Safety

Lithium charging security

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

Unusual aircraft GPS interference

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

The shocking power supplies

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

Differential oscilloscope probes

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

Fire and Smoke Alarm Systems

Smoke and fire alarms can save lives. The occupant and the housing company are responsible for the acquisition and maintenance of smoke alarms in Finland. It is the duty of the occupant of the flat, i.e. the resident, to buy a smoke alarm and to keep it in good working order. Smoke alarms must meet

European mains power

This post is about European mains power. Electricity in EU countries conforms to the European standard, coming out of the wall socket at 230 volts alternating at 50 cycles per second. While the voltage and frequency are fixed, the mains connectors and wiring practices can vary between different countries in Europe. One thing to note

Coiled mains cable heating and inductance

What is the problem of using a coiled extension cord? When the power cable passes a considerable load current, it will definitely heat up noticeably. As the load current increases, the temperature of the cable surface will be higher. A cable loaded near it’s rated current can feel that it is warm to the touch,

USB C vs US outlet

Have you noticed that the size of the USB C plug is such that it is possible to insert it to an US outlet. The USB C connector just fits to the wider prong hole in the US connector (slightly too big for thinner prong hole). It is even possible to make the USB connector

US electrical power dangers

Any form of energy, when not properly controlled or harnessed, can result in serious danger to those who use it. Electricity at any voltage can be dangerous and should always be approached with caution. Direct Dangers of Electricity include a variety of hazards that include Electric Shock, Physical Burns, Neurological Damage and Ventricular fibrillation resulting