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I was on the phone with one of my buddies and then when I came back to my desk, I realized that my Razer Blade Stealth 2016 went to sleep. I tried waking it by pressing the power button, but nothing happened and the LED indicator subsequently went bonkers (the red, white, green LEDs were simultaneously blinking!). To my horror, the power button remained permanently depressed and prevented the system from booting.

Reaching out to @RazerSupport, there wasn’t much that they could do and any further effort required labor costs for repair. Not interested in paying $120+++ for the repair costs, I attempted the fix on my own.

Firstly, I removed the battery connection and used the AC adapter to power the device. It still could not boot and that means we can dismiss battery issues and I was quite sure that it was an issue with the mechanics of the power button. The power button is hidden beneath the fans and heatsink which means I had to remove them in order to gain access.

After removing the heatsink, we can visually see the bottom side of the power button (the little shiny rectangle at the bottom). After some wriggling, the mechanical cover sprung free and released the hold on the button. FINALLY! I immediately tried to boot the device and it was a relief to see everything coming back to life again.

The only hiccup I had was that I yanked the MHF4 connector off the WIFI module. It was most fortunate that the pads didn’t come off as well. I called up my friends at Thesis and got myself a replacement part from them. 

Fixed!

Conclusion

All in all, I hope if the same thing happens to other RBS owners, maybe they will find this useful and save some dollars like I did. Lots of complaints online about the RBS, but being a simple guy, I just want to get back to work on my machine. Let’s just hope the same thing doesn’t happen again!

In the past 2 years, it has been a real treat using the Atlassian software tools for project and quality management. I recently had the opportunity reinstall the server versions of Jira Software, Bitbucket, and Confluence on another server machine and I thought I’ll just jot down all the steps necessary for future references.

Collaboration tools for teams of all sizes - true dat!

Setting Up the Databases

First up, you need to install Microsoft SQL Server 2014 or later (the free Express edition works too). This is for creating the databases necessary for each software tool to store important data. For simplicity, I will create 3 individual databases (jira, bitbucket, confluence) and 1 admin user (sysadmin).

Log into the Microsoft SQL Server and create the 3 new databases with the following settings.

Enter the database names.

Select the Collation setting under Options. Select case insensitive SQL_Latin1_General_CP437_CI_AI for jira, and case sensitive SQL_Latin1_General_CP1_CS_AS for bitbucket and confluence.

Create a new login.

Select SQL Server authentication and specify the password.

Map the user to the databases created and set its role to db_owner.

Set the READ_COMMITED_SNAPSHOT to ON in all 3 databases.

Fire up the Sql Server Configuration Manager, and set the TCP Port to 1433 for the SQL instance that you created.

Restart the SQL server instance.

Jira Software Server

Proceed to the Atlassian webpage and download the latest installation package for Jira Software Server and launch the installer.

Select Custom Install to go through the settings like file location and shortcut creation.

You could configure the TCP Ports or just use the default values.

Install it as a Service and proceed with the installation.

Launch Jira Software once installation is complete.

Set up JIRA manually to connect with the database created earlier.

Enter the required settings and test connection to database. Proceed to Next if successful.

Setup JIRA site and enter your license key. I recommend setting the base URL to the IP address assigned to the server PC. This way, other PCs in the network can also access the site through the base URL (in my case I disabled the firewall so that other PCs could access the port).

Bitbucket Server and Confluence Server

They pretty much follow the same flow of events as it was in the setting up of JIRA Software Server.

Rounding Up

I recently upgraded to AD17, and boy has productivity shot up.

One of the great timesavers is the Cross Selection Mode which I use extensively now to quickly position all the components in sequence while referring to the schematic.

Firstly, ensure that you have the Cross Selection setting checked. Go to Preferences -> System -> Navigation, and check the Cross Selection box. For me, I opted out of Nets and Pins. Ensure that the Reposition selected components in PCB option is checked too.

Then open up your PCB and Schematic documents in a split view, and select the components that you want for placement. It is just so intuitive now for you to optimize the positioning of components accordingly.

Considered as the place for hardware pilgrimage, Shenzhen is home to the Silicon Valley of Hardware. We finally made the trip end May 2017 and had a chance to experience the evolving city. Below are a few recaps for my future reference.

How We Got There and Around

We took the scenic route by flying to Hong Kong and then transiting to Shenzhen’s Shekou Ferry Terminal from HKIA. It’s a 40 minutes ride, similar to a ferry from Singapore to Batam! I guess the flexibility in terms of flight timings to and fro HK made it more appealing.

Our meetings for the first two days were scheduled tightly so we mostly got about through petrol or electric taxis on metered fares (quite affordable at around 10 yuan starting price and 2.40 yuan/km). The electric taxis (all by BYD) were cleaner and more comfortable in my opinion. Having not taken any other transports, I would not be able to comment much on the metro and buses (although they seem pretty okay too from the outside).

Establishing Phone Communications

From our recent experience, I would certainly go online the next time and get one of these 4G data SIM cards from CUniq for traveling in both Hong Kong and China. You can have it delivered to you before you travel over. Otherwise, you could try data roaming with your existing local bundle (which is something Singapore carriers offer) for a one-time fee.

Paradise for Crowdfunding Seekers?

