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Computer Upholstery: Part Two

Chris Adcock — Fri, 07 Sep 2007 19:51:13 -0500

Last week I laid the foundation of upholstering a panel for a system. This week I got to actually adding the fabric and installing it. I have to tell you – lessons were learned.

Once you have your backing piece finished, the upholstery part isn’t terribly difficult. You will need a staple gun, batting (available at craft stores), your fabric, some good scissors, a utility knife, and spray adhesive/mastic (I like 3M Super 77 or Hi-Strength 90, but any similar product should work).

The next step is to cut out the batting. I used two layers because my batting was thin. The batting gives the panel a bit of padding. Without it, your results will be a bit lack luster and contain hard to remove wrinkles. How much padding you want is up to you, but if you want more than an inch, you will want to use a foam insert between the batting and backing board.

Measuring out the fabric has an important caveat. I’m leaving about an inch all the way around. This extra material will be used to attach the fabric to the backing piece. Don’t cut out the hole (if you have one) just yet.

With all the pieces cut, it’s time for adhesive. You want to coat the back of the fabric and the top of the batting (the side that will come in contact with the fabric) with a generous layer of adhesive. Use a ventilated room and follow any instruction on the can. After you apply it, wait 15-20 minutes before moving on.

Assembly just requires stacking the pieces and securing them. I like to spray a bit more adhesive along the edge of my backing material after I’ve stacked them (ok – so maybe I have done this before – once).

With the pieces in place, it’s much like wrapping a present (consult a female if this is new to you). You simply fold the edges over and use the adhesive to hold them in place. Then put staples in every few inches. The corners may give you some trouble. You can cut some of the extra material off, being careful not to cut too much. For the hole, cut a star pattern in the fabric with a utility knife and fold the pieces back. It’s a good idea to staple them as well. The fan mounting holes required me to stick a small nail through the back (for locating) and make very tiny cross cuts with a utility knife on the fabric side.

At that point, it’s all over but the tellin’! I mounted the panel and had a look. I’m pretty happy with the results, especially considering this was a “proof of concept” for me. The slight lifting at the corners can be taken care of with small bolts. With a nice brass fan grill, I’ll get just the look I’m after.

A few pointers I picked up along the way:

The staples I used would not go very deep into the backing. The typical solution is to use shorter staples. However, I was already using the smallest staples I could find for my staple gun. The hardboard is actually too hard for this technique. Quarter inch or thinner plywood might be better. As a stop gap, I used a small hammer to flatten the staples out. It works, but it’s not ideal. And oh...Yes you can manage to staple yourself with a staple gun - be careful.

It’s worth noting that I folded each corner differently to see which way would look best. I found that folding it just like a gift without removing extra material wasn’t the best. I also found that removing too much material leaves a “ridge” effect at the corner. So, I guess striking a balance is key.

I have to say though, the look is far better than I had expected. I’ll definitely pursue this deeper.

Today’s bling is a bit more moducation in 2 parts. Provided by MNPCTech and Bill Owen’s how to video on Turbine Style Fans !

Get some popcorn – 30+ minutes of video (but well worth it).

How To: Diagnose Faulty RAM

Paul Lilly — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 14:04:03 -0500

Diagnosing system failures and quirky behavior can be a crap shoot, as the same symptoms can point to any number of culprits. But unless you have reason to believe a specific component is at fault, most troubleshooting quests usually start with the RAM.

Telltale Signs

If you've recently started experiencing those dreaded blue screens of death (BSoD), then the first question most techs and forum gurus will ask is, "Have you checked your RAM?," and with good reason. Bad RAM is usually associated with the PFN_LIST_CORRUPT and PAGE_FAULT_IN_NONPAGED_AREA errors, but it's not exclusive to just these two. Other warning signs include system stalls, reboots, and generally abnormal behavior.

