johna's blog

Australia Post Parcel Rates - Updated July 2026

2026-07-12T12:00:00+10:00

Updated 1 July 2026 with new increased prices. Now showing a handy comparison table for all size and price options.

Here is what you need to know when sending parcels with Australia Post.

There are two options for postage rates for parcels:

1. Use your own packaging and pay for postage based on the weight or physical size.

2. Use one of Australia Post's packaging options that includes flat rate postage.

Both options include tracking and can be sent by regular or express post.

Flat rate postage is usually the least expensive option but is only available if your item weighs less than 5kg and fits in one of the packaging options.

What you need to know for #1 - use your own packaging

Australia Post charge by whichever is greatest out of the items weight, or the cubic weight which is the items deemed weight based on its physical size.

Postage costs for regular and express post (up to 5kg)

Weight	Regular	Express
Up to 250g	$10.20	$13.20
250g to 500g	$11.70	$15.20
500g to 1kg	$16.00	$20.00
1kg to 3kg	$20.25	$24.75
3kg to 5kg	$24.45	$32.95

For parcels over 5kg, you'll need to use the online calculator.

Source: https://auspost.com.au/sending/parcels-australia

What you need to know for #2 - flat rate postage

Not all of Australia Post's packaging qualify for flat rate postage, so you need to choose carefully otherwise you will pay for the packaging plus the same rates as if you used your own packaging.

There are five packaging size categories: extra-small, small, medium, large and extra large.

The least expensive packaging is satchels.

However, padded mailers are sometimes the best value as they are bigger than satchels for the same postage cost. For example, if your item is a little too big for a small satchel (355x225mm - $12.05), check if it fits a small padded mailer (240x340mm - $13.50) before going to a medium satchel (390x270mm - $16.40).

Packaging options

These are the packaging options that are available for flat rate postage.

Satchel

Parcel Box

Padded Mailer

Padded Bag

Extra small

Type	Size	Price*	Total Regular*	Total Express*
Satchel	280x215mm	N/A	$10.55	$13.55
Padded Mailer Extra Small	215x280mm	$12.00 (est)	$15.00 (est)

Small

Type	Size	Price*	Total Regular*	Total Express*
Satchel	355x225mm	N/A	$12.05	$15.55
Padded Mailer Small	240x340mm	$1.80	$13.50	$17.00
Parcel Box Small	220x160x70mm	$2.40	$14.10	$17.60

Medium

Type	Size	Price	Total Regular*	Total Express*
Satchel	390x270mm	N/A	$16.40	$20.40
Padded Mailer Medium	265x380mm	$2.20	$18.20	$22.20
Parcel Box Medium	240x190x120mm	$2.80	$18.80	$22.80

Large

Type	Size	Price	Total Regular*	Total Express*
Satchel	405x315mm	N/A	$20.70	$25.20
Padded Mailer Large	483x361mm	$3.00	$23.25	$27.75
Parcel Box BX24	410x300x80mm	$3.30	$23.55	$28.05
Parcel Box Large	390x280x140mm	$3.50	$23.75	$28.25

Extra large

Type	Size	Price	Total Regular*	Total Express*
Satchel	510x440mm	N/A	$24.95	$33.45
Parcel Box Extra Large	440x277x168mm	$4.00	$28.45	$36.95

*Packaging discounts are available if buying in bulk

Source: https://auspost.com.au/shop/sending/flat-rate-packaging

Comparison table - All options up to 5kg

This table lists all postage options in price order. Note that if using your own packaging, you may be changed by cubic weight rather than actual weight.

Postage option	Dimensions	Regular	Express
Your own packaging	Up to 250g	$10.20	$13.20
Satchel Extra Small	280x215mm	$10.55	$13.55
Your own packaging	250g to 500g	$11.70	$15.20
Padded Mailer Extra Small	215x280mm	$12.00 (est)	$15.00 (est)
Satchel Small	355x225mm	$12.05	$15.55
Padded Mailer Small	240x340mm	$13.50	$17.00
Parcel Box Small	220x160x70mm	$14.10	$17.60
Your own packaging	500g to 1kg	$16.00	$20.00
Satchel Medium	390x270mm	$16.40	$20.40
Padded Mailer Medium	265x380mm	$18.20	$22.20
Parcel Box Medium	240x190x120mm	$18.80	$22.80
Your own packaging	1kg to 3kg	$20.25	$24.75
Satchel Large	405x315mm	$20.70	$25.20
Padded Mailer Large	483x361mm	$23.25	$27.75
Parcel Box BX24	410x300x80mm	$23.55	$28.05
Parcel Box Large	390x280x140mm	$23.75	$28.25
Your own packaging	3kg to 5kg	$24.45	$32.95
Satchel Extra Large	510x440mm	$24.95	$33.45
Parcel Box Extra Large	440x277x168mm	$28.45	$36.95

Casio CA53W replica calculator watch from Aliexpress

2026-06-23T12:00:00+10:00

You can find replicas for many watches on Aliexpress, and a recent addition is a replica of the Casio CA53W digital calculator watch made famous for its appearance in Back to the Future Part III and Breaking Bad.

