I love modern technology

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terkio
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Re: I love modern technology

Post by terkio »

Another option is snare wires.
Set four small loops a foot apart on a twig.
Set the twig at a place they will like to use as a bridge. Bait with jelly.
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JR.
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Re: I love modern technology

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That would be up 50' in the air between my pecan and pine trees.... I think I'll pass...

JR
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mediatechnology
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Re: I love modern technology

Post by mediatechnology »

terkio wrote: Mon May 25, 2020 1:30 am Tree rats are pretty smart.
https://youtu.be/hFZFjoX2cGg
Great video.
Yes squirrels are very smart and determined.
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JR.
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Re: I love modern technology

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mediatechnology wrote: Tue May 26, 2020 6:34 pm
terkio wrote: Mon May 25, 2020 1:30 am Tree rats are pretty smart.
https://youtu.be/hFZFjoX2cGg
Great video.
Yes squirrels are very smart and determined.
This week one got run over by a car in front of my house... not that smart.

JR
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JR.
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Re: I love modern technology

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I rarely get surprised by a new product that exceeds my expectations, especially when I buy stuff because its cheap.

I recently upgraded to a 65" TV for my living room, but admittedly it was an impulse buy for only $398.... I didn't even know it was ROKU, until after it arrived, but apparently it is a smart TV (smart at trying to generate subscription fees). :lol:

I had low expectations for a gee whiz experience because 65/55 is less than 20% larger... but guess what... it is noticeably bigger and better. AFAIK this is the same resolution as my old one just stretched out more but gee whiz... it looks noticeably better. :D Oddly even the commercials look different-better, but not good enough to watch commercials.

The internal speakers don't suck... but another benefit is that the new smart TV has its own optical digital audio output so my surround decoder is now following the TV instead of the satellite receiver. In the past I had some issues with the surround sound decoder mis-tracking with some feeds. I am more than halfway through a movie that typically messes up, so far so good. :D

The only unresolved issue is I can't link the direct TV remote control to the TV. The TV is ONN apparently a Walmart house brand (assembled in USA). The direct TV can not find ONN settings.

I am borderline too old to install this size myself... but got this one dun.... :lol:

JR

PS I ordered another wall mount kit to stick my old 55" behind my computer desk... Then I will make my 44" the permanent squirrel cam monitor.
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AnalogJoe
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Re: I love modern technology

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I still have my 50" LG plasma TV from '09, its not a smart tv and at some point I considered changing it for a smart TV, that is until I found the Amazon Fire Stick, for $40 it turns your dumb tv into a smart tv.

I just love the picture of plasma TVs, it doesn't look as pixelized or digitized as the LCDs in my opinion.

Right now I'm 99% sure that the PSU capacitors are going bad because it fails to turn on the first time you try to turn it on, I't looks like its going to turn on but a relay clicks in and it immediately turns off, this will happen 3-4 times, then it will turn on and work perfectly, the problem seems to become worse with time, I know that at some point it just wont turn on at all, then I'll replace those caps, not before, Im lazy :lol:
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terkio
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Re: I love modern technology

Post by terkio »

The odds are your TV needs new caps.
I had two PC screens gone bad.
It started with trouble to turn on, becoming more and more troublesome, until final failure.
I opened them, they are waiting for repair.
One has clearly a cap that vented, its top is cracked. Trouble is, this cap is SMC on a fragile board and I have never done such a repair. Tips are welcomed.
The PSU has two caps bulged at the top. Easy to change, through hole on a sturdy board.
The other screen has many caps with their top more or less bulged. They are thru holes but plenty and of various values and it is not clear wether some are bad or acceptable.
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JR.
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Re: I love modern technology

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The rapid decline in prices has encouraged me to replace TVs before they fail... then I hand them down to serve as computer monitors... 55" is going to be silly large but I'm old and it will be easier to read. That will bump the still working 44" to squirrel cams... The 44" has one bad pixel but only noticeable from inches away.

I have never been overly picky about video displays but this new one looks really good (onn. 65" Class 4K (2160p) UHD LED Roku ). I think my old one was 4k also. Last night I watched an old George Clooney movie "the american" and there was a tiny butterfly in the movie's final scene that I never noticed before.


---

update- the digital surround decoder still screws up after several hours, so that is something else to upgrade. Not too many stand alone surround decoder with preamp only... most all have amps, except for the cheapos that don't always work properly. :oops:

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terkio
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Re: I love modern technology

Post by terkio »

4K rocks.
I like small true 4K TV as computer monitor.
OTOH TV sucks si much, I have put it back in its packaging.
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AnalogJoe
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Re: I love modern technology

Post by AnalogJoe »

terkio wrote: Thu Jul 09, 2020 6:33 am The odds are your TV needs new caps.
Yeap, I know, thats what I mentioned in my previous post. However, I am lazy, I will wait until it doesn't work at all to replace them.
terkio wrote: Thu Jul 09, 2020 6:33 am
One has clearly a cap that vented, its top is cracked. Trouble is, this cap is SMC on a fragile board and I have never done such a repair. Tips are welcomed.
What kind of cap is it? is it the one like with a metal can and two short leads on each side? be careful with those, its very easy to lift PCB traces if you jerk it more than you need to, it has happened to me more than once. Do you have a hot air gun?
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