Electronics Projects
Alongside product testing, this channel documents original electronics projects from first principles: schematic design, PCB layout, firmware, and assembly, built the same way a working engineer would approach them, with the mistakes and debugging left in rather than edited out.
This category is the home for those builds: microcontroller projects, custom PCBs, test equipment builds, and one-off tools designed to solve a specific problem on the bench. Where a project uses a downloadable schematic or design file, it’s linked directly from the video’s page.
2026 1 video
2025 2 videos
Length 23:08NAD D7050 OLED Swap: Reverse Engineering the SPI Bus
Decoding the NAD D7050's obsolete SSD1355 OLED protocol with a logic analyser, then driving an SSD1351 OLED and ST7735S IPS TFT as replacements.
Length 8:43Zero Crossing Detection + Nylon vs Resin 3D Prints
Testing PCBWay nylon PA12 and clear resin wall mounts for a Waveshare 4in ESP32-S3 touch dimmer, plus lower-power zero crossing detection options.
2024 7 videos
Length 18:11DIY RGB Meteor Shower Lights with ESP32 and WLED
Custom meteor shower Christmas lights built from WS2812 LED PCBs, ESP32 controllers running WLED, acrylic tubes and 3D printed weatherproof caps.
Length 17:56WLED to ArcDot LED Control via DMX Bridge Test
Reverse engineering ArcDot garden LEDs: why the ESP32 UART can't do 9-bit data, and how a dsPIC33 DMX bridge makes WLED drive them.
Length 0:28Reverse Engineered LED Garden Lights: 74 Installed
Progress update on a DIY LED garden lighting install: 74 lights wired in, the controller protocol reverse engineered, and a custom PCB coming next.
Length 35:54Reverse Engineering Pulsar ArcDot LED Pixels
Teardown and protocol decode of Pulsar ArcDot2 LED pixels and the ArcDotDriver80 controller, including an RS485 repair and auto-addressing capture.
Length 21:39ESP32 WLED High Power LED Board: Build & Test
Reflow assembly, WLED setup and bench testing of a custom ESP32 high power LED driver board, with thermal imaging and scope waveform analysis.
Length 16:17Copper Core PCB Build with 1.4mm Luxeon Rubix LEDs
Building a copper core metal PCB populated with tiny 1.4mm Luxeon Rubix LEDs, covering reflow, thermal imaging and real brightness testing.
Length 23:38WLED RGBW Light Design Using Just One LED Driver
How to drive RGBW LEDs from a single AL8843 constant current driver: LTspice simulation, schematic design and PCB layout for a WLED fixture.
2023 11 videos
Length 13:55WS2812 LED Control with ESP32 DIN Rail PCB & ESPHome
Driving WS2812 neon LED strip from a custom ESP32 DIN rail PCB, with ESPHome config, level shifting and power wiring inside a real control box.
Length 17:51ESP32 DIN Rail Module: RS485 Modbus & RGB LED Control
A custom ESP32 DIN rail board with RS485 Modbus, RGB LED drivers and isolated inputs. Schematic, PCB layout, assembly and bench testing explained.
Length 9:20Zigbee mmWave Presence Sensor Power PCB Build & Test
Custom 12/24V DC power PCB for Zigbee mmWave presence sensors: assembly, regulator output testing, ripple checks and real-world sensor install results.
Length 22:37Zigbee mmWave Radar Sensor Teardown and PCB Redesign
Inside a cheap Zigbee mmWave presence sensor: teardown, Home Assistant testing and a custom retrofit PCB to fix its shortcomings.
Length 11:10LNK562 Flyback Converter: First Power-Up & Load Tests
Building and bench testing a low power LNK562 flyback SMPS: hand wound transformer, a layout mistake found, plus 5V and 3.3V rail load results.
Length 15:09How to Wind a Flyback Transformer for an SMPSU
Hand-winding a small flyback transformer: primary, bias and secondary turns, core gapping for target inductance, varnish dipping and 1kV insulation testing.
Length 18:07LNK562 Flyback Converter Design: PI Expert Walkthrough
Designing a 2W isolated 5V/3.3V mains flyback with the Power Integrations LNK562, from chip selection to EE16 transformer and KiCad PCB layout.
Length 20:50LNK3204 Non-Isolated Buck AC-DC Converter Build & Test
Designing a mains powered 5V/3.3V buck supply with the Power Integrations LNK3204, plus efficiency, thermal and current draw measurements.
