An exercise in simple design and function
598374
Anyone else out there replacing a Casio travel alarm clock that's 25+ years old? If so, this review and comparison may help. My Casio clock has been a real winner... so simple, and useful, and reliable. Well, the alarm has finally become unreliable, sometimes going off near silently, even with a fresh battery. Wiggling the alarm set slide brings it to full volume, but, there's no way to predict whether it will sound high or low on next use.

The same clock does not appear to be available, but the TQ-140 seems a good replacement. I ordered the light face model, but, the vendor sent the dark face version. I'll live with it. Neither version has quite the dignified appearance of my old Casio, which had a round dial set into the square case. Both old and new have the same 2.2 x 2.2 inch case size, though the new clock is 3/8 in. deeper, and is slightly less packable. The other major difference is the clock set controls. While the old clock had separate wheels to set the time and alarm, the new clock uses a single post wheel. You pull it out to set the clock, and leave it in to set the alarm. I think this change is good, as I sometimes used to start at the wrong wheel when setting the alarm. The new setup will prevent that error. The "beep beep beep beep" (pause-repeat) alarm sounds exactly like the old clock. There is no snooze button. The alarm slide on the back of the clock is visible at the top of the clock, when the alarm is activated. Hands on the new clock are larger. They glow faintly in the dark. Although the bold green numbers appear as if they might also glow in the dark, they do not.

I'm not sure I'll get 25 years out of the new clock; it seems a bit less robust. But, it does seem equally capable, and still a great value, and exercise in simplicity.
554467
First among the products that is quite simple to use and design and low in cost among the the others in this category
865611
The clock described in this book is not a terribly complex design, and could be made entirely from wood instead of brass without major change to the design.  Someone with their first semester or so of high school woodshop (if such a thing still exists in the US...) could easily tackle this project.

Plans for the entire mechanism, reasoning behind the design process, and guidance on how to produce the gears and cutters for them are all included.  The metal version will require a small lathe with a milling attachment and ability to index the spindle, while a wood version you might get away with only a drill press and scroll saw.  Especially appreciated were the pages on calibrating the rotating pendulum arm.  The writing style is conversational and never condescending, the book perfect for sitting flat on the workbench while you build and time the clock.

Lastly, my estimated 2-3 weekend build time includes interruption by significant others, children, and an unrushed pace.  I would guess that it could be built in a single sitting assuming experience and only minimal distraction.
1970171
A simple but elegant design. Very reasonably priced.
4622652
This product is what it purports to be: an inexpensive balance board with five fulcrums of various heights, shapes and lengths.

 The board and fulcrums are made of wood. Fulcrums secure to the board with Velcro tabs. Design is simple and the finishing is minimal. The size is right for my personal needs. Also, I prefer this to the round "wobble boards" for my particular balance disorder.

 What's wrong with the product itself?

 Nothing.

 It is an excellent value for the money and, with the variety of fulcrums, can be used to address the gamut of balance issues one might have to deal with.

 What disappointed me was the lack of anything beyond a barebones photocopied one-sided  instruction sheet with a few poorly posed photos and some brief descriptions of balance exercises. I think the manufacturers does themselves a disservice by not providing a more detailed manual with more exercises and supporting details. Even an explanation of when and how to use the various fulcrums would be welcome.

 But that's merely personal opinion.

 As a product, they8 delivered what they described , what I ordered and what I wanted. Overall, a good buy.

Jerry
220071
Easy to use, fun but not very complicated, simple pin mechanism
2871081
If you are teaching basic design concepts, this book is an excellent collection of exercises. I recommend teaching this along with Design Basics by Laurer and Pentak.
2964531
Very precise and useful, but the design it no so elegant, but it achieve it function
4134798
easy to put together and fun to use, a good tool for exercising.
2492051
very simple, does the job, no need for anything fancy
2672617
Easy to assemble, looks good and serves the purpose at a fair price
4021787
This is an example of superior design in an affordable unit.  I'm doing some simple circuit board projects as learning opportunities and this holder makes every step easier.  I have a set of helping hands and they are not going to get much use for board work.  For the hobbyist, this is a great addition to the workbench.
4610352
This a well designed inversion table with instructions that make it intuitively obvious to the casual observer how to assemble the few parts that are necessary in only a few minutes. They even include all the tools necessary for the assembly.
840122
Extremely pleased with this product in usability, design, and expectations.
3302344
Here's a practical guide to improving your intuition, filtering out mis-cues, reassessing goals, and solving problems. It is short and to the point, designed to be revisited as needed. The design is attractive, so it is easy to keep it handy. It contains classic exercises that are sure to help anyone willing to try them. It is not mystical and does not require belief in any force beyond untapped memories and subconscious observations. It will not help you read minds or choose a winning lottery ticket, but it will help you figure out what's been bothering you lately and decide what to do about it.
4604910
For just a four bucks and free prime shipping, this nifty little set piece among a myriad of tools at home proved not only useful in solving the present problem upon which I bought it for, but also shows promise for other, perhaps rare, encounters I may face (though probably won't) in the future.

The set itself is as displayed in the picture. A plastic handle screwdriver with magnetic tips, some of which so obscure that I had never seen, packed inside a yellow case. As for the lasting life of the product, it seemed and felt sturdy enough to withstand the somewhat light force needed to operate orifices so fine. As it's a tool, no immediate signs of degredation were present, and it'd undoubtedly take a year, if not more, to wear this set out given how infrequently it'd be used. When they say precise, they really mean 'the only one for the job'. Included in here are no standard screwdrives of common width and built, but specific instruments for encounters when assembling and disassembling fine electronics. For that purpose alone, I wish I could give this four and a half stars, because the low price in and of itself certainly is past the point of a "bargain" and practically free.

For the purpose of a Sony PSP:
However, it of course has a few downsides. I had bought this set of screwdrivers in order to open up my PSP, with the intent of installing my new Wifi board the same day it arrived. However, the width of the bit was too wide to reach the deeper screws behind the Memory Card Duo slot. There was no working around this, so I ordered a Phillips #00 immediately. I can imagine that this problem would extend to other devices with deep recesses (each tip is about 2/3rds of a centimeter before it cuts into the base)

One other, the shipping was exceptionally slow, it arrived after 8 days, when all other parts I ordered for the job (anti static wristpad, soldering set) arrived within 3 with expedited shipping. It was still within the range of the 'predicted delivery time', though cutting to the very end isn't usually standard

In spite of all these minor inconveniences, the practical value of all pieces and parts included was way more than just four dollars worth. When disassembling the various pieces of technology around my house, I hadn't figured that someone as simple as myself would encounter so tiny a screw that a mere glasses screwdriver couldn't unwind without stripping, I can imagine that in the future, upon specifically.
1008967
Works as expected. Combinations are customizable.