Author Topic: Gadget WEEKENDS (Read 641018 times)

4wd · « **Reply #550 on:** October 03, 2020, 08:05 AM »

It arrived on Oct 2! I'm very pleased about the quick shipping time. But I'm currently very busy focusing nearly every free moment I have on Ludum Dare 47, so it may be a few days before I get it unpackaged and properly set up.
-Deozaan (October 03, 2020, 03:55 AM)

If I procrastinate long enough you might beat me to writing a mini-review

wraith808 · « **Reply #551 on:** October 14, 2020, 07:48 PM »

Not a weekend, but a new gadget. I joined the Kickstarter for the Suunlu Filadryer S1. It's a storage and filament drying solution all in one. Why do you need to dry your filament? Have you had a spool that worked well out of the box, but over time, you've had problems with it? In some cases, this can be because the uncured material can absorb humidity. How much really depends on your environment. There are other ways of drying your filament, but there's a point in temperature where the filament will start to soften (the same thing that your hot end does), and I'm not adventurous enough to try to walk that line in something like an oven.

Today I got it in- I haven't had a chance to try it, but figured I'd post my unboxing videos.

Gadget WEEKENDS	Gadget WEEKENDS	Gadget WEEKENDS	Gadget WEEKENDS
Gadget WEEKENDS	Gadget WEEKENDS	Gadget WEEKENDS	Gadget WEEKENDS

Some reviews from other sources.

mouser · « **Reply #552 on:** October 18, 2020, 08:42 AM »

I recently picked up a Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 ($500); one of the things that has surprised me the most was how comfortable it is to mark up pdf documents with the pen while reading.
This is one of the things I have struggled with the most when trying to move from reading physical print books to ebooks -- I miss marking up the margins and underlining/circling important parts with a red marker.
I did not expect to use the pen of this tablet at all, but I find it is quite satisfying -- even if it is only a psychological thing being able to mark up the document

4wd · « **Reply #553 on:** December 11, 2020, 08:08 PM »

Just arrived, a pair of Pi Case 40's to replace the heatsink cases on my RasPi 4B's.

Gadget WEEKENDS

NOTE: For anyone who's interested in these just be aware that you won't be able to use expansion 'hats' due to the reversed GPIO pin layout, (not a problem for me). And to be fair to Cooler Master the case was always marketed as a rugged travel case for the RasPi.

Deozaan · « **Reply #554 on:** December 11, 2020, 11:03 PM »

That Cooler Master case looks very nice! I think I'd like something like that, if I didn't already have a case for my RPi4 8GB model I purchased a few months ago. Speaking of...

the heatsink cases on my RasPi 4B's.
-4wd (December 11, 2020, 08:08 PM)

You mean like this?

Pimoroni Heatsink Case RPi4 - Zircon Blue.png

I got the above heatsink case to go with my Pi. I'm normally very utilitarian and don't care too much about how things look and just go for black, but I really like the colorful options this case comes in.

My only complaint about it is that it doesn't quite fully encase the board. Which, in practice, means that the microSD card is poking out a few millimeters, exposed to damage from bumps or drops. On the other hand, this also makes it a bit easier to get in and out. But on the other other hand, my device isn't really going anywhere (so I'm unlikely to bump or drop it) and I'm not doing anything with it that requires frequent removal/reinsertion of the microSD card.

Also, even though I don't power it on and off very often now that it's all set up and doing what I got it to do, I've found it indispensable to have some kind of power switch for the Pi for those times when you are setting it up and having to frequently turn it off and on again. I've always gone with a switch on the power cable rather than a switch on the case. Something like this:

Vilros RPi4 5.1V 3A USA Power Switch.png

4wd · « **Reply #555 on:** December 11, 2020, 11:46 PM »

You mean like this?
-Deozaan (December 11, 2020, 11:03 PM)

Yep, except I have the ones with the fans:

dual-fan-aluminium-heatsink-case-for-raspberry-pi-4-black1-2.jpg

Which was probably a mistake as they go noisy after a few months, temperature is fine even with them unplugged.

I got the above heatsink case to go with my Pi. I'm normally very utilitarian and don't care too much about how things look and just go for black, but I really like the colorful options this case comes in.

I was just after something that provided decent heat removal ... like a big block of Al

My only complaint about it is that it doesn't quite fully encase the board. Which, in practice, means that the microSD card is poking out a few millimeters, exposed to damage from bumps or drops.

I currently use SSDs, (via USB3 adapters), that are no longer used for anything else, speeds up the RasPi dramatically. I'm waiting for CM to release the STL files for different backs, (SSD mount, M.2 mount, etc), so I can get a friend to print a couple up for me.

