Posts filed under ‘Tutorials’

The Sangean HDR-1 is a HD tabletop radio which supports digital radio & hybrid signals and RDS functions on FM stations. Other features include dual alarm, IR remote control, multicast capability and Program Associated Data service. Overall, a pretty nice unit. But certain productions runs of this radio had a problem. The radio would quit powering up for no apparent reason. Lets see why.

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• Go ahead and hit: Alt + F2

• Type: update-manager -d
• Perform any additional required updates before install
• Enter your password, agree to upgrade and such

I did all that, then waited for 45 minutes -  now it is say Error: Forbidden 403, WHAT THE HELL?!

It’s terminal time my friends.

• type: sudo gedit /etc/apt/sources.list
• click replace in the search menu
• Replacehttp://us.archive.ubuntu.comwith

  ftp://us.archive.ubuntu.com
  

• Restart your upgrade. Don’t worry no time was lost since it kept all the downloads even though it reverted the installation. Ubuntu so smart.

Have fun and remember.

When installing the software for my new Logitech C910 web cam, my computer started to randomly blue screen, then reboot. During one of these blue screen dumps, I managed to see which file was faulting before the computer restarted.

For some reason, ks.sys was causing the computer to crash, and upon looking into it, I discovered that ks.sys is related to the computer’s sound card. That made sense to me, as the Logitech installer was adding its own microphone drivers to the mix. What didn’t make sense to me was the actual reason behind the blue screens of death.

Upon further investigation and poking around in the Logitech support forums, I found that my Western Digital SmartWare was the culprit. I have a WD Passport drive, which requires the SmartWare application in order to access the hardware-encrypted data on the drive. It seems that the associated services cause the ks.sys fault, for some unknown reason. The only solution that anyone has seemed to come up with is to stop the Western Digital services while the Logitech installer is running, then restart the services afterwards.

So, I did just that, and my installation went off without any more problems. If you are experiencing the same problem, stop the following services before installation, and then restart them afterwards:

WD File Management Engine
WD File Management Shadow Engine
WDDM Service

I recently installed SQL Express 2008 and ran into an annoying issue when I later tried to alter the installation.

The initial SQL install went off without a hitch, but the problems began when I tried to add my application. During the installation process, I was prompted to enable full-text indexing on my SQL server. I had no idea this was a prerequisite…shame on me for not reading the application requirements! To add insult to injury, I was not aware that version of SQL Express I was using did not come with full-text indexing as an installable option.

Back to the Internet I went, searching for a copy of SQL Server 2008 Express with Advanced Services. A 500 MB download later, and I was well on my way to getting things running, or so I thought.

I began my SQL installation, choosing to add or change features to my existing install. Everything seemed to be pretty straightforward and painless until I tried to select which SQL installation to upgrade. Each and every time I tried to select the one and only instance on this particular server, I was greeted with the message, “The instance id is required but it is missing”.

I double-checked the installation options I had selected, I ensured that all of the proper services were up and running, plus I even rebooted the server and tried the installation again. However, no matter what I tried, I received the same error each time I attempted to select my SQL instance.

I poked around for awhile, then finally found a solution. First, I went to the Control Panel and selected the Add/Remove Programs console. There, I located the SQL express install and clicked the Change/Remove button. This brought up a slightly different version of the installer interface, from which I could choose an Add option.

Going through the paces, this installer found my existing SQL instance without any issues and I had my SQL Server, complete with full-text indexing in no time!

I’ve been driving around Minnesota breaking their law about talking on cell phones while driving for a while now.  With the advent of my home state Wisconsin doing the same now, I figure I’d better start cracking down on my wayward ways.  I used to use a bluetooth headset for a while, but one thing always kept bugging me.  Every other day or so, the headset would run out of charge while I was in the car.  I’d have to take it in to charge and more often than not, I’d forget to bring it back with me into the car.  (Same thing as lunches, paperwork, and my identification badge.) So now that I have to drive through 2 states every day, it’s about time that I start using bluetooth AND charging it in the car.

