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In a video by @Techconnectify@mas.to, Alec goes into a deep dive into the simplicity of his particular model, its shortcomings and variety of data logging tests in an attempt to fix them.

TL,DW: Very simple, cheap and ingenious design, with one compressor loop between the fridge and freezer in series. However, its temperature sensor is wonky and so the fridge is more affected by how long the compressor operates than the actual temperature itself. There is a signficant temperature differential between the top and bottom, fans on the exterior or interior could help but with the faulty sensor only made matters worse. With the controller replaced with a proper temp control unit the fridge functioned much better.

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[-] SilentStorms@lemmy.fmhy.ml 56 points 1 year ago

I've loved Technology Connections ever since I saw his riveting hour long video on dishwashing detergent. I don't even have a dishwasher.

[-] Awesomejt@kbin.social 16 points 1 year ago

I used to think dishwashers were kinda rubbish before I watched his video and learned how they actually work and the best way to use them. I recommend that video to lots of people now. Great channel.

[-] Da_Boom@iusearchlinux.fyi 7 points 1 year ago

I'm still a bit annoyed on how my parents reject dishwashers as a result of the last one being kind of shit.

It didn't help that they decided to replace the rinse aid with vinegar because "it's cheaper and works just as well as regular rinse aid" no. It did not. It was terrible.

They never went for dishwashing tablets or name brand detergents because of the price either. But they failed to understand what the pre-wash section means, telling me off if I tried to use it, or explain why it makes sense to use it.

I love my parents, but they can be frustrating to deal with when it comes to tech. Dad knows just enough to be dangerous, (as a result he's first port of call for tech support) with mum, if you get frustrated when trying to help or to correct a mistake she's about to make she'll tell you to stop acting like a know it all, despite the fact you're getting frustrated because she's not listening to you properly.

God forbid if they find out that I learned something from someone on the internet because "you can't trust it" and then they'll be even more frustratingly non compliant - a YouTube video, even a well sourced one (in the case of the dishwasher, a primary sourced one) they can still find flaws - "he cut a window in there, and it's a different model therefore it's not going to perform the same, so I don't trust it"

I understand it's necessary to question anything, but why when it comes to tech are they more cynical than me - someone who uses tech for a living? They trust me completely for information regarding buying, building and repairing computers, and software/ software alternatives, letting me do research for them, but that's about it - despite the fact that I do all that research on the internet. And they're also constantly amazed at all the weird bits of trivia and fact I know, again from the internet.

But the moment its got something to do with what they're doing, the internet isn't trustworthy enough. It's fucking stupid. I get that I don't know everything, but I understand how to navigate the internet enough to find the information thats needed, and usually it is reliable.

Yeah, there's my rant for the day.

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[-] eltimablo@kbin.social 6 points 1 year ago

He became one of my favorites after he got me to enjoy a half-hour video on storm lanterns. Dude has some serious charisma and really good investigative skills.

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[-] Taijk@feddit.nl 9 points 1 year ago

Yes, No way i knew that i needed to know all that info on detergent :P

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[-] Zamboniman@lemmy.ca 39 points 1 year ago

WTF, I ain't watching an hour long video on a stupid fridge! I'll just watch the first few minutes and see what's up.....

........

.....

One hour later.....

Okay, that was really interesting. I really love this channel.

[-] potpie@beehaw.org 11 points 1 year ago

Me at 11pm: why on earth would I watch a long video deep diving into obsolete incandescent headlights?

Me at 7am: hey did you know that headlights used to be so standard you could just drop in a generic replacement and.........

[-] reric88@beehaw.org 9 points 1 year ago

I love his videos, especially the video about his toaster. I've actually spent time trying to find that exact toaster at yard sales

[-] macrocephalic@lemmy.fmhy.ml 9 points 1 year ago

I know more than I ever need to about American drip coffee machines, and yet I don't want one and wouldn't know where to buy one here in Australia eveb if I did want one.

[-] gabuwu@beehaw.org 34 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

His videos are so always random but somehow so entertaining and peaceful no matter what completely random thing he decides to talk about. My man could explain the mechanical differences between industrial farming equipment or something and I’d eat that shit up 100% without any questions.

[-] kevinmirsky@infosec.pub 8 points 1 year ago

My favorite is when he releases videos around weekends so I can spend my saturday/sunday morning watching it with a nice cup of coffee.

[-] gabuwu@beehaw.org 5 points 1 year ago

His videos honestly give off the same vibes as mythbusters and other of those random science tv shows of the mid to late 2000s. I feel like if mythbusters still aired new episodes he would fit right in as a regular guest.

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[-] cowleggies@xcore.social 26 points 1 year ago

There's not a Technology Connections video I won't watch. Always makes the seemingly mundane absolutely fascinating.

[-] abir_vandergriff@beehaw.org 6 points 1 year ago

I'm certain he could make me watch an hour long video on almost anything, he's such a talented writer.

[-] boonhet@lemm.ee 5 points 1 year ago

It often turns out that the mundane IS fascinating, it just needs a good storyteller.

[-] DrM@feddit.de 22 points 1 year ago

As a European his videos are sometimes so funny :)

Here in europe we have two kind of fridges: American Style and the showed one (but with the freezer at the bottom). American style is this big bulky fridge that breaks quickly and costs a ton of money, most people use this style. It's just the norm and they work reliable for decades, while also being more energy efficient.

