I’ve been playing with some very cheap, but quite good power meters made by Eastron for a few years now, in particular their compact (single-DIN) single phase Modbus meters. They are great for cheap (non-commercial) energy monitoring applications. The SDM120M variant has Modbus over RS-485 support for convenient data acquisition and integration. These aren’t the […]
Murphy’s Technology Laws! I found on an old hard drive circa 2011 🙂 You can never tell which way the train went by looking at the track. Logic is a systematic method of coming to the wrong conclusion with confidence. Technology is dominated by those who manage what they do not understand. If builders built […]
In this video we take a detailed look at the SCA 300W Power Inverter and review its performance in detail! I explain what a modified sine wave inverter is and how it’s different from a pure sine wave inverter, and it best applications in the field. * This product was provided to us by Supercheap […]
In this video I build an electronic clock kit! I attempt to do it with a cheap USB soldering iron, but don’t last long before switching back to the Hakko. I also offer a few soldering tips and useful tools and gear. It’s a decent little clock with animated LEDs, time, date, temperature, and light […]
I was unable to find the user manual for the PROVA 23 Power Harmonics and Leakage Tester anywhere online, so I’ve scanned it in and made it available as a PDF here:
In this video I review and teardown a compact and very bright video and photography light. I have an upcoming video that shows colour temperature and brightness measurements and my overhead lighting configuration. *This is an unpaid, non-sponsored review* Further information eBay product page Workbench shelving video I reference (YouTube)
In this video I review an automatic car battery charger and measure how affective it’s 7 stage charge cycle is but monitoring it’s voltage and current. *This is an unpaid, non-sponsored review* Here’s another video where I do a quick teardown of the charger to see how it’s built and the quality of its components. […]
In this video we look at the Facit NTK Mechanical Calculator from 1957! In this video we answer some questions from the last Facit NTK Mechanical Calculator video. I explain how the decimal place markers work and what happens when you divide by zero! Further information John Wolff’s excellent website User manual (PDF) I refer […]
In this video we look at a dirt cheap wireless energy meter that is surprisingly accurate. We put it through its paces before tearing it down to see how it works. Further information Altronics product page Atmel AT24C02 datasheet (PDF) Cirrus Logic CS5460 datasheet (PDF)
I recently received my TreadGaming treadmill video game controller and noticed a lack of basic information about setting it up, how to use it, suitable games, and user opinions. I’m hoping to fill that void, starting with this introduction to the TreadGaming project. Once I’m all up and running I’ll post an update with my […]