Driving Miss Acer

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This is about Windows drivers.

I bought a cheap laptop from Walmart, an Acer A514-54-501Z.  While going through the system and deleting all the crappy extra programs they put in these things I noticed that many of the system drivers had a date of 2021 or earlier.  Only 1 or 2 drivers even had a date of 2022 and for a fact I know one was causing the computer to Blue Screen (wifi driver) which certainly prompted an update from Acer.   However, if I go to the Acer Support page I’m given a driver to download for my MediaTek Wifi module however if you go to MediaTek OEM drivers it isn’t even close to the latest driver.

Here’s what happens.  Let’s say you make laptops and you make some real cheap for the Walmart and Target crowd.  You make a profit, but not a big one.  You are NOT going to keep a crack team of software engineers on staff to maintain this laptop in an up to date, pristine status.   You find a driver that works, is stable and it STICKS.  They don’t update them UNLESS THEY HAVE TO, and by have to I mean that they receive tons of complaints or crash data.

Or if their high end computer has the same component and gets updated, maybe they’ll push it down to the bottom tier.  Like it or not, that is just the way it is.

I ran a program called Driver Booster 9 and it found TWENTY FIVE drivers that needed upgrading, including that MediaTek Wifi driver I mentioned earlier.
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Windows 11 Networking Not All Computers Showing

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I was having an issue where only a 3 of my networked computers were showing in the Windows Network Neighborhood (or at least they used to call it Network Neighborhood).

All computers on the network were visible from all my Mac and Linux computers and running software such as LanScan showed everything proudly announcing itself on the network.  So the problem pretty clearly was with Windows 11.

This is a blog where I wish I specified a FIX to the problem but the truth is, I’m not sure what fixed the problem, but this blog may not be a total waste to anyone else with this problem. 

First of all, I’m not new to the geek stuff, but I am newly returned to Windows.  I bought an Acer Aspire 5 laptop specifically to run a program called Vectric VCarve Desktop for my CNC machine.  Also my CNC machine firmware can only be updated from a Windows computer. Also since I design my SVG files on a Mac and store them on a couple of servers  I HAVE TO HAVE NETWORK ACCESS WITH MY WINDOWS LAPTOP WHILE I’M IN MY WORKSHOP TRYING TO CNC SOMETHING.

Let’s dig in.
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Victorinox Swiss Army Knife 125th Anniversary 1897 Replica

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There are not tons of places that can say they have been in business over 100 years, much less 125 years.

Not sure why I’m sneaking this in a post about pocket knives but there is a Hot Dog joint in a nearby town to me (Bill’s Hot Dogs in Washington, NC) that has been open since 1928.  Okay, not quite 100 years but you’re still doing something right if you can sell the same hot dogs and super secret chili sauce for almost 100 years.

And so it goes with the Swiss Army knife.  They are doing something right.  It is so engrained in our culture that the very words “Swiss Army Knife” are synonymous with anything multi-purpose.  Actually the company stretches back until about 1884 but the Swiss Officer’s and Sports knife was patented in 1897.   To commemorate this anniversary a replica knife was released .

And here is what I like about it.  Not much has really changed with the pocket knife.   Oh sure, metallurgy has come a long way, and the tools are a bit more refined and specialized but essentially it remains nearly the same.   The can opener was an odd duck compared to the openers of today, but make no mistake, you can still open a can with it.

Let’s discuss the 1897 Replica a bit more in detail.
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Leatherman Style PS

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Style PS

I love pocket knives and multi-tools.  My favorites are Swiss Army knives and Leatherman Multi-Tools.   The best multi-tool on the planet pound for pound may be the Leatherman Wave +.  The Leatherman Surge is my second runner up but it is freaking HUGE.

Sometimes you need to go SMALL though. Something that won’t pull your pants down if it is in your pocket or give you one Popeye arm.  Enter the Leatherman Style PS.  It is definitely keychain sized but its claim to fame is that it is travel friendly.  Translation:  There is no knife blade on it.

The P stands for Pliers, and the S stands for Scissors.  But no knife blade.

