Dummy HDMI adapters

A nice adapter that has both input and output is this which i got from AliExpress (Photos at the bottom)

This 4K dummy adapter seems to support all resolutions up to 60Hz refresh rate, with the exception of 4K which works at a maximum of 30Hz (Probably due to signal attenuation)

There are many uses for this dummy adapter, one of them is “Sunshine and moonlight remote desktop”, another is using your GPU for processing while you are away (Nvidia won’t allow it if you don’t have a monitor connected and switched on), and most importantly TO ME, My video switch since I use multiple machines on the same monitor.

What this adapter is in reality is an eeprom chip that has the EDID data of a monitor with a very high refresh rate (120 hz), namely a fictitious monitor named AOC 28E850, If you want to make sure that this works with your monitor, it needs to be flashed with your monitor’s EDID.

If your monitor supports 4K at 60hz, you need to keep everything in that copy, and remove the 4K.60Hz from the list

If you want the modified file that originated from my LG 27UL550 and was modified to remove the 60Hz from the list of supported configurations, meaning I removed the 60 FPS from the 4K DTD, then here it is, just download it and flash it (Flashing instructions below) I also changed the monitor’s name just in case some systems might cache it’s details…

The steps

1- Find out the port on your graphics card that your monitor is connected to

2- Copy the EDID data from your monitor

3- Edit the data to remove the 4K/60 fps
4- Burn the data onto the adapter

To do that, there are many tools, one thing to note is that edid-rw did not work using my laptop which has a 9400mx, but worked just fine using an old PC i have with a “GT218 [GeForce 210]”, the error on the laptop reads

sudo ./edid-rw 5
Traceback (most recent call last):
File “./edid-rw”, line 131, in
main()
File “./edid-rw”, line 119, in main
edid = [dev.read(i) for i in range(EDID_HDR)]
File “./edid-rw”, line 46, in read
return self.smb.read_byte_data(EDID_ADDR, n)
IOError: [Errno 110] Connection timed out

edid-rw tool: https://github.com/bulletmark/edid-rw
wxedid tool: install from debian repo

I personally used the tools above to read/write/edit, but if you have access to a windows machine, AW-EDID should be the best tool for editing….
Analog Way EDID editor: https://www.analogway.com/apac/products/software-tools/aw-edid-editor/

So, let’s get down to that voodoo business !

1- There seems to be a very cool python script (tool) called edid-rw, let us install it’s prerequisites

sudo apt-get install python3-smbus edid-decode git

Now, you have python, let us download the tool, you can do that with the download button on github, I would rather just

git clone https://github.com/bulletmark/edid-rw
cd edid-rw

To begin with, you may need to run the following command to see what monitors are connected where, In my case, the monitor I want to copy (LG 4K 60FPS) is #5

xrandr --query

If this does not help, try the numbers and read the output to see which entry corresponds to the screen you want
sudo ./edid-rw 5 | edid-decode

Now that we have it, we can edit it with one of the software mentioned above, and dump it back on the dongle (The port number does not change, so put your number there and dump the data onto it)

udo ./edid-rw -w 5 < ~/edited_lgedid.bin

Text from the original page of the item

Support hot plug, plug and play
Support virtual display, when the display is powered off or the display cable is hot-plugged, It can achieve no video signal loss, no screen change, no windows running, no order disorder;
Support up to 10.8Gbps video bandwidth; It has power-off memory function, power-off/restart display sequence is not chaotic, and the set mode is not lost.
Supports for AMD multi-screen image card splicing extended split-screen mode, eyefinity wide-area multi-screen splicing mode (pulling the monitor cable when it is powered on has no effect on the display of the screen TV wall, and pulling the line will only cause the screen of the dropped line to be black, and other screens will not move)
Support Nvidia image card multi-screen output, the screen sequence is not chaotic after restart

Connect typ:HDMI
Application scope: Display with HDMI interface
Product name :HDMI lock screen treasure
Max Resolution : 2560 x 1440@60HZ / 3840 x 2160@60HZ
colour:Golden
Material:Aluminum alloy

Package Contents:
6 x HDMI2.0 Virtual Adapter

The aluminum sleeve appears to be fully cosmetic, At least this is my impression as the plastic inside seems very hard, so it is unlikely that the aluminum is providing any support, and obviously is not functioning as any form of heat sink

The best Bluetooth transmitter (And receiver)

