NurdRage - 2018-03-31
The standard domestic carbon monoxide detector you can buy at most hardware and home supply stores has a lesser known feature: It can detect hydrogen. Donate to NurdRage! Through Patreon (preferred): https://www.patreon.com/NurdRage Through Bitcoin: 1NurdRAge7PNR4ULrbrpcYvc9RC4LDp9pS Glassware generously provided by http://www.alchemylabsupply.com/ Use the discount code "nurdrage" for a 5% discount. Social media links: Twitter: https://twitter.com/NurdRage Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NurdRageYoutube/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nurdrageyoutube/
Did you knew that lighter flame smells like burning nose hair?
Sodium is odorless, and that was a joke! What wwwelkam is implying is he burnt his nose hair by sticking a lighter flame in it trying to smell it. :)
Not an April fools joke...
So can you use the combustion sensor as an oxygen sensor in the presence of CO2 or Ar?
+Fernandox SCins No intended chemical reaction occurs in capacitors. Capacitors simply hold an electrostatic charge. Electrolytic capacitors get their name from the electrolyte that fills in the void between the two aluminium plates which are rolled in. I recommend Tanner Tech's recent video about that matter, which I'll send when YouTube's highly trained monkeys solve the 500 error...
EDIT: I found a workaround for the error, the link is https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gcccaaonfMY.
NurdRage That's what someone would say who makes an april fools joke
Capacitors do not have redox reactions. If it did, it would be a battery. Capacitors move around electrons only, not other ions.
NurdRage when you try to cram as much words in an essay as possible.
Some CO detectors have a "secret" serial port in them that can be used to log output data directly to your computer. Developers use the port during the manufacturing process for testing. Mine had the four required 3.3v, RX, TX, and GND pads so I used a MAX232 based level shifter and USB serial port cable, opened up a terminal program and sure enough the detector fed out the detected CO level to my laptop every second!
Interesting! that sounds like a cool project to try (if i can ever learn enough electronics to do it :)
If it was me, I'd start with J2. Looks kind of like a serial port to me
https://imgur.com/a/oVnOP
same thing with toasters. while not quite as useful, you can use the lever as a keyboard button. i saw a video of a guy doing just that. he had an array of toasters and played doom with them, albeit inefficiently.
Maybe "undocumented" is a better term than "secret" :)
Which sensor did you have?
This is a well known cross sensitivity in the industry and can lead to quite funny moments. In Germany all paramedics have to wear a CO sensor due to several accidents when entering Apartments (suicide by CO and the paramedics being the first to enter). The devices are usually worn at the belt. Hydrogen can also be produced in your digestive tract resulting in (very loud) false alarms shortly after a a good fart. (Hydrogen is produced for example by lactose intolerant if they digest lactose).
Your safety disclaimers are reaching the level of a high priced lawyer. Clearly a sign of success!
I work in the gas detection industry and CO / H2 cross sensitivity is a HUGE issue in the manufacturing industry, especially steel works where the CO alarms go off due to miniscule H2 leaks.
I had flooded lead acid batteries in an off grid solar power system and they were setting off my carbon monoxide alarm and I had no idea why. The problem went away when I switched to lithium ion.
Well know you know why
Shaun Dobbie
You were overchargin them. Lead acid generated hydrogen when overcharged. 13,6v is the maximun for lead acid. You can do 14,2v if you are using it as its charged but for stand by 13,6v at 25*C is the max. It greately changes with temperature so check that.
These flooded batteries need the higher voltage or they will not charge properly. I charged them as advised by the manufacturer and even then they can still give off some gas. They were inside a small shed so not much space for the gas to dissipate.
The overcharging is puposely used to create those bubbles in order to mix the solution. Not doing that would decrease the lifespan of the batteries because u get higher acid levels in the lower part of the battery. There are also systems that pump air through the batteries to do that which is even better for the lifetime.
Heating some metal to detect gas? That sounds a like a great id*BOOM*!
Interesting video. A hack you can do with old smoke detectors is to use them to detect moisture. This can be used to detect accidental spills or leaks, such as around your water heater or under your sink. Take the two sides of the "Push to Test" button wires or contacts and extend them to outside the unit. If these wires are in contact with a wet surface the alarm will activate. I wrap the bare copper wires around a small 2 cm or 1" piece of gypsum drywall, with a slight separation between the wires. If the drywall becomes moist the resistance drops below 1 meg ohm and the alarm activates. I use a DC wall wart with a voltage regulator to feed mine, but a normal 9 volt battery will also work. The unit may still detect fires, but use a regular unit for this.
Good use for old smoke detectors! One potiential problem is that the threshold might not be 1Mohm
True, it may be different from the old ones I've used. It's easy enough to test the unit before making any mods to it. The six I've modified all work fine. I should get off my duff and make a video and post it ;-)
How to detect Hydrogen the cheap way: Strike a match. If you survived, there probably wasn't any hydrogen around... :P
twocvbloke LOL
I work at a golf course and in the equipment building we store around 40 electric carts. One year in an attempt to keep me from being killed by Carbon Monoxide (work as a mechanic in the building). The higher ups decided to install a detector. It started going off in the middle of the night from the Hydrogen created when the electric carts are charging.
What's up with the hyperflexion in your thumb?
