Mecpow M1 Laser Engraver Review

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Best Beginner Laser – Mecpow M1 Review

So you want to use a laser and you want to make money doing a side hustle? If you have never used a laser then you probably should start small, then hone your craft and then upgrade. In the interim I have found a great solution to getting started. The Mecpow M1 Laser Engraver.

Mecpow contacted me and asked me to review their beginner laser and I took one look and agreed.

The purchase cost is currently around $159 for a 3.5 watt and $179 for the 5 watt version. That is a steal for a laser engraver.

NOTE: My readers can get an additional 15% off by using the Code JOHNM1 at checkout.

Additionally, Mecpow will be offering a giveaway on their social media on February 26th! Be sure to check that out!

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Alpicool C20 Portable Refrigerator Freezer LCD Repair

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Alpicool C20 Portable Refrigerator Freezer LCD Repair

Alpicool C20

In January of 2020 I bought an Alpicool C20 refrigerator / freezer. At that time I had set up a solar array and had turned one room in my home into a 12 volt off grid space.

We live in Hurricane Alley and I had that room set up to sustain us for 3-5 days, if there were no sun to recharge the solar.

I called the room the “Life Boat”. It had lighting, radios, ham radios, a laptop with a TV dongle and of course the Alpicool C20. When I got it I reviewed it and you can find it here. Essentially since January of 2021 this fridge has been in constant use. Basically, 5 years of use.

It still works perfectly but has developed one issue. Read on to see!

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M17 Project CC1200 Hotspot

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M17 Project CC1200 Hotspot

M17 Project CC1200 Hotspot

Last year I made a post about how to set up an M17 Project CC1200 Hotspot. It can be found here. Those directions are old. And these are the new ones.

I’ll leave that post up for historical context and it discusses how to get the CC1200 hotspot board, and how to program the CS7000 M17 radio from Connect Systems.

Let’s see if we can simplify this a little. Actually, a lot.

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Mobile Pixels Duex Plus DS Review

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Mobile Pixels Duex Plus DS Review

Mobile Pixels Duex Plus DS

I was contacted recently by the CEO of Mobile Pixels to review the Mobile Pixels Duex Plus DS portable monitor ($169.99 on Amazon)

Additionally, I was provided the 13.3″ screen since I indicated I had a 13″ MacBookAir. Man, I sure wish that I had one of these during my working years. This is great for blogging.

I’m able to view my web design portal in my browser on one screen while reading the product manual and various other technical documents and also reviews on the other screen. I’m one of those weirdos that has 10 open tabs in a browser at any given time.

This really does improve my workflow. I simply cannot deny that. Also, the screen can be set as a main display, extended display, or mirrored display. I personally like the extended display the most.

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ANCEL BS200 Super Starter Review

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ANCEL BS200 Super Starter Review

Have you ever tried to start your car and it just wouldn’t turn over? There is now a pretty great solution to that problem. Enter the ANCEL BS200 Super Starter. (currently $199.99 with a coupon at $164.99). Buy now in case that coupon expires!

The great folks at ANCEL (official site link) sent me their BS200 which is a essentially a super capacitor capable of supplying sufficient cranking amps to start an engine with a highly degraded battery state.

Did you ever hear your refrigerator compressor kick on? The concept here is kind of the same. That compressor will not start without a powerful jolt of electricity stored in a very large capacitor.

As it is with the ANCEL BS200 Super Starter. It is a very simple device that connects to your car battery using two simple leads. A positive and negative lead connected to your battery terminals. Once that super capacitor gets charged it can supply enough amperage to start your engine with even the most degraded battery.

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Werewolf VFLEX Adapter Review

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Werewolf VFLEX Adapter Review

Werewolf VFLEX Adapter

In a world full of power bricks along comes something that provides power with far less clutter. If you are currently using a bench power supply to provide power to your gizmos the Werewolf VFLEX Adapter system may be for you. I recently bought several items from them and hope to share what I’ve learned.

But first let me give you a real world example. I’m a photography nerd. In the mid-2000’s I bought a device called a Nikon Coolwalker. It was designed for the days of low capacity Compact Flash cards. Fill up your card on a shoot and then dump the photos into the Coolwalker. Format your card. Shoot. Repeat.

