Size

Both models are 46-Inch LED TVs. Sony’s dimensions are 42 1/2 x 26 x 1 11/16 Inches, whereas Samsung’s  42.9 x 25.9 x 1.2  inches -practically identical. The weight of both of them is also very similar.

Full HD 1080p

Both TVs are fully capable of delivering HD picture. This means that they can give you a Full 1090P/120hz resolution (1920 times 1080 pixels). If you have been used to your old CRT model with low screen resolution, either of these televisions will be a huge step forward.

Refreshing Rate

Samsung has an Auto Motion Plus feature of 120Hz with clear motion rate. This can be compared to Sony’s XR 240 Motionflow technology. However, note that in the latter case, 240Hz is achieved by using software improvements, and that the native frequency of the Sony 46ex720 model is also 120Hz.

Picture Quality

Both televisions are great in terms of picture quality, provided that you are not an overly concerned TV freak. In the case of this Sony model, some may complain that there is too much back-light bleed (apparent in a dark room) and local dimming for the edge led lighting. This can be a problem with some TVs with Edge LED back light. It appears that Samsung D6600 model does not have this problem, so this feature can make a difference when we speak about the TV’s black levels and screen uniformity.

3D

Sony KDL46ex720 TV is a fully functional 3D TV. It is a model from 2011, unlike Samsung UN46D6000 which is a version from 2010. The 6 Series of 2010 did not include 3D features. In contrast, the newer model “6100″ from 2011 (for example UE46D6100SKXXU) does have 3D.

Smart functionality

Samsung UN46D6000 includes enhanced Smart functionality, such as the Search All and Your Video. No Web browser and no Skype, though. Sony KDL46ex720, on the other hand, does have Skype capabilities.

Sony KDL46ex720 or Samsung UN46D6000 – Final Thoughts

Both a great in our opinion. Samsung D6000 seems to have somewhat clearer picture, but this is not something that can make a huge difference.  We slightly prefer this Sony Bravia model, due to the inbuilt 3D and Skype capabilities, but this choice reflects our own preferences.

Nanosolar

Nanosolar was established in 2002. After a quiet period of 7 years of development, they have started manufacturing nanosolar photovoltaic films in a small town near Berlin, Germany. Their factory is fully automated and uses the latest technology and equipment that enables producing one photovoltaic panel every ten seconds – a production which is an equivalent of 640 MW (megawatts) of power per year (provided that it runs without interruption 24 hours a day, 365 days a year). The company currently produces one million solar cells (about 1 MW of power) per month, including the production of their other line from San Jose, California. When you add up the production of both plants, Nanosolar could soon reach the capacity of their competitor – First Solar.

Nanosolar is a company which was founded with an initial capital of $ 150 million. Last year, they increased their value to $ 500 million before publicly revealing any details about their technology, business strategy or any kind of prediction regarding the capacity of production.

Breakthrough CIGS Technology

Nanosolar has developed a special printing of solar panels using a printing press technology, which has the potential of achieving huge savings in production. Nanosolar uses solar panels with a layer of only one micron of CIGS (copper-indium-gallium-selenide). The panels can be wired together to obtain larger high-performance panels, a feature we see today with some CIGS panels in a limited way. Instead of using glass as a substrate, they use aluminum foil. The advantages are several: first, the film is much cheaper (1-2 cents per mm of thickness). Second, the “roll-to-roll” technology enables printing films in rolls of 50,000 cells in a continuous fashion. Third, the end product is extremely lightweight and easy to use in numerous ways. The cells are hermetically sealed between two sheets of tempered glass, which makes the modules mechanically stronger, more durable and lighter than other thin-film modules so that they can be produced in larger sizes and reduce the need for cumbersome assembly aluminum frame. Nanosolar has not released the costs of production nor have they set prices, but the estimates go about $ 0.99 per Watt of power.

Nanosolar cells can convert up to 16.4% of solar energy into electricity. When the cells are connected to solar modules, the efficiency is about 11%. To compare, the traditional silicon modules have about 16% efficiency, whereas hybrid modules go up to 19.3% efficiency, but at much higher prices than thin-film modules.

Nanosolar panels can withstand 6-7 amps which allows the panels to be joined together into much longer lines before they can reach the limit of the inverter. This may reduce the need for cables used to connect to the inverter, and ultimately reduce a significant fraction of the cost of the system. Lastly, Nanosolar modules have an electrical connector at the edge of the module, rather than on the background so as to require only a short cable between the modules. This, in turn, reduces labor costs for connecting the modules.

Oakton Waterproof Dissolved Oxygen Mete

Why is measuring dissolved oxygen important?

