7hertz

SMS delivery notification

· · (0) · ·

Some GSM handsets have a built-in feature to let you know when your SMS message has been delivered, which may be a nice feature to have. If your handset doesn't support this or you wish to manually use this feature then prefix your outgoing message with either 111 or *noti#, such as:

To: +1-250-555-1212
Message: 111Hey Steve -- give me a call ASAP

The recipient of the message won't receive the "111" or "*noti#" at the beginning of the message, but you will receive a confirmation that it has been delivered to their handset. Note that not all GSM networks support this feature e.g., Fido in Canada supports 111, T-Mobile supports *noti#

i tried the *noti# on tmobile, and got a separate message back stating the message had been delivered. I'm not sure if this is just a GSM system feature, perhaps other providers offer something similar.

push notifications, iphone 2g pushfix.info

· · (0) · ·

after updating -hacktivating- my phone from OS 2.x to OS 3.x, as most people find out push notifications do not work. i debated the significance, since i seem to have been getting along most of my life without them. after the dust settled from updating my phone and re-installed all my fav settings, i decided this was a necessary upgrade; if at all possible. on top of this, one or two apps were actually crashing, never mind the missing feature. bah.

redsnow for windows, iphone OS 3.1.2

· · (0) · ·

points :

• backup in iTunes, latest version. synch your files. hell, backup your system and data files.
  
• test redsnow first (without phone), make sure it will run and load the firmware file.
  
• redsnow 'ramdisk' error, might be caused by not having the removable storage service running. start it.
  
• if the phone is stuck in DFU mode, hold the home+power buttons to force shutdown power off.
  
• you must have iTunes installed. this loads the usb dfu driver required to interface with the phone.
  
• you will notice if the phone is working but stuck in DFU mode, if you can hear the attach/dettach usb audio prompts.
  
• check the device driver system hardware list, to see if the incorrect or disabled usb dfu device is a problem.
  
• you must have the apple mobile device service running, but not the iTunes app.
  
• when redsnow is stuck reporting it's 'waiting for the phone to reboot', a simple usb cable unplug/replug MAY work. or not.
  
• you may need to try redsnow more than once, from the beginning.
  
• you can always start from the top with a 2G phone, till you get it right?
  
• LAST time i did this i had to use iTunes for force restore the firmware and start over.
  
• if you have restored firmware in iTunes you will likely need to pwn the phone again.
  
• 'already pwned' option only applies if you've already jailbroken *THAT* firmware revision (not confirmed).
  
• really no harm in pwning again anyway??
  
• redsnow does not automatically install a pineapple logo for the boot screen, you'll have to add custom logos (optional).
  

sandisk sansa 8Gb usb drive mode

· · (0) · ·

in some cases, windows may register the device as a "media player". in this mode you cannot view random files/folders like a normal storage device. this threw me off since on my laptop it registered as ordinary removable storage mode, whereas on my desktop it registered as a media player.

there is a setting on the unit to auto detect this mode (media player if capable?). however you can force the unit into storage mode and navigate the drive.

Go to Settings -> USB -> Choose MSC

esbar using webasto fuel pump?

· · (1) · ·

the stock Webasto air top at-2000 fuel pump (12 volt) does not work in an Eberspacher (espar) D1LC. we measured the volume of fuel output using a procedure detailed on page 23 of the Espar installation troobleshooting & parts manual, by letting the pump expel fuel into a cup (shot glass) for 90 seconds. not having a proper measuring cup, we weighed the output on a suitable, sensitive scale for results.

output was 13.6 grams of diesel. average density of diesel listed at 0.85 kg/l, so that's 16 milliliters of fuel.

the espar manual states the fuel delivered in this startup cycle should be between 3.4ml and 4.65ml. so, much less. it was also clear after operating for a few minutes, that excess fuel was not being burned off and the unit was spewing smoke like mad.

so the pump output is too strong, waaay too much fuel. so i'm still looking for a proper esbar fuel pump (mfg. part: 25 1830 45 00 00), any tips?

on a curious note, the heater contains fairly advanced microprocessor, electronics, and sensors. they are reasonably well built and remarkably intelligent. i had not realized the level of sophistication these 'simple' heaters enjoy, it's pretty amazing. now, only if it worked. sigh.

card magnetic stripe?

· · (0) · ·

curiously enough, i discovered the magstripe on a credit card does not encode or obfuscate data (more than being a magnetic field with the equivalent of a bar code that is)... i just assumed it did. when you think about it, this is really the equivalent of peering at the front of the card --that's what you "see". i guess this makes sense. but i've also realized, card information is more vunerable than i hoped.

there are a number of well known, publish standards and specs.
this is the format i got scanning one of my cards:

;4111111111111111=1201=LAST/FIRST

analog shutdown!

