Asus X401A Laptop, replaced broken screen

Broken screen on a one week old laptop!  Does everyone's stuff break this often?  Geez.   I wasn't planning to write a blog about fixing broken screens but it seems I'm doing it all the time now.

My daughter doesn't know how it happened but the screen is clearly cracked.   She took it to classes the first week only.  Rainbow vertical and horizontal streaks and black marks.   Still under warranty, but I'm sure anyone at the factory who sees this will know it got broken and won't accept a return.  I'm going to have to replace the screen myself.   

The cover of the laptop is fairly flexible.  Very likely she put something heavy on top of it and bowed it from the outside or closed something inside it.  Disappointing this laptop is so fragile.

The screen shows obvious symptoms of being physically damaged:






Close-up of the broken screen.  This is fairly classic cracked screen symptom.  Streaks that don't change, some black marks and a jagged edge and sections where the video works normally.  There are no visible cracks, the screen is probably cracked inside on the back.



Screens are sold several places, this is cheapest I found:
https://www.laptopscreen.com/English/model/ASUS/X401A/
Has a replacement for 59.99 for matte, 52.99 for glossy.  I went for matte, even though I think the previous one was glossy.  Had to pay $10 shipping on top.

Also found some on ebay, but didn't find the matte screen anywhere else.  Also the laptopscreen.com model came with a 3year warranty.

I hate videos but I watched a youtube video and transcribed the procedure. 

1) Remove the two screws under the covers at the bottom left and right.  Hobby knife to pry the covers off.

2) Needs a hairdryer to loosen the glue.  Hate doing that, I've melted plastic before.  Run on low for a few minutes.  Later he says you don't need to do this.  Great.  DON'T USE A HAIRDRYER.

3) Work around the edge putting fingers on the screen size pulling up the bezel.  

4) For the seam on the bottom, close the laptop and use the screwdriver to pry it apart

5) pry off the hinge covers with a small screwdriver

6) Remove the four screws on the silver taps that hold the screen down.

7) Screen flips forward

8) Peel off the adhesive tape

9) pull the video cable out of the screen.  It just presses back in with a click.

N140B6-L06 is the screen model in the video.  Did some more searching on the web to see if the part number yielded a better price.  Didn't find one.

Looks easy, same as other Asus and Acer laptops I've replaced screens on.   The bezel has to be pried off instead of just screws on Acer models.

Ordering the screen and waiting ....  I will add more when I get the part....

Ordered the part on Sunday, it was here on the east coast on Thursday.  Pretty good turn around.


Here is the new screen fresh from the box with a piece of plastic coating on the front.




Model B140XW03 V.1
The label shows these part numbers and a 12/31 manufacturing date.


Pried up the two black squares at the bottom with a case knife.  At first this made me unhappy, I was concerned about scratching the front.  However the black squares are nothing but tiny squares of tape, and once you get under the edge they peel right up.


Took out the two silver screws.  You need a jewelers screwdriver, they are pretty small.


This was probably the hardest/scariest part.  How to pry apart the bezel?  The video showed the guy peeling it apart with his hands.  But I had to get it started.  The trick was to close the lap top, and wedge my knife in the corner near the hinges and pry it apart a bit to start.


After that, drop the knife and use your finger nail to begin popping it apart.  Open the laptop because the black bezel is the part that has to move.  Just work around the edge with your fingers and pop it off.  Black bezel came away easily with lots of popping sounds.


The bottom edge is a bit tricky.  It hooks over the hinges and you can't get your fingers on it.   Close the lap top and run your fingernail to separate, then open the lid again and stick your fingers down by the screen.  Hard to say exactly how I did it, just work it a bit and lift it out.


Take out the four silver screws that hold down the screen.  These are the four smallest silver screws on the tabs attached to the screen.  Don't take out the others!!  I've made that mistake before and the hinges fall apart and with the springs they can be a pain to get back together.


Screen now flips forward and reveals a wire and a small connector taped to the back of the screen


Peel up the tape from the back of the screen carefully with a hobby knife.   Don't mess it up because you will need to use it again to stick the connector down again.    Leave the tape attached on the connector, just take it off the screen.


Once the tape is off, pull the connector out of the old screen.  It comes out pretty easily.


