Re: making things talk Re: [BlindHandyMan] New Tool Review
Blazey products are that way too! A device that holds important data. On Tue, 25 Sep 2007, Dale Leavens wrote: Why in the name of all things do they make stuff with non-customer serviceable battery packs. The Victors did this and one or two others, the Optacon was a wonderful example, a device one came to depend on and you have to ship it away for days and risk loss and all that. Would people accept having to send their glasses away for a week to have them serviced or their hearing aides? Dale Leavens, Cochrane Ontario Canada [EMAIL PROTECTED] Skype DaleLeavens Come and meet Aurora, Nakita and Nanook at our polar bear habitat. - Original Message - From: Tom Fowle To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Tuesday, September 25, 2007 2:02 PM Subject: Re: making things talk Re: [BlindHandyMan] New Tool Review Lenny, Now-a-days the microcontroller would have the eprom built in and they can Code protect the internal memory so you can't copy it. Yep, whenever I seem no user serviceable parts inside, it makes my fingers itch for tools! Like the upcomming talking book digital players from NLS are gonna be great except they have a non user serviceable battery pack! Humbug! Tom [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: USB cables RE: [BlindHandyMan] New Tool Review
technically it is true. The better cable, the better the transfer. I use digital audio as a reference. I *Know digital for the 16 bit 44.1 mhz of audio, and higher, will do better with a better cable. But that isn't where most folks are centered. The computer industry surely isn't centered there. It is hard enough to get *real audio folks to get past brand names, to some of the craziest things that you can replicate ; to finding the difference... the idea that a coat hanger is a good audio conducter is still near at hand. As long as Radio Shack sells a cable for less than $5; it is sadly a mute point. Now to the practical, if it is a critical or otherwise high demand app; you'll find that everything from the power supply, to the cards, shielding, and nearly every other point in the *separates used for the job, will be necessarily contributing to the final product. On Wed, 3 Oct 2007, robert moore wrote: Tom If any one says not to use cheepies unless over a long distance? Correct me if I am wrong but as a general principle if quality is a concern would you not think that the longer the travle data has to go the more you might be concerned about the quality that is needed to cary the data? I am not an electronics guy but it just seems logical. Robert -Original Message- From: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Behalf Of Tom Fowle Sent: Wednesday, October 03, 2007 6:07 PM To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] New Tool Review I picked up a little pack including a so-called USB A to A cable and a set of adaptors from USB A to several things. This was at a local Big Lots store and didn't cost more than a few bucks. Anybody tells you not to use cheap USB cables, unless over a very long distance, is nuts, cheapies work fine. tom [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: USB cables RE: [BlindHandyMan] New Tool Review
robert, I think Tom meant that cheap USB cables are just fine to use unless you are going long distances, in which case you want more expensive cables. -- Blue skies. Dan Rossi Carnegie Mellon University. E-Mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Tel:(412) 268-9081
Re: USB cables RE: [BlindHandyMan] New Tool Review
Yeah, and he's got a bar in his house too. Bill Stephan Kansas City, MO (816)803-2469 William Stephan -Original Message- .From: Dan Rossi[EMAIL PROTECTED] .Sent: 10/4/07 9:03:31 AM .To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.comblindhandyman@yahoogroups.com .Subject: Re: USB cables RE: [BlindHandyMan] New Tool Review . .robert, . .I think Tom meant that cheap USB cables are just fine to use unless you .are going long distances, in which case you want more expensive cables. . . .-- .Blue skies. .Dan Rossi .Carnegie Mellon University. .E-Mail:[EMAIL PROTECTED] .Tel: (412) 268-9081 .
Re: USB cables RE: [BlindHandyMan] New Tool Review
Did I say it backwards? I meant, I think, maybe, that cheapie cables are fine except perhaps over long distances. Standing on it's little blind head. Tom
RE: USB cables RE: [BlindHandyMan] New Tool Review
Tom So just to clarify for me and others that are not that knowledgeable about elictronics. Would it be true that the longer the distance data has to travel the more important quality of wire needed, becomes? -Original Message- From: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Behalf Of Tom Fowle Sent: Thursday, October 04, 2007 12:45 PM To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Subject: Re: USB cables RE: [BlindHandyMan] New Tool Review Did I say it backwards? I meant, I think, maybe, that cheapie cables are fine except perhaps over long distances. Standing on it's little blind head. Tom [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: USB cables RE: [BlindHandyMan] New Tool Review
robert, yep, the quality of the insulation is probably more important than that of the wire its self but that's nit picking. I think the USB limit is fifteen feet anyhow, so I doubt cables matter much in that length. Depending on the type of signal being sent, there are all kinds of issues that need considering like impedance of the cable, capacitance and inductance shielding etc. Of all of these, probably the actual metal that makes up the wire is least important as long as its copper. Silver plating only matters for corosionresistance unless you're into extremely high frequencies say microwaves,which USB ain't. Tom
Re: [BlindHandyMan] New Tool Review
One question, why a serial port? Most computers today are usb or fire wire. At 06:13 PM 9/25/2007, you wrote: Hi Tom, Surely there is a more convenient and economical way of doing this than an outboard synth? I mean, there will have to be some supporting electronics to drive a serial port already. If a tire gauge can talk for ten bucks and a glucometer for 30 bucks and a multifunction multimeter for 40 bucks and some of those clocks for under 20 bucks then how difficult can it be? Certainly there is a cost/volume issue and I expect he already has quite a bit tied up in current development and production. Dale Leavens, Cochrane Ontario Canada mailto:DLeavens%40puc.net[EMAIL PROTECTED] Skype DaleLeavens Come and meet Aurora, Nakita and Nanook at our polar bear habitat. - Original Message - From: Tom Fowle To: mailto:blindhandyman%40yahoogroups.comblindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Tuesday, September 25, 2007 6:26 PM Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] New Tool Review I've had a reply from Barry Wixey and he seems pretty positive. His plan would be to add a serial port at a standard baud rate etc. so folks with speech enabled portable computers, BNS and the like should have no problem accessing it. He's a mechanical guy so depends on chinese electrical engineers' and is struggling just to pay the bills, so much overhead isn't desirable Will keep you all posted as things move along. Tom P.S. don't have a BNS or similar, buy a doubletalk LT I'd push for a setup that'd hook directly to such a synthesizer. cause you can buy one right now. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: [BlindHandyMan] New Tool Review
I have a digital camera that plugs into the USB port. I have seen others. The other end of the cable is a tiny version of the USB connector. I don't know if the little end has been standardized yet or if each manufacturer uses their own standard. Regards. Max. K 4 O D S. Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Transistor site http://www.funwithtransistors.net Vacuum tube site: http://www.funwithtubes.net Music site: http://www.maxsmusicplace.com To subscribe to the fun with tubes group send an email to, [EMAIL PROTECTED] - Original Message - From: Tom Fowle [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Wednesday, October 03, 2007 3:07 PM Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] New Tool Review USb host ports are, so far, rare on small devices. There are two types of USB ports, host and client. Client ports are like on printers scanners synthesizers et. Host ports are on computers. You must have one of each to make a connection. So far as I know host ports are rare on small devices as they require a lot of software support. Tom To listen to the show archives go to link http://acbradio.org/handyman.html or ftp://ftp.acbradio.org/acbradio-archives/handyman/ The Pod Cast address for the Blind Handy Man Show is. http://www.acbradio.org/news/xml/podcast.php?pgm=saturday Visit The Blind Handy Man Files Page To Review Contributions From Various List Members At The Following address: http://www.jaws-users.com/handyman/ Visit the archives page at the following address http://www.mail-archive.com/blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com/ If you would like to join the Blind Computing list, then visit the following address for more information: http://jaws-users.com/mailman/listinfo/blind-computing_jaws-users.com For a complete list of email commands pertaining to the Blind Handy Man list just send a blank message to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Yahoo! Groups Links -- No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.5.488 / Virus Database: 269.14.0/1046 - Release Date: 10/3/2007 10:08 AM
RE: [BlindHandyMan] New Tool Review
