New Gadget/Tech Thread

[reinko]

Thought a general everyday gadget/thread could be useful.  Any good ones lately?

My favorites pieces of tech I have bought in the last few months.

-Eufy 30c Robovaccum
-TCL 55in series 6 4K TV
-BeatsX Bluetooth headphones

[warriorchick]

Bought a Eufy and used it a few times.

Chewed up all of our electrical cords and the fringe on our rugs.

Now I have to keep an eye on it, so what's the use of having it?

[4everwarriors]

Royal pica typewriter, hey?

[reinko]

Bought a Eufy and used it a few times.

Chewed up all of our electrical cords and the fringe on our rugs.

Now I have to keep an eye on it, so what's the use of having it?

I just moved into 1500sq apartment that is mostly carpeted with no stairs, so maybe my place is a bit more conducive for it.  Have you tried using any of that magnetic tape to keep it away from spots your don’t want it to go?  That has worked for us.

[ZiggysFryBoy]

Bought a Eufy and used it a few times.

Chewed up all of our electrical cords and the fringe on our rugs.

Now I have to keep an eye on it, so what's the use of having it?

What is different between this thing and roomba?

[#UnleashSean]

Have robot vac with hardwood floors. It's amazing.

[warriorchick]

What is different between this thing and roomba?

About 100 bucks.

[muwarrior69]

Tesla patent new wiper.

https://www.roadandtrack.com/new-cars/car-technology/a29126676/tesla-patent-windshield-wiper-blades/

Pretty cool!

[StillAWarrior]

Tesla patter new wiper.

https://www.roadandtrack.com/new-cars/car-technology/a29126676/tesla-patent-windshield-wiper-blades/

Pretty cool!

Funny timing.  Just last night I was talking with a colleague who has a Tesla.  Yesterday the wiper blade got messed up when it went through a car wash.  He wanted to replace it, but realized he couldn't do that himself.  He had to make an appointment with the one Tesla dealer in town, and they told him it would be October 8 (inexplicably, their service department is generally closed on weekends).  He was not happy.  At all.  In a stroke of luck, they had a guy in the service department doing inventory and they squeezed him in.  They fixed it at no charge.  That did make him happier, but still a little annoyed that he had to take his car in for service to replace a wiper blade.

[muwarrior69]

Funny timing.  Just last night I was talking with a colleague who has a Tesla.  Yesterday the wiper blade got messed up when it went through a car wash.  He wanted to replace it, but realized he couldn't do that himself.  He had to make an appointment with the one Tesla dealer in town, and they told him it would be October 8 (inexplicably, their service department is generally closed on weekends).  He was not happy.  At all.  In a stroke of luck, they had a guy in the service department doing inventory and they squeezed him in.  They fixed it at no charge.  That did make him happier, but still a little annoyed that he had to take his car in for service to replace a wiper blade.

Downside  to new tech...can't fix it yourself just by picking up a new blade off the shelf.

[T-Bone]

Eufy makes me feel lazy, and you have to keep it focused on certain areas vs letting it roam free.  Makes me feel more like a parent. It works decently, and easier to dip a toe in at the prices it comes in at.

[mu_hilltopper]

I think our gadget of the year is the Echo Show 5.

We got two of them, $80 each.  One for my 11 year old, one for the grandparents.

The 11 year old "drops in" on the grandparents multiple times a week.  They love this.  They've talked to him more in the past 3 months than maybe ever.

(Drop in = video call.)

[Jay Bee]

-TCL 55in series 6 4K TV

Did you get the *very new* 2019 version or the 2018?

My 2019 arrives on Wednesday- looking forward to it

[reinko]

Did you get the *very new* 2019 version or the 2018?

My 2019 arrives on Wednesday- looking forward to it

I got mine about 4 months ago, so the 2018 version.  I read the 2019 version has QLED and a few more bells and whistles.  Lemme know how it is.

The 2018 version is hands down the best TV I have ever known.  (Own multiple Samsungs, LGs...)

[UWW2MU]

Anyone have, or know someone who has, an automatic lawn mower?   

When my lawn mower dies... I am strongly considering getting one of these things.  While I don't mind cutting the grass, I DO mind having to repeat the same thing week after week, especially when it's twice a week.  Why do we even have lawns?   Grass is dumb.   I'd much rather spend the time with my family then pacing back and forth in the yard.

Anyway, anyone familiar with these?   Do they actually do a decent job?

[JWags85]

I got mine about 4 months ago, so the 2018 version.  I read the 2019 version has QLED and a few more bells and whistles.  Lemme know how it is.

The 2018 version is hands down the best TV I have ever known.  (Own multiple Samsungs, LGs...)

