"There is geometry in the humming of the strings, there is music in the spacing of the spheres." Pythagoras
Well Pythagoras, at least you never had to deal with the humming of the speakers...
Roughly three or four years ago I purchased what I believed to be an awesome 5.1 surround sound speaker set - Philips SPA 2600/00 - in reality, nothing special. I love it all the same.
The first thing I didn't like was how long it took the sub woofer to warm up and kick in (10 - 15 mins). I guess this is normal. I figured to remedy that, I'd keep it switched on 100% of the time. Problem solved!
The second thing I didn't like was how the sub and satellites started to make a humming noise from time to time, but when I tapped the side of the sub unit, it went away... for a while.
After three years of this, I finally cracked tonight, and opened the sub unit up to see what could be done. My first instinct was to look for bulging or leaking capacitors, of which there were none. Mind you, what would I have done with them if I had found any? I don't think I could have been bothered getting the soldering iron out.
My second instinct was... well.. I didn't have one, because let's face it - I didn't know what I was doing. It's all transistors here and resistors there, capacitors this and conductors that...
Then, a stroke of pure luck. As I cast my eyes across the lower circuit board, I spotted a bit of wire which seemed to be protruding a bit too far out from the connector. I pushed the wire in to make a better connection, and the humming stopped!
I can only assume that this was some kind of earth wire, because I know that humming can be caused by a lack of an earth connection.
So there you are, a very strange ongoing problem easily solved. Though I am left kicking myself that I didn't think of trying this sooner...
Saturday 17 March 2012
Tuesday 19 July 2011
Acer A500 - Why No Update?!
So, after saying to myself for a while that I'd never buy a tablet, a friend of mine in work got the Samsung Galaxy Tab v2 from America, and then I decided to buy... a tablet. (Yes, I know - what am I like).
I opted for the Acer A500. While it's bigger and heavier, it packs a lot in connectivity wise. Sported on one side is a full size USB port and a micro USB slot. On the other, a micro HDMI, and a 3.5mm audio port. Nice. The cameras are OK in good light, but not so hot in darker environments.
Anyway, back to the main story.
Acer released the Honeycomb 3.1 update on June 5th 2011. It is now Tuesday 19th June 2011, and no sign of an update for me.
I am usually a patient fellow but I grew weary of waiting.
Contacting Acer support, I got a quick reply, but was told I incorrectly contacted Acer US. Ok, my bad. I then contacted Acer UK and I am still waiting for a reply, 4 days later.
After a lot of internet scouring I found a very interesting article online. And here is said article:
http://www.crn.com/news/applications-os/231002032/acer-drops-the-ball-on-android-3-1-update.htm
I know now that I can only wait until they resolve the problem. I really hope that they sort out their servers (or server, as it would seem...hmmmm) for the next update to 3.2
Digiman out.
I opted for the Acer A500. While it's bigger and heavier, it packs a lot in connectivity wise. Sported on one side is a full size USB port and a micro USB slot. On the other, a micro HDMI, and a 3.5mm audio port. Nice. The cameras are OK in good light, but not so hot in darker environments.
Anyway, back to the main story.
Acer released the Honeycomb 3.1 update on June 5th 2011. It is now Tuesday 19th June 2011, and no sign of an update for me.
I am usually a patient fellow but I grew weary of waiting.
Contacting Acer support, I got a quick reply, but was told I incorrectly contacted Acer US. Ok, my bad. I then contacted Acer UK and I am still waiting for a reply, 4 days later.
After a lot of internet scouring I found a very interesting article online. And here is said article:
http://www.crn.com/news/applications-os/231002032/acer-drops-the-ball-on-android-3-1-update.htm
I know now that I can only wait until they resolve the problem. I really hope that they sort out their servers (or server, as it would seem...hmmmm) for the next update to 3.2
Digiman out.
Tuesday 28 December 2010
Gigabit Giggity Goo
I used to think my home Megabit ethernet was fine. I was able to send files from computer to computer ranging anywhere from 4 to 11 Megabits per second. That is, until I started a new IT job a few months back. I saw the difference. I liked it.