Simply because it is a measure of the amount of oxygen molecules dissolved in water. It is very important to have adequate concentrations of oxygen if you want to maintain good water quality of your pond or aquarium. Oxygen diffuses into water in several ways, but primarily from the surrounding air, or as a waste product of photosynthesis. Oxygen dis loves at rather low concentrations in water, at values which are typically on the order of 10 ppm (parts per million).

In case you want an accurate meter for your tank, you should know that only are fish and corals using O₂, but also the nitrifying bacteria in the biological filters too. Therefore, constant monitoring of the O₂ levels in the bio system is needed.

Adequate quantities of dissolved oxygen are very important for good water quality in ponds and aquariums. If the levels of oxygen in water drop below 5 mg/l (5 ppm), aquatic life already can experience certain levels of stress. If this value further drops to 1-2 mg/l (1-2 ppm) and is maintained as such for a few hours, the result can be disastrous. Oakton D0 300 measures DO values in the range from 0 to 20 mg/l. Its working temperature should be in the range between 0 to 50 °C (32 to 122 °F), with about half degree accuracy and 0.1 degree resolution.

When measuring this quantity, one usually performs in-situ experiments, that is immediately, in place. That’s why Oakton DO 300 is equipped with a galvanic probe, meaning that you can perform your measurements instantly and read the measured values on its LCD display. Its sizable, dual-line, backlit screen has 8 levels of brightness, enabling easy viewing in dark and dirty environments. This meter is commonly used for testing in water and salt water – it displays the DO in mg/l, ppm and percentage of saturation.

Product Description

The dimensions of this meter are 3-1/2 by 1-3/4 by 7-1/2 inches.

Oakton DO 300 is waterproof, dustproof meter. It also floats and as such it is suitable for home usage as well as for severe, terrain conditions.

Along with the meter, you will get four 1.5 V AAA batteries and a supplied instructions manual with detailed instructions on how to calibrate and operate this meter. The batteries suffice for one hundred hours of continuous use.

With its automatic temperature compensation (ATC) features, Oakton 300 can store up to 50 previous measurements in its internal log. It should be calibrated with two independent points at both ends of its range in order to achieve high accuracy. It has a real time clock to meet the GLP standards of measurement.

Where to Buy

Oakton Meter, due to its sturdiness, range of features and intended mode of operation, is not a very cheap instrument. However, we find it a good investment as it is  one of the best and most affordable in this class. You can purchase it online, and one of the best deals we were able to find on the internet is Amazon.com. Click HERE to check the price.

Useful Contacts

Oakton Instruments, a Vernon Hills, IL based firm, is a reputed manufacturer of an array of scientific instruments. It owns facilities in Europe and Asia as well.

Recently we purchased this Sony Bravia KDL kdl- 46 inch ex720 model. It is a great LED television, with superior image and excellent characteristics. It is needless to say that we are very please with it. However, when connecting our external hard drive to it, initially it was not recognized. Soon we found out why – our external disk (Silicon Power Armor a70) was formatted NTFS- and Sony bravia (apparently at the moment) does not support the NTFS file system.

Fat-32 works very well – we were able to test that very easily, by plugging in another fat-32 USB drive. However fat32 file system has one inherent deficiency – you cannot store a file larger than 4 Gb on fat32. Given that a lot of high definition movies are larger than 4 Gb, it is obviously not the file system of choice here.

So we turned our attention to Exfat. Exfat should be very similar to fat32, except it enables storing files larger than 4Gb. We had to update our Windows XP operating system and with the update there came the support for Exfat as well. Windows 7 should have the exfat abilities already built in. Finally, after the Exfat formatting of our USB external hard drive, everything worked great, and our Sony LED TV was able to read all the supported movies formats stored on the Exfat file system without any problem.

After we have purchased our Sony BRAVIA KDL46EX720 LED TV, we started asking ourselves the same question.

First we tried to put our MKV movies on an external drive, and link it to our television via a USB cable. We discovered soon enough that Sony Bravia cannot play directly MKV files. It simply does not recognize the format. Mpeg1, Mpeg2 and Mpeg4 files were working just fine. We even managed to play some DivX movies, but the matroska mkv (container) was not recognized.

Next, we connected our Bravia model to the PC via a GForce graphic card that possessed a HDMI output. Our KDL46EX720 Sony Bravia has 4 HDMI inputs, one of which is HDMI PC input that we used for the connection. The LCD TV was set as an additional display, and we used the so called extended mode to play the movies. Now, our standard VLC media player did not show great abilities in playing the MKV codec. Instead, we had to install another player, likely a free one too.