I got my Dad the 2018 50' for Christmas.  Was a bit skeptical due to the price compared to other great brands, but the reviews were stellar....its exceeded expectations.  Absolute gem.  A picture hanging 6 feet above it actually fell during a cleaning session and cracked/broke the screen.  He bought a new one within 30 min.  Thats how much he loves it.

[#UnleashSean]

Got a QLED Samsung I love. Rokus are very very good for their price point and unless you have a really nice home theater setup or like watching tons of sports you will hardly notice the difference.

[reinko]

Any sound bar recs??

[Chili]

Any sound bar recs??

I did Sonos for my house. The fact it's wireless is great. Easy to use. Can put components wherever you like so I can have my record player anywhere and have it play on any speakers is nice. I know audiophiles will poo poo the sound but I'm cool with it.

[reinko]

I did Sonos for my house. The fact it's wireless is great. Easy to use. Can put components wherever you like so I can have my record player anywhere and have it play on any speakers is nice. I know audiophiles will poo poo the sound but I'm cool with it.

You do the play base, then attach speakers from there?

[jesmu84]

Any sound bar recs??

After lots of reviews (and not wanting to spend a huge chunk) went with Yamaha YAS-207.

Very happy

[Hards Alumni]

I did Sonos for my house. The fact it's wireless is great. Easy to use. Can put components wherever you like so I can have my record player anywhere and have it play on any speakers is nice. I know audiophiles will poo poo the sound but I'm cool with it.

This is what I use, and audiophiles who poo poo the sound on my bar plus two 5s and a sub can get bent.

[Hards Alumni]

You do the play base, then attach speakers from there?

Yeah, and you can get whatever sizes you want for your room... or place them around the house

[Chili]

You do the play base, then attach speakers from there?

Playbars -- 1 with sub 1 without. Wife hates subwoofers so its only in the basement family room. Upstairs family room is just the play bar and it does a great job of bouncing the sound in the room.

[Benny B]

Anyone have, or know someone who has, an automatic lawn mower?   

The couple next door to me does although it’s a much older model... they’ve had it since we moved in back in 2010.  It’s name is David. 

[Jay Bee]

New 'tech' company I'm using... Freshly.

On my second delivery (6/week)... it's convenient and several of the meals have been quite good.

Just a few minutes and my meal is ready. Quality is solid. Portions are big, but not tiny either.

I will eat the equivalent of 9 Freshly meals on Sunday at Real Chili's BBQ.

[UWW2MU]

The couple next door to me does although it’s a much older model... they’ve had it since we moved in back in 2010.  It’s name is David.

How well does it work?   If it's older, do you know if they have guide wires buried or is it GPS based?

[#UnleashSean]

The couple next door to me does although it’s a much older model... they’ve had it since we moved in back in 2010.  It’s name is David.

You had me in the first half.

[#UnleashSean]

How well does it work?   If it's older, do you know if they have guide wires buried or is it GPS based?

Its his son Bae.

[UWW2MU]

Its his son Bae.

Who has a machine as a son?   That's just weird.

[mu03eng]

Who has a machine as a son?   That's just weird.

Who doesn't?

[reinko]

Did you get the *very new* 2019 version or the 2018?

My 2019 arrives on Wednesday- looking forward to it

How is the new set?

[Jay Bee]

How is the new set?

Amazing. Exceeded my high expectations. Beautiful picture. And to top it all off, the Roku streaking my YTTV is performing perfectly, whereas my old tv with add on Roku was lagging a lot

Very very pleased with the purchase. Sports & PS4 gaming have been a pleasure to watch.

Said to use 2 ppl to setup but I did it myself easily (55”)

[🏀]

Amazing. Exceeded my high expectations. Beautiful picture. And to top it all off, the Roku streaking my YTTV is performing perfectly, whereas my old tv with add on Roku was lagging a lot

Very very pleased with the purchase. Sports & PS4 gaming have been a pleasure to watch.

Said to use 2 ppl to setup but I did it myself easily (55”)

YTTV on the TCL sets is superior to the stick for sure. It makes me want to get all new TVs because of it.

[reinko]

If you are in the market for a sub $1000 TV, you have to be crazy not too look at TCL.

My OTT (Comcast) has an app in the platform, so I have zero boxes, and have all the same functionality.  Not too mention 4K Netflix on these things look 🔥🔥🔥

[Its DJOver]

Sony confirms PS5 for Christmas 2020.  Xbox Project Scarlett rumored (and pretty much confirmed) for the same time.  Next step in the console war is coming soon.

[Benny B]

Not exactly a new gadget, but I'm not digging up the Arduino thread....

I want to build an electronic scoreboard for the backyard on a budget of ~$100-200.  There's no shortage of Arduino-controlled plans on the interwebs for a simple baseball layout: runs, hits, inning, balls, strikes, outs; but since this is a Wiffle Ball field, I need to add a base-runner indicator (keeping track of base-runners is neither my nor my son's strength).

