Monday, September 30, 2013

International Electronics CWA2000 Add on Sensor

International Electronics CWA2000 Add on Sensor
  • CHAMBERLAIN CWPIR ADD-ON SENSOR

Bought this for my business. Was the 2nd or 3rd entry alert system I've tried. I assumed that for the price, it must be better than the other battery operated sensors. I was wrong. Works about 60% of the time, have customers at front desk and don't know. Resorted to supplementing the system with bells on the door again. Alert tone is VERY quiet, even on max volume. Surely there's SOMETHING better out there. Keep looking for it...

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Wirthco 20108 Knife-Blade T-4 Battery Disconnect Switch

Wirthco 20108 Knife-Blade T-4 Battery Disconnect SwitchI ordered this switch at 11pm, and got it two days later! Quick! Build quality is excellent and very robust.

This is a great way to connect two batteries without fear of draining your starting battery.

I am using it in my boat. Put the switch on one of the terminals on the second battery (this battery should also be connected to all peripheral electronics, like the radio, lights, cigarette lighter, etc). Turn it off when you are relaxing with the engine off, if the secondary battery is depleted, your main starting battery is unaffected. Flip the switch on when the engine is running and the alternator will charge the second battery! Also, if your primary battery is a dud, turn the switch on and start the boat with the secondary battery.

I purchased and wasted my Money on many other types of Battery Disconnect switches but none worked on my Dual Battery equipped 2012 Silverado 3500HD. General Motors did not provide any space around Battery terminals that would accept any other cut-off switch only their own supplied terminal assembly. I was able to modify the Wirthco 20108 Knife-Blade T-4 Battery Disconnect Switches to overcome this space problem. One I installed on the drivers side in a horizontal switch actuation plane, the other had to be modified at the contact blade to open the switch without using the full stroke. Worked out Great.

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I just returned from a 9 day vacation after using this disconnect to prevent my battery from discharging. Once re-engaged, the car started right up. No battery charging necessary.

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Have a slow drain in an older pickup and this was exactly what I needed to save the battery. 2 minutes to install.

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Installed this last week and I am very happy. These type of battery disconnects are becoming increasingly rare and for some reason are getting more and more expensive. I did a TON of research and this is the least expensive one I could find. It's a good product and does the job well.

Scosche GM09SR Radio Replacement Interface with Door Chime Feature for 2000-Up GM

Scosche GM09SR Radio Replacement Interface with Door Chime Feature for 2000-Up GM
  • Consumer electronics
  • Mobile av; Mobile video
  • Radio Replacement Interface with Door Chime

This item is a required part to insure your door chimes and alert bells work properly (Low tire pressure, low fuel parking brake left on ect) This also provides connections to your speakers, power lead for your stereo.

I did see this very same item at wallyworld for much less. (I had to buy speaker wire and they had Scosche brand wire there too) In case you where thinking this price was a bit high, then your suspicion is right, wallymart had it for much less.

I have purchased THREE of these units (Scosche) and they have failed. One lasted a couple of months, this last one lasted a couple of years. First one the chime speaker went out AND left the radio power on after the key was turned off. This one left the radio on too! The first time this happened my wife did not notice and left the radio and two pretty powerful amps on and it left her stranded with a dead battery. The radio was on pretty low and the drain was enough to kill the battery during an 8 hour shift. She manually turns off the radio now to shut off the amps but the radio is still illuminated. Not enough to run the battery down but still that sucks.

EDIT: THIRD one has failed. What a total pain. I tell you why i have been so stubborn on buying one after another of these. I have all the wiring soldiered together and just buying another box is a quick swap. i am sick of it and I will never buy another product from this company again.

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This chime module costs me over $1000.00. After diagnoses,a BCM, installing it, and reprogramming it and tow charges it cost me $750.00 the first time. The second time I ordered it myself on e-bay and installed it myself and had a friend reprogram it for $20.00 the second time it only cost me $290.00 but I still have to buy a new chime module and I still don't know if my stereo is OK. Needless to say Scosche knows what they can do with there GM09SR Chime Module!!!

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I ordered this product and it worked for about two weeks. Then it would work sometimes and other times it would just quit. About a month after installing this it would come on and then just shut off. I would then have to restart my car sveral times to get the product to work. Now it has been a few months and the product doesn't work at all. I have contacted the company and they will replace it, but I first have to send them the product. This will take about a week and will come at my expense. They take about a day to process the unit and then return it or a new one depending. The return will also take a week. So two whole weeks without a radio and I will have uninstall and then install it again and I will have another expense. Just a bit rediculous and not worth wasting my time. Easier to go to Bestbuy or Walmart and buy a new one.

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This item is serving its purpose, but it is cheaply made and the door chime sounds terrible. It sounds like the speaker is blown even though it's not, its just that cheaply made. This is no fault of the seller, Scosche just makes a pitiful product. Save your money. Auto Zone has an adapter made by Metra that will match up with the factory adapter. You will just have to run a remote wire from the fuse panel up to your radio. There is no remote wire in the original wiring harness. It uses a data wire to turn on the radio with the ignition, which will not work with aftermarket stereo's. I am very disappointed in this product. For $55 This thing should rock, and sadly it doesn't. I also purchased a dash kit that was made by schoche so that my radio would mount to my oversized dash opening. I had to modify it to make it fit and the fitment still isn't perfect. I will not purchase any more Schosche products. Please try something else rather than buying this.

Update: After less than a week, this thing completely stopped working. The radio would power on and off sporadically. Sometimes it would work, other times, I would start the truck and get no radio until i turned the truck off again. I returned this and the seller gave me a full refund and paid for return shipping, so props to them. I purchased Metra part #AW-WHGM3 and ran my own remote wire from under the dash. I did have to move a few of the pins on the Metra adapter, but that is no problem. Just grab the pin with needle nose pliers and shove it out of the adapter.

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All the bad reviews you see are true. The trouble traces to a relay that they use to switch from radio to chime. It is a common relay which is nice because you will find your self changing it every 3 months. This is a significant design problem. I have just purchased the Metra product to replace this disappointing and repeatedly defective product. I have replaced relays using multiple suppliers in an effort to give this item a chance, but none has been able to overcome whatever design flaw is within the system. BEWARE THIS ITEM WILL LEAVE YOU WALKING IF THE RELAY FAILS WHILE THE RADIO IS ON AND YOU DO NOT NOTICE THE PROBLEM. Buy the Metra item. It has good reviews and costs less.

Eagle Dash Cam - 1080p Full HD Car DVR (HDMI, SD, Motion Detection) High Definition Def New Camera

Eagle Dash Cam - 1080p Full HD Car DVR High Definition Def New Camera CamI had purchased a different model a few month back. The picture quality was very good but connecting it to may pc to download videos never worked. I also had to invert the video so I could attach the camera to my windshield vs the dash. So the bracket holding the camera was revesed so it never locked in. This caused the camera to fall a few times to the point it stopped working. At least i blamed it on the falls and not a defective product.

This camera has an excellent picture, it is setup up perfect out of the box and attaching it to a pc is simple. Excellent product. It even can be used as a PC camera. I wished I had bought this one the first time. I had a question that I sent to the seller. I got a response back fast and delivery of the camera was fast.

This was sent to me as "Eagle" dam cam which has no Eagle anywhere on the item or packaging. Some sellers such as Texas Wholesale charge $106 for "Eagle" but send you this cheapest version that you can find on the internet for $40. Forget about this junk. I purchase a Viewsonic a year ago and am happy.

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The unit did not work when I took it out of the box. Menu window would not open to ser the date and time, put in my car and it recorded untill i started movine and recording stoped, I only had A nice vidio of the front of my house after 20 mile drive.

Read Best Reviews of Eagle Dash Cam - 1080p Full HD Car DVR (HDMI, SD, Motion Detection) High Definition Def New Camera Here

This dash-cam works fine. Quality seems okay for the price range; it's all plastic.

All the buttons and features work. Can't talk about longevity because I've

only had it a few days. Video is so-so and stightly jumpy at high speed.

However, it's adequate for a dash-cam and more resolution or higher frame

rate would only eat up more FLASH storage.

Pros:

1) Performs all the basic functions of a dash-cam correctly.

2) Daytime video quality is adequate, although I wish the lens were wider angle.

3) Suction cup mount works quite well so far.

Cons:

1) Instructions are kinda stinky, although a techie can figure it out pretty easily.

2) Resolution is NOT 1080 or even 720. Maybe 480 you generally cannot read the license plate of the card ahead.

3) The same dash-cam can be found for signifcantly less than the $100 listed here.

My final advice is: shop around. I paid signifcantly less than $100. At the

price I paid, it would be 4 stars for value, but at $100, it's only 3.

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I like this little camera, it has a lot of very good attributes, the one draw back is the night vision, it basically has none. This dash Cam OK for the price range but is good for broad daylight only.

Griffin PowerBlock Dual Universal Charger for MP3 Players and USB Devices (Black)

Griffin PowerBlock Dual Universal Charger for MP3 Players and USB Devices
  • Charge two USB devices at the same time from the same wall outlet
  • Charges Sansa, Creative, Zune, Samsung, iPod, iPhone, and most other MP3 players and devices that charge via USB
  • LED glows green to show PowerBlock is ready to charge
  • Non-polarized blades fold flat for storage
  • Works with AC outlets from 100V to 240V

Like most folks here, I am very happy with this charger, happy that it costs half as much as an apple-branded ipod charger yet has two USB jacks instead of one.

Some folks here have found this charger doesn't put out enough power for particular devices. Before purchasing this charger, it's a good idea to compare the power requirements for your device with the power this charger puts out.

The charger puts out 5.2 volts, and 500mA per USB port.

The charger also includes over-voltage protection and short circuit protection.

For more tech specs, see p.4 of the manual:

[Amazon deleted my link to the manual; I'll try to put it in a comment.]

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Works as advertised for low-end devices. If your device charges _normally_ off of a computer's USB port (without a special driver), it should charge off of this. USB spec is up to 500mA per port (see wikipedia) so this product seems to be built to USB specs. However, newer and power hungry devices require more. In the case of the iPad (1st generation), it does charge off the computer, but very slowly. The iPad works best when using a 2100mA (2.1A) or greater charger.

(this only charged my motorola W376G tracfone when used with a special charge-only cable, which was included with the Belkin Dual USB and AC Wall Charger)

Read Best Reviews of Griffin PowerBlock Dual Universal Charger for MP3 Players and USB Devices (Black) Here

This thing DOES work with the ipod touch 2G,

which isn't true about all chargers.

But it doesn't charge my Motorola cell phone.

Go figure...

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So far this has been an excellent charger. For those who care, essentially no power is consumed when the charger is plugged in but not charging. I tested it against my amp meter: 0.000 amps when not charging but green light showing, and around 0.0650 amps when charging my iPod. So you can leave this plugged in and not worry about consuming power when idling.

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My PowerBlock was used infrequently (once a month or so) and lasted just over a year. The plastic holding the metal prongs/plugs cracked and one of the metal plugs no longer stays in... Griffen indicated that they could not help as the product was outside the warranty period. I can understand that, but I expected more from a lightly used product.

Belkin 140w DC/AC Inverter

Belkin DC/AC 140-Watt Power InverterGood, stylish charger; can use cell phone or electronics while the item is being charged. There is a slight humming noise due to the fan, but while you are driving (especially on the highway) it is not that noticeable. Be sure to have the switch to the unit in the "OFF" position before plugging into the cigarette lighter. Plug in, then wait 15 seconds for the unit to warm up. Make sure that your car is actually running since idling the car will not be sufficient to power up the unit. Not doing so will result in the unit beeping and the red light flashing from time to time. Wait for the green light. Now you can use your normal household plug. Be sure to turn off the unit before turning off your car engine, since it might force your radio to stay on even though the key has been taken out of the ignition. I know it's a hassle, but what do you expect for emergency power. =) So far so good. I will keep you updated otherwise. (Be sure to read the instructions manual that came with the power supply. This is just a summary of what I've read)

Purchased locally (not Amazon). Occasional use for the last 9 months and it has been perfect. Things like (occasionally power goes out at home, in addition to mobile applications, hence the router was powered using a portable 12V source):

-13" MacBook Pro

-HP printer

-Router/modem

-Cell Phone chargers

Cannot vouch for the output AC wave characteristics/shape, but the AC voltage has been a rock solid 115VAC with a 140W load on it. Originally purchased another brand, but it did not work for more than a couple of minutes before shutting off (sorry, do not remember that brand).

If you are buying an inverter locally, you may want to consider taking whatever you are intending to power with you so you can test it in the parking lot after you big it in case it does not work for you (saves a trip back and forth to the store to return it).

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I have had two different models of the Belkin PcAnywhere inverters over the last 5 years. Both have failed and they are not reparable. One unit had an external fuse the was not blown. That unit always showed "overload" with nothing plugged in. The other unit (with no fuse (inline or otherwise)) simply gave up and would not even power on. I would recommend staying away from these units. I have a ProStat 250 that is still working great.

Read Best Reviews of Belkin 140w DC/AC Inverter Here

This is a product everyone can use, with the days of the cell phone, and laptop and everything else we use, you can charge the item while driving down the road

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Love this power supply! It's compact, light and very easy to use. It has been a life saver (job-saver?) for road trips that have gone a little long. The compact size and relatively long cord make it easy to place nearly anywhere in the car without taking up valuable foot space or cargo room.

Sunday, September 29, 2013

TaoTronics® TT-BA01 Wireless Portable Bluetooth Stereo Music Transmitter (Not A Bluetooth Receiver

TaoTronics® TT-BA01 Wireless Portable Bluetooth Stereo Music Transmitter for 3.5mm Audio DevicesI was hesitant to buy this after reading a few of the negative reviews that mentioned a major audio delay. Still, it was the cheapest, decently reviewed solution for my needs. After having the product for about 2 weeks, I can say I'm very happy that I bought it. I use this, in conjunction with the Samsung Modus 3500 HM3500 Premium Noise Cancelling Dual Mono Stereo Bluetooth Headset with 2 Adapters to play games and watch TV without waking up my kids. That includes playing games like Rock Band and Dance Central. With regular games, Dance Central, and TV, I haven't noticed any delay. The delay is noticeable with Rock Band, but it isn't anything that the game can't compensate for. According to the auto calibration, the delay varies between +160 and +200 ms.

In addition to the negligible delay, the battery life is fantastic. It lasts through at least two charges of the headphones (about 8 hours total), and it can still operate while charging. I haven't noticed any degradation in sound quality, either. This is everything I needed it to be, and at a reasonable cost.

I haven't had the transmitter for long, but here is what I have noted so far:

1. Works great with the Kindle in Text to Speech mode.

2. Works great with Kindle Fire playing a show on Hulu+.

3. No lag with the Kindle Fire while watching shows on Hulu+ (I imagine buffering and connections could change this, but works great for me).

4. Works while plugged in and charging (saw in another review that they read it didn't so I tested it).

Only problem I have is half my household is threatening to swipe mine if I don't get them one of these.

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I have a zune and unfortunatly it does not have Bluetooth. I found this recommended as a solution and thought it was worth a try. It works great! I wish that my car radio was set up for mp3 players other than Apple and my radio controls would work too. Maybe some day people will realize that not everyone likes Apple and make software compatible to other players. Love the adapter.

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TaoTronics and SunValleyTek are all Gentlemen and Scholars for this excellent product and at a good price!

I just tested these transmitters with all 3 of my TV's and with both my Creative D100 and D200 speakers and whatever video/audio delay there is its ever so slight its not even worth mentioning. I'm very impressed with how these work. I have an Altec-Lansing/Plantronics dongle and the performance is the same as with the TaoTronics. The only way I could tell there was any kind of a very slight audio delay was to play the audio from the TV itself at the same time and then you could see the audio was dead on with the TV speakers and just a slight delay from the Bluetooth. Had I not done that it was difficult to tell if there really was any delay. That's how close it is. I'm very pleased with this, especially for the cost of 20 bones. It paired perfectly with my Creative D100 and D200 Bluetooth speakers while they were plugged into my TV's and my Chinese iPod Nano clone. The pairing button and blue/red lights are awesome. The quality of the audio is just fine. My wishlist? Instead of the skinny wire, have the stereo plug attached directly to the unit itself and flip out. Oh yeah!

UPDATE: I decided to make comparison with these and my Plantronics/Altec Lansing Bluetooth dongle that came with my Plantronics BackBeat 903 stereo headset. Ever since I got this Plantronics dongle I've wanted to get another one but they don't sell them separately and if you can find them ever they're absurdly priced. Glad I never got another because these TaoTronics blow them away! The sound through my BackBeat headset is just as good but the volume now goes up about another 30% compared to the Plantronics/Altec Lansing Bluetooth dongle! The volume is also louder on my Creative D100 and D200! These Tao's rock big time!!! Oh yeeeeah!

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I purchased this along with LG Tone (HBS-700) Wireless Bluetooth Stereo Headset Retail Packaging Black/Orange to use while at work. Luckily they both have about the same run time of about 8 hours. I plug these into the 3.5mm jack on my speakers and I'm able to walk around my office (up to 30 feet) without any interference at all. I've never heard of this brand and took a chance but it was worth it. Generally i fully discharge the battery and it fully recharges in about 1.5 hours. I'd highly recommend this product.

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Pyle PLVWH3 In-Car Dual-Channel Wireless Stereo Headphones Compatible with In-Vehicle AV Applicatio

Pyle PLVWH3 In-Car Dual-Channel Wireless Stereo Headphones Compatible with In-Vehicle AV Applications
  • Light Weight Design For Comfortable Wearing - A Channel: Right Channel: 2.8mhz; Left Channel: 2.3mhz - S/N Ratio: 70db(Minimum)
  • Auto Mute On Headphone - B Channel: Right Channel: 3.8mhz; Left Channel: 3.2mhz - Channel Separation: 40db(Minimum)
  • Auto Power Off Function On Headphone - Speaker: 30mm Mylar - Frequency Response: 30-20000Hz
  • Personal Volume Control - Cone Impedance: About 32ohm - Power Supply: 2×AAA Battery
  • Dual Channel - Effective Range(Maximum): About 10 Meters - Battery Life: About 48 Hours

We were a bit nervous buying these not knowing if they would work. They work wonderfully. They block out other noises also. Very comfortable to wear. The reception is great.

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So I was concerned these wouldn't work with my 2012 GMC Terrain. I tested it on AV1, which is the standard DVD setting. It worked great. Good, clear sound. Unfortunately, found out that the AV2 (the RGB connection through the passenger section) does not carry over. Worse yet, discovered that mid-way on a 12-hour road trip. Would be good if GMC and the vendors were more transparent with the frequencies of these. I'm not going to ding the rating because of this but strongly recommend you test both your AV units.

Other notes the auto off appears to work fine (or the kids are actually turning it off). Battery seems to last a decent amount of time. They've lasted 4 months with regular use so far.

Read Best Reviews of Pyle PLVWH3 In-Car Dual-Channel Wireless Stereo Headphones Compatible with In-Vehicle AV Applicatio Here

These headphones work great,sound great and well worth the money. they are comfortable and have great reception. pyle has always had great products and this is no exception.

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These headphones are very easy to use, especially for our 7 year old daughter. Both of our kids love them. The volume could be a little better though but overall they work great together. You can hear little if no outside noise while in use. Thank you Pyle for making a great product. They also arrived on time as stated.

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My granddaughters & niece love the new headsets. I would recommend them for any car. They fold up nicely for storage.

Unique Gomadic FM Transmitter with an integrated DC Auto Charger for the Sony Walkman NWZ-E438F - L

Unique Gomadic FM Transmitter with an integrated DC Auto Charger for the Sony Walkman NWZ-E438F - Listen to music from the Walkman NWZ-E438F on the FM Radio
  • Smart technology circuit architecture provides precision voltage and resistor regulation specific to the Sony Walkman NWZ-E438F. Protects the internal battery longevity by modulating the charge in a safe and efficient manner.
  • Full FM frequency spectrum is available and is user selectable in 0.1MHz increments from 88.1 to 107.9 MHz. Advanced Digital PLL sound coding maintains stable and high quality sound.
  • Transmitters emit a powerful FM signal that is the maximum allowed by FCC regulation. Advanced signal isolation provides crystal clear sound quality.
  • Non-coiled cable design allows for easy routing around your vehicle trim for a more professional look. Durable construction is built to last.
  • Generous LED screen clearly displays current frequency setting. Transmitter frequency continues to be locked in even when vehicle power is cut.

I purchased this for my 93 Toyota Tercel. Did not want to get a stereo system installed and I am glad I did! It works well when the Sony Walkman does not need charging. When I put the walkman to charge is when I get interference. I figured it was the car...but it is awesome!

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Husky Liners 98191 WeatherBeater Black Front and 2nd Seat Floor Liner

Husky Liners 98191 WeatherBeater Black Front and 2nd Seat Floor LinerThe quality on these has seemed to have went down. I had the Husky liners for my 2011 Malibu which I though were outstanding quality and fit. I ordered this set for my new 2013 Malibu and they seem way different. A lot thinnner, not as nice of fit and build quality. They are probably still a pretty good mat, but not the quality I had from the same manufacturer.

I paid around $100 for my excellent quality ones for my 2011 Malibu and paid $124 for these new ones. Price went up, quality went down. I will still keep them as they still work, just not as happy with these as I was from the old ones

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NPower Powerpack Emergency Power Source with Air Compressor - 500 Amps, 400 Watts

NPower Powerpack Emergency Power Source with Air Compressor - 500 Amps, 400 WattsI've owned this unit now for about 3months & very happy in making purchase. First off, the power generator is absolutely quiet, unlike other powerpackswhich makes machine drilling noises. Second, the usb power source is very useful when needing charging of USB accessories. Now the few complaints are, Laptop computers are not recommended for charging. Laptops in general, draw a lot of recharging power40minutes of charging will literaly drain a fully charged powerpack source. Lastly the air inflator is not that good, even for an average, may take a while to inflate those tires. Jumpster works perfectly & recharing is done effortless.

I have bought three of these gems. The first was bought as a gift, when I got to examine it I had to have one for myself. They have gotten me out of several jams already, flat or low tires, dead or low batteries, have even used them to operate power windows after the door switch failed. I keep one in each of my trucks and don't go anywhere without one with me. The powerpack is well made and designed, they make appreciated gifts. All of mine were shipped from Northern Tool through Amazon. You have to recharge the unit every 3 months or so as the charge will run down.

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Seems to be identical to the Cobra brand unit. Blue plastic instead of yellow and at a higher price. Worth considering which one to purchase.

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I went and bought this powerpack for my father, seeing as though it would be a reliable product.( my sister's car would occasionally need a jump start along with the compressor and usb charger) we bought it in July, only fully charged it once. It was still nearly full but then Hurricane Sandy starts up. We use up all the battery for powering whatever was crucial. Here's the kicker, tried to charge it again once power was restored. left it plugged in for about 6 hours. still reading empty. We went over to the ac adapter. it's uncomfortably warm to the touch and that's never good. tried another couple of hours, still nothing. Extremely dissapointed.

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I originally purchased this for camping and emergency power. While I haven't used it for an emergency yet, I have used it for a weekend camping trip. We were able to charge our cell phones, and laptop (to watch some movies at night), and recently used it to jump start my 4 wheeler. Very well made, the battery is a little small but much bigger would have made it to bulky and heavy to move around. All in all I would recommend this booster/generator to anyone who requires a portable power source simply excellent when camping.

I also wanted to mention that the battery is easily replaced in this unit.

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Tenergy 75 Watt Power Inverter with 1 USB Port

Tenergy 75 Watt Power Inverter with 1 USB PortThis unit was exactly what I needed. We powered my wifes tablet and my GPS on a recient trip. It worked fine, no problems. The price was good and delivery was as stated.

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Chevrolet Traverse IR Wireless DVD Headphones (Black, 1 Headset)

Chevrolet Traverse IR Wireless DVD Headphones
  • Infrared Wireless DVD Headphones for Mobile/Vehicle entertainment
  • Durable and lightweight construction for comfort
  • Padded over-ear headphones for high quality sound
  • Folding, dual channel, auto off, adjustable headband
  • Free Shipping. 30 day money back guarantee. Batteries Included.

I bought two sets of these headphones. I figured that I'd have to sink them to get them to work in our vehicle but once I installed the batteries and turned them on they worked right away. The only thing that I don't like is that they don't automatically turn off by themsleves after a period of time. This means that if the users (which in my household are young children) don't turn them off the batteries run down after only one use.

Saturday, September 28, 2013

Schumacher SC-8010A Speedcharge Charger/Maintainer

Schumacher SC-8010A Speedcharge Charger/MaintainerThe Charger works great charged up my opitma battery right way. The only thing that keeps it from getting 5 stars is the instruction do not tell you about one of the features that the charger has and that is that will desultfate batteries got that info by e-mailing Schmacher. Got the charge real fast. There was some damage to the charger case but the vendor work with my a I am very happy.

Went shopping yesterday in Charlottesville, Virginia and Paid $44.32 and Saved $20 by purchasing at Sam's Club 30 Apr 2012.

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Pioneer DEH-80PRS Mobile CD Receiver with 3-Way Active Crossover Network, Auto EQ and Auto Time Ali

Pioneer DEH-80PRS Mobile CD Receiver with 3-Way Active Crossover Network, Auto EQ and Auto Time Alignment
  • Audiophile grade internal components for the ultimate in sound quality
  • 28-bit binary floating-point DSP and 3-way digital network
  • App Mode
  • Auto EQ (CD-MC20 required)
  • Auto Time Alignment

I had been trying to improve the sound quality in my 2007 Xterra for several months, and I finally got there with this head unit. I could talk about its features, compatibility with iOS devices, aesthetics, menus, etc., but I thought it might be more useful to just describe my setup a bit. Besides, its capabilities have been well-covered here and on other sites.

I'm running the HU in 'Network' mode, which means the standard Front, Rear, and Subwoofer RCA outputs on the rear are switched to send High, Mid, and Low frequencies to separate amplifier channels. I'm using two channels of my 4-channel amplifier for High (tweeters in my dash) and the other two channels for Mid (mid-woofers in my front doors). The Low output is going to separate 2-channel amp (bridged) to feed my subwoofer in the rear cargo area. Once installed, I ran the auto EQ and Time Adjustment process with the included microphone (attached to the driver's seat head rest) and the HU figured out crossover points, relative sound levels, equalization, and the necessary delays to insure the audio from each speaker reaches my head at the same time. Really, really impressive stuff. I made a couple of very minor adjustments to tweak the sound to my liking, but the process got me more than nine-tenths of the way there.

My Full System Specs:

Pioneer DEH-80PRS Head Unit (network mode, internal amplifier disabled)

Alpine MRX-F30 Amplifier (4-channels x 50W, driving the dash and door speakers)

Boston Acoustics SR60 Component Speakers (not using the included passive crossovers, tweeters in dash, mid-woofers in front doors)

Rockford Fosgate R125-2 Amplifier (2-channel, bridged for 125W subwoofer output)

Bazooka BT1014 Subwoofer

I hope this review is helpful.

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I decided to upgrade my factory head unit in my 2010 Kia Soul with this unit and the SWI-RC to retain the steering wheel controls. I am running a set of JL Audio C5 6.5" mid woofers, a set of ScanSpeak Illuminator D3004 tweeters, and a JL 12" W0 sub in a Stealthbox, all being powered from a JL audio XD600/6.

First I will say that this is the best head unit under 1k for running an active 2way system that I know of. The DEX-P99RS is Pioneers Stage 4 head unit that most of the features in this unit trickled down from, the awesome big brother of the 80PRS.

This HU allows you to control all your crossover points as well as the slope for each, a 16 band eq per side, time alignment, phase reverse. This can complicate setup for many though. Although I have installed plenty of car audio over the years, and understand all of the tech inside this unit, getting all the features set right isn't as easy as it may seem. So I would suggest that you read up about how to set up an active Sound Quality system before taking the plunge, and decide if you're willing to put in the effort to maximize it's usefulness, otherwise you'll be wasting money on features you won't use.

It does come with an auto EQ microphone which can set up your system for you, but be careful, you may not like the results when it's done, and may need to configure many of the settings yourself to get the best sound to your ears.

This unit also allows you to bypass/turn off the internal power for better SQ, and when running separate amps you won't need it anyway, which is a nice feature.

I am still calibrating my system, but so far Pioneer has a real great HU here, with features that are hard to find, especially at this price point. The menus aren't really hard to use or figure out, but they are a bit basic compared to something like a touchscreen Double DIN headunit, but cool interactive menus aren't why I purchased this unit, it's all about sound quality, and it delivers.

If you value great control over your sound, and prefer SQ over having a dvd player or gps etc, this has to be one of the best HU's for the price.

If you happen to have a Kia Soul, two things. First, I'd suggest the Scosche dash kit rather than the Metra. The Metra kit is a little nicer looking, but the fold down face hits the plastic, so it's a no go. Second, the 80prs is a very tight fit in the kia's dash, just keep this in mind, as you may need USB/RCA cables with small ends on them to fit. I'm using JL audio patch cables, and the usb cables mentioned below.

It only comes with one USB cord that is about 24" long, so because I have the usb right under the radio coming through a hole in the pocket, it leaves alot of slack inside the dash. I decided I didn't really like having all the extra slack sitting in my dash, so I got 2 shorter, about 20cm long right angle cables. The 20cm length just makes it out to the edge of the pocket. If you need the factory length cable, just stick with the one that comes in the box and order another pioneer cable.

**Update**

After living with this unit for awhile, I can still say it's an awesome unit. Pioneer really went a little cheap on the feel of the controls, as it's a bit plastic and cheap feeling, but for users who value the amount of control and system configuration this unit allows, it's still a no-brainer. Pioneer cut corners in all the right places to keep the cost down and they did a good job.

It has simply been dead quiet for me, other than the annoying little beep with every volume change(what can you do though), the internal components in this unit, what you're really paying for, are worth it! I can have the volume at 75% and in between songs or when on pause, you would never know the unit was even powered. There's a clarity and transparency that I don't remember having in any other head unit I've used before, factory or aftermarket.

I also love having 2 usb ports, and an SD card slot, as I'm able to keep almost all of music and audiobooks ready to go, and not have to take them out unless I'm updating the cards.

Simply put, if you want a system more oriented towards sound quality than features, which this unit has plenty of, but lacks, DD, gps or dvd, this is the only head unit to buy right now. Many brands have just stopped making great SQ head units, because they cost alot more to produce and just don't sell as well as those with all the extra fluff put in. Let's tell Pioneer that we actually care about SQ and we want more units like this and go buy this!

Read Best Reviews of Pioneer DEH-80PRS Mobile CD Receiver with 3-Way Active Crossover Network, Auto EQ and Auto Time Ali Here

Accompanied by an rp4-vw11 canbus adapter for my 2012 golf tdi really made install flawless. I use and alpine mrp-f300 for the speakers and an alpine mrp-m500 for the subwoofer and hifonics zxi-6.5c speakers all the way around with a 10" jvc arsenal subwoofer in a .6 cu foot sealed box (very undersized for the sub specs). Sound quality is flawless. Comes with the auto-eq mic so don't buy one! After the install I setup auto eq and time alignment and the sound was great. I only made a few minor tweaks to adjust to my liking and it turned out great. There are very few buttons to use which to me is good(less components to fail) the 3 brown burr d/a converters really step up the performance compared to a like priced alpine head unit. I used monster low noise cables and everything sounds great. There are words to songs I never knew existed. After the auto eq I could hear the separation in the high hats and cymbles that made me feel like I was in the studio. I listen to a little bit of everything and this unit left no compromise for the variety. Whether it was heavy bass notes from dub step/electronica or the vocals from some Aerosmith tracks the head-unit performed. Leaving no cracking, hissing or ear piercing treble notes. It truly took an entry level system (compared to what you can spend on speakers woofers and amps) and brought it to a high end standard.

I would like to bring up one con that everyone will bring up. The beauty cover that goes around the faceplate is fairly thin. This can lead to breaking it if you are rushing. I didn't need it with my setup because how my double-din to single-din adapter works but it may worry some people that will use it.

Overall I'd say that this has been the best 350 dollars I have spent on the car and am happy to own such a wonderful headunit. This blows away a 500 dollar eclipse headunit I used to have and destroys, literally destroy alpine head units I've used in the past. You are most certainly paying very little compared to what you are getting. And by the way, the adjustments aren't very difficult it just takes a little getting used to (took me about 10 min while enjoying some music). Once you have it tuned in, turn it up. Your ears will be in euphoria and you will get goose bumps from how well it sounds.

I would definitely recommend this head unit to anyone. Whether you are an audiophile and need to adjust absolutely everything (me) or you are looking to upgrade, don't settle for less an you will be happy you didn't.

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I've been a consumer of the Pioneer brand in home entertainment and car audio since the early 90s. While I've always been mostly satisfied with their products for reliability and value, I will say that I've seen the sound quality of their car audio lines wax and wane over the years. I upgraded from the DEH-7900BT which always seemed to fall short of my expectations versus previous experience with Pioneer head units. Enter the 80PRS: All I can say is that I'm very impressed with this head unit. The 80PRS comes with an extra microphone for Auto Time Alignment and Auto Equalization. While this is not new in the car audio world, the fact that it works as well as it does in this model is what is impressive. With minimal manual setting changes, I get wonderful clarity and spatial perception out of my Infinity Reference series 6.5s. My car audio now has an immersive quality it was lacking with the 7900BT and I'm very satisfied with the purchase of the 80PRS. The Time Alignment really sold this unit for me as I drive a compact car and space is at a premium. Time Alignment allows you to set the virtual distance of the speakers from the listener by delaying the sound that comes out of the speakers. This allows you to create a listening space that sounds larger than your vehicle. Combine this with Pioneer's automatic adjustment and you can really get some impressive sound in a restrictive space with minimal guess work. The wonderful part is that I can fine tune every aspect of the sound as all the settings are exposed from the interface. With sound dampening (Damplifier Pro), a 12 inch Infinity Reference subwoofer powered by a 300 watt Infinity Reference amp, and all four 6.5 inch full range speakers being Infinity Reference as well, I can say that I've found my sound for a while.

Tip: I recommend soldering your wiring harness for best results.

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I'm an (home) audiophile for 15years, this is by far the most impressive sounding deck I've listened to under $500.

When set up correctly this deck will sound great, if not then...

CRUCIAL TO the SETUP I found is to place the mic at a 45degree angle, facing front and roof of car with headrest REMOVED. I had it set up according to owners manual taping mic on headrest facing forward previously produced a very inaccurate calibration and imaging was off by a notch.

For accurate time alignment just use a measuring tape.

If you're measuring distance for the sub firing backwards in a station wagon like me measure the distance the sound travels and not the point where sub is located. (eg drivers chair -rear window and rear window to sub.

