Innovation | GravelCloud

Quality and Reliability Handbooks +Freeplane

March 5, 2014 Leave a comment

If your current job involves quality and reliability improvement of a system, the following handbooks will jumpstart your knowledge about failure analysis. Know about function, failure modes, failure effects, Fault Tree, Event Tree etc and how those tools are being used at NASA and the aviation industry.

PDF bookmarks are provided on each document so make sure that you open the files using Acrobat and not from IE or Chrome for easy reading. Download the files to your pc.

Also download the Freeplane Mindmapping software, you can use this to create fault trees and event trees.

Book-NASA-FaultTreeHandbookPlusAeroSpace-1.pdf
FAA-H-8000-RA-SystemSafetyHandbook.pdf
FAA-H-8001-RA-RiskManagementHandbook.pdf
FAA-H-8083-9A-AviationInstructorsHandbook.pdf
FRACAS-FMECA-Binder.pdf
FMEA-FMECA-Binder.pdf

Sources
http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/codeq/doctree/
http://www.faa.gov/regulations_policies/handbooks_manuals/aviation/

Filed under Innovation Tagged with Quality

Failure Analysis Report: 2013 ML350 Engine Failure at Mile 3459

February 22, 2014 Leave a comment

PROBLEM: Engine Light ON, vehicle takes too long to start
FIX: Replaced Passenger Side Cylinder Head and Camshaft
MindMap-ML350-2013-EngineFailureAt3459Miles

Vehicle Information
- 2013 Mercedes ML350 Light Truck 4DR AW
- Obsidian Black Metallic
- Delivery Date: 20130622
- VIN: xxx256017
- Miles: 3,459 Miles
- Days: 275 Days
- Months: 8 Months
- Weeks: 39 Weeks
- Hours: 6600 Hours
Date of Failure
- 20140207
Date Repaired
- 20140221, 15 Days in the shop
Failure Mode
- Check Engine Light ON
- Car turns over too long to start
Failure Effect
- Engine failure
Failure Mechanism
- Misalignment of critical parts in the cylinder causing damage to the cylinder head.
Cause of Failure
- Improper assembly, misaligned pin
Repair Action
- Replaced right cylinder head and cam shaft
- 1, 276-156-07-90, Solenoid,
- 1, 276-010-44-09, Passenger Side Cylinder head
- 1, 276-070-12-30, Housing F Pump
- 1, 276-016-05-20, Cylinder Head
- 1, 276-142-01-80, Multi Hole Seal
- 6, 276-141-00-80, Flange Gasket
- 6, 276-141-01-80, Flange Gasket
- 3, 000-053-51-58, Seal
- 1, 003-989-98-20-10, Sealant MB
- 1, 276-050-58-01, Camshaft
- 1, 276-050-26-00, Chain Tensioner
- 1, Q-1-03-0004 Anti Corrosion
Post Repair Check
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I60suKOxtLM

My reason for posting this failure report is to share how Mercedes Benz took care of a car problem and made the customer 100% satisfied. There was a slight misalignment internally in the cylinder [technical talk] and they went ahead and replaced the cylinder head and the camshaft just to make sure that the damage are contained and repaired back to factory quality. I asked if the cause of failure was a design problem but the service manager assured me that it was a misalignment or improper assembly that leads to the catastrophic failure. The engine did not die, it was still running and I was able to drive to the MB shop, I categorized the issue as an ‘Engine Failure’ because if that was a Mars Rover engine, the rover is not coming back to earth or will not be able to perform the desired function in Mars.

I have a 2006 ML350 with 40,000 miles on it with no issue, I am hoping that this 2013 version will be able to last that long. Only time will tell.

Did I lost my MB confidence? No.

Texas Lemon Law:
http://txdmv.gov/motorists/consumer-protection/lemon-law

How many “reasonable attempts” to repair a defect is the manufacturer allowed?

One way to show the dealer has had a reasonable number of attempts to fix a defect is to pass the following tests. Mileage requirements in the tests do not apply to travel trailers.

The Four Times Test

You pass this test if you have taken your vehicle to the dealership for repair

twice for the same problem within the first 12 months or 12,000 miles, whichever comes first; and

twice more during the 12 months or 12,000 miles following the second repair attempt, and

the problem continues to exist.

