It's a while since I've tried an MRE (Military style meal pack). This one was generously sent by Michal along with several other technical items that I've still to take apart.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l1fLls5suL4
It's basically a pack of sausage and sauerkraut with a chemical heater.
2019-09-16 03:40:02 +0000 UTC View Post
I was given a few LED retrofit SOX lamps at the recent Glasgow meet.
This one was faulty, so in this video I fix it.
2019-09-15 04:04:51 +0000 UTC View Post
This light has so many issues that it's possibly a fire liability. It has no charge control for the lithium cell at all.
There are also some very odd but interesting design flaws that could have been fixed with a simple resistor.
2019-09-13 12:32:53 +0000 UTC View Post
I took your advice and re-recorded the video again with a different approach and getting straight to the point at the beginning.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4SX9yYVscEo
This was actually the fourth version I had recorded as I was trying to get it right.
Now back to electronic stuff.
2019-09-11 23:17:38 +0000 UTC View Post
Most of you will be aware of the current media frenzy surrounding a sudden surge of lung issues and deaths caused by "vaping".
These all seem to be related to the use of a cannabis product where the oil/wax/resin based extract has been mixed with a solvent to allow it to be inhaled.
It has nothing whatsoever to do with traditional vaping as is being implied by some of the less intelligent media outlets.
This video is to address this issue and try to stop people switching bac...
2019-09-11 05:17:26 +0000 UTC View Post
Back at my usual bench with the reincarnation of one of my favourite hacking lamps of all time. Now branded PIfco and with a slight penny pinching annoyance. No problem to us though.
In the video I modify a lamp with a simple resistive dropper well suited to the generous array of six-chip LEDs to make a lamp that you can leave on 24/7 without worrying about the electricity...
2019-09-11 01:02:32 +0000 UTC View Post
This is a spontaneous video made from random snippets of video I recorded at work.
The job was so busy this year that I didn't really get time to make more backstage footage other than the recent one done on the fly on the last day. I'll try harder next year.
2019-09-08 01:50:58 +0000 UTC View Post
If everything goes to plan... If in doubt about the time, just ask google what the time is in the UK.
2019-09-04 13:54:21 +0000 UTC View Post
Not my usual style of video, but I've been pondering making this one for a very long time. The final nudge was finding that some neighbours here may have early onset Alzheimer's.
If you're nursing someone with Alzheimer's then you may be able to relate to a lot of this.
If a relative is developing signs of Alzheimer's then this could make your life a lot easier in the futu...
2019-09-03 03:22:33 +0000 UTC View Post
This is supposed to be a pink heart, but in the shop the demo unit looked like a set of balls lying on the counter.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b9NsbOCUsUQ
Obviously I had to buy one and take it to bits.
2019-09-02 01:19:24 +0000 UTC View Post
This vintage trackball is just like modern trackballs....
Except you really have to push that big heavy ball about.
2019-08-31 01:45:48 +0000 UTC View Post
I made a few short videos to try and reduce the amount of stuff I was carrying back as luggage. These lights are now on their way directly to the Isle of Man along with lots of other technical treasures. I still had to bring back lots of technical stuff though, along with my tool bag.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_X-zrEAW3qU
It's a pretty standard unit, but the amorphous solar panel ...
2019-08-29 23:06:18 +0000 UTC View Post
Quite short notice, mainly because I wasn't sure what I was going to be doing for this week. We usually meet in the corner of the Counting House bar on the corner of George Square in the room diagonally opposite from Greggs the baker.
We'll meet up at 3pm on Sunday the 1st September.
I'll also be in Delmonicas from about 5pm on Friday 30th Aug if you want to join me for a cider. (It's a gay bar!)
2019-08-29 04:59:58 +0000 UTC View Post
The inclusion of audio from the track "The show must go on" caused a copyright issue, so here's the version that will be released to YouTube. I'll also put up the musical section as a separate video. It appears the copyright algorithm can detect a really extreme cover.
The sword I'm holding in this picture is our Knights of Illumination award that Gerry won for his lighting design on the show. It's like a lighting industry Oscar.
2019-08-28 11:40:50 +0000 UTC View Post
I'm sure I've looked at one of these before, but it's worth checking if the design has changed.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vvXZM6kg_gI
This is one of three gloved videos made at the work-accommodation. As I type this I'm back in Glasgow and my hands are a lot better.
2019-08-28 03:59:59 +0000 UTC View Post
This year has shot by and I've not recorded any backstage videos at all. Since it was the last day of the show tonight I tried to capture a typical show for the lighting crew behind the scenes. It misses out our pre-show lighting tests and installation of equipment in public areas, and cuts straight to our first cue on the show, which is handing out programmable light sticks to 35 of the highland dancers.
