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Controlling monitor inputs with DDC

I’m really happy that most modern monitors support DDC so that we can programmatically change settings rather than go through clunky OSDs.

The problem

At my desk I have my Mac Studio and my latest gaming PC and they both share a triple monitor setup. When I want to switch the monitors between the two, I either need to:

  1. Turn on auto-switching mode
  2. Manually change the input x 3

Auto-switching kinda worked, but has quirks I can’t live with. One is when I’m playing a game on the PC and the Mac wakes up for whatever reason, the PC receives a signal that hardware has been connected or disconnected and the screen freezes. It seems like a firmware bug to me – if an input is being actively used the others should be ignored.

The manual route is pretty bad as well. The M32U‘s input switchers are on the back of the monitor, which is pretty much the worst spot possible. Only the far right monitor is slightly more convenient to access.

How DDC solves it

By using m1ddc on the Mac we can easily script a way to switch between the two machines. 🎉 This means I can create a keyboard shortcut to toggle the inputs, a physical button, or even run it from an external computer. Hooray!

Edit: Now with web appi-ness!

I threw together a quick Flask app that can be accessed from any device on my network to switch inputs. Neato!

Here’s a GitHub repo for it.

Note: Once I connect the left monitor the same way I connect the other two, the transition should be more in sync. Currently it’s a little slower due to the HDMI connection.

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Technology

APC UPS data in Grafana

Grafana dashboard with APC UPS information

I don’t know why I didn’t do this long ago. With the Telegraf apcupsd plugin it’s trivial to add your APC UPS data to Grafana.

I did have to manually install the latest binary from Telegraf’s site instead of the version that comes with Ubuntu, but that wasn’t a problem at all.

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Projects Technology

The Mac Pro gets an SSD part 2!

Welp, that didn’t take long. After installing my new SSD I quickly realized I could do better. Upgrading to SATA III from SATA II for less than $60 was a no-brainer.

Installation couldn’t be simpler either: All I had to do was attach the SSD onto the onboard slot and install the PCIe card. After powering on it booted right up, nothing else required.

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Projects Technology

The Mac Pro gets an SSD

Six years old, and now running even better: The Mac Pro gets a Samsung 850 Pro 512GB SSD housed in an Icy Dock enclosure.

In hindsight I probably should’ve looked into a PCIe SSD to get higher speeds since my 2009 Nehalem machine has only SATA 2.0. Regardless, I’m loving the boost.

Edit: SATA 3 drive controller ordered!

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Gadgets Technology

2009 Mac Pro video card upgrade

After upgrading to Yosemite, I noticed that graphics performance was starting to lag a bit on my 2009 Mac Pro while driving two monitors at fairly low resolutions. At one point I had two GT 120s running separate monitors, but after one replacement and two failures, I was back down to one.

GT 120
GT 120

I decided to look into upgrade options and was happy to see that OS X now supports non-EFI video cards. The only catch: You won’t see anything displayed until OS X loads your drivers. Who cares?

I settled on an EVGA GeForce GTX 660 2GB, which Best Buy happened to sell. I can feel the judgement from the hardcore nerds for buying something at Best Buy. Nevertheless, this was much cheaper than trying to buy another GT 120 to replace my second one and offers WAY more power. I don’t game on my Mac – I just want the OS to feel snappy and fluid.

GeForce GTX 660
GeForce GTX 660

Like many powerful cards, the GTX 660 requires the PCIe 6 pin power connector from the power supply or motherboard. I’ve ordered this, but until it gets here, I’ve rigged up an external power source.

Steps to install:

  1. Attach one of these cables to your Mac Pro motherboard OR rig up an external PSU like I did
  2. Insert the new card and attach the other end of the 6 pin PCIe power cable
  3. Put the card retainer back in place, fasten everything down and reassemble
  4. If running an external PSU, make sure it is powered up before powering up the Mac Pro

Thoughts after installation:

  • Why didn’t I do this sooner
  • OS X is silky smooth
  • The fans will ramp up audibly if doing anything intensive in apps that utilize the GPU, but that’s OK
  • Everything just works – no drivers to install
  • My biggest bottleneck is now my disk – an SSD is nextMac About

Heaven Benchmark results:

Mode: 1680×1050 fullscreen on one monitor

Before:

  • FPS: 5.9
  • Score: 148
  • Min FPS: 3.3
  • Max FPS: 11.8

After:

  • FPS: 52.8
  • Score: 1330
  • Min FPS: 8.3
  • Max FPS: 103.3

New GTX 660
New GTX 660

IMG_0801
External PSU 6 pin power cable running through an open slot.

IMG_0802
External PSU

 

Adjusting a blank to provide room for the external power
Adjusting a blank to provide room for the external power cable

IMG_0805 IMG_0809 IMG_0810

Temporary setup
Temporary setup with external power supply. A PSU tester is connected to keep the supply running without being attached to a motherboard.

IMG_0862
Final 6-pin PCIe cable installed

IMG_0864
No more rig!

 

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Technology

MacBook Air 13″ vs Dell Inspiron 6000

Two MacBook Airs could live inside the lid of the Dell Inspiron 6000.