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Stripping a Computer Tower for Precious Metal Refining
605 days
When one decides to start in the exciting and lucrative world of computer and electronics recycling there are bound to be some mistakes. When I first started my company I made plenty of mistakes and they cost me a lot of money. However, after those mistakes I continued to adjust how I handled the materials and it has paid off in a big way.
The first thing that you should do is ensure that you have plenty of room to sort the materials because just about everything in a computer sells separately and to different sources in most cases.
So let’s run down how to strip a computer for maximum value.
Step 1: Gain access to the inside of the computer tower. In my experience each tower is different. Getting inside can be as simple as removing a couple screws and sliding off the panel and can be as complicated finding the locking mechanism and pulling apart the case. There are some great internet sites that show the different methods for opening computers that can be found with a simple Google search.
Step 2: At this point I like to remove the power supply as it will get the wires out of the way. In most cases the power supply is screwed to the outside of the case with either 2 or 4 screws. Once those are removed the supply comes loose. From there simply unplug the various wires from the boards and drives and then set the power supply aside for disassembly.
Step 3: Now I like to remove the ribbon wires. These are the flat wires that connect the motherboard to the various components. These will usually pop right off. I then put them into a box or barrel and save them with other wires that will go into the local scrap metal yard.
Step 4: Now it is time to remove the drives. This can be a little tricky with some towers. Each tower is different as to how the drives are installed. Some can be as easy as compressing a couple of tabs and then sliding the drives out while others have screws that need to be removed. Once the drives are out of the case I set them aside for disassembly later.
Step 5: Removing the slot cards is next. These are usually controllers for devices such as video and sound cards as well as modems. They are attached with a screw at the top and then plugged into the motherboard. After the screw is removed they will pop right out. I then throw them into a box slated for sale to a refiner.
Step 6: Now it is time to remove the motherboard. Again there is no one way that they are attached. However, most of the time they are attached with screws and once they are removed the board will come right out. But, there are also some companies that use tabs that means that the board needs to be slid to one side before removal.
Step 7: With the motherboard out you can remove the ram sticks. These pop out by pushing down the tabs on each end. Once out they should be put into a box and collected for sale to a refiner.
Step 8: The last thing is to remove the heat sink, fan and then the processor. The heat sink and fan are likely held on with a lever that can be easily lifted off. Most heat sinks are aluminum and can be collected and then sold to the local scrap metal yard.
Step 9: Removing the processor is a simple case of pulling up the arm on the side that unlocks the pins and the processor can be pulled out. I toss the processors into yet another box where they are collected for sale to a refiner.
Now on to the other items.
Power Supply Disassembly: The power supply is a fairly simple unit to tear down. There are usually some screws holding the steel case together and once removed the case will come apart. Then there will be some screws holding the circuit board to the lower part of the case. Remove those and then toss the case into a box that will be taken to the scrap metal yard.
On the power supply are many wires that should be cut off. A simple pair of wire cutters can be used to clip off the wires which will then be tossed into the box or barrel where you put the ribbon wire.
The board is what is known as a “low grade brown” circuit board. These are actually pretty low on value and I collect mine and sell them to the local scrap metal yard for about.50 per pound and it adds up fast.
CD/DVD/Floppy Drive Disassembly: Disassembling CD or Floppy drives is fairly simple. Just look for the screws that are holding the cases together and remove them. Once you have access to the inside you need only remove the boards and the cases can be tossed into the scrap steel bin.
The boards from the CD/DVD/Floppy drives are considered mid-grade boards. They have moderate precious metal content. I place them all into the same box and then sell them to my refiner for $1.00 per pound.
Hard Drive Disassembly: Hard drives are a bit more valuable in the grand scheme of things. However, they are also more difficult to disassemble as well. Most hard drives are held together with star screws. On the front cover remove all the screws that you can see. Under the label there is going to be at least one more screw if not two. Once you have the screws out the top will pop off. This is aluminum and should be placed in your aluminum box.
Once you have access to the inside you will see the round, silver discs that hold the information for the hard drive and an arm that is resting on them. You will need to remove the screws around the collar holding the discs down. Then you will remove the brackets holding the arm on. They are held on with screws and two magnets that are made of rare earth materials.
The magnets can be saved in another box and sold online for a decent price. The discs should be collected and sold separately as they have a layer of platinum on them.
Once these items are removed you will need to turn the base over and remove the circuit board. These are known as hard drive logic boards and they are valued at $9.00 per pound and up. They should be saved and then sold to a refiner.
The base is made of cast aluminum and can be tossed into the box with the other materials.
This completes tearing down a computer tower for refining. You have several options for selling materials. eBay is a resource that a lot of e-cyclers like to use for selling their materials but there are other options.
A bit of warning: Never sell to the websites that say that they are buying for gold refining and offering to pay for the shipping with a pre-printed label that they will send to you through email.
I decided to do a small experiment. I collected two boxes of motherboards and listed one on eBay and sent the other to one of those places online. About a week later I had a check from the website for $7.50 for 25 pounds of motherboards and a PayPal payment from a buyer on eBay for $600 for 25 pounds of motherboards.
I found a refiner that operates in Ohio that I send all of my gold bearing material too. They pay some great prices and it makes things a lot easier. It also saves on the eBay and PayPal fees that have become quite high over the years.
