Making FTDI devices work with macOS Sierra

I could not get an FTDI FT8U232AM evaluation device to work under Apple macOS Sierra   (  10.12.1 )

The device was listed in the System Report .....
( About This Mac ....  System Report  .....  USB  )

FT8U232AM EVALUATION KIT:

  Product ID: 0x6001

  Vendor ID: 0x0403  (Future Technology Devices International Limited)

  Version: 2.00

  Serial Number: FT9LMWA6

  Speed: Up to 12 Mb/sec

  Manufacturer: FTDI

  Location ID: 0x14100000 / 3

  Current Available (mA): 500

  Current Required (mA): 50

  Extra Operating Current (mA): 0

After Googling various internet sites , and removing some files , I was successful in using the device with the app "Coolterm".

To do so I used the Terminal app and typed
ls -lctr /Library/Extensions/

I found .kext files for Wacom and for FTDI.
I also used the HoudahSpot app to search for files with the .kext extension.

I trashed these three :
 Wacom Tablet.kext ,  FTDIKext.kext , FTDIUSBSerialDriver.kext

I left this file alone:
AppleUSBFTDI.kext





Thanks for ideas from
https://forum.arduino.cc/index.php?topic=427825.0
http://www.ftdichip.com/Support/Documents/InstallGuides.htm


tags:   USB Serial Device   FTDI driver   MacOS Sierra   Apple OS X  
failure  does not work  does not find   777ftdi


by   99guspuppet

Adventures with Airdroid

Three Mac installations... two fails.

I installed Airdroid ( AD )  ( 2016m08d08 ) on two Mac laptops and a Mac Mini.  When I invoked AD on two of the Macs the application quit unexpectedly.

When installing on each failure I got a cryptic message indicating that access to Developer tools was required.  This is NOT mentioned in the installation procedure.  I imagine there is something wrong with the downloaded installation package or with my laptops.

I am running Kaspersky Virus scan on my laptops to determine if a virus is the problem.

I installed AD successfully on Samsung Avant Galaxy Android smartphone.  2016m08d08

I installed AD successfully on a WIN10 laptop. ( Leviathan )



I have not found adding devices easy to do.  In over 24 hours I have failed to add even one device.
I am trying the Premium version of AD for one month ( $2 )  ( $38 for two years )  I find Premium very confusing.

Changing accounts is quite a chore.  I installed AD on a Samsung smartphone and it assumed ( for me ) that I would like to use my google account information.  It was wrong.  Now I have wasted much time trying to change my account to one *that I want*.  Uninstalling AD requires a password ( which I do not have ).  This I do not like.

So far I do not like Airdroid.   I hope to learn more likeable things about it in the future.

tags:  777airdroid
99guspuppet

Adding external Microphone to Android tablet or SmartPhone

Many Android devices ( smartphones , tablets, etc. ) are great for filming events and people.  You can improve your videos by using an external microphone.  The most important part of a typical video is high quality sound.  More important than the lighting or focus or .......

I performed most of these experiments on a Samsung Galaxy Avant smartphone circa May 2015.

Choosing a microphone
Many microphones will work with a android device.  The key issue is to have a microphone that puts out an active signal  ( not to exceed 1 volt ).  Some microphones produce an active voltage.  Some require a battery ( voltage source ) to do so.
Many computer microphones ( that plug into a 3.5mm jack ) depend on the computer supplying a voltage for operation.  See images at the end of this post.
A dynamic microphone produces a voltage without any external voltage sources.  I experimented with a AKG-D70-ME.
A condensor microphone requires an external voltage source.  I experimented with an un-named condensor microphone I found in my junk box.

Getting the correct adapter cable
You will want to buy an adapter cable with  a 3.5mm audio jack with 4 connections on it ( TRRS: tip-ring-ring-shield ).   See image at end of this post. There are two versions of this, so make sure to get the correct version.    I bought mine at MicroCenter.com for $5.  You can get them on eBay.  Make sure the TRRS is ear-ear-ground-microphone  ( iPhone compatible ) .

Testing your tablet or smartphone
Plug in the adapter cable to the Android device ( headphone jack ).  Plug your microphone into the adapter cable.  Plug your headphones into the adapter cable.  Use an audio sound recorder application. My phone indicated that an external microphone was activated.  ( This does not prove the microphone is working. )  Try recording and speak into the microphone.  Try different distances and speaking levels.  Try windscreens and pop screens.  At each test announce what you are testing.  Example:  " I am 3 inches from microphone .... testing the black windscreen.  I am speaking loudly."

