I Bodged a microSD Adapter Back to Life A cheap microSD adapter died with a horrible scratchy noise, so instead of binning it I cracked it open, found a snapped spring contact, and soldered on a resistor lead as a makeshift tip. Against all odds, it worked and the card mounted—proof these things are just spring contacts—but it’s mechanically cursed and absolutely not to be trusted. Fun experiment, not advice. 28 January 2026
Red Arcade Thing Repair I resurrected a dead AliExpress arcade handheld by swapping the blown 3.3V regulator (I now own 99 spares), adding a TP4056 charger with Schottky diode isolation, and nursing a 0V LiPo back to life. A bit of hot-plate rework, tidier wiring, and—flip the switch—boom: it boots! It’s not pretty, but it’s alive again. 14 September 2025
It blew itself up! I recently got my hands on a cheap mini handheld game console from AliExpress that gave up the ghost a bit sooner than expected! After some detective work with a multimeter, I found a dead battery and a suspicious burn mark on the PCB. Looks like the culprit was a failed capacitor, with some diodes to blame too. I managed to jump-start the board, though it lost its voice in the process. Replacement parts are on the way; stay tuned for the next round of electronic surgery! 03 September 2025