Two Beers and a Pretzel

The Olympus camrea tried hard, but refused to die.  So, the first technological victim of my travels is the Solio solar charger…

The USB connector that charges the external devices broke before I got to my Uncle’s on Dec 22nd, but I haven’t had time to have it looked at.  Today I took the Solio to a repair shop in Buenos Aires, and after opening it he said he could not fix it.  From what I saw, he’s right.  It appears the the USB adapter broke off from the motherboard (including fragments of silicon), and it’s essentially impossible to re-solder it.

Everything else is fine, but the charger is now completely useless to me (after using it only 3 times).  I’m really disappointed that the USB connector was only held to the board by 2 small solder points.  This was the Magnesium version of the charger which is supposed to be lighter and stronger than the normal version.  Clearly not stronger.  In retrospect, the USB plug is an obvious point of stress and wear.  It looks like there are side tabs to solder it to the board, but they were not soldered.  I would have gladly paid a little more for a heavy duty version of the charger than have to go thru this problem.

$100 down the drain, and I obviously cannot recommend this product to anyone who might actually depend on it for power.

Bummer.

All of my old reef aquarium equipment is finally starting to sell as people get back inside and start paying attention to their tanks. I’ve listed pretty much everything on the national forum www.reefcentral.com and my local club www.corareef.org. My buddy Rob just got the tank, stand and sump. Andy got the monster Calcium Reactor and monster Skimmer. The lights and ballasts are selling quickly. CORA is having a fragswap on Nov 1st. Anything I have left will go on clearance there..

I loved the hobby, but it is expensive. My only consolation is that with the recent financial turmoil, I’ve lost significantly less on the tank than in the stock market on a percentage basis. I actually made back about 75% of my money on the tank – versus losing 40% in my IRA.

Since taking down the tank, one month of reduced electric consumption will pay for my SCUBA certification. Yep, the tank added about $300/month to my bill.

I also just found out that my Osprey Waypoint 80 backpack arrived at Benchmark Outfitters in Cincy. If you like camping or backpacking, you’ll get better service at Benchmark than at Bass Pro Shops. It seems everyone that works there is a hardcore outdoorsy hippie type who loves hiking and camping and seems to know everything about the equipment. I’ll gladly spend a few extra bucks to try before I buy and pick their brains.

I also just got a Solio Magnesium solar charger – just in case I’m nowhere near a power outlet and need to recharge a battery. It’ll also double as an international power adapter. Note: You can buy one on Page 2 of the “Favorite Stuff” category in my Amazon store.