And one of these for the 3B+: Armored Pi HDD Case

Also, even though I don't power it on and off very often now that it's all set up and doing what I got it to do, I've found it indispensable to have some kind of power switch for the Pi for those times when you are setting it up and having to frequently turn it off and on again.

I have a switched USB power cable for my RasPi3B+ and was supposed to have one for the RasPi4B but the supplier sent a straight USB-C cable, (and I got the diff refunded).

The Pi Case 40 having a [normal PC-like] power switch was one of the reasons I went with it, (otherwise I was going to create one using info from the net) ... speaking of which:

Redneck power-off switch

But I don't think I'll be using their Pi Tool, it doesn't run on DietPi, it's insanely large for what it is (Electron ... FGS!?), plus it's not re-sizeable - it's higher than a 720p resolution, (all my Pi's are headless, only SSH/VNC access).
I'll use one of the python scripts on the net to do the button push monitor/action.

BTW, the Pi Case 40 is available on Amazon with 1* reviews because of the reversed GPIO.
Still, doesn't bother me as both of mine run as Docker hosts and I want them to be portable.

Deozaan · « **Reply #556 on:** December 12, 2020, 09:57 PM »

BTW, the Pi Case 40 is available on Amazon with 1* reviews because of the reversed GPIO.
Still, doesn't bother me [...]
-4wd (December 11, 2020, 11:46 PM)

I'd have to say I agree with the reviewers. Why make a big deal about redirecting the GPIO to enable access and then screw it up by making it non-standard? I'm also really confused about why a big company like Cooler Master would need a Kickstarter to fundraise a project like this.

That said, I also agree with you. I've never used the GPIO on any of my little RPi-like devices, so I wouldn't personally be bothered by the issue. It looks like a nice case other than that one (potentially dealbreaking) design flaw. If I were buying another RPi4 today, I might consider getting that case to go with it.

wraith808 · « **Reply #557 on:** December 12, 2020, 10:35 PM »

I'd have to say I agree with the reviewers. Why make a big deal about redirecting the GPIO to enable access and then screw it up by making it non-standard? I'm also really confused about why a big company like Cooler Master would need a Kickstarter to fundraise a project like this.
-Deozaan (December 12, 2020, 09:57 PM)

Kickstarter isn't always about need... it's a business strategy now. Many companies use Kickstarter as a way to judge interest and defray risks. It's just how it is, for better or for worse. They shift a large part of the risk that they would have to bear and the cash flow that they would need to invest to the consumers in this fashion.

4wd · « **Reply #558 on:** December 13, 2020, 01:35 AM »

BTW, the Pi Case 40 is available on Amazon with 1* reviews because of the reversed GPIO.
Still, doesn't bother me [...]
-4wd (December 11, 2020, 11:46 PM)

I'd have to say I agree with the reviewers. Why make a big deal about redirecting the GPIO to enable access and then screw it up by making it non-standard?
-Deozaan (December 12, 2020, 09:57 PM)

I'd say that possibly a big part of it is trying to keep cost low also, (for that form factor), the right angle connector is an off-the-shelf part that takes up minimal space.

Whereas, I'm unaware of any right-angle connector that crosses over the connections, so it would necessitate an internal adapter board which would increase cost and the size of the case. They need a male header strip, a circuit board to cross over the traces, and then a female right-angle header.

They are talking about followup designs that correct the problem ... which didn't make supporters very happy.

tomos · « **Reply #559 on:** December 23, 2020, 12:33 PM »

DOH! New tablet also: Alldocube iPlay 20 - For just over US$115 it's a terrific tablet, (previously had an Amazon FireHD8) - a review.

No Widevine L1 so limited to Netflix SD but tbh, it's a 10" screen, it still looks pretty good.

Other than that: Octocore Unisoc, Android 10, 1920x1200 10.1" IPS w/ Gorilla Glass, GPS/Beidou, 4GB RAM + 64GB Flash, up to 512GB uSD, USB-C, Dual SIM 4G LTE (inc. B28 & VoLTE) ... biggest phone I've ever owned

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-4wd (September 11, 2020, 08:20 PM)

I got that one myself a while back - very happy with it. Got it sent within EU from the Czech Rebublic for a few ~~dollars~~ euros more. Price was cheaper though when purchased using the Banggood app (I cant remember now, around 10$ cheaper I think), but be warned, they ignore the unsubscribe button on emails :-/

Here a review of its more powerful brother, the iPlay 30, available for around US$160 with coupon BGALIP30 (see video info for shop link)

4wd · « **Reply #560 on:** December 23, 2020, 04:51 PM »

Here a review of its more powerful brother, the iPlay 30 ...
-tomos (December 23, 2020, 12:33 PM)

Take it for what you will but ... it uses an MTK SoC, of the 3 phones I've had with one they all developed a problem within warranty. One phone started running the battery down like crazy, (even after factory resets), two other phones just died, one near end of warranty, the other within 3 months of purchase.

