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FIXD car health sensor review

Have you ever had the check engine light on your car’s dash light up and wondered what it meant but didn’t know if you should call a mechanic right away? I’ve been having that same question lately with my MINI Cooper. Sometimes when I start the engine, I’ll see an icon of a car on a lift show up on my dashboard. The info in my manual about that light isn’t very detailed and my dealer is over 70 miles away, so I’ve been ignoring the light because it will sometimes go away for days at a time before lighting up again.

When I was asked If I would be interested in reviewing the FIXR OBD car sensor, I was happy to check it out with hopes that it would solve my dash light concerns. Let’s see if it has.

What is it?

FIXD is a small sensor that plugs into your vehicle’s OBD sensor and then pairs with your smartphone and an app to display information about check engine lights, maintenance requirements, and more.

Design and features

The FIXD is a small white plastic sensor with two rows of pins. This adapter plugs into the OBD-II port on your car which is usually located under the dash. The FIXD sensor is compatible with gas-powered cars that were manufactured after 1996. This adapter will not work with all-electric or diesel vehicles.

Installation and usage




To install and use FIXD, you have to download the iOS or Android app on your mobile device and then follow the prompts in the app that tell you to register and then plug in and connect to the sensor with your phone. FYI: the app requires that you create an account to use it which is kind of annoying considering every gadget we buy these days requires an account and password to be created just to use it.

When prompted, you plug the FIXD sensor into the OBD-II port on your car. On my MINI Cooper, the port is under the dash near the driver’s side door.




Once plugged in, the app will search for the FIXD sensor and connect to it. This can take around 30 seconds and happens every time you launch the app. The first time you run the app, you are prompted to enter the mileage and then the app will report if there’s a check engine light on and is supposed to tell you what that light means. That’s actually the only light this product can help with. It can’t help you with other dash lights like TPMS, ABS, Airbag, Maintenance lights, Stability Control, etc which are only accessible through manufacturer-specific information. But there’s a screen in the app that shows other lights and what they might mean. That screen didn’t include the dash light that I have been seeing on my car.

The FIXD app is also supposed to alert you when it’s time for an oil change and other regular maintenance tasks.

 


The app has a screen where it looks like it will let you see the tire pressure in each tire. My MINI Cooper has built-in warnings when it detects if the pressure is low, but the FIXD app didn’t show any pressure info when I tapped the tires. It just prompted me to do the penny in the tire tread test so it could compute when I might need new tires. Disappointment #1.

I wasn’t interested in being reminded when to change my oil or when to get new tires. I already have reminders to schedule an oil change built into my car. I was only interested in figuring out what the light on my dash meant. Unfortunately, the light on my dash was NOT a check engine light, so the FIXD adapter was not able to help me. Bummer. Disappointment #2.

After some digging, I think I figured out that my problem may be due to my MINI’s battery which is the original battery that was installed in the 2013 model when I bought it.

I used the FIXD app to check the resting voltage of the battery and it showed 11.6 V which I learned is low considering I’d just driven for about 20 minutes before checking it. Funny thing is that the app didn’t warn me that my battery might be bad with that reading. Disappointment #3.

What I like

  • Easy to install
  • Maintenance reminders (if you need them)
  • Displays resting battery voltage test
  • Supposed to tell you what the check engine light means

What needs to be improved

  • Slow to connect to the sensor
  • Didn’t warn me when my battery’s resting voltage was low
  • Only reports check engine light issues and not other dash lights
  • Have to create an account to use it

Final thoughts

The FIXD sensor seems like it would be a cool car gadget, but it doesn’t do much that’s useful until you actually have a check engine light come on. I’ve been using this sensor in my car for weeks and haven’t had a check engine light and the FIXD sensor can’t tell me what the other light on my dash means. That and the fact that the sensor can’t tell me my tire pressures or warn me that my battery is low doesn’t really inspire confidence that it will even be able to help me in the event that the check engine light on my dash actually does come on.

