Thursday, June 20, 2013

LG 32LD330 LCD TV USB Hack to enable Media Player

I recently stumbled on a website that detailed on enabling a hidden feature in LG TV, at least for some models. I have a LG 32LD330 LCD TV which is a bare TV that don't even have an audio out (the search which led to the said webpage)
http://openlgtv.org.ru/wiki/index.php/Access_hidden_service_menus_/_modes

I also have a Protouch universal remote that can send arbitrary codes. Fired the secret menu codes and opened up the USB menu option in no time. Mighty impressed. Wonder why LG doesn't enable the media player by default?!


Monday, June 10, 2013

Canon Pixma MG3170 CISS (Continuous Ink Supply System)

I bought the Canon Pixma MG3170 CISS from flipkart couple of months back and bought a generic Canon CISS kit from eBay at the same time. Though my usage is not heavy, the cost of the cartridge prompted me to go for the CISS kit.

Installed the CISS right from the beginning. There were not many videos on Youtube for this particular model, but people had done it. Installation is a bit tricky. Some of the instructions/photos on the web requires one to dismantle the scanner assembly on top, but I found that it is not required. This model is a multi-function printer and thus there was not much space above the cartridge for the ink tubes to move around. Also I had to remove the cartridge door to route the tube inside. The cartridge door does not have any functionality than to hide the cartridge. The tubes were held to the channel below by using two paper clips that was cut short.

Let the pictures do the talking. As you can see the black ink is not filled up in the tube. There seems to be a minor air leak in the black cartridge tube connection. This does not affect the printing, as the black cartridge is now in a 'refill mode'.
The CISS tank stays on the right side, same level as the printer.
The ink tube is routed below the main front door. It has a very narrow gap just to pass the tube through.
The tube is held on to the floor in front of the cartridge replacement door. The cartridge door is permanently removed. I removed it by using a small screwdriver on the left side and popped out the hinge pivot.
The ink tube passes along the edge of the metal channel and is held on by two paper clips. The paper clip has to be cut to shorten it and form it such that the tube is firmly held on to the channel. This part is tricky because there is very narrow gap between the metal edge and the cartridge path.
The tube goes on the top of the cartridges.
Whole CISS arrangement.
Leave just enough length of tube so that the cartridge moves freely. 

Sunday, June 09, 2013

About a purchase of a Bluetooth dongle from eBay.


Purchased a dongle from eBay for ₹145. Item arrived super fast by Bluedart. Plugged in to usb port and surprisingly there was no indication of new device found by windows. Tried in different PC,but no luck. Thought that the device is bad and reported to the seller. Got a ridiculous reply that the product is covered under warranty and take to the nearest service center. Service centre for an el-cheapo chinese dongle??? Hmmm.. Waited for a few days and today evening just decided to open the dongle and see if I can fix it. Popped open the cover and got a shock??




Update: Thanks to the eBay Guarantee program, I got full refund after opening a case.