best cheap/free scores 1.1

[ratdude747]

Re: best cheap/free scores 1.1

Picked up a Targus Universal USB laptop port replicator for $5. It was in excellent condition as well.

[c_hegge]

Re: best cheap/free scores 1.1

Another freebie laptop. This time around, a Toshiba Satellite A200



Looks in good condition, other than a couple of small scratches. It does have one of those stupid glossy screens, though.

It originally came with windows vistrash, but has since been upgraded to windows 7. I did fire it up, but got the BSoD on boot up.


And there's our problem. Faulty HDD. Time for a new HDD and another OS upgrade - to XP (or maybe linux). Could also be due for a fan mod, as it runs a bit hot, but doesn't seem clogged with dust.

[mockingbird]

Re: best cheap/free scores 1.1

If you want a SLIC 2.1 Bios for Proper Win7 activation, let me know.

Should not run hot... Has a reasonable heatsink... Check if yours is the one with the Nec/Tokin chip capacitor or the one with the Compal board. Put some new heatsink compound.

[c_hegge]

Re: best cheap/free scores 1.1

^
I'm not gonna worry about Windows 7 activation - I don't like windows 7 and this will get either XP or linux

I've come accross a lot of A200s at work, and the ones with dedicated graphics usually do run hot and eventually get BGA problems with the graphics. The problem with them is the fan curve. It stays almost silent until it's really cooking.

[mockingbird]

Re: best cheap/free scores 1.1

Ah yea, some of them have Radeon 2600 "dedicated" graphics... Yea, they used a pretty lousy RoHS alloy... I have one with 965Gx, doesn't have this problem.

[kc8adu]

Re: best cheap/free scores 1.1

got a free yaesu vx-7r in pieces in a bag.guy bought it new several years ago and promptly killed it with the wrong wallwart.looks like the only damage is a switching transistor.

[Logistics]

Re: best cheap/free scores 1.1

Been visiting an electronics surplus place for the past few days in-between getting off work and my other half getting off work. Today I finally made it over to the Power Supply section and saw a stack of four, normal looking ATX PSU's. As soon as I picked it up I assumed it was server hardware because it's the heaviest PSU I have ever held in my hand, and I'm not used to my power supplies being heavy at all... and this thing has modular hookups so it doesn't even have cabling hanging from it.

Anyway, it's a 3Y model: YM-6042D, and I can't seem to find any real info on this thing, anywhere including the manufacturers site. Thankfully, I noticed while searching on my phone that they are part of FSP so I gladly forked over the $10 they wanted for one. I'm tempted to go back and get the other 3, but there's a catch and perhaps a twist. The other three were wrapped in anti-static bags and had tags on them that said they were refurbished by some repair shop. The one I bought was in the original plastic and looks totally new, smells totally new, and hasn't had the warranty sticker removed or cut.

The possible twist is that I wonder if these things have a common defect that SHOULD be fixed and maybe I'm shorting myself by taking the new one.

Anyway, if anyone has any experience with similar models of PSU's by this company then perhaps you can help me with a little snag. I have never had a modular PSU... or whatever this is considered. It doesn't have seperate modular plugs for each style of plug. It has two, big 19-pin modular plugs like a motherboard plug. I'm assuming that one actually is for the motherboard while the other is for all the accessories.

Any idea what the deal is, and if I'm correct in my assumption about the plug then where do I get the plugs I need to attach to this PSU? Maybe I can get them at my local Frys Electronics?

[Wester547]

Re: best cheap/free scores 1.1

Check if yours is the one with the Nec/Tokin chip capacitor or the one with the Compal board.

This may sound slow of me but do both Compal and NEC/Tokin boards have the same chipset? I ask because I have a SB600 and RS690 in my A215-S7422 and it says here that it's (SB600 in the southbridge/RS690 in the northbridge) made by Compal but there's no way to find out short of opening up the notebook, right?

[LDSisHere]

Re: best cheap/free scores 1.1

Recently I was given a Dell Optiplex GX-280 P4 3.0 GHz, it is a little on the old side but can still be useful. The only thing wrong with it other than needing a hard drive was the excessive fan noise. When the machine is turned on cold it is quiet as a church mouse, over a period of time the fan speed would increase to the point that you would swear if you added wings it could achieve liftoff.

