71–80 of 160 posts
Not sure if HN knows about Mehdi Sadaghdar's (aka ElectroBOOM's) YouTube channel, which is somewhat similar - but takes a more lighthearted view on electronics. E.g. Compare Big Clive's mention of a full bridge rectifier in the video vs Mehdi's YouTube video of the same thing :) https://youtu.be/sI5Ftm1-jik
Heh, ground fault interrupters should probably be required on every circuit.
How do I know what I'm buying is safe? I've sworn by the Nexus chargers in their various incarnations and http://www.amazon.com/Charge-Charging-Station-Micro-USB-Sams... (I have a Tronsmart and an Aukey vertsion)
Supposedly the CE marking in Europe should be a good indicator, but sadly there are various ways that a company can self-certify products.
I think the biggest problem is that Amazon allows anyone and anything to use them as an outlet by default. Thus many fly by night resellers can used Amazon's brand as a cover.
Here, Clive looks at an Ikea USB power supply: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uRe9w5PKmsE&nohtml5=False Much better made.
Over on Amazon, anyone can offer something for sale. And the only real indication you have is the "sold by XYZ, fulfilled by Amazon" line somewhere near the top.
The site is amazon.com, the logo and design is all Amazon, but Amazon never had to place an order for the item, nor is on the hook if something blows up. They just act as a combo of UPS and Paypal for the transaction.
As a reminder, if you're buying a USB charger or battery, or MicroUSB, Type C, or Lightning cable please buy Anker products. They are not expensive, but they are the best products you can get your hands on. I own multiple Anker products, and have never discovered anything better than these. The only non-Anker charger I currently use is the Google Nexus branded Qi charger (plugged into an Anker multiport brick), and t…
Wall charger still works great, but the cables are what I was really interested in because people are always running off with them. Still haven't found anything satisfactory.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Big Clive is _the_ channel for teardowns of everyday electronic stuff. I am actually not that interested in this kind of stuff but somehow I still watch most of his videos. If you are into more... entertaining teardowns you should have a look at AvE. Even if you don't like it you will still learn some useful canadian terms ;) (edit: just to make it clear, AvE is actually very knowledgable. His "boltr" teardown series…
Actually found that incredibly annoying. These guys managed to get something working, probably with very limited knowledge and funds, that deserves an award. It just seems this guy expects everything to look like an Apple ipad when you open it up.
How do I know what I'm buying is safe? I've sworn by the Nexus chargers in their various incarnations and http://www.amazon.com/Charge-Charging-Station-Micro-USB-Sams... (I have a Tronsmart and an Aukey vertsion)
Suppliers register and prove that their products comply with Australian standards, and are awarded a compliance number. That number is the consumer's indicator that a product is safe. Any interested party can check that the certification is genuine by looking up the compliance number in an online database.
Here's how it works in practise: you're screwed. The relevant government department took the database off line years ago, and there still isn't a replacement. When you go to do a search, you arrive at a page that talks about the database in the future tense [1]: "The national database will list all the equipment registered by the responsible supplier". A supplier can put a fake mark on a product, and there is no easy way for a consumer to know if is genuine, making the marks virtually useless. The result is electrocution whilst listening to a plugged in music player with headphones [2].
[1] http://www.erac.gov.au/index.php?option=com_content&view=art...
[2] http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/warning-over-usb-chargers-after-wo...
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Edit: spelling
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Big Clive is _the_ channel for teardowns of everyday electronic stuff. I am actually not that interested in this kind of stuff but somehow I still watch most of his videos. If you are into more... entertaining teardowns you should have a look at AvE. Even if you don't like it you will still learn some useful canadian terms ;) (edit: just to make it clear, AvE is actually very knowledgable. His "boltr" teardown series…
Mikes electronic stuff is also quite good.
http://asndata.aviation-safety.net/reports/2013/20130712-0_B...
...caused by a battery short resulting from the two wires being trapped against the case and eventually the insulation abrading through when subject to vibration. Even the highly regulated aviation industry isn't immune to simple defects like these.
How do I know what I'm buying is safe? I've sworn by the Nexus chargers in their various incarnations and http://www.amazon.com/Charge-Charging-Station-Micro-USB-Sams... (I have a Tronsmart and an Aukey vertsion)
I play Ingress a lot (a GPS based mobile game where you run around a lot in the real world so most players use external batteries) and at least 60-70% of the whole community uses Anker products. I personally know at a dozen people who use Anker wall plugs and all of them (including me, 1 wallplug and 2 battery packs) are very happy.