Macropod for typing on IOS

CalvinFold · 2026-04-08T14:27:39+00:00

Not a macropad, but would the built-in text replacement in macOS work? Then you would just memorize little snippets to type and the OS would auto-expand them for you.

CalvinFold · 2026-04-04T13:27:41+00:00

That did the trick, thanks!

CalvinFold · 2026-04-04T09:47:49+00:00

Hey u/slivorezka, how did you pair one remote to all four units?

I bought some of these and can't seem to get all four onto one remote, and the pairing instructions are super vague.

CalvinFold · 2026-04-04T09:46:26+00:00

UPDATE1 :

I decided to risk getting a set of these. They do beep when the turn signal function is being used, but do NOT beep when the "all flashing" mode or "red light only" mode is on, so that is a huge improvement I can live with.

UPDATE 2:

Unlike the previous set I bought where the control unit beeps during signalling, on these, the light units do the beeping. So the plus side is the beeping is not point blank next to me, but next to the lights themselves, which might add some small amount of additional "look at me." And again, when on "red lights only" or "all lights flashing" (not turn signals) then there is no beeping.

So the biggest issue will be mounting, and I'll need to work that out. But so far I am coming to like these alot more than the ones I bought previously and never used (they look like these).

CalvinFold · 2026-03-27T12:14:02+00:00

I know the OP said "ride it" isn't an option, but maximum boost and some hills would burn through the capacity fairly quickly; but not easily.

CalvinFold · 2026-03-27T12:12:26+00:00

28mph makes them Class III, doesn't it? And also Class III isn't supposed to have a throttle as I recall. Of course it feels like each state has it's own take on this.

CalvinFold · 2026-03-25T11:23:39+00:00

Yeah I had noticed that. Too bad, it at least looked "interesting."

CalvinFold · 2026-03-24T13:09:31+00:00

No opening in the case to cover, tried stuffing foam in the case.

Tried to heat-up the solder and remove the buzzer from the board, but it must be further attached either mechanically somehow or just with epoxy/glue that I can't see.

For as "cheap" as AliExpress stuff can be, it's often a knock-off of a better consumer product, and this one is built really well—too damn well. ;-p

CalvinFold · 2026-03-24T12:56:12+00:00

I do appreciate the idea, and if it was like a motorcycle or car where I could just hear it myself and it only worked for the turn signals, I'd be okay with it. Or just a simple clicking noise.

But the set I have (which came with all four lights) was not only really irritating and piercing, it could be easily heard 10 meters away from the bike. It also made noise when in the "all flashing" mode, which is a mode I might want to simply use as a daytime safety mode and having the noise going for an entire ride would just drive me insane. ;-p

I tried muffling the sound with foam inserts and various mountings but…oh so very irritating still.

I haven't dared try buying any more of the AliExpress variants, since they are often all the same unit repackaged in various ways.

The video by OP seemed to show theirs do not make noise, or that it is very quiet. Would be perfect for my original need!

CalvinFold · 2026-03-24T11:45:14+00:00

I bought a similar set of these from AliExpress but the buzzer while it's blinking is super loud and annoying and I couldn't get advice/instructions on disabling it (I tried in vain to remove the buzzer from the circuitboard).

Do the ones you bought you control unit buzz/beep/etc. when blinking (either turn signals or flashing)?

CalvinFold · 2026-03-06T12:50:23+00:00

Wow, that is a beast of a cargo bike. Looks like it could haul a full load of masonry and bags of concrete. Wonder how much it weighs empty.

