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Workbench Wednesdays

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How Eaton’s Power Defense Circuit Breakers Work | Workbench Wednesdays #41

Circuit breakers make electricity safe in everyday life. The miniature breakers found in your home are relatively simple devices. Commercial units like the Eaton Power Defense with PXR Trip units are found everywhere, even if we do not see them. Learn how a basic circuit breaker works and get some insight into these advanced electronic controlled Circuit Breakers.

In this video, I got to interview Andy at Eaton. He was an interesting person and very knowledgeable about circuit breakers. I had no idea how much technology went into them.

This episode was sponsored by Eaton.

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Measurements with an SMU | Workbench Wednesdays #40

Source Measurement Units, or SMUs, combine an accurate power supply, high-power electronic load, and precise digital voltmeter into a signal unit. They are a four-quadrant source. That means they can provide power to a circuit or consume it.

With an SMU you can characterize semiconductor devices (like Diodes), monitor the power consumption of a circuit, or simulate a battery. In this video, see the difference between an SMU and a Power Supply.

This episode was sponsored by Rohde & Schwarz.

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Which Oscilloscope Form Factor Is Best For Me? | Workbench Wednesdays #38

Oscilloscopes are available in many shapes and sizes. After figuring out how much bandwidth you need (or want), the next step is to choose the form factor. Do you go with the traditional bench style? When does it make sense to use a USB-based scope with your PC? And what about these newer tablets or battery-powered oscilloscopes? Learn the difference between them and see which one is best for you.

This episode was “sponsored” by Multicomp Pro. (I put sponsored in quotes because the brand name is owned by Newark which has the same owner as element14.)

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Desoldering Wick Tips and Tricks with Superwick | Workbench Wednesdays #37

Desoldering braid removes surface solder from a circuit board. It makes reworking PCBs easy and quick. With a few tips and tricks, products like MG Chemical’s Superwick can work like magic. You can remove solder from surface mount parts, wick away excess solder blobs, and repair boards using it. In this video, James shares tips and tricks from the element14 community for using desoldering braid. (Please note: the makers of Superwick, MG Chemicals, sponsored this video)

Microscope Solder Braid
Microscope image of desoldering wick.

One of my favorite shots in the entire episode is one of the microscope pictures. I often write a draft script of what I want to cover before I shoot all of the overhead video clips. In my notes, I wrote, “microscope to see the flux–can you even see it?” Imagine my surprise when I looked at Superwick under the microscope and could clearly see the flux on it.

This episode was sponsored by MG Chemicals

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