01.25.06
Posted in Computing at 7:29 am by DeusExMachina
If you’ve looked on the About page on the main site, you may have noticed that the server we’re hosting this site on is a dual Intel Celeron 433 server. In addition to being a web server, it’s also acting as an email server, Windows domain controller, file server, and some other miscellaneous network tasks. For the most part, the performance is quite adequate… that is until we start trying to compile stuff to keep the system up to date. Last time I had to do a compiler update, it took nearly two entire days to recompile the system (the cool part was that we had almost zero downtime). And recently we’ve been having some really serious stability problems, which I partly blame on having really old hardware and partly because the system has been totally hacked together to get it to work.
I’ve been pondering doing an upgrade on the server for a while now. I have a spare Athlon XP 1600+ just sitting around. I could just put that into the server and call it a day, but then, what kind of computer geek would I be? Nope, we’re running a dual-CPU system now, and we’re going to keep it that way, for no reason other than because we can. Including the other Athlon XP 1600+ I’m running in my workstation right now, I’ve got my CPUs covered. Now all I need is a dual-processor motherboard. This is where we had hit a major bump in the road, as the only motherboards capable of running dual Athlon XP/MP was the AMD 760MPX chipset, and they stopped making those a long time ago.
Well, after a lot of searching, I finally found someone selling a Tyan Tiger MPX so a snatched it up. Got the board back home and hooked it up to a bench build and it seems to be in good working order. Now we’re ready to get our upgrade on, right? Well not quite. There were two versions of the Athlon XP 1600+ made. For the most part, they were the same, performance wise. One of the big changes, however, is one version had multi-core capabilities enabled, the other version has it disabled. I, in my continuing string of terrible luck, happened to have one of each. So before I can upgrade, I’ll need to re-enable the multi-core “stuff” on one of the CPUs. I’ll update this post once I figure out how to do this, or blow up my system in a spectacular way.
So that’s one issue. The second issue is if I take my current processor out of my workstation, I’m going to have to replace it with something. My original plan was to go with a Mobile Athlon XP, as you could actually scale the CPU speed up and down depending on how much computing power you needed. Well, as my luck would have it (again) I can’t find any major retailers that are still selling them, I guess they stopped making these too. Some might say to just upgrade to an Athlon 64, but I think that is a waste right now, as there are no viable operating systems that support it (Windows XP 64 is out, but there are no drivers for it; it’s DOA until Windows Vista comes out), which to me defeats the purpose of having a 64-bit CPU. Add to this, the cost of getting a new motherboard, RAM, and graphics card (note: the latest generation of motherboards don’t have AGP slots any more) and my cheap server upgrade suddenly turns into a major upgrade for both of my systems. The option I’m leaning towards is just getting a SocketA Sempron as a drop-in replacement. Hopefully, this will hold us over until the new technology coming out new stabilizes and matures.
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01.08.06
Posted in Ramblings at 2:28 pm by DeusExMachina
A little stand-up comedy on your Sunday afternoon. [link]
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01.07.06
Posted in Automotive at 1:58 am by DeusExMachina
I finally broke down and took care of a few maintenance items on my car recently. Just posting this little guide on the off chance it’ll be of use to anyone. The car in question is a 2002 Acura RSX Type-S (random factoids: this car is commonly known by its chassis code DC5 and is powered by the K20A2 engine; it’s still sold in Japan as the Honda Integra). I know this little guide would have been many times more useful if I had pictures, but alas, my hands were in no condition to handle camera (next time I’ll have an assistant). Here we go.
Fixing Brake Squeals
The first item was squeaking from the brakes, and a rough griding noise while braking. The first thing to do is check that your brake pads are still in good shape. If the pads are gone, there are metal tabs called wear indicators that rub against to rotors and squeak, warning you that it’s time to change the pads. The other cause for brake squeaks are the metal parts in the brakes rubbing against each other.
(this section refers specifically to disc brakes, I’m not familiar with drum brakes so this may not apply.) To get to the pads, first jack up your car and take off the tires. The brake assembly is held on by 2 bolts. Take these off and the entire assembly comes off. Be sure to rest the assembly on something, do not let it hang by the brake lines (the thin rubber tube that the assembly is connected to) as these are easily damaged and then you’ll be in for a world of hurt.
The pads (2 per rotor) will still be connected to the rotors by some metal clips, pop the pads out with a flathead screwdriver. By now you’ve probably noticed that everything is covered in a fine dust, inhaling said dust is a Bad Thing™.
After inspecting my pads, and seeing that most of the friction material was still there, I knew my problem was metal rubbing in the brakes. To fix this, all you need is to apply some special brake grease on the pad. This is sold in most auto shops in small blister packs and can be had for less than a dollar. Remember, the grease does not go on the side of the friction material (the side facing the rotors), it goes on the back of the pad. Actually, the back of my brake pads also have a metal shim on them, so I took these off, and applied the grease to both sides of the shim, you just need a thin layer. It’s probably a good idea to clean all of the grime off before applying the grease. After greasing up my brakes, I haven’t heard a peep from them. Yay.