Length 13:23Capacitive Dropper AC-DC Supply with Supercapacitor Test
Building and measuring a mains capacitive dropper supply for a LoRa node: zener heating, power factor of 0.04, and how a 0.47F supercap fixes brownouts.
Length 16:26Capacitive Dropper Mains Power Supply for LoRa Boards
Measuring LoRa transmitter and receiver current draw, then simulating a capacitive dropper mains supply in LTspice to see if it can cope with TX bursts.
Length 24:50Seeed Wio-E5 LoRa Relay: Point-to-Point AT Command Test
Building a wireless mains relay with the Seeed Wio-E5 LoRa module, using AT test mode for point-to-point links, plus a 300m range test at minimum power.
2022 14 videos
Length 23:29RGB Auto Colour Change LED Hack: PWM Christmas Star
How to keep auto colour change RGB LEDs alive with a standby voltage, enabling PWM dimming and blinking without resetting to red. Full PCB build and testing.
Length 9:15Common Base MOSFET Gate Driver: Simple 3.3V Design
Testing a minimal common base transistor MOSFET gate driver: 3.3V to 12V level shifting, no inversion, scope waveforms and thermal checks at 4A.
Length 14:01Building and Testing a High Current MOSFET Driver PCB
Assembling a high current MOSFET gate driver board, then testing switching edges on a Picoscope and checking hot spots with a thermal camera.
Length 17:08Datasheet Deep Dive: Level Shifting & Gate Resistors
Why reading datasheets properly matters: choosing a level shifter, using an open collector low side switch, and picking series gate resistors.
Length 27:04MOSFET & Gate Driver Selection for a PWM Driver Board
How to pick a MOSFET and gate driver for a PWM load driver: datasheet parameters, gate charge, drive current, schematic and PCB layout choices.
Length 15:38AL5809 Constant Current LED Driver: Simple 2-Pin Setup
Testing the AL5809 linear constant current LED driver: fixed current variants, dimming options, thermal behaviour and where it beats a resistor.
Length 17:50How to Modify SMPS Output Voltage: Feedback Mod
Changing a switch mode power supply's output voltage safely by recalculating the TL431 feedback divider, plus why adjustment range limits matter.
Length 18:48DIY 90CRI LED Strip: Cree JB2835A on Aluminium PCB
Building a custom 20 W/m 90CRI LED strip with Cree JB2835A LEDs on aluminium MCPCBs, plus thermal testing, soldering tips and driver notes.
Length 18:28Inside a BMW Electronic Water Pump: Ceramic PCB Teardown
Teardown of a BMW electronic water pump reveals a ceramic substrate PCB, brushless motor drive electronics and clever automotive design choices.
Length 25:22Cutting Ventilation Heat Loss with a Custom RS485 Board
Heat loss maths for home ventilation, plus a custom assembled control PCB, RS485 transceiver debugging and dual Metcal rework to get comms working.
Length 24:08Trailing Edge Dimmer: MOSFET vs IGBT + CP210A Probe
Comparing MOSFET and IGBT trailing edge dimmer designs on the bench, with current waveforms captured using the Micsig CP210A current probe.
Length 25:5460W Synchronous LED Driver Design + PDN Analyzer Study
Designing a 60W synchronous buck LED driver in Altium, plus using PDN Analyzer to model copper current density, voltage drop and PCB hotspots.
Length 2:49Tracing Hidden Electrical Cables with a Thermal Camera
How to find buried or in-wall cable runs using a thermal camera: load the circuit, watch the heat rise, and read the pattern through plaster.
Length 10:44Does Resin Coating Shift LED Colour Temperature?
Spectrometer testing of LEDs before and after epoxy resin conformal coating to see whether potting really shifts colour temperature and output.
2021 17 videos
Length 13:20Zero Power LED Night Light Strip: Resin Cast PCB Build
Building a self-powered LED night light strip on custom PCBs, cast in resin and degassed in a vacuum chamber for a bubble-free finish.
Length 10:01Artillery Genius 3D Printer: Advent Scene Print Test
Printing a full Advent scene on the Artillery Genius: print quality, bed adhesion, multi-part accuracy and whether this direct drive printer earns its price.
Length 11:40Building an Advent PCB Christmas Scene from JLCPCB
Assembling a multi-board Advent PCB Christmas scene: interlocking slot joints, edge soldering tips, LED wiring and lessons for decorative PCB art.
