Chris' Blog

What is a WIO Terminal?

2022-10-23T05:59:00.100-07:00

The Wio Terminal is a great product for makers who need to create projects with both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity. It's powered by Realtek RTL8720DN, compatible with Arduino or MicroPython, with onboard 2" LCD screen plus an IMU (lris3dhtr), microphone buzzer & more.

This mini module has a lot of great features in one compact enclosure making product ready design easy as pie, I love the fact that it's Azure certified so can be easily connected to the Azure IoT hub or other services.

One thing it does miss is an inbuilt battery, but there is a battery module available which I've linked to at the bottom of this article.

A couple of things I found odd about the inbuilt components.

The light sensor and infrared emitter are on the back of the board, so they are no real use for sensing the light level or sending IR to, for example, a TV or Air-Con unit.

I would have thought that having these on the front or even side of the module would have been a better option, but it's a small gripe.

* If you're looking at adding some extra features on top like sending data over USB connection then think no further than our raspberry Pi 40 pin GPIO which also includes Grove ports to boot.

What are the features of the WIO Terminal?

The WIO Terminal has the following features:

ATSAMD51P19 MCU
WiFi & Bluetooth connectivity
2.4” LCD Screen (320x240)
Accelerometer
Microphone
Speaker
Light Sensor
Infrared Emitter
Onboard MicroSD card slot
Raspberry Pi 40-pin Compatible GPIO
External onboard multi-functional Grove I2C & UART ports
Support Arduino, CircuitPython, Micropython, ArduPy(What is ArduPy?), AT Firmware, Visual Studio Code
USB OTG Support： can act as a USB host (reads data or signals from a mouse, keyboard, MIDI device, 3D printer, etc.) or USB client (emulates a mouse, keyboard, or MIDI device to a host PC).
Azure Certified Device
TELEC certificated

What are some applications for the WIO Terminal?

Projects

Some applications for the WIO Terminal include:

Smart home control center
Remote temperature/humidity monitoring
Asset tracking
Air quality monitoring

Where to buy a Wio Terminal and peripherals

You can buy directly from Seeed Studio, but you can buy from a number of places.

WIO Terminal on Amazon Australia

Grove Started Kit

Wio Terminal Chassis - Battery (650mAh)

Seeed Studios Grove - Laser PM2.5 Sensor (HM3301)

Conclusion

The WIO Terminal is a versatile platform that can be used for a variety of IoT applications. It’s easy to use and program with the Arduino IDE or PlatformIO IDE. With its built-in WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity, lithium battery management, and USB-serial converter, the WIO Terminal is a great choice for your next IoT project.

SharePoint 2010 MSBuild Replacable Tokens

2013-08-01T21:15:00.001-07:00

If you have the following error:

Could not load the assembly '$SharePoint.Project.AssemblyFullName$'. Make sure that it is compiled before accessing the page.

This may be because Visual Studio has not replaced the tokens in some of your project files. These tokens are used inside certain files as the actual value is not known at design time.

In our project the the developer had written a ASMX webservice and by default the token within the asmx file is not replaced by the compiler.

The asmx file before compilation had the following:

<%@ Assembly Name="$SharePoint.Project.AssemblyFullName$" %>
<%@ WebService Language="C#" Class="foo.bar.WebServices.MyProjectsService" %>

It should be converted to the following after compilation:
<%@ Assembly Name="Foo.Bar.Project, Version=1.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=21120a5e44d08c21" %> <%@ WebService Language="C#" Class="foo.bar.WebServices.MyProjectsService" %>

By default Visual Studio will only replace tokens in certain files, although it can be configured to replace more.

Adding additional file extensions for token replacement

You can either change this for the Visual Studio environment, or for a particular project. Having the setting int he project file ensures that a team project (e.g. where many people are using TFS) will have consistent builds.

To Change for the current Project

Go to the Project file

    Debug
    AnyCPU
.
.
.
    
myextension;yourextension

To change for ALL sharePoint Projects on the local machine.
1. Goto the following file: Program Files (x86)\MSBuild\Microsoft\VisualStudio\v10.0\SharePointTools\Microsoft.VisualStudio.SharePoint.targets
2. Add the files extensions into the following section:

$(TokenReplacementFileExtensions);xml;aspx;ascx;webpart;dwp;asmx

This will replace the tokens after the project is compiled.

References:
It's worth reading the following: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ee231545.aspx

ASUS Eee Transformer Review

2011-09-14T04:29:00.000-07:00

I caved in and bought a tablet about a month ago. I always like to do a little bit of research first to see which are the best bang for the buck, as well as allowing a little bit of my underdog loving ego. This article isn't about the OS or Apps, but it does talk about the experience of using the hardware and operating system. My version does not have 3G, but for me this isnt an issue at all, I simply use a wireless hotspot on my phone and connect via that.

