My 48 bit is actually 42 if you want to be exact. 14 bits / pixel.
My scanner is also a Cannon -- a CanoScan FS4000US.
The file size, exclusive of compression, is exactly equivalent to the number of pixels times (the bit depth mod 8 rounded up). It's not a "convenient way" of anything.
Finally, the "effective resolution and noise" varies depending on how you scan. How much of an expert in scanning are you? Not much, so far as can be gleaned from your sassy but not very informed posting.
I scan with about 4-8 passes per negative. My software then averages the pixels and this cancels most of the noise. The result is a scan with basically the advertised resolution, and certainly with more resolution than an 11M Pixel CCD.
I bought the Sidekick at CompUSA in Oakland. I got the $150 rebate forms. I set it up at my friend's house in Oakland... bam. It connected quickly and set me right up. Pages loaded fast. Everything was fine.
Then I went back to the neighborhood where I live... the Mission in San Francisco, and I get no coverage at all. This is true on 22nd and Misison. This is true on 18th and Valencia. This is true in various parts of town.
Now I am faced with returning this unit to CompUSA and having to pay a $50 restocking fee just for trying it for a day.
T-Mobile? No help at all. I called them and they had me do a hard reset on the unit. No change. The guy then said he could send me another unit to try, but he doubted that was the problem. Of course they send the unit from Ohio by regular postal mail, and if you happen to get it after the 14 day period has expired, you're SOL... stuck with the year contract.
Will they help me with the restocking fee? No. I should have read my contract with them. They do not guarantee service even where their maps show service.
Will they now update their map to show that there's no service in the Mission in SF?
No. They I should take that up with their legal department.
Also, 32MB is nothing like the size of a "typical" film scan. I have a 4000 dpi film scanner, and my typical scan sizes for 35mm film are around 120MB, using 48 bit color depth.
Sure, digital will catch up to film but it's not even half there yet.
I think the first digital that's as good as 35mm film will probably show up in about oh... 18-24 months. (Moore's law...)
Actually, you get unlimited bandwidth for 1 year, then it's 15MB/mo included and $3.50 for each additional meg. Unless they change their minds by then.
Nextel, for example, also has an 'all you can eat' plan for their phones, but it's $10 a month over their normal rates, which for me ends up at $54 a month total, and there isn't a graphical browser in any Nextel phone.
So if you compare the plans, since T-Mobile's sidekick plan at $40 is $14 a month cheaper than what I now pay. Let's see... $14 x 12 months = $168. I can get the Sidekick for $249 - $50 from T-Mobile - $100 from CompUSA + $35 connection fee... that means it's cheaper to get the Sidekick than to keep my Nextel service!
Unfortunately Kaga, memory does not serve you right.
Sidekick is NOT a Windows CE device.
Here you go:
Q. What Operating System does the hiptop device use?
A. Danger has developed its own virtual machine operating environment. Applications written for the hiptop platform can be developed using industry standard development tools such as Metrowerks CodeWarrior-J(TM) and Microsoft Visual J++(TM), and then automatically converted to execute in Danger's lightweight and optimized environment.
He didn't even build a good case, as far as can be told by that article. Maybe a good looking case, but if he didn't design the cabinet using simulation software, it's very unlikely that it's a good sounding case.
In case you're thinking of a similar project, a good page with all kinds of information and links for designing and building your own subwoofers that actually sound good is here.
Here is a page of freeware loudspeaker design software and links to more. And another such page of speaker design software is here.
Reminds me of my father's friend back in grade school (oh, like 1960's) who had invented furniture that hid behind walls and then could be inflated and unfolded as needed.
He should have started the bidding at $1 and had a reserve of $14,500. Then he could at least see what the market will bear for his thingy without risk.
I dunno about you, but I was all choked up just watching the teaser trailer (I was also amazed I *could* watch it and it hadn't been/.ed yet).
Maybe you had to grow up then. I remember staying home from school to see the Gemini flights, when they were spacewalking for the first time. And then watching the moon landing on the neighbor's TV (we were in the country in Vermont and didn't have one there).
People were astonished that it had happened. Even people who intellectually knew it was possible somehow on some level never expected it to really come true.
And then after the moon landings, and after JFK's promise (to put a man on the moon "in this decade")had been fulfilled... nothing.
Sure there was Spacelab, made from leftover Saturn V parts, and there was Apollo/Soyuz, which I never saw the point of, even though it was very politically significant, because nothing *new* was being done there in terms of space travel.
But after Apollo, the space program was cut back. Way back. The fact that the Shuttle program got going at all was nearly a miracle. And the shuttle design we have now, the one with the horrible semi-reusable solid fuel boosters and the ultra-expensive non-reusable tank was a political compromise due entirely to budget cuts and funding limits. The real shuttle design was fully reusable and much safer: no uncontrollable solid boosters to blow up.
