Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this product for free so that I could provide product feedback to the company and post a product review. I was not required to write a positive review and I do not rate products higher than they should have been. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's requirements.
I recently received a Life-Phorm device mount for a product review. It is designed to support tablets, smartphones and cameras. I have used a Breffo smartphone adjustable mount before, so I knew the value of these sorts of mounts - you can mount devices in creative positions/locations.
Nexus 7
Side view of Nexus 7
I didn’t test the Life-Phorm with a camera, but I did try the following devices with mixed results:
- Samsung Galaxy S5: It mounted fine even though it was in an Otterbox case.
- Nexus 7 2013: I had to remove it from the case, then it fit without any problems.
- Nabi DreamTab HD8: This wouldn’t really mount securely, but I think it was because the tablet itself is oddly shaped - the back has a section that is thicker.
Overall, I found this mount to be useful to hold my smartphone especially since I use it as a baby monitor sometimes and sometimes I just like having the phone setup next to me while I work on my laptop. I also like the fact the legs have a hole in them, so you can tie a string or something to make the mount secure - I plan to try this with a tablet in the car.
Bottom line: Unique device mount with adjustable setup options.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this product for free so that I could provide product feedback to the company and post a product review. I was not required to write a positive review and I do not rate products higher than they should have been. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's requirements.
I recently received a LinkIt ONE development board for a product review. The package included the following items:
- LinkIt ONE development board
- 3 Antennas ( GPS, combined Bluetooth/Wi-Fi and GSM )
- Lithium-Ion Battery
- Backplate for LinkIt One board
- Getting Started manual (printed copy)
- Board reference (useful reference showing pins and switches, printed copy)
The LinkIt One board is actually not much larger than a standard Arduino UNO compatible board, which was impressive considering the amount of technology you get. You get the normal things you would expect from an Arduino compatible board ( Digital I/O, Analog I/O, etc ) but you also get features that would traditionally require a shield or add-on such as GSM (including GPRS), Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS and SD card. You can read up more on LinkIt ONE and the development board at the following links:
Size Comparison: LinkIt ONE (Top) and UNO compatible board (Bottom)
Back of board without metal plate. The SIM and microSD slots are on the bottom.
There isn’t much hardware setup needed initially. There is a metal plate ( with a sticker that has info like the Wi-Fi MAC address and IMEI ) which you should attach to the bottom of the board which is fairly simple. The battery is easy to connect, and so are the antennas but I would suggest not connecting the battery or antennas until you need them.
Once the board is ready, the next step was to get the software ready.
I tried following the steps on the “Get Started” paper guide, but they seemed to be for older versions of the Arduino IDE. Instead of following the included paper guide, I would suggest using this link as a starting point:
After following directions and getting everything setup, I was ready to start playing around with the board. This board is not exactly an Arduino UNO compatible board, there are differences listed in the MediaTek LinkIt ONE Developer's Guide ( Section 3.5 as of version 1.3 of the guide available at http://labs.mediatek.com/linkitguide ). I would recommend reading the entire guide before doing anything else - if you are going to use code, libraries and shields designed for the UNO you may have issues due to the differences.
Just playing around with the board and trying out sample code, I have tested a few things I couldn’t have done with a normal UNO compatible board (without shields) such as:
So far, I am very impressed by this kit. If you are planning to do projects that require connectivity, this is a great all-in-one board to consider. I will continue to read up on the hardware capabilities, and continue to try out some simple projects to learn how to use the board. I hope to post a project either on my blog or on Hackster.io (or both).
Bottom line: Impressive development board that is compatible with Arduino language, and has integrated features that should allow for some interesting mobile / connected projects.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this product for free so that I could provide product feedback to the company and post a product review. I was not required to write a positive review and I do not rate products higher than they should have been. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's requirements.
I recently received a SIM908 development board from DIYmall for a product review. In addition to the board itself, two antennas ( GSM and GPS ) were included. I believe you would need to use a SIM card tied to T-Mobile network or AT&T network if you plan to use this unit in the US.
SIM908 Board
I used an Arduino UNO to connect with the SIM908 dev board, it took me a while to figure out how to use it - apparently you must have a SIM card in the unit, otherwise it won’t fully start up and won’t respond to AT commands.
Once I figured out how to get things connected, I focused on two projects (links are at the end of this entry):
1) Being able to send “AT” commands to the unit so I could play around with different commands.
2) Being able to get GPS information in a NMEA standard format, so that software on my computer could use the data.
Overall, this is a neat little board. I didn’t get a chance to write any other programs, but the basic capability of issuing AT commands and getting GPS data both worked fine. I was able to send and receive a sms (text) message which was pretty neat. This sort of board is going to require that you have a solid grasp of Arduino (or whatever board you are using) and how to interact using AT commands -- not something I would recommend for a new user.
Bottom line: Neat little board to experiment with GSM/GPS capabilities.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this product for free so that I could provide product feedback to the company and post a product review. I was not required to write a positive review and I do not rate products higher than they should have been. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's requirements.
