Author Topic: Fettled any computer stuff today?  (Read 214107 times)

Re: Fettled any computer stuff today?
« Reply #1350 on: 20 August, 2023, 11:45:35 pm »
Fettling USB drives to see sizes, as I borrowed a windows laptop.  USB 2 is very slow to read and verify a 64gb drive.  Randomly found the high sierra and catalina usb when I was sorting stuff in my garage.  So can install catalina on the macbook pro.

Yay.

Mr Larrington

  • A bit ov a lyv wyr by slof standirds
  • Custard Wallah
    • Mr Larrington's Automatic Diary
Re: Fettled any computer stuff today?
« Reply #1351 on: 24 November, 2023, 01:26:23 pm »
Created a Windows batch file more than 20 MB big, to jibble about quarter of a million very small text files.
External Transparent Wall Inspection Operative & Mayor of Mortagne-au-Perche
Satisfying the Bloodlust of the Masses in Peacetime

Afasoas

Re: Fettled any computer stuff today?
« Reply #1352 on: 27 November, 2023, 09:01:05 am »
Finally finished (?:re-)ripping the CD collection. Organized by hand into a logical folder structure that both humanly makes sense and also makes sense to Jellyfin.
Brought the VM running Jellyfin bang up to date and then, largely out of frustration, nuked, re-installed and re-configured Jellyfin.

Now on the hunt for a cheap/simple hardware DLNA renderer with Ethernet at one end and TOSLINK optical/75 Ohm SPDIF outputs on the other. I can't actually find one that works out of the box without installing the vendors app to configure it, which is a shame given that between the wonders of DHCP and uPNP, it should literallly just work without any configuration. That would mean Jellyfin can be used to squirt music out of any device with a renderer attached.

I think I'm going to wind up re-purposing a Pi and possibly obtaining a Hifiberry HAT for it.
I can at least test the theory with the USB input on the DAC which is in the HiFi rack.

Afasoas

Re: Fettled any computer stuff today?
« Reply #1353 on: 27 November, 2023, 12:41:47 pm »
I can at least test the theory with the USB input on the DAC which is in the HiFi rack.

Theory tested. Flashed HifiberryOS to an SD card. One line hack to a configuration file got it using the DAC as a sink. And it sounds absolutely fine. Might still buy a Hifiberry HAT as I feel like I'm being sneaky using the OS that they have provided without buying their hardware.

In fact, last week I've picked up some tiny Mordaunt Short book shelf speakers (a pair of M10s) for a ridiculously small sum owing to a hair line scratch on one of the units. I have a cheap small open box class D amplifier on the way to drive them. So with another re-puprosed Pi and a suitable HAT/DAC that should be a background music player for the living room sorted.

Re: Fettled any computer stuff today?
« Reply #1354 on: 28 November, 2023, 11:12:26 pm »
Oooooh, nostalgia! I had a pair of Mordaunt-Short speakers in the 1970s. My first proper hi-fi!
"A woman on a bicycle has all the world before her where to choose; she can go where she will, no man hindering." The Type-Writer Girl, 1897

Tim Hall

  • Victoria is my queen
Re: Fettled any computer stuff today?
« Reply #1355 on: 03 December, 2023, 07:23:00 pm »
New Raspberry Pi 4 arrived yesterday, along with a DAC, case, HDMI adaptor and micro SD card. After a bit of user induced faffing around I seem to have Kodi up and running, although I can't seem to edit my sources. Got some NFS server file sharing goodness working too, along with Yatse remote on my phone.  Need to add minidlna at some time too.
There are two ways you can get exercise out of a bicycle: you can
"overhaul" it, or you can ride it.  (Jerome K Jerome)

Afasoas

Re: Fettled any computer stuff today?
« Reply #1356 on: 07 December, 2023, 12:57:23 pm »
Got Tidal Connect working under HifiberryOS. Absolutely no need for one of these expensive Network Streamers which will no doubt stop receiving any support within a few years of buying it, effectively turning it into a malware honeypot.

