Showing posts with label aa solar battery charger. Show all posts
Showing posts with label aa solar battery charger. Show all posts

Tuesday, September 30, 2014

2-Port Dual USB Car Charger Adapter with USB Charging Data Cable For TracFone / Net10 LG LG501C / 9

2-Port Dual USB Car Charger Adapter with USB Charging Data Cable For TracFone / Net10 LG LG501C / 900g / 800g / 500g / 420gThis two-piece device is an ideal solution for my needs. My LG cellphone came with an AC charger, but I needed a car charger for long trips, when I often have long conversations, using my Bluetooth headset. This two-piece set is no more bulky than a one-peice charger, and offers a second USB socket for other devices I use on the road as well. The other advantage is that the cord can be used to charge from my laptop USB as an alternative. When traveling, I ALWAYS have my laptop, but may leave the AC charger behind. With several charging options I never worry about a dead phone.

charges phone and use USB to transfer photos to computer from phone. must also have micro SD card in phone, though.

Buy 2-Port Dual USB Car Charger Adapter with USB Charging Data Cable For TracFone / Net10 LG LG501C / 9 Now

2-Port Dual USB Car Charger Adapter with USB Charging Data Cable For TracFone / Net10 LG LG501C /800g / Great little item, works good on my 800G and extra port for my sandisk player..

Read Best Reviews of 2-Port Dual USB Car Charger Adapter with USB Charging Data Cable For TracFone / Net10 LG LG501C / 9 Here

The USB port dual car charger adapter for for the phone and MP3 player came on time works in wonderful condition. I would order from this vendor again and again and will recommend this to my friends and others from the Mark desk thanks a lot.

Want 2-Port Dual USB Car Charger Adapter with USB Charging Data Cable For TracFone / Net10 LG LG501C / 9 Discount?

This item arrived on time and is working double duty as both a car cell phone recharger and a usb port hook up

Thursday, September 4, 2014

Palm Treo 700w 700 Auto Rapid Car Charger with Ic Chip

Palm Treo 700w 700 Auto Rapid Car Charger with Ic ChipBought a cell phone battery that, of course, died one week past their return/refund deadline. Refused to refund or replace even though the product is CLEARLY defective. This company is a ripoff and will never do business with them again. Consider yourself warned.

Only problem I've had with this unit is that it continues to fall out of the socket. Constantly! Not a good fit. It's not the only one that does that.

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The product broke the first day I used it. I'm going to have to be more careful. I think they are all cheep.

Read Best Reviews of Palm Treo 700w 700 Auto Rapid Car Charger with Ic Chip Here

At last, one that stays in place and does not fall out so readily! Fast charger, so convenient! I would recommend it to everyone.

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Product was defective but there is a no hassle return policy. Overall good service.

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Wednesday, August 20, 2014

Goal Zero 19010 Guide 10 Plus Solar Charging Kit

Goal Zero 19010 Guide 10 Plus Solar Charging KitThe Nomad7 and Guide10+ solar battery charging kit is a pretty good product that aims high, but fell somewhat short in performance in my use over a period of several weeks. The kit consists of the foldable Nomad7 solar panel unit with an output pack and zipper pouch, and the Guide10+ batteries and recharger. The thing to understand about solar panels is ... they really need direct sun to work well. If it's bright but pretty hazy, if it's partly cloudy, if you can't get a direct straight on view of the sunshine ... all of these factors impact the recharging times. A partly cloudy day and an off angle for the panels can double the amount of time it takes to recharge the batteries. And in my experience, obtaining optimum conditions is challenging. Read on for a discussion of pros and cons I experienced during my product testing.

(Pros and Cons are tagged with "Kit" if the observation is for the whole kit, "N7" if it pertains to just the Nomad 7 solar panels, and "G10+" if the comment pertains to just the Guide 10+ battery pack/recharger.

Pros:

N7 Cool Design: The 2 solar panels fold like a book, and a wraparound Velcro tab secures the panels closed. The panels are inside the closed case, and the outside contains a zippered mesh pouch that contains the solar converter and port panel, and lets you store the accessory cables, AAA adapter, instructions, and the Guide10+ battery charger. It's a brilliant design that puts everything you need right there in a fairly compact package weighing around 1.5 lbs.

G10+ Multiple Recharge Options: You can recharge the batteries from solar energy with the N7 or N3.5 panels or from USB (8-10 hours per spec.).

G10+ Charger Has a Flashlight: Pretty cool, and pretty bright too (100 mW).

Kit Multiple Accessories Included: A solar cable lets you charge the battery pack most quickly. Other accessory cables let you charge electronics that use a 12v car charger, and a standard USB type mini-B cable. Also included is a AAA battery adapter that lets you charge them in the G10+ charger. If you want to charge phones or Bluetooth headsets, you'll need to get a microUSB cable ... I purchased one separately from the auction web site for just a couple of dollars for several 1 ft cables.

Kit Having a Power Source Wherever/Whenever: This is the usefulness of the N7 solar panel: you have a power source wherever you are, whenever you need it. When the power goes out after a storm, you can recharge batteries as long *as the sun is out*. If you're on the beach, or camping or backpacking, you've got juice. Just realize, it's not really going to save you money using the sun to recharge your batteries.

Cons:

G10+ Battery Charge Doesn't Last: The rechargeable batteries appear to be good quality, but they do not seem to hold up under use. The AA batteries are rated at 2300 milliamp hours. Using a pair in a Logitech cordless mouse, a pair depleted in less than a week. Other AA rechargeable batteries of similar mAh ratings have lasted 3+ weeks. In addition, multiple times that I tried to use a fully charged set of these with the G10+ to recharge my phone; it could not even complete one full phone charge. It seems like my set of batteries must be defective.

Kit Takes Longer than Expected to Charge: Unless you live in a super-sunny place, you'd be surprised how rarely you get a full sunny day. I was. During my testing period of this product, I was confined to weekend solar charging (I'm in an office cubicle during the week with no sun). I rarely had a full sunny day to use the panels for charging. When those puffy white clouds come along, you're not getting much if any charge action. So the recharge times are extended each time a cloud comes by. Overcast day? Fuggedaboutit. This isn't a *product* weakness per se, it is a product class weakness ... today's solar panels just aren't hugely efficient, and smaller panels are even less so. I'm in the mid-Atlantic area, which generally has lots of partly/mostly sunny days, and I found charge times to take at least the maximum time the manufacturer suggests, and usually much more time. They say 2-4 hrs to charge with the N7 panels, real life charging took typically 6-8 hrs for most of the batteries to get to 80-100%. Once I got a 4-hour charge time. It's also harder than you think to be able to lay the panels flat to get the best angle. On the beach, sure that works. In your house or workplace? Mmmmm, not so much. Lay it on the floor, and the cat/dog/child may step on it, besides which you need to keep the G10+ charger out of the direct sun, so that's going to be underneath. Cool idea, but harder to achieve the best setup to get the stated charge times.

