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Net Work Alan Winstanley Our monthly column of trends and news tries out an environment monitor and more Tapo smart sensors; there’s news of forthcoming (expensive!) electric cars from Lotus; a roundup of current Moon-shot missions and more besides. L ast month, the author tried out the Chinese online vendor Temu for the first time, after finally succumbing to an introductory offer of a heavily discounted Bluetooth thermal label printer. Initial impressions of the service were encouraging, and it wasn’t too long before more Temu orders were on the way. It must be said that Temu’s website impresses in many respects, and clearly Temu has gone to some lengths to reassure consumers and remove any nagging doubts and uncertainty that potential buyers might have about sourcing goods directly from China. A myriad of merchandise is on sale and website users will see a slick shopping cart and seamless integration with credit card processing, highlighting an emphasis on PCI DSS (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard) compliance –Westernstandard data protection conditions that vendors must follow when handling credit and debit card details. Options to cancel orders, or add to existing ones before despatch, are also offered provided you’re quick enough. Everyone hates buying something only to see the price drop soon afterwards, so Temu’s ‘Price Adjustment’ policy promises to refund the difference within 30 days. In Britain, the Evri courier network is used by Temu for the last mile in home deliveries, and my first orders arrived flawlessly in a matter of days; a credit is offered if deliveries don’t arrive by the promised date. It’s been hard to fault the service offered so far, and naturally the Temu app on a smartphone makes shopping more effortless than ever. One downside is the blizzard of emails that are sent by Temu and Evri giving order updates, tracking and delivery details, and customers can expect to see regular pop-up notifications with enticing offers and discounts tempting them to buy even more. The Temu website exhibits many ‘dark pattern’ behaviours (see Net Work, June 2023) that track your browsing or shopping patterns and nag you to buy now, before it’s too late. and cheerful, of the sort that domestic mail order distributors would drop into a polybag along with a display header card and then quadruple the selling price. Apart from handy little doodads and knick-knacks, it wasn’t long before I found enough of interest to fill a couple more orders. This included a 6-in-1 environment monitor that is widely advertised online, which displays Formaldehyde (HCHO), PM2.5 and PM10 (2.5- and 10-micron particulate matter), TVOC (total volatile organic compounds) as well as CO and CO2 levels. The unit is self-contained, powered by a rechargeable battery and data is displayed on a colour LED. Although I didn’t have high expectations of it, and a minority of reviews had been unfavourable, I decided it was worth a try at the offer price of £21 (£35-40 elsewhere) and one duly arrived on my doorstep a week or so later. If nothing else, it’s interesting to try sampling the air for pollutants in domestic situations, and when testing the monitor I did sometimes notice large changes in, say, the kitchen when various cooking appliances were in full swing. I also noted PM2.5 and PM10 readings that were broadly within the targets for particulate matter published by the UK Government: https://bit.ly/pe-may24-pm Perhaps my rural location helps with air quality, and city dwellers may measure entirely different levels in their This 6-in-1 environmental monitor is designed for domestic users and offers a digital readout of six factors. Readings shown when located in a busy kitchen. environment. Obviously, the monitor is designed for domestic use and is for guidance only; there’s no way of checking calibration or its accuracy, but it is what it is and, given the low price, I didn’t mind giving it a go. Overall, first impressions of Temu have been surprisingly encouraging, and there have been no quality issues either, though I could do without those Chinese whispers Much of the Chinese-made merchandise offered by Temu I would class as cheap Practical Electronics | May | 2024 The Tapo Smart Button S200 is an entry-level gadget to switch or dim compatible smart devices. The author had mixed success (see text). 