Here is the part number on the old screen.  N140BGE-L42 Rev A4.  It was not the same exactly as the one in the video, and not even close to the one on the new screen I bought.   The only thing in common was the number "140".   So the model and rev of the screens in the Asus laptops does vary it seems.   The new screen was matte not glossy so I'm not surprised the model is different.

The shape, connector, and mounting brackets were the same, the new screen looks like it fits despite the model and manufacturer differences.  Some minor differences in the shape of the metal flanges.  I forged ahead and connected it.

Pushed the connector into the socket on the new screen.  Wiggled it back and forth a bit while pushing and eventually it pressed in all the way without any gap between the connector and socket.  Not a real obvious click.  Pressed down the tape, which now bears my fingerprints.

 

Powered up the laptop before re-assembling it.  SUCCESS!! The screen lights up and works perfectly.  Happy dance!

 

Put the four silver screws back in that hold down the screen.    Worked the bezel to get it put back on.  The key is to get the bottom edge down on top the hinges first.  That takes some wiggling and working it.  Sorry no photos, that took two hands :).   Once it is lined up in the right place, just squeeze it back together.   Work around the edge and make sure it is all snapped back tight.

 

Put the two screws at the bottom front  of the screen back in.  Put the black squares of tape on top.  If you stare you can see the tape is a little worse for wear for being peeled up, but no other obvious scratches or signs of my handiwork.

 

 

Hooray!  Here is the laptop back in working order, good as new.  
The whole repair I would say was easy.  Did it on my kitchen table and start to finish took about 1/2 hour including taking the photos for this blog.  While I admit to doing this sort of thing regularly, I think anyone with two hands and good eyes or glasses could do it in less than an hour.  The only tools needed are a small Philips head jewelers screwdriver and a hobby knife to pry up the tape and pry up the first bit of bezel before you can get your fingers in.

I must say the matte screen is a bit different, and although it is quite readable, the colors are much more muted.  I don't know if I recommend it. The jury is still out.  It is a matter of taste.  This laptop is for college schoolwork in a variety of environments, so maybe it was a good choice to get matte.    I may get complaints from the user.

Paperwhite Kindle Cover, How to add a magnet to wake

This post is about how upgrade a cheap case to enable the automatic on feature of the paperwhite Kindle.

As the previous post described, my Kindle broke and I bought a Kindle paperwhite 3G.   Since my previous Kindle screen broke the second day I had it (that time warranty covered it), I learned that the screens are very fragile and you need to keep it in a case.

Already smarting from the price of the Kindle, I didn't want to pay $40 for an "official" case.   I bought the $12 one below instead.   Which would you buy?  BTW the $12 one is very nice, I'd recommend it.

OK finally to the only interesting thing in this post.   The big difference to me between the $40 and the $12 cover was the magnet in it that automatically unlocks the Kindle when you open the cover.   I first thought, who cares, but the power button is awkward to find and push each time.   I had read about it as a feature so I experimented to figure out how it worked.

I cut out a section of a sheet magnet that was from a file cabinet label.  Probably could have used any refrigerator magnet.   Here is an example of the type I used.  I didn't buy this exact one, I used a magnet that was lying around.  





I moved the magnet around and discovered that the region in the lower right of the Kindle is where the magnet sensor is.   If you put the magnet in that area, then lift it away quickly, the Kindle will unlock as if you pushed the power button.  Note the blue circles in the photo.   A magnet placed in the lower left folds over on top of the region in the lower right and activates the sensor.

  

Locations of the magnet and magnet sensor in the Kindle cover

With the magnet in place, when you open the cover, the Kindle acts as if you pushed the power button.  You still have to swipe to unlock the screen but that is much easier and natural than fumbling around for the power switch on the bottom.

You may have to experiment a bit to find a good magnet.  However at first it didn't seem to be working when I was doing it by hand, but in the case it worked much better.  The motion of opening the case seems to be important.

I used double stick tape and cut a section of sheet magnet and put it in the lower left of the case cover.  When it folds it lays on top of the lower right of the Kindle.

I've been using the case this way, with the bit of magnet double stick taped in the corner of the case for a few weeks now, and it has been fine.  Every time I have opened the case the Kindle wakes up.   The extra depth of the magnet in that corner isn't hurting anything.

