Electronics and technology blog    /    Materials for February 2023 year

The other day, one of my readers offered me some very interesting batteries to test. It turned out he lived just a couple of tram stops away, so of course I couldn't turn him down. My wife and I went for an evening walk, met up, and now I can show you the test results.

First, I should say that I know exactly how this charger works. It’s strange in its own right, but it’s probably better to look at the photos and read the short description. The real surprise comes at the end—I’m almost certain you’ve never seen anything like it.

Some time ago, I reviewed a universal trigger that was advertised as offering convenient controls and Power Delivery support, but in practice it turned out to be pretty mediocre. This time, I bought a few simple, compact models that turned out to be surprisingly good.

Thanks to one of my readers, I got my hands on some very interesting batteries. I should say right away, though, that these days the people most interested in them are precious-metal refiners. I think many radio amateurs know who they are.

These are the fourth Vapcell batteries I've received for review. They use the relatively uncommon 18500 form factor, but have a fairly high claimed capacity for their size, of course.

Today I'm reviewing Vapcell high-capacity 18650 batteries. I can say right away that there's nothing unusual about them, except that they aren't even listed on the Vapcell website.

Just before New Year, I ordered, received, and tested three different battery models. I don’t think I need to explain why I suddenly needed high-capacity batteries. Since people often asked me what their overall quality was like, I decided to put together a quick review of all three models.

Some time ago, one of my readers asked me to help modify an uninterruptible power supply from Meanwell. This company's power supplies are very good, as I've shown more than once, but this UPS managed to surprise me—and I wouldn't say pleasantly. More on that in the review.

Around the middle of December, I ordered several inverters. I also decided to order a couple from a different store than the one I usually use. Naturally, I read the reviews first, where buyers showed that yes, it really does produce a pure sine wave output. But things turned out not to be so simple.

While preparing a couple of upcoming reviews, I needed to assemble a battery pack. Since the cells are lithium-based, they usually need a protection board. I originally bought this one for other batteries, but it came in handy here too.

While I’m getting material ready for some other reviews, I decided to put together a short one. I remember getting carried away last time and saying I’d try to keep things a bit shorter, and today seems like just the right occasion :) In short, I’ll show you a pretty good cable for a soldering iron.