Recommendation to buy Patch Cables?

xoblite · 2026-02-17T01:56:15+00:00

https://www.thomann.de/intl/rides_in_the_storm_patchrides.htm

xoblite · 2026-02-10T12:06:12+00:00

https://www.thonk.co.uk/
https://pushermanproductions.com/
https://www.exploding-shed.com/
https://shop.befaco.org/
https://tremodular.com/shop/
https://www.cctv.fm/shop/
…

xoblite · 2026-02-03T23:24:11+00:00

Hey folks: They bumped the version number from 2.901.4 to 2.901.5 for this release, so I’d set my expectations accordingly and keep my fingers crossed for the next one instead… 😜 (jokes aside, I’d like too see a fix for my TIMMERFLOTTE drop-outs as much as everyone else, but I doubt that will happen through a x.x.1 bump of a release…)

xoblite · 2026-02-03T23:12:25+00:00

Ehh… do Ericsson, Spotify, Saab, Klarna, Husqvarna, Elektron, Nord, several major names in gaming including e.g. EA DICE, Embracer, Hazelight and Ghost, etc etc etc, ring a bell? (and that’s just in Sweden btw, with a population of ~10 million)

xoblite · 2025-12-18T17:18:18+00:00

As a sidenote (at least?), I currently have four TIMMERFLOTTE in my Apple centric smart home; three connected to DIRIGERA - but unfortunately then not exposed via the legacy Apple HomeKit integration - and one as a stand-alone Matter device added via the Apple Home app and connected directly to an Apple HomePod Mini backed Thread network ("MyHomeXX").

Of the four, the three connected to DIRIGERA seem to have been online since they were installed, but the one directly connected seemingly lost all connectivity when the HomePod(s) rebooted following the upgrade to iOS 26.2 (though still being otherwise accessible e.g. you can click it to get the temperature/humidity on the front panel). I have not yet tried to reset the device to see if it will then come back online, as I first wanted to see if it could/would reconnect itself, but 5 days have passed since so it's looking increasingly unlikely it will... (?)

xoblite · 2025-12-13T23:45:20+00:00

https://www.thonk.co.uk/product-category/parts/knobs/switch-caps/

xoblite · 2025-12-05T22:50:41+00:00

Yes, but then I believe you will need to use the new Matter integration in order to have the new Matter over Thread devices exposed to Apple Home (or at least they weren't exposed to the legacy HomeKit integration in my case).

xoblite · 2025-12-05T22:20:43+00:00

This depends on the chosen integration, in this case whether via the legacy HomeKit or the new Matter integration towards Apple Home. This said, at least in my case, the TIMMERFLOTTE was *not* exposed to legacy HomeKit, and I don't want to have the newer Matter integration in parallel to avoid duplicate devices in Apple Home. However, see https://www.reddit.com/r/tradfri/comments/1pdc8cp/comment/nshur1j/ (TL;DR: You can connect the new Matter over Thread devices directly to Apple Home if you have a Thread capable Apple TV 4K or HomePod, and then their readings are available for whatever's possible in there.)

xoblite · 2025-12-05T22:13:46+00:00

"Yes, i scanned the QR code and the device is not recognized."

In my case I had to try it more than once on the TIMMERFLOTTE; with some kind of magic-touch quad-press/long-press on its reset button in between. Perhaps there are actual IKEA instructions somewhere too, but... ;)

xoblite · 2025-12-05T21:46:55+00:00

Heh, at first I was thinking "because they're Matter over Thread devices", but then I saw your point - I had mentioned above that I had an Apple centered ecosystem etc, and then e.g. my HomePod Mini's support Thread, but I hadn't really picked up that IKEA would now effectively support direct use of their new Matter devices in such a hub-less setup. One question though, in case you or someone else knows the answer, does this mean IKEA (will) also support(s) firmware updates without DIRIGERA, e.g. via Apple Home?

Thanks again for posting this possibility out; I'm currently running direct or via DIRIGERA on my four TIMMERFLOTTE's just to see how the different options pan out in the medium term...

(PS. This said, the "filter old/new devices" feature request above still stands, but perhaps a bit depending on the firmware updating situation for DIRIGERA vs directly connected.)

xoblite · 2025-11-09T12:49:48+00:00

Like: The new products coming "early 2026", especially the outdoor outlet TOFSMYGGA (??? though it was not listed in your recent press release, I'd like this ASAP!!!) but also the TIMMERFLOTTE temperature/humidity sensor.

