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Last post Author Topic: Gadget WEEKENDS  (Read 581313 times)

cranioscopical

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Re: Gadget WEEKENDS
« Reply #450 on: December 07, 2017, 04:34 PM »
I didn't find the commands to conference the Echo Dot very useful, and one of the reasons it didn't come off well was the indicators that someone is actually calling and if the call is in progress or not very intuitive.
During an 'intercom' call I find myself resorting to the old 'over' convention  ;D 

Even so, were I making a call in a >2-person household, I would want the ability to cut out people for whom the call was not intended. Google Home Mini doesn't offer that.

mouser

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Re: Gadget WEEKENDS
« Reply #451 on: January 24, 2018, 11:27 PM »
Just put an amazon echo by my bedside -- fun gadget for listening to music while trying to fall asleep, etc.  Especially useful since I can summon music without having to open my eyes or turn out the lights.

wraith808

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Re: Gadget WEEKENDS
« Reply #452 on: January 25, 2018, 07:20 AM »

During an 'intercom' call I find myself resorting to the old 'over' convention  ;D 

Even so, were I making a call in a >2-person household, I would want the ability to cut out people for whom the call was not intended. Google Home Mini doesn't offer that.
-cranioscopical (December 07, 2017, 04:34 PM)

We only have 2 devices :P

mouser

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Re: Gadget WEEKENDS
« Reply #453 on: February 01, 2018, 05:52 PM »
Well, I went ahead and did it, I bought a 3d printer.

Anycubic I3 Mega:


Supposed to be a good 3d printer for beginners, and nice and compact.

I'm just printing the test thing now.

What I'd really like to do is have a 3d cody -- anyone have enough 3d (and 3d printer) experience to try to make a version of Cody our mascot for 3d printing?
3d Cody Mascot model discussion thread: https://www.donation...ex.php?topic=45256.0
« Last Edit: April 09, 2018, 09:24 PM by mouser »

ayryq

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Re: Thread on 3d Printing Cody Model
« Reply #454 on: February 16, 2018, 08:29 PM »
If we could get a cody holding a big coin/medal where we could customize the writing it would be so awesome to be able to print out custom "awards" to send to people..

Mouser, have you played with openscad at all? I think it would be the most DC-like way to design something like this. Though it doesn't lend itself to "organic" shapes it might be an interesting challenge--and could be easily customized with text (there's a font library I believe).

Everything I've successfully designed (rather than just downloading from thingiverse) has been done in OpenSCAD. I just don't have the chops for traditional CAD programs but the programming-language style seems to click better (for me). It reminds me of back in the day when I played with POV-RAY from some shareware catalog :)

And now a gadget, for it is the weekend!

I bought a surprisingly-inexpensive intervalometer for my DSLR. It's got a wireless remote and plugs into the port on the side of the camera. All it "does" is trigger the shutter on the camera (both half- and full-press), but can be programmed to do so in quite a large variety of ways, from using it as a time-lapse controller to using it to control ultra-long "bulb" photos. I've used it already as a remote trigger for a family portrait: we also have an infrared remote but that requires line-of-sight and so you can usually find the person controlling the picture - this device is 2.4GHz wireless so can be hidden. My intention is to use it to take wide-angle astrophotography, but it's been too cold, cloudy, and snowy here in Michigan to give that a try so far. I have a Nikon but it's available for Canon too; only the cord is different.

617ynQjDi3L._SY355_.jpgGadget WEEKENDS

« Last Edit: February 16, 2018, 08:37 PM by ayryq »

ayryq

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Re: Gadget WEEKENDS
« Reply #455 on: March 31, 2018, 06:15 AM »
I bought a surprisingly-inexpensive intervalometer for my DSLR.
Use HD, full screen or you can't see the stars!



Padlock6

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Re: Gadget WEEKENDS
« Reply #456 on: April 09, 2018, 09:20 PM »
I bought a 'delta' style printer last black Friday, and have enjoyed building it- then figuring out how to make good parts!
I work with 3D CAD at work, so the creating is pretty straightforward, as long as there are not too many curves.  Sorry, CODY would be easiest to print if it was scanned, or recreated by an artist.  Which I'm not.
So far I have printed 4 custom hooks to hold dog leashes, an adapter to mount my dashcam in the most discreet spot, and some button battery holders for a guy at work making electric tea lights.  My current project is an organizer for the center console in my truck to hold glasses.  It's slow going, but I'll get there.
Good printing to you.   :)

dc
Yeah, trees don't grow on money either.

mouser

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Re: Gadget WEEKENDS
« Reply #457 on: April 09, 2018, 09:23 PM »
I have seen mention of a "delta" 3d printer but I don't really know what it means.

