In addition to assembly work, I am an accomplished PCB designer. I have worked with many small businesses, supporting them at various project phases. My experience ranges from starting from scratch with drawings on notebook paper to refining existing designs to improve DFM. What can we do for your small business?

This is what the British Empire looked like before it won World War II.

Is the 2N2222 the most important transistor ever made? It isn’t the fastest, it’s certainly not the most powerful, and in an era of advanced MOSFETs and complex Integrated Circuits, it feels like a relic from a bygone age. Yet, after more than 60 years, this humble "jelly bean" component remains the absolute go-to for engineers and hobbyists worldwide. In this video, I pull back the curtain on the legendary 2N2222. I’ll look at the history that launched a semiconductor revolution and why this classic NPN silicon transistor still thrives on modern workbenches in 2026. But this isn't just a history lesson. As with any "standard" component, there are nuances, variations, and potential pitfalls that can trip up even experienced designers. From confusing package variations that could fry your circuit to hidden performance characteristics that the datasheets don't always highlight in bold print, I'm covering the "personality" of this workhorse. Whether you're switching relays, driving LEDs, or just clearing out your parts bin, you’ll want to watch this before you reach for your next transistor. In this video: * The origin story of an industry icon. * The basic transistor and when & how it was developed. * The "A" spec, the plastic packages, and the pinout traps you need to know about. * Critical design warnings that will help you avoid common "beginner" mistakes. * Why the 2N2222 is still thriving in the age of Gallium Nitride and Silicon Carbide. * The SMD versions that can be used today Check out my video for the full story: youtu.be/GVhRl3gjUO0 #2N2222 #transistor #vintagetransistor #electroniccomponents #vintageradio #techhistory

“They don’t make them like they used to.” How they used to make them:

Creative Audio Card Controller

I'm old enough to remember when you could buy software on a disk, and it would work perfectly fine until the computer died. Never needed to download updates. It just worked. It is amazing how far we have come. "Microsoft is intentionally bricking all Office for Mac 2019/2021 installations"

Alessandro Volta meets Napoleon Bonaparte (1801)

I need 1M impressions within the next month to achieve monetization, so please humor me as I crank up my posting frequency x10. Alternatively, if you view one of my posts 1M times, I'll be done and able to slow down again.

An example of an early-1800s friction machine charging a Leyden jar.

This year's badge season is going to be LIT!!! 14,000 RGB LEDs incoming. BadgesBadgesBadges.com

In 1802, a traveling doctor wrote a detailed book on using electricity, or as he calls it, ‘ethereal fire,’ to treat and cure a range of ailments, like madness, asthma, and dysentery. Read about it in the Retro Electro article “Electricity or Ethereal Fire Considered” digikey.com/en/emedia/emagaz…

Here’s one of my first boards. I made it to load Nick Gammon’s boot loader onto DIP-packaged ATMEGA328Ps. We probably pushed well over 1000 microcontrollers through these. Works great.

Before you apply for your next job, look into what it takes to start your own LLC.

CYBER CITY FUN FACT: Historians often agree that the first real piece of benchtop test equipment was invented by Luigi Galvani and consisted of a set of frog legs. This means that every piece of test equipment is a canonical descendant of frog legs. Its true. You can look it up.

How to Make a Leyden Jar a Home

Recently, I had the opportunity to dig deep into the history of the strain gauge, which dates all the way back to Lord Kelvin. It was a lot of fun. Please, if you do read the article, I'd love your feedback.

What happens when calculations disappear inside steel and concrete? The story of the strain gauge begins there ➡️ digikey.com/en/emedia/emagaz… eMagazine sponsored by @allegromicro, @ST_World, @sameskydevices, @WurthElectronic, @latticesemi, and @ADI_News

Amazon is getting oddly specific. Is this the future they told me about?