Tag Archives: gadget

Review: The Roost Laptop Stand


v1_unmountedFront In 2013 The Roost was successfully crowd funded via Kickstarter.com. I was lucky enough to stumble upon the project. It was an easy sell; I jumped on board and backed it.

The Roost was a unique product. It folded flat for easy transport and converted to a laptop riser like a transformer (sans sound effect). The Roost lifted the laptop at the hinge point. It would wedge itself at the hinge and the base of the laptop would sit on the lower crossbars. There were four contact points: two at the hinge area and two at the base.

The Roost (ver1)

The Roost version 1 with a MacBook (2010).

v1_mountFocus v1_mountFocus2

The Roost ver 1 + hinge mount

The Roost version 1 with focus on the hinge mount area.

There’s a slight flaw. None of the four contact points have any traction. It is smooth plastic or smooth resign material. This left the laptop to The Roost mount a little squirrelly. Any sudden jarring (like a bumping of the table or nudge on The Roost/laptop) and the laptop would come off the hinge (literally).

Fast forward to 2015. The Roost comes back with a version 2 offering. Since I backed the original Kickstarter project, I was notified of the second project. I was still using (and liking) The Roost (version 1), but I also liked the redesign of the 2nd version.

The Roost version 2 still used four contact points, but it no longer used the hinge as the main anchor/support. The main support will fall on the base of the laptop falling into a C (it’s more like a “G”) channel. The channel/groove has a rubber-like grip to it, so the laptop is more secure. This resolves the issue I had with the fist version. v2_unmountedv2_mountSolid

Another addition to the redesign makes the second version adjustable in height. There are three locking positions in which to set the laptop. You can pretty much get it to a position to meet your ergonomic needs. The original version was not adjustable in height.

Now let’s discuss the bad. There is a little hazard when adjusting the height level. You need to depress the white trigger to unlock the height setting. If you’re not careful, you can pinch a finger (or two)… and I did (check it out on the video).

The second flaw is the C/G channel in which the laptop base sits in. From the looks of it, The Roost version 2 was designed to fit laptops of a specific size. I’m guessing 2014 MacBook Pros and smaller. I’m still using a 2010 MacBook (the last plastic kind before Apple changed to an all aluminum body). My MacBook is fatter than the current Apple laptops (current MacBook, the MacBook Pro line, and the MacBook Air line). It barely fits. For fatter laptops, like my Lenovo G505, it kinda fits. The G505 does fit in the channel, but it has an awkward tapper shape that dislodges from the channel when trying to adjust the height of The Roost.v2_mountSolidBitev2_mountZoomed

The two flaws that I found in The Roost version 2, can be avoided by the user. The fix is to not mount the laptop until the desired height is set. Do not try to adjust the height when the laptop is mounted on The Roost. You can, but you have to be aware of the finger pinch factor, and if your laptop is a little fat, be aware that it can get unseated from the channel during the height adjustment.

Overall, I dig The Roost. I was happy with the first version. I’m even happier with the second version. For more info go to: http://www.therooststand.com/

Testing Accuracy of Digital Hygrometer (Measures Relative Humidity)

I picked a digital thermometer from eBay. This unit also displays the relative humidity — the amount of moisture in the air. The temperature reading was pretty accurate (I matched it against the other thermometers I have). As for relative humidity (the digital hyrgrometer), I didn’t have another device to compare it to.

I looked online and found that you can test the accuracy of the hygrometer by using a solution of salt and water. The materials used are: salt, water, a small container, a sealable plastic bag and a timer (or clock).

The procedure is really straight forward. You need a small amount of salt. Then add even a smaller amount of water. The water should only wet the salt; the target consistency is similar to wet sand. If you add too much water, you can use a tissue to soak it up. It’s then a matter of waiting.

From the research I did, the wait time seems to be around 6-8 hours. A properly calibrated hygrometer will read 75%. For my test, I marked the reading at 6 hours, 7 hours and finally 8 hours. I based the accuracy of the hygrometer from the average of those readings. Is my reading going to be accurate? Probably not too accurate, but it’ll be close… it’s a lot better than taking the digital reading at face value.

Sugru + Neodymium magnet + sponge holder = movable sponge caddy

I found this cool sponge caddy years ago. The caddy hung over the sink; it hooked over the edge of the sink. I could only reposition it on the left and right sides of the sick. The center wall dividing the double sink was too wide for the caddy to hook onto.

Another problem to this caddy were the tight corners. Food particles from the sponge would get stuck. It was very difficult to clean.

I happened on a different caddy design. The mounting mechanism relied on suction cups. This however didn’t work on my sink. That was the only flaw. I tried ceramic magnets, but that wasn’t strong enough. I then tried rare earth neodymium magnets. That was the perfect type. I used Sugru to affix the magnets to the caddy.

I now have a movable sponge caddy — I can affix this to any wall of the sink.

The sponge holder was around $6 from Target.
The neodymium magnets was around $4 (1/2″; 6-pack) from Home Depot.