Dex part 2

The exploration of the Samsung Dex desk environment warranted a second look, as I purchased yet one more Bluetooth keyboard and a mouse to go with it. 

Moving the windows around certainly improved and text editing in Google Docs became easier. 

Even if I admit the mouse button has some slippy quality, it looks like the environment is not as well designed as it first appeared to be. Tiny glitches are not uncommon, and there is maybe some vestige of the touch screen interface in the way the UI buttons work.

Apps generally play more nicely with the large screen format than I expected, although it's not universal.

Sublime Text mobile version didn't quite convince me on the small screen and didn't quite win me over on the full screen either.

The focused writing app Iawriter was nice, but I find it hard to justify it as Docs works now so well. It could work better on the small screen, as there's less clutter.

When using mostly one application, such as the Docs, the system works nicely.

I didn't do a huge survey of mice and keyboards, but did some quick choices based on size, weight and portability.

The mouse is Jlab GO Charge, which can be recharged with USB-C style connector. The mouse can be set with 2.4GHz or Bluetooth interface, and there's a dongle for the 2.4-style connection. The dongle can be carried in a slot within the mouse, so it's unlikely to get lost if stored this way.

The keyboard is Logitech Keys-to-Go 2, a relatively new and not too cheap keyboard. It felt light enough with normal size keys and a standard layout.

The keyboard is powered by CR2032 batteries, which is not a huge plus, but contributes to the flatness and lightness. The 36 month battery life sounds like the usual bogus, but let's hope I don't have to switch them more than once a year. (I'm looking at you Apple Mini BT keyboard!)

At least there is a power switch to prevent accidental current draw. The Keys-to-Go 2 doesn't even weigh much more than my earlier Voxicon foldable block, 222 grams against Voxicon's 166. The shape is better for sliding into a bag compartment.

The arrow keys are tiny and the presence of the function key row might be questioned, but all in all the layout is a proper one and not a compromise like in the Voxicon. The ; : _ - are where they are supposed to be. The key feel is good but not quite as firm as in the Apple Mini.

The non-removable cover flap was a major attraction and feels worth it when traveling. I just couldn't bother with a separate box or bag for keyboard.

The flap is supposed to go under the keys when typing, there's even a magnet to help keep it in place. To me this didn't work well at first, as the keyboard "jumps" a little while typing on the mushy hinge. Another magnet near the back might have helped.

But it looks like the hinge part might become a little more loose over time, which should improve the situation.

Wolfcraft flip-bit system

The flip-bit attached

Sometimes I just see something and know that eventually I'm going to buy it. A flip-bit system for power drills. More toys.

The idea here is that you can attach two bits, drills and such to the flip-bit and then it should become handy to switch between the two. Two flip-bits can have four functions at hand. If this sounds a little silly, well, it kind of is and isn't. Read on...

Wolfcraft 3086

I confess I somehow thought the bits would flip magically while in place, but that would be far too magical. You yank the flip-bit out of the locking position, pull it out, turn around and turn to lock.

At first the flip-bit didn't seem fast and I felt I had paid for things I already owned.

Also, this is more for garden bench type tasks, perhaps for someone who doesn't have many tools to begin with.

For these reasons, my first impressions were not all that great, but after using the set a few times I started warming to it.

The flip-bit pieces, with bits attached

The bit that does a drill hole and the countersink hole in one pass, is already of some value in itself. The short drill bits act as they have a built-in depth limiter, and these have their uses too. 

Although I must also point out there are situations where the drills might not reach deep enough. Another downside is you're stuck with the 2,3 and 4 mm drills as normal drills are too long and can't be attached to the system.

The flip bit gimmick requires some more forethought than I usually do, but that can only be a good thing.

I have to figure out what I need for the task, for example attach the countersink+drill into the other flip-bit, tighten it, then insert the relevant screw driver bit to the other side.

Countersink tools and a bit for e.g. screw hooks.

The sides are not symmetric, so you can't attach two drills to the same flip-bit. The driver bits are attached magnetically, while the other side needs to be tightened using a hex key.

After drilling the holes I turn the flip-bit over and re-insert it.

This isn't so much about speed. You can learn to switch bits quickly by holding the drill chuck and using the motor to remove/attach them. At least I don't have to fear dropping and losing small parts.

The whole kit

Usually, a second power drill comes in handy when doing multi-step tasks such as countersinks. But the flip-bit largely removes this need, and there's less to carry around.

The positive sides outweigh the few constraints. The flip action isn't perhaps all that great in and of itself, but the set brings together some order and intelligence. It would be wise to keep these trinkets together in the box they came in and not mix them with other gear.

