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Hardware Bits
Zygo writes "Again a little bit of hardware news for today: At MonkeyReview a very cool case... At DV Hardware a little article about an aluminium mousepad, called the Steelpad... OCCanada takes a look at the Gigabyte GA8PE667-Pro... ExtremeMHz brings you a guide to power... Some Christmas stuff... And Modthebox checks out a cool tachometer for PC's!" richie2000 submits a holiday-themed case mod: "A gingerbread case mod. Don't tell me you didn't see this one coming. And here's a mirror of one of the images."
would make a nice holiday present. it reminds of those old grid lined steel mouse pads that were shipped with Sun Sparc and Ultras. I think Sparc were shipped with a digital mouse, and so were SGI machines. I had a Sparc 20 and 10.
Consensus is good, but informed dictatorship is better
Enlightenment, anyone?
I need to get that pad...
Oh wait, I use a trackball, nevermind.
On a more serious note, I've used an optical Logitech mouse on an old Sun optical pad (from the mice that required such a pad) and it works all right. In fact, it's a little better than a random surface.
IBM had PL/1, with syntax worse than JOSS,
And everywhere the language went, it was a total loss...
Excuse me while I go and color correct my eyes.
-Cyc
/.'s 10 Millionth
That's... a... lot... of... ellipses...
You just have to dope the gingerbread to make it a conductor. What ingredients you use are up to you.
When I was in bristol looking for some stuff for my pc, I seen my first real case modded pc, it looked very cool, but the actual pc sucked (celeron 1300)
Anything else?
Sex - Find It
[From the DV Hardware link]
The black colored Steelpad comes from Denmark and is made out of a 3.5mm aluminium plate.
So the Steelpad is made of aluminum; that makes sense.
It's also hardended [sic] to ensure the durability under all conditions
That's good, too: I know my mousepads always ended up twisted and mangled from daily use...
I want to drag this out as long as possible. Bring me my protractor.
In soviet russia
Aluminumpads are made out of steel?
I just put a really sweet computer together for my son's big Christmas present this year.
I made sure to get him all the best computer case stuff, since that what all his friend will see. Looks are really important to little kids! I can't wait until he opens this up and sees how non-beige his very own PC is!
Case: Kingwin KT-436B-WM Aluminum Case - Blue (image)
Power supply: Enermax EG365P-VE(FCA) 350 Watt (image)
Light kit: Dual Cold Cathode Light Kit (image)
Screws: Anodized Thumbscrew - Blue (image)
From the Antec case review:
"Details & Specs
As I had said earlier, this unit packs a punch in terms of performance. Due to its large size there is much more room for fans as well as allow much better air circulation. This particular tower came to us equipped with 2 80MM Antec fans serving as rear exhausts. I added 2 additional fans, 1 on the side, acting as a blower, and 1 in the front acting as an intake. In total there is room to place 5 80MM fans. Again, due to its size, and the fact that components aren?t tightly packed together, you can expect much better airflow right off the bat. With the combined fans, things simply run much cooler.
"
Damn...I wish I had known all this time that the reason my computer is so damn slow is because of the case! Instead of upgrading my PII/300 motherboard and processor, I'm gonna get my self a hi-performance case!!!
Thanks Slashdot!
Seriously, just pick up the better processor and you will save time and money. Overclocking is NOT reccomended by the big two. There are multiplier locks for a reason! Lets look at the costs.
AMD 2000 : £60
AMD 2700 : £250
Your not gonna get much gain from buying the more expensive one, but overcloking the 2000 to the 2700 speed is more expensive than buying the 2700! Ive seen processors burn out, and its NOT a pretty picture. Unless your mad, buy a nice cheap processor and save yourself some trouble.
The article at ExtremeMhz with the relay controlling the four way is pretty bad. Messing with mains voltage if you do not know what you are doing is stupid - and things like this encourage people.
First off, the bit about the relay mentions that there is an AC side and a DC side. WTF? There is a coil, and there are switch contacts. Next, he says that they are rated in current and voltage. Yes, true, but a voltage for the coil, and voltage and current ratings for the contacts (for AC and DC). A "12V 10A relay" means very little. I have what could be described as a "12V 45A relay" here. It has a 12V coil and will switch 12V at 45A. Not mains (110V or 240V). See how easy it is to get this wrong when people just copy your article.
In this country (UK), a 10A relay is not enough to power a four way. A maximum of 13A can be drawn through a plug, so you would need a higher current rating on the contacts of the relay. I do not know about the US, but because it is 110V, I would assume currents to be higher. This relay is probably quite inadeqate.
