Have you ever bought a piece of technology because you had an accessory for it?

FAST6191 · Oct 9, 2022

Buying an accessory for a device is nothing new, buying a device because you have an accessory could be said to be putting the cart before the horse.

So I might be in the market for a new (to me) laptop in the near future. Looking at my technology pile earlier I saw a docking station and that might well influence what I get.

A friend once bought a (quite nice) bit of hifi equipment because he had a tape player from it.

I have bought books later in a set hoping I find the earlier ones before (took a couple of years in some cases for them to randomly appear but did get there in the end) but that is probably a different discussion.

I will tolerate a very limited "I bought it because I had the battery" thing as it pertains to tools, though if you reckon it is an interesting story then by all means share. Happy enough to hear how your old phone accessory that could have been replaced for peanuts saw you buy the same model for a lot more than one you would have otherwise liked.

tech3475 · Oct 9, 2022

Kind of, I tend to keep old computer parts which has influenced various things.

For example, when building my 'retro rig', I made sure to buy a mobo with quite a few PCI ports because I had things like a sound card, Ethernet NIC and USB 2.0 card lying around.

I would have likely also gone for Socket 7 over Slot 1 if I was able to find my old K6-2.

I'm also currently making my own 5.25" ODD enclosure to replace my faulty ones in part because I had some parts lying around e.g. HTPC PSU.

UnderJinx · Oct 9, 2022

Long time ago i bought a Vhs player for my tv

Veho · Oct 12, 2022

I thought this was going to be some "I found/got/stumbled upon an obscure accessory so I bought the entire device that it was for on impulse". You know how those things go, you find a bit of kit, research it a bit to see what it's for, get swept up in the newfound interest, buy the whole caboodle, sort of thing. I'm not saying it happened to me

It's something that might happen, dunno. Maybe.

If you're in the market for a certain thing, of course the equipment you already have will inform your choice. This is why manufacturers push proprietary formats and interfaces and try to create an "ecosystem" of devices, accessories, apps and online services, to lock you into their cycle.

Power tools are a good example, with the proprietary battery slots and chargers. Getting the same manufacturer lets you swap batteries across your tools while others are charging, and sometimes you can get a new tool cheaper sans battery, because you can use the ones you already have.

Photo cameras are another example where people might have thousands of dollars in accessories, so when it comes to upgrading they tend to go for the same brand even if it's not 100% the best choice out there.

There are ways around this and some great stuff has been done with adapters but for most people, once you're in the ecosystem you're hooked.

slaphappygamer · Oct 28, 2022

Along the lines of batteries, I've got 2 12 volt lifepo4 batteries. They seem to be 50-80 ah, judging from the size and weight. I'm keeping my eyes open for a scooter that is in need of repair. It'd be a fun project and the batteries are the most expensive piece of it. I already have one scooter and am familiar with how they work. 12v batteries are used in many types of scooters. I'll keep my eyes open!

mrgone · Nov 5, 2022

i did the opposite thing:
i bought a tape deck from the same manufacturer as my amplifier, so the remote worked with the tape deck.

it's like using everything from google: you get some synergy with it

tech3475 said:
For example, when building my 'retro rig', I made sure to buy a mobo with quite a few PCI ports because I had things like a sound card

retro and pci soundcard sounds wrong
but hey, maybe your retro is windows
and pci soundcards worked great in windows
but not under dos

tech3475 · Nov 5, 2022

mrgone said:
retro and pci soundcard sounds wrong
but hey, maybe your retro is windows
and pci soundcards worked great in windows
but not under dos

W98SE is the main OS, DOS being more for the LOLs/compatibility. The PCI card seems fine, using a TSR program to emulate older cards, although I had to find an obscure post to find out how to get it to work with DOOM under DOS.

In time I'd like to get a 'good' ISA sound card, but I couldn't find one I liked/within budget.

SylverReZ · Dec 3, 2022

I don't think anybody has heard about these (not sure), but I remember picking up something what is known as "U.B. Funkeys". They're those Amiibo-type figurines styled like futuristic alien creatures, where you would place them onto a dock and interact with them through this open-world game and participate into minigames. You earn points for doing various tasks also and you can spend them on items and miscellaneous goods to decorate your own room.

sombrerosonic · Dec 20, 2022

I bought the whole ass menacer setup for the Genesis because i had the receiver for i1

WD40 · Feb 6, 2023

This may sound weird, but I had a DSi at the time of finding the Guitar Hero Grip for the OGDS/DSlite. When I bought that, it took me a couple years to find the OGDS just so I could try it out... so now I have 2 different models of DS, and many more peripherals have followed for other consoles since.

mrdude · Feb 6, 2023

I bought some condoms because I had a guaranteed "good time" with a local succubus when I was young whipper snapper, does that count? I also bought the wife a new vaccum cleaner the other week.

The Catboy · Feb 6, 2023

My Oneplus 8T that I bought off @CrimsonMaple. It's not that I have an accessory for the phone, it's that I have a controller mount that I wanted to use on a phone dedicated to gaming. So I bought her old phone for that purpose and to use that mount.

Marc_LFD · Feb 6, 2023

I got a "free" Samsung phone as part of an offer and because of it I ordered a tempered glass scene protector and a case for it which arrived earlier than the phone did. It's pretty good although by 2024/25 I'll be looking into installing Graphene OS so I can use it safely.

slaphappygamer · Feb 7, 2023

The Catboy said:
My Oneplus 8T that I bought off @CrimsonMaple. It's not that I have an accessory for the phone, it's that I have a controller mount that I wanted to use on a phone dedicated to gaming. So I bought her old phone for that purpose and to use that mount.

LMAO!! I was looking at the same thing! I have a phone mount for a PS3 controller (I’ve never owned a PS3). I was thinking the same thing.

SylverReZ · Feb 7, 2023

mrdude said:
I bought some condoms because I had a guaranteed "good time" with a local succubus when I was young whipper snapper, does that count? I also bought the wife a new vaccum cleaner the other week.

Vaccum cleaner, condoms, sounds a little suspicious.

mrdude · Feb 7, 2023

M4x1mumReZ said:
Vaccum cleaner, condoms, sounds a little suspicious.

Only if used in the same sentence.

zxr750j · Feb 7, 2023

I'd like to buy a flir camera, but I don't want to spend a lot of money. so I'm thinking of buying a flir camera which attaches to a phone. But I don't want to use my own (work) Iphone. So I might buy a android phone just for this accessory...

SylverReZ · Feb 7, 2023

zxr750j said:
I'd like to buy a flir camera, but I don't want to spend a lot of money. so I'm thinking of buying a flir camera which attaches to a phone. But I don't want to use my own (work) Iphone. So I might buy a android phone just for this accessory...

Oh, so is it like one of those thermal nightvision like cameras?

zxr750j · Feb 7, 2023

M4x1mumReZ said:
Oh, so is it like one of those thermal nightvision like cameras?

Not really, those are mostly greyscale. I want to see temperature differences

To check for heating leaks, or overheating smd's etc.

SylverReZ · Feb 7, 2023

zxr750j said:
Not really, those are mostly greyscale. I want to see temperature differencesView attachment 351811
To check for heating leaks, or overheating smd's etc.

No, that's what I mean by the picture.

Have you ever bought a piece of technology because you had an accessory for it?

Techromancer

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The man who cried "Ni".

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Dat one with the Rez

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Dat one with the Rez

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