What's up with Gmail?

Ever since Google presented us with Buzz, Gmail has been nothing but problems. First I had trouble signing into Gtalk then incoming mail began coming in delayed. The delays often last an hour or more and it's really irritating. I was used to getting mails instantly to my Gmail account. Contacting Google didn't result in a reply. Any ideas?

Soldering pt.2

Here's a little update...

I've successfully replaced all five 3300uF caps on that nForce 4 motherboard and I'm happy to report it now boots fine. I've yet to stress-test it with Prime95 but I'm confident it will do fine.

I also recieved the Blue Cube PS/2 to USB keyboard adapter. It's one of the rare adapters that work properly. The only trouble is that it's so bulky, it blocks the 2nd USB port on my laptop. You're going to have to use a short USB extension cable, if you need the other USB port. My original intention was to hack one of my Model M's so that the adapter was built-in (something like this). I'm not so sure now :)

Soldering!

I'm in the process of learning to solder and de-solder stuff. My first job was a Gigabyte nForce4 motherboard with some bad caps. I replaced a total of five 3300uF 6.3V capacitors and I must say it wasn't easy. However, I'm confident that with practice it's going to become much much easier. Most of all I had trouble with removing solder from holes and soldering new caps back in. Later on I found a very nice guide on-line which actually recommends using higher temps (350C) and a wider tip. They also recommend using a stainless steel pin to remove solder from holes. I'll give it a try one of these days as there's plenty of work left.

Christmas is early!

Since a picture is worth a thousand words, here are two pix of my latest tools: Proxxon Ib/E rotary tool and Weller WS81 soldering iron!

Hardware pricing SI vs. DE vs. UK

Every time I need to buy a new piece of hardware, I do some research to see where I can get the best price. Lately I've been finding out that virtually everything is cheaper abroad, even with the added cost of postage! What the heck? Something is obviously rotten in the state of Denmark or should I say Slovenia. Here are some of the items I bought (or consider buying) recently:

As you can see, the difference is not to be ignored. What I don't understand is where it comes from? All three (UK, DE and SI) are members of the EU so you obviously can't blame it on import taxes. If you ask me, it's either greed or something completely different. If you know the answer, leave a comment :) Cheers!

Prices were taken from the following websites and do not include shipping costs:
http://www.itx-warehouse.co.uk/
http://www.hpm-computer.de/
http://www.voelkner.de/
http://www.agt.si/
http://www.sestavi.si/
http://www.dinokomp.si/
http://www.hte.si/

nanoPC: scrapped

Unfortunately, the mainboard is toast and I can't get a replacement which takes me back to the drawing board. Since getting a new nano-ITX mainboard would cost me a small fortune, I decided to go back to mini-ITX. The new HTPC will be based on Atom dual core and nVidia Ion chipset which should allow for smooth 1080p playback. Next in line is also a 32" LCD TV. Lets hope it all works out nicely.

nanoPC: follow-up

The board turned out to be problematic (probably a bad memory slot) so I had to return it. Thankfully it was still under warranty and I'm now waiting for the replacement. I'll keep you posted.

nanoPC: near completion

As you can see from the pictures, my nanoPC is now assembled. I still need to add a remote control and a fan controller for the CPU fan. I had a lot of problems installing the components because the case is so small. If you're using a SATA hard drive, installation will be more difficult because the SATA connector sticks out more than a flat IDE cable connector. Forget the angled connectors as there is not enough space between the bottom of the case and the hard drive so it simply won't fit. I believe the same goes for round IDE cables.

The biggest problem of all was the supplied ATX cable which comes with a full-size 20-pin ATX connector. Why they don't supply you with this cable is beyond me. It is inexpensive and clearly takes up much less space in the already crowded case. On a side note, I managed to cram an Intel miniPCI wireless card in there. In order to do that, I had to shorten the screws which stick out from the bottom of the case.

As for the OS, I'm going to give Ubuntu 9.04 a try. Hopefully, hardware is well supported. Keep your fingers crossed!

nano-ITX preview

nano-ITX project

I now have just about everything I need to start my HTPC project:

+ Via Epia N10000E Nano-ITX
+ 1GB PC2700 Kingston SODIMM
+ Seagate 120GB SATA disk 3.5"
+ Silverstone Lascala LC08 ohišje
+ ATi Remote Wonder remote control

Still need a slim DVD-RW drive, a mini-PCI wireless card and an S-Video cable...