Slashdot Mirror

Like this one?

They're not far off, there's only $200 to go.

An ESP8266 based ESP-12 is cheaper still. And it has real FCC approval too. $1.84 shipped.

Lot's of info at www.esp8266.com

http://www.aliexpress.com/item...

1.8Ghz Celeron with 2 GB ram for 162, should have plenty of room there to throw on a USB flash key for the storage. It also has dual gigabit on board, and is the subject of this story.

You can snap up an Orange Pi for $15! It's both faster and cheaper than the Raspberry Pi 2. http://www.aliexpress.com/item...

16$ for the allwinner is not true. I remember a few years back some of their cortex a9 chip made lots of problems for the industry that they sold it for around 5$. I wouldnt be surprised if its even cheaper now.

But even if it were true, they havent offered a single CHIP for 9$ yet. Only 29$ + "free shipping". Shipping something like this from shenzhen would cost around 1$. So it`s really a 28$ module so far. Hardly a loss leader by todays standards. You can already today get android phones with touchscreen, gsm, camera, gps and a battery added in as well for 7$ more(35$).

Here's an example: over the past several years, e-readers have standardized on 6-inch screens. For all the variety that exists in smartphone and tablet sizing, the e-reader market has decided it must copy the Kindle form factor or die trying. Having used an e-reader before all this happened, I found a 7-8" e-ink screen to be an amazingly better reading experience. Oh well, I'm out of luck. It's not the worst thing in the world, but I'd fix it immediately if I could.

Oh well, if only you could find a 7-8" ereader. You must of scoured the earth.

Display Size:
5" (47), 6" (343)
7" (24), 8" (1)
10" (4)

You must of searched heaven and hell for that 7-8" e-reader.

eBook Reader Display Size
Under 6 Inches (8)
6 to 6.9 Inches (70)
7 to 7.9 Inches (47)
8 to 8.9 Inches (2)
9 to 9.4 Inches 9 to 9.4 Inches (1)
9.5 to 9.9 Inches 9.5 to 9.9 Inches (4)
10 Inches & Above 10 Inches & Above (2)

That is until - whoops! - you have your DRM chip manufactured in China and pretty soon anyone can buy a DRM stripper for under $20.

Go to the source (China)

7" Android tablet ($25.73)

http://www.aliexpress.com/item...

Tablet case with built in keyboard ($4.97)

http://www.aliexpress.com/item...

Under $35 and they are usable, my wife and daughter have used them a lot. ;)

I have several around the house used for general browsing, remote controls for the Kodi systems, and e-book readers.

Go to the source (China)

7" Android tablet ($25.73)

http://www.aliexpress.com/item...

Tablet case with built in keyboard ($4.97)

http://www.aliexpress.com/item...

Under $35 and they are usable, my wife and daughter have used them a lot. ;)

I have several around the house used for general browsing, remote controls for the Kodi systems, and e-book readers.

Found one
http://www.aliexpress.com/item...

I've been saying for a few years that if you just had a few solar panels in your back yard, and didn't want to go through the expense of all the inverter stuff, you could just use it to charge a small battery and power a DC air conditioner. That's because you generally want air conditioning at the same time that you have the most solar power. At the time, the only DC air conditioners available were for marine use, and so they were expensive. However, in the last year and a half I noticed a lot of DC air conditioners on the marker on AliExpress (in China). Some of them even come as a kit including solar panels. The difference here is that presumably the Sharp ones are UL and/or CSA certified, so you could use them in North America.

Honestly, some of the stuff on AliExpress is impressive for how cheap it is. You can buy 500W grid-tie inverters for a solar array for the $200 range. Unfortunately they only have a CE rating, so they're not OK for North America yet. In comparison you can spend 3 to 4 times that much here.

