Contest, etc. Finally got my IIsi; leaky caps?

[aphetica]

I got a package in the mail today with a Todd Mcfarlane Halo 3 Xbox 360 controller!

I totally wasn't expecting it. It came from Pepsi because apparently I entered a contest on their mailing list (they have like 4 different contests a month), and I actually won something!

Yay!

Too bad it's not USB, or I'd use it for emulators... also too bad is the fact that I don't own an Xbox. haha.

I might just end up selling it or trading it for something, but it's still cool.

It comes with a little Halo figure and the art on the controller is pretty rad too.

On a not so related note, I conquested myself a couple college loans. If all goes well, I'll be going back to school this fall for Chemistry. It's a big deal to me because I already attended college about 5 years ago... (I'm 24) it was a recording arts school. I dropped out near the end of my degree because I got really depressed and then spent about a year unemployed, defaulting on all my original loans and completely ruining my credit.

It's taken me 4 years of busting my butt to get my loans out of default and paid off and I'm really proud of myself for doing that.

In the last 2 years, I have conquested myself 200+ points on my credit report.

Hopefully this time around, I will earn a degree that will actually get me somewhere in life.

 

[4seasonphoto]

Congratulations on many levels [] ]'>

You can use that joystick as a PC controller by adding a Microsoft's $20 USB receiver. I have the wired version, and it works perfectly with PC games like Bioshock. Wish I could say that PC gaming was working as well for me.

 

[funkytoad]

Conquest or not, that is pretty cool!

Congratulations

 

[gobabushka]

My vote is that it is a conquest!

 

[TylerEss]

Good show on going back to University and recuperating your financial situation!

 

[LCGuy]

Nice score on the controller, but seriously, congratulations for deciding to go back to uni, and for fixing up your credit rating, that is seriously awesome. You should be proud of yourself

 

[wally]

[8)] ]'> Hmmm, you've been lucky AND you've been good! Sounds like something to celebrate to me! [] ]'>

 

[aphetica]

Well, I don't know how good I've been, but at least I've been well.

Also, at some point during the week I should be getting a IIsi. Apparently it needs a cap or two soldered back on, but that's okay. Fixing stuff is fun. What OS should I put on it?

I never have good luck, so I don't know what all this is about lately.

It's okay though. To balance it out, my fiancee broke a promise with me that we've kept for 2 years now... I'm pretty upset, but... I suppose there are worse times for things like this to happen.

 

[LCGuy]

How much RAM does it have? Personally I'd probably stick with 7.1.

 

[aphetica]

I don't even know yet. :/

It's a surprise! haha.

 

[LCGuy]

Oh well, think positive...you could luck out and it could be loaded with uber-rare 16MB 30 pin SIMMs. (not that I like your chances though, there's not exactly many of those around, and even so, I don't think a IIsi is likely to be the place to find them)

Either way, I hope you're doing ok after the other bit that you said in your previous post.

 

[John8520]

16MB 30pin simms can be found -anywhere- for a price, usually $20 a stick or so, but there is no shortage.

 

[LCGuy]

Really? I was always under the impression that they were rare - I know I've never run into them "in da flesh" before.

 

[equill]

16MB 30pin simms can be found -anywhere- for a price, usually $20 a stick or so, but there is no shortage.

As reported elsewhere in these pages, they can be had reliably and for much less from this eBay seller.

de

 

[aphetica]

Cool, thanks equill.

 

[aphetica]

My IIsi finally arrived today. I had to wait almost a month to get it because I accidentally gave the wrong address and it got returned to Canada, which was totally my fault.

I love how easy it is to take the case apart. I didn't even need a screwdriver to get the motherboard out. I wish all machines were this nice to work on.

I noticed that the capacitors have some residue around them on the motherboard. I guess that means they leaked and need replacing? Also, the residue obviously needs to be cleaned off. Should I use the dishwasher method, or just clean around them with q-tips and alcohol?

The caps are surface-mount, silver colored, and say this on them:

12

47

16v

Where is a good place to get more of these?

I don't even know if it works at the moment, since one of the caps has actually fallen off the board. I'm scared to start it up without that attached. The previous owner said that it booted just before the cap fell off, which happened while he was shipping it.

It has 9mb of ram according to the sender and I need to get a hard drive for it. I'd post pics, but it's not particularly interesting.

Also, on another note, I got my stimulus check today. I didn't think I was going to get one at all because HR at work accidentally entered the wrong exemption status into the computers and no taxes were taken out last year.

I'm pretty happy right now. $300 can do a lot to better my quality of life at the moment. On top of those 2 things, there was a King Crimson song playing on the radio on the way home from the post office. Awesome.

 

[equill]

... Where is a good place to get more of these? ...

Fire off a PM to your fellow-soldier trag.

de