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294 results found

Kenwood TS-850S HF Transceiver LCD Display Repair

Fault finding and repairing a faulty Kenwood TS-850S HF Transceiver with a dead display backlight, replacing the compact fluorescent lamp with an LED strip

17 April 2025 5 min read

An introduction to our other hobby, growing food on an allotment

Thinking about growing your fruit and veg? An allotment is a brilliant way to enjoy fresh fruit and veg, get outdoors, and learn new skills

07 April 2025 12 min read

The Importance of Proper Form Validation and Meaningful Error Messages

Website form validation is a critical part of any online form, ensure your website visitors and customers have a good experience when trying to place orders

01 March 2025 5 min read

Introducing a blog for Retro Computing Enthusiasts, Retro Bits and Bytes

We have launched a new blog dedicated to all things retro computing and classic computers from the 1970s, 80s and 90s

13 January 2025 3 min read

Quansheng UV-K6 with HF mod with UVK5CEC firmware

Installing a HF modification board into a Quansheng UV-K6 HAM radio to add HF receiver with CW, SSB and USB radio modes using UVK5CEC firmware

01 January 2025 14 min read

Rigol DHO804 Oscilloscope Quiet Fan Mod

We fitted a quiet Noctua fan using a 3D printed mount to the back of our Rigol DHO804 oscilloscope to make it quieter when in use

12 December 2024 7 min read

Integrating Stripe Express Checkout in an ASP.NET Core 8 Ecommerce Website

This post shows how to add Stripe Express Checkout in an ASP.NET Core 8 Ecommerce Website using C# and the Stripe.js sdk

07 November 2024 23 min read

Zwift ESP32 Bluetooth Wireless Keyboard Controller

Making a custom controller for the cycling training software Zwift, with a ESP32 Feather Bluetooth wireless keyboard controller using a Adafruit ESP32 Feather V2.

27 October 2024 13 min read

Monitoring Air Quality with the AirGradient Open Air Outdoor Monitor and Home Assistant

Using an open source air quality monitoring system from AirGradient, we have added outdoor air pollution data logging to Home Assistant and our long term data logger online.

23 October 2024 4 min read

New Smart Gas Meter Broke Home Assistant long term logging

New smart energy meters promised better logging, but it broke our Home Assistant install and long-term energy logging. Here’s what went wrong and how it’s affecting Home Assistant in our smart home

13 September 2024 9 min read

Amazon Echo Spot Teardown - Smart speaker with LCD

Welcome to a in-depth teardown of the 2024 Amazon Echo Spot Smart Speaker with LCD display. In this blog post, we'll be taking a closer look at the inner workings of this popular smart home device, uncovering the components that power its advanced features, and exploring its construction

11 September 2024 31 min read

Twelve years of Raspberry Pi Development Boards

For over 12 years, AB Electronics UK has been designing and developing Raspberry Pi development boards. Throughout this time, we've gained extensive experience in developing high-quality circuit boards specifically designed for hobbyists and developers.

26 July 2024 7 min read

PartFinder 2.0 Core component inventory manager

This is a new release of the PartFinder component inventory manager I released four years ago in March 2020 which now runs on Windows, Mac and Linux.

21 June 2024 11 min read

Trooli Fibre Internet and a new UniFi Dream Machine Pro Network Upgrade

We now have much faster internet thanks to a new fibre connection and internet using Trooli and upgrading from our PFSense firewall to a Ubiquiti Dream Machine Pro

03 May 2024 9 min read

ESP32 RGB Microscope LED Ring Light

Designing a new RGB LED ring light for our microscope with an ESP32 WiFi controller using a manual control and web interface

13 April 2024 15 min read

What’s happening and plans for 2024

An overview of what I have been doing for the past few months and changes to work and plans for my businesses Apexweb and AB Electronics UK

29 March 2024 11 min read

Ikea Styrbar with Home Assistant as a Sonos Remote Control

Using the Ikea STYRBAR, four-button remote as a simple controller for Sonos Smart speakers with Home Assistant

04 March 2024 5 min read

Radxa X2L Computer Custom 3D Printed Case

Enhance your Radxa X2L Computer with style using a custom 3D printed case with STL files on GitHub to print your own

29 February 2024 8 min read

Radxa X2L and ADC Pi, Microcontrollers with Linux

Adding analogue inputs to the Intel Celeron J4125 Radxa X2L using an ADC Pi Raspberry Pi development hat with micro python

10 February 2024 13 min read

Fujinon Pro 2010 Night Vision Scope Infrared LED Mod

We added an infrared LED into our Fujinon Pro 2010 night vision monocular to help with night vision illumination

30 January 2024 4 min read

Three Elgato Key Light remote control using an ESP32 Wi-Fi module

Building a remote controller for three Elgato Key Lights using a low-cost ESP32 Wi-Fi module with push switches and indicator LEDs

26 January 2024 15 min read

Elgato Key Light remote control using an ESP32 Wi-Fi module

Building a simple remote controller for Elgato Key Lights using a low-cost ESP32 Wi-Fi module and a push switch

20 January 2024 16 min read

Raspberry Pi High Quality Camera Fungus image quality problems

Our Raspberry Pi High Quality Camera had a fungus problem which made the camera unusable until it was taken apart and cleaned

15 January 2024 2 min read

Fujinon Pro 2010 night vision monocular teardown and repair

Teardown and easy repair of a Fujinon Pro 2010 night vision monocular

12 January 2024 5 min read

Home Server upgrade to an Intel N100 fanless ASRock N100DC-ITX

Upgrading our home Linux server again with a new low-power Intel N100 fanless system with 32Gb RAM and 1Tb NVMe storage.

20 December 2023 8 min read

BOBOVR M3 Pro battery pack inductor noise fix on Meta Quest 3

Modifying a BOBOVR M3 Pro VR headstrap battery for the Meta Quest 3 to reduce audible noise from the battery pack.

