Voltage drop calculator now available

For those interested in 12 volt systems you may be interested in the Voltage Drop Calculator I've written and is now available at www.VoltageDropCalculator.com.au.

The Voltage Drop Calculator enables people to calculate how much the voltage will drop in a length of wire given the length, cross section and current being passed through the wire. For 12V systems too much of a voltage drop may mean certain appliances won't work. For example a TV we have when the voltage drops below a certain level the sound no longer works but the picture does.  That's something I didn't expect to happen.

Kelvin Eldridge

Versions of Internet Explorer reach end-of-life so make sure you have the latest version installed.

On the 12th of January 2016 Microsoft announced various versions of Internet Explorer have reached end-of-life and will no longer receive support or updates. That means people should now either move to a supported version of Internet Explorer, or to another browser that is support on their version of Windows.

Which version is supported may be confusing, but the easiest way to think of it, is use the latest version of Internet Explorer available for your Windows operating system.

The versions of Windows Microsoft currently supports are Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8/8.1 and Windows 10. The supported version of Internet Explorer for Vista is version 9. Version 9 is not support on any of the later versions of Windows. For Windows 7, 8/8.1 and Windows 10 you should use or upgrade to Internet Explorer 11.

If this gets to confusing or you run various versions of Windows and wish to have a browser you can use across all your systems, then Google Chrome supports Windows XP through to Windows 10. Support for Google Chrome on Windows XP will end in April this year.

Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au
Call 0415 910 703 for IT support.
Servicing Doncaster, Templestowe, Eltham and the surrounding area.

Microsoft Office installer encountered a problem when installing Microsoft Access 2016 runtime.

A client buys a new computer. They purchase Microsoft Office Home and Business with the computer. You then upgrade their Microsoft Access 2010 system to Microsoft Access 2016 and when installing Microsoft Access 2016 runtime, you find it isn't compatible with Microsoft Office 2016.

Who builds software like that!!!!



OK. The answer is obvious. Microsoft. As a developer the amount of time wasted due to Microsoft's woeful decisions is huge.

After some testing I found a solution that may work for the client that gets around the problem for them. I'll make my notes available in the MyAnswers section of my site for clients. This doesn't solve the problem. Only Microsoft can do that by releasing Microsoft Access 2016 runtime with a Click To Run installer.

Until Microsoft solves this problem I'd highly suggest that you consider sticking with the version of Microsoft you currently have and I wouldn't hold your breath waiting for a solution.

I'm still shaking my head. Why would a company like Microsoft even consider releasing software they know can't be installed at the same time on the one computer?

The joys of software development. Makes life interesting and challenging.

Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au

Google announces support for the Chrome browser on Windows XP will end April 2016.

Google have announced the Chrome browser will reach end-of-life in April 2016. The browser will still work, but it will not receive updates and security patches.

http://chrome.blogspot.com.au/2015/11/updates-to-chrome-platform-support.html

For Windows XP users who decided to switch to Google Chrome since it was still supported, it is now time to start planning ahead.

Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au
Call 0415 910 703 for computer support.
Servicing Doncaster, Templestowe, Eltham and the surrounding area.

New kilojoules to Calories web app now online.

I notice when I typed convert kilojoules to Calories into Google, I was presented with the following calculator.

I spoke to another person who had done the same search and they said they didn't understand Google's calculator.

The problem is Google isn't presenting the information in a way the user will generally expect. There is no option in the calculator for Calories, which is what the person is looking for. Secondly most people don't realise that calorie and Calorie with the first letter capitalised are different. There are one thousand calories to 1 Calorie. Without this knowledge people will generally not know what this calculator means.

I decided to write a very simple Convert kilojoules to Calories calculator which wouldn't confuse others. The web app is available at www.ConvertkilojoulestoCalories.com.au.

I hope others find this web app and the other dieting related web apps I've created useful.

Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au
Call 0415 910 703 for IT support.
Servicing Doncaster, Templestowe, Eltham and the surrounding areas.

TPG moving to use Vodafone's mobile network.

It was interesting to read today that TPG is moving from using the Optus mobile network to the Vodafone network. Quite a few in our family use the older TPG 3G plans which have been quite cost effective.

Looking at the current TPG page for mobile plans there's only 4G plans. With a bit of reading it appears effective immediately, all new plans will be using Vodafone's network.

In the past I used Vodafone but found their coverage lacking and never achieved broadband speed with data. That was pre 4G. Looking at the maps it looks like things may have changed, but only usage and testing will determine whether the situation has improved. Given a choice I wouldn't consider Vodafone's network. The old once bitten (actually multiple times) it makes you hesitate.

Going forward it's not quite possible to see what will happen with the 3G plans. I've read people will be contacted with an offer to move, or they can contact Optus if they wish to stay with Optus. This was found in media reports so I'm not sure I'd put much weight on the information.

It does seem however that SIM cards only work with the one network, so TPG users will need new SIM cards to use the Vodafone network. At least that means people will know what's going on if they need to get a new SIM card.

All we can really do is wait and see what happens. What will happen to the grandfathered plans we're currently on is anyone's guess. For new services it really is a matter of reviewing the market to best determine which service in theory suits your needs, and then testing to ensure coverage (including data speed) is to your satisfaction for the areas important to you.

Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au
Call 0415 910 703 for IT support.
Servicing Doncaster, Templestowe, Eltham region

Power bank purchased in Shanghai China is a good example of why you should take care purchasing overseas.

Recently I visited China for a short holiday. For me it was one of those must do that was on my "bucket list". I wanted to share this purchase I made in Shanghai. We purchased quite a few good value items, but when it comes to technology, you really can't check out what's inside.

I had already checked in Australia and found a 10,900mAh power bank for $35 that I thought was the price to match. I found one shop in the main tourist street Nanjing Road which had a unit for around $35 but it was physically bigger. The unit in Australia was more compact. In another shop I found the following. I didn't consider this shop to be a market, but in hindsight perhaps I should have. I had avoided buying at markets.

I felt comfortable with this retailer. Lots of counters and very reasonable prices. Their selfie sticks were around $6 which sell for around $15 in Australia. I checked their power banks and liked the anodised unit shown above. Naturally the Apple symbol meant it was a fake. I've not known Apple to sell a power bank. I checked the power and it was rated at 13,800mAh. The price was 150 Yuan or roughly $33 Australian. I thought about 100 Yuan but then felt this was a risky purchase, so I offered 80 Yuan or $17-$18 Australian dollars. I was happy with the purchase.

My first clue that what I'd purchased wasn't quite what stated was when charging the iPhone (a 1,420mAh battery) the power bank showed it was half full. I decided to test further and managed to charge a flat iPhone 4 again to around 36%. That means this power bank could only deliver around 1,900mAh. I did some further testing and suspect the unit is somewhere between 2,000 and 3,000mAh.

Now of course I've been stooged and that's the lesson I'm sharing. If when buying technology in China you can't tell what's inside, then keep in mind you may not be getting what you think you're getting. However even this isn't a bad outcome. Compared to prices in Australia, it probably is on par, just not the bargain I thought.

The good thing about purchasing in Australia is you can shop around and what you buy from the retailers, most of the time is what you think you're buying. Some people love haggling, but I'm not one of them. There were really some excellent buys in China, but generally I found if you shop around using the internet, often you can get close to the same prices in Australia.

Kelvin Eldridge
Online Connections
Call 0415 910 703 for IT support