· · (0) · ·

Carriers will start shutting down the analog cellular network in February 2008.

I remeber my dad's brick phone, the first portable. Making a call from a car was novel. Got my first analog phone in college. then a second phone a few years later, opted for Voicestream when that was new (before it was bought by T-Mobile).

I still have the analog phone, kept it as a backup on roadtrips, but stopped service when plans changed. While the analog network has been around for a long time, it's only been ~15 years since cell phones have been popular. I thought the analog network would be around (for a few more years anyway) but it's going away --and fast!

I'm not sure about coverage either -it used to be the analog network was the only service in remote areas. maybe that's changed, especially considering the shutdown. Some folks have kept analog phone around just for 911 service. that's gone now.

tablet pc, three years later

· · (0) · ·

same story this year, minimal use of the pen. watched movies flipping the screen around (while my ankle healed), it's more enjoyable that way.

biggest prior use was taking notes and my current project simply doesn't have that demand. so my tablet usage (well tablet mode) has really declined.

also i got a decent usb mouse, nice compact travel size. i like the track pad, but a real mouse is better. i was thinking wireless, but went with the "retrak" optical model instead. packs up really well, no batteries, and no wireless fuss (i hardly notice the wire anyway, and that retrak cord is awesome).

xbox 360 x-arcade hack

· · (4) · ·

pacman challenge edition came out on the xbox 360 this summer. it's actually a great game with good gameplay. the version is time & point based, rather than level & survival like the original.

however, playing the game with the stock xbox controller (analog thumb or d-pad) isn't much fun -you really need a standard 4-way arcade joystick for proper game action/response.

D. already had an x-arcade, and swapped the built-in stick with a switchable 4/8 way joystick (one that uses governor for true 4-way action!)... but there's no interface for to the xbox360 (not yet?).

xbox 360, pac man challenge edition with x-arcade hack.

generator, external fuel tank v2+

· · (2) · ·

once again even after testing and confirming my external quick disconnect hose worked, it failed, just when i needed it, using at an event this summer. (and once again) good thing the honda eu2000i runs all night on a gallon of gas, meaning i just had to fill up once a day to power my camp.

but this is getting frustrating.

cap & quick disconnect (fuel line connector).

working on this more and more, i'm starting to get keep some spare parts around. on a whim i compared my quick-disconnect (fuel line connector) with a new one, and noticed it was missing the inner o-ring that makes a tight seal when it connected to the tank. tried the new one, and it worked right away.

generator, external tank v2

· · (0) · ·

so my external quick disconnect failed after two days on the playa. good thing the honda eu2000i runs for so long, it just meant i had to gas up once a day. still, i'm keen on getting the extended run time working.

i finally spent some time to fuss with this and figure out what went wrong. i was stumped at first, and started to just redesign the whole thing, at some point probably had multiple failure points too.

v2, cap

theboom v. "$15" headset

· · (1) · ·

"theboom" fancy headset arrived, and i immediately tried it out. i put the stereo on full volume for an initial test, called my voicemail and left a message. it worked really well. very impressive. called some folks who reported excellent call quality.

i didn't have another (comparable) headset to test with at the time, so i just tried my phone with the stereo test. surprisingly my phone did reeeally well. better than i expected. (i should have known, the t-39 rocks!)

but my phone doesn't have the super patented microphone design.... so, what's the scoop? i need more models to test with, i'm suspicious the *right* headset might work ~on par~ here.

1) the t-39 has noise cancelling, mics on each side of the flip.
2) the flip, acts as a boom to put the mic in better positon.
3) position is (almost) everything --let's cancelling actually work.

this gives the t-39 great sound, but really points to the fact if you can get a good boom with standard noise cancelling, you can have great sound -without the price tag of "theboom". key here is getting a long boom, to put the mic right where you need it (lets the noise cancelling mic really function).

theboom cellphone mic review.

· · (0) · ·

[read the follow-up review, for the whole story here].

sure, my vw bus doesn't take off and land like a blackhawk helicopter --that doesn't mean i can't have other cool toys and upgrades installed...

clarity is a beautiful thing

· · (0) · ·

two events in recent memory made me feel that the world is (still) a beautiful place, where it had grown dull, tarnished, or felt out of place the past few years...

behringer bcf2000 & bcr2000

· · (0) · ·

you can use these together without daisy chaining them together over MIDI, having each one directly connected via a USB port.

you may want to modify the name that shows up however. my driver installed them giving eaach one the same name (e.g. the common "behringer fader/rotary 2000").

generator part 3. (to the rescue!)