G10+ Battery Charger Has No Status Lights for Individual Stations: Batteries rarely discharge evenly, and so recharging occurs unevenly too. Without individual status lights, the batteries that finish first continue to receive charge, and those that aren't finished are likely unplugged too soon since there is one general status light. And the range for the indicator lights is too broad: 0-50%, 50-80%, 80-100%. Not very precise.

G10+ Less Recharge Power than Expected: See results below for phone charging. The first number represents the mAh rating of the batteries used. 2300 are the Guide10+ batteries. The others are other brands of rechargeable batteries. The phone being charged is a GSM Samsung Galaxy Nexus, battery rating of 1750 mAh.

2300: Phone charge: 22% G10+ charge: 9200 maH Time to shutoff: 2 hours Ending charge: 39%

2300: Phone charge: 10% G10+ charge: 9200 maH Time to shutoff: 1.3 hours Ending charge: 29%

2400: Phone charge: 25% G10+ charge: 8280 maH Time to shutoff: 2.5 hours Ending charge: 64%

2400: Phone charge: 26% G10+ charge: 9200 maH Time to shutoff: 2.5 hours Ending charge: 74%

2150: Phone charge: 20% G10+ charge: 6880 maH Time to shutoff: 3.5 hours Ending charge: 91%

What the figures mean are: what the phone's initial charge was, what the aggregated charge of 4 AA batteries in the G10+ was, how long until the G10+ stopped charging the phone, and the phone's ending charge. Basically, I never even achieved 1 full charge from any battery pack, so the claim of 1-3 phone charges per G10+ charge did not bear fruit. Maybe with a feature phone with a tiny battery, eh?

Kit Tablet charging? Not likely to happen. Most have proprietary chargers with molded cables. Besides which, their batteries often have 2-3 times the capacity of my phone, which wouldn't even charge once from the battery pack.

N7 Direct Charging from Panels Not Successful: I tried charging a couple of different phones directly from the solar panels. None would go into charging mode. Their circuitry evidently has a minimum voltage it has to receive to start charging. This might work if you're in full sun, with optimum panel angle, but many, if not most of us, are going to find perfect conditions nearly impossible to achieve. In this case, the manufacturer recommends connecting the Guide10+ pack to the Nomad7 and the device to the Guide10+. That's fine, but don't mislead folks into thinking that direct charging from the panels is likely, because it really isn't.

Kit Using Solar Charging Isn't a Money Saver: Using rechargeable batteries sure IS a money saver, but charging with solar panels really isn't. It takes mere pennies to use a conventional charger to recharge 4 AA batteries.

Bottom Line:

The usefulness of this product is in having a power source at hand wherever you are, provided there is sunlight. The amount of sunlight directly correlates to the amount of charge power the Nomad panels provide, and consequently, the ability of the product to charge batteries. It is important to understand that this is the product's strength. Saving money on charging batteries is not its strength. Being able to charge a lot of devices -or even one smartphone one time -is not a strength of this product. You may be able to boost a depleted phone's battery enough to make some calls after fully depleting the Guide10+ batteries, but that takes several hours.

I recommend the product within those parameters described above. However, I would suggest buying more powerful, more reliable rechargeable batteries to use with it. I found Immedion batteries rated at 2400 mAh to be the best performers in my testing. If you are just looking for backup power to tote around to recharge some devices that run out of power, then I recommend a rechargeable Li-Ion power pack rated around 7500 mAh. I have used such a product to successfully recharge the same phone 3 times on a single charge. Just something to consider.

I made the mistake of buying the Goal Zero 19006 Guide 10 Adventure Kit with 4 Goal Zero AA Batteries, not this one, which is the Guide 10 PLUS Adventure Kit. The Guide 10 Plus is iPad compatible, whereas, the Guide 10 is not.

I bought this kit mainly for camping. I find myself needing to charge my iPhone and iPad and knew this company made a good product. In April 2011, I went to Overland Expo in Amado, AZ and the Goal 0 reps had a big booth and gave away some small solar powered led flashlights. I was very impressed with their presentation of the products. This kit fits perfect in my bug out/backpacking/camping bag. I weighed the item, as I do with all items that go in my pack, it weighs 1 lbs 6 oz with: the solar panel, all cables, battery pack and batteries. EVERY OUNCE COUNTS when backpacking. So, for me, this was a good option compared to having to pack batteries and then maybe having to worry about scavenging more, if in a survival/bugout/zombie/post-apocalyptic situation, lol.

NOTE!!!!

I can charge my iPhone(4) directly from the Nomad 7 solar panels or with the Guide 10 Plus battery pack. But I can ONLY charge my iPad (1st Gen) with the Guide 10 Plus battery pack, I CANNOT get the iPad to charge when directly plugged into the Nomad 7 solar panels...this was disappointing for me, but I'll make do. Furthermore, I plan on buying 2 additional Guide 10 Plus battery packs with 4x AA batteries and 3 packs of 4x AAA batteries. I plan to use the AAA's in my flashlight, lantern and head lamp, and to use the AA's in the Guide 10 Plus packs to charge my electronics.

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The Guide 10 plus adventure kit is a nice, compact solution for battery and device charging. It includes the solar panel, the battery pack, a few cables, and a AAA battery insert (so you can charge those). Note that the unit I received was a little different than depicted in the stock Amazon photos (single mesh pocket on reverse of panel rather than on the flap as shown). See my video for more.

Read Best Reviews of Goal Zero 19010 Guide 10 Plus Solar Charging Kit Here

This solar charger works great as a way to charge my AA batteries when away from home. Now I can recharge my AA's and even AAA's when on the trail. There are loops you can strap to your backpack while hiking if you need every minute of sun to keep your batteries topped off. To charge AAA's you'll need to buy a small adapter that snaps into the Guide 10 Plus. The required adapter is now packed with all Goal Zero AAA's. There are combo packs available that include the Nomad 7, Guide10Plus, 4-AA's, AAA adapter, 4-AAA's and a Luna light as bonus features.

First I'll discuss the Guide10Plus unit:

The Guide 10 Plus battery holder has a 3 position switch. Off, On and Light.

Off = USB Output disabled

On = USB Output is ON (1.0a max)

Light = LED Light is on, USB output is disabled.

Store in the Off position, charges in any switch position.

The Guide 10 Plus must be in the On position to charge your phone or whatever you have plugged into the USB. The LED light is very handy in camp for finding things in the dark, plugging things and so forth. I wouldn't consider it my primary light but it is a very useful feature, and a rather easy way to make sure your batteries are charged up too.

There is a red/green LED that lights when charging. It blinks slow red when the batteries are 0-50% charged. It blinks slow green from 50-80% charged and fast green blinking from 80-100% charged. When the power Output is enabled, the status LED shows Solid green when power is available, solid orange when running low and solid red when no power is available.

There is a dedicated plug for charging the Guide10 unit from the solar panels. Thus, you can be charging the batteries while they are also in use. There is an additional mini USB port for charging the batteries from a USB power source. This is handy for topping off your batteries before leaving on a hike or trip where you'll be using the solar charger.

Goal Zero AA batteries:

I've cycled my Goal Zero AA's and they came in at 2400mah, pretty nice. I also use Eneloop batteries in my Guide10Plus with no problem.

