Batteries
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From: Unruh on 28 Sep 2007 01:53 ibuprofin(a)painkiller.example.tld (Moe Trin) writes: >On Thu, 27 Sep 2007, in the Usenet newsgroup alt.os.linux.mandrake, in article ><RAFKi.91518$Pd4.80096(a)edtnps82>, Unruh wrote: >>>100mb ethernet uses all eight wires, doesn't it? >There are several types of 100 MB Ethernet - several do indeed use four >pairs, though they are quite rare. The "common" version does not. >>AFAIK no, neither does Gigabit. >Try searching for 802.3ab - GigE does require 4 balanced pairs I did try searching. No information about what the wire requirement is. > Old guy
From: Unruh on 28 Sep 2007 13:16 Christopher Hunter <chrisehunter(a)NOSPAMblueyonder.co.uk> writes: >Unruh wrote: > >> Actually I doubt that you could push Gigabit signals down a coax. I also >> find it astonishing that you can push Gigabit down a twisted pair, but it >> works. >The input to my 22 GHz spectrum analyser front end is a BNC! I have 5, 10 >and 18 GHz signals around here going down cheap coax with little loss. Very short I suspect. Ie, try doing a 50m run and seeing how much signal gets through.
From: Adam on 28 Sep 2007 20:20 Unruh wrote: >> When the system's been on for a few hours, both the BIOS and Memtest86+ >> find memory problems at all of those settings. > > IF you get an error ANY TIME, hot, cold, or only on Fridays, IMMEDIATELY take > out the ram break the little board in half so you are never ever tempted to > reuse it, and throw it away. Immediately. Instead of crashing, a corrupt ram > can corrupt your data. Is your data that worthless that you do not mind > destroying it and potentially making decisions based on garbage. THROW THE > RAM AWAY. Do not worry about batteries or temp or anything, throw it away. > Immediately. You're right. About half the DIMM is now in the garbage can near the computer, and the remainder is in the kitchen garbage can. I also peeled off the sticker that says "Warranty void if this sticker removed," but found nothing surprising underneath. No argument from me, because that still leaves me with over 1G. >>> If no LAN, then a cross-over from your new NIC to the printer is needed. > > A crossover switches 1 and 2 and 3 and 6 from one end to the other. > They sell them in your local shop Yep, found one there. >>>> and a few other little things, all for five dollars. > > A UPS that does not work, a slow ancient printer which requires you to buy > a nic etc to make it work. Well, I think I got a good deal, and that's all that matters to me. :-) If absolutely nothing is usable, I'm only out $5 and some time, and I'll have learned something along the way. Thanks very much for all your helpful suggestions! Adam
From: Adam on 28 Sep 2007 20:20 Moe Trin wrote: >>> Where does the air go from/to the hard drives? > >> I assume the air around them is pulled out by the fan on the left side >> of the case, which is only a few inches away. > > Where might the air be coming in? Gaps around the drive[s]? I'd guess from the vent holes in the right side of the case. This is a vertical tower, ATX form factor. I just discovered that I already have hddtemp installed: /dev/hda: SAMSUNG SP0411N: 29�C /dev/hdb: MAXTOR 6L020J1: 43�C The temp for hda (all Linux except swap) is staying constant at 29C, but hdb (Linux swap, W2K, system-independent data) is fluctuating second-by-second between 32C and 50C, mostly around 41-43C. I don't like that 50C, if it's accurate, but it doesn't stay there, goes right back down within 2-3 seconds to around 43C. >> I suppose I could blow smoke into the system to get some idea of >> airflow, but I don't think that's really a good idea for a computer, >> unless maybe I use dry ice in water. Also, I'd have to remove the >> side of the case to watch it, which would ruin the test. > > All smoke - which is a particulate - could result in residue. The > dry-ice is water vapor, somewhat better - but neither is likely to > be harmful in a short test. As for the case, it's normally replaced > with a plexiglass version. Well, as long as everything seems to be working, except for the 512M DIMM that I'm no longer using, I don't think I need to go to that much trouble just yet. > Don't forget that you are looking at the temperatures at an unknown > spot somewhere on the motherboard (obviously, the CPU temp is inside > the chip), and that's somewhat akin to a single thermostat in a house. > It's a compromise, and only reflects what's going on "there". I tried looking for the sensor chip yesterday, but couldn't find it easily. I'll have to look again with better light and mirrors (some chips are hidden behind the power supply), and also a better idea of exactly what I'm looking for. I was surprised at how few chips were actually on the motherboard. > The original