Run Memtest68

Testing for faulty memory is relatively easy to do thanks to a diagnostic tool called Memtest86. This handy program runs a series of tests on your RAM, spitting out any errors when/if it finds them. And because Memtest86 runs before Windows has a chance to load, you won't be interrupted by further blue screens while it tests your memory. If you have a faulty kit of RAM, you may see hundreds of errors right away, or in less severe cases, you may need to run several passes (I recommend you let it run overnight).

To get started, you'll need either a blank floppy or CD/DVD disk, then download the latest version of Memtest86 (v3.3 at the time of this writing) for whichever media you plan to use. If using a floppy, double-click the install file, which will open a command prompt with step-by-step instructions. For CD or DVD installations, burn the ISO file as an image, and NOT as a data file. Most CD/DVD burning programs, such as Nero and Roxio, will do this automatically upon double-clicking the ISO, and other programs, like the free CDBurnerXP Pro will not, requiring you to specify you're burning from an image (click on File and select Write Disk from ISO File...).

Once you've made your Memtest86 diagnostic disk, the next step is to boot from it. Stick the disk in the appropriate drive (if you manage to get the floppy to work in an optical drive, or vice versa, I'd like to hear about it!), then restart your system. You may need to change the boot priority in your BIOS so that your system doesn't automatically boot from your hard drive. If so, hit the DEL key during the POST screen (some older systems may require you push F1, F2, ESC, or other combinations). Once you've set the approriate boot priority, Memtest86 will load and run automatically.

It Found Errors! That's it Man, Game Over Man, Game Over!

Not so fast there, Hudson! While Memtest86 errors are almost always indicative of problematic RAM, the diagnostic also checks your CPU, L1 and L2 cache, and your motherboard. So you could have an even bigger problem on your hands, but don't panic, because it might also be as simple as an incorrect timing or voltage setting. Running aggressive latency timings or less than the manufacturer's specified voltage can cause RAM to churn out errors and act exactly like a defective kit. These settings are usually found in the Advanced menu of your BIOS (some Gigabyte owners need to hold CTRL-F1 on the main screen to access the hidden menu), and double-check that your kit of RAM is running within spec. For example, if your manufacturer specifies 5-5-5-15 @ 2.1V and you're running 4-4-4-12 @ 1.9V, then there's a good chance your RAM will choke. Up the voltage and rerun Memtest. If it passes and your system instability goes away, then congratulations, you not only saved yourself an RMA, but also discovered that your RAM is capable of running tighter (lower) timings than advertised. If on the other hand you continue to receive errors, raise those timings back to stock. Also check that the frequency is correct (running DDR2-800 at DDR2-1066 is overclocking).

If your RAM settings are correct, then test one stick of RAM at a time. While both sticks could be faulty, it's more likely that just one of them is defective. Also test the stick(s) in each DIMM slot to rule out the possibility of a faulty slot, while also providing you with an opportunity to verify you're using the correct slots for dual-channel operation.

I Have a Bad Stick, Should I Buy a New One?

Almost all RAM manufacturers offer lifetime warranties on their chips, so long as you didn't kill the modules by overclocking/volting. And if you inadvertently OC/d/OV'd, be upfront with the manufacturer (you're on the honor system with this one) - the companies worth giving your business to will be more apt to work with you in these situations.

If you do RMA a dual-channel kit, insist on returning both sticks, even if only one is defective. Why? Because dual-channel kits are supposed to be tested by the manufacturer to ensure they play nice together. The chips under the heatspreader on your replacement kit may differ from the ones on your existing kit, even if the make and model are the same, and it's when you mix and match chips that incompatibilities are most likely to occur in a dual-channel environment.

How To: Make a Swank-Looking DVD Menu

Logan Decker — Fri, 01 Jul 2005 17:22:12 -0500

The menu templates included with most DVD authoring applications are too fugly for even ironic use. But that’s just as well, because creating a sophisticated animated menu tailored to your content can take less time than burning the DVD to disc! Using Photoshop and NeroVision Express 3, we updated the orientation DVD that all Maximum PC interns are required to watch, so you can see just how easy it is—and how to get around some of the quirks.

