Reddit mentions: The best electrical testing products

> It's 40 more watts on an overclocked R9 390. Most overclocked GTX 970s will exceed 210 watts when overclocked. Your "30-40%" number is a gross hyperbole, as 40w is actually 19% out of 210w.

Ok so now you are using overclocked cards, your efficiency goes down the drain if you overclock past a certain point.
Let's compare the numbers for factory overclocks on average gaming power draw:
 

https://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/MSI/GTX_970_Gaming/25.html
MSI GTX 970: 168W vs R9 290 in the same test: 239W -> 42.3%

 

https://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Sapphire/R9_390_Nitro/21.html
Here is an Sapphire R9 390 Nitro: 261W vs 168W for the MSI 970 -> 55.4%

 

We could compare maximum power draw instead of average but that doesn't really help your case:
MSI 970 213W vs Sapphire 390 365W -> 71.4%

 

Let's look at a slower clocked R9 390:
https://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Powercolor/R9_390_PCS_Plus/28.html
Average gameing power draw 231W vs 168W for the MSI 970 -> 37.5%

So I would not call that hyperbole, I would call that me being generous with the numbers ;).

> One, it can vary based on the displays used (of which they do not disclose), resolution, refresh rate, ect. There is not nearly enough data to call this an issue and not even the review you linked itself goes as far as to call it that because there simply isn't enough data.

How about that data, I, me personally have 3 different monitors, 3 different resolutions.
I usually don't throw away all my monitors and replace all of them, I usually upgrade one at a time.
I bet a lot of people use their old monitor as a secondary when upgrading, so they measure this power draws scenario for a reason.
Anyways, in my case the Sapphire R9 390 drew almost 90W when "idle" my MSI 970 draws about 16W.
It's night and day difference in noise and heat output. That R9 pulls more idle than my i7 at max torture load.

 

> This doesn't really prove anything. I've had loud GTX 970s and loud R9 390s. The only thing it proves is that some designs are better than others.

While I generally agree that this does not universally prove anything, keep in mind that all the 3 cards I tested have exceptional cooling solutions.
I run a silent PC that is almost inaudible if idle, and because I work 8 hours a day using this PC that's important to me personally. I choose those cards for a reason.
My case is not an ideal scenario for a high power card because the ventilation is limited (only 1 input fan on low RPM on idle + case is noise isolated does not have a lot of open air vents).

Still my scenario especially shows how much heat a card puts into a case because I like to keep the ventilation (noise) to a minimum.

https://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Sapphire/R9_390_Nitro/22.html
The Sapphire Nitro is a fantastic R9 variant.
0db when "idle" like the MSI 970 (which is why the Sapphire 390 was my first choice and the first card I tested as an upgrade in my current system).
Unfortunately in my case the card never really is "idle" because of the 3 monitors.
Like I said before, the gaming noise wasn't bad at all. The extra noise this card produces in my scenario is mostly due to the excess heat my case fans have to get out of my case.
Again I wouldn't really mind the noise level during gaming, or the extra power draw in that situation.
What killed this particular card for me was the idle power draw with my 3 monitors.

 

> Where are you even getting these numbers from? Every review I have seen has R9 390s at under 10w during idle.

I have something like this:
https://www.amazon.com/TS-836A-Energy-Voltage-Electricity-Monitor/dp/B00E945SJG
I measured my system power draw with my iGPU vs the power draw with the R9 390. Difference was almost 90w with all monitors attached.
This test has the R9 390 at 71 W idle with multiple monitors attached:
https://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Sapphire/R9_390_Nitro/21.html
I gladly admit that my measurement might not be super accurate and something like +-5W inaccuracy of measurement is possible.
I only had two monitors attached to the iGPU because it only has two connectors ;).
If you want we can call it 70W at idle with multiple monitors.

 

> Just going to point out that there are R9 390s with fans that don't turn on until 76c as well....

Yes and the Sapphire I tested is one of them. Sadly the card does not stay under 76 due to the power draw ;).
If I only had one monitor, or if they would fix the multi monitor issue,
the Sapphire 390 would be the better card compared e.g. with my 970.
If you don't mind the extra heat and electricity bill. (which is reasonable if you don't game that much or live where electricity is cheap).

 

> No one here was arguing otherwise but there is only so many shits that can be given about power consumption. If I wanted to worry about power usage I would buy a Nintendo switch.

Well this whole thread started when I addressed the claim of "AMD sucks because they run hot!!!!!!!1!".
If you care about power draw depends on where you live. Where I live, with my usage scenario (at least 8 hours a day drawing ~70 extra watts).
The extra cost of running the Sapphire 390 is 146kWh per year or roughly 40€ a year.
Let's assume you use your card for at least 2-3 years so that's 80-120€ extra cost.
That was the extra cost of a 980 back when I was looking for a new card. The 390 would lose that duel.
I realize, that if you live in the US or somewhere with low energy cost, the difference is much lower. (The national average was 12.99 cents per kwh).
$20 per year or 40-80$ for a 3 year period. Now if you remove the extra monitors, of if you only use the PC for gaming this will be even lower.
I'm fine with you not caring about it. I do.

 

> Low power consumption is nice, to a point. It stops becoming important when companies like Nvidia simply continue to cut down their die sizes to stave off performance improvements.

Whut? You cut down die size, because you can due to the 16nm process, to increase yield because that's how you make money. It's also more efficient :D.
Which is why Nvidia could improve perf/Watt immensely.
50% more efficient going from a 980Ti to a 1080Ti,
something like 70% more efficient going from a 970 to 1070,
up to 100% if you look the most favorable gains on the lower end.
On the other hand Vega 64 gives you barely more perf/Watt over a Fury X...

 

I don't agree that they starve off performance improvements. At least not unreasonably so.
Again, die size means profit. The smaller you can go while still improving performance the better.
Now if only AMD could bring a competitive card in the higher end... that would force Nvidia to give up more of their profits by cutting price or increasing die sizes again to stay competitive.
Again I came from an AMD card and I wanted to buy one again but I had to go with the 970.
Looking at Vega right now I have to say I'm not impressed yet.
Ryzen is a different story though, let's hope they can counter Intels next Hexacore line. Maybe I can go full AMD again, on my next machine.

 

My i7 3770 is starting to show its age, but only in some of my work tasks and the 970 is holding up surprisingly well at 1440p@60Hz during gaming.
I can probably wait for Zen 2, which should roughly come out around the same time as Volta and hopefully Navi is not too far away either.

Who knows, maybe by then AMD gets some support from the major deep learning frameworks, it looks like Vega would be a good card for that.

I was concerned about drilling any holes in my roof. Being a born pessimist, I figured if anything can go wrong, it will go wrong. The fewer holes in my roof the better.

I started looking for a roof rack. What I really wanted was a full-length roof rack with a diamond-pattern, "hardware cloth" platform surface upon which to mount my solar panels. All the racks I could find were around $600. Getting a rack custom built was estimated at $1300. Too much.

I finally found a very heavy-duty-looking rack made of black-painted round tubing for $311. "That's more like it," I thought. I ordered it off the internet.

When it arrived, I was annoyed to see that all the parts weren't there. Two long side panels seemed to be missing. I called the vendor, and after a very confusing conversation, it turned out that I had only ordered "half" the rack. The other part number was the side panels. Guess how much they cost? $300. ($611 for the whole rack. Dammit.)

Once I got the whole rack at my house, and started trying to install it, I realized that it's a two-or-three-man job. I finally got it installed, but Lord, what a pain in the ass!

I bolted a piece of 4x8 plywood to the rack tubing using large U-bolts. The PV panels bolt to the plywood.

I feel pretty sure that bolting the panels directly through the roof would work just as well, maybe better.

A really good book that describes solar panel installation is "Photovoltaic Design & Installation for Dummies" by Ryan Mayfield. He is the president of the Renewable Energy Associates solar power company.

A solid wire is called a "wire." A bundle of wires together covered with plastic insulation is called a "cable." You want cables of at least 6 gauge diameter. (The smaller the gauge number, the larger the cable. I know, it seems backwards.) A lot of solar power kits come with 8 gauge or even 10 gauge cable. TOO SMALL. Cable this small is inefficient for DC current, for our purposes.

You will need a "cable gland" (Amazon) and a good quantity of "Dicor self-sealing lap sealant." (Amazon). Be generous with the Dicor. Every time a cable goes through a steel bulkhead or floor you MUST put a grommet of some kind (rubber, plastic) there to protect the cable insulation. If you ground out a positive cable, it could cause a fire. Ground the negative (black) cable of the system TO THE VEHICLE'S FRAME, directly to clean steel (NOT PAINTED STEEL), through the floor. Bolt the ground cable connection securely to the frame. Don't forget the grommet.

https://www.amazon.com/Link-Solar-Weatherproof-Project-Campervan/dp/B0111RNZDY/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?ie=UTF8&qid=1506480381&sr=8-2-spons&keywords=double+cable+gland&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/Scosche-WPG8-10-Gauge-Waterproof-Grommets/dp/B00OYGLP32/ref=sr_1_12?ie=UTF8&qid=1506480517&sr=8-12&keywords=8+gauge+cable+grommet

https://www.amazon.com/Auto-ranging-Multimeter-Resistance-Capacitance-Frequency/dp/B01N014USE/ref=sr_1_14_sspa?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1506480598&sr=1-14-spons&keywords=clamp+style+multimeter&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00NWGZ4XC/ref=dp_cerb_2

Always use BLACK cable for the negative (ground) side of the circuit and RED cable for the positive side. This will prevent you from screwing up and short-circuiting your system. Hopefully.

Do not hook up the PV panels until everything else is installed and you have tested it for continuity with a digital multimeter (DMM.) The kind that has a "clamp", automatic ranging, and an audible alarm is best. (It looks kind of like a lobster claw and doesn't necessitate puncturing the insulation of the cables.) You start wiring from the storage battery bank and work backwards to the PV panels. Keep in mind--if those panels are exposed to the sun, they are GENERATING ELECTRICAL CURRENT POTENTIAL. Cover them with cardboard or heavy paper and tape until you are ready to energize the system. You don't want to get electrocuted accidentally. The risk of shock is small, but it does exist.

