The first lesson is noticing potential, and capitalizing on it. You don't need to go through complicated shopping trips to radioshack, online stores, etc. You can get everything you need with some trash and a soldering saavy.
The one thing you will need is a good soldering iron. I'll include instructions soon enough on improvising what you need if you do not have access to one.
The beautiful thing about electronics is, people waste them like nothing else. When an electronic device stops working, a good 99% of that device is still useful for something. You can find almost anything you need by just sorting through junked stuff. You can build coilguns, HERF devices, fierce stun guns, demolition equipment, anti-security equipment, and more all from electronic "trash".
Today, we're going to talk about old CRT (Cathode-Ray Tube) computer monitors and TVs. These CAN be deadly, but it's the perfect entry into electronics if you ask me. Operatives without common sense need not apply. I'll get into safety procedures you'll need to know as they become relevant.
Just run around and find some old junked monitor. You probably know where one is. It can be for anything, even some shitty tandy piece of crap. Doesn't matter.
Make sure it's been unplugged for some time. The reason high voltage equipment can still kill you while unplugged are the capacitors inside which store high currents for short periods of time. You want to make sure they're drained. 24 hours is often enough to let them drain. More on capacitors later.
You'll likely see screws around the case, so go ahead and unscrew it properly, don't bash it open with a hammer like a monkey. In the field, your multitool can do this.
When the case is opened up, you'll see the massive CRT inside on top of the circuit board. We're not going to mess with the CRT just yet. If you want to be redundant, cut the wires leading to it with insulated wire cutters. If it's been sitting for awhile, there's probably no need. Useful if you're building something in the middle of the night on an op and once again only have a multitool.
Go ahead and set that aside. Left in the case will be something looking like this:
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http://i44.tinypic.com/358a2ko.jpgThis is where you're going to need a soldering iron. Plug it in/turn it on and wait for it to heat up. Underneath the board you'll see lots of small, silvery blotches covering wires that poke through the board. This is solder. It has a low melting point so when you hold a hot iron to it long enough, it melts off. This is good to do because it lessens the chance of ripping out the contacts from a capacitor or otherwise damaging a component. Also, if you don't have your own roll of solder, you may wish to collect as much as possible and get enough to create a large ball in a seperate tray to use. You'll notice when you heat it up it tends to stick to the iron.
Now before we do that, let's talk about capacitors some more. If you're paranoid and want to make sure they're drained, all you need to do is touch an insulated metal object object across both contacts of the capacitor. The metal touches the capacitor, YOU hold the insulation so the current can't get you. Do this for any capacitor you're thinking about unsoldering.
That said, let's identify some components you'll see on the circuit board.
Electrolytic Capacitor:
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http://www.project1.benjadeed.com/images/Aluminum_Electrolytic_Capacitor.jpgYou'll notice the gray stripe running along the side. This notes which side is negative. Keep that in mind.
Essentially, capacitors are short term rechargeable batteries that store large amounts of energy to be released. Think of them as super batteries.
There are other forms of capacitors commonly found on circuit boards, but for now we'll stick to these as they are the most useful for simple applications.
Resistor:
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http://personal.ee.surrey.ac.uk/Personal/H.M/UGLabs/images/resistor_packages.jpgHere's how to identify how strong they are:
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http://www.engplanet.com/content/resistorinfo.htmlVariable Resistor:
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http://sciencecity.oupchina.com.hk/npaw/student/glossary/img/variable_resistor.jpgRemember that sometimes variable resistors aren't always used for knobs, sometimes the board will have different circuits with different resistors you can select instead. Variable resistors are definite knobs. You'll know the difference.
Fuse:
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http://profesanxenxo.iespana.es/electrical/fuse.jpgHeat sink:
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http://www.me.umn.edu/courses/me2011/robot/technotes/robotdebug/p8.jpgSwitch:
(You know what a fucking switch looks like...)
Pretty obvious here. Lets you "switch" between different circuits or breaking it entirely. A very important component.
Transformer:
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TransformerNow what I like to do is stockpile these components. Here's a smaller tray I'm actually filling at the moment while I'm not on here writing weird guides:
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http://i43.tinypic.com/30dc9ed.jpgNow you'll be able to tell what's going on somewhat in here. You can probably recognize the resistors, the capacitors, some switches, 3 heat sinks are in there, a transformer, and I've got some other stuff like electric motors you probably already recognize and some RF crap.
You'll also know what you're looking at when you tear shit apart. You're looking at BUILDING BLOCKS now, not just alien components.
WHY BOTHER?
In my next lesson, I'm going to cover the capacitor bank - a circuit of capacitors which, when wired together properly, totals the sum of each capacitor in both capacitance (uF) and voltage. The capacitor bank is a critical component in high voltage weaponry and devices such as my stun glove, coil guns, rail guns, and can also heat thicker gauge wires for use in, say, demolition duties.
it's very simple, and with the right precautions it is very safe. Also, it's a great exercise in learning to solder as soldiering capacitors together can be quite tedious.
Speaking of soldering, I also plan on showing you how to improvise on a soldering iron.
In the future, expect this to begin to relate more to night ops and security. It's actually easier to make weapons of destruction than it is to subtly bypass security... go figure eh?
Till next time.
