Off Topic Banter

mctom · Post by **mctom** » Thu Feb 17, 2022 11:03 pm

Nah, I'm not into low end consumer stuff. I prefer repairable, sturdy machines. For aforementioned P2015dn all parts are available on the market.
Also inkjets are terrible in my experience. Messy, need lots of maintenance, dries up, clogs up and whatnot. Some printers need calibration to print properly, others do maintenance noises at a random time of a night.
And above all, it decides you're out of yellow ink and won't let you print a document, based on page count forecasting and not any actual sensors. I find that crappy, to say the least.

Thanks for reminding me why I'm all for old laser printers

Nevertheless, I can't fix these formatters forever. If someone has any recommendations I'm all ears.
To wrap up my expectations, here they are:
- Laser printing
- Duplex
- LAN (or Wi-Fi)
- Full Linux support
- Large paper tray would be a plus (500+ sheets)

For small notes, package labels and other temporary prints I use Extech S4500THS that I grabbed for $10. Sits on my desk, no toners or inks, just 20m roll of paper that lasts some 3-6 months.

rooted · Post by **rooted** » Fri Feb 18, 2022 1:08 am

Lol, I've been using this printer for 3 years and have had zero issues.

I wasn't recommending it, just stating what I use.

mctom · Post by **mctom** » Fri Feb 18, 2022 2:50 am

I'm sorry if I gave a different impression, but I didn't try to be mean, and above all I wasn't trying to criticize your input in any way. It is well appreciated. I just stated why I'd prefer laser printer, based on my limited experiences.

I skimmed through the specs of your deskjet and they say an ink cartridge yields some 100-120 pages. That's... not a lot

rooted wrote: ↑
Fri Feb 18, 2022 1:08 am
Lol, I've beem using this printer for 3 years and have had zero issues.

And I'm glad the humanity may actually be close to developing a fully functional printer, after 50 years of struggle..

rooted · Post by **rooted** » Fri Feb 18, 2022 2:59 am

No I was actually laughing about it

As I said anyone who does much printing should definitely go with a toner based printer. For speed, the crispness of text, and cost savings.

I don't print a lot and just need a basic all-in-one device of which the HP I have does well for my needs. I got rid of the really nice brother business class machine I had before it because it was too bulky and didn't fit with my use case any longer.

L67GS · Post by **L67GS** » Fri Feb 18, 2022 7:33 am

Running a small company for many years I went through LOTS of printers. I completely agree with rooted that laser is the best deal. There are a couple color lasers in the <$300 range. Brother is my current favorite, excellent quality, fast prints after warmup, AND it lets me tell it not to worry about low toner.
The biggest problem with printers now is them refusing to print because they claim to be low on ink or toner so it's very important to read reviews and look for that.
Screw Epson, they're junk.

cdu13a · Post by **cdu13a** » Fri Feb 18, 2022 11:13 am

Toner based printers are also preferred if you don't print much. since some ink cartridges have a habit of drying up on you. meanwhile I've had toner cartridges that sat half used for 20 years just work.
Until a recent move I had a 90s vintage HP laser printer, So would take toner from whatever source I could get, a half cartridge is still several thousand pages after all.

brad · Post by **brad** » Fri Feb 18, 2022 5:06 pm

I will get a laser next time as I don't print much. Usually the ink is out and cartridges are worth more than a new printer if you need them in a hurry.

I don't like the smudge effect with ink if a page get's wet, toner doesn't have that issue.

mctom · Post by **mctom** » Fri Feb 18, 2022 5:22 pm

So I either have an option to get another $50 formatter board, or.. just found the same printer for $75. Also with network and duplex, but with extra paper tray. And almost new toner.
https://allegrolokalnie.pl/oferta/druka ... r-podajnik

I'll probably have to sit through a spreadsheet session to find a sensible solutions, because my guts tell me nothing this time.
Buying a printer that I know is notoriously unreliable is stupid, but I do have two spare toners for this model.
Hm, perhaps I could salvage formatter board from the old one and swing by my old workplace, so some whiz would reball the BGA for me? And have a spare one if this one dies as well.

