March 19, 2008
Banana Talk in Google
I was following up on the driver issues of the C714TU, checking if HP has finally gave into customer’s demand for XP drivers for their C714TU (which they have yet to fulfill). So, i typed “C714TU” into google search and this is what i found:
I got second! (^^,)
Then, my second search was “Banana Talk”
First!
March 18, 2008
More Car Talks
Since I’ve already started talking about my neo’s new shoes, might as well carry on the same topic on rides. non motor heads would probably just ignore this entry, but if you are a campro owner, do stay on for some important news.
Another One Bites The Dust
It is now confirmed that 3 campro powered Gen 2 (2004 models) suffered broken crank, crank sensor and the works which resulted in thousands or RM in damage. The first case of a broken crank goes unnoticed some when mid last month. the car belonged to a lady driver, un modded.
The second Gen2 belonged to Ethan, a good pal from No Torque. And the third a G2OC member, Nex. I wish i could post all the other reference, unfortunately it’s for members only.
Now, if proton wants to be an arse, they can and probably will dismiss Ethan and Nex cases claiming that their engines have been modified. but then again, you don’t see Vios, Myvi or even the old faithful Wira and Saga suffering from broken crank no matter how extensive engine modifications has been done on them. To date, the only engine mods available for the campro are exhaust, intake, cam and crank pulleys. i doubt that those modifications which produces non significant performance boost can damage the crank. and i have to emphasize again and again that the crank is the toughest part of the engine. they don’t just break unless they have went through unusual stress or metal fatigue in antique engines.
On the proton website it boasted that the campro has long lifespan of 250 000km. These cars clocked not even half that figure. I’m not entirely sure if a case is building up against proton. if it does, it’s going to be the biggest product recall in the history of proton.
Car Blogs
On the lighter tone, i’ve discovered some interesting automotive blogs other then Paul Tan which i visits religiously every week.
My sister’s automotive blog which is a very personal like blog on motorsport events normally held up north.
My sister’s boyfriend blog, another personal automotive blog this time more focused on this mango.
tougeking, this requires no explanation, as i do believe that they a famous bunch.
I stumbled upon this Gen2 blogspot while googling for campro spec sheet. really nice blog with featured modified Gen2.
Future Mods
So i’ve finally got the wheels and rubbers which i’ve saved so long for. what’s next on my list? I still couldn’t decide to have a full reworked handling system (TEIN suspensions, Zenden strut bars, R3 spec wheel geometry setup) or power mods. power mods cost much less, estimated about 4k for stage 2 intake and exhaust upgrades plus a piggyback ECU. but then, a better handling system is needed to cope with the extra horses. oh the delima. i’ll probably take one cheap mod at the time, start with the strut bar first, then the intake.
March 16, 2008
New Shoes
Got new shoes for my ride. After running on stock rims and rubbers for more then one year. it’s definitely a good change.
I got myself a set of cheap taiwan made 7 spoke alloy rims. Not that i specifically wanted 7 spoke, but rather it’s an impromptu decision. i never really had anything in mind for rim design other then what rubbers that i want specifically, AD07 or T1R for 15″ rims. yeah, i downgraded the size to 15″ to keep the rubber cost low. sport contact 1 on 16″ is already a staggering RM230, just imagine the price of performance tires of the same size. R1R exceed rm400 for 16″.
so, i didn’t exactly got the tires that i wanted. AD07 has long ceased production and the shop was short of one piece of T1R. In the end i settled for PP2. I’m 100% clueless of the PP2 capabilities, in fact my knowledge of tires are limited to only yokohama AD07 and Toyo T1R which club members swear by it.
Total damage done to wallet: RM1340 + RM800 (trade in old wheels)
18 March 08 UPDATE:
PP2 feels really great! It grips in both dry and wet. I’ve manage to pull through corners at 80kmh in the rain which is something impossible on the sport contact1. there was no understeer at all. of course, the rubbers are still new, we’ll just have to wait to see how long the high traction last.
Secondly, the ride much more comfortable now. having more rubbers to absorb bumps is always a good welcome. but i might be considering to over inflate the tires a bit (by 2-4psi) to make the tires stiffer for high speed corners. depending on the G-force generated through the corners, some times it bounces a little, while sometime it doesn’t.
March 14, 2008
The Ring
Title saids it all. No, it’s not an engagement ring, nor a wedding ring. Just a little something for my baby.
love you.
March 8, 2008
Got my lappie back!
After soooooooo long, it’s finally back home. It seems that HP has tried contacting me on 5th, March. Oddly i didn’t get a single ring, or miss calls from them. Anyways the important thing is that the C714TU is fully functional again.
Chronology of events
21 Feb 08 (Day 1),
Sent my C714TU to HP service center near Menara Manulife (Damansara Heights)
Problem:
dead Lan port
BSOD physical memory dump during high RAM usage
Many many days from DAY1 to collection day
called them, response: in que
called them, response: repairing
called them, response: repairing
called them, response: waiting for parts
17 Mar 08 (Collection Day)
called them, response: your laptop is ready for collection, sir. in fact it was ready 2 days ago. Not wanting to argue with them on the phone, i thanked the receptionist and wasted no time rushed to the service center from my workplace.
Unlike the DAY1 where the place was empty, this time it’s packed with customers. Most of them long faced clinging onto lifeless laptops. As for me, i felt like a first time father waiting to see his child. And the wait was not surprisingly long, it took 45 minutes for my turn. This time it wasn’t Roshan, but a young Malay lady, trainee i presume since she dressed casually.
Repair report (quoted word for word)
FOUND LAN PORT FAULTY AND INTERMITTENT BLUE SCREEN.
CE CHECK AND REPLACES SYS BD ………… TEST OK
BLUE SCREEN SUSPECT CUST USING 3RD PARTY RAM.
SUSPECT FAULTY.
The repairs is FOC! i got a brand new mobo!
As i mentioned in my earlier post, i had my C714TU upped to 2BG ( kingston 1GB X 2 ) when i first got my machine. So, they think that it’s broken, while i think otherwise. I tested the C714TU with memory extensive applications (read: games) like the latest Command and conquer 3 which previously caused the BSOD. This time i manage to finish 2 games against 4 AIs without crashing (previously crashed even with 1 AI). I was going for the third round but got bored mid game.
conclusion, nothing wrong with the RAM.
three weeks without a laptop means three weeks no internet after work. it also means three weeks doing other things like spending more time with sweetheart, hanging out with 1/6 kakis, and the calming meditation of staring at blank walls.
