West Florida Components

If you are donating, disposing of or selling anything that contains a hard drive, chances are that drive should be wiped clean before it leaves your hands. Even if the hard drive has failed, special equipment can read a hard drive which could expose your private and confidential information to the next owner.

So what should you do before your dispose of your equipment with a hard drive? There are several methods that are recommended by the experts. Here is an explanation of two of them:

1 – Destruction:
According to the National Institute of Standards and Technology Special Publication 800-88, “Destruction of media is the ultimate form of sanitization.” Some methods to destroy a hard drive include pulverization, incineration, melting, and shredding however it should be noted that it is recommended that you never burn a hard drive, put a hard drive in a microwave, or pour acid on it in an effort to destroy it. Those methods should be avoided. What IS recommended is that you drive a nail through the hard drive, being sure to pierce the hard drive platter. This can be accomplished with a hammer and nails or even a drill. If you use this method to destroy the hard drive, drive several nails through or drill through it several times. Another method is to remove the hard drive platter and sand it to erase the data.

Destroying the hard drive ensures that you or anyone else will never be able to use the hard drive again. Should you want someone to be able to use the hard drive again, you might consider another option which is data destruction software.

2 – Data Destruction Software:
Sometimes called hard drive eraser software or disk wipe software, data destruction software is a way to remove your personal data off of a drive without permanently destroying the drive. While not a fool proof method (user error comes into play here), it is the easiest way to wipe a drive clean. Data destruction software overwrites a hard drive in a particular way to make extracting data from it very difficult, if not impossible. Most computer users should be able to safely wipe their hard drive clean using this type of software.

There are other methods available however they are generally expensive. Either of the two methods outlined above should suffice for the average computer user that would just like to wipe a drive clean before disposing of it.

West Florida Components is now a distributor for Dri-Box, a box perfect for keeping your electrical connections safe and dry. Each Dri-Box can hold a  power strips with up to 4 connections or transformers  or, in the case of the larger Dri-Box, a connection extension reel with up to 4 plugs or transformers plugged in.  The Dri-Box was originally developed to fill a need that existed for Christmas light enthusiasts which was how to keep lots of strings  of Christmas lights dry and organized – even in rainy or snowy weather. The Dri-Box was born .  People quickly realized that the Dri-Boxes could be used for containing electrical connections in many other places and applications like for example outdoor fountains and pond installations; for boats, for lawn equipment, for gardens and camping and RV’s, to name just a few. The possibilities are unlimited.

The Dri-Boxes are IP55 rated which means that they are safe to use in situations where water is sprayed. Dri-boxes are not watertight so it is not recommended  that you use them in situations where they might be submerged. The IP55 rating provides for protection against dust (limited ingress) and protection against low pressure water jets from any direction. To learn more about the potential uses, please view the full description of the medium or large Dri-Box connection box.

We hope you’re going to be just as excited as we are! West Florida Components is now carrying a line of solder guns and irons! You can choose from a battery operated 15W solder iron  (perfect for marine repairs on in the field projects) all the way up to a 150W dual heat full featured gun. All the electric soldering irons and guns are proudly made in the USA by Wall Lenk Corporation and they are guaranteed for 5 full years.

All of the soldering equipment can be used for a wide range of projects, from electronics to lawn and garden equipment….and cutting and smoothing jobs like leather and wood burning.

Most of the guns and irons in stock are ‘kits’ – that is, they come with multiple solder tips and a supply of rosin core solder to get you started on your soldering projects. Are you just learning how to solder? Check out our guide on the basics of “How to Solder” which gives plenty of pointers for soldering newbies.

West Florida Components was recently invited to participate in a science experiments fair held in conjunction with the USF Education Department.

Each business staffed a booth where elementary school aged kids along with their families could conduct science experiments. The community event was an opportunity for families to enjoy and see the benefits of science in a fun atmosphere. The West Florida Components station was one of about 18 stations at which participants could interact and have fun with science. The event met a significant need identified at the national, state and local levels which is to increase the scientific literacy of students as a way to improve the local, state and global competitive status of our communities and our country.

The staff from West Florida Components made LED Throwies with the fair attendees. Each family member was given an LED, a 3V battery, a magnet and some tape to put their LED Throwie together. Once the Throwies were assembled, they could toss their Throwie at a metal board to earn points. The families learned the science behind the Throwie and were given additional LEDS to take home to so they could rebuild their throwies and experiment further.

If you’d like the instructions to make the LED Throwies, you can visit our web site where we give full instructions with pictures.

Here’s an easy project that simple enough for electronic beginners, plus the supplies required are probably laying around your house or workshop.

Could you buy the same thing for just a few dollars more? Sure you could, but you’d miss out on the satisfaction of assembling this project all by yourself.

Here’s what you need:
2 high intensity white LEDS (you can use other colors if desired)
small perf board
2 470 ohm resistors
toggle switch or slide switch
9V battery snap
9V battery
small project box (you can use an Altoid tin)
electrical wire (about 2′ total)
soldering iron
solder
hot glue
electrical tape

For full assembly instructions, you can view the pages here:

http://www.instructables.com/id/9-Volt-Headlamp/

Jailbreaking an iPad

If you have an iPad, you may be intrigued by the thought of jailbreaking it.

Jailbreaking a device permits you to install and use third party applications and utility programs. In the case of a jailbroken iPad, you would be able to then run apps like Adobe Flash which is not available through the Apple OS, or access files like you can on a PC. One app that caught my eye was the multitasking app which would allow you to run multiple programs without having to save/close them. Another great app called Wi-Fi Sync gives you the flexibility to sync your iPad with Wi-Fi – no plugged in USB required.

