Laptop DIY fix: Toshiba U940

When my Brother bought his laptop, I had expressed concern at the shopkeeper trying to hard sell this model even though we weren't so keen on buying a Toshiba. The laptop was stunning to look at and we eventually gave in. It worked great for an year or so and then the issue started. The fan was getting loud. Very loud. Like a small hair dryer on full blow. A Google search revealed this was a common problem with the model. The crook shopkeeper was getting rid of the stock.

I opened up the laptop sometime ago and lubricated the fan with a few drops of oil but to no avail. The issue returned in a few days.

After a couple of successful purchases on the popular portal AliExpress.com, I decided to try my luck there and ordered a replacement fan at around 600 rupees.

The fan arrived today and I immediately got to work. I was surprised to see the stock fan that came on the laptop is made by the same company! Pictures below.

The replacement was finished in about 15 minutes. It's been 2 hours since and the fan seems to be functioning as expected. No loud noise so far.

Success, I think.

Urban Sketching : Street Scenes

DIY: Ceiling Light from Car Air Filter

 

I replaced the air filter in my car sometime ago as part of a minor renovation. I was going to throw the used one away but held on to it as I figured the circular shape with the holed patterns would make for an interesting DIY project.

I finally got around to working on it this weekend.

The first job was getting rid of the filthy paper filter. I removed it with a sharp paper cutter and cutting pliers. It took a lot of effort to get this done as the cloth/paper material was not at all easy to remove. The sharp edges on the cylinders weren't helping.

 

After removing the paper, I cleaned the whole unit thoroughly with a brush and some alcohol. I also gave it a nice sanding to bring back the shine but this would later prove to a be a waste of time. 

  

After I noticed there were too many imperfections on the surface and the leftovers of the paper filter were all over the place, I decided to give the whole thing a coat of matt black spray paint.

And oh, the grill I used in the middle came from an unused exhaust fan. I cut the grill to size and secured it to the air filter assembly using loads of glue.

 

 

Finally I installed the bulb assembly and a yellow 15w bulb from my bedroom and here are the results:

 

 

 

 

That Salary Question!

So a close friend asked me how much I earn in a month. I gave him a rough figure and he immediately converted it into the local currency of the country he's working in. He concluded I was being paid a pittance and that I'd be "worth a lot more" if I gathered the courage to go abroad. Another uncle did the same. Then another cousin.

This forced me to take a step back and think: Am I really underpaid and living a sorry life here in India?

NO.

I have a decent IT job and I earn enough to let me pay the bills, send money home, drive a motorcycle and a car, spend on decent clothes, invest time(and money) in my hobbies, and also do charity work.

And the icing on the cake is I get to do it all while staying close to my loved ones.

The only downside I can think of is I have absolutely no savings. But that has to do with me not spending my money right. My collection of cameras and other retro stuff is partly to blame here.

A close friend pointed out that even if I was employed in another country my savings would still be null. I agree with him!

At this point in career with 4-5 years of experience, a lot of us think "Onsite" for that savings push. I don't have any such aspirations....at least not yet!

DIY : Corner table

So, I found some planks of wood in the trash. I picked them all up when no one was looking. 

With some very rough cuts with the jigsaw and the drill, and some patchwork with nails and glue, I had a crude table ready.

I gave it two coats of Primer followed by two coats of Satin brown enamel paint. 

Final result. Not the prettiest but works!

Jugaad: DIY Easel

I bought a large size canvas board couple of months ago but was not able to start painting due to the lack of a good easel. All my attempts at oil painting have been on paper no more than 8x12 in size!

Instead of buying a new easel I decided to make one myself using a camera tripod that's been lying around useless at home.

Things used:
- Vanguard camera tripod
- Ceiling fan mounts (pictured below)
- A wood clamp
- Pliers or small spanner
- Scotch tape

 I marked a height on the tripod and put scotch tape over the location to prevent scratches from the mounts.

I then screwed on the mounts making sure there was room on both sides to hold the canvas in place.

I placed the canvas on the tripod and used a clamp to secure it to the camera head on top. Done!

I'll post an update on how the rig performs later. One thing I can notice right away is the angle is too steep. The board is almost vertical.

Remembering our teachers

I was fortunate to have great teachers in my life.

• A super cool principal who introduced me to the joys of reading.
• A Maths teacher who changed my perception of the subject by his support and encouragement.
• Social studies teachers: One had a great teaching style, one had rib-tickling humour. Who remembers "Cobra ij a  bird?"
• A great art teacher who taught me how to paint. A librarian who was the favorite of everyone. The list goes on...

There were bad ones too. The one who'd make school kids run personal errands; the guy with the flute who, in my opinion, is a clear psycopath; and few others come mind,

All in good learning though!