25 November 2023 5 min read

Modding Beat Saber on the Quest 3 with ModsBeforeFriday

Using ModsBeforeFriday or QuestPatcher and SideQuest to mod Beat Saber on the Quest 3 to add custom songs and mods

05 November 2023 9 min read

John Smith, Googlebot and abandoned shopping carts

GoogleBot is pretending to be an e-commerce customer called John Smith and abandoning the order at the payment stage

07 September 2023 3 min read

First year of data and savings from Solar PV array upgrade

Our solar PV system has saved us £847.18 in the past 12 months, and heating the hot water for free on sunny days with the myenergy eddi solar diverter

02 September 2023 8 min read

Buying Used Test Equipment from Ham Radio Rallies

Visiting FRARS Hamfest in Wimborne and buying used test equipment from Ham radio rallies

21 August 2023 9 min read

Amazon Echo Pop Smart Speaker teardown

New teardown and looking inside the latest Amazon Echo Pop smart home speaker and Amazon Alexa smart home device

23 July 2023 13 min read

TP Link Tapo TC65 Camera image capture using OpenCV for a webcam

Using a low-cost tp-link Wi-Fi security camera and OpenCV, a popular computer vision library, we have created a Python script that captures high-quality images from the RTSP (Real-Time Streaming Protocol) video stream generated by the camera and uploads to our Virtual Swanage tourism website.

02 July 2023 12 min read

Learning Code, Raspberry Pi, Fruit, and Growing Food

May 2023 updates, website changes and projects and how we grow our own food on a small allotment

06 May 2023 8 min read

Air Quality in Your Home: Measuring using Home Assistant with Ikea Vindriktning and Netatmo

Using Home Assistant with Ikea Vindriktning & Netatmo to measure the air quality in your home or office.

15 January 2023 11 min read

Energy Savings and Solar PV Upgrade, Six Months of Data

After lots of small changes to our usage, device upgrades and replacing some old household appliances, our energy usage is around 45% lower

27 December 2022 13 min read

Amazon Echo Dot 5th Gen Smart Speaker Teardown

Taking a look inside the latest Amazon Echo Dot 5 smart home speaker and Amazon Alexa device, now with a new larger speaker and temperature sensor

28 November 2022 9 min read

ModBus to MQTT WiFi Bridge for a Solis 1.5kW Inverter

Using an ESP32 WiFi module to create a ModBus to MQTT WiFi Bridge for a Solis 1.5kW Solar PV Inverter to log data with Home Assistant

30 October 2022 7 min read

Ham Radio Asterisk Allstar Gateway with a Tait 8110 and Raspberry Pi

Setting up the hardware and software for an AllStar Link Gateway using a Tait TM8110 which is a 25W PMR radio with a Raspberry Pi and USB sound card interface

08 October 2022 16 min read

Nest Thermostat to Home Assistant via 1-Wire, Arduino and MQTT

Connecting our Nest Thermostat 3rd Gen to Home Assistant via 1-wire and an Arduino Uno to capture the 1-wire sensor data

22 September 2022 4 min read

USB Programming Cable for Tait TM8110 PMR Radios

Making a USB Programming Cable for Tait TM8000 series PMR Radios to use as Ham Radio repeaters

08 September 2022 5 min read

myenergi eddi solar power diverter installation with WiFi

We got the new eddi V2.1 from myenergi with built-in WiFi and ethernet to add to our home solar system and Home Assistant.

28 August 2022 7 min read

Home Solar PV Panels Upgrade Finished

Our new 1.6kW solar array has now been fitted and is working much better than we expected

19 July 2022 7 min read

Home Assistant remote ESP32 ePaper Display

Making a remote display using an ESP32 eInk ePaper module to show data from our Home Assistant system

08 June 2022 9 min read

Solar Upgrade Solis 1.5kW inverter and Raspberry Pi RS485 Logging

A new solar PV inverter installed with Raspberry Pi RS485 data logging

17 May 2022 26 min read

Yaesu FP-1030A Power Supply Repair

Fault finding and repairing a Ham Radio Yaesu FP-1030A Power Supply which had a hidden manufacturing defect on the PCB

06 April 2022 6 min read

Solar Panel Supplier Zero Home Bills Scammed me out of £640

I fell for an online scam from a fake online store for solar panels and lost a lot of money

26 March 2022 4 min read

Failed TP-Link Kasa Smart KP115 WiFi Plug with energy monitoring relay replacement

Repairing a Failed TP-Link Kasa Smart KP115 WiFi Plug which has a dead relay

13 March 2022 5 min read

Home Assistant Setup in 2022

This post details our journey with Home Assistant since we first tried the software in 2016 and various upgrades with our hardware sensors and software to automate some of our home.

18 February 2022 9 min read

Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W external antenna mod

Modifying a Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W to add an external antenna with a U.FL RF connector

06 December 2021 6 min read

Amazon Echo Show 5 2nd Gen Smart Display Teardown

Tearing down an Amazon Echo Show 5, 2021 2nd generation smart speaker and display

30 November 2021 20 min read

Saving power on the home network

As part of our ongoing quest to reduce our energy usage and carbon footprint, we have installed a compressive home energy logging system which uses various sensors to monitor our energy consumption, generation and environment data, which are collated in Home Assistant and also on our home logger

07 November 2021 7 min read

Adding a Zigbee Smart Thermostatic radiator valve to Home Assistant

Controlling our loft radiator with a Zigbee controlled thermostatic radiator valve and Home Assistant.

13 September 2021 6 min read

Adding Gas Meter Energy logging to Home Assistant

Adding new MQTT sensors to Home Assistant to log Gas meter usage data

03 September 2021 3 min read

Shelly EM Power Logging with Home Assistant

Adding Shelly EM power monitoring in the loft with Home Assistant

26 August 2021 11 min read

Mastervolt Soladin 600 Wi-Fi logging adapter with ESP32

Adding remote Wi-Fi data access to our Mastervolt Soladin 600 solar PV inverter using an Espressif ESP32-WROOM-32UE module

20 August 2021 9 min read

Washing Machine notifications via Home Assistant and Sonos Smart Speakers

Audio notifications for when the washing machine needs to be emptied via Home Assistant and Sonos speakers

15 August 2021 4 min read

Sonoff POW R2 Smart Switch power consumption mod

Modifying a Sonoff POWR2 Smart Switch with energy monitoring to reduce its power consumption when being used to monitor a device's energy usage