Afasoas

Re: Fettled any computer stuff today?
« Reply #1357 on: 25 December, 2023, 02:26:05 pm »
Father Christmas delivered a couple of HiFiBerry Hats and a RasPi III.

HiFiBerryOS flashed to another micro SD card. That's been setup on the new Pi, which is sporting the HiFiBerry DAC2 Pro. Attached the cheap open box Fosi Audio amp which is driving the Morduant Short M10 speakers for use in the kitchen / dining room. It's working a treat and Mrs. A is happily streaming from her new Digital Audio Player.

The HiFiBerry Digi2 Pro has been added to the Pi that's been used for streaming in my office for a while already. That means I can feed it to the receivers in-built DAC and save a few Watt-hours each day running the external DAC, when it's not needed. The external DAC does sound ever so slightly better but for playing background music when I'm working, it's overkill. I can also feed the external DAC from the Digi2 and leave USB out of the equation.

The only downside is that switching from streaming our music collection via JellyFin via DLNA to streaming from TIDAL Connect and vice versa seems to require restarting the Pis; or at least I haven't worked out how to do it without rebooting them yet.

SoreTween

  • Most of me survived the Pennine Bridleway.
Re: Fettled any computer stuff today?
« Reply #1358 on: 28 December, 2023, 11:46:39 am »
Intellimouse Explorer wheel stopped working so I dismantled it, removed 10% of a cat, assorted other fluff & shmoo & re-assembled.  Surprisingly, it works.
2023 targets: Survive. Maybe.
There is only one infinite resource in this universe; human stupidity.

Re: Fettled any computer stuff today?
« Reply #1359 on: 28 December, 2023, 06:23:03 pm »
'nixed an 12YO toshiba laptop - found some spare ram and an SSD it's Mint MATE!  n'fast. Maybe could have managed Cinnamon...
now 'I'm a div'. AOK apart from a bat flattery, put it down to age and ordered a new one.. just the same. Good, I kept the windows HD .. full flattery. 
BIOS upgrade worked, 1.4 > 6.2 took a while glacial windows, downloads and faffing with UFEI warnings. now Mint tells me useful stuff, but oulling power and straight off!
Doh! back to windows to check hardware. :facepalm:

rogerzilla

  • When n+1 gets out of hand
Re: Fettled any computer stuff today?
« Reply #1360 on: 28 December, 2023, 07:05:07 pm »
I fitted a secondhand BFO GPU (GeForce 970) so I can play Doom (2016) on my otherwise basic office PC.  Works well - rock steady 60fps.
Hard work sometimes pays off in the end, but laziness ALWAYS pays off NOW.

Mr Larrington

  • A bit ov a lyv wyr by slof standirds
  • Custard Wallah
    • Mr Larrington's Automatic Diary
Re: Fettled any computer stuff today?
« Reply #1361 on: 17 February, 2024, 05:24:37 pm »
Belatedly installed a surge-protection 4-gang to provide voles to Thee Cupboard ov Network Stuffs after a minimal power cut killed one of my NAS drives utterly to DETH a while back.  Why doe WD have to make it so damn' difficult to shut down one of their gadgets cleanly ???
External Transparent Wall Inspection Operative & Mayor of Mortagne-au-Perche
Satisfying the Bloodlust of the Masses in Peacetime

Re: Fettled any computer stuff today?
« Reply #1362 on: 17 February, 2024, 08:20:29 pm »
Recently had trouble with the Yahoo app on my Android phone not synchronising with Yahoo on the Windows laptop and iPad email. The sync option on the phone couldn't be invoked.

Ultimately "turn it off and on again" sorted it. Just like a defibrillator 😈

Pingu

  • Put away those fiery biscuits!
  • Mrs Pingu's domestique
    • the Igloo
Re: Fettled any computer stuff today?
« Reply #1363 on: 17 February, 2024, 08:57:07 pm »
Yahoo?

