Showing posts with label deep cycle batteries. Show all posts
Showing posts with label deep cycle batteries. Show all posts

Sunday, July 20, 2014

Motorcraft FP51 Cabin Air Filter

Motorcraft FP51 Cabin Air FilterFor the 2009 Ford Escape Hybrid, this is the filter for the battery cooling system. This filter installs in the rear cargo area. (There is a small panel on the driver's side of the rear cargo area. Remove this panel, then another panel immediately behind the first one, then slide out the filter.) This is not the air filter for the passenger heating and cooling system. If you're looking for a filter for the passenger HVAC, you want Motorcraft FP66. There is some confusion surrounding these two filters because they're both listed as "cabin air filter" in the Ford parts catalog.

The Ford Escape Hybrid manual says this filter should be replaced every 10-20k miles. It is very very easy to replace; no hand tools are required! You won't even get your hands dirty. The filter has a small arrow on one side which indicates the direction of air flow. In this case, the air flows down, so the arrow should point down when you install the filter.

The filter installs in a small door in the left rear of the vehicle. Installation takes about 1 minute (if that). My local dealer quoted $75 to replace this filter! I usually write the date and mileage on the filter when I install it so I can easily track how long it's been since it was replaced.

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This was a great Motorcraft filter and was a very good price. Was simple to install and save a lot of money.

Read Best Reviews of Motorcraft FP51 Cabin Air Filter Here

You love your Ford Escape Hybrid and I love mine. One of the reasons why I'm so enamored of this vehicle is that it's ongoing maintenance costs are the lowest of any vehicle I've ever owned, and I've had a lot of cars over my lifetime. What vehicle delivers 115,000 miles on the original brakes? Who gets 32-34 mpg in day-to-day driving with a truck?

OK, about the filter. The one item I've noticed on my service invoices from the Ford dealer that seems expensive is the $44.00 for the hybrid system air filter. The very same filter is available from amazon.com for $15.00! And it's the easiest thing to replace on your car. Just open the liftgate in back, open the plastic panel on the left, un-clip the small black panel in the air intake vent and slide out the old filter. Slide the new filter in, snap on the black panel and pop on the side plastic panel. Done. You've optimized the hybrid cooling system (extending the life of your hybrid battery...which, by the way, seems to be in the 200K+ range) and saved some money.

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These filters cost around $50.00 from the dealer. Saved big bucks by buying it here on Amazon. It is identical in every way to the original factory filter that I took out of our 2008 Escape Hybrid. I like having my vehicles serviced at my Ford dealership, but am not about to over pay for parts. If they are only a few dollars higher than aftermarket prices, I will not make the extra effort to find parts elsewhere. But when you pay over 50% less from Amazon on this part, you have to go for it.

And the frosting on the cake is no Illinois sales tax. I so love depriving the reckless idiots in Springfield, of as much of my money as possible.

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Saturday, July 5, 2014

Fluke 88V 1000V Automotive Multimeter

Fluke 88V 1000V Automotive MultimeterThis multimeter has been great over the past 4 years. It is very heavy duty and reliable. It is very easy to use and has a backlight for the screen that I don't think I could live without. I have never had any problems with it, although I've heard that if you do, you can send it to Fluke for repair.

After a long line of OTC, Craftsman etc multimeters I have finally gotten a FLUKE and Damn if it isn't the best thing since sliced bread. I don't want or need another multimeter ever. This thing has lots of features but thats not only what sets it apart. I will give you an example, lets check a tps lets use my OTC multimeter($345 to $400) and the fluke for comparison. they both have bar graph displays BUT the OTC updates 12 times a second Nice! but the Fluke updates 40 times per second, NO CONTEST. So it has all the features of every other multimeter I have ever owned and then some but it also has these features improved over other brands. Just spend the money and get a Fluke and you won't need anything else.

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I'm a car mechanic and i owned one of this for the last 15 years and still working great, this meter will read anything you need to know and then some!!! DC V&A, AC V&A, pulse with, millisec., dwell, etc. and the unit still very easy to use for those that are not very electronic incline, the only reason i'm shopping for one is that the case is falling apart after it got shower with gasoline about 5 years ago, and i can't seem to find a replacement case. :(

Read Best Reviews of Fluke 88V 1000V Automotive Multimeter Here

My husband loves this multimeter. He says it is a lot better than is other multimeter he own's. It can diagnose a lot of electrical issues!!

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This Fluke product well fulfills the excellent reputation the brand has and which my past experience has verified. I am much impressed with the instrument (Fluke 88V 1000V Automotive Multimeter). eToolDirect offered a great price, shipped promptly, and packaged well. I could not be more pleased.

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Wednesday, April 23, 2014

Rockford Fosgate RFC1 1 Farad Capacitor

Rockford Fosgate RFC1 1 Farad Capacitor
  • Low ESR equivalent series resistance
  • 20 volt peak
  • Solid brass hardware
  • Platinum plated
  • Includes mounting hardware

I have some serious power running my stereo system. My lights were dimming at night, and i was even losing a little power in my vehicle. I installed this capacitor, and now i have a better sound with my system, deeper bass, and the truck is running fantastic! I only wish I hadn't waited as loneg as I did to install it. If your looking to improve your system, and get that stronger bass, and tired of having your lights dimming at night, then this is a great solution. It sure beats having to buy another alternator... I highly recommend putting out the extra money for this thing.

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This is just what I expected from Rockford-Fosgate. It's sturdy, capable and smooth. Although my system is fairly small (1 amp, 2 10"'s) I had some major problems with headlights dimming. Install this baby, and now I have room to expand my system a little, maybe throw on another amp, a few extra speakers, or whatever. Using a 4ga Rockford Fosgate wire to hook this into my existing setup was a breeze. And I don't have any problems with static or white noise. It's exactly the quality you expect from Rockford Fosgate.

If you're a heavier user than I am, you might consider purchasing the RFC1D which has a digital readout at the top of the capacitor.

Read Best Reviews of Rockford Fosgate RFC1 1 Farad Capacitor Here

I recently installed this in a moderate sound system (300rms/600peak), and it did exactly what is was supposed to do. My headlights did not flicker, or become dim... and the sound was consistent. My only advice, goes towards charging this product. I extended the leads on the "Charge Card" (you will know what I'm talking about if you get one), so that I would be able to reach both terminals... as they are not 1.5in apart. It took about 10-15min to fully charge, and was well worth the wait. The charge light will slowly dim over the process of charging, and eventually go out altogether... it's not a sudden: "ok, it's done" effect, rather a "Trickle Charge" effect. In any event, it's well worth the money (and time it takes to charge it before installation).

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Good quality product. Really works. Good brand.