The other materials, such as low grade brown boards, wires, aluminum and steel I just transport to the scrap metal yard. Collected over a period of time these items can really add up to some serious cash. For me it makes a great way to keep my gas tank full for picking up more computers from my various clients.
Acer Aspire TimelineX 1830T Review
605 days
The Acer Aspire TimelineX 1830T is powered by an Intel Core i5-430UM processor. this new generation ULV processor makes the notebook one of the best performers on the market under a grand. What’s more, the 1830T delivers a decent 6 hours of battery life.
Aspire TimelineX 1830T specs
Processor: 1.2GHz Core i5-430UM
Operating system: Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit)
RAM: 4GB/4GB
Storage: 500GB/5,400rpm
Display: 11.6 inch display with 1366768 pixels
Design
The Aspire TimelineX 1830T measures just 1.1 inches in thickness and weighs around 3 pounds. in terms of looks the 1830T isn’t much different from the Aspire One 721 netbook. It is, however, a bit heavier but that powerful dual core processor does justify those extra ounces.
The notebook features a matte lid which hides fingerprints. It ships with a 6-cell battery which bulges out of the system, tilting the machine at a slight angle.
Heat
The 1830T does get warm while performing certain tasks. There is still no cause for concern. however, putting the machine on your lap for extended periods certainly isn’t recommended.
Keyboard and Touchpad
The keyboard is nearly full size. It is easy to use. the keys provide nice tactile feedback and you will be able to achieve your normal typing speed within no time. the silver touchpad buttons are nice and crisp, but the touch surface could have been a little larger.
Display
The 1830T has an 11.6 inch display with 1366 x 768 pixels. the display is bright. Colors are vivid. Viewing angles are also good. but the glossy display does cause distracting reflections.
Ports and Webcam
Port selection is satisfactory. There are 3 USB ports, an Ethernet port, a Kensington lock slot, headphone and mic, VGA port, an HDMI output and a 5-in-1 memory card reader. no eSATA or FireWire. Supported connectivity options are WiFi and Bluetooth 3.0+HS. There is also a 1.3 megapixel webcam.
Performance
The TimelineX 1830T has a 1.2GHz Intel Core i5-430UM processor and 4GB of RAM. this new generation of ULV processors offer significantly better performance than their previous generation. in fact, the 1830T delivers commendable performance in many benchmark tests. however, boot times are average. the 500 GB, 5400rpm hard drive takes 1 minute and 20 seconds to boot into Windows 7 Home Premium. but this delay is probably due to the trialware that comes pre-loaded with the notebook.
Graphics Performance
The 1830T doesn’t have discrete graphics. however, the Intel HD GPU with 128MB memory delivers reasonably good graphics performance. the notebook also has an HDMI port for transferring video to an HDTV.
Battery life
The Core i5 version of the notebook gets a decent 6 hours of battery life.
Verdict
The TimelineX 1830T is one of the best ultraportable notebooks on the market. It has great looks, offers good performance and gets respectable battery life. but at $699, it certainly isn’t cheap. so if you are on a budget, you may want to consider the $599 Core i3 version of the 1830T. Alternatively, you can buy the $499, Eee PC 1201PN which offers comparable graphics performance but less processing power and endurance.
Temptrip Web-Based, Cold Chain Time/Temp Monitoring Targets Reduction Of Food Waste – PerishableNews
605 days
by TwiddleGeek
in barcode Scanners
by TempTrip Posted: Friday, September 23, 2011 at 3:35PM EDT
Broomfield, Colo. — Roughly one-third of the food produced in the world for human consumption every year — approximately 1.3 billion tons — gets lost or wasted, according to a recent study commissioned by the United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organization. The report also found that the level of waste is about the same in both developed and developing countries.
To help address this issue in the United States, the Grocery Manufacturers Association and Food Marketing Institute recently announced a three-year initiative to assist in food waste reduction.
TempTRIP®, LLC believes it can contribute to reducing that waste via its cost-effective time/temperature system which monitors the perishable food journey from harvest to store.
in addition to recording time/temperature data points at desired intervals, the TempTRIP system also displays the food’s journey online. cold chain participants can take a look at a map and be able to tell at a glance when and where it has been subjected to off-spec temperatures.
according to perishable food shelf life expert James Cox, Ph.D., “Anything that can be done to improve temperature conditions is going to have a profound impact on minimizing perishable losses. most temperature monitoring systems today capture data for one cold chain segment. however, shelf life is really a cumulative thing. These subtle insults to perishable products during various segments add up and contribute to food waste. TempTRIP offers information integration which helps quantify degradation impact. That data is the key to subsequent action.”
“The TempTRIP approach enables the sharing of data transparently with all of the channel partners. this includes growers, food processors, distributors, wholesalers and retailers. Powerful information is displayed via the internet that can be used to fine tune everything from which coolers, trucks or transportation partners perform better to which products should be rotated out of the warehouse first,” said Phaedra Culjak, chief operations officer, TempTRIP.
The TempTRIP monitoring process incorporates three basic components—RFID smart cards, RFID reader with optional integrated barcode scanner, and the internet. The first step is helping users to set up an on-line profile which includes shipping, storage and receiving-point data plus temperature configurations, and which parties get to see the results.
an RFID smart card is placed on the pallet (or other designated location such as an individual case or in certain locations within a trailer load, depending on the level of detail desired).
To start the time and temperature monitoring process, the reader scans the pallet’s bar code and writes it to the smart card’s memory. Temperature is recorded continuously, at a company’s specified time interval.