Max The Client end of the USB cables have not been standardized. I only know this because my Wife has a Digital Camera and a digital cam corder and we have a all in one office machine and all three of them have a different type client end. That would be nice if they did standerdise them, and some day maybe they will. If they did and one cable went bad you could always just grab another one. -Original Message- From: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Behalf Of Max Robinson Sent: Wednesday, October 03, 2007 5:07 PM To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] New Tool Review I have a digital camera that plugs into the USB port. I have seen others. The other end of the cable is a tiny version of the USB connector. I don't know if the little end has been standardized yet or if each manufacturer uses their own standard. Regards. Max. K 4 O D S. Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] mailto:max%40maxsmusicplace.com Transistor site http://www.funwithtransistors.net http://www.funwithtransistors.net Vacuum tube site: http://www.funwithtubes.net http://www.funwithtubes.net Music site: http://www.maxsmusicplace.com http://www.maxsmusicplace.com To subscribe to the fun with tubes group send an email to, [EMAIL PROTECTED] mailto:funwithtubes-subscribe%40yahoogroups.com - Original Message - From: Tom Fowle [EMAIL PROTECTED] mailto:fowle%40ski.org To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com mailto:blindhandyman%40yahoogroups.com Sent: Wednesday, October 03, 2007 3:07 PM Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] New Tool Review USb host ports are, so far, rare on small devices. There are two types of USB ports, host and client. Client ports are like on printers scanners synthesizers et. Host ports are on computers. You must have one of each to make a connection. So far as I know host ports are rare on small devices as they require a lot of software support. Tom To listen to the show archives go to link http://acbradio.org/handyman.html http://acbradio.org/handyman.html or ftp://ftp.acbradio.org/acbradio-archives/handyman/ ftp://ftp.acbradio.org/acbradio-archives/handyman/ The Pod Cast address for the Blind Handy Man Show is. http://www.acbradio.org/news/xml/podcast.php?pgm=saturday http://www.acbradio.org/news/xml/podcast.php?pgm=saturday Visit The Blind Handy Man Files Page To Review Contributions From Various List Members At The Following address: http://www.jaws-users.com/handyman/ http://www.jaws-users.com/handyman/ Visit the archives page at the following address http://www.mail-archive.com/blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com/ http://www.mail-archive.com/blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com/ If you would like to join the Blind Computing list, then visit the following address for more information: http://jaws-users.com/mailman/listinfo/blind-computing_jaws-users.com http://jaws-users.com/mailman/listinfo/blind-computing_jaws-users.com For a complete list of email commands pertaining to the Blind Handy Man list just send a blank message to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] mailto:blindhandyman-help%40yahoogroups.com Yahoo! Groups Links -- No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.5.488 / Virus Database: 269.14.0/1046 - Release Date: 10/3/2007 10:08 AM [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: [BlindHandyMan] New Tool Review
I picked up a little pack including a so-called USB A to A cable and a set of adaptors from USB A to several things. This was at a local Big Lots store and didn't cost more than a few bucks. Anybody tells you not to use cheap USB cables, unless over a very long distance, is nuts, cheapies work fine. tom
Re: [BlindHandyMan] New Tool Review
Max, there about 4 standard connectors. That means your camera has an USB client port and the host is on the computer The only good thing about standards is that there are so many to choose from! Tom
USB cables RE: [BlindHandyMan] New Tool Review
Tom If any one says not to use cheepies unless over a long distance? Correct me if I am wrong but as a general principle if quality is a concern would you not think that the longer the travle data has to go the more you might be concerned about the quality that is needed to cary the data? I am not an electronics guy but it just seems logical. Robert -Original Message- From: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Behalf Of Tom Fowle Sent: Wednesday, October 03, 2007 6:07 PM To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] New Tool Review I picked up a little pack including a so-called USB A to A cable and a set of adaptors from USB A to several things. This was at a local Big Lots store and didn't cost more than a few bucks. Anybody tells you not to use cheap USB cables, unless over a very long distance, is nuts, cheapies work fine. tom [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: [BlindHandyMan] New Tool Review
Dear Dale: I am just now in the market for a talking glucometer, and when I saw your comment about a thirty dollar glucometer, my interest was peaked. Could you give me the name of this meter? I own an older model which cost ten times that much, but it has developed problems and I thought I would check around for a more modern unit and hopefully one which will allow me to avoid sticking the fingers. Yours Truly, Clifford Wilson - Original Message - From: Dale Leavens To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Tuesday, September 25, 2007 9:13 PM Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] New Tool Review Hi Tom, Surely there is a more convenient and economical way of doing this than an outboard synth? I mean, there will have to be some supporting electronics to drive a serial port already. If a tire gauge can talk for ten bucks and a glucometer for 30 bucks and a multifunction multimeter for 40 bucks and some of those clocks for under 20 bucks then how difficult can it be? Certainly there is a cost/volume issue and I expect he already has quite a bit tied up in current development and production. Dale Leavens, Cochrane Ontario Canada [EMAIL PROTECTED] Skype DaleLeavens Come and meet Aurora, Nakita and Nanook at our polar bear habitat. - Original Message - From: Tom Fowle To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Tuesday, September 25, 2007 6:26 PM Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] New Tool Review I've had a reply from Barry Wixey and he seems pretty positive. His plan would be to add a serial port at a standard baud rate etc. so folks with speech enabled portable computers, BNS and the like should have no problem accessing it. He's a mechanical guy so depends on chinese electrical engineers' and is struggling just to pay the bills, so much overhead isn't desirable Will keep you all posted as things move along. Tom P.S. don't have a BNS or similar, buy a doubletalk LT I'd push for a setup that'd hook directly to such a synthesizer. cause you can buy one right now. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] __ NOD32 2551 (20070926) Information __ This message was checked by NOD32 antivirus system. http://www.eset.com [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: making things talk Re: [BlindHandyMan] New Tool Review
Lenny, Now-a-days the microcontroller would have the eprom built in and they can Code protect the internal memory so you can't copy it. Yep, whenever I seem no user serviceable parts inside, it makes my fingers itch for tools! Like the upcomming talking book digital players from NLS are gonna be great except they have a non user serviceable battery pack! Humbug! Tom
Re: [BlindHandyMan] New Tool Review
A few years ago a lot of people tried to promote a universal consumer electronics bus, they had a mess of perfectly usable standards for communicating between various appliances etc. It would have been a great thing for us as many devices would have been remotely readable and controllable. But guess who, the lawyers decided there would be too much liability fuss between manufacturers and vendors of third party equipment, so the idea died. If all the promises of internet accessible appliances ever happen, it might really help, but I ain't holdin my breath. Tom
Re: [BlindHandyMan] New Tool Review
My wife, who is also blind, has and really likes one of those robotic vacuums. It makes a lot of sense for us, since if you use it frequently, you're probably going to get better coverage than a blink with an upright would, and it does seem to keep floors quite clean and presentable. This thing finds its own charger and docks with it. That usually is fine, but if for some reason you have to manually dock it, there's no way in hell you can tell if it's charging or not. And, that means it dies somewhere, and we have to talk one of the dogs (usually hers) into finding the thing. The thing plays all manner of little distress tunes when it's tired, when it's stuck, when whatever, and it surely would be a simple thing to just have it beep when the charging circuit closed. I know my wife's talked about that with the vendor so maybe the next release will have that feature. Bill Stephan Kansas City, MO (816)803-2469 William Stephan -Original Message- .From: Tom Fowle[EMAIL PROTECTED] .Sent: 9/25/07 1:06:09 PM .To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.comblindhandyman@yahoogroups.com .Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] New Tool Review . .A few years ago a lot of people tried to promote a universal consumer electronics .bus, they had a mess of perfectly usable standards for communicating between .various appliances etc. It would have been a great thing for us as many devices .would have been remotely readable and controllable. . .But guess who, the lawyers decided there would .be too much liability fuss between manufacturers and vendors .of third party equipment, so the idea died. . .If all the promises of internet accessible appliances ever happen, it might .really help, but I ain't holdin my breath. . .Tom . .
