Electronics Projects
Alongside product testing, this channel documents original electronics projects from first principles: schematic design, PCB layout, firmware, and assembly, built the same way a working engineer would approach them, with the mistakes and debugging left in rather than edited out.
This category is the home for those builds: microcontroller projects, custom PCBs, test equipment builds, and one-off tools designed to solve a specific problem on the bench. Where a project uses a downloadable schematic or design file, it’s linked directly from the video’s page.
SDG #365 Reverse Engineering NAD D7050 OLED Replacement for IPS TFT
Decoding the NAD D7050's obsolete SSD1355 OLED protocol with a logic analyser, then driving an SSD1351 OLED and ST7735S IPS TFT as replacements.
SDG #360 Zero Crossing Detection and PCBWay 3D Prints
Testing PCBWay nylon PA12 and clear resin wall mounts for a Waveshare 4in ESP32-S3 touch dimmer, plus lower-power zero crossing detection options.
SDG #357 RGB Meteor Shower LEDs Build using ESP32 and WLED
Custom meteor shower Christmas lights built from WS2812 LED PCBs, ESP32 controllers running WLED, acrylic tubes and 3D printed weatherproof caps.
SDG #349 Testing of WLED to LED Lighting reverse engineering
Reverse engineering ArcDot garden LEDs: why the ESP32 UART can't do 9-bit data, and how a dsPIC33 DMX bridge makes WLED drive them.
LED Garden lights shenanigans #electronicscreators
Progress update on a DIY LED garden lighting install: 74 lights wired in, the controller protocol reverse engineered, and a custom PCB coming next.
SDG #348 I bought over £30k of LED Lighting to reverse engineer
Teardown and protocol decode of Pulsar ArcDot2 LED pixels and the ArcDotDriver80 controller, including an RS485 repair and auto-addressing capture.
SDG #327 Testing the ESP32 WLED High Power LED Board
Reflow assembly, WLED setup and bench testing of a custom ESP32 high power LED driver board, with thermal imaging and scope waveform analysis.
SDG #326 A copper core PCB with tiny 1.4mm Luxeon Rubix LEDs
Building a copper core metal PCB populated with tiny 1.4mm Luxeon Rubix LEDs, covering reflow, thermal imaging and real brightness testing.
SDG #325 Designing a WLED RGBW light with only one LED driver
How to drive RGBW LEDs from a single AL8843 constant current driver: LTspice simulation, schematic design and PCB layout for a WLED fixture.
SDG #323 WS2812 LEDs in ESPhome with the ESP32 DIN Mount PCB
Driving WS2812 neon LED strip from a custom ESP32 DIN rail PCB, with ESPHome config, level shifting and power wiring inside a real control box.
SDG #322 ESP32 DIN Rail Module with Modbus and RGB Controller
A custom ESP32 DIN rail board with RS485 Modbus, RGB LED drivers and isolated inputs. Schematic, PCB layout, assembly and bench testing explained.
SDG #321 Zigbee Presence Sensor Power PCB Design
Custom 12/24V DC power PCB for Zigbee mmWave presence sensors: assembly, regulator output testing, ripple checks and real-world sensor install results.
SDG #320 Zigbee mmWave GHz Radar Sensor Teardown for Modifications
Inside a cheap Zigbee mmWave presence sensor: teardown, Home Assistant testing and a custom retrofit PCB to fix its shortcomings.
SDG #311 First tests of a LNK562 Flyback Converter
Building and bench testing a low power LNK562 flyback SMPS: hand wound transformer, a layout mistake found, plus 5V and 3.3V rail load results.
SDG #305 How to Wind a Flyback Transformer for SMPSU
Hand-winding a small flyback transformer: primary, bias and secondary turns, core gapping for target inductance, varnish dipping and 1kV insulation testing.
SDG #304 Flyback Converter Design with Power Integrations LNK562
Designing a 2W isolated 5V/3.3V mains flyback with the Power Integrations LNK562, from chip selection to EE16 transformer and KiCad PCB layout.
SDG #293 AC-DC Converter using the Power Integrations LNK3204 SMPSU IC
Designing a mains powered 5V/3.3V buck supply with the Power Integrations LNK3204, plus efficiency, thermal and current draw measurements.
SDG #291 Capacitive Dropper AC-DC Power Supply with Supercapacitor
Building and measuring a mains capacitive dropper supply for a LoRa node: zener heating, power factor of 0.04, and how a 0.47F supercap fixes brownouts.