The replica is totally unbranded and the instruction manual refers to it as 1238 and BT475. Four colours are available -- black, white, green, blue and pink -- all with a black background LCD screen.

Initial impressions are good. The watch looks to be of good quality and well made. However, the screen is a little hard to read, more so from any angle other than straight ahead. There is no light to help in light or dark conditions.

The buttons are okay to press but pressing on any of the top rows of keys does distort the LCD display.

The watch features 12/24 hour, calculator, alarm with hourly chime, dual time and stop watch.

There are two buttons on the right side, one for adjust and one for mode. The remainder of the functions are managed using the calculator keys, which actually makes setting the time easier.

The band seems a little short and may be an issue for larger wrists.

I chose a black watch and mine came with a plain box and multi language manual. The cost was around A$15 but the genuine Casio is not too much more, only A$50 or sometimes available for as little as A$40.

Aliexpress "Special Offers" are stupid

2026-06-13T12:00:00+10:00

AliExpress is becoming really annoying with "Special Offer" items.

Many of the items on Aliexpress, particularly those you get recommended, are listed at very low prices now and prices show in red with the title "Special Offer".

Although the prices are great, there are several problems with these.

Some only allow you to buy immediately, rather than being able to add to your cart and purchase together with other items.

Many of these offers also have a limit of one per person.

It also seems that for the items that you can add to cart, you only get one special offer item at the advertised price. Once you add more than one, all but one of the items mysteriously change to a higher price instead of what is advertised.

This is actually different depending on whether you are on the website or the app. On the app you always seem to see the special price, but on the website you might continue to see the special price on some pages but when you view the item you see the not-so-special price.

I'm really not sure why AliExpress want to push these. If you want something like a USB cable that is advertised for 50 cents (plus $3 shipping) do they really only want you to buy that on it's own, and only want you to buy one? That does not seem like it is good for business.

Another thing I am amused by is their discount system.

I recently wanted to buy a digital watch that was A$13.69. Shipping is $3 or I can spend $15 to get free shipping.

So I add a couple of cheap items -- less than $2 worth -- and I qualify for free shipping as my total is now just over $15.

Now it says if I buy four items I can save an extra $3. So I add another $1 item and my total comes down to $13.18 with free shipping.

Now I am encouraged to buy another two items to save $5 instead of $3. So I add another two of the $1 item and I'm still at $13.18.

I guess this isn't typical buyer behavior but it's kind of weird how they allow and encourage this. I end up buying my $13.69 item for $13.18 and get free shipping and five extra items I didn't want.

However, despite the price being $13.18 for both extra three and five items, because of the mysterious way that Aliexpress calculate tax (Australian GST in my case), the tax is about 20 cents more for the extra five items than for the three.

Amstrad NC100 Notebook Computer Fuse Replacement

2026-05-28T12:00:00+10:00

I recently acquired a faulty Amstrad NC100 "Notebook Computer" from around 1992.

These were designed to be a simple to use computer for people who didn't know how to use computers. It has a built-in word processor, organiser, calculator and BASIC programming language. They run off AA batteries or a 6 volt DC power supply, and use a CR2032 lithium battery to store the contents of memory as there is no other form of storage.

Mine came complete with the original power supply, carry case and user's manual but wouldn't power on.

I did a little research and the common cause is simply a blown fuse. These use a less-common negative-tip power supply and will blow the fuse if the wrong power supply is connected.

Unfortunately the fuse is a surface mount device soldered to the underside of the main circuit board.

Although the circuit board label for the fuse is 0.8A (F301is the location), mine was fitted with one labelled "20" – which means 2.0A – and looked to be the original. My guess is that blown fuses were a common issue for Amstrad and they may have increased the value during production in hopes of reducing returns.

Sure enough, mine did have a blown fuse and I replaced it with a piece of wire to temporarily test it which is perfectly safe as long as you use a good power supply of the right type.

If you need to obtain a replacement fuse the size is 1210 and they are of a non-resetting type. I found this one on eBay and it appears to be a perfect match.

There are plenty of good instructions on how to disassemble this model, including YouTube videos, so this post is just to recommend which replacement fuse to use.

Sharp VC-793X VHS video recorder

2026-05-24T12:00:00+10:00

This Sharp video recorder comes from what I think is the best era of VHS, before the days of the modern units where all of the controls were on the remote.