· · (0) · ·

so, i got my generator for camp and whatnot.

i figured i would use it about once a year at burningman, at the regional burn or maybe at a party, really about twice a year --and maybe someday... sooomedaaay, the power would go out, i'd use it then. also, i took it to the playa in july assuming would use it --not realizing our camp had a nice 25kW gennie provided by bmorg. no need to run mine. so, mildly disappointed (since i just got my new toy and all)...i just left it packed up. still happy with the purchase, knew it's time would come.

25kWatt diesel, power plant

turns out, no one was really watching the gauge on the 25kW, and we ran out of gas! i was away at the time, but a good friend knew i had a honda eu2000i and hooked it all up. my little honda came to the rescue to keep the lights and a few computers on!

for a testimonial of how quiet it was, i didn't even know it was running until i was practically standing on it, and heard it purring along...

gbs-301 serial bluetooth adapter

· · (0) · ·

i like wireless, and i like the simplicity of the serial port. i have a bunch of devices (radio, gps, home vision, etc.) it would be nice to hook up, via bluetooth.

so, i finally broke down and bought a bluetooth rs-232 adapter to let me connect these serial devices wirelessly. simple right? while i was waiting for the price to drop on this --no luck there, still about $50-60. decided not to wait, and splurge on one.

turns out it's not quite a simple cable surrogate, as one might hope...

tablet pc, two years later

· · (0) · ·

let's see... two years now i've been running tablet pc, on two tablets no less. my first year was met with some surprise how many different ways i used my pen...

generator part 1. (backstory)

· · (0) · ·

ok, so last year i decided that my camp needed quiet power, and i could use some of my own radical self reliance here, round out the rest of my own part of camp, be self sufficient, have power to run my sound system without fussing with other folks permission, without compromising camp power.

zebranet setup unlisted print server

· · (0) · ·

zebranet view
menu: tools
setup unlisted ip print server :

This feature is used to assign IP addresses to unconfigured print servers (at factory default settings) on remote networks. When a print server is unable to obtain an IP address through DHCP, BOOTP or RARP, it will eventually default to an address of 198.102.102.254. This default address allows the utility to communicate with and configure the print server on a local subnet. However, if the print servers is on a remote subnet, the router will not likely route the packets to the print server correctly. This feature allows a valid IP address to be broadcast to the remote subnet for the print server to use.

alesis ra100 power amp

· · (0) · ·

i thought about replacing this with a similar, more powerful model. 200 watts total power is pretty decent.

curiously enough, the ra150 has less power. huh?

mackie 1501 v. 1801

· · (0) · ·

here's my comparison, a single 1801 verses two 1501's...

acer c302 screen click problem (old)

· · (0) · ·

i had this problem, and it's been serviced (replaced power supply).

but here's an interesting work around.

ericsson css-20 desk speaker stand

· · (0) · ·

another splurge here (cheap on ebay). turns the phone into decent speaker phone. this gizmo also kicks the phone profile to 'in-car' when docked (which i've since renamed). it charges the phone as well...

ericsson cdt-10 desktop charger

· · (0) · ·

tired of hooking up charge cables, i (finally) splurged on getting some desktop chargers for my phone.

woo. how exciting is that?

not very.

but using ericsson's model i encountered one totally kick ass feature. the phone recognizes the charger and can switch profiles when docked, then switches back when you remove it.

tablet pc, one year later

· · (0) · ·

here's a summary of how i used my tablet pc last year. many expected uses, along with numerous unexpected ones. overall i'm pleased, i wouldn't want to go back to my laptop sans pen. probably why i actually bought two (there's a testimonial huh?)

there are just things you can do with a pen that are more natural -- than with a mouse, keyboard, or whatever. each device excels in it's own way. when it comes to sketches, handwriting - the pen rocks. in a way it feels like it's freeing my laptop from it's more traditional or rigid cartesian form (though things are generally more organized or and orderly that way).

while the mouse or touchpad breaks the general monotony, adding more spatial information, you just can't sketch or take notes in the same way you can with a pen.

here's my list of how i've used my tablet this year...

bluetooth headset, multiple phones

· · (0) · ·

i'm not one to get every latest gizmo, but there's a few technologies i recognize and adopt early on. i've been using various wireless technologies like bluetooth since it came out. i won't buy a phone without it...

fixed dvd player

· · (0) · ·

add dvd player to the list. a friend dropped off their dvd player after it stopped working (no power). they actually already checked the internal fuse, and didn't know what to do after that.

these things are so cheap you can't really take them in for repair, you'd spend more than just buying a brand new one! would be a shame just to toss it out, if it's something simple like a busted switch.