And if you have to tell someone how to drill a hole into a plastic box, surely they aren't competant to play with mains?
Moving on. He mounts a mains voltage relay inside a plastic box with absolutely no regards to strain relief on the cables. All it would take is a trip on the four way and the cables would be yanked out the box, possibly leaving live conductors bare. Not good at all.
Also, those "quick disconnects", which are called spade connectors, should be covered by a plastic shroud when they are used on a relay such as that. There is the possibility of the 12V wire coming into contact with mains, which would have dire consequences. Also, try fixing the relay into the box...
I'm just not keen on the number of people who write things like this, essentially idiots guides, which people blindly follow. They aren't a good idea when people can get hurt.
It reminds me of a rudeboy car magazine I read which showed you how to install NOS into a Citreon Saxo. Drill this, thread this, this colour wire goes here, etc. No explanation of how or why... quite ridiculous really.
It will never be a cultural leader in computing. Others with cash take that mantle. The former, however, is needed.
By your own figures, you could burn out your 2GHz processor 4 times and still have spent 10 pounds less.
I guess not many people clicked on the "Christmas Stuff", huh? For one, I'm glad to find a source for the LED christmas lights. That's a really big plus. I haven't shopped at Albertson's for a while because of the prices.
But come on, someone has to mention something about overclocking the Christmas Lights. Going from a mild 30hz to a blazing 60hz! Imagine a Beowulf chain of those... *
* - These lights cannot be chained, from what I've read.
"Toilet PC"
"In my new quest to find odd objects to turn into computers, my fiancee Julie and I were at the grocery store one day when I thought of this idea. At the grocery store there was a child's training toilette sitting in a shopping cart"
damn at lease i use my free time to get free tshirts
Free Instant Site Inclusion
http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=02/03/15/035425 7&mode=thread&tid=137
Hardware BYTES is more like it! hahahah... I kill me.
"There's a madness to my method." -mthed
It is a steel 'Alienware' case.
Oh, oh, be still my beating heart.
First review sites praise aluminum cases and now they praise a case because it is steel.
Can PC case makers build some taste into these things?
askslashdot
Dec 14
(16 recent)
slashdot is in the future!
product *plug* money.
product *plug* money.
product *plug* money.
For fuck's sake...
The biggest problem with steel pads (as I have had one quite close to me for some time) is that it makes an AWFUL loud noise every time you get so pissed of in a game of quake or cs and you throw your mouse at it. It stays in your ear for quite some time :(
:)
btw, go for the func 1030 instead. better mousepad
mats
One man's ceiling is another man's floor.
"The Xoxide PC Tachometer Kit is a neat and unique product that will definitely stand out at a LAN party." A person with better things to do than hook up an automotive tachometer to a CPU would stand out even more.
It's only funny until someone gets hurt. Then, it's hilarious.
I had assumed that people had finally realized that there is many shall we say... "inconsistencies" in the boards that review sites get, and the consumer boards. Recently (about 2-4 months ago) asus realeased their P4S8X motherboard based on the SIS 648 chipset. Almost every hardware review site praised this board, yet when the boards hit the market, all hell broke loose, (some sites, such as Motherboards.org still have the P4S8X rated as the top board, when it is clear that this board is not worth the sand it was created with.) Enough hell that many people began reffering to the board as the P4Sux.
So why:
A)Post the review of a not-so-new board (based off of the I845PE board) and
B) Why even post it's review at all, especially now that we have learned not to trust review sites?
I am not trying to be troll-ish, but this is Slashdot, News for Nerds. Stuff that matters. Clearly this was neither of the two.
.noitacidem deen uoy siht daer nac uoy fI
In the footsteps of alterslash comes another slashdot summariser - Hoping to ease your slashdot browsing.
This is the story with all links pointing to the google cached versions. See Merkac Dot for the full summary
Hardware Bits Hardware [G] | Posted by michael on Friday December 13, @08:47PM
from the bit-o-honey dept.
Zygo writes "Again a little bit of hardware news for today: At MonkeyReview [G] a very cool case... At DV Hardware [G] a little article about an aluminium mousepad, called the Steelpad... OCCanada [G] takes a look at the Gigabyte GA8PE667-Pro... ExtremeMHz [G] brings you a guide to power... Some Christmas stuff [G]... And Modthebox [G] checks out a cool tachometer for PC's!" richie2000 submits a holiday-themed case mod: "A gingerbread [G] case mod [G]. Don't tell me you didn't see this one coming. And here's [G] a mirror of one of the images."
