The Lance J. Technoweb

I love my dishwasher and I want it to last forever. Here is my non-obvious advice for getting a dishwasher to live a long life: Leave the door ajar at least a little, especially after a run. Yes, it looks perhaps a little sloppy to leave the door open a little, but it allows the air inside the dishwasher to dry out.  Leaving the door ajar greatly lowers the humidity inside the dishwasher, greatly slowing down the formation of rust within the racks and other internal components.   It also slows or stops any mold growth. Use a rinse agent This helps keep your dishwasher dry after a run.  Rinse agent is very inexpensive.  Definitely use it, it's very simple and not the nasty chemical some people pretend it is. Use good detergent I like the name-brand pods.  They prevent me from using too much detergent.  Detergent is caustic - just like soap.  Using too much soap isn't a great idea because then it can cake up. Make sure the filters a...

Here is a summary of weird iPhone problems I've personally seen, and suspected cause: iPhone 4S Unreliable WiFi (WiFi function not available) Diagnosis: logic board fault. Potentially requires logic board re-work or replacement. Thoughts: Perhaps caused by a drop.  iPhone 5 Volume Buttons Don't Function Diagnosis: logic board fault (and not the buttons or its cable). Potentially requires logic board re-work or replacement. Thoughts: misbehaving aftermarket charger put out high voltage, damaging logic board. iPhone 6 GPS doesn't work well (or at all). Diagnosis: GPS antenna needs reseating and/or replacement.  I recently fixed this by merely reseating the antenna assembly. Thoughts: Perhaps caused by a drop, or just random. iPhone 6S cell service gives no signal. Diagnosis: cell circuitry dead on logic board. Potentially requires logic board re-work or replacement. Thoughts: Perhaps damaged by hard drop. iPhone 7 bad audio circuit. Diagnosis: logic board ...

I bought a new iPhone 11!  This is my first new iPhone since the iPhone 6 way back in 2014.   I didn't keep the iPhone 6 for 5 years, but only because I was able to upgrade to an "in-the-family" used iPhone 6S last year. I was going to keep my iPhone 6S for another year, but a confluence of events led me to buy a new iPhone 11: (1) I was at the Apple store, and (2) a relative needed a good used, inexpensive iPhone, and my 6S seemed to fit that need best. Anyhow, now I'm in the modern era.  Here are my thoughts: Surprising Likes: Face ID.  It's cool and fast.  It's far better than I expected. Cameras.  The 11's cameras are a big step up from the 6S. Battery life.  Obviously a new, bigger battery performs better than an old, smaller battery. Wireless charging.  This is nice for my night table. Indifferent: I haven't missed the headphone port. Performance is likely fantastic, but as a normal person, my 6S seemed great too. Disl...

Some Lightning-style cables seem to take longer to charge up my devices.  Is it true?  Yes! I buy a lot of aftermarket products (read: cheap knockoff junk), and after a few months I noticed that one of my knockoff iPhone and iPad Lightning cables was really slow at charging. I decided to measure the power delivered over a various collection of Lightning cables, and I can say with near certainty that some knock-off cables result in slow charging. Measuring Lightning Cable Performance I took my 2018 iPad, along with its genuine Apple 12 watt charger and a USB power meter.  I plugged my nearly depleted iPad into this system with various lightning-style cables.  The following table shows what I found after numerous samples.  All numbers are estimated given a few samples. Lightning Cable Performance with Apple 12 watt charger Genuine cable, delivered with an iPad from Apple...: 2.05 Amps Genuine cable, delivered with an iPad from Apple...: 2.10 Amps Gen...

I've been developing my own perfect "cold brew" coffee at home since 2015.  Since then I've developed techniques to improve the flavor and simplify the process. Here's my current recipe: Ingredients Needed: Dark-Roast Coffee Beans Water   Optional: Sugar syrup Equipment Needed: Coffee maker, such as Mr. Coffee Coffee Bean Grinder, such as this model by Bunt A clean bottle or pitcher, with cap Quality Coffee Filters Process: Fill coffee maker with water Put a new, quality paper filter into brew basket Grind beans very finely Put finely-ground beans into filter Turn on machine to start brewing process Turn off coffee maker immediately after brewing.  DO NOT DELAY! Put used grounds and filter into compost bin Let brewed coffee slowly cool to room temperature (roughly 4 hours) Pour contents of brewing carafe into a bottle Put bottle in refrigerator overnight. Enjoy black, or with your favorite additives.  Note that sugar syrups are more...

Aftermarket Brick for my Airport Extreme I have two Airport Extremes, but one was without its power adapter.  It was lost in transport, and Apple-original Extreme AC adapters are very expensive. Instead of having a useless paperweight around, I decided to buy an aftermarket adapter that meets all the specifications. Modern USB power bricks are great, but only recently could they provide enough power for something like a high-end WiFi router.  And sadly, there are many unscrupulous sellers that sell inexpensive "Extreme compatible" bricks for a premium.  I decided that I wanted an affordable adapter. The Specs of the Original The A1202 Power Adapter Specs Label I was lucky enough to have an original Extreme power brick, the Apple A1202 adapter that came with my other Extreme.  I read the specs, I tested it with my multimeter, and I measured the physical connector with my micrometer!  This is what I found: 12 Volts DC 1.8 Amps (per label) Center pin is positi...

