I am mainly posting content to Google Picasa these days. They say a picture says a thousand words. That’s great news for the lazy bloggers!

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https://picasaweb.google.com/pspehar

Background

Sometime last year, someone gave me a Compaq Presario SR1130NX mid tower that they had no use for. I decided to put it into play as a media PC for a second TV.  When I first set it up, I attempted to use the wireless G adapter for connectivity.  I came to realize that wifi was not up to the task of smoothly delivering HD video over the network.  Part of the issue is the large data transfer requirements of the 720/1080p video files.  Increasing the playback buffer was not a viable option due to configuration limitations within the video playback apps VLC and Boxee.  This led to a few wasted evenings and a Saturday afternoon of running cat-5.  Problem solved… well not really, HD video was still pretty choppy.

It seemed plausible the bottleneck was in the onboard video.  I decided to swap in the fairly decent Geforce 7300GT AGP card from my Ubuntu system.  The card made a huge difference, but HD playback continued to exhibit significant stutter eventually leading to audio sync issues.

I looked into the CPU performance with perfmon and came to find that a single core Althlon XP class processor is completely consumed when playing a 720p mkv video file. This is fairly surprising considering the CPU is rated at 2.1GHz. I could have said “Oh Well, this HTPC is for standard def video only”, but something about that bugged me.

I began clicking at Newegg around a goal of lowend multi core based system configurations .  I had some pretty powerful large storage combos put together between $300 and $400. Here are a couple of examples:

• Possible PC 1: Dual Core, 2Gb DDR2, 1Tb HD
• Possible PC 2: Quad Core, 2Gb DDR3, 1.5Tb HD

Something kept me from pulling the trigger on this purchase.  One Friday morning in the office, it all came together after a coworker handed me the Friday Fry’s ad.  The 4 pager contained the perfect storm of sale prices on motherboard/cpu combo, hard drive, memory, and video card.

As the build came together in my head, I realized I could save around $50 by reusing the case and optical drive’s from the Compaq. Fortunately, the case motherboard mounts were not too proprietary and were setup for microATX motherboards. I opted to buy a larger power supply to replace the stock compaq 250W.

The entire build after tax came to around $370. Unfortunately, this hot deal involves 5 rebates. If I get all of those filed out and into the mail, that potentially brings the cost down by $55 for a total of $315. That sounds like it must be a pretty rattletrap lowend system… not really.:

• AMD Athlon II X3 425 Rana 2.7GHz 3 x 512KB L2 Cache Socket AM3 95W Triple-Core Processor
• MSI K9N6PGM2-V2 AM3/AM2+/AM2 NVIDIA GeForce 6150SE Micro ATX AMD Motherboard
• Patriot Extreme Performance 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel PDC24G6400LLK
• Seagate Barracuda LP ST31500541AS 1.5TB 5900 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5″ Hard Drive
• XFX HD-435X-YAH2 Radeon HD 4350 512MB 64-bit GDDR2 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Video Card

Here are the same parts on Newegg

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Fresh boxes from Fry's

Build

That evening after work, I was able to procure all the sale items at Fry’s and was home with the parts by 10PM.  I brought the Compaq to the kitchen table and started ripping parts out of the old case.  Not too fast though… I took a few minutes to label the front panel wiring before I pulled the wires off the old mobo.

Factory Spec Compaq

Gutted Compaq case with optical drives only

The processor, stock AMD heatsink and memory were installed in the new motherboard before it was mounted into the case. I originally planned to buy a 2x 1Gb memory kit, but second guessed that decision. The 4Gb kit was about $35 more, but it may be worth it as web appls hunger for memory grows as time goes on.

AMD Tri-Core and 4G DDR2 on the MSI Mobo

The new powersupply was mounted into the case. There was a slight issue with lining up the screws, although it was nothing a pair of needle nosed pliers could not work out. With the power supply in, it seemed like the right time to install the hard drive.

