I hooked up my mother's HP Mini to her big-screen LCD TV. Result: the largest Ubuntu screen I've used ever. In case you're wondering, it's running Ubuntu 9.10, with the Netbook Remix interface. I hit a maximum resolution of 1920 x 1080.
Showing posts with label Hardware. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hardware. Show all posts
Big screen Ubuntu
I hooked up my mother's HP Mini to her big-screen LCD TV. Result: the largest Ubuntu screen I've used ever. In case you're wondering, it's running Ubuntu 9.10, with the Netbook Remix interface. I hit a maximum resolution of 1920 x 1080.
Proprietary Video Drivers
In the office, I use an NVIDIA GeForce 9400GT; at school, we use ATI Radeon HD2600. What's wrong with this picture?
Nothing much, unless you consider that in both cases I have to install the proprietary drivers when I'm using Ubuntu. For the most part, they work, too. So what could be the problem with that?
Well, whenever I upgrade the kernel, as happens with the Update Manager, the graphics breaks after the reboot. Either I'm left with a low-resolution screen, or worst case, no screen at all. This is because the proprietary graphics driver is tied to the kernel, and vice versa. Changes in the kernel will not automatically reflect the graphics driver. Hence, a reinstall is needed.
After a kernel upgrade, I find it helpful to boot into recovery mode and reinstall the graphics driver (therefore, don't delete the graphics driver; keep it handy on disk). It takes all of five minutes, after which I can just resume booting. Graphics should work fine after that.
Still, it is a bother. But since I want some gaming goodness out of my machine, I'm stuck with this less than optimal solution.
Nothing much, unless you consider that in both cases I have to install the proprietary drivers when I'm using Ubuntu. For the most part, they work, too. So what could be the problem with that?
Well, whenever I upgrade the kernel, as happens with the Update Manager, the graphics breaks after the reboot. Either I'm left with a low-resolution screen, or worst case, no screen at all. This is because the proprietary graphics driver is tied to the kernel, and vice versa. Changes in the kernel will not automatically reflect the graphics driver. Hence, a reinstall is needed.
After a kernel upgrade, I find it helpful to boot into recovery mode and reinstall the graphics driver (therefore, don't delete the graphics driver; keep it handy on disk). It takes all of five minutes, after which I can just resume booting. Graphics should work fine after that.
Still, it is a bother. But since I want some gaming goodness out of my machine, I'm stuck with this less than optimal solution.
A4Tech Webcam
Since Mom and Dad recently discovered Skype, they've hinted, as in strongly hinted, that they want to be able to chat via webcam, too. What can I say? I could really hide it from them for so long.
In response to this request, I went out and bought a webcam for my desktop. I wasn't sure which one would work, so I took a shot in the dark and bought an A4Tech PK-635K from my friend's computer shop. Not as cheap as I would have gotten it from CDR-King, but pretty cheap considering the brand.
The package set Driver-Free. I asked the salesgirl about this, and she said, "Yes, it comes with a free driver." Just had to roll my eyes up at that one.
In any case, the webcam works as advertised, both for photos and videos. Here's a demo of the video capabilities under Cheese.
This is the output from my
As promised, no driver needed! Plugged it in and it worked immediately.
It's supposed to have a built-in microphone but it was crappy so I had to resurrect an old PC microphone (the only remnant of an Aptiva I bought over ten years ago).
For my sound settings, it worked with HDA Intel (ALSA Mixer). It helped that I added the Mic Boost option in the panel.
On Skype, I'm just using
In response to this request, I went out and bought a webcam for my desktop. I wasn't sure which one would work, so I took a shot in the dark and bought an A4Tech PK-635K from my friend's computer shop. Not as cheap as I would have gotten it from CDR-King, but pretty cheap considering the brand.
The package set Driver-Free. I asked the salesgirl about this, and she said, "Yes, it comes with a free driver." Just had to roll my eyes up at that one.
In any case, the webcam works as advertised, both for photos and videos. Here's a demo of the video capabilities under Cheese.
This is the output from my
/var/log/messages:May 28 17:05:04 union kernel: [ 59.184055] usb 1-4: new high speed USB device
using ehci_hcd and address 4
May 28 17:05:04 union kernel: [ 59.411303] usb 1-4: configuration #1 chosen fr
om 1 choice
May 28 17:05:04 union kernel: [ 59.487423] Linux video capture interface: v2.00
May 28 17:05:04 union kernel: [ 59.510033] uvcvideo: Found UVC 1.00 device A4 TECH PC Camera (093a:2700)
May 28 17:05:04 union kernel: [ 59.513371] input: A4 TECH PC Camera as /devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:1a.7/usb1/1-4/1-4:1.0/input/input8
May 28 17:05:04 union kernel: [ 59.517113] usbcore: registered new interface driver uvcvideo
May 28 17:05:04 union kernel: [ 59.517117] USB Video Class driver (v0.1.0)As promised, no driver needed! Plugged it in and it worked immediately.
It's supposed to have a built-in microphone but it was crappy so I had to resurrect an old PC microphone (the only remnant of an Aptiva I bought over ten years ago).
For my sound settings, it worked with HDA Intel (ALSA Mixer). It helped that I added the Mic Boost option in the panel.
On Skype, I'm just using
pulse for both input and output.Installing nVidia drivers
It's been a while since I've actually worked with a 3D accelerated graphics card on any Ubuntu system. For a number of reasons, I finally decided to go out and get one. My choice ultimately fell on a card using the GeForce 9400GT, with 1GB of memory. I had the store technician install it for me, and we tested it briefly and it worked okay.
Next question was: how to install the driver?