When the TempTRIP-tagged pallets arrive at distribution center they are “read” to determine what temperature fluctuations have occurred. Results are sent, via USB or Wi-Fi transmission, to a dedicated page on the internet, with optional email and text alerts sent to the chain partners. (Similar to the Netflix® model, users also have the option of mailing the smart card back to TempTRIP and results are available online within 48 hours.)
The tags can be read and restarted at any time to record new segments with new starting and ending times. For example, as pallets are received, tags continue to record time and temperature in the truck, on the dock and in the warehouse. Tags can even receive new “ownership” and new time and temperature parameters as they move from grower/processor to distributor to retailer.
“Companies are surprised to find out how cost-effective the TempTRIP system is. It is extremely viable for a broad range of perishable foods—meat, dairy, juice, produce, ready-to eat meals, and other fresh or processed foods. Pharmaceutical and medical applications such as medications, plasma, devices, etc. can also benefit,” Culjak said.
about TempTrip
TempTRIP, LLC was established to improve the cold chain temperature monitoring process. The company’s “systems approach” goes beyond the basic hardware/software offering for temperature monitoring products by offering customers monitoring and comprehensive cold chain logistics with minimal infrastructure.
TempTRIP is a joint venture between Sealed Air Corporation (NYSE: SEE), a Fortune 500 company and Results Oriented, inc., a software, hardware and Web development company with expertise in product tracking and radio frequency identification (RFID) dating back to 1989. For more info: temptrip.com.
Is The Next Boom In Travel A Sonic Boom From Boeing?
605 days
This October’s issue of the science magazine Discover is headlined “The Cure for Everything” issue. One particular cure that is discussed leaves one asked whether the next boom in travel might be a sonic boom from Boeing.
Moore’s Law tells us that computational power has increased exponentially from the advent of Intel’s 4004 microprocessor in 1971 to Intel’s 10-core Xeon Westmere-EX microprocessor of today. There has roughly been a million-fold increase. This advance in computational power has enabled scientists and engineers to tackle problems once considered in the realm of science fiction.
One of the things aerospace engineers have long dreamt about is the ability to model airflows. This is now possible. Boeing’s new 787 Dreamliner had “flown” tens of thousands of hours before it ever took to the skies. an article in the aforementioned issue of Discover magazine highlights another very intrigue research program that has been underway for some time: super-sonic flight.
Of course, we all know that there is one little problem with super-sonic flight: the sonic boom. But, with the advancement in computational power, scientists and engineers are able to model the sonic boom itself. by altering the design of the fuselage and wings of an aircraft, one can alter how the sonic boom is created and shaped. Discover magazine states that current designs produce a sonic boom that is only 1.6 percent the loudness of a sonic boom created by the Concord. Engineers believe that within just a few years, designs will produce a sonic boom that is less than 1 percent the loudness of a sonic boom created by the Concord. they believe this would be acceptable to both Congress and the public.
The next challenge will be fuel efficiency. an aircraft flying at a faster speed consumes more fuel per distance than the same aircraft flying at a slower speed. No doubt, designers will eventually find a way to achieve these faster speeds with the same or better fuel efficiency that today’s aircraft achieve at slower speeds.
The advent of everyday supersonic travel at today’s cost structures has tremendous implications for shipping, commerce, tourism, and the list goes on. a trip from New York to Paris might be under two hours. a trip from Los Angeles to London might be under three hours.
The next logical step would be trans-atmospheric vehicles. Inter-continental travel times would be in the one to two hour range. Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic project seems more of a stepping stone than a novelty.
12 Awesome Server Admin Apps for Windows Phone 7
605 days
Previously, we looked we looked at server admin apps for the iOS and Android mobile operating systems. Now, we’ll look at some server and administration apps for the Windows Phone 7 platform. These apps are designed for monitoring, remote desktop management, database administration and a variety of other server-related tasks.
Pingdom Pulse (Free) provides access to your free or paid Pingdom account, a hosted third-party server monitoring service. You can view a summary of all your Pingdom checks, including current status and response time. You can also see a summary of the past 30 days performance for each check. Additionally, you can run manual checks on any http server.
Mobile Server Stats ($1.99 after trial) provides remote real-time monitoring stats of a Windows Server or PC when its free server component is installed on the computer. Get standard statistics (e.g., on system, CPU, drives, processors, services, running processes, users and groups) and add custom WMI queries. It also includes simple HTTP server monitoring. You can view real-time statistics or cached polls stored on the computer.
Network Tools (Free ad-based or $2.99) uses a remote server to run pings, TCP port connection tests and HTTP/HTTPS connection tests. It also provides a graphical display of their ping, port 80 and HTTP response statuses. Remember, a remote server is used, so it can’t reach local resources; they must be accessible via the Internet.
Wake My PC (Free) lets you remotely boot up computers via the Wake-On-LAN (WOL) protocol. This is especially useful if you must remotely access files or connect via remote desktop. You must configure your compatible computer (in the BIOS) and network to use WOL. Then, simply enter in the computer’s MAC address and Internet IP info.
Mobile DDNS ($0.99) is a DDNS client for your phone to update DDNS providers: DynDNS, NameCheap and ZoneEdit. This is great if you must connect to your phone via the Internet. You don’t have to find and track your public IP. just use the host name from a DDNS provider, and it will always point to your phone.
