Recent content by C101

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    New toy

    I took a several hundred mile trip in my 2016 WRX (MT) a week and a half ago. Most of my time was spent cruising around 60mph, and my trip computer got up to 38mpg by the time I made it home. I've read the computer is a bit optimistic, so the actual may be closer to 35mpg. Nonetheless, pretty...
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    2015 WRX w/ CVT

    I just picked up my 2016 WRX from the dealer yesterday. I like it, but coming from my last car (1999 Ford Escort in full stripper trim), I don't think I could not like it. I got the manual model, so I can't comment on anything regarding the CVT. However, the CVT debuted in the Forester for...
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    What's that smell ?

    Smooth on the package is in reference to the smoothdrive motor controller technology that ST uses in the power combo IC. You can see a publicly available datasheet for a similar ST chip here: ST L7250 In my experience, these kinds of markings typically demonstrate the effects of a high...
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    MX100 power loss protection is "fake" ?

    In my industry, power loss protection means the drive should be able to withstand everything up to and including a crowbar of the input power lines without any data loss. I have yet to see a consumer SSD that is capable of this, though some look like they have the bulk capacitance on-board to...
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    wanting to get into electronics

    Sounds like you're looking for Perfboard. It comes in a wide variety of sizes and connections. (Some have all holes electrically isolated, some have strips of holes connected together, called Stripboard)
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    MSI RMA: will I get back a refurb, repair or new?

    I had a 4890 that blew smoke out the back. The only thing they would give me was a refund.
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    6TB Drives FYI

    The HGST drives have 7 platters, but the helium operating environment allows for a closer disk spacing. The Seagate drive has 6 platters, but is still open to the atmosphere. This means less room for screw holes in the region that the platters reside in. I'm not sure why the HGST drive only...
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    6TB Drives FYI

    Only the Seagate drive is missing the side hole.
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    HDD Destruction Challenges/Confusions

    Easier to just remove the top cover. Should be torx bits, T6 or T8 if things haven't changed too much.
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    Quicker way to power on/off external HD?

    Capacitors give the drive the initial supply for the first few milliseconds after the power is removed, but the main source of power to allow the drive to conduct it's retract and shutdown procedures is generated from the still spinning platters. When the drive begins it's emergency power off...
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    Quicker way to power on/off external HD?

    When the hard drive detects a power loss on either the 5V line or the 12V line (5V only for laptop drives), the drive immediately performs a retract. How the retract procedure is handled will depend on the manufacturer of the drive, but for most drives, a simple disconnection should leave enough...
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    Blew out PSU by upping voltage. Bought new 1 and now computer restarts playing games

    Unfortunately, these sorts of problems are impossible to precisely diagnose without someone with the right tools and knowledge getting their hands on the physical parts. What we do know is that something Very Bad happened to the computer. Based on the description that the computer still sort of...
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    Just blew up a motherboard...

    Likely to be the case. I don't see any current sensing resistors on the board, which probably means there is no overcurrent protection. If the supply for the voltage regulator was even +5V, the maximum current that could flow through that fet would be ~400A, given the worst case Rds(on). At 12V...
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    Just blew up a motherboard...

    While I can't make any presumptions other than guesses as to why the fet blew up, I can point you to the part/replacement location. Edit: Based on the pcb layout, it looks like it is the high-side fet for a buck regulator. Part...
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    [MMO] World of Tanks

    If you graphics quality (I think terrain quality) is low, then your computer will smooth over parts of the map in an attempt to reduce the number of polygons being displayed. This can sometimes result in symptoms such as you describe, or other effects such as misshapen rock formations.