Nomad 7 Solar panels:

You can use the special Guide 10 Plus charging cable and charge the batteries directly from the solar panels. There's a handy pocket for storing the Guide 10 Plus right next to the solar panels too. It includes an opening to easily feed the charging cable right to the battery holder. The Nomad 7 panels are nicely made, fold nicely and fit easily in a backpack.

The rating information on the solar panels shows:

USB output: 5v, 5watt max

12v output: 13-15v, 4 watt max

Guide 10 output: 6-6.5v 7 watt max

Monocrystalline solar technology.

There are 3 outputs from the solar panels. 1 for charging the Guide 10, next to that a USB port, and on the opposite side a 12v output. My setup came with a 12v cig type adapter that plugs into the Nomad 7 so that I can take the 12v directly from the panels and use it.

My Nomad 7 panels weight in at 14.9 oz. With the Guide 10 Plus and Goal Zero AA's installed I have an all up weight of 21.2oz.

Since I own several other Goal Zero systems, I want to point out that mixing the systems does work in a slightly indirect fashion. Let me explain. Due to the different plug sizes used (which is intentional I believe) the systems don't plug into each other. I believe this is due to the abilities of the charge controllers in the different devices, to avoid overloading things. If you want to use the larger panels to charge the Guide10Plus, you can connect it up by using the USB output options. The Nomad 27 Panels have a USB output, which you can then plug the Guide10Plus into directly using it's included cable. It's nice to know that via the USB output options and in some cases the 12v Cig adapters you can mix the Goal Zero systems. The USB cross connections aren't full power and are thus slower but hey it works!

When comparing these units, there is an older Guide 10, and now the Guide 10 Plus. Make sure you get the Guide 10 Plus. The plus version supports 1.0a output at the USB port so you can charge newer iPhones and iPads. A few very early Guide 10 systems had an overheating issue, my Guide10Plus works fine with no problems.

Wow, this is getting long, but these are the nice details to know when choosing between systems. I rate this 5 stars for working to charge my AA's and AAA's on the trail. Feels like a required purchase for any Grab-n-Go kit.

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Hello Amazon:

I'm really not one to write reviews but just in case somebody was interested in this product I would share my experience.

I bought the Nomad 7 with Guide 10 plus on 8/2012 and it arrived safely and I was very impressed with the quality of the solar panel as well as the guide 10 plus. I use this primarily to charge my iPhone 4 and now iPhone 5. It has been working until yesterday I heard a "shrieking" noise from the guide 10 plus while I was just recharging the batteries. The unit started smoking by the switch area and I immediately got the unit out of the sun. This morning I put the panel in the sun to charge the Guide 10 plus only to smell something burning. Naturally I think this is the end of my Guide 10 plus.:(

I am solar naive and I have been very careful where I put my money. I was happy with most of the reviews on this product.

I have contacted Goal Zero and hope they can either exchange or repair this product. The other question I have is what does this mean? Did something short circuit? Isn't there a solar regulator that prevents overcharging? The unit is always indoors and never exposed to water. I did get 2 good months of use, but for $100++ dollars I'm not too sure whether it was worth it.

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Tuesday, August 12, 2014

Show N Go License Plate Holder - Fully Powered w/Remote

Show N Go License Plate Holder - Fully Powered w/Remote1. Installed on a 2010 Challenger under the front chin spoiler to flipup on demand. Works but you must hold down either __ or [ ] button on the remote to deploy or retract the plate. You cant just hit the button once and have it go till fully up or fully retracted.

2. Because of above, when sitting inside car, you need to know how long it takes to deploy or retract the plate or you endup having it sticking straight out from car lol.

3. As it gets dirty from normal driving, the little cables slip and the guides drag more causing the plate to take longer to deploy or retract. If you live in a mostly sunny place or drive your vehicle on nice days only then this will likely not be an issue. Daily drivers beware.

4. Recommend always have it up to display your front plate and only stow it for special occasions like a show or car meet-n-greet. It just doesn't seem to have durability for daily use.

Bought a 2013 Corvette and, after talking to sales-dude, decided to get the "hidden license" plate bracket instread of having dealer drill holes in the nose for the stock bracket (besides, it looks ugly). Order placed with ProTrim on 9-DEC, received my kit on 11-DEC, so lovin' the fast order and shipment (yea, Protrim!). So, off to the dealer for installation.

Problems encoutered during the installation, the cables which drive the whole works became twisted and came loose. Contacted "Greg" at ALTEC (manufacturer of the kit) for a replacement on 14-DEC. He took my address and said he would "get one out right away". I sent him email with same info. One week later, 18-DEC, no replacement bracket, so, I called "Greg" again. He acted like he never heard of me (not too surprising), but said that "we don't normally do that, we usually wait for the defect part to come back and then we repair it". Was this a "failure to communicate" situation starting? So, after a bit of cajolling, "Greg" said he would get one out straight away. Today is 24-DEC and still no replacement bracket.

Here's my plan of action: I've ordered a similar product from Mid America Motorworks, a firm specializing in Corvette performance and parts. I decided on the "manual" version of the license plate bracket after reading some of the older reviews.

After speaking to my mechanic at my dealer, who's installed many of this type of hidden plate systems (this was his 14th Altec product, 100+ of other makes), in his opinion the Altec "Show-n-go" is a problematic device as he has had issues with their quality along with lack of protection for the cable system and motor. In fact, it was my mechanic who pointed me to Mid America Motorworks and the manual hidden bracket kit.

Conclusion: In my not so humble opinion, "Greg" at ALTEC Products probably should not be in customer service since he doesn't follow through and this "mechanical marvel" should only be used on "trailer queens". Otherwise, if you have $130 to waste, send $70 of it to Wounded Warriors Project and take the other $50-60 and contact Mid American Motorworks for their manual hidden license plate bracket....or not.

I am returning this POS to the supplier.

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I feel like I wasted my money on this item for my CV. Anyone with a sports car already knows that they sit low. A little hit from anything and the motor stop working. Second time I hit a piece of wood on the street and it just ripped it to shreds. SO, if you plan on driving like an angel then get it. If you don't.. don't get it.

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I guess for the money this is ok for what you get.

I would have been better off getting the manual one as mine broke a week after installing it.

The small wire that attaches to the plate bracket itself needs some sort of a swivel because as the plate comes out and up and then back down again it bends the wire back and forth and eventually breaks.

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I had to return this because it projected too close to the ground when mounted on my 911. Probably great for a less low slung vehicle.

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Friday, July 25, 2014

Tripp Lite APS1250 Inverter / Charger 1250W 12V DC to 120V AC 30A 5-15R 2 Outlet

Tripp Lite APS1250 Inverter / Charger 1250W 12V DC to 120V AC 30A 5-15R 2 OutletI used to be a big APC fan, but over the years I have had all kinds of problems with them not behaving well after a battery change. They don't even like the batteries purchased from APC.