how apgs works

· · (0) · ·

AGPS uses a reference GPS receiver in each tower that sends SV data to
the mobile handset. The handset does not have a full GPS installed;
instead it uses the SV (space vehicle, e.g. the satellite) data to receive the time pulses from a single SV and sends the time delta to the tower. The tower is then able to compute the position of the phone via a differential calculation and log it for E911 compliance. It is typically accurate to 100m indoors and
15m outdoors.

minidisc repair / jog wheel

· · (2) · ·

mindy dropped off the minidisc player she was borrowing from a friend - the jog wheel had stopped functioning. i wasn't sure what the problem was although i suspected something simple, probably mechanical. everything else worked just fine.

lithium battery discharge

· · (0) · ·

not sure, i might have had that trouble charging the HBH-35 due to rather depleted charge on the battery, and internal protection circuits. i found this tidbit on lithium ion cells...

(i thought the battery was in the main casing, not the ear hook. they didn't come out, i didn't pry too hard, but not easy to replace -- here's some photos!)

Commercial lithium ion packs contain a protection circuits that limit the charge voltage to 4.30V/cell, 0.10 volts higher than the voltage threshold of the charger. Temperature sensing disconnects the charge if the cell temperature approaches 90°C (194°F), and a mechanical pressure switch on many cells permanently interrupt the current path if a safe pressure threshold is exceeded. Exceptions are made on some spinel (manganese) packs containing one or two small cells.

times change

· · (0) · ·

first commercial for a tablet pc hits the airwaves...
yes - i believe... the future is coming.

acer tablet pc service manuals

· · (2) · ·

acer tablet pc user and service manuals...

laptop slow to hibernate

· · (0) · ·

i've been having a problem with my external drive, even though i disable write caching, i still get intermittent 'delay write failure' on the drive after resuming from hibernation - or just just removing the drive without first "disconnecting".

but with delay write caching disabled, there shouldn't be a problem should there?!

numark dmc-1 & pcdj

· · (0) · ·

acer tavelmate c300 review

· · (1) · ·

ahh, laptop arrived... my new acer travelmate c302... (see my other post for why i chose this on this model).

aprs pocket tracker

· · (2) · ·

after showing my aprs setup to sean - he was inspired to get into it. he also motivated me into building the byonics pocket tracker aprs radio. or maybe the other way around... you see he's got the mad soldering skills (sean is certified to work on the space shuttle), and i talked him into helping me.

digital vinyl

· · (0) · ·

i took some photos of my 'final scratch' records, when they caught my eye in the sunlight. you can see the timecode pattern on record.

everything is finally set up now - new laptop, turntable case with pre-amps and maya44 sound card, all wired up. the turntables are wired up both directly to the mixer, as well through the sound card on separate cues. so i can switch back and forth from tradition vinyl to a digital interface.

ericsson t-39

· · (0) · ·

still an amazing phone!

ah, so the screen on my replacement t-39 just stopped working. damn! realizing i had enough parts from two phones to make one good one, i used the base (electronics) from one, and the casing (top) from the other to make one complete phone.

tablet pc

· · (0) · ·

after 5 years, i was on the hunt for a new laptop. like last time, i was looking for some particular features. i travel a lot, i know the difference between a sub 4 pound notebook, and those goliath 8 lbs monsters. it's usually the first spec i look at...

aprs network changes

· · (0) · ·

so i suddenly wasn't getting my aprs packet data posted on the web site logs - i figured something was up with my transceiver and went to take a look. everything seemed fine, although it wasn't chirping as much, confirming that any packets were getting out.

on a whim i checked for messages. seems the northwest aprs digipeaters installed an upgrade, and the stock 'relay, wide' setting is no longer 'supported'. perhaps this is just a coincidence actually, but it made me change the stock setting in the radio.

antenna mount on a vw westfalia camper

· · (1) · ·

ok, so after much trial and tribulation, i figured out how to accomplish what i wanted to do... installed an antenna on the camper roof of my vw westfalia camper bus. it's actually pretty easy.

kenwood d7a w/ e-trex & magellan 315

· · (1) · ·

i have an e-trex legend, & a magellan 315. decided to hook up the magellan up to the kenwood (aprs) radio - for a few reasons. it doesn't have a built in map, it's bigger so i actually don't want to carry it around - but it has a much better antenna and better reception. it's perfect for a plain old gps receiver. although larger than say a gps-mouse unit, i have it tucked away in the corner on the dash. i'll save the e-trex for walking around, plus i don't need to buy anything new. this does require i leave the unit powered up (usnig 12volt adapter), but it shouldn't drain the battery.

