Author Archives: John Hagensieker

Uniden BCD436HP Speaker Repair

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Uniden BCD436HP Speaker Repair

Uniden BCD436HP

BCD436HP

I bought a Uniden BCD436HP scanner in July 2022.  I keep it in my wood shop shed and I leave it on.  It is tucked in the corner and is largely forgotten about.   So much so that it took me a while to notice that I hadn’t heard it recently.

Sure enough I see it grabbing calls with no audio output.

And then just to make sure it works I plugged a set of headphones in and the audio output was fine.

A google search turns up quite a few speaker failures for this model. So I hit the Uniden Support site and see that they have a form to fill out and then you are directed to ship the item to Uniden for repair.
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Sculpfun S9 Limit Switch Installation

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Sculpfun S9 Limit Switch Installation

Sculpfun S9 Limit Switch

Sculpfun S9 Limit Switch Kit

The Sculpfun S9 is a great laser and is available at a fantastic price point.  Any time the price is low on something you can bet a bell or a whistle was left out to keep the final cost down.  One way to cut corners on a laser is to offer them without limit switches.  Without switches, the laser will not automatically return to the home position (X0, Y0). Positioning is accomplished manually.  Fortunately there is a Sculpfun S9 Limit Switch kit available for purchase.

There is nothing wrong with a laser that does not have limit switches.  In fact, some people prefer lasers that don’t have limit switches.   A lot of the time, I am one of those people.

Equally safe to say that there are a lot of people out there who wouldn’t own a laser that didn’t have limit switches.  Anyway, with the S9, at least you have the option.

Cost

The cost of the kit is $27.99 and is all inclusive.  The kit works for both the S9 and the S10 models.  There are differences in the installation procedures but the kit contains all the stuff you need to install on either model.   That probably means you’ll have some stuff left over in your kit when you are done with the mod.
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WiFi Connection Issues

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WiFi Connection Issues Fix

I’ve always been the neighborhood geek and I have done this simple wifi connection setting for so many people.  Let me set the scenario up for you.  I’ll get a call or see a post that says “My internet provider is crap.  My WiFi disconnects all the time.  Don’t get _____________ for your internet provider.  We hate them.”

Your Wifi Router

Most people think when you connect to your home wifi you’re connecting to 1 choice.  In reality there are 2 choices usually.

  • 2.4 GHz wifi network
  • 5 GHz wifi network

2.4 GHz is usually the most common connection made and it has the best range.  It consists of 11 channels in the US.  Each one of those 11 channels is selectable or most routers are set to obtain the channel automatically.

5 GHz is not utilized as much as a lot of people just don’t know about it.  Of the two wifi’s, 5GHz provides a faster connection albeit over a shorter range.  It consists of 24 channels.  Whenever possible you should try to utilize your 5 GHz connection.

The rabbit hole goes a little deeper than just the number of available channels but for now, this is all we really need to know.
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NIIMBOT B3S Review

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NIIMBOT B3S Review

NIIMBOT B3S

NIIMBOT B3S

The fine folks at NIIMBOT contacted me recently and asked me to review the B21 Label Maker.  Following that review they indicated that I could choose another label maker to review.  I chose the NIIMBOT B3S.

I fell in love with the B21 and so did my wife.  It is the most intuitive and stylish label maker I’ve gotten my hands on, maybe ever.

I have a similar enjoyment of the NIIMBOT B3S but make no mistake, they are 2 different animals entirely.

And I had to get past a couple of hurdles before I got the B3S to where I was effortlessly cranking out labels.
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A Week With The Sculpfun S9 Laser

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Sculpfun S9 – A Deeper Dive

Sculpfun gave me a Sculpfun S9 for review and I posted my initial impressions about a week ago.  After a week of some testing and more usage I can provide a more authoritative opinion on the laser.  In a nutshell I find that the S9 is far above average for the price point that it resides in.   In my opinion this would make an excellent entry level laser for someone.  Or even better, it would make an excellent back up machine for a home business or side hustle.

I read a lot of laser forums.  Everyday I  read posts like this.   “The laser has broken and I have orders to fulfill”.  You’d be able to fulfill them if you owned a backup machine.
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NIIMBOT B21 Review

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NIIMBOT B21 Review

NIIMBOT B21

NIMBOT B21 Label Printer

It’s no secret that I love label makers.  I own a LOT of label makers and I have blogged about them extensively.  Every household needs a label maker.  I’ll expand that to say that every household needs a couple of label makers for various tasks.   NIIMBOT contacted me and asked me to pick any printer in their line up, and they would send it to me to review.

I glanced through their printers and my eyes instantly locked on to the NIIMBOT B21 Thermal Label Maker.  If I had to describe my first impression in one word, that word would be “FUN”.

So many of my label makers are industrial looking and huge.  The B21 is small, sleek, and retro looking.  They promptly sent me one with some extra labels and I’m going to put it through its paces to see how it fares.

Even though NIIMBOT provided me a label maker absolutely no pressure was applied to me to provide a positive review.  If it is positive it will be because I think it is positive.  I’ll tell you exactly what I think here.
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SHTF Scenario

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The SHTF Scenario Happened!

SHTF

SHTF!

Last night the unthinkable happened.  I woke up in the middle of the night and grabbed my computer to catch up on the news and amuse myself.  To my surprise the internet was down.  Thanks Optimum!  No problem.  I’ll just use my cell phone for a hotspot.  I went and found my phone and the network reported “SOS” instead of “5G” or “LTE”. My first thought was that the SHTF, finally.  Where to turn now to see what is going on?

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AC4 Audio And ATSC 3.0

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AC4 Audio and ATSC 3.0

There is a new digital TV standard coming.  It is called ATSC 3.0 or NextGen Tv.  ATSC 3.0 uses AC4 audio as its codec.

Most TV markets have at least one ATSC 3.0 channel.  Where I live it is 125.11 PBS, Greenville, NC.  I have a tuner capable of ATSC 3.0 and I supposedly have a TV capable of AC4 audio.  So everything should be hunky dory, right?  Wrong.

No sound.

But John, it says right in the LG specs for this specific TV that it supports AC4 audio.  What gives?

AC4 Audio

TV Specs

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Over The Air TV ATSC 3.0

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Over The Air TV ATSC 3.0

NextGen TV Explainer Page FAQPeople don’t think much about their TV tuners.  If you go to buy a TV you’ll see plenty of buzzwords like LED, QLED, or 4K but not much discussion on the tuner itself.   And usually not much about ATSC 3.0.  It is also referred to as NEXTGEN TV.

The current broadcast standard is called ATSC or Advanced Television Systems Committee.  That is a series of standards for digital TV broadcasts.  In Europe, their system is called PAL.  Most TV’s in the US meet the ATSC 1.0 standard however a newer standard, ATSC 3.0 is slowly rolling out.

Someday, your ATSC 1.0 won’t work for you anymore although that day seems to be down the road a ways.  Many TV markets have rolled out at least one ATSC 3.0 channel while simultaneously broadcasting an ATSC 1.0 signal.

And of course you won’t get the benefits of that crisp, more powerful, higher resolution signal unless you have a tuner or TV capable of decoding it.   Where I live there is one NEXTGEN TV signal and it is a local PBS channel.  They also still broadcast in ATSC 1.0 and likely will for years. There doesn’t seem to be any danger of any other channels rolling out in the immediate future.
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