TITAM - Technical issues that affected me

I have an ECS-10 in my basement, but it's for an Xmas present.  So I don't want to unpack and measure it (yet). Note: this information applies, in a limited way, to the Stryfe.  The Modulus ECS-10 has additional extra space under the battery tray; the Stryfe (apparently) does not.   Stryfe owners have the option to buy an extended (deeper) battery cover - Modulus owners do not. Also note this assumes you remove the stock ECS battery tray completely . See this video for a good look at ECS-10 disassembly and internals.  Also see this video for how to wire a plug. If you don't understand the battery specs below, see this video . Voltage : 7.4V (2S) for stock motors; 11.1V (3S) for some upgraded motors.  If in doubt, go 2S. Current :  Higher C rate is better.  But unless you are truly hardcore, anything over 25C is likely fine. I have to mention many people get C discharge rate wrong.  The discharge rate is the number times the...

Big fan of Seidio cases, but not that thrilled with the Surface for the Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus.  I decided to try an Encased Rebel instead. Construction:  Both two part outer hard shells with one-part inner liners.  If you don't like this, tough - it seems it's the only option these days for the larger phones.  Seidio liner is a little thinner. Size:  Seidio is a little slimmer.  The holsters are not interchangeable due to the difference in thickness. Fit:  Seidio case halves slide on easily - so easily, in fact, that the bottom half has detached and started to come off the case five times already.  The Encased has more friction, making it more of a job to take on and off, but no risk it will spontaneously come apart. (Yes, the Seidio does have a "latch" to keep the case halves together.  It doesn't work well.  I was considering using double-sided tape to keep it from falling apart.) Appearance:  Seidio is "smooth" and "s...

Problem:  For no visible reason, and suddenly, a Bosch dishwasher (such as a 500, 600 or 800 series, our model SHP65T56UC) starts with the following: -  No indicator lights or display -  Does not respond to buttons -  No beeps or lights of any kind and, most importantly: -  The drain pump turns on continuously, or cycles on and off over and over / periodically, with or without the door open, even though the machine is not on and has no water in the tub. This may happen right after plunging or otherwise clearing a clogged sink drain. Power cycling at the breaker does not help.  Pouring water into the DW to try to fool it also does not help, though the pump will happily drain whatever your pour in. Potential solution:  A small (possibly tiny) amount of water has leaked in to the bottom of the dishwasher, tripping the flood protection. Basically, the bottom of the dishwasher is the last place to catch a leak.  So there is a small flo...

HTTPS is already the de facto standard.  With Google Chrome now shaming non-HTTPS websites , little guys/gals like me running legacy insecure web servers are now on the wrong side of the line and risk losing business / traffic. Fortunately, Synology DSM 6.x has a baked-in solution using the free certificate services from Let's Encrypt.  It looks scary at first, but it's very easy once you know all the steps.  Things to know: -  It's perfectly free, no cost.  -  It works with dynamic DNS services.  You do not have to renew the security certificate if your IP changes. -  It works with virtual hosts. -  It is maintenance-free, as it auto-renews itself. -  DON'T read the "Get Started" information at Let's Encrypt.  It will just confuse the hell out of you.  -  Did I mention it is free? This article assumed you have Web Station set up and your website(s) are running correctly.  If not, you obviously have ot...

I still get to ride occasionally.  As I was renting a bike with a GPS, I wanted in-helmet audio. Reviews on all in-helmet Bluetooth devices are mixed, no doubt because different helmets, bikes, and riding styles all affect how we perceive the volume levels. I ride exclusively with 32 NRR earplugs in.  I can't understand how people ride without earplugs; seems to me you'd go deaf very soon. I also have an "older" Uvex helmet I purchased in Germany.  (My HJC was killing me on my rental supermoto, which has much more wind exposure - the wind was pushing the front edge of the helmet into my forehead.)  Uvex has long since stopped making motorcycle helmets, but my helmet is still A-OK. The Uvex includes a motocross peak (sun shade), which I always have on - even on the highway.  It adds some noise. My Uvex has no speaker cutouts, so I had to make some.  This would place the speakers right on the shell, but I used the Cardo spacing pads to move them clo...

Simple problem:  Want motion detection (occupancy) at both ends of a hallway or stairwell. Solution:  an amazingly large steaming hot mess! ----------------------------- [Update]:  OK, so I've realized that the main reason why there are relatively few residential application for motion switches is: they don't save you money. You can read the details here .  The original reviewer makes the mistake of confusing a 40W LED bulb (320 mA draw) with a 40W equivalent LED bulb (actually 9W, 72 mA draw), but otherwise the concept is sound. The reality is that unless you are switching large lighting loads (150W-ish or more) and/or in a commercial environment where lights might get left on 24/7, adding a motion sensor makes no sense.  The "smart, energy-saving switches" will consume MORE energy than if you accidentally left the bathroom lights on an extra 15-20 hours per week , which seems rather unlikely for most situations. This also means there is no payback...

I recently ran into an issue with losing focus while working.  An incredibly annoying problem for anyone that has experienced it. Alt-Tab did not show anything useful and Alt-Space didn't either.  Fortunately, I found the Adminscope Windows Focus Logger , which identified my problem in about 60 seconds.  It's freeware, and there is no install.  Run the GUI and watch what happens.  Soooooo awesome..... In my case, Razer Synapse kept stealing the focus.  I suppose I should have clued in when I saw an "Unacceptable character" message pop up a few times - the font used was subtly different than a standard Windows dialog.  But the message was right over my Word navigation pane, leading me to believe the Word nav pane was somehow stealing focus. Shutting down Synapse and restarting appears to have fixed it.  I think the problem only happens when you pop up Synapse, record a new macro or something, and then close it.  Somehow, it doesn't...

Note: this post has nothing to do with the dreaded "C-wire" that is required to run an ecobee.  If you're looking for that, go elsewhere. One of the more frustrating items for a heating/cooling system is the sheer number of possible ways to set it up.  Sure, there are "standard" ways, but there are also always other ways. My previous post on a missing G (fan) wire was not my only issue; in fact, it wasn't even the hardest issue.  The actual problem I had - the one I called ecobee about - was that my humidifier wasn't working. For anyone who may not know, a whole-home furnace-mounteded humidifier is de rigueur   in Canada and the northern parts of the USA.  The cheapest and most common kind is the "evaporative" kind which uses hot furnace air to work - hence, it only runs when the furnace runs. There are undoubtedly many ways to wire such a system, most of which the ecobee3 will support.  But it sure helps to know what the ecobee3 do...

Note: this post has nothing to do with the dreaded "C-wire" that is required to run an ecobee.  If you're looking for that, go elsewhere. One of the more frustrating items for a heating/cooling system is the sheer number of possible ways to set it up.  Sure, there are "standard" ways, but there are also always other ways. We had a new furnace installed not long ago.  However, there were not enough wires run to the thermostat to support the additional A/C system.  The cable had only enough wires for heat-only operation. To make it work, the installers should have run a new cable, but they didn't.  Instead, they disconnected the G (fan) wire, and used it for Y (cold call) instead.  This led to an atypical installation that lacked a G (fan) wire at the thermostat. Note it still worked.  The thermostat sent the W (heat) and Y (cold) signals, and the furnace controlled its own fan.  No worries, thanks to them thar new-fangled furnace, y'all. ...