Amiga 500 eaten alive!

I’m having some fun messing around with a few of my old retro computers at the moment and, inspired by EEV Blog’s recent teardown and successful boot of a 25 year old Amiga 500 I decided to get my old girl down from the attic and give her a go.

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Sinclair ZX Spectrum Composite Video Modification

Introduction

The Sinclair ZX range of computers were among the first affordable computers and kick-started the UK’s home computer revolution in the 1980s.  These machines relied on consumer television equipment for their display output and, as such, they featured an RF modulated output so that users could simply “tune-in” to them on their television sets.

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Blwyddyn Newydd Dda! Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!

2012 was a tough year for me personally, and I only set myself one goal for the year which was to start (and continue) giving blood.  I achieved that goal and have given blood 3 times so far with my 4th appointment in just a few days.

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Digital Multimeter Accuracy Explained

Introduction

The digital multimeter is the most widely used test instrument in the electronics industry.  It is the standard tool for electronics Technicians and it’s usually the first test/diagnosis tool that a newcomer to electronics will purchase.
Despite this, multimeter capabilities are often misunderstood or ignored.  I have worked in the electronics trade for 14 years and it has been my experience that surprisingly few people actually understand (or care about) their multimeter specifications.  In particular, I have discovered that a large number of Technicians and even Engineers are ‘blisfully’ ignorant of their instrument’s capabilities and the implications for the measurements they make.
If you don’t know and understand your instrument specifications, how can you choose the right tool for the job? And, more importantly, how will you know when you’re using the wrong tool for the job?!

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