I can’t say that the FIXD sensor is a complete waste of money because I am unable to test that its main feature even works. But from what I was able to test, I’m not impressed and can’t recommend buying one.

Price: $59.99
Where to buy: Amazon
Source: The sample for this review was provided by FIXD.

DROCON MJX Bugs 3 drone review

If you have a HERO4 (or clone) then you may want to take some shots from the sky. The MJX Drocon Bugs 3 is an low-priced entry level hobby-grade drone that comes standard with a HERO4 camera mount and features great speed, range and battery capacity. Read on to see what I think!

 What is it?

Bugs 3 is a drone that has enough power to proficiently carry a HERO4 shaped action camera. The drone features 2.4 GHz two way communication for security and control, brushless motors for speed, power and efficiency, a 1800 mAh battery for extended flight time, and a body design that makes upgrading or replacing parts an easy to accomplish task. While the drone doesn’t have flight by GPS, altitude hold mode, one key take off landing, or headless mode,  it does have gyro stability and can be flown with the speed and agility of a racer. In fact, with the addition of a FPV camera this could also be an entry level racer drone. I believe it would sell well if it were sold with the FPV camera instead of the action camera mount. (The FPV can be purchased from here.)

Throughout the review you may see the manufacturer as Drocon or MJX. I believe that Drocon is marketing the Bugs 3 drone in Europe and the US but the drone is actually manufactured by MJX R/C in China.

What’s in the box?

MJX BUGS 3
Battery 7.4V 1800mAh 25C LiPo
2.4GHz Controller (power from 4 × AA is purchased separately)
Camera mount
4 × carrying screws
4 × spare rotor
4 × rotor protection
4 × landing mounts
Charger
A set of spacers (to compensate for gaps when installing cameras)
Set of branded stickers
Tool (screwdriver + key for unscrewing the screws)
User Manual

Design and features

Prerequisites

There are a couple of prerequisites for flying this drone:

Because of the weight of the drone is above the minimum weight requirement of 0.55 lbs. or 8.8oz, it must be registered with the FAA at the following weblink: https://faadronezone.faa.gov/#/

This should definitely not be the first drone you pilot. Even though the parts on it are readily replaceable and the controls are relatively easy to use this is a big powerful drone that can easily reach high altitudes and rapid speeds. Don’t get this caught in a tree on your first flight.

Unboxing

One of the first things you notice is how big the drone is.  The unit has a 31 cm wheelbase. However, the box is only designed to hold the unassembled unit and the protective packaging in the box is a cast styrofoam which is likely to break after repeated use. If you would like a storage case for the drone you’ll need to create your own.

Assembly

putting the drone together is straight forward. Installing the correct props on each motor is a breeze (see what I did there) since they are each labeled with a letter corresponding to the pitch (A brief primer: The props on a quadcopter each rotate in a direction opposite from the adjacent motor. The pitch of each prop is designed so that lift is provided when the motor turns correctly.) 

The drone comes with these little feet at the bottom of each prop motor. But the screws need to be removed if the rotor guards are going to be installed. Below the screws that require removal are shown.

The components all screw into the nylon frame. the frame has been designed with adequate reinforcement around the screws.  There are also some holes along the bottom of the body chassis to install the extended legs that provide the clearance required by the camera mount. The frame is pliable rather than rigid, as it would be if it were carbon fiber. But, the frame is also very affordable to replace, costing less than $10 at some on-line retailers.

Also, the canopy is removable without tools.


Installing and removing jumpers can hypothetically be done in the field without tools. With the canopy removed you can see that the motherboard has separate electronic speed controls for each motor (each sealed). The motors are soldered to the Flight control board under some pretty heavy glue, but the LEDs are all connected with molex and can be easily removed if desired. There’s also a molex for the FPV camera presumably to trigger a photo or video capture.