By the way, before I get into it, most of the Tegra 2 based Tablets seem very similar in specs although there have been a few blog posts(see table footer) which score the Xoom to be better in a number of areas.

	Apple iPad 2	ASUS Eee Pad Transformer	ASUS Eee Pad Transformer 32G with Dock	Motorola Xoom WiFi	Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1
SoC	Apple A5 (Dual ARM Cortex A9 @ 1GHz)	NVIDIA Tegra 2 (Dual ARM Cortex A9 @ 1GHz)	NVIDIA Tegra 2 (Dual ARM Cortex A9 @ 1GHz)	NVIDIA Tegra 2 (Dual ARM Cortex A9 @ 1GHz)	NVIDIA Tegra 2 (Dual ARM Cortex A9 @ 1GHz)
GPU	PowerVR SGX 543MP2	NVIDIA GeForce	NVIDIA GeForce	NVIDIA GeForce	NVIDIA GeForce
RAM	512MB	1GB	1GB	1GB	1GB
Display	1024 x 768 IPS	1280 x 800 IPS	1280 x 800 IPS	1280 x 800	1280 x 800 PLS
NAND	16GB	16GB	32GB	32GB	16GB 32/64 available
Dimensions	241.2mm x 185.7mm x 8.8mm	271mm x 175mm x 12.95mm	271mm x 175mm x 12.95mm +Dock	249.1mm x 167.8mm x 12.9mm	256.6 x 172.9 x 8.6mm
USB	No	No	2 x USB 2.0	Micro USB (2.0)
HDMI	No	Mini HDMI	See Main Unit	Yes
Input	Touch Screen	Touch Screen	QWERTY keyboard Touch Pad	Touch Screen	Touch Screen
Card Reader	No	Micro SD	1 x Card Reader (MMC/SD/SDHC)	Micro USB
Battery Life	~5h Movies	>6 Movies*	16h minimal >13Movies*	>7Movies*
Charge Time			~3h*	~2.5h*
Weight	601g	695g	695g + 640g Dock	730g	565g

Price	$499	$399	$695	$599	$499

** Xoom and Asus Data from http://www.legitreviews.com/article/1562/1/

So you have the main specs above, now the main usability issues I had:

Speaker is very low power
Docking - not smooth, sometimes loses connection to the keyboard and has to be reattached
Power button - it's sometimes slow to react
Charger is propriety - cant charge from USB
Faster/Lower Power Tegra 3(Kal-El) version coming out soon?

Other reviews of ASUS Eee Transformer, The user reviews say pretty much the same:
http://www.techradar.com/reviews/pc-mac/tablets/asus-eee-pad-transformer-954145/review

OneNote Copy Text From An Image

2011-09-14T00:00:00.000-07:00

I can't believe I didn't see this before.

If you insert a picture into OneNote using a file, scanner, screen clipper etc then you can read (OCR) the text from the image, using the Right Click-> Copy Text from Picture command.

Of course this would have been a lot more impressive if I was still scanning things in from magazines or letters, but I'm not complaining!

You probably cant see how exciting I found this, if I was writing a txt message I would have probably typed :

OMGYG2BK

Oh my God, you got to be kidding

SharePoint 2010 Balsamiq Wireframes

2011-03-06T18:12:00.000-08:00

Working as a SharePoint Consultant you don't always have benefit of a dedicated UX consultant. If you are working using an agile method such as scrum you may find that you quickly need to sketch wireframes with the product owner or team to communicate the requirements and user stories.

Wireframes are a low-fi representation of a webpage. They need to be medium detail design which gives enough information the end user to relate to and the designer to understand while still allowing his creative skills to be put to good use.

I love the use of white boards when in workshops but sometimes you don't have the benefit of these so software is another option. I found that the Visio SharePoint Templates, although accomplished, didn't give the same impact as using lo-fi Balsamiq versions.

Balsamiq has a number of build in components which allow for quick development of UX concepts, I've created a few more elements created for a project I worked on recently:

Standard Homepage / Master
SharePoint 2010 Ribbon
Views / Data Grids
Taxonomy Browser
Visio Services Process Viewer
Standard Search
FAST Search
Task Dialog
Social Tagging
Social Notes
Presence Indicator
Presence Popup
Tag Could

The current version of Wireframes for Sharepoint 2010 in PDF
Here are the Balsamiq Source Files

SharePoint 2010 Alert Me Missing from Ribbon

2011-02-21T19:44:00.000-08:00

If you are missing the Alert button from the Ribbon then you may have not configured the email functionality of the installation.

