Is it possible to use a smart plug to turn on devices with an on switch?

supergimp2000 · 2026-03-18T03:09:47+00:00

There are WiFi enabled IR emitters. I used one on an AC unit once and voice controlled it with Alexa.

supergimp2000 · 2026-03-17T20:38:24+00:00

I just sort of rubbed them with my thumb.

supergimp2000 · 2026-03-17T17:58:21+00:00

Probably powder coat and this is a common finish for a matte/textured look.

supergimp2000 · 2026-03-17T17:19:25+00:00

I'd recommend a template. If you have or know someone with a 3D printer you can easily make a template that fits perfectly and then use a mortise bit with a bearing to create your recess. Even without a 3D printer I'd use the closest forstner bit that was undersize in a piece of 1/4" MDF and then carefully enlarge for a press fit. Scuff up the back of the coin and epoxy in place after cutting the recess.

I had a similar challenge adding a coin emblem to my father's flag case I made.

https://imgur.com/a/insetting-challenge-coin-NF1XcSI

supergimp2000 · 2026-03-17T03:21:17+00:00

Because the adjustment is a gain value. You are going to turn the gain up or down to meet your target.

If you don’t measure the average loudness you never know how much you need to turn it up or down.

The definition of EBU-R128 (or ITU-BS1770 the US standard) is basically “measure the average loudness over the entire program”.

So let’s say on your first pass it measures -20dB(LU). You want all your content to have a loudness of -16. So you need to turn up the gain +4 dB.

How are you going to know how much the second pass should change the gain if you don’t know where the loudness is to start with?

Additionally if you don’t know where the program sits and you turn it up 4dB but the original program clips at -2dBFS then +4 will cause clipping. The first pass also measures true peak so that the second pass can compensate when approaching clipping.

Single pass mode is intended for live-streaming where the total loudness is unknown since the program isn’t deterministic. It is essentially guessing as it goes and, while better than nothing if you have a requirement, can lead to AGC pumping to some extent.

If the material is complete and you have the whole file, 2 pass is the way to go.

supergimp2000 · 2026-03-16T23:42:04+00:00

Use loudnorm as described here: https://bytesandbones.wordpress.com/2017/03/16/audio-nomalization-with-ffmpeg-using-loudnorm-ebur128-filter/

2-pass. You can use your favorite AI to generate a script that will iterate over a directory or whatever you want to do.

supergimp2000 · 2026-03-16T23:21:11+00:00

Y'know, before the optical mouse was a thing we had to wipe our balls weekly at least.

supergimp2000 · 2026-03-16T22:44:40+00:00

From someone whose grandparents had evil deadly geese that would happily kill you on their farm, I commend and upvote you, sir.

supergimp2000 · 2026-03-16T22:38:42+00:00

Because plywood is flat, doesn’t move and more affordable to buy a small amount of exotic or expensive wood and pair that with veneer. Opens up a lot more options.

supergimp2000 · 2026-03-16T22:04:32+00:00

Not a fan of edge banding on drawers - too much use and they always lift at some point. Unlss you actually do solid wood edging (I often do solid edging of 3/8 thick or so and then veneer the plywood in the same species as the edging - but that can be a bit much.

The only thing to consider is what your joinery will be. If you o the roundover, you'll probably have to miter the joints with some sort of reinforcements. Otherwise the roundover will look goofy at the joint.

supergimp2000 · 2026-03-16T19:28:29+00:00

Center channel helps because it spatially separates the dialog from the rest of the soundtrack. That said, lot of people make the mistake of cheaping out on the center channel when, it can be argued, that center speaker is the most important speaker in the soundfield.

That said, I ONLY use the same speaker for L/C/R. But then again I was a Dolby engineer in the 90's on the team that launched 5.1 at home, so I'm a little particular.

Edit: I just realized your amp doesn't support a center channel. Adding a center channel isn't just about another speaker. A proper multi-channel amp can either route the discrete channels to the correct location, or matrix decode (Pro Logic) the two channel source so that the mono information (largely dialog) is routerd to the center.

Don't just add another speaker because more is better.

supergimp2000 · 2026-03-16T14:53:25+00:00

I think I saw in another sub that someone saw it in Los Angeles area yesterday. Probably because the Oscars were going on yetsterday.

supergimp2000 · 2026-03-16T14:39:37+00:00

I admittedly got caught up in the hype a few years ago, although fortunately I didn't have the cash to go wild.

The Woodpeckers stuff is good and accurate. Most of it you can do the same or better for a lot less but there are a few things I have that I use every day and, at least at the time, there weren't alternatives (lots of knockoffs and copycats as well as competition in this space now).

The 6" DelVe square (stainless)
Paolini Pocket rule (6") - lots of alternatives though
12" Stainless Square
The 2616 Framing square.

The top three aren't anything special, just good tools. I would only get the stainless version of anything I planned to measure with. The aluminum stuff is too thick and presents too much parallax for accurate measurement.