You need either a fuse (good) or a DC breaker (better) between the positive cable between the PV panels and the charge controller, and also between the charge controller and the battery bank. If you install an inverter, you need a breaker on the positive cable between the battery bank and the inverter. (Inverters burn amps just sitting there hooked up. You need to be able to "turn off" the DC power supply to the inverter. Turn the power to the inverter back on to use it.)

https://www.amazon.com/MidNite-Solar-Photovoltaic-Circuit-Breaker/dp/B004EQK8SA/ref=sr_1_7?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1506481155&sr=1-7&keywords=DC+breaker

Try to make the cable runs as short and direct as possible, within reason. The longer the cable run, the more resistance and the more voltage drop. All cables should be secured to the bulkhead with cable clamps in a neat, tidy, workmanlike fashion. If it's worth doing, it's worth doing correctly.

OLA is Open Lighting Architecture .. lets you convert one type to another .. but generally it has an ArtNet interface and lots of fun output interfaces including SPI. For some thoughts: last year I built 4 4'x8x16' steps we used on stage. We drove them with SPI Controllers .. that worked great .. but was expensive. The reason I went pi is the pi itself is $35 and built in wireless .. fadecandy is $22 .. can drive a pixel set of 64x8. This year we're building 12 steps 8'x8"x9" with 6 rows of 64 px driving off the QLC. I have githubs of the ansible code I use for all of this .. happy to share.

Some things to consider:

• PI - there is raspberry pi zero form factor .. which is quite small ;) I am experimenting with those now as full replacements for the Pi-B's and C's I have ( I used to teach with PIs so I have a bunch of em )
  
• interference - 802.11 can be impacted by bad dimmers .. things near by ( high amperag fryer, microwave), channel collisions with existing APs and most easily .. if it's visible lots of things will try to connect even with a password. Set your wifi to NOT broadcast the BSSID. And check the wifi spectrum when you get to a venue ;)
  
• amperage .. make sure you have enough to drive your px .. specifically something north of 80 px in a single strand you'll wanna inject power on the other end. The overall power supply doesn't have to be crazy .. but investing in a good volt-ohm-amp meter meter is worth it for testing and validation.
  
• universes .. I've successfully transmitted 4-6 U over a single SSID of 802.11bng . If each px is individually addressed .. and you're using RGB .. then each px is 3 DMX channels. Each U is 512 channels .. that gives you 170 px in a single U and QLC doesn't handle crossing U in a single fixture.. but does handle things with matrixes .. so you'll have to play around with the config and layout. You can always use the same channel(s) for multiple fixtures of the same type.
  
• road-rash .. touring with such a rig .. plan spares of everything and have a test program you can run to make sure it looks right. The LED strips don't handle LOTS of bending .. but some. The "Sticky" on the back is for shit. plan clear tape or something else to make sure they stay mounted whereever you're putting them. Also .. the "joining" kits you can to connect 2 strips work reasonably well .. BUT they dont' like to move alot. We've started soldering them on to the strips once we have the design set.
  
  Please feel free to reach out any time .. do lots of work in this space and always willing to help ;)

Both of these devices will let you monitor how much energy your whole house is using, but the big thing about the Neurio device is it can supposedly detect which device is causing the spike in usage. As I understand from reviews it's a work in progress - it doesn't magically work out of the box, but you need to train it against your devices.

Non of these are going to magically help you save energy, I think you'd be better off just trying to figure out yourself what is using so much power (and put the money towards buying more energy efficient devices if you need to). If you want to measure how much power a device is using over a day, something like this will do (and even calculate the cost): https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00E945SJG

Your usage works out to be an average of 5kW which seems quite high (US average is about 1/10 of that) but without more details who knows. How big is your house? How many people live there? Do you have electric heating? AC on most of the year? A pool?

I've had one of these for years and it works pretty well, but it is unnecessarily big and clunky. Personally, I would go with this one instead. I bought it a little over a year ago and it has been a very good meter. I would honestly take it over pretty much any of the Ames meters we sell. If you need one with a current clamp on it, this one will probably do it for you. I don't have one personally, but Big Clive on YouTube does and he seems to like it.

​

If you don't already have a meter, don't even bother getting the $4 one. I have a couple that I got with a free coupon and they are all junk. The leads are downright trash. The only time I use one is if I am doing current measurement and I don't want to risk blowing a fuse in one of my good meters.

It's easy enough to check :) Have fun on your trip. RV camping without facilities is a good skill to have under your belt. A camping group I'm in took our three RVs up to Rocky Mountain National Park. It was a great time and we were all nerding out about how much battery we had, etc because you have a pretty narrow charge window there. It really became useful when a 4th showed up with no generator and we were able to help them out because we knew exactly what our status was and what we needed to get through the night.

If you are a gadget guy, this can be a handy thing to have:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00O1Q2HOQ

What makes it different from other meters is it can show you DC current as well as AC just clamping over a wire. Most cheap meters only do AC current via the clamp and measuring DC current is more involved.
That can be SUPER handy for seeing how much power your batteries are taking in during the charge cycle or putting out during the discharge part of the day. The meter does other stuff too a multimeter would which is good to have in the field.

A mobile phone was never designed to measure static and oscillating magnetic fields to the precision that we would like to measure, nor does it accurately depict the dimensions that the field is oscillating in.

​

Get a good starter meter, like ( https://www.amazon.com/TriField-EMF-Meter-Model-TF2/dp/B078T2R64C/ ) << that one. You will be able to measure much more accuretely standard fields from home AC, to wifi microwave oven cell tower (maybe bluetooth), all kinds of stuff. If you want to look for an EMF meter or RF meter or something that measures down closer to 2Hz magnetic and electric be my guest because I've been looking for one.

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I have a cheapo $80 meter that only has a bar and no measurements, but I can tell that wifi's SSID broadcast beacon is a lot stronger than any kind of idle signal it puts out, and the SSID broadcasts are set to 10x per second or more by default. I might have to lower mine down to once every 10 seconds or something.

​

I'm sure there is a great way to use that 10/sec broadcast to compile a point-cloud image of the interior of your house.

​

Also, you should take good care of yourself, man. Gotta stay clean and healthy or the magnetic and electric fields will be the least of your worries.

Battery could still be severely shorted but it sounds unlikely. If that were the case you would notice a very large spark when connecting the jumper cables and possibly see a reaction from the second car. Everyone should own a good multimeter, you can get pretty good ones in the $40 range, or crap ones for like $5 at harbor freight.

I'm thinking most likely warranty will come into play for you, but if it ends up being battery after all the dealer battery prices are surprisingly reasonable. So you could have it towed there if you want.

Edit: BTW, I like this Uni-T UT210E clamp meter for the price: https://www.amazon.com/Uni-T-B4Q094-UT210E-Current-Capacitance/dp/B00O1Q2HOQ.

For anything that plugs in, you can use a smart plug like this to track its energy usage. For anything hardwired, you could use a meter with a clamp like this to measure instantaneous current.

So with the plug, rotate it around the biggest appliances in the house. Keep the fridge plugged in for a day, see what the average draw is, etc.

But you are right that heating/cooling is likely to be the culprit. The clamp meter will help you gauge its impact. Despite how it seems though, a 1990's air conditioner isn't dramatically less efficient than a new one...assuming it's in good working order. Make sure the condenser outside is all clear, no leaves piled up against it, dirt clogging the fins, etc. Then inside, follow the ducts wherever you can to make sure nothing came disconnected and is dumping conditioned air into you attic or something.

If it helps as a point of reference, our 2,400 sf house has central air from the 80's that is set for 75 when we're home and 82 when we're not, and our power bill for the July-Aug cycle when we were using AC consistently was $104. We're in coastal New England/ag zone 6b.

Then as the other commenter mentioned, your power company may offer free energy consultations where they come test your house for efficiency in a variety of ways, give you free LED bulbs and programmable thermostats, and make recommendations for how to reduce energy use.

I keep a small bag in my main bag that I can clip to my belt. I mostly use it when I know I'm going to be working in a panel for a while but in general this covers 75% of my needs. Here's the bag.

Here is what I keep in it.

Wire Stripper / Needle Nose I haven't had these for too long but I really like them.

Small meter I like this one for a lot of reasons. One is that will fit in the bag and is good enough to use under 480 in my opinion.

Voltage Detector The meter has non-contact voltage detection, but I like this one more.

Crescent Wrench I like this one because it also has the monkey wrench on it so it's good for tightening air lines from time to time. Though in reality I don't use that feature much.

A couple larger screwdrivers #2 phillips and a flat head big enough to open panels easily.

Controls Screwdriver For terminals and such. I sometimes use the ones with the rotating end.

Flashlight These are not the best, but they're cheap and work as a penlight and they can do area illumination with a magnetic base.

I have seconds (and in the case of the meter and flashlights - a higher quality version) of all these in my main bag, but I mostly use this little pouch.

You mentioned the basics... how about electricity? I'm specifically thinking of a portable solar arrays, and some multipurpose chargers, batteries devices. Here are a few links of interest:

Super portable 21Watt version that has USB outs:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B012YUJJM8/

Bigger model but capable of charging 12Volt batteries (I'm thinking trickle charging a car battery):
http://www.amazon.com/Charger-Backpacking-Battery-Foldable-Cellphone/dp/B00VBSFT74/

Multimeter for displaying power output:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00J3JSEG6/
(useful for positioning the solar cells for best power)

ThruNite U1 charger and battery; acts as not only a charger for NiCad, NiMH, and Li-Ion cells of varying sizes, but also (drum roll) can be used as a USB powerpack:

http://www.amazon.com/ThruNite-Charger-1x3400mAh-Multifunction-Portable/dp/B00WFXWUOE/

Then, standardize on lights that use 18650 cells as they're way, way better than NiMH (higher power, better capacity, longer life):

http://www.amazon.com/Bundle-Nitecore-Rechargeable-Flashlight-EASTSHINE/dp/B00VG1J8S2/

Oh, random idea... small stove that'll burn wood and comes with a backup alcohol burner:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0088FVZZI/

Okay let's use logic here, every part of the computer has been swapped or changed so we can eliminate the components from the equation.

3 things are left.

1. Peripherals.
   
2. Power to the computer (your house alternative current might fluctuate too much, try one of these)
   
3. Error 18. ^(error that happens 18 inches in front of the screen, (that means : You))
   
   Try with a different set of peripherals, clean instal using different keyboard, mouse and monitor.
   