The Serious Safety Hazard Test

A serious safety hazard is a life-threatening malfunction that substantially impedes your ability to control or operate the vehicle normally, or that creates a substantial risk of fire or explosion. You pass this test if you have taken your vehicle to the dealership two or more times for the repair of a serious safety hazard

once during first 12 months or 12,000 miles, and

once more during the 12 months (or 12,000 miles) following the first repair attempt, and

the problem continues to exist.

The 30 Day Test

If your new vehicle has been out of service for repair due to a defect that substantially impairs the use or market value of the vehicle due to defects covered by the warranty for a total of 30 or more days during the first 24 months or 24,000 miles, and there were at least two repair attempts during the first 12 months or 12000 miles, and the problem still exists. If no loaner vehicle was provided to you by the dealer during this time period, you pass the test.

It is advisable to contact the Lemon Law Section of the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles (TxDMV) for more specific information and assistance at (888) 368-4689.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JlVZriyV788]

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Ch0dW2Gez0]

Filed under Innovation Tagged with Mercedes, ML350

DIY: Poor Man’s iPhone, iPad Mini Charger, Router 12v Power

November 28, 2013 Leave a comment

Problem:
1. Power banks made by professionals [view list] are expensive and not very flexible in terms of functionality. They looked nice and have an impressive specs but it does not really serve my greater purpose:
a. to power my ham radio during disaster,
b. to provide LED lighting for 3 days to be charged using my car battery when I travel or mobile
c. to charge my smartphone
d. to power my mesh network router
e. to revive a non-functional old UPS back to life
f. to provide an alternative way to charge an iPhone or iPad mini when there is no power available [this is a future solar kit project]

Step By Step:
1. Purchase/Get/Salvage the following
2 pcs. sealed lead acid battery
smartphone car charger
12v car outlet
binding post
wire
connectors [i’m reusing an old 4-pin molex connector from a pc power supply to provide quick disconnect]
a sealed lead acid battery charger if you are not using an old UPS to charge the battery

2. Assemble the parts as shown
3. End

DIY iPhone and iPad charging station [Sealed Lead Acid Battery UB1280 from Amazon]

Full list of accessories
a 12v to USB outlet
a 12v power indicator
an iPhone USB power cable

Sealed Lead Acid Battery Charger

Filed under Innovation Tagged with DIY

Monthly Cost Reduction Strategy: Electric Bill – 1064 kW Savings

September 23, 2013 Leave a comment

I live in Round Rock Texas, the average temperature in August was around 86’F. My electric bill in August was a shocking $427.49. Our house was built in 1996 and I was aware that I needed to do something about the 17 year old AC unit since it has been serviced regularly every year and besides, my son was complaining about the helicopter noise outside his room every time the AC starts, the outdoor unit was making an annoying noise due to old age.

I did my research and found out these facts.
1. The average life span of an AC unit is 10 years, any AC unit that is 15 years and older are not very efficient. [I still have the R12 System]
2. If there is a failure of your AC unit every year, it’s time to get a new one. [if unit is >10 years old]
3. The average electric bill of the same size of house that I have are in the $200-300 range.

I was presented with the following quote from a local company. I picked option #2
Option #2
10 Year Warranty
4 Ton
2 Stage Cool
2 Stage Heat
Variable Speed Blower
Condenser: Carrier 24ANB748-3
Coil Air Handler: Carrier CNPHP4821
Furnace: Carrier 58CVA090-1-16
Thermostat: Carrier Infinity WIFI [I can change the temperature of the house using my iPhone]
Cost: 11879.00
Installation Time: <6 hours

Options #1, #2, #3 [i picked #2 because of the energy savings #s and it is a 2 stage cool and heat

I am with TXU Energy here in Round Rock and they provide a dashboard of my electric consumption data. Below is one of the chart that I analyzed to track the progress of my daily kW consumption.
AC Replacement Date: August 20, 2013 [red vertical arrow]
Aerage Temperature in Round Round Rock: 86’F

Notice the shift of the kW consumption after the new AC was installed. According to my analysis, the current daily kW consumption is now 60kW.

