Analog Meter to show PC Usage

This guy made an interesting thing for his PC.

Analog Meter to show PC usage.

Earphone

Something I got for about $20.00 USD.

GAME & WATCH THE LEGEND OF ZELDA

The other day, I spent about 50USD to buy a GAME & WATCH which is the ZELDA ver.

Here is the box of the Japanese Version.

WiFi and GAME BOY!

This is the coolest thing I saw this month.

WiFi cartridge for GAMEBOY, and not just the demo but how to make it.

 

https://youtu.be/QS4fzElm8zk

Video of the Day: Restoring an IBM I/O Tester from the 1960s

 

Video of the Day: Will It Play ? SIMCITY for MS-DOS on HP 200LX Palmtop

I found this video about SIMCITY on HP 200LX on YouTube. Enjoy!

Video of the Day: The $11k PS2 Laptop | Nostalgia Nerd

This might be interesting for you guys.
I first thought it was Playstation 2 (PS2) laptop lol.

Holographic Audio Visualizer Video

Holographic Audio Visualizer

This video is from 4 years back, but I thought it was pretty cool.

Enjoy!

Phoning from... Ultra Classical Phone... Just Kidding

Phoning from... Ultra Classical Phone... Just Kidding! :-)
Here is a replica of a very old classical phone that you had to wind a crank on the right.
It's in Onshi-Hakone-Koen.

Selling Sigmarion 3 on eBay!

I am selling a Sigmarion 3 in very good condition on eBay, and it has been converted to English. We will ship anywhere in the world that is able to be sent via EMS and Li-ion battery is allowed to be sent. We can ship to more countries without the battery. $140.00 USD or Best Offer. https://www.ebay.com/itm/154698482265/?campid=5338786194

Sigmarion 3 MIDI Toto - Rosanna

I got MIDI playing on my Sigmarion 3.

23 Years Later, there's a new Game Boy Color screen

2021: GAME BOY Color Screen...

Testing the PiBox mini 2, a Raspberry Pi MicroK8s server

I want this! #kubernetes #k8s

Geekbench ML on iPad mini 6th Gen.

 

 So, for work development use, I bought the iPad mini 6th Gen. I tested out the performance with Geekbench ML. According to Geekbench ML, iPad mini 6th Gen. has 3.78GB of RAM.

  Enjoy!

METAL GEAR SOLID V THE PHANTOM PAIN - Covert Actions

Just me playing PS4.

ESP32 run windows 3.0

This suprised me.

Writing a song with just the Arturia MicroFreak!

Thought her music was pretty cool. -stingraze

CP/M on iPad Pro 2020

Tried a CP/M emulator (web based) on my iPad Pro 2020.

Ubuntu MATE on Cosmo Communicator

Today, with the help of a person I know in HPC:Factor, I got Ubuntu MATE to work on Cosmo Communicator.

Refer to this thread on HPC:Factor for detailed steps. (I recommend reading the entire thread to learn well.)

MNT Reform

Have a thing for Right to Repair? Maybe this is for you.
MNT Reform.

My first Fortnite + PS5

So I stocked Playstion 5 (Updated version) and decided to play it a bit before selling it. Here's me playing Fortnite for the first time... lol

This made me chuckle.

Dude. Check this out.

Yokohama Minato Mirai

Taken today with Pixel 5.

PS4 STAR WARS™ バトルフロント™ II アーケードモード

This is Battlefront II Arcade Mode (Japanese) on PS4. 【整備済み品】PlayStation 4 グレイシャー・ホワイト 500GB (CUH-2200AB02)【メーカー生産終了】 https://amzn.to/3URng5X

EBTKS add-on board for the HP-85 vintage computer

A Neat little machine I thought I'd share.

SDR with DS-DT305BK and Google Pixel 5

I used SDR Touch and the required driver to make DS-DT305BK have SDR (software defined radio) capabilities with Google Pixel 5. 

I could listen to FM Yokohama with it.

SDR Touchとドライバをインストールして、Android 11のPixel 5でSDR (ソフトウェアデファインドラジオ）ができました。使ったのはANKERのUSB-CからUSB / HDMI等のアダプタです。使ったのは昔のワンセグチューナーUSB、DS-DT305BKです。

-stingraze

Video from YouTube

Thought this was pretty cool.

