1
00:00:00,060 --> 00:00:01,985
Hello and welcome to No—

2
00:00:02,312 --> 00:00:03,240
hold on a second.

3
00:00:03,240 --> 00:00:04,241
[clap clap]

4
00:00:04,750 --> 00:00:07,717
Hello and welcome to No Effort November,

5
00:00:07,717 --> 00:00:12,269
a series of videos for the month of November where I try my best to not try so hard.

6
00:00:12,760 --> 00:00:16,601
These days, it’s pretty trendy to turn on the lights by yelling out

7
00:00:16,601 --> 00:00:19,329
“howdy goolexa, turn on the lights!”

8
00:00:19,329 --> 00:00:25,001
and after a few data packets bounce back and forth between your house and the servers of who knows how many tech companies,

9
00:00:25,001 --> 00:00:30,955
yet more data packets eventually find their way to a light switch 
that has a Wi-Fi radio in it because why not

10
00:00:30,955 --> 00:00:34,562
and if you’re lucky and the stars align and you’re
still in the good graces of Daddy—

11
00:00:35,326 --> 00:00:37,010
it will turn on some lights.

12
00:00:37,410 --> 00:00:38,792
Or you could just do this.

13
00:00:38,882 --> 00:00:40,199
[clap clap]

14
00:00:41,600 --> 00:00:44,128
That not enough for you? How ‘bout this?

15
00:00:44,128 --> 00:00:45,627
[clap clap clap]

16
00:00:46,864 --> 00:00:49,020
Ooh! A different thing!

17
00:00:49,529 --> 00:00:51,657
That’s right, we’re talking about

18
00:00:51,657 --> 00:00:52,899
♫ The Clapper ♫

19
00:00:52,899 --> 00:00:58,452
Perhaps the original smart switch
(so long as you don’t count X10 which, for the record, I’m not),

20
00:00:58,452 --> 00:01:01,914
this classic gadget was brought to you by Joseph Enterprises,

21
00:01:01,914 --> 00:01:04,177
who also brought such classics to market as

22
00:01:04,177 --> 00:01:06,034
The ‘Ove’ Glove,

23
00:01:06,034 --> 00:01:07,679
the Chia Pet,

24
00:01:07,679 --> 00:01:09,743
and let’s not forget

25
00:01:09,743 --> 00:01:12,130
The Creosote Sweeping Log.

26
00:01:13,040 --> 00:01:13,884
I am not -

27
00:01:14,393 --> 00:01:15,380
I am not-

28
00:01:15,744 --> 00:01:17,032
I’m not kidding, by the way,

29
00:01:17,032 --> 00:01:22,908
these are all products made by the same company
and in hindsight that probably should have been obvious.

30
00:01:23,344 --> 00:01:31,835
Sadly, the Joseph behind Joseph Enterprises,
Joseph Pedott, passed away earlier this year but his legacy will surely live on.

31
00:01:31,835 --> 00:01:38,920
And I’ll help with that a tiny bit by expressing my honest opinion 
that the ‘Ove’ Glove is actually a great product

32
00:01:38,920 --> 00:01:41,188
(despite its rather ridiculous name)

33
00:01:41,188 --> 00:01:45,384
and gets my vote as the one of the best as-seen-on-TV things ever.

34
00:01:45,930 --> 00:01:49,228
But we’re not talking about the ‘Ove’ Glove today,
we’re talking about

35
00:01:49,228 --> 00:01:50,700
♫ The Clapper ♫.

36
00:01:50,700 --> 00:01:52,948
If somehow that’s not ringing a bell,

37
00:01:52,948 --> 00:01:55,495
and the gist of the intro escaped you,

38
00:01:55,495 --> 00:01:59,933
the Clapper is a little plug-in device
with a couple of switched electrical outlets.

39
00:01:59,933 --> 00:02:03,961
A microphone onboard listens for sharp bursts of sound energy,

40
00:02:03,961 --> 00:02:05,785
like someone clapping,

41
00:02:05,785 --> 00:02:11,893
and if it detects two claps in a row within a short timespan,
it will switch one of its electrical outlets on

42
00:02:11,893 --> 00:02:14,208
(or off if it was already on).

43
00:02:14,208 --> 00:02:20,305
The second outlet will respond to three claps,
allowing you to control two different things with one clapper.

