Reviews

Non-Contact Voltage Testers Comparison Review (Fluke, Ideal, Craftsman, Kaiweets)

I suspect most people on Applefritter have used a non-contact voltage tester. They're the sort of thing my mom likes to put in Christmas stockings, so I've ended up with several. There's a lot more differences between them than I would have expected, hence this review.

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Multimeter Test Leads Comparison Review: Probe Master, Fluke, Kaiweets

I recently purchased Probe Master test leads to replace the cheap leads I was using with my Keithley 175. I couldn't decide between the 8000 and 9000 series, so I bought both to compare and review. When Kaiweets asked about us reviewing their soldering iron, I asked them to send some test leads too, so I could include them here. I then asked six other test lead manufacturers if they wanted to send loaners for inclusion in this comparison. None were interested, so I've just included what I have.

Test leads in this comparison are:

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Kaiweets KOT936 Soldering Iron Review

I was approached by Kaiweets recently, asking if we'd consider reviewing their KOT936 Electric Soldering Station. We don't get requests like this often, and especially not for soldering irons. In 2005, Dr. Webster wrote a scathing review of the ColdHeat Classic. For years, it was a top Google search result for "ColdHeat", prompting ColdHeat and Weller representatives to register at Applefritter and post rebuttals in a long forum discussion full of ColdHeat criticisms. ColdHeat is no longer in business.

That's why I was surprised when Jane from Kaiweets wrote me, saying "I browsed your site carefully and I noticed that there're some posts about soldering and related tools. So I think it would be a perfect fit to get our product exposed there." How carefully did Jane browse Applefritter? Is she aware of our history with ColdHeat and that confident in the KOT936's abilities? I normally ignore emails like this, but I couldn't resist the opportunity to put another soldering iron in Dr. Webster's hands. I accepted, and gave Kaiweets the mailing address of our resident soldering iron torturer, Dr—"it's such a pile of junk it's unbelievable it's still on the market"—Webster. He received the iron for free. Kaiweets has had no other influence on the editorial process. Will he like the KOT936? Will he destroy another soldering iron company? Read on to find out! –Tom Owad

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Comparing macOS file managers for remote server access (QSpace, Nimble Commander, Forklift)

I've been using Dolphin on KDE Plasma a lot and it's made me realize just how much the shortcomings in Finder limit how I work. Finder doesn't have good support for remote volumes, and a lot of the files I want to access are via SFTP and webDAV. I'm increasingly using a variety of computers, mostly running macOS or KDE Plasma, with Nextcloud to sync files. On some of these computers, I don't want everything synced, but do want fast occasional access. This is particularly the case on macOS devices, where I don't want to pay Apple's storage premium for disposable computers. What I want is to be able to connect to my Nextcloud server via WebDAV and access those files with the speed and convenience of a local file system. I also want to be able to access my Debian servers via SFTP.

This article offers a comparison of macOS file managers, with a focus on WebDAV and SFTP connectivity.

Apple I Replica Creation Back to the Garage --- Review.

The book is perfectly structured, (a step by step lesson) specially for newbies, but it is a good "refresh" book for the expertise too.

The first part of the book in a nice trip back to the past with some interviews with the Apple I Pioneers, not forgetting, the genius that bought to life the Apple I, Woz.

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Review: Hakko FX-901 Cordless Soldering Iron


Dr. Webster puts another cordless iron to the test -- and likes what he sees.

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Review: ColdHeat Soldering Iron


The ColdHeat soldering iron has been touted in stores and advertisements as the end-all soldering tool. Dr. Webster examines one in the lab.

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Classic Shell Scripting


What is shell scripting and is it relevant to the Mac? Learn about the classic unix equivalent to AppleScript.

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PC Hardware Buyer's Guide


Are you a Mac user thinking about building a Linux box, but lack familiarity with the PC platform? Read on to learn if this book will help.

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Apple I Replica Creation

"The Apple ][ was really the computer designed from the ground up that would kick off personal computing on a large scale. But the Apple I took the biggest step of all. Some very simple concepts are very hard to do the first time. This computer told the world that small computers should never again come with geeky front panels, but rather with human keyboards, ready to type on." - Steve Wozniak, from the Foreword
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