It features four heads and HI-FI stereo, and it has a colourful display plus dual LED audio level meters, and a headphone socket with volume control.

There is a door covering extra controls at the front and a small covered panel at the top for some tuning controls.

At the rear there is AV in and out, although the video uses BNC connectors.

I'm not sure when these were available but suspect it to be around the late 1980s.

This one, probably around 35 years old, was making a high pitched noise when turned on and unable to eject the tape inside.

The swinging gear was not moving properly and unable to spin the tape. The sliding mechanism that controls the brake was also not moving feely which was causing the tape to bunch up.

All it needed was a bit of exercising and some lubrication and it came to life, although there was no picture or sound until the heads were cleaned.

Diamond DM600 VHS Video Recorder

2026-05-24T12:00:00+10:00

I bought this Diamond DM600 VHS video recorder somewhere around 2000, around the time when VHS players were being replaced with DVD players and recorders. I have never heard of the brand aside from this model, and recall that it was inexpensive.

It is made in Thailand by Orion Electric Co. Ltd. of Japan.

It features AV out (rear) and two AV inputs (front and rear), 6-head HI-FI stereo. It also has the typical features of late model VCRs like auto tracking, multiple tape speeds and on-screen display.

The video recorder has been reliable until recently when the picture quality deteriorated. The cause of this fault ended up being just loose screws. The three screws that secure the cassette mechanism and one screw that secures the circuit board had all come loose and this was causing poor connect with the mechanism and the circuit board.

The remote control model number is 076N0ED140.

Aliexpress weirdness between website and mobile app

2026-05-10T12:00:00+10:00

As a regular Aliexpress shopper, I have noticed some changes over recent months and some new differences between the website and mobile app.

The biggest change relates to bundle deals.

On the website, bundle deal items you add to your selections can be checked out separately. Select any three and you get free shipping. Select six and you usually get some money off.

But in recent months, the separate bundle deals checkout seems to have disappeared only on the mobile app. Bundle deals items I added on the website on my desktop don't appear in the bundle deals cart on the mobile app -- the app seems to show my normal cart.

Then you have choice items. Once you reach the minimum spend for choice items ($15 here in Australia), you qualify for free shipping. That works fine on both.

However, the shopping cart encourages you to buy three items for an extra discount ($2 here). But once you add three items there is no discount on the website, despite the offer showing on the same page.

View the same shopping cart on the mobile app, and the discount does get applied. So weird.

So if you are buying bundle deals you should use the website, and if you are buying choice items you should use the app.

Updated June 2026: Looks like bundle deals have completely changed now, on both the website and app. Bundle deals now seem the same as Choice items in that you must meet a minimum purchase for free shipping ($15 in Australia) rather than just buying any three items. Bundle deal items are now often "Special Offers" (see my later post).

A brief and incomplete history of clock radios

2026-03-27T12:00:00+10:00

These days, most people wake up to an alarm on their mobile phone, but back in the 1970s to 1990s most people had a clock radio beside their bed to help start their day.

The earliest clock radios had an analogue clock or those fantastic – but not so silent – flip numbers, and you could wake to the sound of an annoying buzzer or choose to wake to the sound of the radio.

Over time, alarms were improved with dual alarms for spouses that wake up at different times, and even separate alarms for weekdays and weekends.

Some manufacturers added extra features beyond just an alarm clock and radio. Some had a lamp or small night light. Some had a cassette player or recorder. Some embraced stereo with multiple speakers.

There were even models fitted with a small black and white television, or later a colour TV.

The addition of a telephone (one with a cord) was another common feature.

Clock radios are kind of still a thing today, although they are sometimes just a clock with a wireless charger for a mobile phone, or a clock with digital radio.

The clock radio pictured above is the very stylish Ross Wake-o-matic model 5500 from the 1970s. [eBay USA Listing]

Following are some note worthy clock radios from last century.

This Panasonic RC-6030 is an example of early clock radios with flip numbers and the most basic of features. [eBay USA Listing]

This is the Soundesign 3834 that I had back in the 1980s (see post). It had an usual design and the cassette recorder allowed you to record a message and leave a flashing message light so your housemates could play it back. So much better than leaving a paper note, right?

Soundesign must be the most prolific manufacturer of clock radios. Here is a model with cassette recorder and one with big stereo speakers [eBay USA listing].

Look at this amazing Philips P55 (CC 908), with a tiny B&W television. [eBay Australia listing

The Soundesign 7554 was an early clock radio with a telephone. [eBay USA listing]

This Soundesign Home Care had an unusual feature. It has an air purifier and ioniser built-in. [eBay USA Listing]

Images sourced from eBay listings. Please contact me if you do not want your image used.

