Posted by Ub3rG33k on Dec 15, 2009 in
Tech 
As time goes on, and I buy myself more and more gadgets, these obviously come with more and more remotes. Over the last couple of years I’ve tried various “All in One” remote controls, from the cheap “enter the device ID, and hope for the best”, to a Cambridge Audio MI+ “Smart Remote”
I’ve been more than happy with the Cambridge MI+ however I made the mistake of leaving another remote on top of it, which drained the batteries….
As I couldn’t really be bothered reprogramming it all (which took me ages to get everything how I wanted, also all the macros I had set up), I decided to give the Harmony remotes a try.
I found a good deal on Amazon, and got one of the basic Harmony 515 remotes just to give them a try. The major selling point to me, was that it backed up the remote to an online database.
A couple of days later, the remote arrived, very simple PC/Mac GUI interface, pick your devices and bobs your uncle !
One of the limitations of the 515 remote, was the fact that it will only run up to 5 devices, however this is where the limitations end.
The major thing that makes the Harmony remote series stand out from all the rest, are the way they work. On the “All in One” remotes, you basically switch on device a, then device b, then device c, then switch device a to channel d, etc etc. The Cambridge remote did attempt to combat this, by giving you the option of macro, which meant with 1 button press, you could macro “switch on device a, then device b, then device c, then switch device a to channel d, etc etc”.
The setup of the Harmony creates Activities. Once you have set up your devices, it will give you a list of suggested activities based on your devices. An example of this would be “Watch TV”. The setup runs through, and asks the following question.
Assume you want the TV on (and what channel, AV, etc), the PVR on, do you want the amp on, if so what channel, when the activity is complete, do you want the volume controls to control the amp or the TV, etc. Once done, you plug your remote into your PC/Mac and download the information to it, and your done. When you then click the “Watch TV” activity, it turns on the TV, switches to my HDMI channel, turns on the Sky HD, turns on the amp, and switches to CBL/TV, sets the control to emulate the Sky+ remote, and the volume control to control the amp.
This setup works for DVD, PS3, Xbox, and anything else I throw into the mix !
With being so impressed with the 515 remote, I treated myself to the Harmony One remote, and moved the 515 up into the bedroom. This gave me chance to use the “Replace Remote” function within the Harmony software, plugged in the Harmony One, clicked Replace Remote, and within a few minutes it had configured the new remote with my configuration, all the devices worked as before ! Brilliant !
The advantage of the Harmony One, is that it can control up to 15 devices, has a colour touch screen and comes with dock/charger, and to be honest looks the business.
If you are looking for a smart, all in one remote, look no further than the Harmony series !
Tags: 515, harmony, logitech, one
Posted by Ub3rG33k on Aug 27, 2009 in
Apple A couple of years ago I discovered, it was possible to run the mighty Mac OSx operating system on hardware that wasn’t Apple.
As the versions of Mac OSx have come out, newer of the custom install disk have been released, the community has grown, and custom drivers have been written for the non-Mac hardware.
Over the last 2 years, I’ve tried multiple disk and had varied success….however, I’ve finally cracked it ! Last week, using the disk iATKOS_v7, and after 6 attempts, I was finally able to install, and run Mac OSx version 10.5.7.
The issue that I’ve had over the past couple of years, is that Apples tend to run on the Intel based chipset and processors, but as you can see from the below, my machine couldn’t be much further from a mac specs. Having an AMD Processor and ATI motherboard was the probable cause for my 2 years of failing.
Current Machine Spec.
AMD 6000+ Processor
4Gb Ram Memory
1 x 500Gb Western Digital Drive (SATA)
2 x 250Gb Western Digital Drives (SATA)
1 x PIONEER DVD-RW DVR-112 (IDE)
ATI HD2900 1Gb PCI-e Graphics
Asus M2R32-MVP :-
Onboard AL1988 SoundCard
ATI SB580 Chipset
Marvell Yukon 88E001 Gigabit Network Controller
Peripherals
Acer AL2216W Monitor
Acer AL1916 Monitor
Logitech G15 Keyboard
Razer CopperHead Mouse
I had to switch out the DVD drive, as this caused problems with earlier version of the DVD, where I would get a kernel panic while trying to initialize the setup.
Anyway, back to the success story. The iATKOS_v7 DVD booted like a charm and took me into the setup, went into the Disk Utilities and Erased my drive to Mac OS Journal
Back to the installer, next, next, next and Customize.
On the working attempt I selected
Voodoo kernel 9.7.0
AMD Chipset Drivers
Azalia Audio drivers
that was it.
The previous attempts, I used the ATI Video drivers, the Marvell Yukon Network drivers, but no joy.
Once the install had finished, I was presented with the standard OSx welcome screen, entered my name. Due to having no working network card, I had to manually enter my details, as these would have otherwise been populated with the associated details on my apple account, after these Tada ! MAC OSX Desktop.
The video was only in 1024×768 and the was no network but we were getting there.
Downloaded the Marvell Yukon Driver from here, and followed the instructions
Downloaded the ATI HD2900 from here and followed the instructions.