Re: [BlindHandyMan] New Tool Review
o if they could get it to talk! On Sun, 23 Sep 2007, Boyce, Ray wrote: Wixey Website - http://www.wixey.com Digital Angle Gauge Wixey Digital Angle Gauge Review The Wixey Digital Angle Gauge has been a welcome addition to the woodworkers tool kit for machine setup and accuracy. These new angle measuring tools are simple to use, and best of all, very cost effective. Let's take a closer look... The Wixey Digital Angle Gauge This small tool measures just 2 x 2 x 1.3 deep and is constructed with a combination of hardened plastic (front and back faces) and aluminum casing It runs off a small 3.0v CR2032 button-type watch battery and the battery life is promised as being up to 6 months. This is quite reasonable given the size of the battery. In fact, the digital angle gauge is always turned ON, i.e. it is always measuring electronically. It is just the digital display that can be turned off to further extend battery life. The tool features an Auto Shut Off function in case you forget to turn it off. A handy feature for the forgetful among us. The LCD display is clear and easy to read. The gauge has a resolution of 0.1 of a degree, so it will provide sufficient accuracy for just about all woodworking tasks. Certainly more accuracy than you can get by eye, or that provided by most measuring angle tapes or angle scales on power tools, which can be notoriously inaccurate at times, or only marked at 1 degree increments, meaning you have to guess if you want anything finer. Why would you want anything finer? Well, if you get into trim work or cutting for multiple-sided forms, then less than 1 degree accuracy can mean the difference between roughly acceptable and perfection. I know which I would choose if both options are readily available! Accuracy is specified at +/- 0.1 degrees as well. On the bottom of the unit are three small round magnets. These allow the gauge to attach securely to any magnetic surface, which means most tool table tops (unless they are aluminum), all steel body cutting blades, and most tool fences. If you have all cast iron tool surfaces, you will have no issues at all attaching the tool securely. But what if you have a basic table saw with an aluminum table surface, like a job-site saw for example? Well, you can just sit the gauge directly on top of the table, magnetic or not. You do need to provide a reference surface to measure off for accurate angle readouts, so the tool is generally set flat on the table first, zeroed, then set of the saw blade body, and you will have no trouble attaching to the blade (since most are steel bodied), no matter what type of table surface you have. Below the LCD display are two buttons, and this alone signifies the simplicity of this tool, and equally, how easily it is to use. The ON/OFF button turns the display on or off... simple. The ZERO button zeroes the tool to the surface it is currently rested on, or magnetically attached to. As mentioned above, the general procedure for accurate angle measurement is to zero the tool on the static reference surface, i.e. the surface that will not move (generally the tool table) then place the Wixey gauge on the blade or secondary surface that does move to set your angle, or correct a badly set angle! So how does it actually work? Well the best description of the science behind it is given by the manufacturer... How does it read? All of our readouts use what's called capacitive measuring technology. This is the exact same system that is used in almost all digital calipers that have been on the market for at least 20 years. There is a circuit board on a rotating counterweight that has a repeating pattern etched on it. There is a second fixed circuit board with a similar pattern and the rest of the electronics. As the 2 patterns pass over each other there is an electronic signal generated that is converted to rotation angle. The only moving part is the circuit board with counterweight passing over the fixed circuit board. There is no electrical connection between the 2 circuits boards and they do not even touch each other. There are no other mechanical moving parts. The good thing is that you don't even have to worry about all the scientific and electronics jargon to make use of the tool! The gauge also has a huge working range of 150 degrees, but rarely will you require more than 90 degree range in the woodshop. In Use The Wixey Digital Angle Gauge is a great tool for workshop machine and tool setup. It can be used to set table saw blades square to the table, or to set virtually any angle to make perfect bevel angle cuts. On the miter saw, you can again set the blade square to the table for accurate and square crosscuts, or set the blade at any angle, again, for bevel cuts. You can attach a larger drill bit in the drill press, secure the angle gauge to the bit and check how square
Re: making things talk Re: [BlindHandyMan] New Tool Review
Why in the name of all things do they make stuff with non-customer serviceable battery packs. The Victors did this and one or two others, the Optacon was a wonderful example, a device one came to depend on and you have to ship it away for days and risk loss and all that. Would people accept having to send their glasses away for a week to have them serviced or their hearing aides? Dale Leavens, Cochrane Ontario Canada [EMAIL PROTECTED] Skype DaleLeavens Come and meet Aurora, Nakita and Nanook at our polar bear habitat. - Original Message - From: Tom Fowle To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Tuesday, September 25, 2007 2:02 PM Subject: Re: making things talk Re: [BlindHandyMan] New Tool Review Lenny, Now-a-days the microcontroller would have the eprom built in and they can Code protect the internal memory so you can't copy it. Yep, whenever I seem no user serviceable parts inside, it makes my fingers itch for tools! Like the upcomming talking book digital players from NLS are gonna be great except they have a non user serviceable battery pack! Humbug! Tom [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: [BlindHandyMan] New Tool Review
I've had a reply from Barry Wixey and he seems pretty positive. His plan would be to add a serial port at a standard baud rate etc. so folks with speech enabled portable computers, BNS and the like should have no problem accessing it. He's a mechanical guy so depends on chinese electrical engineers' and is struggling just to pay the bills, so much overhead isn't desirable Will keep you all posted as things move along. Tom P.S. don't have a BNS or similar, buy a doubletalk LT I'd push for a setup that'd hook directly to such a synthesizer. cause you can buy one right now.
