Read more about the article Time for a new power tool
My old and my new power tool.

Time for a new power tool

My old and my new power tool.
My old and my new power tool.

About 9 1/2 years, two moves and renovating one kitchen – this is how long I was able to enjoy my power tool “Alpha Tools BAS 14,4-1” from Bauhaus. I guess that’s even more than I could have expected from such a no-name – oh, sorry, let’s call it no-brand tool. But now the battery has reached the end of its lifetime.

The inside of the battery pack of the old power tool: 12 sub-C NiMH cells.
The inside of the battery pack of the old power tool: 12 sub-C NiMH cells.

At first I tried to just get the battery replaced. But after such a long time it appears impossible to get a new battery pack. Even if I would buy the 12 sub-C cells inside the battery pack directly from China over the internet I would pay more than for a comparable new power tool at one of the local hardware stores.

After realizing this fact I spend a couple of days browsing the selection of the local stores Bauhaus, ClasOhlson, Biltema and Jula. I finally decided to go for a new 18V lithium-ion powered tool from Jula’s own label Meec – i.e. another no-name product. I hope it will serve me well for the next 9 years, but who knows…

On the old power tool even the original manufacturer left its name and adress.
On the old power tool even the original manufacturer left its name and adress.

As expected the new tool is made in China.
As expected the new tool is made in China.

On the label of the old power tool even the name and address of the original manufacturer is given – a medium-sized company in Germany. The new tool – as expected – tells you that it was made in China.

And apart from the battery pack I will not throw away the remainders of my old power tool. I can imagine a couple of uses for a strong motor with gear box and a variable chuck.
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Dark Samsung?

Ever seen a seemingly ok, quite new 24″ Syncmaster SA300 LCD monitor from Samsung – which refuses to show an image, but can display its own system messages?

Try a firmware update! I found this solution in the PC Help Forum.

A firmware update for a computer monitor you wonder? Yes! Obviously you need a second working screen on your system, e.g. you can connect the Syncmaster as a second screen to your laptop. You then download an executable program from Samsung’s homepage and run it. The program will tell you not to switch off the monitor or disconnect the cable while it moves the new firmware over the VGA cable onto the monitor. During this update the animated error message on the monitor will freeze and at the end the monitor will switch itself off.

Now comes the exciting moment – switching the monitor on: will it work…. Well in my case it did! Showing the cloned copy of my laptop screen.

Small sidenote: of course I had first disassembled the monitor, but I couldn’t find a trace of an electronics fault inside… (more…)

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Read more about the article Good and bad wires
A close-up of the tips of the pins. The order is the same as in the pictures above: worst solder joint to the left, good solder joint in the middle and crimped connector to the right.

Good and bad wires

I am a big fan of solderless breadboards and we use these also for our students at Uppsala University. For quite a while I have been using solid-core wire for…

Continue ReadingGood and bad wires