Red Arcade Thing Repair I resurrected a dead AliExpress arcade handheld by swapping the blown 3.3V regulator (I now own 99 spares), adding a TP4056 charger with Schottky diode isolation, and nursing a 0V LiPo back to life. A bit of hot-plate rework, tidier wiring, and—flip the switch—boom: it boots! It’s not pretty, but it’s alive again. 14 September 2025
It blew itself up! I recently got my hands on a cheap mini handheld game console from AliExpress that gave up the ghost a bit sooner than expected! After some detective work with a multimeter, I found a dead battery and a suspicious burn mark on the PCB. Looks like the culprit was a failed capacitor, with some diodes to blame too. I managed to jump-start the board, though it lost its voice in the process. Replacement parts are on the way; stay tuned for the next round of electronic surgery! 03 September 2025
Worlds smallest USB-C Li-Ion charger I stumbled upon these incredibly tiny USB-C Li-ion chargers on AliExpress and couldn't resist checking them out! These minuscule PCBs, just 10mm x 6mm, feature the LP4054 (or TP4054) linear battery charger. With a 1.65K programming resistor, they offer a charging current of around 600mA. Keep in mind, they can get pretty toasty, reaching up to 92-93C! For fun, I tried recreating them in KiCad and found it surprisingly easy. 16 July 2025
Look at my shiny crystal balls Just upgraded my basic AliExpress crystal balls with some tech wizardry - I've thrown in an ESP32-S3-MINI, a mic, and made them battery powered. Thanks to WLED software, they're now smart and responsive! Shared the KiCAD project for fellow tinkerers. Check out my video to see these balls in action! 20 April 2024
I Need More USB Power! I've been accumulating more and more USB powered devices for my workbench lately, and my single 65W USB-C supply just isn't cutting it anymore. So, I've decided to source a new solution. After some digging, I stumbled upon a remarkable board on AliExpress with four USB standard sockets and four USB-C ports, which support just about every protocol there is! Oh, it easily delivers a solid 65 Watts. With this, I am finally able to fully power my gear. From mini hotplates to soldering irons, my workbench is more juiced up than ever! 04 November 2023