Joseph Innovations

Garden Hooks

2016-10-27T11:50:00.000+05:30

Disclaimer: You can use it for your personal use. Not as a commercial product.

Vegetable plants like tomato, okra and the like tend to droop as they bear fruit. So these have to be supported externally either by providing a strong upright fixture or securing them with a twine. I came up with a simple 3D printable solution. The Veg-Hook.

Here is the link to download it and make your own:

http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1853143

Photos:

DIY Spiral Cable - Charging Cable

2016-03-08T20:50:00.000+05:30

It is often quite convenient if our charging cables can be stretched to just the right length to avoid unnecessary clutter. With all the gadgets that we use on a daily basis from mobiles to tablets I thought if would be nice if I could find a way to convert my existing cables into spiral cables....and I did just that.

Before you go about doing this a word of caution. This process worked fine for me so far but there is alway a chance of it messing up and destroying you cable, so do it at your own risk. We start off with this straight cable.

Secure one end of the cable to the head of a long screwdriver with a tape and start wrapping the cable firmly on the stem

Once you reach the other end secure the other end with a tape

Use a hair drier and evenly heat the wrapped surface careful not to overheat any point

After the heating let it sit an cool

Remove the tapes and let the cable slide down

Now we have a spiral cable.

3D Printing - A Walk Aroud

2016-03-06T18:56:00.000+05:30

A casual video on 3D Printing and some aspects involved in the process. Friends of mine had asked me if I could make a small video on how its done. Here is a brief overview.

ps: This video was shot on a mobile phone and the sound was recoded live so do bear with me on the quality part.

Macbook Air/Pro Flush SD Storage - The Mini Drive

2015-08-10T13:05:00.000+05:30

The Macbook Air/Pro comes with the very convenient SD slot. The hassle however is the card jutting out of the slot making it difficult to handle and putting it in and out of sleeves. This is when the mini drive comes in handy.

"TheMiniDrive" sits flush with the mac once inserted into the slot. The clever design is actually a micro SD adapter which takes in the card sideways thus saving space. I got mine delivered pretty quick and installed it right away and am extremely happy with the product. This is a must have especially if you are a Macbook Air user.
In their own words:

TheMiniDrive storage expansion cards for the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro with Retina display. Just slide it into the SD slot on the side of your MacBook and instantly boost your storage capacity. With up to 128GB available, you can store up to 62,000 photos, 32,000 songs or 1920 minutes of Full HD video.

You can buy it at: http://www.theminidrive.com/

Regular SD

Regular SD inserted fully

TheMiniDrive

Side by side comparison

Micro SD has been inserted

Inserting the installed drive

Fully inserted

Sits flush with the surface

Top view with the drive inserted

Macbook Air Case - Thule Gauntlet Tmas-113

2015-07-30T22:18:00.000+05:30

I was searching for a sleeve for my macbook air 13" model. My main concerns where,

A slim sleeve with snug fit
Water resistance
Easy to carry
Amble protection agains mild bumps
Good aesthetics and design
Soft padding inside
Ease of pushing in and pulling out the mac
No zip [ to avoid corner scratches ]

My search ended at the Thule Gauntlet Tmas-113. Thule Sweden is no stranger to adventure sports and outdoor accessories. In their own words

"Thule was established in Sweden in 1942. And ever since then, we've made it our business to bring you closer to the world and your passion for life. We are an international group of people united by our own passion for helping active families and outdoor enthusiasts.

Thule helps you transport anything you care for safely, easily and in style so that you are free to live your active life. We believe in the value of an active life – whether you're in the city or the great outdoors. For our own health and happiness as human beings, and ultimately for the respect and care we then give to the world around us.

Whatever your passion, whatever your pursuit. Wherever you're going, whatever you're bringing. With Thule, you're free to live your active life to the full." -source www.thule.com

So I went online and ordered one for my macbook air. After an eager wait of about one week it finally arrived. Carefully opened the pack and there it was a beauty in perfection

Soft inside for cushioning and preventing scratch

The extended pocket flap bends to provide an extra seal

There is no stitching on the sides for better water resistance

Velcro instead of zips to prevent corner scratches

The larger inlet helps insert and take out the macbook with ease.

Fits perfectly and stays secure.

This is the view with the mac inside. Still very slim.

I have been using the sleeve for a couple of days and I must say that I am extremely happy with the buy.

Harman Kardon - Nova

2015-07-28T09:06:00.001+05:30

Was in search of a pair of compact elegant and discreet speakers for my bedroom since my trusty amp died out on me. I was not in a mood to buy another chunky amp and bookshelves. So I went shop hopping and auditioning. Finally heard this beauty and fell in love with it. The sound is crisp and clear with ample bass. The drivers produce 40 watts RMS and has enough and more power for the bedroom or even a moderately sized hall. Delight about the buy and no regrets.

Specifications
• Power supply: 19V DC, 3A
• Power consumption: 57W maximum, <0.5W eco-standby mode
• Speaker channel number: 2
• Transducers: 2.5’’(63mm) for woofer, 1.25’’(35mm) for tweeter.
• Amplifier power: 2*20W woofer+2*20W tweeter
• Frequency response: 55Hz to 20kHz (-6dB)
• Signal-to-noise ratio: 85dB at rated power (A-weighting)
• Bluetooth® transmitter frequency range: 2.402 - 2.480gHz
• Bluetooth® transmitter power: Max. 4dBm
• Bluetooth® transmitter modulation: GFSK, π/4 DQPSK, 8DPSK

Simple Cable Managemant

2015-07-04T11:26:00.002+05:30

Here is neat simple method I use to store cable bundles. This can be a very simple solution for cables of any size or shape.

