Clik here to view.
TIL302 Seven Segment Display
Old seven segment displays definitely have a cool factor. These TIL302 displays from Texas Instruments are no exception. Five of these displays were picked up cheap on eBay recently. I plan to use them...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Logitech Performance MX Teardown and Repair
My Logitech Performance MX wireless mouse recently had a failed left click button. However, this was easily repaired with a switch from an obsolete mouse. Repairing the switch is a straightforward task...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Skillet Reflow 0603 SMD Capacitors = Tombstones
A recent project involved using an electric skillet to reflow solder some APA102C RGB LEDs to a PCB. The aim was to make a device similar to the Adafruit Neopixel Strips, but arranged in a 3×3 square...
View ArticleClik here to view.
MJE3055 Power Transistor Teardown
Whats inside a power transistor? Well some semiconductor to be a transistor of course. How large would you expect the transistor’s die to be? My guess is, that for a device that can conduct up to 10 A,...
View ArticleClik here to view.
TO220 Single and Dual Gauge Packages
A friend of mine recently asked me if I knew that there are two package types for humble TO220 devices. I didn’t understand what he meant. He then asked if I had heard of single gauge and dual gauge...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Low Cost Energy Meter Teardown
For $16.95, I scored an inline energy meter. How do they make some stuff so cheap? What method has been used for the current measurement? Can the device be hacked up and improved? All is revealed in...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Energy Meter Hacking
Following on from the recent teardown of a cheap energy meter, I thought there might be some potential to hack this device. Well the EOUT “pulse output” pin shows some promise. The chip’s datasheet...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Flatbed Scanner CCD Reverse Engineering
Probably about 12 years ago, I recovered the imaging sensor from an A4 flatbed scanner that had become obsolete. (I think its obsolescence was due to it having a parallel port interface and my family’s...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Ridiculously Simple Flex Sensor
New Scientist recently detailed the construction materials for the simplest flex sensor I’ve ever heard of – a graphite pencil and a piece of paper. It is obvious when you think about it, but as New...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Energy Meter Hacking – Reading EOUT Pulses
Following on from a recent teardown of a low cost appliance energy meter, I’ve done a bit more hacking of the device. As you may recall, I identified that one of the pins on the meter’s chip (EOUT)...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Keep On Making Ahmed
Sad news from the USA that a fellow Maker, Ahmed, was falsely accused of using his skills for evil. The young inventor had re-purposed a clock and built it into a case with a custom power supply and...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Matrix MFG-8216A Function Generator Teardown and Repair
Hey folks, sorry for the long wait between drinks, a few things have been going on – holiday, work, demolishing a leaking bathroom. Anyway, after years of telling myself to get a function generator and...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Analog Devices AD587 10V Reference
Voltage references are a humble piece of hardware, their sole function is to provide a stable, known voltage. This constant, known value of voltage can then be used as a reference for ADCs and DACs as...
View ArticleClik here to view.
AD587 Battery Powered 10V Reference Tutorial
Following on from a previous post discussing the Analog Devices AD587 precision 10.000V voltage reference, I built a portable device to utilise the chip. Some requirements of the project were: 10.000V...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Simple Electronics Workshop Tool Rack
Last week I had to have a huge tidy-up of my workspace, things were getting out of control. Finished projects, half completed projects, tools, test wires, components and general junk were just piling...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Multimeter Accuracy and AD587 Performance
Having built a small, portable 10.000V reference using the Analog Devices AD587 reference chip, now is a good time to evaluate its performance with a bunch of multimeters. However, I have a feeling...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Printing Heat Shrink Cable Markers with a Dymo Labelmaker
Recently I saw you can buy heatshrink tubing cartridges for Dymo label makers. This would be really convenient to make professional looking markers to identify individual wires and cables in some of my...
View ArticleClik here to view.
HP5082-7340 Hexadecimal display
Happy New Year everyone. A quick post to get the new year started and I recently scored a few HP5082-7340 hexadecimal LED display chips. These are cool looking integrated hexadecimal LED displays...
View ArticleClik here to view.
4-20mA Panel Meter Teardown
I haven’t done a teardown in a while so I thought I’d share the insides of panel meter I recently found at a Sunday morning junk market for $5. Below is a panel meter that has been used in some sort of...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Linear CCD Update
Just a quick update. I was going through some boxes that I haven’t unpacked since moving and I found the linear CCD I was experimenting with. After reviewing some schematics I’d saved and reviewing...
View Article
