Uncategorised – Linked 2 U

Recycled Logs – How to make your own

Goals

The goals are simply that each year I have a magnitude of deliveries and uses for old delivery boxes (think large online delivery types of boxes ?) which I believe could be further used instead of left for the bin collection folks.

It’s also this time of year that it gets cold (UK December) and with present wrappings, boxes and a need for heat – the idea hit me.

What do you need to make a paper log?

Cardboard (remove all non recycle stuff)
Paper (not necessary but help rid that shredding)
Sealant gun (make it a strong metal one)
Plastic “down pipe” that will fit inside sealant gun (you might be able to use a used sealant tube?)
Saw to cut pipe to length (you’re not likely to find a pipe off the shelf)
Long stick (this needs to fit inside your pipe)
Two buckets (one to make your log material and one to work in)
A kid’s pond dipping net (not completely required but helps production)
Shredder (nice to have but not needed)
Drill, small drill bit (you’ll need to make holes in the pipe to drain water)
8mm paint mixer drill bit

Alright let’s do this.

Making the press

In order to make logs we will need to compress them down into log shaped paper “snakes”.

The process is a little lengthy so to summarise; make your pipe the right length to fit into your sealant gun. Make some holes in the pipe walls to let water out and make sure you find a way to seal the open end of the pipe (I used a bit of plastic cut in a circle).

The steps to make your press

Grab your saw, sealant gun and the pipe.
Measure the pipe and cut so that it fits inside your sealant gun. Make sure to leave some room for the pipe to easily tilt into the gun as this makes loading and emptying easier.
Drill some holes in the pipe, you need loads and remember that this is where the water will mainly escape from while being pressed, so put my holes nearer the open end.
Measure and cut a round bit of plastic from somewhere so that it fits at the end of the pipe (where the sealant would come out of normally). I used an old plastic storage pot but be careful as this end will have a huge amount of pressure against it when in use.

There you have a press ready to roll.

Material preparation

Grab your paper and cardboard and “have at it”. You’re looking to reduce it down to about 3cm squares or shedded paper works a treat too.

This mass load of bits needs to then head into your material bucket with enough water to soak the lot.

Head to the kitchen and grab a drink, meal, chill out and come back tomorrow to check on the material.

Mash it and pack it

Now you have had your materials soaking for a while, whip out that paint mixer drill bit and as Bob said “stir it up”.

You’re looking for the larger pieces of cardboard to be proper “wibbly” so that when you pick one up, it holds its shape but can be easily torn.

If you had one, grab your pond dipping net and pour some of the material content through it into the second bucket. This will leave you a huge mass of wet material in your net.

Ring out the net content so the water heads back into your material bucket and empty the working bucket into the material bucket too.

“I don’t have a net” – that’s ok, I didn’t for my first run and added it later as a way to prepare (predrip) before I needed it. You can get away with pouring water from one bucket to the other with your hand stopping some of the material. It is a slow process though as the material causes a dam and the water won’t leave. Just reset and start again.

Material ready, let’s crush it!

Working in the “working bucket” place whatever end you made into the sealant gun followed by the pipe.

With the pipe leaned out of the gun at the plunger end, begin loading the pipe with material. This is why we’re doing it in the “working bucket” as it’s messy.

With the pipe full (yes you can press more in until you can’t anymore) move the pipe over into the gun so that the plunger now fits.

Press the plunger down manually with the end of the sealant gun on the bottom of your bucket. This will give you something that won’t break to push upon and you can include some sealant gun handle pumps to help the water get out.

Remember to up end the sealant gun to allow top water to drain off too if you, like me, didn’t drill holes high enough.

Crushed it! Stick it to it!

Once you have completed the press and water has mostly stopped dripping (a few good shakes and wait for drips) you can release the plunger on the sealant gun and remove your pipe.

Using your long stick, push (may need some bangs on the ground) the log out of the open end.

Now what?

Next is the big wait. The logs will take weeks to dry. This is certainly a summer task but it’s kept me warm enough.

If you make these, let me know by leaving a comment (subscribe to the newsletter to comment) and let’s have a chat about your experiences.

Stay well all ???

New propeller!

As it turns out, the propeller on Phoenix wasn’t the one that was on her when she was taken into the boat yard to have her cabin built – some decade or so ago!

Thieving bar-stewards!

Replacing a propeller

There is a huge amount of gathering sizes of propeller shaft, the pitch of the blades, the shaft keyway size etc.

