Tag Archives: electronics

Project: DSE K4309 Daytime Running Lights for Cars Kit (SC 8/99)

Posted on April 15, 2019 by lui_gough

When it comes to good things, they say moderation is best. Don’t eat all your candy at once, or so they say, but instead I’m diving right in for a Dick Smith Electronics kit overdose. This is kit four of … Continue reading →

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Project: DSE K7220 EA 12/90 Transistor Tester Kit

Posted on April 14, 2019 by lui_gough

Two kits? Why not make it three. I’m enjoying this trip down memory road – but this one is rather interesting as well, as I’ve seen some of these units around but never had one of my own. This kit … Continue reading →

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Project: DSE K7120 Thermocouple Adaptor for DMMs Kit (SC 12/98)

Posted on April 14, 2019 by lui_gough

The trip down memory lane continues with the second Dick Smith Electronics boxed kit that I purchased from the CCARC Wyong Field Day. You could say, I’m on a roll when it comes to these kits … The Kit This … Continue reading →

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Project: DSE K5408 Two-Channel Audio Camcorder Mixer Kit

Posted on April 13, 2019 by lui_gough

A while back, I stumbled across a number of old Dick Smith kits being sold at the CCARC Wyong Field Day. I promised the seller that I would build the kits (eventually) and they might even make it onto the … Continue reading →

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Project: Jaycar KV3520 Vocal Converter, KV3570 RF Remote Control & KD6010 Educational Oscillator Kit

Posted on March 31, 2019 by lui_gough

Time to crack open some more goodies from my recent haul at the Wyong Field Day – this time, it’s three old discontinued Jaycar kits from the past. KV3520 Vocal Converter The first kit I attempted was the KV3520 Vocal … Continue reading →

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Project: DIY More Tube-based Pre-Amp Kit (6J1 “Fever” Clone)

Posted on March 24, 2019 by lui_gough

Ever since the vinyl “revival”, I’ve been bitten by a vintage audio bug of sorts. Of course, the old formats always come with their headaches and frustrations, but they also have a character and charm associated with them. One thing … Continue reading →

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Project: HX3208 (CD9088-based) SMD “Micro” FM Radio Kit

Posted on March 23, 2019 by lui_gough

The kit drawer is like the bottomless-pit of entertainment, except that it does have a bottom and I’m slowly reaching it. You can tell because these are the kits that I’ve left behind for a later day – perhaps out … Continue reading →

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Project: HX-1021 “Green Lighting” LED Color Small Night Light Kit

Posted on March 19, 2019 by lui_gough

Gough’s kit crusade continues with this HX-1021 “Green Lighting” LED Color Small Night Light kit, costing just AU$2.73 including postage. This one was incorrectly listed on eBay as a “mains motion light”, but the lack of a PIR detector is … Continue reading →

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Project: EQKit PSK-1 Electronic “Voice Control” Switch Kit

Posted on March 17, 2019 by lui_gough

Continuing the kit-a-thon, I grabbed another EQKit out of the drawer – this one is a PSK-1 which was sold as an Electronic “Voice Control” Switch Kit for the princely sum of AU$1.98 including postage. As a kit that had … Continue reading →

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Project: EQKit MDS-60 Electronic Metal Detector Kit

Posted on March 17, 2019 by lui_gough

As a fan of building kits, my crusade to try building random cheap-Chinese kits continues with this EQKit MDS-60 Electronic Metal Detector Kit which I managed to get for AU$1.84. Being such a low-cost item, we don’t expect to build … Continue reading →

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Project: “Generic” USB 5V/500mA Charger Kit

Posted on March 17, 2019 by lui_gough

When it comes to power supplies, the standardisation of USB has made it the ubiquitous choice for many mobile and portable devices. As a result, you probably have an abundance of spare USB power supplies to charge or power your … Continue reading →

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Project: “Generic” CD4060 SMD Musical LED Fancy Lantern Kit

Posted on March 10, 2019 by lui_gough

I have a drawer full of cheap kits and I’m on a mission to empty it! This time, I’m looking at a “generic” CD4060 SMD “musical” LED fancy lantern kit which was purchased for AU$2.89 including postage. What’s so fancy … Continue reading →

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Project: “Generic” Electronic 3-Person Voting Kit

Posted on March 10, 2019 by lui_gough

My love for kits and cheap thrills comes together when I shop online. A year-or-so ago, I scoured eBay for whatever cheap kits I could find so I could build them and given the rainy weather, it is time for … Continue reading →

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Field-Day Mysteries: Hexin 2108E Serial Device Server, CPU86 ROMs & Conner CP-3040 SCSI HDD

Posted on March 9, 2019 by lui_gough

My recent trip to the CCARC Field Day at Wyong resulted in the purchase of a stack of random bits and pieces. The fun is, as expected, sorting through the stuff in detail, learning about it in the process and … Continue reading →

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Project: “Generic” ZM-4 AT89C2051 4-Digit 7-Segment LED Clock Kit

Posted on March 9, 2019 by lui_gough

Feeling a little bored and deflated one evening, I decided to open up my drawer of stuff to grab a kit out of there to cheer me up. After all, kit builds have always been rather therapeutic for me – … Continue reading →

