How you disconnect and reconnect car battery terminals?

Have you ever bother about the right sequence to disconnect and reconnect the battery in your car? We need to do this when changing battery, installing gadgets such as voltage stabilizer, grounding cables, etc.

The right sequence to disconnect the cable from the battery terminals is:
1. Disconnect the -ve terminal first
2. Disconnect the +ve terminal then

To reconnect the cable to the battery terminals:
3. Reconnect the +ve terminal first
4. Reconnect the -ve terminal last

If it is done in wrong sequence, there is a chance of short circuit when the disconnected terminal accidentally touches the metal part of the car body, and there is possibility that sensitive electronic equipments in the car could be damaged.

There exist something called a "memory keeper" to be plugged into lighter socket, which will help you to keep the setting of radio, clock, etc. for a short period of time, while the battery is temporary disconnected.

Check the total running hours of your Samsung LCD or Plasma TV

I learnt about this tips from a member in AOCM forum to check for the total running hours of Samsung LCD or Plasma TV. It is reported that this method tested and works for several models of the Samsung TV, and it works for my 32" LCD TV too.

Here are the steps:

1. Switch on the power to the TV and let it be in the standby mode. Do not turn on the TV.

2. Pick up the remote control, and quickly press the following buttons in sequence:

Info -> Menu -> Mute -> Power.

3. You must be fast enough to press the magic sequence to enter the technical calibration menu screen, or else you will just end up switching on to the normal TV channel.

4. Once you reach the screen of technical calibration main menu, you will be able to see the running hours shown at the top left corner of the screen.

5. Press the Power button to exit the technical calibration screen and put the TV back to standby mode. Do not make any change to the technical setting of your TV unless you know exactly what you are doing.

This is useful if a new Samsung TV is just delivered to your home, and you need to ensure that you are not getting a display unit or 2nd hand unit which has run for many hours.

Beware of late payment to your home loan

I realize from a forum discussion that a lot of people are unaware about the consequence of missing out any single payment to their home loan can result in substancial monetary lost.

Take out the offer letter or loan agreement of your home loan, and check out the section regarding Default Interest Rate or Late Payment. It is clearly stated that in any case you fail to pay any due outstanding amount to the bank on time, the bank is entitled to charge you the "default interest rate" instead of your usual interest rate. For some banks, this change in interest rate could be permanent for all the subsequence months of your whole loan tenure period thereafter.

The so called "default interest rate" is easily a few percent above the BLR rate, and could easily makes up more than 5% difference from the interest rate that the bank used to charge you. This can end up with five to six figure of additional money payable to the bank.

Therefore, never let yourself get penalized for late payment to your home loan. This is also one of the reason why I prefer flexible home loan, whereby I can always keep some excess payment in my account which can also helps to reduce interest charges, at the same time ensure that I could always have a peace of mind that upcoming payment won't be missed as it is backup by my excess payment already sitting in the account.