Design

This is the first brushless motor drone manufactured by MJX. They have designed their own flight control board and speed controllers to work with the MT1806 1800KV motors. These motors provide 230g of thrust as stated by the manufacturer but Halfchrome put this on a test rig and determined the combined thrust at 1090g, which is 272g each motor. Either way, the drone has some serious lift. If the FPV is installed, adding 40g, the drone still has a T/W ratio of 1.8 if you go by the 230g figure or 2.1 if you use Halfchrome’s measurement. These performance figures should allow the drone to operate nicely, even in heavy wind. Well, there is a bit of a catch to my last claim. The camera mount isn’t on a full gimbal, so when the drone tilts in a pitch or roll to correct location the camera tilts too. This type of performance is typical for FPV but should be avoided during aerial photography.

The camera is supported by a hinged mount that operates in only one direction attached below the battery cage. The topside of the hinge is designed with a vibration isolation box consisting of a plate surrounded by silicone ribs fit into a small box. It seems to work well in limiting the high frequency jitter of the captured video.

The Whole camera mount slides into a groove below the battery and is help in place by a rotating tab. This is useful so that the camera can be mounted and dismounted from the drone easily, but concerns me that the rotating tab could shake free mid flight. The camera fits inside of a frame that surrounds the outside of the camera frame. If the camera doesn’t have very similar dimensions to a GoPro it may not fit.  the surround has a tab to allow the top button to be pressed but conceals the rest of the camera’s sides.

Operation

The Bugs 3 comes with a 7.4V 1800mAh 25C Li Poly battery that is a proprietary design with standard features. The battery connects to the drone with an XT30 connector and has close to standard dimensions, but the battery comes with a balance port that works quite well with the built in charger and has a plastic enclosure around the main body fits perfectly into the battery bay. Without the camera and tall landing legs, and with an unconditioned battery on a cold day, I got 15 minutes of flight. With the camera and tall gear installed I got about 11 minutes.

The claimed range of the controller is 300-500 meters which is probably farther than it may be legally operated (hobbyists must fly within visual line of sight). There is a low signal warning that the controller will emit if the signal strength diminishes. I didn’t have a chance to fly it real far not did I have a way to judge exactly how far I did fly it. MJX gives this disclaimer in their literature, “Just make sure you can find your drone in the sky and distinguish the right direction to call it back.”

Performance

I’ve recorded a couple of videos to convey the abilities of this drone to act as a platform for aerial photography and also act as a racer. The videos were recorded with a point and shoot strapped to my head. I didn’t have the angle set right so the drone goes out of frame, but it is just above the top of the frame in the smaller video to the left.

 

What I like

  • Affordably priced for a brushless drone
  • Good for aerial photography and intro level racing (no acro mode)
  • Long lasting battery
  • Well calibrated gyros
  • Inexpensive replacement parts
  • Easy to modify

What needs to be improved

  • Fixed gimbal
  • Tall gear may get in camera view
  • No acro mode and no betaflight

Final thoughts

The Bugs3 lands somewhere between a low budget camera drone or intro racer, and a high priced aerial drone or racer. I prefer to focus on the advantages that this unit has above its lower priced cousins. It’s really enjoyable to fly and on a calm day and in open spaces it can provide a great picture.

Price: $89.99
Where to buy: Amazon
Source: The sample for this review was provided by Drocon.

Trayvax Summit Notebook wallet review

I carried a Trayvax Summit minimalist wallet as my everyday wallet for about a year and still consider it one of my favorites. Now Trayvax has added the ability for the Summit wallet to hold important EDC essentials – a pen and a small notepad. Let’s take a look.

What is it?

The Trayvax Summit Notebook wallet is a Summit wallet with a leather wrap that enables it to hold a small notebook and a small Fisher Bullet Space Pen all in one small bundle.

Design and features

The Summit Notebook wallet has a black steel frame with a chestnut colored oiled Latigo leather exterior which is attached to the steel frame by an olive colored webbed strap.

There’s a rectangular cutout on the top of the wallet which is used to slide the cards out with your thumb.