The hard drive installation was somewhat perplexing. After some time, it was discovered that the front panel of the case needed to be removed so allowing the drives to slide in and out from the front. The drive mounting required some particular screws with wide heads which slid neatly into the drive rails. Kudos to Compaq for providing some extra screws stored behind the front panel for additional drives.



Front panel USB, memory card readers, and drive bay access

The case was ready for the motherboard. The stock case backplate was removed and replaced with the new MSI motherboard matched plate. The microATX mounting posts in the case lined up nicely and the board was screwed down. Most of the front panel cables had a home on the new mobo aside from firewire which was not supported. It’s nice to have the front panel USB, card reader, and audio ports functional.

The optical drives leftover from the stock Compaq configuration have an IDE interface. This ends up being a good workaround for the fact that the new motherboard has only 2 SATA ports. The new 1.5Tb HD takes up one of the SATA ports leaving one empty for a possible additional SATA device down the road.

The video card fit easily into the PCI-e x16 slot. I could have used the onboard motherboard graphics and saved about $40 here. I general prefer to opt for the performance benefit of a dedicated GPU and video memory. As a bonus, this particular video card has HDMI (including audio) out. The build was complete and ready for an OS.

Completed Build

OS and Application Install

The system booted as expected and the install of Windows 7 Ultimate x64 was ready to begin. I used Windows 7 with Media Center for compatibility with shared Windows Media Center TV recordings coming from a second HTPC on the network.

A 100 Gb partition was created for the OS and whatever else ends up installed there. I prefer to segregate large capacity drives into at least two partitions. One advantage of this method is the ability to reformat the smaller OS partition if needed without reformatting the much larger data partition. It also separates the smaller OS and app related files from the large and chunky media files. In the past i would set aside 10 or 20Gb for the OS and app installs. Due to the ever bloating windows, I decided to go big on this one since I have had a bit of a space crunch on some other Win 7 systems. The OS install completed within a half hour and all drivers were installed from within the OS repository.

I elected to replace the default drivers with explicit versions in the case of the video card and Nvidia nForce mboard chipset. Prior to this change, there was some audio static over the HDMI connection. This is the first time I have used audio over HDMI, but as soon as I heard the static I suspected the drivers. Official and current Catalyst drivers from ATI solved the audio static issue.

Shared media resources on the network were mapped to the new system. I installed Chrome, Boxee, VLC, Process Explorer and Foobar. The new system was ready for it’s new role as a read only HTPC connected via HDMI to a Sharp 32″ 720p LCD.

I am pleased to have a tri-core AMD system running. I feel as if it is the spiritual successor to the K6-3 codename Sharptooth. The processor is actually a Quad core with one flawed and disabled core. Time and time again I have found AMD to be proper platform for stability, performance, and value.

It’s amazing a system such as this can be put together for as little as $300. If I had skipped or scaled back a few items (no new power supply, no video card, 2Gb RAM, and 500Gb HD) the system would have been closer to $200.

Use Cases:

• Playback of high and standard definition Movie and TV files in Boxee hosted on windows shares on the network
• Playback of recorded TV files from Windows Media Center hosted and shared on a separate HTPC with HD QAM tuner card
• Accessing Netflix Watch it Now selections via Boxee, Media Center, or in browser
• Control of the PC with a standard MCE remote (Supported by Win Media Center and Boxee)
• Playing music files (mp3, flac, etc) in Foobar, WinMC, or Boxee
• Over 1Tb shared file storage added to the home network
• Ripping DVD’s to h.264
• Browsing the internet and accessing streamed media (Hulu, Youtube, Revision3, NPR, etc)
• Casual PC Gaming via Steam

This is a follow up to post about the grimy bike.  This covers important maintenance items that keep my daily transportation running as smooth as a possible.  This is a high level overview of the whats and whys.  Some of the deeper how’s are overly complex to get into here, but shoot me a message and I will try to fill in the details.