I wanted something to use with my computers that did not require specific batteries.Tripp Lite APS1250 1250W 12V DC to AC Inverter with Automatic Line-to-Battery 30-Amp Charger

This product worked out great because I just picked up a couple of Marine Deep Cycle Wet batteries (approx $60 ea) used some cables I had around (#2 Battery cables from auto parts store work great) Just get short ones with two eyes for the connections between batteries (wingnut on bolt connections on most deep cycles) and one longer one to cut in 1/2 and use for both connections to the APS.

The APS takes a 5.5mm allen wrench to tighten the connections, I had to cut the plastic around the outlets a little to get my power strip to plug in directly.

A large (8D) battery box will hold up to 3 size 24 batteries, so I am going to pick up one of those this week.

This unit does not have the B series of DIP switches.

This unit also initially charged the batteries at 50A and then dropped down as they took a surface charge.

The transfer to UPS is seamless when unplugging from the wall for testing.

No flicker or anything on any of the computers.

I am running two computers (+LCDS, Drives, etc) one with a 1000W DA1000 SilverStone DA1000 1000W ATX 12V 2.2 and EPS 12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready Modular Active PFC Power Supply Retailthe other with a really old 350W supply.

I also have 5 SATA drives in the desktop.

The desktop really only drew 25A on a bootup on battery which = 300W, the constant draw on the batteries with both systems in active mode is 24A The load also includes UVerse box, 8 port switch, two external drives, usb hub, phones, etc.

Am very pleased to retire my SU1000, my SU700R, and my SU420NET upses as well as the various BK500s in my office for this one, much more efficient unit.

When I do some AC testing for how the unit performs from a generator, I will add to my review.

I have installed this along with an AGM battery as a power back-up for my sump pump. It had no trouble starting my 1/3rd hp pump. A good feature is the "charge only" mode that allows you to shut the inverter down when not needed (the winter months in my case), thus preserving the battery. It also has a setting for the type of battery being used (wet cell or glass-mat). I bought this unit to replace one from the Inverter Store that failed in less than a year.

Buy Tripp Lite APS1250 Inverter / Charger 1250W 12V DC to 120V AC 30A 5-15R 2 Outlet Now

This Tripp Lite 1200 watt inverter/30 watt converter combo is working perfectly. It provides power to the RV entertainment center up to 5 hours a day. It is connected to a12 volt, 220 amp hr battery. The maximum power drawn is 350 watts in this service so this unit is not working hard, but it certainly works well. The converter is in parallel with a 5 amp solar charger and there has been no problems with this connection.

Read Best Reviews of Tripp Lite APS1250 Inverter / Charger 1250W 12V DC to 120V AC 30A 5-15R 2 Outlet Here

I bought one of these to provide uninterrupted power to my computer, internet and a NAS. The device failed less than two months after the 1 year warranty had expired. It no longer charges my batteries and says it's over loaded, even when nothing is plugged in. I now have a 400 dollar boat anchor, not to mention another 400 worth of batteries, cables and the trip-lite remote switch that I bought to go with it.

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this is a great all-in-one solution for battery-based off-the-grid power. I spent a lot of time researching chargers and inverters and which ones I should combine before I found this, which does both easier and much cheaper for comparable performance.

my only suggestion would be for them to add a couple of fused terminals for direct DC power that could be shut off when the voltage is too low, but we can't have everything I guess.

UPDATE: after about 3 years of light summer usage, this thing up and completely quit on me. no power, nothing. it was nice while it lasted, but far too much to spend on something that is just going to fail after a while.

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Tuesday, July 15, 2014

Pico 6380pt 50amp Batt Cable Connector

Pico 6380pt 50amp Batt Cable ConnectorI purchased 10 of these connectors so that I could make various adapters and extension cords to go between our on-board RV battery charger and the portable solar panels, wind / gas generator(s), and truck hitch connector when parked some distance from the trailer. A few of these are for spares and / or future additions to the setup. To keep line loses to a minimum, I used 10 gauge wiring and spent a lot time looking for a robust connector. Even though the most DC current I can put through them with my setup is 16 amps, the durability, wire size, and polarized connection were the key features for buying these. The Pico 50 amp connector has provided this functionality perfectly! As a very large added benefit, they are non gender connectors, meaning ALL cable ends have one of these and I can interconnect any adapter / extension cord combination that I want without ever getting into two of the same gender ends not connecting together situation! When connecting two together, there is a strong 'snap' interaction between them, leaving no doubt that they are connected securely. It does take some effort to pull them apart, but then again, that's exactly what I needed / wanted. So far these are holding up great in a RV-ing / camping environment. They have been rained on, stepped on, buried in dirt / mud, and connected / disconnected multiple times with no signs of wear. I highly recommend these! I ordered them Amazon, and they were delivered within a few days, Amazon rocks! BTW: the 10ga wiring I used is a 25 foot, heavy duty 10/3, 115VAC extension cord from the local hardware store that I cut the ends off of and re-terminated the bulk of the cable with the Pico connectors. That provides a durable, weather proof, flexible cable that is bright yellow to help prevent tripping over (and avoids being left behind because you didn't see it laying on the ground), and it was cheaper then buying 10/2 wire at $2+ per foot.

I haven't had a chance to use this yet, so I don't have any feedback on its use. However, I did want to be sure all you potential buyers read through the description more carefully than I did. Even though the description contains the word "Set," the set they refer to are the two metal contacts a set of contacts not a set of connectors. If you want to connect your wires to anything, you'll need to order TWO of these.

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These things are super cool. They're built so that there's no male/female part, and as long as you put the positive wire in the hole that says "plus", they'll work. The retention mechanism for the connectors is firm, but you can disassemble afterwards if you need to do so. The connectors have holes drilled through the middle so you can bolt one side down to whatever, which would be handy in several situations.

I used these to handle the power connections for a sub box which I occasionally need to move from one car to another, or to remove for more luggage space. They work great for that, and handle plenty of power for a moderately sized amplifier. The same company makes some larger connectors if you need more current capacity.

The only drawback I saw was that these are kinda hard to crimp if you don't have a heavy duty battery cable crimp tool (the kind that you usually have to hit with a hammer). I soldered the connectors onto the end of some wire instead; note that it takes a pretty healthy soldering gun (not some puny soldering iron) to heat these up. You can fit 8 gauge wire into the terminals really well; I think 10-12 gauge would actually be a little small / loose.

Read Best Reviews of Pico 6380pt 50amp Batt Cable Connector Here

The only reason for the 4 stars is that the plastic seems a little thin and my not last all that long. I only use the connector about two times a month so hopefully it will last. The price was great and the shipping was very quick.

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Wednesday, June 25, 2014

USB Data Cable + Rapid Car Charger + Home Travel Charger for AT&T HTC Fuze

USB Data Cable + Rapid Car Charger + Home Travel Charger for AT&T HTC FuzeThe car charger gets extremely hot when charging the phone in the car. It feels like some of this heat is also tranfered to the phone (if that is possible).

