best cheap/free scores 1.1

[Topcat]

Re: best cheap/free scores 1.1

^^^
For the love of punching kittens, would you please not use that horrible image host that won't allow image caching on the client end and attach your images to your post using the forum's attachment feature, and before doing that, RESIZE!! Everytime someone opens a thread you've posted inline pics in, they have to download these enormous images...over...and over...and over...

I've had to fix a few of your posts to cure that.

[Compgeke]

Re: best cheap/free scores 1.1

Weird - I've never had caching issues or problems loading on 1.5 Mb/s - probably because of caching on the site from uploading.

I'll resize whenever I get back to the hotel as I'm working off a lightning fast 2G fallover connection at the moment.

[goontron]

Re: best cheap/free scores 1.1

^ Why in the name of molasses in January would you post inline?

[stj]

Re: best cheap/free scores 1.1

isnt the cpu in the mac-mini soldered down like in the laptops?

[Compgeke]

Re: best cheap/free scores 1.1

It isn't. It's actually a socketed laptop processor on at least the older ones.

[Topcat]

Re: best cheap/free scores 1.1

^ Why in the name of molasses in January would you post inline?

I dont mind inline.....just resize and upload to the site. Ohh, and you're only allowed to copy my catchy line when referencing really slow quantum bigfoot hdd's...

[momaka]

Re: best cheap/free scores 1.1

I got a few decent deals on eBay in the last 2 months.

1.
A hard drive lot for $1. Shipping made it close to $12, though, but I still think it was worth it. In the lot were:
2x 300 GB Seagate Cheetah 10k SCA HDDs
2x Maxtor Atlas 10k SCSI 68p (73 GB and 18 GB)
1x IBM DNES-309170 9 GB SCSI 68p HDD.

I did some search before buying and found that SCA HDDs are compatible with 68p SCSI with an adapter (about $3 a pop). If that works, I'd definitely love to upgrade my torrent/file storage PC right now as it only has a single 73 GB Maxtor Atlas 10k in it. And if bad comes to worse and the two Cheetah HDDs don't work, the other 73 GB Maxtor Altas from the auction might. So at the very least, I can double my storage capacity... well assuming those HDDs work. Auction stated "pulled from working machines but unable to test", which is always a gamble. But I'm out $12 at worst.

2.
A working-but-as-is XFX GeForce 6800XT 256 MB PCI-E video card caked in cig-dust and with a broken fan (seller/owner described this in the auction, though). Won the auction for $0.01 (yes, just a penny! ). Shipping was $8 though . Not described were the few bad caps, which I did spot on the auction pictures. But in the end I decided I wanted to buy jst for the heck of saving it. I'll probably make a thread and post pictures, because it was a fun project overall. Works fine too.

3.
Lastly, I got a lot of 10x used Logitech M-S69 ball mice. This was another $1 special with a shipping much more than that ($12). But the M-S69 is my favorite ball mouse of all time (if not the most favorite mouse altogether). Not going to go into why, because I doubt anyone will understand me .

I only needed about three of them to replace some older crappier ball mice, but that auction for the 10 was the cheapest I could find. So now I have a few spares - well I don't mind that. Gave all of them a warm bath with a bit of clothes detergent (after taking out the electronics, of course), so they are squaky clean now. Almost like new .

I dont mind inline.....just resize and upload to the site.

I don't mind inline too much either (especially if you're trying to tell a cool story or show off a project), but I prefer only when the most relevant images are posted inline. Anything not too important I always post as a link. Saves people some memory and unnecessary bandwidth usage. Also doesn't crowd the page as much.

[momaka]

Re: Your Best Dumpster Finds

This was last month, but there was a big industrial dumpster stuck at the back of our Engineering buildng in the university. Took a peak and saw a big ball of wires. Started untangling and filled a grocery bag's worth. Then came back again the next day and filled another grocery bag. Probably over 30 m / 100 FT of wire total. Most of the wire is 600V 14 AWG, but there are a few pieces here and there that are 600V 18 AWG and 600V 8 AWG. Most pieces are just short scraps about 30 cm / 1 FT lengths, but a few were over 2m / 6F or more.

That should be enough for most any project of mine .

Also...

This time, a Gateway GT5656 desktop computer.
...
If it works, it would make a nice computer.

Yup, works fine.
Even the original Windows Vista installation was in there, along with all of the users' files, documents, and music (actually there were 5 users total on that computer). The best part is, there is over 100 GB of music on that HDD.

Unfortunately, I could not clean that Vista installation well enough to my linking. While there weren't any viruses, Norton 360 combined with some other junk bloatware made the system so slow that it really made me want to cry when I first booted it. I spend an entire evening cleaning it up. Still can't get Vista to boot with less than 800 MB of RAM usage, which is disapointing IMO. So I stuck a spare 80 GB laptop HDD and put Windows 7 on that. This PC is quite fast. I also put a lowly Radeon HD2400 XT video card in it so that I can play some games on it (mainly Left 4 Dead now). I know the HD2400 XT is not great by any means, and I do have much better video cards, but the 300W Delta PSU is already pushing a ton of hot air out even without the HD2400 XT, and with it, it's even worse. This Delta PSU is not built all that well. Only 16A on the 12V rail, and that PSU is single-transistor forwared... so 12A on the 12V rail is probably the maximum safe output.

