Personal Blogs

Gough Lui's Blog

Gough Lui's Blog

The Result of Answering a Question About T-shirt Size ...

Gough Lui

Hello again! It's been a while between posts - I've been snowed in with work, health check-ups and other commitments, so I've been a little quiet as of late. By now, you're probably already aware of what this post is about ... so I'm a bit late to th...
- 19 Apr 2026
Light Up Your Life Design Challenge - Prize Unboxing

Gough Lui

It’s been a bit of time since the judging of the Light Up Your Life Design Challenge, but I am very much honoured and humbled to have won first place. Many thanks to element14 for arranging and Würth Elektronik for sponsoring this design c...
- 15 Dec 2025
Experimenting with Flyback Transformers 3rd Prize – More Than I Expected!

Gough Lui

The Experimenting with Flyback Transformers Design Challenge, sponsored by Bourns, was definitely a challenge for a novice such as myself. I wasn’t helped by time constraints due to competing demands, but I decided to put in a solid push toward...
- 25 Feb 2024
Project: Generate High-Quality Industrial Fire/Alarm Sounder Audio with Python

Gough Lui

This is a bit of a weird one, so I decided it's probably worth a cross-posting here on element14 simply because it started with me looking at a Connect Magazine at a Roshni LP sounder ... ... and asking myself ... what does its 32-tones sound like? ...
- 29 Jan 2024
Experimenting with Supercapacitors Grand Prize – Part 3: Multicomp Pro MP710259 Electronic Load Teardown, Repair & Test

Gough Lui

You may recall from Part 2, I became the proud owner of a Multicomp Pro MP710259 DC Electronic Load, which also sells under the Tenma 72-13210 designation in some markets and is a Korad KEL103 rebadge. It surprised me with its relatively accurate met...
- 23 Jan 2024
Experimenting with Supercapacitors Grand Prize – Part 2: Multicomp Pro MP710259 Electronic Load (with Fun Workarounds!)

Gough Lui

In the spirit of Christmas and of being thankful, this second half of the grand prize was, in itself, also not free of logistical difficulties. Thanks to rscasny and srutledge , a Christmas miracle happened, which is why I’m posting ...
- 26 Dec 2023
Experimenting with Supercapacitors Grand Prize – Part 1: That’s Not a Spectrum Analyser!

Gough Lui

It’s Christmas – a time to be thankful and a time for reflection. Top Members will know just what a busy and difficult year it has been for me, but nevertheless, I am extremely thankful to the judges (DAB , anniel747 ) and ...
- 25 Dec 2023
Tek 2-Series MSO In-Depth – Ch3: On-The-Bench User Experience

Gough Lui

Now that I have the Tektronix 2-series MSO in-hand, it’s time to set it up and find out what it’s like to live with. Unfortunately, as this unit has not been provided with the 16-channel digital probe, there will be no tests involving the...
- 15 Oct 2023
Tek 2-Series MSO In-Depth – Ch5: TekDrive, TekScope, Kickstart & ArbExpress

Gough Lui

A key differentiating factor for Tektronix products is the software support that ties in with the oscilloscope. While most other vendors typically have just the oscilloscope and options which install on the oscilloscope (leaving users to program thei...
- 15 Oct 2023
Tek 2-Series MSO In-Depth – Ch7: Instrument Performance Tests

Gough Lui

As an oscilloscope is a very sophisticated device, there are only a limited set of tests that someone like myself without a calibration lab can perform. Nevertheless, they have all been grouped together and reported in this blog. Front-End Noise Ever...
- 14 Oct 2023
Tek 2-Series MSO In-Depth – Ch4: Remote Connectivity

Gough Lui

As the last blog post concentrated on the usage of the MSO on-the-bench, this one will focus on its capabilities when using its remote-control interfaces. Documentation and Support Information regarding the 2-series MSO’s programmatic interface...
- 14 Oct 2023
Tek 2-Series MSO In-Depth – Ch6: Going Portable

Gough Lui

A key distinguishing feature of the 2-series MSO is the ability to go portable. This means you could, in theory, do your oscilloscope probing from almost anywhere. Putting the MSO24 into 2-PC I unboxed the 2-PC protective case in Chapter 2 earlier, s...
- 14 Oct 2023
Tek 2-Series MSO In-Depth – Ch2: Unboxing & Feature Introduction

