Table of Contents
Introduction
What is it?
Motivation
Unboxing
Sine Wave Output
1.4 MHz Signal
10.7 MHz Signal
21.4 MHz Signal
Internal Amplifier Noise
Modulation
Amplitude Modulation (AM)
Frequency Modulation (FM)
Low-Level Si...
(Image credit: Samtec)
Samtec recently announced the development of its Severe Environment Testing (SET) protocol, a qualification standard designed to test the reliability of Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) interconnects employed in extreme environ...
Table of Contents
Introduction
How Does it Work?
Building It
Setting Up and Using It
Summary
Introduction
Since time immemorial, the continuity tester has always been just a dial setting on multimeters. That’s adequate most of the time, bu...
A Schmitt-trigger is a circuit that turns a non-perfect digital signal into a clean one. It has 2 main functions:
recreate a good fast ramp for signals that have lost their oomph (or never had clean fast edges).
provide a bit of hyste...
This blog post contains some ideas for creating a probe to aid with reverse-engineering PCB layouts. You'd use this probe to temporarily replace one of the normal pointy probes on your digital multi-meter (DMM).
Often, you may want to run a cont...
DIY Hydrogen Generator
Table of contents
Introduction
Parts list
Tools
Preparations
Let's build it !
Precautions
Summary
Introduction
Hey everyone, you might know that our earth's surface is about 70% water but do you know what water is made up o...
I recently purchased an AiXun automatic soldering tip cleaner.
It has a couple of spinning brushes inside, a bit like an automated car wash but for soldering tips.
Here's a five-minute video demonstration and review:
https://youtu.be/Fj9V0nAMmqo
So,...
Table of Contents
Introduction
Circuit Overview
Building It
Using It
Summary
Introduction
Have you ever wanted to take a peek at what products that rely on light are actually doing? I have! A fast-responding light sensor can reveal the details.
...
Some o-scope users state they don't use portable equipment enough to warrant having one, while others feel they're limited in features. (Image credit: Flickr)
Handheld oscilloscopes are compact, portable versions of their desktop counterpart...
Table of Contents
Introduction
Using Steel Cutters
Results
Summary
Introduction
I’ve got a set of SMA adapters that I really don’t wish to lose. They are used with a Vector Network Analyzer (VNA). Some of the adapters came in a littl...
It feels a bit weird writing a blog post where I’m merely pointing out someone else’s YouTube link (and some screenshots from the Knipex website)!
But I found this video pretty interesting; it explains why, instinctively, many ...
Introduction
I was looking for a simple, fairly economical pair of wire strippers, and stumbled across these interesting scissor-like 11 82 130 wire strippers from Knipex. I thought I’d give them a try. They are intended for small wire dia...
I recently needed a VNA, and went with one called NanoVNA-H4. This short blog merely contains an un-boxing.
If you’re interested in finding out what VNAs are used for, check out the earlier blog post: Vector Network Analyzer (VNA): A...
Table of Contents
Introduction
What’s the Problem being Solved?
What’s Inside?
Solution Overview
Circuit Diagram
Building It
Software
Testing It
Summary
Introduction
This blog post shows how I went about adding programmability to an o...
Table of Contents
Introduction
JBC CDS / CDB 'Compact' Soldering Station
Quick Tryout
Negatives
Summary
Introduction
My old JBC soldering station was purchased second-hand about a decade ago, and it recently started playing up. I thought I had fi...
It’s sometimes handy having a label printer, but the costs for consumables can mount up. I recently needed to print a load of sticky labels for a school-related project, and I didn’t want to print them using a laser printer or handheld la...
Doug mentioned vices ( PCB Holders ) , and I picked up a small tool vice recently. It’s low-cost (£15) which is good, but very small, therefore it is a niche product. It won’t hold boards greater than about 49-50mm long, ...
shabaz designed an OpAmp based constant current source. It can deliver up to 1 mA. The current is controlled by a voltage. It's intended to be used with a DAC board for the Raspberry Pico. A constant current is a useful...
Table of Contents
Introduction
What’s in the Box?
Interpreting and Using the Datasheet
Performing the Calibration
Testing the Calibration
Summary
Introduction
In a couple of earlier blog posts ( Vector Network Analyzer (VNA): A Practic...
Table of Contents
Introduction
What Is It?
Is it a Sine Wave?
Using It
Measurements
Problems
Recommended or Not?
Summary
Introduction
I have a few simple tools for generating RF signals, and they all have benefits and disadvantages. I recently d...
The soldering station in the photo below (JBC DI 3000) has provided me with many years of good service! I’ve regularly used it for perhaps a decade, and I purchased it fairly cheap in used state, so it’s had a long life. It has been a ple...
Introduction
In an earlier blog post, the use of a Vector Network Analyzer was introduced for the general reader. Continuing the simple no-maths approach, this short blog post walks one through how to use the VNA to perform an easy but exciting exerc...
Table of Contents
Introduction
Briefly, what is a VNA? And what is a Smith Chart?
Solving a Practical Problem: Impedance Matching
Open, Short, Load (OSL) Calibration
Calibration Standards
Building DIY OSL Calibration Standards
Identifying the ...
If a woodchuck could chuck chucks, how many chucks would a woodchuck chuck?
The curious case of mini chucks galore....
https://youtu.be/nGavV6BRevI
A little light tool blog - part of my new year's reorg activities ...
All my mini chucks are now in a ...