   ​
   
   Check the voltage that your outlet outputs into your PSU, I know these units are meant to regulate voltage and this should not be an issue but if it's too important of a variations, even for split seconds, it can damage/render unusable certain components.
   
   ​
   
   Make sure you plug everything properly, motherboard 24pins are hard to plug in, make sure it's all the way in there.
   
   Standoffs behind motherboard? Proper power cables to graphics card? PSU strong enough to drive all components?
   
   Any overheating component ^(try) HWMonitor?
   
   ​
   
   Maybe formatting isn't getting rid of a ferocious virus created by the lord of pain in the ass himself.
   
   ​
   
   So many things can be at cause here, hope this helps, never stop trying you magnificent warrior, those 3 years weren't for nothing!
   
   ​
   
   EDIT : My girlfriend mentioned : internet connection. try clean install offline and see if it only happens when online maybe ?

I have a a backpack for LD (various MIDI interfaces, USB-DMX dongle, laptops, AA Maglite) or a Bum bag for more hands-on electrics (where I say Knippex, Lindstrom, Fluke. And Maglite.). And a toolbox with the all important hammer (nicknamed "sweetness"), big-ass wrenches and so on.

I try not to forget this, ever.

Also a Wera of sort, but damn this one is elegant, I wasn't aware of it.

That thingy when used responsibly is a huge help, but do NOT use it as a safety controller.

Speaking of which, I tend to get people mad by insisting on using this before starting actual work. 400mA diff NOT working anyone? It happens.

Looking at how things are organised here, I couldn't get it in one bag; long jobs end up filling my car actually: Gels, and spares, and backups, and adapters, and an actual toolbox... And the cordless drill... when I do festivals or street theatre or such, my car end up the Tool-chest, you can't possibly carry it all while on the move, but you can organise your trunk so that everything comes easily at hand.

oh my goodness!!! what a great little gadget. I had no idea something like this even exists. I checked Amazon Canada but there are so many of these, and the instruction videos shows them sticking it into the hole of the wall plug. Yeah of course it has electricity inside. Will it work on any surface like a lets say a metal countertop that is "live" for whatever reasons???

I am going to buy the one a little expensive because it seems to be a reliable brand as per the reviews. Please let me know what you think and tell me if it will work on any conducting surfaces??

https://www.amazon.ca/Fluke-1AC-A1-II-Volt-Alert-Non-Contact-Voltage/dp/B000EJ332O/ref=sr_1_5?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1518252273&sr=1-5&keywords=non+contact+voltage+tester

How about that one please??

And every garage I've been in has 1 compact fluorescent bulb. Buy a nice LED shop light or 2 depending on how big your garage is. Buy all the tools you need to wire it in like a nice set of Klein strippers and a cheap multimeter.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000F9HIEC/ref=mp_s_a_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1495670572&sr=8-4&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00NWGZ4XC/ref=mp_s_a_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1495670627&sr=8-9&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=Multimeter&dpPl=1&dpID=417YqOjJ1mL&ref=plSrch

Cheap multimeters are fine for things around the house or troubleshooting most things on cars. You can also use the clamp yo measure current draw for some more advanced troubleshooting like seeing how much your AC compressor is drawing. If you do lots of tinkering with electronics I'd recommend dropping a few hundred on a Fluke.

Agree 100%. Encourage all to study EMFs and getting an EMF meter for home and family. You’d be surprised where the hot spots in your house are. Bedrooms should be as EMF free as possible. Take it to work and see if you’re being blasted at work. Also look into grounding mats to get voltage out your body. I know I know. Woo woo shit. 👽

The more electronics in your car dash the more you getting blasted. 1+ hour commutes eh? Roasting in EMFs in these new vehicles.

The only way I know to combat EMF from inside out is serious attention to natural health supplements. Vitamin C, Vitamin D, Turmeric are good. Obviously water and cardio. The idea is to get damaged cells repaired or out of the body quickly. So good blood flow, low BP, flexibility, all good.

We focus a lot on problems and rarely offer solutions or strategies.

5G will pass nationwide and it will be everywhere. There is too much money to be made. And not keeping pace with China is a national security threat. All we can do is prepare and educate ourselves.

also I think this setup is cheap enough to try. The Antenna as you can see is 7.20 and I got alligator clips set for 5.50 the price recently went up you might could get a comparable version for cheaper https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002KRABU/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 (this is what I got but their is others). So you are talking about 14 dollars if you need to get both. Don't waste your money on a cheap shortwave reel. Also the height in my case maybe making the big difference. I tried several setups like putting the wire over the roof but going through the tree and then the swing set really seemed to get good results. So you may need to play around with it and try to find something high like a nearby tree that has some height to it.

Sorry lots of electronics technical stuff I just spat out there... this video might help

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HWA9WqSEjg8

The issue is it's a bit of "chicken and egg" problem, you need a powerful enough supply (high enough amp output) to make sure the load has as many amps as it will draw if the power supply can't supply enough current then your current you measure will be that limit instead of what the device actually wants to draw. If the power supply isn't able to supply enough amps for a given load (a device drawing current like the raspi) then it may overheat or shut off to protect itself or switch on and off depending on the power supply design.

Regarding a bench power supply this video shows how to DIY and compares with bought version and shows how they work:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wI-KYRdmx-E

Basically any multi-meter can measure voltage and amperage:
https://www.amazon.com/Etekcity-Multimeter-MSR-R500-Electronic-Multimeters/dp/B01N9QW620/

For higher current stuff or measuring AC current without hooking the meter physically into the circuit can use a clamp meter like this instead:
https://www.amazon.com/Etekcity-Multimeter-MSR-C600-Auto-Ranging-Multimeters/dp/B00NWGZ4XC/

^^ second one also does auto-ranging so it works out what the right unit is to show you is based on the power going through it (shows mV or V or A and mA or milli-ohms, ohms, kilo-ohms, and mega-ohms depending on what you're measuring)

A simpler video just covering the whole concept of "load" and current here too (youtube suggestions did a good job)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cxkVxi9P0EA

I’m terribly curious about this. However I don’t have access to an oscilloscope so I’m limited in my ability to investigate.

You’d think by now someone would’ve invented a smartphone oscilloscope adapter of some sort, maybe with Bluetooth or usb.

Instead this seems to be the cheapest option on Amazon: SainSmart DSO Pocket Size Portable Handheld Mini Digital Storage Oscilloscope (DSO202) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00SXVUETU/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_GsaeBbKQQTB2V

Or there’s this one which seems to make a lot more sense for $20 less:
Oscilloscope Multimeter, LIUMY Professional Handheld LED Scopemeter Oscilloscope Multimeter with 200ksps A/D Automatic Waveform Capture Function, DC/AC Voltage /Current, Resistance Test with Backlight https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071F1H3PG/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_4uaeBbMKPB5A9

Very tempting. But I realize not exactly economically prudent to throw more money at investigating something that what the thing is worth. Then again a multimeter with a digital oscope built in would probably be a great tool to have while maintaining an old RV.

This is definitely not going to end without me buying an oscope. I’ve wanted one for many years and as I poke around I keep finding cheaper and cheaper options. There’s a lot you assemble yourself for $40, that looks fun. And for $60 there’s a pretty basic one that almost looks like a toy but is probably good enough. Hmm. So many choices!

Thankyou for the help sir! It'll be my first! Definitely borrowing the harness from work for the first go :)


Edit: https://www.amazon.com/Advanced-GQ-Multi-Field-Electromagnetic-Radiation/dp/B07JGJ897T/ref=mp_s_a_1_4?keywords=rf+detector&qid=1551243847&s=gateway&sr=8-4

Emf meter, good idea?

Take a picture of his tinkering desk... I'll tell you what he's missing. Full disclosure: I have an almost voyeuristic fascination with seeing my fellow EE's tinkering desks.

Without seeing his setup, here's some random guesses:
-oscilloscope (as noted in other replies)
-Pomona cable racks (if he has lots of cables).
-Geeky T-shirts. My favorite is "Never Trust the Autorouter." Bonus points because I think the designer intensionally screen prints it onto awkward-sized T-shirts. I love them... my wife hates them.

I would almost guarantee it's power related. Especially if you are mining Ethash etc. You will be amazed how different algos draw power. Ethash burns almost 30% more power on the same GPU as Crytponight. Get two of these outlet watt meters $14 each https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00E945SJG/ref=sspa_dk_detail_4?psc=1&pd_rd_i=B00E945SJG&pd_rd_wg=QooCB&pd_rd_r=MM75D80Z5KP5PVS680GJ&pd_rd_w=pV3wH the best money you will spend. Put on each powersupply, remember that you really don't want to run more than 75% of the stated power. If you have 1000W don't pull more than 750-800 max and that is if you are using a top quality power supply. Make sure the power is spread equally, you may need to mix the power to the cards to balance out the power.

Dealer tech here,

First off, do you have any aftermarket remote start or alarm equipment installed in the vehicle?

All your volt testing looks like about what i'd expect.

I find the amp clamp somewhat suspicious. Subaru calls this "Dark Current" (also known as parasitic draw, dark draw, etc.) and ideally you should use a small-jaw clamp (i use this) that is considered "accurate" at sub-100 mA. Typically the large-jaw clamps are fine for 1A+ measurements but the resolution isn't great for lower amperages. In either case, you need to be damn sure the jaws are fully closed. I find the negative cable end easier to get the jaws around typically. You also need to zero the tool as close to the position the measurement would be in as possible - things like florescent lights can affect the readings. (My shop is full of florescent lights and turning my meter 90 degrees can throw it off by 60mA or more!)

That all being said, subaru's spec for dark current is 70mA or less. (They even published a bulletin about it, #07-85-14, which might be good for a read) so if you're confident that your measurement is accurate, then the likely culprit is the battery.

Also, all this testing and potentially a battery replacement is covered under your 3yr-36k mile warranty if you still have it.

I suppose this homeassistant needs speaker, microphone, maybe a screen or lights? You want to make sure that EVERYTHING drawing power from a 2.5A supply fits within that at all times, and try to keep a margin like 2.3A max just to be sure. There are some nice USB power meters that can help confirm this.

