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HP MediaSmart Server VGA/PS2/Serial Cables For Sale
http://www.mediasmartserver.net/forums/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=1290
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Author:  HomeServerHacks [ Sun Nov 23, 2008 12:28 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: HP Media Smart Server VGA/PS2/Serial Cables For Sale

For some reason I never jumped at the MediaSmart Server VGA cable service when it was first announced. Well, now I find that I am in desperate need of one so that I can diagnose why my EX470 is in a constant reboot state. BIOS setting? Who knows. I can't see anything.

So, if anyone has a cable that they purchased because it was cool at first and now find that it is just sitting around collecting dust, please, please let me take it off of your hands.

Or does any trusting soul want to let me borrow one? :) I'll throw in a free "Mommy" book and some WHS koozies and pay for shipping both ways.

Anything you can do to help would be appreciated. Contact me directly at email [at] HomeServerHacks [dot.com]

Donavon West
Home Server MVP
HomeServerHacks.com

Author:  cakalapati [ Fri Jan 02, 2009 8:29 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: HP MediaSmart Server VGA/PS2/Serial Cables For Sale

FYI: I fulfilled Donavan's request for a cable.

I have also resumed my cable building service with the following changes:
1. You are doing business with a company called VOV Technology (http://www.vovtech.com).
2. Texas residents must pay 8.25% sales tax on the cable.
3. Registered mail to Canada has increased so my prices for cables going to Canada is now in line with the actual cost.

I hope everyone had a great holiday. I look forward in watching you guys wow me with your innovation!

Author:  kittana [ Mon Jan 05, 2009 11:43 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: HP MediaSmart Server VGA/PS2/Serial Cables For Sale

if you are still making and selling your cables for the ex470 to the public i am interested

Author:  RobD [ Wed Jan 07, 2009 4:25 am ]
Post subject:  Re: HP MediaSmart Server VGA/PS2/Serial Cables For Sale

Kittana: See the first post in this thread. :)

Cakalapati: Any chance of making a longer (approx 1m) version? If so would this be a lot more expensive and / or affect shipping charges to Europe?

Cheers

Author:  cakalapati [ Wed Jan 07, 2009 3:12 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: HP MediaSmart Server VGA/PS2/Serial Cables For Sale

I can make a longer cable if requested. Any custom orders (and I have made several in the past) have a stipulation of requiring prepayment, as I have certain optimization in placed that will have to be displaced. Shipping is mostly priced according to weight. Adding a little more cable length should not displace that cost for registered shipments.

I would caution customer requesting cable lengths greater than a meter. The wires are subject to noise from the MediaSmart server components. The longer the wire, the more signal degradation will occur.

Author:  yakuza [ Wed Jan 07, 2009 3:21 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: HP MediaSmart Server VGA/PS2/Serial Cables For Sale

cakalapati wrote:
as I have certain optimization in placed that will have to be displaced


Does this mean you've trained the kids to make them for you? :lol:

Author:  cakalapati [ Wed Jan 07, 2009 4:02 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: HP MediaSmart Server VGA/PS2/Serial Cables For Sale

HAHAHAHAHA *wipes a tear*. That would be nice if they could help me. Maybe I should start training them thought....they do not seem to be picking up gvim as well as I hoped.

Author:  evenmosbek [ Fri Jan 09, 2009 9:49 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Got my cable, thanks.

Diehard wrote:
Just a note to say I got my cable. You shipped Monday and I got it today (Monday) in Montreal. So that was fast.

Good quality job, the hacker in me already cut off the VGA casing so I could thread it through the hole I made at the back of the case where the Kensington connector is.

16" as I ordered was perfect. Just enough room to reach the front of the case and over the top to allow it to plug into the PCB while sliding it back. Putting back the cage went smooth. No wires were pinched or damaged in any way.

The second thing I did was install Server 2008 demo on a spare 500 Gig drive using a USB key.

Thanks again.[/img]

nice :D

how did you connect the video and audio component output?? :D

Author:  mceranski [ Fri Jan 09, 2009 10:34 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: HP MediaSmart Server VGA/PS2/Serial Cables For Sale

I ordered my cable today. I think I spent way to much money modifying my EX475. First I upgraded the memory to 2GB because the server was useless without it. Then I found out that I could upgrade the CPU for $30. Now I am shelling out another $70 for a cable. I should have just built my own server and bought the home server OS.

On the other hand the HP chassis is pretty cool. I like the small footprint that the server has and I really dig the LCD lights.

Anyway, If anyone does decide to build thier own custom PC for homeserver you should be warned. A friend of mine went this route and he has had nothing but trouble. Apparently the homeserver installer stills has a lot of kinks. I really think that the homeserver OS was designed with the thought that vendors like HP would develop hardware specifically for it. After the sales dropped they probably decided to sell the OS separately but it probably does not have the hardware support that a normal Microsoft OS has.

In any case I am thankful that user communities like this exist. I would not want to try to build the cable on my one. Thanks everyone!