 

While I’ve never travelled with this I’d be willing to bet the fine men and women of the TSA would still confiscate this, knife blade or not, because, it is what they do.  It LOOKS like a knife.
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Windows 11

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If you follow this blog at all you know that I am not a fan of Windows.  I came all the way up from Windows 2 (at work) to MS-DOS and Windows 3.11 on my first home computer, a 486SX that cost a couple thousand dollars.  There were some epic failures along the way.  Windows 98SE and Windows ME, and Windows Vista were three giant turds of epic proportions.  To make things worse they just kept making us PAY for new versions of craptastic Operating Systems.

At some point I became sick of paying for crap and started using Linux and then kind of turned into a Mac guy somewhere along the line.

But sadly for me many manufacturers of some cool toys simply don’t support Mac or Linux or if they do it is clear that the Windows programs are superior in terms of polish or workflow.

Case in point.  For CNC machines the best software in the world, Vectric VCarve or Vectric Aspire,  is Windows only.   Yep you can do CNC work in Linux and on Mac but Vectric is just head and shoulders above every other experience, in my opinion.

I’m also a Software Defined Radio geek and have a few SDR’s from SDRPlay.  Their software, SDRuno is currently Windows only.  They are working on a cross platform version but it’s been years coming.

So now that I have this new Acer Aspire 5 (A514-54-501Z) that I upgraded it is time to explore some of the items that run best in a Windows Environment.  Let’s make a short list:
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Lasers. Know What You Are Getting In To.

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I have written about this before but it seems there is an explosion of laser owners who spend big money on a gigantic CO2 laser machine and then are never able to produce anything with it.  The frustration level is generally pretty high and then after declaring the machine to be garbage they then want 95% of retail price to sell it.

It is both fun, and sad to watch.  After playing with lasers for a couple of years, here are my updated thoughts on the dilemma that plagues many new users.

There are some incredible artists out there with exceptional abilities to produce imaginative products.  Products that they assume will make them rich.  So they invest thousands in a CO2 laser.  Here are some of the things they quickly find out:

  • The lasers are made in China, with all the quality tech support you have come to expect from China.
  • A laser is a SYSTEM which consists of Power Supplies, Electronic Controllers, safety switches, fans, motors, water cooling systems, a HIGH POWERED laser with a precision alignment series of mirrors in which the beam must be aligned horizontally AND vertically.  Throw in a laser dot pointer, and a water chiller, and an air assist system, and you have a device that requires several vocational skills to maintain.  Oh, and they can be networked as well.  You might need some minor computing skills.
  • Machines like this WILL BREAK.  It is not “if”.  It is “when”.  CO2 laser tubes have a finite life span and will have to be replaced and re-aligned.  There is no getting around that.
  • If the machine is vital to your production and any down time will affect your BUSINESS AND CUSTOMERS you absolutely, positively MUST MAINTAIN SPARE PARTS and possess the ability, or know someone with the ability to repair the machine.  Or own a back up machine.

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Upgrading Acer A514-54-501Z

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Got this Acer Aspire 5 (A514-54-501Z) laptop at Walmart for $399 after doing a ton of research on budget laptops.  Possibly the best part about this laptop is that it is upgradeable.  The laptop comes with a Kingston 256GB NVME M.2 Solid State Drive.  Through some projects and upgrades I just happened to have a 1TB Samsung EVO 970 Plus drive laying around.  Might as well put it to good use.

If you are trying to keep the total upgrade cost lower than the cost of a more capable laptop then the sweet spot for a drive upgrade is probably a 500GB NVME which generally runs about $50.   Add 16GB of RAM for about $60 and your total cost is about $510.  Add 8GB of RAM instead and you can lop $30 off of that cost.  There is not really another budget laptop with these specs at these costs.

Obviously the drive needs to be cloned, and cloning it in place is most desirable.  The best way to clone the target drive is with a USB C enclosure. I used this one that I got on Amazon.

Plugable NVME M.2 Enclosure

The Acer Aspire laptop has a USB C port so connecting it was a breeze.  You simply slide the target drive in the enclosure, add some thermal pads (included) to the drive, and plug it in the computer.  It will be immediately recognized as your D: drive.