Re: [BlindHandyMan] New Tool Review
Hi Tom, Surely there is a more convenient and economical way of doing this than an outboard synth? I mean, there will have to be some supporting electronics to drive a serial port already. If a tire gauge can talk for ten bucks and a glucometer for 30 bucks and a multifunction multimeter for 40 bucks and some of those clocks for under 20 bucks then how difficult can it be? Certainly there is a cost/volume issue and I expect he already has quite a bit tied up in current development and production. Dale Leavens, Cochrane Ontario Canada [EMAIL PROTECTED] Skype DaleLeavens Come and meet Aurora, Nakita and Nanook at our polar bear habitat. - Original Message - From: Tom Fowle To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Tuesday, September 25, 2007 6:26 PM Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] New Tool Review I've had a reply from Barry Wixey and he seems pretty positive. His plan would be to add a serial port at a standard baud rate etc. so folks with speech enabled portable computers, BNS and the like should have no problem accessing it. He's a mechanical guy so depends on chinese electrical engineers' and is struggling just to pay the bills, so much overhead isn't desirable Will keep you all posted as things move along. Tom P.S. don't have a BNS or similar, buy a doubletalk LT I'd push for a setup that'd hook directly to such a synthesizer. cause you can buy one right now. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: [BlindHandyMan] New Tool Review
It is surely true that in theory anything with a digital display could be made to talk. And it is pretty easy when done at design phase rather than a retrofit. Retrofitting used to be a bit easier when stuff had more individual (discrete) parts and they wer larger. Now-a-days everything is done with microcontrollers and/or customized chips and the connections between the chip and display are likely hidden on very densely packed circuit boards. Of course no manufacturer will ever let anybody at the control programs for the microcontrollers to modify them appropriately because they're precious trade secrets! HA If we had a small army of very talented technicians who could reverse engineer devices and do the high skill soldering rework necessary it would be great. such high quality techs are rare and hard to find. and the work is very difficult. Several years ago, a french company manufactured a so-called universal talk box. They had designs for adapting it to a number of VCRs and such. Trouble was they couldn't find or keep people who wanted to do the rework let alone pay them what they were worth. tom Net-Tamer V 1.13 Beta - Registered
making things talk Re: [BlindHandyMan] New Tool Review
Tom, You are so correct about the new circuits. It brings two stories to mind. I have a friend who has a eprom burner. both he and his brother had the same make and model car. The computer went out on his brother's car. The dealer wanted over $400 for a new computer. My friend took the old one apart and found a eprom inside. He took the good one out of his car and copied it. When put back in his brother's car there was no problem His brother then drove to the dealer and told them not to order the part that he got his fixed for $5.00. The dealer then asked him if he would make a few for the dealership. He just laughed and said NO. Another ham operator friend had a Lincoln and the sensor that automatically turned the lights on died. He looked at it and there was the message stating no user replacement parts inside. He cut the plastic box and found a bad resistor and cap. For a few dollars he repaired the $100+ sensor. - Original Message - From: Tom Fowle [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Sunday, September 23, 2007 3:16 PM Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] New Tool Review It is surely true that in theory anything with a digital display could be made to talk. And it is pretty easy when done at design phase rather than a retrofit. Retrofitting used to be a bit easier when stuff had more individual (discrete) parts and they wer larger. Now-a-days everything is done with microcontrollers and/or customized chips and the connections between the chip and display are likely hidden on very densely packed circuit boards. Of course no manufacturer will ever let anybody at the control programs for the microcontrollers to modify them appropriately because they're precious trade secrets! HA If we had a small army of very talented technicians who could reverse engineer devices and do the high skill soldering rework necessary it would be great. such high quality techs are rare and hard to find. and the work is very difficult. Several years ago, a french company manufactured a so-called universal talk box. They had designs for adapting it to a number of VCRs and such. Trouble was they couldn't find or keep people who wanted to do the rework let alone pay them what they were worth. tom Net-Tamer V 1.13 Beta - Registered To listen to the show archives go to link http://acbradio.org/handyman.html or ftp://ftp.acbradio.org/acbradio-archives/handyman/ The Pod Cast address for the Blind Handy Man Show is. http://www.acbradio.org/news/xml/podcast.php?pgm=saturday Visit The Blind Handy Man Files Page To Review Contributions From Various List Members At The Following address: http://www.jaws-users.com/handyman/ Visit the archives page at the following address http://www.mail-archive.com/blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com/ If you would like to join the Blind Computing list, then visit the following address for more information: http://jaws-users.com/mailman/listinfo/blind-computing_jaws-users.com For a complete list of email commands pertaining to the Blind Handy Man list just send a blank message to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Yahoo! Groups Links
Re: [BlindHandyMan] New Tool Review
If only the digital output had a standard which got presented to the display. A standard talker interface could then be developed and programmed to use controls as required. One might not want a constant jabbering for example from a constantly changing display but to hear a reading a specific point in time. This is one thing I don't much like about the talking tape measure, I would be quite satisfied to have it speak when I press a button although I suppose if I used it to set a saw guide the babble would be preferable. anyway, a small PROM would serve. A standard card edge. I suppose it is too late to have them retro design for speech but at least they know I am interested and that I communicate with a couple of hundred other blind people some of whom would also be interested. Dale Leavens, Cochrane Ontario Canada [EMAIL PROTECTED] Skype DaleLeavens Come and meet Aurora, Nakita and Nanook at our polar bear habitat. - Original Message - From: Tom Fowle To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Sunday, September 23, 2007 3:16 PM Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] New Tool Review It is surely true that in theory anything with a digital display could be made to talk. And it is pretty easy when done at design phase rather than a retrofit. Retrofitting used to be a bit easier when stuff had more individual (discrete) parts and they wer larger. Now-a-days everything is done with microcontrollers and/or customized chips and the connections between the chip and display are likely hidden on very densely packed circuit boards. Of course no manufacturer will ever let anybody at the control programs for the microcontrollers to modify them appropriately because they're precious trade secrets! HA If we had a small army of very talented technicians who could reverse engineer devices and do the high skill soldering rework necessary it would be great. such high quality techs are rare and hard to find. and the work is very difficult. Several years ago, a french company manufactured a so-called universal talk box. They had designs for adapting it to a number of VCRs and such. Trouble was they couldn't find or keep people who wanted to do the rework let alone pay them what they were worth. tom Net-Tamer V 1.13 Beta - Registered [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: [BlindHandyMan] New Tool Review
