LinuxMCE - User contributions [en]

User:Armorgnome2

2012-10-06T05:34:49Z

Armorgnome2:

User:Armorgnome2

2012-08-22T21:23:50Z

Armorgnome2:

[[Category:User Setups]]

[[File:Armorgnome.JPG]]

==Why LinuxMCE?==

Like a lot of people currently involved in this project, I am a victim of THE video. I can not even
remember how I stumbled onto it, but since that moment I have been fascinated with its development. It has
been my introduction to the Linux experience. That software this impressive comes from the combined efforts
of brilliant people working for free and on their own time amazes me. I truly believe in the open source
concept and feel it is my responsibility as a user to contribute wherever possible. I have never programmed
anything more complex than a VCR, but I do have some artistic ability so I plug away at UI skins while
those more apt at programming contribute their abilities. The reward then for me goes beyond integrating
components in my home. The thought that a skin I draw might be the preferred choice of a new user two
years from now keeps me striving for perfection. As I have had more time recently in my schedule to work
on LMCE projects I have found new possible ways to contribute such as dce device implementation, template
creation and eventually (I hope) code development. Recently have devoted a few hours per day to reading C++
textbooks, most of them are old but the principles are still relevant.

==Current Equipment: Graphical==

My current setup is a Hybrid Core mounted in a wall between my office and living room. In this image I am
showing what pipes to the office and what pipes to the living room. The gray area is actually the hidden
space behind a full wall entertainment center. As described in forum post about my video card, my CORE is
pulling triple duty and functioning as the core, a media director and another media director. I refer to
this setup as my hybrid-hybrid.

Please note that while this graphical image is accurate and the base of my installation, there is much more
not pictured that can be found further down in Current Setup: Detailed.

[[File:Current_Setup.jpg]]

'''Red Lines are:'''

Power Lines showing both the Core and another non-LMCE computer protected by the UPS, to

save a lot of line drawing I will just state that half of the system is UPS protected but didn't want to

draw all of that

'''Green Lines are:'''

From the non-LMCE PC out to a KVM switch under my office desk

From the CORE to the same KVM switch

From the CORE out to my LG TV and to a stereo preamp, and Sony Receiver located in the living room

'''Blue Lines are:'''

Network cables starting with input from a 4G wireless card to my external router

From the external router to the CORE (eth0)

From the Core (eth1) out to a Linksys 10/100/1000 five port switch

From the switch out to non-LMCE PC

From the switch out to VOIP adapter (not working yet)

From the switch out to HD Homerun

From the switch out to Netgear Wireless N router (functioning as a wireless switch only)

'''Yellow Lines are:'''

Connecting RJ-11 phone line from VOIP adapter to a standard cordless phone (not working yet)

==Current Equipment: Detailed==
Items in Red are not in use or not yet integrated w/ LinuxMCE

'''Computers:'''
ID: Core/Hybrid
Case: Generic 4U Rackmount Case (lockable)
Installed OS: LinuxMCE 10.04 - (Snapshot generated DVD install)
Room: Home Theater (physically mounted half in Office, half in Home Theater)
Mainboard: MSI P45 Neo3 FR
Processor(s): Intel Core 2 Duo E6300 Processor
Memory: 2x OCZ Reaper Series 1gig RAM DIMM
Video Card(s): XFX GeForce 7600 GT PCIe 256MB
Sound Card(s): (onboard 7.1 configured for 1 analog and 1 digital output)
Storage Drive: Seagate 160G SATA - 25G ext4 install partition, 120G xfs media partition (public audio)
Storage Drive: Seagate 1000G SATA - 1000G xfs media partition (public all except audio)
Storage Drive: Seagate 250G SATA - 250G xfs media partition (user1 private)
Storage Drive: Seagate 250G SATA - 250G xfs media partition (user2 private)
Optical Drive: Generic DVD Drive
PCI Extras: 10/100/1000 NIC (eth1)
PCI Extras: WinTV-150 MCE Edition
USB Extras: Gyration GYR3101US
USB Extras: Aeon Labs Z-Wave dongle and inclusion controller
USB Extras: USB UIRT

ID: Non-LinuxMCE Desktop (possible future NAS)
Case: Generic 4U Rackmount Case (non-lockable)
Installed OS: Ubuntu 10.04 LTS, Windows 7, Windows XP Pro SP3,
Room: Home Theater (physically mounted half in Office, half in Home Theater)
Mainboard: MSI K7N2 Delta
Processor(s): AMD Athlon XP
Memory: 1.5G PC2700 RAM
Video Card(s): ATI Radeon AGP 8x 128MB (? model)
Sound Card(s): (onboard analog)
Storage Drive: Seagate 160G IDE - partition tables changed frequently
Storage Drive: Seagate 160G IDE - 160G FAT32 storage partition
Optical Drive: Generic DVD Drive
USB Extras: WD 500G MyPassport USB drive - 250G FAT32 storage partition, 250G FAT32 recovery image storage
Extras: LIRC serial to IR

'''Media Directors:'''
ID: Test Media Director
Case: "we don't need no stinking case!"
Installed OS: -
Room: Office - test bench
Mainboard: varies
Processor(s): varies
Memory: varies
Video Card(s): varies
Sound Card(s): varies

'''Orbiters:'''
Web DT 366 x2
iPhone4 - using Web Orbiter 2.0, RoamingOrb app, Dianemo app
Roommate's Phone - changes often, uses Web Orbiter 2.0

'''Network:'''
Pantech UML290VW USB 4G Wireless dongle
CradlePoint Technologies CTR35 External Network Router
Linksys Gigabit 5-Port Workgroup Switch
Netgear N Wireless Router w/ 4 wired 10/100 Ports (DHCP disabled, statically assigned IP for access to MAC filtering)
Netgear N Wireless Router w/ 4 wired Gigabit Ports - not currently in use, attempting to replace firmware
Cisco 10/100 5-Port Workgroup Switch - not currently in use

'''Telephone Systems:'''
Generic VOIP Provider supplied adapter - still working on this one
Packet8 DTA310 Terminal Adapter - just acquired, haven't tested yet
Various PCI ATA Devices - recently acquired, haven't tested yet
Generic wired phone - still working on this one
Generic wireless phone - still working on this one

'''PVR Devices:'''
Generic OTA antenna
SchedulesDirect subscription
Silicon Dust HD Homerun
WinTV-150 MCE Edition PCI card

'''Security (Video):'''
D-Link 930L IP Camera

'''Climate:'''
IR controlled window AC unit - planning to integrate

'''Lights:'''
Intermatic CA3500 Split-Duplex Receptacle
EF26 IR controlled Electronic Fireplace - developing methods to control

'''Automation (Z-Wave):'''
Aeon Labs USB dongle
''Intermatic HA07 12 Channel Controller - Used to complete setup, removed from system until I get a power adapter to it instead of relying on batteries''
Intermatic CA3500 Split-Duplex Receptacle

'''Automation (X-10):'''
Generic X-10 Exterior Motion Light - not yet in use other than stand alone motion light

'''Automation (1-Wire):'''
Moved down on my project list - Studying wiring diagrams and planning to implement soon

'''Automation (other):'''
MicroLogics 1000 PLC - not currently integrated with LMCE, working on observation mode plugin
Allen Bradley (model?) PLC - not currently in use, working on 1-Wire command station idea

'''Power Protection:'''
HP RS2500 2U Rackmount w/RS-232 Interface UPS - currently operating in "dumb" mode
2x Best Power Axxium 2000U w/ Best Power RJ-45 Module 2U Rackmount UPS - project on hold due to 20Amp circuit requirement
4x Best Power 2U Rackmount Battery Packs - not in use, requiring battery replacement
20x 12"X48" Solar Panels - still being evaluated for functionality

'''AV Equipment:'''
Sharp Aquos 46" LCD w/ RS-232 Control - loaned to nephew, not sure I will see this again
LG (series?) 60" Plasma w/ RS-232 Control -Home Theater Room
Acer 23" Desktop Monitor -Office
Dell 19" CRT Monitor -Office, test bench
Sony STR-K850P Surround Sound Receiver
(make/model?) Generic Amp/Preamp - necessary due to the low output of the hybrid/core on-board audio

==Photos==

Due to the size of these photos I have created another page for them. To view these photos please follow this link:

[[User:Armorgnome2photos]]

==Concepts and Projects==

Removed this section temporarily as I found myself with too many open projects and nothing getting finished.
Temporarily listing my to-do list for those wondering how an ArmorGnome spends his time. I am selfishly using
this space for my personal ultimatums to self. Public humiliation to ensue for failure to complete:

Creation of custom orbiter cradles with customizable accessories - continuing progress posted in the forums
Integrate (name withheld) software module for control of Sirius feeds via orbiter - waiting on reply from original developer before continuing
Devise a template that offers lighting plug-in functions via IR - no new updates
Reduce old hardware clutter - enforcing new rules for myself and roommate about throwing away any un-needed components from tear-downs.
Finish plans to add networked audio to the kitchen - Deadline added to finish building something by, or break down and buy a supported device
Move core to a headless server configuration / convert current core to MD / move current drives to NAS - hardware appointment set to look over servers

==More Content to Come==

Devices list updated as new devices are added. 'My Contributions" Page/Frame. Project photos page will change to
an off-site url listing where I will make more photos available of current projects. "How I got it working" Section
complete with terminal commands, forum links and additional info on any non-standard devices.

User:Armorgnome2

2012-08-22T21:18:55Z

Armorgnome2: Devices update, revision to current projects, grammatical housekeeping

[[Category:User Setups]]

[[File:Armorgnome.JPG]]

==Why LinuxMCE?==

Like a lot of people currently involved in this project, I am a victim of THE video. I can not even
remember how I stumbled onto it, but since that moment I have been fascinated with its development. It has
been my introduction to the Linux experience. That software this impressive comes from the combined efforts
of brilliant people working for free and on their own time amazes me. I truly believe in the open source
concept and feel it is my responsibility as a user to contribute wherever possible. I have never programmed
anything more complex than a VCR, but I do have some artistic ability so I plug away at UI skins while
those more apt at programming contribute their abilities. The reward then for me goes beyond integrating
components in my home. The thought that a skin I draw might be the preferred choice of a new user two
years from now keeps me striving for perfection. As I have had more time recently in my schedule to work
on LMCE projects I have found new possible ways to contribute such as dce device implementation, template
creation and eventually (I hope) code development. Recently have devoted a few hours per day to reading C++
textbooks, most of them are old but the principles are still relevant.

==Current Equipment: Graphical==

My current setup is a Hybrid Core mounted in a wall between my office and living room. In this image I am
showing what pipes to the office and what pipes to the living room. The gray area is actually the hidden
space behind a full wall entertainment center. As described in forum post about my video card, my CORE is
pulling triple duty and functioning as the core, a media director and another media director. I refer to
this setup as my hybrid-hybrid.

Please note that while this graphical image is accurate and the base of my installation, there is much more
not pictured that can be found further down in Current Setup: Detailed.

[[File:Current_Setup.jpg]]

'''Red Lines are:'''

Power Lines showing both the Core and another non-LMCE computer protected by the UPS, to

save a lot of line drawing I will just state that half of the system is UPS protected but didn't want to

draw all of that

'''Green Lines are:'''

From the non-LMCE PC out to a KVM switch under my office desk

From the CORE to the same KVM switch

From the CORE out to my LG TV and to a stereo preamp, and Sony Receiver located in the living room

'''Blue Lines are:'''

Network cables starting with input from a 4G wireless card to my external router

From the external router to the CORE (eth0)

From the Core (eth1) out to a Linksys 10/100/1000 five port switch

From the switch out to non-LMCE PC

From the switch out to VOIP adapter (not working yet)

From the switch out to HD Homerun

From the switch out to Netgear Wireless N router (functioning as a wireless switch only)

'''Yellow Lines are:'''

Connecting RJ-11 phone line from VOIP adapter to a standard cordless phone (not working yet)

==Current Equipment: Detailed==
Items in Red are not in use or not yet integrated w/ LinuxMCE

'''Computers:'''
ID: Core/Hybrid
Case: Generic 4U Rackmount Case (lockable)
Installed OS: LinuxMCE 10.04 - (Snapshot generated DVD install)
Room: Home Theater (physically mounted half in Office, half in Home Theater)
Mainboard: MSI P45 Neo3 FR
Processor(s): Intel Core 2 Duo E6300 Processor
Memory: 2x OCZ Reaper Series 1gig RAM DIMM
Video Card(s): XFX GeForce 7600 GT PCIe 256MB
Sound Card(s): (onboard 7.1 configured for 1 analog and 1 digital output)
Storage Drive: Seagate 160G SATA - 25G ext4 install partition, 120G xfs media partition (public audio)
Storage Drive: Seagate 1000G SATA - 1000G xfs media partition (public all except audio)
Storage Drive: Seagate 250G SATA - 250G xfs media partition (user1 private)
Storage Drive: Seagate 250G SATA - 250G xfs media partition (user2 private)
Optical Drive: Generic DVD Drive
PCI Extras: 10/100/1000 NIC (eth1)
PCI Extras: WinTV-150 MCE Edition
USB Extras: Gyration GYR3101US
USB Extras: Aeon Labs Z-Wave dongle and inclusion controller