For a more permanent solution is you could hot glue a button magnet or cut a recessed hole.   You can scrounge these sort of magnets off the back of refrigerator magnets, but here are some tiny ones for a couple bucks.

Modify USB auto charger to actually charge a phone!

I have always wondered why my phone doesn't really charge from my computer or some car adapters.  It stays alive but doesn't charge like it does from my wall adapter.  I had always thought it was a matter of the current limit of the devices and cheap chargers.  Turns out there is an internal sensor in the phones for detecting if the USB data pins are shorted together that makes the phone decide if it is plugged into an adapter or a USB connector and limits the current.   Wow.  Wish I knew that years ago after many vain attempts to charge my phone from my computer.

I happen to have an Android phone, but these comments apply to Apple devices too.   On Android  I discovered you can tell what charging mode your phone is in on the Settings->About Phone->Status  screen.
It will either tell you "Full" , "Discharging", "Charging (AC)" or Charging (USB).   When it says Charging(AC), you are in the high current charging mode.   When the phone is on, it uses power at almost the same rate that the USB mode charges it, so you never really get anywhere.

Here is how I learned it.    I was out shopping for a high quality USB charger for the car, since the one that I had broke....


The user reviews had this comment. hmmmm....

Based on the reviews and product description of this device, I was lead to believe that it would charge an Android phone at full AC power mode (not USB 0.5amp mode). Based on that information I ordered several of these for a medium-scale deployment of devices at my work.
Long story short: This device will not charge an Android device in AC power mode. As soon as you plug it in, the Android device enables USB charging mode.
I'm hoping that I can figure out a way to crack the unit open and short the middle pins (which forces AC charging mode for Android devices on other car chargers)...
I'm giving it two stars for excellent build quality and packaging.
Update: I figured out how to disassemble the unit and it turns out to be quite easy.
The high build quality of this unit actually enhances it's ability to be disassembled, modified and reassembled. You can do it all with a single flat-bladed screwdriver (and a soldering iron). Resassembly doesn't require any superglue like some of the other units that are popular to mod.
Once the unit was disassembled, I looked on the back of the circuit board and found 2 places where there were 4 small pins in a row. I put a small blob of solder across the middle pins on each of them and reassembled the whole unit.
I went out to the car to test it and sure enough, all my android devices see it as an AC charger and start charging in high-speed mode.
I will add one star to my rating due to the excellent build quality enabling an easy modification.

Thanks to the reviewer, there are even pictures of his mod..
Click on the link above to see his photos.    Short the center two pins of the USB connector together for android devices.

Some more google searching found this

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1870586
Which started with some mis-information before it got helpful

Quote:

If you apply 5V to vcc+, connect the ground and give same voltage to D- and D+ , the device is going to have AC supply mode. In order to have the same voltage on D- and D+ you have to connect those together (green and white - middle pins on PCB interfaces), BUT YOU HAVE TO LIMIT THE CURRENT through a resistor connected to +Vcc 5V. (over 60K Ohm). So you go from +Vcc 5V, connect a resistor over 60K ohm, and have the other resistor end attached to D- and D+ all connected together.

This is excessive. All you need to do is connect D+ and D- together - no need for resistive voltage dividers.
The ONE exception are Samsung Galaxy Tab devices - these expect D+ and D- to be held to 1.2 volts by the charger. If you use high enough resistor values, you can set up the divider to provide 1.2 volts to a Tab, but easily be overridden by the "short detection" mechanism used by other devices to detect dumb chargers. 33k pullup 10k pulldown is known to work well.

This article had a lot of good technical information on apple charging
http://www.ladyada.net/make/mintyboost/icharge.html

Apparently modifying to this circuit will charge an apple device at 1.0 amp.  Simply shorting the data pins will work for most other devices.   The common mode voltage of the USB conveys the information.

OK I've ordered the USB chargers and will post the details of the mod when they come.  I'll probably go with the resistors.

However I have another idea.  I may modify an extension USB cable or my cheap non powered hub to short the D+/D- pins and insert that in the cable.   That should trick the phone without modifying the charger.

I pulled out a giveaway non powered USB hub that never really worked well in the first place.  One screw on the back and it popped open.




I will just solder the pins together on the data plugs, which the chip will hate, but this thing should pass power from the charger now.  Here is the circuit board on the inside before I modified it.


