The Wahyudiharto's Blog

Anyone can find cheapest Point of Sale (POS) hardware environment recently in this world (including barcode printer, barcode scanner, CPU & display monitor)? Well, I can find it for US$ 493 with all brand new devices! No kidding but here's the truth. All things has passed for future consideration, including lower electricity cost, easier to use barcoding on your store around and simple custom-made software for checkout purposed.

This is without receipts printer since this POS focused on stocking intention. So, receipt coupon for customer is infrequently or even never used, hereby changed with manual hand written.

And, here's the secret:


Zotac ZBOX ID41
WTH is this? Weird branded CPU name born in (nearly) Hong Kong with core business on mini-ITX and mini-PC since… 2006. That's why I choose it apart from it best mixed hardware combination.


This mini PC is thinner but wider than Mac Mini G4.


See link below for detail information:

http://www.zotac.com/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage_images-SRW.tpl&product_id=335&category_id=171&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=100295&lang=un

Interesting?

Epson LabelWorks LW-400
This is an evolution for Epson to providing a low cost label printer. See the spoiler below:

http://www.epson.com/cgi-bin/Store/jsp/Product.do?sku=C51CB70010

The LW-400 is the minimum series to support barcode printing prior to LW-900.


The packing size slightly larger than Mac Mini G4.


A full qwerty printer at notebook size but more a little thicker. Very handy and ergonomic when hands on and feels light weight too. Just like seeing a BlackBerry with monster size :D


There're also 12mm black-on-white LC sample tape cassette including in the box, with easy way to setting-up on the printer. First press lid button to open the back cap and pull it.


Place the tape in proper way (green box) with outer ribbon attached on small slot (red circle).


Next, close the back cap slowly until it show as normal.


This series operated with dual mode; 6AA battery and power cable. You'll find a power cable included in the box. Make a power connection and press power button.


To switch to barcode printing, press ALT+barcode key as shown as picture above. Then pick one from several built-in barcode font available and specify the size. Sorry, can't tell you what else barcode font built-in included since I'm not an Epson salesman :)


Type-in some digits of numerical code to test. If you like to print copies, press copier button (red circle) several times until it displayed how much copy you want to print out. Ended with print button (green box) to start to print.


This LW-400 series also equipped with manual cutter. So, after print stopped, just press green button in right side to cut-off the paper. Simple and easy.

CipherLab 1070
Finally found a low cost scanner with fairly well-known brand name: CipherLab.


See below spoiler:

http://www.cipherlab.com/catalog.asp?CatID=8&SubcatID=10&ProdID=354

Not too worry, it can read Epson barcode print out result (by using EAN-13 small 5cm size :)


Conclusion
Building recently POS (hardware & software) system much easier than couple years ago. From above specification, there's no need to create an add-in module to print the barcode from application.


It's separate anyway. So it takes shorter time to developing the software. What you need is to mix and match everything. That's it! Thank's for reading and see you on next article...

Labels: Delphi, HTPC, Mini PC, Modifikasi PC, PC Modding, Printing, Programming, Projects, Review, Zotac

For those gamer who has been switched to PC from console games such as Xbox 360 or PlayStation, the disable of game pad vibration could be a big problem. The enjoyment of playing games will slightly decrease if your game pad is not vibrating at all. This article actually the last episode of trilogy HTPC topics which currently wrapping up on gaming experience (look at 1st article & 2nd article). So, anyway, here’s down below the solution of how to make it vibrate.

AFAIK, nowadays PC game pad particularly build on PlayStation & Nintendo compatible. No matter what type of yours, is it joystick, steering wheel or other common type of game pad, you need to know what kind of game pad compatible you have. Just ask the hardware vendor, read manual documentation inside of cover-box or you can search over the internet to reveal what its type by entering the game pad model name or serial number. A complete wiki documentation about this you can browse on this link, this could be your first good start. Here below is example of my game pad, particularly a PlayStation compatible made in Chine named with Dualshock TwinUSB game pad I bought it for US$ 5, with malfunction vibration driver CD included in box.



Anyway, next step is, provide an additional original factory driver files from its type. Most of game pad today has plug and play feature basically on Windows XP. All you need to do is just plugged in the game pad in working port (most of it uses USB port) & do the calibration optionally on Game Controllers window in Control Panel (most of it isn’t necessary). Both of it don’t need factory driver disk since Windows will provide it natively.



Above picture shows Game Controller window where my game pad plugged in without additional driver installed, but it still using a native driver from Windows XP. Everything just working fine, even I don’t have to calibrate it. When I try to playing games, the game pad doesn’t vibrate! Picking up a correct additional driver to enable the vibration is not an easy job. For this, you need to trial & error; even it has the same exact model name between the game pad & the driver which is explained on the readme file included.