Re: Fettled any computer stuff today?
« Reply #1364 on: 18 February, 2024, 12:44:08 pm »

sam

Re: Fettled any computer stuff today?
« Reply #1365 on: 21 February, 2024, 06:57:37 pm »
Quote
Fettled any computer stuff today?

In a manner of speaking. I initiated divorce proceedings from BT! We were only staying because I thought we needed to rent the line from them to maintain our broadband!! How wrong I was!!!

Seriously, it's the best news we've had in a while.

Re: Fettled any computer stuff today?
« Reply #1366 on: 21 February, 2024, 09:09:31 pm »
Some website API and Oauth2 fettling.

GraemeMcC

  • CaptainContours
Re: Fettled any computer stuff today?
« Reply #1367 on: 22 February, 2024, 12:35:15 pm »
SAMSUNG CLP-365 printer power button [SOLVED  :)]

OK, a combination of my own ham-fistedness in the first place and age-hardening plastics? However the power button on my printer popped through the top of the machine, so kaputt. From recent past experience (laptop hinge failure) local Currys charge min £60 for sending away to their repair centre + £££ parts (if not under warranty) so I reckoned a repair would be £100+. (Printer well beyond its warranty, ~10 years old).

Quick online perusal for new printers showed that colour laser printers are a lot more costly than I'd hoped, but B&W laser printers seemed tolerable ~£100 and I needed to be able to print off a Route Sheet PDQ (for the New Mere 200). So with not a lot more to lose, I invested in a new (Oh) Brother (Where Art Thou?) Wi-Fi Mono laser. Don't they do stereo?

Immediate problem now over, could I repair the Samsung myself, or at least try at my leisure, before sending it to the local recycling centre?

Youtu.be provided 2 vids how to dismantle. The first was a 20min exercise in taking all innards and plastic outer casings off, but I wasn't really interested about getting the paper feed rollers to bits. The second showed me how easy it was to take out the toner gubbins, the laser unit (keep it covered, away from direct light), unscrew the 2 fasteners holding the top plate to the front of the chassis, then using plastic tyre levers to ease the click-fix tabs off the other 3 edges of the top plate. Eureka! Plate loose, there's the PCB for the power/control buttons, undo that and there was the printer power problem exposed.

The actual switches are offset from the control buttons by ~15mm (rather than being directly over them) and has a little plastic frame incorporating cantilevering tabs which actuate the switches. One of these tabs has snapped off - hence my problem.

Solution: cannot expect to glue plastics back together, esp cantilevery bits. Don't have access to a 3D printer to make a new sub-frame. But, having been an engineer pre-retirement, solution was simples. Just needs a little plastic bridge under the push button to span onto the power switch. So, cut strip from old thermoplastic credit card, heat it (hot water) to kink it to desired profile to bridge onto the switch, chill it to set it, then fit in place under the push button. It is held in position by the sub-frame. Result.  :smug: A satisfactory "click" when the power button is pushed on/off.

An alternative solution might have been to drill the top plate directly above the switches, then cobble together a sort of sprung button, maybe from re-purposed pop-rivets or a cap-head screw and nut... Or use a cocktail stick !

So had I not been in such a rush to be able to print again, I could have saved the £100... Then again, I now have a new plasticky printer, a £2/month toner subscription (did I really want that?), and a wi-fi printer that all my devices can use. Although, like using Zwift, I am bemused by the need to use a mobile app to manage the damn thing, rather than t'interweb direct.

And it was an opportunity to take out the paper feed roller and clean it (white spirit) as there was a lot of waste toner dust inside the printer. Maybe that is why manufacturers don't want us emptying out and re-using the waste toner box?

BTW, I went for Brother as they at least recognize linux as a known OS in their specs, unlike HP, Epson or others... Installation was a doddle as the Brother website provided the .deb file for CUPS drivers for ubuntu/Mint systems and networking access was found by my Mint desktop, the ubuntu NUCie, even the Minted ASUS Eeepc (and the Windoze 11 laptop with the repaired hinge), despite the worst efforts of the mobile app !
PBP 2011: 1234 km by Nr. 5678 in < 90 hrs. Most auspicious...

barakta

  • Bastard lovechild of Yomiko Readman and Johnny 5
Re: Fettled any computer stuff today?
« Reply #1368 on: 22 February, 2024, 09:27:38 pm »
Any fix involving a printer gets double points surely.