Length 10:12Assembling an Extra-Long Custom PCB by Hand
Hand-soldering an unusually long custom PCB: panel handling, SMD assembly order, hot air and iron technique, plus what to watch for on oversized boards.
Length 15:16Custom AC LED Trailing Edge Dimmer Modules Revisited
Revisiting a custom trailing edge AC dimmer PCB for LED lamps: design fixes, MOSFET switching, zero cross timing and real world flicker testing.
Length 6:41Does PCB Solder Mask Colour Change SMT LED Brightness?
Testing white, black, green, red, blue and yellow PCBs to see whether solder mask colour really affects how bright SMT LEDs appear.
Length 11:29Bridge Rectifier Output Capacitance: LT4320 vs Diodes
Testing how output capacitance changes bridge rectifier efficiency and voltage drop, comparing 1N4007 diodes, NMLU1210 MOSFETs and the LT4320 ideal rectifier.
Length 13:58Bridge Rectifiers vs Schottky & MOSFET Alternatives
Testing a standard full bridge rectifier against Schottky diodes and active MOSFET rectification on a custom PCB: losses, heat and real component costs.
Length 16:32Why Huge Output Caps Don't Fix Regulator Transients
Bench tests show why piling 10,000uF on a linear regulator output won't stop load transients, and what actually improves step response.
Length 19:37Aluminium PCB LED Overdrive Test: Solder Melted
Pushing high-power LEDs on aluminium-backed PCBs until the solder melted. Board design, pick and place, heatsinking and real thermal test data.
Length 34:54Building a 60W Cree LED Studio Light Prototype
A custom 60W Cree LED studio light built from scratch: PCB design, heatsinking, LEDiL optics, 3D printed housing plus brightness and thermal test results.
Length 13:28ESP32 Aquarium Light: Final Build + Node-RED Control
Final assembly and testing of a custom ESP32 aquarium light, including MQTT control from Node-RED, dimming curves, thermal checks and PCB notes.
Length 10:38AC LED Driver Failure Modes Explained
Why cheap AC LED drivers and bulbs fail: capacitor drift, open filaments, overheating and safety risks, examined with real teardown examples.
Length 30:50ESP32 Aquarium Light Controller PCB with MQTT Control
Building and testing a custom ESP32 aquarium light controller PCB: assembly, bodge wire fixes, MQTT firmware and a full dimming test.
Length 17:03ESP32 WS2812 NTP LED Clock: Wharton Style Build
Building a Wharton style LED clock with WS2812B addressable LEDs and an ESP32 pulling NTP time. PCB design, assembly cost, power draw and programming notes.
Length 8:50Neon FT4232H USB Adaptor Build: ESP32 Programming Tool
Building the open-source Neon FT4232H USB adaptor for ESP32 flashing, JTAG and serial work, including SMT assembly tips and first power-up testing.
Length 18:2820W Cree XHP50.2 LED Microscope Illuminator Build
Final assembly and testing of a 20W Cree XHP50.2 LED microscope illuminator, with a side by side brightness comparison against a standard ring light.
2020 37 videos
Length 16:57AL8843 & LM3409 LED Driver PCB Test: XHP70.2 Lumens
Bench testing a custom high current LED driver PCB using the AL8843 and LM3409, plus whether a Cree XHP70.2 really hits 4000 lumens.
Length 13:17Microphonic Ceramic Capacitors: A Real Audio Example
Hunting down audible squeal in a real board: how MLCC piezoelectric effects turn ceramic capacitors into tiny speakers, plus a tested fix.
Length 13:41Fixing DC-DC Converter Whine + MHP30 Preview
Why a buck converter LED driver whines audibly, how switching frequency and inductor choice fix it, plus a first look at the MiniWare MHP30 hotplate.
Length 13:32LM3409 Buck LED Driver: 2.4A Constant Current Build
Building and testing a 2.4A constant current buck regulator around the LM3409 LED driver IC, including layout, reflow, troubleshooting and LED load results.
Length 18:57Cree XHP70.2 Aquarium LED Light Build on Custom PCBs
Building a high-power Cree XHP70.2 aquarium light: LED selection, optics, SMT reflow assembly, thermal testing and real optical efficiency results.
Length 20:16433 MHz Qiachip TX/RX Modules on Custom PCBs
Testing cheap 433 MHz Qiachip transmitter and receiver modules on custom PCBs, plus IR beam break sensors and a one-shot latch mod for reliable triggering.