Saturday, May 31, 2014

myCharge RFAM-0001 Portable Power Bank 1200

myCharge RFAM-0001 Portable Power Bank 1200
  • Mini-USB Charging Port
  • Built-in Kick Stand
  • LED Power Indicator
  • Easy-open hinged cover protects Apple connector when not in use

I find this product extremely convenient and portable for the person who's always on the go. It doesn't actually give your phone a full charge of 100% but it will do about 50% if you were in a jam which is perfect. For the price and portability, I highly recommend the traveler to have one of these devices.

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Unfortunately, the description and reviews do not state that this is for an iproduct only. The package does though, but you only see that AFTER you order and receive the product.

I'm giving it one star for misleading and wasting time. :)

Read Best Reviews of myCharge RFAM-0001 Portable Power Bank 1200 Here

this is a great product i bought three one for each of my children and one for my husband. Great for someone who is always on their phone.

Thursday, May 1, 2014

Garmin Nuvi 885T GPS Standard Red LED Wall / AC / Home Charger! Garmin Nuvi 885T GPS

Garmin Nuvi 885T GPS Standard Red LED Wall / AC / Home Charger! Garmin Nuvi 885T GPS
  • An outstanding quality charger at a reasonable price up to 90% off the original price!
  • Official 2 stage accurate and safe charger, ensures a longer lasting battery, always.
  • One year warranty is offered by the manufacturer against defects.
  • The first stage of this charger offers fast charging until 95% bettery life.
  • The second stage of this charger is "trickle" charge and fully optimizes your battery to 100%.

This is really nice home charger for my Garmin Nuvi 885t.

Perfect charger for charging at home & hotel.

Amazon had lowest price & prompt delivery.

GOMAZON

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Thursday, April 24, 2014

Allstart 556 Marine Battery Jump Starter with AC Inverter

Allstart 556 Marine Battery Jump Starter with AC Inverter5.0 out of 5 stars Quality Jumper Box with 22 amp battery, 1700 watt peak power, and 300 watt inverter, November 26, 2012

By Big Sur Steve This review is from: Allstart Tools 5569 Marine Battery Jump Starter with AC Inverter and 2 Pack Microfiber Cloth (Automotive)

I needed a rugged jumper box, that had a high ampere battery, was easily portable, and had an inverter to operate a variety of small AC electrical appliances. Tthis jumper box fits the bill.

The box is a little shorter and a little thicker than the Clore box I've been using for the past 3 years, which is excellent at getting cars jump started: Clore Automotive JNC660 Jump-N-Carry 1,700 Peak Amp 12-Volt Jump Starter If Clore made a jumper box with built in 300 watt inverter, I would have picked it up. They are ruggedly built, with a thick plastic housing, have strong clamps and thick lead cables capable giving a 1700 peak amp jump with 425 cranking amps. This is plenty of power to jump a large displacement V-8 automobile engines in addition to a number of Diesel engines. The box is also small enough to make it easily manueverable and can fit into tight areas where space is limited.

After looking at a variety of jumper boxes, this one came closest to meeting the specs I was looking for. The box is a little heavier than the Clore, but it also has a 22 amp battery which is a little bigger than the Clore plus a 300 watt inverter, which the Clore does not have. By no means is the Marine battery a heavy jump box, just a little heavier than the Clore.

I like the clamps on the Marine jump box. The tops of the clamps look better insulated than the iClore clamps and have strong clamping springs to prevent slippage of clamps off the terminals. The leads use a thick gauge wire, but not as thick as the Clore. The jump box provided plenty of juice to turn over a high compression V-8, and is rated at 40 jumps between recharging. Also the Marine box has a light. The light provides adequate light and rotates. The Clore box doesn't have a light.

On the back of the Marine box is a two plug, 300 watt inverter which is turned on with a switch. I used the inverter to charge an iPad 3 from 5 percent to full at about the same rate as a wall plug. The meter on the Marine battery is a bit more difficult to read than the Clore box. It is a vertical meter with 3 colors: green for full power, yellow for marginal, and red for needs charging. The needle had moved down on the green zone and almost into the yellow after charging the iPad 3. I prefer the left to right needle gauge on the Clore box which reads DC volts to show state of battery charge. As far as overcharging is concerned, the Marine battery has the edge over the Clore with an overcharge prevention feature, whereas the Clore box does not.

One other inverter test I ran was on a large Netgear Router NETGEAR Wireless Router N900 Dual Band Gigabit (WNDR4500) On a fully charged box, I kept the router running for 24 hours before needing a recharge. In case we have a power outage with the cell phone towers also down, I wanted to know how much router time I had for Internet access. During Hurricane Sandy, many of the cell towers were down preventing access to the web through 4G.

Here are my likes:

-sturdy build

-22 amp battery

-300 watt inverter

-stout, insulated battery clamps

-work light

-automatic charging shutoff when box is fully charged

Needs improvement:

-meter needs to show percentage of charge remaining

-external fuse on inverter could get caught and break. Needs a better location.

Overall, I'm very impressed with this box. It has a stout build quality similar to the Clore, costs about the same and also has a 300 watt inverter. The Marine appears to be a quality box on par with the Clore. Only time will tell if it hold up as well as the Clore with extended use, but I suspect it will.

To charge the jumper box by solar, I use a Goal Zero 15 watt panel which I have plugged into the round 12 volt port. This works pretty well taking about 18 hours of direct sunlight to fully charge the battery.

i used it a few times and have no complaints, it is small enough but powerful enough to get you out of a bind

Buy Allstart 556 Marine Battery Jump Starter with AC Inverter Now

I got this based off a suggestion from my Yamaha dealer and so far it looks to be rock solid. I recently upgraded to 3 group 29 deep cycle batteries as I run a large audio system and needed to make sure I had a way to start them if I ever ran into a dead battery. I took the boat out recently and the batteries were rock solid so I didnt nee to use the jumper, but my cousin and another boater did end up using it and it jumped their boats with ease.

Read Best Reviews of Allstart 556 Marine Battery Jump Starter with AC Inverter Here

Friday, April 18, 2014

EMPIRE Motorola DROID RAZR HD Car Charger (CLA)

EMPIRE Motorola DROID RAZR HD Car ChargerI love this for the money!!! It charges fast, and I like the cord not being so long it gets tangled up. I am constantly on the job, and my truck is my office, this charger is well worth the price.

3 star because it seems to take longer then I would expect to do its job. Would recommend to others

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Monday, March 31, 2014

The Essential Gomadic Car and Wall Accessory Kit for the Archos 5 5g (all GB Sizes) - 12v DC Car an

The Essential Gomadic Car and Wall Accessory Kit for the Archos 5 5g - 12v DC Car and AC Wall Charger Solutions with TipExchange
  • Gomadic TipExchange Technology protects your investment by allowing you to change/upgrade either charger by simply swapping the physical charging tip. (Charging tips for Archos 5 5g (all GB Sizes) included with additional tips sold separately).
  • Gomadic Wall Charger is built to support worldwide voltage input levels ranging from 100-240vAC /50-60 Hz. High output 10W /2A transformer provides output voltage and resistor configuration specific to the Archos 5 5g (all GB Sizes).
  • This Gomadic Car charger has a wide input voltage range of 12-24vDC to support all vehicle charging ports. Works in cars, trucks, planes, boat, RVs and more (both domestic and international). Available output current is an impressive 10W/2A . (Twice most competing products!)
  • The Gomadic "Power Sleep" feature limits power consumption when chargers are not in use. Both car and wall chargers will draw less than 0.1W of power when in "ready state" (e.g. not connected to the Archos 5 5g (all GB Sizes)).
  • Both Gomadic car and wall chargers employ state of the art, advanced internal circuitry to protect Archos 5 5g (all GB Sizes) from power surges, overcharging and short-circuiting.

