Being a Geek on the Cheap
Here’s the second version of my shredded money dice. As you can see, I’ve improved quite a bit since I fist started messing around with casting my own dice.
The 3D printer I use: https://amzn.to/38w41TY
The resin I use: https://amzn.to/2PTasua
Meguiar’s PlastX plastic polish: https://amzn.to/2tE6ldx
Next on my list of older dice making videos we have my first attempt at making dice with shredded money.
It’s been quite a while since my last post on this site, though that doesn’t mean that I’ve been idle. I guess the time has finally come to embed the videos that I’ve been producing since my last post on the site.
After a lot of trial and error (mostly error), I finally have my first 100% completed handmade dice set! Since it’s just about Thanksgiving here in the US, I decided to use pumpkin spice to color these dice. It has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that I like pumpkin spice flavor in just about everything. Nope. Not at all.
Today I’m taking a look at the Level Gaming Speakers from Five Below. These speakers were brought to us by Bass Jaxx (just like nearly every other piece of audio gear from that store), and they’re definitely interesting.
First and foremost, these are USB powered aux-in speakers. That’s right, they’re USB powered speakers, not USB speakers. Your PC will not recognize them as an audio device.
It’s a good thing that these speakers are USB powered too, because they use two 52mm audio drivers and have color changing LEDs. With how small the batteries on Bass Jaxx’s rechargeable speakers are, I can only imagine how quickly these bad boys would drain one.
Of course, by going with the 52mm drivers these speakers end up delivering some surprisingly high quality audio. It’s not audiophile quality by any stretch of the imagination, but it’s definitely usable. In fact, these speakers will be going on my main PC. I usually use headphones, but I’ve been meaning to get a set of small speakers for it (my old speakers are too big for my current desk).
My only real complaint about these speakers are that they lack any sort of power switch. According to the manual the only way to turn them off is to unplug them from the USB port, and that’s pretty inconvenient. Fortunately I have a USB hub that has a power switch for each port, so I have that covered. I ordered my 7 port hub online, but Five Below got some 4 port hubs with switches in stock. You might want to pick one up if you end up buying these speakers or one of their USB powered LED strips.
Today I’m taking a look at the Crenova XPE498 projector. I’ve been a bit obsessed with projectors for a while, but I’ve never had the budget to get a “proper” digital projector and all of the sub $100 models I’ve looked at in the past have been huge letdowns.
In the case of the XPE498, the image is bright and crisp as long as you make sure the projector is within the optimum projection range (between 1.12 and 6 meters). If you’re outside of that range you’re not going to be able to get a clear picture (unless you use external optics), but that’s more than enough room to work with.
Unlike many of the lower cost projectors I’ve used in the past, the XPE498 had very few problems with ambient light. I was able to see the display well from between 1 and 3 meters with basic room lighting, and I didn’t even need complete darkness at the 6 meter range. Keep in mind that this was just done using my off white wall and not a specialized projection screen, which would have improved the display efficiency significantly.
Also, the fact that the native resolution of the LCD in this projector is 800 x 480 (which is common for projectors in this price range) made no real difference in the image quality. I didn’t even start to notice the difference in pixel density until the screen was around 100 inches across.
If you’re wondering about how loud the fan is, it’s about on par with some desktop PC case fans. Since the XPE498 uses an LED as opposed to a halogen lamp like other projectors I’ve used, it puts off way less heat and eats through bulbs at a much slower rate. I still don’t know if the 50,000 hour lamp life is true, but maybe I should leave it running non-stop for 6 years to find out.
Now I just need to make a mount of some kind so that I can suspend this projector over my gaming table. I will never need to waste ink on DnD maps again!
Today I’m taking a look at the UHURU UM-900 Podcasting Set. It’s a kit for up and coming podcasters that includes a boom arm, pop filter, wind puff, shock mount, USB cable, and the UM-900 microphone itself. Even better, the mic has a maximum recording resolution of 192kHz/24bit.
I tried recording at 44.1kHz/16bit (CD quality), 48kHz/16bit (DVD quality), 96kHz/24bit (studio quality), as well as 192kHz/24bit (also studio quality, but higher res), and I had no issue telling the individual recordings apart. Well, I did have a little trouble telling 96/24 from 192/24, but so do most hardcore audiophiles. Either way, the added resolution and flat signal give me a lot of freedom to play with post processing.
I should also point out that this mic really does a great job blocking out background noise. The fans on my desktop PC aren’t the quietest, but they were almost inaudible in the background of any of my recordings so far. In fact, I was able to scrub the sound from the fans entirely from my recording without leaving any weird sound artifacts behind. I’ll try using a noise gate next time.
As for the other items in the kit, they’re all great. The boom arm is sturdy enough to hold my old Blue Yeti, the pop filter and wind puff do their jobs perfectly, and the USB cable is not only extra long (about 2 meters) but it also comes with a ferrite core to filter out interference.
One last thing I want to mention is just the look of the mic itself. The UM-900 uses a satin black finish on the chassis with a brushed nickel finish on the grill, and I love that aesthetic. Also, the fact that the UHURU logo looks like a square wave on an oscilloscope makes my inner tech geek happy.
Today I take a look at the FiFine K669 USB condenser microphone. This is a very popular low cost USB mic coming in at $30 for the black model, and $28 for the rose red model.
