Category Archives: DIY

KN0CK HF Converter Rev. 4 is Released!

Posted on July 25, 2013 by jwk

The complete Rev 3 KN0CK HF Converter has sold out and been discontinued. That’s okay, though, because it’s been replaced with the KN0CK RTLSDR for HF Revision 4! This model incorporates a lot of the feedback from the community about the … Continue reading →

Posted in DIY, Electronics, Gadgets, Radio, Technology | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Overloaded 1931 Transformer [Fried Electronics]

Posted on June 7, 2013 by jwk

I’m working on a 1930/31 Westinghouse WR-8 Columnaire clock-radio which had a bad transformer. The filter capacitors failed and shorted the high-voltage secondary, burning it open and causing a lot of heat and melting.   The replacement is a General … Continue reading →

Posted in DIY, Electronics, Projects, Radio, Vintage | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

A Most Convoluted 1934 Philco 66B Antique Radio Repair

Posted on May 31, 2013 by jwk

Recently, I took in a beautiful Philco 66B for repair. Manufactured in 1934, this chassis ended up in several different models – a couple of tombstones, a cathedral, and at least two console radios. They’re all 5-tube radios with the … Continue reading →

Posted in DIY, Projects, Radios and Tubes, Vintage | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 14 Comments

1934 Silvertone 1708A Repair and Restoration

Posted on April 23, 2013 by jwk

I recently had the pleasure of working on a 1934 Silvertone 1708A which was brought to me for repair locally. This was great – having a radio repaired can be a big decision, so I’m happy to show off my … Continue reading →

Posted in DIY, Projects, Radios and Tubes, Vintage | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

KN0CK HF Upconverter Fits Inside the USB Tuner’s Enclosure

Posted on February 19, 2013 by jwk

Marty KN0CK sent me some details to publish about his great looking miniature HF upconverter board for the RTLSDR, the HF Alchemy DVB-T Active HF Upconverter. It’s an incredibly miniature SMT board with an SA612 mixer and SMT oscillator, and … Continue reading →

Posted in DIY, Electronics, Photos, Projects, Radio | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Thrift Store Jamo MPA-101 Repaired – She’s Back Up and Running!

Posted on February 11, 2013 by jwk

I started working on a Jamo MPA-101 amplifier back in August for a friend and after some early work it sat for a while. He’s re-doing his audio system at home so I spent a few hours to finish troubleshooting … Continue reading →

Posted in DIY, Electronics, Projects, Speakers | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

DIY SDR HF Up-Converter by WA7JHZ: Another good choice for your RTLSDR.

Posted on February 2, 2013 by jwk

Reader David Forsman, WA7JHZ, read the round-up of RTLSDR upconverter choices and sent me a photo and build schematic of one he designed which was featured in the January 2013 issue of QST, the ARRL‘s monthly magazine. This circuit up-converts … Continue reading →

Posted in DIY, Electronics, Projects, Radio | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

HP ProBook 1415s Salvage Project

Posted on October 14, 2012 by jwk

I recently came up with 3 mostly-stripped HP ProBook 1415s laptops that were being thrown out. They’re decent little machines – WXGA (720p) screens, dual-core AMD processors with decent onboard graphics and HDMI output. I have compatible laptop memory and … Continue reading →

Posted in Computers, DIY, Electronics, Projects | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Round-Up of RTLSDR Upconverter Choices

Posted on September 14, 2012 by jwk

Updated 11/19/2015! There are 22 converters listed. Know any more? Leave a comment! The RTLSDR is designed for higher frequency operation, so if you’d like your RTLSDR to be able to access many of the amateur, short, medium and longwave bands … Continue reading →

Posted in Collections, DIY, Electronics, Radio, Radios and Tubes | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 49 Comments

1991 Mazda Miata Air Bag Diagnostic Computer Repair & System Down Fuse Replacement [Cars!]

Posted on August 13, 2012 by jwk

My friend recently purchased a 1991 Mazda Miata from its original owner, in immaculate condition and with incredibly low miles. Except for one issue: the Air Bag light on the instrument cluster was indicating a trouble code. The number of … Continue reading →

Posted in Cars, DIY, Electronics, Projects | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 44 Comments