15 August 2021 6 min read

OBS Microscope Wi-Fi Remote Control

Creating a wireless remote control to switch between video capture scenes in OBS Studio to select between our Microscope and other cameras or desktop capture using a Wi-Fi Remote Control

03 August 2021 7 min read

Home Data Logger Zigbee Sensor Upgrades

We have added several new Zigbee sensors to our smart home system which runs Home Assistant and the sensors talk to the home Linux server using Zigbee2mqtt

15 May 2021 6 min read

Scam emails from a "certified photographer"

Yet more scammers using emails claiming to be from a certified photographer who says your website has copyrighted images hosted

20 April 2021 3 min read

Apple iPad Air 2 vs Android Nexus tablet teardowns

Teardown time with some old tablets that no longer work or charge, some Apple iPad Air 2 and Android Nexus tablets

06 March 2021 1 min read

Workshop ESD Anti-Static upgrades

Trying to avoid zapping electronics by adding new ESD Anti-Static matting on the bench and floor in our workshop.

15 February 2021 2 min read

Raspberry Pi High Quality Camera on the Microscope

Adding a live video feed to our Brunel BMSZ trinocular stereomicroscope using a Raspberry Pi High-Quality Camera module and USB interface

29 January 2021 5 min read

ESP8266 Wifi RGB LED Controller

Adding RGB to all the things in the loft workshop using an ESP8266 Wifi module to make a custom RGB LED Controller

18 January 2021 2 min read

AMD Ryzen 9 3900X PC build in Fractal Design Meshify S2 case

PC built time for the loft workshop with a new AMD Ryzen 9 3900X PC build in Fractal Design Meshify S2 case

14 January 2021 2 min read

Amazon Echo Dot 4th Gen Smart Speaker Teardown

Teardown time with an Amazon Echo Dot 4th generation smart speaker, find out how Alexa is listening to you

19 December 2020 8 min read

Amazon Echo Dot 3rd Gen Smart Speaker with Clock Teardown

Teardown time with an Amazon Echo Dot 3rd generation smart speaker with a built-in LED clock on the side

18 December 2020 6 min read

New Workshop Video Recording Setup

Lights, Camera, and Action in the loft workshop with our new workshop video recording setup with some powerful LED lighting panels

18 December 2020 5 min read

Workshop LED Light Panels

Building LED Light panels and brightness controllers to improve the desk lighting in our workshop for photography and video production.

12 December 2020 4 min read

Sonos Door and Window Alerts from Home Assistant

Using Zigbee door and window sensors to trigger alerts in Home Assistant to our tablets, phones and Sonos smart speakers.

01 November 2020 5 min read

Kasa Smart Plug by TP-Link Power Consumption Mods

Modifying a Kasa Smart Plug by TP-Link Power to reduce its power consumption when being used to monitor a device's energy usage

25 October 2020 4 min read

Adding 10Gb Fibre to the home network

Everyone needs some fibre in their diet and we have added more to the home network using 10Gb Fibre to connect our computers and Synology network storage devices via a MikroTik CRS309-1G-8S+IN network switch

24 October 2020 9 min read

Back Pain with Sciatica during Lockdown

In March I damaged my lower spine when working on our allotment resulting in a herniated disk at the base of my spine pressing into the nerves causing bad pain with sciatica during covid lockdown

17 October 2020 18 min read

Record Vise No 1 and No 2 Restoration

See how I restored a pair of old Record Vise No 1 and No 2 models from rusty to shiny

23 September 2020 7 min read

Social Meta Tag Generator

Some code which may be useful to someone else, a Social Meta Tag Generator for your website to generate all the different social meta tags for social media sharing

05 July 2020 3 min read

Transferring Apple Watch workouts into Garmin Connect

Find out how you can import your Apple Watch workouts into Garmin Connect using the HealthFit app on your iPhone to iCloud

19 May 2020 5 min read

Blackmagic Intensity Pro 4K Heatsink mod

Trying to make our Blackmagic Intensity Pro 4K quieter with a new heatsink modification

02 May 2020 3 min read

Phone cradle with Garmin Quarter turn mount

Making a custom mobile phone cradle with Garmin Quarter turn mount to use with the bike on the smart trainer at home

13 April 2020 3 min read

Yaesu VX-6 New Data Cable Fix

Modifying a new eBay USB data cable for a Yaesu VX-6 radio which was sending wrong voltages to the radio and other missing parts from the circuit

07 April 2020 4 min read

PartFinder component inventory manager

After spending far too long looking for components and parts, I wrote a component inventory manager called PartFinder and released it as open source for anyone to download and use

29 March 2020 6 min read

Amazon Echo Flex Teardown

Teardown of an Amazon Echo Flex smart plug which listens to your commands via the Alexa service and replies using a very tiny speaker

28 March 2020 20 min read

When lightning strikes

Antennas vaporising, telephone sockets launching across the room. What happens when lightning strikes a house?

17 March 2020 9 min read

Pioneer SX-N30 Stereo Receiver 12V Remote Output Mod

Modifying a Pioneer SX-N30 Stereo Receiver to add a remote control 12-volt output

11 March 2020 4 min read

Synology DiskStation DS411+II Repair - Blue Flashing LED

Fixing a blue flashing LED problem on our Synology DiskStation DS411+II NAS drive due to a bug with the Intel Atom C2538 processor

28 February 2020 5 min read

The importance of checking your data backups

Check your data backups regularly. Don't wait until you need them and find out your backup system has failed

22 January 2020 5 min read

Sony Bravia 55XE90 KD-55XE9005 Teardown VR Damage

An unfortunate VR accident involving my 55-inch Sony Bravia TV created a perfect opportunity for a tear-down.

15 January 2020 6 min read

Collecting old photos of my hometown of Swanage

Keeping history alive by collecting old photos of my hometown of Swanage

30 December 2019 3 min read

Amazon Echo Input Teardown

Teardown of the Amazon Echo Input and trying to extract the firmware

03 December 2019 7 min read

Developing a new product to sell

The steps we take when designing a new product to sell

29 November 2019 7 min read

12V SLA Battery Testers

Creating new low-profile 12V battery testers to monitor sealed lead acid batteries

21 November 2019 3 min read

Trying to Save Power and Lower our Energy Bills

Looking at ways to reduce electricity consumption, help the environment and save some money.

