Electronics and technology blog    /    My video

The resistor is probably the most common electronic component. I’d venture to say it’s also the oldest component still in use. So I’ll start my detailed look at different electronic components with resistors.

A short video that could easily go in the “notes from the field” category.

With this article, I’d like to start a series about various electronic components: diodes, capacitors, resistors, varistors, and so on. There are so many different components, and I can’t shake the feeling that by the time I finish writing about them, something new will already have come out :) I’ll start with X-type capacitors, especially since this article is a follow-up to my previous article about Y capacitors.

Many years ago, I picked up a fan with a rather unusual design. I tried to get it running back then, but had no luck, so I ended up putting it on a shelf. Now, after all this time, it’s turned up in my hands again.

I've been asked more than once how to determine the power rating of an unmarked 50 Hz transformer, so I'll try to explain and show a couple of examples.

Some time ago, I was asked about the power factor correction circuit in switched-mode power supplies. I’ll try to briefly explain what it is and why it’s needed.

A short video showing why a USB tester should only be used for rough estimates, not precise measurements.

A short video about safety when using an oscilloscope to repair and test switch-mode power supplies.

Sometimes people bring me all kinds of devices to repair. This time, someone brought in an air conditioner control board with a preliminary diagnosis: the power supply had failed due to a voltage surge caused by a lightning strike.

I decided to make a video version of my review of this unusual multimeter-oscilloscope, since some things are easier to show than explain in writing.

Today we'll look at the next stage after the inverter: the power transformer. This won't be a very long article, but I think it'll be useful.

Last time, I covered the input stage of a switching power supply, the bridge rectifier, and the filter capacitors. Now it’s time for the next stage: the inverter. This is the most complex and extensive part, but also the most useful.

I’ve already posted videos about individual parts of a power supply, but after thinking it over, I decided I hadn’t done it the right way—or, more precisely, not in a very logical order—so I’m putting that right. With this article, I’m starting a short series called "How It Works", where I’ll go through all the sections of a typical switching power supply one by one, explain what they do, and point out where components can fail.

I decided to answer a couple of questions people asked me in the comments on a video. This might be useful to other readers too.

I’m often asked about the noise-suppression capacitor that connects the primary and secondary sides of a power supply. In this video, I’ll try to answer the questions of why it’s needed and which one is best to choose.

A short video about power supply output filters.

It all started when I decided to make a video about power supply filters and what they do. I gave it a try, but realized the topic was too big to cover in a single video, so I ended up splitting it into two parts. The first part is about the input mains filter.

A real-world example of using a linear regulator to build a switching converter.