Link to Collection of Miscellaneous Information and Diagrams

ComDisable.msi     Disables enumeration of serial port devices at boot on
                           Windows PCs. Prevents mouse cursor from going nuts
                           when PC is booted with a serial GPS device connected.
                           Details here on this site:   GPS_Mouse.htm

Daylight Time Patches for Windows

U.S. Daylight Time now starts 3 weeks earlier than the traditional date (1st week of March instead of beginning in April), effective the year 2007. As a result, the automatic time change feature in Windows XP and earlier versions won't happen until 3 weeks after the fact. The patches below will fix Windows to change on the proper dates.

These patches only affect the Windows operating system itself. If you use Outlook, another patch (available from Microsoft) is required. Outlook keeps time internally in UTC and converts to local time only for display, using a routine similar to, but separate from, the one in Windows itself.

Note that an intractable problem remains because MS grouped the US and Mexico together in the time zone select dialog in Windows (for example, "US Pacific and Tijuana, Mexico"). Since Mexico, unlike Canada, didn't slavishly follow the U.S. in this daylight time change idiocy, either you patch Windows and the U.S. west shows correctly and Mexico doesn't. Or you don't patch to keep Mexico correct and the U.S. incorrect by an hour. This nuisance will only persist for three weeks until the classic date for daylight change. At this point both the US and Mexico will be on daylight time, allowing the same offset to be correct for both.

KenMic-Jack-8.gif Use as a worksheet for wiring Kenwood-compatible 8-pin panel jacks.

KenMic Plug 8.gif Use as a worksheet for wiring round Kenwood-mic-jack-compatible plugs.

TNC2-119b-8N1Mod.zip Last version ever of TAPR TNC2 firmware. Works in MFJ-127x TNCs.

PS2.pdf PS/2 Keyboard jack pinout - use to steal 5VDC from a keyboard jack on laptop.

The Black Viper domain seems to be back online. Latest online versions of these documents are here:

Many of the files linked above are in Portable Document File (.PDF) format. The free Adobe Acrobat Reader software, available from Adobe can be used to view or print this type of file.

A small, fast-loading alternative to the sluggish, grotesquely bloated (200 MB plus) current versions of the Acrobat Reader is the freeware Foxit Reader. This program is less than one-TENTH the size of Acrobat and loads nearly instantly. Download from:

A Bit About PDF Files

This file format is independent of computer, operating system, or application programs. PDFs can accurately reproduce highly-formatted pages produced by desktop publishing programs and advanced word processors. Unusual fonts (including non-Latin character sets) used in the original composition are embedded in the file, and will reproduce correctly, even if the font is not present on your system. PDFs can also reproduce smoothly-scalable vector images (not jagged pixelated bitmaps) of technical diagrams produced by CAD, draw and mapping programs without needing the original program. At print time, the image can be automatically re-sized to the actual paper size regardless of the original layout size.

PDFs are created from any program by issuing a "Print" command and selecting a virtual printer driver rather than your actual printer. A virtual printer driver called the "Distiller" is part of the full (purchased) version of Acrobat. It is actually a specialized PostScript printer driver that captures print output into a PDF file instead of sending it to a real printer.

An open-source FREE alternative for making PDFs from any program is the "PDF Creator" virtual printer driver available here:

Miscellaneous Diagrams, Files and Information

Other Stuff

A Bit About PDF Files