An odd and unexpected variation on the classic garden whirly ornaments. It's a VAWT (Vertical Axis Wind Turbine) version that seems to be based on the classic Savonius turbine.
In the video I took the rivet/eyelet out and flattened the...
2023-05-16 00:03:09 +0000 UTC View Post
Here's the link to the weekend stream:-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vz8VYcBocL4
2023-05-13 12:39:50 +0000 UTC View Post
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-K-1ko-u6s
2023-05-11 15:38:41 +0000 UTC View Post
A faulty UVA blacklight lamp from a UK based seller with uninspiring customer service.
I reckoned that if I was going to open it to see if it was an easy fix, then I should at least make a video about it.
This took a very long time to reverse engineer. It has a lot of discrete components, and fortuitously no microcontroller. That means it can be made to work without a need for a serial data connection.
They've managed to cut the manufacturing cost of these disco lights even further with a neat little onboard power supply.
The most useful part of this video is the exploration of the cute 5V buck regulator and the hack to get a custom voltag...
2023-05-06 19:05:07 +0000 UTC View Post
Here's the link to the weekend stream:-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sK6ot_a4Na4
2023-05-06 16:05:40 +0000 UTC View Post
I really must stop starting these videos so late at night.....
This unit is a mass produced beauty product that has good use as a high speed resin curing device for bench use.
Despite using the ubiquitous 8 pin microcontroller they hav...
2023-05-05 05:54:45 +0000 UTC View Post
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJber9zEQHQ
2023-05-04 17:49:43 +0000 UTC View Post
I'd say this was definitely not a successful venture.
Fortunately I decided to put a towel down to catch the inevitable mess when it went wrong.
2023-05-04 04:22:53 +0000 UTC View Post
I've been using this as my main phone for 6 weeks now, so I feel I can make an accurate review of it. The good news is that so far it's not given any issues at all.
The integrated 256 by 192 pixel thermal camera is the main feature, an...
2023-05-04 03:20:32 +0000 UTC View Post
For those of you who might deal with refrigeration or air conditioning at work (or in your own home). This video will give you a much deeper understanding of what is going on in a simple compressor based refrigeration system.
Kudos to ...
2023-05-02 04:24:47 +0000 UTC View Post
Yet another eBay delight. A super minimalist charger that has reduced the component count and PCB size to the very minimum.
I've mixed thoughts about this one. It will work, and to be fair it is hackable for custom current.
I'm on a roll today with many experiments and two build videos.
Here's the second build video, showing the construction of a supercomputer lamp, using a classic eBay/AliExpress lamp kit with some customisation.
This was another project that went off at a tangent and ended up being quite interesting.
It lets you make low power customised heating pads that run at low voltage. They could be used to keep stuff from freezing up, and maybe even be ...
2023-04-29 05:35:29 +0000 UTC View Post
Here's the link to the weekend stream:-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U3oJncn9wWc
2023-04-29 04:45:46 +0000 UTC View Post
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lNwjIKDZ7qk
2023-04-27 16:32:45 +0000 UTC View Post
This strip has a very smooth and even glow along its full length due to the use of a COB based strip with a diffuser in front. It's ket down by being mains voltage with no smoothing, so it flickers a bit too much for comfort.
It also h...
2023-04-27 05:25:31 +0000 UTC View Post
I was expecting this neat little lamp to use a simple resistor current limiter, but in reality it has a linear regulator made with standard common components.
Quite a neat and educational little circuit.
I've finally got around to fixing some issues with the bigclive.com website.
All image links to the old photobucket archives are now pointing to my own hosted space, so the watermarks have gone. (There's a very annoying story behind th...
2023-04-25 18:53:01 +0000 UTC View Post
This is the most ludicrously complicated fake power saving plug I've come across.
It's literally switching a 1uF capacitor on and off with microcontroller based circuitry.
Here's the link to the weekend stream:-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ObvhUs1HDw
2023-04-22 16:32:04 +0000 UTC View Post
I bought one of these a VERY long time ago to see how it worked, but decided to make a video about one when I discovered it being sold on eBay as a used unit.
The circuitry is quite interesting, because it appears to use a dedicated chip for...
2023-04-22 02:50:55 +0000 UTC View Post
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uChwMiRKMRc
2023-04-20 18:13:38 +0000 UTC View Post
I bought this generic floor-standing HEPA air filter unit purely so we could take it to bits.
It's actually a bit too big, even for the second bench that is intended for larger items.
The fetching pink background is a silicone bench mat t...
I've made lots of videos about these units. Mainly so that YouTube keeps putting them out there to try and stop people being scammed.
This one has a very nice case, which is a shame as it's hobbled by the completely non compliant earth...
2023-04-18 03:16:14 +0000 UTC View Post
It seemed like a good idea, but really wasn't. I put a full 2.5L bottle of cheap 7.5% ABV cider through the water distiller until the output reached 40% ABV.
Biggest surprise was the equivalent amount of vodka in a bottle of cide...
2023-04-17 03:36:27 +0000 UTC View PostI'm about to drop all three of the IKEA Smahagel reviews early as our little experiment on video length popularity. Which do you think will get the most views?
2023-04-16 01:29:27 +0000 UTC View Post
Yet another UVC video (sorry!). I've got a bug at the moment, so I probably sound a bit husky in this video.
The most notable thing about this set is the small inverter that can also drive short neon or argon/mercury tubes.
The a...
2023-04-15 04:22:14 +0000 UTC View Post