Subj : Re: USB lock up - poo! To : Barry Martin From : Ky Moffet Date : Fri Feb 11 2022 01:23:00 BARRY MARTIN wrote: > KM> Ha... and Tarnish's almost-twin Cash now has the USB disease. > KM> Only one front port works at a time, and intermittent stalls of > KM> USB keyboard and mouse. Probably the same two capacitors. It now > KM> has about the same amount of hours in service, so.... > > I'm vaguely recalling we had talked about replacing burst capacitors, so > if it worked once and this computer is essentially the same just might > work again. Well, it should, given the whole rest of both boards work. Only USB went over the hills and gone, and both the same way... intermittent, then only when it feels like it... expecting Cash's USB to quit Any Minute Now. Well, maybe the impetus to finish moving into Silver? > KM> I think I'll get one of those micro-solder irons from Pine64 and > KM> try to fix it. Figure if the solder tool is pointy enough, I can > KM> hit the tiny spot. > > As long as you don't hit a bunch of other points at the same time! Just > make sure you're comfortable and your hand is well-supported. The big > problem might be the kickback of the solder sucker. No sucker, just a very fine point, low power (it's USB-charged and battery powered, if that tells you how low). Designed for this sort of thing. Also I have a fine point soldering iron but it might get too hot. > KM> Speaking therewhich, I just bought a used Pinephone with the real > KM> keyboard thingee, should be here by Friday... it runs Manjaro > KM> linux with KDE desktop, which (since I like KDE) can't be more > KM> annoying than iOS or Android. How good it actually is remains to > KM> be determined. Is arrived. The hardware is relatively slow, tho seems solid. It's basically a midrange RPi-clone with a phone modem in a nice case. Big-ass battery that held up well under hours of fiddling and wifi. The keyboard is quite nice for a tiny unit. My only real complaint is the lack of a way to disable the onscreen keyboard, which gets in the way. How it will work as a phone is a different question (apparently it's only natively compatible with T-Mobile, tho can be fooled into AT&T with a SIM activated in another device), but as a micro-portable, pretty good. The speaker is excellent. I have a 20 year old Windows phone that I love as a micro-portable (and the battery still holds a good charge!), and it too has a real keyboard (albeit as small as the phone) tho by the time it came to me, being only 2G, it was long-since obsolete as a phone. But as a tiny WinXP device, it works great. Anyway, first thing I discovered is that "Index" (default file manager) isn't very good, so I installed Dolphin, same file manager I use on my everyday desktop, and that works much better, was able to import my contacts that way. Also installed AbiWord as a small word processor (I need to add Kate or KWord for plaintext), and Konqueror on G.P. Should add a more standard browser, which for some reason it didn't come with, tho all sorts of other crap is installed that I'll never use. It really is a lot more like a micro-desktop than today's typical cellphones. Also could stand better desktop organization; there isn't any, other than alphabetical, and added icons don't stick. Have not figured out how to get it to network or trade files via bluetooth (it and the iPhone see each other but refused to get on speaking terms). It came with the docking dongle, not sure how that works yet. Was all practically new but manual had gone walkabout, so I'll have to consult the wiki. > I hadn't heard of them but look to be pretty good. One of the potential > problems would be since it isn't running Apple's nor Android OS could be > a bit of a problem downloading applications, but since Android is a form Android apps won't run on linux proper. There exists an Android host VM-like thingee, if you're desperate. > of Linux would seem that should have some commonality. And quite sure > PinePhone has something worked out as they're not going to have a phone > as just a phone: people want their appointment calendars! Well, considering numerous such apps exist on linux... main limitation is that this is a fairly low-horsepower device. It's decidedly slow compared to even the iPhone6s (and that's six years old). However... versatile in different ways. Try THIS with an iPhone or an Android: https://bitcompact.com/products/pinephone-multiboot-chip Yes, 