Joined in 2023 
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63 About this deal
While I have yet to run out of fresh patterns for the Drift to make, there isn’t an infinite amount. I currently count 51 designs available. I think that number is perfectly fine. It would be nice if more were made available in the app in the future, and the company says additional will come, but even if that never happens I think people will be satisfied by the amount of variation currently available. Drift is a very interesting product. I got the larger 21” version, and it’s bigger than I expected, I’ve placed it on top of my wife’s baby grand piano, where due to it’s 6” height, it might be a little too high for those that are altitude challenged to see. I might need to find a shorter table so that it’s easier to observe. The whole point of drift is to provide relaxation. It was very easy to set up, pour the 2 bags of fine white sand into the round “sand field” which has a bit of texture to it. The unit comes with a card which has “teeth” in it to smooth the sand out. You don’t need to be very accurate, as once you run it for a few hours, the sand will find its own level. You then drop the ball bearing onto the sand and put the glass cover on top on (I suggested to my wife we leave the cover off and see what the cat does, she did not think that it was funny as this is pretty expensive to let the cat at it, for whatever purpose). There is a single power adapter that gets connected to it and there are two buttons on it that may never get used once you install the app. An on/off button and a switch which manually causes the color to change/turn off. For the generating and feeding the designs to the Sand Table to draw them, I started out by making my own "movement plans" by hand. I used some movement plans that were generated by Tom Dilatush in his GitHub project JSysiphus. The Sand Table uses (theta, rho) coordinates for movement, so I converted .thr files to .txt and placed all of the files in the "pending" folder of the repository, so that python can easily read them. The "read_files.py" program then converts the coordinates to simple number of steps and speed commands for the stepper motors to perform. I would have liked a little adjustable height stand to come with it making it even more usable as a piece of furniture. It took roughly 5 minutes to set up the table. I added the sand, used the rake to level it, dropped the ball into the center, and powered it up. It immediately began a "cleaning" cycle, meaning it produced what appeared to be a coil, the purpose of which is apparently to further spread and level the sand. Then it began creating designs.
I put Drift next to a record player, and it paired nicely with this old way of listening to music. At first, I set Drift's light to pulse and change colors every 60 seconds. The novelty of that lighting combination wore off fast, but I did find that changing the lighting color and hue does have a real effect on how the patterns look and the feelings they produce. After some time, I found myself gravitating toward a warm light hue for most uses. I covered the seems of the outside wall by gluing a thin wood sheet, but this can also be done with wood filler and sanding. I put Drift next to a record player, and it paired nicely with this old way of listening to music. At first, I set Drift’s light to pulse and change colors every 60 seconds. The novelty of that lighting combination wore off fast, but I did find that changing the lighting color and hue does have a real effect on how the patterns look and the feelings they produce. After some time, I found myself gravitating toward a warm light hue for most uses. The 21” Homedics Drift Meditation Sand Table is such a calming, aesthetically appealing feature to add to the home or office. This is honestly one of my favorite decor pieces based on ambience. I obtained this sand table for my home and I will soon have my own office which I plan to get one for there also! The 21” sand table is adequate size, appearing larger than I had expected. Fills out a normal size coffee table well. Uses innovative technology to add the perfect touch to a room. The cream color is a subtle off-white.At first I put the Drift table onto a large wooden bowl, on the floor of my living room. The bowl raised it up from the floor and acted as a pedestal. It actually looked really cute and makes me think HoMedics should sell a few different types of stands for this, for those who want that option. After a couple weeks, and a few dog toy drops onto the surface of the table, I decided to move it onto my curved Umage cabinet where the round Drift table fits nicely onto the surface of the cabinet. It almost looks like they were made for each other. Plus it adds just the right amount of adjustable lighting to that corner of the room. I love it! I was first exposed to the idea of a kinetic sand table through a "Dope Tech" video from YouTuber MKBHD. He had a large and very expensive version. The HoMedics Drift is a smaller and more affordable option that may be able to find a place in the living room, bedroom or small business. TL;DR Setting up the HoMedics Kinetic Sandscape Table was, as I mentioned, really easy. It’s less than a five minute setup from opening the box. You just need to set your product on a flat surface, pour in the included bag(s) of sand, and rake the sand so that it’s approximately even before your first use. Make sure you only use the included sand; the Drift isn’t designed to handle other textures, and pouring something that’s too rough or too small could damage it. Once even, you place the Drift’s metal ball on the sand and replace the glass top.
