Making a poor man DC/DC converter for E-Scooters by modifying a 230 Volt wall adapter

In these days where the exhausting of natural resources is an ever increasing concern, and the release of non-recyclable waste (which includes many electronic products) is a problem with no general solution in sight, being able to re-purpose devices that would otherwise be thrown to the garbage, can only be at all levels a welcomed idea. If we add to that the fact that in the current state of affairs, the semiconductor industry is experiencing a generalized production crisis, then re-purposing should have all the legitimacy it is entitled to have.

My experience with a grown man Electric Scooter - the Chinese 5600 Watt Laotie Ti30 - Part 3

The Laotie Ti30 (and other similar chinese scooters) comes with a basic alarm device that is capable of locking the scooter via a remote control. These alarm boxes are usually dirt cheap and can be bought separately for 5 € on Aliexpress or similar seller.

My experience with a grown man Electric Scooter - the Chinese 5600 Watt Laotie Ti30 - Part 2

Moving along with the range of improvements that this scooter requires - of which some are practically essential, the parts I needed for doing a few more improvements have conveniently arrived.

My experience with a grown man Electric Scooter - the Chinese 5600 Watt Laotie Ti30 - Part 1

For a couple of years I have been playing around with the popular Xiaomi M365 which I bought back then. In spite of a few nitpicks it is an okay scooter, and good value for money for those looking for a small vehicle that can cover moderate distances (about 20 km per charge) while still being carriable (it only weights about 12.5 Kg). 

Going after radiosondes with a Portapack H2 / HackRF

For those who know me, it is nothing new that among other things I am somewhat of a radio technologies enthusiast as well.

In the current state of affairs, it is an even more interesting field, considering how much it can be done without a significant financial investment. Radio technologies have evolved tremendously in a short time span. Some of that evolution can be directly attributed to the large demand caused by the mobile communications industry, but also by the computer and digital broadcast industry. All of these called for the development of highly integrated semiconductors capable of many functions, from the analog frontend and digital processing, to applications.

Reverse engineering and "unlocking extras" in a Hantek 1832C LCR meter

For some time I've felt the need to have a piece of equipment allowing me to measure inductance, impedance and a broader range of capacitance values. For the rest of the relevant types of measurements I've already had a digital multimeter and an oscilloscope, which have proven sufficient so far.

Reverse engineering of an Aircraft Transponder

Some time ago I obtained from eBay a transponder control head. You may start asking what is such thing, and what does it have to do with a blog where most frequently, home automation topics are discussed.