In order to get all that type of information, you either need a diver mechanic or a dock / slipway to be able to dismantle the existing gear to get the information. I was able to get into a dry dock and we were able to determine that the issue Phoenix had with knocking appeared to be due to the fact the propeller wasn’t done up tight.

It appears that someone took the original fitted propeller and replaced it with one which the nut didn’t butt up to. So they put the pin in and left it as was.

Gutted by the discovery and explains some drive issues we have always had with phoenix.

https://youtu.be/bhjFYJ1_yJs

Ordering a replacement

Replacement propellers are possible but advice is normally to replace the shaft and propeller to ensure perfect fit (quite key when rotating thousands of times a minute).

There are specialist engineering workshops that make these propellers to your specifications.

The new propeller is simply (some force required and a bearing puller is helpful) to remove the old one.

Then it’s a case of simply putting the new propeller on and bolting it on with the nut.

A new split pin was inserted and bent over to ensure the nut cannot undo and it was done.

A 20 minute job and very satisfying to know you’re now get 18 inches per rotation instead of 10!

Cleaning the Propeller

Cleaning the propeller was a case of fitting a wire brush bit to an electric drill and grinding away the built up muck.

I’m not sure what sort of muck it was but it was stubborn and wasn’t coming off easily.

If I was to repeat this job in the future I would look into something to soak the propeller in first as I performed this clean up with everything completely dry (a few weeks of sun baking dry).

Job done

After a couple of hours of work, the propeller looked good and was taken for resale.

The cleaned propeller – messy job that one.

Lessons learned

Propeller cleaning is actually quite therapeutic as you can instantly see the hard work paying off.

Good PPE is required though! The dust generated by this work is “flour” like. It travels and sits on everything like household dust but you generate so much of it that you need to make sure you’re working somewhere outside or very well ventilated – do not breath the stuff!

Select a space that, if you’re cleaning up afterwards, is conducive of sweeping.

The dust goes everywhere mainly because of the drill spitting dust off the propeller or air from the drill blowing dust.

Alternatively to a drill, a wire brush can be used which will reduce dust but would increase time to complete the work.

Conclusion

Cleaning a propeller up is as easy or as hard as you make it really.

If I was doing it again, I’d look to soaking the propeller in something for sure as this must make cleaning that little bit easier and would probably reduce dust creation too.

If I was a “on a scale of 1 to 10” person, then I would say that due to the removal and therein struggles and work, this is definitely above a 5 ?

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Comments or questions welcome.

Stay safe and well all ??

Propulsion, propeller, problem

There’s a knock!

Over the past month or so, I have been out on Phoenix (The electric Narrowboat – do keep up) and on the last return voyage, I noticed the “normal” knock was getting louder.

This is a concern but probably never heard if an engine is installed on your boat but all new knocking noises are really apparent in an electric drive situation.

Mainly because there isn’t that ongoing, constant peace killing, thumping diesel or other engine involved. So the upshot is that if the tap starts dripping or, like now, a rotating knock is heard, then you can stop earlier and check things out.

It does though create a huge paranoia though as you begin to think that if *anything* is causing friction on the propeller shaft then the batteries and motor are having to work harder potentially and in doing so, reducing the distance you can travel on that charge.

Its a juggling game of movement and power

Due to the nature of the beast, Phoenix uses large amounts of battery power to move.

She currently has five 12v batteries that are linked together to create 60v for driving her. These batteries are not light as they are not your normal car batteries (Think industrial use like London Buses etc) and they are designed to take the harsh environment they find themselves in and the random but regular demands on them.

In order to move Phoenix, these batteries need to be charged up and this is something of a talking point for others and I as there are two types of electric boats. One uses a dual drive system that allows the captain to choose either a diesel engine or an electric motor to turn the propeller shaft (using complicated clutch mechanicals) or they are motor only with a diesel generator to charge batteries while not it use.

I, personally, like the second type as that is what Phoenix is. She drives on her main drive batteries and they’re charged via the generator when we are moored up (and Phoenix occupants can go for a walk).

What this means is that Phoenix will run completely silent (ok, there is water noise and the whirring of the motor and gear) until she needs to stop for charge.

If, we travel for 5 or 6 hours (depending on lock numbers etc) then she will need charging for about 8 hours with the current charging systems in place.

6 hours moving, 8 hours stopped?

