Ramblin' Dan

I had a very learning experience weekend. I decided to do some conversion of VHS movie video to DVD format. All perfectly legal as the tapes were very old wedding tapes in need of preservation in a more stable digital format. A client asked me to do these so they were not done just for personal satisfaction.

As it turned out it was a great how-to and equipment selection learning experience.

I trans-coded three tapes. Two were in the 1 hour 20 minute range and the third was a full 2 hours. The process requires (at least in my method) to run the tapes at viewing speed and capture the video and audio format to a computer hard drive. Those three videos are about 5 hours there for just a single pass. Fifty percent more time each tape is required to convert to DVD format. Then twenty percent more time to burn the disk and label it. It is a long process.

The old capture card I own is totally obsolete as it is designed for a 16 bit bus. Newer devices now use the high speed USB 2.0 port. My new interface device is quite small and portable. That’s nice because it can be used on a laptop when desired. I purchased one of these devices (~$50) about six months ago but never used it much.

I tried to capture using my Vista 64 bit OS. The result was totally unacceptable amount of drop out and just bad video. I thought it was bad tapes at first and completely copied the first two smaller tapes. The results were so upsetting; I set out to see what the real problem was. The tapes looked great on a regular TV and tape player. SOOooo, it is not bad tapes! What then, my VHS player or my little converter device?

I spent an hour or so swapping things around until the only device left was the converter. I went on line and discovered the real maker of the device and downloaded both the newest drivers (32 and 64 bit) and the latest VISTA version of the software. Guess what, still no fix.

Finally I decided it needed to be tested in the 32 bit version of the Vista OS. Lucky have both installed.

I installed everything in the 32 bit Vista partition and started over. This is very late in day one by now.  Wow! It is working as advertised. I am getting clean conversions with zero dropouts. It’s about 1:00 AM Sunday by now.

I have discovered the interface to the USB ports is a P.O.S. in 64 bit Vista when running a 32 bit application. The Application said it would run in 64 bit but I discovered it was really running in the 32 bit WOW. I have to do some more research (later) for a real 64 bit install if available. Sometimes both versions are there in the files but the user has to force the 64 bit install.

All that is left is dealing with the less than perfect color (white) balance and highlight blowout of the original tapes. Some videographers are better than others. The client asked for little or no time spent on fine tuning but I do have some personal desire to make the output as presentable as possible.

As I said above, even after the conversion (to digital on the hard drive) there is still considerable time to convert to DVD format and to burn the DVD. All tapes are now finished and the time spent was constructive if not frustrating. The next one will run like I know what I am doing!

I am off the subject of computers for awhile, maybe.

I have been working on supplying a high speed spindle made by Taig Tools, Inc. for the CNC router folks. The spindle is used for the Taig micro-mill and CNC-mill. I have found it to be a very nice addition to my personal gantry CNC router I call the HB2. Not high power but the low noise level is very suitable for residential use. I have one kit definitely sold and a second is a sure thing. It’s not yet listed in my store and I haven’t established the final price. Looks like something people want. That’s nice. Check out the demo video over in the THMS Blog.

Sore Foot

Almost three weeks ago on may 31st, I severely injured my right foot. I don’t get around real good anyway with my PN/CMT and this didn’t help. I slipped on the kitchen floor wearing new socks and crumpled down my full weight on top of my right foot and ankle. I think I broke two toes and perhaps some other bones in my foot. The toes and ankle turned purple. I keep telling myself it is, “just a sprain”. I am a S.O.B. – Stubborn Old Boy. The doc would have said, “Yep, you sprained/broke your foot, wear this…”

After three weeks I can walk pretty good again (for someone with CMT) and the pain is mostly gone. The PN helps cover that.

I also discovered a life changing medical cure for another health problem thanks to an EENT (Eye, Ear, Nose and Throat) doctor. See, I do occasionally go to the doctors, actually a lot more lately than I have ever.  He poked a baby endoscope up my nose and down my throat.

The reason being is I have been suffering with serious loss of voice and chronic cough for many years and recently it was getting worse. The main fault was not an infection or virus, although I was getting those too. What was the chronic base under it all is the “Kautz Kurse” I inherited from my Dad, acid reflux. It was constantly burning my vocal cords and even getting into my sinus. What I thought was mild indigestion was quite severe. (Yeah, so shoot me, another S.O.B. story.)

A single pill a day has done wonders for me. Lesson learned, don’t be a S.O.B. all the time. SWMBO advice can change your life… for the better! Google that last term if you don’t understand.

I have been buying things from internet vendors, mostly NewEgg for computer stuff and Amazon.com for tools and house stuff. I just want to rant a little bit about the so-called reviews that are posted on products.

New Egg user comment fanboys will be my target as they are the best example, but this will apply to all.

Most of what is contributed at NewEgg is opinions and comments. Those are fine if you remember they are not really well researched product reports. Many appear to be written by 13 year olds with nothing better to do but display poor spelling and brag about what a wonderful computer they have assembled. Generally they list every component on which they have squandered their allowance.

Most of these kids only purpose in life is to see how fast the computer parts they have purchased will oscillate beyond their design limits. It’s called over-clocking. They act like this is really important stuff to discover and the world should know of their great skill on fine tuning computer performance. I assume it also makes them really good (fast?) with video games.