Worked in every thing it said it would. 7 out of 10 on installation

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I absolutely love this capacitor. I was having a lot of problems with my lights dimming and I actually blew out my alternator before I bought this. The only problem I have is the mounting bracket. The top piece has cracked in half and I have no idea how to get a new one. Hopefully I am able to find one so I can have this problem fixed and get my system back up and running. Overall though, fantastic product that I would definitely recommend.

Saturday, April 12, 2014

Priority Start 12-Volt-Pro-SP PriorityStart Automatic Battery Protector

Priority Start 12-Volt-Pro-SP PriorityStart Automatic Battery ProtectorBMW X5. Installation had to go rear, right near battery, which meant mounting on spare tire wheel well and then buying a new positive cable to stretch from the battery to the Priority Start. Perhaps on cars with battery in front, not such a big deal installing.

Priority Start as disconnect battery only once I know of and that when car sat for an entire week.

Certainly rugged.

Recommend if you can tackle an installation job that might mean drill, cable, etc.

First of all, this electric shut off device worked, but it was poorly designed. On the top of the unit is a metal contact to screw a battery post to. But when I used my fingers to tighten it the post kept turning. I tried to unscrew the battery post but it kept turning and it wouldn't come off.

I ended up using a large screw driver to lift the top metal contact up until I could pry it all the way up. Then I discovered the problem. Below the metal contact plate was a hex nut that wasn't attached to anything. It wasn't welded to the metal plate. It was merely glued down with what looked like epoxy. It is a horrible design and I'm sure everyone who buys this device will eventually fall victim to this serious design flaw, especially if they try to remove it.

I imagine it would have taken another few cents to weld the metal nut to the metal contact plate so the company choose saving a few cents over making the product competently.

I ended up leaving the metal contact pried at a 90° angle so I could tighten the battery post to it. I had to leave it in this position because I couldn't tighten the post without using a wrench to hold the hex nut.

I wrote the company and even sent them photos with ways to properly engineer this device but I never heard from them.

Since I was forced to pry their PriorityStart open I'm sure the company would use this as an excuse to void my warranty, which doesn't last long anyway. And speaking of 'warranties' the buyer has to pay for the return of the unit and THEN the company determines if the unit is bad and from the wording of their warranty information it leads me to believe they will use any reason to avoid honoring their warranty.

Obviously their product is poorly engineered when finger tightening a battery post to it will cause an epoxy-held hex nut to break free. The company obviously doesn't care if customers have to be subjected to what I had to endure. Per their warranty it's obvious they wouldn't replace a unit if the top metal plate had to be pried open just to remove their device from a car even though 100% of the problem was their fault.

Fortunately, their product does work and I can start my car but to have engineered it the way they did reveals a company that doesn't have a quality control department or doesn't care about what happens after a sale is made. After all, their warranty would discourage (intentionally?) almost anyone who tries to get a replacement or a refund.

Lastly, I'm a NASA engineer and no device at NASA would have been made as defective as this device is. I give it 2 stars because it does work but if it was designed properly I would have given it 5 stars. Btw: Any smart and ethical company would take my suggestions and redesign their product and reward a person like myself who told them how to redesign it. It would lead to more sales and more satisfied customers. You'd think a company would have that as their number one priority but sadly most companies don't give a damn about customer satisfaction and only care about making a quick buck. If this company redesigns their product using my suggestions and doesn't compensate me for it then it reveals their total lack of gratitude and appreciation. It also reveals what kind of people are manufacturing & selling this product.

Buy Priority Start 12-Volt-Pro-SP PriorityStart Automatic Battery Protector Now

i purchased this for installation on a 96 suburban. i use this vehicle as a member of the local volunteer fire department and police reserves. My hope was that this would allow me to run my emergency led lights and radio equipment on a scene without the need to leave the engine running. It works perfectly. With the fire radio on and receiving, led strobes front and rear and the headlights and hazard signals on the system shut the power down at 1hr 15min. a quick flip of the head light switch and the truck started up just fine. i was a bit concerned if it would work for this purpose but it has performed perfectly.

installation can be a little tricky if you have short or tight battery cables but there is nothing "hard" about the install. i was installed in testing in less than 15min.

this product is great. i will be adding one to my daily driver as well.

Read Best Reviews of Priority Start 12-Volt-Pro-SP PriorityStart Automatic Battery Protector Here

Update Sept 2012 - The Battery Protector protected my battery

Wife tried to open up car, no power, she opened trunk with key, that put current to the battery protector, that put battery back on line, opened car, car started, worked like a champ.

This car has a tendency to not shut off a relay, somewhere in car, the battery protector worked, money well spent.

------------------------------------------

Installed item on car, so far working as advertised.

Have not had a problem with a battery drain yet, so can not say that item has protected the battery yet.

However I am sure it will, this car likes to surprise me every now and again.

Battery on this car is in trunk, and space is limited, was able to make it fit, in my case the cable being a few inches longer would have helped, but it is OK.

Seems to be quality product.

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The ProMax works great. I have not had to jump start the car or charge the battery once. It was easy to install.

Monday, March 24, 2014

Schumacher SP3 Automatic Battery Extender / Maintainer

Schumacher SP3 Automatic Battery Extender / MaintainerI purchased one of these to charge some sealed lead acid batteries, and it works like a champ. Hook it up to the battery, plug it in and let it do its thing.

That being said, there are a couple of quirks the user should be aware of. The % capacity display is not at all accurate. It will typically state that a battery is 95% full, then increase slowly until saying it is fully charged, and on maintaining. I used this with several 9Ah 12V batteries, and some 8.5Ah 6V batteries. All of these were tested before & after with a BK Precision 601 professional battery analyzer. The readings never agreed, but that is not necessarily a problem.

BK Precision 601 Battery Capacity Analyzer

While the $400+ BK 601 is a great tool, it is not necessary to know the precise values of capacity, load and no-load voltage or internal resistance (unless you want to know these things of course!) If you are maintaining SLA batteries of a smaller capacity, say anywhere from 3 to 20Ah or so, just hook up the Schumacher and ignore the initial reading. If it says 95%, the capacity might be 80% or might be 45% (I saw readings higher and lower on the 601) No matter. Let the Schumacher charge until it says 'Fully Charged' or 'battery maintaining'. But do not stop charging just yet. At that point, the actual capacity might only be at 95 or 97% (as verified by the 601). Let it go another 15 minutes or half an hour. Then go ahead and disconnect. By that time, nearly all the batteries I tested were at the full 100% according to the BK 601.

If the battery is too far gone, the Schumacher will let you know. There are a few batteries here and there that will accept a charge from the Schumacher, but may not perform as well as new batteries. Outside of a professional analyzer, there is not much you can do about them. They will work, but may only have 90% or so of the charge. The Schumacher does as best as it can with them.

