Nicd Batteries, Led lights​ and Solar power.

In an attempt to get my new venture and my books in order, I ordered a new shed to use as an office. Getting electricity out to it is a nightmare, to get over this issue I chose to fit a solar panel and use Nicds as the storage medium (something I can get for nothing!). On my workbench, I have enough 3V6 1500mah batteries to make a 12v (actually around 15v fully charged) 10.5ah pack but I came to an issue after building my first 12v 1500mah pack, How do I balance charge this and how do I get a 3V6 tap that won’t cause issues.

To this end, I came up with designs for the following sub-packs.

As you can see, the above pack designs are of a different supply voltage.

Why 2 different voltages?

My lighting is supplied from 3V6 recycled Led lighting (ignoring the 240V side) but I also need 12V for the charge controller and inverter required for none 12V equipment!

One of my dilemmas comes from the 12V side. Do I build the packs as 12v packs which are easier to upgrade by adding more packs or, do I build the packs as 3V6 which require me to add cells to all the packs at the same time. The second dilemma comes from keeping them balanced charged.

If anyone knows the answer to this, please tell me which is the best construction method!

NEJE DK-8-KZ 1000mW Laser Engraver

I recently got ahold of one of these NEJE DK-8-KZ 1000mW Laser engravers and have been spending the weekend playing with it.

I haven’t got it to cut paper yet (haven’t got any spare paper) but have been engraving thin plywood.

While the working area is 36x36mm a resolution of 512x512mm it is still a lot of space to work on.

Being that it also runs on 5v means that once an image is uploaded to it, the laptop can be unplugged and the engraver run from a duel output phone charger (I have it running on an Anker)

the only slight issue a lot of people are getting is that it requires an un-signed driver and both Windows and OSX have trouble with it. This is down to the fact that it uses a CH340 USB to serial interface, which are becoming more common with Chinese “Knock-off” electronics.

Signed drivers do exist and a search of the internet will show them and they work well on OSX 10.11.06 (El Capitain). I haven’t upgraded to sierra yet even though it’s been out for ages so can’t say if it works on that.

While the software is a little simple, it means that a child of 12 years old can understand it. (yes I have tested a 12-year-old child with it!)

I have tested it with text and have been able to produce clear text readable at 2-3mm high.

This isn’t a full review and it needs a few mods to make it safe (the included glasses work but are rubbish) to make it safer for people who would like to watch it.

Well that is all I have for now as I have a few items to review and a few recycled tools to design for others to try and build.

So long for now.

 

Prometheus Bluray+Powerdvd=FAIL

 

Prometheus Bluray+Powerdvd=FAIL

Being a fan of Alien, I nabbed a copy of this on Bluray and boy am I unhappy with it due to having to rely of shitty stores like PC World I’m using Power DVD 11 (the latest available in there store a few months back).

I popped the disk into the tray and closed it. PDVD pops up a message to say I need an update so I click OK

“Download interrupted “

What the must be this crappy IE playing up I though to my self but no nether firefox or Chrome is able to get the update and they both report the same issue.

I hope my stand alone player doesn’t have this issue or else its make the disk worthless and will be returned to the shop.

Well there go my joy for tonight!

 

Media Streaming Part 1

Media Streaming Part 1

With Modern technology it seams wrong not to setup media streaming in your house.
The following is what I have learnt fighting with my setup. Currently my setup consist of
Server = Windows 7 laptop
iPad2,
Sony Erricson SK17i.

Software
iTunes
WMP
Cyberlink Powerdvd 11
Skifta
Cyberlink power dvd remote.

