 | Using the methods / circuits / components / constructions as described in this document is entirely at your own risk. |
| If you damage your PC / Joystick / Keyboard / Yourself by any of the things I wrote down in this document, it’s NOT MY FAULT. |
Having said that, here are some tips to limit the damage:
| Switch of the power and UNPLUG the mains cord(s) when doing
soldering in mains powered equipment. If you don’t, you may
find out the hard way: Most PC appliance and peripherals’
switch mode power supplies contain Y-capacitors. If you do not have too good
grounding, equipment circuits will
"float" between ground and mains, even when the (soft)
power switch is off. Touching sensitive pins with a soldering
iron will produce a small spark, effectively killing electronics
connected to it. |
| When plugging / unplugging signal cables between two mains
powered equipment, the same can happen. I had my printer
electronics damaged this way. |
| BE CAREFUL with power tools. Use stable workbenches and
vises to hold stuff. Wear glasses when doing high-speed wood
cutting or grinding. Have somebody help when cutting large boards
on a table saw. Count your fingers afterwards. |
| Soldering irons are hot, but you’ll survive. Torches
are very hot and have long heat beam, far exceeding the flame
length. If you are careless, you may loose your hair and more. |
| KEEP AWAY from the mains voltage. Use power supplies that
have good mains isolation and safety measures to avoid touching.
Never grab near mains voltage terminals with both hands. |
| 120V is nasty, 240V is VERY nasty! |
| Before powering up your newly build circuit, check &
double check the wiring, especially the plus and minus supply
connections. For small signal circuits, use supplies with some
current limiting, like a 10 Ohm resistor in series with the
positive supply line. Use IC sockets to avoid re-soldering the
whole board after blowing up one part. |
| Put fuses (1 Amp or so) into your system, especially when
using circuits driven from your PC +5V supply. Otherwise, your
circuits and wiring may literally go up in smoke. |
| Try to keep your circuits isolated from the PC. Using
relays and opto-couplers is a good way to achieve isolation.
Exceptions are the game port and USB stick circuits. Clean
soldering, strain relieve on cables, isolation on bare leads will
help avoid shorts. |
| The Motion platform is a potentially dangerous construction. Be sure to build-in the end-stops safety feature, and make a main power-off switch that can be operated when sitting in the platform. I'm no mechanical engineer, so the materials I used may not be suitable for the purpose. Build much stronger than you think necessary. |