Tools and materials:
-degreaser
-brushes and rags
-bicycle work stand
-metric box wrenches
-metric allen keys
-bicycle tire pump with gauge
-new bicycle chain
-bicycle lube
-chain tool

Cleaning off the Grime

The first part of the process involves getting the bulky grime brushed off. I prefer to scrape/brush the built up gunk off the chain, rings, cassette, pulley wheels, rims before getting everything wet. This seems to cut down on the hassle of smearing it all around.

Next, coat the greasy parts with degreaser.  Pricey bicycle specific degreaser is not required, generic citrus degreaser from Home Depot or Simple Green will do the job. Apply degreaser liberally around the rims, drivetrain, brake calipers, etc and let it sit for a bit. Follow that up with some brushing and light rinsing with a hose. Repeat until things are looking shiny. It can be nice to let the bike dry at this point so as not to bring too much water into the workshop area.

With the bicycle on a workstand, remove the old chain if it is worn out. With the chain off, cleaning the rings, cassette and pulleys can be thoroughly accomplished.

Clean Cassette and Pulleys

Clean chainrings and chain

Drivetrain Lube and Adjust

In addition to cleaning up this aspect of the bicycle transmission, it is a good time to lube the cables.  Loosen the cables from the slotted brackets and slide the housing to expose the covered areas of cable.  Apply a thin coating of bicycle grease.  This will keep things running smoothly and prevent corroding of the cables.  Don’t forge to lube the cable ports below the bottom bracket.



BB Shell Cable Ports

Once the cables and chain have been cleaned and reassembled, remove any slack from the shift cables.  Verify smooth shifting through all valid gear combinations.  Apply bike lubrication to all derailleur springs, bushings, and the chain.

The drivetrain should be ready to go.  Wiping excess sludge and reapplying fresh lube should be a bi-monthly event during the rainy season

Brake Adjustment

Cleaning and adjusting cantilever brakes will improve braking experience and lengthen the lifespan of the rim braking surface. The brake pads require readjustment now and then as they wear down and begin to contact the rim in a lower location.  Slack should be removed from the brake cables to ensure optimal brake lever feel.

brakepad alignment

brakepad alignment 2

The brakepads should contact the rim between the upper and lower edge of the braking surface.  This may not always be possible if the tire profile casues pad to sidewall contact.  In this case, the pad may lip slightly over the inner edge of the rim.  The workaround for this would be to carve off the lower inner edge of the brakpad or to use pads with a thin profile.

The front of the pads should contact the rim slightly earlier at the leading end of the pad.  This orientation of the pad is referred to as toe in.  Toe in of the brake pads prevents brake squealing.

Example of brakepad to tire clearance

The pad will eventually cut through the tire if contact of the sidewall occurs during travel between rest position and braking.

brake lever adjustment

Slack should be removed from the brake cables so that the lever is approx halfway to the grip before the pads begin to significantly slow down the wheel.  If the lever is too soft, the lever will contact the handlebar before the maximum braking force has been applied.  If the lever is too firm, the braking will be too sudden.

Remember to add lube to the springs of the cantilever mechanism to replace what was removed while cleaning.

Example of brakepad toe in method

This is an example of how one can achieve proper brake toe in adjustment with wire twist tie as a guide.

Other Notables:

brooks saddle profide

The Brooks saddle on my commuter is made of a single piece of leather.  Brooks recommends conditioning with profide in order to maintain quality.  This leather saddle would be a poor choice for a commuter bicycle that is often exposed to the weather.  My bike is usually indoors unless I am riding it and in that case I have the saddle covered by sitting on it.

front fender flap

rear fender mudflap

These are fender mudflap extensions that I hand cut from a plastic file folder.  The flaps that came with the planet bike full fenders were worthless for deflecting rain from entering mu shoes.  I usually remove these during the nicer weather because they chatter slightly at high speeds in the wind.  The rear fender mudflap is more of a courtesy to cyclists who may be following me through the rain.

Remember to add air to the tires to your liking.  The road touring tires that I am currently using take up to 100PSI.  I generally keep the rear tire fully inflated to 100PSI to carry the majority of my body weight and baggage.  During the slick winter months, I keep the front tire a little looser at 80PSI.  This configuration is a good mix for me between rolling resistance and contact patch.  I find that the tires need to be topped off every week to counter air seepage.