Since I’ve already mentioned the price, let’s talk about what’s included with this mic. In addition to the K669 you will also get a tripod as well as a hard mount, and the hard mount is pretty interesting. While it looks like it was modeled after threaded mounts like the Audio Technica AT8466 and other M22X1 threaded mounts, interestingly it comes in two parts. From everything I’ve seen, the nut that you use with the mount might actually be a repainted drive or steering shaft nut. That revelation piqued my DIY curiosity.
Now let’s talk about the features of the mic proper. First and foremost is the USB cable. Sadly this mic has an integrated cable, which means you’ll need to either replace the entire mic when the cable fails or learn how to solder. That also makes storage a bit tricky, since there is a chance the USB plug will scratch the mic if you’re not careful.
Fortunately the cable is really the only shortcoming I can find for the K669. In fact, this mic also has one of my top three features, and that is on device gain control. I love not being tied to my PC’s digital, and being able to change my mic volume on the fly is a huge plus.
Finally, we need to address the K669’s audio quality. I can honestly say that this is a great sounding mic, and if you don’t believe me feel free to check out the audio sample at the end of the above video. I even get extra nerdy and run the mic’s feed through an audio spectrum analyzer.
If you want to try out the FiFine K669 for yourself you can find it here:
https://amzn.to/2D38lxd
Today I take a look at the Q9 USB carioid condenser microphone, this time brought to us by TONOR. Admittedly, there are several sellers out there for the Q9 mic, it’s the accessories included in the TONOR package that make this one a bit special.
First off, let’s talk price. Pretty much every seller is going to charge between $40 and $55 for this mic, and TONOR is no different. However, every other sell will only include a tripod, the USB cable (pretty important), and a hard mount. On the other hand, TONOR gives you a shock mount, boom arm, wind guard, pop filter, and the USB cable along with the Q9 mic. That whole package will cost you $54 on Amazon as of this write up, which is only slightly more than the average.
Now let’s talk features. The Q9 includes two of my top three features on a mic, and those are on device gain control and a mute function. The gain on the Q9 is controlled by a rocker switch on the front of the mic, and it has 15 different levels. Also, if you do a long press on the rocker switch (either up or down) you activate the mute function. Fortunately there is an LED on the front of the mic that will let you know if your mic is muted or not.
Next up, let’s talk about mounting your Q9 mic. Now, the TONOR package does come with a grip style shock mount, but I typically avoid those with mics that have on device gain control (though this one doesn’t block the controls). Fortunately the Q9 also sports a threaded base that is compatible with most mounts that are sized at M22X1. Also, the threads on the Q9 are actually a hybrid of external and recessed threads, which opens up even more mount variety. As an added bonus, the Q9 even has a rubberized gasket on its base so that your mount won’t slip or scratch up the base.
Lastly, let’s touch on quality. The video I linked above has a pretty in depth audio test, but I can at least give you the highlights. The mic is very responsive, properly calibrated as a cardioid mic, has a nice sound for the price, and the gain controls are very easy to use.
All in all I think the Q9 is a really nice mic for the price, and the TONOR package comes with a good number of extra goodies that will help you out on your quest to become a content creator.
You can find the TONOR Q9 here: https://amzn.to/2F48uRm
Today I’m taking a look at the Alctron PF8 that was kindly provided by the folks over at Banggood.com. It’s a portable alternative to treating an entire room with acoustic panels which also has a much smaller footprint than other acoustic isolation shields.
The Alctron PF8 is actually a knockoff of the Kaotica Eyeball, and both products are basically spheres (or semi-spheres in the case of the PF8) of dense acoustic foam that are meant to shield your mic from audio reflections as well as prevent them in the first place. There is a sizeable cavity inside the PF8 that is more than large enough to fit a Blue Snowball, though the main focus is on side address mics in the 45-60mm diameter range.
Of course, there are plenty of acoustic isolation shields on the market that do the same thing as the PF8. However, the PF8 has a few advantages over those. First off, as I mentioned earlier, the PF8 has a smaller footprint than the other isolation shields. It’s also made out of lightweight foam, so you can easily use the PF8 without having to worry about whether or not your usual mic stand can handle it I’ve used the PF8 on my cheapo boom arm with no issue.
The next advantage of the PF8 is the price. Admittedly, the Kaotica Eyeball is a wee bit more expensive (okay, actually 10x the price), but the PF8 comes in at around $30-40 depending on how long you’re willing to wait to get it. Banggood charges a little over $35 for the PF8.
Now, as for how well it works, I’d say it does a bang up job. If you have a room that has a bit of noise reflection and you can’t put up acoustic panels due to budget or lease limitations, the PF8 will help you out. Just keep in mind that products like this work best when you’re closer to the mic. Fortunately the PF8 has a built in double layer pop filter, so plosives won’t be much of an issue at that range. I do have a couple of sound tests in the above video if you’re interested.
If you want to check out the Alctron PF8 for yourself, you can find it here:
Alctron PF8 on Banggood: http://bit.ly/2S0tAIO
Find more microphones here: http://bit.ly/2RID4sP
Download the Banggood APP to get an extra 10%off: https://banggood.app.link/sZmbUBO2HT