2010-10-28T01:43:00.000-07:00

MapMyFitness JSON API Example


 function loadMaps() {
           var type = 2; //bike ride
           var radius = 10;
           $.ajax({
               type: 'GET',
               url: "http://api.mapmyfitness.com/3/routes/search_routes?&o=json&user_id=&user_key=&keyword=&min_latitude=51.08786&max_latitude=51.38786&min_longitude=-0.3013&max_longitude=-0.3013&center_longitude=51.38786&center_latitude=-0.3013&center_geocode=&radius=" + radius + "&route_type_id=" + type + "&city=&state=&country_code=&zip=&start_record=0&limit=25&sort_by=featured_flag%20desc,%20average_rating%20desc,%20route_name",
               data: "id=" + "&lang=en-us&format=json&jsoncallback=?",
               success: function(feed) {
                   // Create an empty array to store images
                   var thumbs = [];

                   // Loop through the items
                   for (var i = 0, l = feed.result.output.routes.length; i < l && i < 16; ++i) {
                       var routename = feed.result.output.routes[i].route_name;
                       // Add the new element to the array
                       thumbs.push(routename);
                   }

                   // Display the routes on the page
                   $('#feed').html(thumbs.join(''));
                                      
                   var show_user = tmpl("item_tmpl"), html = "";

                   for (var ii = 0; ii < feed.result.output.routes.length; ii++) {
                       html += show_user(feed.result.output.routes[ii]);
                   }
                   //var results = document.getElementById("results");                   
                   $('#vcalendar').html(html);
               },
               dataType: 'jsonp'
           });
       }

Flickr API - JQuery Javascript Example

2010-10-28T01:38:00.000-07:00


function loadFlickr(flickrid) {
            // Display a loading icon in our display element 
            $('#feed').html('');

            // Request the JSON and process it 
            $.ajax({
                type: 'GET',
                url: "http://api.flickr.com/services/feeds/photos_public.gne",
                data: "id=" + flickrid + "&lang=en-us&format=json&jsoncallback=?",
                success: function(feed) {
                    // Create an empty array to store images 
                    var thumbs = [];

                    // Loop through the items 
                    for (var i = 0, l = feed.items.length; i < l && i < 16; ++i) {
                        // Manipulate the image to get thumb and medium sizes 
                        var img = feed.items[i].media.m.replace(
                    /^(.*?)_m\.jpg$/,
                    ''
                );

                        // Add the new element to the array 
                        thumbs.push(img);
                    }

                    // Display the thumbnails on the page 
                    $('#feed').html(thumbs.join(''));

                    // A function to add a lightbox effect 
                    addLB();
                },
                dataType: 'jsonp'
            });
        }

Basic Netduino HL1606 driver port.

2010-10-13T07:13:00.001-07:00

Straight port of Arduino library to interface with RGB LED strips built with the HL1606 driver chip.

This hasnt even been tested yet, I just converted the code without even analysing it.

[EDIT] OK I've had a chance to look at the code and what its suppose to do. The HL1606 is basically 2* shift register and 2* LED driver. The code below is Bit Bashing it's way through, which is a pretty basic way of controlling, especially since there should be some hardware support which can do the job for us (e.g. SPI).

I'm going to have a go a writing a driver which is a bit more efficient than the below code. I'll keep you posted!

http://code.google.com/p/ledstrip/


using System;
using System.Threading;
using Microsoft.SPOT;
using Microsoft.SPOT.Hardware;
using SecretLabs.NETMF.Hardware;
using SecretLabs.NETMF.Hardware.Netduino;

using System.IO;
using System.Text;

namespace NetduinoLEDSriptDriver
{
  class HL1606Driver
  {
      enum BitOrder
      {
          LSBFirst,
          MSBFirst
      }

      enum LEDState
      {
          OFF,  // 0b00
          ON,   // 0b01
          UP,   // 0b10
          DOWN, // 0b11

      };

      //#define _BV(bit) (1 << (bit))         //#include 
      //Converts a bit number into a byte value.
      private const uint NONCMD = 0xFF;
      private const uint LATCH = 0x07;
      private const uint SPEED2X = 0x06;
      private const bool LOW = false;
      private const bool HIGH = true;

      static OutputPort _dPin;
      private OutputPort _sPin;
      private OutputPort _latchPin;
      private OutputPort _clkPin;

      private bool _faderEnabled;
      private uint _faderPulseNextEdge;
    
      //System Function
      protected void digitalWrite(OutputPort port, bool state)
      {
          port.Write(state);
      }

      protected bool digitalRead(OutputPort port)
      {
          return port.Read();
      }

      //public void pinMode(uint port, uint state)
      //{

      //}

      public HL1606Driver(Cpu.Pin dPin, Cpu.Pin sPin, Cpu.Pin latchPin, Cpu.Pin clkPin)
      {

          //Setup Ports          
          try
       {       
    _dPin = new OutputPort(dPin, false);
          _sPin = new OutputPort(sPin, false); ;
          _latchPin = new OutputPort(latchPin, false);
          _clkPin = new OutputPort(clkPin, false);