Daily Driver Electronics for Me (2021)

Hi guys. Thanks for reading this post.

I just wanted to share what my daily driver electronics are from a standpoint of a startup CEO in Japan.

So, I mainly use Macbook Pro 2019 with a Core i7. It has 16GB of RAM. I use it for development purposes, and mostly use Sublime Text, PHP and Python 3.

My current daily driver phones are SONY XPERIA XZ3 (au) and Cosmo Communicator by Planet Computers. I use a Rakuten Mobile SIM card for XPERIA XZ3 and UQ Mobile SIM card for Cosmo Communicator. 

The XPERIA XZ3 is only 4G, but Rakuten Mobile SIM card supports 5G. I am thinking of trying out 5G soon, but the area in Japan is still limited, so I guess I have to go to a location where they have 5G with my 5G phone. 

Cosmo Communicator has a keyboard, so I use it for writing on it, and it's pretty good. I wish sometimes that it will input very precisely, but I guess that's kind of made on purpose to mimic the PSION keyboard? Maybe.

I might change my SIM to Docomo, but the fact that I can get 4GB of data cheaply with UQ Mobile is still attractive for me.

Well, that's all for now.

Tsubasa Kato 6/3/2021

Famicom Keyboard for PC

 

 Famicom Keyboard for PC! lol. -stingraze

Cool Cyberdeck

Now, this Cyberdeck is so cool.

Automated Typewriter that Does Dictation

 

I found this tonight.
enjoy!

Oiso Beach waves (video) taken with Cosmo Communicator

So I went to Oiso Beach today and took a video with my Cosmo Communicator. Not the best quality, but not that bad either.
I'm right now studying about NFT. See ya later! -stingraze

Cosmo Commuicator has come!

I decided to get the Cosmo Communicator since I wanted a replacement for my Sigmarion 3, which I have been using for a very long time.
After all, Sigmarion 3 was made in 2003 and is a good writing device, but I wanted to do some things like ssh-ing to a server and other stuff.

HP200LX Palmtop PC with CVX4 sound plays techno mod music with Mod Maste...

This was just discovered via HPC:Factor Forum.

Armachat (part 5.) - CYBERDECK concept

This is the coolest CYBERDECK concept I've seen. It's called Armachat.

FreeDeck Prototype Demo

Thought this deck was nice.
Tsubasa Kato

【YouTube Video】two axis reaction wheels balancing

Not very "computer-ish" this time, but this two axis wheels balancing video is pretty cool. I can't believe it can stand up like this...

Case for all your port needs on an iPad

Check this article out from Gadgeteer. Pretty nice to have every port you need for an iPad. https://the-gadgeteer.com/2021/03/10/hubble-is-a-case-for-your-ipad-that-has-all-the-ports-youll-ever-need/

DIY Games Console

Thought this was neat.

Cool music with Roland MC-101

Cool music (Rydeen) with Roland MC-101 I found on YouTube:

Photos with Blackberry Passport

Photos with Blackberry Passport taken today in Hiratsuka, Kanagawa Japan.

Nintendo Family Computer or Famicom

I stocked the Nintendo Family Computer or Famicom today to sell on eBay.

The cosmetic condition is very good.
I remember playing with one of these in my friend's house. I played the Legend of Zelda there. Listing on eBay: https://www.ebay.com/itm/164725319835

Inexpensive "Handheld Computer" mod #2 for Smartphones

Inexpensive "Handheld Computer" mod #2 for Smartphones

CQ CQ CQ this is AC3GI CQ CQ CQ

CQ CQ CQ this is AC3GI CQ CQ CQ

What does that mean? Well, chances are, unless you happen to be a HAM or know one, you are scratching your head wondering what foreign language I am speaking right now.

 

CQ CQ CQ this is Alpha Charlie Three Gulf India, Alpha Charlie Three Gulf India, Alpha Charlie Three Gulf India, Alpha Charlie Three Gulf India, CQ CQ CQ.

 

So, what does CQ mean and why am I talking like that? Simply put, CQ is a the term HAMs use to annouce we are looking for a QSO. Huh? A what? A QSO is a conversation between HAM radio operators. When I get onto HF (high frequency) bands such as 20 meters, I will find an empty spot where I hear silence, and ask twice, about 30 seconds or so apart, if anyone is using the frequency right now. If nothing is heard? I start calling out CQ, as I did above, every 30 seconds or so. As it sounds like when read aloud, CQ is "seek you" and an open invititation for someone listening to respond!

