bigclive

Weekend stream coming up

Here's the link to the Twitch channel for the weekend stream.

Best viewed on Twitch, and you may need to refresh the page for it to start.

2024-11-30 20:20:25 +0000 UTC View Post

Grow light teardown

Another of the many LED grow lights that will probably not make your secret herb garden grow much faster.

This one does have a mix of whites and some other colours thrown in to tick the broad...

Cheapo iron - the unwritten manual

One of the most fun things to do with the Chinese clones and modules is work out how to actually use them. Especially when the abbreviated menu names bear no relation to the actual function.

Another emergency light (NiCad)

Another mystery emergency light from AliX. This one uses a nickel cadmium pack and has some interesting circuitry.

https://yo...

Weekend live stream coming at ya in 5G

Streaming from Gotham City in 5G - so we'll see how that goes...

As usual, the stream is best viewed on Twitch and the page may need refreshed to start the stream.

2024-11-23 17:22:08 +0000 UTC View Post

Cheap eBay 3" cordless angle grinder

A very cheap cordless angle grinder from eBay that was cheap for a reason. The tool itself is OK, but the batteries are not able to supply the initial inrush current to the motor, and cut out on o...

Nice lights - but....

A very nice light that I wasn't expecting to be rechargeable, and with a useful cell capacity too. This one even has enough space inside that a true geek could fit in six 18650s for a mega runtime...

I definitely like these Deutsch connectors

A connector that is easy to crimp reliably, has pins you can pop in and out for service, a locking system that holds them firmly in place when needed, and proper waterproofing.
It's almost like ...

Robust black rubber fairy lights

Such a perverted sounding title, but in reality these rugged city-lighting grade light strings are very robust and weather resilient. The rubber cabling has a very wide temperature range and good ...

Weekend stream as usual

I'll be streaming on Twitch as usual. Best viewed on Twitch, and you may need to refresh the page to start the stream.

2024-11-16 19:08:43 +0000 UTC View Post

Jack Daniel's vs sodastream

By request, another carbonated beverage. This time with a strong American theme.

Ultimately we know that most spirits ARE improved with carbonation, especially for parties. But the "science...

Proper blacklight flashlight

I added this to an order as a novelty item, expecting it to just be deep violet. But it really is a blacklight torch/flashlight, with a dark UVA filter on the front.

Quite a pleasing little ...

12-24V UVC LED plug for water tank

This is where I really need a UVC meter. I had to send the UVC spectrometer back to Naomi as it costs over $2000 and would not get enough use to justify buying one. I'm considering buying a simpl...

Sticky UV(ish) insect trap

A non-zappy one for a change. This unit uses light at the UV end of the visible spectrum to attract standard (non biting) flies and then traps them on a replaceable sticky card.

The construc...

Power saving plugs 2024

It's a while since I've taken one of these to bits. Let's open one and see if anything has changed inside.

Given how bad the circuitry was before, i was hoping it had evolved a bit. And the...

Another light, but with a twist

Quite a nice change to have a pluggable ceiling mounting light. It would make future maintenance easier if you had spares with the same connector system.

Also quite novel that it also has a...

A deviation from the technical content

I occasionally use press-stud fasteners to repair or modify work clothing, and saw this unit on AliExpress, so decided to see how strong the plastic handles were.

It doesn't quite manage to c...

Weekly stream link

Same link as usual, since the streams run to a schedule on Twitch now.

Best viewed on Twitch and you may need to refresh the page to start the stream.

2024-11-09 18:16:22 +0000 UTC View Post

Inside a (destroyed) power factor or motor capacitor

A look inside one of the power factor correction capacitors out of a street light ballast.

This one was destroyed during shipping, but that's a good thing, since it inspired me to explore the...

Addressable LED "resin blob" string

This was sent to me as being faulty, but I'm wondering if it had a software glitch or was maybe in timer mode.

But it's a great opportunity to explore the way the WS2812B addressable LEDs wor...

Fixing an LED "neon" ornament

This is a fairly common weakness with this type of material. Especially when it's formed around tight shapes.

This video shows three ways to fix it, and then I do a repair of the original st...

AliX waterproof germicidal light

The price of these things is ridiculously low for what you are getting. It's a bare GTL3 UVC bulb in an outer UVC transmissive uviol/quartz glass tube with a tight rubber bung.

The driver is...

Live stream with clock change time difference

Check the time of this week's live stream. Our clocks went back an hour last week.

As always, the stream is best viewed on Twitch and you may need to refresh the screen for it to start.

USB aquarium heater with other uses

Quite an odd thing. I'm not sure how much power is normally required to actually heat an aquarium.

I guess it depends on the size and ambient temperature.

I'm sure there are many other...

eBay 9.9 million lumen solar light

Not just exaggerated ratings, but also photoshopped images to make the light look absolutely massive.

Needless to say it performs somewhat lower than the listings tend to indicate. Fun to ta...

The joy of stix

A very non-electronic teardown of a classic arcade style joystick assembly. These could have many other uses including machine position control.

The construction is very simple and evolved, ...

I'm really liking these!

A very neat and highly integrated LED Christmas light available in 120V and 220-240V flavours and a selection of colours.

The circuitry is being driven very gently, so they should last a dece...

Industrial grade steriliser

I couldn't resist this eBay find. It's an air sterilising unit made for heavy industrial use.

It doesn't bang out ozone like the shady little units sold online, but instead puts out a low am...

Weekend stream

Plenty of notice this time. I'll be streaming on Twitch as usual - but no fizzy wine this time in case I say "stuff".

As always, it's best viewed on Twitch and you may need to refresh the pa...

Fixing an ice making machine

These little countertop machines are a miracle of cost efficient design with good software.

They are usually very similar inside, and tend to have the same type of faults - mainly involving w...