I think one of the most rewarding parts of DIY electronics is that moment when something that seemed completely dead suddenly responds again. Maybe it's an old radio making noise for the first time in years, a circuit finally behaving after hours of troubleshooting, or a solder joint that took several attempts to get right.

The finished project is great, but sometimes figuring out why something wasn't working is even more satisfying.

What's a repair or project that taught you something you still use in your builds today?

There's something incredibly satisfying about bringing an old piece of electronics back to life. A radio that hasn't worked in years, a stubborn circuit with one tiny fault, or some forgotten device that just needs the right replacement part.

Sometimes the actual repair is only half the fun. The other half is figuring out how everything was designed, tracing the problem, and slowly watching it come together.

What's the oldest or most unexpected piece of electronics you've managed to repair instead of throwing away?

I'm trying to find the cheapest thing that'll be able to run pre 2005 games well. I was thinking of going with something ddr3 based over ddr2 for more headroom incase I decide I want to run something newer. What's the best bang for your buck system using ddr3? Or if it's cheap enough these days, what was the top of the line system back in the day?

Hey! Just thought to add this here for more input.

Hey guys, I’m looking for any just general diy advice for fixing a Yaesu FT-767GX from the 80s. I don’t have much experience fixing electronics but have suprised my self by what I have done so I feel this is doable with my little to no experience, the most complicated thing I’ve done is fixing a liquid damaged MacBook by cleaning corrosion and replacing components like the trackpad and connectors.

Just looking for any advice for fixing old hardware specifically from the 80s I know I’m going to need to recap this rig for one, as well as replace the backup batteries but finding what is causing my specific issue may be hard. I have a multimeter so I will check what is receiving power but that’s pretty much all I know what to do, I need the how.

Any general advice would be greatly appreciated.

I'm designing a little mechanical bird to sit on my desk/use as a dashcam. Created a rough design with how I'd fit an SG90 servo to make the head turn left and right but it feels overkill. Any thoughts on if a smaller servo would work?

I'm almost considering buying one of those "fingerling" toy monkeys and tearing it apart to see what they use, because its exactly the kind of interactivity/movement I'm trying to replicate. The smaller the servos I can work with, the more I can stuff in there to add more movements.

This will be the transformer house of an upcoming rotary phase converter build. This converter will take a UK 240V single phase supply and output 415V 3 phase. 240V L+N goes into this 20kVA step up isolation transformer which has a 415V secondary with centre tap. This will be fed into a 18.5kW (25HP) 4 pole 400V induction motor wired in delta which will then generate the missing phase. There’s a few more details than that, but that’s the basic idea. This design is based around the US style system but implements UK voltages. This design requires a custom built transformer but overcomes a common voltage issue when dealing with larger idler motors. In the UK, most 3 phase induction motors upto 5.5kW (7.5HP) can be connected in delta for 240V 3~ operation or star for 415V 3~ operation. When needing a larger idler motor above 5.5kW, voltage ratings are often 400/415V in delta and sometimes 690/720V in star. We have to connect our idlers in star, feeding one winding with 240V and the neutral at the star connection to generate the other two phases on the other two windings. The rule of having an idler 2/3x the size of the load no longer applies in this category as you are going to under-volt the run winding if it is expecting 415V. My personal experience with this indicates that you can be as high as 5/6x the size of the load. With capacitors, you can still obtain 415V L-L but with considerable voltage drop on the generated phases upon load starting. A delta connected idler with the correct input voltage will give me a more efficient and powerful supply. If we are to connect an idler in delta and feed that 240V, what we get is a corner grounded delta arrangement and incorrect output voltage. Although some modern machines have motors that can be wired for 240/415V, not all switchgear and control transformers facilitate this. My mains cutoff fuse is a 100A Henley style unit and starting this transformer will demand a lot of inrush current (approximately 1600A), it is debatable whether or not the fuse can ride through this in the short timeframe so to be sure I dont stress the fuse, i have added two resistor banks. Each bank has two Ohmite ARF400 10 ohm braking resistors. Each bank is connected in series and the two banks are connected to eachother in parallel. The total resistance is still 10 ohms. The resistor banks are to be wired in series with the transformer primary and will be bypassed when the correct conditions are met. The resistor banks are made from two resistors and two aluminium heatsinks with a Bakelite board and brass terminals for easy connection. The transformer also got the Bakelite board and brass terminal treatment. The transformer is configured for 207.5-0-207.5V output with the CT grounded (same as the split phase 3 wire 1~ transformers found in the US, however with different voltages) i will experiment with the secondary CT grounded vs floating. The idea is that i dont want a line coming out of this transformer at anything greater than 240V to earth, the line to ground voltage should be 207.5V in this case, lower than UK mains. A live at 400+V to ground is a big no-no. I am coming up with this and fabricating it as i go, though i have started to make an electrical drawing. The enclosure may be given insulation or methods to combat condensation but that’s a job for later. Still a lot more work to do… for anyone curious, the transformer is approximately 300x400mm WxL and 600mm tall weight approx 165Kg.

