bigclive

Weekend stream

I'll be streaming on Twitch at the usual time tonight (9pm UK-time).

Best viewed on Twitch, and you may need to refresh the page to start the stream.

https://www.twitch.tv/bigclivedotcom

Drone close-up look

One of our drones up close. The 5000mAh battery slides in the hole and is secured by elastic straps. The guidance technology is clever. An external GPS antenna unit is used to give a fixed high accuracy reference point on the ground, and is combined with normal GPS data to give extraordinary accuracy.

The blue heatshrink on the legs has been added to give better grip on the hard cobbles of the medieval castle.

When laid out in the launch grid you can put any drone anywhere in t...

And even more backstage stuff

A look inside a P5 IP-rated LED wash light. A quick look at some of the TV crew filming the show and a stroll amongst performers backstage.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/1pAnru7k1LY

Another backstage view of the drones

This video shows the drones returning to base at the top of the castle after they have done their display at the end of each night's show.

It's interesting that the safety rules surrounding the drones are exactly the same as the ones for when a lot of pyrotechnics are being fired from the same area.

It's also worthy of note that the drones will not go up in strong winds, in the same way that the fireworks would often be limited too.

During the recent storm that caused a weat...

Pretty good LED night light with potential

I'm starting with a few easy videos while the current job settles in and I get a feel for the current recording area. This is the current version of a classic night light from Poundland.

It's also the easiest to hack with your own choice of LEDs.

https://youtu.be/Q1iy3W0isrg

Teardown of a pink eBay USB zapper

Another video made in the temporary accommodation, and the second part of the video was with some sound dampening. Basically a towel - cable tied to removable sticky hooks attached in front of the hard grey plastic panel behind the bench. Let me know if it has a detectable effect on the audio.

https://youtu.be/Ccsi0QyGjP8

More backstage stuff

Some more random snippets from backstage.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/-k82R1joj2M

Twitch live stream tonight

If things go to plan I'll be off work today and can do a livestream on Twitch at the usual time.

Best viewed on Twitch, and you may need to refresh the page to start the stream.

https://www.twitch.tv/bigclivedotcom

First video made at the work accommodation

Let's start with something simple - well I thought it would be simple - except I bought two and found out that they are very destructive to take apart and have different circuitry. Same function though.

Let me know what you think of the video/audio, noting that I'm restricted in what I can do for lighting and sound reflections due to it being a small student flat.

I'm still working long and awkward hours as we do lighting changes to the show and resolve technical issues in equipm...

One from the reserve

I made a few extra videos before starting work on this job so I could cover the period of time I'd be working such long hours that making videos was difficult.

Here's one of those videos.

The run of the show has started, which means I should hopefully have a bit more free time to make new videos in the provided accommodation. I've got everything I need to hold the camera in position and illuminate the working area.

I've also bought some items locally and got some shipments ...

Final rehearsals

The first preview show is later today. Time to have a shower and get to bed.

It seems like we add more and more (heavier) lights every year. Thankfully most (but not all) have been behaving themselves so far.

As last year, I'm going to be spending a lot of time on the esplanade during the show as we have several lighting cues during each show.

https://youtube.com/shorts/OMs14QXn22E

Rechargeable car interior light with touch sensor

One of the "reserve" videos that I recorded before travelling with work. I've got everything I need to set up a temporary recording area in my accommodation now.

Quite a useful little module for many applications, and with potential for a little bit of customisation with setting a balance between LED intensity and battery run-time between charges.

This unit was better than I was expecting.

https://youtu.be/-2g...

A longer backstage video

We're almost there. Just a few layers to add to the lighting and the usual tweaks and adjustments to the equipment.

This has been one of the heaviest years yet. The lighting has evolved dramatically over the last 20 years. Oddly, we've no LEP (Laser-Excited Phosphor) lighting fixtures this year. It's all "traditional" LED. I think the projectors use a LEP lightsource though.

Vince the crew chief was helping Ed melt the cheese on his chip-shop "rib" with a hot air gun.

T...

Wet backstage update

More footage from backstage at the show as we load it in in what has been very variable weather. From having to put on sunblock to getting drenched. Just a typical thing with this particular job.

https://youtube.com/shorts/d45jwhYAnJA

Neon testers with weird neon bulb

By far the most interesting thing about these test drivers is the unusual neon bulb they have used, which appears to be a modified fairy light.

I don't really recommend these neon testers for safety reasons. When working on electrical equipment a set of proper electrician's test lamps is the safest way to ensure a supply has been isolated, noting that when parting wires (especially neutral/return) a retest is a good idea.

2025-07-21 00:01:55 +0000 UTC View Post

Random Live Stream

An unexpected day off, so I'll be doing a 1 hour live stream tonight (in about 1 hour from posting this).