Cool Remote (Free) is used to remotely connect to and control a Windows (XP/2003/Vista/2008) machine running its free server application from your phone or any other computer via the web browser. It features full PC keyboard support (including ctrl, alt, shift, tab, esc, win, fn, home and end) and multi-monitor support. You can input connection details or scan the local network to find the PC.
IBM unplugs from U of I supercomputer project
605 days
by TwiddleGeek
in mini Itx
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) IBM Corp. on Monday dropped out of a project to build one of the world’s fastest supercomputers at the University of Illinois, saying it requires too much financial and technical support.
The move leaves the university looking for someone to build the $300 million-plus Blue Waters system that it still hopes to deliver by the fall of 2012. The school’s National Center for Supercomputing Applications will have just a few weeks to customize its plans to a new builder and present them to the project’s primary financier, the federal government’s National Science Foundation.
There is no guarantee the project that was originally expected to go online this year will continue.
IBM won’t say how much money the project would have cost the company, but Monday’s announcement followed several months of talks with university officials.
“As we moved forward in the project, increased cost from the final design and other changes made us come to the conclusion” not to continue, IBM spokeswoman Joanna Brewer said.
John Melchi, who is senior associate director at the university’s National Center for Supercomputing Applications, said IBM’s decision is disappointing but said that with the NSF waiting for a revised plan there’s little time for the 120 or so people at the university who’ve worked on the project to do anything but keep working.
“When you look at the work you’ve put in the previous three or four years, it is disheartening,” he said. “Honestly, there’s a certain amount of energy here; people are inspired.”
The NSF’s National Science Board, a 20-member group of scientists, expects to have a revised plan to vote on as early as mid-September, NSF spokeswoman Lisa-Joy Zgorski said.
“Whether or not we move forward with a comparable alternative ultimately rests upon the decision of the National Science Board,” she said.
When Blue Waters was announced in 2007 it was billed as a project to build what was expected to be, at least for a time, the world’s fastest supercomputer. It was planned to run at sustained speeds of at least a thousand trillion operations a second, a measure known as a petaflop and a standard for speed that had long been sought.
The university bid on the project and was chosen by the NSF to build a computer that could study in new, much faster ways subjects such as the formation of galaxies and the effects of hurricane storm surges on land. IBM was selected as the vendor.
The fastest supercomputer at the time was another IBM product, Blue Gene/L, which had about a third of Blue Waters’ expected capability.
Winning the bid was a prestige builder for both the university which also used the new supercomputer as a recruiting tool and for IBM. Melchi said Monday he doesn’t believe the setback will cost the supercomputing center any staff.
NSF has agreed to spend $208 million on the project while the university and state of Illinois have pledged another $100 million. So far, about $160 million has been spent, the university and NSF said.
As part of the original contract, IBM is repaying the federal money it received, which the NSF says is about $30 million. The supercomputing center is returning IBM servers installed at the new National Petascale Computing Facility built on the campus for the project.
It’s unusual for an NSF-funded computing project such as Blue Waters to lose a key partner midstream, “but not unprecedented,” Zgorski said, adding that she wasn’t sure if any projects were completed after running into similar problems.
Brewer did not disclose what went wrong, but said it didn’t involve IBM’s Power7 processors, the next generation of which is due to be released later this month.
Melchi said it’s difficult to say how close the project is to completion but it’s “not close enough.”
The trouble became obvious in April, he said, and IBM and the supercomputing center had tried since to find a solution before reaching what Melchi called an impasse.
As proposed, Blue Waters would not be the world’s fastest because a computer in Japan known as the K Computer currently runs at a maximum speed of just over 8 petaflops though much less if required to run for prolonged periods. Blue Waters’ target is to run at a petaflop for sustained periods of time and run on much more complex problems than currently possible, Melchi said.
“The Blue Waters project is as relevant as it was in 2006,” he said. “We’re going to explore our options but, to be real open with you, we don’t have a lot of time.”
Vivitek H5080 DLP Home Theater Projector Review by Greg Robinson on BigPictureBigSound
606 days
by TwiddleGeek
in round Cables
Vivitek may be a name unfamiliar to many home theater shoppers, but that’s something the projector maker is hoping to change. Historically a business- and education- focused projector company, and comprised largely of former employees of BenQ and Optoma, Vivitek has been ramping up their efforts to be more competitive in the home theater marketplace. Exhibit a is Vivitek’s H5080, a 1080p DLP-based home theater projector.Positioned between Vivitek’s entry-level H1080FD and their flagship H9080FD (the “world’ first LED 1080p home theater projector”), the H5080 is a bright, well-equipped, and capable performer packing a zoom lens and both horizontal and vertical lens shift adjustments to ensure installation flexibility.
The Hook-UpUnlike some projector makers, Vivitek is kind enough to ship the H5080 with both component video and HDMI cables inside the box. you may go a different route with aftermarket cables, but it’s always refreshing when you don’t have to run to the store before you can enjoy your new purchase.
Vivitek’s attractive H5080 features concealed lens shift knobs on its top – a mixed blessing.
