24 V, 300 W power supply: competitor or companion to the “people’s” 24/100 PSU?
10-11-2018, 23:51
Today I have another review of another power supply. I realize I may have already worn you out with these, but several readers asked me about this one, and I was interested in it myself, so I went ahead and bought it. The review will consist mostly of photos and a little text. In addition to the tests, I’ll also describe a simple method for testing a PSU relatively safely while it’s operating at a temperature close to its limit.
Worx Cordless Rotary Hammer, or When All You Have Is a Hammer, Everything Looks Like a Nail
6-11-2018, 15:06
I use power tools often, and it just so happens that quite a few of them are battery-powered. But this is the first time I’ve tested a cordless rotary hammer, so I’m doubly curious to see what it’s like. As usual, we’ll take a look, take it apart, and put it to the test.
Signal level indicator with a VFD display
1-11-2018, 00:36
I have a real soft spot for gadgets with vacuum displays. When I saw something like this in one of the comments, I got excited and decided to buy one for myself. The only difference was that the one I saw had a few extra “bells and whistles,” like a clock and something else, but I just wanted an indicator—and I found one :) A short review of a large indicator with a “warm” display.
Relay module with Ethernet, USB and (unexpectedly) RS485 control
31-10-2018, 17:18
Today I'm reviewing a rather interesting and useful device, if it weren't for a few "buts" that slightly spoiled my overall impression of what is, all things considered, a pretty decent piece of hardware. I'm talking about an eight-channel relay module with remote control over Ethernet.
Dual 18650 Battery Holders
21-10-2018, 02:11
Another batch of holders for 18650 batteries arrived recently, so I decided to put together a short review in case it comes in handy for someone. I've reviewed similar holders several times before, so this one is more of a follow-up to the previous reviews.
A brief review of BST-706 soldering paste
18-10-2018, 14:47
Somehow, despite having more than 35 years of experience with a soldering iron, I had never used soldering paste, although I’d heard a lot about it. So I decided to fill that gap by picking up a tube of one product from this large family for review: Best BS-706 paste. If you’re interested in my first attempts at using soldering paste and what I thought of it, come on in.
Mecool M8S Plus L TV box based on the S912
18-10-2018, 14:16
Today I’m reviewing another TV box from Mecool, built around the long-familiar S912 SoC. There’s nothing unusual about it, except for a slight sense of déjà vu that stayed with me while using the box, especially when inspecting it. Why? Read on for the review, which, as always, includes an inspection, a teardown, a few tests, and my conclusions.
Panel-mounted 100 V 10 A ammeter-voltmeter
18-10-2018, 03:27
I’ve already posted a review of a very similar device once before—the title was almost the same, too. This time, though, the little meter is a bit cheaper, and its quality is definitely no worse than the previous one. So, here’s a quick review of a useful little gadget for electronics hobbyists.
LAKE I TV Box Sale
16-10-2018, 02:25
GearBest is having a sale on an interesting TV box model built around a Realtek processor.
Ugreen PB107 Power Bank with a claimed capacity of 10000 mAh
11-10-2018, 02:14
Power banks are pretty rare subjects in my reviews. Somehow, I hardly ever use them in everyday life, but when I was offered the chance to review one, I decided not to turn it down. As usual, this review covers the exterior, teardown, tests, and conclusions.
Voltage indicator for 1–7S lithium battery packs
8-10-2018, 12:21
I sometimes order small meters for battery packs, and I finally got around to testing them and writing a mini-review. A look at the device, a few tests, and some conclusions. I hope you find it useful.
A small ammeter rated for up to 5 A
6-10-2018, 21:51
I ordered this meter quite a while ago from a different store, but after browsing AliExpress I found a listing for a device that looks exactly the same. Since I'm almost certain they all come from the same basement large factory, here's a link to another store.
1604 Character LCD Display
1-10-2018, 14:52
I've had this display lying around for quite a while, but I've only just gotten around to writing a review. I probably won't have much that's new to say, since this type of display is so common that it's hard to find a radio hobbyist who hasn't heard of it. The only difference from the popular 1602 and 2004 models is that this one has 16 characters across four lines.
24 V 3 A Power Supply
30-09-2018, 22:48
Many of my readers know how much I enjoy writing power supply reviews. It’s probably my favorite topic. But today’s review will be a little different from my usual ones—and for good reason, it’ll be short. So, if you’re interested in switching power supplies, come on in.
3-Watt 2820 LED Arrays
28-09-2018, 12:55
This story began quite a while ago. First, about four and a half years ago, I bought several LED lights that had worked pretty well all this time. Then one of them finally failed. Since I didn't want to replace them all, the obvious decision was to repair it and, while I was at it, put together a "repair kit" for the others, which were still working.
Mecool KM8, a TV box with voice control and Certified Android TV
27-09-2018, 12:16
About six months ago, I reviewed a Mecool TV box with voice control. Today, I’ll show you a very similar, though different, TV box from the same company with roughly the same features. As always, the review will include an inspection, teardown, tests, and a summary table.
Wismec WS-04 atomizer with a resistance of 1.3 ohms and a power rating of 8–14 W
26-09-2018, 14:29
Not long ago, I posted a review of a somewhat unusual electronic cigarette from Wismec, and mentioned that I’d ordered some atomizers for it. I liked a particular type of heating element, and I also found out that they’re hard to find in local stores, so I decided to order a few as spares from AliExpress. Anyway, here’s a short review with plenty of photos.
Compact Hi-Link HLK-PM12 power supply
25-09-2018, 12:05
For some reason, there are very few reviews of power supplies like this. That’s understandable: buyers are usually more interested in high-power models than in little units rated at just 3 W. But compact models are sometimes exactly what you need for various low-power devices, especially when they’re highly reliable. Today I’m taking a look at just such a power supply, made by Hi-Link.