Best viewed on Twitch, and you may need to refresh the page to start the stream.

https://www.twitch.tv/bigclivedotcom

Another backstage snippet

Day four (usually day three!) of load in, with yet another large truck stuffed to the ceiling with heavy flight cases. Lots of lights, truss and power distribution equipment.

Long heavy day, and another one tomorrow as we position, connect and program the last of the lights. Then the job should get a lot easier.

This is by far the hardest part of a job like this. Even the load-out after the show run has completed is much easier than the load-in. My hands are sore, my back is s...

"Mosquito repelling" lights

No backstage footage today, purely because I was so immensely busy dragging cables under the stadium that I didn't even think of filming it.

https://youtu.be/o31waa8ZFic

Day two of load-in of the show

Nore lights and the first time we've used a forklift truck to unload the trucks. Mainly due to the ultra high temperatures in London meaning that the guys who loaded the truck were minimising physical lifting. They loaded the flight cases on with a forklift meaning we had to use the site forklift to unload the truck.

Backstage snippet

Just for Patreon supporters to help avoid the awkward gap while I can't actively record new videos due to long and heavy shifts at work.

This is behind the scenes of the load-in of the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo at Edinburgh castle.

https://youtube.com/shorts/qtnMTj7M5M4

I do still have some other pre-recorded video to release though. But right now it's bed time in readiness for an early sta...

Inside a fake SSD

This was bought by a friend (Kevin the lineman) as part of his first ever order from AliExpress.

We told him that at the price he paid it would be fake. It did turn out to be fake, so he gave it to me so we could explore it.

https://youtu.be/sukBSvOTDY0

A nice solar post top light with dedicated chip

This one had a slight fault that caught me out. I thought it was the switch, but it turned out to be the flexing of the PCB that was the issue.

Another gloved video, and interestingly I've just realised that I was also wearing a glove in videos from the same time last year. It appears the summer heat may be my trigger for angry eczema.

https://youtu.be/7zSp5enQWeI

Better solar beacon

One of a cluster of videos I made before travelling, to allow me to get settled into the work accommodation and to cover the long hours of loading in a show.

This is an interesting beacon for two main reasons. The control IC lets you set the mark-space ratio and timing of the LED pulses. It also has a strangely cost optimised solar panel.

https://youtu.be/uPQVFrY22cE

Carbonating Kahlua coffee liqueur

While these carbonation videos may seem a bit predictable, they are popular. They're also quite fun to make, with massively less work than the usual reverse engineering videos.

And then I get to drink the results...

https://youtu.be/omt5Qm0Mdsc

A fridge ozone unit with hacking potential

It's a while since I've dropped in an ozone video, so here's a fridge steriliser.

It's interesting to note that this unit has it's LED showing the mode all the time, which adds to the current draw on the slightly ungenerous lithium cell.

https://youtu.be/RzfKkHVvTTQ

Quirky, but useful vacuum sealing bags

Mainly a video on how the one way seal sticker works, and how it may need "primed" to get it to work in the first place.

I can imagine that people may have got frustrated with these and just binned them, when they are actually quite good for their intended purpose.

I ended up getting a USB rechargeable vacuum pump, but it's also quite slow in pulling the air out. Probably because of the way the plastic films flatten as the air is pulled through the textured area.

2025-07-06 23:50:50 +0000 UTC View Post

Digital clock build (no microcontroller)

It's odd to find a clock kit without a microcontroller these days. This one uses purely discrete logic chips, which results in a very serviceable kit. It looks good too.

https://youtu.be/0hwWnPxKU14

A very different approach to the chaos pendulum

If you were impressed by the WildWOOD pendulum then you may be perplexed by this later variant on an electronically controlled chaos pendulum.

The circuitry is ridiculously different. I also did a test afterwards where I put the reverse diode across the kicker coil to shunt the collapsing field, and it seemed to work OK.

I've been building a reserve of videos in the background to make life easier while I'm travelling with work. I'll release them gradually.

2025-07-03 06:19:19 +0000 UTC View Post

Vintage WildWOOD pendulum is true art

I've had this pendulum ornament for a very long time, but never realised just how unique its circuitry was. Now I've reverse engineered it in a video I appreciate it a lot more.

I doubt you could find one of these easily these days. Not even on eBay, as I don't think a large number were made.

https://youtu.be/4ziTU11DPIo

Four laser aura/diffraction unit

This thing has some of the most complex power supply circuitry I've seen in a laser unit. Four different voltage rails to regulate the current through the laser diodes.

It has a double layer wheel providing classic diffraction effects, but also the laser aura effect where the laser beams are passed through a distortion disk that spreads the beams in a complex morphing pattern.

https://youtu.be/6oQb7sW461o