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The early graphite-colored AirPort Base Stations had a very widespread nasty problem of failing because of two capacitors failing - two Lelon capacitors. Apple acknowledged the problem within a certain serial number range (PW940XXXXXXX through PW952XXXXXX), and fixed the problem for customers out of warranty. However, Apple continued using the same apparently-faulty Lelon caps, and graphite base stations continute to fail. All that's needed is to replace these two capacitors; see this site for background information, and a picture of the Lelon capacitor compared to others. It's significantly smaller, considering the voltage and capacitance ratings, than other similar capacitors. Since it's a Lelon (one of the brands mentioned in the article), and because one of the supposed benefits of the secret electrolyte was to be able to make the caps smaller, it now seems clear what went on here. Apple hasn't made the graphite base stations for some time now, but they kept using the same faulty Lelon caps until the very end.

For anyone who wants to repair their base station - the symptom is all red lights, continuing to power cycle, and perhaps even a faint hissing noise coming from the failed capacitors - I recommend Radio Shack 35V 220uF electrolytics (272-1029). They're small enough that the base station doesn't have to be modified (the hardest part of some of the suggested replacements), and seem to work fine. I've replaced a few with these now, and they've all been working like a charm.

suitable replacement for 30V HP power brick

Who cares about XM...I just bought me one of the best portable radios available in market -a Yacht Boy 400 Grundig Short-Wave/AM-FM Portable Radio. It costs $149.99 but worth the price. Its got a cool numeric keypad and excellent reception.
Takes me back to good old days of listening to worldwide shortwave in college dorm. Raio means the enjoyment of phasing sounds with ups and downs.
Here is the pic - Picture of radio
I love it !!

if you have a base model TV with no other inputs besides RF (Like I do), you have to get an RF modulator from radio shack ($30) or something similar.

Do the RadioShack RF modulators distort the picture in response to Macrovision signals? Or are they illegal to manufacture under the DMCA? Or if neither, why not?

try this

Secondly, how long until we see groups of people smuggling on battery powered Linksys (et al) routers. $30 split a few ways is always cheaper..

It wouldn't be hard. Most of things draw DC from a power brick. RadioShack used to carry a power brick-type thing that would hold batteries in what would normally be the brick. And I imagine that there are or will be other third party solutions such as a rechargeable power brick for using routers with batteries before too long as portable, wireless high speed access becomes more and more important.

The exact same remote control watch that thinkgeek sells for $39.99 is available for half the price at RadioShack. And you thought there was no reason to go there anymore :)

That advertised as silent keyboard I was referring to: http://www.radioshack.com/product.asp?catalog%5Fna me=CTLG&category%5Fname=CTLG%5F003%5F010%5F002%5F0 00&product%5Fid=26%2D494. Yeah, it _WAS_ silent... but you couldn't type with it worth a damn!

Check it out: Radio Shack Kameleon Remote

Electronics are usually more espensive in the UK, so Pounds usually match US dollars pretty closely for electronics.

RadioShack is selling it for about $60. I think this price is way better than the Universal Remote Commander Sony is selling for $200, but then again I'm probably getting some features in the Sony remote that I won't get with the Kameleon.

I haven't seen much advancement in these devices, particularly since the FCC limits their broadcasting to a miserable 7-10 feet (clear).

So expect to be able to put your Nueros next to your home radio and get clear reception, but don't plan on starting a weekly neighborhood radio "Slashdot Talk" with your new toy.

Here's a link for the same mod with a Logitech Mouse.

www.skybusiness.com/ntanner

I've done this, and it works fine. Note that there are two Radio shack LED's that are blue, one that outputs 2600 MCD's at 4.5 volts, the other 300 at 6 volts. I used the brighter one, and have no skipping problems at all.

Radio Shack

Just Don't Pick Up the Phone
If I don't recognize the CallerID info, I don't take the call. Period. If it's an important call, a message will be left by the caller, or they'll try my wireless phone if they are important enough to me for me to have given them the number.

Get on a Do Not Call List
If your state has legislated a Do Not Call list, get your name on it. It may not help, but it surely can't hurt.