while testing things out, i noticed when i lost satellite reception with the e-trex, the kenwood would start to **beep**. however with the magellan, it didn't...

kenwood d7a gps & data cable

· · (0) · ·

so i picked up a kenwood d7a-g handheld uhf/vhf transceiver. mostly because it has built-in tnc and aprs. with decent reviews from other folks, seems like a versital handheld. that -- and i'm too impatient to build the tinytrak or pockettracker from byonics. i need a radio anyway - should be a good first all around radio.

the d7a is fairly easy to use, reasonably intuitive -- the features are straight foward as long as you read the manual. there are a few complaints : the battery is lame, it's huge and doesn't hold much power. the stock antenna is bad. again, it's the only ht with aprs built-in. not sure why other handhelds aren't coming out with a built-in tnc/aprs.

one other issue... the manual says not to over charge the nicad battery, but i plan to power it permanently attached to 12v power in my car. not sure about that. guess i'll find out.

anyway, after playing with the radio - the first mission was interface to my gps and computer. i decided to build the custom cables (but you can just find them on e-bay for ~$20). rs-232 is still the de facto standard. i have 2 different gps devices already -- wiring up the unique e-trex interface means not being able to use the magellan, or anything else. for my car, i'm thinking it might be wise to get a gps device w/ antenna i can stick on the roof.

tech class radio license

· · (0) · ·

i've had my eye on packet radio for some time. you need a license to use ham radios, and i didn't really know much about the test (used to require morse code!). i found books on the topic are full of acronyms and not well written. so i just put it off.

since i've gotten into mapping and gps, i've come up with a bunch of new geek projects. i've been looking for a way to track my car -- basically just for fun, let friends know where i am, whatever.

acer tm 350 service manual

· · (1) · ·

Here's a copy of the Travelmate 350 Service Manual.

Notice the reference to Bluetooth in the manual? Acer long since removed those references from their web site. Shows they once promised this version, but never delivered.

The manual contains great instructions on taking it part, other details.

http://www.7hertz.com/download/tm350sg.pdf

HBH-35 charging issues

· · (0) · ·

after about 2 months of not using (or charging) my HBH-35 headset, it stopped working.

i went to charge it and the led flickered intermittently, orange -- not red or green (both simultaneously? appears that way, seems to be the first thing that happens during power-up, on a working model).

sony rmr-d100, fuse replacement

· · (0) · ·

i got the rmr-d100 to use as a spdif interface (for my sony pcm-m1 dat). i've stopped using it more or less - since a simple cable from core audio works really well (easy to carry too). really, i only tend to archive my dat recordings to disk - had i known the cable would have done the job, i might have just stuck with the $40 cable. it's a much cheaper option. *however* the rmr-d100 does properly convert the 3.3 volts supplied by the dat, to the full 5 volt spdif standard, and it's two-way as well if you need that. (though, there are two-way cables).

anyway, i was a little surprised when one day the rmr-d100 just didn't work, wouldn't turn on (of course just when needed it, this was before i got the cable). anyway, like everything else i own, i decided to take it apart and take a look inside.

2 pc's sharing 1 firewire drive??

· · (0) · ·

There are dozens of ways to share drives, just not this one... I was hoping firewire was more evolved. sure, you can't actually physically write to disk from to pc's at the same time. But I hoped you could still connect the devices, and let firewire take care of the rest.

technics 1200, lamp replacement

· · (0) · ·

taking apart the turntable is fairly easy. just turn it upside down, and take out almost every screw you can see, plus the foot pads (which are screwed on to the base). pull back the entire rubber casing, taking care not to tug on the power/audio/ground wires which thread through a hole.

cabinet and tonearm schematics

replacing an ericsson T39 mic

· · (15) · ·

the microphone on my ericsson T39 suddenly died -- ericsson was going to charge me $100 for the repair (which is about street value for the phone). but being around christmas time, they weren't actually going to take the phone until after january. fortunately i had a spare t28 to use in the mean time, just swapped sim cards while i repared the t39!

acer travelmate memory upgrade

· · (2) · ·

I ordered samsung 256MB PC 133 soDimm memory. the 32x8 chipset memory worked great. i *think* the travelmate 350te-n can use generic 16x16 chipset memory as well, but 32x8 definitely works.

take apart an acer travelmate 350

· · (66) · ·

first time i took apart my laptop, i just wanted to take a look - i wanted to see if the cpu would be replaceable (which actually appears totally fused to the heat sink). i was also curious to take a look at the mini-pci wireless card (wondering if that would be replaceable as well), and where the antennas exactly were in the casing.