Author: joe.farr@gmail.com

  • Why is nothing ever simple

    I’ve just bought 100 x 74LS590 IC’s for a project. They came from China and looking at them, I’m not sure they are genuine. They look a bit suspect (the laser etching isn’t quite right) and the packing was terrible with the pins bent all over the place, so it makes sense to test them.…

  • Fixed it…

    I’ve been having a problem with WordPress that I assumed was down to my limited knowledge and experience. Turns out there is a bug. I use “Tags” on posts. This allows me to group like posts easily together. I then use the WordPress “Query Loop” to display a list of all related posts at the…

  • Oscilloscope Kit Repair – Part 2

    In the first part of this nail-biting adventure, I explained the origins of this oscilloscope and that after some basic investigations and repairs it was now sort of working. Now many of us are used to repairing a piece of equipment with limited or no documentation, but the more complex the equipment is, the harder…

  • Oscilloscope Kit Repair – Part 1

    Back in the mid 70’s when I’d not long started playing with electronics I stumbled across the advert from the British National Radio & Electronics School. It promised to teach you electronics and as part of the course work you would build a working oscilloscope. My brother had one and he’d used it many time…