Month: 2013-07-10

Time for a new power tool

My old and my new power tool.

About 9 1/2 years, two moves and renovating one kitchen – this is how long I was able to enjoy my power tool “Alpha Tools BAS 14,4-1” from Bauhaus. I guess that’s even more than I could have expected from such a no-name – oh, sorry, let’s call it no-brand tool. But now the battery… Continue reading Time for a new power tool

Dark Samsung?

Ever seen a seemingly ok, quite new 24″ Syncmaster SA300 LCD monitor from Samsung – which refuses to show an image, but can display its own system messages? Try a firmware update! I found this solution in the PC Help Forum. A firmware update for a computer monitor you wonder? Yes! Obviously you need a… Continue reading Dark Samsung?

Resistance is futile

Detailed view of drawers with 37mm x 17mm labels.

…at least if you don’t know which resistors you have in stock and where they are. For a long time we kept resistors in their original cardboard boxes In our student labs – futily trying at least to sort the boxes according to decades of reistance values. Looking at a standard assortment cabinet we had… Continue reading Resistance is futile

Good and bad wires

A close-up of the tips of the pins. The order is the same as in the pictures above: worst solder joint to the left, good solder joint in the middle and crimped connector to the right.

I am a big fan of solderless breadboards and we use these also for our students at Uppsala University. For quite a while I have been using solid-core wire for my connections, but then I discovered the more flexible breadboard wires which have become popular in the Arduino community. Can there be quality? These stranded… Continue reading Good and bad wires