I bought these chargers hoping that the house unit would charge the Archos fast, about 3-4 hours like the claims of the DVR station, both the house charger and the car charger charge at about the same rate as the USB charger that comes with the Archos, on the PLUS side they are more convenient. I'm able to carry them everywhere and charge in the car or at a coffee shop, both units would benefit if their cords where 5' long instead appro. 3'

Buy The Essential Gomadic Car and Wall Accessory Kit for the Archos 5 5g (all GB Sizes) - 12v DC Car an Now

VERY SIMPLE, DO NOT BUY ARCHOS PRODUCTS. PURCHASED AN ARCHOS 5 AND ALL ACCESSORIES. THEY DO NOT PERFORM AS ADVERTISED AND THEIR SERVICE SUCKS. RETURNED FOR WARRANTY SERVICE, 60 DAYS LATER GOT IT BACK WITH NO IMPROVEMENT. BATTERY STOPPED WORKING AT 12 MONTHS AND 4 DAYS AND THEY WANTED TO CHARGE ME IN EXCESS OF $120 FOR REPLACEMENT BATTERY. THEIR REPRESENTATIVES ARE COLD AND UNHELPFUL. THEY DO NOT CARE ABOUT YOU THE CUSTOMER.

IF THIS REVIEW STOPS ONE PERSON FROM BUYING ARCHOS THEN I SUCCEEDED. I PERSONALLY HOPE THE GO BROKE.

Thursday, March 27, 2014

New Combo Rapid Car Charger + Home Wall Charger + USB Data Charge Sync Cable for Samsung Gusto 2 U3

New Combo Rapid Car Charger + Home Wall Charger + USB Data Charge Sync Cable for Samsung Gusto 2 U365Pros: inexpensive, good assortment

Cons: The connector shell, micro USB end, on the wall charger fell apart. The voltage out of the wall adaptor measures 10VDC with no load and the sticker says "4-8V" USB charging devices should be 5VDC. Some devices may have circuits that will be damaged by overvoltage charging

First of all, do you know how much you would pay for this stuff in the verizon store? Holy crap! Wonderful source, all new components.

Buy New Combo Rapid Car Charger + Home Wall Charger + USB Data Charge Sync Cable for Samsung Gusto 2 U3 Now

cheap fell apart its in the trash can ! D D D D D D D D D D D

Read Best Reviews of New Combo Rapid Car Charger + Home Wall Charger + USB Data Charge Sync Cable for Samsung Gusto 2 U3 Here

Great product for the price! Car adaptor works great, home adaptor works great. Pkg. received in excellent condition and time.

I highly recommend.

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Multifunctional, great price and shipping, and most of all it works quickly! I will definitely purchase again as it is always beneficial having spare accessories.

Wednesday, March 26, 2014

Midland GXT795VP4 36-Mile 42-Channel FRS/GMRS Two-Way Radio (Pair)

Midland GXT795VP4 36-Mile 42-Channel FRS/GMRS Two-Way Radio
  • 42-channel GMRS radio with up to 36 mile range and 142 privacy codes with camouflage faceplate
  • NOAA weather alert radio with scan for severe weather and other emergency alerts
  • eVox with three sensitivity levels for hands-free, voice-activated transmission
  • Features include five animal call alerts, roger beep, channel scan, vibrate alert, monitor and more
  • Bundle includes pair of radios with belt clips, headsets, desk charger, and batteries/adapter

I currently own a set of Motorola, two other sets of Midlands and this is the newest addition to my already favorite Midland radios.

This model is different.

The designing is very details and clean looking. Nice, bring LED displays with orange back lighting. This new model gets a new 'much better' roger deep compared to older midlands, which used to be a dragger. Now, it's shorter deeps which I thought was much clean and professional if you're quick talker.

With it's maximum range of 36-miles, when tested, it did get longer range than other typical radios. When I say longer, it's usually around 1-2 miles in the city.

The size is decent with longer antennas with it's range, and that's what you need for better range. With smaller body and smaller antennas, you end up sacrificing a lot as far as its performance and the range.

Overall, this is a excellent, newly designed, two-way radio.

** Note; one other review commented that he used VOX option for baby monitoring but it's actually unrealistic. VOX only picks up close up voices, nothing away unless you're really shouting out. and you probably don't want to place this radio right next to baby's mouth. Not working!! But it's very useful when driving in the car with the ear piece which is included in this purchase. hands free talking is really helpful.

Buy Midland GXT795VP4 36-Mile 42-Channel FRS/GMRS Two-Way Radio (Pair) Now

Received these radios yesterday and did some testing today.

Range: (very clear up to 1.5 miles)

With all radios of this type the "32 miles" is a best case given perfect conditions. My wife and I bought them to use when driving two trucks while moving cross country. For this we will need at most a mile range. Using the high power setting and the GMRS band we were able to get close to 2 miles range. This test was done with me in an office building in an industrial park and my wife driving into the city in an SUV. Transmissions started to have a lot of static after 1.6 miles and were lost just before 2 miles.

Headset/mic: (what you would expect)

The provided headset/mic (2) that comes with the radios work fairly well for a cheap headset/mic.

Fits on either ear and is reasonably (although not incredibly) comfortable.

Sound quality is what you would expect for an included headset/mic.

VOX: (works like all VOX)

Like all VOX this takes a little time to turn on and start sending. We found that saying "Call " used enough time so that the beginning of our message was not cut off.

Roger Beep: (LOUD)

The beep is quite a bit louder than the background voice (when using the provided headset).

Weather radio:

Although this is an extra for me, it is kind of neat and works well.

All in all these are exactly what I expected and I am happy with them.

Read Best Reviews of Midland GXT795VP4 36-Mile 42-Channel FRS/GMRS Two-Way Radio (Pair) Here

These radios are as good as you can get for this type of system. We used 4 of them for hunting in very dense bush, very hilly terrain. We could cover pretty decent area with these radios, but I wouldn't expect to go much more 1.5km between radios in extreme conditions like that. At home I can get over 3km in flatter, mostly treed area. These seem to be very good quality, and we are happy with them, as long as you understand the limits of this type of system, you'll be happy with these. If you want more range, you can get other models by midland that will rebroadcast, so each radio acts as a repeater. Good radios, good price. The wheather channel feature was nice to have while hunting as well.

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I use them camping to keep track of my grand kids. I wanted a set that was water resistant for obvious reasons. I also wanted max range because I realize that the range drops as soon as any obstacles are in the way. The range of these units in the forest is about 1 mile. Good Product. Only downside, another product made in China.

