JTAG ‘Hacking’ the Original Xbox in 2023

This turned up on hacker news today: JTAG ‘Hacking’ the Original Xbox in 2023 – Using Intel CPU JTAG to dump the secret bootrom in Microsoft’s original Xbox. There’s some info being collected on github: github.com/Necrosys/x86-JTAG-Information.

Learning the Art of Electronics: A Hands-On Lab Course 2ed

I have been sad for some time that Learning the Art of Electronics: A Hands-On Lab Course is out of print. Little did I know, they have been working on a second edition! The revised edition is due out in March 2025. Excellent news! I don’t usually pre-order books, but I will pre-order my copy of Learning the Art of Electronics: A Hands-On Lab Course 2ed. There’s more info on the book’s website: learningtheartofelectronics.com.

Mail Call #18: Tape, Cable, PCBs, Thermometer, Diodes, Soldering, Magnets, Blades and More!

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: …

In this video we take a look at what has arrived in the mail from AliExpress.

We use the Brother P-Touch D210 Label Maker to label some of our components.

This is what we got:

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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!

Yum Cha Mini Magnetic Precision Screwdriver SetThis is an image of the product.notes

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Demo #7: Octopus Third Hand | 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

In this video we demo our third hands from AliExpress: Octopus Soldering Helping Hands Bench Vise Table Clamp with Flexible Arms Solder Iron Holder PCB Repair for TS101 TS100 PINE64.

I mention that I found a YouTube video which has a look at it: Octopus Hand supports Soldering for only 5$ – Turtle Review but like me they couldn’t figure out what the rubber and bolts on the base are for! If you know please let me know in the comments!

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!

Yum Cha Drill ExtensionThis is an image of the product.

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Low-Water Indicator | Project 17/20 | Maxitronix 20in1 | 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

In this video we do the 17th project from the Maxitronix Sensor Robot 20 (20in1) Electronics Project Lab Kit: Low-Water Indicator.

We use the Rigol MSO5074 Mixed Signal Oscilloscope to see the output of the astable multivibrator. In the video I make a mistake and attach the probe to the wrong pins.

We use the METCAL PS-900 Soldering Station to solder the wires I use for the banana plugs I attach to the touch sensor an voice sensor (microphone).

We use the UNI-T UTi260B Thermal Imager to look at the heat profile of the circuit. We see that the low resistances (470Ω and 1KΩ) get the warmest, but the higher resistances (e.g. 10KΩ) are also slightly visible.

We use the Fluke 17B+ Digital Multimeter to check the resistance of the touch sensor.

We use the Peak Electronic Design Atlas LCR45 LCR Meter to measure the resistance of the resistor we use in the LED attachment circuit. This extra circuit allows us to switch out the buzzer for an LED, which makes a lot less racket. The resistor it uses turned out to be 470Ω.

We use the Riden RD6006 Bench Power Supply to provide 9V for our test circuit. Usually I take a current reading to see how much power the circuit draws in its various states, but I forgot!

We use the Horusdy Soldering Station with Hot Air Gun for its hot air gun in order to shrink the heat shrink which we added to the banana plug cables we attached to our sensors.

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!

Yum Cha 9-Inch Needle Nose PliersThis is an image of the product.notes

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Interlude #11: Playing with WeAct Studio Epaper Modules on ESP32-C3 MCU | 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

In this video we play around with the 2.13″ and 2.9″ WeAct Studio Epaper Modules available here: WeAct 2.9” 2.13″ 2.9 2.13 Inch Epaper Module E-paper E-Ink EInk Display Screen SPI Black-White Black-White-Red.

As I mention in the video I was having a hard time getting good solder joints from my Horusdy Soldering Station. This was annoying me so much that I went and purchased a new soldering iron! My new iron is an Metcal PS-900 Soldering Station and I love it! This is what a soldering iron should be!

We use the Arduino IDE and the sample code from WeAct Studio but we don’t successfully load content into our Epaper Module.

We use the Rigol MSO5074 Mixed Signal Oscilloscope to and the Rigol PLA2216 Logic Probe to wire up a Logic Analyzer to instrument out circuit, but we don’t follow through with that in the end. We run out of time. We will try again another day.

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!

Yum Cha 58-pcs Stainless Steel Thread Pitch GaugeThis is an image of the product.notes

Let’s go shopping!

Demo #6: Peak Electronic Design Atlas ESR Gold – Equivalent Series Resistance Meter | In The Lab

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

In this video we take a look at my new Peak Electronic Design Atlas ESR70 Gold ESR Meter.

If you’re interested I have other equipment from Peak Electronic Design.

Following are some accessories available from Peak Electronic Design for the ESR70 Gold and the LCR45 (I purchased all of these directly from Peak Electronic Design via their website, I will cover them in a future Mail Call video when they arrive):

There are cases available if you’re interested. I have the dual carry case as that is what my ATPK3 Peak Electronic Design Bundle Kit came in.

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!

Yum Cha 100×100 200X200mm VESA Wall MountThis is an image of the product.

Let’s go shopping!