18-OS multiboot phone, off a micro-SD card. I ordered one. :D > KM> Meanwhile, I have learned to hate Fedora's stupid update > KM> procedure, which is indistinguishable from that for Windows 10, > KM> and equally rude about monopolizing the connection. (Not that I > KM> do much more with it than let it update and swear at it. I did > KM> the manual upgrade from 32 to 34, but it didn't even ask when it > KM> hopped from 34 to 35.) It's supposed to be more reliable, but > KM> from what I see it invites thinking it's hung and killing it in > KM> mid-grope. With PCLinuxOS, we just do updates on the fly WHENEVER > KM> I WANT, not when the OS wants. > > Haven't heard of that issue but then I'm paying more attention to Ubuntu > and Buster/Bullseye (Raspberry Pi's OSs) ... As an experiment I did > update one older computer here from Ubuntu 18.04 to 20.04 -- warnings of > "are you sure", "may take several hours", etc. Think it took barely an > hour (surprised at how short a time) and didn't notice any slowdown much > less monopolizing of the connection, The limitation is mostly your connection speed, because it downloads a whole new monkey. Fedora took about four hours the first time. I have no idea when it did the second update, as it did it on the sly, with no help from me. Mind you the first one had to be done from the terminal, so it wasn't like you could miss it. Speaking therewhich, PCLOS has its red flag up in the systray, so there must be updates. > KM> Yeah, doesn't seem to have any other caps going bad. Just had it > KM> apart all over the floor, so I checked. > > Find any spare parts after reassembly? As none of the other Only the usual loose screws, usually rediscovered Lego-style. (Oww.) > capacitors seemed to be failing then perhaps the replacement of those > few will be all that is needed for another ten years of entertaining you. > The worst that can happen is a Beeg Schpark from a solder bridge. That would be the worst, except for possibly burning down the house. > ..Speaking of that, might be best when first powering up after the cap > replacement into a regular wall outlet, if something did go wrong you're > not shorting out or otherwise killing off a UPS. Shouldn't short past its own power supply, but yeah, would be best to test my artwork on a junker PSU attached to a surge unit. > > KM> SM knows how to use multiple cores, but apparently there's a > > KM> Point of Inefficiency with fewer cores vs memory usage. Not only > > KM> does CPU usage shoot up to 100% far more often, it also > > KM> completely clogs up RAM whenever this happens.... FAR less often > KM> And figured out what the problem is: it's something really > KM> inefficient in the way SeaMonkey writes files for my ~400 RSS > KM> subscriptions; guessing it re-indexes each one TOO, cuz WAY worse > KM> than just Windows writing files by itself So it stalls the system > KM> as long as it takes to rewrite ~400 files. They're mostly around > KM> 30mb which isn't THAT damn large... > > No, barely medium-sized by today's standards. I'm not sure if it's > SeaMonkey being inefficient or something in the OS: half-recalling a few > posts in the MythTV forum about a similar problem; > https://lists.mythtv.org/pipermail/mythtv-users/2022-January/thread.html > (I know that's a vague 'pointing in the general direction' but at least > narrows it down from The Internet itself!) 30 pages later... that's a little too vague. I think it's basically Mozilla's crappy file handling, which has been a problem since day one, but became evident again due to the sheer volume. It does a manual copy, update, and replace, not just a write. And that's I/O intensive, but if WordPerfect could do it with no perceptible overhead back in 1988, surely Mozilla could do it without so much overhead on 1000x faster hardware?? Nope... the codebase is a steaming pile, but the alternatives are either less functional or a lot worse. I've seen six IDLE tabs in Chrome suck up 24GB of RAM. So not fixable without deleting most of my subs. Not that I actually read most of 'em more than occasionally, but they're all there for some good reason!! > KM> On the New! Improved!! box, Mail is on an NVMe, which should help > KM> a lot given it's 20x faster than spinning rust, and the whole > KM> system is quite a lot faster too. Now if only I'd finish moving > KM> in... > > Yes, I've been doing some hybrid systems: OS on SSD, data on HDD. Boots > fast, processes fast. Bottleneck is probably the waiting for the > mechanical hard drive but at this point I feel safer with the data on a > magnetic plate as opposed to a electric charge -- is there all that much > of a difference?! Yeah, all in all spinning rust is probably the most long-term reliable, even with today's much-improved SSDs. Which at least don't seem to suffer sudden-death syndrome so often anymore, at least not if you stick to Samsung or Sandisk/WD. Silver is a triploid, with all in hotswap bays, except the NVMe's are on PCIe adapter cards. SSD -- boot drive HDD -- base data drive HDD -- backup drive HDD -- archival and overflow drive SSD -- secondary data drive. NVMe -- mail, VMs, and swap/temp NVMe -- as yet no mission in life Considered the size of VMs, and thought to myself... Self, wouldn't that be a good job for the fastest storage available?? > KM> > KM> Noticed this problem, didja.... > > There are times when I'd rival you when I do a project here! LOL... parts fill the available floor space! > KM> Ah yes, I remember the confusion when something wanted an odd COM > KM> port. > > No, this was even: COM2, though using Linux would be odd: /dev/ttyS1. > (That joke 'bytes'!!) > KM> LOL... I need to get a better keyboard. Need wireless cuz > KM> otherwise way too much tripping hazard, but I'm about done with > KM> Logitech wireless, they don't hold up well at all. And I don't > KM> like the "chiclet" keys so many have. > > I've got a couple of Logitech mk270 -- good news is they don't interfer Yeah, that's what I've got. They work fine for a year or two, then the keys start sticking and the letters wear off. > with each other as two different frequencies. I did take an old label They're pretty good about that, yeah. Oh, there's a utility called Solaar that can manage Logitech wireless gadgets (some of the dongles can pair to multiple devices, or is it the other way around? whichever way did me no good, that's all I remember). It can also tell you how much battery is left, which is handy. Runs in the system tray and doesn't eat much. Is likely in your repository. > strip I think originally intended to identify wiring harnesses, smipped > off an individual number and tagged the dongle, keyboard, and mouse -- > so one set is '21' and the other '22' so I don't accidentally mix. Since I have about a dozen wireless doohickeys in use (five keyboards and mice, plus a boxful of loose mice), I've had to label them too! There's a hollow on the bottom that just takes a small sticker. Tho I think I'm going to take the diamond point pen to some of 'em that don't want to keep their label. Also glued velcro to the keyboards that don't have a dongle socket, and to one side of the dongle plastic, so if disconnected they can be mated up, and don't lose their only marble. > I haven't had problems (knock on wood!) and one has been in constant use > as it is used by the MythTV Frontend where we usually watch TV. Not bad behavior, just really crap durability. > We have another Logitech: K400r and works fine but I'm not a fan of the > keyboard: too squished or something, keys themselves have an odd 'feel' Yeah, that's the other thing, they claim to be mechanical, but if this is a mechanical keyboard I'll eat a bug. And they get squishy fairly fast. A little squishy I don't mind, but they also get a lot of key wobble which is why they start sticking -- the shaft gets loose, then just a tish misaligned as the key goes down, and then it sticks. (Silicon lube does not help.) Normally you don't see that on a wired keyboard, even a cheap one, til it's about ready to die of old age. These? Worn out in just a couple years. > -- maybe not enough travel? Has a touchpad to the right (which is > probably why the keyboard seems squished) -- again works fine, just 'not > a fan' and prefer using the wireless mouse I added. I prefer a very light touch, but durability and NOT STICKING.... > A long time ago I had one computer case with a 'trap door' to hold a > boot disk -- made sense as didn't have to go looking for it should one > need it. I've switched entirely over to using hotswap bays, so mine all have trap doors > Really! I've got a few computers here just in storage -- the innards > need to be updated and at this point easier to keep intact -- don't have > to store the parts I removed (some are worthwhile to keep). Have also > run into the problem where I removed a cable/wire, labeled