Average daily kW Before +/-10days: 94kW, $13.54 per day [Raw Data]
Average daily kW After +/-10days: 78.35kW, $12.1 per day

September/August 2013 Electric Bill Comparison
September Bill is $145.00 lower
September Bill is 1064 kW lower
September ave temp is 83’F, August was 86’F

Conclusion:
1. My 17 years old AC Unit was very inefficient.
2. It pays to look at the daily kW consumption and analyze the data. [Not all of you has access to this type of data but if you are curious about your electric bill, use this procedure to track your consumption.
3. The outside temp has the biggest impact on electric bill.
4. Ask a few neighbors who has the same size of house that you have. I did not realize mine was very high until a neighbor told me that his electric bill was only around $200.00 in August.
5. Change AC filters regularly.
6. Lastly, if you have servers in the house, 1 Dell Poweredge 2950 III server registered a $23.26 per month in the Kill A Watt meter. If you have a few servers running in your home office, get a Kill A Watt Meter from Amazon. Home Depot also sells this unit also at the same prize.

Poweredge 2950 III SFF – Kill A Watt Tracker
NOTE: Redundant PSU does not double the power consumption according to my data below.

Extra Stuff:
1. Check if you live in the area where Solar City provides a service. You can get Solar power at a very low monthly cost and no upfront cost. I called them and they are planning to come to Austin next year.
2. Use this Home Energy Calculator to determine how much your appliances are costing you.
3. Read more: TXU Energy Savings Solution

Ok, it’s your turn. Do some audit around the house and see if you can lower your kW consumption per day.

Filed under Innovation Tagged with Cost Reduction

Monthly Cost Reduction Strategy 2013: Timewarner Cable +Faster Internet Speed

September 22, 2013 Leave a comment

My Timewarner Cable bill was not looking good and looking at it makes me feel that I am wasting resources. I have an internet service, a cable tv service and a digital phone service with TWC. At first, I did not know where to start but as I read and examine my cable bill, I noticed a few items which are $12.00 but I had 3 of each and I’m also leasing a modem box.

In my inventory, I found the following:
3 DVR cable box, $12.99 ea.
1 Internet Modem Lease, $5.99 ea
International Calling Plan, $20.00

When I did a walkthrough around the rooms in the house, I noticed that we rarely used all three DVR’s. Timewarner now has On Demand programming and if you miss your show, all you have to do is go to the Primetime On Demand channel and watch it there. My only hurdle was convincing the wife but that was no brainer since she told me she does not use it regularly.

I went to the local TWC office and returned 2 DVR boxes, cancelled my International Calling Plan and cancelled my Internet Modem lease since they advertised that we can have our own internet modem now for as long as it is listed in their “preferred list’.

By the end of the day, I dropped around $90.00 off my cable bill.

Here’s the information on how to purchase your own internet modem if you are a Timewarner customer.
1. Purchase an internet modem, mine is Motorola Suftboard SB6141 from Amazon, the review is good. Here’s the full TWC Approved Modem List
2. Upon arrival of the modem, read the manual and connect the modem in place of the old modem. If you have a digital phone service, you will need to split the cable signal using a splitter because you will need to have two modems at your end, one for internet and one for the phone service. If you don’t have a splitter, get the splitter ahead of time.
3. Call Timewarner Cable and explain to them that you bought your own modem, they will activate the modem for you.
4. Once activated, run a speed test form your pc. Use http://www.speedtest.net/
5. END

Speedtest revealed the following:
Old Modem
Download speed =10Mbps
Upload Speed=.95Mbps

New Modem:
Download speed =16Mbps
Upload Speed=1.07Mbps

Speedtest results:

Modem Setup:
The two vertical boxes are the modems. The black box is the old modem and the white box is the new Motorola modem. Yes, I’m old school, I’m still using the WRT54G wireless router but this is not an ordinary WRT54G. This router has been rooted with DD-WRT firmware. Visit DD-WRT’s website if you are interested in a simple mod that can speed up your wireless connections.