The back of the wallet is plain. I like the color of the leather, but to be perfectly honest, I don’t care for the slick look and feel of this type of leather. I don’t think it looks as rugged as the leather that Trayvax uses on some of their other wallets like their Ascent wallet which I recently reviewed. There’s nothing wrong with the Latigo leather, I just don’t like it as well as the other unoiled leather that Trayvax uses.

The wallet opens like a book to reveal the black steel frame Summit wallet and the Trayvax branded Rite in the Rain 2o page all-weather 3.25″ x 2.125″ notebook.

The steel frame is exactly like the original Trayvax Summit wallet. It can hold several credit cards and there’s a built-in cash holder that can hold 3-4 folded dollars, receipts, or even a house key.

The spine of the wallet holds a Trayvax branded Fisher Bullet Space pen.

The pen slot is a little snug when you first get the new wallet, so sometimes when I would try to pull out the pen by the cap, the cap would come off with the pen still stuck in the slot.

But after several days of use, the slot stretches to allow the pen to be removed more easily.

This wallet can hold 1-8 cards. The addition of the leather cover adds noticeable bulk to the Summit wallet, which detracts from the Summit wallet’s original minimalist design. But, the nice thing is that you can remove the leather cover for those times when you prefer the wallet to be skinnier.

Positives

  • Made in the USA
  • Quality materials
  • Includes a notebook and a Fisher Bullet Space Pen

Negatives

  • A little bulky

Final thoughts

Trayvax has a great track record for creating rugged wallets with quality materials. The Summit Notebook wallet is a nice update to the original Summit wallet for EDC fans that want to have a way to carry a pen and a small notepad with them in one convenient bundle while also carrying credit cards and cash.

Price: $65.99
Where to buy: Trayvax
Source: The sample of this product was provided by Trayvax.

PIN Genie Smart Lock review

Smart locks are all the rage these days and once you own one, you’ll find it hard to go back to the old-fashioned key lock.  This is the second smart lock that I’ve used and this PIN Genie smart lock has some great features that I’ve never seen or used before.  To me, the convenience of unlocking my front door with an app, or being able to give someone a code to get in is a luxury that I don’t plan on giving up…until the next generation lock comes out anyway!

What is it?

Touted as the easiest and most secure way to allow guests, customers or family members to gain access to your property, this smart lock is a great option for use in homes or offices and for people with rental properties. It is a Bluetooth enabled, app-controlled, digital deadbolt that has a peep proof PIN pad with numbers that shuffle after each one is pushed. Even if someone watches you enter your PIN, they will not be able to figure out what it is!  Not that I have to worry about this at my home, but in an office, or AirBnB rental it would be great to have. The video below shows the lock being opened without the PIN crazy setting enabled.  In this mode, the numbers will be in a different place when the touchscreen is enabled; however, they don’t shuffle each time a button is pushed. I know the touchscreen is difficult to see in the video, but I wanted to show how the screen is enabled by placing your hand over it.

 

Hardware Specs

It has a single cylinder deadbolt that requires a face hole size of 1  1/8″ and a 1″ latch hole, and works with a door thickness of between 1 3/8″ to 2″. It can be used on either the left or right side of the door.  It has a one-inch throw, steel deadbolt and comes with a key to use in an emergency situation should the battery die (even though that shouldn’t happen because there is a battery strength indicator on the app AND there is a 9-volt backup battery socket on the underside of the lock).

What’s in the box?

The lock and parts with the hardware needed to install the lock.

2 backup keys

Manual

Installation

The installation for me didn’t go very easily in the beginning because I didn’t realize I needed to drill another hole in my door.  The directions do say that you can use some 3M tape instead of drilling the top hole, but I wanted to do it right, so I got out the drill. Also, the latch bolt mechanism had square edges, and my door had round edges, so I had to have them ground so I could finish the install. All doors are different, and as we all know with any home improvement project, there may be some modifications needed to customize a product for your home.  After those two issues were addressed, the install was a snap, and the directions guided me through it with ease.  Below is a pic before I did the install, but after the new hole was drilled.
In the pic below you can see the bracket that is bolted to the door and the latch bolt sticking out on the side of the door. This is the piece I was referring to that needed to have the corners rounded off on the bracket surrounding the bolt so that it could be set into the recessed area on the side of the door.