It's also important to note that food doesn't get bad at 8°C (which Alec states in his video), storing food at 8°C is also the norm here in Europe. And I guess using this style of fridge more often in America would also make a lot of sense for most people.

I can see one simple reason why the american fridge with it's self-defrosting feature makes a lot of sense in some American regions: Climate. In humid regions like Florida, the showed style of fridge would just need to be constantly defrosted. Which would be a huge pain in the ass obviously. And in all other southern-american regions where it never really gets cold it's also a pain in the ass to manually defrost a fridge. For all regions where the temperature goes close to freezing temperatures, defrosting is not a big deal. You just need to put your refrigerated or frozen stuff outside for a few hours, defrost the fridge and put everything back inside. The frozen stuff doesn't even get remotely thawn and doing it once a year is more than enough.

[-] ButterBiscuits@beehaw.org 11 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

8C is about 46F.

Right from the USDA government agency.

https://www.fsis.usda.gov/food-safety/safe-food-handling-and-preparation/food-safety-basics/refrigeration#2

Bacteria grows more rapidly in food starting at about 40F.

I think I'll trust the food safety agency over some random pretentious guy on Lemmy thanks very much.

[-] DrM@feddit.de 11 points 1 year ago

Sorry for only telling how it is in europe. Here in Germany the desired fridge temperature according to state guidelines should be 7-8°C and that's what I'm commenting. Just pointing out that the differences are stunning and funny.

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[-] interolivary@beehaw.org 10 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

I don't think that ~8°C thing is a universal "European" thing. I'm Finnish and I've always kept my fridge around 5°C, and the food safety authority here recommends 2 – 6°C

[-] someguy3@lemmy.ca 15 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

"So I bought five of these things" lol.

Oh this guy is my inner spirit nerd.

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[-] s0phia@beehaw.org 12 points 1 year ago

Oh how I love Technology Connections. He makes the perfect kind of content for me.

[-] MudMan@kbin.social 11 points 1 year ago

Honestly, the best part about this channel is watching the guy be extremely American.

His fascination at an absolutely run of the mill entry level fridge that everybody outside Muricaland has owned at least once is delightful.

Oh, also, he's on Mastodon here @TechConnectify in case you guys didn't know that.

[-] abir_vandergriff@beehaw.org 6 points 1 year ago

No, this is an absolutely bog standard low-end fridge here. He's just interested in clever engineering, no matter how mundane it is. His toaster videos are an excellent example of this.

[-] MudMan@kbin.social 5 points 1 year ago

If you watch the video he explicitly says he hadn't seen a fridge with some of the specific design details of this one. He also keeps calling it a "mini-fridge", which is also a delightfully American thing to say about what is an absolutely standard sized fridge for our standards.

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[-] infinitevalence@discuss.online 10 points 1 year ago

Hour long of TC talking about a fridge, you had me at Fridge.

[-] MentalEdge@sopuli.xyz 9 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

TBH "hour long of technology connections..." is probably sufficient.

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[-] arirr@social.fossware.space 10 points 1 year ago

I still lecture people on the correct detergent to use and to do a prewash because on him. 😂

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[-] alectrocute@lemmy.ml 10 points 1 year ago

These videos are so meditative for me.

[-] MentalEdge@sopuli.xyz 9 points 1 year ago

Ah. Fantastic.

[-] Lennard@lemmy.dbzer0.com 7 points 1 year ago

Really made me understand why my own fridge (and especially the freezer part) is this bad. Bless this channel

[-] nfld0001@beehaw.org 7 points 1 year ago

I love Tech Connections. Unnecessarily long deep dives, but that’s the kind of content I absolutely appreciate. His stuff is a treat that helps to highlight the rabbit holes that can be found in the mundane.

[-] thatgal@lemmy.ml 7 points 1 year ago

I watched that wayyyy longer than I thought I would, like most other people here lol

But it was still disappointing that he just hand-waved the two good fridges already having cold stuff (that's when I stopped watching). Anyone from somewhere with constant hurricanes knows that thermal mass is important when keeping a fridge at temp

[-] experbia@kbin.social 6 points 1 year ago

I love this guy, one of my few favorite YouTube channels and subscriptions. Anything he fixates on is suddenly interesting.

[-] Mika7150@beehaw.org 6 points 1 year ago

ah, my favourite videos on youtube. long rants from technology connections and other similar channels. so soothing even though i often have no idea what is happening

[-] evistre@beehaw.org 6 points 1 year ago

This dude is so good. <3

[-] Neato@kbin.social 5 points 1 year ago

An hour long video on a fridge, huh

Opening line. Okaaaaay. I'll check it out. Not like I don't need another video-essayist to add to my collection of Hbomberguy, Folding Ideas, etc.

[-] roman@beehaw.org 7 points 1 year ago

his maddening descent into obtaining the perfect christmas tree bulbs is great.

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[-] Melody@lemmy.one 5 points 1 year ago

This was an amazing TC video and honestly I love when he goes on deep dive tangents like this. :D

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this post was submitted on 26 Jun 2023
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