Changing Manual Transmission Fluid
I was noticing a little more resistance trying to get the tranny into gear when shifting, so I decided to change the manual transmission fluid (MTF). Before even starting, the first problem I had was figuring out what to replace it with. The manual says to only use Honda MTF, problem being no one carries it. I read a lot of contradicting information about various MTF products, some saying they worked fine, but other claiming that in the long run, these don’t provide enough protection for the transmission. In the end, most recommendations said if you can’t find Honda MTF, to use regular 10W-30 motor oil. I felt even better after visiting Royal Purple’s website and having them confirm that their 10W-30 oil was suitable for Honda manual transmissions. Well, I guess I’ll find out for sure in a few years. I went with Royal Purple for peace of mind, though I’m pretty sure any full synthetic oil would have worked equally well (I use Mobil 1 for my engine).
Having chosen an MTF, it’s now time to get down and dirty, literally. I don’t know what Honda uses in their factory MTF, but it is the most foul smelling substance I have ever had the displeasure to encounter. And due to the location of the MTF reservoir (and just a little bit… ok, a lot of clumsiness on my part), by the end of the job there’s was oil everywhere.
To change the MTF, jack up the front of the car. At this point, do yourself a huge favor and remove the front left wheel for easier access to the reservoir. On the reservoir, there are two bolts, the higher one is the fill bolt and the lower one is the drain bolt, you’ll need to remove both of these. The fill bolt you can take off with a normal socket wrench, but the the drain bolt, I needed to use my socket wrench without anything attached (it’ll make more sense if you look at it). After draining the old MTF, I poured some of the new MTF into the fill hole and let that drain too, to try to remove some of the crud in the transmission. Now replace the drain bolt and now we’re ready to fill the transmission. At this point, we jacked up the rear of the car and made sure it was perfectly level to make sure we got the right amount of MTF in. Fill the reservoir until oil starts to spill out of the fill hole. Now just replace the fill bolt and you’re done. Of course, after all this work, I haven’t noticed any difference in the shifting feel. Doh.
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01.06.06
Posted in Automotive at 1:34 am by DeusExMachina
A couple of months ago, The Discovery Channel started showing episodes of Top Gear. But then they suddenly stopped, and then I was sad.
Top Gear, for those of you that don’t know, is a British automotive show. But it’s much more that just your average car review show. For one, they’re not afraid to tell you if a car sucks (Motor Week and Car & Driver, I’m looking at you). They also have a test track and an impartial (and enigmatic) race driver, named “The Stig”, where each car is tested and ranked(*). Not to mention they get to drive the fastest, most expensive, most drool-inducing cars on the planet. Add to all this, the “unique” British humor, and you’ve got a real winner of a show.
And now here I am, having tasted the smooth goodness that is Top Gear, only to have it suddenly ripped from my clutches. Recently, I found a site called Final Gear. They release new episodes of Top Gear (and another car show called Final Gear) on Bit Torrent a couple of days after they are aired in the UK. You can also download most of the old episodes of both shows. Now I am happy again.
* - Currently at the top of the leader board is the Pagani Zonda F (an Italian sports car designed by a Brazilian and powered by a German engine, truly an international car). Now, I wouldn’t give an arm and a leg for this car, as then I wouldn’t be able to shift/steer or clutch/gas at the same time, respectively. However, you only need 1 kidney and 1 lung, right? One of these will set you back about three quarters of a million dollars. Unfortunately, even if you have the scratch, they’re still not road-legal in the States. Pictured is the Zonda S, predecessor to the F.
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01.05.06
Posted in Ramblings at 1:10 am by DeusExMachina
I’ve been a football fan for many years now, and I can say without qualifications that this game was the most intense I have ever seen. Of course, I’m talking about the University of Texas beating the University of Southern California to win the national championship. A great game all around, no matter which team you were rooting for, you were on the edge of the seat for almost the entire game. It was back and forth for most of the second half, with UT going down by 12 points at one time. You got the sense that the winner would be the team that made the last defensive stand.
The difference in the end came down to Vince Young, scoring two touchdowns by himself to take the lead. I can never watch this guy play and not utter the phrases “did you see that?” or “are you kidding me?”, he really is that good. For lack of a better term, Vince is a genetic freak, and I mean that in a good way. He’s (for a quarterback) big, and when he runs, it doesn’t look like he’s moving very fast, but he shifty. So much so that it’s almost impossible to tackle him with just one person. Vince is the complete package: he can pass with accuracy, he can run, and he can make people miss. Two of his three touchdowns tonight were of him running into the end zone, totally untouched, with half of the USC defense chasing after him.
Anyway, enough of my gushing about Vince Young. Tonight the tower is lit burnt orange and I need to find myself a national championship T-shirt.
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