Using my new 8K 5-in 1-out HDMI 2.1 Switch I can put either of the microscopes on the top display. I can also put the Rigol MSO5074 scope and an Xbox on the top display. There is one spare HDMI port which is on the front of the device which I can use for ad hoc purposes.
Before the HDMI switch output runs into the top display (a Teac TV) it runs through a 4K Audio Video Capture Device which allows me to record the output for inclusion in my videos.
I was sitting here in my lab this morning and reflecting on all the things I want to do in it. The thing about getting things done is they don’t get done unless you actually take the time to do them. A book will happily sit unopened on your bookshelf for your entire life if you don’t take the time at some point to pick it up and read it.
In this light I thought perhaps I might stand more of a chance of actually completing some of my projects if I put some structure around getting them done. To that end I have one specific activity to do for each day of the week:
circuit day (make a Maxitronix circuit or similar)
programming day (write some code, pick a project, there are lots)
old book day (review and document an old book)
Xbox day (recap an Xbox, or work on an otherwise broken one)
writing day (write something, e.g. work on my book, a long form blog post, etc)
new book day (read and document a new book)
holiday! (watch a movie! play a game!)
On circuit day and Xbox day I will make a video of the activity and publish on In The Lab With Jay Jay. The outputs from the other activities are not video but a lot of that will end up on the web somewhere too.
The sub-pattern is:
Video
Writing
Reading
I repeat that twice in one week and then give myself a day off.
Traditionally I’m very bad when it comes to having structure in my life, so I can only hope that this attempt to introduce some structure actually works out… wish me luck!
In this video I recap an old OGXbox. I also redo the thermal paste. I use my Pro’sKit SS-331 desoldering pump in anger for the first time. I spend an inordinate amount of time trying to figure out my new tools. In the end the Xbox is still broken!
I sold this Xbox on eBay but it was returned to me during the warranty period (one month) as it was faulty.
In this video I mention a trick you can do in your browser when you’re watching videos on YouTube. Ordinarily the YouTube user interface only allows you to set playback speed to 2x, but if you want to set it at 3x or higher you can do so by pressing F12 to bring up developer tools, then open the Console, and enter this code:
In this video I mention that it was in a video from Bruce from Branchus Creations that I got the recommendation to try a beveled soldering iron tip. Having given it a bit of a go and not really having great luck with it I am going back to a small chisel bit instead.
I comment in the video about how you don’t need to replace the clock capacitor on a v1.6 board, but Harcroft on the ConsoleMods.org original-xbox Discord forum reminded me that sometimes you do need to replace this capacitor.
The capacitors I use for this recapping are Chong 6.3V 3300μF Low ESR caps. Of course the board didn’t work after recapping so it’s possible these are dodgy caps.
I’m pretty sure I did damage the tip on my desoldering pump by putting the temperature all the way up to 480°C. Maybe don’t do that yourself. I believe anything over 380°C can damage iron tips (basically they melt!).
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!
I purchased some high-precision tweezers which arrived today. I got these ones: TOWOT Industrial Tweezers (SA11-15) from Amazon for AUD$58.95. Haven’t used them in anger yet but they look pretty good. I got these because I tried working with my cheapo tweezers which I already had, and they weren’t up to the job. So hopefully I have better luck with these ones.
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!
I was just poking about with my new thermal imagers and I found one of my power bricks was warm, while the one next to it, on the right, was not. Turned out the one on the right wasn’t plugged in properly! It was supposed to be powering a USB hub, but the hub was bus powered, not mains powered, and I couldn’t tell. I mean, all of the lights were on, and the power brick was plugged in, so I hadn’t suspected anything. If I hadn’t made this discovery with my thermal camera I would probably never have learned that my USB hub was unpowered. I could very well have run into problems with devices plugged into it being under powered, and I would never have known why.
I made a few mistakes with the production of this video, sorry about that. I made a mess of the side branding, I will have that fixed in future. And I managed to get my toes on camera. The height of professionalism!
Note: in the video I’m not sure what “ROI” means, but it turns out it means “region of interest”. The region of interest is a box in the middle of the display, and some settings apply to this area.
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!
