6/29/2023

QT428 System Initializing boots to nothing

I have a Q-see Qt428 it belongs to my brother. he reported that after a power surge it would not start up properly.

unit is 12 years old. I did some checking and found that every single capacitor on the board is bad. So I replaced them. same results won't fully start up.

tried a different power supply. same results. replaced HD no dice. after about 6 to 8 hours of searching the internet I stumbled on an ebay review that states the devices can be recovered by putting firmware on a USB stick and turning the unit on, the device would supposedly load the firmware. Problem is I don't have any firmware.

contacted the reviewer and had to play 20 questions, he pointed me at a supposed firmware file which when put on usb stick and placed in the unit, got accessed but did nothing more. I contacted "q-see" and have not yet heard back from them.


this device gave my googlefu a massive work out. I went on a wild goose chase for firmware (which ended up NOT being the problem).

Every single electrolytic capacitor in this device was bad, very high ESR to not even being seen by my capacitor testers. how it was working at all I do not know.

Before 

                                                                                   After

Replacing the capacitors did not change anything.

So in my searching I found little tidbits of information here, and there like:

this unit is the same as a TVT TD-2308SE which led me to TVT's site where I found GARBAGE instructions on how to access the linux OS on the unit through ye olde fashioned RS232 com port. the purpose of which was to upload firmware which their site had none of.

Now of course all my new computers don't have a COM ports so I had to dust off an old DELL laptop I keep for such instances. BUT the unit has a TTL com port and cannot directly interface with RS232. luckily I had a TTL to RS232 converter I got for another project.

of course there are no pinouts on the main board of this unit as to what is what. but I determined where +5v and ground were. 


 said a hail Mary and plugged it in. 

just friction fit and did not push it through all the way.

next I consulted the worthless TVT doc which had zero information on the what settings to use. It ended up being 115200bps n,8,1, software handshake.

as soon as I put that in to putty and connected I saw a prompt and something constantly repeating about there being no more space. I spent a good hour trying to follow the instructions to update the firmware with the supposed firmware that the ebay reviewer directed me to. It never worked.

after a crash course in linux commands (I'm a Windows and DOS guy) I went to plan B trying to fix the file system since it appeared the flash memory was full. I finally located a TMP folder and noticed a 490k file with a name (similar to) zxzycxwv or something like that (probably a random name). I deleted it, and the error message about no more space disappeared. I restarted the device and BOOM it started up normal and the only information lost was the time and date (dead CR2032) battery. 

6/22/2023

Adobe Bridge CS5.1 not running correctly

Adobe Bridge CS5.1 opens runs for a bit says not responding and closes, or opens and closes immediately. application logs may have an Exception code: 0xc0000005.

Press Ctrl key when launching Bridge CS5.1. Once Reset Settings dialog appears select Reset Preferences and Purge Thumbnail Cache, then press OK button. I recommend disabling startup scripts in preferences when bridge runs.

6/19/2023

Editing or removing security from a printable PDF

If you have a (secured) PDF and you want to copy text from it, perform OCR, or for whatever reason remove security, AND it can be printed. do the following:
Print the PDF with the Microsoft XPS Document Printer.
Open the .oxps document with XPS viewer.
Print the document as a PDF (if you have that capability).
document now unsecured. OCR or whatever.

There may be weird issues if there are watermarks.

5/03/2023

microsoft edge hassles and problems

It appears that my microsoft edge was never upgrading since I got my computer. the problem appears to have  been that a zero length file named "temp" (with no security) in the folder C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft\Edge was causing the problem. added myself to the security (full control) and deleted it. ran the edge install and BAM I could update it. Edge installers and updaters were to retarded to tell me the exact folder name.

Then microsoft edge decided I needed to see ads and garbage on new tabs. I installed the add on/ extension Custom new Tab which edge immediately disabled. I then enabled it and set it to what I wanted. Then Edge decided that ALL attempts to open internet explorer would be redirected to edge I don't want that. the following fixed that issue.