SDG #289 AC-DC Power Supply using Reactance of Capacitors
Measuring LoRa transmitter and receiver current draw, then simulating a capacitive dropper mains supply in LTspice to see if it can cope with TX bursts.
SDG #287 LoRa Relay with the Seeed Wio-E5
Building a wireless mains relay with the Seeed Wio-E5 LoRa module, using AT test mode for point-to-point links, plus a 300m range test at minimum power.
SDG #281 A festive auto colour change RGB LED hack you've never seen before!
How to keep auto colour change RGB LEDs alive with a standby voltage, enabling PWM dimming and blinking without resetting to red. Full PCB build and testing.
SDG #279 Simple Common Base MOSFET driver
Testing a minimal common base transistor MOSFET gate driver: 3.3V to 12V level shifting, no inversion, scope waveforms and thermal checks at 4A.
SDG #278 Assembling and Testing the High Current MOSFET driver
Assembling a high current MOSFET gate driver board, then testing switching edges on a Picoscope and checking hot spots with a thermal camera.
SDG #274 Read datasheets properly! Level shifting and gate resistors.
Why reading datasheets properly matters: choosing a level shifter, using an open collector low side switch, and picking series gate resistors.
SDG #273 MOSFETs, Gate Drivers and PWM Driver Design
How to pick a MOSFET and gate driver for a PWM load driver: datasheet parameters, gate charge, drive current, schematic and PCB layout choices.
SDG #265 Easy Constant Current LED Driver with the AL5809
Testing the AL5809 linear constant current LED driver: fixed current variants, dimming options, thermal behaviour and where it beats a resistor.
SDG #263 How to modify the output voltage of a SMPSU power supply
Changing a switch mode power supply's output voltage safely by recalculating the TL431 feedback divider, plus why adjustment range limits matter.
SDG #262 DIY High quality 20 W/m 90CRI LED strip with Cree LEDs
Building a custom 20 W/m 90CRI LED strip with Cree JB2835A LEDs on aluminium MCPCBs, plus thermal testing, soldering tips and driver notes.
SDG #257 Interesting electronics in a BMW Electronic Water Pump
Teardown of a BMW electronic water pump reveals a ceramic substrate PCB, brushless motor drive electronics and clever automotive design choices.
SDG #252 Heat loss energy savings for home ventilation
Heat loss maths for home ventilation, plus a custom assembled control PCB, RS485 transceiver debugging and dual Metcal rework to get comms working.
SDG #251 IGBT's, MOSFETs, Trailing Edge Dimmers and Micsig CP210A current probe
Comparing MOSFET and IGBT trailing edge dimmer designs on the bench, with current waveforms captured using the Micsig CP210A current probe.
SDG #245 Design of a 60W Synchronous LED driver and Current Density Modelling in PDN Analyzer
Designing a 60W synchronous buck LED driver in Altium, plus using PDN Analyzer to model copper current density, voltage drop and PCB hotspots.
SDG #241 Electrical Cable Tracing with a Thermal Camera
How to find buried or in-wall cable runs using a thermal camera: load the circuit, watch the heat rise, and read the pattern through plaster.
SDG #239 Investigating LED CCT shift with Resin/Conformal Coating
Spectrometer testing of LEDs before and after epoxy resin conformal coating to see whether potting really shifts colour temperature and output.
SDG #238 Zero Power LED Night Light Strip with PCBs from PCBWay
Building a self-powered LED night light strip on custom PCBs, cast in resin and degassed in a vacuum chamber for a bubble-free finish.
SDG #236 Completing the Advent scene with parts printed on the Artillery Genius from Banggood
Printing a full Advent scene on the Artillery Genius: print quality, bed adhesion, multi-part accuracy and whether this direct drive printer earns its price.
SDG #235 Assembling an Advent PCB Scene with PCBs from JLCPCB
Assembling a multi-board Advent PCB Christmas scene: interlocking slot joints, edge soldering tips, LED wiring and lessons for decorative PCB art.
SDG #234 Soldering up the longest PCB I've ever had manufactured at JLCPCB
Hand-soldering an unusually long custom PCB: panel handling, SMD assembly order, hot air and iron technique, plus what to watch for on oversized boards.
SDG #230 Custom AC LED Trailing Edge Dimmer Modules Revisited...