I think the Alldocube X Neo would be better but then it costs more, Qualcomm Snapdragon 660.

So far the iPlay20 has been rock solid, if I had one criticism it would be that both speakers are on the bottom. Would have been better if one was on the top for when you watch video in landscape position. But then I almost always use BT earphones so it's not really a problem for me.

... but be warned, they ignore the unsubscribe button on emails :-/

And that's why you use throw away email addresses ... plus you generally get new user coupons/discounts each time you create a new account

Try logging into the account and remove all email prefs.

Deozaan · « **Reply #561 on:** December 23, 2020, 08:04 PM »

but be warned, they ignore the unsubscribe button on emails :-/
-tomos (December 23, 2020, 12:33 PM)

I can second that, as I've discovered the same issue with Banggood.

Deozaan · « **Reply #562 on:** December 24, 2020, 05:10 PM »

I think I've just discovered another use for the tablet:

EDIT: I've heard that AnyDesk works nicely on Raspberry Pi OS (Linux) and Android. So maybe I'll save myself some money and a bunch of cables and just do it that way.

DOUBLE EDIT: It seems there's no ARM64 build of AnyDesk available. So while they claim to support the Raspberry Pi 4, I guess that means you have to be using a 32-bit OS for it to work.

4wd · « **Reply #563 on:** December 25, 2020, 05:27 AM »

DOUBLE EDIT: It seems there's no ARM64 build of AnyDesk available. So while they claim to support the Raspberry Pi 4, I guess that means you have to be using a 32-bit OS for it to work.
-Deozaan (December 24, 2020, 05:10 PM)

Try NoMachine instead, it's available for a lot more architectures including ARMv6-v8.

Works quite well from Win10|Android->RasPi 4B (DietPi ARMv7 - don't have a RasPi with 64bit installed atm).

Shades · « **Reply #564 on:** December 25, 2020, 08:15 AM »

Always had issues here with NoMachine. While AnyDesk is laughable simple, the same cannot be said for NoMachine, in my n=1 experience.

Let me share my experience with AnyDesk:
The Android version of AnyDesk on my Huawei P20 (not the Lite version) has no problem connecting to my 64-bit computers running AnyDesk. It wasn't a problem when my phone was still running Android 9, But some 5 months ago it got Android 10 and still no problem.

According to the internet the Kirin 970 processor is a 64-bit ARM processor. Could not find quickly if the Android version on my phone is 64-bit or not. Connecting my phone (through AnyDesk) with my Linux laptop, running 64-bit Pop! OS is no problem at all. Connecting my phone (through AnyDesk) with my other local Windows machines was also no issue at all. No matter the direction of the connection.

Connecting my phone (through AnyDesk) with remote Windows machines at my disposal was no problem either, but audio was not always that great. But since a few months at the remote location a fiber connection is available. Before that only a cable connection. When that connection is active, operation of AnyDesk can be flaky. But that has much more to do with the quality of the connection than AnyDesk itself. The fiber connection appears to be a much "smoother" experience.

TL;DR
Connecting to/from my 64-bit Linux laptop with my ARM Android phone using AnyDesk was no issue at all. Think it is a pretty safe bet that you can expect the Linux version you'll use on your Raspberry Pi device will not give you problems when connecting with Android devices using AnyDesk.

4wd · « **Reply #565 on:** December 30, 2020, 12:46 AM »

but be warned, they ignore the unsubscribe button on emails :-/
-tomos (December 23, 2020, 12:33 PM)

I've discovered the same issue with Banggood.
-Deozaan (December 23, 2020, 08:04 PM)

Try using the unsubscribe link in a browser on Linux, (eg. Firefox), or your phone, I got a completely different web page layout and the unsubscribe action completed unlike with Opera or Edge in Windows where it just sat there animating the spinner.

... and I haven't received an email from them in a week as opposed to one/two per day.

