sparkchaser

This is fantastic! The design is nice and straightforward, and the end result is much more clean and modern-looking than an off-the-shelf soldering station. And perhaps most importantly, it can be soldered by someone who doesn't (yet) have a nice temperature-controlled iron.In several of your images (including the one at the top of the instructable), you show the controller leaning back with the screen at a much easier to read angle. It looks like the controller has feet of some sort. Is this a modified version of the case, or did you build some kind of holder for it?

When multilayer PCBs go through quality control, they're often examined via x-ray in order to see the inner layers. I've always been tempted to add some hidden messages in there, like "if you can read this, draw a smiley face on the board". It'd be like having a pen pal, but harder and more expensive.

I'm not sure how to tell which version I have. My set was purchased in early 2018 IIRC, so there may very well have been some slight hardware changes since then. Based on the product photos I'm seeing on Amazon, I believe that mine are the older variety where the connector takes up the full width of the light strip.If you get a newer model that has the "micro" connectors, then everything *should* still work the same way. The only adjustment you'll have to make is to order connectors with a different connector pitch (meaning the spacing between the pins). After you get your light strip, measure the connector that's preinstalled on the far end of the strip. If the connector's pins are 2mm apart, then you can use the specific parts that I mentioned above. If your connector's …

I'm not sure how to tell which version I have. My set was purchased in early 2018 IIRC, so there may very well have been some slight hardware changes since then. Based on the product photos I'm seeing on Amazon, I believe that mine are the older variety where the connector takes up the full width of the light strip.If you get a newer model that has the "micro" connectors, then everything *should* still work the same way. The only adjustment you'll have to make is to order connectors with a different connector pitch (meaning the spacing between the pins). After you get your light strip, measure the connector that's preinstalled on the far end of the strip. If the connector's pins are 2mm apart, then you can use the specific parts that I mentioned above. If your connector's pins are spaced more closely than that, you'll have to locate a similar connector with the correct pin spacing. The product search engine at DigiKey lets you use connector pitch as one of your search criteria, so I find it a bit easier to locate things there than on other sites.

If it's keyed on both sides then the lock mechanism is much harder to bypass. For those knobs, it's usually easier to leave a key in the lock and tape a note at eye level to remind you to unlock it on your way out.The screws are always on the indoor side of the knob. If they aren't visible, then they're hidden underneath the round metal shroud. If you look closely, there's probably a small hole on the shaft on the underside of the knob. Pressing something into the hole while pulling the knob will remove the knob from the shaft. After that, you should be able to gently pry the shroud off with a screwdriver and access the screws underneath.I can't tell how your knob works from a photo alone, but you can usually get a sense for how it works by watching how the internal parts move when y…

If it's keyed on both sides then the lock mechanism is much harder to bypass. For those knobs, it's usually easier to leave a key in the lock and tape a note at eye level to remind you to unlock it on your way out.The screws are always on the indoor side of the knob. If they aren't visible, then they're hidden underneath the round metal shroud. If you look closely, there's probably a small hole on the shaft on the underside of the knob. Pressing something into the hole while pulling the knob will remove the knob from the shaft. After that, you should be able to gently pry the shroud off with a screwdriver and access the screws underneath.I can't tell how your knob works from a photo alone, but you can usually get a sense for how it works by watching how the internal parts move when you turn the knob, activate the lock, etc. If there's no obvious way to disable the lock, I recommend just getting a new doorknob that works the way you want it to work.A word of caution: your knob has a keyhole and there's no deadbolt visible in your photo. If that knob is the only way to lock that door, then its behavior might be a "safety feature" required by your local building codes. Make sure your replacement knob provides adequate security and meets all local rules.

A walkthrough for removing knobs with hidden screws: https://www.instructables.com/How-to-Remove-and-Replace-a-Weslock-doorknob/

Sorry for the (really) late response. On my lock, the locking mechanism was on the keyed side of the knob, and the long metal rod connected that to the twist tab on the other side. Push-button locks (also called "privacy knobs") generally don't have anything on the other side, so your mechanism will likely be entirely inside the knob with the button.What I would do for one of those is to take off the knob and watch the mechanism move as it was locked and unlocked. You want to prevent the lock from engaging, perhaps by cutting a mechanical link, jamming the mechanism to prevent it from moving, or even by gluing the push button in place. If the other side has a little hole for unlocking the knob, you might also be able to jam that mechanism in the "unlock" state, whi…

Sorry for the (really) late response. On my lock, the locking mechanism was on the keyed side of the knob, and the long metal rod connected that to the twist tab on the other side. Push-button locks (also called "privacy knobs") generally don't have anything on the other side, so your mechanism will likely be entirely inside the knob with the button.What I would do for one of those is to take off the knob and watch the mechanism move as it was locked and unlocked. You want to prevent the lock from engaging, perhaps by cutting a mechanical link, jamming the mechanism to prevent it from moving, or even by gluing the push button in place. If the other side has a little hole for unlocking the knob, you might also be able to jam that mechanism in the "unlock" state, which should prevent the lock from latching when the button is pressed.