You have to be pretty serious about networking before even thinking about Gigabit in the home. Gigabit offers up to 1000Mbps bandwidth. Here are a few numbers to put things in perspective:
Wired Megabit (eg connecting a desktop to a router): 100Mbps
Wireless G (eg older laptop to a wireless router): 54Mbps
Wireless N (eg newer laptop to a wireless router): 300Mbps
DSL Broadband: Up to* 24Mbps
Fibre Optic: Up to 50Mbps
*Up to: most home users are only able to get up to 8Mbps (if that) on DSL thanks to BT's old copper cabling...
Also, note that these figures are all theoretical. I've yet to see a Wireless N device communicate at 300Mbps (37.5 Megabytes per second).
Looking at these figures, Megabit seems perfectly fine - internet speeds are far less, so Megabit is unlikely to ever be a bottleneck in the home... or is it?
If you're like me, and you have a lot of network devices, you've probably seen a little bit of strain on the network. If you have a Network Attached Storage (NAS) device you use for backups, you'll especially know what I'm talking about.
Even though Megabit routers are much faster than the average internet connection, start passing a lot of internal data through it (think transferring data from one PC to another), and even small webpages will start to have loading problems.
The cure? A faster switch. Now, this isn't to say that a Gigabit (or faster) switch won't have the same problems - but it will deal with it a lot better.
---
I started by replacing the 4-port wireless Megabit modem/router (with multiple PCs connected to it) with a much simpler device - one DSL input, and one ethernet output.
I then connected this ethernet output into a 5-port Gigabit switch, which feeds the same multiple PCs as the old 4-port router did:
I then have a cable running up to my attic. I used to have a 16-port Megabit switch, but I replaced this with 2 Gigabit switches. I use the first one for high-priority devices (my PCs, NAS, Media Center PC etc), and then connected the other switch to it for use with print servers, non-priority PCs etc:
I have also connected a couple of Wireless-N routers (one is viewable, the other runs to another part of the house).
The final step is to then make sure that I've got my PCs equipped to make use of the Gigabit. In my new PCs, Gigabit comes as standard, but I had to purchase a couple of Gigabit cards for the older PCs in the house. Transfer Speeds went up from around 8Megabytes to around 100Megabytes per second (125MBps is the theoretical max).
To really finish it all off, I purchased a new NAS - a QNAP TS-210, with a 4TB capacity. I run 2 x 2TB drives in RAID1. No doubt there will be another post once I've become more familiar with it.
This lovely device is already set up to backup my entire family's documents/pictures/videos/outlook emails etc on a nightly basis (controlled client-side by QNAP's software).
Til next time.
Digiman Out.
You have to be pretty serious about networking before even thinking about Gigabit in the home. Gigabit offers up to 1000Mbps bandwidth. Here are a few numbers to put things in perspective:
Wired Megabit (eg connecting a desktop to a router): 100Mbps
Wireless G (eg older laptop to a wireless router): 54Mbps
Wireless N (eg newer laptop to a wireless router): 300Mbps
DSL Broadband: Up to* 24Mbps
Fibre Optic: Up to 50Mbps
*Up to: most home users are only able to get up to 8Mbps (if that) on DSL thanks to BT's old copper cabling...
Also, note that these figures are all theoretical. I've yet to see a Wireless N device communicate at 300Mbps (37.5 Megabytes per second).
Looking at these figures, Megabit seems perfectly fine - internet speeds are far less, so Megabit is unlikely to ever be a bottleneck in the home... or is it?
If you're like me, and you have a lot of network devices, you've probably seen a little bit of strain on the network. If you have a Network Attached Storage (NAS) device you use for backups, you'll especially know what I'm talking about.
Even though Megabit routers are much faster than the average internet connection, start passing a lot of internal data through it (think transferring data from one PC to another), and even small webpages will start to have loading problems.