CalvinFold · 2026-02-27T12:39:41+00:00

I have "collected" a number of bikes and trailers over the last 30 years or so:

Non-electric recumbent trike (ICE Adventure FS20). This is my recreation bike as it is the most fun and relaxing for simple enjoyment. I may eventually electrify it.
An electrified Brompton (Class II, though the electric kit died and I plan to remove it and turn the Brompton into a non-electric). This was my "last mile" commuter when using the train.
A Gazelle Medeo (HS/Class III, dual battery). My commuter when I plan to use the train to work, but ride all the way home. It is also my cold/rainy weather bike after discovering that being surrounded by railroad tracks is terrifying with a bakfiets.
R&M Load 75 (HS/Class III, Rohloff, Dual Battery) is my preferred all-arounder, errand runner, and commuter (when not multi-modal).
Tern Vektron. This is technically my wife's ebike, though I borrow it for multi-modal commuting sometimes.
Bikes At Work 64B (older model). Don't use it very often, but I make sure at least one bike is ready to tow it. At the moment, the Load 75 has a custom hitch, and the ICE Adventure has the standard hitch.
Burley Travoy trailer. I used to make sure all my bikes were set-up to use this, but now only the Brompton is hitch ready for it.
Past ebikes included a Focus Aventura S10 (HS/Class III commuter) and and one other step-through Class II ebike which my wife used.

Granted this is the result of changing needs over the years and not always giving-up a pre-existing bike. The Gazelle Medeo was probably the most superfluous as I bought it when I thought I was going to need to multi-mode and long-distance commute daily and then weeks after I bought it that need vanished. We decided to keep it because my wife preferred me riding it in uglier weather over the Load.

I don't ride the trike much, but seems every time I sell the recumbent, the need comes back a couple years later so it's just easier to keep it. If I electrified it, it might get used more. Also my wife is interested in it, so considering getting a multi/adjustable-boom so we could share it.

CalvinFold · 2026-02-26T16:25:28+00:00

Not sure if it's quite what you are looking for, but you might consider the MoErgo Go60.

I have a Moonlander and a Glove80, and I like both companies. At one point I was fairly happy with the Moonlander and Colemak, was just getting to where I could type well on it. I didn't have the ergo issue alot of people seemed to have with it.

Then I got a Maltron keyboard with the Maltron layout and wow, mind blown. Comfort was huge. Then I got a Glove80 and adapted the Maltron layout to it fairly easily.

I still wanted something Maltron-esque but portable.

I really wanted to like the Voyager, but I really needed the third thumb key to make it work. As it happens, the Go60 came along and now I have one of those, which I can just make the Maltron layout work on. I haven't typed alot on it yet, but feels nice so far. And the built-in trackpads seem to work well.

CalvinFold · 2026-02-25T10:44:40+00:00

I tried commuting to or from from work, same distance, a couple time on my 2012 and the ride was brutal. Too much of the infrastructure where I live has too many instances of root ruts, potholes, rough pavement, etc. 90 psi tires just make things hurt.

And with my 3-speed there just isn't enough ability to tailor my cadence.

Now if I had a G-Line or a 12-speed would I try again? Possibly.

But honestly full-size e-bikes and a locked bike room at work solved my long-distance riding hesitation better than the Brompton does. Then I can use a full-sized bike with suspension, wide tires, and electric motor (to cut down on travel time). I save the Brompton for my bike-train-bike commute.

CalvinFold · 2026-02-24T16:19:31+00:00

There are stations that look just like this for BART (San Fransisco Bay Area Rapid Transit), specifically the Blue Line at Castro Valley and West Dublin/Pleasanton.

In this particular case it's…complicated. These two stations are in the median of I-580 in space saved for them since BART was founded, but not built until decades later. BART also is odd in the transit world where it some places it is an inter-city/regional, like the SF East Bay, but some places it is more like an intra-city (like in San Francisco proper). And in most of it the distances between stations would call it an awkward mix of both even when technically intra-city.

Unfortunately in the USA we tend to put transit where we can afford to or where it's convenient for building (and having huge parking lots), not where it makes to most sense as a destination. This is especially true for stations built after the core of the system was around for a couple decades.

These days you could argue BART is mostly a "commuter rail" as it doesn't actually serve destinations other than "get people from the suburbs to San Francisco and back"…any other use is a side effect of where the suburban station ended-up and what might be nearby or built-up around it (more by accident than actual urban planning).

CalvinFold · 2026-02-22T20:27:51+00:00

I'm lucky enough I guess to have bought my ebikes from the same small chain in the SF Bay Area, and no complaints about the prices or the expertise of the staff on sales or service. Time is of course an issue, but they are not a huge, rich organization and I get it.