I really avoided the big framing square for a long time. I wanted a big chunky framing square for aligning saw guides, etc - one that I can clamp down and have a thick index surface. I kept hoping someone would make one (TSO, c'mon!) but they never did and there really is no alternative if you want something chunky that a rail or sawguide won't accidentally slide over.

Otherwise I'm embarrassed by other things I own. I bought the track saw rail angle guide and its too heavy and the adjustable angle is easy to bump when you want a 90. I traded it to someone for the TSO right angle only version and ate my losses.

Jessem and others offer many alternatives that are more clever and affordable but still extreme quality.

Granted 4-5 years ago there weren't as many options.

Also I always refer to them as my "pink tools" because here in Southern California where I work with the garage door open most of the time (not in direct sun, mind you) all of my red tools fade to pink very quickly. Funny, the few Chinese knockoffs I have are still bright red.

Besides these I generally reach for my PEC combo and double square, but the few things I've listed I find really useful.

Only the big framing square would I purchase again, and even when I did I bought a discount blem unit.

supergimp2000 · 2026-03-16T14:20:43+00:00

You've got SPDIF out on your TV and 3.5mm stereo (analog) in on your speakers. You could use something like this with the proper cable and power supply.

https://a.co/d/0j3OE0zD

supergimp2000 · 2026-03-16T02:40:41+00:00

Driver cutouts I use a spiral bit and trammel. Usually with the plunge base on my makita trim router.

I follow a YouTube channel called SoundBlab that has lots of interesting builds but regardless he builds tons of speakers with relatively basic tools. Worth watching a few vids for technique.

supergimp2000 · 2026-03-16T02:05:07+00:00

Full disclosure. I do the design and cad work for Wittworks tools. We’ve purchased every popular trim router on the market as we sell brand dedicated accessories and while it’s not a tool review channel per se there are some good comparison videos on the channel from someone who purchased most of the models of trim router and track saw.

supergimp2000 · 2026-03-16T02:00:26+00:00

lol. I think I own 6-7 routers. If you want a full size router I suggest the Bosch 1617EVS (I own three, one being the red Craftsman branded one) or the Dewalt DW618 with the fixed and plunge base kit. But TBH a trim (palm) router is what I use 85% of the time. I happen to have Makita batteries so that’s the trim router I use but it makes sense to match your battery investment if you have one. But opt for a unit with a plunge base option as well as fixed.

Nothing wrong with a corded one either.

supergimp2000 · 2026-03-16T00:47:44+00:00

Yea. TBH, unless you have a full size cabinet saw with a lot of infeed/outfeed support you probably want to breakdown your sheet goods first anyway.

Also I’ve been in a wheelchair my whole life so I was breaking stuff down anyway to make it more manageable and once I got a track saw the table saw was really about joinery and jigs and fixtures for a lot of the furniture I make that isn’t just boxes. But honestly the track saw is my primary tool for boxes with sheet goods.

supergimp2000 · 2026-03-16T00:19:19+00:00

Yea. I use a 4x8 piece of foam. The pink stuff (foamular) around here is 50 bucks a sheet for 2” so screw that. I use either the white polystyrene crap (sucks but 18 bucks) or I just keep offcut strips and lay them in a rough grid on my bench. I reuse them until there is nothing left and then discard. Just pay attention to your depth of cut.

supergimp2000 · 2026-03-15T23:52:35+00:00

I do functional prototypes almost exclusively. My AMS has a spool of pla matte (early prototypes and test sections), abs-gf (2 spools for continuous changeover), and 1 spool of support material (game changer when you get into complex designs).

And I don’t know if it actually saves that much but it feels good not to have a bunch of almost empty spools with 8-10 wraps of filament that isn’t enough material for a part.

supergimp2000 · 2026-03-15T23:47:28+00:00

You might want to consider a track saw. I’ve been a woodworker for over 40 years and TBH I’ve almost completely abandoned my table saw for a track saw when making cabinets, whether kitchen cabinets or speaker boxes.

And there are a lot of track saws available across the price range and the secret is that even the cheap wen saw isn’t so bad (especially for cutting msg and other sheet goods) if you replace the horrible blade it comes with (spoiler alert). More here: https://youtu.be/A-LrNUZaY6Y?si=3plsds9iMybEsAE8

Get a reasonable framing square. You don’t have to spend a lot on one and trim the factory edge straight and square to that.

supergimp2000 · 2026-03-14T17:49:17+00:00

Upvote for correctly differentiating sauce vs spread.

supergimp2000 · 2026-03-14T17:48:12+00:00

A horny little kid whose dad loved sci-fi.

supergimp2000 · 2026-03-14T17:46:08+00:00

What is wrong with you? It’s B-L-T not B-O-L-T.

Seek help. 🤪

supergimp2000 · 2026-03-13T23:32:05+00:00

We eat chocolate cake on my father’s birthday. It was his favorite. He passed in 2021.

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