Category Archives: Computing

Quick Review, Teardown: 802.3at/bt Power-over-Ethernet (PoE) Power Injectors

Posted on July 11, 2021 by lui_gough

I’ve been quite busy recently, in part, because I’m doing a few RoadTest reviews. One of them in particular involves the use of Power-over-Ethernet (PoE), but as I don’t already have any “standards-complaint” PoE equipment, I needed a cost-effective means … Continue reading →

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Notes: Optimising the LTE Life (& My SIM Card Collection)

Posted on July 3, 2021 by lui_gough

With Sydney half-way through its delta-strain lockdown, all workers except essential workers have returned to a working-from-home arrangement. A key enabler of this is the pervasive availability of broadband internet connectivity. For those who are lucky in Australia, they may … Continue reading →

Posted in Computing, Telecommunications | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

Tech Flashback: Kodak DC290 Zoom 2.1MP Digital Camera

Posted on June 20, 2021 by lui_gough

Digital photography is so ubiquitous – literally almost everyone has a digital still and video camera in their pocket at almost all times in the form of their smartphone. Analog photography, on the other hand, has withered into a niche … Continue reading →

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Tech Flashback: CD-R/CD-RW Overburning & My Results Database

Posted on May 29, 2021 by lui_gough

There was a time when 650MB or even 700MB was a “lot” of data. The utility of the CD-ROM was the ability to deliver a lot of content (including multimedia content) at a low cost to end users at a … Continue reading →

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Quick Review: Google Nest Hub (7″ Display, 2nd Gen, GUIK2)

Posted on May 29, 2021 by lui_gough

Readers who know me and who know technology in general would probably find it very unusual to hear that I am in possession of a Google Nest Hub, specifically the 7″ second generation model. I think it’s no exaggeration to … Continue reading →

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Review: The WORST 4-Port USB 2.0 Hub Ever? XHUB-3009A1

Posted on May 22, 2021 by lui_gough

In need of a USB 2.0 hub for a quick project, I made the mistake of jumping onto eBay and grabbing whatever cheap hub was available. It looked okay in the images, but what I received definitely didn’t meet my … Continue reading →

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Review, Teardown: Kingston G4 DataTraveler G4 64GB USB 3.1 Flash Drive

Posted on May 1, 2021 by lui_gough

For some reason, I always find myself lacking in USB flash drives just as I need them. They usually either go missing or get lent out but never find their way back to me, so I was looking for some … Continue reading →

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Tech Flashback: Digital Video at 1.2Mbit/s – Developments in Video Compression

Posted on April 23, 2021 by lui_gough

Just the other day while watching a YouTube video, I found myself annoyed at the smeary appearance of bitrate-constrained streaming. To be fair, this isn’t an issue restricted to just YouTube – the economics of video delivery are constrained by … Continue reading →

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Project: Arduino-Based LAN-Controlled Input Scanner / Relay Multiplexer

Posted on April 18, 2021 by lui_gough

What happens when you have multiple signals you want to measure at a high accuracy but only one high-resolution digital multimeter? Assuming you don’t need to measure the signals simultaneously, you can opt to buy a scanning data acquisition system … Continue reading →

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Project: Recover a WinXP-based Instrument Control PC w/Bad Hard Disk

Posted on March 12, 2021 by lui_gough

A little while ago, I received a frantic e-mail from an old friend of mine asking for IT help. Specifically, they had an old Windows XP-based machine that would crash with a BSOD whenever they tried to login, but they … Continue reading →

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Note: SSD System Won’t Boot? Maybe There’s Nothing Wrong!

Posted on March 12, 2021 by lui_gough

One day, perhaps just before a vital presentation, you power up your laptop and you see this … Non-System disk or disk error replace and strike any key when ready Or perhaps, your BIOS is a little different. Perhaps it … Continue reading →

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Experiment: microSD Card Power Consumption & SPI Performance

Posted on February 27, 2021 by lui_gough

This week marks the official “back-to-the-office” week and what a change it’s been. While chatting to one of my colleagues, they asked whether I was interested in doing some experiments to measure microSD card performance and power consumption in embedded … Continue reading →

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Fail, Teardown: WD Elements SE 4TB 2.5″ USB 3.0 Hard Drive (WDBJRT0040BBK-0A)

Posted on February 13, 2021 by lui_gough

Just this week, my Dad came to me asking for help with an external bus-powered USB hard drive that just seemed to be stuck. It seemingly stopped working properly and he wanted me to just reformat it – to hell … Continue reading →

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Quick Tip: DisplayPort Display Colours Subdued? Edges Fuzzy? Colour Fringing?

Posted on January 24, 2021 by lui_gough

This is just a quick tip post about a problem I’ve encountered just in case it helps anyone. Ever had an instance where your display might blink out and come back, but the colours then seem off and black-and-white text … Continue reading →

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Project: Convert a Car Fridge into an Environmental Chamber?

