Microwave Splatter cover
A pi zero w. Need a wireless Android Auto adapter? Flash the right image. Need a Klipper controller for a 3D printer, flash the right image. Need to add a wireless thumb drive to any device that you can drop files to over the network? Flash the right image and run a few commands. They are very cheap and insanely versatile. I originally got a handful for $5 each and am still finding uses for them.
I’m gonna go buy one for that wireless android auto, I never even considered a dongle let alone a DIY pi dongle! do you have a link for that wireless thimbdrive one too? and/or is there an easy way to browse other interesting images/tasks you can do with the pi zero w?
https://magpi.raspberrypi.com/articles/pi-zero-w-smart-usb-flash-drive
It gives instructions for starting from a desktop OS, I just started with a headless OS to begin with. Then you can skip disabling the desktop and go straight to setting it up.
I use it for sending files to my resin 3D printer that doesn’t have wifi built in. I just power on the printer before I prep files and then I can save them to the printer over the network.
For finding more uses, probably searching Hack-a-Day. That’s probably how I’ve found these over the years.
I’ve got two just lying around. What image can I use for the Android auto adapter?
How do you hook up to it?
I tried a similar board once (Orange i96 ?) that was cheap and had no video nor ethernet, just wifi and usb and I was never able to hook up to it in any way (ssh or some video over wifi).
https://www.raspberrypi.com/news/raspberry-pi-imager-imaging-utility/
This tool makes it easy to flash images as well as pre setup WiFi and ssh on the image.
For the Android Auto you only need the image and Balena Etcher.
Hey thanks!
They have kind of significantly risen in price though since those $5 days!
Removed by mod
Don’t hurt me
No more.
DUN DUN DADOODLE DOOT DOOT
dah da do da do da do no more
The old Pier 1 Imports back scratchers. They use to sell for 75¢.
My dad had a bunch of these when I was a kid. Super durable and great as back scratchers or just a stick to play with. I bought a few after finding them online and love having them.
I got some that were nicely finished bamboo but they didn’t have enough of a sharp edge at the business end to really give a good scratch like the ones from my youth. Fortunately that was easily rectified with a couple seconds on a belt sander.
Ha! I have one of these sitting next to me on my desk. It’s multi-function, as it works great for reaching up and opening and closing my curtains too.
I’ve 3D printed A LOT of similarly shaped scratchers and give them away randomly to people - they are wonderful to have. I even have some in my car and at my office lol. I slapped my name on them in the Slicer software so people remember where they got it!
It looks like it could even double as a poop knife!
Thinkpad T440p docking station, I get everything these days is USB C but I love having a docking station thats sturdy and has tons of ports vs a dongle that hangs off the side of my laptop and has maybe six ports.
USB hand warmers. I am very sensitive to the cold and its so nice to hold while walking around or keeping in your pockets
I got a set of these for my dad, he absolutely loves em
Thanks for the suggestion!
- slicer for round fruits
- large 1l cup (not that small ^^)
- book light with attachment
Why not get a small 1l cup instead?
I have the medium sized, it’s great!
Breakaway charge cable for my phone! They act like those old MagSafe chargers for Mac, and when I’m clumsy, instead of a busted off charge port, no damage! I also have curious cats who can test gravity without wrecking my phone.
I got one from Prime Cables that not only has a magnetic attachment to the computer, it has different tips so you can use it for USB Micro, C or Lightning. The cable itself has little magnets so it coils up almost automatically.
Edit: https://www.primecables.ca/p-390676-cab-m10-mltc-g2-cab-m10-mltc-g2#sku415474 About USD $10
It coils itself? I’m getting one.
Well, I never thought I’d be jealous of someone’s charging cable, but here I am
Switched to magnetic USB-c adaptors for the same reason, they’re quick to put on/off and no risk of killing the port.
VE Monk in-ear headphones. Easily the best audio value in the world. Prepare to have your mind blown by the sound. Look up reviews
I concur. VE Monk and it’s successor Monk Plus are the best $5 earphones you’ll ever use. They compete against earphones in the $100-$150 category. Don’t let their appearance fool you, they look like a cheap crappy plastic pair you’d get for free with a discman. But their audio quality I’m phenomenal.
I’ll note here, the VE Monk success has spawned a bunch of competitors in the very-cheap-but-shockingly-good category, notably look at the Faaeal Snow Lotus and Faaeal Iris, I have both and they are great.
like a cheap crappy plastic pair you’d get for free with a discman.
You must be matured around my age talking about discmans like that. Although, The last “discman” i bought was a portable CD player, and wireless earbuds didn’t exist.
This is crazy, according to wiki: “The Sony brand name for Discman changed to CD Walkman, initially for Japanese lineups launched between October 1997 and March 1998,[1] and then entirely in 2000. Discman and CD Walkman players were discontinued at the beginning of the 2010s when they lost popularity with the general public.”
Makes me feel a little old…
You must be matured around my age talking about discmans like that. Although, The last “discman” i bought was a portable CD player, and wireless earbuds didn’t exist.
Yes, that’s what I’m referring to. All of the earphones listed above are wired earphones, and look like the kind included for free from a old portable cd player.
They are good but do they still make them find it hard to find them
I got a new pair of VE Monk Plus about 10 months ago, from AliExpress, but I haven’t looked recently.
Not going back to cables. Hated it when I yanked them out accidentally.
These ones were my best buy for an item around 20€:
https://www.amazon.de/Xiaomi-Earbuds-Basic-Freisprechfunktion-Aufbewahrungsbox/dp/B08GSQ7B9Z
Pretty sturdy. Much bass. Very good connectivity and fit.
manual pull string food processor.
I love chopping up food with it. It’s very fun and works perfectly.
immersion blender honorable mention.
Just be careful when you wash them. Destroyer of fingers and knuckles.