Hey that link to OverClockersClubCanada... I know that guy! In real life! Went to Jr. High with him, now we're at the same University.
Anyway, you all probably don't care, I just thought it was a weird coincidence.
I hear so much about how compatablity with computer accessories isn't a an issue anymore. I never believed it myself....(page 4 of the aluminum mousepad review):
"Another problem is that the pad isn't compatible with most of Logitechs optical mouses , only with the MX serie."
OLIVER
Better VDF than VD...check it out: Data Access
so, should we run a line conditioner in front of and behind the pc when running with this relay tool?
yes, this was a joke...
the history of the world
Wouldn't that have smoothed out the power and removed the flicker?
"Dogs and cats, living together...it's mass hysteria!"
i've gotta stop doing this
I liked this quote from later in the article:
I noticed that the tower used drive rails for installing your 5 ¼" drives, this was my first time using them and I now see their very obvious advantage, quick removal.
This guy's never heard of drive rails and he's a reviewer?!? Egads...
Yeah.
It's called hitting Crtl + Alt + Del and looking at the CPU usage.
The danger doesn't always increase with voltage. It's the current, and the duration of the current, that kills. And the resistance of a human body varies so much with so many variables that a factor of 2 in the voltage isn't likely to be the difference between life and death.
Voltage does affect how your muscles react to a shock, though. As I understand it, you are likely to close your hand tightly and involuntarily if you come into contact with voltages in the 100-250 range. If you can't break contact, you're in serious trouble, hence the old advice to touch the wire with the back of your hand first. But for voltages more than a few hundred volts, muscles react so strongly that you're likely to throw yourself clear, even if you make contact with your palm. (I'm not sure I completely believe that.) So both US and european line voltages are about as dangerous as any voltage we could have chosen.
I'm not sure that a lower voltage would reduce fatalities, though. It would increase current, and probably increase the risk of fire from overheated wires. Which kills more, electrocution or home fires?
Do not trust your life to the info in this comment. IANA electrician or safety expert.
I agree; the guy's construction technique is dangerous.
You can buy "automatic outlet strips", where current draw on one master outlet turns on the other outlets. They're usually used for audio gear.
DV Hardware a little article about an aluminium mousepad, called the Steelpad
Wow, and to think all this time I've been using nice, soft gel. Time to throw that out and get me a nice block of steel...that'll do wonders for the 'ol carpal tunnel...
To make a pun demonstrates the highest understanding of a language
2002-11-25 06:43:27 Gingerbread case mod, hohoho! (articles,hardware) (rejected)
So Slashdot editors go through the garbage heap now and then to find stuff. Interesting. Ah well, I should rejoice, now I just have to get slashdotted to be Übergeek Alpha-One in the hood. :-)
Money for nothing, pix for free
this isn't a troll asswipes; did you not read what annonym,ous JUST SAID? it's flaimbait... and this is only offtopic AFTER you fix it --;
You still have to beat JaS whose _Internet_Draft_ made Slashdot. :-)
(Hmm, time to write an RFC for April 1, perhaps?)
What about a speedometer showing fps in Quake, a water temperature gauge for l33t d00ds with water cooling and a handbrake light to warn you that you've locked the workstation? You could also have an "engine check" light for when something goes wrong, but you'd have to replace the bulb frequently if you were running Windows Me ;-)
When I am king, you will be first against the wall.
Oh, come on.
c qu isition/76.html
If you're going to add a tach, don't go with one of those puny little Sun tachs. Use one of these bad boys:
http://www.autometer.com/hp/2001_catalog/data_a
It'll be about as much use on a computer as it is on the typical riced-up Civic....
DG
Want to learn about race cars? Read my Book
Yes.
Mousepads are sooo '90s. This is a little over the top. What purpose does a mousepad serve for an optical mouse?
...
That's what I thought. March all your superfluous stuff to the round file, us geeks need our deskspace for actual useful stuff (or toys).
This thread has three great quotes:
Great grandparent:
Mods who moderate stuff like that should be bitchslapped and be forced to use GNU/hurd
Grandparent:
And if they read it and still moderate it as a Troll, I will personally meta-moderate my foot into their balls
Parent:
too filled with their own sense of self-importance at being able to fsck and mount their own partitions
What a good way to start the day.
