JustinCampbell.me

Apple Store Opens in Philadelphia

almost 2 years ago

\ View the full set on Flickr

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Git Commits for Dummies

almost 2 years ago

Useful for sharing a codebase with non-developers, and also makes it easier for them to do renames and moves.

Installation:

wget http://gist.github.com/raw/500706/a8c3f6f2ab78a78cb289d3043655b2384407ca5a/commit.sh
chmod +x commit.sh

Usage:

user@host [/directory/]# ./commit.sh
Enter a commit message:
Installed commit.sh

Warning: creates a new file instead of doing a git mv

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Conceding to Tumblr

almost 2 years ago

At the beginning of this year I got it in my head that I wanted to start blogging. The programmer in me said “build it from scratch”. So I did:

http://github.com/justincampbell/RedisBlog

RedisBlog is built using my 2 favorite technologies at that time: Redis and CodeIgniter. I was already pretty good at PHP so CodeIgniter was a natural fit, and Redis is amazing.

Alas, halfway through the year and I still didn’t find the time to finish it. So here I am on Tumblr, even though I’ll probably try to hide that fact as much as possible (damn you RSS feed icon!). Honestly though, Tumblr is just the kind of simple + awesome I needed.

Someday, that project could be the replacement. But it needs a lot of work., and I’m working on something else way cooler than just another blogging platform.

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Threaded Windows Batch Scripts

almost 2 years ago

Sometimes you need to do something to a lot of computers at once, such as deploying a file or registry setting, or checking if a file exists or that a registry item is set correctly. If you’re using batch scripts, they can be a little slow when working with a large number of hosts.

On my 4-year-old Pentium 4 this does about 10 hosts/second, as opposed to 3 hosts/second when running them in serial.

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Apple store in Philly gets a logo

almost 2 years ago

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How to make the Rock Band Wooden Strat quieter

almost 2 years ago

I recently bought the Rock Band Wireless Fender Wooden Stratocaster Replica when it was on sale on Amazon (http://amzn.to/aiLebW). It’s pretty awesome, except that it sounds like hitting a ruler on a desk every time you strum, and is guaranteed to piss off everyone in the room, including your drummer. I decided to open it up and see where all the noise was coming from.

The switches that they used in this guitar are the same type you would find on an old IBM clickity-clack keyboard. If you look closely, they say Cherry on them, with a cute picture of some cherries.

I Googled “cherry switch” and right away found the manufacturer’s website. It’s pretty obvious that these are the Cherry MX Series switches.

Scroll down to the bottom of that page. There’s a handy chart showing how to build a part number. Here’s what I came up with:

• MX1A-E1NW Click tactile (blue, current switches)
• MX1A-C1NW Soft tactile (clear)
• MX1A-11NW Linear (black, the new hotness)

I ended up going with the linear switches, meaning no tactile feedback when the switch is activated. You can order the switches from Newark or Mouser. I used to look at Newark catalogs when I was a kid, but they didn’t have any in stock so I ended up ordering from Mouser. The switches are pretty cheap (\~$.80/each I think), so don’t hesitate to get a few extras.

I also ordered a soldering iron from Amazon (http://amzn.to/9AMiho), and watched this 7-minute YouTube video to become an “expert” before prodding at my $300 toy with a red-hot metal stick.

Now would be a good time to tell you that I have no soldering experience. If you don’t feel comfortable doing this yourself, find someone who does.

First, be sure to remove the batteries from the guitar before starting.

Next, remove the back panel.

The piece you’ll remove next is attached to that thicker cable on the left. Carefully cut the pull-tie holding all of the cables together, and then gently lift the connector straight up. It may have some glue dried around it that you’ll need to separate first.

Once the cable is free, go ahead and remove the pick-guard assembly from the front of the guitar.

Turn ‘er over. That green circuit board is where we need to be. The four screws are sealed with some red glue/plastic substance. You may need to pick at the screws with a needle to fit a screwdriver in there. Be careful not to strip the screws, as they’re quite fragile.

There they are. They won’t sound all that loud when you press them with your fingers, but that snap resonates on the plastic stum bar and possibly on some other parts.

Here are the new switches. I opted to go for the black smooth-motion model.

Solder ‘em out.

Solder ‘em in.

You should probably test that up and down still works on your console before putting everything back together.

I also added some bonus dampeners (i.e. duct tape) to the inside of the strum bar.

All done! Go rock out! Hopefully your guitar still works, and if it does, it should be much quieter.

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