I did write to Beal suggesting they might like to add talking to their device for the use of the blind and in situations where maybe sighted people cannot be in direct line of sight with the device while setting equipment. I think I will find contact information for these guys and write to them as well. I didn't get a reply from Beale for what ever that is worth. Dale Leavens, Cochrane Ontario Canada [EMAIL PROTECTED] Skype DaleLeavens Come and meet Aurora, Nakita and Nanook at our polar bear habitat. - Original Message - From: Boyce, Ray To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Saturday, September 22, 2007 6:30 PM Subject: [BlindHandyMan] New Tool Review Wixey Website - http://www.wixey.com Digital Angle Gauge Wixey Digital Angle Gauge Review The Wixey Digital Angle Gauge has been a welcome addition to the woodworkers tool kit for machine setup and accuracy. These new angle measuring tools are simple to use, and best of all, very cost effective. Let's take a closer look... The Wixey Digital Angle Gauge This small tool measures just 2 x 2 x 1.3 deep and is constructed with a combination of hardened plastic (front and back faces) and aluminum casing It runs off a small 3.0v CR2032 button-type watch battery and the battery life is promised as being up to 6 months. This is quite reasonable given the size of the battery. In fact, the digital angle gauge is always turned ON, i.e. it is always measuring electronically. It is just the digital display that can be turned off to further extend battery life. The tool features an Auto Shut Off function in case you forget to turn it off. A handy feature for the forgetful among us. The LCD display is clear and easy to read. The gauge has a resolution of 0.1 of a degree, so it will provide sufficient accuracy for just about all woodworking tasks. Certainly more accuracy than you can get by eye, or that provided by most measuring angle tapes or angle scales on power tools, which can be notoriously inaccurate at times, or only marked at 1 degree increments, meaning you have to guess if you want anything finer. Why would you want anything finer? Well, if you get into trim work or cutting for multiple-sided forms, then less than 1 degree accuracy can mean the difference between roughly acceptable and perfection. I know which I would choose if both options are readily available! Accuracy is specified at +/- 0.1 degrees as well. On the bottom of the unit are three small round magnets. These allow the gauge to attach securely to any magnetic surface, which means most tool table tops (unless they are aluminum), all steel body cutting blades, and most tool fences. If you have all cast iron tool surfaces, you will have no issues at all attaching the tool securely. But what if you have a basic table saw with an aluminum table surface, like a job-site saw for example? Well, you can just sit the gauge directly on top of the table, magnetic or not. You do need to provide a reference surface to measure off for accurate angle readouts, so the tool is generally set flat on the table first, zeroed, then set of the saw blade body, and you will have no trouble attaching to the blade (since most are steel bodied), no matter what type of table surface you have. Below the LCD display are two buttons, and this alone signifies the simplicity of this tool, and equally, how easily it is to use. The ON/OFF button turns the display on or off... simple. The ZERO button zeroes the tool to the surface it is currently rested on, or magnetically attached to. As mentioned above, the general procedure for accurate angle measurement is to zero the tool on the static reference surface, i.e. the surface that will not move (generally the tool table) then place the Wixey gauge on the blade or secondary surface that does move to set your angle, or correct a badly set angle! So how does it actually work? Well the best description of the science behind it is given by the manufacturer... How does it read? All of our readouts use what's called capacitive measuring technology. This is the exact same system that is used in almost all digital calipers that have been on the market for at least 20 years. There is a circuit board on a rotating counterweight that has a repeating pattern etched on it. There is a second fixed circuit board with a similar pattern and the rest of the electronics. As the 2 patterns pass over each other there is an electronic signal generated that is converted to rotation angle. The only moving part is the circuit board with counterweight passing over the fixed circuit board. There is no electrical connection between the 2 circuits boards and they do not even touch each other. There are no other mechanical moving parts. The good thing is that you don't even have to worry about all the scientific and electronics jargon to make use of the tool!
Re: [BlindHandyMan] New Tool Review
Hi Dale Yes just with a little modifications they could produce tools that the blind and poor sighted could use. I post these tool reviews knowing that they are of no use to you and me but to let members know what is available and then it is up to that individual to make their own judgements on purchase. - Original Message - Regards Ray From: Dale Leavens [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Sunday, September 23, 2007 10:06 AM Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] New Tool Review I did write to Beal suggesting they might like to add talking to their device for the use of the blind and in situations where maybe sighted people cannot be in direct line of sight with the device while setting equipment. I think I will find contact information for these guys and write to them as well. I didn't get a reply from Beale for what ever that is worth. Dale Leavens, Cochrane Ontario Canada [EMAIL PROTECTED] Skype DaleLeavens Come and meet Aurora, Nakita and Nanook at our polar bear habitat. - Original Message - From: Boyce, Ray To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Saturday, September 22, 2007 6:30 PM Subject: [BlindHandyMan] New Tool Review Wixey Website - http://www.wixey.com Digital Angle Gauge Wixey Digital Angle Gauge Review The Wixey Digital Angle Gauge has been a welcome addition to the woodworkers tool kit for machine setup and accuracy. These new angle measuring tools are simple to use, and best of all, very cost effective. Let's take a closer look... The Wixey Digital Angle Gauge This small tool measures just 2 x 2 x 1.3 deep and is constructed with a combination of hardened plastic (front and back faces) and aluminum casing It runs off a small 3.0v CR2032 button-type watch battery and the battery life is promised as being up to 6 months. This is quite reasonable given the size of the battery. In fact, the digital angle gauge is always turned ON, i.e. it is always measuring electronically. It is just the digital display that can be turned off to further extend battery life. The tool features an Auto Shut Off function in case you forget to turn it off. A handy feature for the forgetful among us. The LCD display is clear and easy to read. The gauge has a resolution of 0.1 of a degree, so it will provide sufficient accuracy for just about all woodworking tasks. Certainly more accuracy than you can get by eye, or that provided by most measuring angle tapes or angle scales on power tools, which can be notoriously inaccurate at times, or only marked at 1 degree increments, meaning you have to guess if you want anything finer. Why would you want anything finer? Well, if you get into trim work or cutting for multiple-sided forms, then less than 1 degree accuracy can mean the difference between roughly acceptable and perfection. I know which I would choose if both options are readily available! Accuracy is specified at +/- 0.1 degrees as well. On the bottom of the unit are three small round magnets. These allow the gauge to attach securely to any magnetic surface, which means most tool table tops (unless they are aluminum), all steel body cutting blades, and most tool fences. If you have all cast iron tool surfaces, you will have no issues at all attaching the tool securely. But what if you have a basic table saw with an aluminum table surface, like a job-site saw for example? Well, you can just sit the gauge directly on top of the table, magnetic or not. You do need to provide a reference surface to measure off for accurate angle readouts, so the tool is generally set flat on the table first, zeroed, then set of the saw blade body, and you will have no trouble attaching to the blade (since most are steel bodied), no matter what type of table surface you have. Below the LCD display are two buttons, and this alone signifies the simplicity of this tool, and equally, how easily it is to use. The ON/OFF button turns the display on or off... simple. The ZERO button zeroes the tool to the surface it is currently rested on, or magnetically attached to. As mentioned above, the general procedure for accurate angle measurement is to zero the tool on the static reference surface, i.e. the surface that will not move (generally the tool table) then place the Wixey gauge on the blade or secondary surface that does move to set your angle, or correct a badly set angle! So how does it actually work? Well the best description of the science behind it is given by the manufacturer... How does it read? All of our readouts use what's called capacitive measuring technology. This is the exact same system that is used in almost all digital calipers that have been on the market for at least 20 years. There is a circuit board on a rotating counterweight that has a repeating pattern etched on it. There is a second
Re: [BlindHandyMan] New Tool Review
