Even The Simple Things - Cell Phone Tempered Glass Screen Protectors

Comfy, Huh?

     I have a "smart" cell phone. It has a large-ish screen that gets dirty all the time AND is prone to scratches in day-to-day use. For a long time, on previous phones, I was using the plastic stick-on screen protectors. They were ALWAYS difficult to put on without lots of bubbles underneath and I wasn't all that thrilled with what they did to the screen clarity and brightness. Of course, back then, there were very few choices for a substitute. Lately, Tempered Glass Screen Protectors have become commonplace. They are VERY thin slices of glass with glue around a very tiny portion of the edge and a bit wider at the bottom where you don't have your screen "real estate." I was convinced they were fragile and wouldn't last a day. I was wrong, very wrong.

My Essential PH-1

When a few brands went on sale for my new Essential PH-1 phone (about $8.00 for 3) I jumped at the chance to test them out. With low expectations, mind you. When they arrived, the first thing I noticed was the completeness of the installation kit. You got the glass itself, covered by two plastic protectors of its own: one on the outside and one on the side that would eventually attach to the phone. It had a screen cleaner wipe for each protector and a microfiber cloth for cleaning. The directions...well, you know...they were not really written by someone who speaks English as their native language. But, I got the gist. The pictures helped a great deal. The microscopic print did not!

The Complete Kit

Installation wasn't all that tough -- MUCH easier than a traditional screen protector. First you clean the screen with the included wipe. Then remove the back plastic protector from the glass (the side that actually sticks to the phone). Then carefully place it over your screen, being careful to line up the edges all the way around. In my case, the soft cover I had has a lip the goes all the way around the phone to keep the screen off any surface when it's face down. This oriented the glass sheet perfectly for me. Once in place, take the soft cloth and push down the protector from the bottom to the top in long gentle passes to make sure no air is trapped that could hold the cover away from your phone. Then simply remove the top plastic cover and you are done.

Another Phone Picture

It's a good thing I have had this in place as I already see some scratches on its surface. I can always replace the protector for little money...the phone's screen, not so much! Is it all hearts and flowers? No. In my case, after about 10 months of use, the adhesive is beginning to weaken, sometimes the protector drops off or slips. Pressing it back in place is a quick temporary fix, but it's getting worse. I understand that the glue has to be strong enough to hold in place, but easy enough to remove that it will not damage the phone....but it's still a pain. I figure once a year I will replace the protector with a new one. For those of you keeping track, that's $2.66 a year.
Not so bad!

Be Seeing You...Down The Road,

Rich "The Wanderman"
www.thewanderman.com

Time For New Solar Panels! - Even More Efficient And New Material!

    Yup, I went and did it. Couldn't leave well enough alone. I located some new, more efficient solar panels with a new technology twist that are even smaller than the last set! At $192 each with 6 year warranty from Amazon, how could I resist. Of course actually getting the old ones off and new ones installed wasn't fun at all. The concept of semi-flexible panels adhered to the roof and matching the contours is great! Putting them on isn't really hard at all. Getting them OFF, however...is. I managed...it wasn't easy nor pleasant, but I got the new ones installed. Wow!! 

The old set (my Third!) was advertised as 100W panels. I had six of them giving me 600 watts of power. They were, in truth, a little bit better than 100 Watts...maybe 110 watts each, so I had plenty of power. The install on those required trimming the edges to fit in the small spaces I had available on my roof. The new ones required ZERO trimming as they were about 2 inches smaller in width and length. Have you heard the old joke about the successful electronics manufacturing company? They moved into a smaller space! Well this is a perfect illustration of that.

Aside from the size, the new twist is a material named ETFE (Ethylene-Tetra-Fluoro-Ethylene.) It is much more durable and resistant to UV light than the old panels. Their top layer was made from PET (Polyethylene terephalate.) That's what they make water bottles from. ETFE is harder, stronger and allows for a bit more light transmission. All good, but the real trick was the addition of a surface texture to the panels. It's designed to act as mini-lenses to focus more photons (light) onto the electricity generating portions of the cells.

Sounds good in theory. Since they are not smooth any longer, cleaning debris and dust may be more difficult. A paper towel will just shred itself if used on the surface. However, the instructions do say that you can rinse them with a hose...I'd be wary of too much pressure though. Just paranoid I guess.  I am sure there is a cleaning/dusting device that will work. I have a bunch of micro-dusters I'll try, but I believe I'll need something with a bit of force. Perhaps a lightweight paintbrush with soft bristles. One I can get wet... I'll try a few different ones until it succeeds.

