Electronics on NCoT Tech

Well crap, my PC died

Thu, 27 Jun 2024 22:03:03 +0000

Due to the untimely demise of my main PC, and it being the time of year where I have to get my car serviced, there will be a short break before my next video comes out.

Soldering a Solar Light in the Sun

Sat, 11 May 2024 20:41:14 +0000

I bought a pair of cheapo outdoor solar lights from Amazon. One is on my shed round the back of the house, the other is on the shed at the front of the house. Yes, I have a bit of a shed obsession. After a few days the front one stopped working. I took it apart to find out why…

Solar battery usage

Thu, 24 Aug 2023 20:34:10 +0000

It’s a crappy cloudy day today. There was about enough sunlight to power the house, but not enough to also charge the batteries.

How trying to make pocket calculators do complex maths accidentally invented modern computing

Fri, 11 Aug 2023 19:02:46 +0000

What happens when you set out to build a pocket calculator? Well in this case it turns out you also accidentally invent desktop computers, and spawn a bunch of CPUs that are still being used today.

Follow along as we go through the thoroughly bizarre story of how trying to do complex maths and fit it in our pockets lead directly to the machine you’re using right now to watch this video, which you should totally wach, now. Go on, click it.

RC2014 Raspberry Pi Pico VGA Terminal Self-Build

Wed, 26 Jul 2023 19:39:57 +0000

The RC2014 is a DIY Z80 based computer that talks to the outside world using serial comms. This means you need a serial interface to another computer in order to control it.

ICONICA 1000W 12V Hybrid Solar Inverter Fan Replacement

Sun, 09 Jul 2023 16:03:04 +0000

I replace the noisy fans in my hybrid solar inverter with quieter ones.

DIY VGA Serial Terminal

Thu, 08 Jun 2023 21:37:03 +0000

I use a Raspberry Pi Pico and turn it into a serial terminal for my RC2014.

Shut up you noisy inverter

Wed, 07 Jun 2023 22:05:28 +0000

The inverter I have for my DIY Solar setup is a noisy thing. It has two little 60mm fans that come on to cool it down. And they roar like a wannabe rackmount server.

DIY Solar - is it worth it?

Tue, 16 May 2023 19:28:23 +0000

Our energy prices are ridiculous and even taking into account recent “world events” I find it hard to understand why electricity is so expensive. So I figured I’d try to do something about it by installing my own battery and solar system on my shed. The idea being to power my servers from the sun.

Hacking Smart Home Devices - Literally

Mon, 09 Jan 2023 14:25:47 +0000

This week I have literally been hacking smart home devices. With a Dremel and a knife…

Crap quality USB cables

Sat, 04 Dec 2021 13:04:04 +0000

I think I’ve just had a bit of a revelation…

USB-C is the best thing ever. Not only because the plug isn’t polarised, but because if you want a true USB-C to USB-C cable there doesn’t appear to be any cheap crappy ones. The ones with a USB-A plug on the end are still cheap garbage, but a cable with USB-C on both ends seems to have a basic level of quality and a price to match it.

Tecknet Mechanical Keyboard Repair

Sun, 30 May 2021 21:12:25 +0000

I wanted a mechanical keyboard with Windows keys. I have an IBM Model M keyboard, but its lack of Windows keys makes using Windows 10 more annoying than it should be. I don’t hunt and peck around the start menu, I’ve learnt to press the Windows key and just start typing the program I want to open.