Steve Jenkins

This post is primarily a how-to for my own benefit, since I own a total of five APC S20 BLK battery backup units running a variety of things at the house from AV gear to a rack of servers. That means there’s a chance I’ll need to replace the battery […]

How To: Swap RB63 UPS Batteries in an APC S20 ...

This entry was posted in DIY Home Theater & Automation Reference Technology and tagged APC batteries RB63 replace UPS batteries S20 BLK UPS on by (updated 3959 days ago)
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It’s 10PM. I get a text from our son (whose bedroom is in the basement) saying that he just got out of the shower and the water was barely warm, and now he’s hearing a “hissing” sound coming from the utility room across the hall from his bedroom… where the […]

How To: Repair a Leaking Hot Water Tank Temperature Pressure ...

This entry was posted in DIY and tagged fix leaking TPR valve hot water heater hot water tank hot water tank leak plumbing pressure relief valve Repair repair hot water tank temperature pressure relief valve tpr valve Watts on by (updated 3793 days ago)
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The difference between saying you have a “home theater setup” vs. simply having a TV hanging on your wall is, of course, having the audio played back on something other than your TV’s built-in speakers. And for the budget and space conscious, Vizio has recently launched a family of “sound […]

Product Review: Vizio 42″ 5.1 Home Theater Sound Bar with ...

This entry was posted in Home Theater & Automation Product Reviews and tagged Bluetooth Bluetooth audio review S4251W-B4 sound bar soundbar speakers Vizio on by
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Water was pooling under our “backup” fridge in my garage, and so I figured something must broken with its refrigeration. However, when I pulled the fridge away from the wall to check things out, I discovered that the source of the water wasn’t the fridge… it was the shower faucet […]

Rave: Turns out Moen’s Customer Service is Just as Good ...

This entry was posted in DIY Rants and Raves and tagged 1225 customer service Kohler leak Moen plumbing replacement on by (updated 3794 days ago)
I hate throwing away old computer equipment. Whenever I buy a new system, the older ones tend to find other roles in my digital life. Maybe not on my desktop any more, but maybe in the playroom, or in a closet, or on my floor, or some other location where […]

Upgrade your Dell Dimension 4600 AGP Graphics Adapter and RAM

This entry was posted in DIY Technology Windows and tagged 3d graphics AGP Dell Dimension 4600 graphics card RAM Upgrade on by (updated 4032 days ago)
Linux Uptime 1
After upgrading from Nagios 4.0 to 4.0.1, I attempted to manually reschedule a check of all services on a particular host, I received the following error: Error: Could not open command file ‘/usr/local/nagios/var/rw/nagios.cmd’ for update! The source of the problem turned out to be a permissions issue with the nagios.cmd […]

How to Fix Error: Could not open command file ‘/usr/local/nagios/var/rw/nagios.cmd’ ...

This entry was posted in Linux Reference Technology and tagged error Linux nagios nagios.cmd permissions on by (updated 4033 days ago)
Maggie's Bear Grylls Parang goes "CLANG!" 3
I hesitate to write this post. First, because I grew up in Portland, Oregon (home of Gerber), and have been a big fan of their knives since I owned my first one as a Boy Scout. Second, because a couple good friends of mine are actually friends of Bear Grylls […]

Rant: Navigating Gerber’s Bear Grylls Parang recall process is harder ...

This entry was posted in Rants and Raves and tagged Bear Grylls Gerber parang pee recall sheath on by (updated 4078 days ago)
Lots of corrosion in a VTS Housing 24
If you have a Sea Doo with VTS (Variable Trim System), then you’re sitting on a ticking time bomb. Even a casual web search will fill your screen with horror stories of VTS gone bad. To make matters worse, there’s more than one reason that causes malfunction with the system. […]

Sea Doo VTS Not Working? Fix or Replace the VTS ...

This entry was posted in DIY Sea Doo and tagged Sea Doo variable trim system VTS VTS boot VTS broken VTS motor VTS repair VTS replace VTS won't work water on by (updated 3690 days ago)
The Harmony Ultimate handheld remote communicates via RF to the Harmony Hub, which blasts IR to all your devices 2
Universal remotes have come a long way… and I’ve been along for the ride for pretty much the entire journey. I owned an old-skool “All In One” remote that controlled my cable box, VCR, and TV. I owned a variety of Phillips Pronto and Marantz RC5000 controllers, which required me […]

Product Review: Logitech Harmony Ultimate Remote

This entry was posted in Home Theater & Automation Product Reviews and tagged Harmony Harmony Hub Harmony Touch Harmony Ultimate Logitech MyHarmony product review review Ultimate on by (updated 4090 days ago)
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This post is as much for me as it is for anyone who might stumble across it in a web search. I’m using this list as an annual “shopping list” for part that I’ll need to winterize both of my 2006 Sea Doo RXPs. Reference Documents The starting point for […]

HowTo: Parts for Sea Doo 4-TEC Winterizing, Oil Change, and ...