I can safely say my career and personal life was heavily influenced by school life and I have only the greatest memories from AECS Manuguru.

A Happy Teachers Day!

A whole computer in a lunchbox

That big, black box in the above pic is our now defunct home PC. We bought it second hand as a simple, browsing machine for home use. Before it we had a custom built Pentium D unit which lasted a full 6 years.

The IBM box is so heavy it takes both hands and whole lot of effort to move it around. We even bought a Dell PC for Dad for his room at Manuguru. We jokingly referred to it as 'the generator'. The power unit on it was that loud.

All three PCs died, most recently the Dell and Dad was badly in need of a replacement so I started looking around online.

I was looking for a compact PC so considered the Intel NUC units, very customizable but the asking price was a bit too much. Zotac and Gigabyte have models too but difficult to find and VERY expensive.

I stumbled across the HP Mini 300-010in on Amazon. The price was just right. I just had to get it!

It is surprising how small this unit is...It is as big as a school lunchbox!


I installed it at Dad's desk and he is quite happy with it. The decidedly low 2 GB RAM is adequate for his browsing needs and the core i3 should more than make up for processing. I'm hoping this setup will last at least three years before requiring an upgrade.

Dad's always yearned for an L-desk, similar to the one he has at his Office. Next on list!

Playing with power

Its 2:20 AM. I am sitting on the front porch. Its been four hours since I returned home from Office. There is no power.

The temperature is a soaring 33 degrees. No wind.

My eyes have adjusted to the low light. I can see dim figures on the terrace on the opposite building. Two little kids and their parents trying to get some sleep. The mosquitoes won't let them. Millions and millions of these pests have wreaked havoc on Tolichowki. They all originate from a a little lake at the back of Golconda fort -filthy to the brim and dumping ground for industrial and residential waste.

On the road, a concerned citizen has just called the TSPDCL Office, the most inefficient bunch of people I have ever dealt with. The last time they came to repair a transformer, they forgot to bring a flashlight. The caller is told power will be restored in an hour's time. I doubt it.

In the neighboring building, another elderly lady is mouthing the choicest expletives for the administration. She lived a better life as kid in the village, she says.

In the distance I can see the decorative lights of a nearby function hall. They must on generator power.

In this sweltering heat, a common man is sitting out in the heat, braving mosquitoes, for a full four hours. While in a nearby colony, the power never goes off as some 'Important' VIPs live there. It is a bad time to be a common man in India.

Our selfie obsessed PM wrote an open letter today on every Indian newspaper...that ache din have arrived. Where the hell are they?

Looking back

Got this card on my first birthday during my time with Deloitte.

Deloitte takes pride in Making Moments Matter. This is how they roll.

Special shout-out to the Guy who actually made this card.

It's been two months since I left. I miss those moments!

2014 : Year in review

Looks like it'll be another quiet new year's eve for me. Either all my friends are doing the same, or I have no friends at all.

Might as well use this time to reflect on some highlights from 2014.

- The year started at the hills of Marredumilli in Andhra Pradesh, to light music, stories and a bonfire.

- The first two months, I did a lot of street photography and got some great street portraits, a lot of which I posted to a new blog. Some I printed in a flip book.

- Shifted music preference from commercial trance to ambient/downtempo/space.

- Eid. Good times.

- Goa. The second trip was a mixed bag. A couple of highlights: Curlies and getting bone-drenched at Baga beach.

- My camera collection grew to a sizable 110! Had to sell off a couple of gems though.

- After watching a viral video of a man giving random people 1000 rupee bills, I did the same to an old man at a nearby bus stop. He's been selling socks for 10 rupees a piece for over a decade now.

- Now I've pledged to support the community by way of donations and service. All thanks to Dad for this.

- After a long time in the supposed "comfort zone", I finally quit my job at Deloitte to take up a position at Bank of Am as Senior Software Engineer.

- It's too early to say if I made a good call. Initial impressions suggest otherwise.

- And oh, I also made my first international travel trip to the beautiful country of UAE. Dubai more than lived up to its reputation as a world class city.

Was also blown away by the culture and the state of law and order there.

It'll be 2015 in an hour from now. Here's wishing for new learning, new opportunities... and most important of all, more peace in the world.

Retro Goodness! Sanyo Music Center

 

I recently acquired what I thought was a working record player. Because what's cooler than having a  retro record player at home!

Meet Sanyo Music Center. Complete with a record player, casette player and 3-band radio- all in one!

Sadly none of them work. The circuitry has gone kaput and it will need a trip to the able hands over at Mahboob Radio Service in Old city to get it working. 

The record player is a challenge as the Needle may need replacement and spares are VERY hard to find.

Fingers crossed.