After trying trial & error downloading the driver from internet & installing it for tens times, finally I found a best & fit one to my particularly game pad. The picture above explains the difference after a correct driver installed. The controller name now changed from TwinUSB Joystick to Twin USB Vibration Gamepad & also there’s a new tab on Game Controller window showing vibrate setting. I though this driver is a kind of universal type & will work with any others game pad, (perhaps specifically built from china fabrication). If you want to try this driver, download it from rapidshare in this link & install both files included on it.



After that, try to loading a games & the game pad controller name should changed to new name too. Now, playing games on my HTPC is more comfort since vibration on game pad has been working after installing a correct driver. Well, for me everyday mean works had & play hard.

Labels: HTPC, Modifikasi PC, Multimedia, PC Modding, Windows Media Center

Happy new year!!! I posted this article when my watch shows exactly at 12.00. Anyway, Want to look out for cheap HTPC which can replace your hi-fi home theater, Set Top Box, Digital Video Recording, PlayStation and much more functionality on a single machine? This article will explain you more about my experience on this. One thing for sure that you need a mini PC which has slim and sleek design so that it will fit best on your cupboard family room, also considering the physically style to increase room aesthetic and convince that the console box is more than a hi-fi system. For this objectives you have 2 options; you can search for a complete mini built-up PC or you can build the PC from scratch with barebone case. Both choices are a kind of hard job since you have to considering some points which is (1) VGA capability, (2) sound card enrichment and (3) others things which can make the PC easy on operate (as easy as you can play your hi-fi system).

VGA Capability
Unfortunately, many built-up PC comes with integrated VGA chipset that shared up memory from RAM and it has under average capability. Shared up means that it would consume a great number of RAM and off course it will decrease the amount of RAM that the PC has, the impact is slower performance. For me, a standardize VGA of HTPC must fulfill some specific criteria which are; (1) it should have TV output, (2) low voltage operating – for those who sensitive with electricity bill and (3) contain valuable chipset – so that it can decode DVD smoothly and good enough to play 3D games – Nvidia or ATI is a great choice. So, it’s strongly recommended that you have to supply an additional VGA card based on your appropriate motherboard. Note that you also have to aware with the power voltage needs and how much the VGA will consume it. Its related one to others; more powerful your VGA is, more voltage it needs from the CPU power supply. In my experience, since I still have an active NVidia AGP GeForce 4, so that I planning to find out a Pentium 4 based CPU and motherboard which compatible to the VGA.

Soundcard
Currently, a home theater/hi-fi sold with at least 4.1 sound speaker systems. If your soundcard PC doesn’t have those or you only have 2 or 2.1 speaker system, then get ready to hear joke comes out from your friends. Moreover, hearing music or watching DVD movies or playing games doesn’t seems more pleasant with that, and clearly, you will loose the surround experience. Forget about it if you have 4.1 speakers, but I suggest you to upgrade the soundcard which has at least two output lines (front and rear speaker). Don’t feel troubled with a brand new soundcard, since a second-hand is already enough (as long as it doesn’t break). Fortunately, on current experiment, I still have a C-Media soundcard with different front and rear speaker channel. This configuration is good enough to hear sounds out from speaker (even I only have 2.1 speaker system, I used it as front sound and using both speakers from my TV as rear sound). Maybe I’ll buy a real one in short. Just hope me to do that.

Others
This seems quite difficult to explain since it relatively to other persons: first, it’s a benefit of yours if your PC has a remote control. See, you don’t want too disturbed with the use of wired keyboard or mouse during DVD movie playback or playing games, do you? Also, it will be great if your PC equipped with Bluetooth so that the file transfer from other media will become more easily. To playing around with games, I suggest a gamepad to take control of whole activities. Lots of above consideration will bring your decision to choose whether you need to buy a built-up PC or create a new one. So think before you buy.

So, What are the Built-up Alternatives?
There are a lot of alternative machines you can choose to build your HTPC. Most of them are based with Pentium 4 – sorry, I don’t recommend netbook desktop such as ASUS deskbook or MSI nettop which based on Atom processor since lots of limitation covered on it. Here below I explained (including CPU price only) what may best fit to your room and needs:




Above alternative is only some examples, there are also others brand circulate out up the store such as Samsung, LG, NEC or else. You may find another better complete second hand CPU with reasonable price, more functionality and suitable for your needs. Or you think better to build your self a CPU with weird computer case?