Ray, Make no mistake,I meant no criticism. There is always something to be learned. I just thought I would highlight one channel we now have, and easily have with the accessibility of the Internet and e-mail. I very much doubt it ever occurred to any of these people to make their tools talk or in some other way accommodate us and it could be added so cheaply. Even if they chose to make a second line half an inch thicker these days the cost would be minimal. Dale Leavens, Cochrane Ontario Canada [EMAIL PROTECTED] Skype DaleLeavens Come and meet Aurora, Nakita and Nanook at our polar bear habitat. - Original Message - From: Ray Boyce To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Tuesday, September 25, 2007 8:42 PM Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] New Tool Review Hi Dale Yes just with a little modifications they could produce tools that the blind and poor sighted could use. I post these tool reviews knowing that they are of no use to you and me but to let members know what is available and then it is up to that individual to make their own judgements on purchase. - Original Message - Regards Ray From: Dale Leavens [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Sunday, September 23, 2007 10:06 AM Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] New Tool Review I did write to Beal suggesting they might like to add talking to their device for the use of the blind and in situations where maybe sighted people cannot be in direct line of sight with the device while setting equipment. I think I will find contact information for these guys and write to them as well. I didn't get a reply from Beale for what ever that is worth. Dale Leavens, Cochrane Ontario Canada [EMAIL PROTECTED] Skype DaleLeavens Come and meet Aurora, Nakita and Nanook at our polar bear habitat. - Original Message - From: Boyce, Ray To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Saturday, September 22, 2007 6:30 PM Subject: [BlindHandyMan] New Tool Review Wixey Website - http://www.wixey.com Digital Angle Gauge Wixey Digital Angle Gauge Review The Wixey Digital Angle Gauge has been a welcome addition to the woodworkers tool kit for machine setup and accuracy. These new angle measuring tools are simple to use, and best of all, very cost effective. Let's take a closer look... The Wixey Digital Angle Gauge This small tool measures just 2 x 2 x 1.3 deep and is constructed with a combination of hardened plastic (front and back faces) and aluminum casing It runs off a small 3.0v CR2032 button-type watch battery and the battery life is promised as being up to 6 months. This is quite reasonable given the size of the battery. In fact, the digital angle gauge is always turned ON, i.e. it is always measuring electronically. It is just the digital display that can be turned off to further extend battery life. The tool features an Auto Shut Off function in case you forget to turn it off. A handy feature for the forgetful among us. The LCD display is clear and easy to read. The gauge has a resolution of 0.1 of a degree, so it will provide sufficient accuracy for just about all woodworking tasks. Certainly more accuracy than you can get by eye, or that provided by most measuring angle tapes or angle scales on power tools, which can be notoriously inaccurate at times, or only marked at 1 degree increments, meaning you have to guess if you want anything finer. Why would you want anything finer? Well, if you get into trim work or cutting for multiple-sided forms, then less than 1 degree accuracy can mean the difference between roughly acceptable and perfection. I know which I would choose if both options are readily available! Accuracy is specified at +/- 0.1 degrees as well. On the bottom of the unit are three small round magnets. These allow the gauge to attach securely to any magnetic surface, which means most tool table tops (unless they are aluminum), all steel body cutting blades, and most tool fences. If you have all cast iron tool surfaces, you will have no issues at all attaching the tool securely. But what if you have a basic table saw with an aluminum table surface, like a job-site saw for example? Well, you can just sit the gauge directly on top of the table, magnetic or not. You do need to provide a reference surface to measure off for accurate angle readouts, so the tool is generally set flat on the table first, zeroed, then set of the saw blade body, and you will have no trouble attaching to the blade (since most are steel bodied), no matter what type of table surface you have. Below the LCD display are two buttons, and this alone signifies the simplicity of this tool, and equally, how easily it is to use
Re: [BlindHandyMan] New Tool Review
Hi Dale and all, Quite a few years ago I had a friend who was a Burroughs's computer field engineer. Joe worked on the system that I programmed. Joe was a super sharp individual and he told me that anything that has a digital output display he could make it talk. Joe passed away nearly 20 years ago. If he could do it then it should be much easier now. Sure miss Joe LaBrine, may he rest in peace. - Original Message - From: Dale Leavens [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Saturday, September 22, 2007 9:33 PM Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] New Tool Review Ray, Make no mistake,I meant no criticism. There is always something to be learned. I just thought I would highlight one channel we now have, and easily have with the accessibility of the Internet and e-mail. I very much doubt it ever occurred to any of these people to make their tools talk or in some other way accommodate us and it could be added so cheaply. Even if they chose to make a second line half an inch thicker these days the cost would be minimal. Dale Leavens, Cochrane Ontario Canada [EMAIL PROTECTED] Skype DaleLeavens Come and meet Aurora, Nakita and Nanook at our polar bear habitat. - Original Message - From: Ray Boyce To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Tuesday, September 25, 2007 8:42 PM Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] New Tool Review Hi Dale Yes just with a little modifications they could produce tools that the blind and poor sighted could use. I post these tool reviews knowing that they are of no use to you and me but to let members know what is available and then it is up to that individual to make their own judgements on purchase. - Original Message - Regards Ray From: Dale Leavens [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Sunday, September 23, 2007 10:06 AM Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] New Tool Review I did write to Beal suggesting they might like to add talking to their device for the use of the blind and in situations where maybe sighted people cannot be in direct line of sight with the device while setting equipment. I think I will find contact information for these guys and write to them as well. I didn't get a reply from Beale for what ever that is worth. Dale Leavens, Cochrane Ontario Canada [EMAIL PROTECTED] Skype DaleLeavens Come and meet Aurora, Nakita and Nanook at our polar bear habitat. - Original Message - From: Boyce, Ray To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Saturday, September 22, 2007 6:30 PM Subject: [BlindHandyMan] New Tool Review Wixey Website - http://www.wixey.com Digital Angle Gauge Wixey Digital Angle Gauge Review The Wixey Digital Angle Gauge has been a welcome addition to the woodworkers tool kit for machine setup and accuracy. These new angle measuring tools are simple to use, and best of all, very cost effective. Let's take a closer look... The Wixey Digital Angle Gauge This small tool measures just 2 x 2 x 1.3 deep and is constructed with a combination of hardened plastic (front and back faces) and aluminum casing It runs off a small 3.0v CR2032 button-type watch battery and the battery life is promised as being up to 6 months. This is quite reasonable given the size of the battery. In fact, the digital angle gauge is always turned ON, i.e. it is always measuring electronically. It is just the digital display that can be turned off to further extend battery life. The tool features an Auto Shut Off function in case you forget to turn it off. A handy feature for the forgetful among us. The LCD display is clear and easy to read. The gauge has a resolution of 0.1 of a degree, so it will provide sufficient accuracy for just about all woodworking tasks. Certainly more accuracy than you can get by eye, or that provided by most measuring angle tapes or angle scales on power tools, which can be notoriously inaccurate at times, or only marked at 1 degree increments, meaning you have to guess if you want anything finer. Why would you want anything finer? Well, if you get into trim work or cutting for multiple-sided forms, then less than 1 degree accuracy can mean the difference between roughly acceptable and perfection. I know which I would choose if both options are readily available! Accuracy is specified at +/- 0.1 degrees as well. On the bottom of the unit are three small round magnets. These allow the gauge to attach securely to any magnetic surface, which means most tool table tops (unless they are aluminum), all steel body cutting blades, and most tool fences. If you have all cast iron tool surfaces, you will have no issues at all attaching the tool securely. But what if you have a basic table saw with an aluminum table surface, like a job-site saw
Re: [BlindHandyMan] New Tool Review