It's really eye opening how much middlemen mark up chinese goods. My wife has ordered high-end clothing and a fabric baby carrier from Aliexpress. Sometimes the quality is typical of cheaply made goods, but in many cases we can't tell if it is an excellent knockoff or a case of "Prada ordered 10,000 units, let's make 12,000 and sell the extras ourselves". The markup on mainstream high-end goods is extreme. Independent entrepreneurs have taken advantages of this in some sectors, but not others. Only the threat of legal action is holding back the tide in some cases.

That said, I used an NEC relay in my last project, as opposed to the equivalent chinese model. Dresses and purses might have the ability to catastrophically fail, but when they do, my apartment doesn't burn down.

I've been saying for a few years that if you just had a few solar panels in your back yard, and didn't want to go through the expense of all the inverter stuff, you could just use it to charge a small battery and power a DC air conditioner. That's because you generally want air conditioning at the same time that you have the most solar power. At the time, the only DC air conditioners available were for marine use, and so they were expensive. However, in the last year and a half I noticed a lot of DC air conditioners on the marker on AliExpress (in China). Some of them even come as a kit including solar panels. The difference here is that presumably the Sharp ones are UL and/or CSA certified, so you could use them in North America.

Honestly, some of the stuff on AliExpress is impressive for how cheap it is. You can buy 500W grid-tie inverters for a solar array for the $200 range. Unfortunately they only have a CE rating, so they're not OK for North America yet. In comparison you can spend 3 to 4 times that much here.

It's really eye opening how much middlemen mark up chinese goods. My wife has ordered high-end clothing and a fabric baby carrier from Aliexpress. Sometimes the quality is typical of cheaply made goods, but in many cases we can't tell if it is an excellent knockoff or a case of "Prada ordered 10,000 units, let's make 12,000 and sell the extras ourselves". The markup on mainstream high-end goods is extreme. Independent entrepreneurs have taken advantages of this in some sectors, but not others. Only the threat of legal action is holding back the tide in some cases.

That said, I used an NEC relay in my last project, as opposed to the equivalent chinese model. Dresses and purses might have the ability to catastrophically fail, but when they do, my apartment doesn't burn down.

I've been saying for a few years that if you just had a few solar panels in your back yard, and didn't want to go through the expense of all the inverter stuff, you could just use it to charge a small battery and power a DC air conditioner. That's because you generally want air conditioning at the same time that you have the most solar power. At the time, the only DC air conditioners available were for marine use, and so they were expensive. However, in the last year and a half I noticed a lot of DC air conditioners on the marker on AliExpress (in China). Some of them even come as a kit including solar panels. The difference here is that presumably the Sharp ones are UL and/or CSA certified, so you could use them in North America.

Honestly, some of the stuff on AliExpress is impressive for how cheap it is. You can buy 500W grid-tie inverters for a solar array for the $200 range. Unfortunately they only have a CE rating, so they're not OK for North America yet. In comparison you can spend 3 to 4 times that much here.

I've been saying for a few years that if you just had a few solar panels in your back yard, and didn't want to go through the expense of all the inverter stuff, you could just use it to charge a small battery and power a DC air conditioner. That's because you generally want air conditioning at the same time that you have the most solar power. At the time, the only DC air conditioners available were for marine use, and so they were expensive. However, in the last year and a half I noticed a lot of DC air conditioners on the marker on AliExpress (in China). Some of them even come as a kit including solar panels. The difference here is that presumably the Sharp ones are UL and/or CSA certified, so you could use them in North America.

Honestly, some of the stuff on AliExpress is impressive for how cheap it is. You can buy 500W grid-tie inverters for a solar array for the $200 range. Unfortunately they only have a CE rating, so they're not OK for North America yet. In comparison you can spend 3 to 4 times that much here.

That will cost a minimum of 75 million dollars.

Cost of bacteria battery: $0.05
Cost of 100 AG13 cells from China: $4.99 or $0.0499 each

http://www.aliexpress.com/item...

There are probably cheaper ones out there.

