alienware aw768 keyboard repair

hey

so, when a key goes bad on your alienware aw768 , dell thinks you should just BUY A NEW one .. 

link to their advise : https://www.dell.com/community/Alienware-General-Read-Only/Alienware-Tactx-Keyboard-manual-teardown/td-p/5625889

They were unwilling to release a doc on how to replace parts on this . so fuck it , ill try . 

there is another dude with a youtube video ..  i found it once .. unable to again on demand. 

to take it apart, - - 

remove the alienware label, and all of the grommets . 

there will be 2 little grommets under the lifts at the upper corners [small ones] under that, remove the screws .  there will be another 2 under the label, in the upper middle .. remove that, and unscrew them as well . 

on the lower bottom, remove all of the screws.   

to seperate the case from the actual keyboard, use something like a putty knife, and wedge it in between the body , working slowly .. and riding the full line around the keyboard . it will snap apart .. almost all of the way .

 EXCEPTION : once you get to the stage where it almost apart, grab a flat head .  remove the left and right arrow key caps . [with a screw driver, gently] gently push on the left for the left side [curved forcepts is what i used here .. ]  and right on the right . there is a u shaped snap  together part of the case you are trying to unsnap here . 

go slow here . . on this and dont get fustrated . large and skinny screwdriver will work ..  or a tire screwdriver .. or a tire hook .. with a right angle will work nicely . ] 

regardless ,  once you get the case seperated, if will come off leaving you with the actual board in the plastic black housing . there will be screws on the outer bands holding it together .. all around the keyboard itself . remove them . [leave the usb ones, in the upper middle . ] one you have the keyboard actually removed flip it over, and gently unhook the usb wire, and remove the screw holding the grounding clip . it will look like the below == 

the black tape .. is where the usb lead is, the screw adjacent on the upper angled left is the ground . 

order a few [or a bunch!] of brown kailh switches from here -- 

https://novelkeys.xyz/collections/switches/products/kailh-switches

I got 30 pack of browns , plus a set of 10 reds .  [for the gaming keys -- WASD  arrows] 

on the back of the keyboard are the keys , named , which is nice . 

i marked mine with black marker .. for easy viewing while doing this . 

unsolder the two lower bigger solder points , and then, the upper 4 , which are much smaller and harder .the upper 4 is the RGB, so take care on this .. also .  

make sure you suck up all of the solder on all of the points . this will take time . i used rosin, and a desoldering iron to do this ..  

Here, all of the points with holes with no white filer are removed . i removed and replaced quite a few this time . .  i dont want a new keyboard, i really like this one . . and covid has made things impossible to buy like previously .  

more -- 

once you actually have the key you want desoldered remove all of the keycaps around it . get a screw driver, and a pair of plyers . you are going to extract it like a tooth . start from the non led side first on the keyboard side, pry it up towards the top of the keyboard, from the bottom . once it pops off the board slowly rolling it . if you need to , hit the bottom with a solder gun [hot] while slowly removing each point . just go slow . once you have it totally removed, make sure your points are clean, and ready for the new key . put the RGB thru the upper part of the key and then attempt to gently seat the key on to the board . it should snap it .  once you are lined up, and snapped it, solder it it .. and put the usb and ground back on it .. and plug into a pc . . test it . ..  if it works, and lights up , like prevously , you are good ! i think there may be replacement RGB leds, but i didnt find the exact ones used, if would have been easier to just cut them out, than reuse or attempt to save them . if you do fuk it up, and render an RGB bad, there are 2 or more on the board to steal  .. the alien head itself, in the upper corner, .. or all of the macro keys .. if you are able to salvage them . 

if some of you want a video , or more detailed desc. lmk . im sure ill end up taking it apart again .. so i may update this, if requested . 

hope this helps someone else ..  as  i found very little online as to how to remove, or service this mechanical keyboard at all ! 

thanks

-Brian

Fix a vizio 3d blu-ray player .. with a power issue

hi all ,

My vizio 3D bluray player wasnt working properly .

It would turn on, then light up, read the drive for a sec or two, and then power off completely, no video .  the whole on off process looped about 10-15 seconds .

so, looking around, i did end up finding this post -

https://www.fixya.com/support/t13986198-vizio_vbr334_bluray_player_quit_working



So, this was not my idea, nor expertise .. it was totally Jeans' .

But , here it what i replaced -  the 100uf / 400V capacitor , on the power supply . 
--The round topped dome thing, next to the black head sink .. [has 100uf/400V labeling]
The one aforementioned is the replacement .
you can get them here -  2/$5

https://www.ebay.com/itm/100uF-400v-Electrolytic-Radial-Lead-Capacitor-2-Pieces/274274889794?hash=item3fdc0eb042:g:icMAAOSwA2Neg~vv

i did this project this weekend , and it was totally worth it !
basically, for the instruction set .. just desolder , or rip off the old one, and solder in the newly purchased one .  after doing so, i was able to power up fully, and play a bluray w/o issue .
It wasnt able to power up previously .


thanks Jean!