Connection options on the H5080 are surprisingly robust. That HDMI cable Vivitek gives you can be plugged into any one of the three HDMI inputs you’ll find out back. there you’ll also find one component video input, one VGA DB15 input, one S-video input, and one composite video input. You’ll also find a USB port out back, but this is reserved for service and firmware use only. Last but not least, an RS-232C serial data port and dual 12V triggers round out the offerings on the rear jack pack.As previously mentioned, the H5080 features both vertical and horizontal lens shift adjustments: something we don’t see often enough on projectors, particularly on lower cost DLP projectors. This provides much greater installation freedom, as you don’t need to be as careful when you’re positioning your projector in relation to your screen. with projectors featuring dual axis adjustments such as those on the H5080, “close enough” is usually good enough. once you’ve picked your spot, simply adjust the two lens shift knobs until your projected image is properly centered on your screen.
Alas, ErgoOn the subject of those lens shift adjustment knobs, this is one area where the H5080 loses points in the ergonomics department. whereas many projector manufacturers leave their lens shift adjustment wheels exposed, Vivitek chose to conceal theirs beneath a sliding door on the unit’s top surface (facing down if you ceiling-mount the unit). although this out-of-sight approach sounds good in theory, the access door is somewhat finicky to open. The net effect is that you sometimes apply so much pressure trying to open it, that you inadvertently push the projector off center and have to re-align it. Granted, you shouldn’t have to make lens shift adjustments too often, but the physical logistics of these adjustments could definitely be improved.Like most projectors, the H5080 features a hard Power switch on the rear of the unit. This is left on most of the time as the projector remains in a low-power standby state waiting for its next assignment. one minor nitpick: the soft Power button – responsible for waking up or powering down the unit – is inexplicably given the same inconvenient rear panel location. This hard-to-reach, impossible-to-see button is less than ideal if your projector is ceiling-mounted, and even worse if you plan to use a shelf mount on your theater’s rear wall. Here’s hoping future models see this button moved to the top, where Vivitek does have other function and source toggle controls. on the plus side, Vivitek does give us both front and rear infrared (IR) receptors to give remote control commands the best chance of registering.Remote, Control Blinding backlighting on an all-white remote. good luck losing this in the dark. As for the remote control itself, Vivitek’s remote is an all-white affair with a brilliant blue backlight. mine was temperamental in that sometimes the first button press would fail to illuminate the keypad, but more often than not it worked as advertised. Thankfully we get direct source selection buttons so you can quickly switch between HDMI, component video, etc. The H5080 displays a small box on-screen to let you know what source you’re viewing and the detected resolution. I did encounter one quirk here: my reference Blu-ray Disc player, Oppo’s BDP-93, was set to output 1080p/24Hz for 24fps playback of film-based Blu-ray content. however, despite forcing a 24p output on the Oppo, the H5080 continued to represent the source as 1080p/60Hz in the info box. after checking with Vivitek, I was assured that all of their 1080p projectors do in fact support 24Hz, a claim supported by the fact that the Blu-ray Discs I viewed when the Oppo was in forced-24p mode looked just fine. Moral of the story: don’t believe everything you read (well… except this review, of course). Pressing “MENU” on the remote control brings up Vivitek’s on-screen menu system. The most common video adjustments (Color, Tint, Contrast, etc.) are quick and easy to find, and most of the projector’s settings are intuitively grouped. That’s not to say some of the items aren’t a bit cryptic. And “ViviSettings” is what exactly? since you asked, “ViviSettings” brings up a small sub-menu of video features I don’t recommend engaging. The one to watch out for is ViviMotion, Vivitek’s attempt at frame interpolation. when engaged, it’ll make film look like a soap opera. If that sounds appealing to you, go nuts. I left it off for the duration of my review period. [editor's note: apparently some people like the motion smoothing effect of frame interpolation but I, like Greg, am not one of those people.]Processing… Processing…Calibrating the H5080 took less time than a projector calibration usually takes me, but that’s not necessarily a good thing. Basic picture controls were easy enough to adjust and only required minor correction from Vivitek’s canned “Movie” user mode. however, I was disappointed to find that Vivitek chose to eliminate grayscale adjustments (RGB gains and offsets) from the consumer user interface. after speaking with Vivitek, I confirmed that these adjustments are only possible when you enter the hidden service menu using an unpublished set of remote control keystrokes.
Making those grayscale adjustments went a long way towards improving the H5080′s out-of-the-box performance, but it’s unfortunate that tweak-happy consumers will have to rely on a professional calibration (or some creative Googling) to uncover these advanced adjustments. As with any display’s service menu, if you DO manage to get in there, be careful. This is not a place to experiment with different settings. And before you change anything, write down the current settings so you have a fall back.after getting the video settings roughly where I wanted them, I first ran the H5080 through the HQV Benchmark 2.0 DVD running at 480i. The Vivitek scored passing marks on two out of the three “jaggies” tests, but the third one (three oscillating bars) looked fairly ugly. The waving flag test revealed some minor stair-stepping and the 3:2 film cadence test took about one full second before the noisy grandstands quieted down, banishing the moire pattern that comes when the 3:2 film cadence is not detected. The other HQV tests were fairly uneventful, though the video-on-film test did reveal some tearing in the first few words of the text crawl as they started appearing beneath the film-based guitar footage. This shredding stopped before the text reached the left edge of the screen and did not re-appear until the track restarted.