Posted on January 23, 2021 by lui_gough

In a previous posting, I looked at a low-cost thermoelectric car drinks fridge. Given that I have no car, nor drinks that needed cooling, why would I buy such a fridge? As it turns out, in my previous Li-Ion cell … Continue reading →

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Teardown: H96 Mini V8 RK3228A 2+16GB “4K Ultra HD” Android 10 TV Box

Posted on January 9, 2021 by lui_gough

Just before the turn of the new year, we were hit with an unusual situation where somehow, we had lost the remote to a DVD recorder that we were using as a basic media player. Searching high and low, the … Continue reading →

Posted in Computing, Electronics | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

Random: Farewell 2020 at Long Last? Introspection with a Side of Random

Posted on December 27, 2020 by lui_gough

It’s been ages since I’ve posted a random post – which is no surprise since I usually fill them up with “random” content which I record on my day to day outings. But this year has been completely different – … Continue reading →

Posted in Audio, Computing, Electronics, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Quick Review: Alienware AW510M 16,000dpi RGB Gaming Mouse

Posted on December 26, 2020 by lui_gough

It’s Christmas eve and Australia Post leaves this package for me on the doorstep. What could it be? I don’t remember ordering anything … Unboxing Cutting through the black plastic and emptying out the insides, it’s a nice surprise from … Continue reading →

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Review: Escam PVR008 Full-HD H.265 Pan-Tilt Wireless IP Camera

Posted on October 3, 2020 by lui_gough

I’ve been very busy as of late, but sometimes, doing the work I do can feel a bit repetitive and boring. So what happens when I’m bored? I go looking for bargains and things to buy that might be rather … Continue reading →

Posted in Computing | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Note: BEWARE the Samsung SSD Cashback Promo!

Posted on September 10, 2020 by lui_gough

Earlier this year, before my “ill-fated” overseas holiday, I purchased a Samsung 970 EVO Plus 2TB SSD (MZ-V7S2T0BW) during the Samsung SSD Year End Cashback promotion. Purchased from an authorised reseller, the proof of purchase said it was eligible for … Continue reading →

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Review: Omron Sensor Evaluation Board (2JCIE-EV-AR01) & Air Quality Sensor (B5W-LD0101)

Posted on August 26, 2020 by lui_gough

Building devices that sense the environment around them is a very common theme for projects. Building such devices can be daunting, with individual selection of sensors, the “spaghetti” of wire that might come with individual modules and potential software issues. … Continue reading →

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Tech Flashback: Panasonic KX-F1010 Plain Paper Fax Machine

Posted on August 23, 2020 by lui_gough

Around two weeks ago, a friend of mine offered me some of their unwanted old technology. Among the pile on offer was a fax machine. My friend was surprised when I leapt at the chance to grab it – who … Continue reading →

Posted in Computing, Tech Flashback, Telecommunications | Tagged , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Teardown: D-Link DHP-308AV & Netcomm NP511 HomePlug AV Ethernet-over-Power Adapters

Posted on August 16, 2020 by lui_gough

For many years, consumers who had wired Ethernet devices in areas where there was no Ethernet connectivity had a few options. The simplest would be to snake a long Ethernet cable along the skirting board. While ugly and a potential … Continue reading →

Posted in Computing, Electronics, Telecommunications | Tagged , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Project: Simple Python-based Controller for Tenda Beli SP3 Smart Wi-Fi Plugs

Posted on August 13, 2020 by lui_gough

The convenience and utility of remotely-controlled power switches is difficult to overlook once you’ve gotten used to having them around. Ever since the WeMo, I’ve realised just how useful they can be – for example, no more getting out of … Continue reading →

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Note: Dead Bird Icon Labelled “Leaks”? A Buggy Opal Travel App Update

Posted on August 8, 2020 by lui_gough

If you are a user of the “Opal Travel” app on an Android device, you might have come across an update to the app some time last night: That is usually nothing out of the ordinary. But this week, in … Continue reading →

Posted in Computing, Tablet, Travel | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

Quick Review: Kingston A400 960GB SATA SSD (SA400S37/960GB)

Posted on August 2, 2020 by lui_gough

This week, I decided to pick up a Kingston A400 960GB SATA SSD at the “bargain” price of AU$120 posted to convert into a portable USB drive. At this price, it was cheaper than even some USB sticks which had … Continue reading →

Posted in Computing, Flash Memory | Tagged , , , , , , | 15 Comments

Note: Capturing VGA Analog Component Frames with an Oscilloscope

Posted on July 26, 2020 by lui_gough

Call me slow, but I’ve only just come to realise that our beloved VGA has finally left us, to be banished to the depths of “legacy” technology. While the push to kill off the port had already been happening by … Continue reading →

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Tech Flashback: OzEmail Internet Starter Kit CD-ROM (2000)

Posted on July 19, 2020 by lui_gough

When I was young, my first real experience with the internet was at my primary school. In Year Two at the time, I watched my teacher access his e-mail and read websites on a 28.8kbit/s modem connection using Netscape Navigator … Continue reading →

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Tech Flashback: Western Digital VelociRaptor (WD1600HLFS, 2.5″, 160GB, 2010)

Posted on July 5, 2020 by lui_gough

The Western Digital VelociRaptor has ruled the roost when it comes to high performance hard drives, being the only relatively modern consumer option for 10,000 rpm drives. Descendants of the earlier Western Digital Raptor drives which I covered earlier, I … Continue reading →

Posted in Computing, Tech Flashback | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Project: Trying to Revive a Maestro ZXR 2400 External Modem

Posted on June 26, 2020 by lui_gough

Earlier in the year, I visited the CCARC Wyong Field Day and one of my hauls was a Maestro ZXR 2400 External Modem. Made by an iconic Australian brand of dial-up modem equipment, I couldn’t let it sit on the … Continue reading →

Posted in Computing, Tech Flashback, Telecommunications | Tagged , , , , , , , | 5 Comments