Aquarium Air Pump / Aerator

2015-07-02T15:13:00.001+05:30

Aquarium Air Pump / Aerator:

Here is how an Aquarium Air Pump works....

This is a fascinating little device that we have been using for years. I have liked its operation for its straight forward operation and efficiency. Here is a short video I made explaining its operation.

Modern Organic Farming Without Soil [Part3] - DIY Project

2014-01-23T20:00:00.003+05:30

Building a DIY organic growing bed:
FEEL FREE TO USE THIS DESIGN AND PROCEDURE FOR NON COMMERCIAL USE

Part 1: Click here
Part 2: Click here

Tools needed:

Permanent marker
Scissors
Hacksaw blade

Hammer

Sand paper [ to rub off the PVC powder along the cut lines ]

Measuring Tape

Item List:

PVC Pipe: Big - 4 inch diameter | Small -2 inch diameter

9 pieces of 2 inch T joint

6 pieces of 4 inch to 2 inch reducer

Base Dimension:

48 in x 20 in

Grow Bed Height:

12 in including reducer

click for larger picture

Working Principle:

The ideal growing bed height for most of the vegetables are 12 inches [ 1 foot ] so there are 6 six growing beds each of 12 inch height and 4 inch diameter. A 2 inch vertical pipe parallel to the growing beds help check the water level in the system.

I have not used PVC solvent for the joints keeping it as simple as possible to construct. If done properly there wont be any leak in the system even without the use of the solvent. What you see in the above snap as dried leaves and branches will form our growing medium.These are chopped of tomato bushes from my earlier batch....I thought this would be an ideal way to cycle the system and what you grow forms your growing bed. Minimum waste of resources.

Before you start cutting the PVC here are a few tips. Use the measuring tape to measure the required length. Mark the point to be cut with the permanent marker. Cut the PVC pipes and this will leave you with powdery PVC at the ends, rub this off with the sand paper.

Cut the 4 inch pipe to 6 pieces of 12 inches each for our growing bed. Press the 4 inch to 2 inch reducer on to the 4 inch pipe and hammer in.Next step is to join the T to the 2 inch side of the reducer ; for this cut a small piece of the 2 inch pipe and hammer it into the reducer. Take the T and hammer it in. Do this for all the six 12 x 4 [ht x dia] pipes.

Now proceed to measure, mark and cut pieces of 2 inch pipe to form the horizontal run. Here is how to do it. Lay two 12 inch pipes side by side with a gap of 2 inches between them, measure the inner distance between the two T's ; this is the size of the 2 inch that you should cut. If you don't do this step properly you will end up not having a proper gap between the 12 inch beds. Cut, push in and hammer as you go along.

Measure the height from the top of the 12 inch pipe to the top of the horizontal 2 inch pipe at the bottom. Cut a 2 inch pipe to this length. This will form the check pipe to view the water level in the system and also to pour the required nutrients from the OWL [ click for info on constructing the OWL ]. This completes the growing bed side of our project.

For the base do the same measuring, marking and cutting and hammer in and attach an end cap at either end. Please ensure that the end caps fit in securely. I have use a length of 20 inches, end cap to end cap. I have designed the base in such a way that, when we pour water in, it flows to the base of the stand and adds weight increasing stability. The entire lower half of the system will have water in it making the whole system stand upright with a more uniform weight distribution.

I have used an oversized end cap at the top of the vertical 2 inch pipe to act as a lid that can easily be taken off for inspection. Our unit is now ready and the next step is to fill it with the growing medium.

In the first six beds I used chopped up bits of my dried tomato bushes. I compressed each bed with another PVC pipe to pack the pieces in as tight as possible. For the last one I am experimenting with polyurethane foam that I mixed up. The foam is very light and is easy to produce in large quantities and so thought I might as well try it out. I made some for this test, will cover this in another post. The foam was cut into small pieces and this forms the mass of the last bed.

Now pour water over any of the growing beds and watch the water rise in the check pipe. Stop when it is half full say to about 6 inches.The next stage is to let the system sit soaked for 3 days out in the bright sun.

After three days its time to add the top layers for planting the plant or directly putting the seed in for germination. One advantage of this system is that you don't need to germinate the seeds separately and replant it in here. The seeds can be directly sown into the growing bed.

The majority of the growing area is our chopped up bush comprising of shredded leaves and stem. Over which I add a thin layer of home made calcium manure [<<click] and finally the top layer of coco peat. Keep it like this for another three days.

On the third day pour or spray water on the top layer to make it wet and carefully plant your plant or seed without disturbing the layers drastically. Siphon out excess water from the check tube and bring the water level down to the level shown above. Check the top layer for dryness, if you find the top layer dry, wet the layer. The system will take a while to develop enough capillary action for the water from the bottom layer to reach the top, so initial wetting might be required for a few days depending on how you have packed the lower layer of the growing bed. A denser packing will yield better capillary action. Keep checking the check pipe for water level and maintain the correct level. We are all set now.....happy farming.

Organic manure from egg shells

2014-01-23T19:18:00.001+05:30

I have read on-line that calcium is a very important part of the plants diet. Back in school I remember reading about how a major portion of the egg shell is made up of calcium, lime and protein. This is the part of the egg that we throw away and every house consumes a substantial portion of eggs on a weekly basis. This got me thinking and thought of options to put the egg shells to a more practical use.

