How-to videos are at their best when they don't provide a solution or successful walkthrough, but instead offer the exact opposite of sound advice. This much has been true for the incredibly "popular" HowToBasic videos which appear in search results as bonafide tutorials only to catch absent minded surfers off-guard.
Mehdi Sadaghdar is a YouTuber who has only uploaded a handful of videos has already gained nearly 8 million views at the time of writing. His videos are wonderful examples of how not to approach a hobby in electronics, executed with a straight face and calm exterior.
The results are hilarious, as you'll see below.
Electro Static Discharge
If you've ever built or repaired your own PC then you'll probably know a thing or two about electro static discharge. For testing how electronics handle static discharges you can use a device which generates a fixed charge, and zap it as per the video below. Clearly Mehdi knows what he should be doing here, and the fact that he even owns such a device indicates more than a passing interest in electronics. Still, here's how not to learn about ESD.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RtlYi1yLTVQ
Electricity Can Kill You
For me the best thing about Mehdi's videos isn't his calm and collected exterior, or even the knowledgable tone he uses to explain the situation but the fact that he does all his own stunts. This is real electricity he's playing with, so I suppose I should include a warning about not trying it at home because, as this next video proves - electricity can kill you, especially if your phone isn't on vibrate.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQJ8JX17J58
Proper Wiring Connections
In this video we learn all about the power involved in a car battery, how not to tighten a connection as well as the importance of knowing what exactly is connected before turning on the supply. It's not just voltage that can hurt you, you'll need to beware of desks above your head too. This one looks like it hurts quite a bit.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vRwIrbK8KDI
How To Make A Coil Gun
A good number of the world's best first person shooters have included a weapon known as the railgun, which uses a coiled wire and electricity to launch a projectile. The railgun is more than just a concept or video game toy, but a real thing that you can actually make yourself. Here we learn exactly what's involved in building your own, mini railgun (the wrong way).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mdZo_keUoEs
Here's a bonus video of that coil short circuiting in slow motion:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8q121UqKj6I
Don't Take Capacitors For Granted
Capacitor's control time intervals in electronic circuitry, and it's important to make sure that you wire them up correctly, lest they explode. As you can imagine, Mehdi gets it wrong with spectacular results. This was the first of his videos that I personally watched and after seeing it I'm sure you can forgive me for wondering if it was a serious video gone wrong or a cleverly executed moment of comedy.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rr7bPmGTQUk
How To Fix A Camera
Mehdi's most recent upload at the time of writing, here's another spectacularly wrong look at fixing electronics - this time the digital camera. It should come as no surprise that a camera's flash unit stores a lot of charge in order to fire the strobe. Under no circumstances should you ever touch this connection with your bare skin…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RqSxuAX8aMU
Bonus: How To Create A Windows Shortcut
While not the same as his other "how-to" style videos, this video which demonstrates how to create a shortcut in Windows is a very well produced practical joke. One to send to your less computer-abled friends, check out the comments for hilarious reactions.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ks5uUnREPkw
That's literally it for Mehdi's contribution to YouTube. I'm not even sure if that's his real name, but you can subscribe to his channel for more hilarious electronic mishaps over at YouTube.com/msadaghd.
Did you enjoy these videos? Any similar channels or jokes? What else would you like to see here? Leave your thoughts in the comments, below.