It isn’t an exact science. The factors are huge. For arguments sake, you have a non-flowing (i.e canal not river) and you want to travel, then you can do that for 6 – 9 hours but, should there be a flow against you or if there are times when your propeller drives “through something” then your 9 hours drops as the motor and batteries work harder. It kind of adds to the excitement of narrowboating as I don’t always know or can guarantee that Phoenix will make it to a point on the map regardless of how many daylight hours are left. Which is a change from the normal engine boats.

So, the solution is to move as far as you want and leave some charge in the batteries. No one said that canal journeys need to be from one village to the next or the one after. Its about travelling along and enjoying the scenery and the environment itself.

Once, I decide where and when Phoenix and I will stop, I power Phoenix drive down and isolate all the batteries (they have handy twist knobs on the batteries to do this) and I hook up the chargers to the generator and start it up.

This is the only time that Phoenix is making any engine noise. Once the generator is on, it is possible to watch TV or listen to music on the front without having to listen to the generator. There is also the opportunity to go for a walk or just only charge for a an hour or so. Then chill out enjoying where you are in silence again.

Your Boat stinks, it is noisy and pollutes our planet!

This whole debate on if its better to travel silent and then make noise at the mooring is ongoing but as far as I can see it, a “normal” diesel powered craft is mostly in idle the entire time it is on. This is hugely inefficient as diesels burn much larger amounts of diesel in idle (4-9Mpg, yes 4 miles per gallon!) and yet they will do this for decades with maintenance.

The electric drive solution on Phoenix means that I can travel and listen to the birds, the crew can hear me and I can hear them. Coffee orders are never missed 🙂

Most importantly though, Phoenix uses a diesel generator that because of its job runs at a much much higher rev range than the average diesel powered narrowboat and as such it actually more fuel efficient.

To the Future and Beyond!

The future for Phoenix is new batteries and much more wiring works to get her to a fully turnkey solution.

The generator currently lives on deck but that will change soon and I’m excited for that to happen now.

Hopefully the knocking on the propeller is an easy and quick fix but I’ll document as much as I can.

What do you think the knock is in the video?

Do you own a narrowboat or have experience in this field?

A trip on an electric Narrowboat ?

Recently there was a 92nd Birthday in the family. (Happy Birthday Nan!)

Previously on my maiden single handed trip to Hungerford, I had set up a camera on the front of the boat and had intended on just seeing what sort of things it would see (as I’d be at the back driving and doing the locks etc).

Then it turned out that my wife’s Nan would probably enjoy seeing the footage as part of her 92nd Birthday party coming up.

That’s far too long babe!

So my wife exclaimed when I said I had a couple of hours footage across two days and a few locks.

So the editor came out and I set about the trimming session.

You can only use what you have

More importantly, you can only use that which you pay for and in my world, I’m bottom of the spend list so I run Linux on an old notebook type of laptop.

My android phone comes into it’s own with video editing too as I can add text and other cool modifications to the videos too.

The finished video

The editing process isn’t very complicated but a 6 minute video takes upwards of 3 hours to cut down from 2 hours.

The camera I used was recording and saving every 5 mins of video, so there were lots of separate videos.

The software used on Linux was OpenShot and this lets you import your videos and place them on the timeline with effects and other tweaks.

Much of the travelling shots are sped up by 4 times and this removes the sound. However there are plans to make more videos but that’ll be later this year probably.

Once the video is cut down and I’m happy with the length and content. I can move it onto the phone. This is a laborious task as the notebook needs to convert / export it’s finished video and that takes around 3 hours to complete.

Once the OpenShot video is on the phone (USB transfer is still slow but works), I can then open into a video making software and add text to the video and any other details I need.

Stick it online

Once I am as happy as I’ll be or have just lost the will to continue, I upload the video to YouTube.

Once in YouTube, the video is scanned for copyright infringement and is available to view.

I scroll through the video and pick a presentable cover / title screen as this is what viewers will see as the “thumbnail” for the video and start telling people it’s online via Facebook and other social media.

Its online!

Once I have done all the above, I go about writing a short blog entry about the subject too (just like this one).

Having videos online is a mixed bag of “how many people have seen it today?” and “maybe it could do with music”, through to “They said they watched it and liked it!” Type of wonderment but overall, it’s nice seeing that little “viewed” figure climb over time and knowing someone else may have enjoyed it too.