I just let my timelapse script run last night until the 1500mAh battery powering it died. It probably wasn't fully charged, but a Pi model B with just a USB camera attached taking pics every 10 seconds went for 2.5 hours.


There's ways to turn off nonessential accessories on the pi to save power including the HDMI & USB ports. Also, shutting the pi down correctly instead of letting it die will help keep the sd card from being corrupted, some good info here. I've got one of these on the way to really tell how much power I'm using before I figure out a battery solution. Mopi is another option to manage power and automatically turn the pi off before it dies, and I think the mopi can turn the pi off and turn it back on at certain times to extend battery power even further with the addition of a real time clock.

You'll want to invest in some alligator clips like these to make your life easier: https://www.amazon.com/SE-TL10-10-Piece-Alligator-Clips/dp/B0002KRABU/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1519111473&sr=8-3&keywords=alligator+clips

And maybe a visit to https://www.taydaelectronics.com/ to find switches and knobs and things. You can also harvest these from old, busted electronics you find here and there. Getting started is more of an art than a science - you start touching things to other things and see what happens. Good luck!

http://www.amazon.com/Fluke-1AC-A1-II-VoltAlert-Non-Contact-Voltage/dp/B000EJ332O/

This is a higher quality one and it's still pretty affordable, these would indeed be pretty helpful. Sure, hidden cameras are inherently hidden but they require some basic stuff (Power, a point of view) and based on that you can surmise where they would be should they exist.

Someone who wants to creep you would want to get you naked so bathrooms and bedrooms, aimed at toilet/shower and bed/closet areas, from there you go for POV, where could a camera be that faces these areas. There are ultra small wifi cameras but most people would go with the easiest possible installation (i.e. wired to existing power sources and so on) so it's not as hard as it sounds.

Get yourself one of these, cheap but effective:
http://www.amazon.com/Honeytek-A6013L-Capacitor-Tester/dp/B0036FQ3FW

It won't tell you ESR though. For best performance, you should change all the electrolytics in the amp. Don't re-cap the AM or FM sections! Without proper equipment and expertise, you won't be able to get the radio aligned again.

As /u/pigpen said, do not count on visual inspection. Caps often fail without any change in appearance.

audiokarma.org is the place to go if you need help.

We have these in our college labs: https://www.amazon.com/Pomona-Holder-Slots-Black-Diameter/dp/B0000WU3U0

They are simple, but great. Seems like it would meet all of your criteria.

Replacing them is extremely simple. It's just a matter of turning off the power at the electrical panel, unscrewing the plate and switch/outlet, disconnecting the wires from the old switch/outlet, and reconnecting them to the new one. Three way switches just have one extra wire. This video gives a good overview of the process.

The only tool you might want to grab is a non-contact voltage tester to make sure the power is definitely turned off before you start handling the wires. A regular DMM would work as well if you already own one.

To me it sounds like electrical portions are being leached into a neighboring unit or something like that.

Since your unit is so small, I'd take a look at the breaker box. Turn off power to everything you have, then flip the breakers to turn everything off. Turn on each thing individually to power only the areas you reside in. If there are any remaining after you have your whole unit powered, they may go to other rooms/units in a past renovation.

It may not turn anything up, but it'd be an interesting experiment to see what turns up.
Edit; If you want to try monitoring some of your things, like your pc, try getting one of these.

If you’re looking for a non contact voltage tester ( tick tracer) my personal favorite is the fluke.

Fluke 1AC-A1-II VoltAlert Non-Contact Voltage Tester https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000EJ332O/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_PMRkDb24ADV56

If you’re looking for a wiggy to check actual voltage I would recommend buying a volt meter. I currently use this one and love it.

Fluke T5600 Electrical Voltage, Continuity and Current Tester https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0006Z3GZU/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_rPRkDbNV768AZ

Heres a [link](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00GYSFOM6/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&psc=1&linkCode=sl1&tag=tampfreepcpin-20&linkId=04dc9e0d8b201e73fcd0a87f113ab198) to the meter in question, and [here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qDABYKoVO4Q) is a review/demonstration from a popular YouTube TV repair channel.

​

If you want something a little nicer, there is also [this one](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005NIBEYU/?coliid=IBGOVNQDXLV6V&colid=35YG4HLU6VOCB&psc=0&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it) for $130, it has the ability to discharge capacitors as well which is nice, and something you should do to prevent damaging your meter.

I googled and found...this guy and also this guy and a few more in related products. Yes, I know you can also use a multimeter as well this just looked like another fun gadget.

I would recommend getting one of these non-contact voltage testers (or similar). They work great and you don't need to have physical contact like a multi-meter. That's very handy if the wires are not exposed.

Mine saved my bacon when I was replacing the outlet in the bathroom. I shut off the breaker for the bathroom, but still tested the outlet to be sure. To my surprise, it was still live (must be a different circuit to handle hair dryers).

A 117 is a pretty standard meter that will handle your basic measurements. Any of them will be safe for computer and automotive use if used properly. Dc clamp meters are handy for automotive. This one is pretty handy for catching smaller dc currents although the trade off is the jaws are small for larger cables such as those to the starter.

Get a chepo pocket o-scope if you are just getting into electronics for fun.

https://www.adafruit.com/product/468

or even a goofy DIY kit.

https://www.amazon.com/JYE-DSO-138-Open-Source/dp/B00WAQGGZA/ref=pd_lpo_vtph_328_lp_t_3?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=9JTRDYN25MFPEP76CF98

Then, if you're still interested and having fun, get a proper scope.

https://www.adafruit.com/product/681

For a pretty comprehensive list, check out this, but here's my list of basic, around the house tools that you should have that aren't on your list above. I didn't include garden tools.

• Screwdrivers
  
  
• Utility knife
  
  
• Tape measure
  
  
• Stud finder
  
  
• Level. Use long ones for items that are long or tall, use small ones for smaller objects
  
  
• Drill/driver, preferably cordless
  
  
• Drill bits
  
  
• Circular Saw
  
  
• Channel lock pliers
  
  
• Vise-grip type pliers
  
  
• Plumbing equipment, especially teflon tape
  
  
• Crescent wrenches
  
  
• Socket set
  
  
• Five-in-one painting tool
  
  
• Putty knife
  
  
• Circuit tester. There are a couple of options. You can get simple ones that are just a probe and probe with a light that you stick into outlets, but I recommend something like this. You can get fancier with a volt meter, but for the most part a simple one will do.
  
  
  Any other tools/equipment can be purchased/borrowed/rented on a case by case basis.
  

For 80% of hardware work you just need a good, solid multi-tipped magnetic screwdriver and a pez dispenser full of excedrin.

Toss in a power supply tester like a Dr. Power II and you have nearly all hardware tools you need.

Just be aware that many software tools on Hirens are only licensed for personal use, using them for professional use would be a violation of license agreement.

If you're going to be checking networks, you're going to want a good fluke toner, and a fluke voltage tester so you don't kill yourself

You're also going to want a cat5 crimper that won't break

If you're troubleshooting big networks then pick up a fluke microscanner II, but only if it will save you several thousand bucks in effort.

ESR Meter.

It basically tells you if the caps are OK (this is highly simplified). I would recommend anyone repairing old gear get one. It can save you a ton of cash since many people just recap wholesale without checking when many times it is not necessary.

The Fluke 15B+'s finest resolution is 10pF. Which means that you might not be able to tell the difference between a 6pF and a 14pF capacitor. The only time I've see this as an issue is when dealing with crystal oscillator circuits, but I'm sure there are other things. If that's good enough for you, you should get it.

I've never heard a single bad word about Fluke meters.

As for links, here's one. This capacitance meter claims accuracy of 1pF, +/- .5% in the 200pF range. I've never used it, so I can't vouch for it, but it's just one of many, and this one is only $17.

Yes, I have been doing it for years now. You have to replace the pie pans every once in a while, but I started using rechargeable 6v batteries instead of lantern batteries and they work great.

http://www.amazon.com/Wildgame-Innovations-eDRENALINE-Rechargeable-Battery/dp/B004ZWRO30

http://www.amazon.com/Wildgame-Innovations-12-Volt-eDRENALINE-Battery/dp/B002JLE5DG/ref=pd_sim_sg_3?ie=UTF8&refRID=1SZY8XPBY0N4BRG7QA51

http://www.amazon.com/SE-TL10-Clip-Test-10-Piece/dp/B0002KRABU/ref=sr_1_2?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1421290221&sr=1-2&keywords=test+leads

Non-contact voltage tester is what I'd use. I linked a Fluke, but you should be able to pick up something comparable for around the house usage for around $20.

I'd bet it's 120v, and if a doorbell doesn't sound inside the house when you press the button, it's probably disconnected.

If not, there's a wire shoved in the walls or ceiling somewhere that's going hot every time you press the button.

Good luck.

Haha! Yeah, thanks. I built it with a tripod mic stand I wasn't using and got the orange Pamona Test Lead Holders and an appropriately sized clamping collar to keep it at the right height and still be able to spin it around to access cables on all four sides.

Great work! You've basically made a bombe calorimeter of sorts.

Your figures might be a little low because I don't see any mention of the mass of the light/battery. That is at least 85 grams of stuff also being heated with the 300 grams of water.

(The UT210E is a great cheap clamp meter for this.)

For non contact testers fluke makes one of the best ones.
http://www.amazon.com/Fluke-1AC-A1-II-VoltAlert-Non-Contact-Voltage/dp/B000EJ332O

This one will let you isolate the exact wire in the panel/box that is on, versus other testers that are so sensitive it will tic on wires that are merely around other wires that are hot.

In any case all electricians need to have a non contact tester in their bag, it helps keep everyone alive.

OP, it’s possible your current sensor isn’t getting data through properly. How fast does it actually charge? It may be useful to pick up a cheap USB current & voltage meter. I got a nice one and I have used it countless times.