Well you know the talking multimeter is reasonable, I have a talking glucometer they charged 30 bucks for mind you they get you on the test strips and we have talking clocks and tire gauges for under ten bucks! These things just need to speak numbers, the logic required is minimal, just select a memory location on a chip corresponding to the display reading and send it out through a little amplifier and speaker.I'll bet there are a dozen manufacturers who make probably a single integrated chip with the logic and amplifier on it and a socket for what ever digitized phrases one requires. Dale Leavens, Cochrane Ontario Canada [EMAIL PROTECTED] Skype DaleLeavens Come and meet Aurora, Nakita and Nanook at our polar bear habitat. - Original Message - From: Lenny McHugh To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Saturday, September 22, 2007 11:31 PM Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] New Tool Review Hi Dale and all, Quite a few years ago I had a friend who was a Burroughs's computer field engineer. Joe worked on the system that I programmed. Joe was a super sharp individual and he told me that anything that has a digital output display he could make it talk. Joe passed away nearly 20 years ago. If he could do it then it should be much easier now. Sure miss Joe LaBrine, may he rest in peace. - Original Message - From: Dale Leavens [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Saturday, September 22, 2007 9:33 PM Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] New Tool Review Ray, Make no mistake,I meant no criticism. There is always something to be learned. I just thought I would highlight one channel we now have, and easily have with the accessibility of the Internet and e-mail. I very much doubt it ever occurred to any of these people to make their tools talk or in some other way accommodate us and it could be added so cheaply. Even if they chose to make a second line half an inch thicker these days the cost would be minimal. Dale Leavens, Cochrane Ontario Canada [EMAIL PROTECTED] Skype DaleLeavens Come and meet Aurora, Nakita and Nanook at our polar bear habitat. - Original Message - From: Ray Boyce To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Tuesday, September 25, 2007 8:42 PM Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] New Tool Review Hi Dale Yes just with a little modifications they could produce tools that the blind and poor sighted could use. I post these tool reviews knowing that they are of no use to you and me but to let members know what is available and then it is up to that individual to make their own judgements on purchase. - Original Message - Regards Ray From: Dale Leavens [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Sunday, September 23, 2007 10:06 AM Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] New Tool Review I did write to Beal suggesting they might like to add talking to their device for the use of the blind and in situations where maybe sighted people cannot be in direct line of sight with the device while setting equipment. I think I will find contact information for these guys and write to them as well. I didn't get a reply from Beale for what ever that is worth. Dale Leavens, Cochrane Ontario Canada [EMAIL PROTECTED] Skype DaleLeavens Come and meet Aurora, Nakita and Nanook at our polar bear habitat. - Original Message - From: Boyce, Ray To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Saturday, September 22, 2007 6:30 PM Subject: [BlindHandyMan] New Tool Review Wixey Website - http://www.wixey.com Digital Angle Gauge Wixey Digital Angle Gauge Review The Wixey Digital Angle Gauge has been a welcome addition to the woodworkers tool kit for machine setup and accuracy. These new angle measuring tools are simple to use, and best of all, very cost effective. Let's take a closer look... The Wixey Digital Angle Gauge This small tool measures just 2 x 2 x 1.3 deep and is constructed with a combination of hardened plastic (front and back faces) and aluminum casing It runs off a small 3.0v CR2032 button-type watch battery and the battery life is promised as being up to 6 months. This is quite reasonable given the size of the battery. In fact, the digital angle gauge is always turned ON, i.e. it is always measuring electronically. It is just the digital display that can be turned off to further extend battery life. The tool features an Auto Shut Off function in case you forget to turn it off. A handy feature for the forgetful among us. The LCD display is clear and easy to read. The gauge has a resolution of 0.1 of a degree, so it will provide sufficient accuracy for just about all woodworking tasks. Certainly more accuracy than you can get by eye, or that provided by most measuring angle tapes
RE: [BlindHandyMan] New Tool Review
Hi Try this Web Site Out for further information http://www.kregtool.com/ From: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of carl Sent: Wednesday, March 14, 2007 7:44 AM To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] New Tool Review how mutch is this produckt and whair is it avalable from and wil the cumpany deliver to the uk? - Original Message - From: Boyce, Ray To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com mailto:blindhandyman%40yahoogroups.com Sent: Tuesday, March 13, 2007 8:00 PM Subject: [BlindHandyMan] New Tool Review Hi All Kreg Website - http://www.kregtool.com http://www.kregtool.com Kreg R3 Pocket Hole Joinery Kit Review Regular visitors to the site will probably be familiar with the Kreg line of pocket hole joinery products, as we have reviewed both the K2000 and newer K3 models in the past, as well as some of the associated accessories that go with them. Now Kreg has manufactured and released another version of the pocket hole jig - the Kreg R3. The Kreg R3 is designed to offer pocket hole joinery to the regular DIY'er at an affordable price. There is no doubt that pocket hole joinery is a very fast and strong way of joining wood, in many forms and angles, so is this just the kit for the DIY user or should they head straight for the professional offerings of the K3 Master kit (as an example) and spend that little bit more? Or perhaps you are wondering what the differences are between the Kreg Rocket (R2) Kit and the R3 kit? Well, let's take a look at what the new Kreg R3 kit can do, and hopefully we can answer those questions... What's in the Box? As with most Kreg kit offerings, they supply pretty much everything you will need right in the box, however, the small sample of screws included will soon diminish, so a trip to your local Kreg supplier or pocket hole screw retailer will be in order to collect more. You will also need your own clamp if you do not already have a Kreg face clamp. In the kit itself you will find: * Kreg R3 Pocket Hole Jig * Clamp Pad Adaptor * Special Stepped Drill Bit * Depth Collar (with Allen Wrench) * 6 Square-Drive Driver Bit * Small assortment of sample screws and plugs This all comes in its own plastic molded carry case. And this is one case to keep, because on the inside of the case you have a reference guide outlining the depth collar setting and recommended screw length required for each material thickness option. This will speed up the joinery process and ensure the correct setup when working with varying width materials. Additionally, alongside the stepped drill holding area is a guide to help you position the depth collar correctly for the material thickness being used. So don't go throwing that case away! You will need it... or at least make a copy of the information so you can refer to it later if you plan to ditch it. The case itself is pretty small - I don't see any practical reason to get rid of it. It keeps everything handy and helps avoid loss of the included components. And speaking of components, let's go through them one by one in detail... 6 Square Driver Bit We will start here because it is the simplest! The 6 square driver bit (size #2) basically allows you to drive the square drive screws used in pocket hole joinery. Square drive screws are, I believe, the future of fasteners. It is very difficult to strip the head of a square drive screw, unlike regular Philips head and other older drive designs. Plus the square drive allows maximum torque with almost no bit slippage when driving the screw. If you have ever used a square drive screw before (in whatever application), chances are you haven't gone back to conventional screw tip drive designs. Square drive is far superior, not to mention much less frustrating to work with! The 6 length of the square drive bit is necessary to drive the screw deep into the created pocket without having the drill foul on the material edges (because of the angle the screw is driven). Stepped Drill Bit and Depth Collar This drill bit is what creates the pocket hole into which the screws are designed. It is a stepped drill because the stepped part of the drill actually creates a shoulder for which the pan-head pocket hole screws sit against to provide clamping force to the joint. There is a smaller diameter drill section just below the stepped section which drills a pilot hole close to the edge of the workpiece. When using pocket hole joinery, only
Re: [BlindHandyMan] New Tool Review
