T&L Publications

A few years ago I could drive to five Radio Shacks. All gone. There were also several other businesses that sold hobby supplies and electronic components. They're gone too. If you need a couple of items that are cheap, the shipping costs can easily be more than the components. You can search eBay fo...

I have to apologize, Janitor Tzap. I asked a question when I already knew the answer. You can search a dozen popular sites that sell components. No one has the type of adapter I need. I have a huge collection of audio and video adapters that I never use. Many are obsolete and should be tossed in the...

I've got a box full of audio adapters, but what I need is probably not manufactured. I need a 1/8" (3.5mm) stereo plug at the front and a normally closed (NC) jack in the rear. Why do I want this? I'm constantly plugging wireless or corded headphones into desktop speaker jacks. All these NC jac...

It's a Pace converter from Comcast. Just "any old remote" from a junk pile is not going to work, Janitor Tzap. Since all the lights in my bedroom are off, I need that backlit display. Remember when most TV's had a simple audio output jack? If they didn't, it was easy to install one because...

I have a couple of full feature (expensive) remotes, but they CANNOT be used in my bedroom. I watch TV in bed with the lights off. Two or three times each week I fall asleep with the remote in my hand. When I awake the remote is under a pillow, blanket, or on the floor. The drop to the floor isn't m...

I started with a simple problem, not knowing how difficult it would be to resolve. I constructed a kind of "hybrid" desktop server. Its main function is to download large files without slowing down the other computers in my home office. As a result, I don't need lightning fast download spe...

Kensington 72121 is listed as a "normal" product on dozens of websites. For whatever the reasons might be, an uncountable number of companies never update their websites! You can actually order this mouse and millions of other long gone products. I sent several quick emails to some of the ...

The microswitches inside a mouse are called "Snap" switches by Omron. They manufacture switches and relays by the truck load. The tiny bump on the switch that goes "Snap" is an appropriate name! A few years ago I purchased two Kensington 72121 corded mice. I liked the design imme...

The latest issue of Nuts & Volts has a Q & A about Free to Air Satellite TV. I remember countless articles in various electronics hobby magazines about backyard satellite dishes. All these publications are now defunct, but it was a very popular subject twenty or more years ago. Several tech...

This has nothing to do with my post, but I just had my upper wisdom teeth extracted. My eyes swelled shut. After that I kind of lost interest eating, sleeping, and small TVs! The swelling is almost gone after drowning my head with ice for 24 hours. Remember those incredibly cheap 13" (CRT style...

I just purchased an LG 22" TV (22LB4510). The sound quality improved after changing some of the settings in the audio menu. For a small LED TV the sound quality is acceptable. I plugged-in a pair of external speakers to the 3.5mm jack. No sound. The manual is written in plain english, but 90% o...

I refuse to wear eyeglasses while I'm in bed watching TV. I've always had some kind of cart with a small TV next to my bed. It's tempting to mount a 30 or 40 inch flat TV on wall in my bedroom, but I'd be forced to keep my glasses on while I'm trying to fall asleep. I went into my shop and built an...

CeaSaR, I mentioned that there is a very small hole for the LED. I may be wrong, but I see some kind of "light tube" when I look through the lanyard slots. Could it be a small piece of fiber optic cable? Probably not. My first thought was to take the case apart and make that miniscule hole...

I purchased a 32 and 64 gig USB thumb drive. I don't care about the brand, but I like flash drives that have an LED indicator at the back-end of the stick. I found a couple that got great reviews on Amazon and many other retail sites. They perform perfectly, but the LEDs can only be seen through two...

Hey guys. Thanks for your replies. I don't post much on any technical forum. I always hear a little voice in my head saying, "why are you asking a question, when you already know the answer." The fact is, I purchased the newer version of my old, reliable Toro trimmers without much thought....