The Major P.I.T.A. Rearmost Panel

The hardest part of this install was removing the old set of panels. The 3M 760 Paralastic adhesive really does work incredibly well! When applied it stays on tenaciously! Since it was applied to the entire area of the back of the panel and held down with weights (sandbags) until dry, the removal required getting underneath and slicing through the adhesive. A thin wire attached to two dowels (used as handles) made quick work of most of the panels, but not all! The one on the rearmost section of the roof was especially stubborn. It required using an oscillating multitool and had to be "rolled" as it was removed, destroying the panel. Well, at least they came off without damage to the roof.

Cleaning up the remaining adhesive took a while, but a combination of the oscillating multitool, some alcohol and a scrubbing pad got rid of the residue. This time around I used a different technique for bonding the panels to the roof. The "thin layer all over the back" works well, but if there is an air gap surrounded by adhesive, the trapped air can become super-heated and expand to the point of cracking the rather delicate silicon wafers used in the panel's construction. This is bad and can ruin a solar panel very quickly. They get HOT. I mean, they are sitting in the sun...that's the whole idea!

This time, I applied 10mm beads across the panel about 4 inches apart leaving a 6 inch gap for air to escape. No matter where the air is, it has a path to exit from under the panel. I have zero fear that the panels won't stay attached, but I also used some strategically placed Eternabond tape to hold down the wires and a tiny bit of the front of the panels. Remember to NOT block any gaps you created for air to escape!! The tape will keep the wires from flopping around in the wind and reduce wear on them (and my nerves!). It will also serve to protect the black wires from additional UV damage along the way.

So, after all was rewired and the fuses put back in, how is the performance? No idea! I am parked in my driveway until tonight. I'll know after my trip. So far, the readings have been favorable. I have no doubt they will perform at least as well as the previous set. All this while being a tad smaller. That's a good thing!

Be Seeing You...Down The Road,

Rich "The Wanderman"
www.thewanderman.com

Self-Driving Cars....Sure. What About Self-Driving RVs?

Self Driving??

    There has been a lot of ballyhoo and speculation recently about how the "so called" self-driving automobile will change the world. Well, at least our daily commutes. Much of the talk centers around urban and suburban driving. You know, lots of obstacles and pedestrians wandering about. Difficult for a computer to determine what not to hit. That's all well and good from a safety standpoint, but what about long highway drives? There are many self-driving systems on the market today that can safely navigate interstates with clear lane markings with ease. Sure, you have to keep an eye on them and sometimes a hand as well, but they are getting to the point they can be mostly relied upon to safely navigate these long byways. What would be so bad about having these extended "cruise controls" on our motorhomes?

A240 Airliner Auto Pilot

As a pilot, I am acutely aware of the usefulness of an autopilot as well as its inherent weaknesses. It's great to set a course and let it take over the long flight legs between course changes. As autopilots evolved and GPS became more commonplace, many additional tasks were taken over by the autopilot. (Yes, I know all about inertial navigation, but that's a whole 'nother story!) There are versions of them that can safely take a plane from takeoff at one airport to a safe landing at another, handling all the tasks in between. I'm not looking for the type of thing where you set a destination and get up to fix a cup of coffee, but rather just auto lane maintenance and separation from other vehicles on the interstate. It's essentially do-able now. But do we want it?

Google's Fleet Of Self Driving Cars

For everything, there is a slew of good and bad points. Pro's and Con's. The debate between Human and "Artificial" Intelligence is way beyond the scope of this article. I can definitely see the pro's of having a second set of eyes and it could very well add a dimension of additional safety. Am I ready for the realization of the old urban legend regarding cruise control in an RV? You know the one, where a Class A RV renter decides to get up and make some coffee or go to the bathroom while on a lonely stretch of road. After the ensuing crash he was asked what possessed him to abandon the driver's position in the first place. He replied, "Isn't that what the cruise control is for?"

Uber's Self Driving Sensor Package

To retrofit an existing RV with the technology needed to have a functional (mostly) robot pilot would be difficult and expensive. Many sensors (LIDAR, RADAR, HD Cameras, SONAR, etc.) as well as a bunch of specialized computers and software would need to be added. Not to mention servos to actuate the brakes, accelerator, steering and gear selector. Not really that practical. That being said, who knows? As the cost of the technology decreases with an increase in vehicles using it, we may see new RVs have the technology offered as an option. Hopefully, not too soon. I'm an early adopter of technology....just not too keen on tech that could potentially cause me or others harm.

Be Seeing You...Down The Road,

Rich "The Wanderman"
www.thewanderman.com