04 October 2019 8 min read

Aim-TTi TF930 3GHz Frequency Counter Internal PSU

Adding an internal power supply to our Aim-TTi TF930 3GHz Frequency Counter

02 October 2019 3 min read

Workshop Tool Storage Rack

Building a bespoke oak and pine wooden storage rack for the hand tools in our workshop.

02 October 2019 3 min read

New Brunel BMSZ trinocular stereomicroscope

We have a new microscope, a Brunel BMSZ trinocular stereo microscope

25 September 2019 4 min read

Oculus Rift broken Cable repair attempt

Trying and failing to repair the cable which connects the headset to the computer for my Oculus Rift virtual reality system

18 September 2019 5 min read

New C.I.F FT 03 Batch reflow oven

Our old reflow oven finally died so we ordered a new C.I.F FT 03 Batch reflow oven

05 September 2019 5 min read

Echo Dot 3rd Gen Digging Deeper

Digging deeper into the Amazon Echo Dot 3rd Generation smart speaker

10 August 2019 30 min read

Sony MDS-JE440 Minidisc loading belt replacement

Replacing the loading belt on an old Sony MDS-JE440 Minidisc player.

29 July 2019 3 min read

Echo Dot 3rd Gen Smart speaker Teardown

Teardown of the Amazon Echo Dot 3rd Generation Smart speaker

21 July 2019 5 min read

Broadband problems with REIN interference

Some of our electrical equipment was transmitting on random frequencies where it shouldn’t and causing problems with our broadband internet with REIN interference

16 July 2019 7 min read

SMA 50-ohm terminator dummy loads

Making some tiny SMA 50-ohm terminator dummy loads

16 July 2019 3 min read

Ford sync 3 interference white noise from speakers

Our Ford sync 3 system in the car has a random interference issue which makes very loud white noise from speakers

05 July 2019 1 min read

CNC Mill new Fixed Z Axis Upgrade

Upgrading our CNC Mill with a new more stable Fixed Z Axis

19 June 2019 8 min read

CNC Mill Driver and Motor Controller Upgrades

Upgrades to our CNC Mill with a new driver and motor controller improvements

02 June 2019 4 min read

CIF CF02 reflow oven heater module upgrade

Replacing the old IR lamps in the CIF CF02 reflow oven with new heater modules

12 February 2019 4 min read

Be quiet silent loop water cooler fail

Be quiet silent loop water cooler failed after only a few months

15 October 2018 2 min read

GoPro Hero 7 Black first ride videos

Sample videos from the new GoPro Hero 7 Black when out on the bikes in the Isle of Purbeck

29 September 2018 6 min read

Solar Hot Water to 1-Wire Interface

Adding a 1-Wire Interface to our Solar Hot Water Controller to allow it to talk to our home server and data logger

30 May 2018 3 min read

Bitmap to Byte array for e-ink display

Bitmap to Byte array for e-ink display software

28 April 2018 2 min read

Twenty Years of being Self Employed

Building websites, taking photos and running an e-commerce electronics shop.

04 April 2018 9 min read

Mosquitto MQTT and Home Assistant Data Logging

Using Mosquitto MQTT and Home Assistant Data to log sensor data for our home using different types of wired and wireless sensors

14 March 2018 4 min read

Gigabit Internet Gateway Network PC

Upgrade time for our home Linux server with a new low-power Gigabit Internet Gateway Network PC

16 December 2017 4 min read

Pick and Place Software Version 2-2 Update

New and improved software for the DIY Pick and Place machine with version 2-2 update

06 November 2017 2 min read

tp-link LB130 Smart Wi-Fi LED Bulb Python Control

Controlling a TP-Link LB130 Smart Wi-Fi LED Bulb using Python on a Raspberry Pi.

30 August 2017 12 min read

Milling Machine Ballscrew End Float Fix

Fixing the end float on our milling machine with new threaded adapters

28 August 2017 2 min read

Home Network Upgrade - 48 port switch

A big upgrade to our home network with a new 48 port switch and patch panel

22 August 2017 3 min read

Setting up Home Assistant on Raspbian Jessie Lite with I2C

Instructions for setting up Home Assistant on Raspbian Jessie Lite with I2C on the Raspberry Pi

10 August 2017 6 min read

Pick and Place Software 2017

A new version of Pick and Place Software to use on our DIY PNP machine

21 June 2017 2 min read

Raspberry Pi Zero Handheld Barcode Scanner Part 3

Part three of our Raspberry Pi Zero Handheld Barcode Scanner project

02 June 2017 9 min read

Testing 18650 Li-ion Batteries

Buying cheap 18650 Li-ion batteries from eBay and testing their performance.

11 May 2017 2 min read

Building a Linux server with an Asus Tinker Board

Using an Asus Tinker Board to build a small low powered Linux server

28 April 2017 9 min read

Raspberry Pi Zero Handheld Barcode Scanner Part 2

Part two of our Raspberry Pi Zero Handheld Barcode Scanner project

23 April 2017 6 min read

New DJI Mavic Pro Drone

I bought a DJI Mavic Pro Drone

09 March 2017 4 min read

Raspberry Pi Zero W external antenna mod

Modifying a Raspberry Pi Zero W to add an external antenna with a U.FL RF connector

04 March 2017 6 min read

Car History Album

A photo history of all my previous cars and bikes

21 February 2017 10 min read

HP MediaSmart EX475 VGA Port Mod and Linux Install

Adding a VGA port to an HP MediaSmart EX475 home server and installing Linux

19 February 2017 6 min read

Raspberry Pi Zero Handheld Barcode Scanner Part 1

Part one of our Raspberry Pi Zero Handheld Barcode Scanner project

15 January 2017 4 min read

CIF CF02 Reflow Oven Upgrade to Zallus Learning Controller

Adding a Zallus Learning Controller to our CIF CF02 Reflow Oven to give Android tablet control of the reflow process