Design and Features

The model I received has a Venetian bronze finish, which pretty much looks black to me (see the first pic). It also comes in a satin nickel finish as well. I personally like the design and look of the lock and the touch-screen display is very easy to read, even without my glasses on which is nice. The picture below shows the 4 switches that can be turned on and off to enable the features I’ll describe next.

Switch 1 is Auto-Lock. This feature automatically locks the door 30 seconds after the door is unlocked. This feature is great for those who don’t want to bother to lock the dead-bolt when they leave the house, but a pain in the butt if you are just letting your dog out.  I will probably end up disabling this feature because when I leave the house for work in the AM it is easy to just use one click on the app to lock the door when I leave. Switch 2 is the Alarm Mode. You can switch this on or off on the lock, then set the sensitivity with the app.  The sensitivity refers to the external activity, ie. someone beating on the door or possibly breaking in, and if this occurs and you’ve enabled this feature an alarm will sound and hopefully scare off the perpetrator before they can enter your home. I set mine to medium, and then to high and the two settings seemed to be identical.  You just needed to knock on the door for it to set off the alarm.  My door is a bit “jiggly” so that may have something to do with it.  See the video below to view my daughter knocking on the door, and then running away completely frightened when the alarm goes off.

 

Switch 3 is the Audio switch.  This just enables the “beeping” sound (you can hear the beeping in the videos) when you push the buttons on the keypad, and when the lock connects to the app, unlocks, or locks it will beep as well. Switch 4 is called PIN crazy.  This is the function that this lock is most notable for.  It changes the display keypad every time a number is entered so that you never know which of the 4 buttons you will press to enter your code. This is the function that makes it impossible for someone to view, or record you as you put in your code and be able to repeat it and gain access to your property. The video below is filmed over my shoulder as I enter in the code…I challenge you to try and figure out what my code is!

 

Another great feature is the display keypad switch.  That is a switch that is accessed on the inside of the home and allows you to disable the outer display keypad so that nobody is able to enter the passcode and gain access to the property.  This would be useful for when you are inside the home and you don’t want any visitors to enter that have the code. Those with an actual key to the lock will still be able to get in, however.

The APP

The app itself is very user-friendly and makes changing the settings or the passcodes a breeze.  I use the app to lock and unlock the door via Bluetooth, change the passcode, see the history of who has accessed the lock and assign new passcodes to family members or temporary users. The pic below shows the permission setting in the app and you can see that I gave Gadget Guru access to the lock for 24 hours.  When the “share” button is selected, the renter, or whoever the person you’ve granted access to will get an email or text with an access code and directions on how to set up their PIN for entry.  This is great for those who can’t be there to let someone in.

Also in the app, there is a feature called “direct entry” which you can choose to enable and that will allow quick access to settings and permissions without having to enter in a password.  Most people have security on their phones, and it’s nice not to have to enter another password for the app. There is also a nifty widget you can enable that makes it even quicker to access the lock and unlock feature for your lock.

The pic below shows what the app looks like when you open it.  You simply push the green lock button in the middle to unlock the door, then push it again to unlock it.  Right below the green button, you can see the battery percentage also and it looks like mine is still at 100%.  Through this screen, you can access the settings, give others permission to access the lock, and view the history log off all the people and the different times the lock has been accessed.

Positives

I think the lock is great for an Airbnb or office type situation where you need to monitor the people coming and going on the property. There is a log you can access through the app that lets you see the exact time a person accesses the lock, and how they accessed it as well, ie. which code was used, or if the app was used.  I like the fact that you could videotape someone (as you can see in my video) putting in their PIN code and you would still never be able to figure out what the code is. The app is very user-friendly and you can change the code via the app or right on the lock if for some reason you don’t want to or you don’t have access to a phone. Also, I found the Bluetooth range to be very good at about 40 feet!