I'll compare costs with a new Brother printers, see if I can find anything affordable. Thanks!

rooted · Post by **rooted** » Fri Feb 18, 2022 10:17 pm

I see SK COVID cases are spiking, I hope the Hardkernel team manages to avoid it.

mctom · Post by **mctom** » Fri Feb 18, 2022 10:56 pm

I didn't manage. I caught Covid at the hospital, most probably. Poor old people that I was surrounded with. That ward was supposed to be Covid free.
I'm currently staying at home isolated from the outside world, that's the law, but also common sense. Not that it changes a lot really..
The physical symptoms are bearable, I had a mild fever and still cough sometimes. Saturation often drops to 97% but I can't feel it. My girlfriend is doing way better, but also had symptoms at some point.
But the worst symptom is I'm unable to think after 4-5PM - then all of a sudden I'm getting so tired I can barely cope with foreign languages (not that I'm any good without Covid, heh heh). That's why I took medical leave from work for a week.

When I was driving back from a hospital, I was considering paying a visit to my grandpa, but skipped the opportunity as I was tired. I may have just saved his life!

rooted · Post by **rooted** » Fri Feb 18, 2022 11:15 pm

I wish you and your mate a speedy recovery, I've been around people who had it and was at a hospital all day every day for 2 months and somehow I've been fortunate.

It's possible I had it with no symptoms but without the antibody test no way to know for sure. My brother, his wife and son have all had it but his daughter hasn't as well as other family members. My wife just got over it and must of have had it before I left but being we are in the middle of a divorce we didn't spend much time in close proximity.

mctom · Post by **mctom** » Fri Feb 18, 2022 11:43 pm

Thanks for your kind words.

Yeah I still don't recommend going through this disease. I can't imagine how would I have handled it without 3 shots that I had.
Wish you all good health, and luck!

L67GS · Post by **L67GS** » Sat Feb 19, 2022 12:07 am

I had it a month ago, no shots and just flu-like symptoms. In the grand scheme of things I'd totally do coronavirus before another broken rib or fluid under a knee cap again.
Come to think of it, there was the time I dated the overweight broad to get baked goods and she couldn't bake, then she had skin tags all over. I'd flirt with coronavirus before her again too.

mctom · Post by **mctom** » Sat Feb 19, 2022 3:24 am

I know exactly what you mean

"That one ex", what a perfect idea for a drinking song with 50 verses.

rooted · Post by **rooted** » Sat Feb 19, 2022 3:25 am

L67GS wrote:I had it a month ago, no shots and just flu-like symptoms. In the grand scheme of things I'd totally do coronavirus before another broken rib or fluid under a knee cap again.
Come to think of it, there was the time I dated the overweight broad to get baked goods and she couldn't bake, then she had skin tags all over. I'd flirt with coronavirus before her again too.

I dated a beautiful girl who was an awful person for longer than I should have because she had the most comfortable bed I've ever slept in. I'm not that shallow, just have always suffered from insomnia and was getting amazing sleep

L67GS · Post by **L67GS** » Sun Feb 20, 2022 12:56 pm

The skin tags and lack of baking ability were a bummer, but she had a married "friend" who seemed only to come around when I was busy elsewhere. I coped with the other stuff to give it a chance but that was the last straw there. Fast foreword ten years and he divorced his wife and married her, so my suspicions weren't ludicrous after all.

mctom · Post by **mctom** » Sun Feb 20, 2022 5:53 pm

Ah, for that I can highly recommend a keylogger. Morally debatable, but definitely worth it if that's just a confirmation. I needed it only for 3 minutes to save a few years worth of my life.

L67GS · Post by **L67GS** » Sun Feb 20, 2022 8:21 pm

mctom wrote: ↑
Sun Feb 20, 2022 5:53 pm
Ah, for that I can highly recommend a keylogger. Morally debatable, but definitely worth it if that's just a confirmation. I needed it only for 3 minutes to save a few years worth of my life.

Been there too, a different chapter.

mctom · Post by **mctom** » Mon Feb 21, 2022 2:00 am

The silicon shortage is so bad I'm considering a negative bias voltage design (-15V 50mA) with 34063 I found at home.
I bought these easily before 2010, when i regarded them "the wonder chips that can do all voltage conversions possible".
A statement possibly true in 1983.

Currently I can't see no other reasonable buck-boost ICs on the market.