The reason seeing this preview choked me up was because it brought back to me the thought that, yes, we could have done it. We could have put those space stations up, we could have gone to Mars. We could have done so much more than we did in space. Instead, the money was spent on military hardware.
As has been mentioned before, the real inventor of air conditioning (as well as the basic compression cycle refrigeration we still use today) was Dr. John Gorrie.
here is a rather comprehensive page discribing his life and achievements (including a portrait and photo of a model of his original ice-making machine).
I was using a Digital Equipment Corporation ethernet bridge in the late 80s which was able to selectively move packets from one port to another, by looking at the packets and determining if the destination ethernet address referenced in the packet was known on the network connected to by the second port.
There was also a way of loading configuration information into it to tell it whether to forward certain kinds of packets (multicast, most notably) or not. This sounds like a filter to me, in the definition of the patent.
Before this test there was criticism that the Japanese don'thave enough aerospace experience to be building commercial jet airliners, let alone (b)leading edge supersonics.
The fact that they can't even get it together to launch the test seems significant to me, even if it is the rocket that failed.
SAN JOSE, CA, June 3, 2002 -- AOpen Inc. announced today that it is introducing the world's first vacuum tube motherboard, coinciding with Intel's announcement of the Pentium® 4 845E chipset. The new AX4B-533Tube Motherboard incorporates the novel, modern-day adoption of an idea that was spawned by the invention of the electric light bulb by Thomas A. Edison back in 1879 - the vacuum tube. In taking this bold step towards audio perfection, AOpen's hybrid AX4B-533Tube unquestionably is targeted to a very exclusive niche market - passionate audiophiles and extreme gamers who are interested in building their own ultimate entertaining PCs. The motherboard is also certain to appeal to retailers that desire to cater to these two eccentric groups with custom-built PCs, delivered with matching speaker systems and the latest CD and DVD playback devices.
Why The Vacuum Tube? The first logical question anyone - analyst, journalist, technician or consumer - would likely ask, is . . . why? AOpen engineers admit that their original notion to add the unmistakable sound of tube output to a modern-day motherboard was initially a lark. "We were all together late one night, kicking around lots of crazy ideas when I proposed it would be really cool if we could combine the warmth and depth - tonal realism, if you will - of the sound produced by an audio tube, with one of our state-of the-art motherboards" says Al Peng, product manager at AOpen America Inc., an audiophile for more than 10 years. "Laughter turned into raves a few months later when we did our first lab demo of our unique hybrid creation. The reproduced sound was absolutely amazing.
It left everyone stunned. What we realized at that moment was how the limitations of typical audio output from a PC as we knew it, had come to an end - and what we were pioneering was a way to literally combine the best of two audio worlds - old and new."
The Watts and Volts of Combining Solid-State and Tube Some skeptics may argue that even average solid-state amplification devices are often better than the best tube devices. However, in terms of tonality - that's where solid-state working alone falls short. Since the tube output stage of the AX4B-533Tube couples the two front digital stereo output channels with tube output, music lovers of all kinds will "feel" their singer, band or orchestra seemingly come alive, while gamers will find that sound-effects become far more convincing and "to your face". A brief look at what makes a tube work provides greater perspective to the overall concept of combining tube with solid-state.
There are four principal elements in a modern vacuum tube that work together to make it function. The Filament (heater), Cathode, Grid and Anode (or plate). The filament is connected with voltage to boils the cathode, causing the cathode to emit electrons that pass through the grid and hit the Anode. Through this electron flow, the tube amplifies a small (AC) alternating current signal into a larger AC voltage, thereby amplifying it. By controlling the grid voltage, the current flow can be regulated, and create the desired electronic characteristics, while amplifying the signal (source).
Tubes may date back to well over 100 years, but the AX4B-533Tube proves that even today, tubes shape the sound of many modern bands' characteristic styles. In fact, most electric guitar and bass amplifiers are tube-based. High-end professional audio equipment also relies on the tube as a preferred amplification device. Tubes are even found in digital-to-analog conversion equipment.
Some Technical Considerations
*
SWITCHING POWER One of the more daunting challenges for AOpen engineering team in developing the AX4B-533Tube was the process of powering the tube circuitry that requires high voltage of up to 300V from the power supply to properly operate the tube. By incorporating a switching mode power supply for the tube circuitry that can truly rival solid-state amplifiers, then employing A Maxim 668 DC-DC voltage converter to provide ample voltage for the tube to function under optimal conditions - correct audio playback is achieved. As a result, the AX4B-533Tube performs brilliantly.