Connecting to/from my 64-bit Linux laptop with my ARM Android phone using AnyDesk was no issue at all. Think it is a pretty safe bet that you can expect the Linux version you'll use on your Raspberry Pi device will not give you problems when connecting with Android devices using AnyDesk.
-Shades (December 25, 2020, 08:15 AM)

An AnyDesk response to a customer:

I have Anydesk response on this, dated August 4th 2020

"Currently, we only support Raspbian (32-bit) on Raspberry Pi 3 and newer:
https://support.anydesk.com/Installation

However, we are aware that such an AnyDesk version is requested, but we cannot give you any further information about this yet, unfortunately."

NoMachine just plain old worked for me, it's working better than VNC which I've used for years.

wraith808 · « **Reply #566 on:** December 30, 2020, 10:37 AM »

So forgive me for this in advance... the original post was talking about using an old laptop or tablet as a monitor for the RaspPi. How does using nomachine help with that?

Nod5 · « **Reply #567 on:** December 30, 2020, 10:48 AM »

The little HDMI to USB webcam adapter looks very useful! Hackaday wrote about it recently too
https://hackaday.com...pture-device-around/
with link to a video review that covers latency https://www.youtube....56&v=daS5RHVAl2U
Only problem seems to be that there are several similar products on Amazon et al but quality can be hit or miss.

Deozaan · « **Reply #568 on:** December 30, 2020, 11:06 AM »

So forgive me for this in advance... the original post was talking about using an old laptop or tablet as a monitor for the RaspPi. How does using nomachine help with that?
-wraith808 (December 30, 2020, 10:37 AM)

I believe the idea is that it helps in accomplishing the same thing, but without having to connect wires (and accompanying adaptors) from the RPi to the laptop or tablet.

wraith808 · « **Reply #569 on:** December 30, 2020, 02:04 PM »

So forgive me for this in advance... the original post was talking about using an old laptop or tablet as a monitor for the RaspPi. How does using nomachine help with that?
-wraith808 (December 30, 2020, 10:37 AM)

I believe the idea is that it helps in accomplishing the same thing, but without having to connect wires (and accompanying adaptors) from the RPi to the laptop or tablet.
-Deozaan (December 30, 2020, 11:06 AM)

I get that's the idea, but not really sure how it works? I guess like VNC? Which wouldn't really be useful for me, but just wanted to make sure that I was thinking the correct way

Shades · « **Reply #570 on:** December 30, 2020, 03:25 PM »

As long as both devices are connected to the internet, you can install software like NoMachine, AnyDesk, TeamViewer, etc. on each device. Then you can start the software on the device that is intended as the display and "connect" through your (local) network to the other device.

Works like a charm on Windows and Linux. AnyDesk is by far the easiest, you can use it for free and hardly nags at you. When both devices are in your own LAN (same subnet), you can watch video with audio without synchronization problems. Tried that myself. If you care about synchronization issues, AnyDesk is less ideal to watch videos with audio on a computer that is not in your own network. But for office work/coding etc. it still works excellent.

Shades · « **Reply #571 on:** December 30, 2020, 03:30 PM »

It is easier to setup than VNC. AnyDesk and similar software take care of routing, port-forwarding etc.

Installing VNC is not difficult either, but when a WAN is introduced, it becomes more complicated. From your posts in this forum, I believe you are capable to do all those changes in your home network, but everyone can appreciate how easy AnyDesk makes it.

Next to that, you can enable 2FA on the AnyDesk connection and creating of (reverse) TCP tunnels becomes extremely simple too.

4wd · « **Reply #572 on:** December 30, 2020, 03:53 PM »

Actually, I think we've all kind of missed the point, me included

Which is what Wraith is getting at I'm guessing.

AnyDesk, NoMachine, VNC, etc are for controlling the computer remotely. Client controls host.

Don't you really want something that mirrors what you're doing on the Pi to another device, ie. phone/tablet ?
Client mirrors host.

So the equivalent of casting the display from the Pi, eg. LetsView (not avail. for Linux).

wraith808 · « **Reply #573 on:** December 30, 2020, 05:26 PM »

So the equivalent of casting the display from the Pi
-4wd (December 30, 2020, 03:53 PM)

This is exactly what I want. I have a PI that has a keyboard and mouse attached, but no display other than a really small one. I'll have my daughter's display in a bit when she leaves, so not a big deal, but I have a lot of tablets hanging around, and if one of those could be the display for the Pi, I'd be all over it.

4wd · « **Reply #574 on:** December 30, 2020, 08:02 PM »

So the equivalent of casting the display from the Pi
-4wd (December 30, 2020, 03:53 PM)

This is exactly what I want. I have a PI that has a keyboard and mouse attached, but no display other than a really small one.
-wraith808 (December 30, 2020, 05:26 PM)

I think you need to look for something that implements the WiFi Display protocol (MiraCast), for example MiracleCast.