My Experiments
Anyway, after tired turning around all day long on some computer mall, finally I was interesting on Samsung built-up brand. You know that Samsung had released a special purposed PC dedicated to home multimedia entertainment. They called it with Magic Station. This Magic Station actually produced with many series & style (mini tower and slim desktop), but somehow – CMIIW - it was officially introduced only in Korea. If you are considering one of these units, be sure you know which version you are getting. My particular model is MT20 series – a slim desktop style – which is the low profile version. The MT20 is powered by Intel Pentium 4 2.6 GHz with 512 DDRAM, DVD Combo and 40 GB hard drive. All of this cost only US$79.



For second hand CPU, the price is worthless and I’m so pleased with it. Why? Because:
(1) The slim desktop case with cute style is exactly fit on my cupboard
(2) There’s 3 PCI and AGP slot available, so that I can plugged in my AGP card and soundcard on it



(3) There also attractive digital led in front panel showing CPU activity such as power indicator, hard drive, CD player, processor speed and more



(4) On hand soft buttons dedicated to multimedia accessibility under the led panel, helping to play, pause, stop, increasing or decreasing volume during DVD playback or other multimedia activity



(5) The CPU can stand for 2 boot mode; computer and CD player. There’s a switch (at left of the led panel) to turn on CD player mode without activating the operating system



(6) Various digital output port available in front panel, contains 1 USB, speaker line out-in, IEEE 1394, S-Video and video in
(7) It also have memory stick reader on the left bottom of front panel.
(8) The MT20 also fully equipped with eHome infrared transceiver built-in hardware, but I didn’t get the remote control when I buy this unit.



Even though, I can used a Philips DVD remote control to operate the CPU as well as Media Center remote. I though it doesn’t compatible with the frequency but it does. For this purposed, I used a free software named HIP (Human Interface Programming), a better one than Girder, in my opinion.



Maybe I’ll reviewed these both remote control and HIP more deep on the next articles. By the way, I programmed it so that it has the same functionality as common DVD player remote control. To help maintenance and operate this computer, I also attached it with wired mouse and numpad, since there’s no keyboard plugged in.



Anyway, for wide gaming activities, I also attach my HTPC with USB double shock gamepad. Now, it seems my system similar to PlayStation but with better 4.1 sound channels.



Different from my previous experiment with Windows Media Center, now my MT20 installed with Windows XP SP2 Professional Edition. Why XP SP2? The answer is for faster booting. If you want your HTPC look like a DVD player, try to install PowerDVD 9 and let the software started in cinema mode automatically during Windows start up. And here we go, the HTPC now ready to serve us.



Anyway, I don’t know how long does the MT20 will still stand for me since it’s kinda difficult to look out for the spare parts. But if it will broke soon, nothing I buy except a brand new of Magic Station from Samsung. Thrust me…

Labels: HTPC, Modifikasi PC, Multimedia, My Share, PC Modding, Windows Media Center

Did you know that one of greatest cost on PC modding is a computer case? Except for those who have lots of money, expends on it could similar to a complete AMD Phenom or Intel Quad Core PC. Although that this only PC case price now is start from US$21 (Rp. 250.000) until US$320 (Rp. 3.824.000), but here in my situation the problem is not that high case price. As I still have an oldies PC (powered by Pentium III 750MHz) which I purposed as Media Center in living room, but anyway I actually intended to make it as a barebone looked like, without changing any of new hardware absolutely. Just try to re-substitute it “skin”.

The problem is that my motherboard which is ASUS CUSL2-C isn’t a Micro ATX based form factor which has dimension of 20.8cm x 30.5cm. So that I can’t see any chance to place it on any barebone case. But then I got inspired from somewhere on internet - which I forgot the URL was - where I can think any possibility to make a PC frame from PVC tube.

I then immediately take off & strip all the devices attached from old case. From this, I started to create an optimal layout for new case & finally I found this one below :







After composing layout, I have to calculate the material needed & measured the dimension in order to define length, width & height the PVC slices. Here below is a complete list of the material:




Fortunately that I have stock parts #3, #4 & #5, so I didn’t know how much prices expense exactly for that. You can check all of the parts to home depot near to you or check from this link. Anyway, based on layout I then slice the PVC into various small parts which was 16’s of 6cm, 5’s of 17cm, 2’s of 9cm & 4’s of 10cm.



After sawed the PVC’s, I begin to bunch the parts to make a base frame for PSU, hard drive & DVD place.



Next stage plan is to make 2nd frame for motherboard & the rest of devices. Don’t forget to neat the cables & fixing power & reset switch orderly.











From this point, you have completed about 75% of the total progress. The last is to bunched the wrench case so that it will tight fastened.









It’s done & now the time to test it. Apply all of additional devices attached to CPU & let it burning in any way to make sure that the case is now ready to show off.

Labels: Casing, Modifikasi PC, My Share, My Tricks, PC Modding, Windows Media Center