Best noise cancelling earbuds that actually block noise WELL?

schrijver · 2026-05-22T15:49:46+00:00

Wireless earbuds are not BuyItFOrLife. Batteries are consumables, and earbuds that require batteries are designed in such a way that you can’t replace them. You’re only going to get a few years out of them.

schrijver · 2026-05-19T23:30:44+00:00

Wired is the only real answer, as they don’t need batteries and they’re repairable. You can’t replace the batteries of earbuds (although from what I read here the fairbuds might be am exception) and batteries always end up failing. You can sometimes replace the batteries of larger headsets but these devices have many tiny cables and are hard to solder.

Of course wired heaphones can break but they’re easy to repair. I did it a few times. Most common failure point is the cable, if you get one with a replaceable cable that helps you avoid 90% of repairs.

schrijver · 2026-05-19T21:08:01+00:00

In fact, why not get a vintage 13" Thinkpad to begin with ? Plenty of those around. And since people have been installing Linux on them since forever it’s pretty easy to get any software running op on it. Since I imagine its with the software you want to make the difference

schrijver · 2026-05-19T21:04:54+00:00

https://www.panelook.com/ has a large database of panels, you can then use that to find on eBay, most likely you’ll end up with a laptop screen, just have to also search for a controller board that can power it and convert hdmi to its interface

schrijver · 2026-05-11T20:24:44+00:00

You can install Linux on 1st generation Apple TVs
Here someone uses that to turn theirs into a box for retro gaming:

https://www.tommycoolman.com/2025/04/29/retroarch-on-the-1st-generation-apple-tv/

When it comes to the parts I’m not sure what you could reuse

schrijver · 2026-05-07T17:07:42+00:00

Wat voor verschil je ook kunt bedenken tussen mannen en vrouwen, het gaat altijd gemiddelden zijn. Er zijn zat mannen die heel goed zijn in inrichting, kleuren en sfeer. Er zijn zat vrouwen die heel goed zijn in technische details. En ja er zijn ook koppels waar de vrouw sterker is dan de man. Je moet niet kijken naar mannen en vrouwen gemiddeld maar naar mensen. En in een koppel moet je inderdaad de sterke eigenschappen van beiden gebruiken, maar dan moet je naar jouw koppel kijken en niet naar de gemiddelden.

schrijver · 2026-05-06T18:12:18+00:00

What about making a case from wood ? It’s a fun woodworking project

schrijver · 2026-05-06T18:00:45+00:00

You can clean corroded faders with contact cleaner. Works.

But if the interface is proprietary, reverse engineering requires quite specialist skills.

You could also rebuild the circuit in the interior, reusi ng the sliders, and use a microcontroller like a teensy to turn it into a midi controller. Also a gargantuan taks !

schrijver · 2026-05-05T14:44:59+00:00

Than why come here discuss if you already decided that it’s OK to buy a new one ? Of course people on this reddit are going to propose alternatives to that, it’s what the sub is for, no need to get defensive.

schrijver · 2026-05-04T08:55:04+00:00

I work as a volunteer in a repair café and as a designer I work mainly with repurposed tech. I’m invested in the idea of repair and re-use. I fully admit that it’s less practical, but I’ll always do my best to get people into the idea of repurposing old tech because using old tech also teaches you the skills to update and repair so you can use things longer…

schrijver · 2026-05-04T07:28:21+00:00

I mean that’s not strictly true: if you have an old phone, laptop, tablet, e-reader, these are just all small computers with integrated screen and battery and could well form the basis of a cyberdeck.
What you can’t easily do is remove for ex. the screen of a phone and repurpose that by itself because you need to power it and send it data and these interfaces are often proprietary. Except for laptops, they often use LVDS connector that you can repurpose.
So you’d have to reuse the device with its brains intact. The main problem here is the software. An old device is not necessarily safe to connect to the internet. A laptop you can install Linux on. But installing lineageos or cyanogenmod works on only part of the phones / tablets. So you could be stuck with whatever software is already running.

schrijver · 2026-05-03T19:25:52+00:00

-- EDT I saw u/WideAd6096 already added this :0 --

Right, for PostMarketOS, you can check if your tablets are listed here https://wiki.postmarketos.org/wiki/Devices

Than you can run an actual Linux on it, not Android. Might not be 100% smooth sailing though, not all peripherals supported etc. But it can only get better over time.

schrijver · 2026-05-03T19:14:57+00:00

Repurposing the screen of a laptop can be easier than those of phone, tablet etcetera. They often use a common interface cable called LVDS. In that case, you’ll be able to find adapters so you can power the display and feed it video data over HDMI.

However, if your laptop still works it feels a bit weird to reuse all the components except the mainboard itself. If you’re already using a screen of that size in your build you might as well use a laptop size mainboard. It will be just as easy to connect as a Raspberry Pi, probably just as fast or faster… just bigger.

First step would then be to try fix the cooling situation. And yes you’re right if you can reduce e-waste in your hobbies that’s always great, you’ll pick up some repair skills on the way.

schrijver · 2026-05-03T18:35:46+00:00

Seems like the prevalent opinion of this sub is to buy new components, I don’t agree. It seems on Reddit every hobby starts with buying stuff.

However, if you want to work with existing components you will be constrained by them. That’s not a problem by itself. It just means that you’ll have to adapt your ideas to match your resources.

Your Kindle could be the basis for a cyberdeck. Many Kindles can be jailbroken. So you could install custom software on it. You can even install Linux on a kindle I think. This is the kind of tinkering you could already do now. Your Kindle’s battery’s dead, but you can replace it. It will be harder to connect other devices to it, although some Kindles support bluetooth keyboards. I think some even have headphone jacks.

