Category: PC Tweakage

Remembering which tweaks worked

PC Tweakage, Software

USB Memory: Premature Deaths

After about a year of streaming music, the music died over the course of a month, producing progressively bizarre symptoms on all the local Icecast stations. Killing the streaming server and yanking all the USB memory sticks produced this tableau:

USB Memory - streamer failures
USB Memory – streamer failures

The USB 2.0 32 GB SanDisk Cruzer Fit (tiny, black, upper left) holds images from various network cameras and is not involved with music. It’s nigh onto seven years old and, apparently, still going strong.

The USB 2.0 Centron (gray-and-retroreflective, upper right) was forgotten from the last time I set up a drive for our Forester’s player. There’s another one just like it in the car; they’re impossibly old, as you’d expect from their minuscule size.

The USB 3.0 64 GB Samsung Fit (small, white, lower left) is totally dead, to the extent it doesn’t even announce its presence when plugged into a USB socket. It’s 2.5 years into a five year warranty, but their new USB 3.1 version is twelve bucks; Samsung wins. It formerly contained an extensive selection of public-domain music.

The 64 GB Sandisk Cruzer (huge, black, lower right) suffered some serious damage:

sudo mount -o ro /dev/sdg1 /mnt/part
ll /mnt/part
 ls: cannot access '/mnt/part/PILZ': Input/output error
 total 384K
 drwxr-xr-x   6 ed   users 4.0K Nov 28  2019 ./
 drwxr-xr-x  17 root root  4.0K Jun  7  2019 ../
 -rw-r--r--   1 ed   ed    215K Mar  9  2019 CDClassical.m3u
 drwxrwxr-x  56 ed   ed    4.0K Mar  9  2019 Classical/
 drwx------   2 root root   16K Mar  9  2019 lost+found/
 d?????????   ? ?    ?        ?            ? PILZ/
 drwxrwxr-x 116 ed   ed     12K Mar  9  2019 Pop/
 -rw-r--r--   1 ed   ed    117K Nov 28  2019 Pop.m3u

It still contains a fair amount of music ripped from the CDs we’ve collected over the decades, but it’s obviously unusable. Just for fun, I tried reformatting and copying some files to it, but it eventually hard-crashed with I/O errors:

[37787.872410] usb 2-1: new high-speed USB device number 2 using xhci_hcd
 [37788.013027] usb 2-1: New USB device found, idVendor=0781, idProduct=5530, bcdDevice= 1.00
 [37788.013030] usb 2-1: New USB device strings: Mfr=1, Product=2, SerialNumber=3
 [37788.013032] usb 2-1: Product: Cruzer
 [37788.013034] usb 2-1: Manufacturer: SanDisk
 [37788.013036] usb 2-1: SerialNumber: 4C530001151215101233
 [37788.013604] usb-storage 2-1:1.0: USB Mass Storage device detected
 [37788.014778] scsi host9: usb-storage 2-1:1.0
 [37789.033409] scsi 9:0:0:0: Direct-Access     SanDisk  Cruzer           1.00 PQ: 0 ANSI: 6
 [37789.034569] sd 9:0:0:0: [sdf] 120225792 512-byte logical blocks: (61.6 GB/57.3 GiB)
 [37789.035820] sd 9:0:0:0: [sdf] Write Protect is off
 [37789.035825] sd 9:0:0:0: [sdf] Mode Sense: 43 00 00 00
 [37789.036137] sd 9:0:0:0: [sdf] Write cache: disabled, read cache: enabled, doesn't support DPO or FUA
 [37789.086533]  sdf: sdf1
 [37789.089418] sd 9:0:0:0: [sdf] Attached SCSI removable disk
 [38035.071013] EXT4-fs (sdf1): mounting ext3 file system using the ext4 subsystem
 [38035.183172] EXT4-fs (sdf1): mounted filesystem with ordered data mode. Opts: (null)
 [38485.302549] usb 2-1: reset high-speed USB device number 2 using xhci_hcd
 [38490.622285] usb 2-1: device descriptor read/64, error -110
 [38506.195617] usb 2-1: device descriptor read/64, error -110
 [38506.425616] usb 2-1: reset high-speed USB device number 2 using xhci_hcd
 [38511.742339] usb 2-1: device descriptor read/64, error -110
 <<< snippage >>>
 [38548.845743] usb 2-1: USB disconnect, device number 2
 [38548.858925] blk_update_request: I/O error, dev sdf, sector 99556320 op 0x1:(WRITE) flags 0x4800 phys_seg 30 prio class 0
 [38548.858933] EXT4-fs warning (device sdf1): ext4_end_bio:309: I/O error 10 writing to inode 1531939 (offset 0 size 0 starting block 12444541
 )
 [38548.858937] Buffer I/O error on device sdf1, logical block 12444284
 [38548.858944] EXT4-fs warning (device sdf1): ext4_end_bio:309: I/O error 10 writing to inode 1531939 (offset 0 size 0 starting block 12444542
 )
 <<< snippage >>>
 [38548.858984] Buffer I/O error on device sdf1, logical block 12444293
 [38548.859034] blk_update_request: I/O error, dev sdf, sector 99017520 op 0x1:(WRITE) flags 0x4000 phys_seg 3 prio class 0
 [38548.859158] blk_update_request: I/O error, dev sdf, sector 99556560 op 0x1:(WRITE) flags 0x4800 phys_seg 30 prio class 0
 [38548.859224] blk_update_request: I/O error, dev sdf, sector 99017760 op 0x1:(WRITE) flags 0x4000 phys_seg 2 prio class 0
 [38548.859237] blk_update_request: I/O error, dev sdf, sector 99018000 op 0x1:(WRITE) flags 0x4000 phys_seg 2 prio class 0
 >>
 [38549.230765] JBD2: Detected IO errors while flushing file data on sdf1-8
 [38549.230920] Aborting journal on device sdf1-8.
 [38549.231008] Buffer I/O error on dev sdf1, logical block 1545, lost sync page write
 [38549.231011] JBD2: Error -5 detected when updating journal superblock for sdf1-8.
 [38549.231325] Buffer I/O error on dev sdf1, logical block 0, lost sync page write
 [38549.231332] EXT4-fs (sdf1): I/O error while writing superblock
 [38549.231333] EXT4-fs error (device sdf1): ext4_journal_check_start:61: Detected aborted journal
 [38549.231334] EXT4-fs (sdf1): Remounting filesystem read-only
 <<< and so forth and so on >>>

