As a youngster I enjoyed pulling electrical items apart to see what was inside but then I got distracted by video games and now all I can claim to do is rewire a plug. My interest has been reignited by Big Clive, otherwise known as Clive Mitchell. He is an earthy, chatty bloke with a YouTube channel and a penchant for pulling apart cheap electronics in order to see what they are made of, or even hack them.
These types of videos are known as teardowns, and involve carefully pulling apart everything from LED garden lights to cheap plastic bug zappers. Big Clive meticulously tests his wares, getting out his soldering kits to swap out LEDs for a more colourful experience or putting pencil to paper to work out the circuit design that allows for such a high discharge of voltage on a zapper racquet running on a mere two AA batteries.
These days teens are told “coding uber alles” but they might be just as excited about the hardware aspect if given half the chance. Clive is simply a hobbyist with a bag of tricks ranging from desoldering wick to portable heat sensors but his videos are highly entetaining and informative.
