Why your homebrew Z80 sometimes refuses to start until you mash the reset button — and the simple RC circuit that fixes it. A maths-and-all walkthrough of power-on reset timing, with a Schmitt trigger thrown in to clean up the ramp and debounce the button.

Quick update – I have been looking at which processor to use and which Wifi module. I was considering using a Bluetooth module but that would have meant developing an iPhone /Android app which just adds to much to the project. So have decided to use a Wifi Module with…

One Schmitt trigger, one resistor, one capacitor — and a working oscillator. A hands-on walkthrough of how hysteresis turns a humble RC circuit into a clean square wave, with the maths, the scope traces, and an honest take on its quirks.

I was given a Surface Pro 4 to repair and was told that the user stood on it and hence the screen cracked. However…. once I managed to open it (something that was far more difficult than I would have hoped for) I realised that actually, cause of the cracked screen…

A flashing cursor in a glass cabinet, an electronics kit on the kitchen table, and a paper-round-funded ZX81. The story of how a kid in 1970s South Africa fell hopelessly in love with computers — and the childhood dream still waiting on the workbench.

I had two issues with my son’s Big Jig rail track. One was the railway crossing gates getting broken and the other was the “rickety bridge” issue.The gate was a simple case of it being stood on. But one gate and the track link got broken so I looked to replace both by…

A lifelong Windows user gets shoved into Ubuntu by an Nvidia dev board — and discovers exactly why Linux still isn’t ready for the desktop. Failed VMs, missing drivers, and dependency hell, told with a sense of humour and an open mind.