ID: Non-LinuxMCE Desktop (possible future NAS)
Case: Generic 4U Rackmount Case (non-lockable)
Installed OS: Ubuntu 10.04 LTS, Windows 7, Windows XP Pro SP3,
Room: Home Theater (physically mounted half in Office, half in Home Theater)
Mainboard: MSI K7N2 Delta
Processor(s): AMD Athlon XP
Memory: 1.5G PC2700 RAM
Video Card(s): ATI Radeon AGP 8x 128MB (? model)
Sound Card(s): (onboard analog)
Storage Drive: Seagate 160G IDE - partition tables changed frequently
Storage Drive: Seagate 160G IDE - 160G FAT32 storage partition
Optical Drive: Generic DVD Drive
USB Extras: WD 500G MyPassport USB drive - 250G FAT32 storage partition, 250G FAT32 recovery image storage
Extras: LIRC serial to IR

'''Media Directors:'''
ID: Test Media Director
Case: "we don't need no stinking case!"
Installed OS: -
Room: Office - test bench
Mainboard: varies
Processor(s): varies
Memory: varies
Video Card(s): varies
Sound Card(s): varies

'''Orbiters:'''
Web DT 366 x2
iPhone4 - using Web Orbiter 2.0, RoamingOrb app, Dianemo app
Roommate's Phone - changes often, uses Web Orbiter 2.0

'''Network:'''
Pantech UML290VW USB 4G Wireless dongle
CradlePoint Technologies CTR35 External Network Router
Linksys Gigabit 5-Port Workgroup Switch
Netgear N Wireless Router w/ 4 wired 10/100 Ports (DHCP disabled, statically assigned IP for access to MAC filtering)
Netgear N Wireless Router w/ 4 wired Gigabit Ports - not currently in use, attempting to replace firmware
Cisco 10/100 5-Port Workgroup Switch - not currently in use

'''Telephone Systems:'''
Generic VOIP Provider supplied adapter - still working on this one
Packet8 DTA310 Terminal Adapter - just acquired, haven't tested yet
Various PCI ATA Devices - recently acquired, haven't tested yet
Generic wired phone - still working on this one
Generic wireless phone - still working on this one

'''PVR Devices:'''
Generic OTA antenna
SchedulesDirect subscription
Silicon Dust HD Homerun
WinTV-150 MCE Edition PCI card

'''Security (Video):'''
D-Link 930L IP Camera

'''Climate:'''
IR controlled window AC unit - planning to integrate

'''Lights:'''
Intermatic CA3500 Split-Duplex Receptacle
EF26 IR controlled Electronic Fireplace - developing methods to control

'''Automation (Z-Wave):'''
Aeon Labs USB dongle
''Intermatic HA07 12 Channel Controller - Used to complete setup, removed from system until I get a power adapter to it instead of relying on batteries''
Intermatic CA3500 Split-Duplex Receptacle

'''Automation (X-10):'''
Generic X-10 Exterior Motion Light - not yet in use other than stand alone motion light

'''Automation (1-Wire):'''
Moved down on my project list - Studying wiring diagrams and planning to implement soon

'''Automation (other):'''
MicroLogics 1000 PLC - not currently integrated with LMCE, working on observation mode plugin
Allen Bradley (model?) PLC - not currently in use, working on 1-Wire command station idea

'''Power Protection:'''
HP RS2500 2U Rackmount w/RS-232 Interface UPS - currently operating in "dumb" mode
2x Best Power Axxium 2000U w/ Best Power RJ-45 Module 2U Rackmount UPS - project on hold due to 20Amp circuit requirement
4x Best Power 2U Rackmount Battery Packs - not in use, requiring battery replacement
20x 12"X48" Solar Panels - still being evaluated for functionality

'''AV Equipment:'''
Sharp Aquos 46" LCD w/ RS-232 Control - loaned to nephew, not sure I will see this again
LG (series?) 60" Plasma w/ RS-232 Control -Home Theater Room
Acer 23" Desktop Monitor -Office
Dell 19" CRT Monitor -Office, test bench
Sony STR-K850P Surround Sound Receiver
(make/model?) Generic Amp/Preamp - necessary due to the low output of the hybrid/core on-board audio

==Photos==

Due to the size of these photos I have created another page for them. To view these photos please follow this link:

[[User:Armorgnome2photos]]

==Concepts and Projects==

Removed this section temporarily as I found myself with too many open projects and nothing getting finished.
Temporarily listing my to-do list for those wondering how an ArmorGnome spends his time. I am selfishly using
this space for my personal ultimatums to self. Public humiliation to ensue for failure to complete:

Creation of custom orbiter cradles with customizable accessories - continuing progress posted in the forums
Integrate (name withheld) software module for control of Sirius feeds via orbiter - waiting on reply from original developer before continuing
Devise a template that offers lighting plug-in functions via IR - no new updates
Reduce old hardware clutter - enforcing new rules for myself and roommate about throwing away any un-needed components from tear-downs.
Finish plans to add networked audio to the kitchen - Deadline added to finish building something by, or break down and buy a supported device
Move core to a headless server configuration / convert current core to MD / move current drives to NAS - hardware appointment set to look over servers

==More Content to Come==

Devices list updated as new devices are added. 'My Contributions" Page/Frame. Project photos page will change to
an off-site url listing where I will make more photos available of current projects. "How I got it working" Section
complete with terminal commands, forum links and additional info on any non-standard devices.

Contacts

2012-08-22T20:23:59Z

Armorgnome2: Added myself to the list of those willing to offer help

LinuxMCE is a media centered [[Linux]] distribution. It's built on the solid foundation laid down by debian and Ubuntu. But with all kinds of goodies for the home of the future, from digital video recorder capabilities and home automation to functioning as a telephone switching hub for your home in lieu of a boring intercom system; all tied together by an advanced messaging infrastructure. While the next release 0810 is almost done and focuses on stability, we're already planning for the next release and '''you''' could contribute to it's direction. We're always looking for developers and maintainers to '''[[Contribute|join the team]]'''.
== Core Team (in alphabetical order) ==
----
'''[[User:hari|Harald Klein]]''' -- contact: hari -at- vt100 (.at) 
Responsibilities: Stand-in project lead for danielk, [[sqlCVS]] maintenance, [[JavaMO]], open [[Z-Wave]] driver, testing 
----
'''[[User:posde|Peer Oliver Schmidt]]''' -- contact: peer.oliver.schmidt -at- linuxmce (.org) 
Responsibilities: Release management, builder, sqlCVS, trac and SVN maintenance 
----
'''Radu C''' aka Uplink -- no contact info available 
Responsibilities: [http://forum.linuxmce.org Forum] Moderator and hardcore LinuxMCE hacker
----
'''Thomas Cherryhomes''' -- contact: thom.cherryhomes -at- gmail (.com) 
Responsibilities: Hacking, Coding, Media Plugins/Players, Orbiter Development, HA Designer specialist. 
== Developers ==
* golgoj4
** qOrbiter
* foxi352
** Asterisk 1004+
** Networking (IPv6 & VPN)
** RoamingOrb
* merkur2k
** Web Admin
** Networking
* sambuca
** Event Engine
** Bug squasher

== Misc Jobs ==
----
'''Colin Jones''' aka colinjones -- Contact info: colin_a_jones (at) hotmail (dot) com 
Responsibilities: [http://forum.linuxmce.org Forum] Moderator and Evangelist
----
'''Derrick Lewis''' aka dlewis -- Contact info: dlewis (at) linuxmce (dot) org 
Responsibilities: Evangelist
----
bongowongo -- Contact info: bongo (at) linuxmce (dot) org 
Responsibilities: wiki admin and snapshot tester

== Currently on extended leave ==
----
'''Daniel Kristjansson''' -- contact: danielk -at- cuymedia (.net) 
Responsibilities: Community liaison, organizing open source volunteers and roadmap 

== Offering help ==
Right, having looked at the detail in this post [http://forum.linuxmce.org/index.php?topic=8411.0] i felt its time to see what we are made of as a community, please add your details.

GUIDE: copy'n'paste the following lines then append them into the table below (prior to the final line that contains '|}'). This formatting should make it easier for the 'big 5' to work out who can contribute what...
<pre>
| Your username
| Your relevant expertise/experience
| Your other experience/expertise
| Your approx time available for the project
| Your time zone or location
| Your particular interest area (if any)
|-
</pre>

{| border="1"
!Username
!Relevant expertise/experience
!Other Experience/Expertise
!Time available for the project
!Time zone or location
!Particular Interest Area (If any)
|-
| Geekyhawkes
| advanced newbie
| use to some C+/linux/ubuntu/ html / xml / flash
| few evenings a week
| UK GMT
| User documentation, newbie guides, website design , wiki topics and guides. Line by line intros to get 810 up and running regardless of user experiance.
|-
| qball4
| regular user
| HADesigner, graphic design, hardware a/v distribution systems
| average 20-40 hrs/wk available
| US CST
| User Interface, new orbiter platforms
|-
| Fastie81
| advanced newbie
| work with linux/Red Hat/ubuntu day to day / Project Manager / Systems Administrator / Quick Learner
| My work load goes up and down so would have few days one week and none another
| GMT +12 (NZ)
| User Documentation, guides, wiki guides. I would like to learn some coding. Adding Hardware support ,Devices Templates.
|-
| Techstyle
| Advanced Newbie
| System builder, Linux newbie, some Wiki writing experience / PMP (Project Management Professional), MBA, Mechanical Engineer, Entrepreneur
| 1hr per day
| US central (Milwaukee, WI)
| Anything structured
|-
| nite_man
| regular user
| Integrator, consultant, GSD, Ruby, Maemo Orbiter / More then 10 years of software development - Perl, PHP, Linux sysadmin
| 2-4 hours per day
| UTC+2:00 Nicosia, Cyprus
| Admin site, Maemo Orbiter, posting news, blogging, Russian translation
|-
| Daballiemo
| regular user
| Worked my way through Linux/Ubuntu/Fedora mainly on virtualization / Working within MOD and about 15 years of exp. with "paper" documentation
| About 3-6 hours a week
| GMT +1, Amsterdam
| Virtualization and interfacing (webui, remote, keyboard, touch aso)
|-
| SteveC
| LMCE Newbie but keen to get cracking.
| Electronics/Software Engr, C/C++ for 15years.
| Approx 5 hours/week
| UTC+10:00 Brisbane, Australia
| Main interests relate to external hardware interfaces eg. Clipsal CBUS lighting, Caddx/Networx Alarm system.
|-
| castlec
| LMCE Noob. Linux regular user/noob
| Java Dev, C++ trained (University).
| 3-5 hours/Week
| UTC-5 Ohio, USA
|
|-
| ZuG
| Regular User
| Linux, PHP and a bit of C. Very familiar with Asterisk and OpenVPN
| 3-5 hours/Week
| GMT Cardiff, United Kingdom
| OpenVPN development
|-
| ccoudsi
| Regular user
| 15+ years embedded hardware design, 8+ years engineering manager, Assembly, C, Perl, Ruby (newbie)
| 5-8 hours a week
| UTC-08 PT
| Security Panels
|-
| colinjones
| Regular User
| Bit of bash, some simple coding, learning C++, familiar with the DCE system
| ~15-20 hours/Week
| UTC+10, Sydney, Australia
| LMCE!
|-
| sp00nhead
| User since Pluto days
| IT support & Training, want to be python coder, solid knowledge of Linux systems
| ~5 hours/week unless i get hooked again.
| GMT Crewe, UK
| take the LMCE framework and make it as popular as xbmc/boxee!
|-
| darrenmason
| User/Developer since Pluto days, familiar with the codebase and architecture
| IT Consultant with Software engineering background specialising in Integration. Have developed in C++/Java and various other languages
| Varies depending upon family but can/will find time if interest level is there
| UTC+10, Sydney, Australia
| New devices, Microcontroller integration, Constrained resources Media Directors, DLNP
|-
| patricez
| Advanced Newbie
| Tech addict. Dev Team Manager, have experience in C,SQL,Xen,vmware,citrix,Asterisk,network...
| Varies depending my job(s) and family but could be 5-10hrs/week
| UTC-5, Quebec, Canada
| Home Automation, VOIP, Virtualization, Networking
|-
| PeteK
| User Since Pluto, some development work submitted to Pluto (early Insteon)
| Avionics Engineer, Hardware/Software C++ experience
| Shooting for 5-10 hrs/week
| UTC-8/-7 Mojave, CA, USA
| Automation Interfaces
|-
| davegravy
| LMCE Newbie
| Electrical/Acoustical Engineer, Project Manager. Java, Assembly, some C++ learned in university.
| 5-10hrs/week hopefully
| UTC-5, Toronto, Canada
| Home Automation, VOIP, Documentation
|-
| LegoGT
| Regular User
| EE(CmpE); Hardware design, firmware/software dev; C/C++, Assembly, Java, shell scripting
| 10-15 hrs/week
| GMT-5 Atlanta, USA
| Home Automation, Asterisk, A/V distribution, Embedded dev (drivers, hw/fw, etc.), Security, Maemo
|-
| TSCHAK
| Advanced LMCE Hacker
| Polymath, Hacker, Sound Designer, Accoustics Engineer, Software Designer, Programmer, Computer Scientist, Human Interface Design Specialist, Web Application Developer, Domotics Researcher, Professional Musician, Graphic Designer
| 18+ hrs/day
| GMT-5 Cambridge, MA USA
| Virtually Every Single Subsystem. Most of my work however, has been in Orbiter, Media Plugin, and Telecom Plugin/Asterisk DCE Device. I have also written a security panel driver (VistaICM2), as well as a new media type (Game Player), etc.
|-
| sptremblay
| I'm a passionate newbie
| I'm a .Net developer. I've done a few Java. It's always part of development "I want to learn something new"
| approx 8 hrs/week (I have 6 month old triplets! I'll do my best)
| GMT-5 Quebec, Qc, CAN
| Anything I want to get my hand in development.
|-
| Bdfoster (Brian Foster)
| Regular User
| 10 Years Experiance building computers, know Windows UI well, have used Linux for last 2 years
| 2-3 Hrs/Day
| GMT+1 (most of the time)
| Telecom, Z-Wave, Other Hardware
|-
| roberto99 (Roberto)
| newbie
| User and supporter of MS products (not a pro), newbie with Linux and LMCE, some HW assembling and support, nothing relevant really
| to be determined
| Switzerland GMT +2
| Translation of the wiki/guides/whatever from english to german, if this is of interest (to attract german speaking users from Germany, Switzerland, Austria)
|-
| '''[[User:Ray_N|Ray_N]]'''
| Regular User
| Software development, Linux/Unix administration and development, C, Java, Intel assembly, MySQL and networking, Documentation, structure/organization, some graphics background/understanding, fluent in Spanish
| Less than 8hrs/week :-(
| GMT -4 hrs
| Media, Usability, Optimization, making it work, seeing LMCE become THE home media system
|-
| orgel
| Regular User
| Software- and Web- development, Windows/Linux C, C#, Java, SQL, PHP, ASP, JSP, Training
| Varies depending my job(s) and family but could be 2-8 hrs/day
| GMT +1
| German translation, translation into the [http://www.linux-mce.de German Wiki], moderator of the [http://forum.linux-mce.de German forum]
|-
| Ger-sh-win
| LinuxMCE Newbie
| Business analyst, Software developer, Windows/Linux, C, Java, SQL, PHP
| few evenings a week
| GMT +1 (Austria)
| EIB, German translation, Testing, Docmentation
|-
| manizpatel
| LinuxMCE Newbie
| System programming in C, C++, Network Programming in Java 6
| I am not sure but at least 10 hrs/week.
| (UTC-05:00) Eastern Time (US & Canada)
| Device Drivers, Mobile orbiters, testing
|-
| Morpheus
| LinuxMCE newbie, though been watching the project for the last 2 years. 3 years Linux Experience
| Building and testing computers for the last 10 years. Very limited programming experience, but always willing to try, usually better at working through other peoples code than my own. Worked with various Wiki's and Forums that sit on my own sites.
| 5hrs / week, possibly more.
| GMT - Lincolnshire, UK
| Testing, Documentation, Help with MediaWiki and Forums.
|-
| TonyBryan
| LinuxMCE newbie
| Amateur developer, but done a lot of testing and documentation over 10 years. 2 years Linux experience, 1 year LMCE experience. Little bit of Java and .NET, documentation and testing.
| 2-10 hours per week depending on other commitments and how much the baby cries!
| GMT - Derby, UK
| UI, documentation, testing
|-
| Microchip
| LinuxMCE newbie
| Experienced in Linux and FreeBSD server management, compilation, troubleshooting, making packages work, configuration, gluing things together. Also PHP/HTML/SQL/etc.
| 3-6+ hours a week
| GMT - Lancashire, UK
| Backend configuration, RAID, web admin, external package integration, UPnP/NAT-PMP mapping, adaptive Internet / network video streaming according to conditions
|-
| Cfernandes
| Regular User
| 20+ years hardware maintenance, Linux, PHP , Asterisk, OpenVPN, Iptables
| 6+ Hours a week
| GMT-3 Brazil
| LMCE!
|-
| ArmorGnome
| LinuxMCE newbie
| General computing knowledge, dedicated to testing and configuring low $ hardware and offering non-standard implementation of standard devices for unique situations
| 30-40 Hours a week
| GMT-5 Portland, MI
| I believe in delayed gratification and find joy in doing things for others. I have enjoyed using LMCE for over 3 years now and do my best to contribute where possible