9 Tapo’s Smart Water Leak Sensor (T300) detects water leaks and drips, is rated IP67 and also has a built-in switchable 90dB piezo sounder. nagging pop-ups appearing on my phone. You can visit temu.com or download the app through your usual app store. The rule of caveat emptor applies, but you might still find those introductory oneoff offers irresistible! Testing Tapo As regular readers will recall, I’ve been testing out some entry-level smart devices marketed by TP-Link under the Tapo brand. In April’s issue I outlined the Tapo H100 Smart Hub with Chime, a plug-in unit that resides in a mains outlet and connects through its own 868MHz (UK) wireless network to a range of smart devices such as contact sensors, a temperature/humidity detector and a PIR sensor. The Tapo app controls events and so-called ‘smart actions’ can be triggered when activated by a sensor. Since writing last month’s column I’ve tried a Tapo Smart Button (S200B) which enables manual control of Tapo smart devices, either by a single or double tap, or by turning the button instead. The wobbly plastic button is just over 40mm diameter and contains a 3V coin cell. Set-up is handled by following the instruction in the app, which was straightforward enough. The button can be configured to control other compatible devices, or perform an action like sounding a chime on the plug-in hub. After a false start or two, I managed to switch a couple of Tapo smart lights on or off using a single button press. In theory, the colour or brilliance of a multicoloured LED smart lamp could be changed by spinning the button, but this concept didn’t work very well on my own network, as the hesitant and ‘stuttery’ response often caused it to either lag or ‘overshoot’. I soon abandoned that idea as a non-starter. A non-slip pad (supplied) can be stuck underneath, presumably to stop it moving around when the button is operated. On a clean glass tabletop the button was too light (40g) and the non-skid base didn’t hold it securely, making it impossible to turn the knob in a standalone mode. Due to the button’s wobbly microtravel operation I found it too easy to accidentally nudge it on the tabletop and activate a smart action. However, its built-in magnet allows attachment to a metallic surface, where it is held securely, and I found the button could be pressed or rotated without a problem. TP-Link includes a hefty metal disc and hardware that can be screwed or stuck on to a non-metallic surface – this was a much more secure option. Battery replacement is a bit fiddly, using the tiny mystery plastic shim supplied to undo the coin cell hatch. Expect a oneyear battery life or longer. Last month, I mentioned a 3D-printed holder made by an eBay seller to use the Smart Button as a doorbell in a sheltered location, advising that the button is not weatherproof and it could also be removed by anyone else ‘in the know’. A wallmounting version (S200D) is designed as a smart remote dimmer switch, but based on my own trials I personally wouldn’t invest in it. Apart from offering a basic on-off control, the Smart Button may also find a use as a nurse-call chime, perhaps when caring for the elderly, but other dedicated options are available that are probably better suited to this purpose. Integration with an Alexa skill I found seamless but, annoyingly, Alexa isn’t always totally responsive. To round off my feature on the Tapo range, I also tried the ‘Smart Water Leak Sensor’ (T300), which is another low-cost device that requires the Tapo H100 hub. It felt a bit more substantial and could be used near water tanks, a washing machine or underneath a sink or shower tray. The underside carries two pairs of detector studs but, unlike many water leak alarms, the top is slightly dished and it has two more studs that can sense drips from above. After one or two attempts at adding the device in the Tapo app, I configured it to sound an alarm on the hub, and the sensor also has its own builtin switchable 90dB alarm; you can also link it to other smart actions. The T300 water leak sensor uses two AAA cells in a gasket-sealed compartment and a battery life of three years or more is claimed. Overall, the budget Tapo range is aimed at domestic entry-level users, and the app is very user-friendly but set-up was sometimes a case of ‘getting there in the end’. These smart sensors are available from the usual online sources, remembering that a smart hub H100 or H200 is also required. Lotus blossoms Looking at the year-to-date sales figures provided by Britain’s Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), we see that battery electric vehicles (BEVs) accounted for just 15% of the market, meaning the remaining 85% of vehicles sold so far this year still have petrol or diesel engines in them. Petrol cars still took nearly 60% of the market and hybrids of all types have accounted for about 21% so far this year. Depending on who you ask, a hybrid car might offer 50 or 