What I suppose is the recommended solution is to use the Hardware Drivers application of Ubuntu. This is available from
Unfortunately, this approach has almost always never worked for me the past few times I tried it. When I click on "Activate", it brings up another window to tell me that it's downloading the driver from some repository. It never actually does.
So instead, I just went to the nVidia driver download page. It was helpful enough to give me the options I needed for my card.
The driver came in the form of a 21MB self-extracting file
Unfortunately, these instructions are not complete. When installing this driver from a stock Ubuntu installation, the installation process -- text-based by the way -- will complain that you have an X server running, and that you need to turn this off.
I got around this problem by going into console mode (press
Then, I once more ran the nVidia driver installer.
The installer will attempt to find a kernel module suitable for Ubuntu but it will fail. Its next recourse is to recompile the module, and this it managed to do without any more hitches.
From here on, you won't be able to modify the display settings using the Ubuntu utility. You'll have to use the nVidia utility, accessible from
Other than bringing it up, I really didn't make any modifications anymore. My system is working so far, and I'm getting a resolution of 1440x900. (Until you install the driver, you're stuck at 800x600). My glxgears test gives me a result of around 4900 fps, which is the highest I've ever seen on any of my machines.
Here's hoping the card will give me many years of gaming goodness.
Next question was: how to install the driver?
What I suppose is the recommended solution is to use the Hardware Drivers application of Ubuntu. This is available from
System->Administration->Hardware Drivers. This brings up the window:
Unfortunately, this approach has almost always never worked for me the past few times I tried it. When I click on "Activate", it brings up another window to tell me that it's downloading the driver from some repository. It never actually does.
So instead, I just went to the nVidia driver download page. It was helpful enough to give me the options I needed for my card.
The driver came in the form of a 21MB self-extracting file
NVIDIA-Linux-x86-180.51-pkg1.run. The site provides additional instructions to run the program.
Unfortunately, these instructions are not complete. When installing this driver from a stock Ubuntu installation, the installation process -- text-based by the way -- will complain that you have an X server running, and that you need to turn this off.
I got around this problem by going into console mode (press
Ctrl-Alt-F1), logging in, and shutting down the Gnome Display Manager.sudo /etc/init.d/gdm shutdownThen, I once more ran the nVidia driver installer.
The installer will attempt to find a kernel module suitable for Ubuntu but it will fail. Its next recourse is to recompile the module, and this it managed to do without any more hitches.
From here on, you won't be able to modify the display settings using the Ubuntu utility. You'll have to use the nVidia utility, accessible from
System->Preferences->nVidia X Server Settings. Clicking this will bring up the utility.
Other than bringing it up, I really didn't make any modifications anymore. My system is working so far, and I'm getting a resolution of 1440x900. (Until you install the driver, you're stuck at 800x600). My glxgears test gives me a result of around 4900 fps, which is the highest I've ever seen on any of my machines.
Here's hoping the card will give me many years of gaming goodness.
Elevated laptop for better ergonomics
Not strictly Ubuntu-related, but I thought I'd post it anyway. This is the elevated monitor platform that I use as a riser for my laptop. I had been thinking of getting one for the past few weeks. This, after realizing that the LCD screen was well below the ideal height for working.
For a long while, I was eyeing a plastic holder with an adjustable leg from CD-R King, but it was too expensive at P580. Then I dropped by Columbia and I saw they were selling these monitor stands. Original price was P1,200, but since they couldn't get rid of them, they offered them to me for P300. Sold!
So that it would match with my laptop's color, I bought a can of black spray paint. One quick-drying paint job later, I was good to go.
It's so much more comfortable working with the laptop now. The riser brings it up the laptop good 8" and now the screen is at eye level. Such a simple solution!
Yes, I could've just used a few old books, but I thought it would be more expensive if my laptop fell over. And the books could never bring it up to the height the riser does.
For a long while, I was eyeing a plastic holder with an adjustable leg from CD-R King, but it was too expensive at P580. Then I dropped by Columbia and I saw they were selling these monitor stands. Original price was P1,200, but since they couldn't get rid of them, they offered them to me for P300. Sold!
So that it would match with my laptop's color, I bought a can of black spray paint. One quick-drying paint job later, I was good to go.
It's so much more comfortable working with the laptop now. The riser brings it up the laptop good 8" and now the screen is at eye level. Such a simple solution!
Yes, I could've just used a few old books, but I thought it would be more expensive if my laptop fell over. And the books could never bring it up to the height the riser does.
Acer Aspire 4730Z
It took a long, long while but I finally went out and bought a new laptop to replace my four-year old Thinkpad. Just in the nick of time, too: my mother, my sister, and even the manager of the next-door computer shop were getting upset with me.
Here's the story. I dropped by the computer shop last December and saw that they had slashed P3,000 off the regular price of their Acer Aspire laptops. What caught my eye was the Aspire 4730Z -- Intel T3200 dual-core, 1GB RAM, 160GB hard disk, 14.1" WXGA screen, and no operating system. All these, and its price tag of P27,000, just a little bit more than the average netbook.
And, of course, cheapskate me, I kept holding off the purchase. My Thinkpad still works, I said to myself. It's slow but it works. But there were days, of course, when its underpowered 256MB RAM just couldn't cut it any more.
And almost every day, I'd be wandering over to the computer shop. "Has someone bought it already?" I would ask. "Last two units," the manager would say.
Truth be told, I was tempted to buy it elsewhere, yet another reason for my vacillation. At another computer chain, they sold the same model at the same price but with an added 1GB RAM. But then again, we had been neighbors with the next-door shop for so long. Out of loyalty and goodwill, I decided I would buy it from them or not at all.
A couple more weeks passed. The supplies were steadily dwindling. Today, when I finally decided to buy the unit, it was the last one on display. The manager cried her hallelujahs when I walked into the store and announced my intent.
