So what are these things? and a small rant

[calmloki]

Yard sale find for a buck. 46 of them, 1/2"x1" aluminum spacer, steel screw and a stainless? ball. Better yet, what can I do with them?

Rant: What @#$!! idiot designs power strips? Just about any wall wart or Alexa transformer or Iphone charge transformer neatly takes up two spaces, often by juuuust an eighth of an inch. Five outlet power strip either with outlets feeding to the side or in line with the strip will feed three devices. Bastidges.

 

[NW-Bound]

Dunno what to do with the balls, but the spacers may find more uses. Maybe.

For $1, I am afraid I would also scoop them up to add to my shelves of hardware knick knacks. Or maybe store them in the attic.

Argh!!! Once a packrat, always a packrat.

 

[Sunset]

They look like spacers to hold pictures off the wall, usually found in fancy places or cruise ships.

https://www.amazon.com/Standoff-Stainless-Acrylic-Advertising-Hanging/dp/B08Y96PTCT/

 

[REWahoo]

Rant: What @#$!! idiot designs wall warts or Alexa transformers or Iphone charge transformers? Just about any wall wart or Alexa transformer or Iphone charge transformer neatly takes up two spaces on a power strip, often by juuuust an eighth of an inch. Five outlet power strip either with outlets feeding to the side or in line with the strip will feed three devices. Bastidges.

Fixed it for ya!

 

[Major Tom]

I use aluminum spacers like to mount circuit boards inside enclosures, though I use much shorter ones - about 3/8' long. IIRC, they are threaded for 4-40 bolts.

 

[calmloki]

They look like spacers to hold pictures off the wall, usually found in fancy places or cruise ships.

https://www.amazon.com/Standoff-Stainless-Acrylic-Advertising-Hanging/dp/B08Y96PTCT/

Maybe, though these spacers aren't internally threaded and the screw looks like a cabinet door handle screw, which threads into the ball.

 

[HarveyS]

Those are do-hickeys.

 

[calmloki]

Fixed it for ya!

Ahh, thanks! An abundance of idjits in all areas.

Really, I'm sure there is a reason (allowance of heat dissipation space?), but it sure doesn't leap out at me. Just the inconvenience.

 

[Car-Guy]

Those are do-hickeys.

Sorry but I disagree... Clearly they are thingamajigs...

 

[ls99]

Whatchamcallits.

 

[NW-Bound]

Perhaps these are parts of a suspension or steering system of an RC car. I can see the ball serving as a ball joint.

 

[Palmtree]

I'm thinking they are plexiglass or acrylic standoffs. No matter what they are, I would have snagged them for only $1 too.

 

[W2R]

Really, I'm sure there is a reason (allowance of heat dissipation space?), but it sure doesn't leap out at me. Just the inconvenience.

What jumps out at me is the drastic lack of self esteem it would take to declare the design completed, when it doesn't even FIT! Grrrr I can just imagine the person responsible for the design blythely chirping, "Not my problem!" as he signs it off.

Likewise, as a rapidly aging 74-year-old honestly I have a hard time understanding why doorways aren't ALL wide enough to accommodate wheelchairs, or why bathrooms don't ALL have non-skid flooring and grab bars as the default. I mean, gee, this reminds me of those old (joke) posters that say "THIMK!"

P.S. - - Oh, oops! Sorry for going off topic. I thought this was the Pet Peeves thread. Guess I'm the one who should "Thimk!"

 

[NW-Bound]

Ah, youse guys complain too much about the USB adapter/charger thinggy.

My wife has a pocket camera whose battery must be taken out to charge in a dedicated charger. The charger is almost the size as the camera. Worse, it comes with a cord almost the same size as a cord for a larger appliance. Yeah, the cord plug will not occupy 2 slots of the power strip, if that's what you care about. But I suffer the space for the other parts that are attached to that plug.

Normally, I don't care about the size of the battery charger and its cord, but when packing for travel, they look stupidly large and heavy.

 

[Chuckanut]

Rant: What @#$!! idiot designs power strips? Just about any wall wart or Alexa transformer or Iphone charge transformer neatly takes up two spaces, often by juuuust an eighth of an inch. Five outlet power strip either with outlets feeding to the side or in line with the strip will feed three devices. Bastidges.

I bought a bunch of very short (one foot at the most) extenders to plug into the power strip or outlet. Yes, I makes for a messier setup, but sometimes its the best way to handle the problem.

https://smile.amazon.com/Short-Extension-Outlet-Female-Socket

 

[ERD50]

... Rant: What @#$!! idiot designs power strips? Just about any wall wart or Alexa transformer or Iphone charge transformer neatly takes up two spaces, often by juuuust an eighth of an inch. Five outlet power strip either with outlets feeding to the side or in line with the strip will feed three devices. Bastidges.

Originally Posted by calmloki View Post
Rant: What @#$!! idiot designs wall warts or Alexa transformers or Iphone charge transformers? Just about any wall wart or Alexa transformer or Iphone charge transformer neatly takes up two spaces on a power strip, often by juuuust an eighth of an inch. Five outlet power strip either with outlets feeding to the side or in line with the strip will feed three devices. Bastidges.

Fixed it for ya!

Exactly right. It is the devices that get plugged in that should not take up space and block other outlets. Large power supplies should be on a short cord.

One of these days I'm going to start a PSA/Rant thread on this - it was something that became painfully obvious when we moved, and I had so much stuff to organize.

The good news (PSA) is that there is a neat solution, it just isn't used that often. So in the mean time, I'll post the solution. These are the only extension cord types (example, I'm not recc this specific one) I buy now...

https://www.amazon.com/SlimLine-2241-Extension-3-Wire-8-Foot/dp/B000HJDATM

They lie flat, they don't block the adjacent outlet.

-ERD50

 

[EarlyandLate]

Likewise, as a rapidly aging 74-year-old honestly I have a hard time understanding why doorways aren't ALL wide enough to accommodate wheelchairs, or why bathrooms don't ALL have non-skid flooring and grab bars as the default. I mean, gee, this reminds me of those old (joke) posters that say "THIMK!"

When I moved to Nor Cal in the late 80's, the small apartment complex I rented in gave me an accessible unit. After living there a while, I decided that everything should be built to that standard! Even for a healthy active 30 year-old, it was so easy to move around in.


On the wallwart/charger thing, why the heck can't we just have only a few standard chargers and plugs?!

 

[NW-Bound]

On the wallwart/charger thing, why the heck can't we just have only a few standard chargers and plugs?!

The EU has decreed: only USB-C chargers allowed, starting in 2024.

 

[ERD50]

I bought a bunch of very short (one foot at the most) extenders to plug into the power strip or outlet. Yes, I makes for a messier setup, but sometimes its the best way to handle the problem.

https://smile.amazon.com/Short-Extension-Outlet-Female-Socket

Here's one with the flat angled plug that doesn't block the other receptacle:

https://www.amazon.com/GE-Designer-Extension-Grounded-45190/dp/B07P889FHQ/

I might get a 5-pack, just ~ $4.40 each

-ERD50

 

[nobody]

Take a picture of just one of them and then use google lens. Or post the pic on Reddit under r/whatisthis.