bigclive

Inside an Otis elevator call button.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M3vfwU_0nbs

A simple video showing the inside of an LED illuminated Otis elevator call button.

Electrically heated tap/faucet teardown.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NB8A-f_86io

Quite an interesting little device.  Mainly intended for 220V to 240V use.

How does Wile-E-Coyote's TNT blaster work?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9as5wfHV6rk

I may be in a bit of a dynamite mood at the moment.  Part of me really wanted to buy the dynamite blaster in the eB...

Inside a dynamite exploder/blaster.

It's not often you get to look inside a toy like this...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FbAxn5dgoic

So let's share the moment.

Extra shitty USB battery charger.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lv23jMMPuiY

Truly one of the weirdest designs I've come across.  It works, but I'm not sure those little red LEDs are rated for...

Cooking with Clive. Japanese candy sushi.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pg93ir4od4E

I've seen these kits on eBay for a while, so it was inevitable that I'd have to try one out.

Fixing a couple of Nitecore Tubes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Wq5q2ihoIs

I was sent these two faulty lights by a chap called Marcus.  One had been through the washing machine and one just ...

Inside a common eBay control panel switch.

Yet another cheap industrial component from China via eBay.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FjdfvtfIMYs

I get the feeling that the reason these components are...

A look at some aircraft LED devices.

It's nice to get a look inside some non-consumer electronic stuff.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UL_U6g8raAo

Inside three similar selfie lights.

I got one of these a while ago, but never got round to making a video about it.  Then I decided to buy another to see if they had changed much and at the same time Michal from Poland sent one in a package of stuff.  So here's a look at the ...

DIN rail surge suppressor with dodgy safety mechanism.

This started off so promising, before the doubt crept in.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQXecTM8yuo

Did I give the thermal trip a fair test?

Prize progress.

I'm putting together some stuff for the prizes, including some very useful tools.  I think I'll just randomly stagger them over time for the element of surprise.  I'll contact each winner to see what their preference is and get their addres...

Autopsy of a very messy lamp.

I was sent this lamp to see if I could work out why it failed.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-rZbpvIsED0

LED bonsai tree project and PCB making tests.

This is a project that started as a simple rough project for testing the dry photosensitive film used for making your own PCBs.  Then it turned into a very neat little project with an equally neat PCB.

2017-05-31 16:51:45 +0000 UTC View Post

Fixing a common issue with the Hakko clones.

It appears that a few people have had issues with the operation of the Hakko style soldering stations, particularly the digital ones.  Here's how to apply a fix that should solve a lot of the problems.

2017-05-29 05:54:00 +0000 UTC View Post

Solar light designed for off-grid communities.

I don't mind giving what appears to be a genuinely charitable organisation a bump every so often, so here's a video about a solar light designed for areas of the world with lots of sun, but no electrical network.

2017-05-27 23:50:50 +0000 UTC View Post

Pre-armageddon chill-out video.

A nice laid-back video featuring a set of LED lights from eBay that seem to have been replaced by the common copper-wire type.

I made this video while the lithium jump start pack was getting ready for its moment of fame.

Just the lithium pack failure.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k7eluliAz5E

This is just the short circuit test from the previous video.  If you don't want a spoiler then watch the full video...

Deliberately shorting a lithium jump starter.

Because that's the sort of stuff I do.....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0tGK1nqXr28

My house is stinking now after an off-camera incident with an opened li...

Street lighting time-switch repair and exploration.

A look inside on the the boxes often seen next to street lights.

The old time switches are really quite intriguing in their operation.

Place your bets. Real or fake charging circuitry?

It's a while since I've bought one of these common little lights.  Many of them have a cosmetic solar cell and non rechargeable battery.  Is this one going to be real or fake?  Place your bets now.

2017-05-19 01:46:50 +0000 UTC View Post

Extra crappy Nitecore clone.

How low can they go.  This one is "minimalist"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tjX8S2G1Czc

Inside a common eBay dusk switch.

A slightly different look to see what you guys think of the grey background.

This is a look at the construction and circuitry inside a common cheap light sensor switch sold widely on eBay from China.  The loose single-insulated wires means tha...

Uh-oh. I've had a slight incident.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tBg4ximDrsk

I decided to take apart some different styles of NiMh rechargeable cell to see how they compared internally, and it was ...

Can you guess what's in the box?

A look inside the little inline box on a generic vehicle jump-starter lead.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F8zghvQZYNM

Can you guess what's inside before you...

Repairing IKEA garden lights.

If the video above doesn't work, try this direct link:-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5P3rLOmXi1o

Prize suggestions?

It's far too long since I did a competition for Patreon and PayPal supporters.  Mainly because I don't know what you guys would like as prizes.  Last time it was random builds and kits, but it would be good to know what you would like. &nbs...

Magnetic fuel saver.

Another juicy bit of quackery that is rife on eBay.

Simple soldering guide with cheap kits.

A quick demo of soldering for those who haven't had a go yet or want to improve their skills.

Poundland's 2017 LED armageddon.

Poundland (A UK dollar store) has been adding a lot of really good LED lighting to their seasonal ranges, and the latest release is the summer lighting.  It's very good stuff.