09 December 2016 11 min read

Nextbase 512G Dashcam low profile mount mod for Ford Focus

Making a low-profile mount mod for a Nextbase 512G Dashcam in my Ford Focus

30 October 2016 6 min read

Ford Sync 3 USB Drive Music Playlists

Creating music playlists to use in my Ford Focus and Ford Sync 3 software to play music from an external USB drive

22 October 2016 4 min read

Home Energy Solar Logger Update

More updates to our Home Energy Solar Logger

06 September 2016 2 min read

10Mhz Frequency Standard Distribution Project

Creating a 10Mhz Rubidium Frequency Standard with an SMA distribution board

04 September 2016 8 min read

Camera Carry Grip Handle

Making a custom aluminium camera carry grip handle for my Canon DSLR

29 August 2016 5 min read

Oculus Rift first impressions and VR sickness

Trying VR for the first time and regretting trying a flight sim on the first day

31 July 2016 7 min read

Summer 2016 Workshop Update

An update on the state of our workshop after the slate roof on our house was replaced.

19 July 2016 9 min read

CIF Relflow oven forced air cooling fan addon

Adding forced air cooling to our CIF Reflow oven

23 April 2016 6 min read

5uH LISN Tester Project

Building a 5uH Line Impedance Stabilization Network Tester Project

16 April 2016 3 min read

Garmin Edge 810 and GoPro Hero 3 GPS Interference

My GoPro Hero 3 was causing GPS Interference with my Garmin Edge 810 bike computer

21 February 2016 3 min read

Gas Meter Hall Effect Sensor

Modifying a reed switch-based gas meter sensor to use a hall effect sensor to allow us to record gas usage

13 January 2016 4 min read

ESP8266 Mains Energy Monitor

Building a custom ESP8266-based Wi-Fi mains electric and gas monitoring system

01 January 2016 7 min read

Virtual Swanage 20 years old

Our tourism website Virtual Swanage is 20 years old. A look back at the history of the website.

01 January 2016 5 min read

Nest Learning Thermostat 3rd Gen Hot Water Installation

Replacing our old dumb central heating controller with a Nest Learning Thermostat 3rd Gen and Hot Water Installation

04 December 2015 8 min read

Starting your own ecommerce business

After building websites for customers for over a decade we decided to start our own e-commerce business.

03 December 2015 11 min read

Raspberry Pi Solar Data Logger Version 2

Time to replace our Raspberry Pi solar data logger with a new version 2 revision with more features and sensors

30 November 2015 12 min read

Mastervolt Soladin 600 Optical Interface Noise Fail

Trying to add an optical interface to our Mastervolt Soladin 600 solar mains inverter but had problems with unwanted RF noise from the inverter

11 November 2015 4 min read

USB MultiComms Part Four Case

Putting everything together in an enclosure and making custom front panels.

11 November 2015 4 min read

USB MultiComms Part Three UART Board

Designing an isolated USB to UART interface.

11 November 2015 4 min read

USB MultiComms Part Two RS232 Board

Designing an isolated USB to RS232 interface.

31 October 2015 6 min read

USB MultiComms Part One USB Board

Designing a modular serial interface for RS232, RS485, I2C, SPI and JTAG.

15 October 2015 3 min read

Sinclair ZX81 Kit Build

We purchased a boxed and unopened Sinclair ZX81 Kit from eBay and decided to build it and see if it still worked after being in a box for over 30 years

13 October 2015 3 min read

Hope One LED Light GoPro mount

Making a custom Hope One LED Light and GoPro mount

30 September 2015 4 min read

QuietPC Silent Fan Upgrade

Upgrading the cooling in our mini PC with a QuietPC Silent Fan Upgrade

22 August 2015 4 min read

USB Smart Charger with Bluetooth LE

Designing a USB smart charger with wireless power monitoring.

11 August 2015 6 min read

HackRF One Shielded Case Installation

Installing a shielded case for our HackRF One software-defined radio

01 August 2015 3 min read

Powerpole Fused Distribution Board Case

Making a plastic case for the Powerpole Fused Distribution Board

31 July 2015 1 min read

Designing a PIC24 Development Board

Designing a PIC24 Development Board to use with different microcontrollers

08 July 2015 3 min read

July Storms and Flooding

Summer storms in July and local flooding in Swanage and the Isle of Purbeck

07 July 2015 2 min read

Windows 10 IOT Libraries for Raspberry Pi

Writing Windows 10 IOT Libraries to work with our Raspberry Pi development boards.

15 June 2015 2 min read

DIY Pick and Place Speed Updates

Software tuning to make our DIY Pick and Place place components faster

19 May 2015 3 min read

DIY Soldering Robot Project Completed

We made a soldering robot to solder dual-row headers for Raspberry Pi development boards

04 May 2015 12 min read

Soldering Robot Designing the Motor Driver Board

Designing the Motor Driver Board for our soldering robot project

07 April 2015 7 min read

Soldering Robot Temperature Controller

With the mechanical side of the soldering robot well underway the next stage was to begin work on the electronics that will control it.

06 April 2015 6 min read

Soldering Robot Solder Feeder

Making a pinch roller style feeder for the Soldering Robot project

25 March 2015 3 min read

HackRF One SDR EMI Shield installation

Adding an EMI shield to our HackRF One SDR

23 March 2015 2 min read

Soldering Robot Head Assembly

Building the head assembly for the Soldering Robot project

14 March 2015 2 min read

Antex TCS230 50W Temperature Controller Part 1

Making an Antex TCS230 50W Temperature Controller

08 March 2015 5 min read

Cycle Training with Video Routes

Cycle Training with Video Routes to use with the Wahoo Fitness KICKR smart bike trainer

26 January 2015 4 min read

Raspberry Pi board Test Jigs

How we test our Raspberry Pi boards with custom test jigs

21 December 2014 4 min read

Postal Address Parser

A Postal Address Parser that is written in C Sharp

22 November 2014 85 min read

Cateye Micro Wireless Bike Computer interference

LED lights causing RF interference with Cateye Micro Wireless Bike Computer stopping the speed sensor from working

09 November 2014 4 min read

Maynuo M9812 Serial to USB Adapter

Making a serial to USB adapter for our Maynuo M9812 programmable DC electronic load

