Items Tagged With DIY
Written By: John Fuda
2003-11-23 23:26:30
I've figured out how to get into the service menu, the procedures almost like the one for the 40LC12:
There are two different service menus. The first one is calledThe only difference is that, for the second step, you push the MOVE button instead of the SWAP button.
"factory adjust mode". You enter it from a powered on state by holding down the VOLUME DOWN button on the set itself and the RECALL key on the remote for five seconds. Apparently to get out of this you turn the set off.
To get to the actual service menu, when in the above mode, you hold down
the VOLUME DOWN button on the set itself and the SWAP key on the remote for five seconds. To get out of this mode back to the previous
state you hit RECALL on the remote.
At this point a screen like the user adjust menu appears which has various
submenus. One is called Video Adjust or something similar. That is where I made my tweaks to get rid of red and purple push.
Written By: John Fuda
2007-04-29 03:34:09
Candace has been working really hard on getting the front and back yards looking great. When we moved in last year, both were nothing but dirt and weeds. Now they're nice green spaces that are great for the boys to play in! Just look at this shot of the front yard!
Written By: John Fuda
2006-10-29 14:16:56
I've been using D-link DCS-900 cameras for about a year now and have mixed feeling about them. A few of my IP cameras are a little unstable (they're all refurbished). Most of the cameras I have are firmware revision A, though I have 2 that are revision B. The revision B cameras are 2-3 times faster, have a clearer picture, do their own archiving and are extremely reliable. The revision A's seems to be hit-or-miss, with some of them running weeks on end while others petering out after a few days and requiring a reboot.
In the past I tried using the revision A's with WebCamXP, which caused them to crash after only a few hours. Since changing my camera software to Active Webcam, I've experienced a lot more up time with the A's and flawless performance from the B's (just got two B's a few weeks ago). I think the revision B's are an outstanding value. If you need some IP cameras the DCS-900 is a good way to go, just be sure you're getting firmware revision B (The A's cannot be upgraded to B's via a firmware flash since there is a hardware difference). The only real shortcoming of the revision B cameras (one shared by the A's) is their poor low-light performance.
Written By: John Fuda
2006-03-13 00:00:00
I went back and forth between doing and not doing this, but even though logic said I should not have done this, and should just wait for HD Sat locals to be available, the tinkerer in me won and I had to start messing with stuff.
First I tried the non-directional approach: http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2062075 A RatShack omnidirectional antenna. It dropped everything, except 29, into the low 70's, and could not get a lock on 35 at all. It had to go!
All my stations are pretty much in two different directions, so two directional antenna's were the way to go.
I ended up using one of these: http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2103088 pointed at 152 degrees and one of these: http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2103085 pointed at 280 degrees. I have them both connected to matching transformers, those transformers connected to a 3' length of RG6 each, connected to a splitter/combiner, then connected to the RatShack amp (I know it's not very good, but was on clearance for $29, so I gave it a try), then connected via 80' of RG6 to the indoor portion of the amp, and finally connected to the receiver.
It was a mixed bag... 4 and 5 got worse, 9, 12, and 29 got better, 35 got worse - however, this is the first time that I could get any signal at all on 32 without 29 getting bad multipath (before 29, though showing 81, was actually jumping all over the place and would lose lock duing actually viewing).
BEFORE, WITH TERK HDTVa INDOOR ANTENNA:
4-1 WOAI-D: 100%
5-1 KENS-D: 98%
9-1 KLRN-D: 73%
12-1 KSAT-D: 85%
29-1 KABB-H: 81%
35-1 KRRT-H: 65%
AFTER, WITH ANTENNA "ARRAY" MOUNTED IN ATTIC:
4-1 WOAI-D: 84% degradation, picture good
5-1 KENS-D: 88% degradation, picture good
9-1 KLRN-D: 78% improvement, picture good
12-1 KSAT-D: 94% improvement, picture good
29-1 KABB-H: 98% improvement, picture good
35-1 KRRT-H: 59% degradation, picture bad
I think I can get some improvement by reducing the 80' of RG6 to about 15', and possibly negating any need for an amp. See, I trried to salvage an old run af RG6 that was leftover from a previous sat install. However, this had the RG6 being ran from the antenna's location (almost directly above the receiver) all the way to the back of the house, to the grounding block, then all the way back to the front of the house... an 80' trip counting the ups and downs.
However, I could use some existing "holes" in the wall/ceiling, with a total of only 15' or less between the receiver and antenna. I can also reduce the "leads" connecting the two antenna to the splitter/combiner to 12" each, since the 3' is overkill.
Also, since the receiver has a 3-prong, gounded plug, does the antenna "array" need to be grounded (it's in an attic, not outside), meaning I can get by with one less connection by skipping the grounding block.. The indoor antenna I was using, which was located only 5' away from where the "array" is now located, was not grounded.
I'm going to see what kind of results I get by shortening the leads. I may also have to play with the orientation of the antenna with the wife observing signal strengths, rather than the "up and down the ladder" routine I used this morning.
Other possible courses of action:
- get a better amplifier, like this one: http://www.antennasdirect.com/antenna_amplifier.html (3rd one down, PA-17 UHF/VHF Low Noise Pre Amplifier).
- try a second UHF only antenna, pointed at 280 degrees for 32 (another $25), will also need a 3-to-1 splitter combiner, or use twin-lead to mate the antenna together with a single matching transformer comming off this "mini array".
- If I start seeing any multipath, I can try a Channel Master Jointenna. I see they're available for about $30 each with a 2-week turnaround.
Written By: John Fuda
2006-09-05 11:16:13
I need to get my network upstairs. There's no practical way to get CAT5 from downstairs, where most of my network is to upstairs. I have a wifi router, so that's an option - but 3 of the devices (Dlink DCS-900 cameras) I plan on using are non-wifi capable. I plan on having the following items upstairs:
1 x PC that will be my camera server (wifi capable w/additional purchase) in master bedroom
3 x DCS-900 cameras (stairway, nursery, kid's room)
1 x 8-port switch to support the "upstairs network" (master bedroom)
1 x PC in the Au Pair's room (wifi capable)
1 x Dish VIP 211 receiver that -may- need access to the network in the future (Au Pair's room)
I have no problem running CAT5 once I'm upstairs, it's just getting the first run up there that's the problem. So here are some options I've thought about but I'm not sure they will work.
Put a wifi card in the camera server and use it's built-in NIC to connect to the switch, enable internet sharing (or bridge networks) and have it feed the upstairs network. Would probably use 802.11g - but my router is a "pre-N" model, so if I spring for an "N" card - I should not have any bandwidth issues.
Use a powerline netwoking device, connect it to my downstairs network, then connect the switch to it upstairs.. I could also use some additional modules in place of the swith in areas that may prove slightly more difficult to run. This seems like it may cause a little congestion - at least with the path from upstairs to downstairs, and I'm not sure if the master bedroom and my living room (where most of the downstairs network is) are on the same powerline phase.
Use a wifi bridge. I assume I could connect this to the switch and it would bridge the networks? Would a WAP or additional wifi router (used as a switch) do the same thing? I remember wifi brigdges used to be rather common, but I could not find any at all at and B&M stores - at least not in the last 2 weeks. Would a wifi game adapter do the same thing?
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