I didn't even bother checking the default Linpus operating system that came with it. Installed Intrepid Ibex this afternoon and everything is working great. As in everything. No funky drivers to install, even the webcam works perfectly with
My only complaints are the keyboard whose layout I'm not used to (having worked with the Thinkpad for so long) and the touchpad which feels awkward. But I guess it's just a matter of time.
Specs of the machine:
Here's the story. I dropped by the computer shop last December and saw that they had slashed P3,000 off the regular price of their Acer Aspire laptops. What caught my eye was the Aspire 4730Z -- Intel T3200 dual-core, 1GB RAM, 160GB hard disk, 14.1" WXGA screen, and no operating system. All these, and its price tag of P27,000, just a little bit more than the average netbook.
And, of course, cheapskate me, I kept holding off the purchase. My Thinkpad still works, I said to myself. It's slow but it works. But there were days, of course, when its underpowered 256MB RAM just couldn't cut it any more.
And almost every day, I'd be wandering over to the computer shop. "Has someone bought it already?" I would ask. "Last two units," the manager would say.
Truth be told, I was tempted to buy it elsewhere, yet another reason for my vacillation. At another computer chain, they sold the same model at the same price but with an added 1GB RAM. But then again, we had been neighbors with the next-door shop for so long. Out of loyalty and goodwill, I decided I would buy it from them or not at all.
A couple more weeks passed. The supplies were steadily dwindling. Today, when I finally decided to buy the unit, it was the last one on display. The manager cried her hallelujahs when I walked into the store and announced my intent.
I didn't even bother checking the default Linpus operating system that came with it. Installed Intrepid Ibex this afternoon and everything is working great. As in everything. No funky drivers to install, even the webcam works perfectly with
cheese. My only complaints are the keyboard whose layout I'm not used to (having worked with the Thinkpad for so long) and the touchpad which feels awkward. But I guess it's just a matter of time.
Specs of the machine:
aspire
description: Computer
product: Aspire 4730Z
vendor: Acer
version: V1.10
serial: LXAT90C03183605CF31601
width: 32 bits
capabilities: smbios-2.4 dmi-2.4
configuration: boot=normal uuid=76933E2A-E885-09FC-947C-001EEC5F769E
*-core
description: Motherboard
product: Aspire 4730Z
vendor: Acer
physical id: 0
version: V1.10
serial: Base Board Serial Number
slot: Base Board Chassis Location
*-firmware
description: BIOS
vendor: Acer
physical id: 0
version: V1.10 (07/29/2008)
size: 1MiB
*-memory
description: System Memory
physical id: 14
slot: System board or motherboard
size: 1GiB
*-bank:0
description: SODIMM Synchronous 667 MHz (1.5 ns)
product: 888888888888888888888888888888888888
vendor: Samsung
physical id: 0
serial: 75900A88
slot: DIMM0
size: 1GiB
width: 64 bits
clock: 667MHz (1.5ns)
*-bank:1
description: SODIMM [empty]
physical id: 1
slot: DIMM2
*-cpu
description: CPU
product: Intel(R) Pentium(R) Dual CPU T3200 @ 2.00GHz
vendor: Intel Corp.
physical id: 1d
bus info: cpu@0
version: 6.15.13
serial: 0000-06FD-0000-0000-0000-0000
slot: uPGA-478
size: 2GHz
capacity: 2GHz
width: 64 bits
clock: 166MHz
configuration: id=1
*-cache:0
description: L2 cache
physical id: 1e
slot: L2 Cache
size: 1MiB
capacity: 1MiB
capabilities: synchronous internal write-back unified
*-cache:1
description: L1 cache
physical id: 20
slot: L1 Cache
size: 32KiB
capacity: 32KiB
capabilities: synchronous internal write-back data
*-logicalcpu:0
description: Logical CPU
physical id: 1.1
width: 64 bits
capabilities: logical
*-logicalcpu:1
description: Logical CPU
physical id: 1.2
width: 64 bits
capabilities: logical
*-cache
description: L1 cache
physical id: 1f
slot: L1 Cache
size: 32KiB
capacity: 32KiB
capabilities: synchronous internal write-back instruction
*-pci
description: Host bridge
product: Mobile 4 Series Chipset Memory Controller Hub
vendor: Intel Corporation
physical id: 100
bus info: pci@0000:00:00.0
version: 07
width: 32 bits
clock: 33MHz
configuration: driver=agpgart-intel module=intel_agp
*-display:0 UNCLAIMED
description: VGA compatible controller
product: Mobile 4 Series Chipset Integrated Graphics Controller