44
00:02:20,305 --> 00:02:22,098
But wait! There’s more!

45
00:02:22,098 --> 00:02:25,015
The device features three different operating modes:

46
00:02:25,015 --> 00:02:29,189
two different sensitivities can be chosen for the clap on clap off function,

47
00:02:29,189 --> 00:02:31,822
and we’ll get to why that’s needed in a minute,

48
00:02:31,822 --> 00:02:38,800
and there’s also an “away” function which will turn on the lights for a brief duration whenever it detects any noise.

49
00:02:38,800 --> 00:02:42,761
This can be useful for, say, turning on a lamp as you enter your home

50
00:02:42,761 --> 00:02:49,515
or perhaps possibly deterring theft if the would-be burglar is
fooled into thinking someone just so happened to turn on a light

51
00:02:49,515 --> 00:02:53,041
at the exact moment they broke a window or opened a door.

52
00:02:53,041 --> 00:02:58,303
The clapper’s history is somewhat convoluted
as covered by my friend Ernie Smith over on Tedium.

53
00:02:58,303 --> 00:03:04,362
Joseph Pedott wasn’t so much of an inventor but a marketer 
who found interesting products and was really good at

54
00:03:04,362 --> 00:03:05,477
♫ se se se selling ♫

55
00:03:05,477 --> 00:03:06,683
them.

56
00:03:06,683 --> 00:03:10,709
In the case of the Clapper, its original inventors approached him with the product

57
00:03:10,709 --> 00:03:17,335
(which, according to this archived interview
they may have called the Great American Turnoff which…

58
00:03:17,335 --> 00:03:18,485
wow)

59
00:03:18,485 --> 00:03:21,875
and his company would go on to help get it patented.

60
00:03:21,875 --> 00:03:25,015
And also rename it something less weird.

61
00:03:25,015 --> 00:03:28,801
However, the original design was not super good.

62
00:03:28,801 --> 00:03:31,909
Built using very rudimentary logic circuitry,

63
00:03:31,909 --> 00:03:37,432
the original Clapper was way too sensitive and prone to being triggered accidentally.

64
00:03:37,432 --> 00:03:39,866
This would simply be an annoying behavior,

65
00:03:39,866 --> 00:03:43,168
but it was marketed as though it could be used for anything,

66
00:03:43,168 --> 00:03:45,291
including a television set.

67
00:03:45,291 --> 00:03:52,371
[Just plug in The Clapper and a television,
lamp, stereo, almost anything you want to clap on and off.]

68
00:03:52,371 --> 00:03:56,410
And since television sets are famous for making noises,

69
00:03:56,410 --> 00:04:01,866
not just through their loudspeakers
but perhaps clicky and clunky sounds as they power down,

70
00:04:01,866 --> 00:04:07,493
well the original Clapper could get stuck in a loop
where it repeatedly switched it on and off.

71
00:04:07,493 --> 00:04:12,572
Electronic devices generally don’t like
having their power repeatedly applied then taken away

72
00:04:12,572 --> 00:04:15,288
and the upshot was that it broke stuff.

73
00:04:15,288 --> 00:04:16,673
Not good!

74
00:04:16,673 --> 00:04:21,577
That, combined with a dispute between Joseph Enterprises and the original inventors,

75
00:04:21,577 --> 00:04:24,947
led to the hiring of Carlile R Stevens.

76
00:04:24,947 --> 00:04:29,573
His task was to make the clapper actually work somewhat goodly.

77
00:04:29,573 --> 00:04:33,581
Which he promptly accomplished with circuitry that was a little smarter.

78
00:04:33,581 --> 00:04:36,854
The Smart Clapper was released in 1987

79
00:04:36,854 --> 00:04:39,789
and it’s pretty much what this thing is.

80
00:04:39,789 --> 00:04:46,124
The idea was exactly the same, but with a control chip
that could actually discern different durations of noise

81
00:04:46,124 --> 00:04:49,407
as well as recognize the pacing of two discrete pulses.

82
00:04:49,407 --> 00:04:52,394
Or three for controlling a second device.

83
00:04:52,394 --> 00:04:57,066
This later version added LEDs to show when it detects a noise it thinks is a clap -

84
00:04:57,066 --> 00:05:00,568
and also when it rules out something as a non-clap.