CR2032's pack a decent amount of power for $0.13c

It almost seems like you're interpreting "UV-C" to include the range from 360-380nm. There are apparently some results indicating that emitters in this range can be germicidal, if you use enough power and enough exposure time; is that where our disconnect is arising?

The Nichia page you linked lists only longwave emitters, with 365nm the shortest wavelength. I'm sure they have shortwave emitters, and maybe even samples for some of them, but if they aren't listed on the Web site, I'm not confident how much of a "product" they are to date.

Cree has never sold UV-C LEDs, as far as I can tell. They sold longwave emitters for a while, but then discontinued them.

I spent some time prowling around HaSun's list of UV LEDs. I haven't waded through every listing, but most of the emitters under 300nm seem to be in the range of 1.5mW or less; I found one ("New Technology!!!") that claimed 0.2-0.3W optical output power in the specs, but in the chart below, it said 0.2-0.3mW. WIth forward current of 20 mA and forward voltage of 7-8.5 V, getting out 200mW of anything would be quite the trick.

Again, we can see that the shortwave emitters exist, but it doesn't look like they're common enough or powerful enough to start appearing in products yet.

Also, a disassembled 1/8" SnapOn swivel joint. Knock out the pin holding the two sides together, place a keyring in the holes from each half, join the male and female side and voila! ...a bulletproof quick-release for two sets of keys.

I've bought a "smartphone" for under $50 with no contracts or lock of any kind. You are shopping dumbly, then saying the result is dumb. The result isn't. Just the shopper.
http://www.aliexpress.com/item...

No contract. Under $50. You'd pay less for this than most people pay in bank fees to be able to buy things with other payment methods.

When you end up paying more to avoid something new, it makes you look like an idiot Luddite, not a cost-aware practical person.

Aliexpress lists >50.000 of these, for all sorts of purposes, bikes, cars, kids, clothing...

http://www.aliexpress.com/whol...

South bridge is pretty cheap: http://www.aliexpress.com/pric... . I guess the mobo would be simpler too giving you more savings but I don't think it would do it. Still say $300 for a crappy AMD based system and $500 for a 2X faster intel system: other than the dirt poor I know which one I'd recommend. Anyone using a computer for more than a glorified smartphone has time with a value. It doesn't take many minutes throughout the year to equal the cost difference. IMO you are almost guaranteed for professional use that all but the top end $5000 gaming rigs will earn their money back in their lifetime in employee productivity/retention.

Well, the Chinese have managed to design a phone with a screen, dual radios, WiFi, Bluetooth, FM radio, and a dual core Cortex-A9 CPU that can be effectively sold for $40 or so (if you buy it in China, not online). If the Chinese can build in a CPU core that's two generations newer into a product with support for 3 radio standards and a screen that sells for $5 or so more than the Pi, why is Broadcom struggling with an outdated 12-year-old core on a product with no wireless?

That requires slave labour to manufacture, the pi doesn't rely on such vile practices

Well, the Chinese have managed to design a phone with a screen, dual radios, WiFi, Bluetooth, FM radio, and a dual core Cortex-A9 CPU that can be effectively sold for $40 or so (if you buy it in China, not online). If the Chinese can build in a CPU core that's two generations newer into a product with support for 3 radio standards and a screen that sells for $5 or so more than the Pi, why is Broadcom struggling with an outdated 12-year-old core on a product with no wireless?

This and a Wacom tablet and you are all set. Bit pricy though when you add the needed Wacom tablet. https://store.wacom.com/us/en/... OR you could just get one of these which took about 2 min to find with the Google http://www.chairslimited.com/p... http://evoluent.com/ Or for a whole page full of them http://www.aliexpress.com/popu...

http://www.aliexpress.com/cate...

I've found it to be very friendly, with free shipping to the States on almost every purchase. Downside is that the free shipping goes through Singapore Post and takes a month or two to arrive here.

But the prices are really cheap, and customer support surprisingly good. Amazon had better watch out!

