Comparison of Ergotron HX Heavy Duty Tilt Head vs Original

The Ergotron HX is unable to take the weight of a Samsung G9 while maintaining tilt functionality due to the severe shape and difference in Center of Gravity. Previous to the new Heavy Duty Tilt Head (Part: 98-540-216) users have resorted to ties, jamming screws and retrofited base stand head to affix their monitors.

The new Heavy Duty head can be identified by the more prominent side bolts and screws on the top of the head. It may be a manufacturing variance but this new head also appears generously lubricated and an off-grey color compared to the original.

Tips for Updating Samsung Odyssey G9 Firmware

The exe file that comes from Samsung is compressed with ALZip, which is available from the Windows Store. You can open the file for self-extraction or use that application to decompress the IMG file within. Copy the file to the root directory of a FAT32 (surprisingly NTFS also worked for me) USB stick. Unplug the USB Type B plug from the rear of the monitor if it is attached. Then attach the USB stick to the outermost port on the rear. If you plug into the innermost port it will not update.

Go to the front of the monitor and use the OSD stick to go the the Menu. Choose Support -> Software Update. If you followed the steps correctly the stick will start flashing as it is read. If it does not read it may be you forgot to unplug the USB Type B which causes the monitor to become a hub, stick may be in the wrong USB port, or file is not in root directory. Update should take less than 5 minutes. A progress bar is displayed.

Stripping screws on Omen 15 Laptop

Use a Philips Head #000 (PH000) screw driver to remove the screws. I made the mistake of using #0 and #00, using a common precision screw driver set from Walmart, which stripped it for the tougher front screws. HP uses thread locking glue so it is hit or miss for successful extraction without the proper screwdriver head. If the screw does not come out easily, stop! If this message is too late as you have already stripped it, screwdriver just spins freely and you can see silver, use a Microbit Screw Extractor (the smallest one in the set) with a power drill. Install the bit, set the drill on reverse, set the lowest speed or infinite with a slow press. Pressing down firmly on the screw head start with the side having the big teeth. If it bites the screw will extract. In my case I did not even have to use the other side with more threads. As for replacement screws, there are laptop screw sets you can buy from Amazon and such. For the 2018-2020 Omen 15 the outer case screws are M2x6.0.

Links:
(PAID link) Microbit Screw Extractor (Amazon)
(PAID link) Assorted Laptop Screws (Amazon)
(PAID link) Screwdriver set containing PH000 (Amazon)

Why Is my Mic not recorded on OBS Stream?

So I checked all the usual suspects: Mic audio levels were moving, unchecked exclusive mode on microphone, made sure microphone was not muted in Windows or OBS, verified desktop audio could be heard on the stream. But somehow OBS was not sending my Mic/Aux to either the Stream or Recording. Discord had no issue picking up my voice so it had to be something in OBS. Clicked on Advanced Properties on the Mic/Aux under Audio Mixer. I see that track 1 was assigned to Desktop Audio while track 2 was set for the Mic/Aux. So I clicked Track 1 on the Mic/Aux as well, magically the recording now has sound. I notice that the track selector on Stream is a radio button, only one can be active.

UPDATE: Found a similar issue in the OBS Forum

Removing Ferrero Rocher Labels from Jewel Boxes

Clear containers are good for storing things and seeing immediately what is in them. These chocolate boxes always seemed a shame to throw away. Here is an easy way to remove the labels

Tools needed:

• Packing Tape
• Vegetable Oil
• Soap and Water

Removing the Logo under the Cover:

1. Flip the cover over to access the logo underneath the cover.
2. Cut a length of packing tape to cover as much of the logo as possible.  Leave enough on the sides so you can pull easily.
3. Press the tape unto the logo firmly.
4. Peel the tape off the cover, the logo should come off with it.
5. Repeat until clean.

Removing the Sticker on Bottom Right:

1. Use fingernails or a spoon to lift the edges of the sticker label.
2. Get some vegetable oil (unused) and smother the label.
3. Be generous around the edges so the oil can seep into the adhesive layer.
4. Let sit for about an hour.
5. Gently peel from one end of the sticker.
6. Wash with soap (the blue Dawn is best) to remove oil and leftover adhesive.
7. Let dry.

First time user of Insta360 ONE with Android and PC

My primary phone is Android and I edit with a PC. Insta360 ONE was initially made with IPhone in mind. So a few gotchas cropped up on first use.

1. The camera has a partial charge.   It also comes with an 8GB microSD card (You need a "3" card .. 30MB/s minimum).   Take this opportunity to go to the download site and pickup the latest Firmware and Insta360 Studio for PC/Mac.   The android apk is available from this same site. Though it is also available via Google Play.

 2. The Insta360 ONE app for Android is needed to connect to it via Bluetooth. You can't pair it directly yourself. 0000 and 1234 are not valid PIN. You must use the app to connect. To access the camera first you have to select the Camera icon on the lower right side of the app. You select blueooth and pick out the Insta360 ONE in the next screen. Once connected it will ask if you want to switch to Android mode (apparently you have to switch it back and forth between Android or IOS control). Do it. You will be rewarded with an obtuse screen showing how to connect with an adapter directly to the phone.

 I didn't have that adapter, I had to connect to via the bluetooth icon again. Then you get a screen where you can remote control the device. You won't be able to preview anything via Bluetooth apparently.

3. First time opening the SD Card on the PC showed a DCIM\Camera folder.   No JPG or MP4 here.  Instead we have INSP (Photo) and INSV (Video) files.   Since these extensions are not standard you will have to back it up manually.  Insta360 Studio is necessary to make these files usable.

4.  Installing the Insta360 Studio had some oddness to it.   There was a pop-up to install two drivers with Chinese names on it.  Couldn't read it, but it didn't really give me a choice to I blindly clicked ok.   Next odd thing was Microsoft C++ 2013 Redistributable would be stuck there waiting for prompt if you already had it installed from another product.   I chose the repair function and it required a reboot.

It takes some time to export files, which is also where the image stabilization occurs, so factor that in.   The Insta360 Viewer is available for PC/Mac/Android/IOS if you want to view the raw files.

Where Wyzecam V2 Android Saves Videos/Pictures

Manually recorded videos from playback are saved to this folder
\Wyze\Camera\manual

Files are numeric (e.g. 1526426401.mp4) with date stamps on when the manual record was made.

The preview videos for notifications are saved in
\Wyze\Camera\Video

Camera's ID number prefixes the video name followed by a video ID number. To make it easier, use the share function then file manager within the application to see the nickname of each video and its actual recording time, then copy it to your downloads folder.