Electronics in the 1980s were the best

2026-03-01T12:00:00+10:00

Electronics in the 1980s were the best. It was all about lots of switches and lots of lights.

Video Cassette Recorder (VCR)

The 1980s were the decade where VCRs took off.

Before this, you had to watch what was on television at the time it was on television. No watching what you wanted, when you wanted. No recording something to watch later. No buying or borrowing movies and definitely no streaming.

My family's first VCR was an Akai around 1980, and I have always admired the distinctive look of this brand's models.

Early models had the tape going into the top of the unit but it didn't take long for front-loading to become the norm. By the end of the 1980s you could get a stereo units and some had editing functions like my Sony SLV-757.

Hi-Fi Systems

In contrast to modern audio equipment, 1980s systems were almost a piece of furniture on their own.

Although some systems were just a single box with speakers, the best systems were made up of components. You would have an amplifier, an AM/FM tuner, a cassette or double-cassette recorder, and a record player.

A graphic equaliser was a very desirable feature, preferably with a spectrum analyser to visualise your music.

Car Audio

Although many car radios were just simple radio and sometimes cassette players, big stereos were popular.

One of the most revered systems was from Fujitsu Ten, which almost resembled a home component system.

Digital Watches

Although digital watches were available prior to the 1980s, the black plastic digital watch became very popular in the 1980s.

Common features were one or multiple alarms, hourly chime, stopwatch, countdown timer but the ones that was most interest in were calculator watches.

Clock Radios

Back in the 1980s we could choose to wake up to a noisy alarm or the the sound of a radio broadcast.

Clock radios might have peaked in the 1970s but were still popular in the 1980s. There's not much that can change with a clock radio other than styling, although some did integrate extras like a cassette recorder, a (corded) telephone or even a television.

Here is a picture of my Soundesign clock radio that I had as a child.

Games consoles

Although simple game consoles were becoming popular in the 1970s, by the 1980s some lucky families had something like an Atari 2600 or an Intellivision. The 1980s was a peak time for gaming consoles. They seemed to fizzle out with the rising popularity of home computers in the 1980s, but then they rose again during the 1990s and 2000s.

Computers

In the 1980s we weren't limited to just PC (or Linux) and Mac, although these systems all started in this decade. The home computer industry was just getting started and there were many manufacturers producing their own systems, most incompatible with everything else available. Many came and went quickly, never to be heard of again.

Home computers were, of course, simpler, and most booted into the BASIC programming language which resulted in many people learning to write their own software. It was also extremely popular for magazines to feature program listings -- mostly games -- that you could type in, which would usually take hours and involve finding and fixing many errors due to misreading or mistyping.

Here in Australia, Commodore was one of the most popular brands, particularly the C64 and then later in the 1980s, the Amiga.

Olivetti D2200 Electronic Notebook

2026-01-24T12:00:00+10:00

The Olivetti D2200 is a small personal organiser/PDA from around 1991.

It has two menus to access the organiser and calculator features, and a third menu for settings.

Data:

• Telephone Mode
• Business Card
• Memo Mode
• Schedule Mode
• Calendar
• Home Time
• World Time
• Anniversary Date

Calc:

• Calculator
• Replay Calculator
• Checkbook Record
• Project Planner
• Metric Conversion
• Currency Exchanger
• Size Conversion
• Expense Report

Func:

• Secret Code Set
• Communication
• User Dictionary
• Memory Collection
• Memory Check
• Key Tone
• Auto Power Off Period
• Auto Demo

The D2200 is powered by two AAA batteries and has a CR2016 3V battery for backup during battery changes. The dimensions are 15.5 cm wide, 8.5 cm deep, and 2 cm high (approximately).

How I used to create complex forms in dBase IV

2026-01-18T12:00:00+10:00

dBASE has methods to easily create data-entry forms but often I would want something more advanced. For example, I might want to allow the user to select a value for a field from a list of search for a value in a popup, or I might want to load data when a field is filled based on the data entered, or I might want the user to be able to press a function key to view some related information such as customer history.

Although some of this is possible using regular dBASE forms, I came up with my own way of creating forms where each field was handled individually.

This allowed me to display information only pertinent to the current field, such as press F1 to look up a value.

It also allowed me to do an action when a field was entered such as show a popup where the user could search or select for a value.

It also allowed me to skip fields that weren't needed based on the value of another field.

To accomplish this, I first need to initialise some settings for the Escape and F10 keys, and then define memory variables to store the forms values temporarily until save.