19 October 2014 4 min read

SMC Vacuum and Air Valve Upgrade

SMC Vacuum and Air Valve Upgrade on the DIY pick and place machine

12 October 2014 5 min read

Maynuo M9812 Programmable LED DC Electronic Load

We added a Maynuo M9812 Programmable LED DC Electronic Load to our workshop

02 October 2014 3 min read

Mastervolt Soladin RF Filtering

The Mastervolt Soladin 600 solar mains inverter has an issue where is it causing a lot of RF interference so we added additional RF Filtering and screening to try to reduce the unwanted radio emissions

04 September 2014 4 min read

LEE Bug Filters and GoPro Hero

Testing new LEE Bug Filters on the GoPro Hero camera

31 August 2014 2 min read

Banana Pi first tests

Testing a new Banana Pi small computer board

17 August 2014 3 min read

ModernUI Pick and Place Controller Software

New software for the Pick and Place robot with ModernUI-themed Pick and Place Controller Software

10 August 2014 2 min read

Mastervolt Soladin 600 Inverter RF Interference

Tracking down the source of RF Interference across the HF bands and it was the Mastervolt Soladin 600 Inverter

18 July 2014 2 min read

Vacuum Valve air flow modification

Modifying the vacuum valves on our DIY pick and place machine.

09 July 2014 2 min read

Pick and Place Controller V3 Part 2

More updates to our Pick and Place robot with a new controller V3 Part 2

09 July 2014 3 min read

Powerpole Fused Distribution Board

Making a low-voltage power distribution board using Powerpole connectors and automotive blade fuses

09 July 2014 2 min read

DIY Pick and Place Design Files

DIY Pick and Place Design Files available to download from GitHub

24 June 2014 1 min read

USB to RS485 Adapter

Designing an adapter for USB to RS485.

15 June 2014 2 min read

Pick and Place Controller V3 Part 1

More updates to our Pick and Place robot with a new controller V3 Part 1

12 June 2014 2 min read

Pick and Place Cable Upgrades

Pick and Place Cable Upgrades with Chainflex CF240 data cable from igus GmbH

22 May 2014 2 min read

Railway Sky LED Controller

Making a custom ATmega328P-based Railway Sky LED Controller

23 March 2014 7 min read

SolarStorm X2 LED Bike Lights Mount Modifications

SolarStorm X2 LED Bike Lights Mount improvements

18 March 2014 3 min read

GoPro Hero 2 Handlebar mount

Making a custom handlebar mount for the GoPro Hero 2

15 March 2014 2 min read

Pick and Place Picker Software Upgrade

Bug finding in the Pick and Place Picker Software

04 March 2014 2 min read

PSU Temperature Monitor

Adding a cooling fan controller for our bench power supply with a custom PSU Temperature Monitor

27 February 2014 5 min read

Atmel AVR Dragon Programmer Case

Making a plastic case for our Atmel AVR Dragon Programmer

20 February 2014 1 min read

Pick and Place USB Control Software

The first version of the Pick and Place USB Control Software

08 February 2014 2 min read

DIY Pick and Place USB Controller Board

Making a USB Controller Board for the DIY Pick and Place machine

28 January 2014 4 min read

Variable RF Signal Sampler

Building a variable RF signal sampler to check the outputs on amateur (Ham) radios transmitters.

16 January 2014 3 min read

Metcal SP200 Soldering Station Repair

Repairing one of our Metcal SP200 Soldering stations

14 January 2014 3 min read

Canon Camera Wireless Remote Control

Canon camera wireless remote control with an Android tablet

23 December 2013 5 min read

Manual Pick and Place V2

Making a new version two manual Pick and Place machine to place components on custom PCBs

05 December 2013 2 min read

DIY Pick and Place V2 Project Complete

Our DIY Pick and Place V2 Project is finally completed and running building circuit boards

23 November 2013 18 min read

DIY Pick and Place V2 Base Vision LED Array

Making a custom LED array for the base vision camera on our DIY Pick and Place V2 project

02 November 2013 1 min read

DIY Pick and Place V2 Vibratory Chip Feeder

Building a vibratory chip feeder for our DIY Pick and Place V2 project

27 October 2013 2 min read

DIY Pick and Place V2 Vacuum Nozzle Holders

Making Vacuum Nozzle Holders for our DIY Pick and Place V2 project

24 October 2013 2 min read

DIY Pick and Place V2 Pick and Place Vision System

Creating the camera vision system for our DIY Pick and Place V2 project

17 October 2013 2 min read

DIY Pick and Place V2 All Axis Testing

Testing all the stepper motor axis on our new DIY Pick and Place V2 project

12 October 2013 2 min read

DIY Pick and Place V2 Feeder Activator build problems

Resolving problems with the feeder activator on the DIY Pick and Place V2 project

01 October 2013 2 min read

DIY Pick and Place V2 Picker X Axis build update

More work on the X-Axis on the DIY Pick and Place V2 Picker project

26 September 2013 2 min read

DIY Pick and Place V2 Picker Y Axis gearbox and drive

Adding the Y-Axis gearbox and drive to our DIY Pick and Place V2 project

16 September 2013 2 min read

DIY Pick and Place V2 Picker Head Assembly

Designing and milling the parts for the Picker Head Assembly on the DIY Pick and Place V2 project

04 September 2013 3 min read

Agilent InfiniiVision MSOX2024A Oscilloscope I2C Analysis

Using our Agilent InfiniiVision MSOX2024A Oscilloscope for I2C analysis

21 August 2013 2 min read

Raspberry Pi Solar Data Logger v2 Plans

Planning to build a new Raspberry Pi Solar Data Logger version two to replace our current data logger

22 July 2013 4 min read

Raspberry Pi GPIO Protection

Building a protection circuit for the Raspberry Pi GPIO ports

06 July 2013 5 min read

Landrover Defender Replacement crossmember fitting

The Landrover rot had attacked the back of my Landrover Defender so I fitted a replacement heavy duty cross member

29 June 2013 4 min read

Workshop ESD Protection

Adding an ESD antistatic mat and wrist straps to our workbench.

