Zapping Memory Sticks

I was vacuuming the huge quantities of black dust that rapidly accumulate out one of my systems today (there are downsides to running 24/7, especially with highspeed fans), and when I hooked it back up, it refused to boot 2000. After some checking around and running Memtest86, I noticed it was only detecting 16MB of my 512MB of RAM.

Before I noticed this I had been thinking that maybe it was something static-related, because it was a very dry day today, and I was generating static electricity every time I moved. Although I was careful not to touch any electronic components and grounded myself on the case, maybe it had somehow conducted from the vacuum cleaner hose to the memory. In any case, I wanted the system up and running Folding@Home again, so I very carefully (with the system plugged in but the power switch on the power supply switched to off, and the capacitors discharged), grounded myself, then without shifting position (so my clothes wouldn't generate any static) removed the memory, cleaned the contacts with some rubbing alcohol which picked up a lot of black dirt (both on the DIMM and the board), and reinserted it. This time it detected the full 512MB, but Windows still wouldn't boot completely (though it would get farther) and Memtest86 would hang with funny numbers at about 1% on test #2 (not even any errors reported; just hang).

Now it won't boot; just one long, repeating beep, indicating memory issues. Rats. I found a special deal on 1GB (512MB x 2) Corsair ValueSelect PC3200 DDR400 2.5-3-3-8 DIMMs at ZipZoomFly.com for slighly under $80 (before tax) with free shipping, so replacement memory is on the way (maybe I should have ordered from Mwave.com - Mwave has a somewhat better reputation, deservedly so). However, I'm not going to handle it or even work on anything until I spray the area and my clothes down so they're damp with anti-static spray. No worries; I won't get it in the vents of the computers.

Further testing will be performed at that time, but I'm pretty sure it's the memory. (Edit: no, something must have been loose, because it all works perfectly now - I guess there was good reason to be suspicious)

Update following day:
The memory seems to be fine now - passed two or three cycles of Memtest86 without error, and over 2 hours of Prime95 with no error. Well, I can't complain with upgrading two of my computers from 512MB to 1GB of RAM, and I'm glad I didn't burn the memory after all.

Convenient text books on the PDA

I just installed a free reader for the highly popular "Pilot DOC" text format on my PDA (Palm Vx, 8MB, greyscale), and converted* some free eBooks from Gutenberg.org that I put on there - 12 volumes of the Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, and the complete (according to the title) notes of Leonardo da Vinci. Plenty more where that came from, too. Now I'll have something to read when I'm trapped on set (say for background acting), or stuck somewhere for a few hours with only my PDA.

*-The converter I'm using is an extremely old program called MakeDocW 0.71, freeware, that still runs fine under XP**, and converts TXT (text) and HTML (web) files into Pilot doc files. A lot simpler than any sort of proprietary solutions that need a matching reader, or want money. I can always create text files out of anything using notepad or wordpad, even just by selecting a bunch of text and pasting it into notepad, and then after converting the documents (which takes about a second) and downloading them into my PDA, I can read them using any reader that reads the standard Pilot doc format - CSpotRun in this case, which is also freeware.



CSpotRun also lets me turn rotate the text in 90 degree increments, so I can read it in any orientation on my pda. I favor landscape mode, because the lines are wider and it puts the controls under my left thumb. And one aspect I very much like about CSpotRun is that it returns to the place where I left off***, so I don't have to remember to set bookmarks (although I can), unless I want to read another document (since it loses its place when you switch documents). It also uses a lot less storage space than TomeRaider, and seems much snappier.

**-I found that it crashes if the file you're trying to convert has a long name or oddball symbols in it, such as quotes, commas, ampersands (&), etc. Rename the file before trying to convert it, and it works fine (remember to add a title before hitting convert, or it will only be known by its filename on your Palm). Turning off auto-install may help too, if you still have problems, and then just double-clicking the created .prc file to add it to the Hotsync queue.

***-I have my PDA buttons mapped; most of them are assigned to what you would expect, but since I use DateBk5 for my To Do lists, I assign the checkmark button to CSpotRun. Since my PDA power switch doesn't work, I turn it on using one of those four program buttons, so it's nice to be able to kick directly into what I want. If I had a fifth button I'd probably assign it to SpellCheck (see Palmgear.com -> Spellcheck search results), but I use it rarely enough that having it under Applications on the home screen is ok.

Terran Robotics Site :: Musing Out Loud

What to do with TerranRobotics.com? It used to be a company building high-performance multi-monitor workstations (I still like building those). But now that the company has ended, well, I've got some robotics links with comments on there, but it doesn't really have very much compelling content, let alone any sort of regular updates so far.

I'm thinking of putting further robotics-related content on it, such as pictures of robots I'm building, but I have to start building robots first before I can do that :) Another possibility is pictures of and information on various home electronics I've pulled apart and taken photos of, disassembled cell phones, and things like that. That one works well, because I like taking things apart and putting them together. No telling how it would do traffic-wise, however. And maybe stories of our time in the Asian-Pacific field (NZ, Phillippines, Pohnpei Micronesia, Saipan Northern Marianas Islands).

Kind of silly to have it sitting on the web hosting costing money, and not making advertising income off it. Maybe I'll redesign it with something quick (using the server-side include wisdom I've learned on Wireball.com) and then get my dad, the jack of many trades and master of some, to start giving me articles to post on there.

Just musing out loud. Comments and suggestions are welcome, though unfortunately you'll have to register to post, since I've been having trouble with anonymous-comment spammers.

Best reason for buying a CPU near Christmas...

...is the cooler weather so you can overclock it.* I'm considering buying a used AMD Athlon XP Barton 2500+ (1.83GHz) CPU, AQXDA or AQXEA stepping, and overclocking it to at least 2.2GHz (11.0x multiplier), if not 2.3GHz (11.5x) or more. My motherboard is voltmodded to put out ~2.05V, as well, so as long as I can keep it cool, I can really crank on it.

And hey, this CPU will finally let me exceed 200MHz FSB on my ASUS A7N8X2.0 nForce2-400 board! My current Thoroughbred 1800+ (1.53GHz) is multiplier locked at 11.5x and tops out at about 1.8GHz (156MHz FSB). I could really use a 30% boost to my FSB.

On the other hand, if bidding goes too high, I'll probably hold off and wait for the prices to drop some more on Athlon XP-M (Mobile Barton) CPUs. I hear some of those can get to 2.5GHz, or 2.6GHz if you really work at it / get a good stepping.

Edit 12:05PM Nov 7: Eh, a mere 31% speed boost is not worth it. Better I wait and get an Athlon 64 in 2006 or 2007. Aren't I cheap? (so to speak) :)

*-(assuming you're in the northern hemisphere - however, it did once snow on Christmas in New Zealand, so it isn't necessarily entirely dependent on being in the northern hemisphere)