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Fitted, tested – Victron solar solution (DIY)

Reminder of the 4 panels (already installed)

It all came together

The regular readers here will already know that I (we, that’s my dad in the photo) have been installing a solar solution to recharge and maintain my planned huge 12v battery.

There was a plan and then another plan, then finally it was a case of “push came to shove” as the need to generate some power while out on the cut and not rely solely on the generator became a necessity.

Today the plan was to connect up the solar panels to each other (in parallel), install the cut off switch, the charge controller, connect the 4 12v batteries together in parallel and some minor electrical cable routing with switch installation. Phew. Might be asking a bit here…

Can it be that simple?

I have had about a week to work on the theory side of this project. I spent some time emailing the great contact I was lucky enough to be put in touch with via a family marine mechanical engineer (check out D H Crouch on YouTube).

With the contact’s patience and understanding, I felt ready to install this new equipment.

You’ll recall that I generally know about woodworking and other IT based tech but the whole concept of batteries and environmental generated electricity is so far out of my comfort zone that I sometimes wonder what’s wrong with me.

Ahead – nonetheless

I started off the day with a “simple” goal. I needed to extend and hide the cable that powers Phoenix security camera and install a manual switch to power it off when I was there. I got bored of the boat emailing me pictures of myself so this became a priority as it draws its power from the “house battery” and is wired in with the stereo feed. So an isolating switch was called for.

What I thought was going to be a simple case of making a small hole in the face panel and dropping a cable down to where I wanted the switch to be, well, it became a 2 hour argument with friction and some tiny amount of drilling and soldering.

The end result was met and I celebrated with a well earned coffee.

He comes to the rescue and brings the bits too

Once my dad arrived with the interconnect cables he had made up for the solar panels and the battery interlinks, we set about getting on with it.

Well, Dad did, I had to attend a work meeting but it was ok as he took some time to work out the “plan of action”.

Once I was available, we hooked up the solar to the new cables and linked the batteries as planned.

The final tests

Once the “battery” was linked and solar linked, we set about test connections to see what the system would do when hooked it all together.

The battery was hooked up first (as per the manual) to the trip switch (reusable fuse?)

Looks like a red spider and black spider had a fight?

Ok, so the wiring does leave a lot to be desired but equally, the area isn’t seen but needs cable length as the cupboard its behind moves out to allow for access under the front well.

some of the wires will be tied up and out of the way and others used for other equipment but generally it is getting there.

an example of the Victron controller Bluetooth data

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Solar installed, yet to be connected up.

Phoenix now has 4 shiny new solar panels upon her roof.

just one of the new solar panels. This one is having its bracket fitted.

The plan continues

The day started slow but once the nicely fashioned aluminium brackets had been attached to each panel, I started the layout of them.

Initially I had planned to put three panels across the roof and the forth along the roof.

All panels needed to go towards the front (bow) end as I use the centre rope lots when travelling alone. Jumping on and off with just a back (stern) rope is a pain as you’ve only got the one end at hand. Once the back is in, the front wants to go out. The middle rope is ideal as it just pulls it all over at once.

The single centre rope is a boon when working the locks alone too as I can walk the open gate whilst slowing the boat and by the time I’ve entered the lock, I’m ready to push the gate shut (dual gated locks).

Anyways, so the new panels needed the brackets installed on the panel and then holes marked with them for the roof to be drilled and tapped to take some bolts.

The bolts are actually hex head m5 bolts and they have been glued in with some waterproof gorilla glue (it expands and should be fine).

The panels are yet to be wired into the boat electric system but progress has been made nonetheless.

The installed panels

As you can see from the last photo, there was going to be enough room to have all 4 panels side by side.

They needed to go on the one side as I wanted to be able to get from back to front of needed and visa versa.

I have spent some time now working locks alone and this decision was made with first hand experience.

The work being done, so far, has meant that over the next few days, Phoenix should be generating her own power from the environment. How green are we actually going with this boat? ?

panels installed! You can see a ‘Y’ connector on the roof (used for linking 2 cables to 1).

In the image above, you can see my dad and he is looking at the entry point for the solar cabling into the front of the boat.

What’s next?

Next is connecting up the 4 12v batteries into 1 big 12v battery.

Then it’s the hookup work. That will involve connecting the large battery first to the charge controller (via a fuse) and then the solar into the controller too.

Then finally, I will be able to see what all the fuss is about solar (in the UK no less).

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From shore to land, back again and repeat.