1.)Wait for an article to be posted relating to a movie and a new trailer. Matrix/Anime movies are probably the best for this.
2.)Mirror the file and post a link. Instant karma + slashdotting for the rest of the day. Whee!
I can't say that I'm keen on mouse pads... in fact, I replaced all of my balled mouses with optical models, which work just great on my desk.
:(
The only problem is, where I use my main mouse, I've worn away a lot of the varnish from my desk.
Now I think I should use a mouse mat again just to protect the desk.
Sucks
Red Hat 8.0 supports them out-of-the-box - Promise RAID controller, ALC650 sound, Intel Ethernet. Debian 3.0 doesn't seem to support the ethernet (it's on the CNR bus, apparently). Promise supply a binary module for the RAID controller, but there doesn't really seem to be any point - the hard bits are done in software anyway, so either use Linux ideraid or md and be done with it. I've gone with md, which also allows me to have mixed RAID0 and RAID1 devices using only 2 discs (not perfect resiliance, but good enough for my needs).
I threw a Celeron 1.7G in one machine and a P4 2.40B in the other.
The only thing I've found that doesn't appear to be terribly well supported is the environment sensor. I haven't tried the smartcard/memory card interface yet, nor the USB2.0 ports.
One thing to note is that the AGP slot is 4x, which limits you to 1.5volt cards - Geforce, Radeon, or Matrox, essentially.
--
And Modthebox checks out a cool tachometer for PC's!
I have been meaning to get my hands on some old retro voltage meter and hook it up to the parrallel port with a simple R2R DAC to use for display of CPU occupancy.
I guess I could multiplex it to display more stats onto more meters too for fun.
Could look cool, having an orange backlit glow and old meter needle flicking into the "red zone". ; )
War crimes, torture, lies, illegal spying... Would someone give Bush a blowjob, already, so he can be impeached?
evilviper (135110) wrote:
http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/elecovrv.html
Since even 1 amp of current can kill you (eg. a small battery), it
really is the voltages that chages the outcome.
Lethal current levels are much less than 1A. Most sources say fibrillation
will start between 100-200mA for most people. One source said 75mA. And
much lower currents than that will stop breathing for as long as a current
flows -- some sources say 20mA. And if you read this as an assertion on my
part that currents lower than that are safe, you seriously misread it. The
information in this paragraph was mostly drawn from:
http://pchem.scs.uiuc.edu/pchemlab/electric.htm
http://msis.jsc.nasa.gov/sections/section06.htm
I'm not sure that a lower voltage would reduce fatalities,
though. It would increase current, and probably increase the risk
of fire from overheated wires. Which kills more, electrocution or
home fires?
Wires don't just combust. It's usually two nearby electrical contacts
(not sufficiently insulated) that cause a fire. If you increase the
voltage, the further away those two contacts could be while still
causing a short, and the more insulation would be needed to prevent
shorts. eg. Think of Lightning, Tesla Coil, Static, etc.
Wires are resistors. Connections, especially connections made by sloppy
amateurs, are likely to have higher resistance than the wire around them.
Too much current through a resister and it will get hot. When wires get
hot enough, their insulation melts, and then the real trouble can begin.
This may not seem like a likely problem, but much of typical US residential
electrical code is aimed at it.
Lower voltage at the same power means higher current. Higher current means
larger wires and bigger, more serious connectors that are more expensive
and -- in my limited experience -- take more tools, skill and care to get
right. My opinion, based on the above, is that if we ran our high-power
appliances on a lower voltages, there would be more electrical fires.
Do not trust your life to the info in this comment. IANA
electrician or safety expert.
I don't think your disclaimer is suffecient. Through your whole post
you state these things as fact. Changing your style through the whole
article might have told people that you weren't sure of this
information... A disclaimer rarely makes an impact on a person's faith
in the information.
You wrote this about a short comment containing "As I understand it" and
"(I'm not sure I completely believe that.)". And you wrote it in a post in
which you confidently misstated a danger level by a factor of 10.
There was a college student trying to earn some pocket money by
going from house to house offering to do odd jobs. He explained this to
a man who answered one door.
"How much will you charge to paint my porch?" asked the man.
"Forty dollars."
"Fine" said the man, and gave the student the paint and brushes.
Three hours later the paint-splattered lad knocked on the door again.
"All done!", he says, and collects his money. "By the way," the student says,
"That's not a Porsche, it's a Ferrari."
- this post brought to you by the Automated Last Post Generator...