• We’re currently investigating an issue related to the forum theme and styling that is impacting page layout and visual formatting. The problem has been identified, and we are actively working on a resolution. There is no impact to user data or functionality, this is strictly a front-end display issue. We’ll post an update once the fix has been deployed. Thanks for your patience while we get this sorted.

DC Forum: Smokeball is going on the road!

Page 3 - Seeking answers? Join the AnandTech community: where nearly half-a-million members share solutions and discuss the latest tech.
Thanks for posting the update, Ray.

Smokeball: if you can read this, and if you have room in your car/van, consider a car DC/AC inverter (perhaps $30 at an auto store) to be able to power your LCD while on the road (if you can get the S.O. to drive for a bit, you could use the laptop in this manner). 😉
 
Posted for Smokeball:

Day 2

What started off as a very leisurely start with only a limited distance target in mind turned out to be quite a long trek. I believe Kansas could feed the entire world ? I have never seen so much land under cultivation. Late in the afternoon we ran into the only storm in the whole state and were pelted by hail with diameters ranging in size from quarters to fifty cent pieces. That is the worst hail storm I have ever endured. I thought the windshield was going to shatter any minute. Looks like we came through the storm without damage ? really lucky in that regard.

We decided to keep driving and ended up in Denver ? our initial target. 🙂

So we covered 1500 miles in two days and are now ready to stay put for 2 or 3 days. For those of you that don?t know, Denver looks like it is built right at the base of the Rocky Mountains. The city is really spread out.

The lcd monitor of the notebook mysteriously came back to life late last night. But today while trying to use it in the car it once again crapped out. I?m starting to wonder if the AC/DC converter I have is the cause of the problem. I may pick up another one and give that a try. The display seems to work OK when plugged into AC.

I?ll probably sleep late in the morning. 🙂
Click to expand...
 
Originally posted by: Intelligence3
Thanks Ray. Somehow I managed to miss this thread until now.
rolleye.gif
Click to expand...
Yep, same here. Just saw it today. 😱
 
Smokeballs Day 3 posting:

Day 3 - August 7, 2003

The monitor problem is just about to bring this adventure to a premature ending. 🙁

First thing this morning, I went to a Radio Shack store and had them check out the voltage converter. The multi-tester showed very erratic voltages so it was concluded that must be the cause of the monitor fading out when used on the automobile?s 12v system. So in the trash went my old converter and I purchased a new 140 watt power inverter.

In the early afternoon, with Kathleen having a go at the gigantic Colorado Mills Shopping Center, I decided to do a little work on the notebook computer while parked (engine running and A/C on) in the shopping center lot. The computer booted up just fine but as I started working on some spreadsheets, the screen started fading away until it was completely gone ? splotchy grey areas one time and light grey with vertical stripes the next. I couldn?t believe it. I had checked it out in the car right after getting the new power inverter and it seemed just fine.

After an early supper, we returned to the motel and I hooked the notebook up to 115 AC and damn if the screen did the same thing ? I could hear windows finish the boot up but no screen. Several shutdowns and startups didn?t do any good. Kathleen was wondering what had me so upset so I turned the computer towards her so she could see the problem. I made a slight adjustment to the angle of the lcd screen and guess what ? the screen lit up with my normal desktop. :Q

So it now appears that the problem is in the connection between the keyboard base and the monitor. I haven?t attempted to open it up but it looks like there is a small, probably flat ribbon wire that feeds the screen. If adjusting the screen doesn?t continue to succeed in lighting up the monitor (meaning it has probably completely broken) I will try to find a computer shop that has the right part. I?d best do that here in Denver for where we are going will definitely not be ?computer friendly?.

So the only thing to show for the day is some ?bargains? that Kathleen discovered laying there for the taking. Funny how consistently she succeeds in finding these diamonds in the rough. Yeah ? right.

Anyway, my plan is to either get this notebook to work or we?ll be heading back home with my tail between my legs. Tomorrow morning will be the ?go, no-go? decision. Fingers crossed.
Click to expand...

And JW, it went ok, competing with 29 others though. She didn't hire me on the spot, so it could have gone better. 😉 I should know more in several weeks, as she was going out of town.
 
Originally posted by: RaySun2Be
Posted for Smokeball:

Day 2

What started off as a very leisurely start with only a limited distance target in mind turned out to be quite a long trek. I believe Kansas could feed the entire world ? I have never seen so much land under cultivation. Late in the afternoon we ran into the only storm in the whole state and were pelted by hail with diameters ranging in size from quarters to fifty cent pieces. That is the worst hail storm I have ever endured. I thought the windshield was going to shatter any minute. Looks like we came through the storm without damage ? really lucky in that regard.

We decided to keep driving and ended up in Denver ? our initial target. 🙂

So we covered 1500 miles in two days and are now ready to stay put for 2 or 3 days. For those of you that don?t know, Denver looks like it is built right at the base of the Rocky Mountains. The city is really spread out.

The lcd monitor of the notebook mysteriously came back to life late last night. But today while trying to use it in the car it once again crapped out. I?m starting to wonder if the AC/DC converter I have is the cause of the problem. I may pick up another one and give that a try. The display seems to work OK when plugged into AC.

I?ll probably sleep late in the morning. 🙂
Click to expand...
Click to expand...

You may be on target about the converter, the display may not like the type of similated 60HZ sine wave that the converter puts out, it is more of a 60HZ Square wave.


 
Originally posted by: dmcowen674
You may be on target about the converter, the display may not like the type of similated 60HZ sine wave that the converter puts out, it is more of a 60HZ Square wave.
Click to expand...
That is, unless you buy a really expensive DC/AC inverter. 🙂

For that matter, lots of cheaper UPSes (including my APC BackUPS 650) use the same simulated-sine wave, which causes problems also with Laser printers.
 
Posted for Smokeball:

Hi everyone,

This is the first time I've been able to (1) get the notebook to work and (2) get internet access at the same time.

Since I last wrote we have seen the Great Rocky Moutains National Park. Being our first look at the mountains, it was very impressive. Saw many elk, deer, big horn sheep and various little critters.

We drove all day today and are spending the night in Jackson, WY. This is really a neat town. Tomorrow morning we will drive through the Grand Tetons and into Yellowstone. Everything is open ended ... don't know what we will do next. I'm a little embarrassed to mention that I am getting a little road weary. Guess I'm not the "iron-man" I use to be. 😱

I'd like to congratulate all of my mates on "The TeAm" for attaining the 100,000 milestone. I really appreciate all of the nice comments from everyone.

I didn't realize how much of my life is so involved with all of you on TeAm AnandTech until I have gone on this trip and have been sort of separated. 😉

I'd like to thank everyone who is chipping in to help out, especially Crazee, who has been doing a terrific job. 😀
Click to expand...

 
Here's Smokeball's Monday update:

Monday ? August 11, 2003

All right, let?s do a little high school question and answer:

What city is the capital of Montana?

Well, that is where we are spending the night and may even stay an extra day ? Helena! 🙂

There is a STAPLES located right next door. I will follow Crazee?s advice and go over there and see if they have one of those Earthlink Free Trial CDs. If they do, I?ll be able to post directly to the AT Forums again. 🙂

We drove through the Grand Teton National Park and Yellowstone yesterday. It is really a shame that Yellowstone lost so many of its trees back in those huge fires of 1998. A ranger told me today that it would take 300 years for the park to return to where it was before the fires. It is still an awesome place but it really has lost a lot of its charm. You can see the new growth of trees about three-feet high all over the place. I really wonder if the ranger knew what he was talking about when he said 300 years? I would think 40 - 50 years would be more like it. Our national parks really are treasures and I?m glad to know they will be here for many generations to come.

One of the things I've been looking forward to seeing is the meteor shower scheduled for this time period as well as getting a good look at Mars. Puff mentioned the meteor showers earlier in the thread. But so far I have not seen a clear night ? I think they call this ?Big Sky Country? don?t they? Up to this point in the trip I could be on the balmy Gulf Coast and it wouldn?t be any different. 😛 🙂

We are both pretty exhausted. Driving through the mountains is tough work. We may spend an extra day here in Helena, MT just to rest up before we tackle Glacier National Park. They have had fires up there but we learned today that the park is open and we can drive though.

It looks like we picked up some new members and one with a nice packet of WUs. :Q Hope he can bring along his friends. 😀

Hey, evadman! I?m not sure if I?m going to make it up around your area so that lunch (or was is supper) I owe you will have to wait a bit. 😛 😀
Click to expand...
 
Sounds like your having fun Gregg😎

Btw what trees grow at Yellowstone?
Also did you spot that the ground around one edge of the lake is 'bulged'? ,if you don't know what I'm on about its probably just as well you didn't before hand!😉:Q
 
Hey Greg, you were sitting on one of Earth's biggest cauldera's - basically a huge flat volcano.
The beauty of these things is they can blow at once, boom - millions of acres of dirt etc up in the air.
Fortunately it doesn't happen very frequently, last time very long ago & they are saying we are about due for another 😉
Of course, in geologic time that could be any time in the next million years or so...

The trees really do need a few hundred years to return to their former grandeur.
There are some original old growth Fir trees still in the Olympic national park, it's truly awesome to stand in the midst of a forest of trees that are that old, it's just not the same in a new forest. Ancient forests are very special, anyone who enjoys the outdoors should try to get out to one of the few remaining old growth forests before they are all gone. I know there are protections now, but fire is a real threat now that so few of those places remain.

Reminds me of the farside comic with a father & son who just cut down a huge old growth tree, looking at the rings saying somthing like: "Yep, right there is where Colombus discovered America. These old trees are really great huh?"
 
Here is a live update that I can post myself (I just signed up for a MSN account). Thanks RaySun2Be for doing the posting for me while all I had to use was that AOL account. 🙂

Kathleen and I decided we needed a day off ... yeah, I know what you're thinking "DAY OFF" but this playing the part of a tourist is really hard work for us old folks. Ha lol

Anyway, I have a nice room in a really nice Hampton Inn in Helena, MT so I'm just taking it easy. The wife found a casino next door so she's occupied. /me shakes me head/

I just heard on the news that the fires are once again raging in Glacier National Park and that the road through may be closed. I'll have to check the web and make a phone call to determine the actual conditions up there. If we can't get through the park then we will have to decide on something else. So I might be in the WA area sooner than expected. Take note WIZ and WIRELESSENABLED. 😀

Well, let me now go cancel that AOL account and uninstall it from my computer. This could be dangerous! :Q

I haven't tried to use the computer in my car since all of the trouble with the display and it has been working just fine on "shore power" so the problem may actually be the dirty power provided by the DC/AC converter as jliechty and others have mentioned.

Hope to be back online in a little while. Got to catch up on some PMs too. 🙂

 
Originally posted by: Smokeball
Well, let me now go cancel that AOL account and uninstall it from my computer. This could be dangerous! :Q
Click to expand...
Good idea to cleanse your computer of that terrible sluggish spyware otherwise known as AOhelL. 😉
I haven't tried to use the computer in my car since all of the trouble with the display and it has been working just fine on "shore power" so the problem may actually be the dirty power provided by the DC/AC converter as jliechty and others have mentioned.
Click to expand...
Give Dave the credit, he mentioned it first. 🙂

BTW, glad to see you can post again. May you continue to have a wonderful trip! 😀
 
OK, credit to Dave on being the 1st to diagnose the problem. 😉 🙂

Now I'm really off to delete AO HELL. 😛 😀
 


I just heard on the news that the fires are once again raging in Glacier National Park and that the road through may be closed. I'll have to check the web and make a phone call to determine the actual conditions up there. If we can't get through the park then we will have to decide on something else. So I might be in the WA area sooner than expected. Take note WIZ and WIRELESSENABLED. 😀

🙂
Click to expand...


Slow down Smoke! We didn't make it to Seattle last weekend so we are leaving on Weds. and coming back on Saturday. You need to dawdle a bit longer in Glacier and the Flathead Lake country so that I am home when you pass through.
 
Wiz

Of course, in geologic time that could be any time in the next million years or so...

Not in this case ,last estimate I heard was from now to the next few thousand years!:Q
 
Yeah, who knows - any minute now or ...???

Anyway, when it blows I am sure we will see / hear / smell it her in the northwest!! They say there are deposits from it the previous times all over the country.

Smokeball, just let us know a day or so in advance - need to make sure the schedule is clear 😉
 
Yeah the whole world will know about it when that blows! ,previous times it caused massive global weather changes ,anyone who is vaguely near it won't know it for long because they'll be blasted to kingdom come!:Q .......................
 
Hi Greg, Missed your departure!
Hope you have a great time. You've earned it!
If you ever decide to go north nexxt time, let me know. I'll be your tour guide around Montreal!🙂


Paf
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

Back
Top