The cure? A faster switch. Now, this isn't to say that a Gigabit (or faster) switch won't have the same problems - but it will deal with it a lot better.
---
I started by replacing the 4-port wireless Megabit modem/router (with multiple PCs connected to it) with a much simpler device - one DSL input, and one ethernet output.
I then connected this ethernet output into a 5-port Gigabit switch, which feeds the same multiple PCs as the old 4-port router did:
I then have a cable running up to my attic. I used to have a 16-port Megabit switch, but I replaced this with 2 Gigabit switches. I use the first one for high-priority devices (my PCs, NAS, Media Center PC etc), and then connected the other switch to it for use with print servers, non-priority PCs etc:
I have also connected a couple of Wireless-N routers (one is viewable, the other runs to another part of the house).
The final step is to then make sure that I've got my PCs equipped to make use of the Gigabit. In my new PCs, Gigabit comes as standard, but I had to purchase a couple of Gigabit cards for the older PCs in the house. Transfer Speeds went up from around 8Megabytes to around 100Megabytes per second (125MBps is the theoretical max).
To really finish it all off, I purchased a new NAS - a QNAP TS-210, with a 4TB capacity. I run 2 x 2TB drives in RAID1. No doubt there will be another post once I've become more familiar with it.
This lovely device is already set up to backup my entire family's documents/pictures/videos/outlook emails etc on a nightly basis (controlled client-side by QNAP's software).
Til next time.
Digiman Out.
Tuesday 20 July 2010
My Object of Desire
Apart from my wonderful and beautiful girlfriend (and I'm not just saying this because I have to), my new HTC is my object of Desire. I'm not going to talk about the specs because you can read them on any website reviewing it, but I want to say a few things about it.
After spending about half an hour setting up the phone and customising it (which is a fantastic feature in itself), I was ready to explore.
The things I like enough to write about
1) Typing correction: You don't have to hit every key exactly. In fact, you can type "kcxrkkrny" and it will still come up with the word "excellent". And that word describes this function.
2) Flash Support: I don't know what big Steve over at Apple has against Adobe, and why he chooses to deprive users of his gadgets of it. The Flash support on this phone is great.
3)Android Marketplace: This is my first Android, so I didn't know what to expect when it came to apps - I was pleasantly surprised! Apps I've downloaded include a Wifi Analyser, a 3G "watchdog", barcode scanners, myPlayer for BBC iPlayer, and Office applications, to name a few. Really, really handy stuff. It may not have as many apps as the Apple App Store, but it's enough to keep most people happy.
4) Facebook Integration: Once signed into Facebook, I am able to "link" facebook accounts to the names I already have on my phonebook. It automatically puts their display pic as caller ID, and imports their info such as birthday, emails, address, etc. Fantastic. I'm also able to see phone numbers for all my friends on FB who I don't have stored on my phone!
5) Emails: I know lots of phones have email support, but I just think they do it really well on this device. I've added three so far, all of which can be separately configured. My hotmail account gets loads per day, so I can set it to delete them automatically after 3 days. My other email account gets less, and emails are more important, so they stay on the phone for 7 days. My laptop at home then gets them permanently.
6) Wifi and 3G switching: I like Wifi as default, and it's even better that it's lighter on the battery than 3G is. Unlike my old Samsung Jet, which I had to switch to 3G manually (arg!), the Desire does it by itself.
7) Office Applications: It comes with QuickOffice, which allows you to view documents, spreadsheets, slideshows, and PDFs. Really, really handy for reading attachments that come through email. There is a paid for app, called Documents to Go, which allows you to create or edit things too - I'm seriously looking into getting that soon.
8) Speed: The processor is 1Ghz, and that's fast. The browser is fast too, because it's by Google. The OS is clean, and multitasking capable. There is lots of RAM too (576MB). This all combines to make a crazy fast and responsive phone.
9) Location for weather: You can manually set this too, but I think it's amazing. It gets your location using cell triangulation, and gives you the current temperature and weather for wherever you are. It also gives you a 4 day forcast.