The Phone is advertised as DLNA which is supposed to be even easer then UPnP and its taken me all this time to get this working.
What was the culprit I hear you ask?
The Firewall!
I’m currently running ESET 5 and I had to disable Windows Firewall (a must if you install another proper firewall) then I had to reset Esets rules then rebuild them in interactive mode! but that still didn’t work (loosing hope at this time).
1st up go into Windows and set iTunes to share on a network, go into Cyberlink and set what you would like to share,then go into windows explorer and set which folders you want to share (Plenty of guides on the interwebs for that)
After a visit to google and youtube I found out first I have to connect the phone to the house’s wifi (Well duh I hear you say) but there is another step, Hidden in the setting is the media server!
If your on the same phone as me then you need to go to “connected Devices”, select a name and connect to a server which should be you PC.
Mine wouldn’t work at first so I had to wait for 10 mins how ever while I still had the windows explorer opened I went to the network folder and opened that. This folder shows what it can see on a network and for a while my phone was not recognised, after 10 mins it appeared and flicking back to my phone it also showed my pc and connected to it!
Step 1 down!
At this point go back to the phones home screen and select the photo/video icon, find a video and hold your finger on the video’s icon untill a green tick appears.
Click on the setting button then click share, now find “Play on device” in the next screen click on a Player device in none appear start up windows media player
at it should appear on the phone with a play button under it.
Click “Play” and wait till it starts playing on the computer.
Good 1 Application down !
Next, time for Cyberlink!
Load up Cyberlink on the pc, click music then click DLNA and your phone should appear!
Now click on device and you shouldn’t see anything except requests from the firewall, Start the Cyberlink app on your phone and you need to accept all firewall requests from the Cyberlink application and the phones IP address (Obtainable from the network devices menu of windows explorer)
If all worked then again your server should appear on the phone click it and it will take you to the apps media menu which will allow you to chose which part of Powerdvd you want to control. If your still with me all the better.
Next to get media from the pc to the phone, if the above is all working this will be easy.
First download and install “Skifta” to your phone,
Click on the little arrow of step one to select a server,
Click on the little arrow of step two to select the media player of choice on your phone
Click on browse and play media
The select the media you want to watch/listen to on phone!.
Told you it was easy.

Now for iTunes and Airplay.
That’s it for now as I have to go and win an auction for an airport express!

New psu.

Well after a visit to Maplins I found a new power supply.
code:L06BR is the only adapter sutable in the shop and its works, Way hay 19″ lcd instead of a crummy 14″tv.

Oh I found out how tho change the header pics and before anyone asks the images is copyright Adam “AJB2K3” Bryant 2007. permissiion to use it is refused as it is now part of google earth.

Noontec Gigaview A50FW

Well Maplins are selling these @ £39.99 Maplins Noontech Gigaview A50FW
First thoughts are “ouu cheep media enclosure”, I snapped it up and headed for home.
Well anyway I popped open my laptop (Ubuntu 7.10) opened up my video folder and started dropping vids on to my MSDP and XD card.
I slapped them in the enclosure (1 @ a time) and tryed to play them,
hmn these psp formatted rips didn’t work,
Downloaded avi’s didn’t work
the only thing that worked was a .mov file.
Thinking “well that’s crap” I opened up DVD::RIP and transcoded a copy of FMP EPS1 to and mpg.
copied to xd card – Didn’t work, WTF?
copied to MSDP – worked but stuttered.
Copied to some 10.8 gig hd (9.8 formatted in fat 32)
Well that works ok, that will do for me next up mp3’s
Putting the cards back where they came from I slapped some tunes from a scooter album and stated playing them.
The unit has a built in equalizer type jobbie but it was very slow keeping up with the music.
Being curious about its working I pulled out the main board and starting looking at the chips.
The biggest chip I assume Is the main driver chip and has Power media V1.0 written on it.
After a bit of google I find absolutely nothing on the technical specs of this unit, So no chance of hacking it.
The old “you get what you pay for” speaks true for this unit,
Cheep aluminium case, crap gui and slow read/write on internal hd’s.
If this could be hacked I’m sure the bugs could be fixed how ever google does show 2 different version of this unit, one with a square button, one with a round button.
Ill play with this some more and test out the vob playback and the post some more comments.