19 June 2013 1 min read

Cental Heating Control via Windows Phone and Raspberry Pi

Using a Windows Phone and a Raspberry Pi to control our home's gas-powered central heating system

10 June 2013 2 min read

Raspberry Pi solar data logger after one year

Twelve months of data from our Raspberry Pi solar data logger

06 June 2013 2 min read

Land Rover Defender roof insulation upgrade

Adding insulation into the roof of our Land Rover Defender to try to keep it warmer in the winter

31 May 2013 2 min read

Solar Air Removal Upgrade SpiroVent RV2

Adding an automatic air removal vent to our solar thermal system using a SpiroVent RV2

31 May 2013 2 min read

TECHNO SD 240 Manual operated stencil printer

Reviewing a commercially made manual-operated PCB stencil printer.

18 May 2013 2 min read

Dangerous LED Outdoor Floodlights

Dangerous LED outdoor floodlights with no earth connection on the metal body

05 May 2013 2 min read

Kent Hand Morse Key Restoration

I purchased a used and very tatty Kent Hand Morse Key from eBay and restored it to a new condition

29 April 2013 2 min read

Apple ATI Radeon HD 5870 Fan Upgrade

Improving the cooling on an Apple ATI Radeon HD 5870 graphics card

28 April 2013 2 min read

Android Tablet and Arduino DIY pick and place component selector

Using an Android Tablet and Arduino on the DIY pick and place component selector

14 April 2013 4 min read

Vacuum Pickup upgrade

Upgrading the vacuum pickup on our DIY manual pick and place machine.

27 February 2013 2 min read

Automatic component feeders DIY pick and place Part 2

Automatic component feeders for the DIY pick and place machine Part 2

27 February 2013 2 min read

Low Voltage Cut off using MAX8212

Using a MAX8212 to add a low voltage cut-off on our off-grid solar PV system

10 February 2013 1 min read

Raspberry Pi model A vs Model B

Comparing the Raspberry Pi model A and the new Model B

06 February 2013 3 min read

Yaesu FT 817 Cat Control Headaches

Problems with the programming / CAT cable for my Yaesu FT 817 transceiver.

23 January 2013 2 min read

Small Space Workshops

Showing how we work in a workshop which is only 4x3 meters for our electronic and other projects

05 January 2013 3 min read

Automatic component feeders DIY pick and place Part 1

Adding automatic component feeders to the manual DIY pick and place Part 1

01 December 2012 2 min read

Magnetic PCB holders

Making some small magnetic PCB holders

01 December 2012 1 min read

New Raspberry Pi Analogue to Digital converter

We have a new version of our Raspberry Pi Analogue to Digital converter

20 November 2012 2 min read

Panasonic Pick and Place Feeder Hack

Modifying a commercial Panasonic SMT feeder to use on a custom pick and place machine

13 November 2012 2 min read

Diy Manual Pick and Place Machine

Building our own DIY Manual Pick and Place Machine

19 October 2012 5 min read

T962 Infrared Reflow Oven Vent Hack

Modifying a T962 infrared reflow oven to try and improve its cooking performance.

02 October 2012 2 min read

RF Shielding on a Mains Inverter

Our mains solar inverter is causing RF interference on our ham radio transceivers so we put it in a metal case to improve the RF shielding

19 September 2012 2 min read

ADC Pi Raspberry Pi I2C Analog to Digital Converter boards available to buy online

ADC Pi Raspberry Pi I2C Analog to Digital Converter boards available to buy online from our new shop at AB Electronics UK

14 September 2012 3 min read

Axminster SIEG Super X1 Micro Mill Z Axis Ballscrew Upgrade

Adding a ballscrew to the Z-Axis on our Axminster SIEG Super X1 Micro Mill

05 September 2012 3 min read

Cheap Sources of Components

How do we find cheap sources of electronic components

19 August 2012 3 min read

XBee Central Heating Control via Raspberry Pi

Using an XBee wireless module and a Raspberry Pi to control a Drayton Lifestyle LP522 central heating programmer.

10 August 2012 2 min read

Raspberry Pi central heating controller

Modifying an ACL Drayton Lifestyle central heating controller to work with a Raspberry Pi

08 August 2012 3 min read

12v iPad Charger

Making a 12v iPad Charger to use with our off-grid solar system

01 August 2012 2 min read

The Hackaday Effect

What happens when a blog post appears on the Hackaday website?

25 July 2012 2 min read

Raspberry Pi Solar Data Logger

Building a data logger using a Raspberry Pi to record data from our solar PV system

24 July 2012 2 min read

Raspberry Pi Fan Controller and Interface

20 July 2012 2 min read

Raspberry Pi I2C Microchip MCP3428 ADC Reading

Using a Microchip MCP3428 ADC via I2C and the Raspberry Pi to read voltages

14 July 2012 1 min read

Raspberry Pi I2C Analog to Digital Converter

Our first Raspberry Pi I2C Analog to Digital Converter with a power supply

11 July 2012 3 min read

Raspberry Pi I2C Microchip MCP9800123 Temperature Sensor

Using a Microchip MCP9800123 temperature sensor with a Raspberry Pi

06 July 2012 2 min read

IOIO Android I2C Light Levels using TSL2561 Logging Code

Measuring Light Levels using TSL2561 and IOIO Android board via I2C

26 June 2012 7 min read

IOIO Android I2C Temperature Logging Code

26 June 2012 5 min read

From Arduino to IOIO and Android Solar Logging

Moving from an Arduino board to the IOIO platform and Android Solar Logging Project

11 June 2012 2 min read

Thermal Panel fitting

Fitting solar thermal panels to our house.

31 May 2012 2 min read

Arduino Solar Logging Installed

Our new Arduino based solar PV data logger is installed

26 May 2012 2 min read

Arduino Solar Logging Update

Arduino solar PV logging system update

13 May 2012 3 min read

Arduino Mains Water Pump Logging

Arduino mains water pump logger

13 May 2012 2 min read

Arduino Mains Voltage and Current Logging

Measuring mains voltage and current using an Arduino

13 May 2012 1 min read

Solar Hot Water Install Dual Coil Cylinder

13 May 2012 2 min read

Solar Hot Water Install Stage One

Starting the installation of our new solar hot water system

02 May 2012 1 min read

Arduino based Solar PV and Hot water monitoring and logging

Using an Arduino to add monitoring and logging to the Solar PV and Hot water

29 April 2012 3 min read

BlackMagic Intensity Pro HDMI capture of Galaxy Nexus and iPad 2

Using a BlackMagic Intensity Pro HDMI capture card with a Galaxy Nexus and iPad 2

07 February 2012 3 min read

Wiring Land Rover Defender Heated Seats

Fitting and wiring TDCI/ PUMA Defender heated seats into our Land Rover Defender.