Can you cancel the £2 a month toner subscription as that sounds expensive. Our laserjet toners were ~20 and I don't think we use one in a year.

GraemeMcC

  • CaptainContours
Re: Fettled any computer stuff today?
« Reply #1369 on: 22 February, 2024, 11:02:13 pm »
Can you cancel the £2 a month toner subscription as that sounds expensive. Our laserjet toners were ~20 and I don't think we use one in a year.

Possibly. I'm on a 50 page/month schedule. To buy an official Brother cartridge is ~£50 std size and that ought to last about 18 months, so £2/m x 18 = £36 thus looks marginally cheaper, hence why I went for it. The Samsung colour set is ~£100 for B/C/Y/M and I get about 18-24months out of those, so if I use the monochrome printer for most of my needs, the colour stuff will be much longer between replacements (I hope). I did note that the Brother has a sheet counter hiding away inside its management system so I guess that is how it reckons when a new toner unit is to be supplied.

But, having got the printer with a starter toner pack (~700 sheets = 14months worth), Brother have sent me a new full toner cartridge already, so we'll see how long it is before "where art thou" orders another replacement. So maybe that's the con - I'll be paying 14 months (£28) for nothing, until I need the next toner unit. It should break even in a couple of years and I do have a 6 month free-of-charge trial period. I went for it so that I don't have to think about checking/running-out-of toner at inappropriate moments.
PBP 2011: 1234 km by Nr. 5678 in < 90 hrs. Most auspicious...

barakta

  • Bastard lovechild of Yomiko Readman and Johnny 5
Re: Fettled any computer stuff today?
« Reply #1370 on: 22 February, 2024, 11:13:00 pm »
Yeah, it's not a lot of money difference then and every minute spent researching alternatives or fucking about ordering new toners potentially costs you in time which could be valued.

CommuteTooFar

  • Inadequate Randonneur
Re: Fettled any computer stuff today?
« Reply #1371 on: 05 March, 2024, 12:03:19 pm »
Last week  my computer died.  Completely dead I suspect the power supply.  No diagnostic LEDs on.  No fans.  No standby current charging the mouse.  I intended to upgrade at the end of the year but I did most of it on Sunday.  I have got it functionally the same as before but not quite as I want to make it.  I intended to use Acronis Disk Director to migrate the windows disk from it current home to the faster PC5.0 SSD that is currently unused.  Unfortunately the Linux version of disk director USD key booted then failed at the video stage (card newer than the software).  I do not know enough linux to get around that yet. 

The only hardware  problem I had was the display card was not working at first.  When I looked at it yesterday I noticed the fans span for a couple of seconds when the computer was shut down. That can happen from PCI bus power only.  So I immediately checked the new power supply.  The cable at the power supply end had pulled out when I installed something else.  I pushed it back it. Everything is working now.

One think that surprised me was once the new disk containing "My Documents" was copied in.  Windows started using it.  I thought windows would of created a new one when the old one was not there. A game I played before I did this went into initialisation mode for a new game.  Today it picked up the old state of the game and all my previous achievements returned.  Yesterdays game has gone.
 

Jaded

  • The Codfather
  • Formerly known as Jaded
Re: Fettled any computer stuff today?
« Reply #1372 on: 05 March, 2024, 10:44:58 pm »
Indeed. Much fettling...

Just did some Terminal level stuff to install HomeBrew and an image processing thing, so now when I output photos from my image processing app, I can add white or black borders. Yay!





It is simpler than it looks.

Jaded

  • The Codfather
  • Formerly known as Jaded
Re: Fettled any computer stuff today?
« Reply #1373 on: 14 March, 2024, 05:24:24 pm »
Creating subtitles for a lot of video clips. Which involves three bits of software and quite an attention to detail.
It is simpler than it looks.