This robot uses AI to find Waldo, thereby ruining Where’s Waldo | 19mm Momentary Push Button

In this context, “voltage transients” are defined as short-duration surges of electrical energy. In the electrical or electronic circuits that varistors intend to protect, this energy may be released either in a predictable manner via controlled switching actions, or randomly induced into a circuit from external sources. Common sources include:

• Assess your situation: How frequently do you experience power outages? Are they a few hours or overnight? (Most outages usually last only three hours, says Paul Hope, senior home editor for Consumer Reports.) Is your home habitable without power? Could you make it for more than a few hours without heat or air conditioning? How much food do you typically have in the refrigerator and freezer? What’s your level of sanity when there is no power? If it makes you anxious, miserable or just plain nuts to be without electricity, a generator may be better than Xanax.

Tilt / swivel LCD. At the rear, the 3-inch LCD dominates much of the available real-estate, and its tilt/swivel mechanism — appearing for the first time in an Alpha camera — can be clearly seen. The display tilts down 180 degrees and then swivels 270 degrees, allowing it to face any direction except to the front right (handgrip) quadrant. The design not only allows easy framing of high- and low-angle shots, but also allows subjects in front of the lens to see themselves — but only when somebody’s available to hold the camera. Since the display tilts downwards, it will be blocked from view when mounted on a tripod, and can’t be extended beyond the 90-degree position with the camera placed on a flat surface, so the only way to use it for self-portraits is to hold the camera at arm’s length. It can also be difficult to deploy and use with the camera mounted on a tripod.

In reviewing my experience with the Sony A55 and A33, it’s interesting to find so many of my notes and so much of my attention directed to the viewfinder display. Were I not already so familiar with Sony’s multi-shot exposure technology, the camera’s multi-shot features would doubtless have commanded more of my attention, as they’re worthy features indeed. That said, though, the viewfinder turned out to be absolutely integral to my experience with the camera.

Being in the controller business I’ve been presented more than one friend’s design with insufficient cooling. One friend even mounted his SSR to a decent heat sink then mounted the entire assembly inside his housing with no air circulation. His response was “it will work” and he’s had two SSRs fail that I know of. At least in his case, the steel housing kept the “magic smoke” contained!

“International” power supplies usually are specified for 100V (Japan) to 240V +/- 10%, i.e., 90-264V.

1. Metal-oxide varistors (MOVs) are available in a variety of form factors and sizes for a broad range of applications. The radial leaded disc type is the most common version.

As with many other types of electronic devices these days, you can buy a “smart” EV charging unit that includes Wi-Fi connectivity. While this adds cost and complexity to what’s otherwise a plug-and-play device, choosing a smart charger adds a layer of convenience. These units allow an owner to use his or her smartphone to monitor charging, and how much energy the vehicle is using to help gauge running costs. Some smart chargers can communicate with your power company to only charge at off-peak times for discounted rates, and even receive commands via Amazon’s Alexa virtual assistant.

Yes, I know that I’m just offloading my energy use to my residential electric service (which is, around here at least, produced mostly by coal or natural gas). Let’s leave that discussion for somewhere else. The impact at the fuel pump is what matters here. Spending eight dollars or less every week to drive to and from the cube farm is incredibly appealing.

Pioneer has announced it is offering three in-dash receiver models for your car that support CarPlay and Android Auto. Pioneer says that the units — the AVIC-W8400NEX, -W6400NEX, and -W4400NEX — are the first in-dash receivers to support FLAC files without the need to convert, and they’re the first that can connect wirelessly or over USB to both Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, as reported by Engadget.

Some heaters are a coil of Alloy wire cast in ceramic and then enclosed in a stainless steel tube. Basically a bad inductor, but still having the surge properties of one. Same with big boy halogen bulbs.

A few people made some useful design suggestions. I like the Power Integrations LNK switch suggestion for power. I’d also recommend looking at the SR086, which does the same thing — but it’s inductorless! That’s the chip I’m using for my ESP8266-based WiFi dimmer.