Hacking Bluetooth to RS 232 Modules from Ebay CSR BC417

Brought this module from ebay and they look promising.

They convert Serial to Bluetooth, which could have many embedded uses.

They are known as MDFLY, there are also Spanion ones out hter which are faster [source]

The main chip is a CSR BC417 and the other chip is a 29lv800c Flash.
Datasheet: http://mdfly.com/Download/Wireless/BT0417C_datasheet.pdf
AT Command Set: http://mdfly.com/Download/Wireless/BT0417C_ATcommand.pdf

There are a few guys hacking them at the moment

WindyCityTech Blogger
WindyWindyCityTech Wordpress

Dick Smith Brand Peanut Butter Rancid Off Smell

Supporting Aussie products is a good idea, for what it is worth it could make a difference in the long run.

I brought a jar of this Peanut Butter, cracked it open and was greeted with a rancid smell.  It was alot like the smell that vegetable oil left out for a few years would be like.

Not good enough, I decided to call the Customer Support Hotline, 1800656599, answered by a Aussie after one ring.  After explaining what whas wrong, he told me that the jars are bottled by Sanitarium and that I should call their hotline number 1800673392.

I called Sanitarium, explained what happened and they told me that they would send me a refund....

However, neither Dick Smith Foods or Sanitarium asked me where the store was located, so the rest of the product could be taken off the shelf...    I decided to call the store manager and inform them directly.

Where do these idiots get their brains from....

WindyCityTech Blogger
WindyWindyCityTech Wordpress

Ebay mobile version sucks on Android on everything

Why do these idiots at ebay waste their time, the mobile version of their site is so crippled it makes users want to curl up in a corner and die

Don't even think you can use it to sell anything either, there is just no buttons for it - crippled.

Of course, uses can opt out and use the classic site (still not 100% on Android) but the redirect is cookie based and if you delete your cookies, you are presented with the same shit again.

The only solution is to create a bookmark www.ebay.com.au/?redirect=mobile

WindyCityTech Blogger
WindyWindyCityTech Wordpress

Kodak Carousel Slide Projector Chattering Buzzing Noise Fix

If you have a Kodak Carousel projector and it is giving a buzzing noise, especially when the slide button is pressed, here is the fix.

It is generally caused by a faulty diode bridge located on the board next to the transformer. 

The faulty bridge can sometimes cause the fuse to blow but this in the extreme case.  Any way, if one of the diodes fails in the bridge rectifier, then there will be a AC component on the DC power rail.  This will mean that the solenoids will buzz, chatter and will be actuating very weakly.

The bridge rectifier in my Carousel was a B125C 1500.  I used a W04 as a substitute.  The secondary rail is about 24v so it is within the 50v rating of the W04.

WindyCityTech Blogger
WindyWindyCityTech Wordpress

Downloading files at a fixed slower rate using trickle and wget

Sometimes downloading files causes connections to saturate or hang.

Installing trickle on Linux can help by allowing the user to shape the download / upload speed for any application!


First, install trickle.
sudo apt-get install trickle or compile from source

In this example we are shaping the speed of a wget download to 50kbps.

trickle -d 50 wget www.download.com/files/myfile.avi

There is a lot more trickle / trickled can do so check out the man files for it.

WindyCityTech Blogger
WindyWindyCityTech Wordpress