Calcium

Calcium is a very important part of a plants diet. It is the most important nutrient after potassium and nitrogen. Calcium helps to maintain the chemical balance of soil, increases metabolic rate and helps to neutralize cell acid. Egg shells are composed of about 95 percent calcium. Calcium is an essential plant nutrient which plays a fundamental part in cell manufacture and growth. Most roots must have some calcium at the growing tips. Plant growth removes large quantities of calcium from the soil, and calcium must be replenished

Lime

Aside from calcium, eggshells contain lime and protein. Lime is added to soil when it is too acidic (low pH level) to neutralize the acidity and raise the pH level. Lime adds magnesium to the soil and helps increase aeration and drainage. Most commercial fertilizers contain lime.

On with our project........

Preparing the manure:

I send word to the kitchen that the egg shells may be passed on to me. Kept two open containers in the back yard with direct sunlight falling on it but protected from the rain. Why two containers ? one might ask. The egg shells in one dries completely as the other fills up.

Once the shells are dry and crisp I put the shells into my blender [ no not the one used for food in the kitchen, I have one in my home lab for these kind of experiments ]. Running the blender for a few seconds turn the shells into fine powder. I empty the contents from the blender into a storage container and the cycle continues. I do this once in two to three weeks and this gives me quite a lot of pure manure without any chemical.

This I add to my organically grown veg patch and also into my aquaponic system. Sometimes I add a thin layer just below the top layer of my growing bed. Do try this out and you will be amazed at the positive change in your plant growth.

Modern Organic Farming Without Soil [Part2]

2014-01-22T00:20:00.002+05:30

Click here for part one of this article.

We will start off with the results. Here are some photographs of the result of my experiments. This particular batch of photos are from a fully automated system that I designed for growing my vegetables on the third story terrace, far away form the ground soil. The power required to drive the system is generated from solar panels.

Tomato

Mint

Spinach

Long Beans

Bitter Gourd

After running this system for two years and studying the plant behavior I decided to implement it on individual smaller systems, which might be more practical on balconies and the like. Here are some photos of the result. I did not try to tame these but let it grow as wild as they pleased, but without soil. Have put down the growth medium used below each photo. The medium select is a neutral medium.

medium: 3/4 inch gravel

medium: machine waste cloth, gravel, cleaning sponge pieces

medium: cocoa peat , 3/4 inch gravel

Working Principle:

The plants use soil to build the root structure and absorb the nutrients required for its growth. The soil also provides support for the plant to stand upright. As the plants grow taller the main root goes deeper and the the branched roots spread further away. The minor roots tend to look for moisture and nutrients. Since too much water can rot the roots the plants prefer moist soil to wet soil. Moist soil has enough air for the plant roots.

My experiment was based on these main attributes [ and some minor attributes would make this blog boring ] and I formulated a theory. It was my belief that plants are happy when:

they have just enough moisture
the right amount of nutrients
right amount of aeration of the roots
have a medium where they can spread their roots
a medium that can support the weight of its steam and leaves

p.s: Most vegetables are happy in a medium that is 12 inches deep.

Selecting Growth Medium:

Based on what I mentioned, I found that the medium should essentially process three major qualities. Firstly it should have the ability to retain moisture and the nutrients we provide externally, secondly it should be able to hold the plant steady and thirdly it should be an inert medium. By inert I mean that it should be neutral by itself. Some of the mediums that I have tested are:

cloth rags
gravel
charcoal
broken clay tiles
coco peat [ surface layer ]
coconut shell
coconut husk

Different plants show different growth patterns and varying root structure. For example tomato has a main root area going down and the rest spreading outward, while in the case of mint the roots run all over the place and so does the plant. So we could safely infer that we can use a shallower and more spread out growing bed for the mint and a deeper smaller surface area growing area for the tomato. So when selecting the pots or growing container choose accordingly.

Building a simple system:

I have designed a construction which uses readily available PVC pipe and joints to make a light weight soil less vegetable garden for small spaces and balconies. I have done the calculations with 12+ inches of growing bed height.
This will be covered in part 3.

Life of an auto driver in Bangalore - by Xaver Xylophon

2014-01-21T08:11:00.002+05:30

Xaver Xylophon, from Europe, visited Bangalore and rode rickshaws.He then made this amazing animation about them.

Link to his Vimeo page:

http://vimeo.com/xylophon

Link to his website:

http://xaverxylophon.de/

Panasonic Trimmer ER 230 - Battery Change

2014-01-20T23:20:00.001+05:30

Battery time:

My trusty three year old Panasonic ER 230 rechargeable beard trimmer started pretending to be blunt. I presumed that it must be due to the blade wearing off. On closer examination I found the blade to be more than satisfactory.I was almost tempted to buy a new one but somehow liked this one a lot and was feeling sad to put it to rest, so did a full charge and left it on for a while and the culprit turned out to be the battery. This was a wonderful discovery.

The next challenge however was to open the unit to check what kind of battery it had. On the outside it read 1.2 volt. So i guessed it might have a rechargeable single cell inside much like a AA battery. I took off the front blade as I did after each trimming for cleaning. This revealed two tiny screws which I unscrewed. A careful pry without damaging the two clips on either side revealed the contents.

There lay a 1.2 volt Ni-Cd battery inside. The battery had identical ends on both sides and had a slide in mechanism. I found the size similar to AA rechargeable batteries. So I popped in a 1000 mAh AA 1.2 Ni-Cd battery with some minor modifications to the battery carriage.Closed everything up connected it to the charger and did a full charge. The ER 230 sprung back to life and worked as new once again. I came out happy that I could breathe youth back to my trusty old friend.