Revisiting a custom trailing edge AC dimmer PCB for LED lamps: design fixes, MOSFET switching, zero cross timing and real world flicker testing.
SDG #227 Does PCBs solder mask colour impact appearance of SMT LEDs?
Testing white, black, green, red, blue and yellow PCBs to see whether solder mask colour really affects how bright SMT LEDs appear.
SDG #219 Adding Output Capacitance to the Full Bridge Rectifier
Testing how output capacitance changes bridge rectifier efficiency and voltage drop, comparing 1N4007 diodes, NMLU1210 MOSFETs and the LT4320 ideal rectifier.
SDG #217 FULL BRIDGE RECTIFIERS and some alternative technologies for high efficiency
Testing a standard full bridge rectifier against Schottky diodes and active MOSFET rectification on a custom PCB: losses, heat and real component costs.
SDG #212 Why you don't need 10000+ uF on your voltage regulator output
Bench tests show why piling 10,000uF on a linear regulator output won't stop load transients, and what actually improves step response.
SDG #210 Extreme LED Current Melted Solder! Using Aluminium PCBs from PCBWay
Pushing high-power LEDs on aluminium-backed PCBs until the solder melted. Board design, pick and place, heatsinking and real thermal test data.
SDG #205 Prototyping a 60W Cree LED Studio Light with PCBs from PCBWay
A custom 60W Cree LED studio light built from scratch: PCB design, heatsinking, LEDiL optics, 3D printed housing plus brightness and thermal test results.
SDG #203 Final Assembly and Testing of the ESP32-based Aquarium Light (+Integration with Node Red)
Final assembly and testing of a custom ESP32 aquarium light, including MQTT control from Node-RED, dimming curves, thermal checks and PCB notes.
SDG #201 Exploring AC LED driver failure modes
Why cheap AC LED drivers and bulbs fail: capacitor drift, open filaments, overheating and safety risks, examined with real teardown examples.
SDG #199 Aquarium Light Controller PCB and MQTT on the ESP32
Building and testing a custom ESP32 aquarium light controller PCB: assembly, bodge wire fixes, MQTT firmware and a full dimming test.
SDG #197 A WS2812 NTP Wharton Style LED Clock powered by ESP32
Building a Wharton style LED clock with WS2812B addressable LEDs and an ESP32 pulling NTP time. PCB design, assembly cost, power draw and programming notes.
SDG #193 An FTDI FT4232H adaptor for ESP32 programming and more! Neon - alicjamusial
Building the open-source Neon FT4232H USB adaptor for ESP32 flashing, JTAG and serial work, including SMT assembly tips and first power-up testing.
SDG #192 High Power 20W LED Microscope Illuminator - Final Assembly and tests
Final assembly and testing of a 20W Cree XHP50.2 LED microscope illuminator, with a side by side brightness comparison against a standard ring light.
SDG #190 Testing the high current LED driver PCB (AL8843 & LM3409) and is XHP70 really 4000 lumens?
Bench testing a custom high current LED driver PCB using the AL8843 and LM3409, plus whether a Cree XHP70.2 really hits 4000 lumens.
SDG #186 A Real Example of Microphonic Ceramic Capacitors!
Hunting down audible squeal in a real board: how MLCC piezoelectric effects turn ceramic capacitors into tiny speakers, plus a tested fix.
SDG #185 Why is my DC-DC making a audible whine? Also a preview of the MHP30 from MiniWare
Why a buck converter LED driver whines audibly, how switching frequency and inductor choice fix it, plus a first look at the MiniWare MHP30 hotplate.
SDG #184 Build and Test of a 2.4A Constant Current Buck Regulator based on LM3409 LED Driver
Building and testing a 2.4A constant current buck regulator around the LM3409 LED driver IC, including layout, reflow, troubleshooting and LED load results.
SDG #183 Cree XHP70.2 Aquarium Light with PCBs from PCBWay
Building a high-power Cree XHP70.2 aquarium light: LED selection, optics, SMT reflow assembly, thermal testing and real optical efficiency results.
SDG #182 433 MHz Transmitter / Receiver Pair with PCBs from PCBWay
Testing cheap 433 MHz Qiachip transmitter and receiver modules on custom PCBs, plus IR beam break sensors and a one-shot latch mod for reliable triggering.
SDG #177 Luxeon Z ES LEDs on Aluminium PCBs
Building and testing Luxeon Z ES LEDs on custom aluminium PCBs: stencil choices, MCPCB thermal stackup, Cree comparison and real output results.