Samsung Dex desktop

A theme I occasionally return to: what's a nice light-weight solution for a computer desktop or writing environment?

The obvious answer is "use a small laptop, dummy", but apparently I have been looking for something else.

My last Samsung phone could already provide a Google Docs environment for emergency note-taking, and now that I got an excuse to buy a newer phone, there's an added dimension.

Samsung S23FE has the Dex ("DeX") function which does not only mirror the screen to a larger display, but provides a desktop-like environment with all the support for a mouse and keyboard you'd expect.

For me the most basic way to do this is to use an USB-C to HDMI cable. A hub would work, but at least for now I think carrying a larger block around might work against the concept. I'll get yet another Bluetooth keyboard and a mouse and suffer the recharging carousel.

Fujitsu, Exibel, Belkin

After I bought one adapter, I found I already own two previously, and I don't quite get why as I believe my previous phone did not do any display mirroring. So I have a Belkin, Exibel and a Fujitsu adapters. Exibel and Fujitsu are on a short cable whereas the Belkin has an integrated 2m cable.

At least I could discover these are not all equal, as the Belkin one did not work with my HP Elite display at home. The Fujitsu and Exibel worked just fine.

The HP Elite display was a little disappointing, only offering one possible resolution which scaled poorly with the native resolution. Swapping the overscan options in the display itself, did not help.

At the office, the Fujitsu B27-9-TS-QHD display fared better, enabling a "Full HD" of 1920 x 1080. This display also accepted all the three adapters. The way the display is set up as a USB hub requires a weird cable, so I couldn't check if it would have acted as a hub for the phone.

The display and the phone react quite fast to the connection, the slightly older HP took a few more seconds to align itself.

Multiple windows open on desk

The phone touch screen can act as a trackpad, but sadly when the saver turns the screen off, it has to be turned on again to function. It may also deplete the battery quicker, despite being very low-key.

Basic pointer navigation and panning content worked rather well with the screenpad, pinching and selecting text less so.

Moving and resizing windows I felt was unresponsive, more due to design than the touch screen.

A couple of times I felt the virtual keyboard failed to respond, which was surprising as I would expect it to be a robust function. A physical keyboard would be preferable anyway.

Display resolution options appear limited

After connecting a Bluetooth keyboard, I think this is a better environment for Google Docs than a Raspberry Pi 4/400 on Raspbian.

Now it is clear the small Voxicon keyboard that was passable for writing notes on the tiny screen, is no longer qualified for typing on the big screen.

The Samsung Android phone with a desktop is quite funny experience, reminding me of how things were on Atari ST or early Mac.

It's weird that I tend to forget the whole phone ecosystem is there: browser, Facebook, maps, calendar, messaging, etc. and whatever you put into your phone are already in place, and as I have left them. Perhaps some part of my mind thinks this is a "computer" and hence a separate world from the phone.

A bunch of apps

This Samsung is at the low-end of Dex-capable phones, so it doesn't have the best processor or a lot of memory (8GB though). I wouldn't expect much from web browsing, for example scrolling news sites is probably better to do on the slick mobile screen.

Dex at least on this phone is not the route for watching Netflix or other streaming services full screen, as it does look a little choppy. Only in an emergency. Casting is far more preferable, but of course it needs a Chromecast dongle in the same network.

The Youtube app felt passable for watching a small video but I'm thinking the small screen might again be more forgiving for low bitrate videos.

It may be the more powerful Samsung phones can do video better and the overall experience could be smoother.

Looking more at third-party apps, it's clear not every app is maintained well enough to play nice with the Dex environment. For example, whereas the Blogger app might work for creating posts on the mobile screen, it was actually better to open Blogger inside the browser in Dex. The app seemed to make a mess out of the keyboard input.

There are hilarious details. Opening a Google service through browser can initiate the phone-based security check – on the exact same device.

At least on S23FE the Dex is hardly a replacement for an entire desktop computer, but it looks like surprisingly diverse tasks can be handled with it and they can benefit from the large screen format.

Akai EIE (not Pro)

Akai EIE

I never really had a solution for simultaneous multi-track recording on the computer, so it's high time I got to experiment with it. I got this old AKAI EIE for so cheap it doesn't much matter if it disintegrates tomorrow.

The EIE is from 2011 so it's a little long in the tooth. Technically, I can use the likewise old Fostex MR-8 to record four mono-tracks, but it is a cumbersome solution and I don't even really have the cables to do that.

By the way, it's easy to miss the distinction between the EIE and the EIE Pro version. They have the same interface, but the Pro version has higher sampling rates available. The pro has a silver panel, whereas this older EIE has a red panel. The mistake is easy to make, after all the word "professional" is stamped around the box about four times.

