As part of today’s updating of my Patreon page and my YouTube branding I took new photos of the lab, you can see them over here: https://www.jj5.net/lab/
John’s lab
Reply
Category Archives: Chatter
I’m on Patreon now
I suppose it’s a poorly kept secret that now I’m live on Patreon. My Patreon page is here: https://www.patreon.com/JohnElliotV
I would like to stress that I do my blog and my YouTube channel for love and I do *not* expect anyone to send money, so please don’t feel pressured to do so. <3
If you have any thoughts on the Patreon page or how my YouTube channel is configured I would be happy to hear from you, particularly if you have suggestions about how to improve things.
ESP-IDF: Espressif’s official IoT Development Framework
Wanna check out ESP-IDF which is Espressif’s official IoT Development Framework. Have to decide if I will use Linux, Mac, or Windows, and whether I will use VSCode or Eclipse.
This looks like a good place to start: https://github.com/espressif/esp-idf
Project planning
I’ve got some equipment laid out to remind me of four different projects I will be doing soon for In The Lab With Jay Jay.
From left-to-right they are:
- Demo the WeAct Studio Epaper Module on one or more microcontrollers
- Do an unboxing and demo of my IC clips
- Demo my power supply tester with an ogxbox power supply
- Install the capacitor discharge circuit I recently ripped out of its tweezers into a new case with terminals to attach probes
JST connector
I found a bunch of handy information about JST connectors over on Wikipedia: JST connector. There are a bunch of different JST series, it’s worth knowing about these.
Microcontroller reading
I’m off to bed but I thought I should make some notes about what I want to read tomorrow:
Loot from WeAct Studio
You might remember that last month AliExpress had a sale and I ordered a bunch of stuff. That stuff has started to arrive and I wanted to show you the things I picked up from WeAct Studio.
I don’t know anything about WeAct Studio, I have never heard of them before. But I like what I see so far!
Here’s my WeAct Studio kit which arrived today:
Unboxing #8: Unboxing of Mini Classic Game Console | Learning Electronics In The Lab With Jay Jay
This post is part of my video blog and you can find more information about this video over here.
You can support this channel on Patreon: patreon.com/JohnElliotV
Silly Job Title: Power Provider
It’s the In The Lab With Jay Jay Halloween Special! This evening: another unboxing video! This time we’re taking a look at my retro gaming console: The Mini Classic Game Console. Complete with 620 odd games!
I picked this thing up at Vinnies (the thrift store) for fifteen Aussie buckaroos.
The main circuit board looks like this:
I found the S71PL256NC0HFW5U2 which is a 64Mb flash memory. The details of the other circuitry was obscured.
Here is the list of games on this thing:
And this is the manual:
I managed to get this thing wired through an AV to HDMI adapter, then a HDMI to USB adapter, so in the last half of the video you can see me demoing a few of the games and scrolling through the full list of games.
Oh, and in this video I read “NTSL” on the manual and say “they got that wrong, it’s NTSA”, but *I* got that wrong, and it’s “NTSC”. The American video standard. In Australia almost everything is PAL.
Thanks very much for watching! And please remember to hit like and subscribe! :)
Following is a product I use picked at random from my collection which may appear in my videos. Clicking through on this to find and click on the green affiliate links before purchasing from eBay or AliExpress is a great way to support the channel at no cost to you. Thanks!
aToolTour Black Hexagon Deburring Drill Bit notes |
Let’s go shopping!
Unboxing #7: Unboxing of FILCO Majestouch 2SS Edition 104-key and tenkeyless keyboards | In The Lab
This post is part of my video blog and you can find more information about this video on this show’s homepage which is here.
You can support this channel on Patreon: patreon.com/JohnElliotV
Silly Job Title: Sparky
Happy Halloween! Today: another unboxing video! This time we’re taking a look at my two new mechanical keyboards from FILCO (affiliate links):
- Full size 104-key: FILCO Majestouch 2SS Edition FKBN104MSS/ECSP2B-RKL Full Size English Layout Cherry MX Speed Silver Axis with 3 Red Key Locks, Black
- Tenkeyless 87-key: FILCO Majestouch 2SS Edition Tenkeyless English Layout Cherry MX Speed Silver Axis with 3 Red Key Locks, Black FKBN87MSS/ECSP2B-RKL
As I mention in the video I usually like to purchase my mechanical keyboards from WASD Keyboards in California. They make excellent keyboards but just a bit too pricey for me at the moment. Instead of purchasing from WASD Keyboards I picked these keyboards up from Amazon Australia and I paid AU$202.55 (US$130) for the 104-key keyboard and AU$188.89 (US$120) for the 87-key keyboard which was roughly half of what I would have had to pay if I purchased from WASD Keyboards.
Both of these FILCO Majestouch 2SS Edition keyboards come with Cherry MX Speed Silver switches. If you’re into mechanical keyboards definitely give these switches a try; now that I’m used to them I will accept nothing less.
It was a bit disappointing that while doing the unboxing I discovered some of the keys had fallen loose during shipping. I have since plugged in and tested the keyboard (I’m using it now in fact) and everything seems to be working okay, so no harm no foul.
Thanks very much for watching! And please remember to hit like and subscribe!
Following is a product I use picked at random from my collection which may appear in my videos. Clicking through on this to find and click on the green affiliate links before purchasing from eBay or AliExpress is a great way to support the channel at no cost to you. Thanks!
Miniware DT71 Digital Tweezers notes |
Let’s go shopping!
Stolen Focus
I have finished reading Stolen Focus by Johann Hari (affiliate link).
I went into this book much more worried about the state of attention in our communities than I was when I came out. Having read about it I kinda don’t feel that we really do have an urgent problem with so many people on earth being constantly engaged with their smart phones.
I might have trouble now starting a conversation with a family member because they are engrossed in their phone, and I might think this is new or different, but thirty years ago it would have been the same thing if they had their nose in a book or a newspaper.
I think by and large it’s good when we’re paying attention to things and engaging with them. That’s not only how entertainment gets done, that is also how work gets done.
I suspect one of the driving forces behind the surge in ADHD diagnoses (and Hari didn’t say this) is that people are getting the diagnosis deliberately because they want access to prescription amphetamines.
Anyway. I would still recommend reading this book. Hari does a good job of covering all the bases and investigating all the topics, including:
- context switching and its effects
- effects on flow
- physical and mental exhaustion
- sustained reading
- mind wandering
- tracking and manipulation
- stress and its triggers
- diet and pollution
- ADHD
- physical and psychological confinement