It also oworked well at auto-detecting 6V batteries. Very simple to use, and for easy operation and good performance, and a great price, I give it 5 stars. Just be aware of its limitations.

After receiving this gadget, I realize that I probably could have used the smaller SP2 unit, but now that I've had it a few weeks, I'm quite pleased with how it works.

It is pretty large, but still only about a quarter the sise of a car charger. It's roughly the size of a brick, and has a big LED readout that tells you what it's doing readable from a good distance.

So far, I've only used the alligator clips for my motorcycle battery, but this also comes with a connector that you can attach permanently to the battery and has a simple connector to the charger cord. That means you don't have to remove the seat to hook up the charger. That seems pretty useful, and if I ever decide to unhook my battery and risk losing all the settings on my stereo, I'll install it.

I think something like this is essential in places that have a proper winter that keeps you from riding for weeks at a time.

Buy Schumacher SP3 Automatic Battery Extender / Maintainer Now

This is a great gadget and a must have for any garage mechanic. It takes the guess work out of your battery's maint. Very easy to use. Ive only had it a few days and its already saved me time. I highly reccomend it. Well worth the money!!!

Read Best Reviews of Schumacher SP3 Automatic Battery Extender / Maintainer Here

I love his little charger. I had been using old technology that only displays amperage. This charger shows you voltage and percentage of charge. Automatically selects battery voltage and type. Maintains battery at correct voltage and current to keep it float charged and avoid overcharging and damage. It's a keeper! Keep in mind it is a maintenance charger, not a high current deep charger.

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I bought this battery "extender" to maintain the battery in my two-year-old, rarely-driven garage queen. When I first attached the unit, it said it was analyzing the battery, then reported that it was 5% charged, and proceeded to begin charging. The car had been sitting for three weeks, so I was not alarmed at the battery's condition. It has now been 48 hours, and display says the battery is at 91% charge, the same thing it said twelve hours ago. So either my like-new battery can no longer take a full charge, or this unit is flawed in some way.

Other than this odd behavior, I like the SP3. It tells you what it's doing, takes up little space, and comes with a few different connection options.

One last thing. The manual that comes in the box is brief and omits information--like the connection options. I found a better copy online, but that should not be necessary.

Here is an update: after four days of charging (!), the unit finally switched over to "Maintaining", so all seems well.

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Monday, December 16, 2013

Car DVR HT200A Full HD 1920*1080P 30FPS 4X digital zoom waterproof HDMI H.264 sport action camera

Car DVR HT200A Full HD 1920*1080P 30FPS 4X digital zoom waterproof HDMI H.264 sport action camera
  • 5.0Mega pixels COMS sensor
  • 120degree 5G All Glass Lens
  • 720p(1280*720)/30FPS.VGA(640*480)/60FPS
  • SD Card slot (Support Max.32GB SDHC)
  • Bulit-in microphone

The camera works well and takes great 1080P HD movies in the daytime but night performance is quite poor, not as good as some other less expensive cameras. The video is dark and everything looks brown and fuzzy at night so it's best to use this model just in the daytime. Also it's a sports cam not a car DVR. Although it can be used in a car it won't come on and start recording automatically. It also has a few other issues. Due to being waterproof there is a heavy rubber cover over the buttons that makes them hard to press. Also the mic, which is inside the case, doesn't pick up much sound unless the back cover is open but with it open you get a lot of rattling noise. The mounting hardware also has issues. The angle bracket and the suction cup mount connect with 4 small prongs but they have a bump on them that prevents sliding into the holes they are supposed to go into. I had to file them off a bit before they would go together. The suction cup is large and has a sticky surface that stays on when it's attached but the prong that the camera sits on is small and lets the camera vibrate and bounce around all the time. Also the knob that is turned to attach the suction cup has a big detent it drops into when it's turned all the way on but then it won't easily come undone to remove it. I purchased different mounting hardware on ebay to use instead of the supplied one, a different suction cup with a metal camera mount attached to it that doesn't vibrate. In addition the mounting plate on the bottom of the camera is attached with 8 small screws that go into little plastic pins and 3 of them are starting to break already so it will probably have to be glued on with epoxy eventually.

Sunday, December 1, 2013

GARMIN Zumo 450 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator

GARMIN Zumo 450 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator
  • Display: 3.5-Inch Diag. 2.1-Inch H X 2.8-Inch W, 320 X 240 Pixels
  • High Bright Sunlight-Readable, Uv-Resistant, Touch Screen Display
  • Supports Optional Fm Tmc Traffic Alerts
  • Preloaded Maps For All Of North America
  • Look Up Addresses & Points Of Interest

Received my Garmin Zumo 450 on a Tuesday and promptly unpacked it. My first impression was "This is different". Hope I didn't waste my hard earned cash for this gadget. I connected the Zumo to the computer and checked for updates. One was available so I downloaded it.

Next I attached the supplied RAM mount to my BMW R1150GS and hardwired the dc cord to an appropriate place. The first couple of days of commuting to work with this GPS I noted my likes and dislikes of this Zumo. At this point the dislikes far outweighed the likes. Hope I didn't make a mistake with this purchase.

The weekend came and I took a long trip through the Adirondacks of NY, the Green mountains of VT and the Berkshires of MA for a distance of 800 miles total for the weekend. By the time the weekend was complete my dislikes with this machine was down to two. The first dislike was fuel stops in rural communities does not display. When in Long Lake, NY it says my closest option for a fuel stop was 22 miles north in Tupper Lake when there were two well-established fuel points in that community. I also experienced this throughout my travels through rural America in the northeast.

The second dislike is the nut that holds the RAM arm. RAM makes a key locking nut that will prevent someone from walking off with your GPS. This item can be purchased separately.

Now for some of my likes:

1. Touch Pad is very nice and easy to maneuver through the various pages.

2. The Garmin Security Lock, when activated prevents someone from using the GPS unless they have the PIN or is at a predetermined location of your choosing.

3. The ability to recalculate your route should you want to deviate from it and go exploring.

4. Waterproof.

5. The RAM mount comes with this unit.

6. Nothing optional that is needed with this unit.

7. The ability to accept Points of Interest. There are free POI's available from the Internet or you can commercially purchase them for your unit.

8. Comes with a carrying case.

9. Large display suitable for the motorcyclist.

It's been a few years since I have updated my GPS. My previous model was the Garmin eMap. The ZUMO 450 is not designed to go hiking and is rather bulky to carry in your hand. The internal lithium battery life of four hours isn't practical to carry on long hiking trips. Garmin's literature states "this unit was designed for a motorcycle by a motorcyclist" and now I believe it. If you are serious about having navigation on your motorcycle the Garmin Zumo deserves some consideration. I have no regrets and feel that I have made a wise choice.

