Gabe's Hacks: February 2017

Add Dimmer to ZY1010B 100W LED Driver

Update: The full light is done! Click here

I will be working on 100W LED lights to help with lighting my videos. I bought this kit on eBay for about $30US: eBay

I was planning to wire in a dimmer, like this guy did: https://youtu.be/c--5c3Egv4E?t=4m4s

But alas, the LED driver I got did not have a trim potentiometer like the one in the video. However, on closer inspection, I found that the circuit board has a spot for one, there just isn't one there:

So I wired one in there, and it worked perfectly!

Here's a link to a potentiometer you can use for this: eBay

And here's the video where I demonstrate how it works:

Stay tuned for a video where I put all of this together.

Save Money on CAD/USD Exchange Rates

A little known fact is that the banks that issue credit cards usually have an inflated foreign exchange rate. For many cards, like the Canadian Tire Options card, for example, that rate is 2.5% on top of the MasterCard exchange rate. So for us Canadians who do a lot of cross-border shopping, or shopping online in US dollars, that can add up.

Can you avoid it? Yes! There are a few cards I know of, available to Canadians, that do not have foreign exchange fees and no annual fee:

Personally, we use the HomeTrust card.

Stop Your Treadmill from Beeping

Are the beeps from your treadmill annoying? Want to run while the kids are in bed? Watch this video to see how to quiet your treadmill.

I'll show you four (well, technically five) different ways to do it:

1. Muffle the sound, if you just find it too loud.
2. Disable the sound entirely
3. Add a switch to turn the sound on and off
4. Add a volume knob

The 5th option, which is what I do in the video, combines 3 and 4. Options 1 and 2 require no special tools, but doing option 2 without a soldering iron is not recommended.

Watch the video to see how I do it:

Here are wiring diagrams for the other options, with links to where you can buy what you need:

Switch
Here is a push on / push off (aka self-locking) switch: eBay

Volume knob
You'll need a 20kΩ potentiometer (labelled as B20K), which you can buy here: eBay

Volume knob with switch

For this you'll need a 10kΩ (or more) potentiometer with combined switch: eBay

Leather band for RoadID Elite

In this video I'll show you how to make a leather band for the RoadID Elite to replace the silicone band that comes with it. I use these bracelets for my kids, and I've found that the silicone bands break after a while. I've gone through 4-5 bands now and I don't want to replace them anymore.

These bracelets can be bought at:
https://www.roadid.com

Note that you can buy the clasp and plate on their own if you plan on making your own leather band.

A leather trim piece can be bought on Amazon:
US: http://amzn.to/2kB9J2h
Canada: http://amzn.to/2laIsjL
UK: http://amzn.to/2k96MT5