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Ziggidy

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  1. Like
    Ziggidy got a reaction from Oklaholkan in I Need help with choosing the right led strip lights   
    I can't help select specific LED strips for you, but I DID just complete an LED strip install in my daughters room this weekend, so I have some considerations to note. That said, I am NOT a subject matter expert in the area, just spent a few hours with the install and researching some different aspects of it.
     
    LED strips come in various flavors. Some will do RGB, and all 3 are lit to go white. There are also RGBW that has (as I understand it) an individual white LED in the package along with te RGB LEDs.  There are individually addressable RGB strips where each LED can hold a different color, or  strips where everything is 1 color. LED density, or the number of LEDs on the strip per foot or meter. In the diffuser, the lower the LED density the more you will be able to see each individual LED. The higher the density, it will look more like a uniform glow.  LED Strip Channel and diffuser U channel or V channel are most popular, available in black or aluminum finish on Amazon Diffuser comes in milky white for the most part, but saw some with a darker almost black diffuser. Will need a hacksaw and metal file to install, unless you luck out and you don' t have to make any cuts. That said it is VERY easy and quick.  
     
     
    This is the diffuser I went with. Was VERY easy to work with, but I did have some issues. Be VERY careful drilling the pilot holes for mounts if you do it close to a wall / ceiling border. I took out chunks of drywall with the drill in a few spots without noticing it. Use a thin piece of cardboard or something to prevent the drill from doing damage if it is close to the wall. I found that the diffuser was about an eighth inch shorter than the channel, and I was upset at first, then realized it was a non-issue. I HIGHLY suggest staggering the channel and diffuser joints like you would see in a brick wall where the edge of one brick is at the middle of the brick above it. I have a clown house where nothing is square and plumb, so there were small variations where the channel was off by a little bit. Not an issue if you use my recommendation, but if you line the edges it may appear uneven. If you have the joints in the diffuser in the middle of the channel pieces it can force the channel to appear to be straight, but that is assuming it install it level and well to begin with. Also, as a side note, I could NOT find any "OUTSIDE" corners  for the channel, only inside corners. If the room is a basic square or rectangle you won't have a problem.
     
    THMOOTHER 20-Pack 3.3FT 1Meter V Shape LED Strip Aluminum Channel Diffuser System, Extruded Alu Track Milky Cover with Corner Connector and Mounting Kit,Easy Cut and Installed Curved Lens Profile
     
     
     
    Good luck with your project!!
     
  2. Agree
    Ziggidy reacted to manikyath in 2 different subnet and default gateway how to setup for data exchange   
    i'm gonna sound like a complete asshole here, but maybe you should just let the experts do their job.
     
    subnets are designed as a means of separation, you always need a device that is present on both subnets to be the "gateway" for conversation between the two sides (see where this word is coming from?) in enterprise gear this gateway is usually a firewall, for home stuff that's usually the router (your LAN and WAN are also two subnets)
     
    as for what sort of device to buy to handle this.. the cheapest cisco small business router is probably your cheapest bet for a device that'll support all the stuff you need to do this. but i'm not gonna sit here and guide you trough the process, because it's not exactly a plug and play experience.
     
    all this leads me to the question of "why?". why do you want to reproduce this at home, for something which i assume is a highly specific setup for some industrial application.
  3. Agree
    Ziggidy reacted to Needfuldoer in Credit Card chat on WAN show: do europeans hate credit cards???   
    Exactly this.
     
    Credit cards are an unsecured line of credit. That is, there's no physical item backing them up, like a car loan or home mortgage. That's why their interest rates are so high compared to other lines of credit.
     
    People get into trouble when they see their shiny new credit card and think of it as "$7,500 to spend". If you make a few big purchases on credit cards, and let that balance ride, compounding interest will bury you.
     
    Credit cards can absolutely be used responsibly, but that takes discipline. Paying the balance every month avoids that snowballing debt. 
     
    The big-brain play is to have cards with a high limit and a low-to-zero balance, because credit utilization (how much credit is available to you vs how much you use every month) is a major factor in calculating your credit score. But you need discipline and self-control to not fill those cards up and rarely (if ever) carry a balance to reap benefits from it.
     
    (And to put on my tinfoil hat for a moment, they're never going to teach these economic and self-advocacy principles in school because multi-billion dollar industries rely on a populace of undereducated, obedient consumers to perpetuate themselves, but that's a rant for another day...)
  4. Agree
    Ziggidy got a reaction from Needfuldoer in Credit Card chat on WAN show: do europeans hate credit cards???   
    I agree here, as an American with just under $10k in credit card debt at the moment. The reason is poor fiscal responsibility. At the same time, there ARE fiscally responsible people that carry debt in the forms of loans in certain scenarios where it makes sense. Those are, as I understand it, in circumstances where a bukly loan at a few percent interest saves them money and they can invest the rest and get a rate of return which is more than the interest charged on the loan. That said, I don't live in that world, working toward fiscal responsibility and less frivolous spending.
      