The KM free media player is a nice audio and video player for Windows Operating Systems. It supports a lot of formats, including avi, flv and MKV files.

So, if you are in a similar position to ours, we suggest to try the same route. If you connect your Bravia LCD TV to a computer via a HDMI cable, you are no longer limited to the file formats your TV supports. Rather, your TV will play whatever your computer supports – virtually all possible music, video and file formats.

Portability

Usually when we think of solar cells, we tend to picture them as massive, relatively heavy panels, mounted either on roofs or in large arrays within the so called, solar cell fields. Brunton 26 Watt CIGS Solar Cells are totally different. They are foldable and portable, as if coming from the future. You can put them anywhere you like – even on the ground – as they do not require any special mounting. The technology that enables the existence of such ultra portable panels is relatively new: CIGS stands for Copper Indium Gallium di-Selenite – a semiconductor which you need not know anything about, but whose benefits you can start to enjoy instantly. In fact, there are many predicts that this technology – the CIGS solar cells  will become the major solar industry by year 2020.

Unlike silicon wafers, which are solid and inflexible, CIGS solar cells are very compact and slender, since they are based on thin film technology. More than 99 percent of the light is actually being absorbed within the first few microns from the surface, and that’s why they can be so slim. When folded, Brunton weighs merely 28 ounces (0.8 kg). Its multi-section design is responsible for its size – just 11 inches by 8.5 inches, with thickness of 1 inch only. A CD case measures 5.6 in x 5 in, provided here just as a reference to compare the product with. When fully unfolded they measure 21.5 by 37.5 in.

Who Needs Them and What Can Be Charged?

For example, if you are wilderness explorer, camper, nature photographer, or if you need a portable power source, you will definitely like the Brunton 26 power cells. They are perfect for charging laptops, lithium ion batteries for your digital cameras, mp3 players, camping and navigation electronics and satellite phones. They are ideal for camping trips, or prolonged walks in nature. This solar charger can even charge a laptop (provided that it is a low consumption laptop, like EEE PC, for example) in trickle mode.

Efficiency

At the moment of all thin film solar cell technologies, CIGS have largest efficiency. Brunton 26 is very efficient as it can pick up the slightest sun ray, and function even when the sky is overcast.  For such compact design, 26 watts of power is an impressive result. You can even connect up to 3 Brunton 26-Wat modules in case you need more power. Don’t forget that these CIGS Solaris 26 solar cells are still less efficient than any crystalline silicon based cells (up to 24.7% efficiency levels), but they are still the most efficient (10-15 percent efficiency) amongst the other thin film technologies. And, of course, the Si based cells cannot be produced in such thin design or superior shapes and sizes.

Durability

CIGS solar cell panels show much better heat resistance than solar panels based on silicon. They are sturdy and very resistant. These are great benefits, as you would like to use your Brunton 26w solar panel for decades without any problem.

What Will You Get?

Apart from the storage sack and user’s manual, you will get your Solaris 26 foldable solar panel, together with some wiring – a vehicle outlet cable, battery clamp cable and multi-linking cable. The panel is equipped with an inbuilt blocking diode designed to prevents any reverse battery discharge when there is no sun.

Environmental Issues

The environmental advantage of this type of solar cell technology is that it uses much less Cadmium content in the process of production. The other technologies, such as cadmium telluride solar cells method of production uses a lot of cadmium, which is extremely toxic and environmentally harmful atom. CIGS solar cells, such is this Brunton 26w solar panel, use cadmium sulfide in very tiny layers near the surface (window area), but in some designs zinc is being used instead. If nothing else, you should sleep better, knowing that you are not contribution to the environment pollution with this panel.

Disadvantages

One of the most obvious disadvantage is the fact that the prices of CIGS solar cells are still substantially larger that the polycrystalline silicon or cadmium telluride panels. It means that, for the price of this Brunton module, you could purchase solar panels with much higher power, albeit not so compact, thin and flexible.

Some users have complained that they have trouble connecting their devices to the panel. You should be aware, especially if you are new to solar panels, that some electronic devices require special adapters, they you would have to purchase in addition.

What People Who Bought This Panel Are Saying?

These are some of the impressions of the people who use Brunton

• I like this panel a lot.
• There are no problems with tear and weather. I am delighted.
• Even if the temperature fell as low as 25 F, the battery charger operated just fine.
• Sturdy, long-lasting, portable, powerful and efficient. Highly recommended.

Where can I buy Brunton Solaris 26 Watt and how much should I pay?

