Netgear WNDR3700

Received a refurbished Netgear WNDR3700 from TigerDirect today. The unit turned out to be a version 1, which was a bit of a bummer because v2 has a larger flash ROM. But no biggy, 8MB should still be big enough for DDWRT.

So I proceeded to install DDWRT, but things did not go smoothly. This step was problematic:

1a. Download DD-WRT for the WNDR3700 v1 from here depending on the region you purchased your router from: North America (NA): ftp://ftp.dd-wrt.com/others/eko/BrainSlayer-V24-preSP2/2011/06-14-11-r17201/netgear-wndr3700/wndr3700-factory_NA.img

That image left the router in a "boot loop". The only way to recover from that was the 45-second reset and then reinstall a factory image using tftp over a wire connection. Fortunately my old router was still working, so it was not difficult to download the factory image from Netgear.

I next installed OpenWRT, which went on smoothly. I was dismayed to discover that wireless was not installed by default, and that I would have to download packages and read documentation (I know, gasp) in order to figure it out. I wasn't in the mood for that, I just wanted plug and play, so I decided to try DDWRT again.

This time I followed the alternate instructions, which were to install the older 16785 revision and then upgrade to 17201 using the "webflash.bin" file. Fortunately this worked.

I had to install 16785 twice in order to get 17201 on it because after my initial success, I started to play around with some options. Somehow this left the 3700 in a completely useless state, so I had to start over again from the 45-second paperclip trick. The second time was a charm. The steps I followed were:

• Reset the router using the 45-second paper clip trick. The power LED should blink green
• Connect an ethernet cable to the router, configure the interface as static 192.168.1.3/24, and "tftp -i 192.168.1.1 PUT wndr3700_factory_NA.img" (the 16785 revision).
• Wait for the router to reboot, do the 30/30/30 trick to reset DDWRT to default configuration.
• Browse over to 192.168.1.1, and upgrade to 17201 using the webflash.bin file.
• Reboot, 30/30/30.
• Configure DDWRT so the router to act only as an access point

That's pretty much it, aside from setting up the wireless security settings. So far so good, 29 days left in the 30 day warranty. If it dies, then I'll have something to take apart.

The Bose QC15 headphones do an amazing job of cutting down airplane cabin noise. Everytime someone tried them on, their eyes went wide in amazement. They even did a better job of cutting down noise than plain old earplugs.

The best part about the QC15s is this:

The end with the switch plugs into the headphones. The "hi" setting is for your everyday MP3 player, cellphone, etc. The "lo" setting is for the airplane sound system. It keeps your ears from being blasted when the pilot or cabin crew make an announcement while you are watching a movie.

The Joy of Cup Noodles

Nissin Cup Noodles made an ordinary meal on a recent 15 hour flight into the best one ever. I eat a lot of instant noodles because it goes so well with all the vegetables we get in our CSA box, but I don't normally drink the "soup". Not during this flight though. With the sandwich that was served on the side, the Cup Noodles and its soup made for a nice hot lunch.

Bus Pirate DIY "case"

A little DIY case I threw together using a ruler, an Exacto knife, plastic from a blister pack, and some 4-40 hardware I had lying around:

It's not especially protective, but it will keep random stuff from falling on it and shorting something out.

The trick to making this is to start with the rectangular hole for the guarded probe connector because it's the hardest part to get right. Once you have cut a hole you like, use the edges of the Bus Pirate itself as a guide and lightly score the other edges one at a time to mark them. Use a straight edge to cut the marks deeper. It's faster to finish the cuts with scissors.

If you're not familiar with 4-40 hardware: 4-40 is a standard thread size. You can find 4-40 hardware in serial, parallel, and video D-sub connectors. They're often used in RC models too, judging from a quick ebay search. Sometimes the hardware store will carry 4-40 nuts and bolts.

NFS4 id fixes

I was having a problem with ids on an NFSv4 client:

$ ls -l /r1/bob/
drwxr-xr-x  2 4294967294 4294967294 4096 2011-05-14 19:29 junk
drwxr-xr-x  2 4294967294 4294967294 4096 2011-01-30 02:14 junk2
drwxr-xr-x 14 4294967294 4294967294 4096 2011-05-14 16:31 unsorted_junk

After fumbling around for a bit, here is the solution I'm running with now.

On both the server and the client, add this to /etc/idmapd.conf:

[Translation]
Method = nsswitch

On the client, add this /etc/rc.local:

service idmapd start
umount /r1
mount /r1

Now we're all good:

$ ls -l /r1/bob/
drwxr-xr-x  2 bob bob 4096 2011-05-14 19:29 junk
drwxr-xr-x  2 bob bob 4096 2011-01-30 02:14 junk2
drwxr-xr-x 14 bob bob 4096 2011-05-14 16:31 unsorted_junk

Boston Baked Beans

One of Mrs Squirrel's favourites, this is based on the recipe from the 1997 edition of The Joy of Cooking.

• Total cooking time: 6-8 hours.
• Ingredients:
  • 2 lbs white navy beans
  • 1 cup light or dark molasses
  • 8 oz salt port
  • 2 cups chopped onions
  • 2 tsp ground black pepper
  • 1/2 tsp ground cloves
  • water
• Makes about 10 cups of baked beans, which will keep in the refrigerator up to 1 week, or frozen and enjoyed up to 6 months later.

Step 1: Cook the beans

The goal of this step is to get 2 lbs of white navy beans to the point where they are soft and creamy in the centre. Ideally, the skins should not not be frayed, nor should the beans be mushy and falling apart.

Pick over and wash 2 lbs white navy beans. Place in a pot and add 12 cups water. Boil for 2 minutes, then cover and let stand for 1 hour.

Bring the beans back to a boil and simmer for 45-60 minutes, until the beans are done, as described above.

If you're using a different species of bean, the required cooking times may differ from the above. For example, one species of small red beans required an additional 30-60 minutes simmering.

If you use red kidney beans, read the following, which I've copied from Wikipedia for convenience:

The toxic compound phytohaemagglutinin, a lectin, is present in many varieties of common bean but is especially concentrated in red kidney beans. Phytohaemagglutinin can be deactivated by cooking beans at 100 °C (212 °F) for ten minutes. However, for dry beans the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) also recommends an initial soak of at least 5 hours in water; the soaking water should be discarded.

Who said beans were boring?

While the beans are cooking, soak the salt pork to wash away some of its salt.

When the beans are done, gently strain them. Avoid shaking the colander, to prevent fraying or mushing the beans. Discard the cooking water.

Step 2: Bake the beans

In an oven proof pot, bring to a boil

• 3 cups of water
• 1 cup light or dark molasses
• 2 tsp ground black pepper
• 1/2 tsp ground cloves
• optional: 1 tbsp salt

Gently stir in the beans along with

• 8 oz salt port, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 2 cups cupped onions

If necessary, stir in additional hot water to just cover the beans. Cover the pot and bake 4-5 hours until the liquid has thickened.

16-segment LED from Active Surplus

Here's the pin-out of a mysterious 16-segment LED display we picked up last weekend from Active Surplus. Stamped on the top is "TR371 A 5G".

It has a common anode, at pin 18.

This is mostly for my own notes, in case I decide to do something with it later. Feel free to use at your own risk, not responsible for injuries sustained while ROFL, etc.