Charging to 100%

I have recently charged the Funky Cat to 100% a couple of times this week, and the results were very similar at 167 and 168.

Considering it is cold, and  I have been using the heater (and pre-heating) in the cold weather, these predicted ranges are better than I would have expected. Both times I charged using a standard 13amp three pin socket.

 

Some GPS thoughts on the Canon EOS R100

I have not really had a lot of time and opportunity to take advantage of my new camera. However when I have used it, I have learnt new things about it and how it works. One feature of the iPhone I have liked for when taking photographs is the geo-location data which is added to the images. The Canon EOS R100 doesn’t have built in GPS, but in theory you can use the Canon Connect app on the iPhone to add GPS data to the photographs you have taken with the R100. When I recently took the camera to Portishead I forgot to do this. I must try this next time I am out and about with my camera.

Granny Charging to 100%

I have been using my granny charger a lot more since moving house. A granny charger is one you can plug into a standard normal houshold 3 pin outlet/

Though it is very slow, last night I left it charging the Funky Cat to 100%. It is charging around 2-3 kWh, which is much slower than the rapid and fast chargers I normally use. Took about twelve hours to get from 45% to 100%.

Of course it is cheaper as well at 25p kWh.

My predicted range is 173 miles, which I think is quite good, considering the cold weather and I have been using the heater a lot.

Time for a new printer

Having moved house, I knew I needed a new printer, well I needed a new all-in-one printer and scanner.

Initially I did think about getting a cheap entry level model, there was a Canon model out there on special for less than £50. However when I checked the cost of replacement ink cartridges I was a little bemused to find that they cost more than the printer!

My previous printer, an Epson XP-8605 used separate ink cartridges, which I preferred as it means if you use a little too much cyan, you don’t need to replace the entire cartridge. I did think about a like for like replacement, however as I did some searching and the concept of the Epson EcoTank printer seemed intriguing. It used a different non-cartridge process for ink and the printer came with a three year supply of ink.

I looked at various EcoTank models, but in the end I found one not only reduced but also a £40 cash back offer from Epson. I got the Epson EcoTank ET-2860.

When I set up the printer, I was a little nervous about adding the ink from the (quite large) ink bottles, but it was all fine. I wish though I had selected a printer with a paper cassette rather than using the rear paper feed.

It was a simple matter of setting it up for printing from the Mac. The scanner function worked fine as well, as did the copying.

I was pleased with the printer and would recommend it.

Time for a new camera

I have had a DSLR for years, nay decades even. These days I more often then not, default to the iPhone for photography. I do like the iPhone camera, but I do feel it lacks the flexibility that using a dedicated camera has got.

I got my Canon EOS 400D back in 2007, it replaced a Canon EOS 300D which had been stolen. It has served me well taking nearly 15,000 photographs over the years.  I really liked it, but though it was great for outside photography, with low light inside shooting, it did not work very well. It also didn’t do video, which I wanted, and I had had some issues with shooting lots of photos continuously. So after much thought and reading reviews I decided I would replace it with a new camera.

I nearly bought the Canon EOS 2000D which I had seen on sale at John Lewis. However I did my (internet) research and realised that this model was already six years old.

I had seen the new R series of mirrorless cameras from Canon and after getting my hands on one I was tempted, but they seemed out of my budget. However after checking a few sites I found one in my price range and ordered the Canon EOS R100.

This is the entry level R series camera and has a large 24.1 MP APS-C imaging sensor. This is better than the 10MP sensor of the EOS 400D.

I realised I needed a new SD Card for the camera, most of mine were 1GB or 2GB, so I ordered an 128GB SD Card.

Once that arrived (and the weather improved) I went out and shot a few images.

I was pleased with the results, note these images have been downscaled for the blog.

So plenty of other things I want to do with the camera.

Well that was expensive!

I should probably point out that I wasn’t too surprised by this, but does show how varied pricing is when charging an electric vehicle.

On Monday I charged my Funky Cat using the Tesla superchargers at the Mall at Cribbs Causeway near John Lewis. Tesla have recently allowed non-Tesla electric vehicles to use them. Having said that I had originally planned to charge the Funky Cat using the superchargers at the Tesla dealership close to Cribbs on Lysander Road. However upon arrival, despite their being plenty of free chargers, the cables were very much on the short side. Add in road bumpers in the parking spaces to stop people knocking over the chargers, I was unable to plug the Funky Cat in to charge. The Funky Cat charging port is on the front passenger side of the car, whereas the Tesla charging port is at the back of the Tesla. I had planned to charge there as with their dynamic pricing it was just 35p per kWh. Having failed to charge there I, as I said, went to the Tesla superchargers near John Lewis. These though at the same time were 42p per kWh. Parked, and plugged in, the Funky Cat charged without any issues. I did a full charge taking the car from just under 20% to 100%. The total cost of this was just over £14.

Having done a fair bit of driving on Monday and most of Tuesday, I was down to an 18% charge when we went out for dinner at The Landing Light. In their car park they have two Osprey chargers.  Plugged the Funky Cat in and set it charging. As with the Tesla charging, I let it charge to 100%. The time to charge was similar, but the cost this time was over £30 as the price was 79p per kWh.

Unlike petrol, the price of EV charging can be so variable. It’s not just about the power (speed) either. Also unlike petrol, you can charge at home using your own electricity. I can’t say I understand the variable pricing of EV charging, but it does mean you need to think differently when you want to charge.

171 miles

Used the revive chargers at Worle Railway Station and at 100% charge I had a predicted range of 171 miles.

Noticing that recently my 100% charges have been less than the 185 I got a year ago. It is colder, but I don’t think it is that cold.

Over time any EV battery will degrade, so will keep an eye on the battery performance.

I haz an Apple Watch

smart watch on a man's arm
Image by fancycrave1 from Pixabay

Though I could see the benefits of an Apple Watch, I could never really see the value to me. Well I thought it might be useful, but I didn’t think I could justify the price of the watch. So when my son upgraded to a newer model he offered me the chance to try out his sixth edition Apple Watch. I did think, what have I got to lose.

I have been using it for a week now, and I can see those benefits of having a smart watch. I like the fitness stuff, and once I start running again, I can see it being useful for that. The notifications are useful as I was finding I was missing them when my phone was in my pocket. 

Though I do have some trouble reading stuff on the watch, my eyesight isn’t what it was, I think I will continue to wear it.

Mapping it badly

I have noticed a glitch with Apple Maps on CarPlay on the Ora Funky Cat ever since I upgraded to iOS 18.

Starting CarPlay, opening Apple Maps I am in completely the wrong location.

I upgraded to iOS 18, the previous evening and when I tried Apple Maps and it came up as a blank map and crashed CarPlay.

Upon restarting, Apple Maps showed I was in Biggin Hill, which is 160 miles away…. it never corrected.

Should add that Waze and Google Maps showed the correct location.

On my next attempt, Maps did correct itself and the next day it was working as expected.

And this evening none of it was working properly.

I can’t seem to find the setting in the car, on CarPlay, or on the iPhone to force the car to use the phone GPS. 

The “error” appears to be the same error with the location of the car on the Ora app. That error has been with the app ever since I got the car, it places the car about a hundred miles to the East.

I am wondering if I open the Apple Maps app on the phone before going to the car, will that make a difference?