bigclive

Inside a Duracell PB2 power bank.

An upmarket power bank for a change.  I got this earlier in the year but hadn't run a full test on it yet.

2019-01-16 22:58:26 +0000 UTC View Post

Tubular uplight.

I'm not sure how this video turned out.  It's one of those ones where I feel unsure if it's good enough to release.

2019-01-14 19:04:40 +0000 UTC View Post

Quick update.

I just thought I'd drop in a short update video to show you guys what I was doing this evening.  A bottle of wine, ongoing adjustments to a DIY lava lamp while also writing a bit of machine co...

Bigger projects in the background.

Just so you guys know, I'm working on some bigger things in the background.  So it's not all LED head lights and power banks.

I'm just fine tuning a few other things that take a long tim...

Detachable head torch power bank.

This seems fitting after several people mentioned this style of USB flashlight converter.  I got this a while back, but they still sell them.

2019-01-13 05:58:32 +0000 UTC View Post

Video wall handbag?

I'm getting right back into the swing of things again.  Here's a look inside a plastic handbag toy that just so happens to have a full-on LED video wall panel.

2019-01-09 05:10:33 +0000 UTC View Post

Meter shaft repair.

I finally got round to fitting the new contact assembly into my favourite bench meter.

https://www.youtube.com/...

Very nicely designed PIR light.

This video is so fresh that it may not have finished processing all the different resolutions yet.  YouTube tends to make it available in 360P first and then release the higher resolution opti...

Setting the Ruideng meter to English.

Little bit of extra footage intended as a short PSA on YouTube for those who have accidentally set the language of their Ruideng meter to Chinese.

2019-01-07 02:16:02 +0000 UTC View Post

USB flashlight adapter mods.

These little things are neat.  I've provided an eBay search link in the video description on YouTube, so if you want some I'd suggest grabbing them from the cheaper listings now before I relea...

Light with hidden feature.

I'm not sure why two of the cell positions were so firmly blocked off.  Is there some shipping rule for when something like this gets shipped with cells pre-loaded?  This one came empty.<...

Prototype from the past.

I built this back in 1999 to test at a local nightclub.  It was really just an experiment to see how small and simple the circuitry could be made.

2019-01-04 01:46:43 +0000 UTC View Post

LiFePO4 versus standard lithium.

A closer look at the LiFePO4 cell that was in the solar street light.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=53n2pw5M9...

How I test lithium cell capacity.

A quick look at how I test the capacity of power banks and lithium cells.

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

"Sealed" Solar street light.

I've not actually completed this video fully.  It's so fresh that the electrical tests for the description area are still ongoing.

2018-12-29 15:42:44 +0000 UTC View Post

Fairy Glen has gone sinister.

When my brother (Ralfy) and I were kids we were taken to a magical illuminated glen in Douglas (Isle of Man) called Fairy Glen (Summerhill Glen).  Back then it was very simple with illuminated...

Grinch alert.

Not my video.  This hilarious video shows an old lady giving a strong message.

https://www.youtube.com/wat...

Have a great Christmas.

Hope you have a great Christmas full of technical delights.  Remember, eBay and Amazon are open if Santa has failed to deliver acceptable technical presents.

Manx Beard Club Xmas party.

It's entirely up to you if you want to watch this now or on the big day itself.  It's a LONG video full of random conversation, some profanities, tasty snacks and various alcoholic potions. 2018-12-24 14:50:35 +0000 UTC View Post

Purple gothic LED star hack.

This video started off as a simple look at the inside of a common LED tree topper and then took a distinctly devious twist with the replacement of the LEDs with a purple string.

2018-12-24 03:46:22 +0000 UTC View Post

Smoke machine meltdown autopsy.

The way this smoke machine has failed is spectacular.  It has literally melted its heater block into a puddle of aluminium in the base.

2018-12-23 04:21:40 +0000 UTC View Post

Poopy Poundland Power Pod.

This thing isn't terribly practical from a size to power ratio perspective.  But it does deliver its poopy USB goods.

2018-12-20 03:59:21 +0000 UTC View Post

Mystery ropelight.

On my usual pre-Christmas mooching around the shops for desirable lighting stuff I spotted rolls of ropelight in a local Ramsey hardware store called Feltons.

2018-12-19 15:11:19 +0000 UTC View Post

Electric lunch or bento box.

These units seem to be quite nicely made with a simple heating system.  But I wonder if they pose any food hygiene hazard if they are used in a cold works van and heat the food very slowly.

2018-12-17 13:23:02 +0000 UTC View Post

Another very pleasing 12V lamp.

This must be one of my favourite 12V lamps to date.  The circuitry is minimal and the construction seems good.  I could see lamps like this paving the way for whole house DC lighting systems...

Very clever self-loading swab.

No electronics - just something very clever that clearly took a lot of research to perfect.

https://www.youtube.com/wa...

Butchered Starbucks charger.

Sorry for the little dip in content output recently, I was in Glasgow for a week visiting friends, checking out the (lacklustre) Xmas lighting displays and looking for suitable Christmassy tat for dis...

Failing LED tubes.

I spotted this while hunting for electronic tat in Glasgow.  It's a rather crappy LED lighting conversion in a large store.

http...

Unusual LED lamp shape?

I'm not sure if these lamps are based on an existing style of lamp or if they are specifically designed to match the beam angle of LEDs for maximum front intensity.  It seems to work quite well.<...

Wish I got this speed on the IOM.

Toto, I've a feeling I'm not on the Isle of Man at the moment...

This is the typical connection speed I get using my phone as a 4G hotspot on the Three network while visiting Glasgow.

It alway...