Author Archives: Ian

WORKSHOP VIDEO #13: PIC18F2550 breakout board build

This week we build the PIC18F2550 breakout board, and get a box of goodies from Mouser. For this build we used the Goot brand liquid flux , see out how it compares to other fluxes in the flux battle video. For part sources see the Dangerous Prototypes partlist. Workshop videos are an in-development project. Today’s […]

WORKSHOP VIDEO #12: New Dangerous Prototypes workshop

Take a tour of our the new workshop that’s setup to document projects and make build videos. Don’t miss last week’s Global Geek Tour to the electronics markets of Seoul. We’ll be back next week with a PIC 18F2550 USB breadboard helper build video. Check out our collection of workshop videos.

GLOBAL GEEK VIDEO #11: Yongsan and Cheonggyechon electronics markets in Seoul, South Korea

This week we take you on a Global Geek Tour of the electronics markets in Seoul, South Korea. Seoul isn’t known for its markets like Tokyo or Shenzhen, but with electronics giants like Samsung based here there’s a huge and thriving scene. We visit Yongsan, then stop by Hacker Space Seoul before heading into the […]

Global Geek Tour: Cheonggycheon surface mount components in ‘building A’

In the very last hour of scouting we stumbled into surface mount part heaven, the place we have always been looking for. Feet tired, batteries dead, and SD cards full – we almost didn’t bother to climb yet another flight of stairs. On the third and four floors of “building A“* there are dozens of […]

Global Geek Tour: Cheonggyecheon arcade game repair and restoration in ‘building B’

Building B has an entire floor, running half the length of Cheonggyecheon, with arcade game restoration shops. There were buttons and replacement part shops, repair shops, and old arcade games everywhere. This isn’t a retail outlet like Super Potato in Akihabara. You can definitely pick up spare parts for your own restoration, but there’s no […]

Global Geek Tour:Cheonggyecheon acrylic, metal, and glass work

Retail is only a small part of Cheonggyecheon, there’s a ton of work going on too. On one block there’s a dozen laser cutting shops. In another area there’s metal working, and even a cluster of glass blowers making neon and lab glass.

Global Geek Tour: Cheonggyecheon through-hole parts in the Aseakorea building

Building C on the Cheonggyecheon map has a bunch of through-hole parts shops and distributors. Asekakorea.co.kr is printed on the building but it’s not a valid address. This shop counter has examples to test, and you can buy the bulk bags stocked on the shelves.

Global Geek Tour: Cheonggyecheon materials, tools, and equipment

Materials and tools for making are everywhere in Cheonggyecheon. This shop sells hand tools and light equipment like air compressors. We also spotted a dozen stands selling nothing but rivets, bolts, washers, or other fasteners. More materials shops below.

Global Geek Tour: Cheonggyecheon maze of electronic component stores

The northwest quarter is primarily through-hole electronics parts, switches, probes and sensors – all our favorite market stuff. Pathways snake by stands and shops the size of garages. Like at Yongsan, most shops have a product display in the window, and orders are filled from big bags. We guess this part is bigger than the […]

Global Geek Tour: Map of Cheonggyecheon electronics market

Yongsan was cool, but if that was the end of the trip we’d go home disappointed. There were some good component stores, and a world-class computer market, but it was mostly cameras, TVs, netbooks, cellphones, and other consumer electronics. Thankfully Hacker Space Seoul and a few commenters turned us onto Cheonggyecheon, Seoul’s hidden geek paradise. […]

Global Geek Tour: Visit Hacker Space Seoul

Hacker Space Seoul is nondescript on the outside, but inside it’s the nicest Hacker Space we’ve ever seen. Clean, newly renovated, well organized, and lots of tools and parts. Only a week ago they moved into this building on the edge of Seoul’s urban electronic part market called Cheonggyecheon. They may be the only hacker […]

Global Geek Tour: Yongsan computer parts stores in Seonin Plaza

The computer parts market in Seonin Plaza is awe inspiring. There’s a flea market of vendors surround the building, and inside there’s more than a hundred shops on multiple floors selling mother boards, graphics cards, memory, hard drives, monitors, cases, MODer bling, and more. Most stores in Yongsan sell the same kind of consumer electronics that […]

Global Geek Tour: Yongsan electronic component stores

We’re computer geeks and gadget freaks like anyone else, but we always make a beeline for the component stores. It’s the stuff with the most serious geek factor, and the kind of thing we don’t have at home. The basement floor of ETLand is a maze with 50 or 60 component shops. All were in […]

Global Geek Tour: Overview of Yongsan electronics market

Yongsan is probably Seoul’s best known electronics market. The market is made up of a sprawling group of 5-6 floor buildings around Yongsan station, as well as temporary stands and flea markets outside. Each area has hundreds of small electronics retailers, as well as a heavy presence of fried Korean street food. You’ll find a […]

Global Geek Tour: Scouting the markets in Seoul, South Korea

Fly thirty hours round trip to spend 48 hours scouting electronics markets in Seoul? Yeah, we did that. Seoul isn’t known for its markets like Tokyo or Shenzhen – that’s right, markets, we discovered more than one – but with electronics giants like Samsung based here there’s a huge and thriving scene. It’s totally different […]

Free PCB: guess where @dangerousproto is going with @Finnair winners

If you guessed we flew Finnair to Seoul, South Korea to visit Yongsan, you were right! We’re scouting the location before we take a bigger group later in the Fall to make our Global Geek Tour video. This place is a whole different beast than Akihabara. Lots of pictures and some rough video will be […]

Free PCB: guess where @dangerousproto is going with @Finnair

We’re about to fly Finnair to another Global Geek Tour destination. Four random people who guess where we’re going will get free PCB codes tomorrow morning. Post a comment below, or help us try to get free stuff from Finnair by tweeting your answer on Twitter. Remember, there’s two ways to get a code: Leave […]