SDG #176 Aluminium PCBs better for High Power LED Boards?
Do aluminium MCPCBs really run cooler than FR4 for high power LEDs? Thermal testing, layout tips and soldering notes for Cree LED boards.
SDG #175 Cree XHP50.2 LED Microscope Ring Light is ☀️ BRIGHTER THAN THE SUN ☀️
A custom Cree XHP50.2 LED ring light for soldering microscopes: PCB design, driver choice, thermal limits and measured lux against a commercial ring light.
SDG #174 Testing out a chassis using the Creality Ender 3 V2 with PCBs from JLCPCB
Prototyping an LED microscope ring light housing on the Creality Ender 3 V2, with fit checks against the assembled PCBs and design fixes for round two.
SDG #173 Testing the High Power Cree XHP50.2 LED PCBs
Bench testing custom Cree XHP50.2 LED PCBs for a microscope ring light: thermal behaviour, drive current, lux output and soldering the tiny footprint.
SDG #171 Potential circuit issues killing the AL8805 LED Drivers
Why AL8805 buck LED drivers keep failing in a microscope ring light design: inductor choice, switch node spikes, thermal limits and layout mistakes.
SDG #170 Troubleshooting the Ring Light PCB. JLCPCB Fail??
Debugging a non-working LED ring light PCB: tracing the fault through the assembled board and finding out whether the PCB house or the design is to blame.
SDG #169 How to check JLCPCB will manufacture your PCBs correctly
How to verify Gerber and drill files before sending a board to JLCPCB, using the online preview and a Gerber viewer to catch costly mistakes early.
SDG #166 Creating Ring Light Pick and Place Files for JLCPCB's Assembly Service
How to prepare BOM and centroid pick and place files from KiCad for JLCPCB SMT assembly, using an LED microscope ring light PCB as the example.
SDG #165 Designing some panelised PCBs for high power LEDs (Cree XHP 50.2)
Designing panelised aluminium-friendly PCBs for Cree XHP 50.2 LEDs: footprint choices, thermal pads, constant current driving and panel tabs.
SDG #164 Step-by-step PCB Layout - High Power Microscope LED Light
Step-by-step PCB layout for a high power microscope LED light, covering thermal design, copper pours, constant current driver placement and routing.
SDG #163 What's all this GPSDO stuff, anyhow? Why is there an FPGA?
How a GPS-disciplined oscillator works, why phase comparison needs nanosecond resolution, and what an FPGA brings to a DIY GPSDO design.
SDG #161 Step-by-step parts selection and schematic - Microscope LED Ring Light
Designing a microscope LED ring light from scratch: choosing LEDs, constant current drivers, dimming method and drawing the full schematic.
SDG #159 Getting 10.000000000 MHz from the GPSDO using an FPGA and MCU
How to turn a GPSDO's slightly-off OCXO output into a true 10.000000000 MHz reference using an FPGA fractional divider and MCU control loop.
SDG #158 Assembling and testing the 10 MHz GPSDO Reference Prototype Board
Assembling a 10 MHz GPSDO reference prototype with a hotplate and hot air, then checking oscillator lock, output levels and jitter on the bench.
SDG #157 Completing the RGB Touch Controller and Europacket delivery from JLCPCB
Finishing the dsPIC-based RGB touch LED controller build, plus a look at a Europacket PCB order and what the assembled boards look like.
SDG #156 New Control PCB for the RGB Touch Controller
A revised control PCB for the dsPIC-based RGB touch controller, covering layout fixes, DMX support and assembly notes from the build.
SDG #155 Looking at Radiated Emissions and 3D Printing for Increased Contrast - ESP32 Megaclock
Hunting radiated emissions from an ESP32 clock build with SDR hardware, plus 3D printing a black contrast filter to sharpen the LED display.
SDG #154 How to do controlled impedance traces on your PCB
How to design 50 ohm controlled impedance PCB traces: microstrip vs coplanar waveguide, stackup and dielectric data, plus practical layout gotchas.
SDG #146 Driving an LED Matrix with the ESP32 and using OpenWeatherMap
Building an ESP32-driven LED matrix clock that pulls live forecast data from OpenWeatherMap, covering multiplexing, ESP-IDF code and PCB bring-up.
