Category Archives: Hardware

Non-Touch Switch | Project 14/20 | Maxitronix 20in1 | Learning Electronics In The Lab With Jay Jay

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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 14th project from the Maxitronix Sensor Robot 20 (20in1) Electronics Project Lab Kit: Non-Touch Switch.

We use the UNI-T UTi260B Thermal Imager to monitor the heat generated by various components. We learn that the resistors emit a lot of heat.

We use the Fluke 17B+ Digital Multimeter to measure the current drawn by the circuits in both the on and off state. The current was 15mA when the LEDs were on and zero amps when they were off.

We use the Riden RD6006 Bench Power Supply to provide 9V for our circuit. The power supply reported the current draw as 13mA which was slightly less than reported by the multimeter.

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Demo #3: Peak Electronic Design Atlas DCA75 Pro Semiconductor Analyzer | In The Lab With Jay Jay

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In this video we put the Peak Electronic Design Atlas DCA75 Pro Semiconductor Analyzer through its paces.

My notes about this device are on my personal wiki, here: Peak Electronic Design Atlas DCA75 Pro Semiconductor Analyzer.

The DCA75 can measure triac and thyristor devices but the Peak Electronic Design Atlas SCR100 Triac And Thyristor Analyzer can do a better job of it.

If you want to measure zener diodes the DCA75 can do it but the Peak Electronic Design Atlas ZEN50 Zener Diode Analyzer can do a better job of it.

While reading the manual we learn about the PCA23 SOT-23 test adapter, while searching for that I found this behind-the-scenes deeplink from Peak Electronic Design: https://www.peakelec.co.uk/resources/pca23.html

The manual mentions the International Electrotechnical Commission – IEC 60617 – Graphical Symbols for Diagrams, which is an international standard for graphical symbols of electromechanical devices.

The support page is DCA75 (DCA Pro) Support, from there you can download software/firmware.

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Unboxing #21: ATPK3 – Atlas Pro Pack – LCR45 + DCA75 + Case | In The Lab With Jay Jay

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In this video I unbox my ATPK3 – Atlas Pro Pack – LCR45 + DCA75 + Case which I ordered recently from element14. This bundle includes:

I will do a demo of the DCA75 and LCR45 in future videos.

I haven’t seen GP23 batteries before, but apparently they are 12V and can deliver 23A. Seems like rather a lot!

I’m not sure what is special about the specific test frequency of 14.9254 kHz, but I have asked on the EEVblog forum.

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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 IC Chip Pickup ToolThis is an image of the product.

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Ferromagnetic Substance Detector | Project 13/20 | Maxitronix 20in1 | In The Lab With Jay Jay

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In this video we do the 13th project from the Maxitronix 20in1 (the Sensor Robot 20): Ferromagnetic Substance Detector.

In this project we use the reed switch to detect magnetic material. We use an astable multivibrator to generate a tone which sounds when magnetic material is detected.

We use the Riden RD6006 Bench Power Supply to provide 9V for our test circuit.

We use the UNI-T UTi260B Thermal Imager to inspect the circuit board during operation and see the transistors for the astable multivibrator dissipating the most heat.

We use the Rigol MSO5074 Mixed Signal Oscilloscope to inspect the 1.5 kHz square wave which generates the tone for the buzzer.

We use the Fluke 17B+ Digital Multimeter to investigate some currents and some voltages into the base of transistor Q5.

We use the METCAL PS-900 Soldering Station to tin some wire for the DuPont-female jumper.

We also use a breakout board to add a volume control to the buzzer and to substitute a LED for the buzzer.

I really enjoyed this project, I think it’s the best one so far!

Thanks very much for watching! And please remember to hit like and subscribe! :)




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Unboxing #20: METCAL PS-900 Soldering Station | Learning Electronics In The Lab With Jay Jay

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In this video I unbox my new METCAL PS-900 Soldering Station which I ordered recently from element14.

I keep my notes about this equipment on my person wiki, over here: METCAL PS-900 Soldering Station.

Before I purchased this equipment I made some notes about my research and decisions and element14 had the best price by far.

As I mention in the video my new PS-900 soldering station uses the METCAL SmartHeat technology. You can read more about SmartHeat over here:

Per the above links the Metcal SmartHeat technology is available in various solutions:

The PS Series (which I got) is the entry level system. You can spend much more than I did!

I found this document Metcal – Tip Temperature Guide which describes the various tip options (Metcal calls the tips “cartridges”) along with their temperature specifications.

As promised the link for my electric scissors is here: Jackcat Electric Scissors.

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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!

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Mail Call #16: METCAL PS-900; Peak Atlas DCA75 Pro, LCR45, ESR70; ESP32; Pi Zero, Pico; and More!

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In this video I receive the following equipment in the mail:

As I mentioned the open-source architecture books are available free online: The Architecture of Open Source Applications.

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!

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Electronics Project #10: TJ-56-428 4-Digit Digital DIY Clock | In The Lab With Jay Jay

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Silly Job Title: Switch Sleuth

Happy New Year!

In this video, my first video for 2025, I construct a 4-digit digital clock I recently purchased from AliExpress: TJ-56-428 4-Digit Digital DIY Clock Kits with Acrylic Shell, DIY Alarm Clock Soldering Practice Kit for Learning Electronics.

I thought it might be nice to kick off the new year with an actual electronics project, as that is what this channel is supposed to be mostly about!

I translated the instructions from Chinese to English, and those are here: TJ-56-428. These include instructions for use of the complete and fully assembled clock.

This was a great chance to try out my new METCAL PS-900 Soldering Station and I am pleased to report that I am very happy with my new soldering iron! It is a pleasure to use.

The heart of this circuit is the STC15W404AS which is a microcontroller! It has been pre-programmed with the clock functionality, there was no software or source code that shipped with the kit.

Update: my mate @sadata777 pointed out that there was a protective coating on the acrylic and I remove that in this video: https://youtu.be/y9btakLOCHc

Update: my mate Joe pointed out that I had the case on back-to-front which you can see me fix here: https://youtu.be/IyJ3IHgRfiw

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 IC Chip Pickup ToolThis is an image of the product.

Let’s go shopping!