Turn Off That Ringer
I only have one ringer on per floor in my house. The basement phone's ringer is set to low volume. The one on the phone in my bedroom gets shut off entirely when I don't want to be disturbed. I got one of those Fone Flasher things from Radio Shack for my bedroom. It's positioned so whether I'm watching TV or working at the computer, I will see it out of the corner of my eye.

Roll Your Own Technology-Based Solution
Since I already had a computer running the house lights and stuff like that, I just bought a modem that supports Caller ID and got a hold of MacCallerID. Now I can leave the ringers off all the time, and the computer lets me know when someone I want to talk to is calling. I have a whitelist of callers, and when someone on that list calls and the house is not in 'sleep' or 'away' mode, the computer verbally announces their name through wireless speakers scattered throughout the house. During the day I can also hit my server from any machine with web access, and see a list of the last 10 people who have called my house.

The bottom line is, no self respecting Slashdot reader should have to pay the phone company to rid themselves of the annoyance of telemarketers.

~Philly

A simple way would be to write the data to disc, and use annother program to follow behind it. I.e. use some program to record the stream, and then 6 secconds later set winamp on the still recording stream, that should work, but no promises.

Record the radio via the Line-In, set it to stream with a 5 second delay. Send the stream through IceCast and connect with XMMS/WinAmp and away you go. Heck, you could even use one of these and connect your soundcard's line out to your television and control the whole she-bang with your remote control.

I'd settle for a small doohickey I can use in place of a wall wart. With adjustable output voltage and multiple plugs, something like this and this.

I'd settle for a small doohickey I can use in place of a wall wart. With adjustable output voltage and multiple plugs, something like this and this.

It's called the Kill-A-Watt, and is available from ETA Engineering, CCrane, and Radio Shack. .

I'm not involved in this, but just bought one, and it's answered a bunch of questions about how much everything uses. Interesting!

Radio Shack has one here

radio shack... =)

The're really cool - You can plug all of your devices into them and they just work - no configuration, no fuss and aparently it's compatable with allmost 90% of the electronic devices on the market:

Check it out: here

You can connect your devices using these universal cables.

You can connect your devices using these universal cables.

Why can't they make a demo in 10 MB? Farbrausch made one in 64 KB [theproduct.de].

I find it mildly amusing that while Radio Shack is virtually claiming to have "discovered" micro r/c cars and brought them to North America, reputable hobby stores such as this one have had them in stock for a while now.

Just goes to show you what a large-budget marketing department can do for your image!

to look the product up at RadioShack.com, here is a direct link to the Micro RC Porsche 911 Car. Product No. 60-7001

For only $20, I think it'd be a fun toy for any geek, girl or boy.

here

Maybe if you took a good, high power TV antenna amplifier, such as this one, and then attached it to, say, this wonderful little modulator box, that will let you "Convert(s) composite video and audio to an unused UHF channel of your choice (channels 14-69)"....

OK, my head is moving now. 75db output on the modulator, with a 30db amplifier, going out to, say... This wonderful little antenna....

Would someone who has some better antenna theory tell me if this would possibly get any kind of broadcast range?

Or would it do like what I saw happen once when a guy plugged a 200 watt ham radio into an antenna designed for 40 watts, and shatter into a few hundred pieces?

If it worked, low output tv for under $200. w00t!

Maybe if you took a good, high power TV antenna amplifier, such as this one, and then attached it to, say, this wonderful little modulator box, that will let you "Convert(s) composite video and audio to an unused UHF channel of your choice (channels 14-69)"....

OK, my head is moving now. 75db output on the modulator, with a 30db amplifier, going out to, say... This wonderful little antenna....

Would someone who has some better antenna theory tell me if this would possibly get any kind of broadcast range?

Or would it do like what I saw happen once when a guy plugged a 200 watt ham radio into an antenna designed for 40 watts, and shatter into a few hundred pieces?

If it worked, low output tv for under $200. w00t!

Maybe if you took a good, high power TV antenna amplifier, such as this one, and then attached it to, say, this wonderful little modulator box, that will let you "Convert(s) composite video and audio to an unused UHF channel of your choice (channels 14-69)"....

OK, my head is moving now. 75db output on the modulator, with a 30db amplifier, going out to, say... This wonderful little antenna....

Would someone who has some better antenna theory tell me if this would possibly get any kind of broadcast range?