I have a salad spinner like that; use it all the time.
Nice. I’ve only seen salad spinners with those inconvenient handles on the top that I don’t like to use, so I’m glad to hear they’re using the pull ring finally.
Do you mean like…those gyroscopes you’d spin up using twine?
i’m not sure what you mean.
I’m talking about one of these manual food processors:
https://www.amazon.ca/Starfrit-092969-Chopper-Processor-Green/dp/B09VM9C8R4
the one I have is a little more ergonomic with a ring on top.
Bought a Rovyvon keychain flashlight I believe was around $20 that’s amazing. It’s Iike 650 lumens or something and it’s tiny so I just have it on my keychain and turn it on at night if I need it in a jiffy.
Don’t know if you’ll get something for as low as $20, but a small thermal printer. Functions as a label maker on steroids, there is no ink, or proprietary* paper. Some thermal paper rolls have built in stickers, some are transparent, some have special shapes and colors, etc.
I’ve used it to label plants, tools, cables, boxes, so-so-many gridfinity boxes. It takes 1-2 seconds from hitting print to having it ready.
* not entirely the case, in that some have set sizes, or markings to automatically feed and count. However, these are low tech, and there are third party vendors.
pretty sure that paper causes cancer
Nowadays, what doesn’t :(
California, I think.
Obviously you’ve never been… everything here causes cancer. We’re amending the law next year so we can just label everything that isn’t carcinogenic because it will substantially reduce the number of Prop 65 labels that end up in landfills ;-)
I have a cheap label maker and honestly it’s a game changer for home storage
My brother label maker is over 20 years old, I’ve put batteries in it a handful of times.
The cartridges haven’t been cheap until recently. Now they’re like $4 each. I can live with that.
Could you please share a link to it?
https://phomemo.com/products/m221-label-maker
Is the one I went for. I like the flexibility in being able to use different width rolls. I don’t have a lot of suggestions other than that, since it depends a lot on which use case you have.
I think all of them use the same app (don’t quote me on it), which had decent enough reviews: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.project.aimotech.printmaster
I’m sure there are other brands too.
I’m starting to avoid things with custom apps because the dev dies out and the product is abandoned long before it’s dead. This one is developed by people who can’t spell, and that’s a red flag too.
I’ll be happy when we’re back to some common app again.
I don’t really know my use case, I just like the idea and I’ll find uses for it. Always avoided label makers because the cartridges are too expensive. Thanks!
Since you don’t know your use case, I’ll also mention a different approach that solved a similar problem, which is how I’d go about it if I needed color labels, a lot of labels, or special labels for outdoor use, etc.
Which is to combine a normal, (in my case, a laser) printer, and use something like this: https://www.herma.co.uk/office-home/product/weatherproof-film-labels-a4-white-extremely-strong-adhesion-4581/
The Herma brand were decent quality, and also had templates (see link example, a bit further down on the page). The downside is that you need to put in some effort. But if you want full control, high quality labels, that’s not a bad way to do it.
I just got a little phone printer and I’m using it everywhere! It’s now in my work backpack. Adding my cell number to the back of my business cards for people i like. Labeling everything i set up for people. Printing an Amazon return label. Giving a kid a sticker of their face. One million uses!
Link to the printer?
I got this one. It says 30, but I paid $30 for it plus extra three rolls of sticker paper. If you scroll down to see what other people bought, I think there’s now one that’s a little higher rated, but I’m happy with mine. I even bought another one to give to a friend because we have a joke about her organization system that uses stickers.
iDPRT Mini Printer with 1 Roll Sticker Paper, Portable Sticker Printer Efficiently and Quickly, Thermal Printer Pod for Study Notes, Pictures, DIY, Label, Free App with Multiple Templates Inkless https://a.co/d/a9QRHzs
My air fryer… Also my Casio watch.
Where do you get so cheap air fryers/Casio watches?
My air fryer was $15 from best buy around thanksgiving two years ago. Classic casio watch is under $20 from Amazon.
This is almost the air-fryer I picked up. Mine is white, but they don’t sell this size anymore. :( https://www.bestbuy.com/site/bella-pro-series-4-2-qt-manual-air-fryer-black/6507322.p?skuId=6507322
Maybe it’ll come back.
Stole them.
Love is a bit of an overstatement, but I got a cheap Walmart brand USB hub for my laptop since it only has a single USB male (female?) port and I needed more for my mouse and thumb drives. Definitely worth it to ensure I could save work to my thumb drive at college.
Male: with connector outside (like penis)
Female: with connector inside (like vagina)
Terms arose before trans people got so visible, so there’s that.
you sent it twice, also guess if this is male or female:
EDIT: dang ok you guys are nerdier than I thought lol, good job! I had so much trouble finding if it was male or female when buying a replacement haha
It’s the individual pins and their holes that matter for DIN and similar connectors. Female.
Female xlr end
The connection part is where the 3 slots are, (metal touching metal), the outer part/shell is moreso a way to hold it in place
Its a lot easier to tell when its on an audio interface or whatever audio device
Fixed!
Not exactly the same, but I find “plug” and “socket” or “jack” to be generally more useful terms since the definitions are based on function rather than similarity to genitalia. Plugs are usually male, but always. For example, computer power supplies typically have a male jack and a female plug. In those situations, I find it more meaningful to describe the part by whether it is fixed or moves rather than which way the prongs go.
I agree!
Do not advocate for anything, just adding a bit of clarification :)
I’ve never seen Great Value electronics. Guess they’re branching out.
It’s ONN, but I’ve been told that it’s a Walmart brand, so I don’t question it because it’s cheap. That, and I haven’t seen that brand in any other stores.
Small fold up table. It’s a little bigger than a TV tray. It’s out and used almost 24/7.
