mattgadient.com

Running LED’s from a simple bridge rectifier: a look at my little project.

Collecting data from Bridgelux/Cree datasheets and the Cree tool, and figuring out what’s the most efficient way to go… within reason.

A look inside (yet another) E27-based grow LED… this time, a mid-priced model that looked cheap from the get-go, and despite being advertised as 15W, only pulls 3W from the wall.

Opening up another UFO grow light. This time, a 130W grow LED that uses 132x1W leds (SMD5630). I take a look at the internals, measure the voltage, make comparisons to previous leds, etc.

You know what they say: Buy cheap, buy twice! But in this case we might be able to just fix it.

SWTOR, one of the best MMO’s ever made is going Free-To-Play this fall. A little sad, but not unexpected for a number of reasons.

For years I was an avid fan of NCIX. Over time, they’ve managed to become one of retailers I now try to avoid.

If your washing machine has a broken spider and you’re thinking of trying to repair it, the steps I went through on mine are listed here.

A number of Whirlpool washers end up with bearing problems. You can throw it out, pay $ for a new basket, or replace the bearings. I did the latter.

A comparison of 2 locally-available 1500W oil-filled heaters. Each have their strengths and weaknesses, depending on what features you’re looking for.

After installing a Winegard Antenna, it was time to install a Winegard amplifier. Gotta get those distant TV stations, after all!

Winegard makes wonderful large heavy-duty antennas. I go through the assembly/installation process and provide a few thoughts at the end.

I exposed a couple locally-available air purifiers to a smoky room. Here’s how it turned out.

A few basic observations surrounding Maya, with a Mac vs PC focus.

Throwing more machines, at a render project can be counter-productive. See why you need to test before you start your renders.

My first look at multiple machines trying to render via Mental Ray Satellite, and why I’m glad I benchmarked first.

Ever wonder how much juice the items in your house use? I tested a number of items and you may find the results surprising.

The Government of Manitoba is getting a little more high-tech! You can now process PST payments online.

Having trouble finding the Mages Collective Cache in DA:O? I sure was.

Hoping to run a game on your Mac through Fusion 3 or Parallels 5? Both can play games, though how they each fare varies quite a bit.