`

Here is the board with the data lines all shorted with solder blobs


I put a solder blob across the center two data pins in each of the four USB connectors as well as the two for the input cable.  I'm not sure that was necessary, but I didn't want the chip to try to communicate to anything, just to pass the power.  There are some small resistors on the board in series with the power connections, which may not be able to handle the current.   This is just a shameful hack experiment to see what happens.  Put it all back together (one screw).

FAIL.   I tried it in the car and with a house plug and two android phones.  Both indicate they are plugged in, to something USB, but none of my phones even indicate they are charging on the status screen.   I'm going to have to try a bit harder, either reverse engineering the cheapy USB, adding resistors, etc.

I measured the voltage at the D+/D- pins that I had shorted with the solder blobs.  ~0V.  I also measured resistance and it is not an open circuit.  I'm going to have to cut the board traces away from the chip and add a resistor divider.

In the mood to hack and learn I committed another atrocity of hacking.  I happened to have a couple 1K resistors to make a divider out of.  That will mess with USB communication but shouldn't hurt anything.  I cut the traces between the chip and one of the USB jacks.  I soldered the resistors from the center two shorted connectors, one to ground and one to 5V.  I measured with the voltmeter 2.5V on the center two pins.  Plugged it into the USB on my computer and into the phone.



WIN!  The phone now says it is charging in AC mode, when plugged into a USB jack.  I'm probably pulling too much current out of the computer so I won't do this long, but it should serve as a handy cheat block to charge my phone faster.



Ha Ha, i got the USB car charger in the mail.  Either it has been updated, or my phones are less picky, but for me it ALREADY comes up as charging in AC mode.  So no modification is necessary.  But at least I built a converter for use in other situations.

Windows 8 & Avast - New start menu apps didn't work/crashed

Since I had bought a new PC in the last couple months, I used the promo code I got to upgrade one of my machines to Windows 8 just for the experience.  Bleahhh.   Thumbs down so far.  Confusing, non intuitive and generally worse than Windows 7 if you don't have a tablet.

I used the download option and installed the upgrade on a desktop with dual monitors that was running Windows 7.   Besides taking over an hour to install, it went smoothly and came up in windows 8.

From the desktop side, it seems just like Windows 7 without any of the useful buttons.  The Start menu is missing and the control panel and power buttons are all hidden in the corners.  Took some getting used to.

But finally to the point of this post....

The new Start Menu Screen didn't work at all.  When I clicked anything but the desktop or icons for my desktop apps, such as the Weather or Finance buttons, the screen would show the splash screen for a second and bounce back to the Start menu.   Since I didn't know what it was supposed to do I spent hours playing with this useless piece of #*&#$.

I finally found the solution.  The problem was my Avast installation.
http://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=103987.msg838769#msg838769

Ignore all the advice about resolution, user accounts, etc.  The problem is Avast is blocking the start menu.
Open the Avast user interface, go to behavior shields, expert settings and unclick "Monitor the system for unauthorized modifications".  Now the new menus will work.

Here is the post that was the answer...

Re: Problem with Avast Internet Security and Windows 8
« Reply #3 on: June 28, 2012, 01:52:46 AM »
Okay, after playing around with my AVAST Firewall settings, I finally got it to work with the apps. Go to your Firewall tab and click Firewall settings. Then click Expert setting in the top right area. Under the Policies tab (first screen) enable Internet Connection Sharing Mode. THAT'S IT!!! it will let you access the network for your apps, without having to disable your firewall for xx amount of minutes. The cool thing, if you're like me and don't want other users to access your skydrive or other apps, just simply uncheck the Internet Connection Sharing and it will block the apps again. =)


Solution for Behavior Sheild:

1. clcik on real time shields
2. click on behavior shield
3. expert settings
4. uncheck "Monitor The System for unauthorized modifications
5. them click on OK
now your Metro Apps will work.

« Last Edit: September 09, 2012, 02:09:15 PM by robmadden1 »

DirecTV 5LNB Non-SWM and TiVo HD THR22 Hookup Odyssey

Posting this epic tale in hopes it helps someone else, and to keep track of what equipment I have installed.