       }
       catch (Exception)
       {

        throw;
       }
        
          _faderEnabled = false;

          //Setup Port Inital States
          wakeup();

      }

      void wakeup()
      {
          digitalWrite(_dPin, LOW);
          digitalWrite(_sPin, LOW);
          digitalWrite(_latchPin, LOW);
          digitalWrite(_clkPin, LOW);
      }


      void faderCrank()
      {
          short mymillis;

          if (!_faderEnabled) return;
          SystemTime t = new SystemTime();

          mymillis = t.Milliseconds;

          // Give us 250ms slop in case we don't exactly catch our edge.
          if (mymillis >= _faderPulseNextEdge && mymillis < _faderpulsehalfwidth =" _faderPulseNewHalfWidth;" _faderpulsenextedge =" (uint)mymillis" myvar =" value;" myvar ="=" _faderenabled =" false;" _faderpulsehalfwidth =" 0;" _faderpulsenewhalfwidth =" 0;" _faderpulsenewhalfwidth =" myVar;" _faderenabled =" true;" _faderpulsehalfwidth =" myVar;" t =" new" _faderpulsenextedge =" (uint)t.Milliseconds" value ="=" _faderenabled =" false;" _faderpulsehalfwidth =" 0;" _faderpulsenewhalfwidth =" 0;" _faderpulsenewhalfwidth =" value;" _faderenabled =" true;" _faderpulsehalfwidth =" value;" t =" new" _faderpulsenextedge =" (uint)t.Milliseconds" cmd =" 0;" flags =" LATCH;">= NONCMD || bluecmd >= NONCMD || greencmd >= NONCMD) return;

          cmd |= (greencmd << cmd =" 0;" flags =" LATCH">= NONCMD || bluecmd >= NONCMD || greencmd >= NONCMD) return;

          cmd |= (greencmd << i =" 0;" _bitorder ="=" mask =" (byte)(1" mask =" (byte)(1" ms =" (int)delay">

Training Peaks Webservice

2010-10-11T03:54:00.001-07:00

<script language='javascript'>
dp.SyntaxHighlighter.BloggerMode();
dp.SyntaxHighlighter.HighlightAll('code');
</script>


Dim sUserName As String = "username"
Dim sPassword As String = "password"
Dim nUserId As Integer = 115133
Dim bData() As Byte

Dim ws As trainingpeaksWS.Service = New trainingpeaksWS.Service()
Dim p() As trainingpeaksWS.PersonBase = ws.GetAccessibleAthletes("username", "password", trainingpeaksWS.AthleteAccountTypes.SharedSelfCoachedPremium)


Dim v As String = ws.Version()

Dim dt As DateTime = DateTime.Now()
dt = dt.AddDays(-30)

Dim v3 As Object = ws.GetWorkoutsForAthlete("username", "password", dt, DateTime.Now)
Dim v2 As Object = ws.GetWorkoutsForAccessibleAthlete("username", "password", nUserId, dt, DateTime.Now)
Dim v4 As Object = ws.GetExtendedWorkoutDataForAccessibleAthlete("username", "password", nUserId, 40760637)

Dim workout As trainingpeaksWS.Workout = New trainingpeaksWS.Workout()


ws.ImportFileForUser(sUserName, sPassword, bData)

Surrey League Alfold Crossways 7th march 2010

2010-03-10T03:32:00.000-08:00

I rode the Alfold race a the weekend and saw a couple of the Twickenham CC guys. As previously mentioned I was in stealth mode so I was riding in a plain jersey.

I've only been back training since 1st Feb so I didn't have high expectations of this race, it was more of a training day for me.

My goals for the race were open:

I expected to finish
I wanted to get in a break or cause a bit of damage
I wanted to work on bunch positioning
Test my basic sprinting
Overall I wanted a good workout with a TSS of 250->300

Course Overview (6 laps = 72 miles)

Alfold is a great circuit and suits a strong rider, you don't have to be a climber for this course.

There are 2 small drags which are the ideal place to attack; one coming into Alfold and a longer shallower one on the back of the course which drags all the way up to near the village of Plaistow before dropping into ifold and the finish. There are also some semi technical corners which can be taken very fast and can cause gaps to open up.

By staying near the front at these sections it should be easier to go with any move.

*Lots of potholes at the moment so it pays to be aware especially when the sun is low in the sky.

Race Report

The race was good, lots of action, lots of attacks, but probably 15 miles too long for most of the guys there, this caused the race to be more of a survival exercise for some riders.

I was convinced that a break would get away and stay away, especially with some very strong 2nd cat riders.

The race split and reformed for quite a while with lots of riders trying their luck. I was doing what you do and following wheels having digs and generally getting to know the riders and course.