*
TUBE CIRCUITRY After careful study of many classic pre-amp circuits, AOpen decided to employ a single dual-triode (one tube with two front stereo channels) as the main amplification device. In addition, by following a long path to achieve signal amplification, straightforward amplification is achieved without the use of numerous coupling devices that could add unwanted coloration to the sound of the playback output.
A separate input connector is also provided allowing users with existing sound card's output going through the tube amplification to achieve desire tube tonality. This design allows millions of users out there with their existing sound card to be working with AX4B-533Tube in tandem.
*
NOISE REDUCTION One of the inherent difficulties of utilizing tubes for audio output amplification has always been the dreadful by-product of noise. AOpen solved this problem flawlessly with a method of noise reduction called the Frequency Isolation Wall (FIW). The FIW is strategically placed at all regions throughout the motherboard that separates each operating frequency regions such as CPU, memory, AGP and PCI where the operating frequency ranging from 133MHz, 66MHz and 33MHz. Cross talk among each regions had been reduced greatly for overall system stability as well as minimize inherit noise that may go to tube amplification circuitry.
*
RELIABILITY A critical issue with any electronic device is reliability. When it comes to hybrid audio equipment, reliability plays an even greater role. The MTBF ratios for both the motherboard and the tube circuitry in the AX4B-533Tube are stellar, with minimum 50,000 MTBF hours on the motherboard, and 35,000 MTBF hours on the tube circuitry (Tube itself will have about 4,000 to 5,000 hours, depends on operating conditions)
*
COMPONENTS AND CONSTRUCTION To ensure accurate tonal quality for music playback and to fully enhance the gaming experience, AOpen engineers meticulously selected the finest components from the world's top-rated manufacturers in designing and building the AX4B-533Tube. In addition, the AX4B-533Tube is painstakingly and patiently assembled, piece-by-piece, then fully inspected and individually tested by AOpen technicians to ensure that each motherboard meets its desired peak performance levels without hesitation.
The AX4B-533Tube Motherboard comes with latest Intel 845E chipset design and features DDR SDRAM memory channels delivering 2.1 GB/s of memory bandwidth to the processor - maximizing the full performance of the Intel Pentium® 4 processor with 533Mhz FSB offers best overall performance and longevity. It comes with a 4X AGP slots; with new ICH4, the AX4B-533Tube supports 4 ports of USB 2.0 and Ultra ATA/100 interface. With Intel 845E chipset, AOpen's AX4B-533Tube provides a revolutionary fusion of old and new technology, producing unsurpassed PC audio output that takes full advantage of the Intel Pentium® 4 processor's capabilities.
Audio grade components are used throughout critical circuitry. By cooperating with Reliable Capacitors, high-end Rel MultiCap coupling capacitors were used. Cardas wires are also deployed strategically on the output to achieve faithful reproduction of music and sound effect. (Fred, We need to expand this portion a bit. Please visit www.capacitors.com and www.cardas.com for more information to emphasize the value we are providing to the gamers and music lovers. Thanks)
The AX4B-533Tube has an estimated street price of $215 USD and fully supports ACPI 1.0 and APM 1.2 specs; comes bundled with Norton Anti-Virus 2002 software; and features AOpen's standard three-year warranty. The AX4B-533Tube is available through all authorized AOpen channel partners. Detailed specifications and photos for website posting or publication are also available by request. More information on the AX4B-533Tube may also be found at: product spec.
About AOpen AOpen Inc. is the world's largest total component solutions manufacturer and a member of a $10 billion technology group. Leveraging more than 25 years of technology manufacturing experience and more than 1,000 Group patents, AOpen designs, develops and markets advanced PC motherboards, notebooks, optical drives, PC housings, peripherals, multimedia, telecommunications and networking solutions for resellers, system integrators and those who value reliability and performance.
Editor's Note: More information about AOpen, AOpen products, services, and business partners is available on the World Wide Web at: www.AOpen.com.
AOpen is a registered trademark of AOpen Inc. All other products, brand names or companies are trademarks or registered marks of their respective companies.
Back in the mid-80s I was doing networking down on Wall St. and we needed to connect ethernet LANs in two buildings that were about 100 yards apart.
We looked into running cable, but the rights-of-way were not available. We looked into getting dark fiber, but NY Telephone said they were not tarrifed to let us have it (although there was in fact dark fiber already in the buildings).
Then we talked to a company that would run the cable using their right-of-way. That company was (if I recall correctly) called "Metropolitan City Subway" and had nothing whatsoever to do with the subways. Their sole reason for existence, so far as I could tell, was to rent people parts of their right-of-way, which they had obtained I have no idea how.
They proposed letting us run a cable between the buildings but not directly. We would have to go down to the tip of Manhattan and back again. Instead of 100 yards it was about 4 miles. They also wanted to charge us $20K per month, and had few safety provisions in place to guarantee that our cable wouldn't suddenly be cut by their or other workers.
