Category Archives: tech
Making Silicone Rubber Molds
This is a nifty technology for making candles and casts, and lots of hobby and crafts. I learned how to do this at TechShop in San Jose. The smooth-on.com website also has lots of videos. It is a two part … Continue reading
Kickstarter Project – PWRLNK-55
I have a Kickstarter campaign running for this little board, the PWRLNK-55, which converts the kind of voltages we see on solar panels, often around 21 Volts, down to the very useful 5 Volts used by USB and many electronic … Continue reading
Hand Soldering Surface Mount
Most modern electronic devices are now made with Surface Mount Technology (SMT). Sometimes you see the abbreviation SMD for Surface Mount Devices. They are cheaper to mass produce, but need some manufacturing setup which is often too expensive to do … Continue reading
Checking Up on an Old Solar Panel
I tinkered with solar cells all through high school, making small panels and using them to charge batteries, run fans and lights. I got this Arco M25 in January 1989. At that time, Arco was one of the few, if … Continue reading
Broken Windows and the Metric System
The US is the only major economy in the world that doesn’t use the metric system. Even the English are no longer using so-called English measurements. In the metric system there is only one unit for each type of thing … Continue reading