it because it > did not have its function, and then found later the label fell off. Yep, some of my stashes of vintage parts are still in complete units, because easier than keeping track! > > As for the RGB fans, etc., if they'd turn red when getting too hot and > > blue when cool that would be OK, but otherwise. > KM> THAT! That would actually be USEFUL! But nooo, they're just > KM> distracting blinkentrash. > > IMO yup. And I saw some time back a case with a built-in display. Not > the highest resolution, but decent. So the problem here is I'd have to Everything old is new again! I've seen a display that sits in a pair of 5" drive bays. It's meant for servers, for quick maintenance. Nice for headless servers, no need to go find a monitor. > KM> And it turns out Newegg is actually damaging returned > KM> motherboards on purpose so they can claim "bent pin" and not have > Newegg may find themselves lower and lower on my list of sources. They're also notorious for DOA hard drives, probably due to rough handling. > KM> So what did you buy? or did you agonize too long and now they're > KM> out of stock! > > Bought a MSI Pro Z690-A DDR4 motherboard last week. Will have to get a Oh, that looks like a very nice board. I've had good luck with MSI, too. Excellent choice! > decent cpu cooler -- right now looks like a Noctua NH-U12S Redux -- Dunno. I don't chase the fancy cooling solutions. > Solitaire and Mahjongg count? As for the new system's CPU > considering an i5 12600K or i7 12700K -- prefer the integrated graphics > then can use the built-in HDMI and DisplayPort video for the two Scraping by without a dedicated vidcard, which considering vidcards are presently scarce as hen's teeth and vastly overpriced, is not a bad route. > monitors. I don't need a super-high video resolution -- 1920x1080 is > fine. OTOH I don't want to limit myself in the future so the capability > of a little higher is a consideration. Yeah, that's why I've been trying to find something a little higher up the ladder for Silver... the EAH6450 is perfectly good for most things, but can't keep up with decoding the higher-resolution video files... and someday I'd like to have more monitor. 1920x1080 is okay up to about 27" but beyond that it gets too grainy. > > Memory amount is another consideration. I think I have a pair of 8 GB > (so 16 GB) from when I had a bad stick and so RMA'd it. Maybe it was > eventually re-installed, I don't recall. ...Will find out shortly!! More is better, for sure. I've topped out most of mine. Silver and Fireball both have 64GB. The three Dells have 32, 32, and 24. Makes a huge difference for browsers, being the bloated hogs they are. > daughtercard. ...The current system I'm using now is fine except for > the Southbridge issue when plugging in a USB device will sometimes lock > up. ....the Asus disease... Silver has an Asus board but it has all solid caps. Um, this one. https://versus.com/en/asus-p9x79-le > KM> So apparently a "CPU" to a VM is just a process. So no relation > KM> to actual cores, other than you can't set it to more than the > KM> hardware actually has (cuz obviously it wouldn't know how to do > KM> that). > > Sort of makes sense as the virtual machine only exists in the > 'imagination' of the real machine. Excellent way to put it! > > > KM> I'm still wondering how the heck Fireball is seeing wifi (like > KM> from passing cars) when it's not supposed to have a wifi chip. > KM> Windows doesn't think it has one. Linux doesn't see one. WTF. > KM> I've never seen that unless the device runs entirely on wifi, but > KM> it's on the wired network. > > Maybe somehow sneaking in from a device with WiFi?? Only thing I've ever seen do that is a cellphone that's hunting for a wifi connection. Hours of fun if you live next to a busy highway. But random passing wifi show up in Windows "available networks". > > As for the thousand dollars - uh, no. I'm not even wanting to spend a > > thousand dollars on the entire system. > KM> Lucky you, now just the vidcard costs that much! > I know! Some add-on parts cost more than what I paid for the computer! It's ridiculous. Used cards that should go for $15 are now $50, and so on. > I suppose if I was into movies the hardware needed for 4K would be > worthwhile. In the meantime Jeopardy! on Channel 6_1 at 1080p is all I Image editing and other artwork, would be useful there. > need! (And the current College Championship is on 