Based on the long cable run, the costs, and the uncertainty, we passed, and I ended up installing the first microwave ethernet link in Manhattan instead (24GHz microwave between two ethernet bridges). Which worked fine and required no right-of-way...
He's not planning to do an unmanned test flight of his rocket... danger, danger!
---- From:"Brian Walker" Re: WWW:Rocket Guy Site Feedback Date: Tue, 28 May 2002 17:36:27 -0700
Dear Well-wisher,
I appreciate your comments and concern for my safety. I have considered an unmanned launch, but am currently looking into having a 250 foot launch tower built (similar to the ones you see in amusement parks that blast people upwards). This would allow the rocket to be accelerated under a controlled situation where it would gain aerodynamic stability and enough momentum to carry it to a minimum altitude of almost 2000 feet, even if all the systems failed. This is more than adequate altitude for one of three abort modes.
There is no doubt that this carries a certain amount of risk, and even if a did a full-on test launch, there is no guarantee that a second such launch would not develop a problem.
Also, there is no guarantee that the rocket would survive the first launch with capabilities for second launch. I am self funding this project, and I am not that rich. I am counting on the data that has been generated over the past half century, along with the space suit and multiple escape/abort/survival options. But I don't have a death wish, so when it all comes down to it, if it appears to be too risky, I simply won't go.
Here's some correspondance I exchanged with the RocketGuy last year. I was a bit harsh with him, but I was really concerned that he'd show up in the Darwin Awards:
To: Sent: Friday, October 12, 2001 1:57 AM Subject: WWW:Rocket Guy Site Feedback
Message: Are you going to do an unmanned test flight (or several) before you launch yourself in this rocket?
If not, I suggest you go to space.com and look at the videos under their "launches" section. You will see many rockets exploding and crashing.
If you launch yourself without doing unmanned test flights, it must be concluded that you are either an idiot or suicidal.
I hope that neither is the case and that you do the test flights and insure that you are not remembered as a fool.
Best wishes.
======== And his reply: ======== From Brian Walker Fri Oct 12 08:10:26 2001 From: "Brian Walker" Subject: Re: WWW:Rocket Guy Site Feedback Date: Fri, 12 Oct 2001 08:10:26 -0700
Yes, I will be conducting unmanned launches. The first will be is a smaller rocket 12 foot high, 320 pounds fuel,gross weight about 4000 pounds). It will demonstarte the separating fins and air launch system.
According to that Navy report, Fleischmann and Pons were right all along. Cold fusion really does exist and it is nuclear, not an artifact of some chemical processes.
So why isn't this being jumped on? It could actually be, as was announced back in 1989, a fruitful course of research and a possible solution to our power problems (as Dr. Frank Gordon writes in the foreward).
I support what the states are doing, but if anyone thinks that 'modular windows' will allow OEMs to pick the applications which best suit their users, they're being rather naive.
What OEMs typically do is to pick the apps which:
- they get paid to bundle - or cost them nothing - or cost them less than other apps they need which perform the same function
in that order.
The reason PCs come with loads of CDs and installed apps isn't because Gateway or whomever is being nice... it's usually because they were paid to bundle those apps with their systems.
In the case of very desirable apps they may bundle them for free, and in rare cases, for must-have apps (like CD/R burning software which comes with CD/R drives) they may actually pay a little (as little as possible, unless they think that having some specific software will increase their sales enough to make it worth paying more for).
Modular Windows will certainly create competition, stimulate business, and generate lots of jobs for BizDev types to make lucrative bundling deals.
Will the consumer benefit? In the end, yes. In the meantime, expect to see lots of crap software bundled in.
(Which means that Modular Windows would be a boon to the tech support market as well...)
This article is useless. The mod doesn't look good when finished and is a really silly way to accomplish the objective they had (which was trivial in any case).
Slashdot Mirror
The T-Mobile Sidekick is out now and has a small camera that comes with it and plugs into the headphone port.
Works pretty poorly and takes tiny pics (160x120 I think?), but it is a camera... not quite built-in but a camera nonetheless.
Your attitude sucks, bucko.
My 48 bit is actually 42 if you want to be exact. 14 bits / pixel.
My scanner is also a Cannon -- a CanoScan FS4000US.
The file size, exclusive of compression, is exactly equivalent to the number of pixels times (the bit depth mod 8 rounded up). It's not a "convenient way" of anything.
Finally, the "effective resolution and noise" varies depending on how you scan. How much of an expert in scanning are you? Not much, so far as can be gleaned from your sassy but not very informed posting.