|}

== Alumni ==

'''Paul Webber''' -- contact: webpaul1 -at- gmail (.com) 
Paul launched LinuxMCE on March 15, 2007, but is moving on to other projects. He visits us occasionally but after release 0710 will no longer be solely responsible for any aspect of the LinuxMCE release cycle. See [[History|'''History of LinuxMCE''']], for an explanation of why Paul started the project.

[[Category:Development]]
[[Category:Wiki administration]]

User:Armorgnome2

2012-08-13T03:50:07Z

Armorgnome2: Clean-up day for my hardware, moved a few cards around and added a 1 device zwave network

[[Category:User Setups]]

[[File:Armorgnome.JPG]]

==Why LinuxMCE?==

Like a lot of people currently involved in this project, I am a victim of THE video. I can not even
remember how I stumbled onto it, but since that moment I have been fascinated with its development. It has
been my introduction to the Linux experience. That software this impressive comes from the combined efforts
of brilliant people working for free and on their own time amazes me. I truly believe in the open source
concept and feel it is my responsibility as a user to contribute wherever possible. I have never programmed
anything more complex than a VCR, but I do have some artistic ability so I plug away at UI skins while
those more apt at programming contribute their abilities. The reward then for me goes beyond integrating
components in my home. The thought that a skin I draw might be the preferred choice of a new user two
years from now keeps me striving for perfection. As I have had more time recently in my schedule to work
on LMCE projects I have found new possible ways to contribute such as dce device implementation, template
creation and eventually (I hope) code development.

==Current Equipment: Graphical==

My current setup is a Hybrid Core mounted in a wall between my office and living room. In this image I am
showing what pipes to the office and what pipes to the living room. The gray area is actually the hidden
space behind a full wall entertainment center. As described in forum post about my video card, my CORE is
pulling triple duty and functioning as the core, a media director and another media director. I refer to
this setup as my hybrid-hybrid.

[[File:Current_Setup.jpg]]

'''Red Lines are:'''

Power Lines showing both the Core and another non-LMCE computer protected by the UPS, to

save a lot of line drawing I will just state that half of the system is UPS protected but didn't want to

draw all of that

'''Green Lines are:'''

From the non-LMCE PC out to a KVM switch under my office desk

From the CORE to the same KVM switch

From the CORE out to my LG TV and to a stereo preamp, and Sony Receiver located in the living room

'''Blue Lines are:'''

Network cables starting with input from a 4G wireless card to my external router

From the external router to the CORE (eth0)

From the Core (eth1) out to a Linksys 10/100/1000 five port switch

From the switch out to non-LMCE PC

From the switch out to VOIP adapter (not working yet)

From the switch out to HD Homerun

From the switch out to Netgear Wireless N router (functioning as a wireless switch only)

'''Yellow Lines are:'''

Connecting RJ-11 phone line from VOIP adapter to a standard cordless phone (not working yet)

==Current Equipment: Detailed==
Items in Red are not in use or not yet integrated w/ LinuxMCE

'''Computers:'''
ID: Core/Hybrid
Case: Generic 4U Rackmount Case (lockable)
Installed OS: LinuxMCE 10.04 - (Snapshot generated DVD install)
Room: Home Theater (physically mounted half in Office, half in Home Theater)
Mainboard: MSI P45 Neo3 FR
Processor(s): Intel Core 2 Duo E6300 Processor
Memory: 2x OCZ Reaper Series 1gig RAM DIMM
Video Card(s): XFX GeForce 7600 GT PCIe 256MB
Sound Card(s): (onboard 7.1 configured for 1 analog and 1 digital output)
Storage Drive: Seagate 160G SATA - 25G ext4 install partition, 120G xfs media partition (public audio)
Storage Drive: Seagate 1000G SATA - 1000G xfs media partition (public all except audio)
Storage Drive: Seagate 250G SATA - 250G xfs media partition (user1 private)
Storage Drive: Seagate 250G SATA - 250G xfs media partition (user2 private)
Optical Drive: Generic DVD Drive
PCI Extras: 10/100/1000 NIC (eth1)
PCI Extras: WinTV-150 MCE Edition
USB Extras: Gyration GYR3101US RF remote dongle -sadly fried recently, looking for replacement
USB Extras: Aeon Labs Z-Wave dongle and inclusion controller

ID: Non-LinuxMCE Desktop (possible future NAS)
Case: Generic 4U Rackmount Case (non-lockable)
Installed OS: Ubuntu 10.04 LTS, Windows 7, Windows XP Pro SP3,
Room: Home Theater (physically mounted half in Office, half in Home Theater)
Mainboard: MSI K7N2 Delta
Processor(s): AMD Athlon XP
Memory: 1.5G PC2700 RAM
Video Card(s): ATI Radeon AGP 8x 128MB (? model)
Sound Card(s): (onboard analog)
Storage Drive: Seagate 160G IDE - partition tables changed frequently
Storage Drive: Seagate 160G IDE - 160G FAT32 storage partition
Optical Drive: Generic DVD Drive
USB Extras: WD 500G MyPassport USB drive - 250G FAT32 storage partition, 250G FAT32 recovery image storage
Extras: LIRC serial to IR

'''Media Directors:'''
ID: Test Media Director
Case: "we don't need no stinking case!"
Installed OS: -
Room: Office - test bench
Mainboard: varies
Processor(s): varies
Memory: varies
Video Card(s): varies
Sound Card(s): varies

'''Orbiters:'''
Web DT 366
iPhone4 - using Web Orbiter 2.0, RoamingOrb app, Dianemo app
Roommate's Phone - changes often, uses Web Orbiter 2.0

'''Network:'''
Pantech UML290VW USB 4G Wireless dongle
CradlePoint Technologies CTR35 External Network Router
Linksys Gigabit 5-Port Workgroup Switch
Netgear N Wireless Router w/ 4 wired 10/100 Ports (DHCP disabled, statically assigned IP for access to MAC filtering)
Netgear N Wireless Router w/ 4 wired Gigabit Ports - not currently in use, attempting to replace firmware
Cisco 10/100 5-Port Workgroup Switch - not currently in use
AT&T 3G Cell Device - not currently in use, investigating legal options for cell broadcasting

'''Telephone Systems:'''
Generic VOIP Provider supplied adapter - still working on this one
Generic wired phone - still working on this one
Generic wireless phone - still working on this one

'''PVR Devices:'''
Generic OTA antenna
SchedulesDirect subscription
Silicon Dust HD Homerun
WinTV-150 MCE Edition PCI card

'''Security (Video):'''
D-Link 930L IP Camera
GE Wireless Camera - in development to use proprietary interface
3x BunkerHill Color analog cameras w/ IR - not currently integrated w/ LinuxMCE
3x Generic USB Webcams - not currently integrated w/ LinuxMCE

'''Climate:'''
5x DS18S20 1-Wire Temperature Sensors - not yet assembled

'''Lights:'''
Intermatic CA3500 Split-Duplex Receptacle

'''Automation (Z-Wave):'''
Aeon Labs USB dongle
''Intermatic HA07 12 Channel Controller - Used to complete setup, removed from system until I get a power adapter to it instead of relying on batteries''
Intermatic CA3500 Split-Duplex Receptacle

'''Automation (X-10):'''
Generic X-10 Exterior Motion Light - not yet in use other than stand alone motion light

'''Automation (1-Wire):'''
5x DS18S20 1-Wire Temperature Sensors - not yet assembled

'''Automation (other):'''
MicroLogics 1000 PLC - not currently integrated with LMCE, working on observation mode plugin
Allen Bradley (model?) PLC - not currently in use, working on 1-Wire command station idea

'''Power Protection:'''
HP RS2500 2U Rackmount w/RS-232 Interface UPS - currently operating in "dumb" mode
2x Best Power Axxium 2000U w/ Best Power RJ-45 Module 2U Rackmount UPS - in development
4x Best Power 2U Rackmount Battery Packs - not in use, requiring battery replacement
20x 12"X48" Solar Panels - still being evaluated for functionality

'''AV Equipment:'''
Sharp Aquos 46" LCD w/ RS-232 Control
LG (series?) 60" Plasma w/ RS-232 Control -Home Theater Room
Acer 23" Desktop Monitor -Office
Sanyo (series?) 32" LCD -Office, test bench
Dell 19" CRT Monitor -Office, test bench
Sony STR-K850P Surround Sound Receiver
(make/model?) Generic Amp/Preamp - necessary due to the low output of the hybrid/core on-board audio

==Photos==

Due to the size of these photos I have created another page for them. To view these photos please follow this link:

[[User:Armorgnome2photos]]

==Concepts and Projects==

One of the very exciting things about this project to me when I first dug into it was that support for
devices came from users and developers who using what they had, got it working and wrote support for those
devices into LinuxMCE. Because of this, just as I have noticed with many flavors of Linux, the latest and
greatest hardware might not have support written for it yet. Tried and true hardware that is now bottom
shelf or eBay fodder probably has several varieties of code written for it. Though some might not care
for it, I am a duck taper. I love finding a new Goodwill store that may have a serial cable for me to
tear apart and make a 1-wire device out of. I slam the brakes when I see a computer tower at a yard sale.
At any given time I have four to five half assembled devices on the bench going through RAM testing or
waiting on parts from eBay to show up.

