics

"The odd, wavy #pattern that results from viewing certain #phone or #computer #screens through #polarizedglasses has led #researchers to take a step toward #thinner, #lighterweight #lenses. Called #moiré, the pattern is made by laying one #material with #opaque and #translucent parts at an #angle over another material of similar #contrast.." https://www.nanowerk.com/nanotechnology-ne/newsid=56956.php

"Just five years ago, a 20 #megawatt #batterystorage #project was considered big. Now a 300 megawatt project, the largest in the #world, has gone online in #California, and even bigger #batteryprojects are coming in 2021.. Battery storage has entered a new #phase of #rapidgrowth, brought on by #fallingprices for #lithiumion #batteries and rising #demand for #electricity sources that can fill in the #gaps in a grid that is increasingly fueled by #wind and #solar. High demand is leading to a boom in #investment in battery #companies, and fevered speculation about new kinds of batteries.." https://insideclimatenews.org//inside-clean-energy-energy/

My oldest click-wheel 1st gen iPod nano has been having some battery issues lately. Running only for 10min after full charge. Now, obviously it's really old tech. I'm amazed myself it still works to this day. But the cell itself discharges too quick for any relative charge to remain stable. How did I fix this? Well, lantern batteries, of course. That's what you're thinking of, right? I dismantled a flashlight power bank and reused it as an external battery pack. Hey Apple, ch...eck this out! In fact, these dry alkaline batteries are primary cells. Meaning, they are not rechargeable, and will eventually corrode from oxidation within the material connecting both the anode and cathode leads. But these cells are fresh, with only a small degree of output, rendering them safe and actually surprisingly efficient for classic iPods like this one. The assembly uses in-series configuration, increasing voltage and decreasing current, which is exactly what you want when dealing with low input value devices, such as classic iPods. It would not take many amps to induce a minor explosion into the iPod's motherboard, effectively destroying the device and all of the flash memory. What's more is that I can just replace the cells when needed, as they are quite cheap to purchase. Given the portability of this device renders it useful for traveling around and listening to music while charging on-the-go, without concern of any significant discharging. Now, this device does not extend the lifespan of the iPod, its only a temporary fix until the actual battery is swapped out. I'll have to try my 3rd gen nano, next, to see if it works, too, as well as charging/discharging rate tests. Device specs: 4.10V/0.300mAh/0.30Ah/1.23Wh/1W Material items used: flashlight power bank, Windows 7 adapter, vinyl electrical tape, clear polymer tape, power-boost 500 circuitry, JST connector, and an iPod cable adapter.