Inside a clever USB air pump teardown with hack
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- čas přidán 26. 08. 2020
- This is a clever approach to making a portable air pump. Whether you need to aerate something while travelling or have an emergency battery backed or solar powered air source, this unit could be useful.
It's based on what appears to be a standard pump with a very minimalist cover, and current is low - especially after a little hack.
I'm not sure what overall lifespan this unit has for continuous operation. The weakest points may be the rotating offset pin-cam or the motor brushes.
If you enjoy these videos you can help support the channel with a dollar for coffee, cookies and random gadgets for disassembly at:-
www.bigclive.com/coffee.htm
This also keeps the channel independent of CZcams's advertising algorithms allowing it to be a bit more dangerous and naughty.
Welcome to 2020, where appliances have resistors specifically to waste energy
Was hoping you would wind it up to the full 12v
Rubber flaps? I barely know 'er!
Fishy Fun Fact: It's not the bubbles coming up through the water that adds air, it's the movement in the surface of the water they cause that does it.
Why didn't you go up to 12V? I wanted to see bubbles! :)
Everyone wants to see 12V. I myself want 20V
Could the 51 ohm resistor be protecting the USB power supply when the power supply is turned off and the back EMF of the motor feeds back into the usb supply?
Clive: haha compressor goes brrrr
Ooh, hey, an "X" rated Big Clive video! - Steady laddie, you'll be getting censored!
Would be good for bringing fish home from the aquarium shop if the journey is long.
From led bulbs to air pumps, I always seem to come back to your videos even though I search for something completely different. You explain well so thank you!
I've had one of these running as the sole air pump on my aquarium since this video came out. I have it plugged into a power bank that is always charging so in the event of a power outage I get about 3 days runtime before the power bank is depleted. I was originally very sceptical of the longevity of the pump, but a year later at 24h/day run time it's still going strong.
6:22
the Same construcrion of the pump is used in my old "Fischertechnik" pneumatic compressor(it was running for more than 200h in the last years. My one Runs always at 9v (0.8 to 1bar max) and I had to clean the Rubber flaps for 2 times now, becourse it cant get the full pressure if there is dust on them (They cant realy close ) I as i had it open i Use a little Bit oil on the Motorshaft. on the Rubber flaps and the other moving Parts i used a little Bit of Silikonfat. Now i much more silent and the pressure and airflow stays the Same. Also the Powerdraw Got decresed a lot. So i like it 😉
I've bought a few of these. Some are sold as "used" and seem to have been recovered from coffee machines where they're used as frothers.
Clive I absolutely love how you make yourself laugh with Innuendos.
Got ten of these. Not only can you use them in emergencies or when shipping fish, it is very valuable as a standard air pump because it is alot more quite than other air pumps. Air pumps are usually noisy!
I know this is an older video (relatively speaking), but just saw this come up. Aquarium Co-Op actually sells a usb air pump. Several uses in the aquarium trade are: low power outdoor pond aeration, low power alternative for running a sponge filter, transporting live fish in a bucket (larger fish for example would be one benefit or as a breeder transporting to a local store to sell), and as mentioned, a backup way to at least keep water flow going.
Thank you for the idea! I got one of these for my fishing bait bucket. Removed the resistor, attached 4 AAA batteries in a pack with a switch, and am now giving it a longevity test. Way smaller and lighter than the pump I was using that took 2 D cell batteries. I'll report back with success or failure.
That was a really cool stroboscopic effect! Almost like you had a high speed camera.