stuff del likes » computers

This is the title of the post!

Del — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 03:51:29 +0000

I’m writing a post! It’s not really about anything, it’s just a post for the sake of being a post.

8087-S1 Noisemaker

Del — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 02:44:00 +0000

aka Rudolph’s Noisemaker Tool for Arduino

I wanted my current robot project to make cool bleeps bloops and other stupid noises. Instead of just doing it I spent three days writing software to make an easy job “easier”. Well, okay, I spent two days doing it wrong, then switched to Python and tried again. This package is the end result. It consists of an Arduino sketch that makes noise from numbers, and a GUI Python frontend to make it “clickier” (oooh).

I made this on a Linux system using Python 2.5.2. You’ll also need pySerial installed. Oh, and an Arduino ;) I have no idea if it will work on other operating systems, or with other versions of Python. YMMV. If you try it on another OS and it works, please let me know so I can update this file. If you had to change anything to make it work, and feel like sharing your changes, feel free to post your tweaks back so I can release an updated version (thanks in advance). You can leave comments here or at LMR.

I was having a hard time thinking up a name for it, and didn’t really want to call it “Noisemaker Tool”, or anything with the Arduino name actually in it. Then it hit me. Taking a styling cue from rik I decided to name it after it’s node here. Henceforth it shall be called “8087-S1″, the S1 designating it as the first Software I’ve put here.

Download

Currently the package can be downloaded from rudforce.net in either .tar.gz or .zip format. If anyone actually uses it, or if I get tired enough of a missing feature, I may actually get a real SVN repository set up. Maybe.

Obligatory Screenshot

Dropbox with Fluxbox

Del — Fri, 29 May 2009 20:21:56 +0000

So I’m gonna try Dropbox to see about keeping some notes and such synced between my computers. It’s supposed to be groovy, and it has software to work on all three major operating systems (Win, Mac, Linux). Since the two machines I want to sync between are Linux, things are already looking up. Naturally Dropbox expects the user to be running Gnome and Nautilus though. Since I don’t use either right now it works a bit different. Yeah, this info is already out there on the intarwebs but, as usual, it took a bit from each of a few different places to make it happen. So here’s what I did to get Dropbox working on Linux Mint with Fluxbox and Thunar.

Step One: go home and grab the binary tarball from dropbox (if 64 bit, try plat=lnx.x86_64), then un-archive it.

user@computer:$ cd ~ && wget http://www.getdropbox.com/download?plat=lnx.x86

user@computer:$ tar -zxf dropbox-lnx.x86-x.y.z.tar.gz

Step Two: edit the fluxbox startup to fire up the dropbox daemon

user@computer:$ vi .fluxbox/startup

find the line “exec fluxbox”, and before it add

~/.dropbox-dist/dropboxd &

(Step Two point Five: If you want to delay the start of Dropbox, see the Fluxbox wiki page about editing the startup file)

Step Three: logout, then log back in. After a few seconds a dialog should pop up to configure everything.

Step Four: make a fake Nautilus (if you don’t have Nautilus installed and don’t want it either)

user@computer:$ sudo ln -s /usr/bin/thunar /usr/bin/nautilus

computers

Del — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 00:32:40 +0000

I have a few computers, certainly more than I need…

Rosencrantz

Compaq Presario CQ61-420 (laptop)
Purpose: daily driver
Proc: 64 bit AMD Athlon II dual-core @ 800-2100MHz
RAM: 3GB whatever came with it
HDD: 250GB whatever came with it
OS: Dual boot: Ubuntu 10.4,-amd64/Windows 7 Home Premium (ooh, aah)

Farley

Purpose: fileserver, digital photo frame, robot development
Mobo: Soyo Dragon Ultra Platinum (shiny doowhackey)
Proc: AMD XP2200+ @ ~1800MHz
RAM: 2x 256MB Something, 1x 512MB Samsung
HDD: 2x 30GB, Western Digital and Maxtor , 1x 160GB something-or-other
OS: Ubuntu 9.10, Windows XP in VirtualBox
Wifi: None, only ethernet-ed box in the house, cause it lives next to the router

Zephraim

Purpose: workbench PC, robot development
Mobo: Via Mini-ITX M10k
Proc: Whatever Via put in the M10K @ 999MHz
RAM: 512MB Samsung
HDD: 120GB Western Digital
OS: Ubuntu 9.10
Wifi: Belkin(?), Atheros chip works out of the box with Ubuntu

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PRG (Punk Rock Girl) R.I.P.

Purpose: Daily Driver
Manufacturer: Dell
Proc: Intel Pentum IV @ 2993MHz
RAM: 2x 512MB of whatever came with the Dell
HDD: 150GB Seagate (I think)
OS: Ubuntu 8.04.1, Windows XP in VirtualBox
Wifi: Belkin(?), Atheros chip works out of the box with Ubuntu
Cause of death: Looks like the motherboard blew a capacitor which led to an overheated processor.

Dead PC

Del — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 00:16:12 +0000

So, yeah, my main computer (PRG) took a dump yesterday. Not totally sure why, but apparently it thought the processor was overheated (which it may have been) so it cranked the cooling fan way (way way) up (like a small jet taking off). I thought maybe the fan had died, but swapping that out didn’t help, the whole machine just doesn’t come back anymore. An autopsy showed at least one bulging capacitor on the mobo, and semi-dry, chunky thermal paste under the heatsink. Don’t know if either of those is the actual problem, doesn’t matter much anyway, dead is dead.

So for now I’m going to have to use Zephraim (the little 999MHz Epia in the closet) and/or borrow J’s laptop until I can figure out how to get a new one. Since J’s lappy is XP I’m trying out Portable Apps to keep firefox profiles manageable. We’ll see how that goes. I’ll probably end up acquiring a bigger flash drive and installing some Linux or another on that. What really stinks is that was the only computer I had capable of using the SATA drive. In other words, I currently have no way of recovering the stuff off that drive. Notes, bookmarks, some coding, datasheets, drawings, photos, all likely safe, just untouchable without buying more freakin parts.

On a positive note, now I have an LCD for my workbench PC, thus clearing up some precious desk space. Too bad I had to lose the “smart” machine to do it…

Rovio console client

Del — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 23:44:34 +0000

I release the first version of the Rovio console client today.