So, yeah, it’s dead, Jim.

The Icecast streaming server reads data continuously from the USB sticks and, given that I set up half a dozen “stations”, there’s plenty of reading going on. The drives are formatted as ext3 and mounted with the noatime option, so there shouldn’t be any writing going on, but it seems a year of constant reading can kill a USB drive.

Fortunately, the original data lives elsewhere, with scripts to copy the appropriate files to the right places, so rebuilding the drives on a pair of new USB sticks wasn’t a big deal.

Electronics Workbench, PC Tweakage

Atreus Keyboard: LED Thoughts

Having helped grossly over-fund the Atreus Kickstarter earlier this year, a small box arrived pretty much on-time:

Atreus keyboard - overview
Atreus keyboard – overview

I did get the blank keycap set, but have yet to screw up sufficient courage to install them. The caps sit atop the stock Kailh (pronounced, I think, kale) BOX Brown soft tactile switches; they’re clicky, yet not offensively loud.

Removing a dozen screws lets you take it apart, revealing all the electronics on the underside of the PCB:

Atreus keyboard - PCB overview
Atreus keyboard – PCB overview

The central section holds most of the active ingredients:

Atreus keyboard - USB 32U4 Reset - detail
Atreus keyboard – USB 32U4 Reset – detail

The Atmel MEGA32U4 microcontroller runs a slightly customized version of QMK:

Atreus keyboard - 32U4 - detail
Atreus keyboard – 32U4 – detail

Of interest is the JTAG header at the front center of the PCB:

Atreus keyboard - JTAG header
Atreus keyboard – JTAG header

I have yet to delve into the code, but I think those signals aren’t involved with the key matrix and one might be available to drive an addressable RGB LED.

For future reference, they’re tucked into the lower left corner of the chip (the mauled format comes from the original PDF):

Atmel 32U4 - JTAG pins
Atmel 32U4 – JTAG pins

The alternate functions:

  • SCK = PB1
  • MOSI = PB2
  • MISO = PB3

I don’t need exotic lighting, but indicating which key layer is active would be helpful.

Love the key feel, even though I still haven’t hit the B key more than 25% of the time.

Machine Shop, PC Tweakage

Epson R380 CISS Waste Ink Tank Replacement

Transferring the printers to a new “server” provided an opportunity to dump another king’s ransom of waste ink down the drain, whereupon the tank cracked under finger pressure:

Epson R380 - fractured CISS waste tank
Epson R380 – fractured CISS waste tank

The black smudge on the far side is an ink stain on adhesive left over from the hook-n-loop strip formerly holding it to the printer.

It looks to be an ordinary polypropylene tube, nothing fancy, and, after a decade, it really doesn’t owe me anything.

Scrounge a suitable bottle from one of the Big Boxes o’ Containers, run a bead of JB Weld Plasticbonder around the shoulder matching the discarded lid, jam on an original waste ink tank cap, and let the urethane goo cure while rotating slowly in the lathe to avoid unsightly dribbles:

Epson R380 - DIY waste tank - epoxy curing
Epson R380 – DIY waste tank – epoxy curing

The goo surely won’t bond to the polyethylene bottle, but it’s likely better than anything else in my inventory. We shall see.