Filed under Innovation Tagged with Cost Reduction

Monthly Cost Reduction Strategy 2013: Progressive Car Insurance -Snapshot Program

September 22, 2013 Leave a comment

In the US, the cost of car insurance is really high. I have a teen driver [minor child] and a distant student. There are a total of 4 drivers in the family and four vehicles. I needed to find a way to reduce my monthly cost and I’ve been calling Progressive recently to reevaluate my policy. So far, I’ve managed to reduce a big chunk of the premium initially by applying the following discounts:
1. Distant Student/Good Student discount for my daughter who is in college [90 miles away]
2. Minor Child/Good student discount for my son who just received his driver’s license 6 months ago.
3. 3 year safe driving record
4. Paperless discount
5. 5 year accident Free
6. Multi Car discount
7. Paid in full discount
8. Multi Policy discount
9. Homeowner insurance discount

When I was done talking to the Progressive Representative, I inquired about other ways that I can reduce the premium of my account, she mentioned Snapshot – but I never heard about it. She explained to me how it works and the mechanics of discount. I was hesitant at first but as I read more about it, I was convinced that the Snapshot Program might work to my benefit since we don’t drive that much here in Round Rock and besides we are not aggressive drivers [I think, I’ll find out with the daily report]

The maximum discount that we can avail is 30%. But when you look at the spreadsheet below, even a 10% discount is already a big chunk of savings.

View Excel File
At $1514.00 Per 6-Month Premium

Here’s the info about the Snapshot Program

Here’s the actual Snapshot Report of my vehicle

Vehicle #1-son, Minor driver [good]

Vehicle #2-daughter, College student driver [not good, but she is learning how to drive safely]

Vehicle #3-wife [getting better]

Vehicle #4-me [look at the zero hard stop!]

Sample of a detailed chart, my daughter had 10 hardstops in one trip

Progressive needs at least 30 days worth of data before they can apply the discounts to my account. The discount is set per vehicle, so one bad driver cannot affect the other vehicle. The total period of study is 6 months and after that time, they will apply the full discount depending on the result of the Snapshot device. One thing to note for the skeptics is, the rate will not go up if they found out that you are a risky driver. Of course they say that up front but who knows what really happens if your driving data is really that bad. Just beware, maybe it’s time to reeducate/reprogram your driving skills.

For me as a parent and a leader of my household, this device provided me a feedback of how my co-drivers in the house is doing on the wheel. The other day, I confronted my daughter who incurred 10 hard stops at 50mph in San Antonio and she explained to me that it was because of the traffic. Overall, I am satisfied with our performance, the data revealed that our family does not get out from the cave that much. If you look at my driving, it is all work-home trips.

So, if you have Progressive Insurance, you might want to consider the Snapshot device. The device is not intrusive since it does not have a GPS locator. The only thing that is in question is I can tell when the car is moving and how long. As a parent, that is good enough information to know the activities of my children. Of course they can unplug it or use a friend’s car but that is another story.

To my wife and kids, our goal is 30% discount – meaning, you really have to drive safely everyday.

Daddy is watching!

Filed under Innovation Tagged with Cost Reduction, Snapshot

Simple “Squared Away” Project

September 22, 2013 Leave a comment

What does it mean to be “Squared Away”?
1. Everything is set and proper, clean, and tidy and ready to go 2. Everything is organized and no clutter.
3. Clean and ready to go.
4. To finish, to be done with.
5. High level of consistent performance for an extended period of time often applied to objects, places, events or generally anything that presents a high level of military order and discipline. 6. Flawless, spotless, perfect in any angle.

A few years back, I’ve read a psychology book about mental health. I did not realize that there are so many types of disorder out there. Why don’t you google the words “mental disorders” and read a few items.

The reason I mentioned mental disorder is because I’m about to embark on a journey that will transform a life of a disorganized child into a more functional and effective person by showing him examples of how important the quality of being organized can propel ones life into super satisfaction and efficiency.

My son who is about to leave for college in less than a year and will receive a military type training from his father who is somewhat organized ( I think).

So from time to time, I will post pictures about this project and hoping that a few of you out there can benefit also. No, I don’t want this guy to acquire a full dose of OCD, maybe just 40.5%.

Just a side note, I don’t have fOCD (full OCD), I don’t go crazy if the things in front of me is not lined up or in proper place and I can tolerate trash or improper location of things from time to time.