You can stop Internet Explorer to Edge redirect by disabling the IEToEdge Browser Helper Object (BHO) from the registry editor. Here’s how.

  1. Open the registry editor.
  2. Paste the below path in the address bar and press Enter.
    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Ext\CLSID
  3. On the right panel, double-click on the “{1FD49718-1D00-4B19-AF5F-070AF6D5D54C}” value.
  4. Change the Value Data from “1” to “0”.
  5. Click on the “Ok” button.
  6. Close the registry editor.

 all this for a browser I won't be using.

error messages I received when trying to update or install:

An error occurred while checking for updates: Check whether you have free disk space and permission to install software. We couldn't create a temporary directory. (error code 7: 0x80040902: 11 -- system level).

Check whether you have free disk space and permission to install software. We couldn't create a temporary directory.

4/28/2023

Rsrteng DM-SCD405I5AP-V04-E IP PTZ camera RTSP stream not working with VLC

Rsrteng cameras are rebranded Huisun cameras. do not select english on the website, open in chrome and have it translate. If you select english you get a different website. Either way there are no useful downloads for this camera.
the rtsp stream URL for VLC is:
rtsp://xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx:554/PSIA/streaming/channels/101 

use your IP in place of the xxx's.

Issues with the cameras:

Will show your password sometimes when logging in from a browser (reboot camera to fix).

Unable to get NFS to work, unknown why no errors generated.

Be very careful handling the unit, very difficult to remove and install screws in cover over SD card. Can easily rotate and possibly mess up gears.

Iif you leave the video open in a tab and then go to another tab the video will stop and you have to click on something else and then back to live. click on sub then click back on live

3/25/2023

slow network transfer rates copying or moving small files QNAP Synology

Do you have a QNAP NAS?

can you copy or move very large files with gigabit speeds like around 100+MBps? (megabytes per second).
but when you copy small files the transfer rate drops to 10, 5, 1, or even 0kbps (kilobits per second).
sometimes sitting at zero for minutes?
If you use the app CX file explorer on your phone and the transfer rates are way higher than on your computer them the problem is on the computer.
have forums been telling you that this is normal? WELL IT'S NOT! they just don't know what to tell you.
I'd like to be able to give you an exact reason why this is happening, but it may have multiple causes.

Here's what I suggest:
check all cables and devices support the speed you are trying for.
check your MTU, is it the same on all devices?
drivers, updates, lan card settings, yadda, yadda, yadda!
check SMB versions on all devices.
disable encryption.
disable any compression.
check share permissions.
disable server signing.
if joined to a domain is the device still joined (this was an issue for me).
disable anti-virus scanning the NAS drives by letter and UNC (also an Issue).
If .jpg transfers are slow are thumbs.db accessible and changeable?

I read somewhere that creating a new profile can fix some NAS issues. in my case I logged in to my computer as a user that had never logged in before and mapped a drive. then logged out and back in as me and suddenly the speed issue is gone.

I did all of the above to get my QNAP transfer rates to what they should be.
My synology was having issues but not as bad. disabling virus scanning fixed the issue for it.

3/22/2023

Windows 10 Strange problems recently appear caused by microsoft ransomeware protection

 recently I had some strange issues crop up that made no sense, and if they generated errors at all they also did not make sense.

First was this one: https://robert.guildig.org/2023/03/nero-burning-rom-does-not-see-blank-or.html

the next one happened this morning. I was making a backup to blu-ray (which worked fine).
I (being a bit old school) went to a command prompt and attempted to issue this command in a folder the path of which is c:\users\username\documents\backup

command was as such dir /s d: > backup24.txt
simple right?
no! it comes back with file not found (I don't remember the exact wording).
What the heck! file not found?! it should just create the file.
now I think I'm losing my mind because I've been working on computers since dos 2.11 I've done this MILLIONS of times. after confirming I haven't suddenly developed dementia (by googling the command), I try creating the file in the GUI (which works) and run the command again.
the results:
not enough space on the disk
there's 759 gigs free!

