Author Archives: zedstarr

Buying 2nd hand “vintage” Hi-Fi on eBay – buyer beware

Bought an old Hi-Fi from eBay – seller listed it as “used” (meaning it works OK but might have some cosmetic damage). Turns out it was faulty. D’oh.

Tiny Oscilloscope kit based on STM32F103 ARM microcontroller

I discovered this tiny oscilloscope kit the other week. It’s a DSO138 by JYE Tech – £30 from Amazon(UK) or less than £20 if you can wait for delivery from China 🙂It took me less than 2 hours to build and worked first time! I’ve still got some soldering skills lol. It comes in twoContinue reading “Tiny Oscilloscope kit based on STM32F103 ARM microcontroller”

Replacing white LED stylus target light on Audio-Technica AT-LP120X

I recently bought a new turntable, the Audio-Technica AT-LP120XUSB. I wanted direct drive, decent mid-range quality (didn’t need the absolute highest spec due to my ageing & damaged hearing – too much loud music at clubs/gigs in the past 😦 ) and USB built-in so I could hook up recording/streaming devices. I found an eBayContinue reading “Replacing white LED stylus target light on Audio-Technica AT-LP120X”

Bosch-Worcester 35CDi Fan Failure

It was a cold start to 2021, outside temps well below freezing, I guess that was the final straw for the ~20yr old fan in my combi boiler. On New Year’s Day I’d noticed it was making more noise that usual as I was putting some rubbish in the wheelie bin, nothing more than aContinue reading “Bosch-Worcester 35CDi Fan Failure”

Flashing LEDs with a 555 timer – and not a lot else

Just dug this out of storage – some electronics I made in the late 80s/early 90s. Most of it is old/scrap components – only the 555 and the MC14526 counter/divider actually do anything – flashing the LEDs long the edge. I can remember making it at work during quiet times as a side project, IContinue reading “Flashing LEDs with a 555 timer – and not a lot else”