Gough Lui

In this second in-depth blog posting, I’ll be looking at the boxes that have arrived. Peeling away the packaging, I’ll reveal what’s included inside this RoadTest bundle and comment on some of the key design features and key differe...
- 14 Oct 2023
Tek 2-Series MSO In-Depth – Ch1: Market Survey

Gough Lui

First of all, let me begin by thanking element14 and Tektronix for selecting me as the lucky RoadTester for the Tektronix 2-series MSO. This is a product I’ve been looking at since launch, having attending the launch event, as there is more tha...
- 14 Oct 2023
Open Surgery on a Keysight U1461A Insulation Resistance Tester

Gough Lui

It has been eight years since I reviewed the Keysight U1461A, an insulation resistance testing digital multimeter with a rather sharp OLED display. Since then, it has become my only insulation testing device, keeping me safe when salvaging electronic...
- 27 Sep 2023
The “Save the Bees” Design Challenge Prizes Arrive!

Gough Lui

It’s been a while between blogs, as I’ve been very busy with a few things piling up, especially at work. A key highlight was being at the IEEE-EMBC 2023 conference in my hometown of Sydney, Australia as part of my work, doing a poster pre...
- 30 Jul 2023
An element14 Surprise Package, Weather Station & More Weller Tips

Gough Lui

Being in Australia, it seems things take a little longer to make their way down here, but I too have received a surprise package thanks to element14 as of last week. What's inside? Well, the secret has mostly been let out of the box by some of the o...
- 9 Jul 2023
Weller WXsmart Bonus: WXMPS MS Handpiece Teardown & Analysis

Gough Lui

While my recently delivered Weller WXsmart RoadTest Review managed to achieve and exceed my proposal’s goals, I am not yet done with learning more about the system. Please note that this post contains a lot of my own thoughts and suppositions a...
- 19 May 2023
Weller WXsmart In-Depth Ch7: Teardowns & Replacements

Gough Lui

I’m sure some readers will be interested to know what is inside the Weller WXsmart kit. While I didn’t propose to do this in my application, I decided to be a bit adventurous and do some non-destructive teardowns for your enjoyment. I hop...
- 14 May 2023
Weller WXsmart In-Depth Ch6: Performance Tests

Gough Lui

This blog will focus on performance tests run using other pieces of test equipment. It is rather challenging to test a soldering iron in a meaningful way, as thermal measurements are difficult to accurately achieve but I will still attempt it. In add...
- 14 May 2023
Weller WXsmart In-Depth Ch5: Usage Scenarios & User Experience

Gough Lui

After learning about all of the features and capabilities of the WXsmart system, this chapter will explore just how I felt about using it over the last two months under many typical usage scenarios. In full disclosure, I am not IPC certified (althoug...
- 14 May 2023
Weller WXsmart In-Depth Ch4: Connected Operation & Paid Options

Gough Lui

In this blog, I will focus on the WXsmart platform’s connected features including its mobile app, desktop app, MQTT-based MES integration and paid-for options. These options all take advantage of the inbuilt serial, Ethernet, Wi-Fi and USB conn...
- 14 May 2023
Weller WXsmart In-Depth Ch3: User Interface & Setup

Gough Lui

In this blog, I will be demonstrating what the WXsmart and WCU are like to use, the array of settings that can be changed, the process of updating firmware and what the whole set-up looks like on my review bench. Table of Contents WXsmart User Inte...
- 14 May 2023
Weller WXsmart In-Depth Ch2: Unboxing & Design Features

Gough Lui

In this chapter, I’ll be looking at what’s included in the Weller WXsmart Demo Kit. Keep in mind that this one is packaged for their demonstrations or loaners, and is not what you would expect if you purchased the unit at retail. Table o...
- 14 May 2023
Weller WXsmart In-Depth Ch1: Market Survey & Feature Introduction

Gough Lui

Before we begin reviewing the Weller WXsmart platform itself, it would be good to understand the trends in the hand soldering and rework market and understand where the WXsmart is positioned, its strengths and unique value proposition. Table of Cont...
- 14 May 2023