A journal of hobbies
In a previous post I looked at an anemometer that I bought from AliExpress that was built around a cheap toy motor. I wasn't happy with it so decided to salvage the cups from it for use in a scratch built one using a bicycle hub. It's been an interesting project and had more challenges... Continue Reading →
DFRobot's DFPlayer mini is a small, inexpensive MP3player module and the info page for it lists some of its uses as: Railway station, bus safety inspection voice prompts; The public security border control channel voice prompts; and Multi-channel voice alarm or equipment operating guide voice. Anyway, this post is not about using it for that,... Continue Reading →
Possums have been a regular part of our lives. Many years ago, when we first moved into this house, possums had already made themselves home in the garage and in the ceiling cavity. There wasn't a door in the opening that goes under the floor and possums had managed to go through the opening and... Continue Reading →
While I don't have an Amateur Radio license, I do find radio interesting. I often listen to the Soldersmoke podcast and look at their blog. I became interested in the Direct Conversion Radio they had designed. The radio covers the 40-meter or 7-MHz amateur radio frequency band. It is fairly simple and deliberately uses discrete... Continue Reading →
I was browsing Aliexpress the other day and came across this phone holder. It appeared in the Choice tab and at the time was only AUD$2.89, although it seems to have gone up a bit since then. I have an ANENG AN8008 multimeter. It was inexpensive and I find it quite good, but I have... Continue Reading →
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 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 →
Mail delivery has become more important for us in recent years than it ever has been. While many communications have become electronic, more of the goods our family buy are purchased online as the option to buy locally is limited and in some cases is reducing. We are in a rural mail delivery area. There... Continue Reading →
Garry's blog 