Though it may not seem the Linux way, I am developing and creating some hardware with the intention of
selling it. Obviously I am not selling software, it is free to me and it will be free to everyone else.
I hope to sell my time and solder to users who appreciate custom components and want something unique.
Any development or templates I have to create to make my creations work under LinuxMCE will be offered to
the community freely. A percentage of profit from sold will go directly to LinuxMCE as a donation and profit
remaining will go to adding new equipment to my setup. Time will tell how well this works out for me...
if nothing else it keeps my soldering iron hot and keeps me trying to learn more about the way things
work inside LinuxMCE.

Case Moding Media Directors:

As much as I like the clean look of a vesa mounted nettop behind a flatscreen, I can not ignore that in
most setups there will always be some type of entertainment center. A TV can be mounted in a wall but
not many non-custom built walls will allow you to recess a PS3 or a receiver. This is where my media
directors come in. Using 100% compatible and tested hardware I will create one of a kind 'showcase'
media directors. Some could be described as contemporary HTPC designs and some can be called nothing
short of radical.

Ideas and Current Projects:

Entertainment Center Typical: Mini and Micro ATX computers modded to fit inside electronics. An old
cable box which actually houses a full media director, A receiver that contains a working media director
AND retains function as a receiver,

Component Hidden: In-wall touchscreen orbiters. In-TV hidden receiver and media director (imagine a
child's bedroom television, tube style case with a flatscreen tv inside that allows all that empty room
for me to cram in components)

Radical: Pressure sensitive doormat, voice recognition services from everything like orbiter commands to
front door locks, 'orbiting' orbiter using robotics such as Roomba, LinuxMCE operated fireplace (this
one is a little scary... )

==More Content to Come==

A lot. As you might have gleamed already, I like to type.

User:Armorgnome2

2012-08-12T03:59:00Z

Armorgnome2:

[[Category:User Setups]]

[[File:Armorgnome.JPG]]

==Why LinuxMCE?==

Like a lot of people currently involved in this project, I am a victim of THE video. I can not even
remember how I stumbled onto it, but since that moment I have been fascinated with its development. It has
been my introduction to the Linux experience. That software this impressive comes from the combined efforts
of brilliant people working for free and on their own time amazes me. I truly believe in the open source
concept and feel it is my responsibility as a user to contribute wherever possible. I have never programmed
anything more complex than a VCR, but I do have some artistic ability so I plug away at UI skins while
those more apt at programming contribute their abilities. The reward then for me goes beyond integrating
components in my home. The thought that a skin I draw might be the preferred choice of a new user two
years from now keeps me striving for perfection. As I have had more time recently in my schedule to work
on LMCE projects I have found new possible ways to contribute such as dce device implementation, template
creation and eventually (I hope) code development.

==Current Equipment: Graphical==

My current setup is a Hybrid Core mounted in a wall between my office and living room. In this image I am
showing what pipes to the office and what pipes to the living room. The gray area is actually the hidden
space behind a full wall entertainment center. As described in forum post about my video card, my CORE is
pulling triple duty and functioning as the core, a media director and another media director. I refer to
this setup as my hybrid-hybrid.

[[File:Current_Setup.jpg]]

'''Red Lines are:'''

Power Lines showing both the Core and another non-LMCE computer protected by the UPS, to

save a lot of line drawing I will just state that half of the system is UPS protected but didn't want to

draw all of that

'''Green Lines are:'''

From the non-LMCE PC out to a KVM switch under my office desk

From the CORE to the same KVM switch

From the CORE out to my LG TV and to a stereo preamp, and Sony Receiver located in the living room

'''Blue Lines are:'''

Network cables starting with input from a 4G wireless card to my external router

From the external router to the CORE (eth0)

From the Core (eth1) out to a Linksys 10/100/1000 five port switch

From the switch out to non-LMCE PC

From the switch out to VOIP adapter (not working yet)

From the switch out to HD Homerun (not working yet)

From the switch out to Netgear Wireless N router (functioning as a wireless switch only)

'''Yellow Lines are:'''

Connecting RJ-11 phone line from VOIP adapter to a standard cordless phone (not working yet)

==Current Equipment: Detailed==
Items in Red are not in use or not yet integrated w/ LinuxMCE

'''Computers:'''
ID: Core/Hybrid
Case: Generic 4U Rackmount Case (lockable)
Installed OS: LinuxMCE 10.04 - (Snapshot generated DVD install)
Room: Home Theater (physically mounted half in Office, half in Home Theater)
Mainboard: MSI P45 Neo3 FR
Processor(s): Intel Core 2 Duo E6300 Processor
Memory: 2x OCZ Reaper Series 1gig RAM DIMM
Video Card(s): XFX GeForce 7600 GT PCIe 256MB
Sound Card(s): (onboard 7.1 configured for 1 analog and 1 digital output)
Storage Drive: Seagate 160G SATA - 25G ext4 install partition, 120G xfs media partition (public audio)
Storage Drive: Seagate 1000G SATA - 1000G xfs media partition (public all except audio)
Storage Drive: Seagate 250G SATA - 250G xfs media partition (user1 private)
Storage Drive: Seagate 250G SATA - 250G xfs media partition (user2 private)
Storage Drive: Western Digital 320G SATA - not currently configured, intended for all PVR recordings
Optical Drive: Generic DVD Drive
PCI Extras: 10/100/1000 NIC (eth1)
USB Extras: Gyration GYR3101US RF remote dongle -sadly fried recently, looking for replacement
USB Extras: Aeon Labs Z-Wave dongle and inclusion controller

ID: Non-LinuxMCE Desktop (possible future NAS)
Case: Generic 4U Rackmount Case (non-lockable)
Installed OS: Ubuntu 10.04 LTS, Windows 7, Windows XP Pro SP3,
Room: Home Theater (physically mounted half in Office, half in Home Theater)
Mainboard: MSI K7N2 Delta
Processor(s): AMD Athlon XP
Memory: 1.5G PC2700 RAM
Video Card(s): ATI Radeon AGP 8x 128MB (? model)
Sound Card(s): (onboard analog)
Storage Drive: Seagate 160G IDE - partition tables changed frequently
Storage Drive: Seagate 160G IDE - 160G FAT32 storage partition
Optical Drive: Generic DVD Drive
PCI Extras: WinTV-150 MCE Edition
USB Extras: WD 500G MyPassport USB drive - 250G FAT32 storage partition, 250G FAT32 recovery image storage
Extras: LIRC serial to IR

'''Media Directors:'''
ID: Test Media Director
Case: "we don't need no stinking case!"
Installed OS: -
Room: Office - test bench
Mainboard: varies
Processor(s): varies
Memory: varies
Video Card(s): varies
Sound Card(s): varies

'''Orbiters:'''
Web DT 366
iPhone4 - using Web Orbiter 2.0, RoamingOrb app, Dianemo app
Roommate's Phone - changes often, uses Web Orbiter 2.0

'''Network:'''
Pantech UML290VW USB 4G Wireless dongle
CradlePoint Technologies CTR35 External Network Router
Linksys Gigabit 5-Port Workgroup Switch
Netgear N Wireless Router w/ 4 wired 10/100 Ports (DHCP disabled, statically assigned IP for access to MAC filtering)
Netgear N Wireless Router w/ 4 wired Gigabit Ports - not currently in use, attempting to replace firmware
Cisco 10/100 5-Port Workgroup Switch - not currently in use
AT&T 3G Cell Device - not currently in use, investigating legal options for cell broadcasting

'''Telephone Systems:'''
Generic VOIP Provider supplied adapter - still working on this one
Generic wired phone - still working on this one
Generic wireless phone - still working on this one

'''PVR Devices:'''
Generic OTA antenna
SchedulesDirect subscription
Silicon Dust HD Homerun
WinTV-150 MCE Edition PCI card - not currently in use

'''Security (Video):'''
D-Link 930L IP Camera
GE Wireless Camera - in development to use proprietary interface
3x BunkerHill Color analog cameras w/ IR - not currently integrated w/ LinuxMCE
3x Generic USB Webcams - not currently integrated w/ LinuxMCE

'''Climate:'''
5x DS18S20 1-Wire Temperature Sensors - not yet assembled

'''Lights:'''
Intermatic CA3500 Split-Duplex Receptacle - just arrived, not in use yet

'''Automation (Z-Wave):'''
Aeon Labs USB dongle
Intermatic HA07 12 Channel Controller - not yet in use, attempting to convert from battery to AC to DC adapter fed
Intermatic CA3500 Split-Duplex Receptacle - just arrived, not in use yet

'''Automation (X-10):'''
Generic X-10 Exterior Motion Light - not yet in use other than stand alone motion light

'''Automation (1-Wire):'''
5x DS18S20 1-Wire Temperature Sensors - not yet assembled

'''Automation (other):'''
MicroLogics 1000 PLC - not currently integrated with LMCE, working on observation mode plugin
Allen Bradley (model?) PLC - not currently in use, working on 1-Wire command station idea

'''Power Protection:'''
HP RS2500 2U Rackmount w/RS-232 Interface UPS - currently operating in "dumb" mode
2x Best Power Axxium 2000U w/ Best Power RJ-45 Module 2U Rackmount UPS - in development
4x Best Power 2U Rackmount Battery Packs - not in use, requiring battery replacement
20x 12"X48" Solar Panels - still being evaluated for functionality

'''AV Equipment:'''
Sharp Aquos 46" LCD w/ RS-232 Control
LG (series?) 60" Plasma w/ RS-232 Control -Home Theater Room
Acer 23" Desktop Monitor -Office
Sanyo (series?) 32" LCD -Office, test bench
Dell 19" CRT Monitor -Office, test bench
Sony STR-K850P Surround Sound Receiver
(make/model?) Generic Amp/Preamp - necessary due to the low output of the hybrid/core on-board audio

==Photos==

Due to the size of these photos I have created another page for them. To view these photos please follow this link:

[[User:Armorgnome2photos]]

==Concepts and Projects==

One of the very exciting things about this project to me when I first dug into it was that support for
devices came from users and developers who using what they had, got it working and wrote support for those
devices into LinuxMCE. Because of this, just as I have noticed with many flavors of Linux, the latest and
greatest hardware might not have support written for it yet. Tried and true hardware that is now bottom
shelf or eBay fodder probably has several varieties of code written for it. Though some might not care
for it, I am a duck taper. I love finding a new Goodwill store that may have a serial cable for me to
tear apart and make a 1-wire device out of. I slam the brakes when I see a computer tower at a yard sale.
At any given time I have four to five half assembled devices on the bench going through RAM testing or
waiting on parts from eBay to show up.

Though it may not seem the Linux way, I am developing and creating some hardware with the intention of
selling it. Obviously I am not selling software, it is free to me and it will be free to everyone else.
I hope to sell my time and solder to users who appreciate custom components and want something unique.
Any development or templates I have to create to make my creations work under LinuxMCE will be offered to
the community freely. A percentage of profit from sold will go directly to LinuxMCE as a donation and profit
remaining will go to adding new equipment to my setup. Time will tell how well this works out for me...
if nothing else it keeps my soldering iron hot and keeps me trying to learn more about the way things
work inside LinuxMCE.

Case Moding Media Directors:

As much as I like the clean look of a vesa mounted nettop behind a flatscreen, I can not ignore that in
most setups there will always be some type of entertainment center. A TV can be mounted in a wall but
not many non-custom built walls will allow you to recess a PS3 or a receiver. This is where my media
directors come in. Using 100% compatible and tested hardware I will create one of a kind 'showcase'
media directors. Some could be described as contemporary HTPC designs and some can be called nothing
short of radical.

Ideas and Current Projects:

Entertainment Center Typical: Mini and Micro ATX computers modded to fit inside electronics. An old
cable box which actually houses a full media director, A receiver that contains a working media director
AND retains function as a receiver,

Component Hidden: In-wall touchscreen orbiters. In-TV hidden receiver and media director (imagine a
child's bedroom television, tube style case with a flatscreen tv inside that allows all that empty room
for me to cram in components)

Radical: Pressure sensitive doormat, voice recognition services from everything like orbiter commands to
front door locks, 'orbiting' orbiter using robotics such as Roomba, LinuxMCE operated fireplace (this
one is a little scary... )

==More Content to Come==

A lot. As you might have gleamed already, I like to type.