I scan with about 4-8 passes per negative. My software then averages the pixels and this cancels most of the noise. The result is a scan with basically the advertised resolution, and certainly with more resolution than an 11M Pixel CCD.
I thought I did everything right.
I bought the Sidekick at CompUSA in Oakland. I got the $150 rebate forms. I set it up at my friend's house in Oakland... bam. It connected quickly and set me right up. Pages loaded fast. Everything was fine.
Then I went back to the neighborhood where I live... the Mission in San Francisco, and I get no coverage at all. This is true on 22nd and Misison. This is true on 18th and Valencia. This is true in various parts of town.
Now I am faced with returning this unit to CompUSA and having to pay a $50 restocking fee just for trying it for a day.
T-Mobile? No help at all. I called them and they had me do a hard reset on the unit. No change. The guy then said he could send me another unit to try, but he doubted that was the problem. Of course they send the unit from Ohio by regular postal mail, and if you happen to get it after the 14 day period has expired, you're SOL... stuck with the year contract.
Will they help me with the restocking fee? No. I should have read my contract with them. They do not guarantee service even where their maps show service.
Will they now update their map to show that there's no service in the Mission in SF?
No. They I should take that up with their legal department.
It's too bad, because I really like this device.
Also, 32MB is nothing like the size of a "typical" film scan. I have a 4000 dpi film scanner, and my typical scan sizes for 35mm film are around 120MB, using 48 bit color depth.
Sure, digital will catch up to film but it's not even half there yet.
I think the first digital that's as good as 35mm film will probably show up in about oh... 18-24 months. (Moore's law...)
Actually, you get unlimited bandwidth for 1 year, then it's 15MB/mo included and $3.50 for each additional meg. Unless they change their minds by then.
Nextel, for example, also has an 'all you can eat' plan for their phones, but it's $10 a month over their normal rates, which for me ends up at $54 a month total, and there isn't a graphical browser in any Nextel phone.
So if you compare the plans, since T-Mobile's sidekick plan at $40 is $14 a month cheaper than what I now pay. Let's see... $14 x 12 months = $168. I can get the Sidekick for $249 - $50 from T-Mobile - $100 from CompUSA + $35 connection fee... that means it's cheaper to get the Sidekick than to keep my Nextel service!
How about that?
Only problem: no speakerphone...
Unfortunately Kaga, memory does not serve you right.
Sidekick is NOT a Windows CE device.
Here you go:
Q. What Operating System does the hiptop device use?
A. Danger has developed its own virtual machine operating environment. Applications written for the hiptop platform can be developed using industry standard development tools such as Metrowerks CodeWarrior-J(TM) and Microsoft Visual J++(TM), and then automatically converted to execute in Danger's lightweight and optimized environment.
More information here
He didn't even build a good case, as far as can be told by that article. Maybe a good looking case, but if he didn't design the cabinet using simulation software, it's very unlikely that it's a good sounding case.
In case you're thinking of a similar project, a good page with all kinds of information and links for designing and building your own subwoofers that actually sound good is here.
Here is a page of freeware loudspeaker design software and links to more. And another such page of speaker design software is here.
um... UMTS (not UTMS) is more like CDMA because it IS CDMA.
GSM is a TDMA (time division multiplex) protocol and UMTS is a CDMA (code division multiple access) protocol.
More information on cdma and UMTS and on GSM and TDMA.
Reminds me of my father's friend back in grade school (oh, like 1960's) who had invented furniture that hid behind walls and then could be inflated and unfolded as needed.
Last I ever heard of it...
Why post this on slashdot?
If anyone at SGI knew about this and wanted ignore it, now they can't because it's too widely publicised.
He'll never sell it with that high a minimum bid.
He should have started the bidding at $1 and had a reserve of $14,500. Then he could at least see what the market will bear for his thingy without risk.
I dunno about you, but I was all choked up just watching the teaser trailer (I was also amazed I *could* watch it and it hadn't been /.ed yet).
Maybe you had to grow up then. I remember staying home from school to see the Gemini flights, when they were spacewalking for the first time. And then watching the moon landing on the neighbor's TV (we were in the country in Vermont and didn't have one there).
People were astonished that it had happened. Even people who intellectually knew it was possible somehow on some level never expected it to really come true.
And then after the moon landings, and after JFK's promise (to put a man on the moon "in this decade")had been fulfilled... nothing.
Sure there was Spacelab, made from leftover Saturn V parts, and there was Apollo/Soyuz, which I never saw the point of, even though it was very politically significant, because nothing *new* was being done there in terms of space travel.
But after Apollo, the space program was cut back. Way back. The fact that the Shuttle program got going at all was nearly a miracle. And the shuttle design we have now, the one with the horrible semi-reusable solid fuel boosters and the ultra-expensive non-reusable tank was a political compromise due entirely to budget cuts and funding limits. The real shuttle design was fully reusable and much safer: no uncontrollable solid boosters to blow up.
