Modded BIOS

I obtained a modded bios thanks to Svet in the MSI HQ forums. I was trying to find a more recent modded bios for the U100 that switched the left ctrl key with the fn key, since I had used a modded bios once with the two keys switched. I found it easier having the ctrl key on the left of the fn key like on a standard keyboard. Since MSI regularly publish bios for the Wind U100, I could no longer find a modded bios for the version I was using - BIOS file name: EN011IMS.10E

I found out that the modded bios files could be downloaded from the MSI HQ forums and so requested for a modded version of the bios I was using, version .10E (it was the first Win 7 compatible bios published for the MSI Wind U100).

I had tried to mod the the .10E bios myself using a key swapping app I found online. However, it didn't work as the bios file read empty when I attempted to flash from the usb drive.

The bios I received was a modded version of the latest EN011IMS.10G file. I was hoping to have the bios version .10E modded as I preferred the display driver for Windows 7 in the .10E bios compared to the more recent bios versions. It still works though and I can finally use the switched fn and ctrl keys.

Link: EN011BKM_10G_Fn
Warning: Flashing your bios is done at your own risk.


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Sentelic Touch Pad

I replaced the original sentelic touch pad with a synaptic one available from the asus e-store. The mod was fairly easy to do, and it just required a lot of pulling to remove the old touch pad.

It was also a fairly cheap mod, as it only cost $17.00 in total.

Very satisfied with the vertical side-scrolling of the synaptic touch pad compared to the tapping of sentelic, but will require some getting used to.


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Thumbwin - thumbnails for xp

Enlarge

Thumbwin is a free software that enables you to add small thumbnails of minimized windows in your desktop. It's a cool little app for arranging your open browsers and is fun to use with a touch screen.

It's an old app that I installed from a while ago. I haven't been using it much, but it helps out in organizing your open browsers.

Thumbwin can be downloaded directly from the creator's website at: http://www4.point.ne.jp/hiro/ThumbWin/thumbwin.html

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SparkFun Free Day!

SparkFun will be holding a "free day" on January 7, 2010 starting from 9:00 am MST. It looks to be quite exciting as they are offering $100 worth of free items for anyone purchasing using their paypal account or credit. The "free day" will go from 9:00 am to 11:00 pm MST, or until 100K worth of free items have been given away.

Hoping to get into the action so I'll be setting my alarm clock for 10:00 am here in Maine. It looks like a lot of people have taken note and there is now a countdown banner on their website in preparation for "Free Day".

Head over to their site for more details at: SparkFun Electronics



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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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