9/16/2019

EnGenius Wireless Access point stops working

If you have an EnGenius Wireless Access Point wifi that stops working properly and has to be reset frequently this may solve your problem. You may login to the device and everything appears to be fine yet nothing will connect to it or it may not even show as a device to connect to.

The cause:
Many EnGenius WAP's have a problem where after several days or even hours of use the access points are not freeing up some resource internally. I do not know exactly what. I found a forum post many months ago that explained it but I cannot find it again.

The solution:
Upgrading the firmware does not help and on some models they are End Of Life and updates are not available. You can put them on a timer that disconnects power for a short time every night when they are not used, or you can write a script that reboots them.

You will need:
TST10.EXE
A folder under C:\windows called script
put tst10.exe in C:\windows\script\
Create a text file for each device you want to reboot.
C:\windows\script\ecbcom.txt

the contents of the file should be:
x.x.x.x 23 replace the x's with you devices IP keep the space and 23
WAIT "Name:"
SEND "admin\m"
WAIT "Password:"
SEND "youradminpassword\m"
WAIT "cmd>"
SEND "reboot\m"
WAIT "cmd>"

Create a batch file in C:\windows\script called tst.bat
the contents of that file should be:
c:
cd\windows
cd script
call tst10 /r:ecbcom.txt

Create a task schedule to run and execute the tst.bat file at the time you want to reboot the access point. I tried the timer method but that was causing problems with my "smart" thermostat, the batch file method is faster and my thermostat does not complain as the reboot happens very quickly. Since implementing this (9 months ago) I have only had to physically power off and on the access point once. My reboots happen every Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday at 4am.

9/11/2019

BSA Red Dot RD3022SB Gummy Sticky problem

Recently I happened across my BSA Red Dot  RD3022SB site which I had not used in many years. It was stuck in a drawer in my work room. I went to pick it up and it was horribly sticky. It seems it was coated with some kind of non slip compound that for unknown reasons had turned gooey.

Using my googlefu I found many forums with people reporting the same issue. most of them just got rid of the site saying it was impossible to clean. Other people reported it could be cleaned with alcohol but that was very laborious. Many people reported that Acetone did not work.

Here is what I did to clean mine.

You will need:
Real Acetone (your wife or girlfriends fingernail polish remove is NOT acetone).
Denatured Alcohol.
Thick Nitrile or Rubber gloves (5 mil or thicker).
rough paper towels.
q-tips.
a respirator or work outside.
Patience.

Put on the gloves and respirator (acetone is not good to breath or have on your skin).
If you have the lens caps put those on so you don't get acetone on the lenses.
Pour a liberal amount of acetone on a folded up paper towel and begin soaking and scrubbing the goo off. It will take several passes to remove it. You will know the gunk is removed when you see the greenish black anodizing under it. I was able to go over all the surfaces and no paint or anything was removed that I did not want removed.

Now go over all the cracks and crevices with q-tips until no more black stuff comes off on to the q-tips.

Remove the lens caps and using q-tips carefully clean around the area that was covered by the lens caps and around the lenses (avoiding contact with the lenses).

Next put the lens caps back on and drench everything with the alcohol and wipe that off. clean the lenses with soap and water. You are done.


9/09/2019

Clock Vacuum Fluorescent Display Cross Reference

Here is a list of clocks that use Vacuum fluorescent displays, the type of clock chip, the make and model of the VFD, and display features.

Cosmo Time E-508, Clock chip LM8361 G4 (same pinout as a TMS1943N2l or NTE2060) , VFD Futaba 5-LT-16, 4 digit 12 hour only colon AM PM.


Sunbeam (unknown model), clock chip TMS3451NL, VFD Futaba 5-LT-79ZS/81, 4 digit can display 24 hour AM PM sleep alarm dot after last digit.

General Electric 7-4265A AM/FM/Cassette under cabinet clock radio, clock chip TMS3451NL, VFD Futaba 5-LT125Z, 4 digit can display 24 hour colon AM PM dot after last digit.

General Electric AM/FM clock radio 7-4642A, clock chip 8RS8600 (possibly same pinout as TMS1943N2l or NTE2060) , VFD NEC FIP5K15S 4 digit can display 24 hour colon AM PM alarm indicator.
  

5-LT-31 2A
5-LT-31/33
Unknown what it came out of.
Futaba 4-BT-04 8A
From a Heathkit GC-1415 clock
 
5-LT-02 B3 from an unknown unit
 
If you have information on a VFD display that you would like to add, please leave a comment on where I can get:
Pictures of the front and back of the display
Manufacturer and model number of the device it came out of.