This is in a way fortunate because the ordinary EIE does not have any complications with drivers on Linux, and I could quite happily record 4 simultaneous tracks on Audacity on first try. But the quality remains at 16bit 44Khz.

The front panel

Before relating my experiences, I'll have a peep at the panels.

In front, there are the four inputs, combo XLR/TRS style, four gains and settings for guitar/line/mic levels and phantom power.

There are two round analog VU meters, which contribute to the somewhat naive styling of the box. The late 00's saw these weird retro aesthetics on synths and gear. Hence the analog amp look, replete with metal toggle switches. Usefully, the VUs flash violently red if peaking. In a dark room you'd probably see the flashes even if you weren't looking at the VUs.

Volume Unit meters

Some further knobs and switches adjust the headphone level and channel combinations. There's a toggle for stereo/mono which is useful when recording mono channels. You can also decide which channel pairs are shown in the VU, or if they indicate input or output.

At the back there are four outputs and inserts, and apparently the inserts can be used for external sound processing. Without a bus and level adjustments (it's not a mixer after all) I'm unsure what is their value. Perhaps the idea is to control the levels from the separate equipment itself. The short manual isn't much use here, apparently monitor speakers can be connected to the outputs.

The back panel

There's MIDI in and out, and the main USB connection between the EIE and the computer. An 1.1 USB doesn't sound much, but it should be enough for the 16-bit 44Khz traffic. The Pro version I suppose must have USB 2.0.

The EIE also works as an USB hub for three devices, but again with 1.1. so maybe only useful as a power source. Ok, it's possible to insert an USB-MIDI keyboard.

Somewhere I read a comment saying these USBs produce very little electric disturbance and hum, so perhaps there's that too. It might be the one area where the EIE has become a little more valuable over age, as so many tiny synths can be USB-powered these days.

EIE and Ardour

I was mainly interested in having multi-channel audio recorded with MIDI-clock sync. Recording without synced clock would be nearly useless. A "120 BPM" in the source machine might not agree with the recording computer, and there would be a mismatch between the bar grid and the sound data.

As the recorder sends a clock signal, the audio will be instead happily laid over the bar grid, facilitating further bar-based editing and song construction.

I tried Qtractor at first as I'm already familiar with it, but I just couldn't bother with getting EIE to work with Jack, so I installed Ardour and used ALSA.

Ardour5

I'm not that keen to move over to a full-on DAW that does everything, Ardour looks sufficient for recording and has good editing facilities.

As I have a Roland Boutique synth, on occasions I found Linux had chosen that as an audio device (the boutiques do that) so I had to explicitly tell the system the EIE is the desired output device. Looking with Alsamixer there are no adjustable parameters for the EIE.

Ardour tracks explicitly connected to outputs

Setting up things with the EIE and Ardour had some complications, as it wasn't always obvious if I'm meant to hear the sound or not. I fought for a while with something I thought was a clock sync misunderstanding, only to find out I had to flip a switch in the EIE to hear the sound. It's a little uncertain if the same would have helped with Qtractor, but I doubt it.

Also, Ardour can lose the configuration and it may need to be re-set for each new project.

I can also have four-channel output from the Ardour but in practice it's better to re-route to "stereo".

Ardour MIDI clock setting for EIE Midi interface

Likewise, to have the MIDI clock working, I have to use the Ardour "patching matrix" style interface. Here the Boutique has imposed itself as a possible MIDI device too.

I have to say the editing is quite intuitive, the audio blocks can be cut, spliced and moved about quickly. 

What I got with my setup is a slight mismatch between the recording starting point, which didn't exactly line up with the beginning of the tracks. Not sure if this has anything to do with EIE, or some parameter in Ardour.

Anyway, it was easy to fix in the edit, by cutting the obvious extra and moving the tracks to the start position. After that it's simple to cut, paste, remove and repeat song portions.

Some empty space at the start of the recording, to be cut away

A problem with a small number of recording tracks is that separating percussion could easily take four or more channels.

There's a cheap way to improve the situation a little, by recording permutations of the beat after the "song" proper has been recorded. So you can have bars with kick or hihat only, then use repeats to create new tracks for all of them.

In any case it looks it would be better if the basic bones of a song fit into four tracks. Afterwards, four more tracks might be recorded for further embellishments. Again it looks like the gear is aimed at the classic 4-person band who want to record a demo.

Trying to figure settings for punching in some MIDI USB keyboard playing ultimately crashed Ardour, and I started recalling why I moved away from this type of software in the first place.