[Cheap](USB Meter, DROK Digital Multimeter USB 2.0, Multifunctional Electrical Tester, Capacity Voltage, Current Power Meter Detector Reader with Dual USB Ports, LED Displahttps://www.amazon.com/dp/B00J3JSEG6/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_ss8IDbE6C7JCJ)

[The one I have with unlimited useful tools. ](AVHzY USB Meter Tester Multimeter USB Load Current Tester Voltage Detector DC 26.0000V 6.0000A Test Speed of Charger Cables Capacity of https://www.amazon.com/dp/B073R7YRM9/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apip_Gc6nVKprYh32G)

Oscilloscope kits are great. I just did this one a little while back. It was a lot of fun and handy for the price. They sell an acrylic case kit separately too.

kuman 3O-IUX5-O0TZ DSO 138 DIY Kit Open Source 2.4" TFT 1MSPS Digital Oscilloscope Kit with DIY Parts + Probe 13803K, SMD pre-soldered https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0195ZIURK/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_LzIQDbP8TT31D

I also got this little signal generator kit to check the O-scope function.

Naravis Gelatinized Black Maca... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01HM70CMY?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

There are some decent Arduino based open o-scopes like this one. SainSmart DSO Pocket Size Portable Handheld Mini Digital Storage Oscilloscope (DSO202)

Not as good as a big bench scope but decent enough for tinker work. I have one and I love it. I end up using it more than my bench scope actually.

OMG I legit have 1st hand experience with this! Much more extreme example:

Pomona 1508/POM Test Lead Holder for Wires Up to .210" Diameter https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00JXPSKX2/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_yP8HDb6PNRD6E

Sure enough I made sure to buy 1 and have them shipped in separate orders ironically costing the seller more for shipping separate packages r/maliciouscompliance

Get yourself one of these if you want to know what your charger is doing. Use a current monitoring widget to see if it is getting to the phone. I have had good luck with Anker chargers in general, but for a Quick Charge capable device it has to be the real thing. Qi chargers are cool, just watch the temperature. They can get hot. Letting you phone sit around at 100% too much is not great for the long time life of your battery.

5 should be safe. 10 probably work ok too. The elite-c has the same chip as a Pro Micro, it will draw the same amount of current.

I have one of these cheap USB power meters. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00J3JSEG6 Useful to see how much power is being drawn.

The issue is that a lot of devices emit MHz to GHz noise. Ideally you want a device that can analyze the spectrum as various devices have different amplitudes and frequencies. Only a certain percentage will actually be a transmitter. https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00GM72CGU/ref=pd_aw_sim_sbs_23_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=0TNMKC4DJYKW8YZ8YST2&dpPl=1&dpID=41Dws7FNQCL a single led does tell you much and her device will give a lot of false positives b/c it can distinguish a noisy power supply from a transmitter.

You could also get a meter that you can plug between the wall socket and the power plug of your computer for pretty cheap, like this one. It tells you exactly how much energy you consumed.

Many multimeter's will also measure some range of capacitance, but it depends on your needs. I give another vote for the Mega 328 based multifunction testers. My personal device is a "Drokking" Chinese clone, which added a color screen. There are many other versions available.

https://www.amazon.com/DROK-Multifunction-Transistor-Automatic-Identified/dp/B01MS1FOYM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1523595943&sr=8-1&keywords=drok+transistor+tester

These things are awesome- fairly accurate, and a real time saver if you're working with discrete components often.

Looks like the XR2206 based function generator. Neat little kit. Not the most precise generator out there but it's useful.
https://www.amazon.com/KKmoon-Precision-Generator-Adjustable-Frequency/dp/B01HM70CMY/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1524886358&sr=8-2-spons&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=xr2206+function+generator&psc=1

Get a parts tester. There are tons of cheap clones out there. Or you can pay a few dollars more and get a model with a nicer case.

But ultimately, they are all the same thing and the differences are largely cosmetic. And they are all absolutely worth their money. It's a cheap but extremely useful tool to own.

I've got one of these on my Amazon list.

Good enough for day-to-day tinkering / identifying those random parts you got in a box of junk years ago. That one's packaged better than others I've seen on ebay/Amazon/etc.

It's probably fine but considering it's electricity I'd stick with the tried and true. Any electrician in the US will tell you Fluke is the gold standard.

Edit- apparently "less than 20 dollars" is no longer true.

https://www.amazon.com/Fluke-1LAC-Voltage-Detector-1000V/dp/B000EJ332O/ref=sr_1_9?keywords=klein%2Bnon%2Bcontact&qid=1566832341&s=gateway&sr=8-9&th=1

Instead of flipping each breaker for an hour, try this. Get a multimeter that tests amperage. Something like this:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00NWGZ4XC

You'll have to carefully remove the panel cover from your circuit breaker panel. Set the meter to amps and put the clamp around the black wire coming off each breaker. You'll be able to tell pretty quickly what circuit is using all the power, and you won't have to shut anything off.

Pomona 5250. It grabs securely. I'm happy with it.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HHH65T4/

Not sure what you mean in terms of white elephant, but there's good reviews on Amazon detailing some of the good and bad of the device:

http://smile.amazon.com/RF-Explorer-Handheld-3G-Combo/dp/B00GM72CGU

Not much on the 6g portion though. It does appear they are still working on smoothing out the band a little for accuracy, but it's just fine for the sort of work you'd be using it for.

You can see past updates for pc software and firmware here: http://j3.rf-explorer.com/news

This is what I like to use:
https://www.amazon.com/Pomona-4408-POM-Holder-Diameter/dp/B0000WU3U0/

As a bonus after they hang for a while they straighten out.

> My Pi has connected 1 USB mobile 3g modem, 1 motion sensor over gpio, and (hopefully) 2 i2c sensors.

I'll assume you don't have a USB inline meter doodad to measure the current draw? (they can be had for $3-4 if you can wait 4-6 weeks for shipping from China)

In that case, could you please provide the manufacturer/model numbers for the 3G modem, the motion sensor and the i2c sensors so I can find their datasheets and figure out their maximum current draw?

I'm hopeful 24 hours is doable with a cheaper USB battery, say in the $25 range rather than $50.

good point; these are scarily well concealed antennas. everyone really should invest in one of these: https://www.amazon.com/Advanced-GQ-Multi-Field-Electromagnetic-Radiation/dp/B07JGJ897T/ref=asc_df_B07JGJ897T/

There may be models that measure beyond 10GHz more into the middle of the 5G band, but at least this detects the portion of the band that travels slightly better through walls and wood.

I should also mention I like this one best because the Klein ones can be sensitive to bumping and give off false positives: Fluke 1AC-A1-II VoltAlert Non-Contact Voltage Tester https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000EJ332O/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_5HP2Db6VTSXP3

Everyone else commmented on the obvious toxic situation you are in. I am just gonna try to help you with a way to quatify how much electricity you are using.

https://www.amazon.com/TS-836A-Energy-Voltage-Electricity-Monitor/dp/B00E945SJG

plug this in, and then plug in what you want to measure. You can do some easy math and figure how much electricity anything uses and do some basic math to calculate how much that cost if you have an electric bill laying around.

I'll second the call from /u/Cheech47 that you should get a multi-meter. I'll go even further and say you should also get a non-contact voltage tester. The one linked is my preference, but just don't pick up whatever cheapy they have at Home Depot or Lowes. You want one that will work in a marginally crowded box without just going off because *something* in there is hot. =)

Great question!! I actually just posted instructions on how to make the stands over in a comment on /r/synthesizers ... here is the link.


As for the Cable management, I am using a Pomona Test Lead Holder found on Amazon here.

> I'd at least take it apart and use a multi-meter to see if the wires are hot.

I would NOT recommend using a multi-meter to see if the wires are hot. Get yourself one of these things. I consider them an absolute essential for any homeowner or DIY'er. It's a very easy, and relatively safe, way to test for a live cable.

Without knowing what he's already got it's hard to say. He's probably already got all the basics. I'm just assuming he's already got boardsaws, tape measures, screwdriver sets, plier sets and so forth.

I'll list off a couple of things I would rather not live without:

[Irwin wire strippers] (http://www.amazon.com/Irwin-Industrial-Tools-2078300-Self-Adjusting/dp/B000OQ21CA) These are totally awesome.

[Non contact voltage detector] (http://www.amazon.com/Fluke-1AC-A1-II-VoltAlert-Non-Contact-Voltage/dp/B000EJ332O/ref=sr_1_3?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1449993757&sr=1-3&keywords=Non+contact+voltage+detector)

Stubby ratchet screwdriver

Usually different USB ports on the same external battery have completely different amperage outputs. I guess just make sure that you are always using the highest amperage output. One thing that you could do is buy a voltage and current meter from Amazon they're like $7 to watch the power flow through your USB and you could test.

DROK® Dual USB 2.0 Digital Multimeter Ampere Voltage Capacity Power Meter 7 Modes Monitor for Fast Charging Data Sync DC 3.2-15V 0-3A Volt Amp Charger Detector Mobile Solar Panel Alignment Tester https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00J3JSEG6/ref=cm_sw_r_other_awd_XzJDwb5JV4VB4

From the reviews, this is the one people consider the best:

​

https://www.amazon.com/CPT-063-Test-Clip-SOIC8-Pomona/dp/B00HHH65T4/

I saw this one on Big Clive's YouTube channel and it's served me very well.

Uni-T B4Q094 UT210E True RMS AC/DC Current Mini Clamp M W Capacitance Tester https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00O1Q2HOQ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apap_SCHenkNd6Avzz

you can measure resistance with a regular multimeter using the 4-wire method. If you have a regulated digital power supply (like a lithium battery charger with lcd) it's as simple as putting a constant current relatively high amp load on the wire, measuring the voltage drop and dividing by current. you could also use a good quality USB power meter ($10, amazon), or a dedicated ~15 watt meter. i've used an incandescent light bulb for this and got fairly accurate results.

you can also use the same process to test USB cables' resistances. I'll use 2x usb power meters (one on each end of the cable) and a powered off cell phone//other electronic as the load. most modern power banks will also display voltage out and current.

edit: here's some more info, and is quite accurate if done correctly.

These are great too.

USB Volt/Ammeter's are surprisingly useful.

I bought this one a year ago and I use it all the time, it's been great so far.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00NWGZ4XC/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1500249073&sr=8-3&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=etekcity+multimeter&dpPl=1&dpID=417YqOjJ1mL&ref=plSrch

Well, it was likely an issue with the power circuitry. At least, that is most likely the culprit. The filtering caps in there get hammered a good bit. You will need to get a cap tester. Another not so technical test is to see if the tops of any of your caps are bulging. This typically means they are failing. Once you find the bad one(s) write down the voltage and capacitance then either order online (I use digikey.com a lot) or go to radio shack or something.