Length 18:58Luxeon Z ES LEDs on Aluminium MCPCBs Tested
Building and testing Luxeon Z ES LEDs on custom aluminium PCBs: stencil choices, MCPCB thermal stackup, Cree comparison and real output results.
Length 11:27Aluminium vs FR4 PCBs for High Power LEDs Tested
Do aluminium MCPCBs really run cooler than FR4 for high power LEDs? Thermal testing, layout tips and soldering notes for Cree LED boards.
Length 15:13Cree XHP50.2 Microscope Ring Light: DIY Build & Lux Test
A custom Cree XHP50.2 LED ring light for soldering microscopes: PCB design, driver choice, thermal limits and measured lux against a commercial ring light.
Length 12:573D Printing a Ring Light Chassis on the Ender 3 V2
Prototyping an LED microscope ring light housing on the Creality Ender 3 V2, with fit checks against the assembled PCBs and design fixes for round two.
Length 13:01Cree XHP50.2 LED PCB Test: High Power Ring Light Build
Bench testing custom Cree XHP50.2 LED PCBs for a microscope ring light: thermal behaviour, drive current, lux output and soldering the tiny footprint.
Length 13:09AL8805 LED Driver Failures: Circuit Causes Explained
Why AL8805 buck LED drivers keep failing in a microscope ring light design: inductor choice, switch node spikes, thermal limits and layout mistakes.
Length 13:55Ring Light PCB Troubleshooting: Assembly Fault Found
Debugging a non-working LED ring light PCB: tracing the fault through the assembled board and finding out whether the PCB house or the design is to blame.
Length 6:18Check Your Gerbers Before Ordering PCBs from JLCPCB
How to verify Gerber and drill files before sending a board to JLCPCB, using the online preview and a Gerber viewer to catch costly mistakes early.
Length 12:40Pick and Place Files for JLCPCB Assembly: Ring Light
How to prepare BOM and centroid pick and place files from KiCad for JLCPCB SMT assembly, using an LED microscope ring light PCB as the example.
Length 19:41Panelised PCB Design for Cree XHP 50.2 High Power LEDs
Designing panelised aluminium-friendly PCBs for Cree XHP 50.2 LEDs: footprint choices, thermal pads, constant current driving and panel tabs.
Length 21:29PCB Layout Walkthrough: Microscope LED Ring Light
Step-by-step PCB layout for a high power microscope LED light, covering thermal design, copper pours, constant current driver placement and routing.
Length 18:28GPSDO Explained: Why Use an FPGA for GPS Timing?
How a GPS-disciplined oscillator works, why phase comparison needs nanosecond resolution, and what an FPGA brings to a DIY GPSDO design.
Length 29:35Microscope LED Ring Light: Parts Choice & Schematic Design
Designing a microscope LED ring light from scratch: choosing LEDs, constant current drivers, dimming method and drawing the full schematic.
Length 22:22Exact 10 MHz from a DIY GPSDO with FPGA and MCU
How to turn a GPSDO's slightly-off OCXO output into a true 10.000000000 MHz reference using an FPGA fractional divider and MCU control loop.
Length 15:5810 MHz GPSDO Prototype Board: Build and First Tests
Assembling a 10 MHz GPSDO reference prototype with a hotplate and hot air, then checking oscillator lock, output levels and jitter on the bench.
Length 9:09RGB Touch Controller Build Finished + PCB Delivery
Finishing the dsPIC-based RGB touch LED controller build, plus a look at a Europacket PCB order and what the assembled boards look like.
Length 22:43RGB Touch Controller: New Control PCB Redesign
A revised control PCB for the dsPIC-based RGB touch controller, covering layout fixes, DMX support and assembly notes from the build.
Length 10:07ESP32 Megaclock: EMI Testing & 3D Printed Contrast
Hunting radiated emissions from an ESP32 clock build with SDR hardware, plus 3D printing a black contrast filter to sharpen the LED display.
Length 11:38Controlled Impedance PCB Traces: Microstrip & CPWG
How to design 50 ohm controlled impedance PCB traces: microstrip vs coplanar waveguide, stackup and dielectric data, plus practical layout gotchas.
Length 13:43ESP32 LED Matrix Driver with OpenWeatherMap Data
Building an ESP32-driven LED matrix clock that pulls live forecast data from OpenWeatherMap, covering multiplexing, ESP-IDF code and PCB bring-up.