And thanks for reminding me after I split off the 3d cody model discussion -- we actually have a good one now.  The discussion of 3d cody model was split off into this thread: https://www.donation...ex.php?topic=45256.0

Padlock6

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Re: Gadget WEEKENDS
« Reply #458 on: April 10, 2018, 07:53 PM »
It's a 'delta' style because it has three legs, and three arms that control the hotend.  So no true X, Y, and Z axes. 
Here's one similar to the one I got.   https://3dprinting.c...nter/anycubic-delta/   
If you skip to 5:25 on this video   https://www.youtube..../watch?v=11PVy4AUbeQ   you can see how hypnotizing it can be.
At least for me.
Yeah, trees don't grow on money either.

IainB

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Re: Gadget WEEKENDS
« Reply #459 on: November 14, 2018, 10:24 AM »
Nokia Purity HD Wired WH-930 by Monster On-Ear Headphones.
I found these (used/discarded) headphones last Sunday. They are rather good!
Usually, I donate found stuff to local charity op-shops, but I think I shall keep these, as I coincidentally needed another pair of headphones.
18_1500x959_E7BBD915.pngGadget WEEKENDS

I mentioned that the foam ear-pads (cushions) on these headphones tend to deteriorate/disintegrate and that this looked to me like a deliberate design flaw (built-in product obsolescence) as the ear-pads seem to be non-replaceable (no replacement spares available, anyway). My Heath-Robinson fix to the headphones using duct tape to hold the ear-pad cover in place worked for a while, but long exposure of the tape to body heat and skin oils seemed to consistently cause the tape adhesive to alter and the fix to become a sticky mess, requiring white spirit to clean it up before re-affixing the ear-pads with fresh duct tape. This was repeatable, so the headphones fell into disuse. Ah well. But I didn't throw them away.

Fast forward to today... (text in spoiler below image)
14_40x50_6FD1C8B8.png

Spoiler
Tactix replacement over-the-ear headphone cushions for Nokia Purity HD Wired WH-930 by Monster On-Ear Headphones
I bought a set of 2 replacement ear muff cushion pads (cost NZ$5.98 - discounted from $17.95) for the Tactix Bluetooth safety wear headset (see image below). The cushions worked as a nifty fit to replace the badly deteriorated/disintegrated rectangular Nokia Monster headphone on-ear cushions, turning the headphone into an over-the-ear headphone at the same time!
This was a lucky find. Though these Nokia Monster headphones are very good, they are ergonomically not the best - wearing any on-ear headset cushions for long periods can tend to make one's ears (cartilage) hurt.
Replacement cushions are not available anyway, so I just had my rather Heath-Robinson fix-up cushions. This simple Tactix replacement over-the-ear conversion feels perfect for me.
No glue or fixing required. The replacement cushions have a rigid plastic backing plate. To use, just put the cushions in place with the backing plate towards the headset speakers. The plate has a ridged moulding that coincidentally holds the speakers in just the right position. Holding the assembly in place, simply put the assembly on one's head. There's nothing tricky about it. Once on the head, the new cushions are held in place by one's ears and the spring-loaded tension of the headset band. It thus becomes a very comfortable, over-the-ear headset. Removing the headset, the new cushions just fall away for neat stowage.
Yay! I've got my "favourite" headphones back - and they're even better (more comfortable) than before.


TACTIX®
2 PCE EAR MUFF CUSHIONS

TACTIX®
Replacement cushions for Fineline 5810828 & 5810685
Meridian International Co., Ltd
www.meridianintl.com
Made in China

« Last Edit: November 14, 2018, 10:32 AM by IainB »

cranioscopical

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Re: Gadget WEEKENDS
« Reply #460 on: November 14, 2018, 01:34 PM »
I mentioned that the foam ear-pads (cushions) on these headphones tend to deteriorate/disintegrate

In an emergency, apply strips of Dr. Scholl's moleskin using gel medium for the adhesive. Looks like hell but works a treat.

IainB

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Re: Gadget WEEKENDS
« Reply #461 on: November 15, 2018, 02:28 AM »
cranioscopical:
In an emergency, apply strips of Dr. Scholl's moleskin using gel medium for the adhesive. Looks like hell but works a treat.
-cranioscopical (November 14, 2018, 01:34 PM)
Ahh, thanks. I had to search up on "Dr. Scholl's Moleskin" and "gel medium", as I'd neither seen nor heard of either of them before. Good idea for alternative use materials, and thankyou for the suggestion. I shall explore the potential use of both of them.
I guess the Moleskin would probably be a great fabric to go on the surface of the cushions, but that (softness of the fabric) isn't an issue in the case of the Nokia Monster headphones, where the problem is the rectangular foam cushion around the earpiece. That foam is manufactured with a soft outer plastic "leather look" skin wrapped tightly around it and that skin has a seam. It is that seam which appears to break down first, releasing the squashed-in foam contents inside and which latter is then free to expand and return to its normal cut shape. So it just sort of falls apart into two pieces - the outer plastic skin, and the (now expanded) foam cushion that had been compressed inside it. It's a mess and obstructs the sound waves emanating from the earphone speaker.