Of course, jailbreaking the iPad is not without risk (the number one concern would be warranty) but PCWorld.com has put together the definitive guide to jailbreaking your iPad. In fact, PCWorld’s guide is so complete, it even gives you instructions on how to revert back should you get cold feet (or have to go back).

Once you’ve hacked your iPad, be sure to avoid the iPad updates from Apple since your device can be reverted to the non-jailbroken state. Should that happen, you can jailbreak your iPad again after the update is installed.

PCWorld – How to Jailbreak an iPad

From our friends at instructables comes an easy project for use with UV LEDS.

To make this simple project, here’s what you’ll need:
2 Ultra Violet LEDS
1 1/4W resistors (the value of the resistor needs to be calculated based on the forward voltage of the LED you use)
1 non-working 9V battery (or a 9V battery clip)
1 new 9V battery
Pliers
Solder
Soldering equipment

The full instructions on the Instructables site will show you how to put everything together. Once assembled, the light snaps on to a working 9V battery to function.

Keep in mind, you don’t have to use UV LEDS for this project – you can use any color. Just adjust the resistor required based on the forward voltage and forward current of the LEDS you choose.

Buying LEDS without specs or you don’t remember the specs of the ones you have sitting around? Assume a max of 2.8V – 3V and 20mA. I would think high intensity white LEDS would work really well for this project.

I haven’t put this one together myself yet, but I think a few of these are coming with me on my next camping trip. Nice way to light up the tent and the ‘facilities’ late at night. Fun project – and you probably already have everything you need right on hand.

Here’s a great project that you can do either to experiment with wind turbines or to generate some energy! While the amount of energy produced is not overwhelming, this project can sure get your brain moving in the right direction.

The best thing about this project is that you probably already have everything you need lying around:

• Thick plastic bottle
• Old PC fan, bigger the better!
• A few feet of small wire
• A piece of wood about 1.5″ square and around 20cm long
• Two lengths of steel tubing that slide inside of each other, about 1/2″
• 6 Schottkey diodes
• Epoxy
• Super Glue
• Zip ties
• An old CD

You can find the full instructions including video here: http://www.instructables.com/id/Upcycle-your-old-PC-fans-into-mini-wind-generators/

If you want to have a kid-friendly wind turbine kit that already has all the pieces you need, we sell one of those. Our kits come with full instructions and all the materials needed to try your hand at creating a source of renewable energy – a wind turbine. The kit also comes with different experiments you can try with your wind turbine once it’s assembled. Great project for summer for the kids!

A wind turbine is a rotary device that draws energy from the wind. This is different from a windmill, which draws energy from the wind but that energy is directly converted into mechanical energy used by some sort of machinery. Wind turbines are converted into raw electricity.

There are two main types, horizontal and vertical axis, of which the horizontal axis is more common. What are the differences between these two? Horizontal-axis turbines have the main rotor shaft and generator at the top of the tower. Horizontal axes must be pointed into the wind in order for them to work properly. However, the structure of the blades facing the wind also gives them a great angle of attack, which is the angle at which they have contact with the wind. This insures that the blades will be very efficient when converting wind to energy. Vertical-axis turbines are basically the same, except the axis is vertical, and they have the advantage of not having to face the wind.

Wind turbines are made up of three main components, the rotor component, generator component, and structural support component. The rotor component makes up about 20% of the cost, and consists of the blades. The generator component makes up 34% of the cost, and consists of the electrical generator, the control electronics, and usually a gearbox component for converting the low speed incoming rotation to high speed rotation which is better for generating electricity. Finally the structural support component makes up about 15% of the cost and consists of tower and rotor yaw mechanism.

Installing wind turbines can be a great way to save money on your electrical bills and create your own energy. They can be bought pretty inexpensively or you can even build your own and get the supplies to do it for even cheaper. If you’re interested in building a basic wind turbine to see how it works, you should buy an educational wind turbine kit to get you started.

(image: Flickr – therussiansarehere, Creative Commons)

What better way to illustrate how to build a basic electronic connection than to use coins to build a battery?

Here’s what you need:

quarters or dimes
aluminum foil
blotter paper (see below)
salt
cider vinegar
wire (short length of both black and red wire – ~16 gauge)
1 LED (any through hole LED)
scissors
pen or marker
voltmeter (optional)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Trace the coins on the aluminum foil and blotter paper. Cut out 10 of each so that you have 10 circles of aluminum foil and 10 circles of blotter paper.

(Blotter paper can be found in the art store or the art section of your local craft store. You can also find blotter paper in the cosmetics department. If you can’t locate blotter paper, then you can also try using thick paper towels.)

Mix a small amount (1/4 cup) of vinegar with some salt. Stir the salt until dissolved. If the salt can not dissolve, then you’ve added too much. Add some additional vinegar and stir. Soak the circles of blotter paper in the vinegar and salt mixture.

Stack the foil, blotter paper and coins as shown in the video. It is important that the foil not touch the other layers. Let the ‘battery’ stand for about 15 minutes to develop a charge.

Connect each lead of the LED to a short piece of wire; the black wire connects to the negative lead and the red wire is attached to the positive lead on the LED. Place the exposed end of negative wire on the bottom of the ‘battery’ touching the foil, and the end of the positive wire to the quarter on top of the stack.

Optional: Use the voltmeter to measure how many volts are generated by the battery. A battery with 6 or more cells should be able to light up a standard LED with no problem!