The [Denki Otaku] YouTube channel took a look recently at some stepper motors, or ‘stepping motors’ as they’re called in Japanese. Using a 2-phase stepper motor as an example, the stepper motor is taken apart and its components explained. Next a primer on the types and the ways of driving stepper motors is given, providing […]
Crystal oscillators are incredibly useful components, but they come with one little snag: their oscillation is temperature-dependent. For many applications the relatively small deviation is not a problem, but especially for precision instruments this is a deal breaker. Enter the oven controlled crystal oscillator, or OCXO. These do basically what it says on the tin, […]
Although it sounds like some Star Trek McGuffin, a Q-Meter is a piece of test gear that measures the Q factor of a tuned circuit. [Thomas] got a Boonton meter from 1962 that wasn’t in very good shape, but it was a fun teardown, as you can see in the video below. The meter had […]
Let’s face it—seeing a good tool go to waste is heartbreaking. So when his cordless drill’s motor gave up after some unfortunate exposure to the elements, [Chaz] wasn’t about to bin it. Instead, he embarked on a brave journey to breathe new life into the machine by swapping its dying brushed motor for a sleek […]
High-speed bench equipment has become so much more affordable in the last decade that naturally one wonders what has made that possible. A great source of answers is a teardown by users like [kerry wong] who are kind enough to take apart their MSO2304X 300MHz osilloscope for our viewing pleasure. The posted teardown video shows […]
Recently a video surfaced from someone claiming that certain USB-to-Ethernet dongles contained ‘malware’ among other big claims. Basically these dongles were said to be designed by China (and Russia) to spy on users and so on, but how much of this is actually grounded in reality? When [lcamtuf] dove into the topic, what he found […]
According to [ClassicHasClass], the best way to open an Atari Stacy is to not open an Atari Stacy. Apparently, these old computers were not pleasant to work on. The cables were not keyed and were prone to short against things. Screws easily strip out plastic holes. Of course, there wouldn’t be a story if there […]
Who would’ve thought a cheap AliExpress emergency light could be packed with such crafty design choices? Found for about $5, this unit uses simple components yet achieves surprisingly sophisticated behaviors. Its self-latching feature and decisive illumination shut-off are just the beginning. A detailed analysis by [BigCliveDotCom] reveals a smart circuit that defies its humble price. […]
Many things have combined to make very high-frequency RF gear much more common, cheaper, and better performing. Case in point: [dereksgc] is tearing apart a 20 GHz low-noise block (LNB). An LNB is a downconverter, and this one is used for some Irish satellite TV services. The scale of everything matters when your wavelength is […]
In the modern age, when you hear “component tester” you probably think of one of those cheap microcontroller-based devices that can identify components and provide basic measurements on an LCD screen. However, in the past, these were usually simple circuits that generated an XY scope plot. The trace would allow an experienced operator to identify […]