I have the cycles of the washing machine measured at last. I am ready to build a circuit.
I thought I would start with the easiest one first. All it does is light an LED when a load of almost any kind comes through the wire. The voltage just has to make it through resistor R5 (so you can set that as a threshold).
I have everything described in this circuit. I have the capacitor C1, and the resistors R1 – R5, I have the inductor L1, and I have the op amp IC1.
Only its not a very good kind of op amp. So listen up and learn from my continuing folly. There are things called “packages” that you need to pay attention to when you are purchasing your integrated circuits (IC’s).
The kind you do not want is called the small outline. There doesn’t seem to be a standard
but somewhere in the package if you are lucky to see it are the description with the letters “SO” as in SO-8 or SOIC-8, SOP or probably innumerable others choices. The 8 I believe means 8-pin so it could just as well be SO-10. Whatever it is, it is fricking tiny! My blurry phone cam gives you a sense of dimension compared to a 9V battery. How would you like to try to solder that?
This is why I like Mouser for my source of electronics components. I have been to Jameco and a few other random companies but Mouser is the only one that lets you filter your search by package.
No. What you want is called DIP-8, it stands for Dual-In something I think.
So shop wisely my friend. Unless you have special equipment for suface mounting tiny IC’s, go DIP-8.
Wikipedia links:
