My Jetway P4XFA pfSense Router End of Life

Today my Jetway P4XFA end its life as my pfSense router, it serve my mini Lab for several years and due to faulty Pentium 4 Microprocessor this Linux router motherboard will be for disposal. I am selling this Jetway P4XFA motherboard for less just email me or leave your message in the comment box below if interested.

The package included are Kingston KVR266X64C25/128 Memory and 64Mb AGP Video card. This Jetway motherboard works perfectly on MS Windows XP, I have been using this as my pfSense router long time ago without fan only the heatsink only find today fail to connect my network.

Jetway P4XFA Specifications, Drivers and Manual can be downloaded here.

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Fanbox

Fanbox.com is a free-access social networking website that is operated and privately owned by SMS.ac, Inc. The site offers services where users can chat, find new & old friends, back up files in a virtual desktop and share them with other users, use and create application and games. However, the site has been getting mostly negative reviews from blog sites and the end users, who often complain of receiving too many emails from the site. So fanbox stepped up to the plate and changed the user options. Now the user has control over what emails are sent or received and even have a option to opt-out of fanbox emailing anyone in their existing social network.

According to Quantcast fanbox has a estimated monthy traffic of 3.5 million people per month and 22.8 million visits per month on its site within the US. Their findings show that the site appeals more to a male audience and comes in at 375th in their US site rankings. - wikipedia

Fanbox is social blogging platform where you can earn by sharing picture,blog post and video.In this site you can add friend and fans and also invite friend to join this.This is only platform where you can write copy paste article from others blogs .When others read your post you'll get paid.

When i first join this site i didn't get enough money so i thought i am not a good writer to earn money with fanbox but i saw that there are many other way to earn like sharing photo,categorize and rating other post,launching ads etc.

Now i am earning quite impressively its really a great site for easy income.

Fanbox Legit or Scam ?

From the BBB report:

"Consumer complaints allege charges appearing on their cell phone bills for services that they did not authorize and/or were unaware of. Some consumers state that they receive a text message stating they will be charge $9.95 unless they type "stop" and reply. Some consumers are still charged even if they follow these instructions. Consumers that contact the company directly for refund of services state they have difficulty obtaining any refund. Additionally consumers allege that the company is sending out text messages to individuals in their address book making the text appear to be from them and not a company. The text indicates that the individual has sent you a slide show to view. When recipients attempt to view the slide show they are unaware that they are signing up for a service. Many consumers don't understand what service they are being billed for. The BBB attempted to contact the business regarding the pattern of complaints, but the business did not respond to the BBB's attempts."

About SMS.ac

SMS.ac Inc. is a mobile data and Internet communications company based in San Diego, California. The company (and its spinoff subsidiary FanBox) has been widely criticized for charging unrequested SMS services from consumers and for failing to respond to the complaints of users and for FanBox's e-mail activities. The company provides distribution and billing to people buying and selling digital content (video, music, and applications) through (SMS) mobile services[citation needed] and web-based applications. SMS.ac's website integrates its mobile billing technology with various social networking services like photos, videos, music, and comments. SMS.ac claims over 50 million registered users in more than 180 countries.

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Fanbox mail scam: Watch out for automatic debit from your bank, PayPal account

The Fanbox email scam which was reported by Moneylife earlier, is turning more dangerous as some users have found their bank account linked with PayPal shrinking automatically

The Fanbox email scam, which Moneylife reported on 20 March 2013, is turning out to be more dangerous and harmful for those who have linked their bank and PayPal accounts with Fanbox. Some users have reported that their bank accounts have been automatically debited by Fanbox through the link to their PayPal account. Moneylife received comments from those who saw their bank account shrink. One such person lamented and said, “They (Fanbox) are debiting money from my account in regular interval automatically. Till now they have charged $28”. Another person saw as much as $100 being debited to Fanbox. The age of internet banking has made it easier for users to be looted.

Moneylife had earlier written about the Fanbox email scam, which is basically a phishing attempt to get users’ details to disclose private details such as email and phone numbers and even their entire contact list as well, as well as pay monthly fees. Fanbox sends email which claims that recipient has won some money and that a processing fee needs to be paid to claim it. It asks for a ‘processing fee’, for an account that may not even exist, by linking a user’s bank account online to Fanbox account so that they can collect their “earnings”. Fanbox charges users for a promised payout in the future. Users’ either pay manually or online. It is the online mode which is worrisome, as it is automated, which resulted in some users complaining that they are being debited by Fanbox.

Refer to the Fanbox emailer below…

“Hi,

As of Nov. 7, 2012, you had utilized $371.58 of your “I’ll Pay Later” funds, and have earned $309.91 since you started utilizing IPL.

Your October processing fee of $5.69 became due on Nov. 12, 2012. You'll want to pay your processing fee (LINK REMOVED) immediately to protect your account and money.

Please note that if your processing fee has not been paid by Nov. 22, 2012, a late fee will be added to your processing fee.

Amount due if paid before Nov. 22, 2012: $5.69

Amount due if paid on or after Nov. 22, 2012: $15.69


Did you know?

You can avoid manual payments and late fees, and protect your earnings, by setting up Automatic Account Protection. It’s a free service!"

Regards,

The FanBox Account Protection Team”

Users have to keep paying a “processing fee” at regular intervals i.e. monthly. For this purpose, Fanbox asks users to connect and authorise their bank account via PayPal to automate and automatically debit at regular intervals for “Automatic Account Protection”. All it takes a single click. Authorising Fanbox to access your account works similar to how you authorise Twitter or Facebook to connect to each other or a third-party app. The whole idea to authorise Fanbox to debit your account is so that you don’t miss a payment and at same time “protect” your Fanbox account from being deactivated.

Yet, linking your bank account to a third party can be very dangerous. Authorizing PayPal to debit a user’s bank account on behalf of Fanbox means that users’ bank account will get debited automatically, because Fanbox not only has access to your bank account, but can debit automatically too, often without users knowing about it.

However, if users miss a payment, their Fanbox account will be locked up. One user in a forum said, “In the event you will not able to pay the monthly due, they (Fanbox) will deactivate your account. You can't get back everything you spent before and all that you have invested.” Some have even complained that there is nothing in for users. One user has also complained, in a forum, that Fanbox keeps changing the rules. She said, “They change rules every month and the members ending up earn nothing at all”. Fanbox clearly smells fishy.

Fanbox is run by SMS.ac, a dubious company that claims to be an online community which exists via text messaging only. Apparently, SMS.ac has been penalised in the past for misleading information without giving price information by the regulator in UK. The full details can be accessed here. It is a surprise that it is continuing in a different avatar. In another instance, some employees of Fanbox alleged that they were not paid in full.

For those who have authorised Fanbox to debit their bank account through Paypal, this website will show how to deactivate the link and stop the automated debits. In the age of internet banking, authorising third party applications to access your bank account is strongly not recommended, even if it makes your life more convenient and easier. Similarly, if you have authorised your Fanbox to use your debit or credit card, it is best to remove it. Another site shows how to remove credit card information.

In future, if you get any spam or suspicious looking email claiming you have won something or have something unclaimed, it is best advised to filter and delete it right away. Moreover, never link your bank account or credit/debit card online to any third party, even if the site is credible. As for Fanbox, it is best you stay away from it, no matter what their claims are.

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How to Permanently Get Rid of Fanbox Spam

Fanbox seems to have a dogged determination to SPAM everyone that has an email address. While some report to have escaped the "love" of fanbox just by clicking on the unsubscribe link in the spam email, most say the relief was only temporary.

Make sure NOT to click any link in the spam mail. Every link (including the "unsubscribe" link) happens to be a link that automatically registers a fanbox account using the victim's email address, and the "click" is also treated as the victim's consent to receive future communication (spam) from fanbox.

Worst case scenario: you may already have an account registered with fanbox -- without your knowledge. Sleazy?

If the email says you owe fanbox money which when paid will entitle you to cash out a larger amount, do not get carried away or feel obliged to pay. It's a SCAM. Read here how fanbox has been scamming people.

The only way to fully and completely get rid of this obstinate spammer is to create a filter to delete all emails that contain the word "fanbox" as soon as they are received at your end. No legitimate company or individual is even remotely likely to use that word for any purpose other than spam. However, facebook might use the words "Fan Box" if you own a website with a facebook Fan Box installed on it. Still, the extra space will make sure such emails pass through the filter.

Here's a tutorial by Kelly on how to create such a filter in Gmail.

Or, you can create a filter to delete all emails from the addresses used by fanbox to spam mankind:

@fanbox.com
@myfanbox.com
@corp.fanbox.com
@apps.fanbox.com
@fanboxapps.com
@sms.ac
@optin.fanbox.com

More will be added to the list as they are discovered.

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Cherry Mobile Launched Cosmos Z2 a Full HD Octa-Core Smartphone

Now that Octa-core is now the latest and faster processor for mobile devices, Cherry Mobile is the first to released such product. The Cherry Mobile Cosmos Z2 is powered by 1.7 GHz MediaTek 6592 octa-core processor.

Following its predecessor, the Cosmos Z, the Z2 is part of the Cosmos series launched last July 2013. However, what makes it different from the rest of the Cosmos series, and the rest of Cherry Mobile’s smartphones for that matter, it’s octa-core processor.

The Cosmos series is one of our most promising lines yet – looking back, we became the first and we remain to be the only local brand with phones with Super AMOLED Technology. Looking back, we became the first and we remain to be the only local brand with phones with Super AMOLED Technology. And being our first octa-core smartphone, the Cosmos Z2 deserves to lead this line of products,” said Cherry Mobile’s Marketing Head, Poch Zenarosa

Cherry Mobile Cosmos Z2 Key Features:

• Android OS 4.2 Jelly Bean (upgradable to Kitkat 4.4 when available)
• 1.7 GHz MediaTek 6592 Octa-core processor.
• Mali 450-MP
• 5-inch FHD IPS OG Display, Full HD 16.7M Colors Resolution
• 16GB ROM, 2GB RAM
• Dual-SIM
• 18MP Back Camera with Back Illumination Technology (BSI)
• 8MP Front Camera
• 2000 mAh Battery
• WiFi Dual-Band 2.4GHz / 5GHz
• Bluetooth 4.0, GPS, G-Sensor
• OTG Ready

Suggested Retail Price 12,999Php

With its “true octa-core” – eight cores ready to work simultaneously, this smartphone can handle apps that are graphics intensive and can so multitasking without lag.

