Reviving ASUS eee901 NetBook PC for Data Scrappings

5 March 2022

# eee901, Network, SSD upgrade,  mSATA,  mini-PCIe,  Windows

This ASUS eee901 was a very popular netbook PC about 10 to 15 years ago.  It was one of the cheap netbook PC that uses SSDs for memory storage.   It was very hackable and many hobbyists like to do all sorts of modification work using this PC.  

Because the netbook uses only 5 Watts.  I bought a couple of these for stock data mining which required the PC to be operating 24/7.  When the SDD finally failed to work and plenty of free stock screening websites are available free for downloading,  I decided to retire them some 5 years.

Lately,  I took up the interest to do stock data mining again. This time is for data that are not available anywhere on the Internet.   The choice then was between buying a new netbook or upgrading the eee901 with a faster and bigger SSD.

What SSD Were Used?

These ASUS netbooks use a special SSD called mini-PCIe SSD.  These SSD has a similar form factor as the mini-SATA (mSATA) SSD.  Mini-PCI SSD is not easily available and mSATA SSD cannot be used to replace Mini-SSD directly in the ASUS netbook.

The Final Choice

.I decided to revive the eee901 for the following reasons

1)  Netbook has now been replaced by the tablets which run on either Android or iOS.  They are not good for running the Excel macros which were written earlier for data mining;

2)  There are adaptors available to convert mSATA SSD to mini-PCI SDD for use in eee901.  The adaptors are fairly cheap.   The SSD replacement and upgrading work is estimated to cost less than SGD$30/=. It is much cheaper than a new netbook;  moreover,  I have a few spare mSATA SSD lying around and I can use them for the upgrading work.

The only Snag

The eee901 PC has two SSD;  one 8GB master SSD that is accessible after removing the cover;  the other is the 4GB slave SSD that is hidden inside the PC.   When the new adaptor SSD is used to replace the 8GB Master SSD,  the PC will recognise only the new adaptor SSD as a slave.  The BIOS will always give this warning error about "master SSD not found" whenever the PC is booted up.  The warning error cannot be defeated because it is an error message.   It will stop loading up the Windows.  This is not good when one is trying to automate the PC to start up windows and run the excel macros automatically.   

Installing the adaptor SSD to replace the hidden 4GB will solve this startup error but the adaptor SSD must be shortened because the hidden 4GB is half-height.  It is around 50 mm long whereas the new adaptor SSD is around 70 mm long. 

Can the Adaptor SSD Be Shortened?

Yes,  it can.  One must use 1/2 height mSATA with a short piece of PVC plastic added as shown in this automated picture.  There is just enough room in eee 901 for the installation of this new and shortened adaptor SSD

How to Install the Inside the eee901?

Here is one of the video

Enhanced Performance

Users will find the replacement Adaptor SSD running much faster than the original SSD.  This is because the mSATA is of the more advanced Technolgy.  The mSATA's speed can be several times that of the original SSD.  

With the larger capacity SSD,  one can use the original Windows 7 with the response and speed,  at times,  even better than the Intel E8400 PC with the hard drive.  Some has tested eee901 using Windows 10 but the response was a bit sluggish as reported because Windows 10 will require 3 GB RAM to run efficiently.  The eee901 only has a maximum RAM of 2 GB.

Repairing Stuck & Broken Key Cap for Logitech MX Keyboard

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11 January 2022

"Sticking keys" is a common problem in some keyboards. The keys become not sensitive to the finger pressure last time,  causing missing characters while typing.   

The conventional wisdom is to remove the keycap of the key and take out the key hinge to clean them.   But this kind of repair will often break the very flimsy clips on the keycap. The recommendation is to replace the cap and maybe the key hinge.  But these keycaps are not easy to find.  They are also quite expensive.  

This article will not only introduce an easy way to clean the stuck key but also provide an alternate solution to fix the keycaps if they were broken.

The Components of the KeyPad

The keypad consists of the 3 components.   The first component is the base.  It is made of metal.   The second component is the keycap hinge which consists of 2 small plastic pieces; one of the pieces is pivoted and allowed to move freely and the other is a fixed piece that will be clipped onto the metal base.   The last component is the keycap.  It has very few flimsy and easily broken hooks and clips as shown in the following pictures.

Why the keys can get stuck?

The key hinge can get stuck at times due to a lack of lubrication.  This will prevent the keycap from moving up and down.  When this happens,  the keycap will no longer be sensitive to the finger pressure;  therefore,  users will experience a stuck key. Removing the keycap & key hinge will usually free the stuck key but soon,  the stuck key will reappear in the future.  

Knowing this to be the problem,  one could use some lubricants such as WD40  or an electronic switch cleaner to clean and lubricate the keys.  One can do this without having to remove the keycap and key hinge.  The electronic switch cleaner is a better choice because the fluid will evaporate quickly whereas WD40 will leave some oil behind the keyboard.

Why the KeyCap can be Broken?

