Best Lab Equipment

Here are some more information for Tube Adapter:

Nintendo's DS systems is one the most successful handheld gaming systems in history. Unfortunately all you can do with it is play games. Well that's what you bought it for isn't it? But wouldn't it be great if you could use your DS like a portable media centre? Wouldn't it be good to listen to your mp3s, watch videos and see your holiday photos on it?

Guess what. You can. All you need is a little device called the R4DS (or R4 Revolution if you prefer). The R4 is a bit of a Revolution for DS as it happens. It could become an essential component for every DS owner to enhance their experience, or it could turn the system into a software pirate's dream.

The R4DS works as an adaptor for your DS to transfer data with a flash SD card, the type you might use in a digital camera or mobile phone. First you need to put your applications and files on your SD card from your computer. Following that, simply plug the R4DS into your Nintendo DS, then your SD card into the R4DS. Then you can use whatever files and applications are stored on the SD card in your DS (honestly, I'm not trying confuse you with all these "SD"s and "DS"s.

The applications can be downloaded from the Internet from specialist websites. The types of application you can expect range from music players, image viewers and calculators to card games and homemade platform games.

On top of this, using the R4DS, you can back-up all your current DS games onto an SD card. This is a Godsend if you have messy children that don't put their games away and a 3 month old puppy eager to tear apart anything it can get its teeth on. Since I had a back-up of Pokemon Diamond there were no tears when our dog got a little over excited with the copy we'd bought just a week before. Thank you R4.

Not only that, you can easily back-up all your games onto a single SD card. That means you don't need to lug your entire games collection around with you. In fact you never need to unplug the R4DS as it can store all your games in it. That means no more hunting around for lost DS cartridges. It makes the Nintendo DS an all-in-one portable gaming and media station, for less than the price of a single game.

However, all is not well in R4DS-land. There is a fairly significant threat that could harm the video gaming industry and it's consumers on two fronts. That is piracy.

The R4DS is not illegal (you can buy them from Amazon), but Nintendo wish it was. Video game pirates use the R4DS to play games they do not own legally. Owners of the R4DS are urged not to take advantage of this and Nintendo are fighting to stop the sale of the product. The long-term effects of piracy are a weaker gaming industry and therefore fewer games and games of a lower quality.

Ironically, the threat of piracy also threatens the R4DS itself. There are many online stores selling imitations of the R4 Revolution. There are plenty of Internet forum reports of people plugging in their brand new R4DS only to find they can never turn their DS on again. But after closer inspection, they realise it not a true R4DS but a very similar clone.

It looks like the R4DS will give a large proportion of Nintendo DS owners a new and exciting way to utilise their portable gaming console. It also looks like Nintendo have quite a battle to stop the sale of the R4DS which will undoubtedly lead to in an increase in piracy. The fairest situation it seems would be for Nintendo to close down the pirate websites and allow the ethical use of the R4DS to continue.

Information on how to avoid purchasing a fake R4DS. For everything else you need to know about the R4 Revolution.

Choosing and Using a Boat Towable Tube

Today's' water towable tubes are more sophisticated, safer and more fun, than the old round tubes that we dragged around the lake in the past. There are a wide variety to choose from and not all tubes are created equal.

Younger riders like the enclosed feeling and safety of being in a sit-in style tube. With a wide body and hammock style seating, these tubes are virtually untippable, comfortable to use, safe and a lot of fun.

Teenagers and older riders like the deck style water towables , the bigger the better. The thrill level is higher, there is more jostling and fighting for position and you can create the wild ride that teens and other thrill seekers are looking for.

The latest tubes have a combination of upright and prone riding making them adaptable for the whole family, Mom and Dad included. Now you can go with your young ones, or your teenagers.

Inflating:

In general, the tube is full when it is very firm. Covered tubes should be wrinkle free. An adult should be able to stand on the tube and only sink a couple of inches. Under-inflation causes the tow tube to sit low in the water and is the usual cause of damage to the tube. Additional stress is applied to the tube, cover, rope and boat by being dragged through the water instead of pulled across it. This stress causes the air in tubes to be displaced and the tube may rupture. This same stress causes nylon covers to tear and ropes to stretch. The boat cannot plane out and extra gas is consumed.

Pumps

Tubes do not require high pressure. If you could measure the pressure in a fully inflated tube, it would be around 2 PSI. Most towable tubes can be inflated using one good electric pump or a combination of a 12 volt pump and hand pump. Some of the newer 12 volt inflators have been designed specifically to inflate beds or tubes, but will still not fully inflate some of the bigger tubes now on the market. The inflator will do most of the hard work but a hand pump is needed to top off the tube and achieve a proper inflation level. Another suggestion is to use a 120 volt inflator with a power inverter allowing you to connect to the boat battery. For tubers that live on the lake, or have access to 120 volt power, a good 120 volt inflator is a must have! Other 120 volt options are shop vacuums with a blower option and leaf blowers, which put out large volumes of air.

Tow Ropes

Do not scrimp on a tow rope. That old piece of frayed nylon rope you have been saving is not the right idea. There is a lot of force required to pull around a water towable and, if the rope breaks, because of the stretch in the rope, it will snap in both directions. Serious injury can occur. Choose a heavy tow rope specifically designed for water towables. It should be made of braided polypropylene and rated for the number of riders on your tube. Be sure it is free of knots and frays.

Maintenance:

A good water towable is not cheap so you are best to ensure that it stays in good shape. If you leave a full tube sitting in the sun for any length of time, it will expand. Either store it in the shade, or let some air out. Don't let it sit on the beach, dock, or boat full of air. If it is stored out of the sun in a cool place, you may need to add air. Check and adjust inflation levels each time you use your tube.

Coil your rope up after use, let it dry out and store it in a dry place. Discard frayed or knotted ropes.

You'll have more fun, and your water toys will last longer if you take a little time after each trip around the lake.

About the Author

CottageSpot is your Canadian source for a broad range of products and information for your cottage or waterfront home including water trampolines, towable tubes, outdoor furniture, dock accessories and more. Learn more about our line of towable tubes at http://www.cottagespot.com/

What type of copper pipe adapter do I need?

I'm trying to install a new dishwasher but the pipe fitting used to feed hot water to the new machine is a 1/2-in while my old one used a 3/8-in pipe. Home depot said there was No adapter and my only choice was to spend 80 bucks on new copper tubing but I want a second opinion.

There are a couple of issues you will need to deal with. First is that the solenoid that allows water into the dishwasher almost always has a female threaded opening at the bottom. This requires an elbow with male to male threads. It is never supplied with a new dishwasher so you'll need to purchase one. Secondly, depending on the distance from the hot water shutoff to the elbow at the front of the dishwasher you probably can buy a braided steel water supply line for about $20. You'll need to know the length as well as get the right sizes of compression nuts that they come with. Typically you'll need 3/8" or 1/2" compression for the end attached to the shutoff and 3/8" compression for the elbow you need to buy. If you can't tell the size on the shutoff end, remove the pipe and take it with you. Don't forget Teflon tape as well.

Swagelok introduces lightweight compact gauge valve
Swagelok Company, a major developer and provider of fluid system solutions, has introduced ¾ lightweight and compact, the new Swagelok compact gauge valve is designed with a smaller footprint and for maximum performance.

Thanks for visiting!