-Brian
-out-

m.2 to sata , doesnt fit the laptop ?

Hi ,


you have an m.2 sata drive .. but no m.2 port ?
Pick up one of these.. adapters , and use a standard sata port .
It will not limit your speed, just used as a interface pass thru  .
I've included a link to an auction as well .

-out-
-B

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Black-B-M-key-Socket-2-M-2-NGFF-SATA-SSD-to-2-5-SATA-Adapter-Card-with-Case/301628546056?hash=item463a765c08:g:cSYAAOSwoddaVyeH

Why are we here ?

Yo

I'd like to take a different route today.
Id Like to ask the question .. Why the fuck are we here ?
Many a great mind mounted this puzzle throughout the ages, yet no clear answer was given.

My friend, Justin is dead. He died of heroin overdose.. Beside a girl he thought.loved.him. I wish he wasnt gone or I could've helped.

I have really struggled with this why question for as long as I can remember.. Just in varied forms.
Why do we live .. Why do we die?
What was the point?
Meaning aside , was the world better worse or unchanged by our very existence.. ? If we exist  in multidimensional worlds .. Are we the best and worst at the same time ? It is possible earth is a simulated purgatory ?
Where are all the aliens, and ghosts ?
Why does it seem like globally, we are moving back wards, for unity and progress ? What's really on the other side of the wall of sleep? Are my dreams really trips to parts of the multidimensional reality ? Do we return to the river of consciousness when we die ? Will I see my lost loved ones again ? Since energy cannot be created nor destroyed, what form will it take next ?

I feel like we are missing vital details .. All of us.. I can't answer my own questions.. No one can.

But most importantly, I just want to know why my friend, my brother on this trail is.gone.

Rest in peace, brother justin.

:(

Binder clip phone mount for the car

Yo,

So check this out.. Basically .. I hate all the suction car mounts and anything hanging on my windshield. They all fall off, anyway. Ive seen this back from other people for a while and decided to just make it.

I.love it.  Best mount I've ever had.
Basically, you need two things .. And one optional one.

Need an xl binder clip.. And and elastic. I used a girls hair elastic from the dollar store.

Prep: bend the squeeze tabs 180 degrees, so they form a cradle.make one more extreme than the other.. That will be the bottom. Wrap your elastic band around the tabs two times.. And clip onto a flat surface ..slide in your phone and your done .. Check it out .

Could side notes, I used a cclamp, a hammer, and a pair of plyers. Bend, fit, and make sure you have the spacing correct when you put it back together. You could also super glue a rubbery or plastic material to the bend tabs. I didnt bc I dont care.. But it was not scratching my phone and didnt think it really needed it.

Out

B

G400 bigsby b5 and vibramate vibrato

Yo

I really wanted a bigsby on my epi sg.
I started out by installing myself, and the anchors in the body of the guitar started to pull away, from the stress of the vibramate and the bigsby. I.didnt take a pic of How bad it was floating.. Sorry
It was quarter inch off the body .. Floating. I went in various forums to see if.anyone else experienced this, and saw from vibramate themselves in the troubleshooting that the anchors would need to.be removed and reglued.
Instead I removed it and went back to.stock tailpiece and restrung to.see if it was just the vibramate causing the raised bridge. It wasnt. I eventually gave up and found a local luthier to mount the bigsby into the guitar and remove the anchors.
He also upgraded the outjack and the.bridge string rest to a grotoh at the same time. The.guitar plays significantly better . Check out the below for my attempt and the finished product

Lmk what you think
-B
Out

New to me guitar

Yo

So check this out..
I picked up a used tomy iommi epi sg.
Literally the same as my G400, but with a couple subtle differences.

My previous g400 : (chrome hardware)
Customized with a bigsby b5 vibrato, an american bridge rest (grotoh) , otherwise stock. Switchcraft Jack was also.installed.

New beast : (all black hardware and.pick ups)
Tony iommi signature edition, sounds amazing
Gibson us internals, signature sound
Inlaid crosses in 24 fret board, neck feels like silk.

I love both these guitars, I got such a great deal on the signature edition, I.couldnt pass it up. It also came with a hardcase. I Don't care that it was used, the second I picked it up, I knew .
Ive always wanted one. Check.out the pics for.comparison.

Id gladly.post a vid, for a sound comparison .. If anyone is.interested.