Usually,  the keycap is broken by the wrong way of removing the keycap.  If one has the chance to open up a keycap and look at the back,  one will see this picture

For this Logitech MX keyboard,   the keycap has a pair of plastic clips at the top,  and a pair of hooks at the bottom.  Therefore,  one should always remove the keycap by prying open the keycap from the top right-hand and the left-hand corner.  One should never try to pry open the keycap from the bottom as this will break the hooks of the keycap.  After the clips at the top are free,   the keycap should be "slide" forward to unhook the keycap before removing it.  

The keycap clips at the top can be easily broken if one were to force-fit the keycap when it is not in the correct position.  To re-assemble back the keycap,   the correct way is to place the keycap such that the bottom hooks can be "slide" in first,  and when there is a feeling that the hooks are in the correct place, press the top part down,  one corner at a time.

  

Why the Key Hinge can be Broken?

As for the key hinge, one should always remove it from the top right-hand and left-hand clips.  Prying the hinge from the centre might break the hinge.

What to do when they were Broken?

One can search the web and buy them online but they are pretty expensive.  The pairs of the keycap and the hinge might cost around USD15/=. 

If the keycap clip is broken,  one can still use it by applying a small bit of strong rubber glue on the top of the moving hinge (as shown brown in the yellow moving hinge).  After that,  secure the keycap with adhesive tape until the glue is dry. Try not to apply too much glue as the spilling of the glue might glue up the moving hinge.  It is not wise to use "super glue" for the job as there might be a need to break the glue in future to do some repair underneath the keycap.

If the keycap hook at the bottom is broken, looks like the repair will need a replacement.  This is because the keycap is using the hook as a pivot for the up and down "floating" movement.  

However,  it might be worth the while to investigate if one can glue a hook made of copper wires and glue it onto the keycap as suggested by the following picture. One can also try to use the keycap with the missing hooks though the key might not be so sensitive as before.  

 

The Components Inside a DeskTop PC (Lesson 1)

8 January 2022

This article is prepared for those who want to learn how to assemble a personal computer. 

What are the Components inside the PC?

Inside a desktop PC,  one should find the following components

1)   Motherboard

The Motherboard is where the CPU is located and the CPU is the "brain" inside a PC.

The CPU is located beneath the CPU fan as shown in the following picture

Besides the CPU,   there are other supporting components to facilitate the communication between the CPU and Graphics card for example.   There are also other communication channels allowing the CPU to talk to other peripherals connected to the PC,  such as printers,  games controllers and monitors that are to be connected to the PC.

2)  Power Supply Unit

The CPU or the PC will not run unless there is power connected to it.  This is where the power supply unit is so important.   The power supply unit converts and steps down the 230 household supply into lower voltages so that the PC can run.   The following lower voltages are supplied by the Power Supply unit:-

a)  5 Volts

b)  -5 Volts

c)  +12 Volts

d)  -12 Volts

e)  +3  Volts

f)    -3 Volts

3)  Graphic Card

This is the card that converts the CPU's output signal into a video signal so that the CPU output can be displayed on the monitor.   There is various type of connection for various kind of monitors;  some have display resolution better than the others.

For example,  this graphic card will convert the CPU output signals directly into a monitor that has a display port.  It has also an HDMI & a DVI connector.    It does not have the usual VGI connector because this is a high-resolution card that will display higher resolution graphics for computer games.

4)  Internal Drives

PC will need devices to store all the programs and the operating system (OS) that controls the CPU and other components inside the PC.   This is the function of the internal drives inside the PC.

The internal drive might consist of the following devices

a)  DVD Rom Drive: -  This device allows DVD discs to be read and written by the PC;

b)  SSD Drive:   This device,  consists of computer memory cards that do not have any moving parts.  It is commonly called Solid State Drive.

 

c)  Hard Drive:-  This device has magnetic discs inside that will spin at a very high speed so that information can be stored inside it for the PC to read and write on it.   Besides the spinning disc which is different from an SSD drive,  it has huge storage memories allowing thousand of gigabyte memory to be stored at a cheaper cost,

To be continued.....    

Water & Electricity Saver for Instantaneous Heater

Important Note & disclamers :  Modification to any water heater is extremely dangerous.  It should only be done if only you are familiar with the device as there are many accidents involving electricity electrocutions if the modification is not done properly.  

The alternative and safe way to achieve the same result is to turn on the tap to switch on the instantaneous heater on a high setting for a few seconds  and then turn off the tap for the water in the heater to be warmed up.

This article is just for reference only.  The author assumes no responsibility whatsoever.

Introduction

In tropical countries,  electrical instantaneous heaters are often used.  This is because residents often need only heating for showers. These heaters do not occupy space. They often save water and electricity as compare to water storage heaters. Also, they are less than 3 KW and can be powered from the usual 13 Ampere power point. This article will describe a device that will further save some water and electricity.

Working Principle

Every Instant water heater has a small heating exchanger. It gets power through a set of micro-switches that select 2 or more heating elements to warm up the water. The modern ones nowadays use electronic TRIACs to control the heater.

