Getting to know the XJW01 LCR Bridge

I was looking for an accurate LCR Bridge recently which could also measure ESR values of capacitors.

I also wanted a low-voltage LCR so that I could test components whilst they were still on the PCB without exceeding any diode/transistor junction voltages and thus get false readings.

The XJW01 LCR bridge seems to be quite good and inexpensive. It is sold on many sites including eBay, Amazon and Ali Express.

E2B v1.B6e with .isoBSD bugfix

James reported a problem when using the .isoBSD file extension with E2B (flashing cursor on boot).

This file extension can be used to boot to FreeBSD and other BSD-based ISOs which are otherwise difficult to multi-boot from.

http://www.easy2boot.com/add-payload-files/freebsd/

The .isoBSD file extension actually uses E2B's \_ISO\e2b\grub\bsd.imgptn (fat12 disk image) file together with the original BSD ISO file to create two new partitions on the E2B drive.

The Beta version 1.6Be ('Latest Beta' folder) has a modified version of the bsd.imgptn file which fixes the issue.

If you are interested in more details, visit the thread at reboot.pro.

Boot KDE Neon with persistence from an ISO

Here is the .mnu file for booting KDE Neon with persistence.

It is essentially the same as the Ubuntu persistence .mnu file except that it loads the kernel file /casper/vmlinuz instead of vminux.efi (which does not exist in KDE Neon).

How I fixed the HP "incompatible ink cartridges' error

So, as you all know, HP and various other printer manufacturers sell their bottom-end printers at a loss. They often come with a 'starter pack' of ink which lasts long enough to print a few test pages and then the printer driver refuses to print any more until you buy some more ink.

However, when you try to buy more ink, you find that a black+tricolour cartridge set costs more than the printer did in the first place!

This is the well-established 'Razor and blades' tactic - you sell the razor at a loss but make a regular income from selling the blades.

To top it all, the firmware in my old printer does all it can to ensure that you only use 'compatible' (HP) ink cartridge replacements. However, in 2017 the Supreme Court in the USA (Impression products Ink Inc. v. Lexmark) frowned upon this practise. Since that court case, some manufacturers now provide firmware updates to 'unblock' their printers and more recent printers don't usually block refilled cartridges.

E2B v1.B6c Beta now available

Download v1.B6c

Changes from  v1.B5 (changes for v1.B6c in bold):

• SWITCH_E2B.exe v1.1.25 - bugfix if C: drive compressed/encrypted will still work after warning user
• Improve SIZE_E2B and SIZE_HD1 values to nearest GiB instead of nearest 4GiB
• Licence readme files added for 3rd-party s/w - see \_ISO\docs\Licenses
• Easy2Boot download self-extracting exe no longer adds the Make_E2B.exe program into the Windows Start Menu
• Now checks for 2019-08-09 version of grub4dos 0.4.6a or later
• MyPwd.g4b added to Sample mnu Files\E2B folder to show example of how to prompt for a master password and have different wallpapers
• Latest version of grub4dos (allows animation to play during user input before E2B menu is displayed  and supports the new grub4dos 'setmenu --keyhelp-on' and 'setmenu --keyhelp-off' commands)
• KBD_DVORAK_USA.g4b keyboard translation file added (thanks to Alex R).

Which is the best digital multimeter?

I hope this blog will help you to quickly find the meter you are looking for without wasting hours on YouTube or Google as I have just been doing!

The EEVBlog BM235

E2B v1.B6b Beta available

This v1.B6b Beta version has some GPL licensing text files and licensing information added. The E2B download contains some bundled GPL utilities which require me to add these text licence files.

I have added MyPwd.g4b to the Sample mnu Files\E2B folder to show an example of how to prompt for a master password and display different wallpapers. e.g.

1. Displays an 'Enter password' 800x600 wallpaper (the example file just uses an existing E2B background')

2. User types in a password

3. If good, displays the wallpaper you want for the main menu

4. If bad pwd, display an alternate wallpaper (could say 'bad password - please re-enter')

5. If good pwd then display Main menu

You can overwrite the wallpaper with any stamp by adding a splashimage --offset command (use 0x00=opaque or 0x80 for transparent background, e.g.

splashimage --offset=0x00=680=10 /_ISO/pwdOK.bmp

You can thus choose to keep the same background and just display a different small STAMP instead of changing the whole wallpaper. If the STAMPS overwrite each other but are not the same size, you will need to reload the original wallpaper and then apply the STAMP.

!BAT
# This can be called from MyE2B.cfg or \_ISO\MAINMENU\$$$$CONFIG\$.mnu using  'call /_ISO/MyPwd.g4b'
# copy it to \_ISO folder of E2B drive and then edit it as required

E2B eBook #1 'How to make a multiboot USB drive using Easy2Boot' v2.13 now available

I have made a few small tweaks to eBook #1 '

How to make a multiboot USB drive using Easy2Boot

'Getting started with Easy2Boot' v2.13

If you have already purchased this eBook, you can download v2.13 using the link that was sent to you in the confirmation email from Payhip.

Not my video...

E2B v1.B5 now released

Changes from  v1.B4:

• Allow file extension suffixes on .wim and .vhd files - e.g. boot.wim64, Windows 7 Ultimate.vhd64pwd.
• Spaces in .vhd and .wim filenames are now allowed.
• Bugfix - fix 'force'ing of file extension from menu - allows 'QRUN.g4b force.iso xxxxx._yyyy.iso' to override the yyyy file extension override. 
• Bugfix - animation sometimes not shown on submenus.
• New E2B_Editor.exe now displays opaque STAMPs (1-10) when a .cfg file with STAMPs is loaded (transparent stamp background is not supported).
• New default wallpaper background.
• New feature - display date & time anywhere on menu (updates each second)
• Add a $$TrueHidePtn2.mnu sample menu file
• Add Display_Disk_Partitions.mnu to Sample mnu Files\E2B to display MBR partition table of disks in system.
• Add Display_DateAndTime.mnu Sample mnu file
• Add latest grub4dos with enhanced setmenu command.

https://www.fosshub.com/Easy2Boot.html

v1.B5 will update both 1.B5 and 1.B5DPMS.

Easy2Boot is featured in today's WebUser magazine

This just arrived through my letterbox today!

'BOOT ANYTHING FROM A USB STICK'

I'm reading this with a nice cup of tea in my official E2B mug!

If anyone would like to buy an Easy2Boot mug (USA, Canada and UK only) then let me know. If there is enough interest I will try to set it up. OR Why not print your own mug with your own Easy2Boot menu\wallpaper on it?