"Except how do you know such a device is installed on your car? Do you examine it everywhere, and compare what is there with photographs of a know-safe car? Or against the wiring diagrams from the manufacturer? Don't forget behind or inside of other things, like behind the glovebox?"

Or your wife/husband/'friend' might have installed one, some of them cost less than 50 bucks with a prepaid card on it they are even able to listen in on what's being said in the car.

http://www.aliexpress.com/whol...

you can get 1.54' 240x240 mipi screen for $5
http://www.electricstuff.co.uk...

3.5' with touchscreen are ~$20
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Replac...

7' with touchscreen are ~$40
http://www.aliexpress.com/item...

so only ~2x overpriced, just like the camera module

The issue doesnt seem to be the code.

People are claiming that the hardware is just a re-flashed existing micro router, eg here - http://www.aliexpress.com/item...

Anonabox claim they custom designed the hardware, other are claiming it doesnt seem so, mostly it seems like it a moot point if it's cheap and offers the functionality specified.

Considering you can buy a 7" tablet with a 1.5GHz dual core Cortex A7 with 512MB ram and 8GB flash for $38, I don't see why the Raspberry Pi, with no flash, no battery and no screen couldn't be even cheaper than $35 with a different SOC.

http://aliexpress.com/

I've a samsung galaxy s, found a seller with $5 batteries, grabbed four of them,
three work fine, been swapping them in my phone for a few months

the last one charges fine with the wallwart but if i stick it in my phone and plug in the cable the phone crashes :)
the brand name on the batteries is deji, but who really knows

http://www.aliexpress.com/stor...

Ergonomic?
Maybe this could be hacked. http://www.aliexpress.com/stor...

JC Penny has announced that they intend to start selling reversible underwear in an attempt win back customers who have converted to yoga pants.

Nice pants!

Talhelm might want to rethink his price point considering plenty of Chinese $40 competition.

If you're worried about shipping, there's a few more around the $70 mark.

http://www.aliexpress.com/item...
http://www.aliexpress.com/item...
http://www.aliexpress.com/item...

If you're worried about shipping, there's a few more around the $70 mark.

http://www.aliexpress.com/item...
http://www.aliexpress.com/item...
http://www.aliexpress.com/item...

If you're worried about shipping, there's a few more around the $70 mark.

http://www.aliexpress.com/item...
http://www.aliexpress.com/item...
http://www.aliexpress.com/item...

If you're worried about shipping, there's a few more around the $70 mark.

http://www.aliexpress.com/item...
http://www.aliexpress.com/item...
http://www.aliexpress.com/item...

FWIW, much of what you want has been available for years. Ex: http://www.aliexpress.com/item...

There's a slew of versions of bluetooth wristbands. They all seem to include:
* alert when they go out of range of your phone (ie. you leave phone in car or it gets stolen, and it vibrates when you're 5m away)
* time/date on display (for any of those with a display... some don't have a display)
* caller id displayed (for those with a display)
* vibrate on incoming calls
* (optionally) vibrate on incoming sms/txt/notifications
* basic call handling (answer/hang up)

Personally, I'd feel better about the current "smart watches" if they could stand on their own better. They're a whole lot bulkier than things like the aforementioned bluetooth bracelet, but they don't really bring that many additional features to the table.

My gut tells me that many of the limitations are directly due to the carriers. Ex. watch has apps that proxy to stuff on the phone and vice versa, rather than just going directly to the internet. If they just used the phone for net access (for example), they'd be more useful, but carriers would want to charge for that type of net use (like using a phone's internet access via a laptop... most carriers force you to buy a special plan and pay more for that feature).

He's correct:

20 MHz oscilloscope at AliExpress, $61.99 delivered. USB, use a computer for the display.

60 MHz oscilloscope at AliExpress, $308.00 delivered. Complete with display.

He's correct:

20 MHz oscilloscope at AliExpress, $61.99 delivered. USB, use a computer for the display.

60 MHz oscilloscope at AliExpress, $308.00 delivered. Complete with display.

That Taobao option is about USD $14, call it $15 shipped if you are in China. Amazon is convenient but seldom cheapest for Chinese products, this is http://www.aliexpress.com/item... with free worldwide shipping for USD $21.55.