Length 10:40ESP32 NTP Megaclock: 2000 LED Wharton-Style Build
A first look at the finished 2000-LED ESP32 WiFi megaclock, a Wharton-style NTP display: PCB assembly, multiplexed drive, brightness and timekeeping results.
Length 11:57ESP32 Mini Megaclock: 690 LED NTP Clock Build
A first look at the 690 LED ESP32 WiFi Mini Megaclock, a Wharton Electronics style NTP clock: PCB assembly, LED matrix layout and firmware notes.
Length 3:05Killing Viruses With Electricity: Ozone & Corona Test
Can high voltage, ozone and corona discharge sanitise surfaces without chemicals? A look at the electrical methods, the hardware and the real safety risks.
Length 11:25How to Panelize PCBs: Tabs, Mouse Bites & V-Cuts
A practical guide to panelizing PCBs for cheaper prototype orders: breakaway tabs, mouse bites, V-scoring, fiducials and depanelizing tips.
Length 19:52FPGA Clock in VHDL: Lattice MachXO2 for Beginners
Building a multiplexed digital clock in VHDL on a Lattice MachXO2 FPGA board, with Lattice Diamond setup, counters and display driving explained.
Length 14:43Inside Car LED Headlight Bulbs: Teardown & Analysis
A teardown of aftermarket car LED headlight bulbs: driver circuitry, LED chips, cooling design and why beam pattern and build quality vary so much.
Length 11:09Finishing the IR Controlled LED Nightlight Build
Completing a custom IR remote controlled LED nightlight: PCB assembly, firmware behaviour, brightness control and what worked on the final build.
Length 18:04ESP32 NTP Megaclock: 2000 LED Wharton Style Build
Building a 2000 LED ESP32 NTP megaclock inspired by Wharton Electronics displays, plus tips for designing PCBs for low cost SMT assembly.
Length 16:09Cockcroft-Walton Multiplier Build for ESD Simulator
Building a high voltage Cockcroft-Walton multiplier on custom PCBs to drive an ESD simulator, with layout, creepage and testing notes.
Length 18:04IR Remote Protocols & LED Night Light PCB Build
Decoding infra-red remote protocols with a scope, plus assembling a custom LED night light PCB with constant-current dimming control.
Length 12:2715 kV Inverter Tested for a DIY ESD Simulator
Bench testing a cheap 15 kV high voltage inverter module to see if it can form the basis of a simple, repeatable ESD gun for circuit testing.
2019 32 videos
Length 14:05Build a Bench Emergency Stop with NVR Contactor Safety
How to wire a latching no-volt release emergency stop for your electronics bench using a 2-pole contactor, mushroom stop button and bootlace ferrules.
Length 14:58Stacked LED PCBs: Building a 3D Circuit Display
Stacking multiple LED PCBs to create a layered 3D lighting effect, covering board design, SMD assembly with solder paste and hot air, and alignment tips.
Length 16:18FY6900 Signal Generator Power Supply Mods & Noise Fix
Cutting output noise on the FY6900 signal generator by reworking its switching supply, adding filtering and improving grounding. Measured before and after.
Length 17:28FY6900 Signal Generator: Building a DC-DC Power PCB
Assembling and testing a custom DC-DC converter PCB to run the FY6900 signal generator from a DC supply, plus noise and ripple measurements.
Length 10:18PCB Creepage & Clearance: Milled Slots for Isolation
How to use mechanical routing, milled slots and cutouts on a PCB to increase creepage distance and meet mains isolation safety requirements.
Length 56:00Buck Converter Design: Schematic & PCB Layout Guide
Full walkthrough of designing a DC-DC buck regulator: inductor and capacitor selection, feedback network, thermals and low-noise PCB layout for a bench PSU.
Length 11:27RGB LED Tape Driver PCB Build: Lighting Controller Pt 9
Building and testing a custom RGB LED tape driver board for a modular lighting controller, with notes on MOSFET drive, PWM channels and PCB assembly.
Length 21:55AC LED Dimmer PCB Testing: Lighting Controller Part 8
Bench testing custom AC LED dimmer boards: triac phase control, zero-cross detection, flicker, and how cheap LED lamps actually respond to dimming.
Length 16:31Lighting Controller Part 7: Assembling JLCPCB Boards
Hand-soldering and bench-testing the newly arrived lighting controller PCBs, with notes on assembly order, board quality and first power-up checks.