The Cherry Mobile Z2 is one Sleek smartphone only at 7.59 mm, it's comfortable to hold and use. The main camera is 18MP with Back Illumination Technology (BSI) so the picture quality taken with the camera are great. But with only 2000mAh battery this device will definitely need a powerbank as it's companion.

Cosmos Z2 brings octa-core technology to our consumers without straying too far from the actual Filipino lifestyle,” explained Cherry Mobile’s Product Manager, Lonson Alejandrino.

For the price of Php 12,999 for an Octa-core smartphone, I would say that Cosmos Z2 is a nice choice if you want to experience that Octa-core processing power. The Cosmos Z2 is now available at Cherry Mobile SM City North Edsa.

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Novo7 Tech iFive Mini3 a 7.9 Inch Tablet that Looks like iPad Mini

The iFive Mini3 is getting popular because it resembles the iPad Mini in terms of the design, and all ipad mini cases will fit the iFive Mini3.

iFive Mini3 Key Features:

• 7.9 Inch IPS Capactive Touch Screen (1024x768 Resolution)
• Android 4.2 Jelly Bean
• CPU: RK3188 Quad Core
• GPU: Mali 400 MP4
• RAM 1GB,DDR3
• Storage 16GB expandable up to 32GB micro SD Card
• Shell Material Plastic
• WIFI 802.11 b/g/n
• 2.0MP Front camera
• 5.0MP Back Camera
• Li-ion 4100mAH Battery
• Available ports 1 x Micro USB OTG Port, 1 x Micro SD Card slot, 1 x Earphone jack, 1 x Micro HDMI port

Sugested Retail Price : 8,295Php

With Dimensions: 202.2 x 135.6 x 6.48mm, this tablet is really thin, and the iFive Mini3 has only one physical button as compared to iPad mini which has 3. And whats great about it is you can use those iPad Mini cases even smart covers but do not expect the magnetic function to work.

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Lenovo’s Latest Dual Sim Smartphones A269i, A369i, A516 and A850

Chinese Mobile manufacturing Company; Lenovo has recently launched four new Dual Sim Smartphones under its “A-Series” aiming Indian population, Lenovo A269i, A369i, A516 and A850. All of these “Value of Money” Smartphones looks very promising for the Festive Season, as stated by the Company.

Keeping in mind the festive season, all of these Smartphones will be available from the month of October.

Lenovo A269i is a low-end Smartphone available in black variant only with under-listed few features, As limited announcement by the company.

Key Features of Lenovo A269i:

• Dual Sim (GSM+GSM)
• 3.5 inch Display
• 1 GHz Dual Core Processor

Lenovo A369i is another budget Smartphone in black variant with 5 MP Rear Camera. This device is powered by Dual Core Processor clocked at 1.3 GHz with 512 MB RAM. However, there is no word for Android Version; Chipset used, memory expandable and type of Camera for the device by the Company.

Key Features of Lenovo A369i:

• Dual Sim (GSM+GSM)
• 4 inch Display
• 1.3 GHz Dual Core Processor
• 512 MB RAM
• 5 MP Rear Camera
• 4 GB Internal Storage, supports microSD card

Lenovo A516 boasts 4.5 inch Display with 178 degree wide-view IPS technology. The device is powered by 1.3 GHz Dual-Core Processor while Android 4.2 Jelly Bean 4.2 serves as the OS. 5 MP camera and internal storage of 4 GB with microSD card support, A516 will be available in White and Grey Charcoal color variants.

Key Features of Lenovo A516:

• Dual Sim (GSM+GSM)
• 4.5 inch Display
• 1.3 GHz Dual-Core Processor
• Android 4.2 Jelly Bean OS
• 5 MP Rear Camera
• 4 GB Internal Storage, supports microSD card.

Much like its smaller sibling, Lenovo A850 is basically a 5.5 inch Phablet equipped with 178 degree wide-view IPS technology. Powered by 1.3 GHz Quad-core processor and Android 4.2 Jelly Bean OS, this device has 4 GB internal storage that can be expandable up to 32 GB via microSD card. The device is available in two color variants only, Black and White.

Key Features of Lenovo A850:

• Dual Sim (GSM+GSM)
• 5.5 inch Display
• Android 4.2 Jelly Bean
• 1.3 GHz Quad-core processor
• 5 MP Rear Camera
• 4 GB Internal Storage, expandable up to 32 GB via MicroSD card

Though Lenovo has launched these Smartphones but there has not been any word for whole Specifications like Display Resolution, the chipset used and type of Camera by the Company.

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12V Speed Dimmer / Controller circuit and explanation

This handy circuit can be used as a speed controller for a 12V motor rated up to 5A (continuous) or as a dimmer for a 12V halogen or standard incandescent lamp rated up to 50W. It varies the power to the load (motor or lamp) using pulse width modulation (PWM) at a pulse frequency of around 220Hz.

SILICON CHIP has produced a number of DC speed controllers over the years, the most recent being our high-power 24V 40A design featured in the March & April 2008 issues. Another very popular design is our 12V/24V 20A design featured in the June 1997 issue and we have also featured a number of reversible 12V designs.

Circuit looks like:

For many applications though, most of these designs are over-kill and a much simpler circuit will suffice. Which is why we are presenting this basic design which uses a 7555 timer IC, a MOSFET and not much else. Being a simple design, it does not monitor motor back-EMF to provide improved speed regulation and nor does it have any fancy overload protection apart from a fuse. However, it is a very efficient circuit and the kit cost is quite low.

Parts layout:

There are many applications for this circuit which will all be based on 12V motors, fans or lamps. You can use it in cars, boats, and recreational vehicles, in model boats and model railways and so on. Want to control a 12V fan in a car, caravan or computer? This circuit will do it for you.

Circuit diagram:

The circuit uses a 7555 timer (IC1) to generate variable width pulses at about 210Hz. This drives Mosfet Q3 (via transistors Q1 & Q2) to control the speed of a motor or to dim an incandescent lamp.

Halogen lamps:

While the circuit can dim 12V halogen lamps, we should point out that dimming halogen lamps is very wasteful. In situations where you need dimmable 12V lamps, you will be much better off substituting 12V LED lamps which are now readily available in standard bayonet, miniature Edison screw (MES) and MR16 halogen bases. Not only are these LED replacement lamps much more efficient than halogen lamps, they do not get anywhere near as hot and will also last a great deal longer.

Source: Silicon Chip 15 November 2008

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Huawei Denies Hacking into BSNL Base Stations

China's Huawei has denied media reports that it had hacked into the infrastructure of the state-owned mobile network operator, BSNL, and said it will work with the authorities to address any security concerns.

India's ICT Minister, Killi Kruparani told the parliament that the government is investigating the claims that at least one base station in Andhra Pradesh had been targeted by the Chinese vendor.

"The government has constituted an interministerial team to investigate the matter," Minister of State for Communications and IT Killi Kruparani informed the Lok Sabha.

"Huawei India denies such alleged hacking and continues to work closely with customers and government in India to address any network security issue- that may arise in technical and business operations - with full compliance on network security norms, regulations and laws," Scott Sykes, Vice President, Head of International Media Affairs of Huawei stated.

The Indian government has on several occasions blocked Huawei from bidding for contracts, especially in sensitive border areas.

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DIY 1000 Watts Millenium Amplifier Sanken Power Transistors 2SA1216 2SC2922

The DIY 1000 Watts Millenium Amplifier Sanken Power Transistors 2SA1216 2SC2922 has also shown live on board DC power (a second kind of order point, removable) and effective protection of short circuit. A system with new signal amplifier bias at + / – 100 volts, made completely safe for millennium end of the operation of our limits: + / – 70 volts and results in the maximum specified output power of 250 watts 8 ohms. The circuit is also stable with only + / – 15 volts and can then operate at only 6 Watts output power.

1000 Watts 2SA1216 2SC2922

This Millenium Amplifier Sanken Power Transistors 2SA1216 2SC2922 in bridge mode at up to 1000 watts 8 ohms and 2000 watts into 4 ohms can be achieved without conversion circuits. This is due to the input circuit of the Millennium, both positive and negative signal inputs. Even for the balanced XLR connector. (The common mode rejection exceeds 90 dB).

No IC found in the signal path (only for DC power and short circuit protection are used), no feedback at all, not even the locals, makes this amp sound good with any kind of high speakers.

The DIY 1000 Watts Millenium Amplifier Sanken Power Transistors 2SA1216 2SC2922 circuit diagram shows how the simple and ingenious principle of this amplifier is designed. No feedback loops (100% non-return), no capacitors or IC in the signal path. The section of the frequency response from DC to 500,000 Hz (0-3 dB), so that each signal of the music from the deepest bass to the highest of the air flows freely through the end of the millennium come to the ears.

Protection of short circuit 1000 Watts Millenium Amplifier Sanken Power Transistors 2SA1216 2SC2922 does not affect the signal. It monitors only the currect consumed by the speakers. If overloaded, the signal for a few seconds will be closed. Then the end will try again on line, but if it is still a little bit, it’s right next to the other for a few seconds. If staying low, the amplifier wait for days, until the load conditions are acceptable. Then he will play as if nothing had happened! It is a very efficient system overload protection, which we copied from our range of professional PA amplifiers.

Thank you for the construction of the reinforcement, which can in many ways innovative technology, we offer a kit amplifier platform that sets the boundaries of musicality always easy and fluid with great precision audio quality.

These are items that you would normally pay up to 10 times higher prices would be compared to what the final cost of the Millennium, in part, because you assemble yourself, saving labor costs.

What would replace the sound quality of these come into force in a way that makes the amplifier. his thin and hard turning level, and also a significant loss of detail at higher levels in the lower levels compared. This is because the number of errors, of course, increases with the power to correct.

In non-feedback amplifier, there is no circuit to the input compared with the output signal. Therefore, the designer must ensure that no distortion occurs not at any stage of the amplifier. This requires more use of linear components and high quality available worldwide. Instead of the High-High-Gain Amplifier Installation normal distortion, amplifier non-response was 3.2 gain stages, low distortion and low, are cascading the gain entirely adequate.

This kind of amplifier does not have the problems described above, and will sound exactly the same in high and low. Also revealed it will provide, add a better control of the bass speakers, and their best performance. This is because when the electricity demand of membranes or decellerate you accelerate, it can jump from the stage at a time. It is not provided because of the current increase – more correction in the amplifier circuit together.

In an amplifier feedback loop normal, the extra electricity to keep the output voltage must be at the right level based on the input voltage through the feedback loop provided. I think now return you to understand the benefits of the art of no. To avoid that, to correct the distortion of the feedback loops, we use more linear power transistors in the world: SANKEN 2SA1216 2SC2922

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36 Watt Audio Power Amplifier Using TDA1562Q

It’s based on a Philips class-H audio amplifier IC and can deliver 36W RMS OR 70W music power, all from a 13.8V supply. Our new Mighty Midget Amplifier can really pack a punch – around 36W RMS continuous into a 4-ohm load when using a 13.8V supply. However, it’s the 70W of output power that it can deliver during dynamic (music) signal conditions that really make you sit up and take notice.

As can be seen from the photos and the circuit diagram, the Mighty Midget uses just a handful of parts. It’s built on a PC board that measures just 104mm x 39mm but while its size may be modest, these’s nothing at all modest about its power output. And the noise and distortion figures are pretty good too.

Circuit diagram:

At the heart of the circuit is the TDA1562Q IC, described by Philips as a “monolithic integrated Bridge-Tied Load (BTL) class-H high-efficiency power amplifier”. It comes in a 17-pin “DIL-bent-SIL” plastic package and is not only designed for use in car audio and portable PA work but for mains applications as well; eg, mini/midi audio components and TV sound.

Parts layout:

PCB layout:

Performance:

Output power: ——————————— 36W RMS into 4R
Music power: ——————————— 70W into 4R
Frequency response: ——————— 1dB down at 28Hz and 55kHz
Input sensitivity: ————————— 130mV RMS (for 36W into 4?)
Harmonic distortion: ———————— typically 0.2% (see graphs)
Signal-to-noise ratio: ———————— 95dB unweighted (22Hz to 22kHz)

Via Silicon Chip March 2002

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100 Watt MOSFET Amplifier Circuit Diagram

MOSFET based amplifiers as we all know are outstanding with their sound qualities and they can easilly beat the performance of other counterparts based on power transistors or linear ICs.

However amplifiers based on mosfets are not always easy to design or make.

Moreover after assembling a prototype, testing to perfection always remains an issue with new electronic hobbyists.

You might have come across many hi-fi complex mosfet amplifier designs, but might have not dared making it just because of the above reasons.

The simple mosfet amplifier circuit diagram is super simple to build and yet will provide you with a crystal clear 100 watts of raw music power that all the listeners will cherish for a long time.

The idea was developed a long time ago by the Hitachi researchers and still it remains one of the favorite designs of all time considering the involved simplicity against quality.

Looking at the figure we can understand the circuit with the following points:

• The involved simplicity would also certainly mean that some of the ideal features of the circuit was sacrificed in the design, for example it lacks a constant current source for the differential amplifier at the input stage of the amplifier.
• However that doesn't induce any serious problems though.
• The differential amplifier makes sure that the input is sufficiently amplified to some reasonable levels suitable for feeding the next driver stage.
• The driver stage consists of a well balanced high voltage transistor stage which are necessarily positioned for driving the output power mosfets.
• The pot positioned in between the two sections of the driver stage is used for setting the quiescent current of the circuit.
• The output stage is a common push pull type of mosfet stage which finally provides the boost for amplifying the fed low signal music into a 100 watt thumping music over a 8 Ohm speaker.

The shown parts might be obsolete today so may be replaced as follows:

• The differential transistor may be replaced with BC556.
• The driver transistors may be replaced with MJE350/MJE340.
• The mosfets may be replaced with 2SJ162/2SK1058

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RJ45 Easy Crimper

Platinum Tools® Launches EZ-RJ45® Cat5e/6 Shielded Connectors w/Internal or External Ground

CAMARILLO, California – Platinum Tools (www.platinumtools.com), the leader in solutions for the preparation, installation and hand termination of wire and cable, announces the launch of the recently updated EZ-RJ45 shielded Cat5e/6 connectors with internal or external ground. The EZ-RJ45 shielded connectors are now shipping.

“Made in the USA and designed to work on both Cat5e and Cat6 cables, solid or stranded, our upgraded EZ-RJ45 connectors combine the performance exclusive to its predecessor’s design, but now with the advantages inherent to shielded products for an unparalleled solution,” said Lee Sachs, Platinum Tools, Inc. president and general manager. “By shielding the EZ-RJ45, additional electrical isolation means the cables are even less susceptible to electrical interference caused by nearby equipment or wires and, in response, are less likely to cause interference themselves. Additionally, in applications where NEXT, FEXT, and AXT are an issue, using shielded products can be the solution.”

By utilizing the new EZ-RJ45, simplify twisted pair terminations by allowing the wires to be inserted through the connector and out the front, to easily verify the proper wiring order. Pulling the connector down over the cable jacket and seating it tightly in the rear of the connector optimizes electrical performance of the termination. Reducing the distance between the wire twists and contacts also improves performance. Terminate with the patented Platinum Tools EZ-RJ45 Crimp Tools…crimp and trim in one cycle.

Additional features of the EZ-RJ45 shielded Cat5e/6 connectors include:

• Made in the USA
• through holes allow wire pairs to be inserted through front of connector for faster terminations
• EZ to verify wire sequence, reduces scrap
• more reliable and higher performance
• works with solid or stranded wire; separate connectors not required, reducing inventory and confusion
• simple one-piece design; bars or liners not required
• use in Category 3, 5, 5E or 6 compliant data networks
• UL rated, FCC & RoHS compliant
• 50 micro inch gold plated
• internal ground: maximum cable OD: 0.260in.; maximum conductor OD: 0.041in.
• external ground: maximum cable OD: 0.280+in.; maximum conductor OD: 0.041in.

The EZ-RJPRO HD modular crimp tool has been designed to terminate all EZ-RJ45 (Cat3, 5, 5e, and 6) and EZ-RJ11 (4 and 6 contact) plugs and can also be used to terminate most regular RJ45 and RJ12/11 plugs. It provides a ratcheted, high leverage, ultra stable platform for consistent, repeatable terminations. This heavy duty tool is the perfect solution when working with high performance, larger OD cables that are tougher to terminate due to larger wire gauges, thicker, harder insulation on the conductors and pair separating splines. Not only will connectivity obstacles be overcome, but the installer can be assured that every termination will meet FCC specifications.

The patented, rugged PRO HD tool, which will reliably crimp and trim wires at the same time, has an all steel frame, PVC handles, and a rust resistant, black oxide finish to stand up to the rigors of field installations.

This heavy duty ratchet style tool includes integral cable cutter/jacket strippers for round (Cat 3-6) and flat (silver satin) cable, providing optimal pressure to all contacts for a precise crimp while the vertical action assures all contacts are terminated to the proper depth.

“We will continue to innovate and improve our unique EZ-RJ45 connectors and tools,” added Sachs. “Products designed to increase an installer’s efficiency have been the key to our success and they will continue to dominate our product line in the future.”

Please contact Platinum Tools for pricing.

For more information on Platinum Tools and its complete product line, please visit www.platinumtools.com, call (800) 749-5783, or email info@platinumtools.com.

About Platinum Tools

Platinum Tools, founded in 1997, was created based upon two very simple objectives. First, develop the absolute best possible solutions for the preparation, installation, and hand termination of wire and cable. Second, implement an operational infrastructure that can deliver these products in an efficient, timely, and high quality manner.

All of our products must absolutely satisfy three critical benchmark criteria…utility of function; quality of function; and economic value. Our people are our company. They, too, must be focused on and work to satisfy three critical benchmark criteria…customer satisfaction; product knowledge and expertise; and willingness to learn and adapt.

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HomePlug Green PHY Modem Addresses Home Energy Network Use

The Qualcomm Atheros QCA7000 offers a simplified solution as it includes all of the components needed for a PLC modem, such as the analog front end, power-management unit, and RAM and ROM. UART and SPI interfaces are provided as well. GPIO allows external circuits and devices to be connected. External flash is an option.

The Qualcomm Atheros QCA7000 IC is a fresh new solution for the use of power-line communications (PLC) in home energy networks. Wireless solutions are available, but PLC approaches are an obvious good choice since the communications medium, your ac power wiring, is already in place.

While using the ac power line as a communications link seems to be a no-brainer, its quirky, noisy characteristics have made designers wary. The QCA7000 addresses and solves these problems and does it with low power consumption.

The QCA7000 is designed for home area networks (HANs). Target devices include smart meters, home energy management systems, appliances, and electric vehicle charging stations. It’s based on the new HomePlug Green PHY (HPGP) standard from the HomePlug Alliance.

HomePlug is one of the oldest and most widely used PLC standards. It is known primarily for HomePlug AV, which can achieve data rates greater than 200 Mbits/s for connecting TV sets, DVD players, set-top boxes, and other consumer electronic devices. HPGP uses the same orthogonal frequency-division modulation (OFDM) scheme and band plan but offers features that better fit the needs of a HAN.

HPGP is an innovative standard for PLC that’s interoperable with the IEEE 1901/HomePlug AV power-line networking protocol. It swaps the HomePlug AV protocol’s greater than 200-Mbit/s rate for low-energy, low-cost extended home coverage. This tradeoff can equate to a more than 80% power reduction in a given application while providing up to a 10-Mbit/s data rate to meet today’s smart energy needs for scalability to protect investments for future requirements.