Have you ever soldered before? If not, you are going to need a decent soldering iron, some solder, and some desoldering wick. The wick will remove the solder holding in the current caps. This allows them to be freed. Before removing make note which hole the negative lead is in (electrolytic caps are polarized) so if you reverse it they will go pop when you turn it back on. Once your new caps are properly positioned go ahead and solder them in. Then sit back and pat yourself on the back for saving a shitload of money.

Sounds complicated, but it is actually pretty simple to do.

Not really a conspiracy. It's a proven fact but all cell phone manuals have a warning saying to keep the cell phone a certain distance away from your body at all times. I don't think I've ever seen it discussed on this sub.

If you want to look into this further, watch "Generation Zapped" and "Resonance: Beings of Frequency".

http://www.saferphonezone.com/tools/cell-phone-warnings/

I bought a EMF detector recently to check my home and there were some areas with unsafe levels. I'd highly recommend that everyone buys one. You can use this to see how much magnetic, electric and RF levels your phone or WiFi gives off.

Clips!

It's on my Add-On wishlist!

cowpox

Thanks for the contest!

The Bosch solid state voltage regs aren't all that expensive, CIP1 has them for $20.99

Sounds like the camera is a little flaky, but in theory the usb adapters should be protecting it.. might pick up one of these and see how well the USB adapters are doing delivering the 5V they're spec'd for.

Could always try one of these, I don't think those dashcams typically draw too much power.

Since the things you have plugged in don't generally change a whole lot, you could use something like a [plug in energy meter] (https://www.amazon.com/TS-836A-Energy-Voltage-Electricity-Monitor/dp/B00E945SJG/) to measure those sorts of devices and a [clamp on amp meter] (https://www.amazon.com/Klein-Tools-CL200-Clamp-Temperature/dp/B003LDFVBG/) to measure the ones that don't. It is obviously not real time, but it'd be quite a bit cheaper than monitoring every circuit in real time. Once you know how much power your large appliances use, it isn't going to change. ;)

Hmm, that link should take you directly to a voltage tester. Here's another one off Amazon that appears to be getting good reviews: http://www.amazon.com/Fluke-1AC-A1-II-Volt-Alert-Non-Contact-Voltage/dp/B000EJ332O/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1343538975&sr=8-1&keywords=voltage+tester

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00E945SJG/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_d79GDbEETPCEW


Pretty cheap, very useful. It's going to be hard for you to just anecdotally measure. And your property manager is more likely to listen if you send in a problem stating "the fridge is averaging X kwh a day, which is Y kwh over what the manufacturer says is it's normal operating time"

I use outlet meter like this
https://www.amazon.com/TS-836A-Energy-Voltage-Electricity-Monitor/dp/B00E945SJG

that is most precise way to measure power, software solutions are not reliable

These are pretty handy and not too expensive.


https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00J3JSEG6/

No. Double the budget and come back.

-----

servers draw Oh, I dunno 700W each typically, but can triple that under serious load.

A typical switch needs right around 200W.
A PoE switch needs 200W plus the PoE load.

I have no idea what "6-7 other network devices" means.

But lets be kind of safe and call them 300W each.

• Thats 2100W for servers.
  
• 900W for switches.
  
• 2100W for "other network devices".
  
• Lets add 1000W for things you forgot and/or surge capacity.
  
  Thats 6,100W of capacity using rough, approximate estimates.
  
  So for that base load you're looking at about an 8kVA UPS unit like this one:
  
  http://www.apc.com/shop/us/en/products/APC-Smart-UPS-SRT-8000VA-RM-208V/P-SRT8KRMXLT
  
  He will run for 8 minutes at 6000W of load.
  
  http://www.apc.com/products/runtime_for_extendedruntime.cfm
  
  So we will need some extra batteries.
  
  http://www.apc.com/products/runtimegraph/runtime_graph.cfm?base_sku=SRT8KRMXLT&chartSize=large
  
  You're looking at two extra runtime battery packs like this one:
  
  http://www.apc.com/shop/us/en/products/APC-Smart-UPS-SRT-192V-8-and-10kVA-RM-Battery-Pack/P-SRT192RMBP2?isCurrentSite=true
  
  -----
  
  So either:
  
  

1. Go find more money
   
2. Go find more accurate information on load requirements.
   

• A Clamp Meter is your friend: https://www.amazon.com/Etekcity-MSR-C600-Digital-Multimeter-Resistance/dp/B00NWGZ4XC
  
  
  Clamp that on a power cable, and it will tell you the amps passing through.
  it might tell you the voltage too, or you will need to take a reading from an unused outlet using the two included probes.
  
  Volts times Amps equals watts.
  
  Total Wattage demand determines UPS size.
  
  WARNING: devices use more power during boot-up than they do at idle.
  
  
  Personally, at this size, I'd start thinking about a small Symmetra Frame like this:
  
  http://www.apc.com/shop/us/en/products/APC-Symmetra-LX-8kVA-Scalable-to-16kVA-N-1-Rack-mount-208-240V/P-SYA8K16RMP
  
  Yeah, its more expensive.
  But it offers N+1 redundancy / high-availability, and it can scale up to 16kVA by adding power modules.
  
  

I have an elotromagnetic detector that can be set to microwave frequency range.

We tested the radiation near a microwave and it really set the detector off. I was a little surprised because I thought microwaves were sealed.

Edit: detector like this TriField EMF Meter Model TF2 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B078T2R64C/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_PjJFDbREEGA62

It looks like you're trying to format a word into a link. Try this instead:

> [this](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000EJ332O)

Result: this

Got it fixed? Downvote to delete.

***

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> same rate

Exactly the same rate? Generate a single stream of pulses, feed the same stream of pulses to both stepper drivers.

You don't need a micro. All you need is a pulse generator or signal generator like this one.

Honestly, i just use a Kill-a-wattVery similar to the one in the link.

Anything like this, also referred to as a clamp meter:

Etekcity Digital Multimeter, MSR-C600 Auto-Ranging Clamp Meter https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00NWGZ4XC/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_W9eQCb7BVGEM3

You run it over one half of a circuit to see the real time usage. For most devices you just grab one of those flat extension cords and carefully separate the insulated wires, or clamp it over the wires in the breaker box.

There's proper voltmeters that can test it better than just a pen. I got this one.

Etekcity Auto Ranging Clamp Meter, Digital Multimeter with Amp,Volt,Ohm,Diode and Resistance Test https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00NWGZ4XC/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_NLKtDbMQ00KZ3

Where are you measuring the AC voltage, at the battery? Any ripple will read as AC voltage, 40millivolt ripple isn't much.

If you have a DC clamp meter, put that on the alternator cable and you can easily read if thats the cause. If you don't own one, they're handy and this ones nice for the price: link. Another option is to measure the other circuits in your car like this with a regular meter: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lRcj1fQcWwU

Unfortunately the alternator is the one thing that cant be measured this way since it doesn't go through the fuse box. But you can eliminate everything else this way.

I feel like this is the equivalent of taking a pair of alligator clips on the plug of the thing you want to plug in and hooking them to two paperclips and shoving them in the socket.

Here, I found where you can get 5 adapters for only $10.27

https://www.amazon.com/SE-TL10-10-Piece-Alligator-Clips/dp/B0002KRABU

https://www.amazon.com/ACCO-Paper-Clips-Economy-Non-skid/dp/B001B0D5T6

I’d want to determine which of those wires is hot and which is neutral. Like with a Non-contact voltage sensor.

When you say "safety fuse", is this something in your PC or something in your home?

If it's something in your home, you should get one of these to test what your computer is drawing from the wall: https://www.amazon.com/TS-836A-Energy-Voltage-Electricity-Monitor/dp/B00E945SJG

It's possible that your drawing too many amps from the wall.

I know a couple guys who have tried turings, and given up. I'd suggest something easier first.

Try this 20$ oscilloscope:
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00WAQGGZA/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Cable hangers like these are always useful. I've got the one I linked and a 14 slot on the way for eurorack cables, but you may need to go a size larger for 1/4".

Here are two tools that help:

Tells you if an outlit or wire is hot before you touch it:
http://www.amazon.com/Fluke-1AC-A1-II-Volt-Alert-Non-Contact-Voltage/dp/B000EJ332O

Allows you to find the circuit for an unlabeled outlet:
http://www.amazon.com/Sperry-CS550A-Circuit-Breaker-Finder/dp/B000ET403A

Yes, I'm talking about watts in both situations. I have a meter similar to this one
https://www.amazon.com/d/Industrial-Power-Meters/TS-836A-Energy-Voltage-Electricity-Monitor/B00E945SJG

Adapters have different amp ratings. Purchase one of these usb testers to know exactly what’s going on.

I use it all the time on chargers attached to my iPad, iPhone and watch. It’s interesting how different they all are.

To anyone interested, similar multimeters go on sale for $1-3 every now and then. I've gotten two from different brands from watching SlickDeals.

I read the same warnings and had the same concerns about the sata cables. So I bought one of these: Uni-T B4Q094 UT210E True RMS AC/DC Current Mini Clamp M W Capacitance Tester https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00O1Q2HOQ and measured the current. Each of my GPUs pulls 0.3A from the sata connector, which is well within spec for sata.

In order to answer this correctly, you need a little more information. You'll need to buy/borrow a power meter and see what your average power consumption is. The 1000w max number really doesn't mean much.

https://www.amazon.com/d/Industrial-Power-Meters/TS-836A-Energy-Voltage-Electricity-Monitor/B00E945SJG

​

Once you know how many amps or watts you draw, we can start sizing the system. How critical is it that this system be up and available 24/7? Are you trying to run a server that needs to have a 99.999% up time? Even with solar and batteries, there will be strings of cloudy days that may require you to stay plugged in, or if you can tie the alternator into the batteries, you'll have to run the engine or buy a generator to get you through bad weather days.

​

Standard components:

Batteries - Either 12 Volt deep cycle, or pairs of 6 Volts golf cart batteries. Golf cart batteries tend to allow deeper discharge than the 12 Volt deep cycle, but come with lower overall capacity. Two 12 Volts will get you ~400 amp-hour rated capacity, four 6 volts will get you the same capacity, but generally last longer before needing to be replaced.