SDG #142 The 2000 LED ESP32 WiFi Megaclock is here! - An NTP Wharton Electronics Style Clock
A first look at the finished 2000-LED ESP32 WiFi megaclock, a Wharton-style NTP display: PCB assembly, multiplexed drive, brightness and timekeeping results.
SDG #141 690 LED ESP32 WiFi Mini Megaclock - An NTP Wharton Electronics Style Clock
A first look at the 690 LED ESP32 WiFi Mini Megaclock, a Wharton Electronics style NTP clock: PCB assembly, LED matrix layout and firmware notes.
SDG #139 Eliminating Viruses such as COVID-19 with Electricity
Can high voltage, ozone and corona discharge sanitise surfaces without chemicals? A look at the electrical methods, the hardware and the real safety risks.
SDG #138 How to Panelize your PCBs
A practical guide to panelizing PCBs for cheaper prototype orders: breakaway tabs, mouse bites, V-scoring, fiducials and depanelizing tips.
SDG #137 Beginners FPGA Clock Implementation in VHDL
Building a multiplexed digital clock in VHDL on a Lattice MachXO2 FPGA board, with Lattice Diamond setup, counters and display driving explained.
SDG #136 What's inside some car LED headlights?
A teardown of aftermarket car LED headlight bulbs: driver circuitry, LED chips, cooling design and why beam pattern and build quality vary so much.
SDG #135 Finishing the IR Controllable LED Nightlights
Completing a custom IR remote controlled LED nightlight: PCB assembly, firmware behaviour, brightness control and what worked on the final build.
SDG #133 2000 LED NTP Megaclock - An ESP32 based Wharton Electronics Style Clock
Building a 2000 LED ESP32 NTP megaclock inspired by Wharton Electronics displays, plus tips for designing PCBs for low cost SMT assembly.
SDG #130 High Voltage Cockroft Walton Multiplier for ESD Simulator with PCBs from JLCPCB
Building a high voltage Cockcroft-Walton multiplier on custom PCBs to drive an ESD simulator, with layout, creepage and testing notes.
SDG #128 Infra-red Remote Protocols and LED Lighting - With new PCBs from JLCPCB
Decoding infra-red remote protocols with a scope, plus assembling a custom LED night light PCB with constant-current dimming control.
SDG #127 Testing out a 15 kV Inverter for a Simple ESD Simulator
Bench testing a cheap 15 kV high voltage inverter module to see if it can form the basis of a simple, repeatable ESD gun for circuit testing.
SDG #126 Make an Emergency Stop with NVR System for your Work Bench
How to wire a latching no-volt release emergency stop for your electronics bench using a 2-pole contactor, mushroom stop button and bootlace ferrules.
SDG #121 Circuit Stack LED PCBs for a 3D Effect
Stacking multiple LED PCBs to create a layered 3D lighting effect, covering board design, SMD assembly with solder paste and hot air, and alignment tips.
SDG #120 FY6900 Signal Generator Power Supply Modifications
Cutting output noise on the FY6900 signal generator by reworking its switching supply, adding filtering and improving grounding. Measured before and after.
SDG #119 Building the DC-DC PCB for the FY6900 Signal Generator
Assembling and testing a custom DC-DC converter PCB to run the FY6900 signal generator from a DC supply, plus noise and ripple measurements.
SDG #116 Creepage and Clearances - Adding mechanical routing to your PCB
How to use mechanical routing, milled slots and cutouts on a PCB to increase creepage distance and meet mains isolation safety requirements.
SDG #114 DC-DC Buck Regulator Converter Design, Schematic and PCB layout tutorial
Full walkthrough of designing a DC-DC buck regulator: inductor and capacitor selection, feedback network, thermals and low-noise PCB layout for a bench PSU.
SDG #111 RGB LED Tape Driver with PCBs from JLCPCB - Lighting Controller Project Part 9
Building and testing a custom RGB LED tape driver board for a modular lighting controller, with notes on MOSFET drive, PWM channels and PCB assembly.
SDG #109 AC LED Dimmer Testing with PCBs from JLCPCB - Lighting Controller Project Part 8
Bench testing custom AC LED dimmer boards: triac phase control, zero-cross detection, flicker, and how cheap LED lamps actually respond to dimming.
SDG #107 Some soldering and testing with PCBs from JLCPCB - Lighting Controller Project Part 7
Hand-soldering and bench-testing the newly arrived lighting controller PCBs, with notes on assembly order, board quality and first power-up checks.