Also, HPGP is an IP-based (Internet protocol) technology that enables the handling of IP protocols, such as Smart Energy Profile (SEP) 2.0, without translation layers. It also can natively support media access controller (MAC) layer bridging to Wi-Fi, Ethernet, and cellular technologies, providing endless extensibility to the power-line network.

The QCA7000 is highly integrated with the power-management unit, analog front end, and memory in a tiny 8x8 quad-flat no-lead (QFN) package (see the figure). A single 3.3-V rail powers the chip to allow for reduced system cost and easy integration into customer designs.

To support embedded applications, SPI and UART host interfaces are available on the chip to permit direct connectivity to low-cost, low-power microcontrollers commonly found in the smart energy ecosystem. To reduce customers’ system cost, a GPIO bus and an optional flash interface are available to support simple hostless applications like smart plugs and monitoring sensors.

Samples of the QCA7000 chip are available now to select customers. Volume production is scheduled for early 2012.

Qualcomm Atheros
www.qca.qualcomm.com

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Minecraft – Pocket Edition 0.8.0 build 8

Download Minecraft – Pocket Edition 0.8.0 build 8 here

Current Version: 0.8.0 build 8
Requires Android: Varies with device
Category: Arcade & Action
v0.8.0 build 8 update:

Version 0.7.6 — A few Realms fixes

• Some stability fixes and tweaks with Realms

Version 0.7.5 — Lots of fixes!

• Creepers can be ignited by flint and steel
• Added support for connecting to external servers
• Fixed a lot of bugs

Overview:

Minecraft is about placing blocks to build things and going on adventures!

Pocket Edition includes randomly generated worlds, multiplayer over a local Wi-Fi network, and Survival and Creative modes. You can craft and create with your friends anywhere in the world so long as you have hands spare and battery to burn.

Our most recent update added the iconic Creepers. They’re big, green, mean and explody. But it’s just one of many. Since Minecraft — Pocket Edition first appeared, we’re continuing to add loads of new features, including…

• Food! Now you can cook and go hungry
• Swords! Bows! TNT!
• Chests
• Skeletons
• Spiders
• Beds
• Paintings
• Lots more!

But enough sales talk! Download it already! And have fun!

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Assembling Arduino Clone Kit $9

The RBBB from Modern Device Company is a wonderful little Arduino clone. If you have a Arduino project requiring a small footprint or an inexpensive dedicated board, this is a great solution.

I discovered the RBBB while looking for a cheaper alternative to the official Arduino board I used in developing my Northern Lights Indicator. On sale, buying 5 kits, these came out to about $9 each. That is a huge savings over the $35 Arduino Diecimila.

Here are all the parts of the RBBB kit. Included are:

• 2 10k resistors (Brown, Black, Orange)
• 2 .1ufd ceramic capacitors
• 2 47 ufd electrolytic capacitors
• 1 voltage regulator
• 1 3mm LED
• 1 Atmega168 preprogrammed with bootloader
• 1 16 MHZ ceramic resonator
• male header pins
• 6 right-angle male-header pins
• 1 momentary switch
• 1 28 pin IC socket

Via Instructable

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FreeDuino

Freeduino is a collaborative open-source project to replicate and publish Arduino-compatible hardware files. The Freeduino Eagle SCH, BRD and Gerber production files allow users to create boards that are 100% functionally, electrically and physically compatible with Arduino hardware.

While Arduino is a protected trademark, Freeduino comes with a free and unrestricted license to use the Freeduino name, available for any use. This means you can do whatever you want with these files. The idea here is to make available the Eagle files you would need to make your own Freeduino variant board.

Freeduino currently consists of a Diecimilia-equivalent schematic and 0603, 0805, 1206 and through-hole routed board files. In addidtion, we have begun posting files derived from by others from the first Freeduino files (yes, Arduino>Freeduino>others!).

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Arduino as a simple JTAG adapter

After building up a Xilinx XC9572XL breakout board from Dangerous Prototypes, Karl Hans Janke needed a JTAG interface (a device to access on-chip debug modules and for other purposes). Instead of forking out for the commercial product, Karl instead device his own version using an Arduino - for next to no cost at all. His Arduino sketch allows direct interaction with the JTAG interface from a serial terminal.

Karl continues with more about the concept of debugging and the JTAG specification, as well as hosting the required sketch for download on his website. And for more, we're on twitter and Google+, so follow us for news and product updates as well.

pesco blogged about his free XC95144XL CPLD breakout board PCB build:

A good while ago I won one of the free PCBs regularly given away by DIY hardware shop Dangerous Prototypes. My board of choice was a CPLD breakout board, for the Xilinx XC9572XL. CPLDs are the smaller brother of FPGAs: programmable logic chips that can be made to act as any integrated circuit within the device’s limits. The XC9572XL is programmed via a standard JTAG interface. I did not have anything that speaks JTAG so went looking if my Arduino can be turned into an appropriate programmer. The solution that I found, however, did not work; so I built my own.