85
00:05:00,568 --> 00:05:01,391
[Naah!

86
00:05:02,464 --> 00:05:03,394
Nuuhh?

87
00:05:03,394 --> 00:05:04,449
Eh-ehhh!

88
00:05:05,431 --> 00:05:06,476
Ehhhhehh!]

89
00:05:06,476 --> 00:05:08,654
This is useful for learning how best to use it -

90
00:05:08,654 --> 00:05:12,376
which, indeed, there’s a learning curve here.

91
00:05:12,376 --> 00:05:15,835
You wouldn’t think so, but there is. It’s…

92
00:05:15,835 --> 00:05:16,990
finicky.

93
00:05:16,990 --> 00:05:18,543
Let’s just put it that way.

94
00:05:18,543 --> 00:05:22,214
And that’s part of why it has two sensitivity settings.

95
00:05:22,214 --> 00:05:26,344
The LEDs help to show the threshold of noise with which it will react,

96
00:05:26,344 --> 00:05:30,966
and you might want more or less sensitivity
depending on where you place this thing

97
00:05:30,966 --> 00:05:35,792
and how tolerant you are to false triggers and/or hand pain.

98
00:05:35,792 --> 00:05:38,076
Inside we find a few surprises.

99
00:05:38,076 --> 00:05:39,885
Firstly, would you look at that,

100
00:05:39,885 --> 00:05:48,042
the contacts that engage with the plugs actually have bumps on them
to mate with the holes found on most US plugs.

101
00:05:48,042 --> 00:05:53,301
The first time I’ve ever actually seen this in use
and it’s in the friggin’ Clapper of all things.

102
00:05:53,301 --> 00:05:59,992
But, I suppose that extra bit of plug grabbiness is useful
since the plugs you plug into this will hang straight down.

103
00:05:59,992 --> 00:06:05,828
The second surprise is that what I thought were amber LEDs
to show the status of the switch

104
00:06:05,828 --> 00:06:09,967
are in fact the glass tips of neon indicators!

105
00:06:09,967 --> 00:06:14,796
I don’t think I’ve ever seen them used like this before and that’s a fascinating hack.

106
00:06:14,796 --> 00:06:19,754
But perhaps the biggest surprise in here is
the switching component they elected to use.

107
00:06:19,754 --> 00:06:24,696
These are triacs, the same solid-state switching devices
that gets used in dimmer switches

108
00:06:24,696 --> 00:06:30,096
to chop up the AC waveform and reduce the power available to light bulbs.

109
00:06:30,096 --> 00:06:35,682
In this case they’re being used as simple on/off switches
and aren’t chopping up the waveform,

110
00:06:35,682 --> 00:06:39,396
but to me they’re a very odd choice.

111
00:06:39,396 --> 00:06:44,268
They continued to market this thing as useful
for switching radios and television sets,

112
00:06:44,268 --> 00:06:49,523
and using a semiconductor component in-line
with the power supplies of those things feels risky

113
00:06:49,523 --> 00:06:53,340
both to the thing it’s controlling and the triac.

114
00:06:53,340 --> 00:06:57,502
They did protect the outlets with a fuse but I’m still puzzled by this,

115
00:06:57,502 --> 00:07:05,435
and purportedly some devices (like compact fluorescent light bulbs)
wouldn’t work with this Clapper or could be damaged by it.

116
00:07:05,435 --> 00:07:08,023
The rest of this, though, is pretty unremarkable.

117
00:07:08,023 --> 00:07:13,456
The control chip is hiding under this blob,
although it is interesting that it’s on a little daughterboard.

118
00:07:13,456 --> 00:07:20,129
I’ll bet this was a cost-cutting revision and that the original chip was in some sort of square component package.

119
00:07:20,129 --> 00:07:24,889
Then we have some support components to create
a power supply for the chip and the triacs,

120
00:07:24,889 --> 00:07:28,222
and of course we have the microphone to detect sound.

121
00:07:28,222 --> 00:07:34,920
Some versions of the Clapper also came with
a wireless remote control allowing you to use it without clapping.

122
00:07:34,920 --> 00:07:36,328
And if you’re thinking,

123
00:07:36,328 --> 00:07:38,646
doesn’t that defeat the point?

124
00:07:38,646 --> 00:07:41,769
Well… see here’s the problem.