Since it's typically just two players (i.e. no separate scorekeeper) simple is ideal when it comes to scoreboard controls, e.g. four buttons: B, S, H, O that could be controlled from the field.  Four touches of 'B' or one touch of 'H' puts a runner on base (and advances all other base-runners); two quick touches of 'H' puts a runner on 2nd (and advances all other base-runners two bases); three touches of 'S' or one touch of 'O' registers an out; three outs advances the inning; a base-runner advanced to home registers a run, etc.  But touch the wrong button by mistake and the system breaks down.

Controlling each indicator manually solves the problem of the inevitable mistake or replay reversals (yes, we've actually gone to video review... my son and I take our games very seriously); however, that doubles the number of buttons, which doesn't seem like much, but limits options on where the controls go (e.g. one idea was "step-touch" buttons on the pitcher's mound, but there's barely room for 4 buttons, let alone 8).

I only get one chance to do this right, so not only does the finished project need to be quality, it also has to be laid-out, built and installed in under 9 hours (i.e. between the time my wife leaves for work and the time she gets home).  Since I have Monday off (and my wife doesn't), time is of the essence here.

Just curious if anyone has contemplated something like this before.

[#UnleashSean]

Not exactly a new gadget, but I'm not digging up the Arduino thread....

I want to build an electronic scoreboard for the backyard on a budget of ~$100-200.  There's no shortage of Arduino-controlled plans on the interwebs for a simple baseball layout: runs, hits, inning, balls, strikes, outs; but since this is a Wiffle Ball field, I need to add a base-runner indicator (keeping track of base-runners is neither my nor my son's strength).

Since it's typically just two players (i.e. no separate scorekeeper) simple is ideal when it comes to scoreboard controls, e.g. four buttons: B, S, H, O that could be controlled from the field.  Four touches of 'B' or one touch of 'H' puts a runner on base (and advances all other base-runners); two quick touches of 'H' puts a runner on 2nd (and advances all other base-runners two bases); three touches of 'S' or one touch of 'O' registers an out; three outs advances the inning; a base-runner advanced to home registers a run, etc.  But touch the wrong button by mistake and the system breaks down.

Controlling each indicator manually solves the problem of the inevitable mistake or replay reversals (yes, we've actually gone to video review... my son and I take our games very seriously); however, that doubles the number of buttons, which doesn't seem like much, but limits options on where the controls go (e.g. one idea was "step-touch" buttons on the pitcher's mound, but there's barely room for 4 buttons, let alone 8).

I only get one chance to do this right, so not only does the finished project need to be quality, it also has to be laid-out, built and installed in under 9 hours (i.e. between the time my wife leaves for work and the time she gets home).  Since I have Monday off (and my wife doesn't), time is of the essence here.

Just curious if anyone has contemplated something like this before.

This is awesome. My brothers and I built a baseball field in our backyard when we were kids. So many memories being brought back.

[ZiggysFryBoy]

Not exactly a new gadget, but I'm not digging up the Arduino thread....

I want to build an electronic scoreboard for the backyard on a budget of ~$100-200.  There's no shortage of Arduino-controlled plans on the interwebs for a simple baseball layout: runs, hits, inning, balls, strikes, outs; but since this is a Wiffle Ball field, I need to add a base-runner indicator (keeping track of base-runners is neither my nor my son's strength).

Since it's typically just two players (i.e. no separate scorekeeper) simple is ideal when it comes to scoreboard controls, e.g. four buttons: B, S, H, O that could be controlled from the field.  Four touches of 'B' or one touch of 'H' puts a runner on base (and advances all other base-runners); two quick touches of 'H' puts a runner on 2nd (and advances all other base-runners two bases); three touches of 'S' or one touch of 'O' registers an out; three outs advances the inning; a base-runner advanced to home registers a run, etc.  But touch the wrong button by mistake and the system breaks down.

Controlling each indicator manually solves the problem of the inevitable mistake or replay reversals (yes, we've actually gone to video review... my son and I take our games very seriously); however, that doubles the number of buttons, which doesn't seem like much, but limits options on where the controls go (e.g. one idea was "step-touch" buttons on the pitcher's mound, but there's barely room for 4 buttons, let alone 8).

I only get one chance to do this right, so not only does the finished project need to be quality, it also has to be laid-out, built and installed in under 9 hours (i.e. between the time my wife leaves for work and the time she gets home).  Since I have Monday off (and my wife doesn't), time is of the essence here.

Just curious if anyone has contemplated something like this before.

Benny:  no joke, pm me.  I might have a full working scoreboard for you.  Just replaced our little league's boards.