Im getting a small marshall practice amp.shortly .. Cant wait.for that either.

Let me know what ya think.
-B
Out

elitebook G1 840 mods

Yo,

here are my - elitebook G1 840 mods -
I got two upgraded parts, and installed them .
I ran this laptop w/o a hard drive for a while [like a chromebook], but went crazy, and installed an ssd again, but not as my boot drive .


I upgraded the internal wifi card to this -
Intel(R) Dual Band Wireless-AC 7260 [intel 720 HWM]  combo bluetooth/wifi-ac

Driver link if you wanted to do the same :
https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/network-and-i-o/wireless-networking/intel-wireless-products/intel-wireless-7200-series/intel-dual-band-wireless-ac-7260.html

there are two antennas, and one screw . literally just remove the screw, and take off the antennas with a small screwdriver or small plyers [just pull straight up, to install, push straight down]
the card itself will slide forward/out like ram .

The other part I got is a kingston 16gb m.2 ssd drive . [I actually went and got a 32 gb now] .
It was $8 on ebay . well worth it, if you run linux, and can map everything else to an external drive, or use another internal ssd/slowsata for long storage .
Part # SNS4151S3/16GD
They are referred to as - 
Kingston 16 GB M.2.NGFF mSATA SSD Chromebooks Acer
you can find these cheap now, $5-8 used . NGFF is the size . [42mm]

link to ssd:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Kingston-16-GB-M-2-NGFF-mSATA-SSD-Chromebooks-Acer-/201946968720?hash=item2f04fa3290:g:V34AAOSwMtxXrlSw


the install itself it straight foward, remove a screw, and insert on an angle, like ram .. but getting your OS installed .. and booting off it, gets a lil crazy .
First enable it in BIOS [M.2 SLOT boot enabled, and change boot order so it's first in list]
and then, you have to install your OS . I recommend ubuntu or some other linux . setup your partitions , or use the whole drive as / ; and dont use any swap . [you could install a swap drive on the other long storage drive] .
If you get what im getting at, this drive will fly compared to the 3/gb ssds, and seems a lil faster than the sata 6/gb ssds, to me .. at least . but try at your own peril :) let me know what you think .

Dremel station

Yo,

Here is another mod i did -
I took my old type 395 dremel, mounted it to a straight up wood beam, which is mounted into a small table . this now has the remote dremel rotary extension . very handy  . also picked up a battery operated craftsman dremel for $20 . got lucky that day :)

Pretty sweet right ?
-out
-B

3ds repair/restore for screen

Yo.
Been a while since i last posted .
A year, almost to the day
I figure most people dont read this, since i get no comments, nor subscribers .
Maybe because I dont youtube my stuff ? IDK . dont care, really .


Anyway, so check this out -
This is the old screen protector on my OG [small] 3ds.
Notice the lines on either side of the screen .. its a lil hard to see, but they are there -

 added a background, for maybe a lil bit easier to see the lines .

 here is the NEW screen protector . [installed] . to install the new one, just pry on the corner of the old one, and pick it up/off.  its held on with a glue .. you can get a new one on ebay for $5/shipped .

Also, I highly recommend getting the HORI 3ds steering wheel controller .
it gets rid of the hand cramping using the small 3ds .. makes it easier on the hand .

More posts to follow this directly .
-out -
-B

Car stereo @ home

Yo.

So, I was getting pissed of that I didnt have a working CD player in my house anymore, so , I did the 'normal' thing . .. I made one from old stuff i had sitting around, collecting dust . 

I had an old Pioneer car deck unit, from an old car, that worked perfectly, just no car to put it in . 

SO .. ..  I took an walwart power supply, [12v /DC ]  wired the stereo's ground [black] to ground on the walwart ; and the yellow/red to the positive of the harness from the stereo to the walwart power supply .  Then, connected a pair of speakers to it . [connect the rear or fronts to ground, and positive on speakers ] . I made a little box out of a pine box of wood, some glue, and paint . nothing crazy ... just wanted something, that didnt look too horrible [not sure i really did any better .. BTW ] 

Paint came out a lil wavy , but i dont care . its a small shelf unit, I didnt spend $100+ for something i already had, and it has usb + CD and I could add more speakers . :) 

I just figured I would share . speakers are old, and crackling , would not suggest buying alpine type rs .. as they all seem to end up in that state .. crackling, broken , and sounding like crap for $200 speakers .  But, unless I crank it, you really dont hear the awful .

let me know what you think, if anyone cares.

Thanks,
-B

How to fix Haier refrigerator ; model # HA10TG20SB ; freezing everything

Yo .

So, I had an issue w/ my Haier refrigerator model # HA10TG20SB recently . It was freezing everything, making life ... hard ..

