NEW SITE

I decided to continue my blog on another host/site.

http://www.dilldoe.org

This will be my (almost) daily blog as well as links to my image archive.

DS Lite AC Adapter USB mod

Seeing how I'll be going overseas for a month and the DS lite AC Adapter is only made for 100-120 V not 240V. I would need to get the Euro AC Adapter or the DS usb cable.

Well I have spare/scrap USB cable, soooo...


Parts:

• DS Lite AC Adapter
• USB cable
• heat shrink, electrical tape or liquid tape

Tools:

• small screwdriver
  
• Plier, wrench, or vice grip, ect...
• solder iron & solder
• glue gun (optional)
• knife or large flat head
• knife, wire stripper or scissors
• Multimeter (optional)
  

ok, first you have to open the AC Adapter. Nintendo just have to make things complicated by using tamper resistance Torx screw (ugh)

For anyone that has open a Gameboy Advance triwing screw should be able to open this.

You'll need the small screwdriver and a plier/wrench/vice grip/ect..




The pic on the left is a top view of the Torx Screw. The red line is where your screwdriver need to go. Wedge it in and with one hand putting pressure down on the screwdriver. Take the plier with the other hand and use it to turn the screwdriver. (right most pic)

OR you can snap the middle post off (not easy) and just use the flathead screwdriver.




Time to use that (butter) knife or large flat head screwdriver.
From the pic, there are tabs holding the case together. (well those are the tab slots that the tab holds on to)
Two on each side, one on the top.
Just use a knife/screwdriver to wedge it open.

Whew, hard parts done. Now start on the USB cable.

For the female end, eye the length of wire needed from the circuit board and cut.

Use the knife to cut away the jacket.
Peel away the mylar protection and gather the ground shield wires.
Cut away the white & green wire, you only need the red & black.
Strip the ends off the Red & Black. Twist the ground shield wires together with the Black (gnd)

Cut about an inch from the male plug and repeat the process from the female end.

Time to heat up the iron.

Desolder the wire from the circuit. Don't worry if you forget which hole is which, it's labeled :P

Solder the female USB plug to the circuit board. Make sure the gnd shield and the black wire gets soldered in the same hole.

Electrical tape the wires up to prevent any shorting.

Solder the Male USB end to the AC adapter wire that you Desolder from before.
Red with Red & Black with Black.
Make sure not to forget to put on the heat shrink before soldering.
You'll need 3, two for the red & black and one large for the wire itself.



I used some hot glue to give the soldered area some support, so a simple tug won't break my soldering points. Do the same for the female end too. Since the hole was for the thin wire, once you put it back together, it should hold the USB firmly.

Now plug the USB together and use your multimeter to do a continuity test. The pinout for the DS plug is on the AC Adapter (nintendo did a nice job labeling stuff!)

If you hear beeps you good to go.

Now screw it back together and you have a USB/AC Adapter!




Testing!


IT WORKS!!


SUCCESS!
Testing it using e740 PDA with expansion pack (USB port, vga out, etc)

Now I can charge my DS anywhere I go!

Extra:

• Now it might be possible to charge your USB stuff with the AC Adapter, but I'm not brave enough to try it :P
• might want to add a diode to prevent reverse voltage, but might add a voltage drop to the already low 5.02V usb power (DS Lite takes 5.2V)

McDonalds Snack Wrap!

Ever wonder what would happen if KFC and Taco Bell got together to make something (seeing how those two are always next to each other [well, duh, it's owned by Pepsi])

Well I've never wondered about it since I don't really care for either. But today, I decide to give McDonalds' new Snack Wrap a try.
It's $1.29 and what you get is a Fried Chicken Soft Taco.

How does it Taste?
Well, taste just like a Fried Chicken Soft Taco. Chicken was crispy. The ranch sauce combined with the cheese and lettuce made it taste almost like a salad.
It's also kinda small (well for me). If you're getting it just for lunch, suggest you get 3-4 of them.

Like I said, not a big fan of KFC or Taco bell so the Snack Wrap was just OK in my book.
I can imagine if I was really hungry and need a snack, I would get one. But as a meal, nope.
Not sure if McD is targeting Blacks/Hispanics with this, but it sure seems that way. Even in their commercial the only one eatting one is a black man while the white people goes crazy for missing out on their 'snack'

What a lovely poem, lol

Asbestos tragedies,
mesotheliomas
happen most frequently
inside folks' pleuras.

Then they get bloodthirsty
mesothelioma
lawyers to harass their
stingy insurers.

Cool, considering it's make up of expensive keywords :P

Apple is gonna Make it!

Well looks like one of the "Crap they need to MAKE!" is coming true (almost)

Looks like Apple is going to remake their Video IPod with a 3.5" touchscreen. Getting rid of the analog scroll wheel and opting for a virtual one.

Rumor has it that the Scroll wheel will appear when you touch the screen and disappear when you remove it!

Images can be found here
http://ipod-fullscreen.blogspot.com/

(Not official photos, so it might be photoshopped)

Chocolate Jolt!

Back from Hibernation!
Ok, to kick things off here's a treat that'll keep you up!



Ever had a big lunch and then fall into a food coma when you go back to work/class?
Here's a nice 'pick me up' treat that's simple to make and delicious as well!

Here are the stuff you need:

• Semi-Sweet Chocolate chips (or block)
• Coffee beans (maybe canned)
• wax paper
• butter knife (or sm. offset spatula)

(click to enlarge)

I choose Mrs. Fields semi-sweet chocolate chips, because it has a nutty flavor. Other one's I've tried were Nestle and Ghirardelli. Nestle's toll house chips were good, with no aftertaste. Ghirardelli's on the other hand was horrible, with a bitter, alcoholic aftertaste.
Shown are Hazlenut roasted Coffee beans. Whole beans have more flavor than the canned ground stuff. Plus you can control the size of the grounds. Expresso would be a nice substitute, but I haven't tried it yet. Use your favorite flavor of beans.

First, ground up your coffee bean. Should be a coarse ground and not too fine.

(click to enlarge)

Next, melt your chocolate (follow direction on back of package) You can use a double boiler, heat pad, etc.. Easiest way is to put it on your wax paper and melt it in your microwave. Save on wash up and no burnt chocolate (unless you microwave it too long)

Microwave time should be the same, 1 min on medium high. Test to see if it melts. If not, nuke it for 30 secs more on medium high and test. Repeat 30 secs till you get a nice melted product.
Be carefull not to microwave it too long or you'll burn your chocolate.

Take your chocolate and stir it with your butterknife or spatula till all the chips are melted. Then sprinkle your coffee grounds into the chocolate and mix. Add as much as you want, good ratio is 2 parts chocolate to 1 part coffee (or 3-2 for more coffee). Mix it well and spread it out on the wax paper to about 1/8" thickness.


(click to enlarge)

(click to enlarge)

Let it cool at room temperature or toss in fridge/freezer till the chocolate sets (Freezing will be faster, but final product won't be as nice)
Cut into 2x2 pieces and enjoy your caffeine boost. 2 pieces should wake you up.
The chocolate does a great job in masking/integrating the coffee taste. It kinda taste like crunchy Oreo cookies crumbs covered in chocolate. The first batch I made (about 9 pieces) I ate while watching TV cause it tasted so good I couldn't stop eating it. Big mistake cause it kept me up almost all night. So if you need to pull an all nighter than go ahead and pig out!

Crap they need to MAKE!. (part 2)

A Better Video Player!

Like the Better Cellphone, they need to get rid of buttons on the face. There should only be a Bright OLED Screen on front and THAT'S IT!!

What else?

Small size

Simple controls

Long battery life (at least 3 hrs)

HD ready

Wide media compatibility (Mp2, DivX, Ogm, etc...)

Ample Storage (at least 40 gigs)

(Click to Enlarge)

Ok, form factor and screen size will be an issue. We want smaller stuff (pocket size) and bigger screens. From the picture, it's about the size of a 2 laptop hard drive stacked.

Solution?

(Click to Enlarge)

A magnifier. The screen isn't tiny at 5" diag.
Having a 1.75 x Magnifier lens will help boost the screen size to almost 9" diag.
The screen/lens cover also serve as the control.
Using up/down button for on-screen functions (movie selection, video settings, etc..) while serving as volume control as well. Search buttons (<< >>) serves the same purpose.
Play and Pause are the same button.
The screen is also a touchscreen allowing easier selection.

(Click to Enlarge)

Also, there should be an option to convert it to an universal remote.
The IR Port would be used or used for wireless file transfer OR like some Sony product, allowing video to be played on the tv using the IR port.
Firewire allowing fast file transfer also recharging of batteries while docked.
It also allows you to hook it up to your HD TV/Decoder/DVD/etc.. to record your show.

What no SPEAKER?

Nope, to keep the player small, speakers will be omitted. Plus speakers that small won't sound good anyway. Plus people around you don't need to hear the moans & groans from your Porno!

DillDoe's Rant ( vol.1 )

Ok, so theres a new batman cartoon from WB (not that new, up to season 3 already) and I just finish watching season 2 when I notice something.

BUT first, some background info for the clueless.

This series is sorta like Batman Begins, like the movie, it takes place early in Bat's career when Bruce Wayne first becomes Batman. It's made by the same people that did the Jackie Chan Cartoon. Unlike the comics/previous Cartoons/Movies, they introduce new characters and mix around some character's background.

Two detectives that are on bat's tail:

Ethan Bennett
Who is voiced by Steve Harris (black guy from the Practice)



Ellen Yin
Who is voiced by Ming Na Wen (chinese chick on ER)

Well After season one, Bennett was turned into ClayFace by the Joker, so he's out of the good guy business. That leaves Det. Ellen Yin without a partner UNTIL she teams up with Batman as his behind the scenes cop (this was before Commissioner Gordan showed up).

(photoshopped rendition)

Kinda cool, this allowed Bats to have help inside while providing slight romantic interest.

Then it HITS me, why the hell does this seem SOOOOO FAMILIAR?!

Minority Detective in the Cop department helping out a guy that comes out at Night (to fight crime) flying thru the city, and yet by day he's in his big Mansion!



Kinda reminds you of THIS, doesn't it?

Disney's Gargoyles!

Goliath stays at the Mansion during the day, then at night busts out and flys thru the city to fight crime with the help of Det. Elisa Masa!

I mean come on, they look IDENTICAL!



Det. Yin is Asian and Det. Masa is Hispanic.
Even their names are similar.
First name starts with an E, last name an ethnic name.
And as you can see, they even shop at the same clothing store!
They both act and talk alike.
Granted some asians (filipinos) can look hispanic, but this is too big a coincident!

Guess Disney was too busy dealing with the lost of Pixlar to notice WB copying their stuff.

Then again, it's good to see Gargoyl...I mean Batman again :)