Aliexpress finds for home and DIY

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#1638147 21-Sep-2016 11:46

rmt38:

I ordered a vacuum sealer. The decent ones I wanted on Amazon were not NZ-power compatible. But this one seems to do the trick. Now I just need a larger freezer to put vacuum sealed goods in. I'm finding that Aliexpress orders take at least a week to ship.

I also ordered another hard drive enclosure from gearbest.

So you would recommend that sealer?

been considering buying one for awhile

rmt38

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#1638151 21-Sep-2016 11:53

skewt:

So you would recommend that sealer?

been considering buying one for awhile

I guess. In the long run, I'd like one with a jar attachment that can vacuum seal non-plastic containers, but for a single digit number of bags already vacuum sealed it seems to do okay. I only received it today, so can't give a recommendation for the long term use. I also bought a second roll of bags on aliexpress, but after ordering I saw that there are cheaper bags on trademe.

rmt38

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#1638760 22-Sep-2016 13:59

Coffee grinder. I should have just bought one in NZ, they're as cheap and have GST and consumer guarantees protection.

elpenguino

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#1640356 25-Sep-2016 20:52

I think this torch i got a few months ago (based on recommendation earlier in this thread i think) is the one that has appeared on Tv for 'only' $150 torch

https://www.aliexpress.com/snapshot/7654352968.html?orderId=75125064555585

Good little number, but not worth that much, as you can see.

Most of the posters in this thread are just like chimpanzees on MDMA, full of feelings of bonhomie, joy, and optimism. Fred99 8/4/21

richms

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#1640363 25-Sep-2016 21:11

A lot of the cheap torches will not fit a protected 18650 in them, and there is no way in hell I would be using a non protected one incase it gets bumped on in your bag and goes below 2.8v the cell will lose a lot of its capacity, and then when you charge it you have it go pop.

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neb

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#1640391 25-Sep-2016 21:50

richms:
and then when you charge it you have it go pop.

The technical term is "vent with flame", do a Google search on videos of that. Definitely never use unprotected cells unless you're putting them in circuitry specifically designed to deal with them. Which these torches aren't...

elpenguino

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#1640394 25-Sep-2016 21:53

The torch seems to work well with the plain ol alkaline DSE batts i stockpiled but interesting to know. Is that the value upsell for the TV special?

Most of the posters in this thread are just like chimpanzees on MDMA, full of feelings of bonhomie, joy, and optimism. Fred99 8/4/21

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neb

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#1640397 25-Sep-2016 22:05

Well... it depends what the TV-special torch was compared to this one. Every torch advertises ludicrous-speed lumens which seem to be calculated the same way they do PMPO. With a single emitter you're never going to get over maybe 900 lumens (I haven't been following the dicksize wars recently but I don't think they've gone much beyond special-bin X-ML T6's and they're several years old).

Then you need to drive them with several amps of current, which means a huge heatsink and multiple 18650s or 26650s. So it's unlikely that what you've linked to, a single emitter and 18650, is going to be terribly bright, or at least anywhere near 2000lm.

This sort of thing is more like it, although the lumen rating is also pure fantasy, you'd be putting tens of amps through it to get 10K lm from a set of T6 emitters. If you really want serious light, just get an HID torch.

neb

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#1640399 25-Sep-2016 22:12

Here's another example, a 6000 lumen torch built from a 1000 lumen emitter, assuming it actually is an L2 and not some reject-bin emitter they got cheap somewhere.

richms

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#1640401 25-Sep-2016 22:17

Also watch out for the large diameter handled ones, heaps just have 4 18650's in parallel, which is fine if you _never_ mix them up and could put a full one in with a low on. But if you do that then expect something interesting to happen as one charges the other way faster than it should.

Again, without protection that could actually result in cell damage which could lead to "vent with flame" when you charge them up again. Or worse, inside a sealed flashlight. Can you say pipe bomb?

Richard rich.ms

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#1640404 25-Sep-2016 22:21

I got this one - High Light Intensity Black Torch can pay more for it with a bigger number from other sellers. It has 4 cells in parallel, and the added thickness of the connection for the protection circuit means that I have to line that side up with the gap in the middle or the cells will jam in the thing.

Works fine with one of the grunty output LG cells in it and some foam stuffed in the rest of the battery compartment to stop the cell falling over as you tighten too, so not too demanding. Not got around to actually measuring it off my bench power supply tho.

edit:

Got 3 of these, Skywolf powerful light but they will not do up with a protected cell in them. My ones have a signifigant 2-3mm thick extension on them as well as quite a large top nipple which make them way longer than a salvaged laptop pack 18650. Might be ok on a nippleless one with a smaller board without the plastic around it for protection.

Richard rich.ms

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#1640405 25-Sep-2016 22:26

Can I use this to ask you guys - screw driver bits (stick into electric drill) that are magnetic - is it the bits that is magnetic or the electric drill chuck that is magnetic?

richms

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#1640407 25-Sep-2016 22:33

There is a small neodinium (SP?) magnet to hold the bit into the extender. That magnetisim will travel down the bit and may partially magnitize it.

I dont like those ones because the crap from the screw head slipping and the screw drilling thru metal inevitably gets into the bit holder on the magnet and makes it not sit straight. I only get the ones with the cutout to snap into a quick change chuck nowdays, and also they go into the impact driver too but dont do that with cheap soft ones that come in a tool set with a screwdriver as they will just break.

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Sam91

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#1640412 25-Sep-2016 22:41

My bad, I recommended the torch based on it working well and being cheap, I wasn't aware of the issues you've pointed out.

I'm still trying to get my head around what you're saying. I use rechargeable AAA batteries with the torch. Are you saying that the torch can cause cell damage to these batteries and as a result next time they're charged they could blow up?

If yes, hopefully the purchasers are still monitoring this thread and throw away the torch and any batteries used. Wish somebody mentioned this when I posted the link.

@ZollyMonsta @Youi @k1w1k1d @joker97 Read the posts above mine for more info.

richms

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#1640413 25-Sep-2016 22:47

If you use a 3 AAA converter in them it will be safe, just give you hopeless runtime and limit its output to what the cells can provide. AAAs are not made for that high draw so it really limits the runtime.

Its when you feed it properly with a lithium based cell that you have to worry about treating them properly. People are accustomed to alkaline and other ones where the worst that happens if you mistreat them is a little bit of slightly corrosive goo leaks out which will ruin the thing you have it in, so you see people doing dumb stuff all the time like mixing battery types and charge levels, because they can get away with it. If you continue that sort of treatment with lithium ones that are not protected, you dont just get a little bit of corrosive gunk making your battery contacts rust, you get flames and fire and similar.

You can still kill a NiMh cell by putting a flat one in series with good ones and then running the device till it wont work anymore - but the dead nimh is just going to have no capacity anymore. Nothing spectacular.

Richard rich.ms

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