On the Plaistow drag Matt Melville(AW Cycles) attacked hard, I've know Matt for a number of years he's the strong rider who can wring himself out in a break, so it's a wheel to follow. We got a nice gap and after a short time were joined by more riders... that's were it fell apart, too many riders in the break and too many fresh legs in the bunch... it came back. This seemed to be the start of the race for real.

Over the next 20-30 miles a few breaks did go but none really stuck.

A break finally floated off the front... 2 riders, theys were Matt Melville (again!) and eventual winner Andy Bryson(DHCyclesport.co.uk). They worked well and once it had >20 seconds I knew we might be in trouble. The break hung about at 20 seconds for a while and eventually Matt Blew (He'd only brought 1 bottle and was bonking, I gave him the rest of mine and gave him a quick push, he soon recovered enough to hang in and attack again).

Legs were getting tired, mine included, the bunch slowed for a few miles allowing the lone breakaway to get a good gap.

Eventually the bunch started rolling again, one rider in particular was on the front a lot! Ben Instone (Torq Racing) rode hard keeping the tempo and detering any breaks. Its a bit of a shame that he didnt rest for a lap and try to get in a break rather than towing the bunch around lap after lap... ah well, each to their own.

Personally, I decided to hang around the front 10 riders and follow wheels for a bit.

The sharp end

By the last lap I was convinced(again!) that there would be no more attacks, we had passed all the difficult parts of the circuit and it was basically a run into the flat headwind finish, perfect for me.

So as I settled into the remains of the bunch I dropped my guard, as did quite a few other riders. The bunch split, some riders lost wheels and by the time we reacted there was a 10 second gap. Matt, Rob Enslin and some other good riders were in the back group and we were all slightly lethargic after 67 miles of racing.

At the end of races it CAN get like this, either you all get it on, or you end up in a group who will not work cohesively at all.

What's the best situation?

Attack and hope no one will chase
Try to organise a chase
Do nothing and wait for the sprint

What did happen?

Rob attacked and got 5 then 10 seconds. As a sprinter I wanted to hedge my bets, I knew if we could peg them back without too much energy then I could get a result in the sprint. So I rolled through trying to encourage others to do the same. Some riders rolled through, enough to bring Rob back but not enough to catch the lead bunch.

Do I attack, do I hope some riders are waiting to attack? By now the break had a good gap and we were coming into the last couple of Km, it was time to settle in and practice my sprinting.

So, what do we know about the finish?

Straight
Head wind
Group of ~10 riders

What to do in a sprint

Watch the riders
Who looks strong, who is built like a sprinter
Who is positioning themselves

Position yourself

Dont get boxed
Stay out of the wind
Use your type of sprint

I picked a rider who was hovering on the outside looking like he was going to jump, he went with about 200 to go on the outside of the bunch. Being on his wheel sheltered me from the wind and as he hit his top speed and pulled to left slightly I totally committed and accelerated off his wheel hard to the right. Gaining a gap of just 1 bike length over other riders can cause enough of a reduce in shelter that they cant get back on your wheel. Job done I could ease down for the last 50 meters, bunch sprint taken.

10th Place. OK I'm happy with that.

Well done to all the riders, some great efforts and Andy did a great ride for the win.

Lessons Learnt

Don't be convinced always be adaptable to race situations. Keep multiple strategies
The winning break came from a small group where no teams chased at the point where people were getting tired.
Most people at 2nd cat attack when they are feeling good or at easy section of the course, maybe they should attack at the hard sections and when they are feeling on the limit?

Some stats from the Alfold Crossways race:

72 Miles
3 hours @ 300watt average
Max 20 minutes 333 watts (Normalized)
Max Power 1588watts
~3000Kcal
Lots of Potholes = Bent Handlebars
BUT No Punctures

Womens Team Series Training Day Video

2010-03-03T11:02:00.000-08:00

New Look

2010-02-11T06:47:00.001-08:00

Just a little note.

I decided to spruce up the look of the blog and found a nice free example over at Lawnys Templates

Quick and easy, and I added the code highlighter in about 2 minutes.

Thanks Lawny

May Flyer Short Route- South Western Road Club Sportive

2010-02-09T02:48:00.000-08:00

Here is a ride from Surbiton including the SWRC Cyclo Sportive May Flyer Short route. It takes in some great surrey roads and even comes back through peaslake so you can grab a cheese straw from the peaslake store!

06/17/2009 Route
Find more Bike Rides in Surbiton, United Kingdom

SyntaxHighligher version 2 in Blogger

2009-07-21T03:47:00.000-07:00

In a previous blog post I wrote about adding SyntaxHighligher to your blogger page.

I had a few issues with version 2 and at the time resorted to version 1.5.5. Guess what? Yes I solved the little issues I had so here is how to add version 2!

The route is very similar just with some config changes.

Im now using Alex's site to host the source files.