vendor: Intel Corporation
physical id: 2
bus info: pci@0000:00:02.0
version: 07
width: 64 bits
clock: 33MHz
capabilities: msi pm bus_master cap_list
configuration: latency=0
*-display:1 UNCLAIMED
description: Display controller
product: Mobile 4 Series Chipset Integrated Graphics Controller
vendor: Intel Corporation
physical id: 2.1
bus info: pci@0000:00:02.1
version: 07
width: 64 bits
clock: 33MHz
capabilities: pm bus_master cap_list
configuration: latency=0
*-usb:0
description: USB Controller
product: 82801I (ICH9 Family) USB UHCI Controller #4
vendor: Intel Corporation
physical id: 1a
bus info: pci@0000:00:1a.0
version: 03
width: 32 bits
clock: 33MHz
capabilities: bus_master cap_list
configuration: driver=uhci_hcd latency=0 module=uhci_hcd
*-usb:1
description: USB Controller
product: 82801I (ICH9 Family) USB UHCI Controller #5
vendor: Intel Corporation
physical id: 1a.1
bus info: pci@0000:00:1a.1
version: 03
width: 32 bits
clock: 33MHz
capabilities: bus_master cap_list
configuration: driver=uhci_hcd latency=0 module=uhci_hcd
*-usb:2
description: USB Controller
product: 82801I (ICH9 Family) USB2 EHCI Controller #2
vendor: Intel Corporation
physical id: 1a.7
bus info: pci@0000:00:1a.7
version: 03
width: 32 bits
clock: 33MHz
capabilities: pm debug bus_master cap_list
configuration: driver=ehci_hcd latency=0 module=ehci_hcd
*-multimedia
description: Audio device
product: 82801I (ICH9 Family) HD Audio Controller
vendor: Intel Corporation
physical id: 1b
bus info: pci@0000:00:1b.0
version: 03
width: 64 bits
clock: 33MHz
capabilities: pm msi pciexpress bus_master cap_list
configuration: driver=HDA Intel latency=0 module=snd_hda_intel
*-pci:0
description: PCI bridge
product: 82801I (ICH9 Family) PCI Express Port 1
vendor: Intel Corporation
physical id: 1c
bus info: pci@0000:00:1c.0
version: 03
width: 32 bits
clock: 33MHz
capabilities: pci pciexpress msi pm bus_master cap_list
configuration: driver=pcieport-driver
*-pci:1
description: PCI bridge
product: 82801I (ICH9 Family) PCI Express Port 2
vendor: Intel Corporation
physical id: 1c.1
bus info: pci@0000:00:1c.1
version: 03
width: 32 bits
clock: 33MHz
capabilities: pci pciexpress msi pm bus_master cap_list
configuration: driver=pcieport-driver
*-network
description: Wireless interface
product: AR928X Wireless Network Adapter (PCI-Express)
vendor: Atheros Communications Inc.
physical id: 0
bus info: pci@0000:04:00.0
logical name: wmaster0
version: 01
serial: 00:22:69:93:cd:13
width: 64 bits
clock: 33MHz
*-pci:2
description: PCI bridge
product: 82801I (ICH9 Family) PCI Express Port 3
vendor: Intel Corporation
physical id: 1c.2
bus info: pci@0000:00:1c.2
version: 03
width: 32 bits
clock: 33MHz
capabilities: pci pciexpress msi pm bus_master cap_list
configuration: driver=pcieport-driver
*-network
description: Ethernet interface
product: RTL8111/8168B PCI Express Gigabit Ethernet controller
vendor: Realtek Semiconductor Co., Ltd.
physical id: 0
bus info: pci@0000:05:00.0
logical name: eth0
version: 02
serial: 00:1e:ec:5f:76:9e
size: 100MB/s
capacity: 1GB/s
width: 64 bits
clock: 33MHz
*-pci:3
description: PCI bridge
product: 82801I (ICH9 Family) PCI Express Port 5
vendor: Intel Corporation
physical id: 1c.4
bus info: pci@0000:00:1c.4
version: 03
width: 32 bits
clock: 33MHz
capabilities: pci pciexpress msi pm bus_master cap_list
configuration: driver=pcieport-driver
*-system:0
description: System peripheral
product: SD/MMC Host Controller
vendor: JMicron Technologies, Inc.
physical id: 0
bus info: pci@0000:07:00.0
version: 00
width: 32 bits
clock: 33MHz
capabilities: pm pciexpress msi bus_master cap_list
configuration: driver=sdhci-pci latency=0 module=sdhci_pci
*-system:1 UNCLAIMED
description: SD Host controller
product: Standard SD Host Controller
vendor: JMicron Technologies, Inc.
physical id: 0.2
bus info: pci@0000:07:00.2
version: 00
width: 32 bits
clock: 33MHz
capabilities: pm pciexpress msi cap_list
configuration: latency=0
*-system:2 UNCLAIMED
description: System peripheral
product: MS Host Controller
vendor: JMicron Technologies, Inc.
physical id: 0.3
bus info: pci@0000:07:00.3
version: 00
width: 32 bits
clock: 33MHz
capabilities: pm pciexpress msi bus_master cap_list
configuration: latency=0
*-system:3 UNCLAIMED
description: System peripheral
product: xD Host Controller
vendor: JMicron Technologies, Inc.