The reason seeing this preview choked me up was because it brought back to me the thought that, yes, we could have done it. We could have put those space stations up, we could have gone to Mars. We could have done so much more than we did in space. Instead, the money was spent on military hardware.
As has been mentioned before, the real inventor of air conditioning (as well as the basic compression cycle refrigeration we still use today) was Dr. John Gorrie.
here is a rather comprehensive page discribing his life and achievements (including a portrait and photo of a model of his original ice-making machine).
I was using a Digital Equipment Corporation ethernet bridge in the late 80s which was able to selectively move packets from one port to another, by looking at the packets and determining if the destination ethernet address referenced in the packet was known on the network connected to by the second port.
There was also a way of loading configuration information into it to tell it whether to forward certain kinds of packets (multicast, most notably) or not. This sounds like a filter to me, in the definition of the patent.
Before this test there was criticism that the Japanese don'thave enough aerospace experience to be building commercial jet airliners, let alone (b)leading edge supersonics.
The fact that they can't even get it together to launch the test seems significant to me, even if it is the rocket that failed.
What he means by components is... components. Not individual DNA bases.
Here's your citation:
1956 Heinz Fraenkel-Conrat took apart and reassembled the tobacco mosaic virus, demonstrating "self
assembly."
and here's an interesting URL including the citation:
http://www.acq.osd.mil/cp/biotech96/annex_a.pdf
Your "bullshit detector" needs some work, apparently!
yes, but this patent is for a geometry, not a material.
So you could use goat spider silk in your composite structure, using their geometry.
SAN JOSE, CA, June 3, 2002 -- AOpen Inc. announced today that it is introducing the world's first vacuum tube motherboard, coinciding with Intel's announcement of the Pentium® 4 845E chipset. The new AX4B-533Tube Motherboard incorporates the novel, modern-day adoption of an idea that was spawned by the invention of the electric light bulb by Thomas A. Edison back in 1879 - the vacuum tube. In taking this bold step towards audio perfection, AOpen's hybrid AX4B-533Tube unquestionably is targeted to a very exclusive niche market - passionate audiophiles and extreme gamers who are interested in building their own ultimate entertaining PCs. The motherboard is also certain to appeal to retailers that desire to cater to these two eccentric groups with custom-built PCs, delivered with matching speaker systems and the latest CD and DVD playback devices.
Why The Vacuum Tube?
The first logical question anyone - analyst, journalist, technician or consumer - would likely ask, is . . . why? AOpen engineers admit that their original notion to add the unmistakable sound of tube output to a modern-day motherboard was initially a lark. "We were all together late one night, kicking around lots of crazy ideas when I proposed it would be really cool if we could combine the warmth and depth - tonal realism, if you will - of the sound produced by an audio tube, with one of our state-of the-art motherboards" says Al Peng, product manager at AOpen America Inc., an audiophile for more than 10 years. "Laughter turned into raves a few months later when we did our first lab demo of our unique hybrid creation. The reproduced sound was absolutely amazing.
It left everyone stunned. What we realized at that moment was how the limitations of typical audio output from a PC as we knew it, had come to an end - and what we were pioneering was a way to literally combine the best of two audio worlds - old and new."
The Watts and Volts of Combining Solid-State and Tube
Some skeptics may argue that even average solid-state amplification devices are often better than the best tube devices. However, in terms of tonality - that's where solid-state working alone falls short. Since the tube output stage of the AX4B-533Tube couples the two front digital stereo output channels with tube output, music lovers of all kinds will "feel" their singer, band or orchestra seemingly come alive, while gamers will find that sound-effects become far more convincing and "to your face". A brief look at what makes a tube work provides greater perspective to the overall concept of combining tube with solid-state.
There are four principal elements in a modern vacuum tube that work together to make it function. The Filament (heater), Cathode, Grid and Anode (or plate). The filament is connected with voltage to boils the cathode, causing the cathode to emit electrons that pass through the grid and hit the Anode. Through this electron flow, the tube amplifies a small (AC) alternating current signal into a larger AC voltage, thereby amplifying it. By controlling the grid voltage, the current flow can be regulated, and create the desired electronic characteristics, while amplifying the signal (source).
Tubes may date back to well over 100 years, but the AX4B-533Tube proves that even today, tubes shape the sound of many modern bands' characteristic styles. In fact, most electric guitar and bass amplifiers are tube-based. High-end professional audio equipment also relies on the tube as a preferred amplification device. Tubes are even found in digital-to-analog conversion equipment.