SDG #106 4 Layer PCBs from JLCPCB - Lighting Controller Project Part 6 - Initial Testing
Assembling and powering up a 4 layer lighting controller PCB for the first time, with board quality checks, bring-up steps and early test results.
SDG #104 How to clean flux off your PCB. Does leaving flux on the board cause damage?
Flux residue tested on PCBs: which cleaning methods actually work, whether no-clean flux is safe to leave on, and when residue causes corrosion or leakage.
SDG #103 Pick and Place Service for your PCB Designs with JLCPCB
A hands-on look at JLCPCB's SMT pick and place assembly service: cost, part library limits, BOM and CPL files, and whether the solder joints hold up.
SDG #102 Beam Break Sensor using Amplitude Modulation Techniques
Building a beam break sensor with amplitude modulation so ambient light and sunlight cannot trigger false readings. Circuit design, filtering and testing.
SDG #100 - High Efficiency Constant Current 1W and 3W LED Driver - Lighting Controller Part 5
Part 5 of the lighting controller project: designing and testing an efficient constant current buck driver for 1W and 3W power LEDs.
SDG #097 - Lighting Controller Project Part 4 with PCBs from JLCPCB
Part 4 of the DIY lighting controller build: assembling the manufactured PCBs, reflow and hand-soldering notes, plus first power-up checks.
SDG #095 MLCC Capacitors Values Not What You Think?! Tests on MLCC
Bench tests reveal how much capacitance MLCCs actually lose under DC bias, plus tolerance, dielectric class and package size effects on real parts.
SDG #094 Make life easier and make things look professional
Practical bench tips for cleaner soldering, tidier wiring and better looking projects, plus notes on T12 tips, flux paste choice and microscope work.
SDG #092 Manual Vacuum Pick and Place Tool for SMD Components - Part 2 - with PCBs from JLCPCB
Part 2 of the manual vacuum pick and place build: custom PCB assembly, syringe vacuum plunger testing and how it handles real SMD parts.
SDG #090 PCB Design Tips and Design Rules
Practical PCB layout advice: setting design rules, trace widths, clearances, vias and manufacturer tolerances to avoid costly board respins.
SDG #088 Ceramic Capacitors will Blow Up your PCB
MLCC ceramic capacitors can crack, short and burn a PCB. What causes flex and thermal cracking, and how to design and solder to avoid failures.
SDG #082 Ikea Play Kitchen Hack with PCBs from JLCPCB
Adding custom PCBs, buttons, LEDs and sound effects to an Ikea Duktig play kitchen, with SMD assembly, reflow tips and enclosure fitting notes.
SDG #075 How to Reactivate Dried Solder Paste
Solder paste gone crumbly and dry? Learn how mixing in fresh no-clean flux can restore usable paste for stencilling and hand-dispensing SMD work.
SDG #070 DIY Trailing Edge Dimmer - Lighting Controller Project - Part 3
Refining the zero crossing detector that triggers the SSR gate in a DIY trailing edge mains dimmer, with differential probe measurements on live circuitry.
SDG #068 Designing a Trailing Edge Dimmer - Lighting Controller Project - Part 2
Part 2 of the mains lighting controller build: trailing edge dimmer design, MOSFET switching, zero-cross timing and safe scope measurement.
SDG #064 Soldering Tutorial PCBs and Components from JLCPCB
A hands-on soldering tutorial using cheap practice PCBs and SMD parts, covering iron tips, flux, drag soldering and fixing bridges and tombstoned parts.
SDG #061 SMD Assembly Using Solder Paste Stencil and Hot Air with PCBs from JLCPCB
Stencil-printing solder paste, placing SMD parts and reflowing with hot air: a practical walkthrough of fast, low-cost prototype PCB assembly at the bench.
SDG #057 Make a Manual Pick and Place Tool for SMD Assembly and Rework
Building a manual vacuum pick-up tool for SMD assembly and rework: two concepts tested, tip options, suction sources and how well it handles tiny parts.
SDG #056 32x64 RGB Matrix Display Spectrum Analyser
Hands-on with a P4 32x64 RGB LED matrix display kit, tested as an audio spectrum analyser. Brightness, wiring, driver support and build quality assessed.
SDG #055 Testing AC Dimmer Modules - Lighting Controller Project - Part 1
Bench testing cheap TRIAC AC dimmer modules with zero-cross detection: how phase-angle control works, plus safety and load pitfalls to know before buying.