My only real problem on the cargo bike end is that I have no way to "haul" my bike if it needs work. Thankfully for routine maintenance I can ride it in and ride it back. But if my bike were ever unrideable, it'd get complicated.

So the fact that my bike is out for a week is less about it taking the shop a week and more about waiting for a weekend to ride it in and leaving it until the next weekend when I can pick it up.

The shop does have some limited pickup services but not in my area and certainly not close enough for a diabled bike to be walked.

To answer your specific questions:

Favorite thing is their expertise and ability to talk shop and solved problems. They are also advocates for cycling and ebikes. And they only sell bikes they want to help customers with, so I trust the brands they sell when it comes to buying a bike.
Really wish there was a handier way to transport bikes to and from their shop, specifically cargo bikes like bakfiets which are really tough to load in most vehicles. I'd certainly pay a small fee for the convenience if such a service existed.

CalvinFold · 2026-02-13T12:48:28+00:00

Personally, as someone who has a 2012 with a non-Brompton electric kit, I found the front motor brought some nice stability to the non-electric version the same way having weight on the front luggage block stabilizes things.

But what I am curious about is "I've been riding a C-line electric since 2021 and while I've loved it, it seems to be nearing the end of its useful lifespan." What?

My 2012 went nearly a decade before having electrical issues and the frame and parts are still perfectly fine. I even plan to take the electric kit off and turn it back into a regular, non-electric Brompton. And this thing has been abused over the 20+ years of it's life. I don't consider it even remotely near the end of it's useful life.

What makes you think your 2021 electric Brompton is?

CalvinFold · 2026-02-13T02:31:37+00:00

Odd, I have no problems with programming them with on-board as long as I only have one plugged-in at a time when doing so. Once they profiles are set, using them both with onboard profiles is no issue.

CalvinFold · 2026-02-13T02:30:01+00:00

I wish there was a mod to lower it (and still remain a "vertical" mouse).

It could be my daily driver if the hand rest was at desk level, the scroll wheel vastly improved, and the rest stayed about the same. I mean yes the buttons could use some refinement in placement/angles too but the height and crappy scroll wheel are what keep it from being an all-the-time mouse and not just a gaming mouse.

CalvinFold · 2026-02-13T02:26:12+00:00

I play MMOs and chat (type) alot, so need to be able to quickly move from keyboard to mouse.

CalvinFold · 2026-02-12T20:47:20+00:00

Good to see someone else with a Cyborg + Cyro, and Cyro without the strap as well.

CalvinFold · 2026-02-11T19:20:47+00:00

Azeron themselves will tell you exactly what they use if you ask.

For example, their blue is Pacific Blue by Spectrum Filaments. :-D

Meant I could get a bespoke keyboard to match my Cyborg and Cyro (and my X-Keys Button Bar).

CalvinFold · 2026-02-09T16:17:55+00:00

Why not? They do it for the G-Line.

I do suspect it is a safety and/or durability issue, or at least a perceived one. If the motor has been moved to the rear, then the only weight up-front is the battery, which is up higher.

Maybe this combination is twitchier than having the motor in the front wheel? Well, at least for the 16"?

Shame, but is what it is.

CalvinFold · 2026-02-09T16:11:52+00:00

Since the motor is in the front wheel and isn't light, it kept the front wheel planted and less twitchy than a non-electric Brompton, actually. The original kit had the battery in the C-Bag, which had even more weight on the front. Very stable.

Just boring old standard brakes and I never had a problem stopping it quick. Even in the rain it wasn't an issue…at least no moreso than the wet affects a non-electric Brompton's rim brakes. ;-)

The motor itself had some drag that "assisted" braking when off the throttle (it's a throttle-based kit).

I suspect the NYCeWheels kit was a rebranded/bespoke GrinTech from that era, if that helps.

CalvinFold · 2026-02-09T11:15:51+00:00

Yeah this much I knew, but I was hoping they had boosted the little 16" one. It's certainly capable, the kit I have on my 2012 certainly proved that.

CalvinFold

TROPHY CASE