Author: Dave Farquhar

How to block computer scammer calls

Dave Farquhar scams
How to block computer scammer calls

My computer security buddies have been posting a lot lately on social media about computer scammers, giving advice on how to spot them. But what if I told you that you could block them entirely? Here’s how to block computer scammer calls.

Generally speaking, you can block most computer scams by signing up for a simultaneous ring service, installing a call blocking app on your cell phone, and changing the DNS settings on your computer or router.

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How to disassemble and service a Marx 333 locomotive

Dave Farquhar Toy trains
How to disassemble and service a Marx 333 locomotive

The Marx 333 was Marx’s biggest, fanciest, and most expensive steam locomotive during the postwar era. It shares some parts commonality with other Marx engines but if you’ve never worked on one before, it can be a little unclear how to disassemble and service one.

The main thing to keep in mind with a Marx 333 as opposed to other Marx diecast locomotives is the linkages. After you remove the screws from the front, you have to remove the linkage or the siderods, depending on the vintage. After that, the motor drops out easily. Servicing the plastic-bodied Marx 1829 is essentially the same.

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Can Magnets Damage Electronics?

Dave Farquhar Hardware
Can Magnets Damage Electronics?

Can magnets damage electronics? It’s a common question, or at least a common belief, especially among people over the age of 30.  But the danger that household magnets pose to modern electronics is minimal and grows smaller with each passing year.

While a household magnet can theoretically damage a hard drive, it’s only under unusual circumstances, and more and more electronics are moving away from magnetic hard drives. Household magnets have no effect on computer chips. Household magnets could damage the media older computers used for storage and make CRTs act strange, but that’s where the idea came from and both of these technologies are fading from use.

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What are Thread Cutting Screws Used For?

Dave Farquhar DIY
What are Thread Cutting Screws Used For?

What are thread cutting screws used for? You use thread cutting screws when you need to join two pieces together, but you can’t or don’t want to use tools to cut threads ahead of time to accommodate the screws.

Thread cutting screws are a special type of self tapping screw. People often use the words thread cutting, thread forming, and self tapping interchangeably. These classes of screws are very similar but they have subtle distinctions. Thread cutting screws create less stress on the workpiece than thread forming screws do. You can also get thread cutting screws for metal or plastic and wood.

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Painting electric train track

Dave Farquhar model railroading, Toy trains
Painting electric train track

I had an interesting question come in: Can you paint American Flyer train track? You can, if you’re careful about it. There could be a couple of reasons to want do that. Here’s what you need to know about painting electric train track and why you might want to do such a thing.

Ironically, the main reasons to do it are to make old track look less rusty than it is, or to make new track look old and rusty.

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Which Commodore power supplies are safe to use

Dave Farquhar Retro Computing
Which Commodore power supplies are safe to use

The stock Commodore 64 power supply was notorious. I can’t overstate how big of a piece of junk it was. It was terrible in Commodore’s heyday and it’s no better now. If you have a Commodore 64 and want to keep it working, you need to consider which Commodore power supplies are safe to use, and make sure you have a good one. Otherwise, at the very least, you need to consider repair and protection for your vintage supply to prevent damage to your 64.

If your Commodore-branded power supply doesn’t have the Commodore logo in the corner of the unit, like part number 390205-01 for the 64 or part number 310416-06 for the 128, you have to assume it’s unsafe to use. Other Commodore power supplies for the C-64 fail in such a way that they deliver unsafe voltages that cause serious damage to a C-64 motherboard.

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Shower leaks but not the tub? Three fixes

Dave Farquhar DIY
Shower leaks but not the tub? Three fixes

My sons have to take baths because their shower leaks but the tub doesn’t. I talked it over with a plumber, who kindly shared three relatively easy and cheap fixes for when a shower leaks but not the tub. In my case, the shower leaks into an unfinished basement utility room and not a finished ceiling, but in either case, you want to either fix the leak or not use the shower. Leaks lead to water damage and mold, and you don’t want those things.

My local plumber’s suggestions are to replace the faucet, caulk around the faucet and the overflow plate, and shore up the caulk between the tub and the surround. If the shower leaks all the time, it’s more likely to be the faucet. If it leaks just when certain people use it, the problem is more likely to be caulk. In most cases you can fix it yourself in less than an hour with less than $30 worth of materials.

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American Flyer Transformer Wiring Diagram

Dave Farquhar Toy trains
American Flyer Transformer Wiring Diagram

A.C. Gilbert provided a wiring diagram with its train sets and transformers. But if your American Flyer transformer wiring diagram went missing after all these decades, not to worry. I have you covered. Here are some tips for American Flyer transformer hook up for the best possible operation while using as little wire as possible.

Gilbert was more consistent than some of its competitors when it came to its transformers. But some of Gilbert’s terminology may have made it so simple as to make it confusing.

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How do you make money when stock goes down?

Dave Farquhar Investing
How do you make money when stock goes down?

How do you make money when stock goes down? Counter-intuitively, it’s easier. When the stock market takes a downturn, like it did in 2008, or in late 2018/early 2019, it’s actually an opportunity. Let’s talk about what to do when the stock market falls.

Generally speaking, there are three ways to make money on stocks. The first way is on appreciation, or the increase in value of the stock itself. The second way is through dividends. The stock market going down makes it easier to make money on both of these things. Your money buys more stock, which gives you more shares to recover value. And the more shares you own, the more dividends you receive. And the third is through your employer match, if you receive one.

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What is an Out of Band Network?

Dave Farquhar security
What is an Out of Band Network?

I had a discussion with a client last week that brought up the topic of out of band networks. Out of band networks are a good security measure for reducing risk. But what is an out of band network, and what can it do for you?

An out of band network is a separate network, separate from your main network that carries production data. It is a good practice to put management interfaces such as IPMI on an out of band network and require separate authentication to access the network. This allows you to provide access to necessary functionality while reducing the chances of people misusing or abusing it.

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