Buy GARMIN Zumo 450 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator Now

I was looking for a mobil GPS unit that I could use on my bike, car or when exploring unknown ground on foot. Doing some research and reading the reviews on Amazon.com the Zumo 450 seemed to be the right choice. Out of the box it has everything you need to install it on your motorcycle. I believe in manuals and read through it, however, if you among those who can't wait for the hands-on approach the Zumo 450 is very intuative to use. For my first trip I actually used it in my car. For that I had also ordered the Garmin automotive mount (010-10860-00) together with the 12-Volt Vehicle adapter (010-10747-03). The automotive mount has a built-in speaker that alows the Zumo 450 to read the turning instructions back to you. Although the little speaker is not great, the mount comes with an audio output (as well as a mic input) which allows you to connect the automotive mount to your car stereo. I have a simple car stereo with a tape deck where I use one of those tape casette adapters with audio connector to connect the Zumo 450 to my car stereo. Throw some MP3s on a optional SD card (the type that is used in many compact digital camareas), insert it into your Zumo and you can listen to music and the turnig instructions of the Zumo at the same time (the Zumo pauses the music like it's much more expensive built-in cousins when giving instructions). I tested it out last weekend on a 500+mile trip to unknown territory. In the past I would be "armed" with Mapquest printouts which can become sometimes a challange in heavy traffic when reading printouts and paying attention to the moving sourroundings at the same time. I can gladly say those days are over (although I don't believe in using a GPS because one doesn't know how to read a (paper) map).

The installation on the bike is straightforward, with running the wire for the electric hookup of the Zumo (included) took me the longest. I was amazed about the vibration free display. A big difference to what I get from the mirrors on my KLR at higher rpms. Although the included mount for the motorcycle has audio in and output as well as a USB connector I will not use them on the bike as the Zumo will be a visuell guide for me only. The Zumo comes here really handy when navigating in areas you don't know as it lets you concentrate on traffic and keeping an eye on those car drivers who are too busy to otherwise notice a biker.

Last but not least the built-in battery of the Zumo is supposed to last for up to 4 hours (I haven't tested the batteries capacity yet) in those instances when you're exploring places on foot. The battery recharges once you connect it back to your auto or bike mount.

In terms of the software that comes with the Zumo it allows you to plan trips ahead of time using MapSource (included). Mapsource works along with Google. However, the version of MapSource that came with the package did not recognize the Zumo properly which prevented up and downloads of routes, maps, waypoints to and from the Zumo. Downloading the latest version of MapSource from Garmin's website fixed that problem. So if you want to plan a ride this is one way you can do it.

I definitely don't regret bying the Zumo 450 and can only recommend it.

Read Best Reviews of GARMIN Zumo 450 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator Here

I bought the Zumo 450 for use on a recent motorcycle trip through Europe (Italy, Switzerland and France) I bought the Euro data base, which seemed quite pricey at $240, but I it turned out to be the best investment of the entire trip. The Zumo worked perfectly, although some of the route building methods seemed a little qwirky (it may also be that I spent no time learning it before the trip and everything was done virtually on the bike). Without the Zumo on this trip, I would likely still be wondering around Europe lost in the crazy traffic. The data base gave use the tinniest of roads and a great view of the Alps. We learned to trust it completely just follow the purple line and all will be well. You have to be careful though if you ask it to give you the shortest route, it will indeed be the shortest regardless of the type or size of road. We saw some pretty interesting sights in Switzerland this way. But shortest doesn't mean fastest. We learned to use the 'via' function to drag and select our map points to control the route then just press go and enjoy. Reception was instant and alway solid even in torrential rain and thick clouds, it even worked all the way through most of the tunnels except the Mont Blanc tunnel (7 miles !) I did get a look at the screen of a TomTom in a taxi at one point during the trip and think I like how TomTom depicts things like round-abouts better. The only criticism was the at very congested intersections or freeway ramps, the Zumo shows the turn at the geographic intersection which might still say 200meters ahead, but in fact you need to be in the right lane and already exiting right now, the lane lines require a bit of study and learning. Garmin might want to re-examine how they depict tightly spaced ramps and converging roads. But if you miss a turn, no worries, the Zumo was quick to recalculate and tell you what to do (U turn or turn later, etc.) Overall it worked excellent and you can trust Garmin. We did 2000Km overall and we all agreed that it saved us an entire day of reading maps and trying to figure out which way to go (we never read a street sign the entire trip). One of the coolest things was that we used a travel guide to select some hotels, the guide had a small map of the town showing the hotel locations, so we were able to zoom the Zumo into the destination point to show street detail, we could identify the street corner we wanted from the map and then tap the screen and select it as a destination point hit GO and have fun. The same worked for making short runs to points off the original route. The screen allows you to drag around with your finger to find the place you want to go, tap to select it as a destination or 'via' point and press GO. Pretty cool. It even has boat and train ferry routes. We once ended up at lakeside dock with 20Km to go on the trip and the purple line just went out into the water. We thought Zumo had hosed us, but a ferry boat came around the corner and voila! You mount the holder semi-permanently to the bike it would be difficult to move it bike to bike without multiple holders (the holder is u-bolted to the handlebar and hardwired to the bike's battery). But the Zumo itself snaps securely on and off in 1 second so you can take it inside and do programming or route planning running on its internal battery. It works well inside off-line without signal working just from the data base. We referenced maps at night because they are easy to lay out and plan, then selected points in the Zumo but you could do an entire trip without any paper map whatsoever. Overall 4 stars one deduct just because how the congested roadway software depiction is done we sometimes stopped at the apex of a multiple ramp convergence to be sure we were about to get the right one. A lot of this will be mitigated with practice and use, but it could have been a bit more clear I think. Nothing is perfect. Go for it. JS

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I had been looking at the Zumo for quite some time before I finally decided to purchase it. I had been using a Magellan Meridian Color with a bike mount on my Harley. It did turn by turn but had no auto-rerouting and the routing was extremely SLOW (like I had passed the next turn before it registered it).

After scoping out EBay for a couple of weeks I found it more feasible to purchase my 450 on Amazon. The price was pretty close to the EBay listings that I was watching and the shipping was a STEAL (Only $10 and some change for overnight most of the ones on EBay were $25-40 for overnight).

I got the unit and it installed on the bike in a snap! The RAM mounting system is awesome. They really thought this through when they packaged the unit. Everything you need is all there in the box.

I don't have the hardwire hooked up yet as I am waiting on an adapter for my AUX switch on my Ultra Electra Glide. I connected the hardwire to a cigarette lighter adapter and ran it to a converter to charge the Zumo. One note on this is that the unit will only charge in the motorcycle cradle if it is turned on (handy if you hot wire it to the bike and don't want it draining your battery to charge).