Length 26:154 Layer PCB Build & Test: Lighting Controller Part 6
Assembling and powering up a 4 layer lighting controller PCB for the first time, with board quality checks, bring-up steps and early test results.
Length 19:38How to Clean Flux Off a PCB: Is Residue Harmful?
Flux residue tested on PCBs: which cleaning methods actually work, whether no-clean flux is safe to leave on, and when residue causes corrosion or leakage.
Length 14:22JLCPCB Pick and Place Assembly Service Tested
A hands-on look at JLCPCB's SMT pick and place assembly service: cost, part library limits, BOM and CPL files, and whether the solder joints hold up.
Length 12:19Modulated Beam Break Sensor: Beat Ambient Light Noise
Building a beam break sensor with amplitude modulation so ambient light and sunlight cannot trigger false readings. Circuit design, filtering and testing.
Length 23:06High Efficiency 1W & 3W Constant Current LED Driver Build
Part 5 of the lighting controller project: designing and testing an efficient constant current buck driver for 1W and 3W power LEDs.
Length 8:59Lighting Controller Project Part 4: PCB Build & Test
Part 4 of the DIY lighting controller build: assembling the manufactured PCBs, reflow and hand-soldering notes, plus first power-up checks.
Length 10:17MLCC Capacitors: DC Bias & Real Measured Values Tested
Bench tests reveal how much capacitance MLCCs actually lose under DC bias, plus tolerance, dielectric class and package size effects on real parts.
Length 6:17Workshop Tips for Professional-Looking Builds
Practical bench tips for cleaner soldering, tidier wiring and better looking projects, plus notes on T12 tips, flux paste choice and microscope work.
Length 12:14DIY Manual Vacuum SMD Pick and Place Tool: Part 2
Part 2 of the manual vacuum pick and place build: custom PCB assembly, syringe vacuum plunger testing and how it handles real SMD parts.
Length 13:48PCB Design Tips and Design Rules Explained
Practical PCB layout advice: setting design rules, trace widths, clearances, vias and manufacturer tolerances to avoid costly board respins.
Length 8:27Why Ceramic Capacitors Crack and Damage Your PCB
MLCC ceramic capacitors can crack, short and burn a PCB. What causes flex and thermal cracking, and how to design and solder to avoid failures.
Length 11:25Ikea Play Kitchen Hack: Custom PCB Sound & Light Mod
Adding custom PCBs, buttons, LEDs and sound effects to an Ikea Duktig play kitchen, with SMD assembly, reflow tips and enclosure fitting notes.
Length 1:53How to Revive Dried Out Solder Paste with Flux
Solder paste gone crumbly and dry? Learn how mixing in fresh no-clean flux can restore usable paste for stencilling and hand-dispensing SMD work.
Length 17:54DIY Trailing Edge Dimmer Part 3: Zero Crossing Fixes
Refining the zero crossing detector that triggers the SSR gate in a DIY trailing edge mains dimmer, with differential probe measurements on live circuitry.
Length 16:42Designing a Trailing Edge Dimmer: Lighting Project Pt 2
Part 2 of the mains lighting controller build: trailing edge dimmer design, MOSFET switching, zero-cross timing and safe scope measurement.
Length 5:21Soldering Tutorial: Practise PCBs and SMD Components
A hands-on soldering tutorial using cheap practice PCBs and SMD parts, covering iron tips, flux, drag soldering and fixing bridges and tombstoned parts.
Length 10:38SMD Assembly with Solder Paste Stencil and Hot Air
Stencil-printing solder paste, placing SMD parts and reflowing with hot air: a practical walkthrough of fast, low-cost prototype PCB assembly at the bench.
Length 19:05DIY Manual Vacuum Pick and Place Tool for SMD Work
Building a manual vacuum pick-up tool for SMD assembly and rework: two concepts tested, tip options, suction sources and how well it handles tiny parts.
Length 10:52P4 32x64 RGB LED Matrix Kit: Spectrum Analyser Build
Hands-on with a P4 32x64 RGB LED matrix display kit, tested as an audio spectrum analyser. Brightness, wiring, driver support and build quality assessed.
Length 26:01Testing AC Dimmer Modules: Lighting Controller Part 1
Bench testing cheap TRIAC AC dimmer modules with zero-cross detection: how phase-angle control works, plus safety and load pitfalls to know before buying.