I am just a “squared away” guy.

Below is a picture of my work area at home.
1 notebook for church’s notes
1 notebook for Samsung CMP ideas
1 notebook for home ideas
1 notebook ( water proof for disaster use)
1 notebook for daily field use (tiny one and goes to my left rear pocket whenever I leave the house. 1 iPhone 4
5 types of writing pen
1 military led flashlight

Notes/explanation:
1. No sticky notes or post it hanging in my computer.
2. If an idea comes to mind, the idea gets written to the proper notebook.
3. Todo list goes to my field notes and then transferred to Evernote apps in my iPhone as soon as possible. 4. Pens are rank in order of importance.
5. iPhone is for blogging. Yes, I’m writing this blog using an iPhone4 (5s upgrade is coming soon). Ringer and alerts are turned off so if you need me, email me or leave a message and I will get it in an hour or so.

Filed under Innovation Tagged with squared away

NOTES: Asiana Flight 214

July 9, 2013 Leave a comment

Aircraft Rotations
CNN Report-20130708
NTSB Report
Timeline
Crash Animation
Runway Guidance System Was Disabled

Flight Information:
Flight No: Flight OZ214
Aircraft: Boeing B777
Flight Origin: Incheon International Airport, South Korea
Flight Destination: San Francisco, California
Date of Accident: July 6, 2013, Saturday
Time of Accident: 11:26 AM PST
Departed Incheon: 1:15 AM PST
Attempt Made to Abort Landing: 11:25 AM PST
The crash: 11:26 AM PST
Passengers: 307, 291 passengers, 16 crews
Exit Design: 90 seconds to get off even half of the doors are inoperable

Key Survival Points:
1. Know your exits
2. Know to leave your belongings [don’t even think of getting your stuff]
3. Follow crew instructions [they practice this a lot]

Filed under Innovation Tagged with failuremode, Fault Trees

2002 Yukon 2WD Retrofit

May 16, 2013 Leave a comment

PROJECT: Old Truck Retrofit
PURPOSE: To prepare the vehicle for a cross country road trip
Previous Destinations:
Texas to Florida – 3x
Texas to New York to DC –1x

My old truck failed the annual safety inspection due to a worn out tires which was installed in 2002 but I was able to persuade the safety inspector to just give me a reminder/note in my inspection paper stating that tires needs replacement. I was aiming for another year of riding the worn out tires until last week when I was picking up my mail when I accidentally glanced my left front tire with a 3” crack on it and about to become a disaster. I was left with no choice but to come up with a quick and creative solution.

I decided to enhance the appearance of the vehicle without changing any suspension parts and spending unnecessary product just to make room for an oversized tire. After a careful mathematical calculation of my wheel clearance with the current setup, I was finally able to pick the right product for my wheel and tire upgrade. Nothing special being done to the vehicle except for the trimming of the left front rubber guard which was rubbing with the wheel when turning full lock to the right. Other than that, the vehicle is stock.

Wheel size: 17×8.5
Tire Size: 295x70x17

2002 GMC Yukon SLT 2WD Wheels and Tires Upgrade
    Wheels
        Method Fat Five 17×8.5, 6×139, [Tire Rack]
        Size: 17×8.5
        Offset: 0mm
        Backspacing: 4.72"
        Bolt Pattern: 6-139
        Rec. Tire Size: 265/70-17
        Weight: 31.35lbs.
        Finish: Black Painted
        Construction: 1 Pc. Gravity Cast
        Finish Warranty: 2 Years
        Manufactured in China
        Hub Bore: 78.3 mm or 3.08
        Stud Size: 14×1.5
    Tires
        Nitto Grappler:
        Size: 295x70x17
        Supplier [NTB Round Rock]
    Old Tires Information
        Mileage: 75668 Miles
        Years: 11 years
        Previous Tires: Goodrich 285x75x16
        Previous Wheels: GM Stock: 16×7
    Suspension
        Stock
        Lift: None
        Wheel Spacers: None
    Problem
        Rubbing at Left Front Wheel
            Solution: Trim rubber guard