You can buy this Solar Kit from Amazon. Currently they offer free shipping and when compared to other merchants, Amazon.com have the best deal. Click here to view this kit on Amazon and to check their really affordable price.

Useful Contacts

You will get one Year Warranty from the manufacturer. You can contact their Customer Service, Technical Support and ask any question at
1-800-443-4871 (or) via email at support@brunton.com

http://store.bruntonoutdoor.com/portable-power/panels-and-chargers/

Magnetic induction, B

and

Magnetic intensity, H

In the cgs (centimeter, gram, second) system of units B equals H, but in the international SI system they are identical up to a constant.

In the international SI system magnetic induction is measured in Tesla (T) [N A-1 m-1]. The corresponding cgs unit is Gauss. The relation between Tesla and Gauss is: 1T=10 000 Gauss.

In the international system magnetic field is measured in Amperes per meter (A/m). In the cgs system, the corresponding measure is Øersted.  Their relation is 1 A/m = 4π/103 Oersted.

The spontaneous magnetization of iron, Fe, at room temperature (RT) is 1 720 000 A/m.

The spontaneous magnetization of cobalt, Co, at RT is 1 370 000 A/m.

The spontaneous magnetization of nickel, Ni, at RT is 480 000 A/m.

In comparison, earth’s magnetic field value is very, very small.

The Display Size – How Large is Enough

One thing one should decide beforehand is the diagonal of the TV screen. It matters a lot, both in terms of money and in terms of watching pleasure. Sony KDL-46EX720 is obviously a 46-inch TV. When you go to an electronic store, all the TV’s are usually exhibited in a very large room. This makes the size of the display smaller than it in fact is. You might even think that the TV you are seeing is too small for your home, when in fact it could be much larger compared with what you need. Therefore, to be sure, measure the viewing distance in your room. Measure how far you are going to sit from your future screen. Divide that number by 2.5 or 3, and that is the optimal size of the display. For instance, if your viewing distance is between 9 and 11 feet you should go for this 46 inch TV. If it is well outside that range, say bellow 6 feet, or above 13 feet, you might consider buying smaller (larger) screens.

LED Technology Backlighting – For Crystal Clear Picture and Slim Design

This model is produced in LED technology. What it means is that you will get much better, crystal clear picture of superior quality and increased contrast with respect to the “old” non-LED LCD screens. In addition, all LED TV’s are incredibly slim – this one is only 1 11/16 inches thick (without stand). This fact reflects itself on the weight – this model weighs only 31.3 lbs (14 kg). As for the stand, it contributes somewhat to the total weight and thickness, but we don’t recommend using the stand anyway. We hung our EX720 TV on the wall and could not believe as to how thin and elegant the whole setup was. Actually, the first comment we received from our friends when they visit us was Wow, this is not a TV – this is a wall. Exactly.

Full HD Resolution – The Best One Can Get

Full HD resolution is usually abbreviated as 1080p. This actually means that the panel resolution is huge – 1920 x 1080 pixels. This means that you will be able to see a huge difference in movie details and quality, provided that you are watching high definition TV signal, Blue ray disk or video games system of that quality. When we saw our first full HD movie on our new KDL46EX720 Bravia TV, our first thought was – we don’t want to go back to watching our old low-resolution movies. Ever.

X-Reality Engine – Sony Does It Best

The new, improved Bravia engine comes under the name of X-Reality. This segment is what sets Sony apart from its competition – especially that coming from Samsung. The image processing ability of this model is unprecedented within its class, delivering clear and vivid picture. The only way to improve over it is to select BRAVIA XBR46HX929 – another Sony model with the X-Reality PRO Engine. You should not be surprised when we mention that it costs almost double as much.

What about the scenes with fast action and speed? Sony is here at home with its Motionflow XR 240 engine. XR 240 means a native refresh rate of 120 Hz, where the full 240 Hz rate is achieved by back light strobing. All in all, this means that all action scenes with fast camera movements will be smoother, sharper and clearer, as compared to the less expensive Sony models.

 State of The Art 3D Content

With this Bravia 46 inch model you will get a Full HD 3D display. This means that you will be able to watch 3D Blue Ray movies in the highest 1080p mode, regardless of movie’s actual 3D implementation. For that, you will need two things. First, you will need a 3D compatible device, be it a 3D Blue Ray Disc Player, a PC connected via a HDMI cable to your Bravia TV, a USB external hard drive (see bellow about the limitations of this option), a 3D channel, or a Playstation 3 system. This television is capable of displaying 3D stereoscopic images in side-by-side and over-under modes. Also, this Sony TV is able to simulate 3D pictures from your normal 2D content, but don’t expect any sensational results here. Second, you will need active shutter 3d glasses. We purchased the Sony 3D TDG-BR250 glasses separately are were very pleased with the results we obtained in combination with this TV set. Especially we liked the quality of the 3D picture when we played the Avatar 3D movie in high resolution. You can choose either Sony 3D glasses, or universal glasses that work across all brands of TV’s.

