Electronics and technology blog    /    Reviews    /    DIY Projects    /    Page 3

I needed some inductors for a project, and CDRH104R-type inductors seemed like the best fit. I only needed a few, so it would have been easier to buy them locally. But after browsing AliExpress, I decided to get a set with 10 values, five of each. Inductors are pretty useful things for a radio hobbyist to have around, so I figured it was a good call—they'd come in handy. But that's just the preamble; the story comes next.

I liked these small ICs for simple chargers. I used to buy them at a local brick-and-mortar store, but, as luck would have it, they ran out and it took them a long time to get more in from somewhere. Seeing how things were going, I decided to order a small batch for myself, since these ICs are pretty good and I liked working with them. Description and comparison after the jump.

Many of you probably remember my saga of building a DIY bench power supply. But I've been asked more than once for something similar, only simpler and cheaper. In this review, I decided to show an alternative version of a simple adjustable power supply. Come on in—I hope you'll find it interesting.

Not long ago, I posted a review of a small flashlight. In that review, I described a problem with the flashlight, specifically its faulty, unusable driver. Read on to see how I dealt with it. It won't be very long, but I think it'll be useful.

In September, I posted a review of RFID key fobs, and now it's time to review something these fobs are often used with. Interested? Come on in.

At work, we have quite a few portable radios, powered by Ni-MH batteries. They charge them any old way, so the batteries fail quickly. Lithium batteries were ordered as replacements. If you're interested, read on after the break.

At the beginning of last month, I reviewed the 1602 display and also talked about one way to use it. But as they say, appetite comes with eating, and I wanted to make a version of this device with a larger 2004 display. But the display model isn't the only difference. If you're interested, read on.

While I work on a short but fairly complex review, I decided to take a little break and write about a Bluetooth-UART module. Not long ago, I did a series of reviews devoted to one of the radio amateur's essential tools: the bench power supply. By the time I was writing the review of the USB-RS232 adapter, I was already planning to call it a day. But then I thought: why use wires to control a power supply in the 21st century? Read on for the rest of this experiment.

Not long ago, a member of the Muska community known as lolipop posted a review of a small monitor. Then, just a few days later, at one of my sites, someone complained once again that their video intercom screen was dying. Remembering the monitor review, I decided to order a couple for myself too. Read on to see how it turned out.

Some time ago, I posted a review of a USB-RS232-TTL converter. In the review, I mentioned that the package contained more than just the converter. But I was busy at work and couldn't post a review of the second item in the package right away. I'll make up for that now.

Quite a few years ago, I first learned about making circuit boards using the laser-and-iron method. To me, it was like the invention of the wheel. Read the rest of the story after the jump.

Some readers may remember my review of a homemade bench power supply. Recently, interface converters arrived to go with it, for connecting it to a computer.

When I ordered a board for my bench power supply, I decided to get a rotary encoder for it too, since the original one was soldered to the board and I really didn't want to desolder it.

I had a small homemade power supply that I used to test and power various little projects. But I built it a long time ago, and it had become outdated both mentally and physically. At first I wanted to buy a ready-made replacement, but “that’s not how we do things,” so I decided to build one myself again.

I spotted this power supply on the ChinaBay website and wanted to take a closer look. Since they ended up providing it to me for free, it would have been sacrilege not to experiment with it. Anyway, more after the jump.

I got so into experimenting with LED lighting and modifying light fixtures that when I was offered a product to test, I couldn't resist and decided to try a factory-made LED driver. If you're interested, read on to see how the idea developed.

It all started when I got tired of replacing bulbs in small light fixtures. I decided to get to the bottom of the problem—maybe not forever, but at least for a long time. Read on to see how it turned out.

I've published several LED reviews, so it's time to write about what you can use to power them. This review covers three components (links and prices included), all of which are needed for one purpose: building an LED driver.