Photos:

Reading Lamp Hack

2014-01-20T16:30:00.000+05:30

The Reason:

I wanted a reading lamp that I could carry around my home lab when that extra bit of light was needed. This would also aid in making better mobile phone photographs for my blog.

Concerns:

Should not be heavy
Should have ample light
Battery should last for 5~6 hours
Battery should not have memory effect

Items used:

1 Watt Led 3.7 Volt + Heat sink + pcb

1 Watt Led Driver

1 3.7 Volt Li-ion battery [2 batteries if you want twice the backup time]

Tools:

Soldering Iron

Screw Driver

Wire stripper

Insulation tape

Here is a quick video:

Instructions:

Choose an led driver that matches the output of your chosen led. The lithium ion batteries do not suffer from memory effect so it can tolerate interrupted charging cycles. A 3.7 Volt Li-ion battery can be charged at a voltage of up to 4.2 volt. Led drive that I chose produces 3.8 volt and hence is within the safe limit and wont overcharge the battery.

I had an old reading lamp stacked away in my store room which was just what I needed. This particular lamp had a 2 position switch for two brightness settings so I used a 100 ohm resister across one position. This is optional, so I didn't mention this in the items list.

Putting the whole thing together is pretty straightforward and you can use your creativity here. Here is the general idea. I used the power chord and the switch that came along with the lamp because they were in perfect condition, removed the rest of the components including the AC bulb. Put in the led and wired it to the led driver through the switch. The lithium ion battery is connected in parallel to the output of the led driver. That is it....done...

Calculation:

1watt / 3.7 volt = .27 Amp

My Li-ion battery is rated at 1.8 AH [1800 mAh]

1.8 Ah / .27 Amp = 6.7 Hours

So one full charge should give me about 5~6 hours of light output at full brightness. With two Li-ion batteries you get up to 12 hours. The position through the 100 ohm resistor takes a fraction of this and should last the whole night even with one battery....a perfect night lamp :)

Here are some snaps:

Battery Warning - Know this before you buy batteries.

2013-07-23T21:21:00.001+05:30

WARNINGBuying Batteries ? Please don’t get Cheated

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE share this so that others may know:

The capacity of a battery is described in Ah which stands for 'Ampere Hour'. We see inscriptions like 100Ah, 150Ah and so on written on batteries. Of late we see figures like xx100 or 150xx [xx varies from company to company] written on the battery and we take it for granted that it is 100 Ah or 150 Ah , while it may have no relation to the actual Ah. For example a 150xx may actually be 100Ah or 120Ah in reality. Why is this done ? Competition is market driven and customers naturally want the best deal. There is a substantial difference between the prices of a 100 Ah and a 150Ah battery in production. So when the competition is stiff companies go through naming conventions that play a psychological game on the customer. We think for example that we got an excellent price for a 150Ah battery because we know that we are paying the market equivalent price of say a 120 Ah battery ; while in fact the battery may be actually 100 Ah. In reality the battery company has sold us a 100 Ah battery for the price of a 120Ah battery.

SO BEFORE YOU BUY BATTERIES TALK TO THE SELLER OR CHECK ONLINE FOR DETAILS ON THE ACTUAL AH OF THE BATTERY. USING THE WRONG AH BATTERY CAN DAMAGE YOUR INVERTER

Additional Note:

Calculation technique: 100 Ah x 12 Volt = 1200 Watts Stored power | A 50 Watt will run for approximately 1200/50 = 24 hours. | A 600 Watt device will run for approximately 1200/600 = 2 hours.

This will give you an approximate indication of the actual capacity of your battery once you connect the corresponding load. Leave a 10%~20% allowance because there are some conversion losses involved when the inverter/ups converts batteries DC voltage into mains AC voltage.

PLEASE PASS THIS ON

Simple ways to save electricity and reduce your bill

2013-05-16T13:43:00.001+05:30

According to KSEB you can cut down your electric bill by 20% - 30% following these simple steps.

I. LIGHTING:

1. Do not forget to SWITCH OFF lights and fans when not required.

2. Utilise the SUNLIGHT wherever and whenever available.

3. A house should be designed in such a way that maximum sunlight and ventilation are obtained.

4. Light coloured walls reflect more light and hence minimum lamps are enough.

5. As far as possible, use task lighting which focuses light where it is needed.

6. Make use of Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFL) in place of incandescent lamps.

7. 36 Watt slim tube lights give equivalent light output as that of 40 Watt tube lights.

8. Use electronic ballasts / electronic choke against conventional electromagnetic ballasts tube lights for they consume less power.

9. A so called zero watt bulb consumes 12 to 15 Watts / hour. CFL’s are available in 5,7,9,11 watts capacities and they give better light output.

10. Many automatic devices can help in saving energy used in lighting. Consider employing infrared sensors, motion sensors, automatic timers, dimmers and solar cells wherever applicable, to switch on/off lighting circuits.

