Category Archives: Technology

Technology

This Unique Cold War-Era Soviet Tank Was The First Laser Tank

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The 1K17 was one of many many prototypes the Soviet Union inbuilt its quest for a “Self-propelled Laser Complex” (SLK). The idea was initially proposed within the Seventies and early Eighties with the event of the 1K11 Stilet. The Luch Central Design Bureau, below the management of Gen. Dmitry Ustinov, engineered two prototypes to ship round 1982. The 1K11 advanced had a laser emitter atop a tracked chassis.

After the Stilet was the “Sangvin” (Sanguine). This prototype utilized the chassis of the ZSU-23-4 Shilka self-propelled anti-air gun. The weapons had been eliminated and changed with a single laser emitter to disable the sensors and optics of fight plane. While there may be restricted take a look at knowledge accessible right this moment, quite a few sources counsel that at ranges of 5 to 6 miles, the Sanguine might go away a helicopter inoperable.

The most superior SLK arrived in 1989, within the type of the 1K17 Szhatie, however so did the top of the Soviet Union. However, the Russian navy powered forward, Assembled in December 1990 and trialed till 1992, the Szhatie demonstrated promising outcomes throughout testing. However, regardless of the success of the trials, the 1K17 by no means entered full-scale manufacturing or service.

[Featured image by Vitaly V. Kuzmin via Wikimedia Commons | Cropped and scaled | CC BY-SA 4.0]

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9 Of The Best Home Energy Savings Tactics If You Don’t Want To Install Solar Panels

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Installing photo voltaic panels in your roof will make your private home extra power environment friendly and scale back your energy payments, however that isn’t the one approach a roof can do these items. Instead of photo voltaic panels, an alternative choice an individual may have can be to make the roof on their dwelling a cool roof, with the “cool” on this occasion referring to the precise temperature of the roof. A conventional roof, notably in summer time, traps warmth and might attain temperatures of round 150 levels Fahrenheit. As you may count on, that warmth then comes into the house, inflicting your air conditioner to work extra time to attempt to fight it. Having a cool roof combats this phenomenon in an enormous approach.

A cool roof is often so much lighter in colour and made from supplies that may mirror photo voltaic rays slightly than take in them. These roofs can redirect that warmth elsewhere and never have it stick with your private home as a lot, and on these notably scorching summer time days, that 150-degree quantity may very well be decreased by over 50 levels, leading to far much less utilization out of your air conditioner.

Of course, for those who plan to utterly cowl or solely redo your roof, then maybe it’s worthwhile to make the change to photo voltaic panels. Having a cool roof nonetheless has its advantages, particularly aesthetically for those who like having a white or lightly-colored roof, however photo voltaic panels can be a extra environment friendly long-term possibility.

Technology

5 Of The Best Smart Home Locks For Renters

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Now, it’s possible you’ll discover a pattern with retrofit sensible locks. Generally, the cheaper the lock, the clunkier it’s, and vice versa. So, should you’re a renter engaged on a finances however need a sensible lock, it would not get a lot less complicated than the SwitchBot Lock.

While the remainder of the choices require some set up, the SwitchBot Lock is a rip-and-stick sensible lock. It would not require any screws or drills. Simply select which thumbturn adaptor suits your deadbolt, alter the bottom, peel off the protector to disclose the adhesive, and stick it to the within of your door. Once put in, the SwitchBot Lock provides seven methods to unlock your door, together with out of your smartphone, Apple Watch, voice management (Alexa and Google), Bluetooth, or bodily keys.

The SwitchBot Lock is extremely simple to put in and undoubtedly the best on this listing. It’s additionally the clunkiest choice, sitting on prime of your deadbolt and protruding a number of inches out of your door. However, the SwitchBot Lock is the most cost effective product on this listing, retailing for just $99.99. It retains that title even should you add the SwitchBot Keypad to your buy, totaling $119.99. So, should you’re a renter, a wise lock would not get a lot less complicated than the SwitchBot Lock.

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What Are Tiltrotor Aircraft, And How Do They Fly?

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The primary idea behind tiltrotor plane is reasonably ingenious in its simplicity. Rather than a single, stationary rotor, as you’d see on a typical helicopter, tiltrotors use a pair of rotors mounted on each side of the automobile, each of that are positioned on a swiveling joint. While on the bottom and taking off, the rotors are positioned vertically to generate the required upward elevate. 

