bigclive

Olight magnetic battery charger.

This is quite a neat charger.   Very compact.

Super-narrow beam head torch.

I'm not sure the intended applicqqtion for this.  The beam is so well focussed that it just lights a small area where you are looking.  Nice reflector and LED mount though.  The unti contains an 18650 lithium cell and comes with a charger that will happily charge it up to about 4.5V which isn't ideal for cell longevity and stability.

Cheap Nitecore clone testing and teardown.

I thought this one was suspiciously cheap to be the real thing.  It's visually a good copy, but has different software and a cleaner, but less able PCB design.  The main feature that is missing could have been implemented with either a diode and resistor or just a single resistor plus a software modification.  (the emergency light function).

Back to reality with LEDs.

Something a bit more down to earth after the recent pink pounder video.

This is quite a nice light.  Simple and functional.

Uh-oh. It's all gone slightly weird again.

Once again a slightly dubious items has arrived through the post, and it's probably no coincidence that it comes shortly after an AvE video on a similar item.

I'd like to stress that this isn't turning into a sex-toy technology channel.  But they're certainly not excluded from the wide range of things I'll take to bits for our amusement.

Not an easy thing to repair.

This relay box is clearly designed as a disposable item.  Which is annoying, as some of the relays in it are very flimsy looking.  But there are ways round that.  One "fix" would be to Dremel the whole thing apart and then bag it up for moisture protection.

Another cloned Hakko tip temperature tester.

Hmm, this one goes a bit further with fake features to "fill the button positions" of the unit it's based on.

Will it blend?

A USB powered (OK, a USB rechargeable) blender for when you need a smoothie in non-culinary environments.

Bit of a rough start, but it came out well in the end.

Fake dehumidifier.

Another video filmed on the road while on a brief trip to Glasgow.

The thing that annoys me the most about this device is the false marketing that implies it is a room dehumidifier.  That means that people suffering from genuine dampness related health problems might buy it thinking it's a proper dehumidifier and then dismiss real dehumidifiers as a result.  Very tacky marketing.

Pink fish-killing LED thing.

Yeah, seriously.  It's pink, it lights up and it may kill all your fish ar at least make them swim around at 50/60Hz with a loud buzzing noise.

My favourite bit of this is that the power supply pretends to be a 12V 500mA one and then bangs out 40V referenced directly to the mains.

Very early set of full colour LED Xmas lights.

One of the joys of being able to make and modify stuff is that you can have things that don't even exist commercially yet.  That was the case with these modified LED strings.

I'm travelling at the moment, so the location will look and sound a bit different.

Fibre optic flowers.

This is a simple but refreshing update on an old effect.  Much simpler than I expected.

This video was filmed in a different location from normal, so it will look and sound a bit different.

PSU autopsy.

A quick look at a slightly shady PSU that was behaving intermittently.

Biggest video yet?

A full guide to assembling one of the large digital clock kits widely sold by Chinese eBay sellers.  It's a nice kit to build, but like many of these kits it tries to be too clever and has so many functions that setting it via two buttons can be tricky, even with the instructions.

This video is using a new microphone that is pretty much where the original iPad one was.  It should sound similar, albeit a bit boomier, as the iPad did a good job of removing the bass from my voice.  ...

Hideously flickery (but otherwise nice) LED tape.

I managed to lose the focus in the middle of this video briefly.  I think I might make a target card for the camera to lock onto.

This video is also using my currently poreferred audio arrangement, which still sounds a little boomy, because my voice is quite bassy and the iPad must have been filtering that out a bit.

Comments on the video welcome.

More audio tests and an LED beacon.

I'm not giving up on the Moto G4 yet, although there's something a bit squirmy about the higher detail.  Almost too much detail in a way.  Even I don't normally see my work-ravaged hands that close.

This audio set-up is using the external microphone mounted on the front of the skip of a baseball cap.  Not an ideal solution, but it's better.  How does it sound compared to my older iPad videos?

I like this little beacon.  I've included a search link for ebay in the...

Another audio test and hack on the cloud light.

This time the audio is from the built in microphone which is unfortunately pointing straight down towards the bench and gets swamped by loud noises.  If this style of audio is preferred then I may experiment with a little divertor to try and shield loud noises from the microphone.

Lighting is different too, to reduce the variation in intensity with height, which tended to cause swamping issues before.

Let me know what you think of the video quality.  The software (cinema FV-5) ...

The slightly unfulfilling Banggood strip light.

Slight intensity yo-yo at the beginning.  I'm working on that.

Chunky little USB light on aluminium channel.

Another Patreon preview, and another test of the new filming setup.

I like this little light.  I wonder if it was created as a way to use up offcuts of a standard aluminiumextrusion.  Either way it has a novel and versatile connector and the heatsinking of the LED means they are run well within their design parameters.  It should hopefully last a long time.

Thoughts on the use of the Moto G4 for filming are welcomed.  I'm still not quite convinced about the audio, sin...

New video. First with new camera.

I think it's time to retire the iPad and bump the quality up.  So here's the first video in 1080p with manually controlled focus hunt to avoid nuisance fucussing.  Sadly the built in microphone faces down onto the bench, so it's not as good as the ipad was for voice, but on the other hand I can use a head mounted microphone for consistent volume.  I may need to find a way to boost the volume though.  Maybe a different microphone system.

Last of "this" type of video for a while...

Another Patreon preview of the followup to one of my less savoury videos.  This time with an oscilloscope (Owon) analysis of the output of "that" unit revelaing that it really is just a rebadged TENS unit, and therefore optimised for nerve stimulation (pain) and not  muscle contraction.

It's actually quite amusing thinking of the number of people who have probably bought these on eBay expecting to have sexy fun, but instead getting their naughty bits effectively tasered in...

100,000mAh power bank?

Another sneak preview.  And as you can probably guess the power bank is not actually rated at a capacity of 100,000mAh.

Patreon preview. Poundland's latest USB charger.

Yet another video.  Perhaps of more interest to those in the UK where the Poundland chain is based.  This is a staggeringly good power supply for just a pound.  There must be a catch.

Patreon preview. Edible fairy lights.

I like this project.  Super simple and very nice to eat too.

Patreon preview. Inside an old light meter.

A look inside a "vintage" light meter with a very simple circuit.

Super-dodgy device from China.

I haven't a clue who actually sent this to me.  It was ordered from a typical chinese supplier and shipped to my address.  Not sure if it's off eBay, Aliexpress or some other supplier.

It's clearly got sexual intentions for both genders and is based on a medical device of equal dubiousness.  I think this is just a continuation of the tradition of presenting sex toys as medical devices.

This is also a perfect opportunity to test the channel audience for their level of moral...

More dodgy USB power supplies.

I think this may be the first time I've found one of the little transformers in these supplies with the windings straight on the top of each other.  So the only thing between you and the mains is the lacquer on two tightly wrapped bits of thin copper wire.

I clearly have to take more of the transformers  in these things to bits.

Neon flicker flame lamp.

Another sneak preview before the video gets released.

Next video. For general release on Sunday.

Another preiew video for your delectation.

Sneak preview?

Does it spoil it for you guys if I post occasional sneak previews of video's here before releasing them for open viewing on YouTube?