But anyway, in the end the EIE box did what I wanted, it records four (mono) channels simultaneously and it wasn't expensive. In addition, it does perform as a funny-looking sound card, and I don't have to switch between general computer use and sound recording contexts.

Vammala Party 2024

This was the thirtieth Vammala Party, and Thirty years of Vammala Party. It was also the tenth anniversary for me, and the eleventh visit overall. 

The location is the almost standard Kauppila farm, with good accommodation and suitable outdoors options. The weather was mixed, but not limiting in any way.

The event is not purely a demoparty, one could say the demoscene events only occupy one corner of the whole thing. This in some ways makes it more appealing than many demoparties, but it's also apparent the compos don't have many entries.

The Wild compo was strong as usual, there are even certain traditions and styles observed, which have grown (or in-grown) during the years.

I had nothing to contribute beforehand to the compos, except an idea for the Tuplain compo where existing youtube audio is combined with another video. I combined a slowed down C64 Delta footage with Koyaanisqatsi music. When I have little expectations about winning the compo, I submit something I'd personally like to see, or want to show to others.

The reverse also exists, of combining slowed down SID Delta music with a Koyaanisqatsi clip, but I spared the audience from this as the music sounded rather horrible.

The customary on-site Commodore 64 PETSCII was done, and it turned out ok.

Pals, Commodore 64 PETSCII

Then I began working on a Tic-80 fantasy console image. This I supposed would be small enough to do on location. Yet my ambition grew and I saw the idea would not really fit into that resolution. So, I switched over to Atari ST format and kept on pixeling.

I am working on adding a Tic-80 mode to Multipaint, but the more I understand about it the less interesting it seems. With 24-bit RGB colors, the mode is so flexible as to be almost pointless.

Also, using the two layers, 32 colors could be invoked, and with some tricks I believe even more is possible. So I could almost just as well enable a low resolution 24-bit RGB mode. Meh.

But enough of that.

Pixels in Space, Atari ST, 320x200, 16 colors out of 512

The Atari ST outcome is nice, and although I could see a few more evenings would help a little, the hands are a little lazy and the dithering could be more refined. But there's also a certain roughness I like.

Perhaps using the default Tic-80 palette as a starting point helped take the image in this direction, instead of doing the "one color slide and accents" approach. I'm also relatively unaware what peak Atari ST images look like, so I was not too much pressured by precedents.

https://demozoo.org/parties/5037/

Z-Saw guide "Best"

Saw, guide and clamped piece in place. Angle ruler just for scale.

Quick on the heels of the Z-saw guide "F" I also got this simpler guide, intended for 90-degree and 45-degree cuts. It also promises to help with parallel sawing.

This is smaller, but it's still quite heavy and the instant appearance is that of robustness and high definition.

It's not simple to claim 90-degree accuracy, and I'm not sure if I can ever expect perfection from something like this. For example, there are more expensive try squares that do little else than verify an angle.

Here the removable guide part is more clearly positioned to the the side of the tool than it was with the "F" guide. I feel more confident about that detail. 

Small but effective.

The guide part itself is smaller and thinner, and I'm not certain it wouldn't sway under the forces hand sawing can produce. It's only secured from the top with two adjustment screws.

Even the first time I could more easily do a 90-degree cut. But I also saw ever-so-slightly lopsided result with a 21x45 profile board – better results may require some experience and the right "touch". But at least while sawing 21x21mm profiled rods, I encountered no problems.

There are two blade thicknesses, and switching between the two means altering between two guide parts, which can be hand-screwed loose and re-inserted in desired order.

The other thickness is the same as with the "F" guide so I could use the saw supplied with that guide and attach the smaller blade with the grip that came with this guide.

The guide plate in place, the angle ruler just for scale.

From the manual it looks like I could just press the device against a wood piece and cut. Hence the rounded "handle". I much prefer to use clamps.

It's actually possible to remove the handle part, giving a more straight surface for clamping, but as it doesn't make a huge difference I left it on. Who knows, the pressure might be better distributed when it's on.

Again, doing repeats has to be figured out by other means.

I set a reference rod side by side with the work piece using a try square, while clamping them together. Then I inserted the dummy blade to the saw guide, pulled it down against the reference and clamped it to position. This needs to be done carefully as the dummy blade bends easily.

Pulling the guide dummy blade against the reference rod end.

This way I could get the length to the territory of less than 1/10th of a millimeter accuracy compared to the reference piece. This doesn't sound that bad but actually is rather annoying if you really need the pieces to be of the same length.

For my practical case this was ok, as gluing and clamping resulted in more inaccuracies than my sawing...

But I could do better by using a dedicated stopper. Also, it might be better to rely on something else than the dummy blade.

