Tag: modification

Tecknet TK-WD004 doorbell 230V AC to USB conversion (WHL #98)

A while back, the landlords decided to toss the old doorbell system. It was fine for ringing, but the audio part was troublesome (50Hz hum of some transformer supply), plus the physical call buttons were mashed multiple times by some brutes and beyond repair. I never used the phone system, it’s just two meters away from the actual front door. The landlords also didn’t bother, because opening the actual door (plus their apartment door) can’t be done electrically, so someone still needs to dash down. It’s a bit of a granny flat situation, so live on ground level and they take up the rest of the building. […]


Quick Release Plate Camera Tripod 1.5×2″ Mount For Manfrotto 200PL-14 484RC2 (and modification for the Sony RX100M2) (WHL #65)

A ripoff product and some modifications to it this time.

In January I bought a used tripod set consisting of a Manfrotto 190 XPROB, a massively oversized 327 RC2 Joystick and a 200PL quick release plate (100 bucks plus delivery). While all of these are well made to a degree that I would totally buy them again, I wasn’t 100% satisfied with the quick release plate in combination with my Sony RX100M2 camera. Not sure if there are standards for camera mounts alignment and envelopes (so: “who to blame”), but the Sony does not align the UNC 20 1/4″ mounting thread with the optical axis, it touches the mounting plane with the focusing ring and even undercuts it with when swivelling the display. […]