physical id: 0.4
bus info: pci@0000:07:00.4
version: 00
width: 32 bits
clock: 33MHz
capabilities: pm pciexpress msi bus_master cap_list
configuration: latency=0
*-usb:3
description: USB Controller
product: 82801I (ICH9 Family) USB UHCI Controller #1
vendor: Intel Corporation
physical id: 1d
bus info: pci@0000:00:1d.0
version: 03
width: 32 bits
clock: 33MHz
capabilities: bus_master cap_list
configuration: driver=uhci_hcd latency=0 module=uhci_hcd
*-usb:4
description: USB Controller
product: 82801I (ICH9 Family) USB UHCI Controller #2
vendor: Intel Corporation
physical id: 1d.1
bus info: pci@0000:00:1d.1
version: 03
width: 32 bits
clock: 33MHz
capabilities: bus_master cap_list
configuration: driver=uhci_hcd latency=0 module=uhci_hcd
*-usb:5
description: USB Controller
product: 82801I (ICH9 Family) USB UHCI Controller #3
vendor: Intel Corporation
physical id: 1d.2
bus info: pci@0000:00:1d.2
version: 03
width: 32 bits
clock: 33MHz
capabilities: bus_master cap_list
configuration: driver=uhci_hcd latency=0 module=uhci_hcd
*-usb:6
description: USB Controller
product: 82801I (ICH9 Family) USB UHCI Controller #6
vendor: Intel Corporation
physical id: 1d.3
bus info: pci@0000:00:1d.3
version: 03
width: 32 bits
clock: 33MHz
capabilities: bus_master cap_list
configuration: driver=uhci_hcd latency=0 module=uhci_hcd
*-usb:7
description: USB Controller
product: 82801I (ICH9 Family) USB2 EHCI Controller #1
vendor: Intel Corporation
physical id: 1d.7
bus info: pci@0000:00:1d.7
version: 03
width: 32 bits
clock: 33MHz
capabilities: pm debug bus_master cap_list
configuration: driver=ehci_hcd latency=0 module=ehci_hcd
*-pci:4
description: PCI bridge
product: 82801 Mobile PCI Bridge
vendor: Intel Corporation
physical id: 1e
bus info: pci@0000:00:1e.0
version: 93
width: 32 bits
clock: 33MHz
capabilities: pci bus_master cap_list
*-isa
description: ISA bridge
product: ICH9M LPC Interface Controller
vendor: Intel Corporation
physical id: 1f
bus info: pci@0000:00:1f.0
version: 03
width: 32 bits
clock: 33MHz
capabilities: isa bus_master cap_list
configuration: latency=0
*-storage
description: SATA controller
product: ICH9M/M-E SATA AHCI Controller
vendor: Intel Corporation
physical id: 1f.2
bus info: pci@0000:00:1f.2
logical name: scsi0
logical name: scsi1
version: 03
width: 32 bits
clock: 66MHz
capabilities: storage msi pm bus_master cap_list emulated
configuration: driver=ahci latency=0 module=ahci
*-disk
description: ATA Disk
product: Hitachi HTS54321
vendor: Hitachi
physical id: 0
bus info: scsi@0:0.0.0
logical name: /dev/sda
version: FB2O
serial: 080728FB0240LCGK11WA
size: 149GiB (160GB)
capabilities: partitioned partitioned:dos
configuration: ansiversion=5 signature=86f686f6
*-volume:0
description: EXT3 volume
vendor: Linux
physical id: 1
bus info: scsi@0:0.0.0,1
logical name: /dev/sda1
logical name: /
logical name: /dev/.static/dev
version: 1.0
serial: 12776c79-c919-4651-907e-b320e17e13e4
size: 18GiB
capacity: 18GiB
*-volume:1
description: Extended partition
physical id: 2
bus info: scsi@0:0.0.0,2
logical name: /dev/sda2
size: 130GiB
capacity: 130GiB
capabilities: primary extended partitioned partitioned:extended
*-logicalvolume:0
description: Linux swap / Solaris partition
physical id: 5
logical name: /dev/sda5
capacity: 1906MiB
capabilities: nofs
*-logicalvolume:1
description: Linux filesystem partition
physical id: 6
logical name: /dev/sda6
logical name: /home
capacity: 128GiB
configuration: mount.fstype=ext3 mount.options=rw,relatime,errors=continue,data=ordered state=mounted
*-cdrom
description: DVD-RAM writer
product: DVD RW AD-7560S
vendor: Optiarc
physical id: 1
bus info: scsi@1:0.0.0
logical name: /dev/cdrom
logical name: /dev/cdrw
logical name: /dev/dvd
logical name: /dev/dvdrw
logical name: /dev/scd0
logical name: /dev/sr0
version: SX07
capabilities: removable audio cd-r cd-rw dvd dvd-r dvd-ram
configuration: ansiversion=5 status=nodisc
*-serial UNCLAIMED
description: SMBus
product: 82801I (ICH9 Family) SMBus Controller
vendor: Intel Corporation
physical id: 1f.3
bus info: pci@0000:00:1f.3
version: 03
width: 64 bits
clock: 33MHz
configuration: latency=0
*-generic UNCLAIMED
description: Signal processing controller
product: 82801I (ICH9 Family) Thermal Subsystem
vendor: Intel Corporation
physical id: 1f.6
bus info: pci@0000:00:1f.6
version: 03
width: 64 bits
clock: 33MHz
capabilities: pm cap_list
configuration: latency=0
*-battery
description: Lithium Ion Battery
product: Li-lon Battery
vendor: -Virtual Battery 0-
physical id: 1
version: 10/12/2007
serial: Battery 0
slot: Fake
*-network DISABLED
description: Ethernet interface
physical id: 2
logical name: pan0
serial: 62:c4:fb:7d:1d:22
capabilities: ethernet physical
Multifunction CX5500
It's ironic that, after withdrawing my recommendation for the Epson C90, I should still end up using its multifunction cousin the CX5500. But hear me out.
The CX5500 was actually my sister's purchase. She bought it after I got the C90 but was soon dissatisfied with it. There were noticeable lines when she printed, a problem that was resolved only after invoking the warranty at the next-door computer shop. After she got it fixed, she went out on bought an HP, and the CX5500 went into storage.
When my C90 gave up the ghost, she passed the CX5500 on to me. Only fair that I should be saddled with it, I think, because she bought it on my recommendation with the C90.
So how is the CX5500 holding up? It's not without its problems but it's functional.
The CISS from the old C90 was still serviceable so had it transferred to the CX5500. Both the C90 and the CX5500 share the same printing mechanism, you see. Yes, I know, I'm taking another risk destroying this printer but it's not like it's another major cash shell-out. I'll see how long the CX5500 lasts.
Under Ubuntu 8.04, the Epson Stylus C68 continues to work well for the CX5500. Surprisingly, there is a recognized CX5500 driver under Ubuntu 8.10 (which I run as a virtual machine.) The CX5500 prints well, except...well, except that it makes a horrible noise sometimes when I print out from the computer. I honestly don't know why.
As a copier the CX5500 is quite handy. I no longer need to turn the computer on every time I want to use it.