It was infeasible to attempt to restore the cushions to their original manufactured state. So, I removed the two pieces, cut down the now expanded foam to shape (so the speakers would not be obscured (and sound waves would be unobstructed) and trimmed and attached the now roughly flat skin on top with duct tape holding it to the hard plastic outer case of the earpiece. That held the foam in place and would have worked fine but for the tape adhesive breaking down into sticky goo, as described above. However, it was still an on-ear headphone, you see, which - for me - is ergonomically not ideal (QED).

I knew that I wanted to somehow convert them to over-the-ear headphones, and had been eyeing-up some industrial sound-muffling (safety) ear-muffs as potential candidates in which to transplant the ear-speakers from the Nokia headset, but this would have thrown away the main structural part of the headset, which would have been a waste, as it seemed to be very good at what it was designed to do. It was whilst I was looking at a selection of safety headsets that I saw the replacement Tactix cushions for sale. They looked like I might be able to to fit them to the Nokia Monster headset as a bit of a kludge, so I bought a pair to offer them up and see if they'd do, and to my pleasant surprise they were a dead simple and near-ideal solution - NFR (No Fixing Required) and thus not really a kludge.

You can see in the photo below that - on the LHS - one cushion has been fitted/mounted. I used blue-tack to hold that one cushion in place for the photo, but in practice there is nothing holding the cushions in place except for the horizontal spring-loaded tension from the headset and the close fit of the rectangular plastic loudspeaker housing into the moulding on the cushion's backplate and with the ears providing location. There's no weight bearing on the ears, because the neoprene cushioned band on top of the head is transferring the load to the top of the skull. It's "light as a feather", adjustable and very comfortable, with no uncomfortable pressure-points (unlike the original on-ear cushions).

In the photo, the other cushion is face down, exposing its rigid plastic backplate, which has a moulding that neatly accommodates the rectangular shape of the plastic loudspeaker housing - which latter you can see on the RHS (no cushion fitted).

15_1720x2142_B37E9B68.pngGadget WEEKENDS

cranioscopical

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Re: Gadget WEEKENDS
« Reply #462 on: November 15, 2018, 08:18 AM »
replacement Tactix cushions

Now I'll be looking into something similar myself, thanks!

mouser

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Re: Gadget WEEKENDS
« Reply #463 on: November 15, 2018, 08:39 AM »
replacement Tactix cushions
-IainB (Today at 02:28 AM)
Now I'll be looking into something similar myself, thanks!

Also thanks here, i need a couple of pair and somehow didn't think to check if you could buy replacements on amazon.. Didn't realize it was such a common problem.  Planned obsolescence sounds right to me.

ayryq

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Re: Gadget WEEKENDS
« Reply #464 on: November 15, 2018, 09:52 AM »
I actually found some that were an upgrade for my headphones. I had a Sony MDR 7506 and the vinyl eventually flaked off the cushions. The replacement pads, with a velour covering, were not only better than the originals, but outlasted the headphones, and actually fit the replacement headphones I bought (ATH-M50x).

https://smile.amazon...-Black/dp/B0016MF7W2

Searching amazon for "/brand/ ear pads" turns up loads of options.

IainB

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Re: Gadget WEEKENDS
« Reply #465 on: November 15, 2018, 11:49 AM »
@ayryq:
Thanks. Good tip about the velour-covered replacement headphone cushions.   :Thmbsup:
Where you write:
I actually found some that were an upgrade for my headphones. I had a Sony MDR 7506 and the vinyl eventually flaked off the cushions. The replacement pads, with a velour covering, were not only better than the originals, but outlasted the headphones, and actually fit the replacement headphones I bought (ATH-M50x).

https://smile.amazon...-Black/dp/B0016MF7W2
Searching amazon for "/brand/ ear pads" turns up loads of options.
Yes, that - "...the vinyl eventually flaked off the cushions" - has happened to 2 or 3 headsets that I have, though it wasn't the case with the Nokia Monsters I discuss here.

IMHO "the vinyl eventually flaking off the cushions" is just so much more built-in obsolescence, helpfully speeded-up by the chemical action of urea and sebaceous oil secreted in human sweat. I don't for a moment suppose that the manufacturers are actually surprised by this breakdown and "don't know" how to make an appropriate vinyl or other covering that is impervious to such secretions and doesn't break down over time.

