new project

[angryamerican]

I am working on a new project. it doesnt involve making some thing so much as altering some thing. I have a little MP3 player. It can do movies mp3's pictures, and pdf files. Its just a cheap little thing but its 8 gig so it holds a lot. it recharges with a USB cable.

So this is what I am going to do. I am going to fill it up with all the pdf manuals I can find and then produce a solar charger for it then stick it in my main BOB. he cheap and no need of a computer to view your manuals.

I will be getting my solar panels from old calculators that no longer function. I will take lots of pictures as the project progresses.

[Lothar of the Hill People]

Excellent idea but your mp3 player is like some many other electronic devices really just a computer with limited input and output functions. You could do the same with some cellphones. I recently saw a multimedia device thats about the size of a paper pack that has wifi with both USB and SD inputs. You also may want to look into netbooks over the next couple of years. They are already below $200 for the 4gb HDD models. They are also working on computers that runs on 12v but with cars very likely to switch to 44-48vdc sometime in the near future many are adopting a wait and see attitude.

It would be a good idea to save all illustrations in manuals at 800x600 resolution or higher on a data disk or thumb drive. The reason I suggest this is because if we have to return later to more primitive CRT monitors after an EMP attack. Smallish resolution will look very fuzzy on old analog screens. When you go to print this pictures out, smaller resolution looks even worse in black and white.

[angryamerican]

Some good Advise Lothar, except for the netbooks. I hate them with a passion. Ive lost count of the number of netbooks Ive repaired or attempted to repair in the pat year. They just don't hold up. Worse part is if you have been infected by a virus it some how gets into the so called hidden partition so when you reinstall the OS off that partition your re-infecting the computer all over again. I defiantly like CD based installs any day.

My wife has a LG Rumor and we put a SD card in it. While you cant read text and pdf on the phone its a great place to store them to make sure you have them with you. just find a PC pop in the SD card and wala.

Very good point about the CRT. I would not want to go back to those days but given a choice between CRT or nothing, It will be the CRT.

I have often thought of installing a vehicle PC, but just cant seem to be able to stomach the cost for a non essential. As you pointed out early in your post netbooks and laptops are getting cheap. Fab up a dash mounted swivel get a inverter for your cigarette lighter and wala you have a vehicle pc. Best part is you take it into the house with you so its not going to get stolen.

[Helig]

Very interesting idea indeed, I take it there will be schematics along with the photos as I would be interested in building a similar rig for my ghetto PDA (jailbroken iPod touch) that I use as a portable digital swiss army knife.

[angryamerican]

(08-30-2009 12:57 PM)Helig Wrote: Guests cannot see links in the messages. Please register to forum by clicking here to see links.Very interesting idea indeed, I take it there will be schematics along with the photos as I would be interested in building a similar rig for my ghetto PDA (jailbroken iPod touch) that I use as a portable digital swiss army knife.

Yep It will be fully documented As I get further into the project. I am in the collecting stage at the moment. The initial idea was to use small cells from calculators but due to the fact I just cant seem to find enough I am considering using solar yard lights. Why not every body else is for there DIY projects please register to see images in the messages. hereRegister here!

I wish I could put a SD card in but my cheap little COBY has built in memory. SD cards are upgradable and if any thing happens to the main unit they are transferable, but you work with what ya got.

[Lothar of the Hill People]

Two words: Ubuntu Linux! I gave up on Windows-based OS's about 2 years ago. I'm currently using Jaunty Jackelope on a 3.06ghz/533 FSB P4 computer thats faster than the much newer Dells I have to use at work. The Crunch Bang Lite version of Ubuntu Linux is less than 500mb and will do everything anyone could ask for without the annoying hassles of Windows. I have Puppy Linux in my 10 year old Gateway computer and it will do almost everything a current year model Windows will do. People need to tell Gates and Co. to go pound sand and stop pushing bundled software. I regret ever upgrading from Windows 98 to XP PRO. I barely used half of my programs that came with W98. I haven't had a single lockup or crash ever with Ubuntu or any other FREE version of Linux as opposed to my weekly BSOD with XP PRO. God forbid if didn't run both AVG and Spybot on a daily basis with XP-PRO!

[angryamerican]

(08-31-2009 04:12 AM)Lothar of the Hill People Wrote: Guests cannot see links in the messages. Please register to forum by clicking here to see links.Two words: Ubuntu Linux!

Several more words for you
Ubuntu Server Edition Runs in my house on an old duel processior dell server. works great.
MythBuntu runs on a machine I built and presented to my daughter and son in law at there engagement party. The only glitch we had with that was when I had to replace the TV card because of the the digital Transition. Mythbuntu didn't like the new card at first. but eventually I got them to play nice together.

Quote: I gave up on Windows-based OS's about 2 years ago.

I think its been about three years for me. On my personal machines. Of course Non of my customers use it so I still have several windows based computers around to experiment on.

Quote:People need to tell Gates and Co. to go pound sand and stop pushing bundled software.

Yep and Apple can follow right behind. they have sins all there own that are just as bad and in there own way worse then Microsoft.

Quote: I regret ever upgrading from Windows 98 to XP PRO. I barely used half of my programs that came with W98.

Oh how I miss 98

Quote:I haven't had a single lockup or crash ever with Ubuntu or any other FREE version of Linux as opposed to my weekly BSOD with XP PRO. God forbid if didn't run both AVG and Spybot on a daily basis with XP-PRO!

Please I beg of you do yourself a favor and get off the AVG train while you can. Sure its free but it no longer does what it once did. I have taken all my customers off AVG, Norton, Macaffeias, and PC-cillian and put them on Guests cannot see links in the messages. Please register to forum by clicking here to see links. I have never looked back.

All the people who use to bring back there machines to me again and again because of re infection were switched over to Avast and now they no longer get re infected. Avest free version requires a key once a year that they happily email to you but it works. AVG use to work but hasn't in a couple of years. and the latest version is the worst for letting virus and spy-ware slip by.

[Lothar of the Hill People]

I use Mythbuntu for my Home Entertainment PC. I switched to the Twinhan VP1020A Satellite/DTV Tuner card for Free-to-Air TV viewing. I'm dead certain if you hit the Myth TV forums that there at least 2-3 other cards that are Linux compatible. I still run cable through my old TV tuner card(it's free with RV lot rent).

[shadow-watcher]

I run Fedora on my desktop but I live on my laptop.
I tried to build a big box with all of my old drives inside, but for whatever reason it doesn't like it.

I had a how-to on how to make solar usb chargers somewhere, I can dig it up if it isn't here.
It used those cheap-o solar lights that never quite get bright enough.

I am also thinking of snagging an alternator and a window fan and creating something interesting.
Good thread idea...gets the brain juices a going.

[Drop in a Bucket]

I have Fedora Core on one of my desktops, XP pro on my lappy, and Windows 7 on my gaming rig (my main box). My server is running Server 2003. The media center has Ubuntu, but in all honesty I'm going to drop that for Windows Media Center. Its more user friendly for my guests, and my wireless keyboard doesn't go berserk with it.

[angryamerican]

Does any body use Amahi on fedora core? I am looking seriously at it. what ya all think?