The Things I Don't Like
1) Battery Life: When you first get the phone, you will be disappointed. It won't seem to last you through the day. But once you stop flicking through it every 2 minutes you'll start to find it will last you a lot longer. In fact, I very recently got 2 days out of it. However, I did buy a charging dock with a spare 1600 mAh battery, which helps if I'm going to be away from electricity for a while...
2) HTC have their own GUI, called Sense UI. Because of this, Desire users have to wait about 6 months after Google release updates for the Android OS as HTC need to run tests to make sure everything is compatible. You CAN "root" the phone and install the 2.2 and future updates yourself, but meh - I can wait!
If you're on the fence about whether to get a Desire or an iPhone - just follow your heart's Desire.
Digiman out
After spending about half an hour setting up the phone and customising it (which is a fantastic feature in itself), I was ready to explore.
The things I like enough to write about
1) Typing correction: You don't have to hit every key exactly. In fact, you can type "kcxrkkrny" and it will still come up with the word "excellent". And that word describes this function.
2) Flash Support: I don't know what big Steve over at Apple has against Adobe, and why he chooses to deprive users of his gadgets of it. The Flash support on this phone is great.
3)Android Marketplace: This is my first Android, so I didn't know what to expect when it came to apps - I was pleasantly surprised! Apps I've downloaded include a Wifi Analyser, a 3G "watchdog", barcode scanners, myPlayer for BBC iPlayer, and Office applications, to name a few. Really, really handy stuff. It may not have as many apps as the Apple App Store, but it's enough to keep most people happy.
4) Facebook Integration: Once signed into Facebook, I am able to "link" facebook accounts to the names I already have on my phonebook. It automatically puts their display pic as caller ID, and imports their info such as birthday, emails, address, etc. Fantastic. I'm also able to see phone numbers for all my friends on FB who I don't have stored on my phone!
5) Emails: I know lots of phones have email support, but I just think they do it really well on this device. I've added three so far, all of which can be separately configured. My hotmail account gets loads per day, so I can set it to delete them automatically after 3 days. My other email account gets less, and emails are more important, so they stay on the phone for 7 days. My laptop at home then gets them permanently.
6) Wifi and 3G switching: I like Wifi as default, and it's even better that it's lighter on the battery than 3G is. Unlike my old Samsung Jet, which I had to switch to 3G manually (arg!), the Desire does it by itself.
7) Office Applications: It comes with QuickOffice, which allows you to view documents, spreadsheets, slideshows, and PDFs. Really, really handy for reading attachments that come through email. There is a paid for app, called Documents to Go, which allows you to create or edit things too - I'm seriously looking into getting that soon.
8) Speed: The processor is 1Ghz, and that's fast. The browser is fast too, because it's by Google. The OS is clean, and multitasking capable. There is lots of RAM too (576MB). This all combines to make a crazy fast and responsive phone.
9) Location for weather: You can manually set this too, but I think it's amazing. It gets your location using cell triangulation, and gives you the current temperature and weather for wherever you are. It also gives you a 4 day forcast.
The Things I Don't Like
1) Battery Life: When you first get the phone, you will be disappointed. It won't seem to last you through the day. But once you stop flicking through it every 2 minutes you'll start to find it will last you a lot longer. In fact, I very recently got 2 days out of it. However, I did buy a charging dock with a spare 1600 mAh battery, which helps if I'm going to be away from electricity for a while...
2) HTC have their own GUI, called Sense UI. Because of this, Desire users have to wait about 6 months after Google release updates for the Android OS as HTC need to run tests to make sure everything is compatible. You CAN "root" the phone and install the 2.2 and future updates yourself, but meh - I can wait!
If you're on the fence about whether to get a Desire or an iPhone - just follow your heart's Desire.
Digiman out
Thursday 10 September 2009
Drum Hero
I've got Guitar Hero: World Tour. Do you have it? I have it for my Wii. If yes, then you'll know some of the pads (the red pad especially) doesn't always pick up the hits. You have to hit it harder than the rest. I didn't like this.