I have designed a peculiar power converter, generating both high voltage and negative voltage. Simulation shows it works, and can generate and regulate both voltages independently.
I can't believe nobody figured that out so far, or at least has already proven it's a terrible idea for any reason. So I won't bother filing a patent

: 2022-02-20-174036_985x432_scrot.png (40.12 KiB) Viewed 900 times

EDIT: Oh wait, never mind.. I forgot I already ordered these MOSFETs last September and the delivery is scheduled for July.

mctom · Post by **mctom** » Mon Feb 21, 2022 8:25 pm

Oh for crying out loud, that's exactly what I invented

Does that happen to you guys too? I get that a lot.

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joerg · Post by **joerg** » Mon Feb 21, 2022 11:16 pm

No, too me not. (It's because I never invented something!)

Serious, I think it's difficult to invent something that was never invented before.

BTW, no invention, but unique:

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: IMG_20220221_150946.jpg (215.95 KiB) Viewed 864 times

This will replace my old doorstation, that is build with VU7+ and RPi4.

mad_ady · Post by **mad_ady** » Tue Feb 22, 2022 2:22 am

The wood frame looks amazing! Did you work it yourself?

joerg · Post by **joerg** » Tue Feb 22, 2022 3:24 am

Yes, I have done it. It's a pleasure for me doing woodwork and electronics work to create something unique.
BTW, the frame is made from beech wood, only glued. The hazelnut furniture I have had from the speakers I have done last year. Glued and fast dried with an iron. Then sanded, coated with transparent acrylic 3 times.

rooted · Post by **rooted** » Tue Feb 22, 2022 4:09 am

joerg wrote: This will replace my old doorstation, that is build with VU7+ and RPi4.

You meant to say C4?

joerg · Post by **joerg** » Tue Feb 22, 2022 4:22 am

@rooted, no the old doorstation I meant is build with rpi4 and VU7+, the new with C4 and a 10" SunFounder Touchscreen. The rpi4 don't work so nice. It is running with a LinageOS18 that every now and then disconnects from Wifi and I have to reboot.

rooted · Post by **rooted** » Tue Feb 22, 2022 4:48 am

I missed the important word "is" where "was" would often be, sorry about that

joerg · Post by **joerg** » Tue Feb 22, 2022 6:23 pm

Oh, my English is far away from being perfect. I wonder if I have to use "was" or "is" when the thing I speak about is still there. Until I mount the new, the old is still mounted at the wall.

rooted · Post by **rooted** » Tue Feb 22, 2022 6:34 pm

joerg wrote:Oh, my English is far away from being perfect. I wonder if I have to use "was" or "is" when the thing I speak about is still there. Until I mount the new, the old is still mounted at the wall.

You would use "is"

Your English is fine, it was my fault.

L67GS · Post by **L67GS** » Tue Feb 22, 2022 10:50 pm

It's amusing to me, many people who speak English as a second language literally speak better than a lot of Americans. Broken, unintelligible slang, half pronounced nonsense words and lack of sentence structure are huge here.
I can't turn on a television without being offended.

mctom · Post by **mctom** » Tue Feb 22, 2022 11:41 pm

The majority of all English speakers these days are not the native speakers. I fear in the near future it may be hard to tell what IS the correct English.
Every day I work with Swiss engineers mostly, but also French, German and Italian. I have already caught myself repeating their usual mistakes...

brad · Post by **brad** » Wed Feb 23, 2022 2:56 pm

English is the only language I know and I've never been particularly good at it. Especially with spell and grammar checkers these days, I find I let them do the fixing whist I keep making the same mistakes. (lazy)

L67GS · Post by **L67GS** » Sun Feb 27, 2022 5:25 am

Tactical IR thermometer for really waging war on the machines at work?

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mctom · Post by **mctom** » Sun Feb 27, 2022 6:09 am

A laser guided heat sextant!
Given that the resolution of thermal cameras isn't so great, that may be a good cost-effective alternative in some circumstances.
First thing that comes to my mind is a power plant. That makes a lot of sense against extreme voltages and high altitudes.

rooted · Post by **rooted** » Sun Feb 27, 2022 6:23 am

L67GS wrote:Tactical IR thermometer for really waging war on the machines at work?

Optris-P20-360.jpg

Looks like the back half of a star wars blaster rifle less stock.