It has been almost a year since I put up the HDTV dish, never got around to upgrading the receivers till now.  One of the SDTV TiVo's started having a lot of picture and sound break up on some channels it was time to make the plunge and upgrade to HDTV.    

I described installing the dish in this previous post.
http://blog.workingsi.com/2011/10/installing-directv-5lnb-dish.html


The reader might ask, why not just call DirecTV and say "make it work".   Basically besides having aftermarket upgraded DVR boxes with big disk drives, I have my own cabling through my attic and basement, and don't want a tech messing with it.  Plus this stuff is just too much fun to let somebody else do.  I believe it is possible to get DirecTV to just send you some of the bits and bobs needed and save yourself some $$.  

OK, mostly this was because it was my wife's SDTV TiVo that was failing that made it critical.  In the past, when this begins to happen it usually means a tuner is failing.   She had a highly upgraded box, a Philips DSR708 DirecTV Receiver TiVo DVR with a TB+ of disk space that I had already replaced once for the same problem and I didn't want to replace it with another 5 year old used unit.   You can get these off ebay for <$40, but it was time to move on.



The dish I put up is a NON-SWM, four output slimline 5 LNB dish with a built in 4 way multiswitch.   This is technically obsolete, Directv has moved on to installing the SWM dishes.  They cost a lot more and allow you to only drop one cable to each box.  However I already have two cables pulled throughout my house, plus the new dishes require a power supply if you want to use them with the older SDTV boxes.  I have several legacy SD boxes in the house that are staying for now.  So that's why I used the older style 5 LNB slimline.

Directv finally released the HDTV TiVo  THR22 in Jan 2012.  This retains the TiVo menu system but does HD.  I must say after using it a week or two I really like it.  It is just like the old TiVo system that does what I want when I want.
http://www.weaknees.com/hd-tivo-directv-thr22.php
http://www.directv.com/DTVAPP/content/technology/tivo_receiver


Ha ha. Maybe satellite TV is already obsolete, since internet TV is going to replace all this stuff.  Truth be known we are already watching lots of Netflix, Amazon Prime.  But I don't like paying by the show to watch TV.

I bought the upgraded unit from weaknees for the added capacity, we are used to lots of disk space.  Kinda pricey I admit.   I was also concerned about activating the modified Weaknees unit on Directv, but they are a n authorized dealer.

I also bought two BBand converters for too much money.
http://www.weaknees.com/directv-b-band-converter-sup-2400.php
Later I see you can find these on ebay and Amazon,   I was in a hurry.
I got Rev 3 DirecTV B Band Converter SUP 2400, which I hear are better than earlier versions.  Make sure you get that one, pay attention to the Rev number. There are Rev 1 and 2 out there for sale on Ebay.

Plugged the THR22 in, with the BBand converters, and I get no hdtv signals, no signal on 119, 103, or 99 satellites.  I swear 119 was there when I aligned it last year. Tried the old SD receiver.  No 119 either.  I'm using the receiver signal meter for all these steps.  I never got around to buying a standalone satellite signal meter.   Plenty of signal on 101 so I decided to forge ahead and activate the box.

I was able to activate it just fine, with zero problems by calling DirecTV.  Had to pay $10 a month more for the HD service, I was already paying for the TiVo DVRs.   The new box probably comes up as leased.  Oh well.  I'm not planning on reselling the box later so it really makes no difference to me.  I couldn't do this online because I had ordered it from Weaknees, but via phone it was OK.  Gave them the RID and card ID.

Still no HDTV signal.  I tried to re-align the dish in the dark.  No improvement.  A little signal on 99c at best.  TV says searching for signal on all the HDTV stations.   Fail.  The next day in daylight I decided to remount and level the dish, it was off vertical, thinking that was why I couldn't get any signal.  I followed the alignment procedure exactly.  http://manuals.solidsignal.com/Slimline_Dish_Installation_Manual.pdf  Still nothing on 99, 103 or 119.   Fail.

I learned that my multiswitch (Terk 3x4) doesn't pass the Ka band HDTV.  So that might be the problem.

I bypassed the multiswitch temporarily and ordered a new one from Amazon that is compatible with HDTV. The Zinwell unpowered 6x8 Multiswitch MS6X8WB-Z


For some reason Weaknees wanted $79 for this, and it was $20 including shipping on Amazon.  Go figure.  This time I bought it off Amazon for $20.