Just recently I tried to detect CO in my hydrogen product stream with such a thing. The test gas we ordered for our gas chromatography was taking months and I wondered, if such a thing could give me a rough estimate of the concentration in the lower ppm area. Then I found out about the cross sensitivity the loud way :D
I used to live in a predominantly Jewish community. Everyone carried one of these things around like it would ward against death for some obscure reason.
god help me, i lol'ed
Hey NurdRage,
Idea: industrial adhesives. The two applications I've been curious about are how copper is attached to fiber glass to make PCB's (raw copper clad), and how automotive clutch and brake pad compounds are attached to metal backing plates.
Honestly I'd love to hear a chemist's take on adhesives in general from weakest to strongest and your general perspective on use and classification. Perhaps even a bit of info on the bleeding edge type stuff most of us are clueless about.
Have a great day,
-Jake
5:30 Well I guess one could consider a piezoelectric element as a vibration sensor, given that they are sometimes used as contact microphones
He probably meant that some people think that it's the actual sensing element of CO/Smoke detectors
5:31 That's the piezo buzzer that does the annoying alarm, right ?
GiggitySam Entz yes
I work with hydrogen qll the time. Thanks so much for this information.
Very cool. I know it's about the science, but it's great when you do stuff that could end up on McGyver
It's good to see the bridge between electronics and chemistry in your videos.
4:01 try putting it near the butt of a cow/human when it farts
Destruction of oxygen? Is there a more accurate term for the sensed reaction, something like oxygen scavenger sensor or just a SnO2 reduction sensor?
Everybody likes an ataboy every now and then and I think I enjoy watching your lab videos over all the others
Wow i though you were dead. I was just checking one of your old videos and seeing whan was the last time you uploaded i found like 5 videos i never got in the feed
check if you have notifications turned on for my channel. If you do and still aren't getting anything, submit a bug report to youtube to tell them to fix it.
lol u used the Zn u plated in that "make Zn from sth" vid
Your videos never show up in my sub feed :/. I have to periodically check your channel directly.
I'm not seeing your videos under subscriptions when you post. Am I the only one?!
AntiMatter89 no, my son
Would you be able to do the synthesis of paracetamol please
where can i get some of these broken detectors?
Mikeselectricstuff took apart a formerly very expensive portable gas sensor, and he toredown the electrochemical sensors as well.
This is important when you consider that hydrogen producing fuel cells for cars and other energy needs maybe coming in the future and they need for a hydrogen detecting equipment has not really been considered by that emerging market. And cars that use straight hydrogen gas of course need very quick accurate leak sensors.
Thumb broken @ 5:31
A few months ago I had a smoke alarm (First Alert) give a false positive... and it just wouldn't shut up even after I moved it outside for a few hours. I've replaced it with a Kidde sensor. After reading a bit more, I've found that high relative humidity can trip the alarms. :\
Could you show how to make a cell like in the sensor
honest question: Why are most consumer grade gas detectors (H2S, CO, H2, etc.) so expensive?
Will the combustible gas sensor also work for CO detection as well? I understand that it already contains a specific CO detector, but CO is a combustible gas too.
yes it does!
(although they include the CO detector so that you can tell the difference and know if you should close the gas line, or turn off the furnace. Only knowing it could be either one doesn't tell you which problem to solve.)
It's well known that CO detectors are cross sensitive to H2 gas. I have experienced it myself with my personal gas detector which I have for work, it is a quad sensor detector which detects H2S, CO, O2 and LEL%. The detector can go off when you are near a charging station for forklift trucks for example. The lead acid charging cycle releases H2.
The hydrogen sensor seems pretty cheap by itself:
https://www.digikey.com/product-detail/en/sparkfun-electronics/SEN-10916/1568-1410-ND/6161752
Might be able to rip out the old sensor and drop this one in.
The piezoezoelectric effect goes both ways, it can also be used to dettect shock, so some piezos are indeed sensors
Could this be used with other flammable gasses like phosphine, hydrogen sulfide, and organic solvents?
MEMES substrate😆
+MyProjectsTV MEMS. Not MEMES lol.
MEMS stands for Micro ElectroMechanical Systems.
Shreyas Kulkarni That makes more sense😂
Does then tin oxide degrade significantly when exposed to too much hydrogen?
Ah at least the CO detector does degrade, okay.
But I think it will do more quickly than for regular house use XD
NurdRage, odd question... what manufacture of 4 gas meter did you have that picture from MSA or CSE?
Would you consider doing another Q/A video
Oh the humanity!
Question: carbon monoxide detectors should be placed near the floor because CO is heavier than air. Propane is also heavier than air. But most "natural gas" is methane, which is lighter than air.
Should you place this combination sensor near the ceiling or near the floor?
Cool !
Definitely going to go and get a detector and play with it.
snowdaysrule2's discovery sounds like a great feature to have.
You can definitely learn enough electronics to start tech-phreakin this stuff.
(the round black piezo thing is the beeper)
hehehe, yeah, definitely trying to learn more electronics.
As for doing it yourself. Do wear hearing protection, or even disconnect the alarm and just use the display. I suffered temporary tinnitus because i was doing it so long and it was so loud. Have fun :)
Just use a lighter!
Could this be used as a viable alarm for a electric hydrogen/oxygen generator to make sure I don't blow my self up
yup, go for it :)
NurdRage Thank you.
You won't, since hydrogen is significantly less dense than air, so it will stick to the ceilling and unless you're tanking a Tesla battery into an indoor swimming pool, you shouldn't even come close the reaching that level.
Cody'sLab - 2018-04-06
Well now that explains why I was getting crazy readings when I was trying to see if my hydrogen was contaminated with carbon monoxide.