Adjusting the sound level
Sound level applications are available at the online Android Apps Store ........ many good ones are free.  Using the app you can adjust the sound level of your microphone.  
1)  by the distance the microphone is from the subject
2)  by muffling the microphone with soft foam
3)  your microphone may have a signal level adjustment.  ( Or you may be rich and be using a mixer )
4)  editing the sound later .... using a video editing application.  There are many to choose from ( many are free )   I choose to move videos to my Apple MacIntosh to edit.

Avoiding hum and wind noise.
Cables must be shielded.  Using a balanced microphone cable is advised.
Putting a pop filter and/or windscreen on a microphone can improve the sound quality.  You can make ( DIY do it yourself ) these easily using soft foam or even thick fabric.

=============
Images

Microphones come in a myriad of sizes and shapes.  You cannot tell what kind a microphone is just by looking at it.

   









3.5mm jack on adapter cable

Microphone / Headset adapter cable ( TRRS )
get version compatible with Android and iPhone devices

tags:   777microphone   777android  777camera   99guspuppet

4K TV wall mount info for 52 inch Sceptre and 39 inch Seiki bolt size bolt pattern

Use an M6 ( metric ) bolt for both TVs

Seiki
39 inch diagonal  36 in wide  21 inch high
bolt pattern is 200mm by 200mm

Sceptre
52 inch diagonal  44 in wide  26 inch high
bolt pattern is 200mm by 300mm



tags:   777Sceptre    777Seiki   777wallMount

SOHO management

Small Office   Home Office   Management

Updated 2016m07d20

Adjust these techniques and pieces of advice to fit your situation

Axiom #1 .... the computer is a powerful search tool and organizational tool when given the chance.  Make the search engine your friend.
Axiom#2  ... form a few easy to implement habits.  Use these habits every moment of the day.


=====
Put all digital files in "documents folder"
=====
Use tags   .... pick a suffix   I picked "99"   you should pick something else ... like "44" or "00"  or "zz"
=========
Physical items should be tagged as DNyyyy"m"mm"d"dd"i"nnn
   example:   DN2016m08d19i001
      DN   means document number
      yyyy is the year
      mm is the month   use leading zero for Jan thru September
      dd     is the day      use leading zero for day 1 thru 9


I email myself reminders of various items

I limit the variety of passwords I use   ..... someday biometrics will provide a great scheme for locking things down  ..... maybe QR codes could be used

I use "777" to tag items on the internet


tags:  99SOHO   SOHO    777SOHO   777filing   777fire


notes:  

use tags   put everything in one document folder

use DN   document numbers   especially for physical items

use refrigerator or dryer as fire safe

put items that would be water damaged into plastic ziplock

Filing

Fire
Fire in the office is a catastrophe.  Equipment is wrecked, paper files are damaged , digital data is lost.  The #1 thing to do is ..... act immediately ! .... get lots of help ....  wash everything with distilled water or other cleaners ( everything including electronics ).  Fire creates noxious chemicals that corrode and continue to corrode paper , electronics , fabric , etc.  Do not leave unwashed anything that might have "breathed" fumes from the fire.  Do this immediately.  Turn power off to everything , remove batteries.

It is a good idea to store valuable items in ziploc plastic bags.  It is much better to have melted plastic on the item than water , fumes and acid rain ( water and smoke ) .

You can use discarded appliances as cheap fire safes.  You can use ovens , microwaves , refrigerators , dryers as fire safes.   Put them where you expect a fire to be least intense.  You can add padlocks to them for security.


Searching
There are many great search engines for computers.  I offer one as an example.  Others will work well.  HoudauSpot is made for the MacIntosh Computer.    It costs around $50.  You can buy family paks.  It is easy to use and has tons of options for searching.  There is a free trial for practicing with.  You can find tutorials such as this one.

Screen Snapshots programatic scrolling

http://stackoverflow.com/questions/4965730/how-do-i-scroll-to-the-top-of-a-window-using-applescript

http://apple.stackexchange.com/questions/113416/automate-taking-a-screenshot-of-specified-area

==================================================================

http://www.seirer.net/blog/2014/9/18/how-to-make-proper-os-x-yosemite-screenshots

My workflow for flawless screenshots

Here is my workflow that gives flawless screenshots - although its a bit of work:

1. open a clean white background (e.g. textedit)

2. get your app in front that you want to screenshot

3. SHIFT-COMMAND-4 and find out the X, Y coordinates as well as hight and width of the window you want to screenshot (they are depicted in your cursor) - remember them

4. open a terminal window and make a screenshot with the following command line:

screencapture -T 10 -P -R551,325,1095,647 screenshot.png

• -T 10 means you have 10 seconds time to "prepare" your app (open a menu etc)
• -R means the region that should be captured the coordinates <x,y,w,h> are the ones you found out before
• -P means that it will open in preview so you can check the output

Save this one as PNG.