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RoadTest Review: Eaton SmartWire-DT System

Posted on March 3, 2019 by lui_gough

Thanks to element14’s New Year’s Grab Bag RoadTest, I was the lucky recipient of a RoadTest kit that had been sitting around for six years. The kit from Eaton is for evaluation of their SmartWire-DT control panel wiring system which … Continue reading →

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Project: Generic 16-Tones Electronic Music Box Kit

Posted on March 2, 2019 by lui_gough

Around a year ago, I went on a shopping spree for kits and ended up with a stash of them which I would attempt in my spare time. Chinese kits have all the fun of being relatively inexpensive, but also … Continue reading →

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Repair: Hitachi CL-8320B Rechargeable Hair Clipper

Posted on February 22, 2019 by lui_gough

From the same friend that bought around the broken soy-milk maker, I have a new repair challenge on my hands – a Hitachi CL-8320B Rechargeable Hair Clipper. The Item The unit was bought to me with its original box, which … Continue reading →

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Thanks for the Packages: element14 & Tecsun Radios Australia

Posted on February 22, 2019 by lui_gough

It’s been a few days since I’ve received a few “surprise” packages at my doorstep, but unfortunately, I didn’t have the time to post about them here when they arrived. As any academic might know – it’s grant application season … Continue reading →

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Weekend Project: MMA8451Q Accelerometer as a Microphone?

Posted on February 2, 2019 by lui_gough

Last weekend was the Australia Day long weekend, so aside from chasing Shortwave Radiogram broadcasts and posting radiofax galleries, I also decided to build something I thought was rather interesting. In the past, I remember vaguely seeing articles about how … Continue reading →

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Review, Teardown & Test: Portable USB 18650 Li-Ion Rechargeable Fans (x3)

Posted on January 4, 2019 by lui_gough

It’s summer in Australia and this one is another scorcher! Our summers do get somewhat hot, but not usually this hot. Data from my own weather station in my backyard shows that the temperature over the period from Christmas Eve … Continue reading →

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Review: EEVBlog HVP-70 (70Mhz) & Micsig DP10013 (100Mhz) High Voltage Differential Probes

Posted on December 16, 2018 by lui_gough

Updated [7th Jan 2019] – Error in interpreting noise values due to oscilloscope 10:1 probe setting which I had missed has been fixed. — It seems I’ve been using the excuse of Christmas Sales to justify my recent increased spending … Continue reading →

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Project: DIY Weather Station & Displays

Posted on December 16, 2018 by lui_gough

It’s summer in Sydney and we’re definitely feeling it. In the west, there are often strings of 32 degree Celsius or above days coupled with dangerous storm activity, so staying comfortable is not always easy even with the modern conveniences … Continue reading →

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RoadTest Review: B&K Precision BA6010 Battery Analyser

Posted on September 29, 2018 by lui_gough

If you’ve been wondering why it’s been quiet around here for a while – it’s because I’ve been unusually busy. One of the things I’ve been working on is a review of the B&K Precision BA6010 Battery Analyser I received … Continue reading →

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Visited: ElectroneX Expo (5-6th September 2018)

Posted on September 9, 2018 by lui_gough

Every two years, the ElectroneX Expo comes to Sydney. This expo is like a trade show for those involved in electronics design and assembly with a number of stalls from relevant vendors, free talks and is held in conjunction with … Continue reading →

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Repair: Soyoung S-C18 Soymilk Maker

Posted on August 20, 2018 by lui_gough

This weekend, a friend of ours had a small emergency – her soymilk maker stopped working and was completely dead. The particular unit was a Soyoung S-C18 which claimed to be a unit specially made by Joyoung for the Australian … Continue reading →

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Note: Bosch Sensortec BMP280 vs BME280 Sensor Confusion

Posted on August 5, 2018 by lui_gough

While looking around for some cheap environmental sensors, I came across the seemingly ideal and relatively popular Bosch Sensortec BME280. This is a digital I2C sensor that can operate at 1.8 or 3.3V, providing temperature, humidity and barometric pressure measurements … Continue reading →

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Tested: MINI-360 (MP2307-based) “3A” Buck Converter Module

Posted on July 4, 2018 by lui_gough

As mentioned in my earlier Canton-Power buck-boost module review, voltages from batteries are rarely exactly the voltages you need to safely and reliably power your electronic creations. While that converter was rather acceptable, the efficiency wasn’t exactly stellar. In the … Continue reading →

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Tested: Canton-Power DDO603SA 3.3V Buck-Boost Converter Module

Posted on July 3, 2018 by lui_gough

If you like to experiment with electronics, sooner-or-later you’re going to build something you’d like to use in a portable way, perhaps running off batteries. While things that run off 5V are easy to cater for, as USB is ubiquitous, … Continue reading →

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Project: Generic Electronic 57 LED Hourglass Kit (TJ-56-205)

Posted on May 11, 2018 by lui_gough

I couldn’t help myself, so once I finish one kit, it’s often straight onto another. This kit was sold as an electronic LED hourglass and was a little more expensive at AU$3.07 including postage. Compared to local suppliers, this is … Continue reading →

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