Tag Archives: electronics

Project: A Fluorescent Starter Based Glow Lamp

Posted on May 22, 2015 by lui_gough

This week marks the official opening of the Vivid Sydney outdoor light show for 2015. Sadly, the weather is absolutely horrible today, with scattered heavy showers all over Sydney meaning it’s another “stay at home” day. This got me thinking … Continue reading →

Posted in Electronics, Lighting | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

Quick Review: Freetronics LeoStick (XC4266) Arduino Compatible Board

Posted on April 10, 2015 by lui_gough

Just this week, I was gifted a Freetronics LeoStick from a colleague at the university, so I decided to take a look at it over the weekend. This particular unit seems to be distributed by Jaycar under catalogue number XC4266 … Continue reading →

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

Teardown: A Dying “X-Glow”-branded Cree XLamp Torch

Posted on February 25, 2015 by lui_gough

A few years ago, while shopping around at a local Jaycar, I got a bit distracted and did something bad. I made an impulse buy. I saw a nice LED torch sitting on the shelf, on special, with a very … Continue reading →

Posted in Electronics, Lighting | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Review: Agilent U1241B 4-Digit Handheld DMM & Accessories

Posted on January 28, 2015 by lui_gough

Early in December, I made a trip to element14 to treat myself to an early Christmas present. Having posted about it on my element14 blog, inviting members to take a guess at what the surprise would be, I was surprised … Continue reading →

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Project: Audio Induction Loop Receiver (Part 3: More Sydney Trains)

Posted on December 26, 2014 by lui_gough

In the previous part, I had began a small project to collect samples of digital voice announcements from Sydney Trains Millenium and Warratah sets. In fact, I had continued to collect more samples just out of my own interest, but … Continue reading →

Posted in Audio, Electronics | Tagged , , | 6 Comments

Teardown, Repair: Varta Power Play (Ready2Use) 15 Minute Charger (Type 57275)

Posted on November 25, 2014 by lui_gough

There was once a time when most portable electronic devices used AA or AAA batteries. Many users would opt to use Carbon Zinc or Alkaline disposable cells with these products, which proved to be costly financially and environmentally. An alternative … Continue reading →

Posted in Electronics, Salvage | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Investigation: How Accurate is that 3.5 digit Multimeter?

Posted on November 17, 2014 by lui_gough

A few weeks ago, one of the commenters made a suggestion that I test some more inexpensive test equipment, after my stint at reverse engineering USB charger doctors/detectors and determining their accuracy. While I won’t go chasing low end test … Continue reading →

Posted in Electronics | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Tech Flashback: Dick Smith’s Fun Way into Electronics Vol. 2 and 3

Posted on November 9, 2014 by lui_gough

Continuing on from the previous part, possible due to the generosity of an OCAU member, lets continue our nostalgic trip down memory lane by looking at Dick Smith’s Fun Way into Electronics Volume 2 and 3. Dick Smith’s Fun Way … Continue reading →

Posted in Electronics, Opinion, Tech Flashback | Tagged | 13 Comments

Tech Flashback: Dick Smith’s Fun Way into Electronics Vol. 1

Posted on November 9, 2014 by lui_gough

Regular readers will no doubt already know my passion for Dick Smith’s Fun Way into Electronics series, as it was one of the big reasons for my interest and continuing self-education in electronics. This introductory series of projects were designed … Continue reading →

Posted in Electronics, Opinion, Tech Flashback | Tagged | 30 Comments

Testing: Charger Doctor and USB Detector Accuracy

Posted on November 2, 2014 by lui_gough

Ever since I got my Charger Doctors/USB detector, I have been fascinated with how they have been able to provide such a useful tool for a low price. After taking each of them apart and analyzing their circuitry and connections, … Continue reading →

Posted in Electronics | Tagged , , , , | 7 Comments

Project: Audio Induction Loop Receiver (Part 2: Sydney Trains DVA Collection)

Posted on October 4, 2014 by lui_gough

In the last part, I decided to design and build myself an audio induction loop receiver. Part of this was just out of pure curiosity as to what sort of signals exist in the electromagnetic spectrum at audio frequencies, but … Continue reading →

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

Project: Audio Induction Loop Receiver (Part 1)

Posted on October 4, 2014 by lui_gough

In daily life, you might have come across signs like this, with a picture of an ear, and the letter T on them. Maybe you didn’t think any more about them, as an average person with perfectly good hearing – … Continue reading →

Posted in Audio, Electronics | Tagged , , | 17 Comments

Visited: ElectroneX 2014

Posted on September 13, 2014 by lui_gough

ElectroneX is the premier trade show for electronics design and assembly in Australia, and is held in Sydney and Melbourne in alternating years. This year, they were back in Sydney at the Australian Technology Park at Redfern, making it easy … Continue reading →

Posted in Event, Opinion, Travel, Uncategorized | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Project: Analyze Mains Power Flicker Issue & Ripple Signalling

Posted on February 2, 2014 by lui_gough

Over the past few weeks, we had experienced a few power outages and it came to my attention that the CFL in my room might be about to go. It had a characteristic “brightness” variation which seemed to pulsate from … Continue reading →

Posted in Computing, Electronics | Tagged , , , | 9 Comments

My Last DSE Kit: The Story of How I Got into Electronics

Posted on January 21, 2014 by lui_gough

Since I’ve started the blog, the majority of my posts have always focused on the technical aspects of different products and items. But increasingly, I feel, it’s also valuable to provide a personal perspective to the posts, so I have … Continue reading →

Posted in Electronics, Opinion, Tech Flashback | Tagged , , , , | 5 Comments

Teardown: Sunshine T5 S13582W 13W Ballast

Posted on December 12, 2013 by lui_gough

Part of the whole clean-up business also means that I get rid of some of my old junk. Many years ago (2006 actually), on a holiday to Hong Kong, I purchased a set of four Sunshine branded T5 S13582W 13W … Continue reading →

Posted in Electronics, Lighting | Tagged , , | 5 Comments

Setting off a Flashgun with an Arduino

Posted on December 18, 2012 by lui_gough

So it might not be obvious why one might want to do such a thing – but it could come in useful. I have a Yongnuo YN560 “manual” flash (no TTL metering, so one had to set the flash power … Continue reading →

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