L67GS · Post by **L67GS** » Sun Feb 27, 2022 7:30 am

It reminds me a little of the P90 machine guns from Stargate.

mad_ady · Post by **mad_ady** » Sun Feb 27, 2022 4:08 pm

L67GS wrote:It reminds me a little of the P90 machine guns from Stargate.

I miss Stargate...

crashoverride · Post by **crashoverride** » Sun Feb 27, 2022 5:45 pm

mad_ady wrote: ↑
Sun Feb 27, 2022 4:08 pm
I miss Stargate...

Maybe someone will "reboot" it!

#BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor

L67GS · Post by **L67GS** » Sun Feb 27, 2022 5:56 pm

The Dexter reboot is really good. Almost done watching the first season.

mad_ady · Post by **mad_ady** » Mon Feb 28, 2022 2:22 am

crashoverride wrote:
mad_ady wrote: ↑
Sun Feb 27, 2022 4:08 pm
I miss Stargate...
Maybe someone will "reboot" it!

#BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor

I prefer the term "continue in the same universe with new actors"...

mctom · Post by **mctom** » Mon Feb 28, 2022 9:30 pm

Well, I don't think we'll see any SBC with Elbrus CPU anytime soon

576Gflops at 1.5GHz sounds impressive though.

rooted · Post by **rooted** » Fri Mar 04, 2022 6:14 am

It's hot as hell today (86°), looks like we may skip spring and go straight to summer.

L67GS · Post by **L67GS** » Fri Mar 04, 2022 8:53 am

Sort of warm here too but not out of the ordinary. We actually see that "in like a lamb, out like a lion"" thing here.

joerg · Post by **joerg** » Sat Mar 05, 2022 1:51 am

Finaly I got them. With the great and fantastic help of @mctom!
They are laser cut, so need to sand them, but that I have expected.

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mctom · Post by **mctom** » Sat Mar 05, 2022 2:45 am

I'm glad the parcel arrived safe and sound.

So, I guess we have found a laser cutting company in Poland that is somewhat worth recommending. And cheap, too. They also do bending and powder coating, and single piece orders.
Alas it seems they do not take orders outside of their online form in Polish, but didn't charge extra for shipping abroad either.

rooted · Post by **rooted** » Sat Mar 05, 2022 3:38 am

joerg wrote:Finaly I got them. With the great and fantastic help of @mctom!
They are laser cut, so need to sand them, but that I have expected.
photo_2022-03-04_17-44-15.jpg

What are these for?

joerg · Post by **joerg** » Sat Mar 05, 2022 5:05 am

Funny, since I posted this viewtopic.php?p=340231#p340231 some hundred of posts in this thread!
The stainless steel plates I posted there I have cut by myself, and used them for the furniture I made. The new ones I got from polish shop I will use for the next furniture.

joerg · Post by **joerg** » Sat Mar 05, 2022 5:07 am

mctom wrote: ↑
Sat Mar 05, 2022 2:45 am
I'm glad the parcel arrived safe and sound.

So, I guess we have found a laser cutting company in Poland that is somewhat worth recommending. And cheap, too. They also do bending and powder coating, and single piece orders.
Alas it seems they do not take orders outside of their online form in Polish, but didn't charge extra for shipping abroad either.

Yes, but they should translate their shop to English as second language. Would make it easier for foreign people to order.

mctom · Post by **mctom** » Sat Mar 05, 2022 5:22 am

Yes, I really can't understand why didn't they do it so far.
Reason might be as simple as the owners not knowing English and not being interested in expanding their business abroad.
Older generation learned Russian in schools, not English.

rooted · Post by **rooted** » Sat Mar 05, 2022 7:24 am

joerg wrote:Funny, since I posted this viewtopic.php?p=340231#p340231 some hundred of posts in this thread!
The stainless steel plates I posted there I have cut by myself, and used them for the furniture I made. The new ones I got from polish shop I will use for the next furniture.

Yes my short term memory is aweful.

rooted · Post by **rooted** » Sat Mar 05, 2022 7:34 am

Was just reading about bottles today which is an interesting approach for running Windows software in Linux, anyone have any experience with it?

Personally I only run one piece of Windows software which does fine with Wine, but I can see the problem bottles is trying to alleviate for those who run many things.

https://www.fossmint.com/bottles-run-wi ... are-linux/