 

For these heaters to heat up the water, one needs to first set the selector switch and turn on the water. The water pressure sensor will pick up the pressure and actuate the micro-switches. These switches will turn on the appropriate heater element to heat up the water in the exchanger. The schematic circuit diagram of Aerogas Elegance water heater is as shown below:

 

Water & Electricity Savings

To heat up the water, water must first flow through the heater for the pressure sensors to pick up the pressure. Water amounting to 1.2 litres will be wasted before warm water can flow out of shower head. At the same time, electricity amounting to about 8 Watts-hr will also be wasted. Assuming a household of 4 persons might take 6 showers per day,  a total of about 2,600 litres of water and 17 kWh of electricity can be saved per year. This might sound to be petty savings for one household.  But it is still a sizable saving for a township of more than 10,000 families.

 

How Water and Electricity Can be saved?

To save, one can use this electronic gadget called “Trigger Delay Time Off Timer” as shown in the following:

 

Circuit Description

The gadget operates on 220V AC supply.  The delay time off is triggered started by a button.  The complete schematic diagram is as shown below

For the gadget to work in the seconds range, the default variable resistor must be changed from 50K ohm to 5K ohm. As the heater will consume 9-13 amperes, it is also necessary to add an external relay. The built-in relay has only a 10 ampere rating.

This gadget has an opto-coupler to isolate the trigger button from the 240V Supply. But the button is linked to the neutral terminal of the 240V supply. It does not offer complete electrical isolation. It will be ideal if there is an isolating transformer for electrical isolation.

 Wiring up

Safety Precautions

Important Note: Wiring up will need one to know about safe use of electricity. A wrong wiring such as wrong polarity connection by interchanging the line and neutral wires for example,  can cause shower head or water to be alive. It can be dangerous causing electrical shorts and execution.

Whenever possible, use only push button of plastic material. If metal material is used, its body must be connected to the earth.  Only waterproof push button can be used.

Further, one should always test the integrity of the heater’s earthing system. The method described in this article can be used to test theearthing.

To further protect the heater, it is recommended to install the following:

1) A Thermal fuse to cut the supply to the relay when the heat exchanger reaches an abnormal temperature of 85^oC. This temperature is about twice the normal operating temperature of the heat exchange. The thermal fuse must be of non-metallic type.  It is to be attached to the heat exchanger for proper operation.

2) A surge diode is to protect the relay contacts from electrical arc welding. This will prevent the relay from welding. Heat exchanger is wire wound. They cause inductive current that could cause the relay to use and weld together. The surge diode will clamp the voltage to less than 328 Volts. This is the breakdown voltage of the 400V surge diode.

For information, the thermal fuse and the surge diode would cost less than USD$1/= each. It is good investment for a piece of mind.

 

 

Repairing Faulty Push Button in a PC Mouse

 24 July 2020

The left button of the mouse was not working. To fix the mouse, one would have to open up the mouse, cleaning the push button contact which might have bad electrical contact after years of usage. This video tells how to clean the contact.

To Reduce the Fan Noise in the PC Power Supply Unit

23 July 2020

Some power supply unit for the PCs have very noisy fans. The good one will come with a thermo controlled fan; the cheaper ones usually have this omitted especially when they are made for Bit-Coin mining machines. The solution is either to change the fan or have a fan speed controllers installed. This video describe how best to carry these works.
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 Update:

The circuit in the video used IRF 634 which has a rated voltage of about 500V.  A cheaper euivalent is IRF 744 rated at 250 V.   The components are listed as shown

The veroboard layout of the component and its connection is as shown below

 

Cannot Reinstall Windows 7’s iTune

10 January 2020

Important Note:  Always backup the Registry using "System Restore" before meddling around with the PC.

One might come across this problem. iTune stopped working and re-installation stuck with this error message:

After that, no matter what we do, we are always stuck with this error message. Trying to do the following as recommended by many will not work as well:

1. Uuninstalling iTune or Bonjour Services or deleting the iTune folder from the PC or LapTop;

2. Re-istalling the Windows Installer or update to the latest version;

3. Doing “System Restore” without any success;

4. Repairing the Operating System using System Inastallation Disk;

5. Registering and unregistering Windows Installer, msiexe.exe;

6. Uninstalling all other Apple device including Bonjour;

7. Playing around with the Registry keys by removing iTune and Apple related products.

At the stage of almost trying to recover the Windows 7 installation, this solution popped up.

What that Solution?

It is actually a solution offered by Microsoft.   It said it will fix problems that block programs from being installed or removed.  Here is the program to download.

Just follow the instructions given by the program. The program is safe to use. It will helps one to repair program installation and uninstallation issues. It will also fix corrupted registry keys.

Should the above fix does not solve the issue,  try to restore the PC back to its original state using "System Restore". 

What could be Wrong?

There was no specific explanation about what was preventing iTune from re-installation. Microsoft only said that the program that fix such issues will fix the following issues

• Corrupted registry keys on 64-bit operating systems that control the update data;
• Prevented new programs from being installed;

• Prevented existing programs from being completely uninstalled or updated;

• Blocked one from uninstalling a program using "Programs and Features" in Control Panel.

What need to do after the fix

Uninstall all Apple Software, reinstall iTunes or iCloud for Windows.