SET FUNCTION F10 TO CHR(28)
SET ESCAPE ON

tmp_acc = SPACE(6)
tmp_name = SPACE(30)
tmp_add = SPACE(30)
tmp_city = SPACE(30)
tmp_state = SPACE(3)
tmp_pcode = SPACE(5)

I also need some memory variables to store the state of the form and the current field.

tmp_dirty = .F.
frm_field = 1

We need some procedures to get and say field values. I originally used the same procedure for this and then followed it with either READ or CLEAR GETS depending on whether entering or displaying the form value, but having two procedures adds the option to do different things depending on whether getting or saying, such as showing something when in get mode and then clearing it when finished editing.

PROCEDURE get_field
PARAMETERS fieldno
    DO CASE
        CASE fieldno = 1
            @ 3, 15 GET tmp_acc PICTURE "XXXXXX"
            @ 24, 0 SAY "Lookup"
        CASE fieldno = 2
            @ 4, 15 GET tmp_name PICTURE "XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX"
        CASE fieldno = 3
            @ 5, 15 GET tmp_add PICTURE "XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX"
        CASE fieldno = 4
            @ 6, 15 GET tmp_city PICTURE "XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX"
        CASE fieldno = 5
            @ 7, 15 GET tmp_state PICTURE "XXX"
        CASE fieldno = 6
            @ 8, 15 GET tmp_pcode PICTURE "XXXXX"
    ENDCASE
RETURN

PROCEDURE say_field
PARAMETERS fieldno
    DO CASE
        CASE fieldno = 1
            @ 3, 15 SAY tmp_acc PICTURE "XXXXXX"
            @ 24, 0 SAY "      "
        CASE fieldno = 2
            @ 4, 15 SAY tmp_name PICTURE "XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX"
        CASE fieldno = 3
            @ 5, 15 SAY tmp_add PICTURE "XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX"
        CASE fieldno = 4
            @ 6, 15 SAY tmp_city PICTURE "XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX"
        CASE fieldno = 5
            @ 7, 15 SAY tmp_state PICTURE "XXX"
        CASE fieldno = 6
            @ 8, 15 SAY tmp_pcode PICTURE "XXXXX"
    ENDCASE
RETURN

Next step is to display the form and the current values. In this example I call the say procedure for each field, but it would make more sense to do this in a loop if you had more fields than this.

@ 0, 0 CLEAR TO 24, 79
@ 0, 35 SAY "Sample Form"

@ 3, 0 SAY "Account:"
DO say_field WITH 1
@ 4, 0 SAY "Name:"
DO say_field WITH 2
@ 5, 0 SAY "Address:"
DO say_field WITH 3
@ 6, 0 SAY "City:"
DO say_field WITH 4
@ 7, 0 SAY "State:"
DO say_field WITH 5
@ 8, 0 SAY "Postcode:"
DO say_field WITH 6

@ 23, 0 SAY "F1      F2      F3      F4      F5      F6      F7      F8      F9      F10    "
@ 24, 72 SAY "Save"

Now we need the program loop.

DO WHILE frm_field # 0

    *** Pre- field, used to skip conditional fields
    DO CASE
        *CASE frm_field = 

    ENDCASE

    *** Get field
    DO get_field WITH frm_field

    *** Read the field
    READ
    frm_rkey = IIF(READKEY() > 256, READKEY() - 256, READKEY())
    frm_fdirty = READKEY() >= 256
    tmp_dirty = IIF(frm_fdirty, .T., tmp_dirty)

    *** Show the field
    DO say_field WITH frm_field

    frm_lfield = frm_field  && Remember the field just read

    *** Handle key used to exit read mode
    DO CASE
        CASE frm_rkey = 6  && Page up
        CASE frm_rkey = 7  && Page down
        CASE frm_rkey = 14  && Ctrl+end
            *** Go to end of form
            frm_field = 6
        CASE frm_rkey = 33  && Ctrl_home
            *** Go to start of form
            frm_field = 1
        CASE frm_rkey = 12  && Escape
            *** Handle exit without save
            IF tmp_dirty = .F.
                *** Exit form, no save
                RETURN
            ENDIF
            *** Ask the user first
            @ 16, 0 SAY "Are you sure (Y/N)?"
            lkey = 0
            DO WHILE UPPER(CHR(lkey)) # "Y" .AND. UPPER(CHR(lkey)) # "N" .AND. lkey # 27
                lkey = INKEY()
            ENDDO
            IF UPPER(CHR(lkey)) = "Y"
                RETURN
            ENDIF
            @ 16, 0 CLEAR TO 16, 79
        CASE frm_rkey = 36 .AND. LASTKEY() = -9  && F10 key
            *** Exit loop to save
            frm_field = 0
        CASE frm_field = 1 .AND. frm_rkey = 36 .AND. LASTKEY() = 28  && F1 key on account field
            *** TODO: Show a list
            acc_val = acc_select()
            DO CASE
                CASE acc_val = 1
                    tmp_acc = "CS    "
                    frm_fdirty = .T.
                CASE acc_val = 2
                    tmp_acc = "SMITH "
                    frm_fdirty = .T.
            ENDCASE
        CASE frm_rkey = 4  && Cursor up / previous field
            IF frm_field > 1
                frm_field = frm_field - 1
            ELSE
                @ 0, 0 SAY CHR(7)
            ENDIF
        CASE frm_rkey = 5 .OR. frm_rkey = 15 .OR. frm_rkey = 16  && Cursor down / enter / next field
            IF frm_field < 6
                frm_field = frm_field + 1
            ELSE
                @ 0, 0 SAY CHR(7)
            ENDIF
        OTHERWISE
            *** Unsupported exit key
            @ 0, 0 SAY CHR(7)
    ENDCASE