User:Armorgnome2

2012-08-12T03:55:51Z

Armorgnome2:

[[Category:User Setups]]

[[File:Armorgnome.JPG]]

==Why LinuxMCE?==

Like a lot of people currently involved in this project, I am a victim of THE video. I can not even
remember how I stumbled onto it, but since that moment I have been fascinated with its development. It has
been my introduction to the Linux experience. That software this impressive comes from the combined efforts
of brilliant people working for free and on their own time amazes me. I truly believe in the open source
concept and feel it is my responsibility as a user to contribute wherever possible. I have never programmed
anything more complex than a VCR, but I do have some artistic ability so I plug away at UI skins while
those more apt at programming contribute their abilities. The reward then for me goes beyond integrating
components in my home. The thought that a skin I draw might be the preferred choice of a new user two
years from now keeps me striving for perfection. As I have had more time recently in my schedule to work
on LMCE projects I have found new possible ways to contribute such as dce device implementation, template
creation and eventually (I hope) code development.

==Current Equipment: Graphical==

My current setup is a Hybrid Core mounted in a wall between my office and living room. In this image I am
showing what pipes to the office and what pipes to the living room. The gray area is actually the hidden
space behind a full wall entertainment center. As described in forum post about my video card, my CORE is
pulling triple duty and functioning as the core, a media director and another media director. I refer to
this setup as my hybrid-hybrid.

[[File:Current_Setup.jpg]]

'''Red Lines are:'''

Power Lines showing both the Core and another non-LMCE computer protected by the UPS, to

save a lot of line drawing I will just state that half of the system is UPS protected but didn't want to

draw all of that

'''Green Lines are:'''

From the non-LMCE PC out to a KVM switch under my office desk

From the CORE to the same KVM switch

From the CORE out to my LG TV and to a stereo preamp, and Sony Receiver located in the living room

'''Blue Lines are:'''

Network cables starting with input from a 4G wireless card to my external router

From the external router to the CORE (eth0)

From the Core (eth1) out to a Linksys 10/100/1000 five port switch

From the switch out to non-LMCE PC

From the switch out to VOIP adapter (not working yet)

From the switch out to HD Homerun (not working yet)

From the switch out to Netgear Wireless N router (functioning as a wireless switch only)

'''Yellow Lines are:'''

Connecting RJ-11 phone line from VOIP adapter to a standard cordless phone (not working yet)

==Current Equipment: Detailed==
Items in Red are not in use or not yet integrated w/ LinuxMCE

'''Computers:'''
ID: Core/Hybrid
Case: Generic 4U Rackmount Case (lockable)
Installed OS: LinuxMCE 10.04 - (Snapshot generated DVD install)
Room: Home Theater (physically mounted half in Office, half in Home Theater)
Mainboard: MSI P45 Neo3 FR
Processor(s): Intel Core 2 Duo E6300 Processor
Memory: 2x OCZ Reaper Series 1gig RAM DIMM
Video Card(s): XFX GeForce 7600 GT PCIe 256MB
Sound Card(s): (onboard 7.1 configured for 1 analog and 1 digital output)
Storage Drive: Seagate 160G SATA - 25G ext4 install partition, 120G xfs media partition (public audio)
Storage Drive: Seagate 1000G SATA - 1000G xfs media partition (public all except audio)
Storage Drive: Seagate 250G SATA - 250G xfs media partition (user1 private)
Storage Drive: Seagate 250G SATA - 250G xfs media partition (user2 private)
Storage Drive: Western Digital 320G SATA - not currently configured, intended for all PVR recordings
Optical Drive: Generic DVD Drive
PCI Extras: 10/100/1000 NIC (eth1)
USB Extras: Gyration GYR3101US RF remote dongle -sadly fried recently, looking for replacement
USB Extras: Aeon Labs Z-Wave dongle and inclusion controller

ID: Non-LinuxMCE Desktop (possible future NAS)
Case: Generic 4U Rackmount Case (non-lockable)
Installed OS: Ubuntu 10.04 LTS, Windows 7, Windows XP Pro SP3,
Room: Home Theater (physically mounted half in Office, half in Home Theater)
Mainboard: MSI K7N2 Delta
Processor(s): AMD Athlon XP
Memory: 1.5G PC2700 RAM
Video Card(s): ATI Radeon AGP 8x 128MB (? model)
Sound Card(s): (onboard analog)
Storage Drive: Seagate 160G IDE - partition tables changed frequently
Storage Drive: Seagate 160G IDE - 160G FAT32 storage partition
Optical Drive: Generic DVD Drive
PCI Extras: WinTV-150 MCE Edition
USB Extras: WD 500G MyPassport USB drive - 250G FAT32 storage partition, 250G FAT32 recovery image storage
Extras: LIRC serial to IR

'''Media Directors:'''
ID: Test Media Director
Case: "we don't need no stinking case!"
Installed OS: -
Room: Office - test bench
Mainboard: varies
Processor(s): varies
Memory: varies
Video Card(s): varies
Sound Card(s): varies

'''Orbiters:'''
Web DT 366
iPhone4 - using Web Orbiter 2.0, RoamingOrb app, Dianemo app
Roommate's Phone - changes often, uses Web Orbiter 2.0

'''Network:'''
Pantech UML290VW USB 4G Wireless dongle
CradlePoint Technologies CTR35 External Network Router
Linksys Gigabit 5-Port Workgroup Switch
Netgear N Wireless Router w/ 4 wired 10/100 Ports (DHCP disabled, statically assigned IP for access to MAC filtering)
Netgear N Wireless Router w/ 4 wired Gigabit Ports - not currently in use, attempting to replace firmware
Cisco 10/100 5-Port Workgroup Switch - not currently in use
AT&T 3G Cell Device - not currently in use, investigating legal options for cell broadcasting

'''Telephone Systems:'''
Generic VOIP Provider supplied adapter - still working on this one
Generic wired phone - still working on this one
Generic wireless phone - still working on this one

'''PVR Devices:'''
Generic OTA antenna
SchedulesDirect subscription
Silicon Dust HD Homerun
WinTV-150 MCE Edition PCI card - not currently in use

'''Security (Video):'''
D-Link 930L IP Camera
GE Wireless Camera - in development to use proprietary interface
3x BunkerHill Color analog cameras w/ IR - not currently integrated w/ LinuxMCE
3x Generic USB Webcams - not currently integrated w/ LinuxMCE

'''Climate:'''
5x DS18S20 1-Wire Temperature Sensors - not yet assembled

'''Lights:'''
Intermatic CA3500 Split-Duplex Receptacle - just arrived, not in use yet

'''Automation (Z-Wave):'''
Aeon Labs USB dongle
Intermatic HA07 12 Channel Controller - not yet in use, attempting to convert from battery to AC to DC adapter fed
Intermatic CA3500 Split-Duplex Receptacle - just arrived, not in use yet

'''Automation (X-10):'''
Generic X-10 Exterior Motion Light - not yet in use other than stand alone motion light

'''Automation (1-Wire):'''
5x DS18S20 1-Wire Temperature Sensors - not yet assembled

'''Automation (other):'''
MicroLogics 1000 PLC - not currently integrated with LMCE, working on observation mode plugin
Allen Bradley (model?) PLC - not currently in use, working on 1-Wire command station idea

'''Power Protection:'''
HP RS2500 2U Rackmount w/RS-232 Interface UPS - currently operating in "dumb" mode
2x Best Power Axxium 2000U w/ Best Power RJ-45 Module 2U Rackmount UPS - in development
4x Best Power 2U Rackmount Battery Packs - not in use, requiring battery replacement
20x 12"X48" Solar Panels - still being evaluated for functionality

'''AV Equipment:'''
Sharp Aquos 46" LCD w/ RS-232 Control
LG (series?) 60" Plasma w/ RS-232 Control -Home Theater Room
Acer 23" Desktop Monitor -Office
Sanyo (series?) 32" LCD -Office, test bench
Dell 19" CRT Monitor -Office, test bench
Sony STR-K850P Surround Sound Receiver
(make/model?) Generic Amp/Preamp - necessary due to the low output of the hybrid/core on-board audio

==Concepts and Projects==

One of the very exciting things about this project to me when I first dug into it was that support for
devices came from users and developers who using what they had, got it working and wrote support for those
devices into LinuxMCE. Because of this, just as I have noticed with many flavors of Linux, the latest and
greatest hardware might not have support written for it yet. Tried and true hardware that is now bottom
shelf or eBay fodder probably has several varieties of code written for it. Though some might not care
for it, I am a duck taper. I love finding a new Goodwill store that may have a serial cable for me to
tear apart and make a 1-wire device out of. I slam the brakes when I see a computer tower at a yard sale.
At any given time I have four to five half assembled devices on the bench going through RAM testing or
waiting on parts from eBay to show up.

Though it may not seem the Linux way, I am developing and creating some hardware with the intention of
selling it. Obviously I am not selling software, it is free to me and it will be free to everyone else.
I hope to sell my time and solder to users who appreciate custom components and want something unique.
Any development or templates I have to create to make my creations work under LinuxMCE will be offered to
the community freely. A percentage of profit from sold will go directly to LinuxMCE as a donation and profit
remaining will go to adding new equipment to my setup. Time will tell how well this works out for me...
if nothing else it keeps my soldering iron hot and keeps me trying to learn more about the way things
work inside LinuxMCE.

Case Moding Media Directors:

As much as I like the clean look of a vesa mounted nettop behind a flatscreen, I can not ignore that in
most setups there will always be some type of entertainment center. A TV can be mounted in a wall but
not many non-custom built walls will allow you to recess a PS3 or a receiver. This is where my media
directors come in. Using 100% compatible and tested hardware I will create one of a kind 'showcase'
media directors. Some could be described as contemporary HTPC designs and some can be called nothing
short of radical.

Ideas and Current Projects:

Entertainment Center Typical: Mini and Micro ATX computers modded to fit inside electronics. An old
cable box which actually houses a full media director, A receiver that contains a working media director
AND retains function as a receiver,

Component Hidden: In-wall touchscreen orbiters. In-TV hidden receiver and media director (imagine a
child's bedroom television, tube style case with a flatscreen tv inside that allows all that empty room
for me to cram in components)

Radical: Pressure sensitive doormat, voice recognition services from everything like orbiter commands to
front door locks, 'orbiting' orbiter using robotics such as Roomba, LinuxMCE operated fireplace (this
one is a little scary... )

==More Content to Come==

A lot. As you might have gleamed already, I like to type.

==Photos==

Due to the size of these photos I have created another page for them. To view these photos please follow this link:

[[User:Armorgnome2photos]]

User:Armorgnome2photos

2012-08-12T03:53:49Z

Armorgnome2: Created page with "I am sorry for the size of some these photos. I will learn the proper markup for smaller previews and edit soon. ==Before LinuxMCE== A very old photo of my early days of compu..."

I am sorry for the size of some these photos. I will learn the proper markup for smaller previews and edit soon.

==Before LinuxMCE==

A very old photo of my early days of computing. This desk was used for gaming and allowed me to run 7 Everquest characters on two computers with a third computer for data parsing and game research. My carpentry skills had obviously not developed yet!

[[File:Olddays.JPG]]

==First Setup==

This photo was taken in my office while living in Arizona. I had just started playing around with a hybrid/core but had not given up control over my network and didn't take advantage of LinuxMCE's centralized server and multi-room media director abilities.

[[File:810setup.JPG]]

==Getting the Right Idea Finally==

Just before moving away from Arizona I built this custom wooden rack to house a NAS box, the core/hybrid, my UPS and the space below was measured out for a mini-fridge to hold beer. What are most server racks missing? Beer obviously.

[[File:Woodrack.jpg]]

==Room: Office==

A current photo of my office. The room "office" in my home could probably better be defined as an "entertain area" of my bedroom since this area is a loft under my bed. No honest media director exists here as I split the hybrid/core's media director between this monitor and the Home Theater room. To keep naming simple when I want to access the media director in this room I select "Home Theater" as a room.

[[File:AgnomeOffice.JPG]]

==Room: Hidden==

As shown in the gray area of my user page, this area is hidden behind the large back of my Home Theater's entertainment center. Obviously I could do a better job of cable management but I am constantly tinkering with things and the only user to go to this area is me.

[[File:Hidden.JPG]]

==Room: Home Theater==

Finally this is my Home Theater Room. In deciding on a LinuxMCE name for it I elected to use Home Theater over Living Room as the only real use this area sees is watching movies. I wish I had time to sit and relax in a living room but I tend to keep myself far too busy with projects for that. On occasion though the surround sound gets turned up to theatrical levels and I select a good explosion movie to enjoy with popcorn.

[[File:AgnomeTheater.JPG]]

User:Armorgnome2

2012-08-12T03:26:22Z

Armorgnome2:

[[Category:User Setups]]

[[File:Armorgnome.JPG]]

==Why LinuxMCE?==

Like a lot of people currently involved in this project, I am a victim of THE video. I can not even
remember how I stumbled onto it, but since that moment I have been fascinated with its development. It has
been my introduction to the Linux experience. That software this impressive comes from the combined efforts
of brilliant people working for free and on their own time amazes me. I truly believe in the open source
concept and feel it is my responsibility as a user to contribute wherever possible. I have never programmed
anything more complex than a VCR, but I do have some artistic ability so I plug away at UI skins while
those more apt at programming contribute their abilities. The reward then for me goes beyond integrating
components in my home. The thought that a skin I draw might be the preferred choice of a new user two
years from now keeps me striving for perfection. As I have had more time recently in my schedule to work
on LMCE projects I have found new possible ways to contribute such as dce device implementation, template
creation and eventually (I hope) code development.

