Train Surgery I took a hilariously loud, 4xAA-hungry toy train and gave it a proper glow-up: dropped an 18650 in the coal car, used a charger/protect/boost board dialed to ~5.5 V, and added a simple series pot as a volume knob. After some careful teardown, polarity sanity checks (center positive!), and an irresponsible amount of hot glue, it’s now rechargeable and actually pleasant to listen to. The motor clatter is the only thing the volume knob can’t tame—but the wheels go round and round, and I’m calling that a win. 07 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