125
00:07:41,769 --> 00:07:46,199
As clever as this idea is and as useful as it can be,

126
00:07:46,199 --> 00:07:48,485
it’s still far from perfect.

127
00:07:48,485 --> 00:07:54,383
It doesn’t know what a clap actually is,
it just responds to quick bursts of sound energy.

128
00:07:54,383 --> 00:07:55,643
[thump thump]

129
00:07:56,589 --> 00:07:59,256
So lots of things can trigger this accidentally -

130
00:07:59,256 --> 00:08:03,652
like, for instance, pets or children making noise as they play.

131
00:08:03,652 --> 00:08:06,256
Even things outside your home can trigger it.

132
00:08:06,256 --> 00:08:10,355
If you reduce the sensitivity, that can help alleviate false triggers

133
00:08:10,355 --> 00:08:12,390
but it means you gotta CLAP.

134
00:08:12,390 --> 00:08:17,423
The most effective thing, in my experience,
is to only use the three-clap side.

135
00:08:17,423 --> 00:08:19,907
But that reduces the functionality of the device

136
00:08:19,907 --> 00:08:23,612
and goes against the jingle which is devastating.

137
00:08:23,612 --> 00:08:29,112
Adding a remote control functionality to the
device was a pretty big admission that…

138
00:08:29,112 --> 00:08:31,426
it doesn’t work all that well.

139
00:08:31,426 --> 00:08:38,739
Now, in fairness, a different read would be that perhaps some folks
want to control the lights with The Clapper when others are asleep

140
00:08:38,739 --> 00:08:40,225
and two loud claps

141
00:08:40,225 --> 00:08:41,330
[clap clap]

142
00:08:42,167 --> 00:08:44,505
might wake somebody up.

143
00:08:44,505 --> 00:08:49,452
Adding a remote gives the best of both worlds
depending on need and situation.

144
00:08:49,452 --> 00:08:55,667
But it still doesn’t fix the problems with false triggers,
sore hands, and product incompatibility.

145
00:08:55,667 --> 00:08:57,462
It’s just a value add.

146
00:08:57,462 --> 00:09:02,776
Not necessarily a bad one, mind you,
but it does feel kind of antithetical to the point,

147
00:09:02,776 --> 00:09:04,178
at least to me.

148
00:09:04,178 --> 00:09:07,038
But, through the magic of fifteen years passing,

149
00:09:07,038 --> 00:09:12,140
I have a more modern version of the Clapper which fixes one of its problems.

150
00:09:12,140 --> 00:09:17,257
Rather than use triacs as the switching components,
this fella uses relays.

151
00:09:17,257 --> 00:09:23,345
That means it’s safe [asterisk] to control practically anything with this
(so long as it’s within the rated current)

152
00:09:23,345 --> 00:09:25,690
without worrying about it being damaged.

153
00:09:25,690 --> 00:09:29,406
The only downside is that now you’ll hear a click with each activation.

154
00:09:29,406 --> 00:09:31,504
But that’s not much of a downside.

155
00:09:32,032 --> 00:09:32,761
[click]

156
00:09:33,870 --> 00:09:37,969
[Asterisk] all the other weird quirks of this fella are still there, though,

157
00:09:37,969 --> 00:09:44,858
so while you can plug most anything into this without worrying
about that thing getting damaged by it,

158
00:09:44,858 --> 00:09:49,792
you could also plug in, like, a small space heater or a coffee maker

159
00:09:49,792 --> 00:09:53,135
or something that really should not be used unattended

160
00:09:53,135 --> 00:09:56,365
and since false triggers are a continuing problem,

161
00:09:56,365 --> 00:09:59,745
that would be very bad and unwise.

162
00:09:59,745 --> 00:10:03,688
To be fair, they warn explicitly against this on the device itself

163
00:10:03,688 --> 00:10:08,542
and they’ve left the rated wattage at 200 watts for each outlet.

164
00:10:08,542 --> 00:10:11,831
The relays they used are rated to handle 15 amps

165
00:10:11,831 --> 00:10:16,077
but this little fuse here, which I think is 4 amp but the label’s kinda hard to see,

166
00:10:16,077 --> 00:10:19,587
will put a stop to any funny business should you try it.