    *** Handle post-entry of specific fields
    DO CASE
        CASE frm_lfield = 1 .AND. frm_fdirty = .T.
            *** Account field changed
            DO CASE
                CASE tmp_acc = "CS"
                    tmp_name = "CASH SALES                    "
                    tmp_add = SPACE(30)
                    tmp_city = SPACE(30)
                    tmp_state = SPACE(3)
                    tmp_pcode = SPACE(5)
                CASE tmp_acc = "SMITH"
                    tmp_name = "JOHN SMITH                    "
                    tmp_add = "1 SMITH STREET                "
                    tmp_city = "SPRINGWOOD                     "
                    tmp_state = "NSW"
                    tmp_pcode = "2056 "
                OTHERWISE
                    tmp_acc = SPACE(6)
                    tmp_name = SPACE(30)
                    tmp_add = SPACE(30)
                    tmp_city = SPACE(30)
                    tmp_state = SPACE(3)
                    tmp_pcode = SPACE(5)
            ENDCASE
            *** Redisplay customer information
            DO say_field WITH 1
            DO say_field WITH 2
            DO say_field WITH 3
            DO say_field WITH 4
            DO say_field WITH 5
            DO say_field WITH 6
            DO say_field WITH 7
    ENDCASE
ENDDO

*** If execution gets to here then the user pressed save
RETURN

This first thing in the loop is an optional DO CASE that is useful for skipping conditional fields.

Next we call the get function and wait for user input and then store the key used to exit, and track whether there was a change to the value.

We then call the say function and store the current field as it may change, but we may need to reset, such as if an invalid value was entered.

Next we have a DO CASE to handle key presses. We need to handle moving forward and backward, as well as escape to exit the form, and in this case F10 to save the form. We also need to handle function key presses in specific fields.

Finally we have a DO CASE to handle form input. In this example we look up a customer based on an account number entered. Obviously in an actual application this wouldn't just be hard-coded like in the example, but look up the customer in a database table.

After the main loop, if the loop was EXITed then this means the user pressed save, so we take care of saving the memory variables to the database.

For my example I also need a function to select a customer. Again, this is just a simple example and would normally get data from the database.

FUNCTION acc_select
    acc_bar = 0
    DEFINE POPUP acc_popup FROM 4, 15 to 8, 35
    DEFINE BAR 1 OF acc_popup PROMPT "CS    "
    DEFINE BAR 2 OF acc_popup PROMPT "SMITH "
    ON SELECTION POPUP acc_popup DO acc_sel
    ACTIVATE POPUP acc_popup
    acc_bar = BAR()
    DEACTIVATE POPUP
    RELEASE POPUP acc_popup
RETURN acc_bar

PROCEDURE acc_sel
    DEACTIVATE POPUP
RETURN

Much of this also works with earlier versions of dBASE, except I couldn't find a way to use any of the function keys except F1.

The forms I created back in the 1990s were quite a bit more complex that this example but used the same techniques. I also created some more complex forms like an invoice form which included a paginated list of invoice items. I will cover these type of forms in a later post.

I originally came up with this type of form on my own back in the early 1990s, but I've recently came across a book on the Internet Archive that uses a similar technique, except the form definition is stored in a database. The book is dBASE IV Power Tools by Malcolm C. Rubel, from 1989.

Another pointless project - this time for MS-DOS - and how good is Claude?

2025-12-21T12:00:00+10:00

I've been looking at old MS-DOS applications and started thinking about what would have been a useful application for MS-DOS, with all the knowledge we have now.

The only thing I could think of was how MS-DOS could have been made easier to select files and folders and launch applications.

I know there were plenty of GUI and TUI applications that made it easy to manipulate files, but I think it might have been nice if the MS-DOS command line had autocomplete to help you out.

Instead of having to do lots of CD and DIR and having to know a file path and name before you could run a command, imagine being able to start typing COPY and then you would be presented with the first match in the current folder and then use the arrow up and down keys to select a file or folder.