References:
Tire Rack Method Fat Five
Nitto Terra Grappler
Tire Size Calculator

Filed under Innovation Tagged with Yukon

MindMap-PDSA

May 10, 2013 Leave a comment

PDSACycle.pdf

PDSA Cycle (Plan, Do, Study, Act)
    PLAN
        1. Clearly and objectively state the problem
        2. Give some background and context so that everyone can gain a common understanding
        3. Conduct "5Why" analysis to identify root causes
        4. Brainstorm countermeasures and create hypothesis to test them.
    DO
        5. Follow the scientific method to test the hypothesis
        6. Change things and if the change is not good, change it again until it is better
        7. Rather than waiting for one perfect solution, try many small things that can be done quickly.
        8. Gather the facts (data) based on direct observation of the experiment.
    STUDY
        9.    Face the facts
        10. Reflect carefully on what worked and what did not work with the experiment.
        11. In each case, ask "Why?" until there is clear understanding of what was the and what was not
    ACT
        12. If the countermeasures were effective, make the new method a standard that can be audited and maintained.
        13. If the same countermeasure can be applied to the similar problems to benefit others, do so.
        14. Observe the new current condition and set new targets towards the ideal condition, return to Plan
        15. If the countermeasure is not effective, repeat the cycle beginning with the Plan Phase.

    PDSA-Actual
    Problem Statement
    Background
    5 Why Analysis
    Countermeasures
    Implement Countermeasures

Filed under Innovation Tagged with Mindmap

Six Sigma 2.0 Manifesto

August 25, 2012 Leave a comment

http://www.isixsigma.com/press-releases/six-sigma-2-0-manifesto/

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Mastering the Use of SIPOC

August 25, 2012 Leave a comment

http://www.isixsigma.com/tools-templates/sipoc-copis/mastering-the-use-of-sipoc/

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What Gets Measured Gets Done

August 25, 2012 Leave a comment

http://www.isixsigma.com/community/blogs/what-gets-measured-gets-done/

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SIPOC

August 25, 2012 Leave a comment

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Value Stream Mapping

August 25, 2012 Leave a comment

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FIX: Minecraft Connection Timeout

August 22, 2012 3 Comments

PROBLEM: Minecraft Game connection timeout error during the start of the game [Hunger Games]
FIX: Replaced the Belkin router with Linksys WRT54G with DD-WRT v24-sp2

Tools:
Linksys WRT54G v4
DD-WRT v24-sp2 firmware
TCPView
WRT54G Mod Downgrade

Summary:
Two days ago, my son celebrated his 16th birthday. I asked him what he want for his birthday and he replied, “I want a new computer to play the Minecraft Hunger Games”. In my house, there are at least 8 computer/servers running. My answer was “No, I will not add another client pc in the house”. We have enough computing power in the house to run a small business. Two days passed and I have not given a birthday gift to this guy and I wanted to make an impact [emotional deposit]. I asked him why do you need a new computer? He told me that Minecraft will not even start on his x64 desktop with Windows7.

My son is in Junior High and ranks #5ish in the class. He is very smart and sometimes I imagined if only he has my organizational skills and habits, I think this guy can easily get to the top. I really don’t want him to be immersed on Quadrant4 items [small rocks in life [ie-video games]. But as a learned/smart parent, it is not my place to impose on my kids of what I want for him. My leadership style is empowerment and freestyle. I want my kids to be autonomous in their lives. I want them to be self sufficient and able to make smart decision on the fly. I’ve been teaching them how to live a life without me and I think they already have attained that.

Lately, I’ve been reading a book called “Power Listening” and currently in Chapter 4. What I learned from this book in the early chapter is to listen well to others. My son was determined to get what he want on his birthday and there is no backing down. At the current chapter of this book, this situation with my son becomes the litmus test of life application. He really wanted to play Minecraft and I was not listening and this bothered me a lot. What he’s been doing lately was just watching YouTube a replayed version of the game. Being a model father and plenty of spare time to waste, I asked him, “Show me what is Minecraft and why it will not work on any of the desktop and laptop in the house”.

And so, he fired up my Dell Latitude E6400 notebook and proved to me that it failed to run. He then took my wife’s Dell Latitude E4200 and tried to play and that too failed. The graphics is so sluggish and it cannot even start a multiplayer game on the network.