When I received the unit it was showing 2 bars on the battery. This gave me about 3 and a half hours of life (much better than the Meridian which only gave 1 and a half to 2 hours with full brightness on this was the only way I could half see it on the bike).

I ordered a Auto cradle and auto charger also these work great the auto cradle actually has an integrated speaker so you can use it in the vehicle and get the voice prompts without hooking it to anything else.

Performance is awesome I get a full GPS fix in my garage (something the Meridian could NEVER do). Programming is really easy and the Navigator software installed is every bit as good as the Magellan software I used.

The screen is easy to read and follow even in direct bright sunlight (again a major problem with the Meridian)

With the RAM mount on the handlebars the unit is rock stable. No shake or problems (Impressive on a Harley with aftermarket exhaust!)

I HIGHLY recommend this unit. If you have been debating it make the move and get it!

I looked at the 550 with Bluetooth, XM, etc but the extra cost and with having to purchase a seperate XM antennae (about $200 more dollars for this alone)made me decide to stick with my MyFi and get the 450.

You won't be disappointed!

I bought the Zumo 450 a month ago and promptly mounted it to my 2003 Goldwing. The supplied RAM mount is excellent and provides for a variety of mounting positions. Wiring was made simple by Honda, as there is a fused auxiliary power supply under the left cubby.

The Zumo is exceptionally intuitive and easy to use. I played around with the unit for about a week while commuting to and from work. Then the fun began. I took a trip on the motorcycle from Seattle, WA to Blandon, PA and back. All told the trip was 7,000 miles. We did a ton of sight seeing during the trip, and thanks to the Zumo we had no stress about going anywhere we wanted to go.

With confidence, we rode into and around Chicago and Philadelphia. We took back roads out of Glacier National Park that we would never have seen had it not been for the Zumo directing us there.

Only had two issues with the Zumo while on the trip. The first one was that the unit froze up and would not turn on once. I followed the manual's instructions for resetting the unit (press the + and Power buttons at the same time) and I was off and running again. The second issue was that while in Philadelphia the Zumo told us to make a left turn when the street was a one-way street for traffic in the other direction. No big deal, just went an extra block and the Zumo immediately recalculated the route.

The Zumo has a ton of great features. The ones that I used the most on the trip were;

Knowing my actual speed vs. what my speedo was reading.

Altitude readings were fun!

Knowing how many miles were had left for the route in a given day.

Finding the nearest Hotels.

Finding the nearest Starbucks!

Finding the nearest gas station.

This thing has a bunch more features that I did not use much, but I am sure that I will get around to them soon. Going on another 1000 mile trip next weekend!

I am completely satisfied with this unit and would highly recommend it!

Sunday, November 24, 2013

Premium Combo Pack: Rubberized (Black) Silicone Skin Case, USB 2in1 Sync / Charging Cable, USB Car

Premium Combo Pack: Rubberized Silicone Skin Case, USB 2in1 Sync / Charging Cable, USB Car Charger, USB Wall / Travel Charger, Earphones, Cube Foldable Speaker Dock, 3.5mm Retractable Auxiliary Stereo Cable, and Free Carabiner Key Chain for the SanDisk Sansa Clip+ Plus
  • The high quality rubberized gel silicone skin case is extremely durable and provides a soft comfortable grip.
  • The foldable speaker docking station is the perfect companion for your MP3 player device (requires 4 AAA batteries or power via an included USB cable).
  • The USB 2.0 cable is great for charging or to transfer data.
  • The car charger is great for long road trips and has an input DC 12V-14V and outputs DC 5V +/- 5%.
  • This purchase includes a case, speaker dock, USB cable, car charger, wall charger, earphones, auxiliary cable, key chain

Wish this came with instructions. I couldn't figure out what some of the stuff was and how to even work the speakers that came with it.

Very average.

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Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Battery Tender 081-0148-25 25' Quick Disconnect Extension Cable

Battery Tender 081-0148-25 25' Quick Disconnect Extension CableThe reason for purchasing this item is obvious. The built in protective caps for the ends are a nice touch. It would be great if they would include an attached chord keeper or cable tie, as I don't need the entire 25' length most of the time. I can see no difference in effectiveness of the charger whether this extension is inserted between the charger and the leads to the battery, or not.

I use this extension to allow me to mount the Battery Maintainer on a shelf in my garage that is near a power outlet. The extension allows me to drape it in the rafters of the garage and then the connections from the battery can come down from above. Before buying this extension I had to set the battery maintainer on the radiator of my truck with its hood up and run an extension cord over for the battery maintainer to plug into. With this extension cord I can unplug the battery maintainer, disconnect the battary maintainer connections from my truck battery and drape them over to the side, shut the hood and drive away. Before it was a hastle to disconnect the battery maintainer and move it over to the side of the garage before being able to drive off. The extension is worth the money to me for that convienence.

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now i dont have to try and cover the charger outside it can stay in the garage

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This cord is just what I needed to be able to put the charger unit in a convenient place and still reach the car. It's well made and at 20 feet allows a lot of flexibility.

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I'm using this with a Black & Decker battery maintainer.

I store my collector cars during the winter and I got sick of having to charge or jump them every year. Not to mention replacing the batteries more frequently. I initially bought a style of maintainer that sat up against the battery, had short direct connections which also meant cords between the car and the wall.

Then I bought the Black & Decker maintainers. But, wouldn't you know it the leads were decent in length, but still bridging the gap between car and wall.

Then I found these extensions. Now I got the maintainers mounted on the wall, the lead and extension going up and over a truss and down to the car hood. Cool.

Wednesday, October 2, 2013

Sunforce 11134 200-Watt DC to AC Modified Sine Wave Inverter

Sunforce 11134 200-Watt DC to AC Modified Sine Wave InverterI didn't have this exact one but a 200 watt sunforce like it. It worked great for a few years then gave up on me. i could never go near 200 watts with it . In fact 4 CFL light bulbs 23 watts each would cause the whole thing to shut down.

Background:

Bought a solar panel kit from Harbor Freight. Kit doesn't come with inverter. Bought an inverter (which looked more

like a car inverter) from Harbor Freight too. Charged up the battery to 12+ volts but the inverter would squeal and not

work. Read instructions that it would do this under 13 volts. Returned that inverter.

Experience:

Bought this Sunforce inverter. It works perfectly for the solar panel kit. It doesn't squeal until less than 11 volts

or so. And from reading the reviews here, it was stated that this Sunforce inverter fan would turn on even without a load.

Sunforce must have changed the design so that the fan would not start until there was a load because that is my experience.

(reviewed in June, 2012).