Or how about being able to launch an executable or batch file just by typing the name, or having a list of file extensions and associated applications so you could open the file in the application by typing or selecting the filename.

Maybe there was something like this for MS-DOS that I never discovered, or maybe this exists now in Windows or Linux? Let me know because I don't know.

Anyway, I thought I might mock up a simple application to do this "for fun", and I looked at what language I could do this in without too much effort. QuickBasic 4.5? Doesn't seem to support getting a list of files very well (PDS 7.1 looks to do it, though). Turbo Pascal? Seemed to do what I needed but I'd never used Pascal before and probably not the most useful skill to learn in 2025. C? I've done plenty in C# but nothing in C for a couple of decades.

While I was asking AI for advice on which programming language to use, I thought maybe I should just get AI to do the whole job. Things have changed for me in 2025 and it's hard to put a few hours work into something when you can just instruct someone (oops, something) else to do it and then tell them what they got wrong.

I gave Gemini a go and it did pretty good for a proof-of-concept, but then I got greedy and wanted more, so I switched to Claude (Sonnet 4.5) and after some detailed instructions, and then many fixes and tweaks, I got a fully-functional system that seems almost production ready.

I am once again amazed at what AI can do. I didn't have high expectations as I thought developing for MS-DOS would not be possible (having once failed when I asked for some Commodore 64 BASIC work), but Claude once again proved itself as the best programming AI (to me, at least, and I also tried ChatGPT).

Claude called the application "Enhanced Command Prompt v1.0" but named the files "CMDPLUS", so I went with all of that.

After you start the application you are greeted with some introductory text and then what looks like a normal command prompt.

You type a character and autocomplete will kick in and suggest any matching known command. You can either keep typing, press up or down to cycle through any matches, or press tab to accept the current suggestion. The enter key will also accept any current suggestion and also execute the command.

Some commands accept a file path or file name as a parameter and if you start typing after the command name you will get autocomplete for paths and file names. Commands like copy will also take a second file.

Any parameters starting with a forward slash or hyphen will be treated as such. No autocomplete is available for these, although might be a nice feature.

I wasn't sure how best to distinguish between a command and starting an executable file or batch file so I went Linux-style so if you start typing with a path character like a drive specifier, back slash or a full stop or two followed by a back slash then you will be able to select a file to execute. If the file's extension is on the list of known extensions then the corresponding application will be started with the file path/name as the parameter.

Autocomplete can be cancelled by pressing the escape key, if needed.

Like DOSKEY MS-DOS 5+, a command history is available, so you can press cursor up and down to cycle through previous commands.

I was also thinking it might be handy to know the number of files affects when pattern matching characters are used when deleting, copying, etc, so Claude added a confirmation message when you use these commands and pattern matching characters with the number of files matched.

Most options are managed in a configuration file called "CMDPLUS.CFG", although it is optional.

One feature I thought would be very useful was the ability to record past screen pages so you could use page up and down to move around the last few pages. I didn't have much luck with this but will try again in a future post.

Download CMDPLUS.ZIP, a compressed file containing C++ source, executable and sample configuration file.

Update: So it turns out back as far as the 1990s there were applications that did all this and more. There are some good examples on this page. Even Windows command prompt has a form of autocomplete that I had never known about until now.

How to fix no live video or recording on RxDrone

2025-11-24T12:00:00+10:00

Most of the cheaper drones found on Aliexpress, eBay, Temu and similar sites are intended to be used with the Android app RxDrone where you can see the live video feed from the drone and record video to the phone.

We recently bought a drone and had great difficulty getting the live video preview and recording working. We could control the drone using the app, and take photos, but video was near impossible. Maybe one time out of 30 attempts we could see and record video, which was very frustrating.

While searching for a solution I came across a TikTok video which had the the solution to this problem, which is to install an older version of RxDrone.

To do this you need to open the website apkpure.com in the browser on the phone.

Then search for the app "RxDrone". There are a couple of results and I chose the second one because that's what the guy on TikTok did.

Then scroll down to "Old Versions of RxDrone" and then press "All Versions" because the version we are looking for won't be in the list yet.

A new list will appear and you will probably have to press "Show More" until you can see "RxDrone 1.4.6".

Press "Download" and then on the next page scroll down and don't choose "Fast Download", press on "Download APK".

You will get some sort of warning which you will need to continue past and then the download will commence.

Once downloaded attempt to open the file which will likely result in another warning with an option to change a setting to allow to install this untrusted app (because it was not downloaded through Google Play). Follow the instructions to allow the app to be installed.

Once installed you should now be able to see live video and record video.

