I send my TIVO around the house by feeding it into a 4 channel modulator and then through a splitter (special one) and off to 8 locations via RG6
Each of the channels (inputs) on the modulator becomes an seperate channel on the coax, along with the normal FTA as well. I also send my VCR & DVD this way as well.
At each TV location is a small IR receiver that goes inline with the coax and it sends the IR signal back up the same wire to the modulator where it is output ro the TIVO via a stick on emitter.
Windows Media Center has a specific number of cards that it will work with. I'm using a half-height Hophauge WinTV card for cable tuning, and a Geforce FX 5500 for the video card. Finding the half-heigh cards to fit my microATX box was the hardest part. Hardware compatibility lists are all over.
Ahhh, yeah, that'd have been a better path. Might just do that later today. :)
Yeah, I'm considering moving it. My house is so tiny, a corner of the kitchen cabinet is almost the best bet. But I think I'm going to bury a 19" rack in the back of my office closet next to my wiring center, so I will probably move two computers and teh outdoor speaker amp into there.
Shop around for a 19" rack that's on wheels. I've got two, one for the PCs and the other for all the AV gear. Everything wires in from the top and there's about 3' of movement. All the in-wall wiring goes into a can on a nearby wall. From there it's jumpered over into the rack. This keeps any of the rack movement from possibly damaging the in-wall wiring.
Yeah, there are a lot of ways to do lifting. I had been looking at linear actuators and threaded rod lift screws and all sorts of stuff. The power window systems in cars that I have worked on used a threaded rod with a scissor-jack like assembly to lift and lower the window. I've looked at cable lift designs, where you build a framework and lift the weight, in this cae the dog food bowl tray, like an elevator in a shaft. Many of the writeups of home-built lift systems end up like yours - too much torque required of the motor, which burns out as a result.
Norm Abrams' device was a wooden box within another box with only enough space between them to accomodate the slides. I can't remember what he used but I've got some really slippery tack-bottomed Teflon ones that I think will work. I have been tempted to used the ball bearing telescoping drawer guide assemblies at each of the four corners and a large 3/8 or 1/2" threaded rod as the lift screw. Trouble is I can't find any drawer kits that are 3' long.
Thanks. I'll see if I can find them.
That's just such a bitch to find things out of square like that. My problems are small compared to working to conceal a lift like yours in the ceiling. I have a small area of kitchen floor space flanked by cabinets in which to build my lift.
Great. Thanks for the insights. My biggest problem is how to make sure it lifts evenly and doesn't spew dog water and kibble all over the floor. Norm's box within a box design would pretty much insure that things stay level but I just don't know if I can power it and limit it properly.
Mine too. I'm worried because the most recent bone density scans shows there's loss. Mom is determined to resist all attempts to help, like bathtub rails and extra handrails even though she's taken two really bad falls in the last couple of years. It just about drives me wild.
I wish my Mom would. She's still concerned about "looking good" and doesn't like the idea of a cane, a walker or anything else to help her. Maybe I need to invent "air bag" clothing so that if she falls again, her housecoat would blow up instantly to cushion her fall.
It's a very difficult balance. My folks are still in denial about being older, more fragile, more clumsy and more likely to fall. They also still live in the time when no one locked their doors at night and I have to remind them constantly to be careful, to set the alarm, etc.
Hey, I never figured out how those suckers worked. How would I build one?!!
Not acceptable to Mom who needs to scrub every dog hair and kibble micro-particle from the tray every day - sometimes twice or even three times!
It's clear the modern house is still not designed with the handicapped or even the elderly in mind. As Dad spends more and more time in his powerchair I really see a need for a kitchen with a "height switch." When he enters in the chair, the countertops should all drop to wheelchair height along with all the high cabinets dropping down accordingly. It's a real problem to accommodate both standing and sitting occupants in an area like the kitchen.
I had hired some helpers for them but when a credit card went missing that was the end of that.
To understand someone, it's important to walk a mile in their shoes. These newsgroups are so valuable in so many ways that it really breaks my heart when people seem determined to ruin them for other people.
When we were children they worried about us. But now...
You might be able to get her to use a cane if you find something that looks very stylish. My brother bought a really nice one for my dad and he uses is when he goes out. He insists he doesn't care about appearances but he won't use a crummy looking one.
You can hardly blame them. No one wants to think about his own mortality, especially not the aged. The key seems to be in finding ways to make them feel young while protecting them. If you can use technology enable them to live independently you will have given them a wonderful gift. The tough part is getting them to accept the technology. My dad is a retired engineer so it's not as hard getting him to accept new hardware.
They're simple, spring loaded devices. The spring tension increases as more plates are stacked on top, keeping the whole pile just at counter height. As more plates are removed the load lightens and the stack rises.
My wife is like that. If a speck of dust lands anywhere in the county she hits it with Lysol, scrubs the surrounding area with anti-septic and dries it off with sterile gauze. And we have a maid. :^)
It would be simpler (and more realistic unless you've got Bill Gates' budget) to renovate with lower cabinets. A less expensive option would a power chair with a power-lift seat. Do those exist? Surely someone else has thought of that idea by now.
My father's favorite pastimes are playing the organ (he's quite good though he doesn't believe it) and watching TV. Actually, his TV watching consists mainly of switching channels. I've shown him how to use the "guide" button but he prefers to keep scrolling away. :(
I run a simple test to see if they're honest. I leave a precise amount of money in the dresser drawer each day and deliberately leave the drawer partly open when I leave. It's enough money that one might assume R$50 or R$100 wouldn't be missed. I count the money when I return. So far nothing has ever gone missing. One of the girls who work in our home is the daughter of my mother-in-law's maid. The mother has worked for my Brazilian family for nearly 30 years. I'm not at all worried about her and the other gal has shown herself to be quite honest as well. The tough part will not be finding honest help but getting them a US visa. The government is making it more and more difficult.
Tough one there since he's in a chair. He makes it difficult to empathize with his antics but, c'est la Usenet, eh?
There will always be those whose pleasure in life is to annoy others. Most of it is born of jealousy. Some cause trouble attempting to pander to the baser elements. Whatever their reasons, the kill file deals effectively with them. I'm glad there are a few thinking people who are willing to rebuke the trouble makers though. It helps newbies to understand what's what.
I've been thinking about putting a flat screen in the kitchen. We already have a little 13" CRT TV with a fairly good set of PC speakers that's gotten a lot more use than I would have thought. Once you get used to being able to watch TV, listen to music and or monitor the house CCTV it's hard to go back. I've tried to sell my folks on CCTV for their house, but it's not in their instruction set, I'm afraid.
I've built a miniITX machine for a similar project. Boy are those cases crowded. I had to take it apart three times just to get the cables into position - so many things had to be looped under so many other things or the cables had to be attached to the headers before installing some other component. What I like best is that for $60 (after rebates) I got an external USB DVD burner so I can really bury the CPU unit and only have the DVD drive concealed in a false cabinet bottom or someplace else very accessible.
What's the round white thing with the fins in picture 6? It looks like a collander.
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