60 miles on electric 1551W IP68 miniature enclosures Learn more: hammondmfg.com/1551w uksales<at>hammondmfg.com 01256 812812 10 Practical Electronics | May | 2024 drive, which is handy for buzzing around town, but a whole new driving technique is needed to get the best out of these petrol-electric hybrid vehicles. The development of EVs in China is so intense that it’s becoming impossible to keep up with trends. Waiting in the wings are yet more Chinese-made cars carrying British brands, including MG and Lotus. The latter was famed for its British-made sports cars: remember Tesla’s first Roadster electric car was based on a Lotus Elise way back in 2006, and Elon Musk launched ‘Starman’ into space in 2018, where the car is still flying through space at 8,000 mph, see: www.whereisroadster.com Now owned by China’s Geely, Lotus is preparing to unleash an entirely new range of electric vehicles in the UK and Europe. From the outside, the new Lotus Eletre ‘hyper SUV’ (£90,000-£150,000) looks indistinguishable from many other Chinese electric or hybrid cars – it seems to me – while the new Emeya is a fourdoor GT sportscar that claims to be one of the fastest electric GTs in the world, achieving 0-62mph in under 2.8 seconds. Happily, British sportscar manufacturing will continue with the very attractive new Lotus Emira mid-engine sportscar (£60k+) due soon. The Lotus website is enough to make anyone dizzy, but you can see more of their new electric and petrol cars at: lotuscars.com Geely has also partnered with MercedesBenz to produce premium EVs under the ‘Smart’ brand. Distinctive little petrolpowered ‘Smart’ cars have carved their own niche on Britain’s roads, and a new electric ‘Smart #1’ compact SUV has now launched as a premium vehicle costing £36,000 on the road. Like every other electric vehicle, the Smart #1 dashboard is The new Chinese-backed Lotus Eletre EV is a snip at £90,000 to £150,000! dominated by a touchscreen. Apart from anything else, manufacturers can update controls or debug them just by flashing new software upgrades, but opinions about the usability and safety of electric vehicle touch panels are very mixed. Not everyone is enamoured with the idea of tapping away at a touchscreen to control their vehicle, and there are increasing concerns about the problems of drivers’ attention being distracted by the need to navigate through a touchscreen menu rather than simply reaching out to press a button or turn a knob. A spin in a Honda e:Ny1 electric car (see March 2024, Net Work) told me all I wanted to know: I found it hard enough as a passenger just to switch off the heated seats, and as we bumped along some country lanes I struggled to register a fingertip with a little icon on the impressively large screen, not helped by the lack of any haptic feedback. Net Work reader Stephen Horsman sympathises. Steve writes: ‘I’ve not long ago had a new VW Tiago with a touch screen infotainment centre. I have a The Smart #1car’s interior has a flat control panel dominating the dashboard. Practical Electronics | May | 2024 slight tremor in my hand which makes touch screens difficult to use, but the worse thing is that they don’t work at all with a gloved hand. Long live the mechanical switch!’ I mentioned in December 2023’s Net Work how, by chance, I rediscovered my family’s 1976 Opel Ascona saloon, a car bought brand new at a time when your scribe trundled along to attend evening classes as a teenager. The car is now an exhibition showpiece and I was thrilled to sit in it once again. The Opel’s controls were dead easy: for example, the heater had up/down and hot/cold, and a simple knob controlled the fan speed. Pulling the knob out turned on the heated rear screen. The mains point is that all this could be done by ‘feel’ while I paid attention to my driving and pondered my homework. Touchy feely... Nowadays it seems that EV manufacturers are at last getting the message about the way touchscreens are becoming too distracting and unsafe for drivers. The Euro New Car Assessment Programme The Smart brand is best known for its quirky little petrol cars and the new Smart #1 is a compact SUV for the EV market. 