Picture This Popping in a few of my processor-taxing film tests, such as the coliseum flyover sequence from Ridley Scott’s Gladiator on DVD, the H5080 acquitted itself with fair marks, but there were certainly a few problems here and there. although the overhead shot of Rome’s coliseum looked sharp and steady, the smaller buildings’ rooftops that precede the coliseum reveal did exhibit a fair amount of shimmer and movement during the overhead camera pan.despite a good-but-not-great showing during the video processing gauntlet, the H5080 did fine work serving up real world high definition content from both a variety of Blu-ray Discs and my DISH Network HD DVR. during the IMAX-enhanced opening of The dark Knight, Christopher Nolan’s view of Gotham’s rooftops showed splendid detail on the H5080 and the subsequent clown masks benefited from DLP’s reliable penchant for punchy colors and deep blacks. these inky blacks were also evident when I watched Sony’s recent Blu-ray release of Priest. This film has many dark moments, and when Paul Bettany is hunting vampires in the dark interiors of a thought-to-be-abandoned hive, the H5080 did a solid job of preserving shadow detail as Priest (dressed in black of course) moves amongst his shadowy surroundings.on the subject of black levels, it is here that I must point out what is perhaps the H5080′s most irritating quirk. Whenever you switch between user modes, or modify the Vivitek’s IRIS setting, prepare to hear a brief but loud mechanical sound, not unlike the noise a digital camera makes when its lens retracts and closes up. I confirmed with Vivitek that this noise is normal iris operation noise on the H5080, but that they are working to quiet it down in future models. If you don’t make iris adjustments often, this is not a major concern. But if you like to play with your video settings on a regular basis, this buzzing sound could easily become annoying.
Three HDMI ports, one component video, and USB – nice. But why is the (soft) Power button back here?
Turn Ons:
- No 3D (yeah, I said it)
- Plenty bright
- Vibrant, punchy colors
- Deep blacks, good shadow detail
- Available fixed short throw and long throw lenses
Turn Offs:
- No 3D (for those who actually like that sort of thing)
- Loud, mechanical noise during iris adjustments
- Mediocre video processing
- Grayscale adjustments in Service Menu only
- Less-than-ideal lens shift control location
Final ThoughtsVivitek’s H5080 is an intriguing machine. on the one hand, Vivitek is clearly trying to strengthen its position in the home theater marketplace, and the H5080′s heft and attractive looks certainly give it a dose of high-end panache. on the other hand, the H5080′s video processing capabilities could definitely stand some improvement and it does suffer from at least a few ergonomic quirks.with the home theater projector marketplace as crowded and competitive as it is right now, Vivitek’s H5080 makes for a capable performer but at a suggest list price of $2999.99, it does seem a bit overpriced when factoring in its processing deficiencies, ergonomic quirks, and a lack of 3D support. That said, the H5080′s impressive brightness, deep blacks, and punchy colors could easily make a strong case for itself if you can find it at a discount.
Manufacturer’s Specifications:
- H5080 on the Vivitek USA website
Manufacturer’s Contact Information:Vivitek USA4425 Cushing ParkwayFremont, CA 94538Phone: (877) 603-3582Website: vivitekusa.com
The Best Computer For Graphic Design
606 days
by TwiddleGeek
in illustration
Since Desktop Publishing (DTP) came out in the eighties, graphic designers have been utilizing computer technology. This has pushed all graphic designers to become competent with computer hardware at the very least.
What is Desktop Publishing (DTP)? in the 1980s, it was a common term applied to digital publishing systems. these systems were developed to replace large, pre-press, specialist design and compositing systems.
Graphic designers rely heavily on computers whether these are Windows PCs or Apple Macs. whichever computer a graphic designer chooses to use, he/she will opt for the best computer that he/she can purchase. Graphic designers will rarely choose cheap computer hardware.
Back in the eighties, Macs were the only choice for designing and printing. Almost all design layout and graphics software was developed for Macs only or even if the software could be used in Microsoft Windows PC, it was much more reliable on a Mac. Additionally, at that time, Macs were associated with the different technologies used in the prepress and Windows PC was just not a practical choice. Today, modern versions of Mac OS X and Windows allow graphics designers to use design software either in a Mac or PC – they are no longer forced to choose one over the other.
Many graphic designers are not IT experts and making a decision on which computer to buy can be quite daunting. of course, if money is not a problem, the decision would simply be to buy the most expensive Apple Mac or Windows PC. But most designers cannot afford to do that. in fact, some creative professionals have budgets for second hand equipment only. what really matters to these graphic designers are issues that regular computer users do not even have to think about. these are printer color accuracy, monitor calibration, hard disk speed and external storage devices for gigabytes of data.
Recent studies show that the top 5 computers for graphic design are a mix of Macs and PCs and both laptop and desktop computers fall in this category. But just like any product that a consumer buys, it really is the personal preference of the designer whether he/she will use a desktop computer or a laptop. the important thing is that the user/graphic designer has the appropriate software for the type of computer that he/she wants to purchase.
The top 5 computers for graphic design are:
Mac Pro Desktop
The Mac line of computers is still widely preferred by most graphic designers. according to Apple, the latest Mac Pro features the all new quad-core Intel Xeon Nehalen processor which makes the job of a graphic designer much easier. Apple states further that the new Mac Pro is up to 1.9 times faster than its predecessor. each processor has an integrated memory controller that allows the processors to have faster access to stored data in the computer’s memory, with memory latency decreased by up to 40 percent. This feature will save a lot of time for designers when they do their work.
MacBook Pro Laptop
The MacBook Pro Laptop comes in 13, 15 and 17 inch sizes. it has high-performance NVDIA graphics and LED backlit display which makes editing graphics easier and clearer. This latest model has battery power that lasts up to 8 hours (on 17-inch version). it is powered by the Intel Core 2 Duo processor.