I am writing a post about this device because I was positively surprised by it

I have a TV connected to an android TV box, neither the TV nor the android box have bluetooth, So i have tried quite a few bluetooth transmitters, where you connect the AUX jack from the TV out to the transmitter, and the transmitter automatically pairs with the bluetooth speakers, never went well, either the voice is really bad, or it does not work, this is all until i found this little cool guy

So, how those transmitters usually work is you power the thing from USB, then connect the auxiliary jack, to my surprise, even though this did have a 3.5MM aux jack, it was detected by my android box as a USB sound card, and it worked without me doing anything

It doubles as a BT receiver too, but those are all over the place, and not exactly why i like this, So now it is clear what they mean by 3IN1, it has a jack for input, output and also works as USB sound ! Amazing stuff

Pixel 6 stuff

To begin with, the links here are Amazon associate links, what this means is that buying things using those links will result in a commission for me ! to recap. “As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.”

What I am trying to do is to create a cover that allows me to switch between USB OTG devices easily at the workshop, so i created a 3D printed connector that fits with the following parts, the STL for that model will be provided once I use it and make sure it works, In addition to the pixel 6 pro, have made the 3D printed connector holder for the Samsung Galaxy S10, S10+, Ulefone Power 5, Ulefone Armor 3,

The external camera also has a 3D printed case design which I will also share… the screen protector has nothing to do with the project, but i am getting it anyways because it is nice if you have screen protection at the workshop, the screen protection uses UV curing adhesive ! which may or may not ruin your oleophobic coating on your screen (remains to be seen)

Things that I am getting

Screen protector Here said to work best with the fingerprint sensor (Once you use the penny trick), and tough enough to stay put with those curved edges !

2 phone covers here (Shaded Spurce (Green) and Slate (Grey))

4 of USB C Magnetic Adapter here, 2 Elbow and 2 Flat Elbow

Things that I don’t want to buy but are worth mentioning

Google’s Air Buds (Pixel) are on sale for $99 (here) and the pro are discounted at $199 (Here), I personally like my ugreen with qualcom chipset, So i don’t think i will get the google ones any time soon, but they are here for ref.

C16-PD-QI Power Bank from banggood

This review of the C16-PD-QI Removable 16-section Power Bank Shell Mobile Power Bank Assembly Kit Diy18650 Battery Box Wireless&Quick Charging Version also serves as a guide because I am not very good at keeping user’s manuals and data about the hardware I have.

Experiment number one, at what voltage does it stop charging, most chargers would stop at 4.2V which is the full voltage, while better chargers stop before that voltage, which is better for battery longevity !

Result: I had a few similar power banks that overcharged the batteries (Not good for the batteries), the C16-PD-QI bank stops charging at 4.2V on the dot, which is the maximum most batteries can handle, it’s not great, I would rather the charging stops at 4.18 for example (Or even lower)

Experiment number two, The wireless charger

Experiment number three, do any of the chips overheat

Does it accept a charge in QuickCharge

we already know it can quick charge devices, but also, on the box, multiple voltages are stated as input, so here I’m checking if it can get charged in quick charge

Specifications of the power bank !

The power bank specifications on the website seem to be different than the specifications on the back of the charger ! Close enough though

* Model: C16-PD-QI
* Wireless & Quick Charging Version: maximum power: 5V-3A 9V-2A 12V-1.5A 3.4V-5.5V-5A, wireless charging 10W
* Applicable battery: 18650 battery (length 6.5cm, straight down 1.8cm) But you could adapt other types of batteries as long as they are Lithium with similar chemistry !
* Note: The appearance of the battery should not be damaged, and the voltage should be between 3.2-4.2V. (Not sure what this is supposed to mean)
* Size: 44*80*186 mm

Backside of power bank

Power Bank
Model: C16-PD-Qi
OUTPUT: 9V-2A , 12V-1.5A , 4.5V-5A 5V-4A
WIRELESS CHARGING : 10W
INPUT: 5V-3A 9V-2A 12V-1.5A

Maximum charged battery voltage

I have previously bought power banks that are for laptops from this very same website, there was a little problem with those power banks, they charged the batteries above 4.2 volts, which is not good for the batteries, I would rather a power bank that charges my batteries a bit below the absolute maximum of most batteries, So here is my experiment with this power bank