Negatives

I can see how the installation can be an easy process, but for me, it was not.  I had to drill another hole in my door as I only had one with my last deadbolt smart lock. Also, the latch bolt that I had on my door had rounded edges, and the one that came with this lock had square edges that did not fit my door.  Luckily I have an awesome man in my life who was able to assist me with grinding the metal edges so that it would fit. These negatives really aren’t directed at the product itself…it’s more to just let you know that with any installation, there can be issues with customization that will need to be addressed. Another negative is with the alarm sensitivity.  I did not notice a difference between them, as the alarm goes off if you simply knock on my door (see video above), no matter which setting it’s on. If it’s set to low sensitivity, a simple knock should only cause 2 beeps and as you can see, the alarm went off in medium sensitivity mode with just a knock. As mentioned before, my front door is not tight and tends to move a lot when the deadbolt is in use and occasionally even cars going down the road can make it jiggle.  This could be a reason why I don’t notice a difference in the settings.

Final thoughts

I absolutely love this lock. I think the satin nickel finish would look a lot better on my door, but other than that I think the design is wonderful. The Bluetooth range is excellent, it’s easy and convenient to use and I enjoy knowing that anytime I want to allow someone to have access to the home, I can give it to them whether I am there or not. The battery seems to last a long time because, after a month of usage, it hasn’t dropped a bit. I’m still not quite sure if the alarm feature sensitivity is a problem because my door fits loosely, or there really isn’t much difference in the settings.  Regardless, I would highly recommend this lock to those with rental property or offices that need to be accessed by different people at different times.  You’ll be able to track who is coming and going and have comfort knowing that your property is secure, yet available at all times.

Price: $249.00
Where to buy: Amazon
Source: The sample of this product was provided by: PIN Genie

Trayvax Ascent rugged minimalist wallet review

I’m a firm believer that you get what you pay for. Buy a $5 wallet at Walmart and chances are that it won’t last very long. But buy a wallet made of quality materials with quality craftsmanship and you might never have to buy another. If you like rugged minimalist style wallets, the Trayvax Ascent might be the last wallet you will ever need. Let’s check it out.

What is it?

The Trayvax Ascent is a minimalist wallet that has a stainless steel frame and thick leather sides that are sewn to the steel frame.

The wallet is available in four colors including the canyon red version that you see here.

Design and features

The Ascent is a dual slot wallet that can hold a maximum of 7 credit cards and 5 folded dollar bills. The front of the wallet has the Trayvax logo stamped into it and a long rectangular cutout in the front card slot. This slot is designed to hold your ID cards and it is large enough to hold 2-3 cards.

The cutout is positioned so you can easily use your thumb to slide the top card up and out of the card slot. Removing cards is pretty easy, but it helps if the card on top has raised numbers so there’s something for the pad of your thumb to press against.

The other card slot on the back of the wallet can hold 4-7 cards and to remove them, you just pull the strap to raise the stack of cards so that you can remove the one you want.

The back of the Trayvax Ascent wallet also has a cash slot for folded dollar bills.

The cash slot can hold up to 5 folded bills or paper receipts. A lot of minimalist wallets don’t have a cash slot, so the fact that the Trayvax Ascent has one is a nice selling point.

With cards in both slots and some folded cash, the Trayvax Ascent is not the world’s thinnest wallet, but it is made to stand the test of time and after some use, the leather will form around the cards and lay flat.

What I like

  • Well made with quality materials and craftsmanship
  • Cash slot
  • Card pull tab that makes it easy to remove cards

What needs to be improved

  • Stainless steel frame makes the wallet heavy

Final thoughts

I’ve been a fan of Trayvax wallets for a few years now and the Ascent is another winner. It looks great and is easy to use. People will see it and want to know where you bought it and I have little doubt that it’s a wallet that will have no problems outlasting the owner.

Price: $54.99
Where to buy: Trayvax and Amazon
Source: The sample for this review was provided by Trayvax.