The DSO Nano from SeeedStudio is a cheap but useful, portable colour digital storage oscilloscope.  As you can tell from my previous review, I was pretty impressed with this budget scope.  For the price that Seed studio are selling it for, it offers excellent value and a highly practical device.  However, costs have to be cut somewhere to reach that $89 price point that Seed have achieved and one look at the standard probes tell you that Seeed did not burst the budget on these items.

So what can you do when you inevitably end up breaking the flimsy 1x probes that are supplied with your Nano?  Luckily it is a pretty easy job to modify a 10x probe readily available on the internet.  Not only that their are additional benefits a plenty to be had from this modification.

Seeed Studio it would appear have an instant hit on their hands with the DSO Nano.  As you me be aware I was one of the quick that managed to snag one of the first prototype units for review.  Well demand is clearly going through the roof.  Seeed announced they had prepared a further 100 units this weekend and sold them out in 24 hours. 

They have just a handful more of the “pioneering” batch to sell and then they are changing the design to a more mature production design.  Differences in the production models are designed to make manufacture easier.

If you are in a real hurry for a DSO Nano then keep your eyes peeled on the Seeed Studio Site, when they release the next 100 competition will be tough. 

As the DSO Nano is an open source project, Seeed are intending to release the API shortly, this can only increase demand!

100 Pioneering DSO nano sold out, then… | Seeed Studio

Over at 41Hz Audio they feature some of their customers completed projects.  This one caught my eye, simply because of the simplicity of the design.  Sébastien has used their Amp 1 kit and squeezed it into an aluminium project box that has been very nicely prepared. 

A friend of his has drilled and painted it using Automotive spray paint.  In the photograph the paint finish looks very good to me. Considering the project box only cost 17€, and an amp 1 kit can be had for 33€ this project is reasonably priced.

  I stumbled upon this beautiful project whilst browsing the web today.  This restoration by Greg Charvat takes a very ornamental and indeed ancient Console Radio and sympathetically brings it back to life.

The temptation with projects like this is to replace on a wide scale components with new parts.  However Greg has kept some of the original capacitors, all of the original resistors and more. 

The description of the wiring as crumbling gives a very good reason not to power up a device of this vintage until you have an opportunity to inspect the internals, these valve devices have some mighty voltages inside and electrical safety (i.e. grounding) can not be assumed to be up to Today’s standards…

I have to admit that I am looking for a restoration project for myself… It seems though that so is everyone else.  E-bay auctions seem to go skywards for any interesting vintage tube amps…  Ahhh one day!

Restoration of a Kennedy Model 20B Console Radio

I don’t like bullies, no-one does I hope.  I was disappointed to read today that the good folks over at Sparkfun Electronics, a company that produces and sells open source hardware popular with electronics hobbyists.

SPARC International originally formed by Sun Microsystems has launched a legal shot over the bows of Sparkfun with a Cease and Desist letter from their solicitors.  The demand is that they stop using their Sparkfun trademark (which they have traded under now since 2003) and hand over their website to SPARC.

The argument is that Sparkfun sounds and looks too similar to SPARC.

SPARC Industries position I think is bizarre.  Their solicitor states that Sparkfun is selling computer hardware, they don’t in the conventional sense.  Apparently their is not a legal distinction between a servers architecture and that of an integrated circuit board.

If you too feel that Sparkfun are being hard done to here, please feel free to mail SPARC International at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it to voice your displeasure.  Sun Microsystems (for their brand is synonymous with SPARC, and indeed they are part of the group) and SPARC International  should take a look at the bad feeling that Monster Cables has generated web wide with their bullying legal tactics.  Ill advised and bullying behaviour on their part has no doubt lost them millions of pounds worth of sales globally.  In a competitive industry can SPARC International really risk their reputation on a frivolous legal action?

Read more at the following link…

SparkFun Electronics - News - 2009.10.23

Over at DiyAudioProjects, Bruce Heran of OddWatt Audio has shared another one of his Tube Amplifier designs.  The project is based heavily on a previous design, but Bruce has worked to reduce the need for expensive large transformers in this design.

This should make it a little more accessible to a hobbyist looking to add a great sounding tube amplifier to their system.

Outputting 5-7W of clean power this design should suit nicely a set of sensitive speakers. Bruce has improved on several circuits over his previous design. 

The amp construction is a mixture of point to point wiring and vero-board mounted components, click the link below to see more of the construction as well as schematics…

Poddwatt Class-A Stereo EL84 (6BQ5) Vacuum Tube Amplifier