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bigclive from patreon

bigclive

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bigclive posts

LED quickie

bigclive post LED quickie from patreon

Another Temu product with strangely overzealous cost cutting.  Nice case though.  It could make a useful USB plug for other projects.

Temy have approached me with the offer of pre-loading my account with credit in return for reviews of their products - with bold predictions of financial rewards by affiliate li...

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Weekend stream link

bigclive post Weekend stream link from patreon

Here's a link to the weekend stream:-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VKMynhHoArI

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Exploring a set of very dead solar lights

bigclive post Exploring a set of very dead solar lights from patreon

I get the feeling that these lights have had an apocalyptic overvoltage incident, since every single one of the bulbs is dead with dark blotches visible under the phosphor gel.  They are 3V lamps with no resistors inside that have possibly been plugged into the end of a matching 240V string.

The solar panel is pret...

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Quiet live stream link

bigclive post Quiet live stream link from patreon

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FrIi7Gk_QcU

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Bench light repair part 2

bigclive post Bench light repair part 2 from patreon

This is the second part of what would have been a very long video.

In this one I de-pot the potted power supply and reverse engineer it, before testing the capacitors for value and internal resistance.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g...

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Bench light repair part 1

bigclive post Bench light repair part 1 from patreon

The first part of a video where I swap the driver in one of my bench lights for one scavenged from another light.

In part two I de-pot and reverse engineer the driver to see what went wrong.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L5kIp50aqOM...

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Custom bulb generator 2023

bigclive post Custom bulb generator 2023 from patreon

While this video is about 3D printed objects, you may still enjoy it as that final inspiration that encourages you to get yourself a cheap 3D printer to play with.  

The video includes the new and streamlined version of the script as featured in recent live streams.

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Random ambient LED video

bigclive post Random ambient LED video from patreon

To be fair, I make quite a lot of random ambient LED videos, but having been "under the weather" last week, I just kinda wanted to make a relaxed one.

The first part is fairly serious, but the second part is more relaxed because I'd been having a drink and chilling out with Las Vegas live streams while I counted through...

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Vintage digital display teardown

bigclive post Vintage digital display teardown from patreon

It may seem sacrilege to take a vintage display like this apart, but if I take mine apart it means you don't have to take yours apart.

It did go back together again afterwards.  In a way it could be fun to make an LED retrofit panel for the back.

2023-10-13 04:46:23 +0000 UTC View Post

Weekend stream link

bigclive post Weekend stream link from patreon

Here's the link to the weekend stream:-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hSPcUf8Zt4g

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Quiet Patreon stream link

bigclive post Quiet Patreon stream link from patreon

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bm3TdShVniU

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You'll like this one

bigclive post You'll like this one from patreon

A 5A current limited test on the crappy copper coated steel cable that came with one of the death-dalek camping lights.

Although current regulated to 5A it ended up less at the end due to the resistance of the cable causing the voltage across it to reach the maximum (16V) on that range of the power supply.

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Weekend stream link

bigclive post Weekend stream link from patreon

Here's the link to the weekend stream:-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dTQwjph7y6k

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Patreon stream link

bigclive post Patreon stream link from patreon

Here's the link to the quiet Patreon stream.

Hopefully you're all getting the links to recent videos, as Patreon has changed stuff again.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rkn5fvWK_AE

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Philips street light surge protector

bigclive post Philips street light surge protector from patreon

Another posh surge unit to rival the MeanWell unit.  But this one was MUCH easier to open.

It also has a better and simpler failure indicator with just a single low current LED that everyone will ignore anyway.  If I was cynical I might think that this unit is just a way to get the light beyond the warranty pe...

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Another fake engine tuner - but with a neat circuit

bigclive post Another fake engine tuner - but with a neat circuit from patreon

There are a huge number of these units available from many sources.  This one is reassuringly fake, but with a nice twist in that it uses an op-amp as the oscillator used to flash the "data" LEDs.

I wonder how many people are convinced that these things work.

2023-10-05 04:20:23 +0000 UTC View Post

5000W solar light (may not actually be 5000W)

bigclive post 5000W solar light (may not actually be 5000W) from patreon

Another fine example of eBay ratings embellishment to try and compete in a market flooded with many of these little lights.

On a plus note the design is not too bad, and any issues are easy to resolve.  If anything, this light could be an interesting set of parts for a project.

2023-10-03 18:37:42 +0000 UTC View Post

Death Dalek lights still on eBay and getting worse?

bigclive post Death Dalek lights still on eBay and getting worse? from patreon

The corner cutting on these deathtrap products is impressive.  I'm guessing it's a cost optimised version of a real product that has had very single corner cut with total disregard for safety.

eBay has no proper way to report a dangerous listing like this, which is a shame, as otherwise eBay is a very useful platfo...

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Inside an ink cartridge

bigclive post Inside an ink cartridge from patreon

I wasn't expecting this cartridge to be so complex.  I expected an ink reservoir section and an air intake port, but I guess the real complexity is ensuring that the ink does not come out the breather port during shipping and storage.

It's nice that it returns ink from the air void to the ink area via the little su...

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Sucking ink out of cartridges

bigclive post Sucking ink out of cartridges from patreon

It just seemed like a good idea to get some random Epson cartridges and then suck the ink out of them with a syringe to see how much was in them.

Then I discovered that some sites already list the capacity in ml after I'd completely pebbledashed my kitchen sink with blue dye.

2023-09-30 01:56:09 +0000 UTC View Post

Weekend stream link

bigclive post Weekend stream link from patreon

Here's the link to the weekend stream:-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RTiOc23Flec

It turns out the app is now setting the orientation of the stream to vertical by default, and I have to now change it to horizontal every time in a...

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Let's try again - horizontally!

bigclive post Let's try again - horizontally! from patreon

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_vorbZB3GQg

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Quiet Patreon stream link

bigclive post Quiet Patreon stream link from patreon

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vuuLUsqYme0

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Rechargeable restaurant light

bigclive post Rechargeable restaurant light from patreon

This is actually a very good set of components for a custom light.  In its original form it has a major flaw in its over-sensitive touch sensor.

These seem to be sold for use on tables in restaurants to provide a stylish glow, but they do have other potential for use in off-grid, camping or areas prone to power out...

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Something different - a motor overload relay

bigclive post Something different - a motor overload relay from patreon

I've never taken one of these to bits before.  It was reassuringly close to what I was expecting.

I'll confess.  The first time I installed one of these (on a large fan in a compressor room) I didn't realise it had to be wired in series with the contactor coil.  I thought it broke the circuit directly its...

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Temu Halloween LED-neon ornaments

bigclive post Temu Halloween LED-neon ornaments from patreon

Two different ornaments with different styles of construction.

One with traditional linear strip, and one with a clamshell housing and LED tape for a simple double sided sign.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=20JnNVNHBNI

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Temu sell radioactive things too!

bigclive post Temu sell radioactive things too! from patreon

I just had to add one of these to my recent order to test it with my Geiger counter.

It didn't disappoint, although the eBay 5G phone protection stickers are worse.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Op2JwQM4AUU

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Weekend stream link

bigclive post Weekend stream link from patreon

Here's the link to the weekend stream:-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tlYomGLEf48

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Intriguing Temu light

bigclive post Intriguing Temu light from patreon

I like this a lot.  It's a very stylish rechargeable LED camping light that has a retro filament glove feel to it.

As supplied it has lacklustre cell capacity, but that's an easy fix.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2AhQ1W1fFBo View Post

Patreon stream link

bigclive post Patreon stream link from patreon

Here's the link for the Patreon stream:-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HAULUTrRWF8

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