Or would it do like what I saw happen once when a guy plugged a 200 watt ham radio into an antenna designed for 40 watts, and shatter into a few hundred pieces?

If it worked, low output tv for under $200. w00t!

A fuse is a fuse, is a fuse. Since you're talking about an amplifier, that probably means you want a slow blow fuse.

8 amp 250v 1.25" by .25" glass fuse

Right size, it'll fit, it'll work.

Screen Cleaning Gel

You can do all this with a $200 scanner from RadioShack right now! Just down convert to get cellular.

Frequency Coverage 29-54, 108-136.975, 137-174, 216-224.995, 406-512, 806-823.9375, 851-868.9875, 896.1125-956 (excluding cellular) and 1240 - 1300MHz

Certainly the 7400 series as a whole is still widespread and used in hobbyists kits, I'm not that old. Maybe the original 7400 is becoming obsolete, being replaced with the 74LS (low-power Schottkey) or CMOS chips? If then it shouldn't be too difficult to replace the TTL logic with CMOS logic, given a few adjustment levels in voltage, or they could use the TTL-logic and CMOS-logic in one compatible chips.

Of course, the 5400 series SSIs (small-scale integrated circuits) are preferred over the 7400s for industrial purposes, and as a plus they are completely backwards compatible. Why isn't NASA using those?

I just want some way to turn off that damn buzzer.

That's easy, you just have to 'hack' your washer.

1. Take the front panel off the appliance.
2. Find the buzzer. Attach your multimeter (You do have a multimeter, don't you?) clips to it and run the switch through the 'end of cycle' position a few times to determine what kind of voltage your dealing with. (Most likely either 120VAC, 240VAC, or 12VDC)
3. Get a switch (SPST is easiest) that will handle the voltage you found. I'm partial to the Radio Shack 275-011, but that's because I work at Radio Shack and like Big Red Buttons. You may want one closer to the 275-634 so you can see if it's turned on or off at a glance.
4. Disconnect one of the leads to the buzzer. Connect it to one side of your switch. This may require soldering or just moving over a quick disconnect spade, depending on the appliance.
5. Connect a wire (You do have extra wire laying around, don't you?) from the other lead of the switch to the spot where the disconnected wire was originally attached to the buzzer.
6. Drill a hole in the front panel. (If you're using the switches I recommended, you need a 1/2" hole for the pushbutton, or a 1/4" hole for the toggle.)
7. Mount the switch in the hole.
8. Replace cover.

I take no responsibility for you voiding your warranty; electrocuting yourself, your family members, or pets; or anything else bad that happens if you follow these instructions.

Have fun!

NOTE: This completes lesson 1 in my new series 'hack everything'. Tune in next week for how to add one-touch buttons to your microwve for your most common cooking times. Save yourself 17 seconds/year of valuable time!

I just want some way to turn off that damn buzzer.

That's easy, you just have to 'hack' your washer.

1. Take the front panel off the appliance.
2. Find the buzzer. Attach your multimeter (You do have a multimeter, don't you?) clips to it and run the switch through the 'end of cycle' position a few times to determine what kind of voltage your dealing with. (Most likely either 120VAC, 240VAC, or 12VDC)
3. Get a switch (SPST is easiest) that will handle the voltage you found. I'm partial to the Radio Shack 275-011, but that's because I work at Radio Shack and like Big Red Buttons. You may want one closer to the 275-634 so you can see if it's turned on or off at a glance.
4. Disconnect one of the leads to the buzzer. Connect it to one side of your switch. This may require soldering or just moving over a quick disconnect spade, depending on the appliance.
5. Connect a wire (You do have extra wire laying around, don't you?) from the other lead of the switch to the spot where the disconnected wire was originally attached to the buzzer.
6. Drill a hole in the front panel. (If you're using the switches I recommended, you need a 1/2" hole for the pushbutton, or a 1/4" hole for the toggle.)
7. Mount the switch in the hole.
8. Replace cover.

I take no responsibility for you voiding your warranty; electrocuting yourself, your family members, or pets; or anything else bad that happens if you follow these instructions.

Have fun!

NOTE: This completes lesson 1 in my new series 'hack everything'. Tune in next week for how to add one-touch buttons to your microwve for your most common cooking times. Save yourself 17 seconds/year of valuable time!