Restarted, and I had full working gigabit network, and my 22″ Widescreen monitor running at 1680×1050 and 19″ monitor running at 1280×1024 !
As I was feeling brave, I decided to click on the Software update version, it downloaded and installed all the updates, and even took me to version 10.5.8 !
To get the LCD working on the Logitech G15 Keyboard, Logitech are kind enough to provide Mac Software found here , As my keyboard is a Microsoft UK layout, the ” and the @ were in the wrong place, so downloaded the Microsoft British driver from here
Finally, I couldn’t get used to the acceleration Apple implement to their mouse drives, and wanted to have the old boring 1:1 ratio, no matter how fast I moved my mouse, I found a little util called SteerMouse, which can be downloaded from here
All in all, that’s it, I now not only have my MacBook Pro, I also have a fully working Mac Pro.
Below is a list of useful software I’ve found
Adium for all your instant messenger needs
MenuMeters for all your monitoring needs
NeoOffice, a Mac only version of Open Office
Skype, mac version
Hope this was of some help to somebody.
Tags: acer, amd, Apple, copperhead, logitech, pioneer, razer
Posted by Ub3rG33k on Apr 4, 2009 in
PS3 a, it has a 900 degrees steering wheel
b, it has a clutch pedal
c, it has a 6 way gearbox with reverse
d, I have a lot of racing games for the PS3
So one drunken night (last Friday), I decided to finally take the plunge and buy it. This Tuesday it turned up, and OMG, I cannot believe how good this thing is.
First thing I noticed was the build quality, this thing is solid as a rock.
The wheel itself, feels very realistic, with the smooth 900 degree motion, and a leather covering, it make it feel like your driving an actual car.
Next the pedals, each of them has a different pressure to emulate brake and clutch, and feel really realistic.
Finally, the shifter, I guess this is the thing I’m most impressed about. In 1 mode, you have a realistic 6 way gearbox with reverse, and in the other way you have a simple up/down gear shifter. On the shifter section there is also DPAD for navigating games menu systems, and the 8 controller buttons.
Although the above is fantastic, and I can’t express just how impressed I am with them.
I do however I have a slight issue, I have nowhere sensible to clamp this (I know, I know, I should have thought about this in advance,…..but I was drunk). Currently I have this clamped to the table in the front room, which is ok for the time being, however with it only being about a foot from the floor, I’m sure I’m going to get a spinal injury, as I’m currently hunched over attempting to reach the pedals and steering wheel.
As you’ve probably guessed, this explains the Playseat A1GP. I thought, as I’ve got the Wheel, pedals and gearshift, I thought I might as well go the full hog. After much research, I decided on the Playseat A1GP, this seat is designed to work with the Logitech G25, it has the screw mounting points for pedals and wheel to fix them in place. I had to buy an addition component to mount to gear shift to the side of the chair, however now everything is fixed.
Now the whole thing is bolted together, words cannot describe how realistic this thing is, with games like Gran Turismo and GRID, you have the option for the full 900 degrees steering, which is as close to driving a you can get.
If you have a spare £600, I can highly recommend this setup, it gives a whole new lease of life for my driving games.
More images below
This controller work on the PS3 and PC, and a list of games that will that will make use of it’s full features can be found at the below link
Official Logictech stuff below.
Transform your racing experience into a virtual Monza. Feel your car’s weight shift and tires slip as you navigate corners, thanks to the powerful, dual-motor force feedback transmission. Quickly select the correct gear with either the six-speed shifter or the F1-style paddles. Wrap your hands tightly around the real leather wheel, and slam on the steel pedals – gas, brake, and clutch. You’re not playing games anymore, you’re racing.
Control
- Dual-motor force feedback transmission: Experience quiet, powerful force feedback effects. You’ll feel every bump, bank, and curb, recreated with remarkable fidelity.
- Six-speed stick shift: Quickly select between six forward gears and a push-down reverse gear. Or switch to sequential shifting mode.
- 900 degree wheel rotation: Turns 2 ½ times, lock-to-lock, to accurately replicate real steering dynamics.
- Metal gas, brake, and clutch pedals: Control your car intuitively with sturdy, true-to-life pedals.
- Two paddle shifters: Keep both hands on the wheel while changing gears.
- 12 programmable buttons plus D-pad: Easily map game functions to your preference with the powerful software.
Comfort
- Hand-stitched leather: the 28 cm (11″) wheel is wrapped in real leather to help keep your hands comfortable during long racing sessions.
System Requirements
PC
-
- PC with Pentium® processor or compatible
- 256 MB RAM
- 20 MB of available hard disk space
- CD-ROM drive
- USB port
- Windows® XP or Windows Vista™
- Games that support Logitech® Force Feedback
PLAYSTATION®
-
- PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system
- PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system
Package Contents
-
- Logitech® G25 Racing Wheel
- Shifter module
- Gas, brake, and clutch pedals
- Power supply
- Software CD-ROM
- User documentation
- 2-year warranty
Tags: a1gp, g25, logitech, pedals, playseat, PS3, shifter, wheel