Drill a hole for the hose, ignore the chips left inside the tank due to a sequence error, stick the original hook-n-loop tape in place, replace the drip-catcher rags, and install:

Epson R380 - DIY waste tank - installed
Epson R380 – DIY waste tank – installed

The red silicone tape encourages the cap to remain in place against the urethane adhesive. One fewer endcap = one less seal.

The cap need not be removable, as you just squeeze the tube slightly to squirt the aforementioned king’s ransom down the drain.

It ought to last until I finally scrap out the printer.

PC Tweakage

CUPS Whoopsie

No CUPS server setup can be considered complete without sending a print job to the wrong printer:

HPLJ1200 - CUPS Pinball Panic - detail
HPLJ1200 – CUPS Pinball Panic – detail

Which wouldn’t be quite so bad if the printer weren’t ever so much faster than I am:

HPLJ1200 - CUPS Pinball Panic - output pileup
HPLJ1200 – CUPS Pinball Panic – output pileup

It turns out an ordinary clothes iron can flatten those pages. Set it to “silk”, spread packing paper on the ironing board to intercept the toner, iron a few millimeters of pages at a time, and feed them back into the printer.

Back in the day, laser-specific printer paper came with a grain arranged so it wouldn’t curl when you fed it into the printer with the proper side up. Those days are gone; I’ve tried both ways and they both curl.

Protip: When CUPS thinks it’s done with the job and the Web interface shows nothing’s going on, it’s handed the job to the server’s printing subsystem, which continues spooling data to the printer. Choking off the bitstream requires one command-line invocation on the server connected to the printer:

cancel -a

A paper jam gives you enough time to figure all that out.

PC Tweakage, Software

Manjaro 20.1: CUPS Setup

Tweaking a new Manjaro Linux 20.1 installation to share printers and allow remote administration, done while replacing an aging Optiplex desktop box that’s been running unattended for far too long.

Start by installing Manjaro’s printer support package:

pamac install manjaro-printer

In the general section of the default /etc/cups/cupsd.conf file, up near the top:

Listen *:631       # listen on all interfaces
DefaultShared Yes  # share the local printers
BrowseWebIF Yes    # turn on the Web interface

Allow remote admin:

<Location />
  Allow all
  Order allow,deny
</Location>
<Location /admin>
  Allow all
  Order allow,deny
</Location>

Restart the CUPS server:

sudo systemctl restart org.cups.cupsd

And then It Should Just Work.

Oddities, PC Tweakage

Huion H610Pro (V2) Tablet vs. USB 3.0

For reasons that surely made sense at the time, the Huion H610Pro (V2) tablet can recognize when it’s connected to an Android device’s USB port and enter a special mode where the stylus only responds in a phone-shaped portrait rectangle over on the left side:

Huion H610Pro (V2) Tablet - Android layout
Huion H610Pro (V2) Tablet – Android layout

There’s a Vulcan Nerve Pinch button push to force the tablet into Android mode if it doesn’t automagically get there on its own, but AFAICT there’s no way to force it out of Android mode.

It’s a USB 2.0 device, but I had plugged it into a USB 3.0 port on my desktop box, whereupon it would enter Android mode on pretty nearly every boot. The only way to coerce it back into normal mode was to unplug it, replug it, then manually run the xsetwacom incantation to restrict the coordinates to the portrait monitor.

I just discovered it works perfectly when plugged into one of the few USB 2.0 ports on the box.

Apparently, USB 3.0 ports keep the thing powered all the time, whereupon it doesn’t see the proper sequence of events (or, perhaps, sees the Android sequence) during the next boot. USB 2.0 ports don’t do that and it works fine all the time.

Much better!

PC Tweakage, Software

XFCE vs. Screen Locking

For reasons not relevant here, I was asked to tweak an XFCE 20.04 installation to not ask for a password after the screen power-saver kicks in. There’s no need for a screensaver with an LCD panel, so this should be straightforward, as per the XFCE 18.04 setup:

XFCE Power Manager Light Locker settings 18.04
XFCE Power Manager Light Locker settings 18.04

Which had no effect.

For some reason, perhaps having to do with an upgrade from 18.04 to 20.04, Light Locker wasn’t actually handling the screen locking; some dedicated searching suggested this is a problem of long standing.

So tweak the Lock Screen settings of the screen saver that’s not in use:

XFCE Screensaver Lock Screen Preferences - 20.04
XFCE Screensaver Lock Screen Preferences – 20.04

If you’re doing this remotely, adding a stanza to ~/.config/xfce4/xfconf/xfce-perchannel-xml/xfce4-screensaver.xml should suffice:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>

<channel name="xfce4-screensaver" version="1.0">
  <property name="saver" type="empty">
    <property name="mode" type="int" value="0"/>
  </property>
  <property name="lock" type="empty">
    <property name="enabled" type="bool" value="false"/>
  </property>
</channel>

The threat model for this particular installation is “minimal”.