bigclive

Safety message is doing well

It's heartwarming that the safety video has benefited from its slightly clickbait style, and is doing very well.

A safety video

Since the spate of deaths caused by trendy wood burning projects is continuing, I'm putting out another nitty-gritty safety video to show the dangers.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FBeSKL9zVro

I'm expecting YouTube to demonetise this video due to their attempts at discouraging videos on the subject, and I'm fine with that - as I'm sure I'll trigger some keywords.   I'd just rather get t...

Weekend stream link

Here's the link to the weekend stream:-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-7SvNVvSFLI

Wine-powered casino video

For some inexplicable reason I decided to enjoy a bottle of fizzy wine and make a video most of the way through it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UvpKOJyGC3g

Let me know if it shows too much and I can re-make the video.

Recalled smart socket

A look at why a smart socket is likely to have been recalled by a distributor for posing a "High risk of electrical shock".

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=580iRXP0bxw

Other than the oddity I found, the circuitry seems OK.  Although stuff like this has three levels of potential risk - Electrical, electronic and firmware.

Stand-in video

Tonight's intended video encountered technical difficulties, so here's an ambient Chinese LED product video instead.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zpZhkmJOeoE

Well up to our standards

It's a pink dangerous thing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F2KvfhA3cSE

Let's take it apart.

Weekend stream link

Here's the link to the weekend stream:-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oM-sBI9JL1Q

Streaming now

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jV38GTr_yko

Midweek Patreon stream link

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jV38GTr_yko

Mystery medical device

Having now worked out what it is, it seems very appropriate that this device arrived on the 20th of April (420).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hLs3I7_JfqM

It's a very odd unit which looks as though it has seen some reasonable engineering.

Brass themed battery isolators

These devices are designed to allow easy disconnecting/isolation of a car battery in a vehicle that only gets used occasionally, to avoid battery damage through over-discharge by the usual quiescent current draw in vehicles.  Especially modern ones with a lot of active electronics.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YYmdy9zmf4Q

Note that some modern vehicles may go through an engine characteristi...

Not my video. AI enhanced 1930's sign maintenance

Note the lack of harnesses, especially the young guy at the end climbing on the front of the sign and changing lamps live while clinging onto grounded metalwork at a great height above the ground.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CIsQ8tqaXeA

These days he'd have to attend a one day slideshow to make sure he could be held accountable for falling off the sign or dropping something.

Cheap self-powering voltage tester

The circuitry in this is quite interesting, and refreshingly simple - although it is divided into four distinct sections.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JSLHxKM-kpw

It's staggeringly cheap for what's inside, and should be OK for lightweight electrical work.  But despite its Cat III rating I wouldn't classify it as suitable for use in high current industrial equipment due to the lack of any pr...

Weekend stream

Here's the link to the weekend stream:-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M8A7E2Oc2Ic

They deserved their own video

I wrote these openscad scripts fairly recently and included them in the description of a live stream video, but the results are so good that they deserve their own video on the main channel.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y9bSzE9ir1Q

This is one of those videos that takes a lot of work, but probably won't get many views due to the 3D printer requirement.  Hopefully it will encourage people to...

Philips new ultra efficient lamp

This took me a long time to reverse engineer due to an unexpected deviation from the datasheet.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nMc6mjE9Y1s

It's basically a Dubai lamp for the commoners.

MBC midweek stream

The MBC (Manx Beard Club - not actually a real club) will be meeting for dumplings, sake and loose talk this week.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EDY8cyC_17o

My ceiling after Kevin's scientific experiment

Back story - the MBC gate crashed my solo weekend stream, and during the evening Kevin decided to test the flame resistance of my (flame treated) ceiling with the whoofler by applying whoofle-foam directly to it.

Because there was no easy airflow, when the foam was ignited the flames spread across it as a series of islands of deep orange fire leaving a very artistic sooty pattern on it.

Weekend stream link

Here's the link to the weekend stream:-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ToXmODv39j8

Lead mine video (mentioned in the live stream)

The American lead mine video mentioned during the Patreon live stream:-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6HhdkkdsvTM

Aside from the classic American overalls which haven't changed much over time, note the amount of really high power electrical equipment and the trains with the overhead wire at head height.  I'll guess DC since it was used for high power traction at the time.  But what volt...

Patreon stream starting shortly

Midweek Patreon stream happening within 30 minutes of posting this:-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E1wF_yxyzIQ

Mid-week Patreon stream

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E1wF_yxyzIQ

A potted history of neon and the Barrowland sign

One of the most surprising things I found while researching this video is that the controllers used in many old neon signs and on fairground rides are still available.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UcovWn1n8jc

A better quality thermostat

I've got a few of the Elitech thermostats to look at, but will space the videos over time to avoid too much repetition.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQeIP2_q2Zg

This one is a cut above the generic clones.

Pound shop USB disco light

It turns out that you don't get much for a pound, or whatever this actually cost (maybe £2).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KIeXvyyTFnc

On the other hand it's a nice case with USB C adaptor and an excellent lesson in careful design around sensitive audio circuitry.

Self powered jogging light

I was a bit sceptical about whether the movement of running or jogging could make this light work, but it does.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v5tGQFBbO6k

It takes very little movement to make the LEDs flash.

Weekend stream link

Here's the link to the weekend stream:-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B39RMEugs70

Patreon stream in progress

Just a reminder.

Bonus extra midweek stream

Although I theoretically do a Patreon stream every second week, I'll be doing an extra one this week.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5folq5UjsYM

I'm not sure it will be full length.  It depends on what projects I current have on the go.