Hunting down the mystery missing log file in the Swyx D-Channel Monitor.
I had some issues trying to find the log file that the Swyx D-Channel Monitor (v8.00) creates when running on Windows Server 2003.
According to the Swyx KB Article, it can be found in the same place as the executable i.e. C:\Program Files\Swyx ISDN Tools, in the ‘Log’ folder. In my instance, it was not. Using the incredibly useful Procmon, I found that the file was actually created in the following path:
C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Swyx\Traces\
Swyx D-Channel Monitor
The filename of the file itself can be found at the bottom of the Swyx D-Channel Monitor window.
I originally wanted to create an executable to scan this file so that I could get alerts if a L1 deactivated message appears, however it would appear than the Swyx D-Channel Monitor locks the file for reading. I suppose I could handle startup & shutdown of the app using Process.Start (.NET) but that’s a bit more effort than I wanted to go to.
My brand new development box (and render target), using a Gigabyte GA-Z97X-UD5H motherboard & Intel i7 4790K processor was showing a strange (read: high) CPU temperature as soon as the processor ramped up to 100%.
The GA-Z97X-UD5H motherboard. Yup, it looks pretty much like other motherboards, with the exception of those lovely gold heatsinks.
When running Prime95, the Corsair Link software (and I backed the following readings up with Speedfan too) was reporting an instant increase to 80 degrees C when using the Blend setting, and a CPU temperature of 100 degrees C when using the Small FFTs (maximum heat) setting. This scared me somewhat! Especially as I was using the Corsair H110i Liquid Cooler – my first time with liquid cooling and at first I thought I’d done something wrong. Like plugged the pump motor into the wrong CPU header. I didn’t do that. No, really I didn’t :-). However…
And the solution:
If you’re running into the same issue, then I’m happy to say that a BIOS upgrade (from F4 to F8) sorted the issue out. CPU temperatures are now reporting at around 26 degrees C @ idle (which is only around 0.5 degree above ambient in our office…) and 65 degrees C when maxing the CPU out using the Blend setting in Prime95. I’m guessing the problem was just a reporting error, rather than the case of the actual CPU temperature hitting 80/100 degrees, but that is a guess.
Incidentally, it’s the first time I’ve used the BIOS on a MB as new as this one, and I gotta say its a dream to use. Mouse & network support, plus plenty of configuration options and a very quick BIOS flash procedure. I like.
For my next project that probably won’t get finished, I’ve decided on a synth, based on the Auduino source. I’m planning to use 2x Atmega168’s – dual synth’s, for the left & right channels. Each Auduino will have it’s own set of controls, for Grain 1 & 2, Pitch & Decay. There will also be an Octave control for each Auduino, plus a Stereo Width control, and Master Volume.
I had some brushed aluminium sheet left over from another project that didn’t get finished. I chopped this down to size using the scroll saw, with some WD40 sprayed on the blade to stop it clogging. I chose a size of 200mm x 120mm. These were arbitrary figures, with the only check done to ensure it was large enough for 12x knobs:
Aluminium front panel, before any work
I left the protective plastic on while I cut it out, and marked up the locations for each of the 12 controls:
Front panel, pre-drilling
I then carefully drilled & deburred each of the holes. And then, as I could bear it no longer, I removed the protective plastic! It’s starting to look a bit like a front panel now. As I was to later find out though, I would need to enlarge the holes for the rotary switches (octave control).
Front panel, post-drilling
The knobs I chose for this project are the knobs used on some Ibanez guitars. They’re the right weight, they look great (in my opinion) and they’re readily available:
Ibanez control knob
I really couldn’t be bothered with designing and etching a PCB for this, so I decided on stripboard. I started to solder up the circuit itself, following the instructions to run an Arduino standalone here. I’m using 2x Atmega168’s, with the Arduino bootloader, one for the left channel and one for the right. There’ll be the ability to adjust the stereo width, using one of the controls on the front panel.
Auduino Circuit, first stage
To label up the front panel, I chose to reverse print onto transparency. That way, it should stop the printed text from rubbing off. I knocked up the graphic using GIMP, then reversed it and printed using the help of Irfanview (as nothing else would seem to print at actual size). Here are some images of the first experiment. I included the centre black dots to mark the positions for the pot mounts. These will stay in the final print, however the grey larger circles were only included to mark the circumference of the knobs.These did not need to be printed, and will be removed in the final print.
Printed transparency (1st attempt), overlaid on front panelPrinted transparency (1st attempt)
Here’s the second go at the front panel transparency. I’ve changed the font and added some more text. Also, the grey knob markers have been removed in this print.
Printed transparency (2nd attempt)
A colleague with a much better toolshop than I made me a 8mm steel punch. I used this to easily remove the plastic where the pots will poke through. The knife work needed to tweak the 2 larger holes made it quite clear how handy that 8mm punch was (thanks Gary!). I knocked out the required plastic, mounted the 8x 4.7k linear pots and added some knobs so I could see how it was going to look. In the image below you can also see the key holes for the rotary switches (top 2 centre holes):
Front panel, partially populated
That’s all for now. Hopefully the next post with be with some sample audio!