Dell Studio XPS Desktop
The Dell Studio XPS Desktop features the Intel Core i5 and i7 processors. If you plan on working with intensive video or 3D editing, you can have an upgrade to the 16GB Dual Channel DDR3 SDRAM. But its base 3GB memory will enable you to edit photos, create vector or raster designs with ease. its high-definition ATI graphics card creates clear, precise and flawless graphics – just what a graphic designer needs.
Toshiba Qosmio Laptop
The Toshiba Qosimo is an affordable solution to your graphic design needs. it is powered by either the Intel Core i7 or i5 processor making it easier to create flawless graphics. it has a high-end NVIDIA GeForce graphics card, which ensures that you can clearly see every pixel and frame that you edit. it has a 6GB DDR3 1066MHz memory and a 1GB GDDR5 discrete graphics memory.
HP Pavilion Elite Desktop
The HP Pavilion Elite Desktop is an affordable computer. it is powered by either an AMD Athlon or an Intel Core processor that ranges from an X4 630 quad-core (Athlon) to an i7-980X six-core Extreme Edition (Intel). All HP Pavilion Elite Desktop computers come with genuine 64-bit Windows 7 for the latest technology. Memory ranges from 4GB up to 9GB which guarantees smooth and effortless run of the high-end graphics that you use.
What is the Difference Between Laptop and Netbook?
606 days
by TwiddleGeek
in vintage Apple Mac
So what is the difference between laptop and netbook? a laptop (also called a notebook) is computer which has been designed to be made portable, featuring a screen hinged to a keyboard. a laptop includes a battery for portable power and a touchpad instead of a mouse for input.
Mini laptops (also called a netbook, subnotebook or ultraportables) take these ideas further still, creating a new market above handheld computers, smartphones and personal digital assistants. the primary characteristic of these are smaller size and weight, which are pretty similar to the average diary, as well as costing less than a standard laptop with prices starting at around 150, an excellent solution during the credit crunch
Mini laptops aren’t as powerful as bigger notebook computers, and lack the power for big, demanding programs as well as an optical disc drive – so no CDs or DVDs. none the less, connectivity is a central focus for netbooks. Internet downloads are quickly catching up on hard media products, so perhaps it’s not such a loss.
In short, the difference between laptop and netbook is a netbook is smaller, lighter, cheaper (on the whole) and simpler.
New mini laptops are expected to sell in the region of 5.2 million units by the end of 2008, 8 million during 2009 and up to 50 million by 2012 – a ten fold growth. Industry analysts are torn whether or not subnotebooks will cannibalize the laptop market, some suggesting that a mere 10% market share will be taken. however, in this economic downturn, people will always look for cheaper products and with mini laptops available from 150-200, perhaps there is a big market after all.
So is it game over for the standard laptop and pc? Unlikely; whilst mini laptops can perform dozens of tasks to identical or similar standard of larger computers, they will (for the time being) be limited by battery size, processing power and storage space, the difference between laptop and netbook is pronounced enough not to make the former obsolete.
Furthermore, when using a computer over a prolonged period of time, it would make sense to use a bigger screen and a faster processor of a desktop replacement laptop or a PC, particularly for demanding programs’ such as games.
And finally, similarly priced but laptops, of varying quality, are available for around 200-300 leading some industry analysts to believe that the consumer focus will be on functionality and not merely size and weight.
At the opposite end of the spectrum, mobile phone manufacturers and providers are tapping into the netbook market with the Samsung NC10, LG X110 and Carphone Warehouse launching the Webbook – a branded laptop made by Elonex. Vodafone has linked arms with Dell with its Inspiron Mini 9, offering 3G mobile broadband contracts. Orange have followed suit with by cosying up with Asus and the Eee PC 901.
The difference between laptops and netbooks may seem very vague, but there is certainly space for both to function. if you’ve got a laptop, even reading this on one, lift it up. Feel the weight of it. Ask yourself, do I need all this extra space? would I be better off with something smaller and lighter – if the answers yes, browse around the site.
How to Clean Your Toshiba Laptop Part Two
606 days
by TwiddleGeek
in water Blocks
Hello again and welcome to How to clean Your Toshiba Laptop part Two
Following on from part one we will look at what forms of contamination effect your laptop
Environmental
- Airborne dust
- Local Emissions and Smoke
- Condensation
- High temperature conditions
In part one I already mentioned airborne dust as a problem, the main problem with dust is that it deposits immediately onto the keyboard area, and when a user touches the keyboard you are effectively rubbing the dust and fine grit onto the surface of your keys, this is a grinding action at the microscopic level but more slowly and over a longer period of time, eventually your keys become very smooth with the legend rubbed off.
Machines used in windy or draughty rooms will very quickly become covered in dust, and grit particles.
Airborne dust gets into every vent, down the sides of keyboards, into your cdrom drive, into your ports and just about anywhere you can think of.
Worse because your system fan is running most of the time it actually drags this dust and then deposits a small percentage of the dust onto you system board with the majority of it being exhausted back out of the cooling fan. Problem here is that if the dust has a small moisture content within it, it will leave a fine layer of sludge on the system board and unchecked over time will cause a failure.
Dust ingress into your CDROM drive which coats the laser lens causing the laser head to work harder, whereby the laser LED’s are consuming more power to read a CDROM disk. this causes your CD drive to become intermittent, loss of DVD read or writing capabilities or at worst complete failure.