Some Technical Considerations
*
SWITCHING POWER One of the more daunting challenges for AOpen engineering team in developing the AX4B-533Tube was the process of powering the tube circuitry that requires high voltage of up to 300V from the power supply to properly operate the tube. By incorporating a switching mode power supply for the tube circuitry that can truly rival solid-state amplifiers, then employing A Maxim 668 DC-DC voltage converter to provide ample voltage for the tube to function under optimal conditions - correct audio playback is achieved. As a result, the AX4B-533Tube performs brilliantly.
*
TUBE CIRCUITRY After careful study of many classic pre-amp circuits, AOpen decided to employ a single dual-triode (one tube with two front stereo channels) as the main amplification device. In addition, by following a long path to achieve signal amplification, straightforward amplification is achieved without the use of numerous coupling devices that could add unwanted coloration to the sound of the playback output.
A separate input connector is also provided allowing users with existing sound card's output going through the tube amplification to achieve desire tube tonality. This design allows millions of users out there with their existing sound card to be working with AX4B-533Tube in tandem.
*
NOISE REDUCTION One of the inherent difficulties of utilizing tubes for audio output amplification has always been the dreadful by-product of noise. AOpen solved this problem flawlessly with a method of noise reduction called the Frequency Isolation Wall (FIW). The FIW is strategically placed at all regions throughout the motherboard that separates each operating frequency regions such as CPU, memory, AGP and PCI where the operating frequency ranging from 133MHz, 66MHz and 33MHz. Cross talk among each regions had been reduced greatly for overall system stability as well as minimize inherit noise that may go to tube amplification circuitry.
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RELIABILITY A critical issue with any electronic device is reliability. When it comes to hybrid audio equipment, reliability plays an even greater role. The MTBF ratios for both the motherboard and the tube circuitry in the AX4B-533Tube are stellar, with minimum 50,000 MTBF hours on the motherboard, and 35,000 MTBF hours on the tube circuitry (Tube itself will have about 4,000 to 5,000 hours, depends on operating conditions)
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COMPONENTS AND CONSTRUCTION To ensure accurate tonal quality for music playback and to fully enhance the gaming experience, AOpen engineers meticulously selected the finest components from the world's top-rated manufacturers in designing and building the AX4B-533Tube. In addition, the AX4B-533Tube is painstakingly and patiently assembled, piece-by-piece, then fully inspected and individually tested by AOpen technicians to ensure that each motherboard meets its desired peak performance levels without hesitation.
The AX4B-533Tube Motherboard comes with latest Intel 845E chipset design and features DDR SDRAM memory channels delivering 2.1 GB/s of memory bandwidth to the processor - maximizing the full performance of the Intel Pentium® 4 processor with 533Mhz FSB offers best overall performance and longevity. It comes with a 4X AGP slots; with new ICH4, the AX4B-533Tube supports 4 ports of USB 2.0 and Ultra ATA/100 interface. With Intel 845E chipset, AOpen's AX4B-533Tube provides a revolutionary fusion of old and new technology, producing unsurpassed PC audio output that takes full advantage of the Intel Pentium® 4 processor's capabilities.
Audio grade components are used throughout critical circuitry. By cooperating with Reliable Capacitors, high-end Rel MultiCap coupling capacitors were used. Cardas wires are also deployed strategically on the output to achieve faithful reproduction of music and sound effect. (Fred, We need to expand this portion a bit. Please visit www.capacitors.com and www.cardas.com for more information to emphasize the value we are providing to the gamers and music lovers. Thanks)
The AX4B-533Tube has an estimated street price of $215 USD and fully supports ACPI 1.0 and APM 1.2 specs; comes bundled with Norton Anti-Virus 2002 software; and features AOpen's standard three-year warranty. The AX4B-533Tube is available through all authorized AOpen channel partners. Detailed specifications and photos for website posting or publication are also available by request. More information on the AX4B-533Tube may also be found at: product spec.
About AOpen
AOpen Inc. is the world's largest total component solutions manufacturer and a member of a $10 billion technology group. Leveraging more than 25 years of technology
manufacturing experience and more than 1,000 Group patents, AOpen designs, develops and markets advanced PC motherboards, notebooks, optical drives, PC housings, peripherals, multimedia, telecommunications and networking solutions for resellers, system integrators and those who value reliability and performance.
Editor's Note: More information about AOpen, AOpen products, services, and business partners is available on the World Wide Web at: www.AOpen.com.
AOpen is a registered trademark of AOpen Inc. All other products, brand names or companies are trademarks or registered marks of their respective companies.
Back in the mid-80s I was doing networking down on Wall St. and we needed to connect ethernet LANs in two buildings that were about 100 yards apart.
