This subject is more easily covered in video so here goes – all the links are included, I’m having great fun with these (now very appropriate to the times) gadgets which combine to provide a clean, hygienic hands-free washing experience – quite topical right now. Above, an inexpensive USB-powered hands-free…
Category: General
Owon XDG2035 Function Generator
I just received my Owon XDG2035 only to realise they yet don’t have it advertised on their UK site – however, Eleshop EU has it advertised at 289 Euros + tax (and their photo is better than mine – other than that I have zero connection with them) – I…
Stone Technology 7″ Intelligent TFT Displays
This week I received a very well packed 7″ TFT display from Beijing Stone Tecnhology Co. Ltd. The 800*600px colour display shown below came complete with a power/signal lead (and a spare), USB adaptor for programming (with 12v power socket which, it seems, will tolerate 6v to 35v DC, not…
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…
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…
Xiaomi Mijia LCD Writing Tablet with Pen
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…
Another Day, Another RGB Bulb
This turned up from Banggood for me yesterday – an E27 (screw-fit) 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 what it is supposed to (and will be priced…
Pocophone F1 Strikes Again – with Infra-Red Photography
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…
RAVPower – something new from an old favourite
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…
Xiaomi Mi 2100 WiFi Router
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…
Viva “Recharge” Kickstarter Mug
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.…
Not ANOTHER PI Editor?
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…
Sunday Filler – Alexa for the Bone Idle
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…
New for 2020 – Bluetooth 5.0 Earbuds and much more
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…
Safekeeping
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…
Lucky Weekend
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…
Cutting or Bleeding Edge – RGBCCT Lamps and Tasmota
I’ll let readers decide if we are on the cutting or bleeding edge here. Having received a 6-pack of ZemiSmart new GU10 Smartlamps to test, I installed them in my kitchen where I have a pair of ceiling 3-lamp non-smart fittings and duly replaced the six normal GU10 LED lamps…
The Predictable End of Free Apps – eWeLink?
I read today that eWeLink, the app used by Itead for their Sonoff products, is looking to offering a “paid” option. “What!?!” I hear you say? But we already paid for the hardware… Well, for some time now, I and others have been writing about taking the time and effort…
A ZemiSmart Weekend
Today, I received a shipment of goods from ZemiSmart including a small but surprisingly bright 5W E27 RGBW Smart Bulb, a WiFi Smart Socket (max load 16A – 1875W (non-inductive)) with twin USB (5v@2A) and a really neat battery-free (yes, battery-free bell-push) Smart Doorbell. The WiFi Smart Bulb Well, I…
Weather Data using Node-Red and APIs
With the forthcoming descent of Dark Skies into an Apple-Only universe (a sad loss for the rest of us) I’ve been looking into alternative APIs to use for grabbing weather forecasts and related data. While I struggle with the MET Office behemoth, here’s a little information on yr.no I’d not…