This video seems appropriate to the current weather.
It's the remains of a Poundland USB charger that went pop when there was a nearby lightning strike.
2020-08-20 02:00:06 +0000 UTC View Post
Having prototyped on breadboard, I've hacked a socket into the solar flame light to test my own software in it.
So far a simple random shift register isn't cutting it. I think I'm going to have to overlay multiple random effects.
2020-08-19 20:39:42 +0000 UTC View PostIf you have a YouTube channel I'd strongly recommend you check the advert settings for recent videos in your video manager.
It appears that since 16th July my advert settings have defaulted to off, so when I was releasing a video for general viewing and enabling the adverts, the little green dollar sign was coming on, but behind the scenes nothing was happening.
It was only when I saw that a really popular video had earned just £18 (via YouTube red) that I realised something was ...
2020-08-19 20:36:59 +0000 UTC View PostSo far I've found out that many of the antibacterial fogging solutions are based on benzalkonium chloride as I suspected, but some are based on natural plant extracts like thymol. (Isopropyl Methylphenol)
Both are used in tiny sub 1% ratios in what is basically standard fog fluid based on water, propylene glycol, triethylene glycol and glycerol. With a touch of aroma and colour for marketing purposes and to mask the smell of the potent ingredients.
I suppose the creation ...
2020-08-19 07:24:25 +0000 UTC View Post
It's not quite a smoke machine, but it's clearly based on one.
I'm wondering if the huge size is just for show, as it's mostly air inside.
2020-08-18 06:13:45 +0000 UTC View Post
Not just fixing a colloidal silver generator, but also making a slightly zappy mains voltage one.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZAuX2WRLOVg
If you search for colloidal silver on Google it's a bit of a wormhole through the world of real science and quackery.
2020-08-17 21:49:51 +0000 UTC View Post
The HVAC Overtime channel are celebrating their 50th video tonight, so if everything goes to plan I'll be joining them.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MgenH-SmDK0
2020-08-14 16:46:21 +0000 UTC View Post
Wiring centres like this are incredibly useful for simplifying the wiring of control systems as they allow very fast wiring without needing to understand what each component does.
There's are pros and cons to that, but the end result is also much easier to diagnose and service as it replaces a mess of terminal block with neat rows of contacts.
2020-08-13 17:52:12 +0000 UTC View Post
Here's a link to the upcoming public Saturday stream.
2020-08-13 05:19:59 +0000 UTC View Post
I'm going to do a short notice Patreon stream this evening.
Let me know if you have any questions you'd like answered.
2020-08-13 05:06:18 +0000 UTC View Post
This unit is designed to monitor, log and sound an alarm if the ambient area exceeds a preset ozone level. I guess it's intended for monitoring in factories.
Neat enough, but very clearly cobbled together from a unit designed for different sensors.
2020-08-11 20:41:05 +0000 UTC View Post
When you're used to seeing the complex arrays of LEDs in other flame effect lamps, this comes as a refreshing change.
It shows how you can achieve a decent effect with a low pin count microcontroller. Or possibly even with no microcontroller at all.
2020-08-10 04:10:08 +0000 UTC View Post
That's the resistors in. I've just weighed 70g of LEDs out (it's easier to weigh them than count them.)
Music's on:- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ep4-fFfEahE
LEDs are going in. (Blue.)
I think this is the first time I've depotted one of the little waterproof drivers. The potting material was surprisingly crumbly and easy to remove.
This light features the usual mystery-earth, but with an added twist.
2020-08-06 17:39:06 +0000 UTC View Post
Here's the link for Saturday's stream:-
If you have any questions you want answered during the stream, post them here and I'll choose some as it happens.
2020-08-05 19:54:20 +0000 UTC View Post
I recorded this well into the night due to sleep irregularities, so it may come across as a bit "detached".
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4DaAJjMR1Mg
The PCB files are here:-
http://www.bigclive.com/freebies.htm
I've only just made the new files, so they haven't been tested. Feel free to check them out, as...
2020-08-05 16:27:56 +0000 UTC View PostI'm guessing you may have seen the current hysteria about Patreon being sued by the fans of people they removed from their platform.
The implication is that "Patreon is going down" but in reality I think that's just hysteria whipped up by the people instigating the action.
I've no desire to start jumping from platform to platform, so I'm going to observe the situation and filter the facts from the propaganda. If the worst comes to the worst we may end up having to move to a ...
2020-08-03 12:48:23 +0000 UTC View Post
It's a novel project, but there is an indication that some people may have an anaphylactic reaction to sodium fluorescein.
It's commonly injected into people's blood as a tracer dye to make veins at the back of the eye more visible, and that seems to be where the main hazard is. But there's also a suggestion that ingesting it or making contact with it can also cause issues.
<... 2020-08-03 00:58:35 +0000 UTC View Post
Tonight's evening meal involved zapped hot dogs.
(There was also an ill-advised live hot dog zapping on the live stream.)
2020-08-02 03:06:31 +0000 UTC View PostI've just added the zip files for getting PCBs made online for the USB/PIR/LED project and also the disco light Splooshmeister mod.
http://www.bigclive.com/freebies.htm
2020-08-01 15:44:51 +0000 UTC View PostHave you guys got any questions for tonight's live stream?
Technical or other - ask me anything.
If the video looks a bit strange it's because the inclusion of a ridiculously short time lapse section (just three seconds) may have hobbled the whole video by causing it to be pre-compressed before YouTube finished the job.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jgaCYRc1-og
I might upload a version without that 3 seconds timelapse (it was way too fast), just to see how it affects image quality.
2020-07-31 17:17:05 +0000 UTC View Post
I'm dragging my heels this week. Here's the link to Saturday's stream:-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Le9gWjBack
The cheese puffs may not last that long.
2020-07-30 21:17:23 +0000 UTC View Post
I wish all videos were this easy to make.
Nice functional design, even if it is a bit frivolous. And they cost less than $5 shipped in your choice of LED colour. (Search link in the YouTube video description.)
2020-07-30 02:27:42 +0000 UTC View Post
A look at two ways of diffusing aroma chemicals into the air.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lw8XwkQDv1Y
If you work with these things the novelty soon wears off.
2020-07-27 00:24:10 +0000 UTC View Post
While fun, the Presto hotdogger is a bit too safe. So here's the unsafe- but more visual way to zap a sausage roll.
Note that the exposed forks are a lot more dangerous, and an RCD or GFCI will NOT protect you if you grab both at once while live, as they will only detect current flow to ground.
I think the forks of death may be making further appearances.
2020-07-26 19:06:10 +0000 UTC View Post
I'd like to thank Ben for creating the original logo, Dave for creating variants and Charles for converting them into embroidery files.
Here's the "merchandise" page where you get it made locally yourself:-
http://www.bigclive.com/merch.htm
2020-07-25 00:58:46 +0000 UTC View PostI was just updating www.bigclive.com with a new page for the merchandise logos.
The idea is that you can choose a logo, save the image and then get an item made with it.
Strange glitch though. I edited the merchandise page on a Windows laptop and it rendered perfectly in Chrome. But when uploaded to my website space it shows the first image (the bare channel logo bcdc.png) but then when it's supposed to display the second wider image with text (bcdc1.png) it displays t...
2020-07-24 04:00:08 +0000 UTC View Post
This is the full length video with frustrating case opening that ended up needing a Dremel.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dakm4ra8Xv0
The short version of this video is a good demonstration of how much easier it is to make a video after the original live one has been made.
2020-07-23 04:19:29 +0000 UTC View Post
Here's the link the upcoming Saturday stream.
2020-07-23 01:02:26 +0000 UTC View Post