So here is what I had to work with.  I’ve been given a Jabra GN Netcom headset along with a small compact base.  There was a larger base available, but I couldn’t see the need for it.  The output on the ac adapter lists output as 5-6v with a max of 5W (6v .3A).  A car’s voltage system is 12v and I already have an adapter to USB.  Easy enough, USB operates at 5v with 500-900ma.  Quite frankly, that is close enough for me.  I simply spliced the cable onto a usb end and there we have it, success.  Now I just need to dig out the usb car adapter, mount the small base in my car with removable adhesive and I will be all set.

OK, you hate DRM – Who doesn’t?

Let’s say you purchased some books through Barnes and Noble, but you want to view them wherever you want – whenever you want, because technically you own them.

If you are a terrible person who has just downloaded NOOKstudy and are using the free 7 day download pass to gorge yourself on books, I have neigh but contempt for you.

Either way here’s how you can strip off Barnes and Noble’s DRM to enjoy your literature however you please:
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A RF dummy load is quite useful when working on transmitters. It allows you to test and adjust the transmitter without an antenna, eliminating interference to other radios on your test frequency. It also presents your transmitter with a proper 50 Ω load so as to not cause any damage to its final RF amplifier stage.

A recent project required me to modify and align twelve UHF transmitters. The transmitters had a 25 watt output and the alignment session on each would be short. Rather than buy a dummy load for this project, I decided to build my own.

The central part of the dummy load is a resistor (or resistors) with a total resistance of 50 Ω and a wattage equal to or greater than your transmitter. The resistors also must be non-inductive which eliminates all the common wire-wound power resistors. Acceptable types of resistors include carbon composition and thick film.

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While BitTorrent might be all the rage, I’m a Usenet guy.

I am honestly not very patient when it comes to obtaining things I want, so waiting hours or days for downloads to complete has never been my strong suit. Aside from the original Napster, BitTorrent and similar P2P apps have never been something I have enjoyed using. Usenet however, is a completely different experience – one which I highly recommend.

You may or may not have heard of Usenet before, but it has likely been around longer than you have. In fact, the first spam message ever delivered was done so via Usenet. It’s the Internet’s oldest and best-kept “secret”. This is partly because Usenet is kind of like “Fight Club” in that the only real, yet unofficial rule is, “You do not talk about Usenet.”

I on the other hand do tell people about Usenet. However, I only do so provided I have deemed them technically capable enough to handle the task. This is really one of the main reasons why I think Usenet remains a little more obscure than most other online technology. While Usenet is not as complex as say, compiling your own Linux distro from scratch, there is definitely a learning curve that stretches beyond the patience and understanding of most people. I find that the benefits of Usenet far outweigh the cost and effort associated with using it.

The major highlight of Usenet is that there is virtually no waiting. You don’t have to wait hours for a slow download to complete. You don’t have to sit and hope that there are enough peers available to grab that old file you are looking for. When something is posted to Usenet, it’s there for good (almost). When you select a file that you want, you are able to download it as fast as your broadband connection can handle, provided you selected a good Usenet provider. Everything is “just there” – no waiting, no fuss…you just grab and go.

That said, if you are contemplating leaving the world of trackers and leechers behind, I will be more than happy to lead you to the path of enlightenment…

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Every electronics workbench needs a power supply. Depending on your experience and type of projects, you might even need multiple power supplies. Converting a PC power supply to bench use is one option, but I needed something smaller with variable output voltage. A variable output of 0-15 vdc @ 1 amp and a built in voltmeter, to more more specific. So off to eBay I went looking for a project case, panel mount voltmeter and some other small parts. One of my eBay searches turned up a new tattoo power supply for $6. Well here was my case, digital voltmeter, switches and power cord for a fraction of the price of the individual parts. If I was lucky, some of the internal parts could also be used.

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Thanks to a friend, I received 11 non-working Itona VXL thin clients. All exhibited the same symptom, no power. While disassembly is a little more involved than other thin clients, the repair only requires a soldering iron and ~$10 in parts.

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