Notes From The Electronic Peasant

Old electronics technician soldering at his workbench

Explorations and observations of the universe including physical entanglements

THE HIDDEN WORLD OF IC CHIPS

Explorations of the complexity and beauty found inside common integrated circuits.

Integrated circuits opened to reveal their interiors — These unlucky chips have been torn open to reveal their hidden secrets.

Interior of an LM723 integrated circuit — Here is what an LM723 chip looks like.

HA2525 integrated circuit detail — The HA2525 in all of its glory.

Interior of a single transistor — For comparison, this is a single transistor.

Interior of an unidentified Harris integrated circuit — Not sure which Harris chip this one is.

Complex integrated circuit with a broken lower-left corner — This one is a bit more complex, as well as being broken on the left side.

Very damaged large microprocessor — A very damaged large microprocessor is shown in this photo.

Unknown multi-chip integrated circuit — This unknown IC has three smaller chips mounted on a larger base. Two of them appear to be power devices.

Detail of unknown multi-chip integrated circuit — This unknown IC has three smaller chips mounted on a larger base. Two of them appear to be power devices.

Hybrid device with surface-mount resistors and two smaller chips — Here is a larger hybrid device with 3 SMD resistors and two smaller chips. The left hand chip looks like it has some type of coating over it, and the right hand chip has a happy face!

Detail of hybrid device — Here is a larger hybrid device with 3 SMD resistors and two smaller chips. The left hand chip looks like it has some type of coating over it, and the right hand chip has a happy face!

The Electronic Peasant examining integrated circuits with an antique microscope

SOME OF THE THINGS THAT I HAVE DONE TO TREES

Messing around with wood is so much fun!

Cedar shower project — Cedar is so soft and easy to work with and smells so nice. DIY comfort and luxury!

Recycled pallet shed under construction — Using recycled wooden pallets is an easy way to save money when building things. This shed holds a lot of stuff.

Recycled pallet shed — Using recycled wooden pallets is an easy way to save money when building things. This shed holds a lot of stuff.

Large pile of firewood — Speaking of firewood, I hope that this will last the winter.

Small wooden outhouse — A very important wooden project!

The Electronic Peasant splitting firewood beside a large woodpile

THE PEASANT'S HYDRAULIC RAM PUMP

Free water forever!

This is a pump that uses the power of water flowing downhill to deliver a supply of water to a much higher level. Pumps like this are relatively easy to build at home, for very little cost.

How does it work?

Water is run into a feed pipe (with a screen to keep out debris) from a river or stream. As the water runs down the pipe it picks up speed and, therefore, momentum. As the flow builds up to a fast rate, it overcomes the mechanical spring pressure on the main valve, causing the valve to close. This stops the flow of water through the feed pipe, but since it has built up momentum, the pressure inside the pump increases.

This forces water through the check valve which then momentarily compresses the air in the air chamber. The air then decompresses, pushing the water through and out of the delivery pipe, while the check valve prevents water from moving backwards through the pump. As the water flows through the delivery pipe and out of the pump, the pressure inside the pump drops, allowing the main valve to open again. This allows the water in the feed pipe to begin flowing again, starting the cycle all over again.

All that is required to make a pump like this function is a minimum of about two feet of drop in the feed pipe, although more drop is desirable as it provides increased flow rates and greater maximum delivery heights.