Hi I would use a Ramset Powdered Activated Gun with the type of nail and charge into which you wanted to drive these special nails They can be driven into steel and concrete but special training is required so you can identify the charge required for over charging could lead to the nail passing through steel or concrete and killing some one near by. Out here you need a licence to operate a Ramset Gun. Ray . - Original Message - From: M.J. Terblanche [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Wednesday, February 21, 2007 4:46 PM Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] New Tool Review Hi, Only wood is mentioned here, can it drive nails into brick / mortar walls? Thanks, Matthys - Original Message - From: Boyce, Ray To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Wednesday, February 21, 2007 1:27 AM Subject: [BlindHandyMan] New Tool Review Hi Everyone GMC Website - http://www.gmcompany.com GMC 18v Magnesium Strike Allnailer Review So you have a nail to drive... what are your options? Naturally, the first that probably comes to mind is the trusty old hammer (in its many variations). Next on the list is probably the pneumatic nail gun (and its many variations). But what comes after that? Suddenly the options become extremely limited. Well, Global Machinery Company (GMC) is attempting to add yet another nail driving tool variant to the list of possibilities with their new Magnesium Allnailer tool. It promises to offer all the ease of a power tool but without the restriction of expensive or hard to find nails for pneumatic tools. Plus, it's a world's first in terms of nailer design! Let's see how it works, and whether it does the job it is designed to do well. GMC Magnesium Allnailer When I first saw and heard about the Allnailer, I immediately thought... here we go, another cordless nail gun that is probably not powerful enough to drive anything more than brads into softwoods, like many other cordless nail guns and bradders flooding the market. When one purchases such a tool, they often end up having to buy a pneumatic nail gun and compressor because they discover the cordless nailers are just not up to scratch for most tasks. So what makes the Allnailer different to these other cordless nailers? Well, to begin with, the Allnailer functions a little differently to most nail guns. Instead of a single, rapid burst of air that is used to thrust a driver on conventional pneumatic nailers, the Allnailer uses somewhat of a continuous hammering action, much like you would experience with an air hammer chisel, or a jackhammer. So the nail is driven in with successive blows rather than one single burst of power. This alone offers benefits over other nail gun types which we will see later. But for now, lets take a look at the features of the Allnailer from the outside. Packaging and Contents The Allnailer ships in a plastic molded case. It offers great protection during shipping, and when transporting the tool around. As a result, the tool arrived free of dings, dents or other shipping damage. Inside the case you will find the Allnailer itself, two 18v batteries, and a user manual. Naturally, being a new tool in terms of design, every new owner should read the instruction guides. This nailer works differently to pneumatic nailers, and hence, requires different steps and technique to drive nails. The full color product manual will provide all the instruction you will need to operate the tool correctly and safely. The Power Packs + Charger The Allnailer ships with two 18v Nickel Cadmium (NiCad) cordless batteries. Each has a 1.5Ah capacity, which is probably average for a reasonably good quality power tool. The batteries connect to the bottom of the Allnailer handle via standard battery clips that are secure, but easy to remove when you need to switch a battery or charge one up. The batteries actually slide onto the bottom of the tool and then click in place to secure them. Naturally, a mains charger is included in the kit for restoring battery charge levels. In the marketing blurb it states the charger is a 1-hour rapid charger. I have been skeptical of these claims with other product reviews in the past because the batteries end up taking anywhere between 2 to 4 hours to charge. The 1 hour charger in this kit however does indeed seem to rate to the one hour mark. I timed the first charge cycle of the batteries and it came in at around 1 hour 15 minutes, but it could have actually finished charging 5 minutes prior to this as I was only really checking it every 5 minutes or so. Bear in mind that charge cycle time will likely decrease with future recharges, likely bringing charge time down to the one hour mark, and in some cases, even less. The charger itself features 2 LED lights to display charge status. The battery is fully charged when the green
Re: [BlindHandyMan] New Tool Review, Tile Cutting Saw
Ray, I agree with this article, A power tile cutter is worth its weight in gold. It not only save time, but also save tile breakage. 3 years ago my wife and I started out with a manual tile cutter, laying down more than 1100 square feet of the stuff. It didn't take me long to rent a tile table saw for $12.50 a day. What we did, was to lay all the full tile, rent the saw for a day and cut and filled in the needed areas. Which took us just a short time to finish that task and had the saw back at the rental place before 5 PM that day. RJ - Original Message - From: Boyce, Ray [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com Sent: Tuesday, August 15, 2006 11:20 PM Subject: [BlindHandyMan] New Tool Review, Tile Cutting Saw Hi GMC LSTSAW Laser Tile Cutting Saw Review So you've made more than a hundred woodworking projects, spent endless hours in the workshop, and now its time to renovate the bathroom, kitchen or laundry area and your significant other wants you to do it! Tiling may not be your specialty, but if you need to cut tiles to fit an edge or to work around an immovable object, a powered tile cutter will make life a little easier! Today we are taking a look at the GMC Tile Cutter, which is another tool from the GMC range fitted out with their Redeye laser feature. Let's take a closer look... Out of the Box The GMC LSTSAW Laser Tile Cutting saw ships mostly assembled. All you really need to do is attach the laser mount arm to the saw, add the fence, and install the supplied batteries into the laser's battery compartment. Certainly one of the more simpler and quicker out-of-the-box setups we have encountered lately I must say! There is the normal high-quality, color-printed manual supplied with the tile saw, as with most GMC products now, as well as standard warranty card and registration information. Everything was in tip-top condition once assembled - no dints or dings to be seen. Specifications Below are the listed specifications as per the manual for this tool: Power: 650W Speed: 2950 RPM Blade Size: 180mm Diamond Blade Bore Size: 15.88mm (5/8) Bevel Capacity: 0 to 45 degrees Maximum Cutting Depth at 90 deg: 35mm Maximum Cutting Depth at 45 deg: 21mm Table Size: 420mm x 360mm Laser Class: 2 Laser Output: 1mW Batteries: 2 x AAA Features Function The first feature you may notice once you have this tool out of the box and are ready to move it to its place of use is the integrated tool handle. Located on the left side of the tool (when standing in front of it) the flip up handle allows you to carry the tool around very easily and conveniently. The weight of the tool seems pretty well centered under the handle, so there is little strain when lugging the tool around. The motor offers 650W output. For tile cutting this is plenty. Most tiles have a similar thickness and few ceramic tiles measure more than a quarter or third of an inch thick (except from some specialty tiles) so 650W of power is more than enough to complete regular tile cutting tasks with ease. I haven't been able to bog the saw down yet during a regular tile cut. The motor is also of the induction type. It is very quiet when switched on and no ear protection will be needed. Once you start cutting a tile however, the noise level jumps up a little. This is not the saw itself becoming noisier, but simply the noise the tile makes as it is being sliced by the diamond blade. The saw uses a standard, non-segmented 180mm diamond edged cutting blade. The bore size is listed at 15.88mm, which is 5/8. Finding replacement blades shouldn't be terribly difficult if you search a big box hardware store, or from tile retailers that also sell cutting gear (many do). A quality tile cutting blade will last for quite a long time if used only to cut common tile materials. A plastic blade guard protects the user from accidentally striking a spinning blade causing injury. Personally, I found the blade guard was a little flimsy, but when set properly, it performs the task it is designed to do and doesn't really move when the saw is turned on and cutting is in progress, so who I am to criticize! Its light weight probably contributes to the saw's easy portability, so my back certainly is thankful for that. The next main feature is the table itself. It can tilt to the right to 45 degrees if you have a need to make a beveled tile cut. As most tile cuts will likely be made at the square 90 degree setting, I didn't really find much use for the tilting table function but at least the function is there if and when you do need it. A small knob on the front of the unit releases the table allowing you to tilt it to 45 degrees. The small etched scale and arrow marking system approximates the bevel angle. It's crude but more than sufficient for tiling cuts, where accuracy to less than a single degree is rarely required, if at all. The scale on the table itself
