Category Archives: Electronics

Modified: An Annoying Manson HCS-3102 Power Supply Fan Behaviour

Posted on June 11, 2022 by lui_gough

Almost a decade ago, I was a fresh undergraduate commencing a PhD where I needed some affordable basic power supplies for bulk power. I came across the Manson HCS-3102 which have been the basis of many rebrands – a switching … Continue reading →

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Random: B’day Analysis, element14 Updates, Odd Repairs, Sad Chicken, Free Travel & More

Posted on April 25, 2022 by lui_gough

It’s another long weekend … but I can’t let this one get away from me. It’s time to celebrate, hack, despair and chuckle all in the one random post! Happy Birthday to Me … It’s hard to believe, but I’m … Continue reading →

Posted in Computing, Electronics, Opinion, Radio, Salvage, Telecommunications, Travel, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Teardown: Victron Energy BlueSolar PWM-Pro Charge Controller (SCC010020110)

Posted on April 25, 2022 by lui_gough

Recently, I was given the opportunity to collect what was left of what I had placed into storage after completing my PhD. These items were placed there to ensure they would be available for follow-on research, if it had eventuated, … Continue reading →

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Teardown: Winext AN-303 LoRaWAN Temperature/Humidity Sensor

Posted on April 23, 2022 by lui_gough

For those who have followed my recent media appearance, they will probably be aware that the institute where I work has recently relocated to a brand-new facility called the Westmead Innovation Quarter. As part of this new building, there is … Continue reading →

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RoadTest Review: Keysight Smart Bench Essentials (EDUX1052G, EDU36311A, EDU34450A, EDU33212A)

Posted on April 18, 2022 by lui_gough

It’s been a quiet long weekend … no postings must mean one and only one thing – that I’m absolutely busy as can be! Over the past two months, I’ve been the fortunate RoadTester selected to give the Keysight Smart … Continue reading →

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Visited: ElectroneX Electronics Design & Assembly Expo (5-6th April 2022)

Posted on April 9, 2022 by lui_gough

Oh, ElectroneX – it’s been way too long since events! Since my last visit in 2018 (as I don’t attend the Melbourne ones), I’ve been waiting with eager anticipation through a number of postponements due to COVID-19. After visiting METexpo … Continue reading →

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Notes: Cheap Crimps – Weights, Thicknesses & High Current Torture

Posted on March 20, 2022 by lui_gough

Since discovering the magic of a ratcheting crimper, I’ve been making plenty of crimped connections for my hobby needs. What started as a nice pack of 300 assorted crimps from Jaycar had slowly become depleted of several useful types of … Continue reading →

Posted in DIY, Electronics | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Random: Site Update, Expos, Transport Havoc, Payphones, 3D Printer Fix, Unhappy Meals & More

Posted on March 19, 2022 by lui_gough

It’s been way too long between random posts and my brain is filling up with junk, so it’s time to do some garbage collection. But no, these thoughts are not junk … at least, not to me. I’d say the … Continue reading →

Posted in Electronics, Opinion, Telecommunications, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Failed, Teardown: Sensirion SPS30 Laser Particulate Monitor Sensor

Posted on March 12, 2022 by lui_gough

In Sydney, the recent rains have been another exceptional event, bringing major flooding to areas in the Hawkesbury and Nepean river systems. While I am fortunate not to have suffered much besides major inconvenience from an inconsistently-operating public transport network, … Continue reading →

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Unbox, Teardown: TP-Link TL-SG105 5-Port Gigabit Desktop Ethernet Switch

Posted on February 27, 2022 by lui_gough

Recently, I had set-up a 3D Printing room and a dedicated test-instrument review room with its own VLAN. I’ve also accrued more instruments over time, so my test equipment stack has needed a network expansion as well. These changes had … Continue reading →

Posted in Computing, Electronics, Telecommunications | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

Quick Review(ish): Lenovo LivePods LP2 BT5.0 TWS Earphones

Posted on February 27, 2022 by lui_gough

Having recently purchased and quickly reviewed the Lenovo LivePods LP3 Pro, it may seem odd that I’m doing a quick review(ish) of an LP2, a seemingly lesser model. But there is a story with this one – my brother had … Continue reading →

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Project: Repairfryer – Dealing with a Chip Shortage (of a Different Kind)

Posted on February 20, 2022 by lui_gough

Air fryers seem to have been a bit of a craze – even we’ve had one for a few years and they’re absolutely brilliant for making up some chips quickly. Our particular unit was a bargain-basement Kitchen Couture 3.5L unit … Continue reading →

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Notes: VISA Layer Compatibility with PyVISA & Virtual Machines

Posted on February 12, 2022 by lui_gough

For many years, I’ve taken National Instruments NI-VISA for granted as the de-facto VISA layer that just seems to work with most vendor software and PyVISA. But perhaps I was misled by some old documentation from PyVISA‘s early days when … Continue reading →

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Random: 3D Printing Fun, Flaky microSD Card, element14 Contributions & More

Posted on February 6, 2022 by lui_gough

It’s been a while since the last random post and in the interim, I’ve been extremely busy with a number of reviews and recovering from illness (not COVID-19 thankfully). This time around, I show off some of the very simple … Continue reading →

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Review: Sofirn SP36 BLF Anduril 1 (4xLH351D, 5600lm) & IF22A (SFT40, 2100lm) Rechargeable Flashlights