That device had some crazy battery in it called the Nikon EN-EL6. It was only made for the Coolwalker. And of course after 20 years that battery is deader than dead. And there are no 3rd party EL6’s available even today.

I needed to feed it around 6 volts to start it. At first I did it with a bench power supply and some barrel connectors and bread board wires. It was ugly, messy, and probably dangerous (to the Coolwalker). Then I saw a review video from Jeff Geerling on his “Level 2 Jeff” YouTube channel showcasing the VFLEX system. If you don’t know who Jeff is, it is worth your time to check out his channel. He’s probably one of the world’s best Raspberry Pi and Kubernetes geeks and he isn’t constrained by those two things at all. His network timing and atomic clock and GPS synchronization videos are awesome to me. Especially, since I play with GPS modules and Pulses Per Second (PPS) while getting time sync from GPS satellites.

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The Ultimate Floor Cleaning Solution – UWANT D100

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The Ultimate Floor Cleaning Solution – UWANT D100

On my blog here I do tech. Computers, cameras, Raspberry Pi stuff, laser engravers, etc. I was debating whether or not to agree to review the UWANT D100 Wet Dry vacuum ($239.99 currently) when they reached out to me.

Subsequently, I showed my wife the product link and she told me “that looks amazing, and please say yes”. I was in the Navy and know how to follow orders. I received the UWANT D100 approximately 2 weeks ago and my life hasn’t been the same since.

I’m retired, and my wife works. She gently encourages me to run the vacuum daily despite the fact that I’m a very important person on the internet. 😆. I find myself using this wet dry vacuum on a daily basis because I WANT to use it. It’s fun. And it is pretty doggone amazing.

Our house has hard wood floors, linoleum, tile, and carpet. And it’s a pretty big house. We have every kind of cleaner, mop, and vacuum you can imagine. We have struggled though with keeping the hard wood floors clean around here. No more.

Also it needs to be stated that at no time has UWANT attempted to influence my review. They did provide some testing recommendations which were more than reasonable to showcase the D100, but gave me free reign to do as I saw fit. Let’s take a peek at why I love this machine so much.

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Accsoon TopRig S40 Review – Is It Worth It?

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Accsoon TopRig S40 Review – Is It Worth It?

Accsoon TopRig S40

I have to say right away that I am NOT a professional photographer. And I don’t know much about this stuff. Anyway, I picked up an Accsoon TopRig S40 Camera Slider to try to improve my blog photos

and videos. A little motion, similar to the Ken Burns effect, really makes things pop when done correctly.

Camera sliders can be pretty expensive. I did a ton of research and landed on the Accsoon TopRig S40 partly due to some reviews I saw, and partly because the price was right at $249. I bought this with my own money. Most things I review here are sent to me.

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Foxwell Borescope Review

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Foxwell Borescope Review

Foxwell Borescope

I first learned what a borescope is in the early 1980’s when I was an aircraft mechanic in the US Navy. To me it was a marvel of engineering and almost seemed like science fiction. Today you can buy a Foxwell Borescope (FY406D) that is probably a thousand times better than the one I first saw and certainly a heck of a lot less expensive ($189.99 currently on Amazon).

There is a less expensive version called the Y400 which you can buy for $129.99.

When given the opportunity to review this I jumped at the chance. Conversely, I have several really good uses for it. Additionally, I believe every homeowner should have one of these. Not too long ago we figured out rodents had tunneled into our flexible duct work under the house. I had it all ripped out and replaced. Additionally, I plan on using this borescope to routinely inspect the ductwork as far as the probe length allows. This could end up paying for itself quickly. And it provides proof to my wife that the critters have not returned.

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ACMER Ascarva 4S CNC Upgrade

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ACMER Ascarva 4S CNC Upgrade

Recently I reviewed the ACMER Ascarva 4S entry level CNC machine. It is a great first machine but is greatly improved by adding a beefier power supply and faster spindle. The ACMER Ascarva 4S CNC Upgrade kit replaces the existing spindle which is a 70 watt, 8,000 rpm motor.

The upgrade kit adds a 500 watt and 12,000 rpm air cooled spindle. This will give the Ascarva 4S a lot more bite.

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