I was aware that one could buy replacement cushions for some models of headphone from Amazon and elsewhere, but they tend to be grossly overpriced for what they are (I have some idea of the manufacturing costs involved) and would in some cases have been almost as expensive as buying a new pair of headphones - i.e., a rip-off. Also, Amazon postage & shipping costs to me in NZ are usually really excessive (another rip-off) - adding a sizeable percentage cost, sometimes as much as or more than the cost of the product itself (depending on what you are buying), so Amazon is not usually comparatively cost-effective and is even less so now that Amazon is obliged to collect 15% GST (Goods & Services Tax) for the NZ Inland Revenue, on all purchases bought online from NZ. Sheesh.   :o

For me, I shall probably find that buying a cheapish pair of industrial safety earmuffs will be the least-cost option. I can just use the ear-cushions and maybe the sound-absorbent inside foam, and discard the hard parts of the earmuffs, or re-purpose them to hold transplanted headphone speakers from good but broken headphones. The cushions on these earmuffs are resistant to sweat etc. - because they are designed for a hard life and to be comfortably worn for long periods by sweaty-headed users on building sites and in factories, etc. The rest of their componentry is also pretty durable and suitable-for-purpose, meeting fairly stringent health and safety standards, though, from experience in industrial engineering, their built-in obsolescence would seem to be reserved for deliberately weak links - e.g., (say) the band on top of the head, which, on some models, only takes a few hundred bends outwards before failing, right in the middle of the band. Like no-one would expect that to happen. Oh what a surprise (NOT).    :o

app103

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Re: Gadget WEEKENDS
« Reply #466 on: November 17, 2018, 01:23 PM »
It's not that difficult to make something like these from an old t-shirt, sweatshirt, or other stretchy material. You'd just cut a circle (or square), then sew a running stitch around the edge with a strong beading thread, to act as a drawstring. Then fit it onto your headphones, tighten the drawstring, tuck in the raw edges so it looks good, then knot the thread so it stays tight. When you want to remove it for washing or replacement, just cut the threads.

No, they wouldn't be good as a replacement for the ear pads, but they would prolong the life of an existing pair, even if they already are showing signs of wear, flaking, etc.

https://www.amazon.c...C-M9B/dp/B01MYM11Q3/

mwb1100

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Re: Gadget WEEKENDS
« Reply #467 on: November 17, 2018, 08:46 PM »
then sew a running stitch around the edge with a strong beading thread

That's where you lost me.  Not only is sewing a 'running stitch' something I'd probably do a terrible job at, I don't even know what a "beading thread" is.

4wd

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Re: Gadget WEEKENDS
« Reply #468 on: November 17, 2018, 10:33 PM »
Fold the edge of the material over, sew it to form a "tube", run a thread/string through leaving both ends hanging out to use as a draw string.

Deozaan

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Re: Gadget WEEKENDS
« Reply #469 on: November 18, 2018, 01:13 AM »
I don't even know what a "beading thread" is.

Me neither, but I'd guess it's a thread used for stringing beads together. I'd guess it may even be somewhat elastic, too, but then she did call for a "strong beading thread" and I don't think of elastic threads as very strong.

cranioscopical

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Re: Gadget WEEKENDS
« Reply #470 on: November 18, 2018, 07:28 AM »
I don't think of elastic threads as very strong.
It is a bit of a stretch.

IainB

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Re: Gadget WEEKENDS
« Reply #471 on: November 18, 2018, 04:27 PM »
I don't think of elastic threads as very strong.
It is a bit of a stretch.
-cranioscopical (November 18, 2018, 07:28 AM)
Reminds me of the musician who was given a rubber trumpet. He joined an elastic band.

app103

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Re: Gadget WEEKENDS
« Reply #472 on: November 20, 2018, 09:09 AM »
then sew a running stitch around the edge with a strong beading thread

That's where you lost me.  Not only is sewing a 'running stitch' something I'd probably do a terrible job at, I don't even know what a "beading thread" is.


This is beading thread: https://www.amazon.c...elica/dp/B009LION50/

And a running stitch is the most basic of all sewing stitches: http://www.holiday-c.../running-stitch.html

xrunning_stitch.jpg.pagespeed.ic.ZjNqCbeZs-[1].jpg

The whole process of stitching it up is exactly the same as making a "yoyo", which is explained in this video. All you have to do is stick it on your headphones as you pull it closed. Since t-shirts are a knitted fabric, they have stretch and will shape around your headphones better than a woven fabric.




cranioscopical

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Re: Gadget WEEKENDS
« Reply #473 on: November 20, 2018, 02:16 PM »
a running stitch is the most basic of all sewing stitches
I thought it was pain in the side one gets after sprinting  :o

IainB

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Re: Gadget WEEKENDS
« Reply #474 on: November 20, 2018, 06:19 PM »
a running stitch is the most basic of all sewing stitches
I thought it was pain in the side one gets after sprinting  :o
-cranioscopical (November 20, 2018, 02:16 PM)
Well, that's appropriate as this discussion is becoming a bit of a pain and is a running thread.