If you're new to Arduino and want to join the fun, the first step is a solid board for your projects - our Freetronics Eleven - the Arduino-Uno compatible with low-profile USB socket, onboard prototyping space and easy to view LEDs:

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Easy Malay Recipe: Masak Asam Rebus Ikan

For uber Malay comfort food at home, cook up this easy recipe for masak asam rebus ikan, aka hot sour fish curry and serve up with some rice.

Masak Asam Rebus Ikan Recipe

Ingredients

• 20 g dried chillies
• 1 cm length turmeric root, sliced
• 100 g shallots, peeled and sliced
• 5 g (1 tsp) shrimp paste (belacan)
• 5 – 6 pieces tamarind slices (asam keping)
• 700 ml water
• 5 large sprigs daun kesum (Vietnamese mint)
• 5 ikan kembung (tropical mackerel), around 700 g, gutted and cleaned
• Salt and sugar to taste

Method:

1. Snip the chillies into 2-cm lengths and soak in hot water until softened, about 15 minutes. Rinse well and discard most of the seeds.
2. Place the drained chillies, turmeric, shallots and shrimp paste into the jug of an electric blender. Add half cup water and blend finely.
3. Place the blended chilli paste into a saucepan with the tamarind slices and water. Bring to the boil and simmer 10 minutes on medium heat. Add the sprigs of daun kesum and fish. Cook gently for 8 to 10 minutes.
4. Season to taste with salt and about 1 scant teaspoon of sugar.

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Resettable Fuse – A reusable and self resetting fuse

When it comes to selecting a component to protect a circuit or equipment, a fuse will probably make it to the top of your list. This for a good reason. It is cheap, and does reliably what it is expected to do. But fuse suffers with at least a couple of annoying disadvantages: it can only do its job once, and has this habit of blowing at a time when you need the equipment most and do not have a spare fuse in hand.

I could imagine this occurring too often to Raychem engineers, and that what must have drove them to invent a self resetting fuse and reusable fuse, the now known Polymer Positive Temperature Coefficient PPTC Resettable Fuse.

A Resettable fuse is a protection component that breaks open, just like an ordinary fuse, when a current overloading occurs. But there the similarity ends. The Resettable fuse heals itself and, when the fault condition is removed, it will immediately spring back into life the next time you switch ON the affected equipment.

Calling the PPTC a Resettable fuse is somewhat of a misnomer. Self-Resetting fuse would have been more appropriate. But the given name stuck, so we will call it a Resettable Fuse just like every one else does.

NTC and PTC Thermistors

There is a special kind of resistor made so that its resistance changes in proportion to a temperature change. This component is the thermistor. Two general types are available. If the resistance increases with increasing temperature, the thermistor is called a positive temperature coefficient PTC thermistor. If the resistance changes towards the opposite direction, it is a negative temperature coefficient NTC thermistor.

NTC types exhibits linear resistance change over a limited temperature range. This characteristic makes the NTC thermistors useful as a sensor for temperature control (like thermostat control in air conditioning) and measurement applications (digital thermometer). Low resistance NTC thermistors are also widely in use as in-rush current limiter in power supply circuits.

PTC types, on the other hand, reacts to temperature changes in highly nonlinear way. There is a cold region in which large temperature change hardly causes any resistance change, but past a certain temperature (tripping point), resistance will increase at a rapid rate. PPTC thermistors are special types processed so that its resistance climbs up even faster when tripped. This is the basis of the operation of the PPTC Resettable Fuse.

How the PPTC Works

This is how the PPTC resetable fuse works in a circuit. When current flows though it, an internal heating occurs because of the I^2*R drop introduced by the component. If the current is low and the internal heating is not enough, nothing much happens. Current continues to flow undisturbed.

But with sufficiently large current, the PPTC is heated enough to reach its tripping temperature, and this is where a lot of things starts to happen. The PPTC resistance will suddenly rise, causing the current to drop. With appreciable resistance now introduced inside the PPTC, internal power dissipation shots up. This heats up the PPTC even more, causing its resistance to rise up even further. This regenerative action continues until the resistance increase reduced the current so low that no further increase in internal heating can occur. Circuit current, now greatly reduced (to an amount no longer capable of causing additional damage), will remain low until the circuit fault is removed.

If the fault is temporary (e.g. caused by another protection circuit such as over voltage crowbar protection circuit), the affected equipment can return back to service by merely turning it OFF and then ON again (power cycling).

Resistance vs Temperature plot of a PPTC device will look like as shown in the figure . Past the trip current, the resulting increase in temperature will cause an exponential increase in resistance.

Things to Consider

• PPTC is affected by ambient temperature. Tripping current shifts to a lower value as the ambient temperature is increased. Tripping current shown in data sheets are typical when measured on an ambient temperature of 20C (some may specify it at 25C).
• PPTC has a maximum operating voltage limit. Make sure the voltage ratings of the PPTC you use exceeds the maximum voltage of the circuit it will be connected with.
• A residual current will continue to flow after the PPTC “trips open”. The residual current is much lower that the trip current, and is inversely proportional to the applied voltage (i.e., the PPTC acts like a constant power device, keeping the I*V product constant).

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