Jan 18
RossGeekery 64-bit, audio, Dell, driver, Inspiron 1525, laptop, PC, Recuva, Sigmatel, Skype, Win7, windows, Windows 7
Well, I’ve done it: I’ve finally updated our home laptop to Redmond’s latest and greatest – Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit (having a year’s free subscription to TechNet has its benefits!). The clunky old Vista Home Premium (32-bit) that the machine came shipped with was just getting too frustrating… I don’t have much hair left, and I’d like to keep what’s there, thank you Mr. Ballmer.
As it happened, it was pretty straightforward… I always keep my data and OS on separate partitions, and get quite anal about backups, so I had nothing to lose and everything to gain; I’d already installed Win 7 on a virtual machine and was quite impressed – but how would it fare on the Dell?
All in all, it’s been a reasonably pain-free process. OK, so the email backup corrupted (Recuva saved the day) but that was nothing. No, by far the biggest headache was getting the Sigmatel Audio driver working… The original driver disc only had a 32-bit version, so a bit of Googling was in order. I duly downloaded the suggested driver package (R153910), which appeared to solve the problem.
Until I tried using Skype. Volume dropouts, auto-levels all over the place, then nothing. I uninstalled and deleted the driver, rebooted and tried again. Nope – still problematic.
Further Googling revealed that several people are experiencing the same trouble. So, I tried a different driver (R171786; direct from the Dell FTP site) and again, things started working.
Until I tried Skype again – same problems.
I had a cup of tea, which helps in *all* problem-solving activities, and then it struck me – Windows 7 Compatibility modes! Yes – instead of running the driver .exe file straight from the browser, try this:
- Save the R171786.exe file to your hard drive.
- Right-click the file and choose Properties.
- Click the Compatibility tab and tick the Compatibility Mode checkbox.
- Select an appropriate version of Windows from the list. I picked Vista SP2, as the audio was one thing that I never had problems with before.
- Click OK to close the dialog.
- Run the .exe file to install the driver.
Hey Presto! Working audio in Skype (version 4.1.0.179)
It’s not much, but I hope that it helps someone out there…
Dec 7
RossMusic, Project 0001 0001, build, Fender, guitar, project, strat, Stratocaster
Faker Startocaster
Finally! It lives!
Actually, I’ve been a bit slack; it’s been alive for the last month or so…
I was down to play Dire Straits’ “Sultans of Swing” at the annual UKMG National in Buxton and *really* needed a Strat. So, with only the wiring and a setup to do, I dedicated a couple of hours one evening and…
<fanfare>TA-DA!!!!!!</fanfare>
Well, it’s a Strat – what did you expect? “Three single-coil pickups and a whammy bar,” to quote Tia Carrere in “Wayne’s World”. Although I’ve made a couple of additional tweaks:
- Bridge pickup is also connected to the middle- tone control, to enable me to tame the highs a bit.
- Middle/Bridge tone control has a push/pull switch to add the middle pickup in series to the bridge or neck pickup (positions 1 and 5) and route the signal via an additional capacitor for a tone roll-off (positions 2, 3 and 4)
So, am I pleased? You betcha! The neck has a 12″ radius, so there’s no choking on bends. The Fender Tex-Mex pickups are really “Stratty”, as you’d expect, with plenty of bite from the bridge and quack in the “inbetween” positions. I’m also dead chuffed with the shielding… This thing is bereft of interference; even playing in a room with two dimmer switches.
A couple of videos of me playing “No 1.”, as she’ll no doubt be called, are already on YouTube:
Sultans of Swing (unrehearsed!)
I Wish I Knew How (It Would Feel To Be Free) – unrehearsed (and it shows!)
So what’s next? Well, I’ve got a Squier Stratocaster and a few tins of nitrocellulose in the garage…
Sep 10
RossMusic, Project 0001 body, guitars, Stratocaster
Project 0001 - the body
Well, the replacement body turned up – a three-piece alder body with SSH routing, undrilled, finished in Vintage White. Initially, I thought that either I or they had cocked up with the colour; as it’s definitely cream, not white. However, checking against Fender’s standard colour chart, I can see that it’s as specified… My bad!
Still, in my mind it looks pretty good against the gold anodized scratchplate (and appears to be a pretty good match to the original). The ‘plate, incidentally, is the real deal – a Fender ’57-style. The original one, bought from eBay, looked great face-on but otherwise appeared silver… Not the effect I was looking for! Thankfully, I managed to lose that one via the ‘Bay so I’ve virtually broken even there.
Since the body was undrilled, copious measurements were taken, drawings made and photos referred to to ensure that everything went in the right place. It was then that I realised that the neck pocket had to be reshaped slightly to accommodate the square-heeled neck that I’d already prepped (note to self – buy a router and templates. Quicker and easier than playing with chisels and miniature sanding drums!). Of course, this reshaping also necessitated some alteration to the scratchplate, too. It’s not the tidiest of jobs, but it will be hidden by the 22nd-fret overhang. Before anyone flames me for being a “bodgit and leggit”, don’t forget that this is both a personal project and a learning curve for me!
Anyway, centre lines were marked, neck was offered up, string positions calculated and the final bridge position determined. I used the Power8 Workshop‘s pillar drill to bore the bridge screw holes… I’d already established that the centre two holes would need to be drilled free-hand, as the throat on the Power8 isn’t huge. Large carpenters squares and spirit levels are incredibly useful in this scenario! Additional screw holes were marked, punched and drilled and all parts screwed to the body using a good ol’-fashioned screwdriver. I’ve heard too many tales of wandering bits and snapped screws to risk using anything powered!
So far, so good – everything fits and, through my eyes, looks pretty good. Next step – fixing the neck. Then on to shielding the cavities and wiring.
I’m aiming to get this finished by the time I hit the UKMG National at Buxton in November… Time will tell!
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