11. Clean bulbs and tube lights periodically to avoid reduction in illumination.

II. FANS AND MOTORS:

1. Use light weight / energy efficient fans.

2. Use electronic regulators for fans for they consume less power and provides fine control.

3. Avoid rewinding of motors.

4. Clean fan blades periodically.

5. Lubricate bearing of motor periodically.

III. GRINDERS:

1. Use energy efficient motors for grinders.

2. Always use nylon belt in grinders.

3. Use grinder to its full capacity.

4. Clean and lubricate grinder parts periodically.

IV. WASHING MACHINE:

1. Use washing machine to its full capacity.

2. Avoid using dryer in washing machines whenever possible.

V. AIR-CONDITIONER:

1. Use correct capacity air-conditioner to suit the requirement.

2. Avoid frequent opening and closing of air-conditioned room.

3. Clean the AC filters periodically.

4. Air-conditioned room must be leak proof.

5. Set the thermostat of room air conditioner at 25° (77° C F) to provide the most comfort at the least cost.

6. Use energy efficient star labelled new air conditioner in place of older ones which need repair.

VI. IRONING:

1. Avoid ironing one or two clothes daily and adopt large scale ironing.

VII. REFRIGERATOR:

1. Keep refrigerator away from the wall to allow air to circulate around the refrigerator.

2. Avoid frequent closing and opening of refrigerator door.

3. Allow heated food stuff to cool down to normal temperature before refrigerating.

4. Make sure foods are covered before they are kept in the refrigerator.

5. Defrost regularly to keep freezers working their best.

6. Thermostat control in refrigerators should be adjusted

to optimum level depending upon climatic condition.

7. Use energy efficient star labelled refrigerators.

VIII. WATER PUMPS:

1. Use energy efficient water pumps.

2. Use correct size PVC piping system in water lines.

3. Arrest leakage of water in taps / joints.

4. Use capacitors for water pumps to improve power factor.

5. Use level controllers for tripping of water pumps while pumping of water to overhead tanks etc.,

IX. WATER HEATERS:

1. Use solar water heaters wherever possible.

2. Avoid water leakage in taps / joints.

3. Always insulate hot water pipes to reduce heat loss.

X. COMPUTERS:

1. Turn off your home office equipment when not in use. A computer that runs 24 hours a day, for instance, uses - more power than an energy-efficient refrigerator.

2. If your computer must be left on, turn off the monitor; this device alone uses more than half the system's energy.

3. Setting computers, monitors, and copiers to use sleep-mode when not in use helps cut energy costs by approximately 40%.

4. Screen savers save computer screens, not energy. Start-ups and shutdowns do not use any extra energy, nor are they hard on your computer components. In fact, shutting computers down when you are finished using them actually reduces system wear - and saves energy.

XI AGRICULTURAL

1. Substitute rusted G.I suction/delivery pipes by low friction rigid PVC pipes of correct diameter.

2. Replace substandard foot valve by ISI marked foot valve.

3. Replace substandard pump sets by energy efficient pump sets.

4. Use correct size pump sets and associated accessories.

5. Provide and maintain capacitors in good condition.

6. Avoid operation under low voltage conditions.

7. Install, repair pump set motors and wiring by competent electrical personnel.

8. Ensure adequate water availability when pump sets are operated.

9. Avoid rewinding of motors.

Damn Simple LED Flasher Circuit

2013-04-23T23:56:00.000+05:30

Introduction:

Led flashers or blinking led lights find a lot of applications in electronics. Power indicator lights in battery powered devices have led's that flash to conserve power. Here is an extremely simple circuit to do just that.

Some of the applications:

Battery charging indicator
Fake burglar alarm indicator inside the car.
Warning lights and hazard flashers
Decorative lighting
Hobby projects
Solar powered flashers

The credit goes to Leo Easki and his research on the negative resistance in transistors. The following circuit is based on this principle.

Components:

1 - 1K Resistor

1 - NPN transistor [ bd139 , 2n2222 or the like ]

1 - 10 ohm resistor

1 -330 uf Capacitor [ Any value between 330 uf and 1000 uf is ok]

1 - led

Circuit Diagram:

The input power is 12V DC. The positive is connected to a 1K resistor. The other end of the resistor is connected to the positive side of the capacitor and the emitter of the transistor.The negative side of the capacitor is connected to the negative/ground.

The collector of the transistor is connected to the 100 ohm resistor which is then connected to the positive of the led. The negative of the led is connected to the negative of the capacitor.

Here is the circuit in action:

Modern Organic Farming Without Soil [Part1]

2013-04-22T09:18:00.002+05:30

Introduction:

Farming or agriculture has been an integral part of the human race since time immemorial. Years went by and population grew. The basic human nature to live in clusters or groups saw the concentration of the major chuck of population in specific geographical locations, forming cities and towns. Most of the modern day cities have very little vegetation and very little fertile soil. No one is to be blamed, but when one population increases it takes up the space of another, sadly it is the trees and vegetation that we chop down starting a chain reaction. I have no intention to bring out any melodrama here so let me cut to the chase.

The best way to put forth the topic would be through a series of question and answers, and here it goes.

Q: Is soil absolutely necessary for cultivation ?
Now, that sounds like a stupid question. The plain and simple answer is NO, cultivation can be done without the use of soil.

Q: How is it possible ?
The answer is not in the soil,the answer is in the plants. Just like humans adapt to varying dwelling conditions, so do plants. The more comfortable the living conditions, the happier the plants. To understand this further, let us look as what the plants need for a healthy growth.

Q: What do plants need ?
Lets keep this very simple. Plants need food to grow and this is taken in through the roots, the leaves use sunlight and process the food. The stem as we know helps in transportation and also in giving form to the plant.