==Current Equipment: Graphical==

My current setup is a Hybrid Core mounted in a wall between my office and living room. In this image I am
showing what pipes to the office and what pipes to the living room. The gray area is actually the hidden
space behind a full wall entertainment center. As described in forum post about my video card, my CORE is
pulling triple duty and functioning as the core, a media director and another media director. I refer to
this setup as my hybrid-hybrid.

[[File:Current_Setup.jpg]]

'''Red Lines are:'''

Power Lines showing both the Core and another non-LMCE computer protected by the UPS, to

save a lot of line drawing I will just state that half of the system is UPS protected but didn't want to

draw all of that

'''Green Lines are:'''

From the non-LMCE PC out to a KVM switch under my office desk

From the CORE to the same KVM switch

From the CORE out to my LG TV and to a stereo preamp, and Sony Receiver located in the living room

'''Blue Lines are:'''

Network cables starting with input from a 4G wireless card to my external router

From the external router to the CORE (eth0)

From the Core (eth1) out to a Linksys 10/100/1000 five port switch

From the switch out to non-LMCE PC

From the switch out to VOIP adapter (not working yet)

From the switch out to HD Homerun (not working yet)

From the switch out to Netgear Wireless N router (functioning as a wireless switch only)

'''Yellow Lines are:'''

Connecting RJ-11 phone line from VOIP adapter to a standard cordless phone (not working yet)

==Current Equipment: Detailed==
Items in Red are not in use or not yet integrated w/ LinuxMCE

'''Computers:'''
ID: Core/Hybrid
Case: Generic 4U Rackmount Case (lockable)
Installed OS: LinuxMCE 10.04 - (Snapshot generated DVD install)
Room: Home Theater (physically mounted half in Office, half in Home Theater)
Mainboard: MSI P45 Neo3 FR
Processor(s): Intel Core 2 Duo E6300 Processor
Memory: 2x OCZ Reaper Series 1gig RAM DIMM
Video Card(s): XFX GeForce 7600 GT PCIe 256MB
Sound Card(s): (onboard 7.1 configured for 1 analog and 1 digital output)
Storage Drive: Seagate 160G SATA - 25G ext4 install partition, 120G xfs media partition (public audio)
Storage Drive: Seagate 1000G SATA - 1000G xfs media partition (public all except audio)
Storage Drive: Seagate 250G SATA - 250G xfs media partition (user1 private)
Storage Drive: Seagate 250G SATA - 250G xfs media partition (user2 private)
Storage Drive: Western Digital 320G SATA - not currently configured, intended for all PVR recordings
Optical Drive: Generic DVD Drive
PCI Extras: 10/100/1000 NIC (eth1)
USB Extras: Gyration GYR3101US RF remote dongle -sadly fried recently, looking for replacement
USB Extras: Aeon Labs Z-Wave dongle and inclusion controller

ID: Non-LinuxMCE Desktop (possible future NAS)
Case: Generic 4U Rackmount Case (non-lockable)
Installed OS: Ubuntu 10.04 LTS, Windows 7, Windows XP Pro SP3,
Room: Home Theater (physically mounted half in Office, half in Home Theater)
Mainboard: MSI K7N2 Delta
Processor(s): AMD Athlon XP
Memory: 1.5G PC2700 RAM
Video Card(s): ATI Radeon AGP 8x 128MB (? model)
Sound Card(s): (onboard analog)
Storage Drive: Seagate 160G IDE - partition tables changed frequently
Storage Drive: Seagate 160G IDE - 160G FAT32 storage partition
Optical Drive: Generic DVD Drive
PCI Extras: WinTV-150 MCE Edition
USB Extras: WD 500G MyPassport USB drive - 250G FAT32 storage partition, 250G FAT32 recovery image storage
Extras: LIRC serial to IR

'''Media Directors:'''
ID: Test Media Director
Case: "we don't need no stinking case!"
Installed OS: -
Room: Office - test bench
Mainboard: varies
Processor(s): varies
Memory: varies
Video Card(s): varies
Sound Card(s): varies

'''Orbiters:'''
Web DT 366
iPhone4 - using Web Orbiter 2.0, RoamingOrb app, Dianemo app
Roommate's Phone - changes often, uses Web Orbiter 2.0

'''Network:'''
Pantech UML290VW USB 4G Wireless dongle
CradlePoint Technologies CTR35 External Network Router
Linksys Gigabit 5-Port Workgroup Switch
Netgear N Wireless Router w/ 4 wired 10/100 Ports (DHCP disabled, statically assigned IP for access to MAC filtering)
Netgear N Wireless Router w/ 4 wired Gigabit Ports - not currently in use, attempting to replace firmware
Cisco 10/100 5-Port Workgroup Switch - not currently in use
AT&T 3G Cell Device - not currently in use, investigating legal options for cell broadcasting

'''Telephone Systems:'''
Generic VOIP Provider supplied adapter - still working on this one
Generic wired phone - still working on this one
Generic wireless phone - still working on this one

'''PVR Devices:'''
Generic OTA antenna
SchedulesDirect subscription
Silicon Dust HD Homerun
WinTV-150 MCE Edition PCI card - not currently in use

'''Security (Video):'''
D-Link 930L IP Camera
GE Wireless Camera - in development to use proprietary interface
3x BunkerHill Color analog cameras w/ IR - not currently integrated w/ LinuxMCE
3x Generic USB Webcams - not currently integrated w/ LinuxMCE

'''Climate:'''
5x DS18S20 1-Wire Temperature Sensors - not yet assembled

'''Lights:'''
Intermatic CA3500 Split-Duplex Receptacle - just arrived, not in use yet

'''Automation (Z-Wave):'''
Aeon Labs USB dongle
Intermatic HA07 12 Channel Controller - not yet in use, attempting to convert from battery to AC to DC adapter fed
Intermatic CA3500 Split-Duplex Receptacle - just arrived, not in use yet

'''Automation (X-10):'''
Generic X-10 Exterior Motion Light - not yet in use other than stand alone motion light

'''Automation (1-Wire):'''
5x DS18S20 1-Wire Temperature Sensors - not yet assembled

'''Automation (other):'''
MicroLogics 1000 PLC - not currently integrated with LMCE, working on observation mode plugin
Allen Bradley (model?) PLC - not currently in use, working on 1-Wire command station idea

'''Power Protection:'''
HP RS2500 2U Rackmount w/RS-232 Interface UPS - currently operating in "dumb" mode
2x Best Power Axxium 2000U w/ Best Power RJ-45 Module 2U Rackmount UPS - in development
4x Best Power 2U Rackmount Battery Packs - not in use, requiring battery replacement
20x 12"X48" Solar Panels - still being evaluated for functionality

'''AV Equipment:'''
Sharp Aquos 46" LCD w/ RS-232 Control
LG (series?) 60" Plasma w/ RS-232 Control -Home Theater Room
Acer 23" Desktop Monitor -Office
Sanyo (series?) 32" LCD -Office, test bench
Dell 19" CRT Monitor -Office, test bench
Sony STR-K850P Surround Sound Receiver
(make/model?) Generic Amp/Preamp - necessary due to the low output of the hybrid/core on-board audio

==Concepts and Projects==

One of the very exciting things about this project to me when I first dug into it was that support for
devices came from users and developers who using what they had, got it working and wrote support for those
devices into LinuxMCE. Because of this, just as I have noticed with many flavors of Linux, the latest and
greatest hardware might not have support written for it yet. Tried and true hardware that is now bottom
shelf or eBay fodder probably has several varieties of code written for it. Though some might not care
for it, I am a duck taper. I love finding a new Goodwill store that may have a serial cable for me to
tear apart and make a 1-wire device out of. I slam the brakes when I see a computer tower at a yard sale.
At any given time I have four to five half assembled devices on the bench going through RAM testing or
waiting on parts from eBay to show up.

Though it may not seem the Linux way, I am developing and creating some hardware with the intention of
selling it. Obviously I am not selling software, it is free to me and it will be free to everyone else.
I hope to sell my time and solder to users who appreciate custom components and want something unique.
Any development or templates I have to create to make my creations work under LinuxMCE will be offered to
the community freely. A percentage of profit from sold will go directly to LinuxMCE as a donation and profit
remaining will go to adding new equipment to my setup. Time will tell how well this works out for me...
if nothing else it keeps my soldering iron hot and keeps me trying to learn more about the way things
work inside LinuxMCE.

Case Moding Media Directors:

As much as I like the clean look of a vesa mounted nettop behind a flatscreen, I can not ignore that in
most setups there will always be some type of entertainment center. A TV can be mounted in a wall but
not many non-custom built walls will allow you to recess a PS3 or a receiver. This is where my media
directors come in. Using 100% compatible and tested hardware I will create one of a kind 'showcase'
media directors. Some could be described as contemporary HTPC designs and some can be called nothing
short of radical.

Ideas and Current Projects:

Entertainment Center Typical: Mini and Micro ATX computers modded to fit inside electronics. An old
cable box which actually houses a full media director, A receiver that contains a working media director
AND retains function as a receiver,

Component Hidden: In-wall touchscreen orbiters. In-TV hidden receiver and media director (imagine a
child's bedroom television, tube style case with a flatscreen tv inside that allows all that empty room
for me to cram in components)

Radical: Pressure sensitive doormat, voice recognition services from everything like orbiter commands to
front door locks, 'orbiting' orbiter using robotics such as Roomba, LinuxMCE operated fireplace (this
one is a little scary... )

==More Content to Come==

A lot. As you might have gleamed already, I like to type.

==Photos==

Due to the size of these photos I have created another page for them. To view these photos please follow this link:

[[Link title]]

File:AgnomeTheater.JPG

2012-08-12T03:19:59Z

Armorgnome2:

File:Woodrack.jpg

2012-08-12T03:19:28Z

Armorgnome2:

File:AgnomeOffice.JPG

2012-08-12T03:17:49Z

Armorgnome2:

File:Hidden.JPG

2012-08-12T03:16:38Z

Armorgnome2:

File:810setup.JPG

2012-08-12T03:16:15Z

Armorgnome2:

File:Armorgnome.JPG

2012-08-12T03:15:54Z

Armorgnome2:

File:Olddays.JPG

2012-08-12T03:15:19Z

Armorgnome2:

User:Armorgnome2

2012-08-12T02:13:49Z

Armorgnome2: Added detailed equipment section

[[Category:User Setups]]

==Why LinuxMCE?==

Like a lot of people currently involved in this project, I am a victim of THE video. I can not even
remember how I stumbled onto it, but since that moment I have been fascinated with its development. It has
been my introduction to the Linux experience. That software this impressive comes from the combined efforts
of brilliant people working for free and on their own time amazes me. I truly believe in the open source
concept and feel it is my responsibility as a user to contribute wherever possible. I have never programmed
anything more complex than a VCR, but I do have some artistic ability so I plug away at UI skins while
those more apt at programming contribute their abilities. The reward then for me goes beyond integrating
components in my home. The thought that a skin I draw might be the preferred choice of a new user two
years from now keeps me striving for perfection. As I have had more time recently in my schedule to work
on LMCE projects I have found new possible ways to contribute such as dce device implementation, template
creation and eventually (I hope) code development.

==Current Equipment: Graphical==

My current setup is a Hybrid Core mounted in a wall between my office and living room. In this image I am
showing what pipes to the office and what pipes to the living room. The gray area is actually the hidden
space behind a full wall entertainment center. As described in forum post about my video card, my CORE is
pulling triple duty and functioning as the core, a media director and another media director. I refer to
this setup as my hybrid-hybrid.