    While it is possible things are different in Europe, I believe you used an incorrect term here. The LIMIT on a line of credit is the maximum amount you can use on that line of credit at any given time, and is NOT considered a debt. The BALANCE on a line of credit is what you owe to the creditor, and IS debt. If you have a $1000 balance on a $5000 line of credit, your total debt is $1000. 
     
     
     
    That is pretty fantastic that your bank/credit union does instant refunds for fraud. I have had in the last 2 decades only 2 instances of trouble with fraud on my bank account related to my debit card. In the end I DID get fully reimbursed for the issues, but it took a few business days to get to where I was before the incident. As someone that still doesn't have an emergency savings, it was nearly devastating when it came to rent & mortgage.  Following that I ONLY exclusively use my debit card AT the bank in the ATM to get cash if I need it. ALL of my purchases are on credit cards which then get paid through the bank website. I have an absurd number of cards, and HAVE worked on better fiscal responsibility. At the moment I have several cards that have specific use cases, like a gas card that gets a discount at the gas pump, a few store lines of credit that give large discounts on purchases I would already be making at those stores, etc. Then I have just general cards which I have recurring payments hit such at streaming and gym subscriptions. Those then get paid off automatically monthly which keeps it interest free, keeps the cards active, and impacts my credit score that is actually QUITE good at the moment. I really only have a SINGLE card which is the one I carry around and make purchases on, and I recently moved the balance to a new card that had a 21 month balance transfer with 0% interest for that 21 months. I am only a few months in and I have already paid off $2500.
     
               
    Credit cards can be GREAT tools, the biggest problem is getting proper education out there to change the mindset of credit card users. It will be infesting toi see if anything changes in the future with credit spending, or education.
  5. Like
    Ziggidy got a reaction from thrasher_565 in 5050 LED strip - 4 conductor female end connectors   
    Thank you for the suggestion!! I am going to pick up a set of those for future projects. Thank you again!! 
  6. Funny
    Ziggidy got a reaction from 8uhbbhu8 in LTT Storage Rankings   
    I am so jealous! If I may inquire, what is the total power draw on that 45 drive setup, and also, I saw from the thread you posted (2017) that you WERE running Raidz2. Is that still the case, and if so, how the heck are you only using 32 Gigs of memory? Maybe I am doing something wrong, but my 14 TB setup with Rz2 is using a bunch of memory, which I have 72 gigs of. (actually I just checked, and now it says there is only 60 Gigs, wtf, and 46 gigs in use.). I think I need to actually monitor my server...... I suck.
  7. Funny
    Ziggidy got a reaction from tiandrei in LTT Storage Rankings   
    I am so jealous! If I may inquire, what is the total power draw on that 45 drive setup, and also, I saw from the thread you posted (2017) that you WERE running Raidz2. Is that still the case, and if so, how the heck are you only using 32 Gigs of memory? Maybe I am doing something wrong, but my 14 TB setup with Rz2 is using a bunch of memory, which I have 72 gigs of. (actually I just checked, and now it says there is only 60 Gigs, wtf, and 46 gigs in use.). I think I need to actually monitor my server...... I suck.
  8. Like
    Ziggidy reacted to alpenwasser in LTT Storage Rankings   
    Alrighty then, time for an update!
     
    Note: The list of noteworthy builds will now also hold the decommissioned builds.
     
    @MyNameIsNicola Updated. I hope I got it right, so many drives.
    @scottyseng Updated
    @maxtch Added your second system, updated your first one.
    @b3nno Added system to list. Nice box!
    @Jonny Updated.
    @Ziggidy Nope, rankings are not dead, but yes, it does usually take me a while to get around to them. Added your system to the list. Thanks for the entry!
    @username6465 Updated.
    @leadeater Answered your question in chat already, but just for public info: We'd count each system in a clustered file system as a single entry, if it qualified for the list.
    @FattyDave Added your system to the list. Thanks!
    @{EAC} Shoot em UP Added your new system to the list, relegated the old one to the secondary list (no, we don't delete posts). The pics in your new post seem to be broken though!  As for the noise: I put noise dampening material into our server, it actually made quite a difference. Wasn't cheap though.
    @unijab Added your new system, moved old one to secondary list.
    @kerradeph Added system to list. Very neat.
     