 

The purpose of this post, as you may have guessed, is about my journey into the world of HAM radio! There is quite a bit of crossover between the old technology we talk about here and HAM radio. That doesn't mean there isn't anything new and exciting in the radio world though. Current radios are a lot different than the old days. We have radios with color touchscreens, digital signal modes, and all kinds of fun bells and whistles! These aren't  the radios that your parents or maybe even grandparents used to use and tinker with. I wanted to start this post off with the most common thing you will hear, and maybe even transmit yourself, on a HF radio.

 

My journey into radio began back in 2008 in fact, but didn't actually get off the ground until 2020. Way back in the day, my dad had a Yaesu FT101ee that was used as a CB as he didn't have a HAM license. To get a license back then, much like today, you need to pass a test. Unlike today however, they didn't publish the question pools online to study, and part of getting the license was being able to do Morse code. They have removed the code requirement now though. We decided to take this radio home from my grandparent's house, so I started to look into being able to use it.

 

I spent a lot of time on IRC, using the Freenode server and the #hamradio channel. My first goal was to figure out the antenna. The hard part wasn't so much building one, but figuring out how and where I would be able to put the antenna. A simple antenna is a wire dipole, which is two pieces of wire, each a quarter wavelength long, with a transformer in the midde called a BalUn. A BalUn simple takes a balanced load to an unbalanced load. With something like the 160m band, that means an antenna about 260 feet long. I had someone who offered to send me an antenna, but we lost contact and I never did get it.

 

Eventually, other things took over and the radio was forgotten about, and sat under the desk. Sometimes, I would think about getting a Baofeng handheld but never actually bit the bullet and ordered one. Fast forward to July of 2020 where my dad mentions that with everything going on in the world, I should get one in case anything happened. I finally ordered one, with the extra extended battery, programming cable, and a whip antenna, for 50 dollars off Amazon. That prompted me to start looking into getting the test taken, and getting the needed license, to allow me to transmit.

 

I started looking around Facebook, and decided to put a post on a local community page asking the local HAMs what repeaters were the most active to listen to. I became friends with one, who was able to reach out to a local club in order to get me tested. I spoke to a few others, and tried finding a test, but it was in the middle of the Covid pandemic and most clubs were not doing in person testing. They have recently started doing online testing but it involved things such as having to use your phone and webcam, so I decided to wait for an in person test. In the meantime, I kept studying, using a website called Ham Study (www.hamstudy.org) as well as buying their app on phone. Any free chance I had was spent running through the question pools.

 

There are currently 3 levels of license. Technician is the basic one which allows you to get on the air with VHF and UHF radios, and some limited access to HF. The next level, general, opens up most of the HF, and extra, which gives you access to all portions of the bands. If you pass one level, they allow you to try the next one, so I was able to pass all 3 tests in one go. This means that I am an extra class HAM.

 

Upon passing my tests, the first thing I did was to order an Icom IC7300, which is 160m through 10m, plus 6m. I ordered everything needed to build an antenna, and besides the waiting for the BalUn to come, I also needed to wait for the FCC to assign and post my callsign, before I could transmit. It took 12 days from testing to be issued my call, but it can be much quicker when done through an online test.

 

My call, AC3GI, is a 2x2 callsign. Most will be in the 3x3 format, and they are assigned sequentially. I had the chance to speak to someone who had the callsign AC2GI. The number is a region code, since I am from Pennsylvania, I was assigned a 3. There are regions 0-9 for the United States, and other countries will have different formats. I have made a few DX QSOs, or contacts outside of my country, such as to someone in Germany.

 

I ended up needing to order a better power supply, an Astron RS-35, which is a linear power supply. A linear power supply will output much less interference than a switching power supply will, but that doesn’t mean a switching power supply is bad. I bought the one a few people recommended, and I actually ended up buying a second one from another local HAM to have as a backup or to use outside.

