What I've been up to
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Written by Thom McGrath on Friday, September 5, 2008 at 11:03 PM (-05:00)
Categories: General (15)
Tags: Dell (1), REAL (1), Subway (1)
Just a general post, nothing special about it.
Subway
So I still do some odd-jobs for my previous employer, since I'm still the best tech guy he knows and likely the best in CT when it comes to Subway stuff. His stores are still the most high-tech Subway restaurants in CT because of the stuff I did while there.
In the middle of the lunch rush yesterday, one of the store's cash registers went down completely. Claimed it could not detect the chipset heatsink and thus would not startup. Upon opening it, one of the little loops that holds the integrated graphics chip heatsink down had snapped off.
And worse, it wasn't in the case. Still trying to figure out how it left the case, but we may never know.
Brief interlude: This computer is a Dell. I have a challenge for Dell. Can you please make a computer that does not suck with every ounce of it's existence? Is that so much to ask? We have two Dell registers, both needed their motherboards replaced, and now this one will a second time. Brilliant, way to set the bar low Dell. It takes real talent to suck that hard.
So the problem was not that the heatsink didn't exist, it was that the board could not detect it. I concluded that since the entire hook mechanism was metal, the board must be sending an electrical current through to make sure the heatsink was there. So after trying many different types of material, a stripped-clean piece of 14-gauge speaker cable did the trick to fit in the tiny holes in the motherboard. But that didn't do it. So I tried putting pressure on the heatsink as well, and presto! The computer would boot. To experiment, I removed the speaker cable yet kept pressure and the computer would not boot. I was able to conclude that the motherboard was using a combination of a pressure sensor and current sensor. So I shoved a folded-over piece of cardboard between the heatsink and the hard drive, and the computer works - although it's fragile.
So I called Dell to begin the process of getting a new motherboard. Turns out, the system is out of warranty. I was told they would not simply sell me a motherboard, I had to have some sort of service contract. But in order to get a service contract, the computer had to undergo an inspection - which it would fail. Thus, Dell is completely useless. We found the same motherboard from a third-party and I'll install it when it arrives. In the meantime, we have a computer that is functional only thanks to cardboard and a piece of speaker cable.
REAL
Not much I can say here, since I'm still employed with REAL. But I did just complete a miniature logic processor for something special we're cooking up - not something I really wanted to do, but there was no better way. I'm a bit proud of it though. And no, I did not base my code on AngelLogic - sorry Theo, I just don't care.
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Taking a break from wasting time, Fargo came by to say:
Dude, I feel some of your pain. One of my clients owns two Subways, soon to be add a third, and when they started it was all hyper-OEM systems. Thankfully now all I have to deal with is normal computer failures and that awful software they have to use, which is akin to the aborted leavings of three other projects. I've also experienced the joy of learning that Geovision makes a rather short lived video capture card.
Anyway, thanks for the tip, I'm sure it'll come in handy someday. Also, still many congrats for landing in a job you enjoy.
[ September 6 2008 | E-Mail ]
Thom McGrath wrote:
I've gone through just about every model cash register. When I started, we had one store using the Micros Model 64 and one using an Eclipse. When store three opened, we gave a shot to IBM's PosiTerm. While a programmer's dream, it was impossible to use for an average user. You actually needed to understand how to calculate binary bitmasks - and they expect teenagers to use it? After a couple years, we sold them. Store four used this Dell register and after the first week, we decided never to buy one of those again. So we tried the HP Micros and were sold. That is a very good register, and we have eight of them in place now. The second Dell came in when we purchased a store. Two weeks after the purchase, the motherboard just up and died.
What I do now is cut the middle-man out. I figured out who is supplying what to Micros and I build the cash registers myself. They're far more powerful, use RAID mirroring, have a video out port so we can record the screen to our security system, use nearly all the same parts as the HP Micros, comes with a 24-hour / 7 day / 4-hour response warranty, and is much cheaper. We have five of those now.
The GeoVision cards are great, and we have one in a DTT system we purchased, and four in other DVRs I built myself. Absolutely fantastic. We tried some various models by Sanyo and such, but nothing compares to the shear power and usability of the GeoVision-based systems. It's to the point that the owner is considering replacing all his DVRs with them.
I'm not sure what you mean by short-lived though, you can still purchase them easily and updates are still coming out for the software.
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Disclaimer: I am currently an employee of REAL Software. My comments and opinions are mine alone and do not represent those of my employer. My posts are not official REAL Software communications, and may contain information that is incorrect or misleading.
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