One day I came across a device called “Ethernet Network Isolator” and started to wonder why we would need such device as standard Ethernet system that uses twisted pair cable and RJ-45 connectors is already isolated from both ends of the cable (isolation transformers that can withstand 1500V). When the network connections made with unshielded →
A massive solar storm rocked the Earth’s atmosphere with charged particles this weekend, triggering spectacular auroras in the night sky across a substantial swath of both North America and Europe. Over the last weekend, one of the strongest geomagnetic storms of the millennium was experienced. ‘Extreme’ solar storm triggers Northern Lights as far south as →
The time has come to phase out the use of toxic materials, such as mercury and phosphorus, in order to protect human health and the environment from their harmful effects. In the European Union, the use of mercury in products has been phased out gradually since 2006, and it is restricted by the RoHS Directive →
Bang on design and use! ‘Forbidden reach around’ Tell people – just because it fits you should not plug it in. Did you know that figure 8 power cable plug (IEC 60320 type C plug also known as IEC C7) fits into XLR make connector? If it’s round outside, don’t plug an AC cord in, →
Very many electrical equipment and fluorescent lamps powered from 230V AC have a filtering capacitor on power input between live and neutral. This is typically there for interference suppressing. That capacitor is normally X rated “self healing” type, but they can sometimes fail. When they fail their case starts turning black, and they can start →
ElectroBoom is fun to watch https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=TwIvUbOhcKE So are also those: Kreosan https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ugxq0FMjoQ Diode gone wild https://www.youtube.com/c/diodegonewild/videos Big clive https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=RmZGwEPt1ck →
Don’t do this! (There’s a much safer way) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M88e1r8nvYk Big Clive discovered there’s a “thing” going around where people are charging lithium cells by attaching a stripped USB lead directly to them. Normally lithium cells are very safe if undamaged and correct charging procedures are used. But overcharging them like this can result in cell →
Finland’s Transport and Communications Agency, Traficom, has issued a public announcement informing of an unusual spike in GPS interference near the country’s eastern border. According to reports, the interference isn’t limited to Finland but also affects Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, and the broader Baltic region. This spoofing is relatively easy because the actual GPS signal is →
Transformerless power supplies are showing up a lot, especially in inexpensive products where the cost of a transformer would add significantly to the BOM. But transformerless power supplies are a double-edged sword. You can get yourself easily electrocuted if you don’t understand them and take proper safety precautions. Poking around in a transformerless-powered device can →
By far the most used oscilloscope probes are the passive 10:1 attenuation probe. Next step in probe categories are active probes. Active probes succeed in practically eliminating reactive loading of the circuit under investigation by means of a small solid-state amplifier in the probe body adjacent to the tip. There are two main classes of →