 

The next radio I had bought was a mobile 2m and 70cm Yaesu FTM-7250D to use at my desk. A mobile radio will often put out 50w, compared to the typical 5w a handheld radio will put out. I ordered a Diamond x50a antenna and 75 feet of coax. On simplex, or radio to radio, without using a repeater, the extra power as well as the DB gain from the antenna, allows me to get my signal out much farther.

 

VHF and UHF signals, unlike HF, do not bounce, so you are limited to how far they will typically go. With HF, you can often get out rather far when band conditions are good. I was able to get into Germany on 20m, a good band during the day, with 100w and a simple wire antenna. I use an off center fed dipole, so instead of equal lengths, mine is 45 feet in the short side and 90 feet on the long side.

 

The Yaesu does a digital mode known as Fusion, or more properly, C4FM. I also have two DMR radios, another digital more. The TYT MD-UV380 and MD-9600, a handheld and a mobile, that do VHF and UHF. C4FM is far easier to program and there are some local repeaters here for both modes. The Yaesu also does something called Wires-X which is an internet link system. I have talked to people from the UK using this on a local repeater as well. You can also get little hotspot devices, which are typically a Raspberry Pi and a low power radio, to get into the internet link side of radio if there isn’t a repeater near by.

 

I hope you enjoyed reading about my adventure into the world of amateur radio, and maybe it will inspire you to get into this hobby as well! As we say, 73, which is shorthand for well wishes, I hope to catch you down the logbook, this is AC3GI, and I will be clear on your final. 

Dragon Quest Metal Slime Limited Edition PS Vita

Famicom Network Controller HVC-051

Famicom Network Controller HVC-051 is something I found recently and stocked on eBay.
I found a French video about it here:

Here's a documentation on this controller.
Enjoy!
Here is the eBay listing URL of the Famicom Network Controller HVC-051:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/154326081671

Inexpensive "Handheld Computer mod" for Smartphone

I made a new video! Enjoy!

Mr Black - Portable DIT Station.

This is a Portable DIT Station.
What is a DIT station?
Check this link: https://nofilmschool.com/what-does-dit-do

KORG monotron ANALOGUE RIBBON SYNTHESIZER DELAY tryout

I bought myself a Analogue Ribbon Synthesizer called KORG monotron. I tried it out.

Geekbench 5 benchmark on XPERIA XZ3 au SOV39 Android 10

Benchmarked my XPERIA XZ3 by au. Here's the video.

Updating my Atari Missile Command Arcade Machine!

Thought this video was pretty neat.
-stingraze

Listed au Sharp IS01 MID UMPC on eBay!

This is a au Sharp IS01 which was sold only in Japan.
The condition is in good condition, but there are wears on the keyboard (top row) and I have fixed the charging port cover with glue.
The device has a microSDHC slot.
This runs Android 1.6, but can be flashed to versions like Android 4.1. Please search the internet for that information. The SIM is locked only to au, a Japanese carrier. Since this is the case, I recommend using it with WiFi functionality.
We will ship worldwide, but some countries can't be shipped with the battery. We will send without the battery in such a case.
Shipping: $10.00 for airmail without tracking. (Standard Shipping) $18.00 for shipping by ship (takes up to 4 months) with tracking and insurance. (Economy Shipping)

https://www.ebay.com/itm/au-Sharp-IS01-MID-UMPC-Android-Smartphone-Light-Blue-Worldwide-Shipping/154302027558

Update: 1/24/2021 Sold! Thank you very much!

Watch this cool Cyberdeck video on YouTube.

 

Cyberdeck! :-) 

 "What is a cyberdeck? What’s the difference between this and a laptop? They look cool but I don’t quite know what they are." -reddit (samg789)

 "It's the asthetic. They're mostly just raspberry Pis in nice cases with a screen and keyboard. They're ubiquitous in cyberpunk, shadowrun, Gibson books, hackers use portable decks they can plug in where they find access points." 

-reddit (twitch1982) 

 From: https://www.reddit.com/r/cyberDeck/comments/cokzb6/what_is_a_cyberdeck_whats_the_difference_between/ 

 -Tsubasa Kato

DIY Raspberry Pi Laptop in a Pelican case 1150

Watch this cool video! -Tsubasa Kato

Soviet Era Computers!

Enjoy this video I found!

Hacking an Xbox Chatpad into a QWERTY Phone Case (video by Hak5)

Thought this was pretty cool.