8_1 at 720p. > ..Huh: was checking something and saw where Hoda Kotb (Today show > anchor) was a reporter on WQAD (8_1) in Moline, Illinois, from 1988 to > 1989. I don't remember her, but then usually watch news on Channel 6. > ..Not recalling the guy's name right now but one of their sportscasters > recently was hired to anchor on one the national sports networks. Two from Great Falls MT wound up in Los Angeles about the same time I did, sports and weather guys. Big boost to their careers. > nVidea (however their capitalization is) has pulled a few not-so-nice > tricks. Updated my (old) Lenovo laptop to Ubuntu 20.04, the nVidea > driver which worked fine with 18.04 no longer works. Default driver for > you! Yeah, there's some problem with the GT720 too. Worked, then spit it back. > > If teeny-tiny at 1080 they'd almost disappear at 4K! > KM> Did a fly speck on my screen?? > No but a gnat did! Thought it looked too small for a fly... > KM> There's also a mess between DVI-D and DVI-I... latter maxes at > KM> 1600x1200 if it's converted to analog, or something like that. I > KM> may have 'em backwards. I'm so confused. > My work here is done! Excellent? > Let's see: pull the cheat sheet from the box I have the spare video > cables in.... > > DVI-I digital and analog, digital may be single or dual link. > DVI-D digital only, single or dual link. Why did I think it was the other way around? > DVI-A analog only > > Single-link DVI: up to 1920 x 1200 @ 60 Hz > Dual-link DVI: up to 2560 x 1600 @ 60 Hz And if you convert to VGA, or if for some reason it THINKS you are, 1600x1200 max. > Looks like there are five different variations of the cable connectors(!). My brain hurts. > KM> Or why I use Plastik as my window decorations. Big honkin' > KM> XP-style controls. I don't care if it looks cloddy, it's > KM> FUNCTIONAL. > > Yup, there are times when ease and functionality is more important than > beauty. I also tend to go for a plainer Desktop so the icons on the > Desktop show up. Mine isn't exactly plain but everything is clearly visible. And part of why I like Oxygen as a theme, it highlights what you're doing. > KM> Heh... for background "fill up the cracks in my brain" I use > KM> industrial (harsh electronic music) ... can't understand a word > KM> they say but it works great. I think this goes to the station I'm > KM> currently using... my preferred ones all died. > KM> http://78.47.146.188:8000/mp3 > > Well that station/site wouldn't work for me but then you're not me! :) LOL... my younger self would be horrified by my current tastes. > ..Sort of reminds me some time back I was wandering through my Pandora > preferences and there was a page where other members could approve/dis- > approve of my station. I did have several indicating they didn't like > my taste in music -- do I care? Nope! ...And the whole purpose of > Pandora is to have the music the subscriber likes and filter out what > doesn't like. If you don't like it, don't listen! > https://youtu.be/a0YRaobNDuw > And then my station also has Nickelback and Lord Huron. Nickelback gets a lot of hate, but they're actually pretty good. Dunno Lord Huron. > KM> Barry! why are you down there in the mud?? > > Slipped on the ice! With the leaves off the trees can see the top > portion of the bridges arches from my window up here. For some reason > seems only the upriver span is lit up (has a purplish-blue glow of the > white arch). Both spans have the navigation lights blinking. Woah, cool. Pictures! > > KM> "High Contrast" is usually awful. Glare white on black is not > KM> better than black on glare white. Just let me set my own damn > KM> colors and we wouldn't be having this discussion!! > > A few years back I did experiment with high contrast, etc., settings -- > I'm "tint blind" so the colours I see aren't always what others see. > High contrast almost hurt! Yeah, it's that bad. > > > .. Senior texting: ROFL,CGU Rolling on the floor laughing, can't get up. > KM> I've fallen and I can't.... fancy meeting you here!! > > When did you get in town? (Sloppy reference to the sliding down the > bluff a few paragraphs ago.) > You're just bluffing. > .. I don't know where I'm going but I don't want to be late -- Tom Selleck I'm late, I'm late, I'm-- squirrel! þ RNET 2.10U: ILink: Techware BBS þ Hollywood, Ca þ www.techware2k.com --- QScan/PCB v1.20a / 01-0462 * Origin: ILink: CFBBS | cfbbs.no-ip.com | 856-933-7096 (454:1/1) .