Elgato hasn’t just made an excellent teleprompter, it’s also made a great USB-C cable that ships with it. Professional audio engineer Matt “Spike” McWilliams spotted that Elgato’s latest USB-C cable has the bandwidth and USB type imprinted on the connector, and now I wish all manufacturers did this.

Once you've collected a drawer (or two) full of different USB cables, it is really useful to know which ones are what type. Using inferior spec cables, means that even with an expensive charger, your device may only trickle charge instead of fast charge, may not transfer data, etc. It is not always very obvious what the issue is, but it often comes down to the incorrect USB-C cable.

When it comes to USB-C cables, a cable is not just a cable.

See https://www.theverge.com/2023/11/6/23948486/usb-c-cables-marking-speed-power-delivery-elgato

#technology #USBC

Elgato hasn’t just made an excellent teleprompter, it’s also made a great USB-C cable that ships with it. Professional audio engineer Matt “Spike” McWilliams spotted that Elgato’s latest USB-C cable has the bandwidth and USB type imprinted on the connector, and now I wish all manufacturers did this.

Once you've collected a drawer (or two) full of different USB cables, it is really useful to know which ones are what type. Using inferior spec cables, means that even with an expensive charger, your device may only trickle charge instead of fast charge, may not transfer data, etc. It is not always very obvious what the issue is, but it often comes down to the incorrect USB-C cable.

When it comes to USB-C cables, a cable is not just a cable.

See https://www.theverge.com/2023/11/6/23948486/usb-c-cables-marking-speed-power-delivery-elgato

#technology #USBC

Elgato hasn’t just made an excellent teleprompter, it’s also made a great USB-C cable that ships with it. Professional audio engineer Matt “Spike” McWilliams spotted that Elgato’s latest USB-C cable has the bandwidth and USB type imprinted on the connector, and now I wish all manufacturers did this.

Once you've collected a drawer (or two) full of different USB cables, it is really useful to know which ones are what type. Using inferior spec cables, means that even with an expensive charger, your device may only trickle charge instead of fast charge, may not transfer data, etc. It is not always very obvious what the issue is, but it often comes down to the incorrect USB-C cable.

When it comes to USB-C cables, a cable is not just a cable.

See https://www.theverge.com/2023/11/6/23948486/usb-c-cables-marking-speed-power-delivery-elgato

#technology #USBC

I featured my OpenWebRx receiver about a year or two back, which allows you to use any desktop or mobile browser, to be able to listen to various radio transmissions that are received at my home in Cape Town.

The previous version would allow you to tune into ham radio bulletins, repeaters, and simplex chats, including SSB on VHF and UHF, and even DMR repeaters. It also had decoding for APRS location beaconing for vehicles, weather stations, etc.

By upgrading to the Plus version, my station is now also able to receive and decode the ADS-B locator beacons sent out by planes on 1.09 GHz. Not new to the Plus version, but I also added a profile for Cape Town International Airport's Tower and Approach frequencies.

To view APRS or plane ADS-B beacons on a map, first open the correct profile (see red circle on attached image) and choose RTL-SDR Air ADS-B for the planes, or RTL-SDR 2m VHF Digital for the APRS beacons. Then, once they start to show data, click on the Map button at the far top right of the screen to view the map with those locations updated. In both cases, those profiles open on the correct frequencies ready to use.

Be aware though that up to 15 users can use this service, but everyone controls the same view. So, if you are listening to the plane beacons, someone else may switch it to APRS beacons and everyone sees the APRS view. And of course, if tow or three people try to control it, it could become chaotic. I may have to think about limiting it to one person at a time if the experience is not a good one.

You can click on the very top bar where it says ZS1OSS Cape Town, South, and the bar will expand to reveal more information.

See https://openwebrx.gadgeteerza.co.za/

#technology #hamradio #planespotting #capetown

I featured my OpenWebRx receiver about a year or two back, which allows you to use any desktop or mobile browser, to be able to listen to various radio transmissions that are received at my home in Cape Town.

The previous version would allow you to tune into ham radio bulletins, repeaters, and simplex chats, including SSB on VHF and UHF, and even DMR repeaters. It also had decoding for APRS location beaconing for vehicles, weather stations, etc.

By upgrading to the Plus version, my station is now also able to receive and decode the ADS-B locator beacons sent out by planes on 1.09 GHz. Not new to the Plus version, but I also added a profile for Cape Town International Airport's Tower and Approach frequencies.

To view APRS or plane ADS-B beacons on a map, first open the correct profile (see red circle on attached image) and choose RTL-SDR Air ADS-B for the planes, or RTL-SDR 2m VHF Digital for the APRS beacons. Then, once they start to show data, click on the Map button at the far top right of the screen to view the map with those locations updated. In both cases, those profiles open on the correct frequencies ready to use.

Be aware though that up to 15 users can use this service, but everyone controls the same view. So, if you are listening to the plane beacons, someone else may switch it to APRS beacons and everyone sees the APRS view. And of course, if tow or three people try to control it, it could become chaotic. I may have to think about limiting it to one person at a time if the experience is not a good one.

