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Step 13Testing Visual Multimeter
Test the Visual Multimeter to make sure it is functioning.
Place the leads of the stepper motor onto the male header. Turn the shaft of the stepper motor (generator) and see the LEDs light up accordingly.
The green light indicates a voltage of up to ~5.6, the yellow light indicates a voltage of up to ~6.8. Both LEDs guage the voltage dependent upon their brightness. For example, if the battery is holding 6.1 V, then the green light will be bright and the yellow light will be dim.
The red (shown orange here) LED will light only above ~9.2 volts. For this application, the battery used is 7.2 volts and 70 mA. If the red LED lights, the battery is at full capacity. Do not continue to charge the battery with the red LED lit, otherwise it can overcharge and malfunction.
If you are not seeing results, here are some troubleshooting tips:
1)Check all of the solder connections to make sure everything is fully soldered and connected to one another. Conversely, make sure connections that should not be touching are not together.
2)Make sure that all of the zener diodes are pointed in the proper direction as indicated on the printed board diagram.
3)Check the numbers on the zener diodes to make sure they are in the proper order as indicated on the printed board diagram.
*In this image we added a switch and attached the battery early (and then removed them) to see how it worked. This is not necessary, but it is fun.
Place the leads of the stepper motor onto the male header. Turn the shaft of the stepper motor (generator) and see the LEDs light up accordingly.
The green light indicates a voltage of up to ~5.6, the yellow light indicates a voltage of up to ~6.8. Both LEDs guage the voltage dependent upon their brightness. For example, if the battery is holding 6.1 V, then the green light will be bright and the yellow light will be dim.
The red (shown orange here) LED will light only above ~9.2 volts. For this application, the battery used is 7.2 volts and 70 mA. If the red LED lights, the battery is at full capacity. Do not continue to charge the battery with the red LED lit, otherwise it can overcharge and malfunction.
If you are not seeing results, here are some troubleshooting tips:
1)Check all of the solder connections to make sure everything is fully soldered and connected to one another. Conversely, make sure connections that should not be touching are not together.
2)Make sure that all of the zener diodes are pointed in the proper direction as indicated on the printed board diagram.
3)Check the numbers on the zener diodes to make sure they are in the proper order as indicated on the printed board diagram.
*In this image we added a switch and attached the battery early (and then removed them) to see how it worked. This is not necessary, but it is fun.
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