Guess what.  It STILL doesn't work.   Fail.   No signal on 119, 103,99 and HDTV channels all say searching for signal.   Times like this make be want to sit in my chair and call the 800 number.  But I soldier on.

Took the receiver outside and plugged it in directly to the dish.  No multiswitch at all.  Note that I do have the Bband converters installed.  Same result.  Nothing.  I'm really confused.  Spent and hour tweaking the dish.  No signal.  I drag out the old SD receiver and plug it direct to the dish.  No 119 on this one either.  I align until I'm blue and nothing.   It's not the receiver, its not the multiswitch, it's not the cable.  I can't believe it's my alignment, it's dead nuts on.   Fail parade continues.

No other conclusion than the LNB is bad.  Hard to believe, but there is no other conclusion.  I bought it used on Ebay, maybe it was a dud somebody pawned off on me.  All I need is the LNB, not a whole new dish.  So I bought a new Rev 2 5LNB.  The one I had was Rev 1.    They look a bit different, the Rev 2 has clear LNB covers, the Rev 1 has solid white covers.  The Rev 2 has more lumps.   There is a label on it telling you the rev.  Make note that it has four outputs and is cheaper than the SWM version, which will only have one COAX output.   I bought it new on Amazon for $61.94 including shipping.   I didn't want to mess with another used one after all this.



New LNB came.  I climbed up and connected it.  Bingo!  99 and 103 birds came in loud and clear without moving alignment.  So the old 5LNB WAS BAD!!  Hard to believe.  Still no signal on 119.  Rotated the dish, tweaked, no 119.  Whaaa?  However I connected the receiver and now I'm getting "Channel not purchased, call extension 721" on all the HDTV stations instead of searching for signal.  Seems none of the channels I get are even on 119 so I've decided to leave it be.   I finally just peak the 99 and 103 and forget about the 119.   Hooked back up the new multiswitch to send HD to all the boxes in the house.   No problems, signal levels still look good.   Win!

Called Directv, got passed to tech support.  I tell them I just activated and get this "not purchased, ext 721" message only on the HD channels.  The others are fine.  The tech flails around and in the process resends the authorization codes to my box, and <insert happy dance here> the HDTV channels pop up.  What must have happened is that the HD birds weren't visible at the time it was first activated, so it didn't get the message.  Either that or the original tech activated it, then added HD service.  Who knows.   Turns out you can resend the authorization yourself from the online account management page.  So you can avoid calling if this happens to you.

Along the way bought some RG6 patch cables from Monoprice.   They are so cheap they beat buying cable and connectors and making them yourself.  
http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10216&cs_id=1021603&p_id=3031&seq=1&format=2
I also have some 125 foot runs, with some short sections of RG59, that came with the house, and it works fine.   HDTV spoils the family, and they will soon ask for me to upgrade the rest of the units.  Win or Fail?

ISP Programming an Atmel AVR

Bought an Atmel AVR programmer from Digikey.  I'm working on a project where I need to be able to directly program the Microcontroller in situ that is embedded in a project.   In the past I've always used the Arduino IDE and USB programming, but the developer of this machine is using WinAVR and the ISP setting.  This post is just my notes on how to set it up.

This is what I bought:

Manufacturer	Atmel
Manufacturer Part Number	ATAVRISP2
Description	PROGRAMMER AVR IN SYSTEM

http://www.digikey.com/scripts/DkSearch/dksus.dll?WT.z_header=search_go&lang=en&keywords=ATAVRISP2-ND&x=4&y=16&cur=USD

WinAVR and Eclipse was recommended to me over the Atmel provided suite.  Since I use eclipse for Java programing, I'm game.

Downloaded here:
http://sourceforge.net/projects/winavr/files/
Looks like this hasn't been updated since 2010.   Picked the latest version
 http://sourceforge.net/projects/winavr/files/WinAVR/20100110/WinAVR-20100110-install.exe/download

Double click on win avr install.   Run it from start menu.  Something comes up.  No idea what to do with it.



