Booting Linux from Compact Flash Pt.1

My first job was finding suitable hardware. I didn't want to sacrifice any of my existing setups so I decided to build a whole new computer based on Intel's Pentium III chip. The next step was chosing a suitable chipset. Since I wanted a system that would be as quiet as possible, I needed to passively cool the CPU with the help of Zalman CNPS-6000 copper heatsink. My other requirement was having at least 768MB of RAM. I actually had two Slot-1 440BX motherboards lying around and a number of DIMM modules sized 128MB and 256MB. Unfortunately both boards proved to be inadequate. If I went for Soyo 6BA-IV+ I would either have to buy 512MB modules or forget the passive cooling part as Zalman heatsink obstructed two DIMM slots out of four. Finally, after giving it lots of thought, I decided Via Apollo Pro 133T chipset was the way to go.

After several days of searching, I picked up a really cheap setup consisting of an Abit VH6T board, Pentium III 800MHz and three sticks of 512MB ECC RAM. This was to be my new platform.

- End of part 1 -

Trivia: CR2032

Most of us geeks eventually get to 'meet' this button cell battery that powers the RTC (real-time clock) and CMOS SDRAM. Funny how I only now, after many years of dealing with computers, found out what CR2032 actually stands for. It's very simple: 20 mm diameter, 3.2 mm height!

NBP: Intel PRO/Wireless 2011B

I recently purchased two Intel PRO/Wireless 2011B PCMCIA cards on eBay and recieved them the other day. Both look as good as new and even came with the manuals and CDs. What's best is that these cards are Plug and Play as far as the Netbook Pro is concerned. They also support 128-bit WEP and have no trouble connecting to an AP with a hidden SSID. I have yet to test them with the Jornada but my guess is it will probably require additional drivers. Compared to the Orinoco Gold, they stick out less and aren't as bulky. Signal strength appears to be about the same.

GPRS Palm Tutorial

1. First of all, create a new connection and name it. Since you'll be using the phone as a modem, select "Connect to: Modem". Next, select IrDA or Bluetooth and the device (phone) you'll be using for this connection. After you're done, click Details... and move to the next step.

2. Here you have to enter the Init String supplied by your mobile operator. Save by clicking OK twice and move to the final step.

3. Go to "Preferences > Network". All you have to do in this step is click the Preferences tab and create a new connection. Name it, enter the username and password provided by your mobile operator, pick the connection you created in the first step and finally enter the phone number. The example below is for slovene Si.mobil. Provided you did everything right, the Connect button should get you connected.

Netbook Pro tips & tricks

I recently wanted to install drivers for my Avaya Wifi card through ActiveSync. Infrared was my only option since I don't own the USB sync cable. Normally this shouldn't be a problem but it was in this case! I figured it out in the end. There's an Irda Switch option in the Control Panel . All I needed to do was check the 'Enable Irda Switch transmit data polarity' checkbox and voila, I was able to sync no problem.

Where to?

Where is this blog headed? Well, at the moment it seems to be sailing into the Handheld PC waters. Palm vote was mine and the one for Retro Computing is probably from Andy :) The poll will be left open until the time runs out (12 days) however the focus of the blog will almost certainly end up on Handheld PC with occasional articles about Palm and possibly Retro Computing.

At this time I'd like to ask you to suggest a new name for the blog. Comments are open.

About Blog Contents

While I enjoy writing about different things, I'm beginning to feel this blog is missing a common thread. This would probably help attract more readers which is what I'm trying to achieve. I see no point in writing a blog that will only serve itself. I'm currently thinking about covering mostly Handheld PC form-factor devices, Palm OS based devices and peripherals for both. There are also other options and I'll soon be posting a poll about what you'd like to read. Please leave a comment, if you have any suggestions or just want to express your opinion.

Game Review: Alan Probe Amateur Surgeon

You take on a role of Alan Probe, a pizza delivery boy who dreams of becoming a master surgeon. The story begins with Alan, distracted by his medical magazines, crashing his delivery van into a solitary hobo. The guy then guides you through the whole operation where you have to put his rib cage back together. This part of the game is basically a tutorial and it introduces the tools you'll need in the beginning. The hobo (who turns out to be Dr. Bleed) will also assist you during the largest part of the first chapter, giving you tips about the surgical procedures as you go.


When I first saw the game title it brought back the memories of an old game called Life & Death. Fortunately, Alan Probe: Amateur Surgeon is far from it in terms of complexity. Its cartoonish graphics, black humor and unusual characters quickly suck you in. The first couple of patients are easy enough to operate on. At your disposal there's an array of various improvised surgical instruments such as your trusty pizza cutter, a cigarette lighter, a corkscrew, a car battery and even a chain-saw! You can access the instruments by clicking the icons or by pressing the appropriate number keys, which is much faster and soon becomes neccessary.


As you operate you have to pay attention to your patient's heart-rate and the timer. If the heart-rate drops too low or the time runs out, your patient dies and you have to restart the level. The same happens, if you do the wrong action too many times.

Overall gameplay is great and the game isn't too hard, except for a few patients, but it does become very repetitive over time. You will soon realize that most of the time you have to deal with closing wounds over and over again. This is made more difficult by the fact that sometimes the lighter and gel don't register properly. As a consequence it takes you longer to 'fix' cuts that are close together. On the other hand, most injuries are diverse and wacky enough to keep you interested throughout the game.

Pros: + great gameplay + cartoonish graphics + plenty of levels

Cons: - sometimes hard to close wounds - repetitiveness

Rating: 9/10

Link:
http://www.adultswim.com/games/game/index.html?game=surgeon

Christmas Edition:

HPC News

My Case Logic external hard drive case review was published by HPC:Factor today and you can read it by clicking here.

I recently became interested in forum userbars. Since I didn't want to use an existing userbar, I decided to create my own. There are many tutorials available on-line: here and here for example. You can find the pixel font and the instructions on how to use it here.

Psion Netbook Pro: Follow-Up

There are various annoying issues with my Netbook Pro:
- unresponsive spacebar
- weakened battery
- crackling while playing mp3s

I managed to fix the spacebar rather quickly by inserting a small piece of thick paper between the rubber dome and the keycap. The second issue is a bit more pressing but since the battery still holds about 3-4 hours (with Ethernet), I can live with that for a while. However, I will be rebuilding the battery, if I decide to keep the Netbook in the long-term. The crackling sound is the biggest problem so far. What happens is that, if you do anything (task switching, scrolling, etc.) during MP3 playback, you'll get lots of crackling noise (like static) in the background. If you leave the computer alone, sound remains clear. Supposedly, there is a bug in later firmwares (400 and newer) and we're currently trying to find the last pre-400 firmware to test this.