22 January 2012 2 min read

Website Design the day job update

Updates on what I have been doing in my website design day job.

04 January 2012 3 min read

Camera mount with finder scope fitting for HEQ5 PRO mount

Camera mount with finder scope fitting for HEQ5 PRO mount for nighttime photography

21 December 2011 1 min read

Fitting a Redbooster Clutch Servo kit to an TD5 Landrover Defender

Fitting a Redbooster Clutch Servo kit to a TD5 Landrover Defender to reduce the weight of the clutch pedal to make driving with a damaged knee easier

08 November 2011 3 min read

HTC HD7 and Apple iPod Touch Wooden Stand

Making a custom HTC HD7 and Apple iPod Touch Wooden Stand

29 August 2011 2 min read

Canon MPE 65mm to Sigma EM 140 DG ringflash adapter

Making a Canon MPE 65mm to Sigma EM 140 DG ring flash adapter

30 June 2011 2 min read

iPod dock in dashboard for Landrover Defender

Making a custom hidden iPod dock in the dashboard for Landrover Defender to hide the iPod

07 March 2011 3 min read

Fitting a Raptor Dash into a 1999 TD5 Defender

Fitting a Raptor Dashboard into a 1999 TD5 Land Rover Defender

22 January 2011 1 min read

PDF Printing from a Server using C#

Code to enable PDF Printing from a Server using C#

21 December 2010 1 min read

Acuter Merlin Orion Motorised AZ Mount controlled by a Wii Nunchuk with remote zoom

Making a Wii Nunchuk controller work with an Acuter Merlin Orion Motorised AZ Mount with remote zoom

17 October 2010 7 min read

Land Rover Defender Split Charge Setup

Adding a split charge system and second battery in our Land Rover Defender

08 October 2010 2 min read

Excess Packaging from RS Components

Huge package, tiny component, excess packaging from RS Components

03 September 2010 1 min read

Merlin Panohead Modifications to take Canon 5D Mk 2

Modifying a Merlin Panohead to take Canon 5D Mk 2 Camera and lens

13 August 2010 2 min read

Axminster SIEG Super X1 Micro Mill Dremel Addition

Making a bracket and mount for a Dremel on our Axminster SIEG Super X1 Micro Mill

31 May 2010 1 min read

HTC Desire Custom Wood Dock

Making a custom wood phone charging dock for an HTC Desire

02 May 2010 2 min read

Axminster SIEG Super X1 Micro Mill Ballscrew Upgrade and Modifications

Adding ballscrews and other upgrades to our Axminster SIEG Super X1 Micro Mill

13 February 2010 3 min read

Axminster SIEG C1 Micro Lathe Modifications

Replacing the plastic gearbox on our Axminster SIEG C1 Micro Lathe

25 January 2010 3 min read

Apple G5 iMac Screen Flickering and Screen Corruption

Blown capacitors causing screen flickering and corruption on an Apple G5 iMac

19 January 2010 2 min read

DIY Rotary 360 Table for Product Shots

30 December 2009 1 min read

CNC Mill Controller for Stepper Motor Milling Machine

Making a joystick-controlled CNC Mill Controller for the stepper motors on our milling machine

21 November 2009 2 min read

DIY Camera Laser Break Beam Trigger MK 2

Making a new version of the DIY camera laser break beam trigger MK 2

26 October 2009 2 min read

DIY Camera Laser Break Beam Trigger

Making a new optical camera laser break beam trigger

18 October 2009 3 min read

Apple Mac Pro Tower High Pitch Whine

When your Apple Mac Pro tower has an annoying high-pitch-whining noise

11 October 2009 2 min read

DIY Chromakey wall

Making a big DIY chromakey wall for green screen recording

29 September 2009 2 min read

Logitech Harmony 885 remote control 12 Volt Solar Charger

Making a 12-volt solar charger for a Logitech Harmony 885 remote control

27 June 2009 2 min read

DIY LCD monitor flush wall mount

Making a slimline DIY LCD monitor flush wall mount

26 June 2009 2 min read

Mk2 DIY Solar Panels

Making new DIY Solar Panels with plywood backing

09 May 2009 7 min read

aluminium imac hard drive upgrade guide

Upgrading the hard drive in a 2007-2008 Apple iMac to a 1.5TB drive

16 November 2008 3 min read

DIY Solar Solar Panel

Making a DIY solar PV panel from solar cells

11 October 2008 3 min read

RC Bike Project with Carbon frame

Designing a custom 1/5 scale radio-controlled electric motorbike using a carbon fibre chassis and adjustable pivot suspension unit

29 September 2008 3 min read

Watercooled Xbox 360

Attempts at milling a CPU cooling block and water-cooling an Xbox 360 games console

29 July 2008 2 min read

External Button Connections

Adding external button connections to an Xbox 360 steering wheel

14 May 2007 3 min read

Steering wheel bearings upgrade

Upgrading the wheel bearings in an Xbox 360 steering wheel to use a metal bearing rather than a plastic bush

15 December 2006 2 min read

X1 Project First case change for a classic Xbox games console

A custom case based on an old CD player for a classic Xbox games console

10 June 2006 2 min read

X2 Custom case built to make the Xbox console as small and quiet as possible

A custom aluminium and wood case for the Xbox. Trying to make the Xbox console as small and quiet as possible

09 June 2006 3 min read

XMobile Xbox console in a car

Modifying an Xbox and LCD display to fit into the dashboard of a Citroen Saxo and run XBMC

08 June 2006 3 min read

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Please support the blog and our projects by buying your Raspberry Pi development boards from our online store at AB Electronics UK.

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