[[File:Current_Setup.jpg]]

'''Red Lines are:'''

Power Lines showing both the Core and another non-LMCE computer protected by the UPS, to

save a lot of line drawing I will just state that half of the system is UPS protected but didn't want to

draw all of that

'''Green Lines are:'''

From the non-LMCE PC out to a KVM switch under my office desk

From the CORE to the same KVM switch

From the CORE out to my LG TV and to a stereo preamp, and Sony Receiver located in the living room

'''Blue Lines are:'''

Network cables starting with input from a 4G wireless card to my external router

From the external router to the CORE (eth0)

From the Core (eth1) out to a Linksys 10/100/1000 five port switch

From the switch out to non-LMCE PC

From the switch out to VOIP adapter (not working yet)

From the switch out to HD Homerun (not working yet)

From the switch out to Netgear Wireless N router (functioning as a wireless switch only)

'''Yellow Lines are:'''

Connecting RJ-11 phone line from VOIP adapter to a standard cordless phone (not working yet)

==Current Equipment: Detailed==
Items in Red are not in use or not yet integrated w/ LinuxMCE

'''Computers:'''
ID: Core/Hybrid
Case: Generic 4U Rackmount Case (lockable)
Installed OS: LinuxMCE 10.04 - (Snapshot generated DVD install)
Room: Home Theater (physically mounted half in Office, half in Home Theater)
Mainboard: MSI P45 Neo3 FR
Processor(s): Intel Core 2 Duo E6300 Processor
Memory: 2x OCZ Reaper Series 1gig RAM DIMM
Video Card(s): XFX GeForce 7600 GT PCIe 256MB
Sound Card(s): (onboard 7.1 configured for 1 analog and 1 digital output)
Storage Drive: Seagate 160G SATA - 25G ext4 install partition, 120G xfs media partition (public audio)
Storage Drive: Seagate 1000G SATA - 1000G xfs media partition (public all except audio)
Storage Drive: Seagate 250G SATA - 250G xfs media partition (user1 private)
Storage Drive: Seagate 250G SATA - 250G xfs media partition (user2 private)
Storage Drive: Western Digital 320G SATA - not currently configured, intended for all PVR recordings
Optical Drive: Generic DVD Drive
PCI Extras: 10/100/1000 NIC (eth1)
USB Extras: Gyration GYR3101US RF remote dongle -sadly fried recently, looking for replacement
USB Extras: Aeon Labs Z-Wave dongle and inclusion controller

ID: Non-LinuxMCE Desktop (possible future NAS)
Case: Generic 4U Rackmount Case (non-lockable)
Installed OS: Ubuntu 10.04 LTS, Windows 7, Windows XP Pro SP3,
Room: Home Theater (physically mounted half in Office, half in Home Theater)
Mainboard: MSI K7N2 Delta
Processor(s): AMD Athlon XP
Memory: 1.5G PC2700 RAM
Video Card(s): ATI Radeon AGP 8x 128MB (? model)
Sound Card(s): (onboard analog)
Storage Drive: Seagate 160G IDE - partition tables changed frequently
Storage Drive: Seagate 160G IDE - 160G FAT32 storage partition
Optical Drive: Generic DVD Drive
PCI Extras: WinTV-150 MCE Edition
USB Extras: WD 500G MyPassport USB drive - 250G FAT32 storage partition, 250G FAT32 recovery image storage
Extras: LIRC serial to IR

'''Media Directors:'''
ID: Test Media Director
Case: "we don't need no stinking case!"
Installed OS: -
Room: Office - test bench
Mainboard: varies
Processor(s): varies
Memory: varies
Video Card(s): varies
Sound Card(s): varies

'''Orbiters:'''
Web DT 366
iPhone4 - using Web Orbiter 2.0, RoamingOrb app, Dianemo app
Roommate's Phone - changes often, uses Web Orbiter 2.0

'''Network:'''
Pantech UML290VW USB 4G Wireless dongle
CradlePoint Technologies CTR35 External Network Router
Linksys Gigabit 5-Port Workgroup Switch
Netgear N Wireless Router w/ 4 wired 10/100 Ports (DHCP disabled, statically assigned IP for access to MAC filtering)
Netgear N Wireless Router w/ 4 wired Gigabit Ports - not currently in use, attempting to replace firmware
Cisco 10/100 5-Port Workgroup Switch - not currently in use
AT&T 3G Cell Device - not currently in use, investigating legal options for cell broadcasting

'''Telephone Systems:'''
Generic VOIP Provider supplied adapter - still working on this one
Generic wired phone - still working on this one
Generic wireless phone - still working on this one

'''PVR Devices:'''
Generic OTA antenna
SchedulesDirect subscription
Silicon Dust HD Homerun
WinTV-150 MCE Edition PCI card - not currently in use

'''Security (Video):'''
D-Link 930L IP Camera
GE Wireless Camera - in development to use proprietary interface
3x BunkerHill Color analog cameras w/ IR - not currently integrated w/ LinuxMCE
3x Generic USB Webcams - not currently integrated w/ LinuxMCE

'''Climate:'''
5x DS18S20 1-Wire Temperature Sensors - not yet assembled

'''Lights:'''
Intermatic CA3500 Split-Duplex Receptacle - just arrived, not in use yet

'''Automation (Z-Wave):'''
Aeon Labs USB dongle
Intermatic HA07 12 Channel Controller - not yet in use, attempting to convert from battery to AC to DC adapter fed
Intermatic CA3500 Split-Duplex Receptacle - just arrived, not in use yet

'''Automation (X-10):'''
Generic X-10 Exterior Motion Light - not yet in use other than stand alone motion light

'''Automation (1-Wire):'''
5x DS18S20 1-Wire Temperature Sensors - not yet assembled

'''Automation (other):'''
MicroLogics 1000 PLC - not currently integrated with LMCE, working on observation mode plugin
Allen Bradley (model?) PLC - not currently in use, working on 1-Wire command station idea

'''Power Protection:'''
HP RS2500 2U Rackmount w/RS-232 Interface UPS - currently operating in "dumb" mode
2x Best Power Axxium 2000U w/ Best Power RJ-45 Module 2U Rackmount UPS - in development
4x Best Power 2U Rackmount Battery Packs - not in use, requiring battery replacement
20x 12"X48" Solar Panels - still being evaluated for functionality

'''AV Equipment:'''
Sharp Aquos 46" LCD w/ RS-232 Control
LG (series?) 60" Plasma w/ RS-232 Control -Home Theater Room
Acer 23" Desktop Monitor -Office
Sanyo (series?) 32" LCD -Office, test bench
Dell 19" CRT Monitor -Office, test bench
Sony STR-K850P Surround Sound Receiver
(make/model?) Generic Amp/Preamp - necessary due to the low output of the hybrid/core on-board audio

==Concepts and Projects==

One of the very exciting things about this project to me when I first dug into it was that support for
devices came from users and developers who using what they had, got it working and wrote support for those
devices into LinuxMCE. Because of this, just as I have noticed with many flavors of Linux, the latest and
greatest hardware might not have support written for it yet. Tried and true hardware that is now bottom
shelf or eBay fodder probably has several varieties of code written for it. Though some might not care
for it, I am a duck taper. I love finding a new Goodwill store that may have a serial cable for me to
tear apart and make a 1-wire device out of. I slam the brakes when I see a computer tower at a yard sale.
At any given time I have four to five half assembled devices on the bench going through RAM testing or
waiting on parts from eBay to show up.

Though it may not seem the Linux way, I am developing and creating some hardware with the intention of
selling it. Obviously I am not selling software, it is free to me and it will be free to everyone else.
I hope to sell my time and solder to users who appreciate custom components and want something unique.
Any development or templates I have to create to make my creations work under LinuxMCE will be offered to
the community freely. A percentage of profit from sold will go directly to LinuxMCE as a donation and profit
remaining will go to adding new equipment to my setup. Time will tell how well this works out for me...
if nothing else it keeps my soldering iron hot and keeps me trying to learn more about the way things
work inside LinuxMCE.

Case Moding Media Directors:

As much as I like the clean look of a vesa mounted nettop behind a flatscreen, I can not ignore that in
most setups there will always be some type of entertainment center. A TV can be mounted in a wall but
not many non-custom built walls will allow you to recess a PS3 or a receiver. This is where my media
directors come in. Using 100% compatible and tested hardware I will create one of a kind 'showcase'
media directors. Some could be described as contemporary HTPC designs and some can be called nothing
short of radical.

Ideas and Current Projects:

Entertainment Center Typical: Mini and Micro ATX computers modded to fit inside electronics. An old
cable box which actually houses a full media director, A receiver that contains a working media director
AND retains function as a receiver,

Component Hidden: In-wall touchscreen orbiters. In-TV hidden receiver and media director (imagine a
child's bedroom television, tube style case with a flatscreen tv inside that allows all that empty room
for me to cram in components)

Radical: Pressure sensitive doormat, voice recognition services from everything like orbiter commands to
front door locks, 'orbiting' orbiter using robotics such as Roomba, LinuxMCE operated fireplace (this
one is a little scary... )

==More Content to Come==

A lot. As you might have gleamed already, I like to type.

User:Armorgnome2

2012-08-10T05:32:51Z

Armorgnome2:

[[Category:User Setups]]

==Armor Gnome's Setup==

==Why LinuxMCE?==

Like a lot of people currently involved in this project, I am a victim of THE video. I can not even
remember how I stumbled onto it, but since that moment I have been fascinated with its development. It has
been my introduction to the Linux experience. That software this impressive comes from the combined efforts
of brilliant people working for free and on their own time amazes me. I truly believe in the open source
concept and feel it is my responsibility as a user to contribute wherever possible. I have never programmed
anything more complex than a VCR, but I do have some artistic ability so I plug away at UI skins while
those more apt at programming contribute their abilities. The reward then for me goes beyond integrating
components in my home. The thought that a skin I draw might be the preferred choice of a new user two
years from now keeps me striving for perfection. As I have had more time recently in my schedule to work
on LMCE projects I have found new possible ways to contribute such as dce device implementation, template
creation and eventually (I hope) code development.

==Current Equipment==

My current setup is a Hybrid Core mounted in a wall between my office and living room. In this image I am
showing what pipes to the office and what pipes to the living room. The gray area is actually the hidden
space behind a full wall entertainment center. As described in forum post about my video card, my CORE is
pulling triple duty and functioning as the core, a media director and another media director. I refer to
this setup as my hybrid-hybrid.

[[File:Current_Setup.jpg]]

'''Red Lines are:'''

Power Lines showing both the Core and another non-LMCE computer protected by the UPS, to

save a lot of line drawing I will just state that half of the system is UPS protected but didn't want to

draw all of that

'''Green Lines are:'''

From the non-LMCE PC out to a KVM switch under my office desk

From the CORE to the same KVM switch

From the CORE out to my LG TV and to a stereo preamp, and Sony Receiver located in the living room

'''Blue Lines are:'''

Network cables starting with input from a 4G wireless card to my external router

From the external router to the CORE (eth0)

From the Core (eth1) out to a Linksys 10/100/1000 five port switch

From the switch out to non-LMCE PC

From the switch out to VOIP adapter (not working yet)

From the switch out to HD Homerun (not working yet)

From the switch out to Netgear Wireless N router (functioning as a wireless switch only)

'''Yellow Lines are:'''

Connecting RJ-11 phone line from VOIP adapter to a standard cordless phone (not working yet)

==Concepts and Projects==

One of the very exciting things about this project to me when I first dug into it was that support for
devices came from users and developers who using what they had, got it working and wrote support for those
devices into LinuxMCE. Because of this, just as I have noticed with many flavors of Linux, the latest and
greatest hardware might not have support written for it yet. Tried and true hardware that is now bottom
shelf or eBay fodder probably has several varieties of code written for it. Though some might not care
for it, I am a duck taper. I love finding a new Goodwill store that may have a serial cable for me to
tear apart and make a 1-wire device out of. I slam the brakes when I see a computer tower at a yard sale.
At any given time I have four to five half assembled devices on the bench going through RAM testing or
waiting on parts from eBay to show up.

Though it may not seem the Linux way, I am developing and creating some hardware with the intention of
selling it. Obviously I am not selling software, it is free to me and it will be free to everyone else.
I hope to sell my time and solder to users who appreciate custom components and want something unique.
Any development or templates I have to create to make my creations work under LinuxMCE will be offered to
the community freely. A percentage of profit from sold will go directly to LinuxMCE as a donation and profit
remaining will go to adding new equipment to my setup. Time will tell how well this works out for me...
if nothing else it keeps my soldering iron hot and keeps me trying to learn more about the way things
work inside LinuxMCE.

Case Moding Media Directors:

As much as I like the clean look of a vesa mounted nettop behind a flatscreen, I can not ignore that in
most setups there will always be some type of entertainment center. A TV can be mounted in a wall but
not many non-custom built walls will allow you to recess a PS3 or a receiver. This is where my media
directors come in. Using 100% compatible and tested hardware I will create one of a kind 'showcase'
media directors. Some could be described as contemporary HTPC designs and some can be called nothing
short of radical.

Ideas and Current Projects:

Entertainment Center Typical: Mini and Micro ATX computers modded to fit inside electronics. An old
cable box which actually houses a full media director, A receiver that contains a working media director
AND retains function as a receiver,

Component Hidden: In-wall touchscreen orbiters. In-TV hidden receiver and media director (imagine a
child's bedroom television, tube style case with a flatscreen tv inside that allows all that empty room
for me to cram in components)

Radical: Pressure sensitive doormat, voice recognition services from everything like orbiter commands to
front door locks, 'orbiting' orbiter using robotics such as Roomba, LinuxMCE operated fireplace (this
one is a little scary... )

==More Content to Come==

A lot. As you might have gleamed already, I like to type.

User:Armorgnome2

2012-08-10T02:23:22Z

Armorgnome2:

[[Category:User Setups]]

==What is an Armor Gnome?==

I love a good challenge. In fact one of my favorite hobbies is doing things people think can not be done.
Beginning around 2002 and going up through 2010 I was an EverQuest player. If you played on the Rathe server
during that time I am certain you probably ran into me as Lovehate, the female Gnome Shadowknight. For those
of you who don't know standard fantasy race attributes; my character was 3 inches shy of 3 feet tall, somewhat
but not especially nimble or dexterious, weak, but highly intelligent with a knack for tinkering. My chosen
class or role was that of an evil, axe wielding, dumb brute of a fighter who charged into battle ahead of all
others to overpower enemies. A large part of this game revolved around finding groups of other players and
fighting monsters for experience. For a group to be effective certain elements had to be present such as a
healer type to restore hp lost to being attacked, a tank class such as a warrior, paladin or shadowknight to
draw the attention of the monster and suffer the brunt of its damage, and damage dealing classes such as
rangers, rogues or wizards to kill monsters quickly so that the group could move on to the next monster.
Imagine my difficulty as a gnomish tank trying to sell my services to groups looking for party members. Where
an ogre warrior might have 5000 hit points, my character had 2000. Let's just say I wasn't ideal and spent a
lot of time LFG (looking for group). Like any challenge however I refused to remake my character and wanted
to prove to myself and everyone else that if played smart a gnome could be a tank. It took me just under 8
years to happily state that I accomplished my goal.