Hmmm ….and that’s when the challenge started and it took us 5 hours to find a true fix. Here’s my journey with my son in trying to fix the Minecraft Connection Timeout error. Yes, Minecraft will run on Dell Latidue notebooks E6400 and E4200 and youdon’t really need to buy the latest and the greatest hardware to play Minecraft.

Step By Step:
1. Updated Java to x64 version, no fix
2. Run Minecraft on Dell Latitude E6400, no fix
3. Run Minecraft on Dell Latitude E4200 with SSD drive, no fix
4. Set video settings as listed below, now able to play “Single Player”

5. Use a faster WIFI Access point, Multiplayer Connection Timeout
6. Use a wired LAN connection, Multiplayer Connection Timeout
7. Add pc to DMZ, Multiplayer Connection Timeout
8. Turned off Windows Firewall Inbound settings, Multiplayer Connection Timeout
9. Launched TCPView and observed the failure mechanism. Noticed that the failure happened at the start of the multiplayer game.
10. Repeated Step9 for 3x to test the theory that it is a LAN bandwidth issue, able to repeat, Multiplayer Connection Timeout
11. Opened Belkin Firwall Log, noticed that the logs were littered with several “Blocked/RST by DoS protection” [this is the hint]
12. Installed a Linksys Router instead of Belkin, the problem disappeared [case closed].

Conclusion:
The Belkin router F6D4230-4 v1 had a feature called DoS protection which I have no idea on how to turn off at this time. When people started connecting to the Minecraft server, the router inbound connection jumps, this jump of many inbound connections is interpreted by the Belkin software as denial of service attack [DoS], therefore, cuts off the connection for safety. The problem went away on the Linksys WRT54G because of the firmware that I have on it [DD-WRT]. Those so called Denial of Service threats were not treated strictly on the configuration that I have setup in DD-WRT.

NOTES/SCREENSHOTS:

Minecraft Hunger Games Website
Minecraft in YouTube
SyntaxErrors

Firewall log:
Tues Aug 21 18:04:15 2012 1 Blocked/RST by DoS protection 192.168.1.2
The Minecraft Game [view sample in YouTube]

Minecraft connection Lost – Internalexception: Java.net.SocketTimeoutException: Read Timed Out

Belkin Router Firewall Log: Blocked/RST by DoS protection 192.168.1.2

TCPView Before Launching Minecraft

TCPView After Launching Minecraft

TCPView during the game

Filed under Innovation Tagged with minecraft, minecraft connection timeout

FIX: Dell Latitude E6400 Locking Up

July 25, 2012 2 Comments

PROBLEM: Dell E6400 notebook locking up when viewing Netflix, YouTube, CNN, Timewarner, HBOGO video.
FIX: Cleaned CPU Fan and exhaust with a vacuum cleaner and downgrade the BIOS from version A30 to A19.

The problem happens after the notebook is showing the video after ~10 minutes. The E6400 is connected to an E-Port Plus docking station with dual DVI monitor connection. The CPU goes to 100% and the notebook becomes inoperable. The only remedy is to reboot.

I had been looking for answers on how to fix the lock up issue on my main computer at home. I am using a Dell E6400 Latitude notebook as my main desktop. The E6400 is docked to a E-Port Plus docking station which provided a dual DVI port, an extra eSATA port, speaker out and MIC in jack, network connection, a parallel and serial port for my packet radio station. There are so many reasons why I had not ditched this notebook for something else. I had to find the fix. My only solution – don’t watch video from Netflix, YouTube, CNN, Timewarner and HBOGO while the computer is docked in the E-Port Plus docking station and I was happy and contented, I was more productive at home when working on a project. Later on, I bought a E4200 ultra portable notebook which became my video viewing laptop beside my dual monitor.