2019-08-25 02:58:20 +0000 UTC View Post
Just call me the "The Gloved Destroyer" since I'll be wearing gloves for a few videos to shield the squeamish from my heat induced skin issue. (It's already healing up.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JbMwZ0Zlcck
This is a fairly neat little unit from a retailer called Lidl that uses various names around the world. It's notable for the generous solar panel, albeit that it isn't the mor...
2019-08-24 00:05:05 +0000 UTC View Post
If you've noticed that I've not posted a video for a few days it's because I've been having an allergy problem with my hands that makes them look a bit rough.
This video is about an Aldi solar wall light with lithium cell and PIR sensor.
It has a very simple circuit board that suggests the PIR modulation may be being detected by software via an analogue input on a microcontrolle...
2019-08-22 04:50:43 +0000 UTC View PostThe Edinburgh meet was a huge success once again. Lots of people there and it went on from 3pm to after 11pm. (My voice is hoarse!)
Lots of technical chat, and the highlight of the night was probably technically inclined adults trying to pair a Hanazuki interactive kids toy with its app - without much success. I may have to RTFM which is unfortunate as it is divided into tiny sections repeated in many languages.
The toy came from Poundland at far below its normal...
2019-08-19 04:15:34 +0000 UTC View Post
We recorded this about four years ago. Unfortunately I had to take it down from public view because it caught the attention of a media site who dramatised the incident by implying that I was dancing on the edge of a sheer drop with no safety harness.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AuU5rM0dVow
In reality I am wearing a restraint harness attached to the scaffold behind me.
The dance was ...
2019-08-19 03:58:11 +0000 UTC View Post
This lamp has failed in a rather pleasing melty way.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EILh7oZMGbM
It was put into a fitting rated for a higher power lamp, and as it relies on the existing ballast to limit the current, it caused the lamp to overheat with the higher current than it was designed for.
2019-08-16 01:19:40 +0000 UTC View Post
I may re-record this video (again) since I was struggling to get enough time to make it properly. It may sound a bit rushed as I was having to head to work right after recording it.
It's a glimpse at how the humble solar flapper/rocker ornaments are derived from vintage electronic timekeeping technology.
2019-08-15 03:23:34 +0000 UTC View Post
We'll be meeting the same place as the last couple of years. A rather pleasing Wetherspoons pub based in an old cinema building. Food and alcoholic/non-alcoholic drink available at the bar all day.
This event is during Edinburgh's Fringe Festival, so be aware that accommodation will be scarce and expensive if you travel from afar.
As always, check here first before heading in, in case anything changes.
2019-08-11 23:42:24 +0000 UTC View Post
A really cheap £2 bubble machine from Poundland that works very well.
The really neat thing about the very standard fan/wand rotator module in this unit is that it has the motor contacts exposed so the unit can be screwed into a case and then the wiring soldered directly to the contacts.
2019-08-10 00:47:51 +0000 UTC View Post
This was a gift from Vince the crew chief. He travels around the world with work and found this odd fan and work light in Singapore.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4mvMScvexjc
It turns out to be pretty common on eBay if you search for rechargeable fan LED work light.
2019-08-09 03:39:27 +0000 UTC View Post
This light is sold by Argos in the UK, but is also available online from other sources.
Argos is discontinuing it and selling them off very cheaply, so try and grab one now if you want it.
It's worth buying just for the pebbled lens.
2019-08-06 00:47:12 +0000 UTC View Post
I'll have more time to make proper videos now, since the show (The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo) is now running. After the initial load-in of all the lighting equipment - we have to weed out the lights that came directly from other shows with pre-existing faults, some of which only show up under working conditions. (Mainly heat.)
Once we are familiar with the show sequence and our cues within that sequence, it all becomes a lot easier and we settle into our usual skewed w...
2019-08-04 04:05:32 +0000 UTC View Post
Inside a cheap computer mouse.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NwfZBRTqXFY
If this video sounds a bit more formal than usual it's because I'm in show-mode at the moment. I'll calm down once we're a few shows into the current run.
2019-08-02 03:51:41 +0000 UTC View Post
Aldi is a chain of weird stores in the UK which features European food and technical stuff. They often stock interesting technical products like this light.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bv0kdFyYEAU
Needless to say I bought one so we could take it to bits.
We had a slight incident with this light before making the video, so it has slightly less glass than when it was bought.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T7ESvCd79TE
Still a worthy thing to take apart though, and the base has now been repurposed to support a small solar lantern in the window area of the crew kitchen.
2019-07-29 00:04:55 +0000 UTC View Post