Remembering what happened yesterday I go in to ransomware protection and sure enough CMD.EXE is blocked from accessing that folder and a bunch of other folders (most of which I never use).

I unblock it and the command works perfectly.

If the command had come back with "access denied" I would have dealt with it differently, but the unconventional errors that did not match the actions being prevented was not helpful.

I don't know when Ransomware protection was installed. my googlefu says possibly sometime in 2019, but that it was not activated by microsoft until recently (because I didn't activate it or even know about it). All this worked in september 2022.

3/21/2023

Nero burning ROM does not see blank or any disks in burner

nero 10
problem started sometime after 9-23-2022 (last time I burned disks).
same Blu-ray/DVD/CD burner.
same media I have always used.
Reads all media just fine.
windows shows disk changes.
windows shows when disks are blank.
connect an external burner and same issue.


nero 10 suddenly stopped seeing the drives at all.
uninstalled nero 10.
purchased and installed latest version of nero 2023 25.0.1.4.
Nero now sees the drives.
place empty disk in drive nero does not see disk, but windows does.
updated firmware on drive. rebooted, nothing changed.
uninstalled drivers for drive, rebooted, nothing changed.

tried burning with windows (never did that before always used nero) takes forever and doesn't complete because it says I need 816 PB and disk is only 4.7GB or 25GB. data is 4.3GB.

contacted Nero and they were no help. found this article but not by searching for the symptoms. 

windows 10 ransomware detection was the problem.
you have to go in and allow blocked nero apps.

there was no warning or popup that a block had happened it just suddenly stopped reading or seeing disks.

very frustrating.

2/18/2023

Magix Vegas not responding when splitting or deleting video while it plays

I have vegas 18.0 build 527 every time I split while I am playing a video or hit delete while a video is playing vegas would freeze or be not responding.

what worked for me to make this go away was to go in to Options/preferences/file I/O and put a check mark on Enable Legacy AVC decoding. now I can split while playing or hit del without lock up.

2/03/2023

Failure mode of an APC Back-UPS 1500

If you own an APC Back-UPS 1500 UPS possible model number BN1500M2 and have experienced a failure with Error F04 and possibly Error F02 with the sound of arcing coming from the unit the problem may be the transformer. It appears the units are shipped with transformers that have copper coated aluminum wire and the connections have failed or broke free. If you have unit and it is in some critical role you may want to take it out of service.

see this video for details.

 

1/14/2023

Security First 5005 camera wire pinout

Security First (which seems to be no more) 5005 cameras use RJ11 6 pin connectors. Their pinouts are as shown in this diagram.

The wires in the connector and 100 foot cable are Red white black black. pin 5 may be yellow in the 100 foot cable. the colors in the diagram are from the camera.

the wires internally to the camera are Red white black yellow.

Information I can find states the red wire can accept 12-15vdc which means that it probably has a voltage regulator in side and is compensating for the massive voltage drop through 100 feet of very small wire.

I have no other information than what is presented here.


12/14/2022

Sainlogic WS0835 weather station manual

Sainlogic WS0835 weather station manual

This is the manual (including calibration) for the above weather station. This version does not have a wifi connection. I do not know if that matters for the calibration.

When it asks you to login or create an account click X in the upper right.
Then Click Download in the upper left corner.

10/28/2022

Omeprazole, Prilosec, Losec, and neuropathy

Several years ago I was put on omeprazole for acid reflux at night. The doctor never indicated any concerns for long term use of it, As usual I read the side effect.

After an unknown amount of time I began to develop a feeling in my feet like they were always dry. I didn't pay much attention to it because I could feel heat, cold, and touch just fine.

Eventually I went to the a neurologist after seeing a podiatrist over an unrelated matter.

It seems that I had neuropathy in my feet. How I got it was a mystery. After some testing it was determined that A. it was not genetic, B. it was not diabetes, and C it was a vitamin B12 deficiency.