Assuming you're running stuff that wants less than or equal to 12VDC, you might want to get and modify the "car power adapters" such as RadioShack adaptaplug. Keep an eye out for stuff with wall-warts that convert 120VAC to stuff 9VAC (like those Linksys Cable/DSL router/switches). Sometimes, though, you'll find some equipment that has an AC plug but a DC conversion internally, or stuff that doesn't care if it gets AC or DC. However, you don't want to test this experimentally unless you like releasing magic smoke or blowing things up. It's better to consult someone with electronics knowledge, or the manufacturer, first.

Binoculars with a built-in digital camera?

is that most people who are interested in making an MP3 library of all their music already own a computer, and it's hard to compete with the $4.99 price tag on this alternate solution for playing your MP3 collection on your stereo.

Radio Shack sells a package with a RF transmitter and receiver for $24.99 USD when the transmitter is toggled into the on position the receiver can turn on any device plugged into a wall outlet. This can be anything that makes a lot of noise. Personally I would plug in a tape of Carmina Burana (sp?) or some other loud classical music which is guaranteed to get the husband's attention but is not as anoying as a buzzer or alarm.

The beauty of this solution is that it is RF, and not infrared so the receiver has a greater range and does not need to be line of sight. In other words the alarm can be in the living room, and the transmitter in the bedroom.

The second part of this problem is that the little transmitter is probably too small to be useful for your friend. However I am sure any 12 year old with a screw driver, wires and a small solder iron could jury-rig a new, bigger, switch that works with the existing transmitter.

Hope this helps.

Bresson used a device sold online for about $200 by United Kingdom-based Canopus.

These are pretty cheap by comparison! Seriously though, are RF modulators an anti-DMCA device now? You can copy copy-protected VHS tapes with them. I'm sure (i hope) that Adam demonstrated a more impressive technology than this, but the article was short on details and so is Canopus' website. Maybe they are charging top dollar for RatShack parts!

>The ones I've used (genie) make the most anoying beeping noise made by a piezo thats surface mounted so u can't just cut the lines to it.

I feel linky today.

Try this. (Note: The tip isn't grounded, and this will annoy any of the EEs on slashdot, so I thought I'd mention it).

Back in the old days we had to be more clever to circumvent this kind of thing, fortunately specialty stores still sell these circumvention devices

The worst part is he was right. They don't have them.

Radioshack has a wall clock that checks for (i forget the exact title) a radio signal that the Gov and NASA use to synchronize their time.

Click here!

noonch

Cable TV service (like "music" or "software") isn't diminished by use. If you watch a program on cable TV, I can still watch the same program in my home without either of us experiencing any loss of viewing experience.

I didn't know that DirecTV leased hardware. I was under the impression that subscribers bought their hardware, and then subscribed to the service to make their hardware useful. I know our Sony receiver came from Best Buy (not that I'll go back there... Ick), and was bought. My in-laws' receiver was bought.

I'm pretty sure Dish Network works the same way, since their hardware is available at Sears and Radio Shack.

I got one of these for Christmas a few years ago. It's from Radio Shack, model no. 33-1165. I couldn't find it on radioshack.com, so perhaps it is discontinued. The receiver is about the size of a deck of cards, and the sound quality is average for wireless, which means fairly bad.

This is a pretty good project for a beginner geek. Should take a couple hours, including travel time.

Radio Shack carries all of the wires, resistors, transistors, and breadboards that you'll need for this. Basically you're going to build a little repeater/amplifier. Just take the stereo jack (also at Radio Shack) and wire it up to a variable resistor (for tuning the frequency) and a standard transmitter chip.

Choose a well-known architecture, and you can install Debian Linux on it, good to go.

Fun little project, and a good way to get your feet wet.

You can get the stickers here. I know RadioShack used to sell cheaper ones w/o the flashing LED, and they probably still have them in their stores, but this is all I can find in their online catalog.

Of course, you could always do what I did and print a few...

here should be the right link for radio shack...

If that fails go to this page, and find the link "screw on type" a little ways down the page. That's the part.

In addition, check these pages for more info:

Bake-off

Howto (be sure to see all the links at the end of that page...)

Waveguide theory HTH, Enjoy!