I’ve had many TV boxes over the years and learned lots of things to watch for – like different versions of Android some of which have the full Play store, some don’t. Some last, others don’t. Some have hardwired Ethernet available, some don’t etc. I just discovered something early April…
Category: General
More Mi – the Redmi Buds 3 Pro Earbuds
I’ve been impressed by and stuck with my UGREEN HiTune X6 Hybrid Active noise-cancelling earbuds for some time now – but yesterday, a set of Redmi Buds 3 Pro arrived in the post – so – firstly what do these Xiaomi Redmi Buds 3 Pro earbuds look and sound like?…
Mi for Me? Redme Smart Band Pro and Watch 2 Lite
I can see it’s going to be one of those weeks. Until recently, I’ve seen nothing of note in the watchband space (to use my least favourite marketing word) since My Mi Band 4, then 5, then 6 which in their time IMHO beat the competition hands down. I’m wearing…
The Monday Postbag – Mijia Electric Precision Screwdriver
Here’s the link and official description – XIAOMI Mijia 350mAh 200rpm Electric Precision Screwdriver Type-C Rechargeable – 2 Gears Repair Tool with Magnetic Storage Case & 24pcs S2 Steel Bits Sometime in April 2022 this USB-C rechargeable screwdriver and bits set is/were on special offer, that might be dead by…
Just a Quicky – Tasmota Remota
This is a quicky because normally I only post about stuff I’ve spent far too much time on – but in this case I’m going to talk about a new(ish) APP in the Android Play Store. While playing with Tasmota on my home IOT system I just HAPPENED to stumble…
ESP32 Pico D4 Development Kit
I just made a short video (see below) about this ESP32-based board from Banggood…. and off-the-shelf it runs a set of 25 serial RGB LEDs and is VERY pretty with it. Of course, being me I had to go to the next step and try to put TASMOTA32 on it.…
Sonoff SwitchMan R5 (using Mini R3 as a Gateway)
SwitchmanR5 is a battery-powered multi-function wireless wall switch which needs a “gateway” to talk to normal IOT WiFi. There are a limited number of devices which can act as these gateways so so firstly, I opened my handy the Sonoff MiniR3 and plugged it into live and neutral. Immediately it…
LEDYi 24V LED COB Strip (For All Your Lighting Requirements)
Sorry about that, I remember a famous (at least in the Northeast of England) AD for J.T. Doves – a Builder’s Merchant who’s catch-phrase (in a Northern accent) was (and probably still is) J.T. Doves – for all your household requirements. I couldn’t resist paraphrasing that for the blog title.…
Switchbot – for the times you can’t just plug something in!
I’ve wanted a Switchbot for AGES and hey, ZBANX sent me a couple of Switchbot Bots to play with Back in 2022. Nice. I have a February 2023 update on the Switchbot thermostat at the end. In case it’s not obvious, the Bot is a little battery-powered box with a…
Xiaomi Redmi AC2100 and Xiaomi Mi 2100 Routers
This is just a story which started off badly but now with an increasingly happy ending. Be warned the blog entry is at in-depth WiFi router nerd level – and is probably going to expand over time – there is already some great feedback in here.. Back around May 2020,…
Ulefone Power Armor 14 Phone from Hekka
~This is a phone for p[eople who drive tanks!! I guess that shows my age (the tanks reference was from a Kenny Everett sketch). The Ulefone Power Armor 14 is a budget smartphone – it is not going to change the world but it IS SOLID. This is the second…
ME160H Tuya Smart WIFI LCD Colour Thermostat for Electric/Water Floor Heating
The ME160H Tuya Smart Wall LCD Thermostat is great up to a point but read on… I just received this unit and put it on test yesterday. All was looking well, it is full of features missing on some other smart stats and the price is ok but I believe…
The Hotwav Cyber 9 Pro Rugged Phone
Super hi-res cameras? NO. Latest tech? No. Solidly built? Yes. That about sums up my opening experience with the (fairly new model) rugged Hotwav Cyber 9 Pro Android phone which arrived this morning from Banggood. My Cyber 9 Pro came with 8GB RAM, 128GB ROM and has the following cameras:…
The Mighty Longer Ray5 Laser Engraver
Page 1 – Introduction I’d hate anyone to think this blog was turning into a laser engraving site – it’s not – I just happened to get two engravers sent to me at the same time. I’ve just finished my work on the (supplied almost in one piece) little NEJE…
Important Changes to Scargill’s Tech Blog
I figured this needed uploading as I’ve made a few changes to the blog thanks to some great feedback from Antonio (Mr Shark). A number of subjects have attracted so much feedback that the comments sections were getting to be unfeasibly large so I’ve introduced comment pagination and at the…
LilyGo TTGO T-Internet ESP32 Board with Ethernet, PCIE and SIM card slot
I just HAD to have this LilyGo TTGO ESP32 Board with Ethernet and SIM Connector for one main reason – I’ve used hundreds of ESP8266 and ESP32 boards but never EVER seen an ESP32 with an Ethernet connector before. So, I opened up the package, plugged the board into an…
H801 LED RGBWW Strip Controller + 4-relay ESP8266 Board
This blog features two gadgets who’s common thread is the ESP8266 processor and the (optional) use of Tasmota firmware. The March 2022 update here concerns the H801 – the original article was written back in February 2021. Firstly the H801 LED WiFi Controller If you are still new to these…
NEJE Master 2S 30W Laser Engraver and Cutter
Just in (as they say in stores) this new laser engraver thanks to . The full title is “” – wow, there’s a mouthful – but did I just see WIRELESS? I initially took that to mean WiFi but it means Bluetooth – see below. Also – for 30w read…
InfiSense P2 IR USB-C Camera for Android and IOS
The full title of this gadget is “P2 Thermal Imager IR Sensor Resolution 256*192 Mobile Phone Infrared Thermal Imager Camera Thermal Leak Diagnosis Thermal Sensor Thermometer” – there’s a mouthful. Let me start by clarifying – Banggood sent me this item to review – I AM NOT getting anything out…
SHELLY Goodies to Write About on my Birthday
I’ve just started a write-up on the Sonoff Window/Door sensors (WIFI and RF) and what should arrive? The Shelly Door/Window2 sensor. This is no ordinary AliExpress job RF, it’s a MONSTER for starters. The sensor arrived with no batteries – that was a worry but luckly Amazon had some in…