Modify your template to add in CSS and JS files & Add startup script.

Goto Layouts --> Edit HTML to edit your Blogger template.

It's worth taking a backup of your layout, just copy and paste into a text file.

In the previous post I simply added the raw CSS to the template head element, I did this because it didnt seem to work with the linked CSS. This time im using a link element.

You can see that I also added the startup script after the JS includes.


<head>
<!-- Add-in CSS for syntax highlighting -->
<script src='http://alexgorbatchev.com/pub/sh/current/scripts/shCore.js' type='text/javascript'/>
<script src='http://alexgorbatchev.com/pub/sh/current/scripts/shBrushCpp.js' type='text/javascript'/>
<script src='http://alexgorbatchev.com/pub/sh/current/scripts/shBrushCSharp.js' type='text/javascript'/>
<script src='http://alexgorbatchev.com/pub/sh/current/scripts/shBrushCss.js' type='text/javascript'/>
<script src='http://alexgorbatchev.com/pub/sh/current/scripts/shBrushDelphi.js' type='text/javascript'/>
<script src='http://alexgorbatchev.com/pub/sh/current/scripts/shBrushJava.js' type='text/javascript'/>
<script src='http://alexgorbatchev.com/pub/sh/current/scripts/shBrushJScript.js' type='text/javascript'/>
<script src='http://alexgorbatchev.com/pub/sh/current/scripts/shBrushPhp.js' type='text/javascript'/>
<script src='http://alexgorbatchev.com/pub/sh/current/scripts/shBrushPython.js' type='text/javascript'/>
<script src='http://alexgorbatchev.com/pub/sh/current/scripts/shBrushRuby.js' type='text/javascript'/>
<script src='http://alexgorbatchev.com/pub/sh/current/scripts/shBrushSql.js' type='text/javascript'/>
<script src='http://alexgorbatchev.com/pub/sh/current/scripts/shBrushVb.js' type='text/javascript'/>
<script src='http://alexgorbatchev.com/pub/sh/current/scripts/shBrushXml.js' type='text/javascript'/>
<script type='text/javascript'>SyntaxHighlighter.config.bloggerMode=true;SyntaxHighlighter.config.clipboardSwf = &#39;http://alexgorbatchev.com/pub/sh/current/scripts/clipboard.swf&#39;;SyntaxHighlighter.all();</script>


<link href='http://alexgorbatchev.com/pub/sh/current/styles/shCore.css' rel='stylesheet' type='text/css'/>
<link href='http://alexgorbatchev.com/pub/sh/current/styles/shThemeDefault.css' id='shTheme' rel='stylesheet' type='text/css'/>

Make sure you save your template.

Add your code blocks to your blog

Thats about it really

The changes to the syntaxhighlighter allow greater configuration of the behaviour. It's worth reading the documentation! The main difference for me was to assign the brush in the class attribute:


<pre class="brush: js;">
....encoded code here
</pre>

If your code contains a lessthan < then you need to encode your contents. There are quite a few tools around to Encode HTML.

I have noticed a small issue where the copy/paste element which is Flash is not displaying the icon. I'm goint to try to solve this at some point.

Using SyntaxHighligher with Blogger

2009-07-20T01:07:00.000-07:00

I'm new to blogs really, so Im just getting to grips with how to

Write content peole like
Make sure it's readable (grammar/content wise)
Make sure it looks pretty

And as my SRM blog post looks like a dogs dinner then i thought i'd address 'make it look pretty' next.

As im a bit of a coder I really find it helps to see code which is easy to read.
So if im going to be putting code on this blog then I need something to make my code look slightly presentable.
There are a few options out there(I will create a list at some point), but to me the easiest is the SyntaxHighlighter by Alex Gorbatchev.

Reasons:

It supports multiple programming languages
It can be hosted by Alex's site
It has a Blogger Mode

So alex's version seems to be up to version 2, and I had some issues getting it to work in Blogger for some reason. I'll work on this for later. Therefore Im going to be using using the version hosted by Google, which is 1.5.1

Updated 21st July 2008 - You may have noticed that the pages are now using version 2 of SntaxHighligher. I'm just in the middle of a blog entry on how to migrate over from 1.5.1

How to enable SyntaxHighlighter 1.5.1 in Blogger

First we need to alter your Blogger Layout to add the required Javascript and CSS files. Goto Layout-->Edit HTML to edit your layout.
Insert the CSS into the styles section of the Template. For some reason having a link element didn't work in Blogger. So I hard copied the code into the template style section, I pasted it after the template style before the ]]>
Insert the relevant JS files into the <head> element. I'm pointing to Google's site.


