T&L Publications

Yes, I'm very familiar with all the passive and active cooling components used in computers. My head hurts when I think too much about this, but I'll briefly explain why this wedge shaped gap exists. About six years ago I built a "hybrid" computer. It's a cross between a desktop and server. I won't ...

I've got to force some air into a wedge shaped gap. There is one hot spot. It can't be more than two (maybe three) square inches. A stream of air from a four inch desk fan completely swamps the problem, even though 95% of the air flow from a round desk fan does not enter the gap. As you can see in t...

I managed to pry the case apart using a chisel (flat) X-Acto blade. You can see the hub case and board in the attached images. There are four articulated ports (0º - to - 90º) and six soldered to the board. The switch is a simple SPST rocker. Both switch terminals had sheared away from the board! I ...

My experience buying stuff through eBay has been 99% positive. PayPal was a seperate company that became the "bank" for eBay. eBay owned PayPal for several years. A few months ago PayPal became an independent company again. I like PayPal! The few times I had serious problems with eBay they always fo...

I was searching eBay for a small USB hub that I could use with a laptop on business trips. I found several round 8-port hubs like the attached image. I liked the vertical ports a lot. There was one seller from the USA. All the others were from China. The guy from California sent me a different hub! ...

Yes! I love that name. I'm the Evil Spammer! This problem reminds me of something else that can get you banned from some forums instantly. I've been creating scripts for decades. These scripts automate incredibly complex and tedious processes. The scripts are used in my home office and a small LAN (...

When you have one question about a particular subject your only option is to join a forum. I've joined more forums than I can remember, just to ask a single question. My question was about a "Vos Sports" jacket. The company selling them wasn't helpful, so I joined a men's apparel forum. I didn't kno...

Does this sound familiar? You started buying components many years ago. Most of what you purchased was not for a specific project. If you were anything like me, you devoured catalogs and data books like some people read the bible! I have racks with hundreds of little drawers. Each drawer carefully l...

A few years ago I could drive to five Radio Shacks. All gone. There were also several other businesses that sold hobby supplies and electronic components. They're gone too. If you need a couple of items that are cheap, the shipping costs can easily be more than the components. You can search eBay fo...

I have to apologize, Janitor Tzap. I asked a question when I already knew the answer. You can search a dozen popular sites that sell components. No one has the type of adapter I need. I have a huge collection of audio and video adapters that I never use. Many are obsolete and should be tossed in the...

I've got a box full of audio adapters, but what I need is probably not manufactured. I need a 1/8" (3.5mm) stereo plug at the front and a normally closed (NC) jack in the rear. Why do I want this? I'm constantly plugging wireless or corded headphones into desktop speaker jacks. All these NC jacks ge...

It's a Pace converter from Comcast. Just "any old remote" from a junk pile is not going to work, Janitor Tzap. Since all the lights in my bedroom are off, I need that backlit display. Remember when most TV's had a simple audio output jack? If they didn't, it was easy to install one because that hot ...

I have a couple of full feature (expensive) remotes, but they CANNOT be used in my bedroom. I watch TV in bed with the lights off. Two or three times each week I fall asleep with the remote in my hand. When I awake the remote is under a pillow, blanket, or on the floor. The drop to the floor isn't m...

I started with a simple problem, not knowing how difficult it would be to resolve. I constructed a kind of "hybrid" desktop server. Its main function is to download large files without slowing down the other computers in my home office. As a result, I don't need lightning fast download speeds or spl...

Kensington 72121 is listed as a "normal" product on dozens of websites. For whatever the reasons might be, an uncountable number of companies never update their websites! You can actually order this mouse and millions of other long gone products. I sent several quick emails to some of the companies ...