You can click on the very top bar where it says ZS1OSS Cape Town, South, and the bar will expand to reveal more information.

See https://openwebrx.gadgeteerza.co.za/

#technology #hamradio #planespotting #capetown

I featured my OpenWebRx receiver about a year or two back, which allows you to use any desktop or mobile browser, to be able to listen to various radio transmissions that are received at my home in Cape Town.

The previous version would allow you to tune into ham radio bulletins, repeaters, and simplex chats, including SSB on VHF and UHF, and even DMR repeaters. It also had decoding for APRS location beaconing for vehicles, weather stations, etc.

By upgrading to the Plus version, my station is now also able to receive and decode the ADS-B locator beacons sent out by planes on 1.09 GHz. Not new to the Plus version, but I also added a profile for Cape Town International Airport's Tower and Approach frequencies.

To view APRS or plane ADS-B beacons on a map, first open the correct profile (see red circle on attached image) and choose RTL-SDR Air ADS-B for the planes, or RTL-SDR 2m VHF Digital for the APRS beacons. Then, once they start to show data, click on the Map button at the far top right of the screen to view the map with those locations updated. In both cases, those profiles open on the correct frequencies ready to use.

Be aware though that up to 15 users can use this service, but everyone controls the same view. So, if you are listening to the plane beacons, someone else may switch it to APRS beacons and everyone sees the APRS view. And of course, if tow or three people try to control it, it could become chaotic. I may have to think about limiting it to one person at a time if the experience is not a good one.

You can click on the very top bar where it says ZS1OSS Cape Town, South, and the bar will expand to reveal more information.

See https://openwebrx.gadgeteerza.co.za/

#technology #hamradio #planespotting #capetown

Recalling my recent post about USB sticks not delivering the stated storage sizes, this tester looks pretty interesting for testing USB fast chargers. There are supposedly similar issues around USB fast chargers that chronically overheat and are not up to spec.

Most USB charger testers are just voltage and current measurers, but this device goes way beyond that. Not only does it test for the various USB-C charging modes, ripple and noise testing, eMarker detection, and lots more.

The device claims the ability to monitor 4-28V, 0-7A, 0-120W and can integrate capacity/consumption. Resolution is claimed to be 10uV/uA/uW. It supports USB-A, micro-B and type-C connections.

It also has PC and Android apps to obtain more advanced views.

I see many people complaining they don't get full speed charges, or a device is not starting properly, and it is mostly due to the USB-C power output not being sufficient. With a device like this it is a lot easier to diagnose whether it is the charger or the cable at fault (an incorrect USB-C cable will negate advanced USB-C charging or power delivery).

See https://goughlui.com/2023/04/29/review-tested-fnirsi-fnb58-usb-fast-charge-tester/

#technology #USBchargers #testing

Recalling my recent post about USB sticks not delivering the stated storage sizes, this tester looks pretty interesting for testing USB fast chargers. There are supposedly similar issues around USB fast chargers that chronically overheat and are not up to spec.

Most USB charger testers are just voltage and current measurers, but this device goes way beyond that. Not only does it test for the various USB-C charging modes, ripple and noise testing, eMarker detection, and lots more.

The device claims the ability to monitor 4-28V, 0-7A, 0-120W and can integrate capacity/consumption. Resolution is claimed to be 10uV/uA/uW. It supports USB-A, micro-B and type-C connections.

It also has PC and Android apps to obtain more advanced views.

I see many people complaining they don't get full speed charges, or a device is not starting properly, and it is mostly due to the USB-C power output not being sufficient. With a device like this it is a lot easier to diagnose whether it is the charger or the cable at fault (an incorrect USB-C cable will negate advanced USB-C charging or power delivery).

See https://goughlui.com/2023/04/29/review-tested-fnirsi-fnb58-usb-fast-charge-tester/

#technology #USBchargers #testing

Recalling my recent post about USB sticks not delivering the stated storage sizes, this tester looks pretty interesting for testing USB fast chargers. There are supposedly similar issues around USB fast chargers that chronically overheat and are not up to spec.

Most USB charger testers are just voltage and current measurers, but this device goes way beyond that. Not only does it test for the various USB-C charging modes, ripple and noise testing, eMarker detection, and lots more.

The device claims the ability to monitor 4-28V, 0-7A, 0-120W and can integrate capacity/consumption. Resolution is claimed to be 10uV/uA/uW. It supports USB-A, micro-B and type-C connections.

It also has PC and Android apps to obtain more advanced views.

I see many people complaining they don't get full speed charges, or a device is not starting properly, and it is mostly due to the USB-C power output not being sufficient. With a device like this it is a lot easier to diagnose whether it is the charger or the cable at fault (an incorrect USB-C cable will negate advanced USB-C charging or power delivery).

See https://goughlui.com/2023/04/29/review-tested-fnirsi-fnb58-usb-fast-charge-tester/

#technology #USBchargers #testing