I bought these hoping that they would have more range than the 20 mile Cobra CXT225 that I got from Walmart for $34 last week. While I'm fully aware not to expect the advertised range (usually divide by 20) these performed worse than the Cobra. Aside from that, the supplied phone/mic apparatus for each is more than worthless.

Compared side by side same conditions as the Cobra CXT225 these were very noisy even close up during transmissions while the Cobras were pleasantly quiet. Midland noisy with somewhat fuzzy voice Cobra clear of noise and very clear voice.

Midland units were big, bulky and heavy while the Cobras were light, small and comfortable to hold. I ride my GoldWing with a bunch of Ham guys and they have modified radios that will TX on the GMRS frequencies. They remarked how clear the Cobra was and asked if I have "noise cancellation" on them. They don't. They said the Midland was noisy like my experience Midland to Midland.

You can get earbud/microphone sets for the Cobra on eBay for just $5.00 each. I'm keeping the Cobra light compact and clear.

In the many years I have dealt with Amazon, this is the first item I ever returned out of hundreds of items bought. Not Amazon's fault, just not a good quality radio from Midland.

Thursday, March 13, 2014

Cinch Power Master CP965 9600mAh External Battery Pack and Charger for iPad 2, ipad, iPhone 4 4G 3G

Cinch Power Master CP965 9600mAh External Battery Pack and Charger for iPad 2, ipad, iPhone 4 4G 3Gs 3G , iPod Touch, HTC Android EVO, Blackberry, Kindle DX, Samsung Galaxy S, Droid, Nintendo, Sony PSP and much moreThis is great. So compact and easy to travel with.

I initially thought that it wouldn't work with my iPad. The company responded right away. It just needed more of a charge to power and charge my iPad.

Looking forward to travel with my apple gadgets and not have to have something tethered to the wall to recharge all the time.

My wife and I recently went on a trip and out for a couple of days. This thing saved us big time. our batteries were low and we just plugged the phone into this and it recharged both phones with no problem

Buy Cinch Power Master CP965 9600mAh External Battery Pack and Charger for iPad 2, ipad, iPhone 4 4G 3G Now

This is a fantastic external battery pack. It has adapters that work on my smart phone as well as my ipod touch. I never have to worry about my battery life as long as I have this with me. I charge it overnight and it will charge my phone or ipod 3 times. Needs a case to hold adapters with power pack. Will fit in your pocket. Great for travel when you can't use your normal charger. A must for a smart phone that depletes batteries quickly. Very easy to use.

Read Best Reviews of Cinch Power Master CP965 9600mAh External Battery Pack and Charger for iPad 2, ipad, iPhone 4 4G 3G Here

Wednesday, March 12, 2014

LG VX4700/LG VX6100/LG VX7000/LG VX8000/LG PM 325 Rapid Car Battery Charger & Cigarette Lighter Ada

LG VX4700/LG VX6100/LG VX7000/LG VX8000/LG PM 325 Rapid Car Battery Charger & Cigarette Lighter AdapterBought a cell phone battery that, of course, died one week past their return/refund deadline. Refused to refund or replace even though the product is CLEARLY defective. This company is a ripoff and will never do business with them again. Consider yourself warned.

I rarely need to use a car charger, but when I do need to this one works great. I haven't ever had a car charger for my current phone, so when I got this one and it was the right one and it worked, I was excited. I would definitely purchase this product and others like it from this company again.

Buy LG VX4700/LG VX6100/LG VX7000/LG VX8000/LG PM 325 Rapid Car Battery Charger & Cigarette Lighter Ada Now

I wanted an inexpensive way to charge my LG VX8100 and my wife's VX5200 from our car's cigarette lighter. This does the trick. It's not a computer interface, but it does get my phone charged. The charging only happens when the engine is running, but that hasn't been a problem.

Read Best Reviews of LG VX4700/LG VX6100/LG VX7000/LG VX8000/LG PM 325 Rapid Car Battery Charger & Cigarette Lighter Ada Here

Thursday, February 27, 2014

New Potato Technologies TuneLink Auto Bluetooth in Car Stereo Wireless Adapter for Android (Black)

New Potato Technologies TuneLink Auto Bluetooth in Car Stereo Wireless Adapter for Android - 1001-01002DThis is a great product and worked out of the box. I tried it with a Samsung Galaxy S2 Skyrocket and an Asus Transformer prime. We have Apple and Droid devices in our family, but I found that I could not pair an Apple iTouch with this device. On contacting New Potato support, I was told:

"If you want to use TuneLink for both Android and Apple devices, you need to be using the Apple version of TuneLink. From a hardware standpoint, these 2 are virtually identical, but the Android version is missing some parts that allow it to communicate with Apple devices."

So now I have to return this and buy the other version which is annoying.

Hopefully this will help others choose the correct version.

I have used TuneLink Android with both the AUX out and the FM Transmitter, and I think both sound excellent. The AUX obviously is more clear and the way to go if you have an input in your car, but the FM is great as well. In response to the other reviews on here that talk about a "lisp" sound or distorted "S" sounds, all you have to do if this is happening is turn the phone's volume down a few clicks. The FM volume is a bit boosted when the phone is turned all the way up, and for loud material, I noticed the same thing until I turned it down. The little boost is great though when listening to audiobooks or spoken word that is quiter though...

All in all, great product!

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I read reviews before purchasing this unit and they indicated this is the best quality FM transmitter to produce almost broadcast quality sound. I did not find that to be the case. I have returned it. I'm also surprised by the written return policy of the vendor. It states a refund will be subject to fees if the product is not returned unopened. How the blazes can you know if it works properly and is worth the money, unless you do open and try it? It was the most expensive unit of the ones I was considering, so I expected it to be at least satisfactory in sound quality, but it wasn't. It produced a static "lisp" type of sound on all high frequency sounds such as a cymbal strike or anything with an "S" sound in a word.

Update. Even though my package was returned and it was obviously opened, since I returned it for reasons of dissatisfaction, I did get a full refund.

Read Best Reviews of New Potato Technologies TuneLink Auto Bluetooth in Car Stereo Wireless Adapter for Android (Black) Here

I really, really want to like this device. And when it works, it's fantastic. I use the line-out (not the FM transmitter) and the sound quality is great.

But that's only part of the story. I've been through three of these since I bought mine. The first two had a thermal issue that would cause them to stop working, which is a problem considering this thing is going to sit outside in your car. New Potato did replace them, but it cost me about $10 to ship it back every time.

The real problem, though, is that for some reason my Galaxy Nexus and this thing don't play nice. They will connect every time, but eventually the A2DP will break down and the audio won't work. Sometimes it's enough to unplug the Tunelink and plug it back in, sometimes I have to turn Bluetooth off and back on on the phone, and sometimes I have to do both. Then other times I have to unplug the Tunelink and turn the phone off and on. I have no idea who's fault it is, but it basically makes the device useless.

New Potato spent time helping me, but the last email I got from them was "hey, we have no idea. There's another guy with a Galaxy Nexus but he says it's fine". I was hoping the update to Android 4.0.4 would help, but it didn't.