Today, I was not really looking for a fix on the lock up issue but something else. The hard drive on my E6400 crashed after I ran an Acronis disk to disk copy to a spare drive. It was just a regular “out of the blue” activity I had in mind and executed it just for the sake of doing it. I did not do anything out of the ordinary and had been doing this procedure many times with great success. After so many hours of trying to understand about how a good running hard drive becomes useless, I came across the popular forum regarding the software lock up issues. I provided a few links below for your own knowledge and understanding. Read the articles if you are interested on the root cause of the software lock up problems on E6400. I don’t want to add more information to what is already been mentioned in the article and forum. Here’s my $0.02 for the topic:

Causes of the software lock up:
1. Buggy BIOS, I had A30, [downgrading to A19 fixed it.]
2. Intel Speedstep algorithm not optimized [this is a good feature for a notebook to save power but not good for machine used as a desktop]
3. Poor CPU ventilation due to dust accumulation in the fan and exhaust. The dust changes the cooling system function and ruined the Speedstep process. When the CPU fan was unable to cool down the CPU temperature , the Speedstep algorithm kicks in to protect the CPU and lower the frequency and voltage. This is not optimized on E6400 BIOS and it is over compensating/over reacting.

If you are a little bit lazy reading technical stuff and just want to fix the problem, please follow this procedure:
1. Turn off power
2. Get a vacuum cleaner and lint duster [in a can]
3. Blow the exhaust vent and fan with lint duster while the vacuum cleaner is running.
4. Downgrade/Upgrade BIOS to A19

Dell E6400 Forum
E6400 Manual
Intel Speedstep Information
Intel Processor Diagnostic Tool
RealTemp Application
MaxCore2 Application
Dell Releases BIOS Update News
A19 BIOS

CPU at 957 MHz at 44’C temperature

CPU at 2367 MHz at 48’C temperature

IPDT Application for CPU testing

IPDT Application for CPU testing, CPU test passed.

E6400 viewing Timewarner TV and HBOGO at the same time, no more crashes.

Iexplore normally goes to 60-80% and then crash. Now it’s not even >10%.

System Information of E6400, I downgraded the BIOS from A30 to A19. The latest and the greatest principle does not work here. A19 BIOS specifically says:

“1. Updated thermal table.
2. Removed HDD Acoustic support.
3. Enhanced INT 19h support.”

Filed under Innovation

FIX: DVR Scientific Atlanta 8300HD No HDMI Output

July 11, 2012 Leave a comment

Problem: Scientific Atlanta 8300HD DVR Box No HDMI Output
Background:
2 months ago, I’ve seen this problem when I transferred my 8300HD box from the family room to my daughter’s bedroom. The old DVR connection of my Samsung DLP TV was only a component connection. TV is a bit old and had no HDMI input. My daughter’s new HDTV had 3 HDMI and so why not connect with HDMI instead of a component connection. I tried … but failed. I spent hours trying to look for answers and could not find one and even google did not yield any solution and so I told my daughter that she don’t really need an HDMI connection.

A week ago, Tour de France 2012 started and I needed to record some good TDF stages for later viewing but then I discovered that the hard drive of the DVR in my master’s bedroom started making a “clicking noise” and the DVR app warned that I cannot record anymore shows. I called Time Warner tech support and told me that I needed to swap the box. I had two choices, wait for a week for the technician to come by or go to the nearest TWC office and swap the box. I choose to DIY the swap and that is where the fun begins. The DVR box that I picked up, the HDMI output is dead-no video output but when I tried the component video connection, it works. I borrowed my daughter’s DVR box and the same symptom-no HDMI output. I had two DVR boxes in the house and none works with HDMI and I was challenged/determined to solve the problem…. I did not give up too easily and started looking at serial numbers at the back of the two boxes that has no HDMI output. I saw no pattern of numbers but when I checked on my son’s DVR box, I saw a different style box. The box looks the same [front side] but the back connection and tags were not the same.

Long story short, I went back to the local TWC office and requested another swap but this time I requested the boxes with “Made By Cisco” label. The lady at the TWC office tried to convince me that all boxes work with the newer TV’s but I insisted and she gave me what I requested. I went home, plug all the connection and 15 minutes later, all HMDI output working. Case closed.

Later I found that Scientific Atlanta was acquired by Cisco in 2005 [view article].

Scientific Atlanta 8300HD [old version, HDMI not working]

Scientific Atlanta 8300HD Made By CISCO [new version with HDMI working]

Next Project: Hard Drive upgrade – 8300HD

Filed under Innovation

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