​

120 volt Battery charger - can be a cheap pep-boys battery charger or a dedicated RV converter setup.

​

Solar system - Number of panels will be determined once your average usage is known.

​

Solar Charge Controller - size will be based on # of panels. Can be super cheap but not efficient, or expensive but efficient.

​

Inverter - Takes your 12 Volt battery power and turns it into 120 volt AC to run your computer. You'll need a pure sine wave inverter if you're running electronics. Size will be based on average power consumption of the computer.

​

Here's the numbers if you want to size to the full 2000 watt power draw:

​

If you want to run the system off of the battery for 14 hours, you'll need the following:

2000 watts for 14 hours equals 28,000 watt-hours, or 28kwh.

The Tesla Power Wall has a capacity of 13.5 kwh, so two of those will get you close.

Battery: https://www.tesla.com/powerwall

I believe the new powerwalls come with built in inverters, so they should be able to output 120 volts directly. Weight = approx 600 lbs with wire and connections, they cost $7,800 each, so you're looking at just over 15k for your batteries. Other industrial sized batteries may be available slightly cheaper.

​

Add as many solar panels as you can. You only get 4-7 equivalent hours a day of solar charging based on location:

https://www.nrel.gov/gis/assets/pdfs/solar_dni_2018_01.pdf

The Chevy Astro may be able to fit 4x100 watt panels on the roof. 400 watts for approx. 5 hours a day means you'll be able to charge the batteries about 2kwh per day minus any efficiently losses, so it would take 2 weeks to charge the batteries from dead to full on solar alone. You're basically buying yourself the full 28 kwh required capacity with the 4 solar panels and 2 power walls.

​

If the batteries were just about dead when you plugged in at night and you wanted to recharge them while keeping the system running for 10 hours, you would need 2000 / 120 = 16.67 amps to run the computer, and 23.33 amps for 10 hours to charge the batteries. That's 2.8 kw for 10 hours to fully charge the battery, unfortunately, during grid charging, the powerwall charges at a max rate of 1.7 kw. That's 14.16 amps to charge the powerwalls. You would need to max out a 30 amp RV hookup site for a minimum of 16 hours to charge the batteries to last you one day.

​

My suggestion, buy one of these, and carry enough gas to run it 24 hours a day.

https://www.amazon.com/Honda-EU3000iS-Starting-Portable-Inverter/dp/B0002XC0V2/

​

EDIT: Final suggestion, rent a server and travel with a laptop that will allow you to remote in to the more powerful computer.

​

​

The Kaito T-1 antenna uses an optional clip adapter like the Sangean ANT-60. Neither sell the clip separately. Alligator clip test leads will also work.

You can use a device like this:

https://www.amazon.ca/Display-Energy-Voltage-Electricity-Monitor/dp/B00E945SJG

Test each device plugged in and see if anything is using a high amount of electricity.

For ~12-15 bucks you can see how much stuff really uses.

Just buy something like this

It sounds like you need a USB meter.

I use and recommend this one for USB-A. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00J3JSEG6

Yep, I use something like this: https://www.amazon.com/d/Industrial-Power-Meters/TS-836A-Energy-Voltage-Electricity-Monitor/B00E945SJG

There's all price ranges, but the principle is the same, you put it in-between your device and the wall socket, so all current goes through it, then it can show it on a screen. Some of them do real time calculations based on your local electricity prices.

Can you borrow someone else's charger to test with? Perhaps your charger is losing its strength and needs replacing.

There are inexpensive little gadgets that you can plug into the USB to show the voltage and current. It would show if the power is "drooping" lower than what the 2i2 likes.

USB Meter: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00J3JSEG6/

The hub working simply just as a hub, adding more ports and a conduit for the signals, is different from powering external devices. And so any hub will work with the pi. That being said, I run non powered $4 4 port hubs on a pi zeros and it can run keyboard, mouse, wifi dongle and web cam. I have never needed a hub for my B+, 2's and 3's doing all that as well. Short of running a dvd burner or charging other devices how much power do you really need? You can figure it out with one of these DROK meters. So all hubs work with the pi, the question is really how much power you actually need.

If you have budget left, I know I can find benchmarks of this online. But please buy a kill-a-watt to check the wattage your PC will output. Preferably when stress testing both the CPU and GPU with furmark, intel burn test, OCCT. You might be surprised at how little this system pulls from the wall. I estimate between 450-500W depending on how high your overclocks are.

I suggest windforce cards a lot and I am slightly afraid to suggest a 650W PSU despite the fact that the benchmarks show that 2 GTX970s pull 439 watts when in full stress. Add a 111-140 for the CPU and like 5 for the HDD/SSD and you get to a roudhly 550W.

The kill-a-watt can also be used for other stuff! So not a terrible buy, handy tool to have.

I see no problems with that meter for general use. I have an earlier model of that meter (Fluke 12B) that I keep on my bench at home for double checking resistor values. You might want to consider an ESR meter for checking capacitors. Here is a cheap one with good reviews: http://www.amazon.com/Honeytek-A6013L-Capacitor-Tester/dp/B0036FQ3FW

I did find this

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001TCWL1E/ref=cm_sw_r_sms_c_api_KDy7ybCTN2SPC

Will probably buy them for the teams as it's just a general troubleshooting tool. Big $$$ savings when we are buying 20 of them!

Take the time to learn how to use a multi meter. It will help you for the rest of your life. Electricity and electronics should be taught in primary school and everyone should know how to use a multimeter. A multimeter is simply a combination various meters and testers into one device: a voltmeter to measure volts, ohmmeter to measure resistance in ohms, an ammeter to measure current in amps, and various other things like electrical connection continuity, temperature (with temp probes).

You can purchase a simple multimeter for less than $10, however for your specific electrical problems, I recommend one that has a DC clamp-on ammeter like this one. That lets you clamp the meter around a wire to measure how much current is flowing, like on brake light circuit to see if it's drawing the correct current needed for the light bulb, or whether there's a short circuit that's drawing a lot more current than it should be doing.

If you aren't willing to learn how to use a multimeter, then don't bother attempting to fix this problem by yourself. Find another mechanic. You need to know basic electronics to diagnose and fix most electrical problems, and it can be dangerous to you and to others for you to mess with electrical things without that knowledge.

Here are some links for you to read and learn from people that have gone before you....

Handy Bob, kind of grumpy but knows how to make solar work, will give you the basics. It is getting dated but a good place to start.

Voltage Drop Calculator,you need to know how much loss will be in the wires and compensate for it or else watts are just heating wires and not charging batteries.

A Multimeter so that you can troubleshoot and verify that your system is working.

Ohm's law, you should at least understand the concept and relationship between voltage, amperage, and watts. Watts are universal. a 1,000 watt device be it Ac or Dc is always 1,000 watts. But 1,000 watts at 12 VDC draws 84 amps (lots of current. AT 120 VAC 1,000 watts draws 8.4 amps. See the relationship there? Volts x amps = watts.

There is a link in the FAQ on the page for how to do this. If it's an AC device (plugs into a household wall), then the most accurate thing to do is buy a Kill-a-watt meter and actually measure it.

Most devices list their max power draw, either in watts or amps. If it's in watts, just plug that into the calculator. If it's in amps, we have the converter at the top of the page to get the watts. If you can't find the power listed on your device, but own the device, you can get an ammeter (like this one) and measure as it's being used.

Just something to consider.

Try and plug your Wyze power adapter into a different electrical circuit in your home and also try a different brand of charger into other electrical circuits not controlled by the same circuit breaker. Sometimes a home electrical outlet may not have 110 volts due to various issues, which would result in a lower power output for two Wyze cams to operate when chained together with the line-losses from the two usb cables.

To verify, you need a device to measure the USB power with under load conditions.

Something like this:

From Amazon

USB Meter, DROK Digital Multimeter USB 2.0, Multifunctional Electrical Tester, Capacity Voltage, Current Power Reader with Dual USB Ports, 7 Modes

https://smile.amazon.com/DROK-Multimeter-Multifunctional-Electrical-Capacity/dp/B00J3JSEG6/ref=sr_1_6?keywords=USB+voltage&qid=1574890447&sr=8-6

Depending on the amplitude you need you may be able to use something that generates audio to do what you want. For example: this; note that I've not tried it and that one is DIY assemble. If you want to test in general you could try outputting an audio signal from your phone or computer for the same purpose. I have used a 0.01hz sine wave from my MPC to function as a CV LFO in the past.

You should use something like this https://www.amazon.com/TS-836A-Energy-Voltage-Electricity-Monitor/dp/B00E945SJG

Then you plugit in to the wall, and plug your rig to the power meter, then you can see how much watt your rig is using

Tl/Dr: video of what i just wrote out (video is not mine as I would start at the wall first. I had that beaten into me as an apprentice)

first invest in an inexpensive meter. heres an auto ranging clamp meter

then test the outlet. going by this pic check Line to line it should be 240v then line to neutral and line to ground 120v on both lines. and ground to neutral 0v

if all is good with the outlet, meter the connection on the unit the same way
l

Yeah, I used one of these. Not sure how accurate they are, but you could be right about it reading another wire.

If you're averaging 2kW/h you might just need to find the source of that. Maybe get one of these guys and troubleshoot?

I bought a few of these power meters from AliExpress at about $12 each, but it took a while to get here.

​

Here are things from my wishlist (past and present)

Wera Screwdrivers
https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B0085NTQJK/

Oscillating blade set:
https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B0109SELWA/

Clamp multimeter:
https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B00NWGZ4XC/

Kreg Jig Jr.:
https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B000J43A7W/

Angled Long Nose Pliers:
https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B00N3VSS4S/

Groove Lock Pliers:
https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B000FK1R0W/

11 ft wifi endoscope:
https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B01MYTHWK4/

non contact voltage tester:
https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B001UAHZAM/

claw nail puller:
https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B0015YPJMY/

Workmate portable work bench:
https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B000077CQ0/

Cable snake fish tape:
https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B000BP7WBO/

9 Outlet metal power bar:
https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B00F8ZQY5M/

Spade drill bit set:
https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B00099E7WE/

36" bubble level:
https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B000UKMWMO/

You can't. You can rig up something and use an amp probe or buy a plug-in power meter but what you're asking for doesn't exist, at least not cheaply.