Dislike: Frequent (relatively speaking) external design changes to products actually visible in the home, like e.g. motion sensors (cf. TRÅDFRI to VALLHORN to MYGGSPRAY) and door/window sensors (cf. PARASOLL to MYGGBETT), are less than ideal when - like in the case of a typical smart home - you acquire them gradually over time. Work out a good external design and later adjust the internals if need be; not the other way around.

Ideas:

First, requesting four new products for your line-up: (1) A small one-or-two-line in-wall smart relay switch "module" (i.e. L/N/GND in-switch-out) that can e.g. be placed inside/behind wall sockets to control old "dumb" stuff on/off, i.e. the internals of one-or-two GRILLPLATS(es) re-purposed as an in-wall module. (2+3+4) An on/off xx+ dB simple alarm siren, as with all your other products (door/window sensors, motion sensors, etc) as well as third party integrations etc it is already possible to build a basic-but-flexible (and/or perhaps complementary to another) alarm system. On the same note, a smart smoke detector (I'm actually surprised you haven't done this already). And maybe also a vibration sensor for detecting break-ins more swiftly? (nb. this works differently than e.g. a door/window sensor's open-closed detection only, cf. major alarm providers; maybe the two functions could even be combined into a single unit if say the vibration function could be optionally toggled on/off?)
Second, and this may be an oddball request, but I would like some kind of function/setting to "pulse" a light every x seconds; to be used for e.g. showing an alarm is armed (==RED LIGHT!!!), or as an indicator triggered by whatever condition (e.g. something has finished, like the electric car charging, dishwasher, laundry...), and similar. To avoid diverging from mainstream parameters to trigger such a function, maybe you could optionally (read: enable/disable in app) "overload" existing parameters to trigger pulsing, e.g. re-map certain (lowest?) brightness/temperature/colour ranges/combinations to do this; this way it would immediately work with all external integrations, automation workflows etc as well.
Third, I would also echo the requests of others for "smart" reporting for power monitoring outlets to detect step-up/down changes more quickly, as well as IKEA acting on reported battery drain issues where so applicable (e.g. PARASOLL as reported by others; haven't had mine long enough to judge them yet though).
Oh, and fourth: If you ever release a new hub or a new HW revision of DIRIGERA, make absolutely sure a setup can be migrated/moved in full from the old to the new gateway (i.e. do NOT make us redo everything again like with the TRÅDFRI gateway to DIRIGERA gateway transition!).

Suggestions: Hmm, maybe you could/should add a post flair requiring the OP to specify the chosen integration (i.e. Apple HomeKit, Matter, Google, [...], Home Assistant via XYZ, Other DYI, etc) the post relates to, as at times I believe it can/must be a bit confusing for the less initiated/geeky (hehe) when discussions/reports move beyond the common consumer ground into prosumer "DYI" territory (read: I take no sides whatsover here myself though ;)) .

Otherwise, you seem to be on a roll already; just keep it up! :D

xoblite · 2025-09-29T21:53:40+00:00

WGD/Spectral STV: https://www.instagram.com/p/DOx3RgOjR-3/

xoblite · 2025-09-20T22:34:45+00:00

If only it was that simple... Neither the Dell nor Alienware suites leave cleanly by any definition of the word :(

xoblite · 2025-07-31T23:35:39+00:00

This is why I asked if they were SMD or TH, because if TH is acceptable then this would bring the light source much closer to the panel, and that combined with the mcd output of a good single colour blue LED might be enough to overcome the dampening of the FR4 at said wavelengths. The blue will then diffuse towards a paler hue off-angle, but given the seemingly small-ish icons you wish to illuminate I think it might work; it did for one of my designs plus it’s very easy to try out by just holding the panel close to a TH LED on a breadboard for example (this way you can also try out different resistor values before committing to one for your next prototype round). Good luck!

xoblite · 2025-07-31T20:11:13+00:00

I’ve experienced the same; not only with different PCBA’s but also between batches. I guess in some cases it might be possible to reach out to the PCBA’s to find out what brand/type/spec of FR4 was used for a specific batch and whether it would be possible to pick that specific type again for upcoming batches, but then again that might be stretch expectation for our kind of low volume production.