For the modest gate-like object I'm making, I needed to have 9 equally long rods with preferably no deviation from the 90 degrees. The method I used, this tolerance was bearable and I was pleased enough with the result. Especially the angles appeared to be smooth.

Another way might have been to clamp together multiple rods at once and attempt parallel sawing. Perhaps another time!

The Best saw guide is easier to use for this task than the "F" guide. I'll look into doing the 45 degree cuts later. Is it exaggeration to have both? Perhaps not, as I have no other silent options for making cuts.

Nice enough!

Tool Time: Z-saw precision saw guide F

Piece clamped into position, the saw in place.

Decades ago, as a naive young man, I bought the cheapest possible plastic mitre box and assumed I could easily create wooden frames for paintings. Didn't happen.

Decades passed.

Now, Facebook ads, of all things, pushed this device that might be the ultimate compact hand-sawing assist. It's not one of those space-eating mitre saw contraptions, here the saw blade passes through between aligned metal plates. It's fairly small and should also help in longer parallel cuts.

Apart from that the guide does any angle, compound angles, it's quite easy to apply and the cut is precise and even.

The dual adjustment for vertical angle.

Adjusting the device is a little trickier. Although it's heavy and sturdy, there's no immediate "lock" for accurate 90 degree position. Sure, there are markers but these are far from the kind of definition you'd find in a vernier caliper, for example. For the vertical alignment, two adjustments are needed. 

Just eyeballing the markers isn't enough to ensure proper angle. Either you use the scribe-dummy plane-cut method as described in the manual, or you calibrate the angle against a smooth surface with a really good try square.

The device is somewhat lacking in surfaces for doing such a calibration. The vertical is easy to set, as there's a lot of surface to put a try square against. The sticker is somewhat in the way, and this is a good reason to remove it.

Calibrating the guide vertically. Here still trying to avoid the sticker.

The horizontal is harder to set, as there's even less surface to work with. But it's possible to lower the guide portion below the table surface level, and "pull" the backside of the guide against a corner of a piece that's known to be 90-degree accurate. (Easier said than found...)

All in all, I believe the guide is meant to support the scribing method described in the manual. So, everything needs to be checked before committing to a cut. The process can be either meditative and interesting, or just frustrating.

Calibrating horizontally against a corner.

Two additional items were included in the set, intended to help identify the correct angle. One is an angle protractor. It is a minimalist item, but testing it against a try square it does produce accurate angles.

The second item is a "dummy plane", a .6 millimeter thick bladeless plane for verifying the marked line and adjusting the guide into place.

The whole circular guide element can be moved vertically, by releasing the knob. This is more essential for the angled cuts, but even with a straight cut it can be useful to drop the guide against the piece as the sawing proceeds.

Some of the extras. The 90-degree guide is attached.

There are also a couple of attachments, a removable handle and two guides. One guide helps with parallel sawing, the other is for cuts. With long parallel cuts, it's expected the saw guide moves with the saw as the cut advances.

I'm not super confident about the guides, as their placement appears slightly less than absolute. I'd also recommend using two clamps rather than one, when attaching to a piece.

A variant of a kataba-type saw (backless, thick, general purpose) is included with the set, and as is with these Japanese saws, it operates by pulling rather than pushing. With the way the guide works, a backless saw is a necessity.

The grip is removable and can be attached upside down too.

Another angle, showing the adjustment key at its home.

A sore point here are repeats, which the device cannot really solve on its own. You'd need a fairly extensive jig/guide to be able to do both adjustable and repeated parallel cuts.

There are nice details, the T-shaped allen/hex type adjusting key has a home inside the guide, and it's best kept there when not needed.

Like I said the ground plane of the guide is sturdy, in addition it is easy to attach to tables and other pieces using clamps, especially after removing the handle (not pictured) out of the way. The plane also has enough holes to attach it semi-permanently to a jig.

Result.

A good try square is needed to test if the result is properly 90 degrees.

I won't pass a full verdict now, as the pieces I've worked with are not that precise to begin with. But it does seem some attention is needed to get best results. I could find some lopsidedness in one corner, but for most practical purposes, the wood end is as good as perpendicular.

All in all, I'm more positive about this device as I gain practice. For anyone who has access to electric saw, it might seem slow, but it's better and faster for the job than anything I've had before.

I likely wouldn't recommend this guide on very thick pieces, and some reviews seem to suggest as much. It's logical, the more the saw comes out from the guide, the more potential there is for drifting. 

For my purposes a guide with a rigid 90 degree angle might have been more useful... and I did actually get another, simpler guide. It's early days, but both seem to have pros and cons. More about that in another post.