Once the automobile is safely within the sky and transferring ahead, the rotors then swivel all the way down to their horizontal configuration, switching from vertical elevate to horizontal torque. In different phrases, the rotors tilt — it is all proper there within the title. Think of it as a helicopter reworking right into a biplane, shifting its vitality era from pushing it off the bottom to propelling it ahead.

By fastidiously adjusting the tilting rotors, operators of this type of automobile may use it for every kind of sensible functions, together with transporting cargo, search-and-rescue, and troop transport. That’s one of many causes it is so engaging to army organizations — if all plane may land with out using a runway, it might significantly enhance operational prospects and save house. 

Technology

How Many Solar Panels Does It Take To Power An RV/Motorhome?

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Before figuring out what number of photo voltaic panels you want, you may first need to estimate how a lot day by day vitality you usually use.

To get an estimate, you possibly can add up the day by day energy consumption of your RV’s main home equipment. Make a listing of all of the electronics in your RV. Then, label every with their indicated wattage. Many frequent home equipment, like fridges and televisions, are stamped with their wattage on their again panels.

If a tool is not labeled, you possibly can search its mannequin on-line to search out it. You may also search the net for a standard wattage of that specific equipment, or check with the frequent wattages list provided by EcoFlow. Some gadgets point out their voltage and amperage as a substitute, however you possibly can merely multiply the 2 to get the wattage.

Once you will have a listing of your home equipment and their wattages, estimate what number of hours per day you employ every. Then, multiply every equipment’s wattage by the hours per day you employ it, and add every little thing up. This will present your complete Watt-hours per day you want.

For instance, for example you will have a 100W tv operating 2 hours per day, a 60W fridge operating 24 hours per day, and a 400W area heater operating for 1 hour per day. To discover the full, multiply every gadget’s wattage by its day by day utilization and add every little thing up.

  • (100W tv) x (2hr/day) = 200Wh/day
  • (60W fridge) x (24hr/day) = 1,440Wh/day
  • (400W area heater) x (1hr/day) = 800Wh/day
  • Total Wh/day = (200Wh/day) + (1,040Wh/day) + (800Wh/day) = 2,040Wh/day

This is an instance, so you may doubtless have extra home equipment to incorporate. Whatever quantity you give you, write it right down to preserve it readily available for the subsequent steps.

Technology

The Best Bike Racks For Camping On A Budget

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Last however definitely not least is Haul-Master’s Two Bike Hitch Mount bike rack, which is definitely essentially the most budget-friendly possibility on our record, boasting a price ticket of simply $45. If you’re unfamiliar with the Haul-Master title, it is a Harbor Freight Tools model that makes all the things from cargo carriers and off-road vehicle ramps to folding trailers and truck bed accessories. Yes, in addition they make a trailer hitch bike rack you should purchase on-line or at your native Harbor Freight retailer.

For $45, you’re, in fact, getting much less flash within the design division. But you aren’t sacrificing high quality, with Bicycling just lately together with Haul-Master’s hitch rack on their latest Best Of record and on a regular basis customers giving it 4.5 out of 5 stars on Harbor Freight’s web site. The barebones construct apart, the design workforce did equip the rack with a tilt-back characteristic that makes it straightforward to entry a trunk, tailgate, or hatchback. So, in the event you’re in search of an inexpensive, purely useful solution to take a mountain bike or two alongside in your subsequent tenting enterprise, this rack could be very a lot in your wheelhouse.

The Two Bike Hitch Mount rack does have a few drawbacks, one in every of which is that it maxes out at carrying 100 kilos. So, you may should be cautious when loading up a pair of full-size mountain bikes. Some customers additionally complained in regards to the rack’s toughness and a too-loose match of their trailer hitch. Even nonetheless, at $45, this rack could also be well worth the danger.

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5 Highly Rated Bird Feeder Cameras You Can Watch On Your Phone

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Not all our feathered pals take pleasure in birdseed. Hummingbirds are a particular case, as these petite birds use their specifically designed beaks and lengthy tongues to slurp up nectar from flowers. While hummingbird-specific feeders have been round for a while, attempting to look at these fast-fluttering flyers is very tough, given their intense velocity. Thankfully, the BirdDock Hummingbird Feeder Camera is designed for viewing these exceptional little creatures. 

The feeder encompasses a 2-in-1 design, housing nectar for hummingbirds and seed for all different birds. The beautiful 1080p day and nighttime imaginative and prescient digicam has an particularly broad angle of 165 levels to seize an in depth scope of the realm. Like many different accompanying apps, BirdDock is imbued with AI options to assist determine over 10,000 hen varieties whereas additionally permitting for reside streaming and real-time notifications. Additionally, it permits a number of customers to hook up with the gadget without delay, making it an ideal alternative for nature-loving households. 