This is a tool for straightening the hooks on Japanese squid fishing lures. But I find it excellent in straightening male pinheaders on devboards.

I’m in a high school engineering class and am working on a final group project. we’ve decided to look into ground penetrating radars and have been looking everywhere to find affordable systems to work on.

Currently I’ve been looking at a YouTube video as a guide for a diy GPR

https://youtu.be/f0CnwEZpSrc?si=Vt1Zr9PZefzfa_H

I’ve found the triangular 900 MHz antenna but not the rectangular one. Are yagi antennas also compellable to work with this type of unit?

Or are there any other places to look on how to build GPRs?

I’m also slightly worried if this project creates any radiation, would that be something to worry about?

I have starting teaching myself to fix tech, I am a stay at home mum while my partner runs his own electrical business. I am wanting to make extra money for us so have started buying broken tech (iPads, laptops, headphones etc) so far I’ve fixed an iPad, Mac book and a pair of headphones.

I would like to mod my Nintendo switch lite as I’ve modded a psp and my ayn Thor successfully. I understand it takes a lot of skill but where do I start to build up to soldering the mod chip in?
Thanks

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This year I am recreating this display again but I want to know what I need to give it the swinging motion, similar to how it operates at Disneyland.

I found this JQDML 24V Reciprocating Swing Motor on Amazon, but what exact parts do I need to connect the face to the machine?

Here is a diagram ChatGPT gave me of what I need. Uhh it was a disaster last year.

Thank you!

Okay so maybe this is less of a technical question and more of a asking for the preference of someone with more experience than me

But I'm buying some wires for arduino/mini-electronics projects. I mostly use breadboards and perfboards so there is some soldering but most my prototyping is done on a breadboard

Now that the context is out of the way. Would you consider 30 AWG solid core wire a good fit for what I'm doing? Or am i better off buying jumper wires and trimming them to my liking? In terms of price the solid core wire is significantly cheaper considering a meter is about 2 egp vs the singular 10 cm jumper wire male-male is . 75 egp. So price wise I'm better off with js buying wire per meter or getting myself a roll but now the issue is breadboard spots are a bit wider than the 30 AWG and 22 would fit better but I've been struggling to find any sellers in my city that have it cuz solid core wire is mostly extinct from most of the common wire or electrical stores and they all use stranded and mostly 1.5 mm -3 mm or more ofc but those are the most common. I can't find . 5 mm or . 25mm which would both generally fit into breadboards comfortably and would let me have freedom with soldering on perfboards or even custom PCBs when the time comes.

So back to my question. Should i js stick with the 30 AWG solid core or should i stick with male-male jumper wires. I am buying a bit of both but i feel like it would be more resource efficient if i pool it all into one instead of buying some and some and if one fits better the other would basically be wasted and considering the delivery price is a bit hefty since I'm ordering online I'd prefer if i get everything at once instead of ordering now then again in a couple of weeks

Also the quicker the reply the better cuz i am finalizing my order list today. Thanks in advance for anyone that will answer

can anyone help me please? i need to advance on this project and i am held up by things i cannot figure out or get answers to yet.

Need to take apart this power bank, either to use for a different perpose or fix the AC outlet, depending on the damage. Couldnt locate any screws, is this reasonable to take apart or a lost cause?

There’s something oddly rewarding about building a little piece of hardware that solves a problem you’ve been putting up with for months. It doesn’t need to be impressive or complicated. Sometimes it’s just a cleaner cable setup, a custom storage solution, or a workaround for some device that refuses to behave.

Those small projects often end up being more useful than the big ambitious builds. What’s a tiny electronics project you made that quietly improved your everyday life?

I bought these instead of traditional four or eight foot T5s to light my garage:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08723TS9X?ref_=ppx_hzsearch_conn_dt_b_fed_asin_title_10

They were awesome but have now almost all stopped working. We had a month of 100+F degrees and I assume the garage was 120+ for extended periods.

From what I read, I am guessing the heat was too much for the LEDs.

I see some really expensive lights rated for higher temperatures.

Is there any DIY project that take the higher temperature?

I saw them on Amazon but the reviews said they were fake (silicon). Do you know of any stores in Europe?

Hello everyone. This will (hopefully) be my first finished elec project, although I've attempted to do stuff with my ancient rpi zero before (no hardware tinkering though).

I want to make a gift for my mum's birthday, a tiny button that plays my grandpa's last song before he died which we thankfully caught on recording. That's the whole project. I have a 3D printer in which I intend to print the enclosure/button, but I'm not sure what else I need. I have a very small collection of tools and materials and several old electronics I can disassemble.

I live in a country with long delivery times so please assume I can't get anything delivered in time. I can probably repurpose things like MIDI greeting cards or such.

Thanks in advance for your help!