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I bought a coleman 55 watt solar charger panel. It came with a sunforce inverter that was dead out of the box. Called the number for service and all you get is a recording saying leave a message will get back to you within 24 hrs. After 3 days of this calling game I think they have no intention of calling back. Threw it in the trash and went to a local store and bought a different brand that works. Update-----Finally called and did take care of the problem.

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I purchased the Sunforce 50048 kit. The inverter comes with the kit. I like that it has two plugs. The solar panels seem to work nicely. But, the inverter literally blew a fuse within 5 minutes. I hadnt even attached it to anything yet. Fortunately, I had a spare handy. It could just be a lemon. Either way, probably best to go with another brand.

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I bought this trying to find an inverter that would consume low standby power for a solor project that would run one hour per night. Certainly the people at SUNFORCE would have their stuff together and realize that a solor project must be thrifty since it has limited "income". If the inverter is powered up with no load, it should just sit there until it has work to do. The larger ones power up silent and have the fan come on when: A= The load increases generating heat, or B= the internal temp climbs making the fan necessary. This is just 2 more semiconductors guys!

This one, if it's powered up; the fan runs and runs. Doesn't matter if it's 35°F and there is no load on it at all.

Anyone that has PC's for years realize that fans last 5 years at best then it's on to the junkyard.

I have to find one with "low quiescent drain"...

Hints appreciated.

Monday, September 30, 2013

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.

Tuesday, September 10, 2013

Audiovox GMRS6000 6-Mile 22-Channel FRS/GMRS Two-Way Radio (Pair)

Audiovox GMRS6000 6-Mile 22-Channel FRS/GMRS Two-Way Radio
  • Range of up to 6 miles
  • 2 watts of output power to maximize range
  • Comes with 2 VOX boom mics for hands-free function
  • 22 channels to communicate on
  • Comes with earbuds, rechargeable NiMH batteries, desktop charger, and cigarette lighter adapter to charge from home or in the car

I bought 2 2-mile radios a couple of years ago (cobra) but I decided to upgrade to these 6 mile radios.

I got them at bestbuy and was excited when I got home and I tested the range. And found out that 1/2 mile away I got cut off and I was only going through trees half of the way! And then I started looking at the directions to see how it works. And the menu for changing vox, privacy code, ring tone, etc. was the same menu that you changed the channel. So you have to go through all the menus so you can change the channel!

After that I took them back and got some 6 mile Uniden's (8 mile with boost button). They are the best! It had a separate menu for the channel and went 3 times as far without pressing the boost button (I was testing it at the same place)! Pressing the boost button, I got another mile going through a couple more trees.

Conclusion: Don't get the Audiovox for these reasons, instead get Uniden.

Look at my review on the Uniden GMR885-2CK 8-Mile GMRS/FRS 2-Way Radios With Charging Cradle.

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Equipment supplied in this package: 2 radios, 8 rechargeable batteries, dual desk-top charger, 2 hands-free thingies, vehicle cigarette lighter adapter, 2 swivel belt clips and 2 leather carrying cases. At the price it is being sold it is an astounding value.

Features: 6-mile range (more on that later), backlit display, 22 channels (1-7 are GMRS/FRS, 8-14 are FRS only, 15-22 are GMRS only), sub-channel selection (filters out unwanted transmissions from the same main channel unit), roger beep tone, VOX (voice activated transmission) and transmission power selection (you can choose between low for longer battery life or high for longer transmission range). These are the most important features but there are some more.

Range: the company claims 6 miles. In reality it covers about two to three. But really, what company nowadays doesn't claim longer and longer ranges. Under absolutely perfect conditions you might get what is claimed but under normal conditions you just won't. So I'll take those 2-3 miles and live with them.

Quality: first and foremost, these radios are made in China, which has probably the worst manufacturing quality in the world but you'll think companies will care about their business enough to make sure their quality never goes down regardless of where they decide to have their equipment built. I have gone through two sets of radios and both have given me problems. I originally bought the Audiovox GMRS122-2CH 2-Way Radio w/ Dual Desktop Charger (which incidently were better looking than these ones) and after about 2 months of very light use one of the radios failed (it remained stuck in "busy" mode). I decided I was just unlucky enough to get a lemon so I decided to give it another go and bought the units I am reviewing here. Again a problem: this time two of the batteries leaked (guess where they are made) almost ruining the radio itself. I thought batteries were only supposed to leak if you left them inside a unit for a long time without using the unit but in my case I had used it 2 days before. So there is definitely something not right about quality control at Audiovox in my humble opinion. Two different models bought from different places (only one of the sets was bought from Amazon) and both had problems.

Finally (and this goes for EVERY company out there): would it kill you to put some sort of "battery recharged" indicator so that we won't overcharge batteries and thus shorten their life span? Or even better yet, make the system overcharge-proof. In the case of these units the manual states "charging time is typically 16-20 hours" although how I am supposed to know when they are indeed fully charged is beyond me. I just don't have the time (or the will) to be worrying about stuff like that. Enough ranting.

Hopefully Audiovox will get back on track with their quality as it has been a very reliable brand throughout the years. I am giving it three stars based on both sets I had to buy, if it had been only this one then my rating would be a 4-star one.

Read Best Reviews of Audiovox GMRS6000 6-Mile 22-Channel FRS/GMRS Two-Way Radio (Pair) Here

I got this for my wife when she was dieing and I had to work outside and she needed to contact me, after she left I bought another set so my grandson and his friends could be super spys and play around with them it was a big hit

Tuesday, August 27, 2013

Orange Electronic LE6L2T Ford/Lincoln/Mercury/Mazda Replacement Tire Pressure Sensor

Orange Electronic LE6L2T Ford/Lincoln/Mercury/Mazda Replacement Tire Pressure SensorThis sensor is a replacement for Ford, Mercury, Lincoln, Mazda and a few other manufacturers TPMS sensors.

I have used these a few times before to mount seasonal tires on their own rims. I have 12 installed on wheels for two Ford and Mercury products.

Great replacement for the banded OEM sensors that the tire techs always seem to screw up when they do tire service.

They function flawlessly. Great price. Immediately recognized by the onboard TPMS system and easily configured as long as you have the tool to "ping" the sensor so it will ident. Although the manufacturer claims that a magnet can invoke the ident function, I have not been able to make the magnet work after several dozen attempts under my belt.

Most of the tire and service shops in my area rely heavily on the customer using the same rims for seasonal tires, so they don't have the "ping" tool. HARD TO BELIEVE. So I'm stuck relying on the "Stealer" to do the reset at a cost of $40.00. I am currently looking for an inexpensive tool so I don't have to rely upon the the "stealer" to do the reset. Other than that, great inexpensive product. I will continue to purchase these.