• It only costs a few bucks.
• It functions whether you're using the rearview mirror or looking over your shoulder.
• It functions without depriving you of peripheral vision out the other windows.
• It doesn't get blocked by a tiny amount of mud or snow.

It's almost like someone who manufactures the backup camera systems has friends in the NTSB.

http://www.aliexpress.com/item... is a typical example. (I have no relationship with this seller, they were the first hit for a large device on 'sms modem'.

They are basically little 'phone' modules hooked up to a power supply, antennas, and SIM connectors.
You simply insert 32 SIMs into the device, and you have 32 completely normal phones (from the networks point of view) that you can spam SMSs with.

They are not base-stations, they simply connect to the network as normal phones.

Base stations would induce other phones to connect to them, pretending to be the phone network.
The SMSs are in fact sent over the normal network, in the normal way.

Yup...

This is the arm for the little guy. ; This one is for wholesale business

Its amazing what you can get over there. You can buy anything from a completely assembled product down to every little piece that goes to make one. I am currently looking into having some of my stuff replicated and sold through them.

Here are the little doppler 10GHz radar toys I have been playing around with. I had been playing around with a boxful of old radar detector returns - being I had a lot of horns, I put the Gunn diode at the focal point of one and aimed it out, then watched for multipath doppler at the other receiving horns. My intent was to triangulate from several receivers and from that deduce the location of anything moving in the field. Never got that one to work the way I wanted it to... and it drew too much power to boot.

Anyway, I have been lately playing around with these. Cheap. You get a frequency out in the hertz region, with its amplitude and frequency representing the size and speed of the object being sensed. This thing is from what I can tell is the same technology used in supermarket door sensors. Personally, I like hooking them up to variable frequency audio oscillators so if I get woke up in the middle of the night and I think something's in the house... just keep real still and anything moving at all will show up as variances in pitch - and you know right quick if something is moving around anywhere in the house.

What tech do auto makers use for the proximity detectors in car bumpers?

How about these?

Been asking myself the same question the last couple of months, as the quantity of books required these days has become too much to carry. I first considered the Kindle DX, but I'm not familiar with the OS "ecosystem" of Amazon and the restrictions within (transfer of files/DRM). After some more searching I ended up deciding on the Boyue G10 (random chinese device), as linked here: http://www.aliexpress.com/item... Very satisfied with it.

There are some cheap wireless Chinese systems you can get fairly inexpensively.

Some offer GSM/Cel phone dial out/listen in capabilities, multiple zones, and a variety of sensors: PIR, mag-contact, water leak, smoke detect, gas detect.
They have remote, cel, or panel control.

You can just add stuff until you get all the parts you want.

No monthly fee. You can't have it dial the police directly (legally) but it could call you, you could listen in, and then you could call the police if you hear people breaking in.

http://dx.com/p/dp-60-gsm-home-alarm-system-w-wireless-door-sensor-window-sensor-pir-motion-sensor-black-275911

http://www.aliexpress.com/item/HOT-NEW-99-zones-wireless-GSM-alarm-system-with-LCD-Keypad-voice-Free-shipping-Promotional/453561713.html

"Right. I'm going to keep the receipts of every blasted bulb I buy."

Smart people order online so they have e-mail copies of their purchases and don't need to store receipts.

Smart people get their LEDs online where they can be had 9W ultra-bright for as little as TWENTY CENTS A PIECE so they can buy in bulk, sell some to the neighbors and recoup the costs before ever even using the bulbs, and still have replacement bulbs leftover so even worrying about a warranty is practically fucking useless.

You don't seem very smart.

Oh, and yes, I am using those bulbs. They work great, with or without the additional lens.