Step 1: Create a new background image file
Our first goal is to make a background image for our DVD menu. It’s possible to make the entire background image a looping video clip, but we don’t recommend it—animated backgrounds often make titles difficult to read. We’re going to create our own background image instead, so we have more control over the color and typography than NeroVision Express 3 offers.

Open any image-editing program, such as Photoshop, Gimp, or even Microsoft Paint. Create a new image file that’s 720 pixels wide and 480 pixels high at a resolution of 72 pixels per inch. This is the space you’ve got to work with for your DVD menu.

Step 2: Design your background image
Now paste into this file the background image you want to use. We went with a screen capture from one of our movies—you can capture a screen using DVD playback software such as WinDVD or PowerDVD. We converted our image to black and white for a classic 1950s documentary feel, and massaged it a bit using Photoshop’s Free Transform tool to fit the 720x480 work area.

Step 3: Create a title
This step can be done within NVE3, but we wanted more flexibility than the app offers to create an interesting image, so we used Photoshop to create our title. We scanned a piece of torn paper for the rough-edge look, and used Photoshop’s Add Noise filter to make it look more like newsprint; we then used a classic typewriter typeface (“Love Letter”) to create our title image. Now save the completed background image file to an “assets” directory—we like to keep each DVD menu’s assets in a separate directory, in case we want to tweak the layout later.

Step 4: Begin building your menu in NeroVision Express 3
Fire up NeroVision Express 3 and select Make DVD > DVD-Video. Select Add Video Files, and navigate to the folder containing your video files and load them one at a time. NVE3 shows you how much room you’ve got left on the disc near the bottom of the window; as you can see, we’ve got plenty of space. Click the Next button.

Step 5: Place your background image
You’ll now be threatened with NeroVision’s ghastly default menu template. Click Edit Menu. Right-click the “Island” title and delete it. Then, click the Background button, click the middle button to select your own background picture. Next, click the first blue button next to the Custom Picture window and navigate to your assets folder. Select your image and click OK.

Step 6: Make better animated buttons
Click Buttons, and under “Button settings” click “Animate buttons.” Under “Button frames,” select “Use no frame.” In the same menu, under “Text and numbering,” select “Text only.” Right-click your first video button and click Properties to select the start point for your video loop. When you’re finished, you can adjust the loop length—the length of time each clip plays—via the Automatization menu button. We generally avoid lengths of less than 10 seconds, which tend to make clips appear as if they are stuttering; try to keep the loop lengths the same for all buttons.

Finally, go to the Font menu and select a font and color (we used Love Letter again, in white). The option to change the font size only becomes available by clicking the “More >>” button near the bottom of the window and selecting Custom from the “Font height calculation mode” box. A font size of 7-point seems right to us.

Step 7: Arrange your buttons
NVE3 allows you to position your buttons wherever you’d like, so take advantage of this feature! Be aware, however, that some television sets won’t be able to display the full image area supported by the DVD-Video format, so the dotted lines you see in the menu preview screen represent the “safe area” where buttons should be placed so they won’t get cut off on grandpa’s wheezy, old color TV. When you’re finished with this step, save your work.

Step 8: Audition your menu
Now click the Next button on the bottom-right of the screen, and then click Next again to get to the Preview screen. Here you can preview your work as it will appear on your television or monitor, complete with a virtual remote to make sure the buttons link to the right videos. You can also preview the button animations and background music by clicking “Preview Menu Animation.”

Step 9: Burn your DVD
Click on the “More >>” button and then click the Default Video Options button if you want to adjust the video encoding options; otherwise, click Burn To and send your completed DVD to a recordable disc, or to a folder on your hard drive if you’re planning to make multiple copies. Enjoy the show!