11 (Euro NCAP) is the test body that awards new cars a safety star rating, and makers clamour to receive a coveted 5-star award. Euro NCAP has finally recognised that confusing and complicated touchscreens can cause drivers to take their eyes off the road for too long so, if car makers want to earn a 5-star rating, then from 2026 some key functions will have to be controlled by classic switches and knobs instead. Interestingly, Mazda Cars eschews altogether the use of large touchscreens and retains ordinary knobs and switches instead, an idea that may appeal to many motorists seeking to upgrade without tussling with touch controls. EV drivers currently face plenty more practical problems, including punitive insurance costs and difficulties waiting for spares or costly repairs while Chinese EV brands get to grips with selling into the UK market. An excellent piece in Auto Express highlights these problems, with a BYD Seal proving almost uninsurable, they found, while GWM Ora was heavily criticised for a lack of spares. Major repairs that are cheaply done in China are unaffordable in Britain due to UK labour costs (as I know myself – I was charged £220 ($285) to fit four spark plugs!), and EV makers apparently don’t understand that crash repairs must restore the car back to the manufacturer’s standard – the kind of information that simply doesn’t yet exist. The picture is one of Chinese EV makers desperately scrambling to ramp up after-sales service and support; the article is worth a read at: https://bit.ly/pe-may24-aexp Hard cheese In March’s column I wrote about independently funded endeavours to land a small craft – the Peregrine Lander – on the Moon. Due to a propellant leak, the craft failed to reach orbit and was forced to burn up in the Earth’s atmosphere, taking its payloads with it. As if to symbolise the frailty of our efforts, the payloads included human ashes SLIM pickings: image of the Lunar surface taken and transmitted by LEV-2 (Image © JAXA/TOMY/Sony Group Corporation/Doshisha University.) transported courtesy of Elysium Space (qv) and other plaques and mementoes from around the world, destined for commemoration on the Moon. Russia had tried to land its Luna-25 at the Moon’s South Pole the previous August, but the vehicle was lost during final approach. India then accomplished a spectacular and historical South Pole landing with its Chandrayaan-3 (Lunar Vehicle 3) lander that same month. Japan’s ‘Moon Sniper’ mission carrying SLIM (Smart Lander for Investigating Moon) has been designed for landing accurately within 100m of the target on the Moon’s surface. This mission unfortunately nosedived in January – a suspected engine failure caused the craft to land literally face down on the Moon, nonetheless within 55 metres of its intended target. Unfortunately, this crippled its ability to generate power from its solar arrays, but even so, two tiny robots – Lunar Excursion Vehicle (LEV-1) and Transformable Lunar Robot (LEV-2) – were successfully released just prior to touchdown and successfully conducted some trials on the Moon’s surface. Japan’s Aerospace Exploration Agency JAXA points out that LEV-1, weighing just 2.1 kg, communicated directly with Earth from the Moon, and is considered to be the world’s smallest and lightest example of direct data transmission from a distance of some 380,000km. LEV-2 managed to take a snapshot of the stricken vehicle. Undeterred by recent setbacks, another Moon-bound mission by a joint venture between NASA and Intuitive Machines (IM) launched in February on board a SpaceX Falcon 9, carrying IM’s Nova-C lander named ‘Odysseus’. This time, the craft did land successfully on the Moon’s surface, but then it had the misfortune of toppling over. Despite this, it was the first commercial vehicle to successfully land on the Moon. Odysseus closed down a few days later on the 29 February – one giant leap year for mankind. Last, in my space news roundup, the plucky Ingenuity helicopter that NASA’s Perseverance rover launched on Mars (reported three years back in Net Work, May 2021), has finally run its course. The hovering vehicle managed an astonishing 72 flights on the dusty red planet, far more than was ever intended. A broken rotor blade was later spotted by an imaging camera on board the Perseverance. NASA’s superb website Terrington Components • Project boxes designed and manufactured in the UK. • Many of our enclosures used on former Maplin projects. • Unique designs and sizes, including square, long and deep variaaons of our screwed lid enclosures. • Sub-miniature sizes down to 23mm x 16mm, ideal for IoT devices. MADE IN BRITAIN www.terrington-components.co.uk | sales<at>terrington-components.co.uk | Tel: 01553 636999 12 Practical Electronics | May | 2024 Odysseus, a NASA/Intuitive Machines craft captured this image approximately 35 seconds after pitching over during its approach to the Moon landing site. (Image: Intuitive Machines) contains a wealth of resources related to their Mars missions – be sure to take a look at: https://mars.nasa.gov Rejected scripts My thanks to regular reader David Hicklin who writes: ‘Having just read Net Work, March issue and especially the bit ‘Bad news days’, have you ever seen how many scripts run on a news site that come from third-party websites? I use Firefox and one of my best friends is the add-on ‘NoScript’ and it has an absolute fit at the number of third-party scripts that run on these sites. I’m attaching a sample from a local news site which is a typical example. I think these are a far bigger issue than cookies, and let’s not start about websites that give you the options to set the cookie settings, maybe 75+ of them, one setting for each external partner!’ Thanks for the tip-off, David. In March’s column I explained how third-party cookies are gradually being blocked by web browsers in favour of only allowing first-party ones; ie, those that originate from the website you’re visiting at that time. This is actually seriously affecting news media websites and the wider industry, because it’s cookies that give them the ability to target their advertisers’ messages at ‘interested’ website visitors. Adverts that are irrelevant to their viewers are obviously worthless, and advertisers won’t pay if wasted traffic is squandering their budgets needlessly. Consequently, the news site’s advertising clients will walk away, taking their advertising revenue with them. To compensate for the drop in advertising income, visitors will increasingly see pay walls adopted, or they’ll either pay to see a site or be forced to accept adverts instead. I agree that those cookie opt-in pop-ups are now a major nuisance. Quite often I can’t be bothered working through all the options given so I move on elsewhere. I mostly use Firefox too, and previously I’ve tried the Ghostery extension to flag up trackers and block ads, but I had problems with my browser being slowed down. I noted more than 100+ running on some web pages. You can install NoScript, as David suggested, from https://noscript. net and Ghostery is still available from https://www.ghostery.com Amazon Warrior Amazon remains a key go-to site to purchase pretty much anything under the sun, but one emerging issue is the problem of book piracy, as I recently discovered. It appears that some niche reference books, including my own Basic Soldering Guide, were stolen in their entirety and re-published using entirely bogus pseudonyms. In my case, more than a dozen books on soldering suddenly popped up on sale, all the same size, style and contents (mine) but with different cover images and authors’ names. Fortunately for me, I was alerted by one book review which included photos of me holding my own soldering iron! It was a concerted effort An insight produced by NoScript showing some of the scripts running behind the scenes on a busy news website. (courtesy, David Hicklin.) Practical Electronics | May | 2024 to cash in on the book, with sophisticated generative text containing stolen keywords being used to hijack ‘my’ search traffic. To be certain, I ordered copies of each one, totalling £150 worth. Copyright infringement is a very expensive and time-consuming problem to police. As the perpetrator of this scam could be located anywhere in the world, the only practical step is to alert Amazon using the ‘Report an issue with this product’ link found on each item page, and fill in an online claim. This drudgery took up a whole day but, to be fair, once notified Amazon removed the stolen books within 30 minutes. Then I noticed similar shenanigans with certain other book titles that used the same style of book covers, with false names. Searching for a particular title on coding and programming threw up more than a dozen near-identical candidates, all selling at around £12 each and pirated from another (as yet unknown) work. The free preview sample reveals similar opening paragraphs. The best a third party can do is report it as counterfeit, but it’s infinitely more effective if the original work can be cited as evidence. Such is the quality and scale of the scam that I suspect AI is being used to re-write book descriptions and re-submit them for publication using Amazon’s print-ondemand service or KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing). So next time you’re searching Amazon for books, watch out for similarlooking niche titles or book covers on Amazon – these are scammers trying to cash in by stealing legitimate work. By the way, readers can buy the (real) Basic Soldering Guide handbook direct from our own bookshop at an advantageous price. That’s all for this Net Work roundup – see you next month! The author can be reached at: alan<at>epemag.net All 15 of these pirated Basic Soldering Guide books were spotted on Amazon by the author before being removed from sale. The same ruse is currently affecting other book titles. 13