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We in the United Kingdom are now being bombarded with warnings to save energy like paper off a Vulgarian helicopter. Apparently turning your television set off rather than leaving it on standby can save you up to £43 a year.
Not wanting to miss out on this incredible money-saving opportunity, I set
myself a-thinking. The problem is that people like myself are too lazy to go up to the set and press the button, and and system by which the television turns itself off will fail once the time comes to turn it on again.
Enter the Physical Turn-off Strap-on Remote! It comes in two parts. The first attaches to the current television remote, or it can be used as a component in itself. It need not be large; it contains but a button, an LED and a small watch battery. The second part attaches to the television itself. It goes over the button that would normally be used to turn the set on and off manually, and attaches by means of the straps for which it is named. It contains a small motor on a tread, a small battery, and a small LED sensor. Upon sensing the signal from its partner, it activates the motor and a rubber-tipped device moves to depress the button and send the television to the on or off state in which it belongs.
For those who still wish to get some exercise, the device does not interfere with manual pressment.
Remote Control Plug
http://www.maplin.c...ages/full/N97CQ.jpg
Not bad for £5.99! [jtp, Nov 04 2006]
[link]
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I get it. The device covers the on/off switch of the tv. When activated, it physically presses the switch and *truly* switches the tv off, as opposed to putting it in standby. Nice. If it's true about saving up to £43 a year, then I'd buy one. Bun to you. |
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Um... I don't know about your ancient tv's, but mine turns off completely at the press of a remote. Even if you turn it off using the button, it can still be turned back on with the remote. You can unplug it, plug it back in, and it still can be turned on with the remote. This seems awfully excessive when, if you want to save that much money, you could just buy a new tv. |
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[methinksnot] I was hoping to get one for under a tenner. I might even make one myself. |
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[21] A new tv would cost a hell of a lot more than this gadget, don't you think? |
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Well, my tv cost me about $80.00 brand-new. It's nothing huge, it's a 19-inch Emmerson, but it's a nice tv for what I paid for it. Your idea will save you 43 (I don't know how you put that symbol in there). The exchange rate, the way I understand it, is about 2 of our units to one of yours. Which means you're saving about $86.00 (not including tax), which is almost exactly what I paid for my tv. |
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[21] Fair play, $80 is damn cheap. I can't think of anywhere in the UK where you could get that sort of bargain. |
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I haven't personally seen a television which can be fully turned off using a remote control, and none of the ones I conducted my incredibly thorough survey on were that old. I'm sure that there are ones such as [21]'s which do, but for what seem to be the majority which do not my idea (which would not cost anything in the region of £43) could help. |
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An alternative would be an electrical adapter which comes with it's own remote control. It would plug into the wall socket, and then you connect your tv to that. An even better option would be to plug a 4 way extension lead into it, and then plug ALL your devices (tv, dvd, sat box etc.) into the 4 way. That way, they could all be shut down with the press of one button. I don't know if they exist already? |
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EDIT Yup, they do exist. See linky. |
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If [21 Quest]'s TV can be turned on with the handset from cold, it's permanently on standby; how else is the IR receiver being powered? |
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a strap-on remote certainly sounds like a physical turn off. |
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Can anyone confirm that I'm right in thinking that the plug in the link would truly turn off every device?
If so, I'm going down to Maplins on Monday to buy up all their stock. They would make nice little environmentally friendly Christmas presents. |
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po, I was waiting for somebody else to make a comment to that effect. I was seriously wondering if anyone else had read it that way. |
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I had a TV in my room when I was
young - I had a very long wooden stick
to press the buttons on it. |
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Hehehe.... I saw the same thing in an old episode of Mr. Bean. |
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hippo - <hug> my long lost son. |
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My parents made their own remote control. {Bows}. |
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As angel (and egbert, although there's a limit how much you can ask an 8 year old to do befoe they have a major strop - "Why do I always have to tidy up my mess?"). |
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Plus, that remote control plug in the link would simply push the problem one step back towards the wall socket; you still have something on standby waiting for a signal. |
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Connecting several appliances to the same rc plug might provide efficiency; depends on the combined standby power usage of the devices compared to the plug. |
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