How did I get a B12 deficiency? I eat foods with lots of B12.

I did some research on it and found that buried deep in the drug manufacturers website was that omeprazole should not be taken for more than 2 months. It did not say why. Well the reason is that omeprazole interferes with the bodies ability to absorb certain vitamins.

I am now on vitamin B6, B12, and folic acid supplements but I could have lost the use of my hands if this had gone too far.

I smell a class action lawsuit.

8/22/2022

Defrost board repair HK2EA001 or 1173636

Defrost board repair HK2EA001 or 1173636 This defrost board may be used in heat pumps made by these companies: Day & Night, ICP International Comfort Products, Bryant, Keeprite, Payne, and United Technologies. my heat pump model number nxh524gka100

 


8/17/2022

Emerson 635 470501 RCA RP-168 45 record changer

if you have an Emerson 635 radio/record player the record player has part number 470501 this record player is also an RCA RP-168 45 record changer. Here is the service manual PDF for it.

8/07/2022

increase font size in outlook 2016

it is not possible to do this in outlook 2016 (in the program itself).

most sites will tell you to do this in display settings and change the display ratio to 125%.

you could do that but it messes up a whole lot of formatting in windows and in other programs.

what works slightly better is to go in to settings - ease of access - make text bigger.

move the slider to the right in small increments until you get the size you like.

this may also mess up some other programs as well.

8/04/2022

Longines Symphonette LTV-77 Schematic

 Longines Symphonette LTV-77 portable Black and White TV Schematic 3 versions very large files no compression. AKA Universum FK100R AKA CTV-14


also a link to a PDF of both. When it asks you to login or create an account click X in the upper right.
Then Click Download in the upper left corner.

I have no other info on this TV.
 

7/02/2022

Posada Chimichanga steak and cheese burrito

 

I don't normally do reviews of food but I felt I had to in this case. this is a prime example of lies when it comes to truth in advertising.

We accidentally bought a bunch of these thinking they were something else. first lets describe a chimichanga. Chimichangas are a deep fried burrito (simple really). these are not deep fried or if they are it was for a millisecond as they sort of have an oily taste to the tortilla. The burritos claim to be 5 oz. I opened one up and all but around 1 once of that is tortilla. They claim to have "steak" in them. they often do have at least one chunk of utility grade "meat" in them, but I doubt it's anything I would call steak. tough and gristly. there is a small squirt of "cheese" and often the skin from a green chili. all in all these are a lie at best and nasty otherwise. they look nothing like the picture above.

5/15/2022

T3 Time out no ranging response received Motorola SB6141 surfboard cable modem

 If you have a Motorola SB6141 surfboard cable modem and you are getting T3 Time out no ranging response received error messages a possible cause for this may be bad/swollen capacitors.

I've been having strange issues with my cable for a month now. had the cable company come out twice, the swapped out some splitters the first time, removed an un-needed MOCA filter, tested the lines and replaced one of the cable ends at the pedestal.

The strange part about this is that the problems occurred during the day starting about 7am (give or take 10 minutes) would be the worst till around 11am then be mildly annoying till 3pm where it would get bad again till about 8pm then be totally fine all night long.

I opened my cable modem and found this:

all the caps circled in red were swollen, I replaced them and all the other ones with the brand name of FOAI. so far as of 18 hours later my cable modem has been stable.

Not 100% sure what the cause was and maybe was multiple issues.

5/07/2022

Firefox ignores disabled HTTPS only mode on local IP's

you have set firefox to Don’t enable HTTPS-Only Mode. you try to access a local IP http://192.168.0.22 and firefox changes it to https://192.168.0.22.

Firefox ignores disabled HTTPS only mode on local IP's specifically if the IP address does not respond firefox will change it to https://192.168.0.22

type about:config in the address bar. 

respond that you know what you are doing.

search for 

browser.fixup.fallback-to-https

double click will change it to false.

now firefox will leave the address as you typed it LIKE IT SHOULD HAVE ALWAYS DONE!