The solar arrived for Phoenix (4 115w victron panels and various “make it work” stuff).

up front (where tyre and plank are) will be solar location.

The Plan!

The plan is simple. After some long discussions with various people, it seems that the super solar will most likely be used to charge the huge 12v service battery (4 x 12v 92ah) and will hopefully mean that there won’t be such a concern for charging those then.

With a massive 328Ah to hand, I will be able to recharge my laptop and other bits and pieces via an inverter or direct 12v.

I’m yet to work out the maths but I think the amount of amp hours will be plenty to watch TV for hours or check the internet for weather and local information etc.

the 4 12v batteries that will be linked.

To recap

There will be 4 X solar panels connected in parallel (pos to pos, neg to neg) and connected to a charge controller.

This controller is first connected to the large 12v battery via an inline breaker fuse.

Phoenix will enjoy free entertainment (stereo, tv), an internet connection with raspberry pi security camera.

Future plans

The future is looking lithium battery for the drive. This will be installed in unison with the existing batteries for drive.

This will allow much further range but also hopefully a way to recharge quicker.

There is a plan bubbling away to have the raspberry pi to monitor and turn on a light (low power led) as nights draw in.

This will give Phoenix the appearance that someone is home and recharge during the daylight hours.

It may even be an Arduino setup yet but more thought is required on that yet ?

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A change is afoot

So, as you know by now, this website was created to link people together and provide helpful little interesting information etc.

I wanted it to provide a place to go and have a short read on things that might be of interest or could prove useful for you the reader 🙂

I started strongly and posted a few blog entries but things in life took a turn and I now find myself afloat on the Kennet and Avon river / canal system.

While that particular story is long, complicated and full of injustices, I won’t detail it but sufficed to say – I am now a “water gypsy” aboard our family boat “Phoenix”.

What’s Phoenix?

Phoenix is a 37 foot narrowboat that we have owned for a decade or two now.

The original boat was called “Jade” and started life in 1972 as a hire craft. Yes, that meant that she spent most of her time either moored up doing nothing or was being bashed from pillar to post by some under experienced holiday boaters.

After her career as a holiday boat, she was sold on and eventually became someone’s home for a spell.

Sadly, as the story goes, the owner pulled up to a pub and went inside for his daily “rest”.

Little did he know that just before he arrived and moored up, the boat in the mooring spot before him captain had already been in the pub and started an argument. The argument ended and the boat left.

“Jade” was wrongly identified as the boat the argumentative captain was on and someone smashed her window and threw in a lit petrol can.

At the time, “Jade”, her owner and his dog were living aboard but only the dog was aboard during the fire. Happily, the dog jumped out the broken window to safety but “Jade” didn’t fair as well.

Due to the costs involved in making a narrowboat, “Jade” was fiberglass from the gunwales up (The bit folks walk on) and sadly after multiple gas can explosions on the boat, she was completed topless and full of burnt history when my Father purchased her.

Over the years we have seen her given a new roof and she was renamed to “phoenix” as it was the most fitting name for a boat reborn from flames.

Another important decision made was to make Phoenix an electric drive vehicle and we have spent much time and effort (mostly my Father as he is an amazing mechanical engineer) and she now travels mostly silently until she needs to regenerate electricity.

The generation process currently is a huge diesel generator that has to be run to put charge back in the drive batteries but it is without a doubt the most enjoyable way to travel on water.

What’s the plan?

The plan is simple. In order to reduce the amount of time to regen the electrics, solar has been ordered and should be being fitted over the next couple of weeks.

This solar power will trickle in and put charge back into the batteries while in daylight so this will help during the summer months.

So far, Phoenix and I have been from Newbury to Hungerford and I am hoping that this will extend as more power can be generated.

Down sides

The biggest downside to an electric boat is range. As with all electric vehicles, the recharge process is the bit that takes the longest time but as technology improves it is getting better.

There is no fridge really. That causes the odd visitor a bit of an issue if they like milk in their coffee or tea as I don’t currently have a reliable way to run the fridge yet. As my Father says “A fridge on battery is just a short circuited battery and that wont last long” He is right and even with a more efficient fridge, the power still needs to come from somewhere.

Post Conclusion

The idea of living aboard a narrowboat and changing your view whenever you like is a powerful draw but the practicality of emptying porta-loos, finding a water supply and the work required to get to these things (not to mention shops etc) isn’t as simple as it would be by road etc.

