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CAT | Gadgets
The aerovac we ordered to try out showed up yesterday. Add me to the HOLY COW list. Seems the reg bin with the teeth would get clogged with pet hair right away. We would empty the bin a couple times each cycle if we were around. With the aerovac we looked at it about 15 minutes in and were shocked. Did not dump it and let it keep going. I could make another pet out of the hair it collected when done. We will be picking up another for sure.
We started using our roombas after Zobert stopped soiling the carpet. We have one for our bedrooms and one for the main room. When we run them once a day it keeps our carpet in great shape. If I pull out the upright on a weekend it does not pick up much, so they are doing a good job. We have two dogs and a cat, so pet hair is a problem. The roomba handles the hair well, but it can work its way into the gearbox that drives the spinning brushes. At times the roomba will error out because the brushes get clogged and worst case I need to crack the gearbox open to clean it out.
The gearbox does have a flaw. There are three gears that pass through the wall of the gear box to drive the brushes and connect to the motor. There is no seal on these areas so dirt and hair can work its way in there. Opening the gear box voids your warranty. They do make roombas with a bearing on the gears to solve this issue, but some models still are sold without bearings. I decided to add some.
On the robot reviews website vic7767 has a tutorial on how to install the bearings and he also sells the bearings. I got two sets of bearings and picked up some step drill bits and worked on them sunday. It went pretty well, but a few holes got drilled out too much. I put a layer of electrical tape on the bearings and they fit very snug. When the gearbox is assembled it holds it all in place so it should not be a problem. Both roombas are working fine and time will tell if it was worth it, but I am pretty confident.
We also have an improved aerovac collecting unit on the way. It is said to make a huge difference. Will let you know when it shows up.
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I am so tired of my guacamole being wasted by falling on my table, floor, and lap
Posted by beerorkid in Gadgets, random crap
Theresa got me a cool little toy / tool. A Rosewill REGD-TN439L0 Infrared Thermometer. Theresa got it for me as a surprise and shot me with it right when I came in the door. I then spent my lunch hour running around the house testing things.
Toilet water 63 before flush 58 after flush
Bathroom floor 65
bathroom door 72
Miller highlife in fridge 35
yoo-hoo freezy pop 5
pretty much everything in the freezer 4.5
grill bricks above burner 350-500
top of grill lid 160
my cooked cheddar brat 141 after a few minute rest
Poured some warm tap water into a glass and used my insta read therm 72 with gun on surface 68.9
PC exhaust fan 99
internal video card 145
Corn in the deep freeze – 35
Seems it can vary by 2.5 degrees and for $20 it is not as accurate as spendy ones, but works really good and fast. I want to see how I can use it in the kitchen, but it only does external, but it has a LASER 
Workmate letting me test out an apple magic mouse. I am not the biggest mac fan, but I use a nice one at work and love their keyboards. I wanted a magic mouse for use at home, but it is still kinda tricky in ubuntu. Took me a bit to get it working correctly in mac because i was using a non mac mouse and had to have USB overdrive to get the buttons to work correctly. Seriously mac WTF? Ended up having to uninstall that program and then hack so I could get a 3 tap middle mouse click, but oh man I am already in love with this thing after just a few hours. The whole top being a touchpad / scroll bar is amazing. Just for scrolling alone this thing rules. Once they get it working good in ubuntu I am so getting one.
When you need to get the beer in yer gullet even faster, you need the chugger. A novelty beer mug with built in beer funnel.
USA USA USA