Oh, these are NOT compatable with the TPMS display that Orange Electronics makes and markets as an aftermarket TPMS addition to vehicles that were not supplied with a TPMS system.

I wanted to be able to see the pressure and temperature on all 4 wheels, which their display does and my vehicles display does not. However these sensors are not compatable with the display unit.

I purchased these to replace my OEM sensors which had gone out. For 1/3rd the cost they worked perfectly.

2008 Ford Focus SES with TPMS

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The product LE6L2T work just as the add said for ford , it was easy to install and program for my truck

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Tuesday, August 13, 2013

High Grade Verizon Wireless Casio G'zOne Commando Robust 360° Adjustable Seat Bolt Car Mount Vehic

High Grade Verizon Wireless Casio G'zOne Commando Robust 360° Adjustable Seat Bolt Car Mount Vehicle Handsfree HolderPros:

I don't have to use adhesives on my leather to mount those suction cup things.

Cons:

It will not bolt easily into my SUV because of the way my Dodge seat bolts are oriented. It would be great if the neck were longer so I could actually reach my device (phone, MP3, GPS) if used as recommended. Also, it's not very stable ... bounces around with road vibrations, making it hard to read your device. Definitely not good for GPS since it locates the screen too far away & you have to take your eyes off the road.

this product was easy to install, easy to adjust to proper angle, holds the phone securly, simple yet very effective, my phone even has the rubber case on it.

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Friday, July 26, 2013

SainSpeed F198 Car Dash DVR With Night Vision, Microphone Built In, 2.5" Rotatable and Foldable TFT

SainSpeed F198 Car Dash DVR With Night Vision, Microphone Built In, 2.5' Rotatable and Foldable TFT LCD Screen display
  • 2.5-inch 280° Rotatable and Foldable TFT Color LCD Screen, Flexibile to monitor and display
  • Good Performance of IR Night Vision For Recording by 6pcs LED Lights
  • Recycle Record for Covering Old History To Save Space and Auto Record Once Engine Starts.
  • 1/4" Color CMOS HD Fish-Eye Camera with 120 Degree Range Creates Wide and Clear Image and Video

I have this DVR for 4 days.

The video quality is not that bad at this price. Please see my videos.

I use the following setting: SxGA(HD), 2 minutes file length, Transcend 8GB SDHC card (class 6). There are 6 seconds gap between the files. Something will happen in 6 seconds that you may miss.

37 files X 2 min = 74 min; 7 GB memory used.

The day time video is shaking a lot because my wife held it due to the suction cup could not stick on the windshield more than 15 seconds. I though it maybe the windshield too cold (36 degree F) so I tried it on the dress mirror at home with different methods clean both side, moisture the cup with water, with alcohol. It always falls down in 15 seconds.

I took out my Gamin GPS suction cup and tie the DVR on it with rubber band. Gamin suction cup sticks on the windshield like glued on it even in the evening with colder weather and raining time.

I took the night video with the same setting as the day video. You only can see the license plate number that at font of you with HIGH mount on a van or SUV. The license plate on a sedan car will reflect the lights that from your car low beam.

I also took a night video in a clear night with / without the head-light on.

The raining night video shows local and high way.

I can hear the conversation with a little background noise on the playback records.

Once, the DVR suddenly stopped record without any reason while I was driving (cigar lighter power code was connected).

DVR was frozen twice in the last day. I had to take out battery to turn it off.

I decide to return this item and order another. It took a while for me to pull out the SD card.

Updated on 12/30/2011

I received a new one on 12/23/2011 and use it every day without any problem.

I set the record time to 10 min the longest record time, and the gap between the 2 files is 10 seconds. I tried both class 6 and class 10 SDHC cards and got same 10 seconds gap. I have to set it back to 2 min with 6 seconds gap. Lost 6 seconds record is better than lost 10 seconds record.

The video quality is better than the video I posted on Amazon. Because after I cut and combined the footages, it lost the quality during the save time. I will re-post the original video late.

Updated on January 16, 2012

The temperature drop to 28 F last night and this morning the DVR completely die because my wife forgot to bring it home and left it in the car which parked outside. I took it in home and let it seat for few hours to warm up and recharged the battery, but the DVR still could not be turned on. Lucky it still in 30 day return period and I always save the package until 30 day return period past.

Now I use $60 Kodak EasyShare Touch M577 14 MP Digital Camera with 5x Optical Zoom and 3-Inch LCD Touchscreen Black with NAVGEAR Universal Dash Mountas the DVR. The Kodak M577 has 14 megapixels and 5X wide-angle optical zoom, and it easy to record videos in HD (only allow to record 29 min in HD, after 29 min it automatically stop record, you have to press the record button again to start another 29 min record) the battery only last for 80 min, but it enough for 20 min commute each way. The bad is that it cannot record while charging.

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I have been using my F198 for a few days now [aug 15, 2011]...

In VGA mode it takes a decent picture. This mode is good enough to see stop lights & the cars in the field of view. The wide angle lense provides a very good picture of what is going on, but there is some loss of clarity. You can read the licence plate of cars stoped directly in front of you, and with some time you might pick up a letter/number at a time for moving cars. It is much like a cell phone cam & shows cars pulling in your lane, or crossing the light well.

I set the motion detect mode on. At first it was not active at the time I started recording, but then I stopped the car powering the F198 down & when I powered back up, it was in motion detect mode. The mode is not sensitive enough & is not acceptable for use when driving, so I advise leaving motion detect mode off.

At VGA resolution, it could record three 15 minute clips on 2 Gb. Then it deletes the oldest file when creating a new file. This process takes 2-3 seconds.

The F198 has a car-off detection & will stop recording when the car is off. This requires a switched circuit. The F198 detects loss of power & properly closes the active file using the battery before powering down. When the power input comes back, the F198 automatically resumes recording. If your cigar lighter is not switched... this feature will not work.

The menu is a bit difficult, so read the directions. The IR led mode works well from about 3-4 feet. similar to filming with a flashlight. You do not want to use IR mode for night driving because you will be recording the windsheid reflection... use standard mode.

The mount did not have a swivel end on it, so you end up extending it more than desired to get the correct angle. A better mount willl lower the profile of the camera in the window.

The LCD screen does not switch off when closed. This would be nice, but my battery did not go dead when recording over night.

I believe I got about what I expected because I first looked the camera up on the internet google/yahoo & also saw a video on you-tube. It is useful & of reasonable quality for the very low price.

Updated Aug 1, 2012: This camera has been working non-stop 24 hrs in my car for almost 1 year. The swevil at the camera connection is a bit loose & can't be tightened, so occasionally the camera may get turned if I drive too rough.