To me, this speaks to how organic the Drift’s operation is. Fern loves watching the rain, and families walking down the sidewalk, and the way the grass blows in the wind—and she loves watching the Drift. Digital toys and TV shows have never held her attention, but with the Drift, she can’t look away. Its peaceful, repetitive patterns feel like watching the tide come into shore: even busy professionals and lazy cats, neither of whom could express if or why they like the Drift, are drawn to it. Side note - HoMedics customer service was great and jumped right in to help with the pairing; I’d just prefer better instructions than the ones provided. On one side of the 1/2" sheet, mill the same channels that were milled on the bottom surface (these channels are where the circular walls will be glued to).I've looked around a bit with no success, but I was wondering if I could import pictures into the app and have it render it into a drawable item. Doesn't seem like that functionality exists yet. Hoping for something like it in the future. There are hundreds of patterns available on the Drift. Some of them have messages like “#1 Dad” or “You are loved”, while others are symbolic of our favorite holidays with a Christmas Tree and a Thanksgiving turkey available. I really hope they expand upon these message and holiday type patterns which give it that extra personal touch. Another cool future feature would be the ability to create your own limited space, text only, message patterns, which is totally doable with some additional programming. Maybe we will see that in a future update or release. Once you’ve selected a pattern it begins to draw, between drawings, it may “clean” surface. And you can have it pause after each drawing is complete. They say it is soothing to watch the ball move silently across the table, but in all honesty, you can hear this thing “quietly” moving the ball from across the room. Maybe the white noise it makes is soothing, but you can hear it. Many of us have marveled at art installations that feature marbles quietly and ceaselessly tracing out beautiful patterns in sand. [DIY Machines] is here to show us that it’s entirely possible to build one yourself at home!
app controlled: Select from 100s of mesmerizing patterns and ambient light colors & customize your own; choose from a variety of immersive guided meditations; set speed, create custom playlists, and so much more I tend to like the look of the table without the interior lights on. Ultimately, you can control color and brightness very well using the app but I thought it looked more meditative in ambient light. Also: there were very tiny imperfections in the white coating on the glass cover for the unit - little pinholes that transmitted little distracting fragments of direct light from the box - and little distracting fragments of direct light aren't particularly meditative (see picture below). I bored a 1/2" hole in the center of the circle for the slip ring, and drilled 4 other holes for the screws that will secure the flange bearing to the base. Before securing the flange, you need to insert the slip ring in the 1/2" hole and secure it with wood screws so that the flange and the free-spinning node is facing upwards. The app makes it easy to change the lights, set color changing effects or play a new pattern. There are many patterns to choose from, and I'm hoping they continue to release more. Choose a diameter size on the jig for the outer edge of the table surface and cut out a circle from each 1/8" sheet with the router power tool.I thought when I received the Drift, that it was a bit of a shame that we were losing the art of sand raking to an app. However, with my impatient temper and unsteady hands, I saw immediately just how much sense the Drift makes. This beautifully assembled product lets you watch mesmerizing designs come to life before your eyes. Each movement is slow and soothing, and the soft, mechanical whirr of the kinetic components draws you in and settles your chest. But the movement and patterns created here are insane and are very engaging. Initially, I thought the patterns would just be created as valleys from the movement of the ball - so much more fascinating that the really intricate patterns are formed by how the ball actually shifts tiny walls of sand into place. The table has LED mood-lights that can be controlled in the app. The marble speed can also be controlled in the app also. Playlists can have up to 20 designs with them that will cycle as the day progresses. I enjoyed going downstairs and seeing a new design in process. The preset designs have an impressive amount of variety and appeal to everyone. You can get creative if you’d like for design, but the pre-sets allow for this to not be a necessity. The HoMedics Drift Sandscape Kinetic Sand Table is a hypnotizing way to bring more mindfulness into your everyday life. With dozens of intricate patterns to choose from and lighting that seems to pulsate and breathe, it’s easy to find yourself staring contentedly at the Drift, letting your mind wander as it sorts through your thoughts.
One extra neat feature I should mention is that you have the ability to schedule designs so that it begins when you wake up or come home from a stressful day of work. The table is activated and programed through Bluetooth only so keep in mind that you have to be near the table to turn it on, select designs, and manipulate speed and color.
feel your stress lift as you drift
compact calm: The same unbeatable drift tranquility, now perfect for smaller spaces; compact 11” diameter means you can enjoy premium calm, even when space is at a premium; adds zen to your desk, console, or side table without taking over Larger screws and nuts for securing the flange bearing to the base (I found these at my local hardware store) NOTE: Homedics is not responsible for any radio or TV interference caused by unauthorized modifications to this equipment. Such modifications could void the user authority to operate the equipment. mindfulness made easy: a metal ball rolls silently through sand, carving beautiful patterns and creating mindful moments in your day; 16” or 21” diameter fit on desktops, consoles, and side tables
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