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...

Visa gift cards can be a real risk because they can lose value.  First, they can be lost, and in that case the card has zero value to you.  Just as bad, I can forget about the card in a drawer or wallet, and soon enough it expires and loses all of its value. And even if I do manage to use a gift card, it can end up with some weird remaining balance like $3.31, and again I forget about it and its value decays to zero.  MY LOSS AGAIN.  SAD. The same problem applied to gift cards branded as MasterCard, Discover, or Amex. The other day I received a product rebate in the form of a $100 gift card, but I didn't want to lose that money. And so I figured out a way to immediately convert my physical gift card into something else of equal value. Here's how it works: Now when I receive a gift card I immediately log into Amazon and buy an Amazon gift card with 100% of the gift card's value.  This way I move all of the gift card money into an account that I will de...

I am now using a really bad Mac for everyday use!  It's bad because a lot of its parts are broken - but it still soldiers on. It's a late 2009 vintage A1342 white polycarbonate model. Full disclosure:  I have repaired many A1342 MacBooks, and so I have a bunch of mediocre spare parts laying around.  I would never put mediocre parts into a customers' machine, but I don't want to throw them into the recycle bin.  So I took the parts that somewhat work and assembled a "good-enough" Macbook out of them. Before jumping into the bad, here are the positive highlights: 1. 8 GB of RAM installed 2. 1 TB SSD drive installed 3. It all works for my use Saved from the Recycle Bin Yes, my MacBook is made from many bad parts saved from the recycle bin.  So I guess I am REUSING D-grade components instead of RECYCLING them - at least for the next few years. Here's what's been saved from the recycling mill: Battery The battery is a weak, cheap aftermar...

Dear Decision Maker: My shop eliminated Adobe Flash by 2009.  You are a decade behind.  It will cost you a lot of money if you don't heed my advice: Explicitly prohibit all employees and contractors from using or deploying Adobe Flash in any way.  Immediately assign someone the responsibility to fully eliminate Adobe Flash from all your systems and services. Yes, this costs money.  Suck it up.  If you want to be professional and responsible, you have no choice.  You're already looking like an irresponsible idiot if you still use Flash. Why: Adobe Flash is end-of-life.  Adobe, the makers of Flash, is shutting it down Flash development and support in 2020.  Any web site requiring Flash today will not be usable in 2020.  All of today's mobile platforms, smartphones, and tablets are incompatible with Flash. Modern web browsers are beginning to fully block Flash due to its extreme security risks and its pending retirement. Adobe F...

I'm sitting at home here looking at my electric bill.  My bill says that electricity costs 21¢ per KWH.  But that's not true. The price of electricity is highly variable.  For me, electricity costs AVERAGE to 21¢ per KWH.  The reality is that some of the electricity is perhaps 5¢ per KWH, and other electricity is $1.23 per KWH, and the nice people at the electric company average it all out for me to 21¢ per KWH. Is my electricity cost really all that variable?  Yes.  Some power plants are super-cheap to own and fuel.  Those plants are used as much as possible, and their electricity is very cheap.  That's like hydro, wind, solar, and nuclear. Other plants, like Oil and old Gas burners, are very expensive to operate.  They only run when there isn't enough of the efficient plants available to service the demand.  The expensive-to-operate facilities might only run for 80 hours a year, but at a whopping $1.23 per KWH.  And since it...

Here are the features I look for in a dishwasher. Food grinder.   A dishwasher without a food grinder has filters that need to be periodically cleaned fairly frequently (YUK!).  Most people never clean these filters, and therefore their dishwasher stops cleaning well.  A dishwasher with a grinder eliminates the filters and associated required maintenance. Quiet Operation.  All dishwashers get noisier over time as their insulation and bearings age with time and use.  Buying a quiet dishwasher out of the gate means that it will be noisier in the future, but not as noisy as a non-quiet model. No Stainless Steel Tub.  A stainless steel tub does not muffle noise, and lasts no longer than a plastic tub.  All things being equal, I'll always go for the plastic tub. Energy Star rated.  I run my dishwasher at least 3 times a week.  I never hand wash, except for the few things that demand it (greasy fry pans and aluminum items).  An energ...

There is a lot of garbage out there in terms of how hot domestic hot water should be.  The standard advice is 120 °F, and I agree with that. Some amateurs are trying to convince people to turn up the heat to dangerous levels, or even to replace their hot water heater due to "Legionnaires' disease".  But legionnaires is all about warm air being blown over an poorly maintained air conditioner's stagnant waste water, and has nothing to do with a very low oxygen environment within an enclosed heated vessel.  Some pundits also claim that minerals at the bottom of the tank will somehow cause legionnaires, unaware that the cold water pipe releases cold water at the bottom of the tank. The short of it is: 120°F is correct. If 120 °F isn't hot enough, then the shower valve hot limit setting is mis-adjusted, or the tank is grossly undersized and cannot properly provide for the home.  A call to the plumber to fix the issue is in order.