As for the scanner function, I honestly didn't think I'd get the CX5500 working under Ubuntu. All the notes on the SANE site recommended against it. However, I did come across detailed step-by-step instructions on Ubuntu Forums that got the scanner working for me. The scans really are quite clear and I'm happy with the results.
The only hitch is that the converted drivers don't work for 64-bit Ubuntu so I can only scan using a VirtualMachine guest. But hey, it works.
Happy outcomes aside, I really recommend against buying Epson printer products from now on.
The CX5500 was actually my sister's purchase. She bought it after I got the C90 but was soon dissatisfied with it. There were noticeable lines when she printed, a problem that was resolved only after invoking the warranty at the next-door computer shop. After she got it fixed, she went out on bought an HP, and the CX5500 went into storage.
When my C90 gave up the ghost, she passed the CX5500 on to me. Only fair that I should be saddled with it, I think, because she bought it on my recommendation with the C90.
So how is the CX5500 holding up? It's not without its problems but it's functional.
The CISS from the old C90 was still serviceable so had it transferred to the CX5500. Both the C90 and the CX5500 share the same printing mechanism, you see. Yes, I know, I'm taking another risk destroying this printer but it's not like it's another major cash shell-out. I'll see how long the CX5500 lasts.
Under Ubuntu 8.04, the Epson Stylus C68 continues to work well for the CX5500. Surprisingly, there is a recognized CX5500 driver under Ubuntu 8.10 (which I run as a virtual machine.) The CX5500 prints well, except...well, except that it makes a horrible noise sometimes when I print out from the computer. I honestly don't know why.
As a copier the CX5500 is quite handy. I no longer need to turn the computer on every time I want to use it.
As for the scanner function, I honestly didn't think I'd get the CX5500 working under Ubuntu. All the notes on the SANE site recommended against it. However, I did come across detailed step-by-step instructions on Ubuntu Forums that got the scanner working for me. The scans really are quite clear and I'm happy with the results.
The only hitch is that the converted drivers don't work for 64-bit Ubuntu so I can only scan using a VirtualMachine guest. But hey, it works.
Happy outcomes aside, I really recommend against buying Epson printer products from now on.
Epson C90 Redux
I'm going to have to withdraw my recommendation on the Epson C90, and Epson printers in general. You see, my C90 gave up its ghost a month before Christmas. This is a little less than a year since I got the unit.
The explanation was this: Epson printers have their head in the printer assembly itself, unlike HP printers which have them as part of the ink cartridge. Thus Epson printers come out cheaper, but when the head goes, it goes.
This arrangement makes maintenance of Epson printers a bit finicky. You have to use it every day, otherwise the ink dries up and damages the head. And you can't use the super-high quality print output too often because the head tends to overheat. Overheating misaligns the head, also causing damage. My neglect was a combination of both.
Of course, all this was the explanation from the printer tech guy who installed the continuous ink supply system. Did it have something to do with the continuous ink supply system? Maybe it did; but I wasn't in the mood to argue with the printer tech, who seemed like a genuinely nice guy anyway. Besides, the printer was cheap.
The irony is that my sister had a spare Epson CX5500, and that's what I eventually inherited. I had the CISS transferred to this new unit and I'm using it now. How long it'll last, I don't know. My adventures with the CX5500 I'll document in another post.
The explanation was this: Epson printers have their head in the printer assembly itself, unlike HP printers which have them as part of the ink cartridge. Thus Epson printers come out cheaper, but when the head goes, it goes.
This arrangement makes maintenance of Epson printers a bit finicky. You have to use it every day, otherwise the ink dries up and damages the head. And you can't use the super-high quality print output too often because the head tends to overheat. Overheating misaligns the head, also causing damage. My neglect was a combination of both.
Of course, all this was the explanation from the printer tech guy who installed the continuous ink supply system. Did it have something to do with the continuous ink supply system? Maybe it did; but I wasn't in the mood to argue with the printer tech, who seemed like a genuinely nice guy anyway. Besides, the printer was cheap.
The irony is that my sister had a spare Epson CX5500, and that's what I eventually inherited. I had the CISS transferred to this new unit and I'm using it now. How long it'll last, I don't know. My adventures with the CX5500 I'll document in another post.
Local CISS printer conversion service
Inktech, whose primary business is ink refilling, is a large franchise here in the Philippines and one whose presence is ubiquitous in major malls. They also offer conversion of various printer models (mostly Epson, some Canon, but no HP). Their kit and conversion charge for the Epson C90 is P2,900, printer not included. That's a bit more expensive than the DIY approach, but I thought the end result was well worth it.
Before taking the plunge with Inktech, I checked the prices of CISS kits. I found two Manila-based sources offering it at P1,800, plus P230 for shipping and handling. All in all, P2,030, a difference of P900 for what Inktech was offering.
After agonizing over the decision for a couple of days -- I am a miser and that's why I use Linux -- I decided to pony up the extra P900. Here's why:
I've been using the printer for the past few days and so far everything is good. Print quality is excellent, no degradation from the time I first got the C90. The conversion seems well worth it, considering that I would have paid P2,000 for a new set of ink cartridges.
A couple more things:
Before taking the plunge with Inktech, I checked the prices of CISS kits. I found two Manila-based sources offering it at P1,800, plus P230 for shipping and handling. All in all, P2,030, a difference of P900 for what Inktech was offering.
After agonizing over the decision for a couple of days -- I am a miser and that's why I use Linux -- I decided to pony up the extra P900. Here's why:
- The P1,800 price seemed right, but I still wasn't sure whether the people I was dealing with were on the up-and-up. I could have sent them the money and never heard from them again.