He found it without a Fluke: http://www.amazon.com/Fluke-1AC-A1-II-Volt-Alert-Non-Contact-Voltage/dp/B000EJ332O/ref=pd_cp_hi_2

You can use one of these to test if the line in the wall is still live. Push it in the hole you made and it should light up. Then turn off breakers one by one until the light on the sensor turns off.

That Klein non contact tester is garbage, go with the tried and tested fluke

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000EJ332O?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creativeASIN=B000EJ332O&linkCode=xm2&tag=vrefid-20

> classic Fluke

You mean this one?

http://www.amazon.com/Honeytek-A6013L-Capacitor-Tester/dp/B0036FQ3FW/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1394686851&sr=8-2&keywords=capacitance+meter

Will this work @Tufts_Student : https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0036FQ3FW/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Compra uma merda destas e vai percorrendo as tomadas da tua casa todas até encontrares o que é responsável pelo consumo elevado. Se não é a pelas tomadas é pelas lâmpadas. Algo aí está a gastar um exagero de energia desnecessariamente.

http://www.amazon.com/TS-836A-Energy-Voltage-Electricity-Monitor/dp/B00E945SJG/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1463748772&sr=8-2&keywords=power+monitor

An Arduino Uno is an ATMega328p with header pins attached and a USB programmer.

If you don't know what you're doing, you really shouldn't be messing with mains power.

Here's a commercial power meter.

Here's a project where someone uses that for the purpose you've described.

The voltage in Norway is 240v. I used a plug-in electricity meter (or plug load meter) to read the wattage & ampere.

• Here's one from Amazon
  
  
• Here's the exact one from a Norwegian store
  
  I'll update when the server is up and running.

Some battery backups provide this built-in, otherwise you can get a plug that sits behind the battery backup in the elec socket and shows how much you are using. Like this here

You can get a watt meter that plugs into the outlet and you plug your PC into that and it will tell you real time how much your PC is drawing.

https://www.amazon.com/d/Industrial-Power-Meters/TS-836A-Energy-Voltage-Electricity-Monitor/B00E945SJG

CPT-063 Test Clip SOIC8 Pomona 5250

Coreboot, a free(as in freedom) bios. It also makes your Thinkpad boot up much faster. That isn't a "car jumper wire", it is a SOIC 8 clip for flashing the bios chip, i used a raspberry pi as the spi flasher, but a bus pirate can also be used.

Is that the Pomona clip? I am thinking of doing this but with a cheap one I bought from ebay (the black one).

Use this

Add one of these and you can see how much USB power is coming out!

https://www.amazon.com/DROK-Multimeter-Voltmeter-Capacitance-Charging/dp/B00J3JSEG6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1469735078&sr=8-1&keywords=usb+amp+meter

I can confirm via a USB multimeter that non-Dash charging peaks at 1.5A with a quality charger and cable.

This is the particular one I used... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00J3JSEG6/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_tai_1os3Ab1K742KB

I bought one of these to see when it was actually charging: USB Meter, DROK Digital... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00J3JSEG6?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share
I just keep plugging the gotcha into the cord until I get a reading on the screen.

Can you move to a different port? Maybe the RTL is drawing too much power? These's a USB test tool that will show you the voltage/current of a device. I use https://www.amazon.com/DROK-Digital-Multimeter-Voltmeter-Capacitance/dp/B00J3JSEG6/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1492270966&sr=8-6&keywords=usb%2Bvoltage%2Bcurrent&th=1

I wound up buying this one. I think it's the older model, but was about the same price, had a ton more reviews and showed voltage on same screen.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00J3JSEG6/

I'll give a dollar to the first person who hooks up with one of these and reports on the open-circuit voltage, voltage under load, and whether it does at least 2A.

Check out a clamp meter. You would need to be able to get to the wiring near the breaker to measure the amp draw there.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00NWGZ4XC

There are also ones you can put between the outlet and item, but that only measures that item, not the whole load. It only works on 110v items (not an electric dryer).
https://www.amazon.com/P4400-Kill-Electricity-Usage-Monitor/dp/B00009MDBU

Multimeter

are you using one of these to measure?
https://www.amazon.com/Uni-T-B4Q094-UT210E-Current-Capacitance/dp/B00O1Q2HOQ/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1499406313&sr=8-5&keywords=current+clamp

https://www.amazon.com/JYE-DSO-138-Open-Source/dp/B00WAQGGZA

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00WAQGGZA/ref=mp_s_a_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1500403429&sr=8-7&pi=SL75_QL70&keywords=dso138

Was it this one? I was considering buying it just yesterday. Is there any documentation/firmware to be found for this kit?

my biggest advice - try picking up an appliance power meter and running it on different applicances (especially TVs and washer/dryer) for a day at a time, this will tell you a lot about which appliances are using the most power and will almost certainly pay for itself when you can be more mindful of the biggest users. My suspicion is the electric dryer, especially if it's on the older side.

You can also get a meter and show them. His estimate is good, but the wats would most likely be much lower. Without a GPU you probably hover around 80wats total system draw with peaks just over a 100.

https://www.amazon.com/P3-P4400-Electricity-Usage-Monitor/dp/B00009MDBU

https://www.amazon.com/d/Industrial-Power-Meters/TS-836A-Energy-Voltage-Electricity-Monitor/B00E945SJG

yup, knipex is good. He probably already has a multimeter and hot stick, but I like having multiple hot sticks around as they go bad.

https://www.amazon.com/Fluke-1AC-A1-II-VoltAlert-Non-Contact-Voltage/dp/B000EJ332O/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1475250851&sr=8-1&keywords=fluke+hot+stick

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0006Z3GZU/ref=od_aui_detailpages00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I can say it's either a driver problem or a hardware problem - I know it sounds vague, but without taking a 1st hand look I can only speculate


doesn't help that you have 2 cards in your system by different manufacturers; you also say you noticed GPU % usage fluctuations


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can you get your hands on a power measuring unit gizmo?


I have a feeling that you might hit the limit on that PSU; I haven't yet found power specs for 290, but 2x 290X will draw 750W in full load at the wall


edit: according to this Guru 3D article, they recommend a 800W PSU as minimum


> AMD Radeon R9 290 Crossfire - On your average system the cards require you to have a 800 Watt power supply unit as minimum.

I have one of these in my bag to prevent just such an occurrence. You don't realize how handy they are until you've used one and lost it.

Most hardware stores should have them. Or even Amazon. The kill a watt is a popular brand.

I do not have a scope and I've never used one but I'm not going to let that stop me.

I've found some on kijiji in the range of $250 CDN, but with nearly no experience with scopes I wouldn't know how to size one up.

What are your thoughts on something like this:
https://www.amazon.ca/SainSmart-Portable-Handheld-Digital-Oscilloscope/dp/B00SXVUETU/ref=pd_cp_328_2?_encoding=UTF8&refRID=EM24BM53XBQSEHMWX17C&th=1

We're redoing electric in our house, and the only advice I can give is do not trust any labels unless you've tested it yourself twice. We made an updated wiring map of our house using walkie-talkies and a no-touch tester. There was no logic to the map whatsoever. Half the house turned out to be wired from one 12A breaker. One room had outlets attached to 5 different breakers. Double-taps and duct-taped wires everywhere... It's going to be a long project.

> I would NOT recommend using a multi-meter to see if the wires are hot.

Why not? Also, you can use https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000EJ332O as the url, you don't have to add all that extra crap to it

\> voltage detector is showing current on the parts that are not lit.

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non-led christmas lights have a shunt that forms when the light's filament burns out, this is so if one bulb burnt out, the series continuity isn't broken and it doesn't take out the whole strand.

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some of the shunts don't form, and that's how those lightkeeper pros are supposed to 'heal' a bad string....by making a big pulse, enough to melt and form those shunts that didn't quite make it.

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http://www.ciphersbyritter.com/RADELECT/LITES/XMSLITES.HTM

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actually, usually that lightkeeper pro voltage detector is pretty crappy, I use this:

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https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000EJ332O

60 watt bulbs hardly touch the electric bill. Anything with motors is what kills your power bills.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00E945SJG/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_1WTKxbEMKP24B

Try powering off your phone and charging it. This will all but rule out a software problem. Also, one of these things might come in handy; I haven't found Ampere to be too accurate.

Funny you should ask, just wired these up today. I killed the circuit, pulled out the boxes (leave them wired up), turned on the circuit again, turned on the light, and used a non-contact voltage tester (like this: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000EJ332O/ref=od_aui_detailpages00?ie=UTF8&psc=1) to determine which box had no power out when the light is turned on. That's where the companion goes. Now kill the circuit again and follow the wiring diagrams that come with the switches. Note: after wiring it up you may have 2 extra black leads in the companion box - they should be wired together (not to the switch). Also, traveler is generally red. In this set-up the companion is just wired to the master via the red traveler wire (not to the load/light, as with standard 3-way set-ups).

Or, check the labels on the old switches (mine said "two pole" where the master goes but where the companion went it was just a standard switch).

Yeah you even said that you changed it... My bad.

To the onboard diagnostics, there is no real difference between a magic box (sensor) and the magic pathway going to it. What kind of line goes to the sensor? Is it just a regular wire? Coax type line? Something else fancy? Do you have a multimeter? If so can you disconnect both ends and check resistance (ohms) through the wire?

Turn off power at the circuit box. Test that the power is out on the outlet you're going to look at by plugging in a nightlight or something - it shouldn't turn on. Open up the outlet and look at the end of the wires connected to it. If they're silver they're probably aluminum, if they're copper they're probably copper.


Quick and easy, but not foolproof, as you're only looking at the one outlet. If your house has been remodeled it could have a mix.

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edit: btw...if you own a house or condo you should probably just buy one of these. You put it in an outlet, or touch a wire (even a lamp cord or similar) and it'll glow/beep if there's electricity to it. Something like replacing an outlet or switch with the same kind is dead simple - although if often seems there's no way all those wires will fit back in the wall, they will. This makes it easier to avoid shocking yourself.

I'll parrot my usual recommendation.

Stick it against all sides of a wire, no beep no problem.