I recently received a XIRO Xplorer V Quadcopter / Drone from Amazon seller DIYmall for a product review. My package came with the following, but keep in mind this is a newer product so the contents might change:
- XIRO Quadcopter itself
- Charger and battery
- 3 sets of propellers (two different styles). I don’t think this is standard.
- Transmitter, lanyard and range extender
- Camera with 8GB memory card installed, mounted on 3-axis gimal. The camera includes a filter cover for use in bright sun, and a lens cover. You can fly without it attached - in fact it is recommended you do not use it when you are just starting to learn.
- A few other smaller things, like a set of extra rubber feet for the landing legs
The package itself includes a piece of cardboard with “XIRO” on it, I actually use that as a takeoff and landing pad. Everything is packaged up nicely, and you can actually use the box as a carrying case - you have to remove a few pieces, but still a great way to reuse the box.
The cardboard on the right makes a nice landing pad
Quadcopter removed, everything is packed nicely.
Setting up the quadcopter was pretty simple, just follow the directions - everything you need is included, which is nice. I decided to update the firmware for the flight control and gimbal, I would recommend anyone with a quadcopter always run the latest versions of firmware. As a note, the bottom of the battery charger gets hot so you may want to put it on the side.
Closeup of one of the motors
Close up of the battery mount - it has a green line to show you where to line it up, very useful
Flying this quadcopter is very fun and not difficult at all. This unit uses GPS, which helps keep it stable even if there is wind outside - the fact the unit itself is fairly slim also helps minimize the impact due to wind. The unit has 3 control modes, I keep mine in mode 1 most of the time which is best for new users but mode 3 does make it faster which is fun. Basically it can grow with you.
Landing legs down ( use with gimbal )
Landing legs down ( you can use without gimbal if you want )
The XIRO has some pretty cool features, such as:
- Auto takeoff and landing, just press a button
- It can return home when you press a button (it will fly to you, then land within a few feet of where it took off). It will also do this automatically when your battery is low.
- If the quadcopter loses connection with your transmitter, it will come back towards you to try to get signal and if that fails it will come back to the “Home” position and land.
Removable piece with camera and gimbal
Includes a 8GB microSD memory card, lens cover, lens filter for use in the sun
This version allows you to use your smartphone to connect and watch live video plus get information such as remaining battery which is very useful. The transmitter has a cradle to hold the smartphone, which is very nice. Using the software, you can trigger the onboard camera to take pictures or record video that gets stored on the included microSD 8GB memory card (which you can upgrade to 32GB).
To see the quality of video, I would recommend do some searches on Youtube to see samples -- I got my quadcopter up about 100ft and took some nice video of a local park ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AfxXar_3W-0 ). The 3-axis gimbal makes the video very stable and smooth.
I plan to keep using the quadcopter, and will update this review if I run into any issues. I haven’t tested all the features yet, but so far from what I have seen it performs very well.
For anyone who decides to purchase a quadcopter, consider the following suggestions:
- Read all the directions/manuals first, it comes with paper manuals but you can get them online and the Android app also lets you access instructions. Look at them all, too much information can’t hurt.
- If you live in the US, consider joining the AMA ( www.modelaircraft.org ).
- If you live in the US, make sure you know the FAA rules. Commercial use is very restricted, but for hobby use check out ( https://www.faa.gov/uas/model_aircraft/ ).
- If you live in the US, Check out this site ( http://knowbeforeyoufly.org/ ).
- Find an open space when you are learning how to use the quadcopter
- Avoid parks with kids, they will end up coming near you and ask questions which is a distraction or they will actually stand under it which isn’t safe
- Do NOT try to fly this inside your house, resist the temptation.
Bottom line: This is a very impressive quadcopter that should be able to handle a beginner with no problem, but provide features that an experienced owner will appreciate.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this product for free so that I could provide product feedback to the company and post a product review. I was not required to write a positive review and I do not rate products higher than they should have been. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's requirements.
I recently received a Volmate digital multimeter ( model VOL880 ) for a product review. In addition to the meter itself, two probes (red/black) were included.
The meter can be used to measure the following:
- DC and AC voltage ( up to 600V )
- Resistance (200Ohm-2000K Ohm range)
- It can also test things like continuity, diodes and transistors
You have to manually set the ranges using the dial, so it isn’t as convenient as an autoranging meter but manual ones typically cost less than autoranging meters.
For real world tests, I used the meter to measure various voltages on supplies and batteries that I had -- the meter seemed to work fine. The “hold” button is useful if you are logging your data and need to write down your measurements, and the backlight helps you see the screen clearly. The backlight stays on for a few seconds before turning off, but the hold button doesn’t change the display until you press it again.
So far the meter works, I will update this review if I run into any issues.
Bottom line: If you are looking for digital multimeter for hobby use, and don’t mind having to manually set the range this is a nice option.