Coming back to the soil, it is a variable mixture which changes from region to region. Soil primarily contains substances such as silica (silicon dioxide), rock powder, minerals and organic and inorganic substances. It has two primary functions as far as the plants are concerned, firstly it provides the nutrients and secondly it helps build a foundation so that the plant can stand upright.

Both these functions are made possible by the plant roots. Which brings us to the next question...

Q: What do the roots need ?
The root is a very interesting part of the plant. Silently working underground, cut off from out naked eye this intricate labyrinth decides whether the plant should live or die. It would be quite apt to say that the roots are the heart of the plant. If the leaves or stem are under attack they resist quite well and they are quite hardy to environmental changes. In the case of roots, too much water can rot the roots and too little can kill the roots. Once either happens it is very difficult to revive the plant because the whole system shuts down. The more complex the plant the more complex the situation. The roots also need aeration in healthy quantities.

Q: What is the ideal condition for the root?
Roots need nutrients, a strong foot hold to keep the plant upright, moisture and air. If we provide a condition congenial to this then we have a healthy plant.

If we can provide such a condition without using soil and if we use only organic nutrients, then we have a perfect and healthy plant. In part two we will see how this can be achieved so that we can grow our vegetables on our balconies or terraces.

Damn Simple - Mobile Charging Circuit | USB Power Supply

2013-04-14T13:22:00.000+05:30

Introduction:

Most of the mobile phones these days can be charged from a USB port with an output of 5 v DC. There are a variety of devices that run by taking power from a USB port. My idea was to construct a 5 v constant voltage circuit using readily available components, keep it as simple as possible and with the least number of components [ 4 components ] . Here is the result, feel free to try it out and pass it on to any one who you think would find it useful.

Applications:

USB mobile charger construction.
Mobile car charger from the cigarette lighter plug.
5v source for electronic projects and IC's.
Solar powered mobile phone chargers.
Solar powered battery charger.
Constant power output from a variable source like a dynamo/generator.

and many many more.... :)

Construction:

Here is a picture of the positive and negative terminal connection of the USB.

The components we will use are:

One - LM7805
Two - 1μf Capacitor
One - 5 Ω 3 Watt Resistor

LM7805:

The LM 7805 is a three pin voltage regulator.It takes in a voltage of 7 to 30 volts and regulates it down to 4.8 ~ 5.2 volts: it can provide up to 1.5 Amps of current. The first pin is the input [+] pin, the second [ middle ] pin is the negative pin and the third the output pin. The first capacitor takes out any ripple coming from the source so that the 7805 is receiving a smooth input voltage, and the second capacitor acts as a load balancer to ensure consistent output from the 7805. A resistor is added in series to the output to reduce the output current and this also helps prevent the over heating of the 7805.

The circuit is very simple and can be soldered very quickly on a small general purpose PCB. The components from left to right are, 7805 , 5.4 ohm resistor and two 1uf capacitors. It would be ideal to use a heat sink on the 7805 to prevent it from overheating.

I have sketched the layout along with the 7805's pin configuration. It is a fairly simple and straight forward circuit. The positive input is connected to both the pin one of the 7805 and the positive of the first capacitor . The pin three is connected to the positive of the capacitor and one end of the resistor, this forms the positive 5 v output. This completes our positive side. For the negative we connect all the negatives together - the negative in, negative out, negative of the first capacitor, negative of the second capacitor and pin 2 of the 7805.

The output can be taken as a wired output or a USB port can be directly mounted on to the PCB. Here you see the completed board. I have drilled two holes to secure the port later. The red and the black wires are the input wires.

p.s: By varying the resistance of the resistor between 5 and 15 ohms the output current can be reduced or increased as per requirement. While doing this ensure that the resistor you use is rated at 3 watts or above and that the 7805 has a very good heat sink and that it doesn't overheat. A small amount of heat however is quite normal.

Below is a video of the circuit in action:

Solar Energy : Photo Voltaic Basics [ Part1 ]

2013-04-11T23:32:00.000+05:30

Introduction:

Here are some facts on solar power generation using photo voltaic cells and how to put it to practical use. Just the right amount of information you need when you set up your own or buy a solar powered system. I will keep it as simple as possible :)

Ohms Law:
This law helps us do our simple math. This is just for reference.
Voltage (E) = Current (I) * Resistance (R)
Power (watts) = Voltage (E) * Current (I)

The main components in our system are:

Solar Panel.
Charge Controller.
Battery
Inverter

Solar Panel:

A PV [Photo Voltaic] panel converts incident light into electrical DC voltage. The term " Photo Voltaic " comes from "Photon" for light particle and "Voltaic" for voltage. The panels are rated at their "Watts" . You might have hear people say 100 watt panel, 250 watt panel and so on. The output wattage of the solar panel remains the same across the voltages. For example a 100 watt panel produces 100 watts whether it is rated at 6V or 12V or 24V , the current [ Amp ] however varies.

eg:
6 V 100 Watt panel gives 16.7 Amps at 6 V [ 100/6=16.7 as per Ohms Law]
12 V 100 Watt panel gives 8.3 Amps at 12 V
24 V 100 Watt panel gives 4.2 Amps at 24 V
and so on......

Charge Controller:

A circuit that sits between the PV panel and the battery, the charge controller is a crucial component in the system. The efficiency of the system can largely depend on the type of charge controller used. It has the following functions:

Ensures optimal charging of the battery using different charging patterns .
Prevents over charging of the battery.
Prevents discharge of battery below critical value.
Conditions battery to ensure prolonged life.
Visual information display on battery condition [ some models ]

There are different types of charge controllers the most popular being PWM [ Pulse Width Modulation ] and MPPT [ Maximum Power Point Tracking ]. MPPT is more efficient and costlier than PWM. We will go into the differences of the two in a later post.