S188 Drone Review

2025-11-18T12:00:00+10:00

Our S188 drone cost about A$85.22 from Aliexpress and was delivered to Australia in exactly two weeks. It arrived in a cardboard box with a carry case inside and included the drone, remote control, double charging cable (charges both drone and remote control at the same time) and manuals.

The drone itself is quite small and folds up to fit in the carry case.

The remote control includes an LCD screen which is very useful compared to cheaper drones. The remote control has a holder for a mobile phone with the RXDrone app installed to see a live video feed and can also be used to control the drone and access advanced features like following you, navigating to waypoints and stunts.

I had a lot of trouble getting the RX Drone app (Android) to show live video and record video. Turning airplane mode on seemed to help, but sometimes it took many attempts to get video. I think what helps is turning on airplane mode, enabling Wifi and connecting to the drone all before starting RXDrone. [FIXED BY INSTALLING RXDRONE 1.4.6 - SEE BELOW]

I also sometimes had trouble in calibrating the drone before it would take off. I don't have a solution for this other than just keep trying until calibration completes successfully.

Camera quality is quite poor. It was advertised as 8K triple cameras but has one camera and the resolution is 1920x1080. Still photos save at 16MP and 5333x3000 resolution but are not good quality and nowhere near as good as they sound. There is no gimbal so the picture moves around wildly as the drone manoeuvres.

There are also lots of gaps in videos, possibly due to constant Wifi disconnections and reconnections.

You can rotate the camera vertically from the remote, so you can view anywhere from straight up to straight down.

It does fly quite well and respond to commands well. However, at times it can be confusing to control and this may be either inexperience or headless mode, where the controls vary depending on whether the drone is facing the controller or away from it.

It hovers well but does move around a bit in all directions. We have tried it in winds up to 15km/h and it copes well but does need corrections.

It is very slow to descend and land. You pull down on the joystick and it takes forever to come down, and the longer it takes the more corrections you need to do to avoid obstacles.

We are yet to try out some features like return to home, mostly because of bad experiences with a prior drone which would return to a random location far from the take off location.

The battery has lasted a little over ten minutes before giving a low battery warning where it still shows 50% remaining. If you are courageous you may be able to get close to twenty minutes flight time, although fifteen minutes would be a more realistic and safe maximum.

Most S188 sellers only offer one battery and buying a second battery adds to the cost considerably. There are other models that come with two or three batteries that might be a better option if you don't want to have to wait 90 minutes between flights for charging.

Although it is little hard to recommend the S188 drone, it is priced half way between the really cheap drones (A$30) and better drones ($200+) and it is a reasonable choice if you don't want to spend $200 or more.

Our previous drone was an S135 which did not have any issues with recording or Wifi dropouts, and had a much higher quality camera and a gimbal. Although it did sometimes have a mind of its own and took off in the wrong direction on a couple of occasions when returning to home. Unfortunately this drone crashed multiple times and was destroyed beyond repair within two days.

UPDATE: We had a lot of problems getting the live video preview and video recording working. I found this TikTok video where somebody explains how to revert to an older version of RXDrone, v1.4.6, and this solved the problem. Or see my instructions.

We have also now tested a few of the GPS features. Return to home is very useful and reasonably accurate. We have had it return to within a metre of the take-off location, but we've also had it attempt to land more than five metres away -- where there was a building -- and have had to take over and land ourselves.

We have tried to fly long distance over bushland where we have line of sight to the drone. We have flown somewhere around 400 metres. You can't even see or hear the drone at that distance but it still sends back live video, although it does break up at times. On one flight we used the return to home function which worked well. It's a great feeling when you can finally here the drone and then see it returning. On another flight the controller and phone disconnected at around 400 metres and we almost gave up hope on seeing the drone again, but fortunately it has a feature where it will return to home if disconnected for six seconds, and it was a big relief when it not only came into view but landed one metre away from where it took off.

Here is a single video frame from one of those longer flights, looking home from about 400 metres away:

How to find a Facebook Marketplace listing date

2025-10-25T12:00:00+10:00

Every now and then I come across a Facebook Marketplace listing where the listing date is not shown on both the desktop website and Android app. There is no "Listed 8 hours ago" type message on the listing page like there usual is, or in search results.

The only way I found to find the listing date is to login to the mobile version of the Facebook website either by opening it on a phone or simulating access as a mobile device on a desktop browser.

To do this on a desktop, open the Facebook listing page in your browser. These instructions work for Chrome or Edge. Here's the original page, with just a "Listed in..." location message.

Press F12 to open developer tools and then press the button to toggle the device toolbar on.

You can then choose a device such as "iPhone 12 Pro" from the list in the toolbar.

Then reload or refresh the page. Finally you can see the approximate listing date.