I retired from EverQuest as one of the top shadowknights on all servers, which I accomplished with hundreds
of hours of play time and intelligent armor selection. I studied the game, I stayed up late looking over
parsed data pulled down over hours of battles, I composed formulas to calculate damage per second received
and conducted experiments to try and reduce that number. I participated in lengthy discussions on armor and
tactics with fellow players to debate the finite details of the game mechanics. In the end my calculations
proved correct and I had successfully equipped my character with the necessary armor to be more efficient at
my role than a less devoted player of a 'tougher' race. Though I am long done playing Everquest, many friends
of mine from that time still jokingly refer to me as "gnome." I accept that as a compliment to my tenacity
and willingness to stick with challenges until they are not only beaten but completely destroyed.

==Who am I?==

I am a 33 year old guy, currently living outside of Portland, Michigan. I am a full-time student trying to
finish my degree in Occupational Health & Safety. As the story above probably indicates I am stubborn and
un-wielding at times but only because I believe if I am not challenging myself then I am not getting the
most out of life. If I start something I finish it. If I am unclear about something I research it to death
until I know it backwards and forwards.
Professionally and socially I have also done it all you might say. I have broken bread with CEOs at expensive
restaurants and I have split the last piece of bread with fellow homeless people in a cardboard box. I have
flown business class to consulting work around the US and I have also hitchhiked from California to New York.
If I go on much more about my life I am afraid I may cut out the possibility of selling my life story later.
Currently I am in-between those extremes and happy. I devote any free time away from my studies and the
occasional consulting task to my latest passion: LinuxMCE.

==Why LinuxMCE?==

Like a lot of people currently involved in this project, I am a victim of THE video. I can not even
remember how I stumbled onto it, but since that moment I have been fascinated with its development. It has
been my introduction to the Linux experience. That software this impressive comes from the combined efforts
of brilliant people working for free and on their own time amazes me. I truly believe in the open source
concept and feel it is my responsibility as a user to contribute wherever possible. I have never programmed
anything more complex than a VCR, but I do have some artistic ability so I plug away at UI skins while
those more apt at programming contribute their abilities. The reward then for me goes beyond integrating
components in my home. The thought that a skin I draw might be the preferred choice of a new user two
years from now keeps me striving for perfection. As I have had more time recently in my schedule to work
on LMCE projects I have found new possible ways to contribute such as dce device implementation, template
creation and eventually (I hope) code development.

==Current Equipment==

My current setup is a Hybrid Core mounted in a wall between my office and living room. In this image I am
showing what pipes to the office and what pipes to the living room. The gray area is actually the hidden
space behind a full wall entertainment center. As described in forum post about my video card, my CORE is
pulling triple duty and functioning as the core, a media director and another media director. I refer to
this setup as my hybrid-hybrid.

[[File:Current_Setup.jpg]]

'''Red Lines are:'''

Power Lines showing both the Core and another non-LMCE computer protected by the UPS, to

save a lot of line drawing I will just state that half of the system is UPS protected but didn't want to

draw all of that

'''Green Lines are:'''

From the non-LMCE PC out to a KVM switch under my office desk

From the CORE to the same KVM switch

From the CORE out to my LG TV and to a stereo preamp, and Sony Receiver located in the living room

'''Blue Lines are:'''

Network cables starting with input from a 4G wireless card to my external router

From the external router to the CORE (eth0)

From the Core (eth1) out to a Linksys 10/100/1000 five port switch

From the switch out to non-LMCE PC

From the switch out to VOIP adapter (not working yet)

From the switch out to HD Homerun

From the switch out to Netgear Wireless N router (functioning as a wireless switch only)

'''Yellow Lines are:'''

Connecting RJ-11 phone line from VOIP adapter to a standard cordless phone (not working yet)

==Concepts and Projects==

One of the very exciting things about this project to me when I first dug into it was that support for
devices came from users and developers who using what they had, got it working and wrote support for those
devices into LinuxMCE. Because of this, just as I have noticed with many flavors of Linux, the latest and
greatest hardware might not have support written for it yet. Tried and true hardware that is now bottom
shelf or eBay fodder probably has several varieties of code written for it. Though some might not care
for it, I am a duck taper. I love finding a new Goodwill store that may have a serial cable for me to
tear apart and make a 1-wire device out of. I slam the brakes when I see a computer tower at a yard sale.
At any given time I have four to five half assembled devices on the bench going through RAM testing or
waiting on parts from eBay to show up.

Though it may not seem the Linux way, I am developing and creating some hardware with the intention of
selling it. Obviously I am not selling software, it is free to me and it will be free to everyone else.
I hope to sell my time and solder to users who appreciate custom components and want something unique.
Any development or templates I have to create to make my creations work under LinuxMCE will be offered to
the community freely. A percentage of profit from sold will go directly to LinuxMCE as a donation and profit
remaining will go to adding new equipment to my setup. Time will tell how well this works out for me...
if nothing else it keeps my soldering iron hot and keeps me trying to learn more about the way things
work inside LinuxMCE.

Case Moding Media Directors:

As much as I like the clean look of a vesa mounted nettop behind a flatscreen, I can not ignore that in
most setups there will always be some type of entertainment center. A TV can be mounted in a wall but
not many non-custom built walls will allow you to recess a PS3 or a receiver. This is where my media
directors come in. Using 100% compatible and tested hardware I will create one of a kind 'showcase'
media directors. Some could be described as contemporary HTPC designs and some can be called nothing
short of radical.

Ideas and Current Projects:

Entertainment Center Typical: Mini and Micro ATX computers modded to fit inside electronics. An old
cable box which actually houses a full media director, A receiver that contains a working media director
AND retains function as a receiver,

Component Hidden: In-wall touchscreen orbiters. In-TV hidden receiver and media director (imagine a
child's bedroom television, tube style case with a flatscreen tv inside that allows all that empty room
for me to cram in components)

Radical: Pressure sensitive doormat, voice recognition services from everything like orbiter commands to
front door locks, 'orbiting' orbiter using robotics such as Roomba, LinuxMCE operated fireplace (this
one is a little scary... )

==More Content to Come==

A lot. As you might have gleamed already, I like to type.

File:Current Setup.jpg

2012-08-10T01:56:33Z

Armorgnome2:

User:Armorgnome2

2012-08-09T20:57:40Z

Armorgnome2: Created page with "Category:User Setups ==What is an Armor Gnome?== I love a good challenge. In fact one of my favorite hobbies is doing things people think can not be done. Beginning aro..."

[[Category:User Setups]]

==What is an Armor Gnome?==

I love a good challenge. In fact one of my favorite hobbies is doing things people think can not be done.
Beginning around 2002 and going up through 2010 I was an EverQuest player. If you played on the Rathe server
during that time I am certain you probably ran into me as Lovehate, the female Gnome Shadowknight. For those
of you who don't know standard fantasy race attributes; my character was 3 inches shy of 3 feet tall, somewhat
but not especially nimble or dexterious, weak, but highly intelligent with a knack for tinkering. My chosen
class or role was that of an evil, axe wielding, dumb brute of a fighter who charged into battle ahead of all
others to overpower enemies. A large part of this game revolved around finding groups of other players and
fighting monsters for experience. For a group to be effective certain elements had to be present such as a
healer type to restore hp lost to being attacked, a tank class such as a warrior, paladin or shadowknight to
draw the attention of the monster and suffer the brunt of its damage, and damage dealing classes such as
rangers, rogues or wizards to kill monsters quickly so that the group could move on to the next monster.
Imagine my difficulty as a gnomish tank trying to sell my services to groups looking for party members. Where
an ogre warrior might have 5000 hit points, my character had 2000. Let's just say I wasn't ideal and spent a
lot of time LFG (looking for group). Like any challenge however I refused to remake my character and wanted
to prove to myself and everyone else that if played smart a gnome could be a tank. It took me just under 8
years to happily state that I accomplished my goal.

I retired from EverQuest as one of the top shadowknights on all servers, which I accomplished with hundreds
of hours of play time and intelligent armor selection. I studied the game, I stayed up late looking over
parsed data pulled down over hours of battles, I composed formulas to calculate damage per second received
and conducted experiments to try and reduce that number. I participated in lengthy discussions on armor and
tactics with fellow players to debate the finite details of the game mechanics. In the end my calculations
proved correct and I had successfully equipped my character with the necessary armor to be more efficient at
my role than a less devoted player of a 'tougher' race. Though I am long done playing Everquest, many friends
of mine from that time still jokingly refer to me as "gnome." I accept that as a compliment to my tenacity
and willingness to stick with challenges until they are not only beaten but completely destroyed.

==Who am I?==

I am a 33 year old guy, currently living outside of Portland, Michigan. I am a full-time student trying to
finish my degree in Occupational Health & Safety. As the story above probably indicates I am stubborn and
un-wielding at times but only because I believe if I am not challenging myself then I am not getting the
most out of life. If I start something I finish it. If I am unclear about something I research it to death
until I know it backwards and forwards.
Professionally and socially I have also done it all you might say. I have broken bread with CEOs at expensive
restaurants and I have split the last piece of bread with fellow homeless people in a cardboard box. I have
flown business class to consulting work around the US and I have also hitchhiked from California to New York.
If I go on much more about my life I am afraid I may cut out the possibility of selling my life story later.
Currently I am in-between those extremes and happy. I devote any free time away from my studies and the
occasional consulting task to my latest passion: LinuxMCE.

==Why LinuxMCE?==

Like a lot of people currently involved in this project, I am a victim of THE video. I can not even
remember how I stumbled onto it, but since that moment I have been fascinated with its development. It has
been my introduction to the Linux experience. That software this impressive comes from the combined efforts
of brilliant people working for free and on their own time amazes me. I truly believe in the open source
concept and feel it is my responsibility as a user to contribute wherever possible. I have never programmed
anything more complex than a VCR, but I do have some artistic ability so I plug away at UI skins while
those more apt at programming contribute their abilities. The reward then for me goes beyond integrating
components in my home. The thought that a skin I draw might be the preferred choice of a new user two
years from now keeps me striving for perfection. As I have had more time recently in my schedule to work
on LMCE projects I have found new possible ways to contribute such as dce device implementation, template
creation and eventually (I hope) code development.

==Current Equipment==

`section in development`

==Concepts and Projects==

One of the very exciting things about this project to me when I first dug into it was that support for
devices came from users and developers who using what they had, got it working and wrote support for those
devices into LinuxMCE. Because of this, just as I have noticed with many flavors of Linux, the latest and
greatest hardware might not have support written for it yet. Tried and true hardware that is now bottom
shelf or eBay fodder probably has several varieties of code written for it. Though some might not care
for it, I am a duck taper. I love finding a new Goodwill store that may have a serial cable for me to
tear apart and make a 1-wire device out of. I slam the brakes when I see a computer tower at a yard sale.
At any given time I have four to five half assembled devices on the bench going through RAM testing or
waiting on parts from eBay to show up.

Though it may not seem the Linux way, I am developing and creating some hardware with the intention of
selling it. Obviously I am not selling software, it is free to me and it will be free to everyone else.
I hope to sell my time and solder to users who appreciate custom components and want something unique.
Any development or templates I have to create to make my creations work under LinuxMCE will be offered to
the community freely. A percentage of profit from sold will go directly to LinuxMCE as a donation and profit
remaining will go to adding new equipment to my setup. Time will tell how well this works out for me...
if nothing else it keeps my soldering iron hot and keeps me trying to learn more about the way things
work inside LinuxMCE.

Case Moding Media Directors:

As much as I like the clean look of a vesa mounted nettop behind a flatscreen, I can not ignore that in
most setups there will always be some type of entertainment center. A TV can be mounted in a wall but
not many non-custom built walls will allow you to recess a PS3 or a receiver. This is where my media
directors come in. Using 100% compatible and tested hardware I will create one of a kind 'showcase'
media directors. Some could be described as contemporary HTPC designs and some can be called nothing
short of radical.

Ideas and Current Projects:

Entertainment Center Typical: Mini and Micro ATX computers modded to fit inside electronics. An old
cable box which actually houses a full media director, A receiver that contains a working media director
AND retains function as a receiver,

Component Hidden: In-wall touchscreen orbiters. In-TV hidden receiver and media director (imagine a
child's bedroom television, tube style case with a flatscreen tv inside that allows all that empty room
for me to cram in components)

Radical: Pressure sensitive doormat, voice recognition services from everything like orbiter commands to
front door locks, 'orbiting' orbiter using robotics such as Roomba, LinuxMCE operated fireplace (this
one is a little scary... )

==More Content to Come==

A lot. As you might have gleamed already, I like to type.