I AM SUPREMELY LUCKY! to have a wonderful family to support me and not a day goes by without them being heard in my heart and thoughts.

Sad Unicorn Spell

I believe in Unicorns

That’s the first thing you need to tell yourself.

I have spent decades now looking lovingly at these magnificent beasts, albeit via the forms we give them – so basically a horse with a horn yeah?

That is the thing, I’m convinced that they want us to believe this “normal” way we see them? In fact, I have some theories on Unicorns in general but first you must truly believe that Unicorns exist!

They don’t do spells

So you’d be forgiven for thinking that such a thing as magical as a unicorn should , well be magical yeah?

I think it’s closer to the truth to say that they move in the next dimention.

By this, I mean that they are able to be anywhere they like in what we call time.

Time shifting Unicorns?

No, not shifting. Think of time like a bubble. The surface is what we call time. It starts when you’re born (for your bubble) and ends, sadly, when you get round the other side of the bubble.

Unicorns can simply see our bubbles and appear whenever and wherever they choose. So they appear magical to us – do you see what I mean?

Ok, no magic for unicorn?

Yeah ok, you got me. The unicorn is a very rare thing indeed but if you imagine that you could “pop into” anyones life, at any point, then you’d think that was magic.

However, consider this: are the unicorns influencing things for the general human population?

Vegan Unicorn

I’ve mentioned this before but it’s definitely something that needs thinking about.

I think Unicorns are slowly and I mean generations slowly, making themselves more known.

Think about the past 10 years or so. Unicorns where but a picture in a book or comic or picture.

Now they make moving ones in animatronics as well as realistic ones in films that would scare the living daylights out of you should you bump into it in Tesco (other supermarkets are available :)).

So what’s this about vegans then?

That’s simple. In those last 10 years, how many vegans did you know of, meet, see?

I don’t know about the rest of the world and I’d love to, but as far as I can tell, vegans were mostly those that were around in the 60s and found that LSD worked better without heavy meats etc in? (Disclaimer, I don’t know any better and I’m just guessing)

Well, I think the Unicorn overlords are putting these things into mainstream society now.

Don’t misunderstand me – I THINK THAT’S FINE!

Buut…

There’d be no Xmas without Unicorns!

You see, the unicorns have been at this for years. They have been “helping” mankind along our happy little way in the oddest of ways.

When you think about it (and with the absence of any form of proof), Unicorns do have Unicorn dust.

This Unicorn dust is not a Unicorn spell. Think of it more like dandruff.

Over the years, they have been using this dust to develop and deliver stories and folk lore.

Ever wonder what came first? Fairies or Peter Pan? ( Fairies, I think) but on from that, what about Santa?

Santa is propelled but Unicorn dandruff dust

At some point, the unicorns dived into our timeline, dropped off instructions for Santa to sprinkle some dust on a reindeer and voila! Sub Dimentional Flying Reindeer!

I mean, it makes so much sense, doesn’t it?

If you really think about it, in the last 20 years or so, the Unicorns have gone from strength to strength.

You see them on adverts, in films, shop windows and clothing.

Support this writer!

I enjoy writing blog entries like this. It amuses me that my ideas like this one are purely for entertainment purposes, so please don’t go emailing me if you’re Vegan or a Unicorn.

I love both equally and believe in diversity (take a look around the rest of the website etc – you’ll see it’s all very tame – like me :)).

If you would like to stay informed of my next rambling or actually useful blog post, then please do subscribe (should be a form about here somewhere).

If you also feel strongly, impassively or just want to support me, then please do check out amazon.co.uk, search for Linked2U – My t-shirts are truly epic ?

If not, thanks for reading anyway.

Justop Wireless Controller

I recently purchased and have been using the Justop Backlit Mini Wireless Keyboard With Touchpad and Multimedia Keys.

I have found it to be a brilliant bit of kit. It allows me to control my recently made TV from the laptop screen project and sit comfortably away from the TV.

Typing on the keyboard is reminiscent of the old Nokia “brick” phones with the Spectrum rubber but manual “click,click” for each key press.

I love the backlight as this means that you can see what you’re looking for in the dull setting of a TV screening of your favourite online streaming service (with the help of the built in Raspberry Pi Zero W).

Can’t recommend this one enough really unless you really are looking to type essays, this is perfect to reply to messages on Xbox or Playstation etc while perfect for point and click application on the large screen – say business presentations etc.

Go get one!