<script src='http://syntaxhighlighter.googlecode.com/svn/trunk/Scripts/shCore.js' type='text/javascript'></script>

<script src='http://syntaxhighlighter.googlecode.com/svn/trunk/Scripts/shBrushCpp.js' type='text/javascript'></script>

<script src='http://syntaxhighlighter.googlecode.com/svn/trunk/Scripts/shBrushCSharp.js' type='text/javascript'></script>

<script src='http://syntaxhighlighter.googlecode.com/svn/trunk/Scripts/shBrushCss.js' type='text/javascript'></script>
<script src='http://syntaxhighlighter.googlecode.com/svn/trunk/Scripts/shBrushDelphi.js' type='text/javascript'></script>
<script src='http://syntaxhighlighter.googlecode.com/svn/trunk/Scripts/shBrushJava.js' type='text/javascript'></script>
<script src='http://syntaxhighlighter.googlecode.com/svn/trunk/Scripts/shBrushJScript.js' type='text/javascript'></script>
<script src='http://syntaxhighlighter.googlecode.com/svn/trunk/Scripts/shBrushPhp.js' type='text/javascript'></script>
<script src='http://syntaxhighlighter.googlecode.com/svn/trunk/Scripts/shBrushPython.js' type='text/javascript'></script>
<script src='http://syntaxhighlighter.googlecode.com/svn/trunk/Scripts/shBrushRuby.js' type='text/javascript'></script>
<script src='http://syntaxhighlighter.googlecode.com/svn/trunk/Scripts/shBrushSql.js' type='text/javascript'></script>
<script src='http://syntaxhighlighter.googlecode.com/svn/trunk/Scripts/shBrushVb.js' type='text/javascript'></script>
<script src='http://syntaxhighlighter.googlecode.com/svn/trunk/Scripts/shBrushXml.js' type='text/javascript'></script>

See what i did there...using the syntaxhighlighter to show how to install the syntaxhighlighter ;o)

There is also a section of code that you need to add as startup script. This goes after the <body>tag.
```
<script language='javascript'>
dp.SyntaxHighlighter.BloggerMode();
dp.SyntaxHighlighter.HighlightAll('code');
</script>
```
This piece of code tells the highligher that it should highlight all elements with the 'name' attribute = 'code'. Also, notice the Blogger Mode!? What this does it a bit of manipulation of the source to replace <br/> with /n... simples.

How to add code to your blog entry.
Now comes the 'simple' bit, to add code to your place it within a <pre> element. For example:
```
<pre name="code" class="vb">
For index As Integer = 1 To 10
  'do something
Next
</pre>
```
I had some issues when entering certain html tags such as <link> into my <pre> tags. I therefore encoded the HTML to ensure that this wouldn't cause any issues.

Once you have added these lines then the SyntaxHighlighter will highlight any code that you embedd in <pre> tags. Clever.

You can also just highlight certain classes, which is useful if you want to possibly NOT highlight certain <pre> elements.

That's All Folks

How to change the battery on a IV SRM Head unit

2009-07-09T01:57:00.000-07:00

I’m not tight, I just know the value of money.

I have an older SRM IV which decided to give up the ghost a while back; it would not hold any charge so I was hoping it was going to be the battery.

I contacted SRM and they suggested sending it back for a service or upgrade (~60EUR & 300 EUR respectively). Now, like I said I’m not tight but there is no way I was going to send my head unit back for a few weeks and pay that amount of cash for what I reckon is a simple battery change.

On a side note you can get the battery changed in the UK for about £60, but for a unit which is outside warranty what's the point? [apart from it being completed by a competent person who would probably replace the unit if they broke it...Ed ]

So before I started I had a Google around to see if anyone else had don't anything similar... I found a few people had replaced the battery in the chainset but not the head unit:
http://weightweenies.starbike.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=234925

Before I go any further I also looked at the SRM site for any info, here it was i found:

The PowerMeter battery is not self-replaceable. You will need to send it to the Service Center for replacement. ATTEMPTING TO REPAIR IT YOURSELF WILL INVALIDATE THE WARRANTY, and could cause permanent damage to your PowerMeter.Battery life of the PowerMeter will vary between PowerMeters.

So, do I take the possible destructive dangerous path of changing the battery myself? Yeah Why Not. This is about as reckless as I get now I’m bordering on middle age… Extreme Soldering!

So here is the tale of how the battery got replaced in the SRM IV head unit.Please take care, as I really do not hold any responsibility for you breaking your own SRM unit!Important bits are in boldLittle comments are in this style

How to change the battery on a IV SRM Head unit

Cost: £5 for parts
Cooking Time: (45 Minutes)

Utensils

Yourself
Earthing wrist strap (optional) Have a look why you should be earthed
Screwdriver - small yet perfectly formed
The Universal Tool (a knife) - Thin Blunt Edge
Soldering Iron - careful it's hot
Glue Gun - It's a gun which fires glue!
Small Scissors - remember not to run with them
Solder Sucker (optional) it makes like easy when removing excess solder

Ingredients

SRM IV with a defunct battery
Replacement Battery Pack (see section for details on model)
Glue Gun Glue - Careful as this gets REALLY HOT
Solder
Salt and Vinegar Crisps/Carrot Sticks - optional - its' a snack.
Make sure you set everything up have plant of room and light as this can get a bit fiddly.

