Category Archives: Computers

Bad Caps in Everything

Posted on July 20, 2016 by jwk

I just had a bit of a scare with my Audio Precision analyzer. The 2004-era Dell OptiPlex GX270 which drives the AP hardware decided it would refuse to power up – just flashing the “ON” light for a fraction of … Continue reading →

Posted in Computers, DIY, Electronics, Test Equipment | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Hands On with the new Acer Chromebook 13

Posted on June 2, 2015 by jwk

I was recently in the market for a new laptop to replace my aging ProBook 4415S. It was a middle of the road HP business laptop from 2009, and over the years I’d upgraded the RAM to 4GB and installed … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary, Computers, Gadgets, Technology | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Screenshots from HP 3585A Spectrum Analyzer via GPIB?

Posted on January 24, 2015 by jwk

I’m wondering if anyone reading this might have some experience and could chime in. I’m trying to make my HP 3585A spectrum analyzer talk to my Windows XP laptop over GPIB (488.1) with a National Instruments PCMCIA-GPIB card. I’ve been … Continue reading →

Posted in Computers, DIY, Electronics, Test Equipment | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

Play Quake 1 on an Oscilloscope

Posted on December 29, 2014 by jwk

Pekka Väänänen must have been bored over the holidays, as he came up with a fantastic and fascinating new use for an oscilloscope and a laptop: playing a round of Quake on his Hitachi V-422 scope in X-Y mode.   After … Continue reading →

Posted in Computers, DIY, Electronics, Gadgets | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Steampunk USB Vacuum Tube Flash Drives

Posted on September 26, 2014 by jwk

I ran across these very cool steampunk-inspired USB flash drives drives built around a vacuum tube while looking for some tube shields. They look like they’re really well built and are a clever use of an old vacuum tube. I … Continue reading →

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A neat discovery to add more storage to a laptop.

Posted on November 3, 2012 by jwk

I acquired a few HP ProBook 4415s laptops which had been scrapped, and decided to rebuild them into working machines. I’ve been needing a new personal/media laptop for a bit, and these are capable little machines with an HDMI output … Continue reading →

Posted in Computers, Hardware | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

HP ProBook 1415s Salvage Project

Posted on October 14, 2012 by jwk

I recently came up with 3 mostly-stripped HP ProBook 1415s laptops that were being thrown out. They’re decent little machines – WXGA (720p) screens, dual-core AMD processors with decent onboard graphics and HDMI output. I have compatible laptop memory and … Continue reading →

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