This is another of those random weird products you occasionally stumble across on eBay. It's a shop-door "OPEN" sign that is based around an emergency light frame that isn't quite compliant with UK safety standards.
It also uses some quirky electronic design features including the use of discrete components (no chips) to keep the price down, and that just makes it a PERFECT teardown item.
Note that the very analogue control circuitry also cuts the battery off at about 0.85V.
If you enjoy these videos you can help support the channel with a dollar for coffee, cookies and random gadgets for disassembly at:-
http://www.bigclive.com/coffee.htm
It also uses some quirky electronic design features including the use of discrete components (no chips) to keep the price down, and that just makes it a PERFECT teardown item.
Note that the very analogue control circuitry also cuts the battery off at about 0.85V.
If you enjoy these videos you can help support the channel with a dollar for coffee, cookies and random gadgets for disassembly at:-
http://www.bigclive.com/coffee.htm
The latching part looks sophisticated. Looks like a logic algorithm. Would a solenoid be an alternative? Brilient interesting video. Thanks.
The sign is an invitation to reverse engineer.
This comment is after 5 years from publishing video. I got 16 'EXIT' signs to repair. Same PCB , and battery too. I repair only 1 yet. Battery get bad. And cap get reduce Value too. All thing could replaced but not battery. Only NiMH are available . So cant replace for the reason mentioned in video. I wonder i should modify it and put LiION battery.
OPEN could be to designate the/an unlocked door. The NiCd battery should be easier to replace every 3-5 years with out destructive access. Planned obsolescence?
I feel like there are eBay sellers that make specific stuff just for people like Big Clive to disassemble and reverse engineer.
Immediately thought of Alice in Wonderland with the Eat Me and Drink Me as if it daring Clive to Open Me LOL
Eh, only three years late but, can see in the reflection off the glass, your bench looked like mine, covered in crap, and a tiny clean area to work😆
funny enough the establishment my mother was a manager at could have benefited from an open sign like this because the power strip would get unplugged or turned of accidentally
In third world countries where power outages are frequent, shops don’t close.
this sign is probably ment for 24/7 shops haha
Does that white thing say AA? Like a AA battery? That's what it looks like
Maybe it was a repurposed emergency exit sign