A journal of hobbies
Whenever someone pointed out to a work colleague that there was an easier way to do what he was attempting, he’d look confused and then reply, “Well, anyone can do it the easy way.” I seem to find myself avoiding the usual easier way with projects, just to try do it differently. That's how I... Continue Reading →
I've been working on building a weather station over the last few months and while I haven't completed all the sensors, I have a few done including recently a rain gauge. The receiver is based around the "Random Nerd Tutorials ESP-NOW Web Server Sensor Dashboard" in which the data is displayed on a web page.... Continue Reading →
Around 1976 a friend and I became very interested in CB radio. The craze had not long taken off in Australia and it was still illegal to use them at that time. Dick Smith Electronics and later Tandy’s sold CB radios, antennas and accessories. Despite being illegal to use them, that didn’t stop a lot... 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 never owned a proper set of helping hands for soldering, so I can’t tell you how good they are. I've tried using metal spring clams, but that didn't work well. For the last few years I've been using blu tack the Julien Illet way. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZygyqx6AOY It works well, but sometimes I just need to... 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 →
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 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 →
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