Battery:

This is our storage tank where we store the DC energy produced by the PV panel. We see certain values written on a battery, say 12 V 100 Ah. Let us take a quick look at these values.

The "12V" indicates that the battery voltage is 12 V. The 100 Ah stands for the amount of storage. "Ah" stands for "Ampere Hour". This means that, if we draw 100 Amps from this battery it will last for 1 hour. If we draw say, 50 Amps from the battery it will last for 2 hours and so on.

Since most of the appliances and devices have a wattage rating lets calculate the batteries wattage output. A 12 V 100 Ah battery produces 1200 Watts for one hour [ 12x100 = 1200 ]. If we use a 120 watt appliance it will run for 10 hours [ 120x10=1200].

Direct Current [DC] Vs Alternating Current [AC]:

When we plot a DC output it produces a straight line. The AC however produces a wave and this is called a Sine wave. The trick in converting DC to AC is to take the DC source and convert it into AC source as close as possible to the Sine wave. This process is done in the inverter.

Inverter:
The inverter converts and steps up the DC voltage into the rated AC mains voltage, based on your regions standard voltage specification. This is done by a process of pulsing the DC voltage and modifying the output wave as required. The three common types of inverters are Square Wave, Modified Sine Wave and Pure Sine Wave. The square wave inverter is the most economical inverter and the pure sine wave is the most expensive type of the three. If you plan to connect sensitive electronic equipment to your inverter a sine wave is highly recommended.

Note: Another term that you might comes across is the term "Offline" and "Online" . This is generally used in relation to the UPS [ Uninterrupted Power Supply ] connected to the AC mains. Both these charge the battery from the mains and maintain it at full charge. In the case of the "offline" ups the battery power is used only when the main power goes down, while in the "online" ups, the output is always coming from the battery which is constantly topped up from the mains.

Connecting Components:

Solar Panel [DC] >> Charge Controller [DC] >> Battery [DC] >> Inverter >> AC Out

The PV panel output is fed to the charge controller and the output from the charge controller goes to the battery. The battery output is taken by the inverter which converts the DC into usable AC mains voltage. Many of the modern day solar inverters have a built in charge controller, letting the PV panel output to be plugged directly to it.

This concludes part one.

Ford Ecosport Peak

2013-04-07T10:35:00.001+05:30

Ford Ecosport

Here is a sneak peek at the Ford Ecosport:

OWL - Organic Waste Liquidator [ PART 2 ]

2013-03-17T18:40:00.000+05:30

OWL - Organic Waste Liquidator

This is the second part and update on the OWL. For the first part visit: Click Here

I had prepared a test bed of two different types of plants on my terrace garden. One got the regular treatment that any potted plant gets and the other received periodic doses of the OWL's output. Diluted doses were poured once is two weeks. Here are the astonishing results:

Untreated Sample

Treated Sample

Untreated Sample

Treated Sample

Tempering & Hardening Mild Steel

2012-12-11T10:40:00.000+05:30

Note: This is not what I wrote. I copied it from the net and put it up here for reference.

How to Harden & Temper Mild Steel

Hardening steel is an essential part of any blade-making process. When exposed to heat, carbon molecules in steel realign themselves in a harder, stronger pattern, allowing a blade to hold an edge. Two processes are necessary to harden steel: the initial hardening, or heat treating, and tempering.

Things you need:

1095-grade steel, blade thickness

Charcoal grill or gas torch

Lighter

Motor oil

Pliers or calipers

Steel wool

Leather gloves

Eye protection

Kitchen oven

Instructions:

Light charcoal or a torch. Use pliers to insert your steel blank into the center of the coals or torch flame. Allow the steel to become a deep cherry red and remove it from the heat. Do not let the steel become bright red or orange.
Poor motor oil into a shallow pan. Quench the steel in the oil. Dip the blank vertically, since rapid cooling on one side can cause the steel to warp. Slide the steel into the oil until the blank is covered, and hold for five seconds. Remove the steel and set aside to cool completely. The steel is now heat-treated.
Clean off the oil when the steel is cool to the touch, and use steel wool to remove corrosion on the surface. The steel should be bright and reflective.
Place the steel in a preheated oven at 204 degrees Cor 15 to 20 minutes. Remove and allow to cool. This will temper the steel. To temper steel without an oven, place the cleaned blank back in the heat source you used for Step 1. Watch closely and remove the steel as soon as you see discoloration on the surface. Normally, the steel shows yellow striations. Allow the steel to cool at room temperature.

Make a Screwdriver [ DIY Project ]

2012-12-10T16:41:00.001+05:30

Introduction:

Many a times it is difficult to find the screw driver of the right size. Some of us have our favorite size we use most often and do wish we had one more of the same. To our dismay, despite a rigorous search across many a shops we might still fail to find it. If you have been in this or a similar situation, here is an easy way out, make one for yourself following these simple steps.

Construction:

Here is what you would ideally need. If you don't have the exact same stuff you can improvise and may come out with an even better idea.

A screw of the required size. [ Temper it by making it red hot over a stove and then dropping it in cold vegetable oil]
A wooden piece.
Superglue.
Grinding wheel or File.
Angle Grinder or Hacksaw blade.