This entry was posted in DIY Sea Doo and tagged 4-tec annual service compression flush fogging oil change parts RXP RXT Sea Doo spark plug winterization winterize on by (updated 3672 days ago)
Cisco/Linksys E4200 overclocked to 532 MHz 31
It’s a question asked in the DD-WRT forums all the time. It’s a question often asked in the comments of my DD-WRT posts. And it’s a question to which no “official” answer from the primary maintainers of DD-WRT exists… and therefore it will probably keep getting asked. However, based on […]

Difference between DD-WRT BrainSlayer, Eko, Fractal, and Kong Builds

This entry was posted in Linux Technology and tagged BrainSlayer build builds DD-WRT difference Eko Fractal Kong router database SP1 SP2 version on by (updated 3659 days ago)
Completed base pieces 3
Sick of trying to prop up cardboard targets against rocks when shooting outside? Don’t want to spend crazy $$$ for those fancy metal target stands? Want your target holders to be lightweight and transportable in the trunk of your car? Do you like the smell of PVC cement? Got $16? […]

DIY: Home Made PVC Target Holders

This entry was posted in DIY Guns and tagged cardboard target diy target holder gun range gun target home made target holder paper target PVC target holder on by (updated 4111 days ago)
DIY catch can installed in RXP with zip ties 7
If you install an aftermarket air intake in your Seadoo, it’s best to also install a catch can at the same time. What exactly does a catch can… catch? It’s designed to catch oil, gas, and other sludgy fluid that might otherwise end up inside your supercharger and your engine. […]

HowTo: Seadoo Catch Can / Oil Breather System

This entry was posted in DIY Reference Sea Doo and tagged air intake catch can DIY diy catch can fizzle catch can home made catch can riva catch can Sea Doo on by (updated 4099 days ago)
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In an effort to extend my WiFi coverage outside our vacation home on a lake, I purchased a Ubiquiti NanoStation LOCO M5. My goal was to provide a strong WiFi signal a few hundred feet into the back yard, onto the beach, and all the way out to the dock. […]

Connecting iOS devices (iPhone, iPad, iPod) to Ubiquiti NanoStation M5 ...

This entry was posted in iPhone Linux Reference Technology and tagged 20MHz 5Ghz Apple channel channel width compatible configuration DFS frequency iOS iPad iPhone iPod LOCO NanoStation NanoStation M5 NSM5 settings troubleshoot Uqibuiti WiFi on by (updated 3434 days ago)
Cracked Sea Doo RXP front hood hoses 1
The majority of my Sea Doo posts are mechanical, but this one is purely cosmetic. I’ve got a couple of 2006 Sea Doo RXP boats, which I bought new, and I’ve loved them since they day they came home from the dealer. They’re fast, fun, and their looks have held […]

How To: Replace Cracked Plastic Front Hood Vent Hoses on ...

This entry was posted in DIY Reference Sea Doo and tagged 291001646 plastic hose replace rubber hose RXP Sea Doo vent hose on by (updated 4099 days ago)
Old style Sea Doo solenoid next to the upgraded version 32
It’s 90-something degrees outside. You walk out to the dock, straddle your 2006 Sea Doo RXP, attach the key, and press the start button. But instead of “vroooom” you get “tick tick tick tick.” Chances are high that you’ve got a starter solenoid problem. You may be able to press […]

HowTo: Sea Doo Ticking Noise when you Press the Start ...

This entry was posted in DIY Reference Sea Doo and tagged 278000077 278000513 278001376 278001802 278002347 295500900 4-tec bad solenoid how to replace solenoid replace starter solenoid RXP Sea Doo solenoid starter tick tick tick ticking on by (updated 3380 days ago)
Sea Doo RXP Spark Plugs Removed 28
I had one of my 2006 Sea Doo RXPs out on the lake last weekend, when I noticed it was running kind of rough. The engine didn’t sound right, and it felt low on power. Every now and then, I’d get a burst of full power, but then lose it […]

HowTo: Sea Doo Running Rough? Change the Spark Plugs First

This entry was posted in DIY Reference Sea Doo and tagged DCPR8E dielectric engine running rough losing power replace replace spark plugs RXP Sea Doo spark plug on by (updated 3420 days ago)
Timeline for Shutdown and Turn Off for the PCNS server OS and the UPS 14
I decided to write this blog post after attempting to configure APC’s PowerChute Network Shutdown (PCNS) software to gracefully shut down a number of Windows and Linux computers on my network, all of which are attached to various APC SmartUPS Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) units with AP9617 and AP9630 Network Management Cards […]

HowTo: Configure Low Battery Duration and PCNS to Shut Down ...

This entry was posted in Linux Reference Technology Windows and tagged APC Event Shutdown Delay graceful shutdown Low Battery Duration Maximum Required Delay NMC PCNS PowerChute Network Shutdown shutdown Shutdown Delay UPS on by (updated 3602 days ago)
APC RBC24 10
In my 2012 post “Dead UPS Batteries? There’s a Cheaper Way!” I addressed the fact that most people overpay for replacement batteries for their UPS, especially if you purchase APC-branded RBC (Replacement Battery Cartridge) kits. The purpose of this post is to serve as a cross reference as to which generic batteries […]

APC Generic Replacement Battery Cross Reference Lookup

This entry was posted in DIY Reference Technology and tagged APC batteries cross reference generic lookup RBC RBC2 RBC6 replacement UPS battery on by (updated 4006 days ago)
Kirkland Signature Multi Vitamin 11
We’ve all been told “you are what you eat.” And while I don’t quite agree with exactly how that’s worded (I’ll explain later), I do agree that what we put into our bodies has a massive impact on how all the systems in our body perform and interact. The purpose […]

Fitness Supplements I’m Currently Using

This entry was posted in Fitness Product Reviews Rants and Raves and tagged C4 Extreme chia seeds creatine Muscle Milk NO3 nutrition post-workout pre-workout protein shake supplement vitamins work out on by (updated 3241 days ago)
Postfix 2.9 Upgrade 5
I run a number of “real” Postfix servers that live “away from home,” in a cozy server cabinet at our colo facility, but I also like to keep a Postfix server handy in the basement, running on an ancient (but rock solid) Dell PowerEdge 2450 running CentOS 5. I don’t […]

HowTo: Get Around Comcast Port 25 Block with a Postfix ...

This entry was posted in Linux Reference Technology and tagged block blocked Comcast howto port 25 Postfix relay workaround on by (updated 3991 days ago)