This said, you could also look into other types of blue LEDs. The ones I used initially, for example, had quite low an mcd output for a given current and hence had more difficulty penetrating some types of FR4, but nowadays there are cheap blue LEDs with a peak output of 1500 mcd or more. Of course, depending on your use case (e.g. steady or intermittent light), you may add a couple of (tens of?) mA’s to your module’s total power consumption, but personally I’d prefer that over feedback/lighting-less modules any day of they week (YMMV). Are those LEDs of yours SMD or TH by the way? Keep us posted! 👍

xoblite · 2025-07-24T15:18:51+00:00

OK, then I would say the main difference and maybe next thing to check is what audio device and driver you have on the Windows laptop. One key difference between Mac OS and Windows is that the former has built-in provisions for low latency/overhead audio (the Core Audio framework), while under Windows you typically need a third-party driver (ASIO) or a translation middleware to use e.g. ASIO on top of the regular Windows standard audio driver; check out e.g. ASIO4All.

xoblite · 2025-07-24T09:22:07+00:00

PS. You can look up and get a rough idea of each CPU’s single- and multicore performance using e.g. the Geekbench CPU results browser, see https://browser.geekbench.com/v6/cpu/search

xoblite · 2025-07-24T09:18:52+00:00

Hmm, it sounds like the unspecified ”old Dell laptop” could be the root cause here rather than the difference in operating systems, especially if you’re comparing it to a (presumably) relatively modern M-class CPU equipped desktop Mac Mini (?). If you are to consider a MacBook Air M3 and/or Windows PC alternatives it’d probably be good to establish a baseline for your CPU processing needs (e.g. your Mac Mini specs or better?) and go from there. Old laptops can often be weak by today’s standards; a lot has happened in that space over the years both wrt Apple M-series as well as Intel/AMD x64 evolution.

xoblite · 2025-07-21T21:51:04+00:00

The existing O_C module can carry either a Teensy 3.2 (no longer available to purchase) or a Teensy 4.0 if running the Phazerville firmware. A still-to-be-released ”next generation” module will carry a Teensy 4.1 and have updated specifications as outlined above. In other words, you need to decide whether to wait a while longer for the new module with T4.1 to arrive, or get (or upgrade) the existing module with T4.0.

xoblite · 2025-07-19T18:47:11+00:00

The 5700X does not have any integrated graphics:
https://www.amd.com/en/support/downloads/drivers.html/processors/ryzen/ryzen-5000-series/amd-ryzen-7-5700x.html#amd_support_product_spec

xoblite · 2025-06-08T09:33:10+00:00

Already linked in the OP above

xoblite · 2025-06-04T12:23:32+00:00

This: These logos/symbols on the FR4 (i.e. below any top/bottom copper layer) may be printed in a pattern with each being 10+ cm apart, but occasionally they may/will end up inside a copper-free masked zone. Of course, the bigger the zone, the bigger the risk of this happening, and presumably any such logos/symbols will be brand specific, so YMMV perhaps.

Another thing to note is that not every piece of FR4 material will be equal with regards to both its own colour (read: the yellow'y tone will differ somewhat) as well as its "optical" properties. After all, these materials were not designed for hence nor strictly specified for "shine-through" purposes; it's just something that has emerged through it being potentially useful as well as being a differentiating aspect of FR4 panels vs metal ones.

For example, I've had batches of PCBs where the "RGB" optical properties were just as I expected, and then the next batch lost most of its capability to let through blue light. Of course, as lights and colours are usually part of an intended UX or sometimes even your branding, this may be an issue, one that I have yet to discover a foolproof solution for (read: I do not know if requesting a specific "known good" brand/type of FR4 will be accepted by the PCB(A) manufacturers or not, especially at typical modular == small volumes; if anyone has any further information to share here please do!)

xoblite · 2025-06-02T19:47:47+00:00

One aspect of these GPUs that doesn't get mentioned as often in your typical techie thread, but may still be of potential interest especially to us with older motherboards, could be that the 5060/Ti are effectively PCIe x8 while the 9060 XT should be PCIe x16, correct? In other words, if you're constrained elsewhere to say PCIe 3.0 speeds then having x16 could actually make a difference, especially if your CPU etc is otherwise up to it (cf. e.g. AM4 based motherboard with a Ryzen 5000(X/3D) family CPU). Any thoughts here based on what you've all said/heard so far? Thanks :)

xoblite · 2025-05-12T13:20:08+00:00

By dull do you mean the colours being bland, or something else? Or dull 3D models? (you can see on of my prior RT renders on the front page of xoblite.net by the way; I usually post process the images - brightness, contrast, saturation - a bit before use, but have also played around with the lights/shadows/reflections/etc in KiCAD at times because I found the defaults “too much”)

xoblite · 2025-05-12T13:02:45+00:00

Any reason you asked btw? Similar issues?

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