167
00:10:19,587 --> 00:10:27,580
Honestly I think the clapper is pretty much only useful for controlling lights
and the other use cases are pretty contrived.

168
00:10:27,580 --> 00:10:30,697
And apparently the makers now agree:

169
00:10:30,697 --> 00:10:34,680
the modern version no longer suggests a television would be a good fit

170
00:10:34,680 --> 00:10:37,232
(plus of course we don’t use TVs like we used to)

171
00:10:37,232 --> 00:10:41,176
and instead sticks to lights and Christmas lights.

172
00:10:41,176 --> 00:10:46,431
But at least now you can control any kind of light like LEDs driven by a power supply

173
00:10:46,431 --> 00:10:51,837
without worrying about damage being caused
by triacs letting noisy power through.

174
00:10:51,837 --> 00:10:53,671
And that’s The Clapper.

175
00:10:53,671 --> 00:10:55,001
Is it useful?

176
00:10:55,001 --> 00:10:56,051
Maybe.

177
00:10:56,051 --> 00:10:57,507
Is it a gimmick?

178
00:10:57,507 --> 00:10:58,366
Maybe.

179
00:10:58,366 --> 00:11:00,385
Does it work well?

180
00:11:00,385 --> 00:11:01,036
Maybe.

181
00:11:01,036 --> 00:11:02,259
Is it iconic?

182
00:11:02,259 --> 00:11:03,209
You betcha.

183
00:11:03,209 --> 00:11:05,320
That much I know for sure.

184
00:11:05,320 --> 00:11:08,159
They are still for sale should you decide to get your hands on one,

185
00:11:08,159 --> 00:11:12,588
but to be honest this one has been sitting in a box for years.

186
00:11:12,588 --> 00:11:16,125
They’re fun for a while but the novelty tends to wear off.

187
00:11:16,125 --> 00:11:19,646
But hey, maybe if you get one and buy a nice lamp for it,

188
00:11:19,646 --> 00:11:23,998
you’ll finally be convinced of the value of switched electrical outlets.

189
00:11:23,998 --> 00:11:31,422
But not, like, the British or Australian kind where there’s a switch on the outlet itself
to make sure the electrons don’t leak out or whatever the heck.

190
00:11:31,422 --> 00:11:33,062
Those are silly and redundant.

191
00:11:33,062 --> 00:11:34,059
Fight me.

192
00:11:34,059 --> 00:11:34,632
Kay bye!

193
00:11:35,469 --> 00:11:38,074
♫ aggressively smooth jazz ♫

194
00:11:40,101 --> 00:11:43,823
…by Joseph Enterprises, who also brought such classics to market -

195
00:11:43,823 --> 00:11:45,620
I forgot to get all the stuff ready!

196
00:11:45,620 --> 00:11:47,453
[a sing-songy throat clear]

197
00:11:47,453 --> 00:11:50,173
…and who knows how many servers.

198
00:11:50,173 --> 00:11:51,233
Ep- nope!

199
00:11:51,233 --> 00:11:55,577
…which will turn on the lights for a brief durATion whenever it detects any noise.

200
00:11:55,577 --> 00:11:58,400
I said duration pretty weirdly there. Too bad!

201
00:11:58,400 --> 00:12:03,597
That can be useful for, say, turning on a lamp as you enter your home.

202
00:12:03,597 --> 00:12:10,108
Or perhaps possibly deterring theft if the would-be burglar is fooled into thinking someone just so happened to hern…

203
00:12:11,691 --> 00:12:14,696
haa, well, two flubs in a row.

204
00:12:16,224 --> 00:12:18,766
And apparently the makers agree.

205
00:12:18,766 --> 00:12:21,137
The ma-- I forgot the box.

206
00:12:22,901 --> 00:12:23,401
[inhales]

207
00:12:24,739 --> 00:12:26,033
What a fakeout.

208
00:12:28,653 --> 00:12:30,875
I still can't quite get over that new logo.

209
00:12:30,875 --> 00:12:33,607
Like, I think it's supposed to be an artist's palette, which I could get behind,

210
00:12:33,607 --> 00:12:35,992
but they need the little grabby hole there to make it more obvious.

211
00:12:35,992 --> 00:12:38,803
Plus then it would look more like a P!

212
00:12:38,803 --> 00:12:40,626
What a missed opportunity.