Riding a bike to work everyday can be a lot of fun, but it is also hard work.  Keeping the right clothing ready to go and having the physical energy is just part of it. In order to keep the bike in smooth running condition, there are a few things that need attention during the wet and sloppy winter months.

Chain Stretch

Road grit will wear the busings of the chain causing the space between the links to stretch.  A $12 SRAM 850 chain seems to last me about 750 – 1000 miles before exceeding the measurement tool boundry.  If the chain wears beyond a certain point, costly drivetrain components (chainrings, cassette) are also elongated. Between chain replacement cycles, weekly chain degreasing and lubing can reduce the pace of wear.

Grime Covered Chainrings

A messy and abrasive combo of road grime and chain lube needs to be removed with degreaser from both the chain and the rings.  The chain rings are easiest to clean when completely disassembled from the crankset, although I rarely resort to that.

XT Cassette and Deore derailleur

The cassette and derailleur are also covered in the roadgrime and chain grease.  This grime will transfer to a cleaned or replaced chain, so it should be removed. Cleaning these components is accomplished with degreaser, small brushes, and strips of rags.  The pulley wheels of the derailleur may need to be removed, cleaned, and re greased since they often have unsealed bushing bearings.  During the cleaning of this area of the transmission, it is a great time to adjust some slack out of the shift cable.

Gritty French rim and UNreflective strip

Road grit builds up on the rims.  In many cases, the rims are also the braking surface.  The grit should be cleaned off in order to prevent additional abrasion to the brake pads.

grimy brake with pad drifting low from wear

On a cantilever brake, as the brake show material wears from friction. the brake will travel further downwards as it contacts the rim. This will eventually cause the brake show to develop a lip over the rim edge.  The remedy for this will be cleaning and readjustment of the brake pad positioning and brake cable slack.  The brake return spring is an unsealed component requiring de and re greasing.  The pad wear indicators tell me I need to order a new set of pads.  The rear pads tend to wear more than twice as quickly as the front.

These are only a few of the most pressing items requiring some attention on a bicycle.  Additional more advanced issues which may be put off for warmer weather: Truing wheels, cleaning hub bearings, cleaning headset bearings, cable greasing,

The need for maintenance is more frequent within the realm of mountain biking which has a greater abundance of mud and grit.  Most of my bicycle mechanical skills were picked up during 20 years of mountain bike riding, a low budget, and my desire for a optimal equipment performance.

…awkward pause between blog posts.

I started the blogging off with a bang and had a few decent posts.  Throughout the last two months I had some great ideas for blog posts, but the bubble of procrastination kept me from getting anything posted.  I guess I knew that would be problem with blogging as a slacker.  I even added the task ‘Update Blog’ to the Next Actions section of my GTD list.  It didn’t really get to the top of the priority pile.  Somehow watching ‘The Shield’ episodes kept winning out as an evening activity.

Here’s a short on detail overview of the last few months:

• Holiday visit with Laura’s mom  – Ikea, Leavenworth,  and Anacortes with family
• built some small bird nesting boxes
• received bat ambassador training from Bats NW
• wintertime MTB ride around the Cranberry Lake ACFL area
• built a media pc for the livingroom tv
• lost a longtime good friend in February
• overhaul and improvements to my commuting bicycle
• continued late winter bike commuting after some car/bike rack to train cheating commutes in Jan
• rode the Chilly Hilly ride around Bainbridge island
• snowboarding on a sunny Feb day with Russ S at Mt Baker
• Some spring cleaning and enjoyment of spring springing around the yard
• became a delegate at the Feb caucus
• registered for a late July WTA weeklong work vacation
• watched some great and not so great movies
• watched a few seasons of the Shield
• beers,  jeers and more then more beers

I would like to think I will be able to post up some of the tasty details of those events over the next few posts, but i hate to over commit.  I will at least add it to my list of stuff to do.