1. Remove the Cover

Remove the screws on the back of the SRM head unit. This is easy just make sure you have the correct size phillips/posidrive screwdriver.

The back cover is bonded on with a "glue gun" type compound, this binds to each surface pretty well but will break away with some encouragement.

When removing the back cover I used the blunt edge knife run around the joint and break the seal. You could also make a tool which was a bit like a tyre lever to do this. Use a thin bit of metal.

The glue is flexible so expect a bit of elasticity.

Remove/Lift the back cover very carefully, there are some leads which run to the LCD display, you don't want to be damaging these. Do not over stretch these leads.

Remove the LCD leads, one connector (black connector) simply pulls away from the plug, just be gentle when removing this.

The other connector (white socket) is a type of connector where the LCD connector film is held into the socket by a clamp. This clamp is part of the socket and needs to be ‘released’ before you remove the lead. If you don’t release the socket the LCD connector will not want to come out.

Figure 1 A look at the PCB etc.

Figure 2 The Black Connector
Figure 3 The White Connector - With the latch

Examination of the battery

The battery is a nickel metal hydride mini pack with 4 2/3 size AAA cells (1.2volt cell). These units are pretty standard and can be bought on the web:

3.Remove the battery

The battery sleeve is bonded to the PCB, this concerned me a little as it could be quite easy to damage the PCB by forcing the battery off its bond.

I decided to remove its sleeve and trim this leaving the bottom layer. I would then bond the new battery to the bottom layer.

So, unsolder the terminals using a soldering iron. Using pliers will help insulate the PCB from any heat, but the leads are pretty long and the heat shouldn’t make it anywhere near the PCB.

Remove the battery by cutting the white sleeve, a friend suggested that you could use a hot blunt knife to melt the glue and remove the battery, I didn’t do this.Dispose of the battery;

While nmh batteries are low grade-ish, please make sure you dispose of the battery correctly.

Figure 4 Negative Terminal

Figure 5 Positive Terminal

Solder the NEW Battery in placeIf you missed the bit about which battery to buy, or, if you haven’t bought it yet go back and read it/buy it!

The version I bought has a capacity of300mAh not 280 like the original... bonus extra capacity!I bought a battery with leads as I felt this was more flexible that using tabs.

Ok, Remove the connector at the end of the new battery lead to expose the nice shiny wire. Solder them to the terminals.

Look here for a tutorial on soldering... its worth practicing a bit.

Remember positive is Red(+) and negative is Black(-)

I used a soldering iron set to 170’C

4. Replace LCD Leads
This is basically the reverse of the way you took them off. Ensure they are true/correctly inserted and flush.Remember to lock the white lead in place with the latch on the socket.

5. Test

Plug the unit in to the charger for 3-5 seconds and press the mode button - if the screen comes on then that's probably a good sign.Unplug from the chargerGet the cover back off again while being careful witht he LCD leads.

6. Glue the Battery in place

So we should now be happy that the unit is working, so we can glue the battery into place. I used a small amount of glue and held the battery inplace while it set.
Try to make sure you put it in the same position as the original battery to ensure that the case will close again!

7. Replace the LCD leads

Same as step 4

8. Replace Lid

Remove any old glue which may get in the way of the lid going back on. Run some hot glue gun gunk around the seamReally be careful not to let this touch your skin, its HOT

Try to make sure its in a flush position, you don’t need too much glue!Wipe excess glue with a cloth/paper or you can wait until its cold and use a knife, up to you reallyI held the battery in place while the glue cooled; it only takes a minute or so.

9. Screws back!

Replace the screws in the cover, these are self tappers so be careful.

10. Final TEST

Same as step 5

11. DONE

All works?
Yes - Big Pat on the back and a carrot stick...Yum
No? Bugger! Get on eBay.

So there we have it, we have seen that we can replace the battery of the SRM head unit with ease, as long as you are careful, have the right tools and find the correct components.

Nissan GT-R Silverstone

2008-09-02T08:45:00.000-07:00

I ordered a Nissan GT-R April 2008 so it should be here November 2009. As part of the service Nissan took me on a driving day in the GT-R which included some short and long course handling... really brilliant day.

Here is a video of me getting driven round by the instructor basically saying how rubbish i was! This is round the National Circuit at silverstone, note the G-Meters for lateral G AND the accelerometer!

Listen to how fast the gear changes are, and how there is NO lag on this monster Turbo Charged engine!

Here's a quick piccy of me thrashing round: