Tontec 3.5 Inch Touch Screen for Raspberry Pi Review

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 Tontec 3.5 Inch Touch Screen for Raspberry Pi for a product review. The kit includes a case and the screen.

Setting up the case itself was fairly easy.  The product listing actually has a video but I didn’t notice that until after I put mine together -- there is a little diagram included in the kit, if you just pay attention to how parts are aligned and use some thinking skills it isn’t that difficult.  Installing the Raspberry Pi 3 hardware and screen wasn’t that hard either, but if you have questions/concerns make sure you reach out to the company or read the available documentation.

To test the screen, I started with a fresh install of 3/18/2016 release of Raspbian Jessie (not the lite version) on my Raspberry Pi 3.  Once I had the wifi setup, I connected via SSH and followed the directions included with the kit.  After following the directions, step by step, my screen was up and running.  The touchscreen was responsive, and the calibration did help improve the accuracy.

If you are looking for a general use screen for setting up your Pi, you might be better off using a larger HDMI screen however if you want a small LCD screen for custom/special projects this is a great option to consider.

Bottom line: Neat 3.5” touchscreen that works with the Raspberry Pi 3.

Amazon Product Page: http://amzn.com/B00NANNJLQ

Raspberry Pi 3 Starter Pack from Adafruit

Until recently I didn't have a chance to try out a Pi, but that changed when I recently acquired a Raspberry Pi 3 Starter Pack by Adafruit.  I also looked at a Pi 3 kit from SparkFun which was very similar but I ended up picking the Adafruit option.  Although the kit itself was made by Adafruit, it was ordered for me by Hackster.io in exchange for reputation points.

Here is what the kit includes:

• Raspberry Pi 3 - Model B
• Adafruit Raspberry Pi B+ Case - Smoke Base / Clear Top
• Adafruit Assembled Pi Cobbler Plus
• Full Size Breadboard
• Premium Male/Male Jumper Wires
• USB to TTL Serial Cable
• 8GB SD card for Raspberry Pi preinstalled with Raspbian Jessi
• 5V 2.4A Switching Power Supply w/ 6' MicroUSB Cable
• Embroidered Raspberry Pi Badge
• Misc Parts ( Photo Cell, Resistors, LEDs, Switches )

The kit includes almost everything you need just add a HDMI display, USB keyboard and USB mouse.  Once everything was up and running, I started to play around with the Pi.  Here is a quick list of a few things I tried:

• I played around with a LED and switch following the code listed here ( https://www.raspberrypi.org/learning/physical-computing-with-python/ ) but I have played with Arduino for that sort of hardware/software interaction so I didn't really focus on that for now.
• Played with New Out of the Box Software (NOOBS)
• Tested various operating systems (Raspbian and Ubuntu Mate) that are more of a normal workstation / desktop replacement
• Tested two media center options Open Source Media Center (OSMC) and Open Embedded Linux Entertainment Center (OpenELEC) 
• Used BerryBoot to load multiple operating systems on a single memory card
• Used BerryBoot to load an operating system on a USB thumb drive
• Tested RetroPie but didn't use it much since I didn't have a game controller handy
• Connected remotely via SSH and RDP (after installing xrdp)

Overall I was excited to see the number of options available for Raspberry Pi.  For now, I need to pick a project and spend a little more time on it.  I was thinking of setting up a network attached storage device, or I might just test the media center options a bit more since I don't have cable.

Bottom line - if you have been interested in trying out a Raspberry Pi and feel like you can get at least one project out of it, don't waste time and get one.  The kits are nice, but if you already have some of the components you need you can just get the board itself to start playing around.

Adafruit Product Page: https://www.adafruit.com/product/3058

UAV Bits Thread Caps Review

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 quadcopter motor thread caps for a product review.  Although these are listed for the P3, I used them for my Xiro Xplorer V.

These thread caps are designed to cover the motor threads when you have the propellers removed.  If you transport your quadcopter in a backpack or case, the caps can prevent damage to the inside of the case.

Bare motor (no propeller / thread caps)

Thread cap installed

From what I can tell, they seem to be 3D printed material and feel pretty light but not cheap or fragile.  The caps were very easy to install, just a simple twist (in the correct direction depending on the motor rotation).  Once installed they fully cover the threads, but they don’t add too much material to the end so it shouldn’t cause a problem unless your case/backpack is a very tight fit with no room at all.

Thread caps all around

These worked fine on my Xiro Xplorer V, and likely work with any quadcopter motor that uses similar thread as the DJI series such as the P3.  UAV Bits also has a newer product ( http://www.uavbits.net/store/p34/Gold_Motor_Caps.html ) I don't know if they fit the Xplorer V, but it looks like a great option to also keep anything from going inside the motor during transport.

Bottom line: Simple to use caps to protect your quadcopter motor threads.

UAV BITS Product Page: http://www.uavbits.net/store/p31/Thread_Caps_for_P3.html

NiteCore D4 Battery Charger Review

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this product discounted 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 NiteCore D4 battery charger for a product review.  In addition to the battery charger itself, it came with two power cords ( house and car ) and a small plastic battery box.

The specs on this charger are pretty nice - it can charge many different sizes and types, including NiMh, Li-Ion and LiFePO4 batteries.  I also really liked the fact that each of the 4 slots is individually controlled, so you can charge the mix you need.  My old charger was just a AA/AAA charger and I had to charge in pairs of the same size/type so this NiteCore was a huge different.

Despite the capable feature set, this unit isn’t complicated at all.  Most batteries it can handle are automatically recognized, you only have to take additional steps for small capacity batteries and LiFePO4 batteries.

Types of batteries I tested:

- 18650 2200 mAh Li-Ion battery
- AA Eneloop 1900 mAh NiMh battery
- AA Energizer 2450 mAh NiMh battery
- AAA Duracell 850 mAh NiMh battery

Testing out the charger

I tried a mix of batteries and every single one charged without a problem, and without having to take additional steps to set a certain mode or select the type of battery.  Initially I found myself messing around with the unit to look at the voltage etc, but this really is a “set and forget” type of charger.  I was worried that the charger would be complicated, and not usable by others in the household that prefer to just drop the batteries in and let it charge like the old charger - I was glad to see that unit worked great without having to be setup each time.

Bottom line: This is an impressive charger that can handle normal household AA/AAA rechargeable batteries with no problem, but can also handle a wide range of batteries that are starting to become more common.

GW008 Mini Skull Quadcopter Review

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 GW008 Mini Skull Quadcopter from Banggood for a product review. In addition to the quadcopter itself, a transmitter, charger and spare set of propellers were included.

All you need is 4AAA batteries, everything else is included

The quadcopter comes with pretty much everything you need, other than 4 AAA batteries for the transmitter.  As always, I recommend reading the instructions before using any electronic device.

Charging and setting up the quadcopter is very simple.  Once you are ready to fly, the controls are fairly simple to use and are mode 2 setup which is the same as two other quadcopters I have tested.

Here are some of the design aspects I noticed:

- Cool design
- Pads on the landing feet to help make landings softer
- Propeller guards help avoid crashing if you bump into things

Front of quadcopter

Bottom of the quadcopter

Pads for landing feet, helps for rough landings

The quadcopter has a nice design and pretty sturdy from what I can tell - I hit walls, the floor, and the ceiling multiple times and haven't broken anything yet.

As for flight, it is fairly smooth and stable but practice does help.  I did notice when you move from a stable hover, you also want to give it a little throttle to keep the quadcopter from dropping a bit.  Once you learn how to do fly around pretty smoothly,  the controller has an button to adjust the movement speed and has an easy "flip" button to do stunts.

Some video of my testing (and crashing)

I mainly flew indoors, but I would suggest that first timers practice outdoors (with no wind) to have plenty of room to get comfortable with the quadcopter.  Also, try to practice over grass instead of the street - chances are, you will crash it a few times until you get the hang of it.

Bottom line: A cool looking and fun quadcopter that is also pretty sturdy.  Great for a first time quadcopter owner, or someone who just wants to add another quadcopter to the collection.

Related Links (they redirect to the correct pages)

Quadcopter Page: http://goo.gl/iCTmwG

Banggood Page: http://goo.gl/EhCydt
Banggood Facebook: https://goo.gl/1Fw2eC
Banggood Youtube: https://goo.gl/cpfI5R