THE ROBOTS ARE COMING — FOR YOUR GUITAR

It’s tedious to tune up your guitar before you play, to tune between songs, and to retune to, say, drop D for one song — only to retune again after the song is over a couple minutes later. If you’re playing in a band you have to make sure that everyone is tuned to exactly the same notes, which gets trickier when you add certain instruments to the mix (e.g., mixing equally tempered instruments with ones that are stretch-tuned).

If you like lighter strings or are a heavy-handed player or, worse yet, if you’re a heavy-handed player who likes lighter strings, you’ll know how quickly and unexpectedly your guitar can go out of tune. A perfect take in the studio amounts to nothing if you’re not in tune. And nothing is as irritating as going out of tune in the middle of a song.

If you have multiple guitars, electric and acoustic, chances are you have multiple tuners, perhaps a clip-on tuner for your acoustic and a pedal tuner on your board for you electric guitar, and maybe you still have that cheapo tuner you got when you bought first guitar. Maybe you even have a high-dollar strobe tuner for setting your intonation. Good pedal tuners are around a hundred bucks, and there are plenty that cost more than that. And heaven help you if you’re searching for that elusive perfectly accurate tuner pedal that doesn't color your tone and has a display that’s easy to read in low light or if you have bad G.A.S. Not only do you have to pay for the tuners themselves, but you've got to shell out for batteries, patch cables, replacement switches, etc.

You get the picture. Tuners are kind of a giant pain in the you-know-what.

Imagine being able to switch from standard tuning to open G to DADGAD in a matter of seconds. Think about how much time you spend tuning when you could be playing. Those times when your guitar goes out of tune in the middle of a song.... What if you could roll off your volume pot, strum all six strings at once, turn your volume back up, and launch into the solo in the middle of a gig?

Self-tuning “robot” tuners have been around for a few years. Maybe you've seen Gibson’s Robot Guitar or their other high-end guitars (e.g., the Dusk Tiger) with robotic tuners built into the back of the headstock, or maybe you've seen Jimmy Page’s Les Paul Goldtop with the costly Transperformance robotic tuning system, which requires heavily modifying your guitar. Soon enough robotic tuners are going to be available on the mass market, and you’ll be able to retrofit practically any guitar.

The catch is that they’re probably going to be expensive.

You don’t have to wait, though, and you don’t have to pay a premium. Students and do-it-yourselfers have been building robotic guitar tuners for years now, using affordable stepper motors and various components you can get from an electronics parts supplier. If you've got chops with a soldering iron, why not give it a shot yourself?

Buying a Home? Get an Inspection Camera

When you’re looking into purchasing a new house there are many things to consider. It is easy to miss the little things, such as inspecting the house. Sure a professional will come and do your home inspection for you. Keep in mind that these professionals can make mistakes as well, that’s why it is important to do your due diligence beforehand. To do a complete home inspection  you will need a tool that is incredibly helpful, that tool is the inspection camera.

Inspection cameras are used in a number of assorted applications, from automotive to forensic evidence. Now you’re probably thinking of the multiple ways you could use an inspection camera around the house. Has the cat lost his favorite toy? Use the inspection camera to check under the couch to locate the toy. On a more serious note, inspection cameras can be very useful for deciding if the price on the house is accurate.

Inspecting the pipes in a home is no easy task, they are often buried or located behind walls. There is a tool that can help you see these, that’s right, an inspection camera. The camera can view the outside of the pipes that are located behind walls. The camera can even go down into the drains to get a good view of what is happening inside. Making sure the pipes are working properly can save a buyer thousands of dollars in the end.

Lets face it, many of use are not going to be able to crawl through the ventilation system to see what type of shape it is in. An inspection camera can though. Vents can be long, which means an inspection camera extension may be something you will benefit from. These easily connect and disconnect from other inspection cameras making seeing deeper or farther quite easy.

How to Use a Coaxial Cable Tester

Having a coaxial cable tester handy can make checking insulation losses and crossed wiring quick and simple. These tools are very easy to operate and understand, which makes them very popular among professionals and amateurs alike. This tutorial will show users how to use a coaxial cable tester.

Step 1 - The first thing to do is remove all cables from any source of electrical power. Make sure the cables are not laying near other cables that may be conducting electrical signals. A stray voltage signal can give false information and compromise your results.

Step 2 - Before we begin it is important to inspect the cable for any damages. By doing this you may save much time and money, especially if the cable is already damaged and unusable.

Step 3 - Now it’s time to get started testing, first short the conducting ends of the cable to an earth ground. We will drain any errant static voltage, but connecting the other end of the clip to a cable metal pin.

Step 4 - Attach the cable into the tester, this can be use any adapter that will be compatible with the coaxial cable tester and cable. Finally it is time to turn the tester on. Select the type of test you want to conduct on the tester, push the button, and wait for your results.

A coaxial cable tester can help users identify cables that need to be decommissioned or where a connection might be bad. It is always important to test your cables before installing, you may never be able to tell what is wrong with a cable until it is tested.