The problem with used batteries connected in parallel

The best practice is to use factory matched batteries for this power bank, even though the actual capacity and internal resistance of the batteries is irrelevant (You can mix and match since they are in parallel), this does not apply to charging, lithium batteries are charged with a variable voltage depending on the current state of charge, batteries with less capacity will artificially deceive the chip into thinking we are at a higher state of charge, forcing the charger to up the voltage, where the better higher capacity batteries will suffer (The will produce more heat than designed, and cook themselves slowly to the capacity of the lower ones)

Remax TWS-10 Plus, not bad for $10 earphones

I got a pair of small speakers, the Remax-10 Plus which are priced at $10 !!! they come with a power bank to recharge the earpods, and a pair of earpods that simply work, the sound on the other end of the conversation is lower than when you are using the handset, but if you raise your voice a little, they work fine for me

the battery life is more than you might need, and the box (Power bank box) is small and can recharge the speakers a few times

the only thing that is annoying about it is that it charges with an iPhone cable, one of which is indeed shipped with the box, but i would have preferred a USB C cable !

Anyway, I am creating this post so that i can tell you a bit about the speaker, but more importantly because i need the user manual handy 😉 since i accidentally switched to Chinese and now i want to switch back again, so i had to look for the manual that came with it!

REVIEW: UGREEN HiTune X5 TWS earbuds

UPDATE: After around 2 months of using the earbuds, I am facing no problem, calls are clear, battery life is good, the difference in price between those and the $10 remax speakers is definitely worth it ! if i have one complaint about them is that using the touch button (the whole part of the speaker outside the ear is a button) takes some getting used to, I will also post the instructions on how to use them here.

After trying the $10 Remax TWS-10 Plus, i decided to check out and review the $40 UGREEN HiTune X5 TWS earbuds with Qualcomm aptX

The earbuds come with 4 sizes of ear tips, x-small, small, medium and large

  • HiTune X5 True Wireless Stereo Earbuds
  • Qualcomm chipset: True Wireless Mirroring  tech with the Qualcomm QCC 3040
  • Version: Bluetooth 5.2
  • ENC noise cancelling
  • Frequency range: 20Hz-20KHz
  • Latency: 70ms
  • 4 microphones with cVc 8.0 Noise Cancelling Technology
  • Ipx5 waterproof
  • 70ms ultra low delay  for  game mode
  • Profiles: HSP, HFP, AVRCP, A2DP
  • Bluetooth Frequency: 2400MHz-2483.5MHz
  • Bluetooth Range: 10m
  • Codec: Qualcomm® aptX™, AAC, SBC
  • Speaker Impedance: 32Ω±15%
  • Speaker Sensitivity: 100±3dB
  • Driver Speaker (Dynamic driver): 10mm PU + Peek Diaphragm
  • Operating Time: 7h music play on a single charge, 21h case, total 28h music play with charging case
  • Charging case capacity: 400 mAh
  • Earbud battery capacity: 40 mAh
  • Charging case input: 5V=320mA
  • Charging case output: 5V=100mA
  • lithium polymer battery
  • Charging port: USB-C
  • Fully charge the earbuds: 1.5H
  • Fully charge the case: 2H
  • Earbuds dimensions: 21.926.328.6mm
  • Package Dimensions: 100*139*44mm
  • Net Weight: 5.1g(0.18oz)
  • Total Weight: 47.6g(1.68oz) in the box
  • Waterproof: IPX5

with the HiTune X5 earbuds, the box contains 4 x Interchangeable Ear Caps, a charging cable, a charging case, and a user’s manual

Up to now, the Microphone is much nicer than the Remax, in the car, with the AC on at medium, the other party had no complaint’s about sound quality.

Even though the processor, the Qualcomm QCC 3040 is the most relevant chip in the earbuds, the truth is, the quality of the other components is very important, the microphones, the speakers, the power bank, etc… so it is very hard to endorse any other pair of earbuds simply because they have the same chipset.

A simple google search yeilded many other earbuds that use the same chipset, but again, having the same chipset does not mean much…

  • EarFun Free 2
  • Tribit Qualcomm QCC3040
  • Tronsmart Onyx Ace Pro
  • SoundPEATS Air3

Bluetooth Audio Transmitter from 3.5 Audio Jack

I have an android TV box with no Bluetooth, installing Bluetooth dongles to it does not work, So i got a nice little Bluetooth transmitter that receives audio from a regular headphones jack, and transmits it to a Bluetooth speaker ! the YET-TX9 (Amazon for $19 but i have my doubts it is the best option)

Please note: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases such as the one above.

There is no user’s manual inside, the instructions are, as you can see, printed on the box.

Will come here and add the details as soon as i try it out