As I soon began playing most songs in Expert mode (thaaaaat's right), I also found the orange pad (the cymbol) also had to be hit quite hard.
So, I did a bit of research. Google was my friend.
This is a known fault with the drum kit, and as such - a free solution is provided (under warranty anyway)!
http://guitarhero.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/guitarhero.cfg/php/enduser/std_adp.php?p_faqid=21748&p_sid=HCNFwPCj&p_lva=23199
Contact them, stating the problem you're having with the drums. They'll ask you to do a few checks but once you confirm the problem, they'll send you a MIDI-USB cable for the drums to be connected to your PC/Laptop. It can take 4-6 WEEKS they said but I got mine in a matter of days!
I downloaded the software, followed the instructions, adjusted my sensitivity, and voila! Perfect hits every time!
Guitar Hero: World Tour - Great game, great support.
Digiman out
As I soon began playing most songs in Expert mode (thaaaaat's right), I also found the orange pad (the cymbol) also had to be hit quite hard.
So, I did a bit of research. Google was my friend.
This is a known fault with the drum kit, and as such - a free solution is provided (under warranty anyway)!
http://guitarhero.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/guitarhero.cfg/php/enduser/std_adp.php?p_faqid=21748&p_sid=HCNFwPCj&p_lva=23199
Contact them, stating the problem you're having with the drums. They'll ask you to do a few checks but once you confirm the problem, they'll send you a MIDI-USB cable for the drums to be connected to your PC/Laptop. It can take 4-6 WEEKS they said but I got mine in a matter of days!
I downloaded the software, followed the instructions, adjusted my sensitivity, and voila! Perfect hits every time!
Guitar Hero: World Tour - Great game, great support.
Digiman out
Wednesday 2 September 2009
Extending Wireless Networks - The Finished Result!
After getting my lovely DIR-635 on Tuesday, I spent the day getting it all set up.
Ignore my previous post as I had to change the steps, and didn't configure the DHCP settings on a per-router basis.
1) Power on the new (or old and factory reset) router and connect to it via Ethernet cable. Don't plug anything else in.
2) Access the router's IP address (this will be 192.168.1.1 or similar) and configure any wireless settings - eg SSID and wireless key. These must match your existing router's wireless configuration if you want them to work in tandem and if you want your devices to automatically switch between them. Save and reboot.
3) Change the IP address of the router to an IP used by your existing router - in my case, my Belkin is 192.168.2.x - so I set my new router to 192.168.2.254 and turned OFF the DHCP server. (These steps should be done together as they should be on the same page of your router). Save and reboot.
4) Now, plug a cable from the LAN of your existing router into the LAN (NOT the WAN port if you are using a cable router) of your new router. Your existing router will detect the IP address you set and will route traffic through it accordingly.
Now your wired/wireless devices accessing your new router will have their IPs assigned by the DHCP server on your existing router AND you will still have access to ALL network resources on both routers (eg printers, hard drives, and PCs too).
Digiman out :)
Ignore my previous post as I had to change the steps, and didn't configure the DHCP settings on a per-router basis.
1) Power on the new (or old and factory reset) router and connect to it via Ethernet cable. Don't plug anything else in.
2) Access the router's IP address (this will be 192.168.1.1 or similar) and configure any wireless settings - eg SSID and wireless key. These must match your existing router's wireless configuration if you want them to work in tandem and if you want your devices to automatically switch between them. Save and reboot.
3) Change the IP address of the router to an IP used by your existing router - in my case, my Belkin is 192.168.2.x - so I set my new router to 192.168.2.254 and turned OFF the DHCP server. (These steps should be done together as they should be on the same page of your router). Save and reboot.
4) Now, plug a cable from the LAN of your existing router into the LAN (NOT the WAN port if you are using a cable router) of your new router. Your existing router will detect the IP address you set and will route traffic through it accordingly.
Now your wired/wireless devices accessing your new router will have their IPs assigned by the DHCP server on your existing router AND you will still have access to ALL network resources on both routers (eg printers, hard drives, and PCs too).