Also downloaded the AVR plugin
http://sourceforge.net/projects/avr-eclipse/?source=recommended
http://sourceforge.net/projects/avr-eclipse/files/latest/download?source=recommended

I will need Eclipse on this machine, it is new and I haven't used it on this machine

Downloaded Eclipse for C programming from here:
http://www.eclipse.org/downloads/download.php?file=/technology/epp/downloads/release/juno/R/eclipse-cpp-juno-win32-x86_64.zip
Unzipped and clicked on eclipse.  Tool comes up just fine.  Hmmm.  Now what.

Opened the AVR plugin I previously unzipeed and downloaded from here:
http://sourceforge.net/projects/avr-eclipse/files/latest/download

Maybe the manual will help.  No idea how to install it
http://avr-eclipse.sourceforge.net/wiki/index.php/Documentation
OK I should have used Eclipse->Help->Install New Software.  I guess I knew that, learned that here:
http://avr-eclipse.sourceforge.net/wiki/index.php/Plugin_Download
Point to this site and click add in the install new software menu in eclipse
http://avr-eclipse.sourceforge.net/updatesite
Select and hit next a couple times

It says:
If the installation was successful you should see the entries AVR Cross Target Application and AVR Cross Target Static Library in the "New C Project" wizard.
Turns out you have to go one click into creating the C project before you see these choices.  On the first project creation you just see C project.  Pick it and the next screen you see the AVR options.
AVR->Upload to target device is also now on the menu across the top

I'll publish my notes at this point, and update the post again when I've succeeded in programming the AVR














Without using all this software, I tried using the AVR ISP Mk2 to program an Arduino, using the supplied Arduino software, version 1.0.

It worked perfectly.     You hook up the MK2 via usb,  hook the 6 pin connector to the Arduino ISP header.  Leave the USB off the Arduiono.   The bump on the ISP header goes towards the inside of the Arduino board.  Power the Arduino from an external 12V supply since it can't get power from the USB.     You hit shift before clicking on the upload button and the function changes to upload from programmer.  There are also menu buttons to do it in the pulldowns, as well as an options menu to pick which programmer you have.    Now that you are set up this way, you can also reburn the bootloader as well as program sketches a little faster than the USB method.  This is no harder than the USB method.

I had to install drivers for the MK2, which turned out to be nothing more than the standard libusb0.dll file.

I was able to rescue two old Arduino boards that wouldn't talk to the USB by reburning their bootloaders.  This worked on an Uno and an older Duelmanove.  

Suicide for the strobe/flashlight app on Google

I decided to pull the silicon fish blinky app off the market.  At the bottom are the comments I was getting.  I can't handle the shame.  I wasn't able to test the app on other platforms because I didn't have any extra phones.  I've since got a motorola droid 4 and the LG doubleplay that I found and repaired.   If I get some spare time I'll get the app working on those and republish it.  Fun while it lasted.  Lesson learned, don't do a flashlight app unless you have access to a lot of phones because the LEDs work differently on different devices.    I gave it away free and still got trashed.  I put a disclaimer.  Oh well.

At the end I had over 2900 installs, but as near as I can tell only 300 active users after 6 months on the market.  And in case you were wondering, never made $0.01 on it.  The only way to make money is to put ads or charge for the app, neither was I willing to do.  It was a project for fun, not for public abuse.

You can still download it direct to your phone from my download page, as long as you check the box in your settings->applications->unknown sources menu on your android device.  That allows you to install apps from other than the google market.  Just navigate your phone to
http://code.google.com/p/arduino-java-xyzcnc/downloads/list and then click on SiFishBlinky.apk


or go directly to:
http://arduino-java-xyzcnc.googlecode.com/files/SiFishBlinky.apk

Here is my wall of shame  :-#

      David on Sunday, July 8, 2012 at 22:23 Huawei M865C (hwm865c) Version 1.9.16

Crap Learn to finish and test drive before Publishing

      Ben on Monday, June 4, 2012 at 22:59 Samsung Droid Charge (SCH-I510) Version 1.9.16

Does not work for Droid Charge Does not activate LED on the Droid Charge, thus making this a useless app for that device.

      George on Sunday, June 3, 2012 at 22:42 Samsung SAMSUNG-SGH-I777 (SGH-I777)

Doesn't work

      Jason on Thursday, May 24, 2012 at 01:19 Motorola DROID4 (cdma_maserati)

Does not work for droid 4

      Jon on Sunday, May 6, 2012 at 21:02 Motorola XT910 (umts_spyder)

Bad Doesnt work

      Austin on Monday, April 23, 2012 at 12:17 Motorola DROID RAZR (cdma_spyder)

Gay Doesn't turn on. There is no zero star option by the way.