Note. If you are going to watch 3D movies by connecting to your PC, make sure you have a HDMI 1.4a output on your graphic card. The HDMI cable itself should also be of the latest 1.4 specification.

Internet and Home Network – Connect Your TV to Your Home Network

KDL 46EX720 has built in internet connectivity and a possibility for internet streaming. This means that you can access all types of online content, such as news, headlines, and weather reports, watch video clips online on YouTube, use Skype to connect to your family and friends and enjoy in high definition video calls right from your home. You can even use Facebook. We haven’t tried this feature yet – we believe it is much easier to use our laptop to access the multitude of Facebook options. You should also be able to use Twitter, Flickr, eBay, and Bravia Internet Video.

With the use of USB Wi-Fi adapter (not included with the TV) you can easily connect to your Home Network and stream movies, or transfer music over your Wireless Lan. If you want to use a wired connection, you can use the TV’s inherent Ethernet port.

USB Ports – Plug in Your Flash Drive

USB is a standard connection for a number of PC devices and accessories. Using the 2 USB ports is another way how you can play movies, photos and music. We should mention right now that when you connect to your home network (wired or wireless) there is no limitation as to the movie or music formats you can play. However, when you use the USB 2.0 ports to plug in external Hard Drives or USB flash drives, you should know that not everything is supported. First of all, your HD drive should be formatted Fat 32, or ExFat – NTFS formatted disks won’t work, as we found out soon enough. If you plan to watch High Definition movies via USB external disks, this limits your choice to the Exfat file system, as Fat32 is limited to 4 Gb file size (a lot of 1080p movies are much larger than 4 Gb). As for the file formats, you will not be able to play mkv, mov, flv video files, aac music files, or see png images. For the full list of supported file format check here.

HDMI Inputs – The Uncompromising Signal

HDMI is a compact interface for transferring uncompressed audio and video data via a single cable. It enables perfect reproduction of any video and audio material. This is your best way of plugging in your external devices. You will have as many as 4 HDMI ports to connect your Blue-ray Disc Player, DVD player, Camcorder, Digital camera, or PC graphic card output. We had no problem connecting our PC video card, DVD and Blue Ray player, achieving uncompromising picture quality.

KDL46EX720 KDL32EX720 46-Inch Video

To take a closer look as to how gorgeous this model is, watch this YouTube video. You will be able to see it from all sides, and if you fast forward near the end, you will also be able to take a look of its rear HDMI, USB, composite, video and audio ports.

What are the Possible Complaints?

If you are perfectionist, then you can always find some minor points to complain. Some people say the sound quality is low; others say there are slight smoothing effects with Blue ray movies. We really did not notice these subtleties. If you are a perfectionist yourself, then, probably you should select a model from a higher class and higher price range as well. The only real problem we encountered was the inability to play some avi movies (see the compatibility format list in the link above) when a hard drive is connected via the USB port.

Where Can You Purchase This Bravia TV?

Our first choice was Amazon.com. It arrived 4 days after we ordered it. The price is really affordable, and in our opinion this is the best quality model within its class that you can get for your money. Therefore, it is no wonder Sony BRAVIA KDL46EX720 is one of the bestselling models on Amazon. With great certainty we would dare to say that Amazon.com has the best online price for this model. If you decide on buying it, we recommend purchasing a DVD Blue ray player and a HDMI cable along with it.

Conclusion

The KDL46EX720 Bravia TV offers excellent value for your money with excellent picture. If you want to have a reliable, respectable, super thin, and easy to operate TV, this Sony Bravia model is your best pick. The networking features are an extra plus, but do not expect easy navigation on the internet. You can set parental control, it has a motion sensor for energy saving, easy navigation and setup and very quick start. All in all we are absolutely delighted with this TV and we would highly recommend it to anyone.

The Earth’s magnetic field value can be compared to the values other celestial objects. For example, the magnetic field of Sun’s surface is 10 Gauss, and that of a Sun spot up to 1000 Gauss. A neutron star can have up to 100 000 000 Tesla (10¹² Gauss) – huge field indeed. However, the largest magnetic fields known to us originate in an object called Magnetar – they can be 1000 times stronger than the fields of a neutron star.