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Month: May 2020

Windows Update May 2020 – a Big One?

May 29, 2020June 2, 2020 Peter ScargillGeneral3 Comments on Windows Update May 2020 – a Big One?

May 2020 Windows upgrade is out and at least here in the UK, is available – in “Windows update” and I have just finished upgrading six PCs. Not a lot of really exciting stuff but the updates to the Windows WLS might be worth checking if you want to run…

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Garden Solar Light Time

May 25, 2020May 25, 2020 Peter ScargillGeneral, solar lights4 Comments on Garden Solar Light Time

No matter where I am, it always seems to be about the same time of year that I suddenly get the urge to play with garden solar lights… and I keep discovering new varieties to keep my interest up. This weekend I was at home in Northumberland when a package…

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Xiaomi Mijia LCD Writing Tablet with Pen

May 24, 2020May 24, 2020 Peter ScargillGeneral11 Comments on Xiaomi Mijia LCD Writing Tablet with Pen
Xiaomi Mi tablet

This is one of those sub-£20 gadgets your spouse or partner will say you don’t really NEED but you will probably want anyway! At least the first part is what my wife has told me repeatedly until last night. “You don’t NEED one, she said – but regardless, here it…

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Another Day, Another RGB Bulb

May 22, 2020August 5, 2020 Peter ScargillGeneral2 Comments on Another Day, Another RGB Bulb

This turned up from Banggood for me yesterday – an E27 (screw-fit) 85-265V E27 7W WiFi RGBW LED Smart Light Bulb and it works well with the recommended, free Smart Life app. These bulbs also work with Amazon Alexa and Google Home. I really can’t complain as the lamp does…

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Pocophone F1 Strikes Again – with Infra-Red Photography

May 21, 2020May 22, 2020 Peter ScargillGeneral
IR Photos

What are incorrectly touted as “x-ray-like” photos, the OnePlus 8 Pro phone supposedly has IR capability and of course, all the media can think about is that pervs will abuse this feature as it can see through certain materials – such is our sick 21st century world. But there are…

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RAVPower – something new from an old favourite

May 20, 2020May 22, 2020 Peter ScargillGeneral14 Comments on RAVPower – something new from an old favourite
RAVPower Power House Charger

I’ve been using RAVPower battery packs for years and recently taken kindly to their new high power PD (60w and 65w) phone chargers, so my excitement at receiving the new PD Pioneer 20000maH 65E 2-port Power House should come as no surprise. That didn’t stop me getting excited when it…

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More Blitzwolf Blitz from Banggood

May 16, 2020August 24, 2020 Peter ScargillBlitzwolf13 Comments on More Blitzwolf Blitz from Banggood
Blitzwolf

This morning I received a package in the post which included a couple of Blitzwolf Smart sockets including the BW-SHP6 (2350w). BW-SHP6 (2350w) You may then recall that I’d been made aware that there was a “pro” version of the SHP6 model of smart socket – same name (exactly) but…

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Xiaomi Mi 2100 WiFi Router

May 16, 2020June 3, 2020 Peter ScargillGeneral

Let’s start with a photo. The Xiaomi Mi AC2100 WiFi Router arrived today and about all I can get out of it initially is the MAC address and serial number along with a website mewifi.com – that’s because the entire box is in Chinese – as is the instruction leaflet…

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Riden TC66C Type-C PD Trigger Capacity Meter

May 15, 2020May 18, 2020 Peter ScargillRiden, ruideng6 Comments on Riden TC66C Type-C PD Trigger Capacity Meter
Riden USB tester

This is the story about a tiny USB-C tester which just arrived from Banggood – the RIDEN® TC66/TC66C Type-C PD Trigger Capacity Meter. Having recently acquired a couple of decent plug-in-the-wall Blitzwolf Type-C PD (Power Delivery) mobile phone chargers (see relevant blog entries I figured I’d better have a tester…

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Viva “Recharge” Kickstarter Mug

May 15, 2020June 14, 2020 Peter ScargillGeneral

It isn’t that often I look at Kickstarter but a few weeks ago I happened to be checking in and this travel mug came to my attention. Not that I’ll be travelling anywhere significant in the next several weeks but I am hoping for an overseas trip in the summer.…

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Not ANOTHER PI Editor?

May 11, 2020May 13, 2020 Peter ScargillGeneral29 Comments on Not ANOTHER PI Editor?
micro

What’s your favourite text editor? In a recent blog entry I updated “The Script” for IOT fans and as usual, got myself incredibly frustrated with the lacklustre “Nano” editor that comes with Raspbian on the Raspberry Pi, only to discover that my backup editor “MCEDIT” is really only marginally better…

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Sunday Filler – Alexa for the Bone Idle

May 10, 2020May 26, 2020 Peter ScargillGeneral3 Comments on Sunday Filler – Alexa for the Bone Idle
Alexa

Well, it is Sunday, after all… so, while I would never actually rely on Alexa or other personal assistant to control my home or office, precisely because of their reliance on the cloud, there is no getting away from the simple fact that they can make life easy for techies…

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New for 2020 – Bluetooth 5.0 Earbuds and much more

May 6, 2020May 15, 2020 Peter ScargillGeneral7 Comments on New for 2020 – Bluetooth 5.0 Earbuds and much more
USA - Chicago Jan 2010

Having spent much of January 2020 visiting family in Chicago, USA – I came back to the UK full of enthusiasm for new product testing. Here’s a quick update on the first new toy I opened on my return to the UK (and its eventual demise). First, the back-story: On…

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Safekeeping

May 6, 2020May 6, 2020 Peter ScargillGeneral13 Comments on Safekeeping
Vecta

A new lock-down gadget to play with! The Vecta Personal Safe is designed in the UK, manufactured in China and mine came direct from Vecta Safes (UK) Ltd. The safe is suitable for storing money, keys, passports, keys etc and despite it’s small size is rock solid. For sizes, see…

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Lucky Weekend

May 4, 2020May 15, 2020 Peter ScargillGeneral9 Comments on Lucky Weekend
ESP8266

Despite abysmal weather here in lockdown Northeast of England, it’s been a good weekend. One of my biggest daily challenges when running the blog is effortlessly, wirelessly transferring image from my Android phone to my PC for inclusion in the blog or elsewhere. As many of you will know, the…

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  • Hohem iSteady V2, Samsung S22 Ultra and Video Production
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  • Chuwi Larkbox – Windows + Celeron Mini PC – Updated
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  • Smart Lamps and Sockets with Pre-Installed Tasmota Firmware
  • Gravastar Sirius Pro Zinc Alloy Gaming Earbuds
  • Advanced IP Scanner Tips from Famatech
  • GL iNET MT300N V2 (Mango) Travel Router Revisited
  • Banana Pi M5 SBC – Lots of Possibilities?
  • Momax SmartEye SL1S Internal IP WiFi Camera and more!
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Disclaimer

As I have no idea of your level of technical skill or the requirements of your country laws in terms of electricity supply etc, I accept no responsibility for any damage attributed to following advice in these pages.

When dealing with wall outlet (high) voltages you should satisfy yourself that whatever you are doing is safe and if unsure, seek advice from someone who is sure.

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