Following my normal procedure I did a Google search to see if this was common and the possible solutions. I found one solution that was so simple that I thought it could not be correct but I had to check my machine. I powered it off, as it had been blasting and opened it up. I felt the top of the two heat pipes and they were completely cool. I felt the top of heat sink on the processor and I was immediately concerned about a blister forming. From this I was able to conclude what I had read was correct. The problem could be solved by replacing the 2 heat pipe sink with one that had 4 or 6 pipes. I was going to order a 6 pipe but came across a 4 for free so I took it.

Now you have to put your ear next to it to hear it run under most conditions.

[shovenose]

Re: best cheap/free scores 1.1

Cool!
I'd also make sure you've applied nice new thermal paste of good quality. I can't imagine the stuff that Dell uses being great.

[LDSisHere]

Re: best cheap/free scores 1.1

I normally use Arctic Céramique, it is cheap, has good thermal transfer and is non-conductive. It has AS5 on it before changing the heat sink, the thermal compound was the first thing I tried changing to solve the fan problem.

[momaka]

Re: best cheap/free scores 1.1

I got 2x Dell 170L PCs last week. Both are 2.8 GHz P4, 1280 MB of RAM, 40 GB HDD. They both seem to work well. I left them at work though, and they'll likely stay there for the rest of the week until I clear some space in my closet. I might give out 1 of them to a friend, though.

I'd also make sure you've applied nice new thermal paste of good quality. I can't imagine the stuff that Dell uses being great.

It's okay in quality. They just put too much of it.

[BigTroll]

Re: best cheap/free scores 1.1

just got a awesome samsung syncmaster 997df CRT in box for $5, it can do 1920x1440 at 65hz i run it 1600x1200 at 75hz, has real fine .20 dot pitch.

[ratdude747]

Re: best cheap/free scores 1.1

A samsung crt?



I hope it lasts... Sammy CRT's are more or less known for early deaths. some are fixable (I have one at my old house but I don't have an HV probe to fix it yet).

[momaka]

Re: best cheap/free scores 1.1

I've had my 955df for almost 3 years now. Got it free off of Craigslist (I could have actually taken another one from the same person, but I don't know why I didn't... still feel bad about that one because it probably got thrown away). I have put over 1500 hours on it since. Still works great, though. Most excellent focus I have seen from a CRT!

Not to mention that my room heats up to close to 28-29C (about 82F) in the summer. The back on my 955df gets scorching hot. It usually crackes for 30 minutes like a hot car engine after it has been turned off, so it definitely must be getting toasty on the inside. Yet it hasn't died, so I think the Koreans did an okay job with this one. The 997df seems to be of the same age so it will probably be just as good.

[Agent24]

Re: best cheap/free scores 1.1

My Philips 107s makes horrible creaking\cracking noises sometimes too

[Phaihn]

Re: best cheap/free scores 1.1

my sister tried to replace the fan in her laptop she ended up busting the connectors to the power button and keyboard and completly ripping off the connector for the track pad so she gave it to me was able to repair the connecters less the trackpad that will never work again without replacing the motherboard.

[ratdude747]

Re: best cheap/free scores 1.1

my sister tried to replace the fan in her laptop she ended up busting the connectors to the power button and keyboard and completly ripping off the connector for the track pad so she gave it to me was able to repair the connecters less the trackpad that will never work again without replacing the motherboard.

I rarely if ever use a trackpad so for me, it's a win.

If it were me, I'd just replace the connector. I'd snare one off digikey and do some SMD soldering. then again, fine pitch SMD soldering isn't childs play.

[Phaihn]

Re: best cheap/free scores 1.1

I rarely if ever use a trackpad so for me, it's a win.

If it were me, I'd just replace the connector. I'd snare one off digikey and do some SMD soldering. then again, fine pitch SMD soldering isn't childs play.

im not sure if there is anything left to solder to as far as you can tell is there anything left there i still have the connector?

[ratdude747]

Re: best cheap/free scores 1.1

im not sure if there is anything left to solder to as far as you can tell is there anything left there i still have the connector?

I'd have to look myself. depends on if the traces were yanked as well and if so, how much of them is left. If there was enough trace left it would be fixable but a challenge at the very least.

Either way, free is free.