IBM PC [snip] > Putting it > right side down was possible, but put the power switch (which you > may not have been using anyway) in an awkward position I remember using the BRS quite a bit, as there was no reset button. When I worked at IBM, the XTs had a key lock attached to the switch, sticking out the right side of the computer. >> everything works correctly except that 512MB DIMM. Is anything really >> that urgent [besides] replacing it (or using "mem=1428M" until then)? > > If it's working, AND the system isn't being used for anything critical, > then you can probably get away with it for now. I would put replacement > high on the 'to-do' list. As mentioned elsewhere in this thread, the 512 MB DIMM is no longer being used (or even usable). This leaves me with 1G + 128M, which is still a lot more than I had before I bought the 1G earlier this month. I'm still planning to get another 1G (motherboard limit is 2G) once prices drop enough, although I think what I have now is enough to run another OS under VMWare, which is my main reason for adding memory. > the way a more common test is > run is to beat the snot out of the system - in the GCC-SIG11-FAQ (also > known as the Sig-11.FAQ) by 'bitwizard', the suggestion is to run a > loop that repeatedly compiles a kernel. The problem with these tests > is that "unused" memory could be bad, and not be detected no matter > how hard you flog the system. Memtest86+ should be better for this, > as it's a single function "operating system' that really doesn't have > to worry about other things, but I have no experience with it. If there's a better way to test all installed RAM than Memtest86+, I'll try it. BTW I left Memtest86+ running for over 11 hours with 1G + 128M, and no errors. [HP Color Laserjet 5] >> I hooked it up to the motherboard's parallel port today, and it >> installed and printed the test page with no problem at all. It's just >> slower than I expected. Right now it's printing its own manual (PDF >> file) and taking about two minutes per page. > > That seems a lot slower than I'm used to - I'm thinking it should be > closer to 2 to 4 PPM after the initial wakeup. While it was printing, I used printerdrake (thru MCC) to try to optimize settings, and it suddenly stopped printing, and won't even display anything on the front panel, although something starts whirring every time I plug in the power. >> Also I don't see an "OFF" switch on it. > > I don't have access to a 5 or 5M, but do recall that they had one, > vaguely on the top on the display. Nope. Time to RTFM. >> I gather that if I want to hook it up that way, I should install the >> "new" NIC card (as eth1?) and run a cable from that to the printer. > > Yup - cross-over cable. NIC card installed, crossover cable connected, still nothing displayed on front panel of printer. /sbin/ifconfig only shows 'eth0' (DSL router) and 'lo'. Just an additional screen ("Intel Boot Agent Version 2.6") displayed during system power-up, after detecting IDE drives but before displaying system info. >> I gather I just have to buy one of those, and install the NIC card. >> What are the advantages of that over using the parallel port? > > In your case (single system), it's not going to do that much for you. > I was under the impression (for unknown reason) that you had more than > one system. Nope, this one's not antiquated enough to justify buying another. It's a Celeron 1.7 GHz, low-end desktop as of early 2004. [APC Smart-UPS 1500] >> external battery, and it looks like a replacement internal battery will >> set me back at least $80. Time to check eBay. > > or at least your favorite search engines. The 1500 is a large beast > meant to handle the heaviest loads running unattended. For a single > system in general use at home, there are UPS available that cost about > the same as that battery. Sounds like overkill, then. I don't think I really /need/ a UPS, as long as I have surge protectors on the power and phone lines. Oh well. If any one item out of last Saturday's acquisition works well, I've got my $5 worth, and if not -- all I'm out is $5 and some time, and I'll have learned something along the way. Adam
From: Adam on 28 Sep 2007 20:20
Moe Trin wrote: >> AARGH. Moe, you should know better. > > Bill - he's not running life support on it. It's not a critical > system, and there are a few other things going on in his life. This is kind of a "you're both right" situation. Since without the 512M DIMM I still have over 1G, I decided to pitch the 512M. This isn't a critical system. In fact, about the most demanding thing it's had to do so far has been to occasionally compile an application from source. 1G should be enough to run another OS under VMWare. > -rw-rw-r-- 1 gferg ldp 41481 May 23 13:03 UPS-HOWTO How'd a version of that end up on my HD? :-) Adam |