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bigclive

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bigclive activity

Panasonic Nanoe unit teardown

This is Panasonic's version of the Sharp Plasmacluster style air purifying unit. Every big Japanese manufacturer has their own version of these units, with very wild marketing claims.

When it comes to the crunch they are all based on the early units made by Alexander Chizhevsky (1918) and ...

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The cutest little "street light"

I wonder how long one of these would actually last if mounted on a real lamp post. It puts out a useable level of light at very low power, but has no smoothing, meaning it is best suited to outdoor areas or places you're not actively working on stuff.

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Fray Bentos pie - the remix

I wonder if my very popular previous pie review video, where I found they had removed most of the meat and made a gravy-pie, actually had the effect of them reviewing the ingredients.

It's actually a lot better now. Much closer to the pies I remember from my youth.

2024-07-03 18:06:38 +0000 UTC View Post

When videos go wrong!

Just about everything went wrong in this video, and because I like to include the mistakes, they're all here for you to see.

I wonder how long the video would have been if it had worked first time.

https://youtu.be/aPDSe...

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Weekend stream on Twitch

The weekend stream will be at the usual place.

https://www.twitch.tv/bigclivedotcom

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Self indicating fuses

A look at some common self indicating vehicle fuses that light up to indicate their position and blown state.

Quite useful for situations where a circuit is prone to be overloaded or has a rogue intermittent fault.

https...

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Switch close-up

This is the closest I could zoom in on the switch contacts with extra lenses and lighting.

It shows the smudging and tracking I'd associate with tin whisker growth, but without a lab grade microscope I can't determine if there are physical micrometre whiskers.

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Tin whiskers?

The only thing I can think of for this fault is the issue with tin whiskers growing between switch contacts, especially in miniature tactile switches.

I'll upload a close-up of the inside of the switch.

https://youtu.be/...

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Supermarket bulb dooby

Although Tesco is a huge UK supermarket chain, it's almost certain that other similar chains will use bulbs from the same source.

This one was notable for being lower power, and having slightly different construction from the usual bulbs of this style. The PCB is not glued in with silicone...

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Weekend live stream is on Twitch

I've set latency to standard and also enabled video on demand, so the streams should be visible afterwards for at least a week.

Since I'll be stopping the streams while working on an upcoming job due to long working hours, I'll be making the next few streams public. I may have to use hidde...

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Next in your deluge of videos....

Here's a good one. I finally collated the results of a long term desiccant test. The result were pretty interesting, and suggest that there are some cheap and readily available materials that are useful for moisture control inside enclosures.

2024-06-21 16:13:23 +0000 UTC View Post

And we're back again

Now that my ban from uploading to YouTube has passed I can add new content again. Not that I'm feeling particularly enthusiastic for YouTube right now, given the unjustified nature of the last two strikes. (A safety video intended to save lives and a harmless short.)

Let's start with the ...

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Have a picture

Since I still can't upload content to the channel, you'll have to explore this image instead. It's the control PCB from a generic Chinese 3-cell 12V tool battery. Note the red wire link and the (deliberate) solder bridge across two pins of the control chip. Can you guess why?

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Future live streams should be viewable afterwards

Because Twitch is an "in the moment" live streaming platform, I've found out that I have to specifically enable post-stream viewability. The videos should then remain viewable for a week.

My apologies to those who didn't see the stream live. That should be fixed for future streams, and I'...

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Weekend stream link is different

Because I can't risk streaming on YouTube because the main channel is currently under strike limitations, I'm going to have to try something different. So I'm going to give Twitch a go.

Keep in mind I'm a twitch noob, so things may not go to plan. I'm also going to be using my phone to st...

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The video that got me a strike

It's archived on Odysee.

Meanwhile, it's almost like a holiday. Comments on my channel have come to a near standstill and there's no pressure to keep up my usual upload schedule.

I'll still be making videos though.

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The chainsaw teardown

I'm currently blocked from uploading and releasing content on the main channel, so I'll release this pre-made content on the livestream channel and then take a break until YouTube relaxes a bit.

That may also affect whether I can do a Patreon livestream this weekend, as the channels are con...

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Another strike

I just got another strike on the channel and a recently released video taken down. It was an 18 second short in which I lit the end of my beard with a lighter.

They reckon it was "Content that promotes harmful or dangerous activities that risk serious physical harm or death."

Perhap...

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eBay cordless tool charger teardown

Here's the charger that matches the battery pack supplied with many unbranded eBay tools.

It's functional, but the circuitry leaves a lot to be desired.

https://youtu.be/HfMuCsfOfSU

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New Chinese power tool battery circuitry

Quite an interesting bit of circuitry in this battery that came with a new style of cordless handheld chainsaw. The chip seems dedicated to this style of pack and its charging system. The most basic schematic is breathtakingly minimalist.

2024-06-11 04:54:14 +0000 UTC View Post

Not a video (yet). Poor battery pack clearance

I showed a couple of power tools on the live stream. A different cordless handheld chainsaw, and a cordless air blower. Although all the batteries look the same, the chainsaw one has a much simpler chip, but keeps circuitry associated with classic BMS chips.

It also has a slightly freaky ...

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Weekend stream link

Here's the link to the weekend stream:-

https://www.youtube.com/live/uyUFnwRe_M8

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Testing an African lightning surge arrestor

An unusual item sent by Frankhe for our entertainment.

In this video I do high voltage tests on the device and then open it to see what's inside.

https://youtu.be/RheILQzoV1k

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Random (but interesting) plumbing component

I like to throw a random plumbing device into the mix from time to time, and this is the Sioux Chief - American made water hammer arrestor.

Not quite what I was expecting inside.

https://youtu.be/Rb4io3xkDYs

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Totally dead lithium batteries

My fault entirely, for getting these with a tool and then losing them for a few years.

When cells are self-discharging it indicates that there has been an issue with the electrical separator inside them.

The charge circuitry is a bit weird. They've used a control chip designed for a ...

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Full DIY ioniser project

I've not finished editing the description of this video yet, but I've put the (optional) scripts into the description of you want to have a play with them.

Quite a good result, and a nice scientific toy for electrostatic experiments.

2024-06-03 17:25:03 +0000 UTC View Post

Voice controlled light (no network required)

As demonstrated on the recent live stream, this is a cheap USB powered light that responds to voice commands. It's even got a dimming feature that isn't documented in the instructions.

I tried many other random commands including "strobe the light", "flash the light" and "SOS", but didn't ...

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Patreon stream link

Here's the link to the quiet Patreon stream:-

https://youtube.com/live/wpPY0at20KY?feature=share

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Something different

A look at the smallest standard theatre style light. Commonly used for avoiding dark spots on sets, or for adding a splash of colour.

These are available in 12V MR16 and 110-240V GU10 variants. They can accommodate some types of focussed beam LED bulbs.

2024-05-31 05:33:01 +0000 UTC View Post

This was a hard one!

Not just three types of circuitry (digital, analogue and RF), but also a fault that stopped the sensor from working.

On a plus note, I was able to see the doppler effect when I scoped the amplifier output.

https://youtu....

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