May 2002 Archives

Well okay, datasheet, not article. Got my supplies from Maxim (the chip maker, not the magazine) for converting an Xbox devkit power supply to power an actual computer. It was a nice deal - Three tiny chips to convert the supplied voltage into the -12, -5 and 5 I needed. One problem; the chips can supply up to the amperage the motherboard I have needs, however when the put out that much power they tend to be off of their rated voltage by as much as 3/4 of a volt. Now motherboards have gotten more tollerant as time goes by, but when they need 5 volts, 4.3 just won't do.

So it's back to ebay. Found a tiny little normal power supply (a 90w one meant for old gateway computers) from Newton Power ltd. which should fit the bill. And only 10-15 bucks depending on who I buy from. So it lacks a little in the conversion aspect (now I'm basically just using the case and built in USB hub) but whatever gets it working.

I think I got the house I really wanted to rent - and just in time too. I don't quite know what to do with myself through all of these days. Crashing at Aimee and Tiff's place I don't really have any of my stuff, so I can't do a lot of the projects I'd like to work on. I have a computer, but it's hard to do any real serious coding on a laptop (screen real estate, and just a single screen for that matter). So I'm looking forward to finally having some space.

The house is nice. The bedrooms are small, but the rest is nicely sized, it has a huge yard and a garage that will transform into a workshop nicely. It's cold out in the garage, that's about the only problem, but it could probably be insulated and heated pretty easily - or at least for short periods of time that require somewhat controlled temperature.

Anyway, I should get the keys tomorrow at noon and I can't wait. Until then it's just mental design work :)