This is because the rear firing sub reflects sound from the back of the car and hence a slight time delay.

There are cheaper decks and they sound great too with high quality DACs being more affordable today, but nothing compares when you have EQ and time calibration.

Illumination: I don't bother using the dimming function as the color calibrated changes significantly when dimmed.

For reference I drive an 05 impreza wagon, $200 kenwood 4 channel amp, rear channels not ext amplified, 6.5" a/d/s sub (not a great sub but I got it free): my setup is very modest as you can see but with the right setup sounds awesome.

Car-Power Adapter 3G Routers

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  • ZOOM TELEPHONICS 4511-00-00F CAR-POWER ADAPTER 3G ROUTERS

Purchased this cable for use with the 3g router and it works great. No problems with the cable so far.

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This adapter gives my 4506 3G router effectively infinite usage time in my car.

It says six more words required.

Lenmar SSPU2 Auto 2 Port 12V DC Auto Socket Duplicator Plus 2 USB Port

Lenmar SSPU2 Auto 2 Port 12V DC Auto Socket Duplicator Plus 2 USB Port
  • Simultaneously charges and powers up to 4 electronic devices using 2 integrated USB ports and 2 built-in DC car adapter sockets
  • Compact, lightweight design - car adapter plug rotates 180 degrees and locks to fit in virtually any auto console or dashboard area
  • LED power indicator confirms on/off power status
  • Replaceable 10 amp car fuse protects your connected electronic devices from electrical damage
  • 1 Year Warranty

I did quite a bit of reading of the many reviews of this type of product. I wanted a quality unit and I finally selected this one. I really liked the fact that it has a replaceable auto fuse. I felt that if the company went to the expense of adding that feature then it may well be a safe (won't burn up) and dependable device. It fits snugly in the outlet so it will stay put while driving. It folds to take up less room in a glove box when not in use. The indicator light clearly shows that proper contact is made, yet is not distracting. The folding feature gives you some choice on how to ''angle'' the device in the car. Finally it will power and charge an iPad 3. Delivery was quick and packaging was good. I plan on ordering additional ones for other vehicles. I hope this review helps others who are considering an outlet adapter.

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I am rating this product 3 stars. My experience with this product was not one of disappointment but from an engineering or design aspect, one where a good product could be a great product, except for one small detail. I would recommend this product to others with one caveat: Before you use the product, unscrew the nose cap (pointed end) off of the plug, add some super glue to the threaded portion and re-attach the nose. Let it cure for a bit before you ever insert it into your car outlet jack. I am an engineer and I notice things from an engineering perspective. This product failed the first time I used it. It is mostly well designed and I love the fact that it is fused to protect your car's electrical system from an overload and I also liked the locking feature in the plug whereby you can lock the angle of the plug in a certain position. All of that works well. The one thing that I would consider a design flaw is the spring pushing the positive electrode outward is way too strong. The threads for the tip are very fine and the spring ( at least in my experience) causes the nose portion to strip out of the threads and in my case, break off the threaded portion, rendering the device useless. Oh, I have ordered another one, but next time I'll make this one modification. I hope the manufacturer takes note of this flaw and redesigns with a less aggressive spring. Then this might be a 4-star product.

Read Best Reviews of Lenmar SSPU2 Auto 2 Port 12V DC Auto Socket Duplicator Plus 2 USB Port Here

Can't really use all of the positions because its flimsy and it won't charge more then 2 of my devices at a time, sometime only one. Save your money

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So far, so good...it works like a champ out of the box. I haven't loaded up all 4 ports yet, but it handles the two cigarette-type plugs fine. Nice blue LED lets you know it's working, and I like having the circuit breaker there to protect my devices in case of a surge. The swivel adapter has a lot of intermediate settings the picture doesn't show, so you can position it where you like. I didn't give it 5 stars because it's just a little bulky and I wish the plug was in the middle instead of on the side.

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Works perfectly! My auto socket is slightly out of the way, and this socket duplicator even helps extend the the port a little.

Husky Liners Custom Fit WeatherBeater Molded Front and Second Seat Floor Liner for Select Honda CR-

Husky Liners Custom Fit WeatherBeater Molded Front and Second Seat Floor Liner for Select Honda CR-V ModelsI'm a little OCD, and I got these because I want to make sure I can easily clean any potential messes. They fit perfectly and clean-up with a wet rag/sponge. I had these for a previous car and was quite pleased, so I am a repeat buyer and would definitely recommend.

Perfect ft for my Hinda 2013 CRV. Have collected lots of snow, dirt and muck and easy to install and clean.

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These were a perfect for for my 2013 Honda CRV, much better than other out there on the market. I am so glad I bought them to protect my rugs. Fit like a glove. Seller shipped super fast and these were as described. Thanks for offering these on Amazon!

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These are just the thing to keep my new car clean inside and easy to maintain for years to come.

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I was debating over Husky or WeatherTech and I ended up puling the trigger on these floor mats. I am glad I did. They are well built and fit great, No water gets off the matt. The only reason I dont give this a 5 star is there is a bit of gap (2012 Honda CRV) between the doors and matt. Other then that they fit great.

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