A journal of hobbies
I've made a few power supplies over the years. The first one was in 1978 or 79 when I was about 13 or 14, At that time what is now TAFE NSW (Technical and Further Education) in Australia ran short night courses for hobbyists. My mother went to quite a few including sewing, upholstery, carpentry... Continue Reading →
Sometimes I find that a project turns out to be much better and useful than I expected. Making coat racks out of railway spikes and old timber has been one of these surprises. I really like the aesthetic of these, and I find them to be quite practical. While we already had 3 sets, I... Continue Reading →
I've seen a lot of comments on social media about subscription software. All those I recall are frustrated with the change from being able to purchase outright and forced to a subscription model. I mostly agree, I'd much rather make a one-off payment than keep shelling out regularly. However, while sorting through old papers the... Continue Reading →
I have had one of those cheap ISD1820 audio recorder and player modules sitting around for a long time. I thought it may make a fun message recorder to leave on the kitchen counter and see how it gets used. I was thinking it may be used as an alternative to leaving written messages, but... Continue Reading →
We have one of those kits that converts a manual garage roller door into an electric remote control roller door. It’s been mostly fine, if you don’t mind doing a little dance in the house doorway to get it to open as it's at the limit of its range. Over time the rubber over the... Continue Reading →
I've been using these cheap storage compartments from Bunnings to store my ever-growing pile of electronic components and modules. They are inexpensive at only AU$5.50 each. I've now got 24 of them and had been storing them in stacks. They stack well but it was getting annoying as every time I wanted to grab something... Continue Reading →
I found this external computer power switch on AliExpress. It is designed to connect to the power button headers and power LED headers on a PC motherboard allowing the computer to be turned on from a more convenient location that having to reach down under a desk. I thought I would give it a go.... Continue Reading →
The ESP32 can be set to wake up from sleep due to one of several pins going high. Which pin caused it to wake up? This has been causing me a few headaches with my combined mailbox and driveway monitor because sometimes multiple pins can be high at once. While researching this I also discovered... Continue Reading →
I love to lay in bed and read and watch videos on my iPad. To stop my arms getting tired and cold in winter I've set up a holder for my iPad. My wife does the same and a son does as well. The current medical view seems to be that using phones and tablets... Continue Reading →
While collecting batteries to send to recycling, I found these two that I had pulled out of an old Sharp calculator. The calculator was given to me many years ago. I think it would have been made in the '70s. I had forgotten that Eveready batteries looked like this. I was surprised that one is... Continue Reading →
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