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Automatic Bluetooth connecting and Audio Quality...

The first pairing was simple and setup was done in less than 2 minutes. Note: Be sure that when you plug the receiver device in to the power adapter of your truck you make sure you pick one that that cycles the power with the key on/off. Turning the key on and giving it power is what tells it to start looking for the paired phone. In my Nissan this is in the Arm console. When I start the truck it powers the device, the device automatically looks for the phone and connects within 10 seconds all without any user input (VERY NICE!!!). When I turn off the truck it automatically pauses the MP3 playback. With the receiver device being in the arm console I was worried that I might have reception issues or audio quality loss. However being in the console I had no issues with the wireless connection or quality. Audio quality is as good as a direction wire connection. I use the AUX jack on my stereo to connect the receiver to my stereo. As such I did not test the FM transmitter.

Automatic Media Playback...

Using the latest version of their TuneLink app from the Google Playstore Market the app allows you to pick a default MP3 or Music playback program. If you install this app and pick a default music app the phone will still do all of the above Bluetooth connecting automatically, PLUS it will automatically start/resume playback of the last MP3 you were playing, right where you left off. For me this worked perfectly the first time. However after it resumed, my phone displayed an error that the TuneLink app has stopped working. After that crash the auto playback resume feature no longer worked without manual help from me. This could be that the app is not playing nicely with my Samsung Note II. The auto pause when turning the truck off works with or without the app on my phone.

Overview...

This product is exactly what I was looking for: Get in to my truck and have the phone automatically connect to the audio system. I am very pleased with this device and find it worth the few extra bucks you might pay over some similar devices that don't offer the automatic connect feature. NOTE: The above auto connect assumes you have bluetooth turned on, on your phone.

One final note...

This unit is NOT for people looking to create an option for Bluetooth hands-free phone conversations. Unlike some similar devices this product only supports media over Bluetooth. My truck already has a Bluetooth hands-free option for talking on the phone, so that is not something I need. If you already have hands-free in your car this device works perfectly in conjunction with you current hands-free and will even pause the music while you take a call through your cars hands-free system. But if hands-free phone calls is something that you are looking to get from this device, then you need to look for a different product such as the Belkin Bluetooth Truck Hands-Free Kit which offers both Media and Phone calls over Bluetooth but does not support the automatic connection like this device does.

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Saturday, December 28, 2013

Go Power! GP-300 300-Watt Modified Sine Wave Inverter

Go Power! GP-300 300-Watt Modified Sine Wave InverterPurchased this for running a few low power items when the utility power is out. Very impressed with the build quality of this unit. It does provide the rated 300 watts without overheating or shutting down as long as adequate ventilation is provided, these do generate heat that must be dissipated. No complaints here considering the cost.

I purchased this inverter thinking it would be at least ok compared to the true sine wave model. Truth is it's not even close. It did, however meet my needs as a backup unit.

It was able to deal with a 200W light load, but anything over that and it struggled. It will also run a very small motor, like a coffee grinder.

It is also much smaller than described. I was pretty surprised when I opened the box. Actual size is 5.75 x 1.75 x 3.5"

In conclusion, it's adequate for light tasks and worth it's bargain price. If you need a real and clean 300W, go for the true sine wave unit

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I have only had it for a week, but so far I am very impressed. I use it to power my 2.1 computer speakers (200 watts) and it is beautiful. Also since it has 2 outlets, I can charge my phone in my car at the same time! Great product, great price. Cig lighter hook up is MONEY!

Read Best Reviews of Go Power! GP-300 300-Watt Modified Sine Wave Inverter Here

Must have item for converting 12 volt power to 120 for appliance use. Well may, not too big, and good for camping.

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The sine wave was not good enough to run electronics without serious interference. Additionally, the maximum wattage output for this device was 40w, rather than 300w. I am surprised that this product received any positive reviews. I suppose that some of these products are far less faulty then others.

Tuesday, December 24, 2013

BoxWave HTC Desire HD Desktop Cradle (With Spare Battery Charger)

BoxWave HTC Desire HD Desktop CradleGreat charger. Performs as advertized. The only negative is it puts out a ton of light. For those who prefer a dark bedroom this might not be a welcome addition to the room

I ATTEMPTED TO BUY THIS BATTERY CHARGER WITH SPARE BATTERY AND RECEIVED AN EMAIL FROM BOXWAVE THAT IT IS NO LONGER AVAILABLE, INSTEAD I ENDED UP WITH THE DESKTOP CRADLE WITHOUT THE SPARE BATTERY WHICH THEY HAVE PLENTY IN STOCK. TO BAD BECAUSE ITS A GOOD CHARGER.

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Sunday, December 1, 2013

Black & Decker 300 Amp Low-Profile Jump Starter

Black & Decker 300 Amp Low-Profile Jump StarterI have had this model for over 3 years and it never stops amazing me the amount of power this little pack delivers, ive used it from everything from jumping lawn tractors to 200+ diesel engines. good unit, rugged, convenient 120 male charging system makes any extension cord the right charger. the on off switch is also a nice feature that seams to help prevent it from loosing a charge over time. id buy another

This worked great the first couple times was able to jump start my trucks failing battery so I could go get it replaced. I expected the charge to wear down after a month or so (the instructions recommend that you recharge it once a month) but I though I would be able to recharge it more than twice. One recharge was fine, the second a few months later took a lot longer, the third a few months after that never happened the status light would just flicker, and after 12 hours charging it was still at zero. Waste of money.

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I purchased this item because of the product name Black & Decker which has a reputation to make quality tools that perform well. After fully charging the unit I attempted to start my Craftsman garden tractor whose battery was weak. Well to my dissatisfaction after connecting the B&D Jump Pack to the battery had little or no effect on the performance of the cranking of the engine which I couldn't get started. Feeling that there may be a problem with the garden tractor I attempted to jump start my Sonoma P/U with a 6 cyl engine which was totally dead and after connecting the B&D battery pack again it had no effect whatsoever and wouldn't even crank the engine. I had purchased this unit as a replacement for my Husky Jump Pack which I had received about 3 years ago as a gift. The Husky outperformed this unit by leaps and bounds it would crank the P/U with a dead battery and had no problems starting my garden tractor. This B&D unit is a waste of money and I wouldn't recommend buying one if you are looking for a reliable jump pack for emergencies. Steer clear of this one. Stick with the Husky brand I give it a F-

Read Best Reviews of Black & Decker 300 Amp Low-Profile Jump Starter Here

This jump starter was a waste of money. It worked once, then nothing. The battery status indicator showed the battery to be fully charged even when it was completely discharged. Frustrating and disappointing for a Black and Decker product.

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This Black and Decker jump starter is conveinent and works great at first. If you keep this in your car (like most common-sensed Americans would) it will loose it's charge after about 2 months. Okay, no big deal, it's to be expected that these batteries need some maintenance. Unfortunately, when I went to recharge the battery, it wouldn't hold a charge! What's that I hear? Oh yeah, $60 down the pooper. WOULDN'T BUY AGAIN

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