Tools Needed : Flashlight , thermometer , long screw driver, shortly screwdriver ; new thermostat assembly [part # RF-7350-58] 

Issue/Symptoms  :  the whole frig. would freeze everything , top or bottom . Adjusting the coolest setting, made no difference . turning off from switch, also made no difference .  Sounds like the frig. was constantly running, rather than only infrequent running [like normal] . Some of the other research I pulled up showed this could also be the opposite , were it wasnt cold enough . mine was freezing everything .

Fix :  Replace the thermostat assembly  + defrost timer [ one assembly, in the frig. easy to do for anyone ]

Here is a snap of the back label for your reference ..

 Here is a pic of the motor , on the bottom of the refrig, so you dont have to crawl around, and take pictures on the ground .

So, this is a pic of the parts that were in my frig. the #s wont directly match the new part I put in, but just for your reference . This below, is the defrost timer [ 14JE13 ]  ; and the thermostat/control setting switch below that . [

Here is the part you need :  [buy it new , ebay or amazon]

HAIER RF-7350-58 THERMOSTAT AND RF-7400-11 DEFROST TIMER. 

$50 on ebay . well worth it, rather than buying a new frig.

So, now you have the new part ..  looking at the above picture, there are literally 3 screws holding this in place . get a flashlight, and a long, and a shortly screw driver .
unplug the frig , remove the old /frozen food, throw it away ..
Inside the frig. compartment , you will need to remove the following -  [removing the top shelf may help you , if you are beast . I did not remove mine .
1 - light cover , and screw tucked up to the top . [see pic above, near light section]
2 - The two rear screws, in the back .
3 - Now, the whole assembly should be hanging .  pull it forward , and jiggle it out of the rear of the frig .. to free it . It should only be hanging by the one connector plug, and possiblly a single red wire, wired directly to the lighting bulb .
4 - Unclip/unplug the connector harness [little clip to release it ]
5 - Cut the red wire [if applicable] to the lighting module [light bulb] .. and either prepare it for another splicing , or seal it with tape, or a plug, etc.   ; The whole assembly should now be able to be freely removed from the frig .  Put it away, for a rainy day, or incase you need extra parts later :P

6 - Install the new part , plug in the harness ; connect the red wire to the corresponding lighting module wire if desired [think the new one is purple . ]  I skipped this step, and do not have a light in my frig, as I wasnt sure if the fix would work at first, and didnt want to cut into the harness .
Screw in the 3 screws, get it back up in there , correctly, with the harness connected .

7- Plug the frig. back into the wall .  More than likely, you took a bit doing this, so , it will take a bit to cool down the frig. again if this is working correctly .

TEST  =   So, once powered up , do this test to see if the control is working correctly -
Turn the temp dial , all the way to off [if on temp setting ] . You should audibly hear the frig. turn OFF .  Turn it back, say to half way . . it should turn back on, and continue working, as expected .

Finally : Get the thermostat I mention earlier .. set the thermostat half way .
Put the thermostat in the fridge, and let it go , for a couple hours . check the temp after a bit .. [2-3 hrs] . The frig should be at this temp - between 35-40ish degrees .Dont put the thermostat directly under the cooling duct either, put it on the shelf,like food would sit . Adjust down, if needed .. mine is 3/4 the way into the next notch , from dead center .  I cant remember what the other was set at , before it went crazy .

This fix has worked for at least the last few weeks , I have food in there now, not freezing, not more issues .. so far . I hope this helps someone else, I did not see a clear, nor concise guide, or how to , on either removal, fixing, troubleshooting , etc .

Please comment if this does actually help anyone , so I know if it does.
I'd appreciate it .

Thanks,
-B

Install exalogic on vmware .. trying to mimic the exalogic elastic trashcloud

Install exalogic on vmware ..  trying to mimic the exalogic elastic trashcloud

Hi,

After downloading the  exalogic node isos install ..
make runme.sh    executable   [in linux .. not winblowz]
./runme.sh
#this combines all the isos 'parts' files together into 1 file.


Upload that file into your vmware host, so you can mount it as a new vm.

Set the follow : 
 Video to Auto-detect ; SCSI controller to LSI Logic SAS ..
and you could change the mem/cpu as available.



then install the thing -










Login w/ the generic creds for root . and configure it statically .

The compute node is up. :)
--more to follow .. but that should be the jist of it. i was able to get past the first set of install issues, will try the ZFS app, now and update as well .


--update - I was able to connect the ZFS vapp/CN devices , and used the ZFS as the storage for the CN, but I was not able to mimic the emoc in ANY WAY.
Without the emoc, i feel like it s almost pointless, to mimic the env.
FWIW



-B- -=out=-