 

Another advantage of having the Plugable NVME enclosure is that now you will have a spare 256GB drive just laying around.  Slap it in the enclosure and you just got yourself a 256GB external hard drive.  I recommend using AOMEI Backupper to create an image file of the original drive just in case.  Back in the day you used to get a Windows CD with your computer purchase. Now if a drive craps out you have nothing.  To retrieve your original 25 digit Windows Product Key type the following at a CMD prompt:

wmic path softwarelicensingservice get OA3xOriginalProductKey

The software I used is AOEMI BackUpper Professional.  While you can accomplish this with the free version of the software, the Pro version will convert your MBR drive to GPT and also automatically resize the unused portion of the partition.   Also there will be no issues with it being a bootable drive.  I didn’t time the clone process but it only took 2 or 3 minutes.

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Acer Aspire 5 A514-54-501Z Walmart Price Reduction

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I blogged about this laptop previously but since then things have gotten better.  When I first bought it, it was $499 however Walmart lowered the price to $449 but wouldn’t give me a price adjustment so I returned it and bought a new one.

Since that time the price has been reduced further to $399.  Let me tell you why that is such a great deal.  Not many laptops are upgradeable these days but this laptop has an accessible NVME M.2 drive (that you would need to clone, or do a fresh install, if you upgrade the drive).  It comes with a 256 GB drive however I have a 1TB drive laying around here that I may slap in mine.  I just need to figure out how to clone it first.  I might have to buy an NVME enclosure as the laptop has no PCIe slot to plug an adapter into.

In addition to that there is an unpopulated SATA drive bay where you can add an additional hard drive.  There are 8GB of RAM, 4 of which is built into the main board and a 4GB (PC4-3200) stick in the DDR4 slot.  You could change that out to a 16GB stick for a total of 20GB.  Lastly you could change the wifi chip if you wanted to.

A514-54-501Z Upgrades (click pics to enlarge)

Let’s summarize:

  • Upgradeable NVME Drive
  • Can add a second SATA drive
  • RAM upgradeable
  • WiFi chip can be changed out.

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CNC Improvements

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I bought a small CNC in maybe December of 2021, and in a month or so later I bought a proper CNC machine.  Basically, I knew nothing about woodworking or CNC operations.  But I taught myself.  One small lesson at a time.  Since I’m retired and in no hurry I decided to tackle skills one at a time.

So here I am just a few months later and while there is still lots to learn………….I’m cranking out beautiful pieces of woodworking.  A couple of which have impressed my own self.

Probably the first Maker Machine I ever bought was a vinyl sign machine.  I learned quickly that it isn’t only the ability to successfully make something it also includes the ability to NOT WASTE MATERIAL.  Maximizing your stock is vital in becoming a skilled artisan.  Here’s the most recent things that I made, and I have to say, to me, it is beautiful

CNC Sushi Tray

It actually is a simple make. There are two bits used and three operations.

First a 1/4″ Upcut bit is used to rough clear the material.

Then it is followed up by a tiny 1/16″ bit that carves the details.

Then finally you put the 1/4″ bit back in to do a profile cut around the outside of the tray.   Do some sanding and then oiling and you are left with basically a piece of artwork.
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Myofascial Release

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This may seem unusual for what most might consider an Electronics or Computer Tech Blog but this is Human Body Tech.  Let me preach on it…………..

Sometime around the year 2000 or so I was ridiculously fat and getting fatter.  I finally decided that it was time to knuckle down and do what needed to be done.  I was living in Japan and on a business trip to Pax River, Maryland and hopped on a treadmill for the first time.  I had to run in boxer shorts and dress socks but I ran a mile on the treadmill.

I’ll spare you the progression story but suffice to say I was a huge “runner” but a runner nonetheless.  And along with that hugeness came aches and pains.  I was highly motivated to run and read EVERYTHING I could get my hands on.  There is no shortage of motivational running literature out there.  And then the inevitable happened.  I got a mild injury, probably to my IT Band.  The IT Band is a thick bunch of fibers that runs along the outside of your thighs and knee.  While researching my ouch-ee I read a book called The Pain Free Runner, about Myofascial Release for the first time.

I’m no Doctor or Nurse or Physical Therapist or anything of the sort.  I was nothing but a fat, hurt runner.   But I’ll my best to explain this in layman’s terms.  When some muscle hurts in your body the actual site of the injury or “Trigger Point” is somewhere else.  The tension from the knotted muscles or tissue pull and stretch the affected muscle where you feel the pain.  Release the knotted muscle and the pain subsides.

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