Read Best Reviews of SainSpeed F198 Car Dash DVR With Night Vision, Microphone Built In, 2.5" Rotatable and Foldable TFT Here

Using this item for 2 weeks. It creates new files any 2, 5 or 15 minutes of recording (you can choose). It has 3 quality modes (VGA, DL, SxGA(HD)). Tried sxga, but the fps amount is not enough and the picture is intermittent, not comfortable to watch.

VGA has too low resolution but movement is smooth. The best choice for me became DL mode.

Picture quality is not impressive. You can recognize the licence plate number of the cars only near you. And it's almost impossible to do in the night on moving cars. Night vision is pretty good, but the headlights of oncoming cars create large white holes on the picture. The same with the stop lights of the cars in front of you.

Plastic is very low quality, but I didn't expect more for this price.

The dashboard mount works perfect, you just have to make the surface wet a little, and it will hold like with glue.

Not bad device but I'd like it to have better picture quality.

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The uploaded video is a 2 min clip recorded in 720P format.

I have been using this camera every single day, every time I drive, for about 2 months now. The picture quality is nothing special. Its pretty much like watching a video on TV recorded by a police car. There isn't much detail but it does catch whatever happens in front of the car.

The battery does not hold a charge for more than a few minutes so the camera has to be plugged into the 12V at all times. Also the connection between the 12V cable and the camera is pretty loose so sometimes the cable falls out of the camera when going over bumps. Taping the cable to the camera helps.

I use a 32GB memory card so it can record about 9-10 hours. What I like about the camera is that the LCD does not have to be opened all the time. The camera records with the LCD closed. Also, to start recording, all I have to do it hold the power button for about 3 seconds to hear a chirp sound and the camera starts recording automatically. It records in 2/5/15 minute intervals and afterwards it records over the old videos.

Overall I think that this camera is pretty ok. Its cheap but after all you get what you pay for.

***3 Month UPDATE: So it has been 3 months now since I'v been using this camera pretty much every single day. It still works just like the first day when I used it. There are normal signs of wear and tear but nothing serious.

One flaw I forgot to mention the first time when I wrote this review is that the date and time on the camera doesn't save. Because the battery doesn't hold a charge for very long, it resets the time and date. I would assume that if the camera was connected to the 12V 24/7, then maybe the time and date would not reset.

Anyways, I'm actually thinking about getting another one of these cameras for my other car. I just saw a scam attempt video online of how a car backed up into another car on the highway to do a scam. If the second car didn't have a dash cam, he'd be in trouble.

***4 Month UPDATE: I ended up buying a second camera for my weekend car. Although the new camera was supposed to be the same, its actually a bit different... better than the first one I got. When I bought my first camera 4 months ago, the camera was sent from California whereas the new camera was sent from Shanghai (Amazon seller BestDeal777). It seems like I received an updated model because the software looks newer and the power connection is different.

With my old camera, the 12V power connection was round, similar to a headphone jack and easily fell out. The connection in the new camera is USB (mini-B), works great and doesn't fall out. As far as the software in the new camera, the camera turns on a lot quicker and there is no "Welcome" screen. When the camera is turned off but connected to power, it shows a "full battery" icon or "charging battery" icon on the screen. The recording modes are in 2/5/10 minute increments. I use a Transcend 16GB Class 10 SDHC Card (TS16GSDHC10) with the camera and there is absolutely zero time loss between videos. In the video mode section, there are 3 options. One is "720p HD" the other "480" and the third is even smaller... I don't remember. The one that I use is 720p and it records in wide screen mode. On my 16GB SD card, I am able to get about 3.5 hours of video. Although it says 720p HD, it is not HD but whatever.

One thing I don't like is that with the old camera when I turn it on, it automatically starts recording and while recording, the indicator light flashes. In the new camera, it does not automatically start recording and the indicator light does not flash while recording. So in order for me to know for sure if it is recording, I have to open the screen. Not a huge flaw but a bit annoying.

***1 Year UPDATE

Both cameras still work however with some issues. On the first camera, the 12V cable fuse blew after about 8 months and I had to get a new cable. I ended up buying this one: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004ZL5ARI/ref=oh_details_o04_s00_i00. Although it is for Sirus Radio, the connection and power output are almost identical and have no issues with it. The second problem, still with the 1st camera is that the power connection inside the camera is really lose now it barely gets any power most of the time... not many options with this unfortunately. My weekend car camera has zero issues. It ended up falling to the floor about 5 times so far because the suction cup didn't hold well but thankful the camera still works.

Few tips:

+Use 2 minute clips, not 5/10/15 min clips-the shorter the easier and faster they will transfer to PC

+When the memory card is full, Format it! this way you will not have any gaps in between clips. When the card is full, the camera will stop recording in order to erase old clips. This can take several seconds or a minute+.

+Use the lowest resolution. I tried all 3 and there is no difference in playback quality. The main difference is that you'll be able to record 9.5 hrs vs. 3.5 hrs.

+DO NOT leave the camera plugged into the 12V for a week or 2 without driving the car. It WILL drain your car battery.

+Get the camera from overseas (Chine, Hong Kong, etc). It might be a newer model with a better connection and software.

Save 76% Off

I bought this as a way of protecting myself in my cab. I have the camera pointed inwards so I can see my passengers, and if needs be (which I hope never happens) identify a run-out or worse, a robber. The picture quality is pretty good, for the price. The night vision feature is decent. The audio completely sucks, sound is really garbled can't understand anything hardly being said, which means I won't be producing my own "Taxi cab Confessions". All in all, the purpose I bought it for, it works well enough.

Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Heavy-Duty Copper Terminal Lug 2 AWG 1/2" Eye AC DC

Heavy-Duty Copper Terminal Lug 2 AWG 1/2' Eye AC DCVery easy to crimp and stay firm, unlike some other terminals where the wire seems "loose" even after you have it crimped down as far as it will go.

Liked these so much that I just ordered some more 4 gauge ones.

I ordered these, but received the wrong set in the mail. I contacted the merchant but they never sent a replacement.

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Saturday, June 29, 2013

Energizer 84025 1000-Watt Power Inverter

Energizer 84025 1000-Watt Power InverterHas all the bells and whistles and easy to hook up but make sure you use 4 gauge cable and a 140-150 AMP Circuit Breaker I found one at a local Custom Car install place in town for $20. You must allow a high amount of power to it but that is true with all Inverters at 1000 Watts. SMARThome (who I got mine from)Is not an authorized reseller and you will NOT be able to get Tech Support from the manufacturer nor do they offer support, unless bought from an Authorized Dealer you get no support. NO USB Hookup like I understood it would have.

Works great with anything up to 1000W. Make sure your voltage source can supply the current needed for it though. Using a standard vehicle Lead Acid battery there was no problems. With smaller batteries I had trouble getting over 200W

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