Length 10:32How RGB LED Strips Use One Constant Current Driver
A look inside RGB LED strip driver circuits: how a single constant current buck regulator feeds red, green and blue channels without mixing colours.
Length 6:32Aurora 162 RGB LED Kit: Adding a Microphone Input
Fitting an electret microphone to the sound-to-light input on the Aurora 162 LED RGB kit, plus biasing, gain and sensitivity notes for builders.
Length 29:50Aurora RGB LED Kit Build: 162 LEDs Soldered & Tested
Building the 162 LED Aurora RGB kit from start to finish: PCB quality, soldering approach, common pitfalls and whether the finished effect is worth the hours.
2018 1 video
2016 5 videos
Length 17:25Clay Paky Golden Scan HMI 1200 Restoration & DMX Fix
Restoring Clay Paky Golden Scan HMI 1200 scanners: 1200W HMI lamp, mirror scanner optics, and a custom DMX to PMX protocol converter project.
Length 20:27USB Isolation Mod for FeelTech FY3224S Signal Generator
Adding IL612-2 based USB isolation to a FeelTech FY3224S signal generator to break ground loops and protect the PC from mains-referenced test gear.
Length 35:46Linear PSU Upgrade for FY3200S / FY3224S Signal Generator
Designing and building a low noise linear power supply to replace the switch mode brick on the Feeltech FY3224S / FY3200S DDS signal generator.
Length 13:20EC1515A Circular LED Clock Kit Review (DS1302)
Hands-on build and review of the EC1515A rotating circular LED clock kit: DS1302 timekeeping, CR2032 backup, kit quality and soldering notes.
Length 29:27Variac Soft Start Mod: Carroll & Meynell 10A Repair
Repairing a damaged Carroll & Meynell 10A variac and fitting a soft start circuit to tame inrush current, plus wiring, safety and testing notes.
2015 11 videos
Length 3:43GPSDO Clock Test: Does Automatic BST Rollback Work?
Checking whether a GPSDO-driven clock handles the end of British Summer Time automatically, plus what GPS time data actually gives you.
Length 13:52MikroTik RB2011 Fan Mod & Xeon E3-1275 Server Build
Finishing a MikroTik RB2011UiAS-RM cooling and power fix, plus a Xeon E3-1275 server build with RAID 10 SSD and 2TB WD arrays on Adaptec cards.
Length 40:34Symmetricom GPSDO 10MHz Reference Build: Part 3
Finishing a Symmetricom GPSDO 10MHz lab reference: internal Meanwell PSU, distribution amp PCB, custom front panel and VFD GPS status display.
Length 32:28Building a 6 Digit 2.3" LED Clock with a PIC18F26K20
A scratch-built 6 digit LED clock using Kingbright SA23-12SRWA displays and a PIC18F26K20, covering multiplexing, drive current and timekeeping accuracy.
Length 36:24Linear LED Constant Current Driver Circuits Compared
Resistor, LM317, transistor and op-amp LED current drivers built and measured on the bench, with regulation, dropout and efficiency compared.
Length 29:43dsPIC33 Constant Current LED Driver Firmware: Part 2
Part 2 of a constant current DC-DC LED driver build: writing dsPIC33FJ16GS502 high speed PWM code, ADC feedback and closing the current loop.
Length 8:50Constant Current LED Driver Update: 3W Bridgelux LEDs
Progress update on a DIY constant current LED driver build, plus a look at cheap 3W Bridgelux LEDs sourced from eBay and what to expect from them.
Length 22:57Constant Current DC-DC LED Driver Design: Part 1
Buck converter theory, inductor maths and component selection for a constant current LED driver, then a working breadboard prototype tested on the bench.
Length 17:44Trimble SVeeSix GPS Receiver Teardown & TSIP Test
Inside a Trimble SVeeSix GPS module: RS-422 to RS-232 adaptor build, antenna hookup and TSIP comms tested with Trimble GPS Studio.
Length 31:44Noritake VFD + dsPIC30F3013: GPSDO Front Panel Part 2
Driving a Noritake CU20025SCPB 2x20 VFD with a dsPIC30F3013 for a Symmetricom GPSDO front panel, plus tapping the OCXO 10MHz output.
Length 11:20Isolation Transformers & UK Earthing Systems Explained
Why a mains isolation transformer belongs on your electronics bench, plus a plain-English guide to TN-S, TN-C-S and TT earthing in the UK.