4W laser?! What in the world, who throws that out into a dumpster!

my exact thoughts, too.

[Wester547]

Re: Your Best Dumpster Finds

Is the 16A rectifier an ultrafast? That would be even worse... and is the Delta model a GPS-300AB or DPS-300AB by any chance? Also, those rectifiers are rated at very high temperatures (often above 100*C) so I doubt it's getting that hot even in single forward. Could probably do 16A but only just. And I wonder if the heat from the Delta is from the PSU or if it's just exhausting hot air out of the system...

[momaka]

Re: Your Best Dumpster Finds

Yup, 16A ultrafast from what I remember. I took pictures and notes so I'll post it someday.
No, system runs pretty cool inside, even on a hot day (system fan blows cool air). On the other hand, on the same hot days, the PSU blows hot air like a hair dryier. The fan also ramps up to an audible level, so at least the fan controller is woking right. I'll probably end up replacing that rectifier with a 20A schottky.

[ratdude747]

Re: best cheap/free scores 1.1

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Sony-MRW620-...item259824ec2c

If you doubt this as a score, look on amazon for the $50 or so they cost NOS. IIRC before they went out of production $15 was the retail price... but they are from what I know one of the better USB 2.0 card readers out there (only trumped by some of Atech's pro level/photo kiosk readers). I have one and love it; I'm more than happy to buy another!

[goontron]

Re: best cheap/free scores 1.1

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Sony-MRW620-...item259824ec2c

If you doubt this as a score, look on amazon for the $50 or so they cost NOS. IIRC before they went out of production $15 was the retail price... but they are from what I know one of the better USB 2.0 card readers out there (only trumped by some of Atech's pro level/photo kiosk readers). I have one and love it; I'm more than happy to buy another!

yes, but can you boot an SD or CF card?

[ratdude747]

Re: best cheap/free scores 1.1

yes, but can you boot an SD or CF card?

why do you ask?

[goontron]

Re: best cheap/free scores 1.1

why do you ask?

because the one in the top of my new rig can.

[ratdude747]

Re: best cheap/free scores 1.1

because the one in the top of my new rig can.

AFAIK yes, but it doesn't matter as this one is going in a rig which IIRC cannot USB boot*

*unless I swap it for another reader in another rig

[stj]

Re: best cheap/free scores 1.1

I did some search before buying and found that SCA HDDs are compatible with 68p SCSI with an adapter (about $3 a pop).

it works, i have about a dozen of them,
but make sure you get the right ones for the job.

there are ones that go to a 50way narrow connector,
ones that go to a 68way connector,
and ones that go to both.

and they dont have termination on them usually, so dont use one at the end of the chain unless you have a seperate active terminator.

[momaka]

Re: best cheap/free scores 1.1

it works, i have about a dozen of them,
but make sure you get the right ones for the job.

Cool, thanks for confirming .

The ones I see on the pictures on most eBay listings appear to be the right kind on both ends. Yeah, I'm a bit illiterate when it comes to SCSI... but it should be all good (I did manage to install and set up that Maxtor HDD by myself). Probably just need to set the SCSI ID via the provided jumpers on those adapters, and thats it. I'm not doing any kind of RAID. That PC already received a hefty dose of it when I sprayed it to make sure no roaches were left after washing and painting .

As far as termination, my SCSI cable has a terminator on one end, so I'll just be connecting the HDDs to the other available connectors on that cable. Should work I suppose? I did have two SCSI HDDs in that PC at one point, but the second HDD was an old and loud 9 GB Seagate (original to that computer when I found it), so it took it out.

[shovenose]

Re: best cheap/free scores 1.1

Cool, thanks for confirming I'm not doing any kind of RAID. That PC already received a hefty dose of it when I sprayed it to make sure no roaches were left after washing and painting .

Hahaha!

It's been a while since I've had to deal with SCSI thankfully.

[C152Heavy]

Re: best cheap/free scores 1.1

Update:

In my first post I mentioned:

"We have a bunch more of the same Samsungs, I'm plotting the MTBF......"

LOL! More data to add to the reliability analysis. Make it one more 2220WM croaked and successfully diverted from being recycled. As usual, bad caps in the power supply.

C152Heavy

And the count continues.....another Samsung, this time a 920NW.

This time it was a bit more challenging, not caps but intermittent connection at one of the CFLs in the backlight but thanks to those who have gone before me, the legwork was done and posted up here (Thanks!) and "all" I had to do was a bit of soldering plus a few choice words putting the panel back together.

And the watch continues.

D

[Compgeke]

Re: best cheap/free scores 1.1

Pioneer RT-707 and Sony EV-S550. $1.