SDG #051 Driving RGB LEDs with 1 Constant Current Driver
A look inside RGB LED strip driver circuits: how a single constant current buck regulator feeds red, green and blue channels without mixing colours.
SDG #047 Aurora RGB LED Kit Microphone Add-on
Fitting an electret microphone to the sound-to-light input on the Aurora 162 LED RGB kit, plus biasing, gain and sensitivity notes for builders.
SDG #046 Aurora RGB LED Kit Build
Building the 162 LED Aurora RGB kit from start to finish: PCB quality, soldering approach, common pitfalls and whether the finished effect is worth the hours.
SDG #044 Making some cheap RGB colour changing Christmas lights
Converting old incandescent fairy lights to RGB colour changing LEDs, plus a look at the mains capacitive dropper driver and its safety trade-offs.
SDG #043 Clay Paky Golden Scan HMI 1200 Scanner Stage Light
Restoring Clay Paky Golden Scan HMI 1200 scanners: 1200W HMI lamp, mirror scanner optics, and a custom DMX to PMX protocol converter project.
SDG #041 USB Interface Isolation - FY3224S Sig Gen
Adding IL612-2 based USB isolation to a FeelTech FY3224S signal generator to break ground loops and protect the PC from mains-referenced test gear.
SDG #040 Linear Power Supply Design - FY3224S FY3200S Sig Gen
Designing and building a low noise linear power supply to replace the switch mode brick on the Feeltech FY3224S / FY3200S DDS signal generator.
SDG #034 Circular LED Clock EC1515A DS1302
Hands-on build and review of the EC1515A rotating circular LED clock kit: DS1302 timekeeping, CR2032 backup, kit quality and soldering notes.
SDG #032 Variac Soft Starter and Controller
Repairing a damaged Carroll & Meynell 10A variac and fitting a soft start circuit to tame inrush current, plus wiring, safety and testing notes.
SDG #031 GPSDO & Clock Update - BST Ends
Checking whether a GPSDO-driven clock handles the end of British Summer Time automatically, plus what GPS time data actually gives you.
SDG #029 Server Build and MikroTik Follow Up - Part 2
Finishing a MikroTik RB2011UiAS-RM cooling and power fix, plus a Xeon E3-1275 server build with RAID 10 SSD and 2TB WD arrays on Adaptec cards.
SDG #026 Symmetricom GPSDO 10MHz Reference Part 3
Finishing a Symmetricom GPSDO 10MHz lab reference: internal Meanwell PSU, distribution amp PCB, custom front panel and VFD GPS status display.
SDG #023 Build A 6 Digit 2.3" LED Clock
A scratch-built 6 digit LED clock using Kingbright SA23-12SRWA displays and a PIC18F26K20, covering multiplexing, drive current and timekeeping accuracy.
SDG #020 Linear LED Constant Current Driver Circuits
Resistor, LM317, transistor and op-amp LED current drivers built and measured on the bench, with regulation, dropout and efficiency compared.
SDG #016 Designing a Constant Current DC-DC LED Driver - Part 2
Part 2 of a constant current DC-DC LED driver build: writing dsPIC33FJ16GS502 high speed PWM code, ADC feedback and closing the current loop.
SDG #015 Welcome and Update on CC LED Driver (New 3W LEDs)
Progress update on a DIY constant current LED driver build, plus a look at cheap 3W Bridgelux LEDs sourced from eBay and what to expect from them.
SDG #014 Designing a Constant Current DC-DC LED Driver - Part 1
Buck converter theory, inductor maths and component selection for a constant current LED driver, then a working breadboard prototype tested on the bench.
SDG #09 Trimble SVeeSix GPS Receiver
Inside a Trimble SVeeSix GPS module: RS-422 to RS-232 adaptor build, antenna hookup and TSIP comms tested with Trimble GPS Studio.
SDG #08 Symmetricom GPSDO - Noritake VFD Interfacing - Part 2
Driving a Noritake CU20025SCPB 2x20 VFD with a dsPIC30F3013 for a Symmetricom GPSDO front panel, plus tapping the OCXO 10MHz output.
SDG #06 Mains Isolation Transformers and UK Earthing Systems
Why a mains isolation transformer belongs on your electronics bench, plus a plain-English guide to TN-S, TN-C-S and TT earthing in the UK.