Author:  JohnBick [ Sat Jan 10, 2009 10:02 am ]
Post subject:  Re: HP MediaSmart Server VGA/PS2/Serial Cables For Sale

Welcome aboard, mceranski! Good to have you with us!

:offtopic: I do feel a need to comment on your worries about WHS in a DIY environment. I started with WHS about two years ago during the beta program when there was no MSS and that was the only way. Many of us just installed it on old hardware and "had at it". I am not an avid follower of the boards where folks are rolling their own these days but I have noticed a growing trend concerning difficulties that other folks are having. I believe that the tendency to use the newest and best hardware may be the root of the problem as WHS is based on Windows Server 2003 and, natively, it probably lacks many of the drivers for the very latest hardware.

If MS really did not want to attract the DIY market I believe that copies of WHS would be much more difficult to obtain. Certainly "WHS was designed with the thought that vendors like HP would develop hardware specifically for it", but the availability to the DIY market actually led the availability of the special hardware units. If you go over onto the MS boards you will find a very high degree of support for WHS, especially considering it is a new product. I have had occasion to contact the WHS team (NOT due to MSS problems) and found them very supportive. There is strong support for user-group presentations, promotional materials and even evaluation copies, something you would not find if WHS were strictly for OEMs. And all this was available at the same time MSS was beginning to ship.

Sorry, I felt a need to clarify...! Now we can go back

:ontopic:

Author:  dlaflamm [ Tue Jan 20, 2009 8:37 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: HP MediaSmart Server VGA/PS2/Serial Cables For Sale

Received my cable today - a day earlier than expected, which of course was very nice!

After getting the kids to bed, I started in on installing it. I don't want to modify my case, so I plan to route it through one of my top two bays which are currently empty. I didn't figure out until after I had most of it back together that I should have threaded the mobo connector end of the cable through the backplane first because the VGA connector is too large to fit through it. Not a big deal -- I just removed the mobo again so I could disconnect and re-route.

Well, I was surprised to see that simply bending (not folding or kinking) the cable to route it resulted in two broken wires. I carefully disconnected it from the mobo and fortunately did not break anything else. It seems the cable I received was much more fragile than I expected or realized. I read all the cautions about how to install and remove, and how not to do it. But still I ended up with two broken wires! Luckily, I spent the extra $5 on spare connectors so at least I shouldn't have to wait for mailing time.

Charles, is there a color-coded wiring schematic you can provide? I've got the red/black and light green wires that need repairing. They are adjacent to each other. Instructions for how to do it would be great too -- I don't have experience with this connector type.

I realize I could have emailed Charles directly, but thought this experience worth documenting as one more cautionary tale regarding the fragility of the cable -- at least the one I received. I honestly was very careful! Not sure what I can do differently after repairing -- maybe I just got one where a couple of the wires weren't as secure as intended. I know that there has been plenty of positive feedback and see this experience as the exception to the rule. I also thought mentioning the need to route the cable through the backplane before connecting to the mobo (when routing through an unused bay) was worth documenting.

Thanks for whatever assistance you can provide!

-David

Author:  cakalapati [ Tue Jan 20, 2009 9:33 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: HP MediaSmart Server VGA/PS2/Serial Cables For Sale

Hi David,

First and foremost, I'm sorry for the experience you had. I test every wire thoroughly before I ship each an every cable. I tug on them, I bend them 45 degrees each ways, while the cable is in use, to test wire and signal integrity. No cable ships without going through a series of test on each wire. A small percentage of cables seem to get damaged (either through shipping or through user-hands) and I have been more than helpful in getting a replacement cable to those selected individuals.

I've talked to a mechanical engineer and there is not much more that can be done. The wire crimps are not designed to handle the stress a typical cable can undergo (for example a USB cable). This is why I post a bunch of warnings on what not to do.

As for the wire coloring, I have about three wire coloring templates that I deal with. I do not document which customer gets what wiring template.

I will email you personally so that I can get you back and going.

Charles

Author:  Anthonya [ Fri Jan 23, 2009 2:10 am ]
Post subject:  Re: HP MediaSmart Server VGA/PS2/Serial Cables For Sale

Hello Cakalapati,

I was wondering if you got my pm's concerning a cable purchase thank you.

Author:  dlaflamm [ Fri Jan 23, 2009 8:42 am ]
Post subject:  Re: HP MediaSmart Server VGA/PS2/Serial Cables For Sale

Anthonya wrote:
Hello Cakalapati,

I was wondering if you got my pm's concerning a cable purchase thank you.


Welcome, Anthony. Please take a look at the directions on the first page, first post of this thread. Charles has very clearly articulated the entire process -- including an email address to use for ordering (i.e. not pm). :) He also lays out what information you need to provide.

Author:  Anthonya [ Fri Jan 23, 2009 10:14 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: HP MediaSmart Server VGA/PS2/Serial Cables For Sale

Thank you for the warm welcome,

This website is very informative and I thank evry user here for all their input and support. I love my MSS and this site sure did influence my purchase.

Ill take a look at that first post of this thread now and order my cable :)

Anthony

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