While sporting a stable 4.2 score common on Amazon, with a lot reward going to its pristine picture high quality, some customers have skilled points with Wi-Fi connection and app lagging. This is probably going because of it solely as a result of it solely helps indicators, that means you will have to regulate your router whether it is used to working with 5.0GHz. Regardless, it nonetheless makes a stable choice for these seeking to get into feeding hummingbirds. The photo voltaic panel model goes for $169.99 on Amazon, however a battery-powered mannequin is bought at Walmart for $119.99.

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Arduino Resistor Color Codes Explained: What Each Means

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As defined by Arduino to Go, every shade band on the resistor corresponds to a quantity however this could differ relying on the band’s placement. It’s not difficult, however the sheer variety of colours and the way their placement can have an effect on a resistor’s Ohm worth makes making an attempt to memorize every part considerably difficult. In essence (once more, relying on placement):

  1. Brown is one, or a multiplier of 10.
  2. Red is 2, or a multiplier of 100.
  3. Orange is three, or a 1,000 multiplier.
  4. Yellow is 4, or a multiplier of 10,000.
  5. Green is 5, or a multiplier of 100,000.
  6. Blue is six, or a 1,000,000 multiplier.
  7. Purple is seven, however has no multiplier.
  8. Grey is eight, additionally with no multiplier.
  9. White is 9, no multiplier.
  10. Black is a zero, or a multiplier of 1.

Silver and gold are the 2 exceptions to this sample in that they do not signify a quantity or multiplier. Instead, they point out a 10- to 5-percent (respectively) vary in accuracy — that means a gold band resistor may have a 5-percent greater or decrease Ohms worth attributable to attainable variance within the manufacturing course of.

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Ryobi 18v ONE+ Vs. Milwaukee M18 Fuel Pole Saw Tree Trimmer: What’s The Difference?

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These two instruments could look related however their specs are wildly completely different. Firstly, there’s a two-inch distinction within the bar size which creates a three-inch distinction for the utmost reduce diameter. Ryobi’s bar size is barely eight inches and the reduce diameter is barely six inches. Those dimensions make this pole cutter nice for smaller limbs, however something thicker, and you may want extra. On the opposite hand, Milwaukee’s tree trimmer has a 10-inch bar size which lets you reduce as much as 9 inches of log in diameter.

The chain pace is one other vastly completely different element. Ryobi’s is 5.3 m/s whereas Milwaukee’s is a whooping 25.40 m/s. This makes for a a lot quicker reducing pace, so the job might be completed faster helping you whip your yard back into shape in no time. However, despite the fact that Milwaukee does have some spectacular excessive numbers, its weight is not one in all them. Its tree trimmer is available in at 19.40 kilos, which is numerous weight to regulate whilst you have a strong noticed swinging within the air round tree limbs. Ryobi’s is barely 6.6 kilos, so it ought to be simpler to regulate.

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This Igloo Iceless Cooler From Costco Is Going Viral, But Viewers Are Upset About The Price

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In a world the place good coolers exist — such because the 24Q Hybrid Power Cooler from Ryobi and the Makita Outdoor Adventure cooler – why should not we’ve one which runs on electrical energy? But even with its bevy of phenomenal options, there’s little to justify the almost $700 value of the Igloo ICF 80DZ 83-quart Cooler. On an Instagram submit displaying off the cooler from @costconew, customers akin to @michaelcclark1 known as it “Way.. Way Too Expensive as an alternative,” and @buddyhanratty commented, “You had me until the price.”

Most could not comprehend the advantage of such a purchase order, particularly when there is a comparable resolution widespread in most households. User @huntbatchscott expressed this sentiment, saying, “I have an iceless cooler too. It’s called a refrigerator.” Given that each units cool your meals by way of electrical energy, it is easy to see how such a comparability might be made. What attracts most individuals to coolers, nevertheless, is that they will journey with them whereas maintaining their meals cool. But for those who aren’t near a charging port to your electrical cooler, akin to on the seaside or out tenting, then it defeats the aim. 

Commenters believed that their cash could be higher spent on an precise fridge or mini fridge, with many even giving particular suggestions, akin to @alas3k, who shared, “Paid for a Magic Chef mid-size for less than $320!!!” Magic Chef additionally sells a mini fridge for $229 at The Home Depot. For these in search of a better-priced merchandise just like the Igloo cooler, @jmedias_ really useful “Get ICECO instead,” which at the moment prices just below $449 on Amazon.