Why get a Roomba and not some other Robot Vacuum Cleaner?

Roomba definitely has the biggest name in robots, but there are a lot of great looking competitors out there. So why get a Roomba?

Because robot vacuum cleaners have a lot of moving parts. And moving parts need to be maintained.

The beauty of Roomba and iRobot is that spare parts are readily and inexpensively available. Sure, there are consumables available for every robot out there. But new wheels and motors? How about upgraded parts? iRobot is unique in that there is the expectation that you can affordably keep an old Roomba going forever. Everyone else? Not so much.

My Roomba gets a lot of use, and it's 7 years old. I've upgraded the entire cleaning head assembly - which includes the primary gearbox and brush motors and dust bin. I've also repaired a failed power jack. Other machines would likely already be disposed of.

But my Roomba keeps on going. I suspect that it will last as long as I need it to. And that's either with my death, or with the advent of fancy new cleaning technology.

Fixing a SodaStream Jet, part 1: Disassembly Guide

I've had my SodaStream Jet for years, and once in a while something has gone wrong. Disassembly is the first step to repair. Start with this article to see how to disassemble the SodaStream, and then once you have that down, scroll through my other articles to see how I repaired specfic SodaStream problems. SodaStream Jet Disassembly Guide Tools Required Flat head screwdriver Phillips head screwdriver 1. Remove the Carbonator. Duh. 2. Remove the black panel lever The front big black tilt lever needs to be removed first. Removing this panel is tricky, but it isn't impossible. Looking up at the bottom of the black panel, there are two tabs, one on the left and one on the right. These tabs fully secure the panel in place. The trick is to use a flat-head screwdriver under the plastic to gently lever the tabs out of the way. Note in the pictures how I approach these tabs with my screwdriver. I usually release the left side first, and then I release ...

Sodastream Carbonator Leakage, Usage, and Weight

SodaStream 60L "Carbonator" CO2 cylinders have a specific weight when empty, plus about 410 or so grams for the CO2 they should have when they're "full". A little while ago I went to buy a replacement Carbonator from my local hardware store. The dealer pulled a new Carbonator out of the box and sensed it was lighter than usual. He put the "light" Carbonator in the "empty" pile and sold me a different one. At that moment I concluded that it would be smart of me to weigh both new and empty SodaStream carbonators. Here are the results. Weighing a SodaStream Carbonator - for both Science and Consumer Protection. The dealer told me that sometimes the carbonators leak after they leave the SodaStream filling facility. That means there could be an opportunity for customers like me to get ripped off! The SodaStream cylinders I buy claim to have a net product weight of 410 grams - and that means that a full Soda Stream Carbonator shou...

Verizon FiOS Electricity Use

My house has Verizon FiOS. Part of the FiOS installation included the mounting of a Verizon network backup battery unit in the basement. I asked myself "how much electricity does this box use?" Verizon FiOS: How much electricity does this cost me? So I plugged in my awesome Kill-A-Watt electricity usage meter to find out. My Kill-o-Watt watt meter reported that there was a 16 watt load on the circuit. And since Verizon's box is powered and plugged in 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, 16 watts would quickly add up to roughly 140 kilowatt hours per year: calculation: 16 watts x 8760 hours per year ÷ 1000 = 140.16 KWH/Year How much does 140 Kilowatt-hours cost in dollars and cents? Here's a table that shows how much that would cost per year based on recent residential electricity rates (source: DOE. State Electricity Profiles , 2006 Edition): State ¢/KWH ) $/Year Alabama 7.07 $9.91 Alaska 12.84 18.00 Arizona 8.24 11.55 ...

The Trick to Properly Fixing the Rubber Feet of a MacBook Pro

A black rubber foot of my trusty old MacBook Pro finally broke off, and I didn't like how it made the laptop wobbly. A fix was needed, and quick! First I bought some replacement feet, the kind that just stick on. These feet are nice because there is no need open up the machine to fix a broken foot. They're very inexpensive, and the ones I bought have adhesive tape already applied - just peal and stick. I bought feet like the ones found here. I have read many complaints about how the adhesive doesn't stick, but I think that's because people don't know the two tricks required to get the new feet to stick properly. New Feet to replace a lost Foot Important Trick 1: Make sure to remove all remnants of the old foot - including the pieces in the hole. My factory-installed foot was attached both mechanically and with adhesive, but when the old foot sheared off, some pieces of the old foot remained in the hole. Those plastic bits would h...

Repairing a melted LG refrigerator digital control light panel

My LG refrigerator's control panel and light dome was melting and started to detach. My fridge looked awful, with melting plastic that started to get in the way of my food. Here is how I easily repaired the control panel in 15 minutes and for under $20. That's far less than a $325 service call! A Repaired LG Control Panel The Repair This procedure will work for many LG models even if the control panel itself looks pretty different, as my procedure does not replace the electronic module or its associated control panel label - it only replaces the damaged plastic housing. Stuff Required A good mid-sized Phillips head screwdriver A very sharp knife, like a pen knife or box cutter The replacement LG control panel trim piece, about $15 on Amazon Two 3-Watt LED bulbs that put out much less heat - minimizing a chance for re-occurrence Repair Instructions 1. Turn off the LG refrigerator. I simply unplugged it, or you can hit the cir 2. Unclip light dome from the contr...

Repairing a MagSafe Charger's Cord

Here is how to repair the cord of Apple MacSafe power adapters. There are three common failure modes of a magsafe wire: The base of the cord becomes frayed where the wire enters the power brick. This is usually caused by repeatedly wrapping the cord far too tightly around the brick's "ears". The head of the magsafe connector becomes frayed. This is usually caused by repeatedly removing the magsafe magnet by yanking on the cord. Chewed up cord. This is where a pet or other pinching device weakens the cord. These types of failure are usually repairable at home using the technique described here. Tools Required: A beginner's Soldering kit, like this one, including a low-wattage soldering iron, rosin-core Solder, and wire strippers. Heat shrink tubing . Any color works, but these days I use white to repair a MagSafe cord. One Soldering Sleeve, appropriate for 22 or 24 AWG wire Heat gun (optional.) Process: The general process is t...

The Lance J. Technoweb

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