For more details on tempering click here. First of all take the screw driver you wish to replicate and measure. The idea is to drill a hole in the wood and screw the screw in. Once screwed in the length of the screw + wood should match the total length of the existing screw driver. Mark a point adding the extra length for the screw inside the wood.

Once this is done cut the wood and proceed to drill the hole at the exact center of the wood. Make sure that you use the right size drill bit and ensure that you drill the hole exactly perpendicular to the surface of the wood.

Now proceed to screw the screw into the hole that you drilled. Make a mark on the screw at the depth you should stop or tie a string at the point so that you know exactly where to stop driving the screw in.

Add a drop of superglue at the point where the screw enters the wood. This will strengthen the wood as the glue penetrates into the wood and also aid in fastening the screw securely. Once the screw is secured properly, use a file or cutting wheel to cut off the screw's head.

Now proceed to form the tip of the screw driver. You can use a file or a motorized grinding wheel to shape the tip according to your required size.

Occasionally compare the tip with your existing screw driver for width, slope and thickness at the tip. The thickness at the tip is very crucial to get the correct grip on the screw.

One you are happy with the result proceed to finish and paint the screw driver. For ease of painting, storage of paint and quick drying I highly recommend using the compressed can of paint that you get to buy in most hardware stores.

Hope you found this interesting and useful.

Regards,

Joseph

Bio Electric System | Part -1

2012-12-09T18:00:00.002+05:30

IMPORTANT: These are some of my views and research findings. Time may prove them right or wrong. Some of it may seem very unorthodox. I put it up here so that it may be useful for some and interesting to others and may some day benefit mankind.

Life energy as I see it:

Life energy I believe is a charge much like energy in a battery. The very essence of our body and every other living organism is electric in nature. This is the same reason that most of the equipment used in modern medicine to diagnose and treat us rely on electric charge of our body. ECG, EEG, pace makers and physio therapy equipment are examples from a huge list.

Homeostasis as we know is the body's nature to stabilize itself to an optimum state. When there is a depletion of energy in the body, it tries to balance itself by taking energy from the store, in our case mostly 'fat' cells. Every living organism has its means of storing excess energy for emergencies and day today activities. The depleted storage is topped up processing the food we eat. The bigger life forms much like the humans and other animals are multicellular where as there are microscopic ones that are unicellular.

What ever the size of the organism from a single cell to a collection of cells most of the communication and energy transfer happens as an electric charge. Our entire nervous system works on electric charge being transmitted across the system. It is a bio chemical reaction that produces the energy and then transmits and uses it. So much like a generator and battery, the living being has the ability to produce and store energy that can be converted to the electric potential as and when required and in the required quantity.

Let us consider homeostasis again. When there is a change in the system, the system tries to neutralize the change and bring it to say, a base state ,a state of comfort so to speak. Here is the interesting part, this is what happens in a battery too. A healthy battery much like the human body, likes to maintain its healthy state.

Looking at the battery from the human bodies point of view:

I found it interesting to look at it this way. The battery like the human body discharges its energy to do useful work.When there is a drop in energy and the battery uses its stored energy to meet the demand. When it gets depleted, it takes external charge to replenish itself much like the food we eat.

So if there is a means of taping the energy stored in a living organism and then to give it enough energy to replenish itself as and when required, we have a wonderful organic system supplying us electric power......

contd........

Joseph Innovations

Garden Hooks

DIY Spiral Cable - Charging Cable

3D Printing - A Walk Aroud

Macbook Air/Pro Flush SD Storage - The Mini Drive

Macbook Air Case - Thule Gauntlet Tmas-113

Harman Kardon - Nova

Simple Cable Managemant

Aquarium Air Pump / Aerator

Modern Organic Farming Without Soil [Part3] - DIY Project

Building a DIY organic growing bed:FEEL FREE TO USE THIS DESIGN AND PROCEDURE FOR NON COMMERCIAL USE

Organic manure from egg shells

Calcium

Lime

Preparing the manure:

Modern Organic Farming Without Soil [Part2]

Working Principle:

Selecting Growth Medium:

Building a simple system:

Life of an auto driver in Bangalore - by Xaver Xylophon

Panasonic Trimmer ER 230 - Battery Change

Battery time:

Photos:

Reading Lamp Hack

The Reason:

Concerns:

Items used:

Tools:

Instructions:

Calculation:

Battery Warning - Know this before you buy batteries.

WARNINGBuying Batteries ? Please don’t get Cheated

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE share this so that others may know:

Simple ways to save electricity and reduce your bill

Damn Simple LED Flasher Circuit

Introduction:

Components:

Circuit Diagram:

Modern Organic Farming Without Soil [Part1]

Introduction:

Damn Simple - Mobile Charging Circuit | USB Power Supply

Introduction:

Applications:

Construction:

LM7805:

Solar Energy : Photo Voltaic Basics [ Part1 ]

Introduction:

Solar Panel:

Charge Controller:

Battery:

Direct Current [DC] Vs Alternating Current [AC]:

Connecting Components:

Ford Ecosport Peak

Ford Ecosport

OWL - Organic Waste Liquidator [ PART 2 ]

OWL - Organic Waste Liquidator

Tempering & Hardening Mild Steel

How to Harden & Temper Mild Steel

Things you need:

Instructions:

Make a Screwdriver [ DIY Project ]

Introduction:

Construction:

Bio Electric System | Part -1

Life energy as I see it:

Looking at the battery from the human bodies point of view:

Building a DIY organic growing bed:
FEEL FREE TO USE THIS DESIGN AND PROCEDURE FOR NON COMMERCIAL USE