We managed to network with a few design houses and manufacturers located in Shenzhen to support our upcoming Kickstarter campaign and future distribution. Having met with the ‘locals’ there, we had a better understanding of how business is currently conducted in China and how even that is transforming in the near future. The ‘Shanzai’ spirit that people associate with copycat products nowadays are starting to become more like turning high-end products more accessible to the public but are starting to have more or even better quality than the originals. It is also relatively easy for people to start new businesses by tapping on the abundance of ODMs/OEMs, with each company differentiating by making a few changes to a similar product. The key thing here is about distributing the product fast and generating revenue. Very pragmatic.

Met with local incubator - Leaguer-Star

Met with Seeedstudio

Met with NOA Labs

Met with Workshop

Huaqiangbei Shopping Spree

What are a few big boys to do when you’ve got a whole day in Huaqiangbei? SHOPPING!!! We spent our last full day in Shenzhen at SEG Electronics Market and Huaqiang Electronics World. The entire area is littered with shops but we were told that people are starting to move out and find cheaper rentals. I’ll end this post with pictures of the items which I bought.

10x Lightning and MicroUSB 2-in-1 connectors - 5 yuan

These are for a simple project that I have in mind.

1x Rubber Desk Mat - 40 yuan

No more worries of sweaty elbows.

1x Lightning Cable - 10 yuan

1x RGB mechanical keyboard - 149 yuan

The only qualm that I have is that the backslash is beside ‘Enter’ rather than above it. Guess I’ll be shopping for another TKL mechanical keyboard =P

1x REMAX Water Tap Filter - 119 yuan

1x Wireless Soundbar - 100 yuan

1x Mi 5000 mAh Powerbank - 75 yuan

Posting this for my own reference. Great tips from Chen Mei Ling.

1. Don’t compare your kids with others.

When done excessively, children become afraid of showing their true potentials which can result in low self-assurance of their own capabilities (and even end up bullying or looking down on other kids).

2. Don’t reward your kids with materials.

Toys are not everlasting friends. Instead, reward them with some playtime or your time by doing something fun and interesting together.

3. Don’t set a schedule for your kids.

Children can learn through play, and learning can be fun as well! They would gain an aptitude for learning new knowledge by building their curiosity and a desire to seek answers when in doubt.

4. Don’t send them for tuition classes.

Parents might send the wrong impression that studies are just for grades. Instead, they should help their kids develop many interests in learning and provide essential skills for them to acquire their own knowledge. Furthermore, the money they save from the classes can be spent on fun and enriching trips such as the zoo.

5. Don’t make decisions for them.

It is very important for your children to learn from a young age in making their own decisions. They will learn to assess their own situation and be responsible for their decisions.

6. Don’t oppose them from falling in love in high school.

Let them learn what it is like to love and be loved from a young age and it will help them improve their sense of reliability and responsibility.

7. Don’t scold or beat them.

Talk to them and most importantly let them understand the mistakes they have made. Beating or scolding does not leave a deeper impression.

8. Don’t deceive them.

When they realize they are being lied to, they will start to distrust and not believe in people in general (and even develop a loner personality).

9. Don’t neglect them because of work.

Even 5 minutes of playtime with them is seventh heaven. Every second spent with them has a long and enduring impact on their lives.

10. Don’t stop them from asking you questions.

Put down whatever you’re doing and listen to them. If you can’t answer on the spot, tell them that it is a very interesting question and that you’re going to find out the answers together with them as soon as you’re done.

Source

It all started with my problem for desk space. I have 3 laptops and 1 tablet (not forgetting 2 phones too!). Things get a little cramped at times and there wasn’t really a good way to keep all of them on the desk. I wanted to come up with a solution to make better use of vertical space.

'If a cluttered desk is a sign of a cluttered mind, of what, then, is an empty desk a sign?' — Albert Einstein

Requirements

Approaching this DIY project just like I would with a commercial project, coming up with a Product Requirements Document (PRD) helps me understand better what I really need as product features (simple example here).

The solution that I had in mind has to be multi-functional:-

The stand should hold 2 or more laptops

Power button accessibility

Ports accessibility

Technology Readiness Level (TRL) is also something we use to describe the various development stages of a product (even my DIY project is an example of concept to commercial application). Read more about it here from my friends at Thesis who kindly sponsored my aluminum fabrication. #heart

Sketching and Conceptualizing

A lot of us used to draw/sketch when we were kids. It is the most important skill that we lost as an adult because it allows us to visualize and consider many important aspects of our design. 

In my sketches, the design of the product factored in limitations such as laptop dimensions and structural strength. The pros and cons were quickly assessed and contemplated on as several designs were drafted.

Quick Prototyping

Arriving at the end of our sketching exercise, the time comes for a quick Proof-Of-Concept (POC) prototype. I used CAD drawings for better visualization and then cut out the actual parts on recycled cardboards.

The aim is not to look pretty at this stage but to get a real feel of how the product will turn out and then iterate if needed. It could perhaps be that my requirements were way off (in fact, what I showed up there were my revised requirements), or some other considerations would be required to make the project successful.

Verification

Verification, in layman terms, means that your outputs must meet your inputs. 

In this case, when testing the outputs (the quick prototypes) against the inputs (requirements), I eliminated the bottom left design from the picture below as it failed to meet the accessibility requirements. From here, we can move on and see if it fits the actual intended application.

Validation

Validation, in layman terms, means that the product must meet the user needs and intended usage. 

From my setup picture below, you can see that I have utilized two designs for the laptop stands. Finally, I can access all 3 laptops without each one getting in the way of the other plus some bonus desk space!