Posted on February 6, 2022 by lui_gough

As proof that visiting OzBargain regularly can be damaging to your finances, I came across a few posts for Sofirn torches on discount from Amazon AU recently. Lacking the necessary self-control to resist the discounted price and having previous experience … Continue reading →

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Review, Teardown: Topvork Sprint 60W PD 6-Port Desktop Charger (TV-PC002)

Posted on February 3, 2022 by lui_gough

After reviewing a few USB-C PD chargers, it seems that both readers and vendors are quite interested in seeing more reviews of such devices. Not long after posting my last review, I was approached by a representative of Topvork who … Continue reading →

Posted in Computing, Electronics, Tablet | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Random: Tonga Volcano, 3D Printing, Li-Ion Cycling, Peltier Failure & Telstra LTE Speed

Posted on January 21, 2022 by lui_gough

It’s a new year but it certainly didn’t feel like it. I’ve not been out of the house much, if at all – only for the essentials. Even then, receiving exposure alerts constantly reminds me just how much the Omicron … Continue reading →

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RoadTest Review: Digilent Analog Discovery Pro ADP3450 USB/Ethernet Mixed Signal Oscilloscope

Posted on January 13, 2022 by lui_gough

The RoadTest program at element14 is the gift that keeps on giving and 2021 was a bumper year for me. I applied to a staggering 14 RoadTest reviews and was awarded six of them, forfeiting one due to overlapping review … Continue reading →

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Review: Cygnett ChargeUp Go 5,000mAh Power Bank (CY3533PBCHE)

Posted on January 4, 2022 by lui_gough

This is another one of those strange “alignments” where I just so happened to be involved in a project at my work which we decided to procure some power banks (in bulk) for some urgent promotional purposes. Because of this, … Continue reading →

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Review: Kovol Sprint 65W PD 4-Port GaN Desktop Charger (Charging Mate)

Posted on December 31, 2021 by lui_gough

It’s time to close out the year with a review challenge review, this one arriving just days before Christmas courtesy of Kovol. In this modern world of gadgets, USB charging has become universal with lower powered devices using regular standard … Continue reading →

Posted in Electronics, Tablet | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Quick Review: FLIR TG267 Thermal Camera

Posted on December 30, 2021 by lui_gough

While I am usually quite well-equipped when it comes to test equipment, I have been long wishing to own a quality thermal camera. Where an infrared laser thermometer lets you measure the apparent temperature based on measuring long-wave infrared radiation … Continue reading →

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#JBLXMAS: JBL Wave 100TWS & Betty’s Burgers Experience

Posted on December 26, 2021 by lui_gough

Christmas Day may have passed, but for me, it’s time to get into some Christmas presents. This season is always flush with competitions, and as someone who never turns down a chance to get their hands on something new, I … Continue reading →

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Quick Review: Lenovo Live Pods LP3 Pro BT5.0 TWS Earbuds

Posted on December 25, 2021 by lui_gough

Merry Christmas to everyone reading this on Christmas Day. Today, I have another gift to myself which doubles up as an impulse buy. I’ve never owned a set of true-wireless stereo in-ears before. Part of the reason is that in-ears … Continue reading →

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Media: EE Journal Fish Fry Special Edition: Makers Today!

Posted on December 16, 2021 by lui_gough

My involvement with the element14 Community has been a long-standing one. I’ve been a member since 2011, drawn in by the allure of a constant supply of interesting RoadTest products and have stayed ever since, occasionally chipping in my “two … Continue reading →

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Review: Rohde & Schwarz NGU401 Source Measure Unit (Overview)

Posted on December 9, 2021 by lui_gough

Source Measurement Units (or SMUs for short) are highly flexible, high-speed instruments offering precision sourcing of voltage and current. While often they are touted as a bi-polar power supply and high-accuracy metering in the one box, in reality, the whole … Continue reading →

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Review: Rohde & Schwarz NGU401 SMU – Ch5: Instrument Performance

Posted on December 9, 2021 by lui_gough

In this chapter, I test out the NGU401 where it really counts – instrument performance. By torturing it through several tests which try to measure operational characteristics, I’ll be able to find out where the NGU401 shines and where it … Continue reading →

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Review: Rohde & Schwarz NGU401 SMU – Ch4: Connected Operation

Posted on December 9, 2021 by lui_gough

Owing to its design, the power of a fast instrument such as the NGU401 can really only be fully utilised through connected operation with a host. This could involve automation through directly controlling the unit through SCPI commands, using the … Continue reading →

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Review: Rohde & Schwarz NGU401 SMU – Ch3: On the Bench

Posted on December 9, 2021 by lui_gough

Time for some fun, on the bench! Enough of staring at the unit from the outside, time to plug it in and put it through its paces as a bench SMU. For this, I’ll be commenting a bit on the … Continue reading →

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Review: Rohde & Schwarz NGU401 SMU – Ch1: The NGx Family

Posted on December 9, 2021 by lui_gough

Rohde & Schwarz have been working overtime in recent years overhauling their DC power supply portfolio with the latest technologies, squeezing more power into a compact but solid rack-mountable chassis with the latest user interface improvements and software features. The … Continue reading →

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Review: Rohde & Schwarz NGU401 SMU – Ch2: A Look Around

Posted on December 9, 2021 by lui_gough

Unlike most of my other reviews, this item is a demonstration unit on loan, so I didn’t receive any of the original packaging or accessories. As a result, what would ordinarily be an “unboxing” has turned into “a look around” … Continue reading →

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