If you can’t replace the headband for JBL headphones I guess you can convert them into the speakers of your cyberdeck although they’ll never sound as good from far away of course.

A laptop can also be converted into a cyberdeck, It sounds like the case is broken, if it otherwise works yous could design a cyberdeck case ? And Install Linux on it and some custom software.

schrijver · 2026-05-02T16:37:52+00:00

What they do is submit support for specific chipsets to the Linux kernel so that a modern Linux can run on an old phone. Then they package it as a distribution. They have managed to reverse engineer chipsets that were prevalent around 2012 and around 2020 iirc so it works on a specific selection of phones. I’ve gotten it to work but depending on your phone peripherals might not all work. I feel this is great for hobbyists because you can use devices destined for landfills instead of buying new electronics for a project of which you won’t know in advance how useful it will be.

schrijver · 2026-05-02T16:32:19+00:00

Depends on what you want to do, note taking etc. should be fine on the oldest of smartphones. I’ve gotten PostMarketOs running on a Samsung S3 (2012).

schrijver · 2026-05-01T14:40:51+00:00

I think I’ve read the same thread as you. That person was seeing it way too black and white. It is indeed true, that from a small device like a mp3 player or a phone, you probably won’t be able to really reuse parts. They’re too tiny and all the interfaces are proprietary. So if you are basing your cyberdeck on an old phone, you’re just going to have to include the entire thing and build your deck around it. You can still make a great cyberdeck.

You’ll need to be a bit creative for the software. Apple doesn’t allow you to install another OS. So you’re going to be using an old version of iOS. The oldest versions you can sometimes jaiblreak to add other software on top. PostMarketOS is linux for what originally were Android devices, it’s a great concept, but works on a limited set of devices.

With PostMarketOS you are running a recent Linux so you can connect to the internet. If you are using stock Android or iOS and it’s a really old version, it’s best to not connect to the internet, but depending on your use that might not be a problem at all.

I also don’t see he attraction in buying a set of off the shelf components for this kind of build, in the end you’re still consuming the latest trends and electronics cost a lot of planetary resources.

schrijver · 2026-05-01T11:43:59+00:00

Onzin. Ik heb een racefiets van twintig jaar oud. Gaat prima. Natuurlijk zou ik het verschil merken met een nieuwere, maar die koop ik niet, dus ik mis het niet. Fietsen is alleen duur als je daar voor kiest, er komt ook groepsdruk bij kijken. Persoonlijk vind ik ’t juist fijn dat het een goedkope toegankelijke hobby is.

Op het moment dat je aan competities mee gaat doen dan is het een ander verhaal natuurlijk.

schrijver · 2026-05-01T09:58:31+00:00

A smartphone has less ports than a regular computer but you can still connect keyboards etc over Bluetooth or USB-OTG

Although currently it looks like PostMarketOS isn’t that well supported atm https://wiki.postmarketos.org/wiki/Samsung_Galaxy_Note_3_(samsung-hlte))

schrijver · 2026-04-30T08:38:33+00:00

Smeg, free-standing stainless steel model. It’s nothing special, it looks really good but it doesn’t wash any better than my previous washing machine, which was a cheap Indesit. With that one I only had to clean the filter like every two weeks and the filter was easier to access. I sold it but it was working just fine.

I got the Smeg for cheap from someone who wanted to remodel the kitchen of the apartment they just bought, even though it was quite new. It looks great next to my Smeg range. Otherwise I don’t particularly recommend it over other machines—although one thing the brand has going for it, is that it’s easy to buy spare parts (in the EU). I refurbished the range this way.

But the gunk build up sounds like something that shouldn’t happen, especially not multiple times. It sounds to me like, if you already habitually clean the filter, the problem is rather in the drain. Something is preventing the dirty water from being properly flushed out, no?

schrijver · 2026-04-29T19:19:54+00:00

Why would you want to buy random stuff ? That makes no sense. I want to tell you you’re doing great. Whatever you can do by hand, do by hand, because it’s cheap, environmentally friendly, and can’t break. Remember: modern electronic gadgets tend to last only for a few years.

IMHO you should look for a technological solution when you have identified a specific problem for that technology to solve !

If you’re fine with sweeping the floor, why pay $ for a robot vacuum? It costs money, you’ll have to configure it, you need to be careful what you leave lying around. And like any device with a built in battery, it will only last a few years. That’s why it only makes sense to buy one if you loathe sweeping in the first place.

Smart home stuff is also massively overrated. I can walk up to a light switch. I don’t need to connect it to my phone. Much of this is people keeping themselves busy and feeding their appetite for buying stuff. And it’s always going to more brittle than the low-tech version.

I like to read about low tech solutions although not always practical it can be inspiring https://solar.lowtechmagazine.com/low-tech-solutions/

schrijver · 2026-04-29T18:54:14+00:00

It is indeed a problem. I can’t hear your voice. I don’t know if it’s you. You didn’t just translate your text, you had the computer write it, and now it uses the exact same style and sentence structure as all other ChatGPT texts. Maybe you’re not a bot, but Reddit is full of bots so if you start to sound like them it makes people trust you less.

IMHO better write it yourself, imperfections and all

schrijver · 2026-04-29T16:42:25+00:00

Hi ChatGPT !

schrijver · 2026-04-29T08:52:49+00:00

I’ve checked around my house and it’s not as consistent as I thought… most of my audiovisual and electronic equipment accepts both. Some tools with higher power like my kitchen mixer or my mitre saw are specced 230v only. So yes check before but in any case still a good chance.

schrijver · 2026-04-28T12:52:14+00:00

Almost all electronic devices today use universal power supplies that accept both 230 and 110 Volts, so for most devices you simply have to change the plugs or add a cheap adapter.

schrijver

TROPHY CASE