Need (or want) to Control Your Lights with Your Phone?

"Spark: Upgrade Your Lights with Wi-Fi and Apps" That is the tag line for a Kickstarter™ crowdfunded project that seeks to commercialize a device that screws into a standard light bulb socket and wirelessly controls a bulb (up to 100 W) which is screwed into it. Evidently the product is already designed and tested, so all the development and marketing team needs now is enough cash to do FCC certification (due to the switching power supply, controller, and WiFi signal) and a production launch. As of this writing there are 1,162 Backers, and $92,189 has already been pledged toward the $250,000 goal. They have 13 days left to reach the goal, or the entire effort has to begin all over. Spark needs a WiFi router within about 200 feet, and will only work with dimmable bulbs, which includes Edison's evil Earth-killing incandescents, LEDs, and dimmable (but not standard) CFLs. I did not see a target retail price. The team has a very well-done presentation for their effort.

Posted December 2012

ConductRF Precision RF Test Cables MAESTRO - RF Cafe Website

RF Cafe began life in 1996 as "RF Tools" in an AOL screen name web space totaling 2 MB. Its primary purpose was to provide me with ready access to commonly needed formulas and reference material while performing my work as an RF system and circuit design engineer. The World Wide Web (Internet) was largely an unknown entity at the time and bandwidth was a scarce commodity. Dial-up modems blazed along at 14.4 kbps while tying up your telephone line, and a lady's voice announced "You've Got Mail" when a new message arrived...