==========================================
http://stackoverflow.com/questions/35939381/programmatically-scroll-nsscrollview-to-right

============================================
grab screen window larger than the screen
http://hints.macworld.com/article.php?story=20060629235932385

============================================
How to open a PDF file    99PDF

http://stackoverflow.com/questions/6562235/how-to-open-pdf-raw

How to look at the real PDF source behind the 'raw' binary parts

Jay Birkenbilt's qpdf is a very useful commandline tool (available for Linux, Mac OSX and as source code, under the open source Artistic License), which can unpack most filtered content and re-organize the internal structure in a way that gives you much more insight into it (all objects are numerically ordered, etc.). The commandline to achieve this is:

 qpdf  --qdf  original.pdf  unpacked.pdf

Another useful and free tool (GPL licensed, but Linux-only AFAIK) to look into PDFs is of coursePDFEdit. This one even comes with a GUI (if you prefer that), while still allowing you access to the internal structure and "raw" PDF code.

shareimprove this answer

edited May 22 at 0:30

answered Jul 3 '11 at 10:48 Kurt Pfeifle 45.8k11115198

tags:   99screenshot

Wireless Standards for IoT and WIoT

Often IoT and WIoT require wireless protocols that are wide range and low speed.  This is especially true for M2M ( Machine To Machine ) connections.   Much effort is going into 5G networking ( as of 2016 ).   One set of standards is LTE   ( Long Term Evolution )

LTE CAT  generic <==  link to LTE definitions

LTE CAT 0

LTE CAT-M1

LTE CAT 3

LTE CAT 4

LTE CAT 7

LTE CAT 8

LPWAN     Low Power Wide Area Network
           RPMA

AT&T $99 Cellular kit


tags:   777IOTWireless

Fighting Fatigue Medically

http://health-headlines.org/constant-fatigue-fix_04A.php



tags:   99medical   99fatigue

2016 Las Vegas IoT Conference xx

2016m07d10    Sunday
Arrived in LV.    Gus was hot and tired.  CP ( Caesar's Palace ) did not have room ready until 1500 hrs.  Gus collapsed.

2016m07d11   Monday
We learned we were not accredited as press.  We can attend keynotes and panel discussions.  No freebie food.

2016m07d12    Tuesday
Zax and Gus went to keynote in the morning.   Presenters were boring and generic.  Switching video from one presenter to another went very smoothly-NOT.  Very chaotic.  MC was very annoying when he tried to cover up SNAFUs with jokes and loud patter.  Presenters were awarded participation prizes.

Home Automation panel at 1600 hrs was good.

Gus started asking a few people about their thoughts on ASI.  Most were not worried and thought it would work itself out.

Gus went to Apple and exchanged Thunderbolt cable for HDMI cable.  AAXA projector works great now.

Lynn and Joe came to our room and visited from 2000 to 2200 hours.   Joe works at the University of LNV.  Lynn has been retired for 8 years.  We talked about future technology..... vehicles , medicine , etc.

2016m07d13  Wednesday

1130   great presentation by Intel on security
1200   exhibits      great swag   USB memory sticks


2016m07d13  Thursday
There was a great Theater presentation at 1120 hrs by Prpl Foundation.   It was moderated by Art Swift.  There were 3 panelists.  The European Guy gave a great answer to the question of wither goest ASI ( Artificial Super Intelligence )   He felt it was a great danger.  The thin guy panelist poo-pooed ASI.  He compared it to earlier people who feared the printing press.   I think the two examples are comparable.  ( get the video if possible )



tags:   99LVIoT2016    99LasVegas   99IoT

Using Airplay as extension of screens ( MacIntosh )

I am using Airplay to add a screen to my multi-screen computer setup.

I have a 2012 Mac Mini
qty 2 dell display monitors
qty 2 USB keyboards
Bluetooth mouse
Bluetooth keyboard
4K TV with Apple TV gen3 attached
Backup hard drive using application  CarbonCopyCloner4

I am using OS X 10.10.5   Yosemite


Why use 2 USB keyboards ?
One keyboard is for normal typing
The second keyboard is to provide special function keys











tags:   777Airplay    777AppleTV

Revitalize solder paste with liquid solder

My solder paste had dried out. ( from eBay ).  I ordered liquid solder paste from eBay.   Stirred in a small amount each time ( toothpick ) until solder paste was the consistency I wanted.  I got the idea from sparkfun.com/  .

This worked great




777liquidSolder    777solderPasteDry  777solderpaste    99guspuppet