Usually in very dusty environments or related conditions your cooling heat sink will clog up causing the machine to heat up rapidly and transfer this heat around the case and to other parts of the system, this can be fatal, this can cause the Laptop to become very noisy since the fan is rotating at a higher speed, in advanced cases the laptop will shut down unexpectedly or run slower, most Intel and AMD processors will clock down that is reduce the operating clock speed internally to reduce the heat, this is seen with applications loading slower than normal.
Another very serious consequence of using laptops in dusty environments is that the hard drive becomes contaminated (hard disks are not fully sealed) very quickly causing your hard drive to develop bad sectors or in in really contaminated environments complete failure.
Local emissions and smoke can cause a hazard, the obvious one is smoke getting trapped in the system causing an unpleasant smell, (stale perfume is one, cigarette smoke), some gases can turn into a deposit depending on how severe this is, laptops used predominately in car repair shops/body shop, engineering shops, really suffer from this problem, and the use of paint thinners around the work area can and does damage internal and external components.
Condensation is a big problem for a laptop, and from personal observations you should never leave a laptop in the boot (trunk) of your car overnight in cold weather, or leave a laptop on a high shelf in a cold room. as the laptop is left in these conditions water droplets inside of the case drip down onto the system board, effectively causing short circuits. Laptops used outside for prolonged periods suffer from this problem as well as advanced corrosion.
High temperature conditions can cause some unusual problems, in such conditions, dust is more easily transmitted around a room, or onto a persons clothing, causing deposits onto the machine, as is the problem of statically energised clothing picking up dust and microscopic grit and then depositing this onto the laptop which has no charge at all on the surface of the palmrest. You will see this more acutely when the laptop screen is covered with a very visible layer of dust more so on the screen than anywhere else.
Consequences of operation at very high ambient temperatures will cause the internal thermometer on the cpu to clock down reducing the on chip temperature which will then reduce the speed and responsiveness of your laptop. In extreme temperatures (above 25C) the machine will shut down to protect its internal components and may not restart for a given period of time until the chassis ambient temperature and the cpu/core temperatures are within reasonable limits, this also applies to temperatures of below -5C and also in addition mentioned previously the risks of condensation below 6C causing water/liquid droplets.
Personal
- Contaminated hands
- Clothing
- Pets
- Bedroom usage
- Eating habits
Dirty hands with a high level of grit on the surface of the skin will wear your keyboards and touch pads very quickly (and the risk of scratching your screen), as do hands that have been softened with skin products/oils/lotions, they tend to pick up a lot of dirt around the immediate environment unless you allow sufficient time to dry.
It is not generally well known that oily hands, or contaminated hands with liquid contaminates, break down the paint surface on the palmrest causing a very heavy stain, this should be avoided as much as possible. Not only does this make the appearance of the laptop very unsightly, it also breaks down the protective paint to resist further ingress.
We have mentioned most aspects of clothing, but remarkably some clothes are better than others, the worst offenders are woollen, combination of wool polyester, and nylon based clothing, the static build up on these garments will transport dust onto other items. Cotton is better as some of the lower static prone garments around. if you use your machine a lot then stay away from wool if you can especially really heavy woolen garments.
Here’s a surprise your pet, quite simply cats and in particular dogs deposit large quantities of hair all around us, not surprisingly your clothes, pick this up and then deposit this onto your laptop, or it is blown around the room onto your laptop. The problem here it that hairs get into the keyboard restricting the feel of the keys, causing keys to be stuck and all manner of problems with dust and grit underneath keys. The main problem to be aware of is that hairs being sucked into the machine will find there way via the system fan and will become trapped onto the cooling heatsink along with the dust and then this blocks the fan action reducing cooling efficiency and chassis convection, the other danger being hairs from dogs that have long hair that find their way into the machine and then wrap themselves around the fan spindle, effectively reducing the speed of the fan and impairing cooling, and in some cases causing serious damage, the Toshiba Satellite A60 Pro, Satellite Pro 2450, Satellite Pro A30 and 1130 and the Satellite A40 are very prone to this problem around pets, since they are physically large machines, which have large powerful fans inside.
The symptoms of the above problems cause reduced speed and responsiveness of the system. longer load times, bottom of the chassis becoming very hot, poor chassis convection, blue screens of death or unpredictable behaviour, and in advanced states of contamination abrupt shutdowns, or resets of the system.
The bedroom most people now use latops in bed its a fact but you should be aware that using a machine on top of your bed covers will in effect drag all the fluff and any surface contaminates straight into your machine very quickly (in a matter of weeks you machine will be clogged), causing blocked vets, blocked cooling fans, noisy fans, port connections covered in dust and keyboards caked. The answer here is buy a bed table (I know what your going to say), or use the machine on a large book at least it will not be in contact with your bed clothes.
Your eating habits can cause the obvious catastrophes (tea,coffee, chocolate etc), the main one here if you like biscuits (we all do) is in fact that a high number of tiny gritty crumbs will deposit themselves nicely on your keyboard as as previously iterated will advance the wear of your keyboard dramatically. so does anything that’s slimy or gooey if spilled or happens to be on your hands will wear the palmrest and your touch pad not to mention your keyboard.
Well thats it for now, I have covered most forms of contamination, and there are more but for now these are the most common.
In the next article I will be talking about the materials to safely clean your Toshiba Laptop.