Speaker Mod

Added a pair of tiny speakers to the bottom of the MSI Wind screen.

I figured I could easily attach a pair of speakers to the existing ones since the audio signal is analog.




Basically I took a pair of used earphones and opened them up to get to the tiny speakers inside. Cut off each speaker with the wires still attached and soldered each end to the main board where the computer speakers connect.


After soldering each speaker, it was all a matter of wiring the speakers to the bottom of the screen frame.





Tested the speakers before screwing the bezel back on. Sound reproduction was quite good for their size. They sounded a tiny bit weak when I replaced the bezel, so I melted some holes through the plastic frame by using the hot soldering rod to heat a small pin which I pushed through the frame.



The speakers sounded nice at low volume, but at a high volume they couldn't handle the bass and would give off a static sound. It should be fine since I only need them for soft music playback.

Thinking of adding next a dip switch for the small speakers and internal usb controller.

Ok, hope you all had a Merry Christmas!


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QR Codes

If you're wondering what the square with all the dots is, it's a QR Code that you can scan using your cellphone. All you need is a QR Code reader application installed on your phone and you're all set. I use the Kaywa Reader on my phone, but there are others out there, such as i-nigma or BeeTagg.

You can easily make your own QR codes with a link to a website or an encoded message by using the QR code generator found on the Kaywa Reader homepage.

Scan the QR code above for a Season's Greeting!


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Custom Nokia S40 Themes

Designed some Nokia S40 themes for my Nokia 3110 classic cellphone. I have about 5 complete custom themes that I made so far. They are - Metallic, Vista, Wood, Haiku, and Sea Blue. I haven't been using my old nokia cellphone much, since I use a newer one, but I still use it as a standalone mp3 player.

Just added some links to the files so you can download them. The themes work best on Series 40 phones with a 128 x 160 screen resolution.

Metallic
Haiku
Vista
Sea Blue


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MSI Wind U100

I bought the MSI Wind U100 as an auxiliary laptop. I originally had no intentions of modifying it until I first tried installing a touchscreen. Since then I've been modding it and other gadgets for the fun of it.

I have so far added the following:

1) Touchscreen panel (obtained the plastic type for better reliability)
2) Usb controller with space for 3 more usb devices
3) Dual boot - Windows XP and Windows 7 Pro

I have been working out the touchscreen interface on Windows 7. The OS accepts the touchscreen as an input device and I can successfully log in using the on-screen keyboard. However, the windows calibration is slightly off. Windows XP runs much better with the touchscreen and touch registers immediately.

Some plans I have are to include an internal usb GPS, HSDPA broadband modem, or radio. I still am deciding on the best hardware to use and thinking of better mods to add.


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