- I wasn't sure that my clumsy hands were up to the task of installing the kit. Turns out it was the right decision as the
I've been using the printer for the past few days and so far everything is good. Print quality is excellent, no degradation from the time I first got the C90. The conversion seems well worth it, considering that I would have paid P2,000 for a new set of ink cartridges.
A couple more things:
- It's actually cheaper to buy the printer separately and have it converted at Inktech. Inktech sells brand-new converted units, but by my miserly estimation, it costs around P300 to P500 more.
- Eventually, the printer's counter will have to be reset, but this a long way off, around 35,000 pages; for my frequency of use, that's ten years' worth of printing.
- CISS printers must be us
Epson Stylus C90 with CISS modification
In need of a color printer, I settled on the relatively inexpensive Epson Stylus C90 a couple of months ago. The C90 is a staple among computer retailers, and has been so since a year ago. I had my eye on it for a long time but held off a purchase because of some glitches with Ubuntu 7.04. However, unable to hold off my needs, I finally had to risk it and get one from my next-door neighbor Electroworld.
Surprise, surprise! It works well enough with Ubuntu 7.10!
As you can see from the picture above, I've already had it converted with the Continuous Ink Supply System. It has always been my intention to do so, and I only waited to finish off the supplied cartridges before going with the conversion. Just got it back from the shop yesterday, and no problems so far. Sweet!
Now, a few words about the Epson Stylus C90 and Linux:
If you have a hard time looking it up under its designation, its because "C90" seems to be a unique code for the Philippines and a smattering of countries. Elsewhere, it's known as the Epson Stylus D92. Go figure.
As I said, it works relatively well with Gutsy Gibbon. I won't go so far as to say it's perfect. First of all, Epson does not provide any native Linux drivers for the C90/D92; however, the Stylus C68 Gutenprint driver that ships with Ubuntu works well enough. The alignment between what you see onscreen and what actually comes out, down to the borders is perfect; the color output is quite faithful.
What you don't get in Linux that you otherwise get under Windows and Mac is the printer support software. This is the utility that's supposed to tell you how much ink is left in your cartridges, and when it's time for a replacement. However, since, I'm using CISS, that's not an issue at all.
And most important of all: since I bought this printer for the purpose of printing pictures (on glossy photo paper and on iron-on paper), I've found that the most effective application to print photos with is Eye of Gnome. No problem as this is the default image viewer in Ubuntu. However, do keep this in mind as I've had less than stellar results printing from The GIMP and from gthumb.
Another upside: printing from OpenOffice.org and Abiword has not been a problem.
More thoughts on selecting a conversion shop and CISS care tips in the next post.
R50e Installation question
Question from Kirby: I'm so happy to know that we have the same model of IBM R50e laptop. I'm having problems installing Ubuntu Feisty on it. Currently, i'm running widows and i would like to dual-boot just in case. I would appreciate it if you could shed some light on how did you install ubuntu 7.04 on your R50e?
Hi, Kirby: with Ubuntu 7.04, I just used the standard desktop install. Not quite sure what snag you're hitting. Perhaps a bit more of a description is in order.
Maybe it's the lack of memory on the machine? In the past, though (pre-7.04), I would have some trouble with my poor underpowered machine running out of memory during the installation process itself. I resorted to using the Ubuntu alternate install (no LiveCD). The alternate install would succeed where the standard LiveCD failed.
But to be honest, I haven't had that same problem with 7.04 anymore.
Hi, Kirby: with Ubuntu 7.04, I just used the standard desktop install. Not quite sure what snag you're hitting. Perhaps a bit more of a description is in order.
Maybe it's the lack of memory on the machine? In the past, though (pre-7.04), I would have some trouble with my poor underpowered machine running out of memory during the installation process itself. I resorted to using the Ubuntu alternate install (no LiveCD). The alternate install would succeed where the standard LiveCD failed.
But to be honest, I haven't had that same problem with 7.04 anymore.
Speed USB Gamepad
Meet the best gaming peripheral I've purchased for any system yet: a cheap USB gamepad from Speed. It's got good heft, fantastic grip, multiple control points, and several buttons.
I'd give you the link to the manufacturer of this little bundle of joy, but I can't seem to find it anywhere anymore. You see, I purchased this gamepad a couple of years back and only recently decided to resurrect it for Ubuntu.
Ubuntu recognized the gamepad immediately upon connection.
dmesg reveals:[17179584.928000] input: DragonRise Inc. Generic USB Joystick as /class/input/input1
[17179584.928000] input: USB HID v1.10 Joystick [DragonRise Inc. Generic USB Joystick ] on usb-0000:00:03.3-2.1The device node for the gamepad is
/dev/input/js0.I installed two other packages for supporting the gamepad:
joystick and xserver-xorg-input-joystick. joystick provides calibration testing tools for the joystick devices. It's useful to see if the gamepad is responding properly but is otherwise unnecessary.xserver-xorg-input-joystick provides driver modules for X. I installed it just to be on the safe side.See my section on Ubuntu games to see which games support the gamepad.
Scanners
Scanners and Linux can be a tricky combination. Many scanner manufacturers have been less than forthcoming with their drivers. The SANE (Scanner Access Now Easy) Project has made leaps and bounds over the past few years to getting some semblance of, er, sanity in scanner drivers for Linux, there's a good chance of incompatibility.
Before buying a scanner, visit the supported scanners list of the SANE Project to verify if what's compatible and what's not.
From the SANE project introduction:
I've had a pretty good experience with the Canon LiDE 20. Right off the bat, it works with Ubuntu's built-in scanner client. No configuration necessary to get it up and running.
