bigclive

Well engineered German light.

For such a simple light the circuitry inside is quite complex, but well designed and thought out with regards to the component ratings and possibility of failing LEDs.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pq6fbHX-jCQ

I only managed to fluff up trying to describe power factor in simple terms, but that's easy to do.

I also meant to say that the Scots have similar candy tastes to the Germans, but somehow sa...

Slight recording issue...

I cracked the screen of the phone I use to record videos a while ago (with explosives), but recently managed to finish the job.  I've fitted a new screen, but unfortunately it seems to be inducing electrical noise on the video.  So I'll be switching to my emergency backup phone for recording.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ix-BtNXYxZg

This video is a fault finding mission on a faulty rechargeab...

Very long Q&A storytime.

Whoa!  This is a long video.  Time flies when I'm making things and chatting.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_0Tju5M-8yU

You may wish to get a drink and some cookies for this video, it goes on for a LONG time.

It took two attempts to upload it on a lacklustre Isle of Man 4G connection, with the first managing 10 hours before failing and the second go taking 7 hours.

Super shady UVC lamp.

This is one of those things that is so completely dodgy that it makes it desirable.  If you want a compact fluorescent lamp (220V) that will expose the whole room it's used in to dangerous levels of UVC light then this might be for you.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1m0TQjBRcFo

It's from China (where else) and the magic keywords are E27 and germicidal.  Note that I haven't come across 110/120V...

Another piezo air pump.

Having near enough destroyed the previous pump I decided to get another for experiments with copper chloride etchant regeneration.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ydoKydWKjK8

This pump has very slightly different circuitry that casts some light on the first ones resistor weirdness.

Something very different.

When I was a 10 year old kid in primary school I was daydreaming as usual and suddenly realised that the universe was infinite.  It's not a terribly useful thing to know when you're stuck on the planet Earth, but it certainly stretches your mind since it's quite hard to fully comprehend at first.  It seems to defy human physics as the infinite nature of the universe continuing forever without an end doesn't seem "logical".  But once you get past that initial feeling of smallness a...

Emulating pyro misfiring.

Part of the reason I have a second bench for filming is to allow more explosive incidents.  The main bench has too much flammable stuff in the same room to be safe for deliberate pyrotechnic stunts.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YPxrc7PPgfw

So here's the first pyro video at the new bench.  A test of series wired electric matches to see if I can cause a series circuit misfire.

Polish Xmas lights from Michal.

Michal has sent another selection of items from Poland, so here's the first.  A set of simple mains powered LED fairy lights.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PulkOR_c11I

Another silicone sealing test.

This is a short video showing the results of another experiment with using silicone as a clear sealing layer on garden solar lights.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wmEyu-JAsnM

I'm not sure how the silicone will hold up to direct sunlight but there's one way to find out.

I also experimented with using a blob of silicone sealant pressed between two layers of polythene and it produces an interesting f...

Nice light. Shame about the video.

This is a very stylish and functional LED street light.  It's made by a company called Holophane which is a veteran of the lighting industry.

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

I filmed this at a new bench setup which isn't quite perfect yet.  I was also using Chromecast and a monitor to keep an eye on where I was in frame, and something has glitched.  I'm not sure if the phone was...

Profanity alert. (preserved eggs)

Yeah, not the nicest thing to eat.  This video does contain the F word several times and also a sudden and unexpected description of a lewd sexual act.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nhz0DpPfhdQ

A motorised fly trap!

This is an interesting but very simple design for a fly trap that uses an intriguing rotating comb device to enclose and then usher flies into a central collection area.

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

The current draw is very low, so this device could run on a USB power bank.  I'm guessing it may be quite easy to gum up, particularly if a fly doesn't get the message.

Solar panel sealing experiment.

This is a test of whether it's viable to apply a skim of silicone sealant over the front of a solar panel, and how it affects the efficiency.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m3AtN9qBJVE

It's also a test of whether a large COB LED array can be used as a large area ring-light arrangement for above the bench.  It's not going to suit all types of video, but your thoughts are welcome.

An even BIGGER LED array (600).

Well this COB array of 600 LEDs is now the biggest I've seen to date.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ars0N8-jFzU

Needless to say I tested it and shorted out an individual LED to see how it was wired (differently to the last one) and then drilled a hole in the middle too.