Digiman out :)
Friday 21 August 2009
Extending Wireless Networks (my way)
My wireless router is pretty much dead center in the house, but we've got a long house - so the signal doesn't reach either end. It has never bothered me, because my room is directly above the router. It never bothered my brother because his room is right next to mine. It won't bother my sister when she gets her laptop as her room is right beside the study where the router is, and it doesn't bother my dad because he uses a desktop which is wired to the router.
However, it does bother my mum, who also got a laptop - with wireless N. The wireless signal just isn't strong enough to go the places she wants to use her laptop in - her bedroom, the sitting room, or the lounge. I can sympathise.
So I've decided to help. The network topology in my house is pretty awesome, I'm not gonna lie to you.
We've got a Belkin G+ mimo router in the study - the 4 ports are all used up by - my dad's desktop, my sister's desktop, a networked laser printer, and finally, the last port is used by my 16-port switch in the attic. (I may note at this point that my attic is accessable through a door in my room, so it's no big issue).
My 16 port switch has enabled me to have a lot of fun. Not normal fun - geeky fun. I'll explain.
Below: My awesome wall-mounted 16 port switch (with room for expansion!)
However, it does bother my mum, who also got a laptop - with wireless N. The wireless signal just isn't strong enough to go the places she wants to use her laptop in - her bedroom, the sitting room, or the lounge. I can sympathise.
So I've decided to help. The network topology in my house is pretty awesome, I'm not gonna lie to you.
We've got a Belkin G+ mimo router in the study - the 4 ports are all used up by - my dad's desktop, my sister's desktop, a networked laser printer, and finally, the last port is used by my 16-port switch in the attic. (I may note at this point that my attic is accessable through a door in my room, so it's no big issue).
My 16 port switch has enabled me to have a lot of fun. Not normal fun - geeky fun. I'll explain.
Below: My awesome wall-mounted 16 port switch (with room for expansion!)
The first port in my switch accepts the ethernet cable my dad ran up to the attic initially a number of years ago for my PC. Ports two to five run to the corner of my room, where I've installed a 4-port ethernet plate. It gives network access to: My PC, my LAN hard drive, and my Print Server, plus one for spare when I'm working on other desktops)
Below: My awesome 4-port wall mounted ethernet plate (installed vertically so my desk could get closer to the wall) Drilling through walls is fun :D 
Port six runs to the sitting-room, where the media PC was initially, and finally port seven runs to the lounge, where it currently resides. A 40" TV as a monitor is kickin', by the way!
By far, the most fun I had was wiring everything up. Seriously.
So, that now brings me back to the problem at hand - I can have a lot of wired devices, but what about the wireless range?
Well - you can extend your wireless range using standard Cable Routers - ones that accept ethernet connections, not DSL phone line connections - for internet.
My cable router of choice is the D-Link DIR-635 - it's wireless N and sports 3 antennae. Nifty.
The other reason - the removable antennae.
The plan of action is to get two 6m SMA extension cables, and run one cable towards my brother's room (above my parents' room) and one to the right, above the main hall - (near the sitting room and lounge). I can do all this along the attic, so no visible wires! I'll leave the center antenna attached to the router for central-coverage.
It's wireless N, so will support the latest laptop cards etc, but also backwards compatable with b and g options, so will continue to work with mine.
Some configuring will be required.
First of all, I'll change the IP range of my Belkin to 192.168.2.1 - 192.168.2.100
I'll then change the IP range of the D-Link to 192.168.2.101 - 192.168.2.255
Then, I'll need to configure the D-Link to have the same network name (SSID), and security - the same key and encryption method.
Once complete, the D-Link will offer complete wireless access around my house.
Depending on how well the Dlink performs, I may actually disable the wireless option on the Belkin, and see if that improves things again. The last thing I need is some kind of interference issue!
I've done this all before at my church, so it's my tried-and-tested way of doing it! (I've heard mixed things from wireless Access Points so decided on this way)
Digiman out
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