The Canon LiDE 20 has been discontinued and replaced by the Canon LiDE 25. I can't vouch for the LiDE 25, but the SANE web site does say that compatibility is good. Price-wise, it's a little more expensive than the LiDE 20, but it's still in the same price range.
Before buying a scanner, visit the supported scanners list of the SANE Project to verify if what's compatible and what's not.
From the SANE project introduction:
SANE stands for "Scanner Access Now Easy" and is an application programming interface (API) that provides standardized access to any raster image scanner hardware (flatbed scanner, hand-held scanner, video- and still-cameras, frame-grabbers, etc.). The SANE API is public domain and its discussion and development is open to everybody.
I've had a pretty good experience with the Canon LiDE 20. Right off the bat, it works with Ubuntu's built-in scanner client. No configuration necessary to get it up and running.
The Canon LiDE 20 has been discontinued and replaced by the Canon LiDE 25. I can't vouch for the LiDE 25, but the SANE web site does say that compatibility is good. Price-wise, it's a little more expensive than the LiDE 20, but it's still in the same price range.
Resurrecting my OpticSlim 1200 scanner
I have an old Mustek Opticslim 1200 scanner from way back. I never was able to get it to work with SANE, and it wasn't until recently that I decided to dust it off and try it again. The development work on the driver seems to have progressed somewhat as I was finally able to get it running on Ubuntu.Unfortunately, the scanner doesn't work with the
xsane client that comes with the base Ubuntu CD. For it to work, I had to install the SANE backend.sudo apt-get install saneHere's where I got a little confused. The scanner is made by Plustek, and the company has its own drivers section. But apparently, I'm supposed to use the
gt68xx driver instead.A couple more steps were necessary:
1) Look for the appropriate driver from http://www.meier-geinitz.de/sane/gt68xx-backend/. For the OpticSlim 1200 turned out to be
cism216.fw.2) Copy
cism216.fw into /usr/share/sane/gt68xx.To access the scanner, I had to invoke
sudo xscanimagexscanimage comes with the sane package. It's fairly basic but it gets the job done. More on it in a later post. (I needed to run it via sudo for now, but I suspect that once I log back in, I can run it as an ordinary user. It should also appear in my GIMP menu.)Below is a sample scan.
More on the Samsung ML-1610 Laser Printer
Today I finally went out and bought the Samsung ML-1610 laser printer. The printer itself came in at P3,575 after a little discount from the nice folks at Electroworld. Then I had to go buy a USB cable because, well, the printer didn't come with one. Talk about cost-cutting! No biggie, though, as the cable only cost P30 at CD-R King.
The USB interface to the ML-1610 is a Type B, so I needed a cable with Type A on one side for my laptop and Type B for the other. In the picture on the side (via Wikipedia), Type A is on the left and Type B is on the right.
There was a Linux driver that came with the installation CD, but in the end, I found it unnecessary and even just plain bothersome. The Samsung driver didn't really add anything new to what the ML-1610 driver that already came with Ubuntu.
I think I also figured out what went wrong with the printer last night at Jameson's place. It seems that the printer can't properly convert color to grayscale, and it's at this point that it just pukes. If it wasn't so cheap, I'd feel ripped off, but considering the price I got it at, I'm willing to work around its limitations.
The USB interface to the ML-1610 is a Type B, so I needed a cable with Type A on one side for my laptop and Type B for the other. In the picture on the side (via Wikipedia), Type A is on the left and Type B is on the right.There was a Linux driver that came with the installation CD, but in the end, I found it unnecessary and even just plain bothersome. The Samsung driver didn't really add anything new to what the ML-1610 driver that already came with Ubuntu.
I think I also figured out what went wrong with the printer last night at Jameson's place. It seems that the printer can't properly convert color to grayscale, and it's at this point that it just pukes. If it wasn't so cheap, I'd feel ripped off, but considering the price I got it at, I'm willing to work around its limitations.
Samsung ML-1610
I've been on the lookout for an inexpensive laser printer, and the Samsung ML-1610 caught my eye. At a little under P4,000 (USD80), it's certainly the cheapest that I've seen.Questions whirled through my mind: would it support Linux? how many pages would I get? how much is the toner? would I be able to get cheap toner refills? Top of mind, I really wanted to try it out on Ubuntu to get a feel for it.
Luckily, my friend Jameson had just recently bought one.
So I headed over to Jameson's house tonight, plugged in the ML-1610 via my USB port, and crossed my fingers. Voila! Ubuntu 6.10's default CUPS daemon recognized the printer immediately. It was a simple three step configuration to set the printer up. Yay!
My first test was a page of pure text from a PDF document. It rendered correctly and came out pretty quickly. Double-yay!
But then I hit a snag when I attempted to print a graphic document from Inkscape. The ML-1610 simply barfed. I converted the drawing to PNG and PDF, and attempted to print it from both OpenOffice.org and Evince. Still no go. What a letdown.
Was the problem with OO.o? I tried another purely text document, and it came out okay, so obviously Writer wasn't the problem. In the end, it was just that silly little graphic.
Perhaps using Samsung's proprietary driver will help. I didn't have time to figure that out, though. In the end, I've really made up my mind to buy the printer. It's just so darned cheap, and as far as text printing goes (which is what the bulk of what I intend it for), it's pretty okay.
As to my other questions:
Linux support: yes, partly. I still have to check out Samsung's own drivers, but native support is already there.
How many pages I would get: about 1,000 pages using the starter toner the printer comes with, and about 2,000 pages with the replacement toner. Sigh. A little dastardly to be shipping a less-than-full toner with the printer, but that's the way these printer companies operate. Regardless, it's still cheap.
How much would the toner cost: Samsung replacement toner cartridge is about P3,500 (nearly as much as the printer!), but I can get it refilled for P800.
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