Inside a large ozone generator.

This is a new version of the very short video I made about this unit a long time ago.   This one has a better filming location,m more information and much better audio.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K816PVC3nho

Spoof lamp repair video.

Do you guys think I should I just release this right now?

Spoof video alert.

It's a while since I've done a spoof video.  This one should get all the flaggers hyped up and angry.  I can barely wait to read the comments to see who takes it seriously.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k1IjOi9cBsE

Save the planet by repairing the LEDs.

This looks like a solid and flawless repair to me!

In these times of economic crisis we really need to care for the planet by repairing everything including LED lamps.

(Spoof video coming very soon.)

Tiny piezoelectric air pump.

I have to admit that I thought this might be a clone based on an original piezoelectric design, but using a standard magnetic mover.  But it's not.  And the simplicity of the operation is incredible.

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

Random short video.

This is a random experiment I did today.  Just adding a solar panel with 5V output to the existing USB crystal lamp.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xdxlff4mGZE

The solar panel was inspired by Julian Ilett.  It does put out the best part of an amp in decent sunlight.

Another alternative heat source might be a simple aluminium panel painted matt black and with its back insulated so all the ...

Autopsy on a faulty night light.

I like doing autopsies on things that have failed.  It's always interesting to see what failed, what caused the failure, how it can be fixed and improved.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5DT8g4Ry6ZY

While this video was uploading I replaced the capacitor with a 100nF one and a new 1 Megohm discharge resistor.  I chopped the resistor feeding the sensor and also removed the individual indicator LE...

The extra-safe USB crystal lamp.

Yeah, I've been putting few of these up recently, but this is the safest version running from a USB power supply at around 750mA.  I've also put up the file for download so you can use the PCB file viewing software linked to, to print off your own.

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

This is another full length video showing the complete construction process, and also has an inappropriate int...

Wound sucking machine.

It's machine.  That sucks your wounds.

I guess the purpose of this device is to keep a slight external pressure on a wound to create a slight outward flow of "stuff" and therefore prevent the ingress of bacteria that might cause an infection.

It seems quite wasteful that it's disposable, but I suppose it's all about prevention of cross infection, particularly if the unit draws through sticky secretions.

I'm going to have to remember to put the YouTube link down here from now o...

Inside a cable stripping machine.

I got this a long time ago to try and save my fingers from excessive abrasion from stripping and twisting thousands of wires.  It's firmly in the category of proper factory equipment and cost quite a lot at the time.  But it was fully justified in the time and finger-wear it saved.

I'm also going to be doing another questions and answers video, so if you have any questions you want answered you can leave them in the YouTube comments section for this video so I can sift through them.<...

Dodgy temperature controller.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=78zYtjTm2yY

It walks the walk, but it doesn't talk the talk.

Do you think I gave this a fair test?

Wafer thin USB powerbank.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mGs9dLepJWY

This has to be one of the squirmiest power banks I've opened.  They'd done an "apple" and glued it shut with the battery being thet bit that had the glue on it.

Not an inspiring performance, possibly due to the choice of control chip.

Diamond lamp LED remix.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PtqE2iiwlBQ

A very compact version of the "Gillian's diamonds" lamp that uses a small PCB with a heater resistor physically glued to the base of the bottle with silicone for good thermal coupling, and a circle of LEDs powered via the heater resistor.  Long video, so feel free to skip over the bits you are already familiar with.

Ambient crystals.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_pJ2SebSpc

I'm working on something.  A crystal lamp with no tungsten heat source and integrated LED illumination for cool low power operation.

So far it's looking good.  (The music is an ambient 800% time-slowed track.)

Autopsy of a failed circuit breaker.

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

Another circuit breaker autopsy, but this one failed safely.

It was sent for our teardown pleasure by Thomas Nagy who has a channel on YouTube following his daily life as a London electrician.  (Link in the video description)

Audio issues?

Is anyone experiencing audio issues on my videos?  I've had a lot of comments saying that they are only getting audio out one speaker or none at all.

I think this may be due to YouTube encoding with surround sound and something is misinterpreting my bassy voice as a bass channel.