      Joel on Wednesday, April 4, 2012 at 07:25 Acer Picasso (picasso) French

Acer A500 N'a pas fonctionné.

      Nahuel on Tuesday, March 27, 2012 at 21:49 Samsung Sidekick 4G (SGH-T839) Version 1.9.16

Jo Ho

      Brendan on Saturday, March 17, 2012 at 21:04 LGE Bryce (bryce) Version 1.9.16

:( Wont even turn on

      on Sunday, February 19, 2012 at 18:29 Samsung Galaxy Exhibit (SGH-T679) Version 1.9.15

GREAT Idea and no stinking ads NO ads or tracking but it just dosent work for my phone. Thanks, wish all app developers had your attitude.

      Lemuel on Saturday, February 18, 2012 at 23:58 Motorola Droid X (cdma_shadow) Version 1.9.15

A+ Can you change the background to plain black? to save battery.

      Ari on Friday, February 17, 2012 at 01:45 Motorola Droid X (cdma_shadow) Version 1.9.15

Cool app Works well, I like the fact that you can create custom patters. I also like the strobe light

      on Friday, February 10, 2012 at 19:24 Samsung Galaxy Ace (GT-S5830) Version 1.9.15 Czech

Nefunguje Naprosto nefunkční

      Daniel on Wednesday, February 8, 2012 at 01:14 LGE Optimus 2X (p999) Version 1.9.14

Sucks Doesn't work on my phone waste of time

      Zeneth on Sunday, February 5, 2012 at 12:52 Motorola Droid X (cdma_shadow) Version 1.9.14

Thanks A+

XFX 4890 Graphics card fan replacement - Shameful hack

Because of my sense of humor, I'll share my fix for a bad fan on my XFX Radeon 4890 graphics card, otherwise known as a VGA cooling fan.  Why did I do something this lame?... here is the story.




The fan began making noise, which my son ignored for many months.  Eventually the machine started randomly rebooting.   Finally it started rebooting after about every 1 minute of operation and I had to give in and figure out what was wrong.    The card was smokin' hot and the fan was not turning.  Obvious.   Here is what the card looks like with the factory fan.



I went online, and searched for a replacement fan.  Not much out there, and most of the fans did not have dimensions, or the reviews said they didn't fit.  Really hard to figure out what to buy.  I finally bought this one.  It looked like the one I had from the picture:



Doh.  Total fail.   It came in a tiny envelope and here it is next to the fan from the 4890.   WAYYYY to small.


I had no confidence that any of the other fans out there were the right size either.   I could play dialing for donuts and keep buying fans until one fit.  Nahhhhh.

Measuring the fan against a standard case fan, I saw that they were the same size.   Originally I thought I'd hack something together and ordered this case fan.



You may be able to see that the fan has three plastic spokes that attach it to the case, that could easily be clipped to remove the fan, which appears to be exactly the same size as the fan I'm replacing.  However i'd be stuck trying to figure out how to attach it to the metal heat sink with no screw holes.  Glue wouldn't work here, it would be too hot.




Since the computer case is fairly empty, and the PCI slot next door is open, I had room to simply glue the case fan over the hole to the VGA card.   I spliced the red and black wires into the old fan's connector since the case fan's connector wasn't the same size.



As soon as the glue dries it's going into the machine.  I'll update the post with how it works out.  Crossing my fingers.



Turned out if you look, the video card had a plastic film still on it from the factory, that I never had peeled off.  So my glued-on fan fell off immediately.  If you look you can see that the sticker on the top of the card is a bit hazy.  Duh.  I peeled off the protective film and used some JB weld epoxy this time.  I didn't drill holes in the black cover, because there is a metal heat sink directly underneath it.

Now I'll try again when the new glue is dry....

Success!  Here it is back in the computer.  You can see the case fan glommed on the side of the video card. Luckily that slot is not used, and the fan is away from the CPU side where it might have collided with the motherboard chipset cooler.





The computer is up and running and seems fine under normal load.  W00t!  $6 case fan saves the day.

Tom