We looked into running cable, but the rights-of-way were not available. We looked into getting dark fiber, but NY Telephone said they were not tarrifed to let us have it (although there was in fact dark fiber already in the buildings).
Then we talked to a company that would run the cable using their right-of-way. That company was (if I recall correctly) called "Metropolitan City Subway" and had nothing whatsoever to do with the subways. Their sole reason for existence, so far as I could tell, was to rent people parts of their right-of-way, which they had obtained I have no idea how.
They proposed letting us run a cable between the buildings but not directly. We would have to go down to the tip of Manhattan and back again. Instead of 100 yards it was about 4 miles. They also wanted to charge us $20K per month, and had few safety provisions in place to guarantee that our cable wouldn't suddenly be cut by their or other workers.
Based on the long cable run, the costs, and the uncertainty, we passed, and I ended up installing the first microwave ethernet link in Manhattan instead (24GHz microwave between two ethernet bridges). Which worked fine and required no right-of-way...
He's not planning to do an unmanned test flight of his rocket... danger, danger!
----
From:"Brian Walker"
Re: WWW:Rocket Guy Site Feedback
Date: Tue, 28 May 2002 17:36:27 -0700
Dear Well-wisher,
I appreciate your comments and concern for my safety. I have considered an unmanned launch, but am currently looking into having a 250 foot launch tower built (similar to the ones you see in amusement parks that blast people upwards). This would allow the rocket to be accelerated
under a controlled situation where it would gain aerodynamic stability and enough momentum to carry it to a minimum altitude of almost 2000 feet, even if all the systems failed. This is more than adequate altitude for one of three abort modes.
There is no doubt that this carries a certain amount of risk, and even if a did a full-on test launch, there is no guarantee that a second such launch would not develop a problem.
Also, there is no guarantee that the rocket would survive the first launch with capabilities for second launch. I am self funding this project, and I am not that rich. I am counting on the data that has been generated over the past half century, along with the space suit and multiple escape/abort/survival options. But I don't have a death wish, so when it all comes down to it, if it appears to be too risky, I simply won't go.
Best regards,
Brian Walker
Here's some correspondance I exchanged with the RocketGuy last year. I was a bit harsh with him, but I was really concerned that he'd show up in the Darwin Awards:
To:
Sent: Friday, October 12, 2001 1:57 AM
Subject: WWW:Rocket Guy Site Feedback
Message: Are you going to do an unmanned test flight (or several) before you launch yourself in this rocket?
If not, I suggest you go to space.com and look at the videos under their "launches" section. You will see many rockets exploding and crashing.
If you launch yourself without doing unmanned test flights, it must be concluded that you are either an idiot or suicidal.
I hope that neither is the case and that you do the test flights and insure that you are not remembered as a fool.
Best wishes.
========
And his reply:
========
From Brian Walker Fri Oct 12 08:10:26 2001
From: "Brian Walker"
Subject: Re: WWW:Rocket Guy Site Feedback
Date: Fri, 12 Oct 2001 08:10:26 -0700
Yes, I will be conducting unmanned launches. The first will be is a smaller rocket 12 foot high, 320 pounds fuel,gross weight about 4000 pounds). It will demonstarte the separating fins and air launch system.
No, I am neither an idiot of suicidal.
Thanks for the message and concern.
According to that Navy report, Fleischmann and Pons were right all along. Cold fusion really does exist and it is nuclear, not an artifact of some chemical processes.
So why isn't this being jumped on? It could actually be, as was announced back in 1989, a fruitful course of research and a possible solution to our power problems (as Dr. Frank Gordon writes in the foreward).
I support what the states are doing, but if anyone thinks that 'modular windows' will allow OEMs to pick the applications which best suit their users, they're being rather naive.
What OEMs typically do is to pick the apps which:
- they get paid to bundle
- or cost them nothing
- or cost them less than other apps they need which perform the same function
in that order.
The reason PCs come with loads of CDs and installed apps isn't because Gateway or whomever is being nice... it's usually because they were paid to bundle those apps with their systems.
In the case of very desirable apps they may bundle them for free, and in rare cases, for must-have apps (like CD/R burning software which comes with CD/R drives) they may actually pay a little (as little as possible, unless they think that having some specific software will increase their sales enough to make it worth paying more for).
Modular Windows will certainly create competition, stimulate business, and generate lots of jobs for BizDev types to make lucrative bundling deals.
Will the consumer benefit? In the end, yes. In the meantime, expect to see lots of crap software bundled in.
(Which means that Modular Windows would be a boon to the tech support market as well...)
This article is useless. The mod doesn't look good when finished and is a really silly way to accomplish the objective they had (which was trivial in any case).
Why are you reading this anyway?
:)
SETI@home changed the prize to a T-shirt shortly after the /. article.
So no one won the $500 prize...