     
    It would also appear that there are a few entries which I've overlooked. The thread seems to be becoming a bit unwieldy, I'm going to think a bit if I can come up with a solution for that. Wouldn't want this to keep happening. Apologies to everyone below.
    @paps511 Added.
    @brwainer Fixed that and added to list. Apologies.
    @weeandykidd Overlooked your last update, fixed that as well.
    @Ramaddil Updated.
     
    Lastly:
    @Bhav If you post the rest of the system info as per @looney's template, that seems like it would qualify for the list.
    @saitir Obviously we won't be starting to add work systems to the rankings (would be a bit unfair), but that does sound pretty neat, so if you ever do get a hold of some pictures... wouldn't mind seeing those.
     
  9. Like
    Ziggidy got a reaction from alpenwasser in LTT Storage Rankings   
    Not sure if this is correct, used natural log of 6 (according to Google)...  1.79175946923
     
    Score: 25.44
    Capacity: 14.2 TB
    Drives: 6
     
     
    Hardware
    CASE: Supermicro SC826TQ-R800LPB
    PSU: Dual Supermicro PWS-801-1R 800W Hot swap PSU's
    MB: Supermicro X8DTN+
    CPU: Dual Xeon E5620
    HS: Dual Supermicro  SNK-P0036 or SNK-P0037P, Not sure which they are, came with chassis already installed
    RAM: 4x Nanya NT4GC72B4NA1NL-CG (24GB Reg ECC DDR3), 12x MICRON MT36JSZF51272PZ-1G4G1FG (48GB Reg ECC DDR3), (72GB total memory)
    RAID CARD 1: IBM M1015, Flashed with "IT" firmware
    SSD: 2x OCZ Agility (60GB) (OS & Backup), 2x Q Series HDTS225XZSTA (256GB) ZIL & L2ARC mirrored - (120 gig Samsung SSD's ready to be installed and swapped out for the OS and backup drive
    HDD 1: 6x WD40EFRX (4TB) in RaidZ2 (14.3 TB usable)
     
    Software and Configuration:
    OS: Ubuntu Server 14.04.1 LTS
    Drives in Raid Z2 Array with mirrored ZIL & L2ARC SSD's
     
    Usage:
    Only thing main OS does is act as host OS, and has the NAS portion of things.
       Virtual host running Plex Media Server
       Virtual host running 2 Minecraft servers 24x7 (I haven't played in a REALLY long time though)
       Virtual host as a test platform
       Suggestions welcome for other things I can throw at it!!!
     
    Backup:
       Personal files like photos and home videos are backed up on desktop drive and an external drive. The MAJORITY of rest of the data on there is MKV files from DVD & Blu Ray rips, (I only rip discs we own). These are backed up on two external Seagate 5TB drives
     
    Photo's:
    Building custom SSD drive cage for inside the chassis so they don't waste hot swap space on the front....


    Each drive screws into a piece of Styrene, with round styrene rods and nylon spacers around the rods to give each drive space for airflow.

    Here is a shot of the guts all ready to go. You can see the custom drive cage at the top.


    Here it is in a photo I took earlier today, It is near the top of the rack, looking at the back end here, UPS is at the bottom.
    Drive pool and storage space:


  10. Like
    Ziggidy got a reaction from benga in What can I put between my Modem and Wireless Router   
    As @Xineas noted above, a Layer 2 switch WILL NOT WORK between the modem and the router. The modem needs to be connected to a Layer 3 device, which performs NAT.
     
    Here is what I would do in your situation. Leave the setup as it is, bringing 2 cables from the garage into the house. (Are we talking an attached garage, or a separate structure here?) Depending on what the garage is determines how you get the cables into the house. The reason I say TWO cables, if one of them for some reason has issues and goes bad, you already have another one in place ready to go, just swap the equipment to that other cable while you make repairs on the first cable. 
     
    I would then connect the 5 port switch to the cable, giving you ports for any hard wired devices IN the house. I would then get a wireless access point, and connect it to one of the ports on the switch, giving you 3 free ports. If you already have other wireless AP's try them, or do research and make a purchase. If funds allow, I would recommend a Unify UAP-LR - under $80 US on Amazon.
     
    https://www.ubnt.com/unifi/unifi-ap/
    https://www.amazon.com/Enterprise-System-UBIQUITI-NETWORKS-UAP-LR/dp/B00HXT8S9G
     
     
  11. Agree
    Ziggidy reacted to Unhelpful in Calling Out an ISP?   
    You're going to call up and yell at a poor tier 1 tech support person making minimum wage. You won't be able to reach anybody who can actually help.
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