The kids of the 1950’s did the same thing with their hot rod cars… and they never heard of the term “turbo”, “409″ or anything really cool in today’s jargon except supercharging - yes! They bragged alot about speed, and did something non productive called “drag racing”.

Today it’s, “Well gee whizz, I am able to get 12.7 GHz outta my Qr8080BZ turbo processor before the water starts to boil out of my water cooling system and my 1000 watt power supply starts to smoke!” Sounds like hot-rodding to me.

I considerate it entertainment how these folks like to play with and describe their computers instead of using them. I did the same with Amateur Radio experimentation so I can’t fault them on that. I just never deluded myself thinking I was making a contribution to anything but my own knowledge and entertainment.

The hot-rodder’s did teach Detroit a few tricks and a few hams discovered some radio secrets to share with humanity, but I am just sitting back waiting for an earthshaking breakthrough from the over-clocker’s! Ha!

But Hey! It’s a hobby. Just having fun is a good enough reason. I feel the same about my machine shop. As long as it makes me happy, I don’t care what some old geezer says in his blog. Too bad if you can’t stand the dig. (one g)

I can’t seem to get off this subject of computers. The weekend was spent on the usual chores like grass cutting. I busted up my foot pretty well last weekend when I slipped on the floor in the kitchen. It looks like I broke a couple of toes and who knows what inside my foot. In any case the foot has been sore so the grass cutting was about as physical as I needed to do.

I spent Sunday trying to stay off the foot and well, the computers were so handy. The new box I have been boasting about using Linux got partitioned. Its Justification for existence is to be one of my CNC computers. So I installed MS XP Professional (I already owned) on a 100 G partition and reinstalled Linux on the remaining 200 G partition. Now I can start up in either system. For any reader who hasn’t tried multiple systems on one computer, it is a completely normal and acceptable process.

What’s interesting is the MS XP Pro is a 32 bit operating system and the Linux is a 64 Bit system. I am actually doing the same thing on my home office box with both 32 and 64 bit Vista installed. No sweat.

I stripped down the XP Pro to the bare essentials. All it needs to do is run the MACH3 CNC controller software which I also installed the newest version.  All background programs are removed. This makes for a lean, mean XP machine, hmmm… kind of rhymes.

If I want to dabble in Linux, I now have both my CNC computers dual booting the system. Like I have been saying, Linux is now a very easy system (I like KDE desktop the best) to install and get running. I am too heavily involved with Windows software to make Linux my permanent start up system. I just like to stay current in this very capable, professional, and free operating system. I can play around in this OS, write software and do all sorts experimental things that might cause problems with my expensive system. Life is good when there are options…

I am sitting here using my brand new Linux computer. Including a $100 monitor (if I had to buy one) it would cost under $500. That is an amazing price for a totally new 2.6 Mhz dual processor 64 bit system. I beat out the high $100 additional cost of the operating system by installing the totally free openSuSE Linux. Not only does it supply the OS but includes for free all the software needed for most daily computer use.

There are several major “distributions” of Linux. Companies make a package (a distribution), put it in a box, and sell it for profit. However, The same companies also provided basically the same software free on the Internet for download. You don’t get the support and the printed instructions, but a lot of us don’t need it. The free open source (as it is known) is kind of a beta test for what gets into commercial products.

So finding the open source versions is a bit more complex as some companies make it a business to market commercial, locked down, fully supported versions, which are a bit less cutting edge than the free stuff but totally reliable for important applications. Sometimes you have to search web sites for the open source versions, Red Hat/Fedora and Novel SuSE/openSuSE are two examples..

No, Linux doesn’t and can’t replace all the windows custom software, but the office user is well covered with a program called Open Office that runs very well in Java. My Linux “box” is a great second or third computer without a high investment or the illegal copying of commercial licensed software.

I originally started experimenting with Linux in the mid 1990’s, a few years after it was first created by Linus Torvalds. It worked good with my amateur radio interests and was the first and probably still is the only OS that natively supports AX.25, a communication protocol for amateur radio packet transmission. I have had a Linux install on at least one computer I’ve own ever since.

In those start up days it was truly a hackers paradise to be running Linux. Each install had to be custom built from source code. Not so today. This latest (not last) install was just install and run. What a difference a  decade or so can make.

The incremental updates are free and automatic (with an Internet connection) just like any operating system today except major updates are also free. Linux is also more hacker secure than Apple likes to brag, although nothing is totally safe. I sit behind a network firewall here at home.

If a computer user doesn’t know why they need Linux, then in my opinion they do not need Linux. I am not writing this specifically create converts. I think to some OS enthusiasts, Linux is a religion and they go at it like it was their mission to bash the other systems. I flow between them all. There are compelling reasons for each. I just mention a few good ones for Linux. Mostly the FREE part. Ha! I’d be willing to bet most (51%) computer “users” today don’t care a bit (pun?) about what OS is running their software, just that it works. Like a cell phone, if they can talk on it, they use it.

So I have just done my part. You know there are alternatives. If you haven’t at least heard the name Linux, you have been in a very sheltered world. If you want to learn more just do a Google on Linux. I don’t even have to provide a link. It is that popular these days. My mission is just to let you know I am one of “those people” and I am not such a bad guy, …really! …I like and understand Linux.