Higher frame rate with Microsoft LifeCam and Linux

The Microsoft LifeCam is a versatile USB Webcam family which is supported well in Ubuntu Linux. Unfortunately it records HD videos only at low fps, but there is a workaround to get high resolution with 30 fps. Install guvcviewOpen guvcview, switch to the Video Controls tab and pick the LifeCamSelect 30/1 fps in the Frame … Continue reading Higher frame rate with Microsoft LifeCam and Linux →

Building the perfect, cheap DIY NAS

This post was extensively discussed on Hacker News.Alex Buznik, nas.net.ua kindly provided a two-part Russian translation: part1 and part2. This post discusses hardware considerations, installing Linux, setting up software RAID, robustness and dealing with data corruption. I've been running for a decade a self-built NAS at home, so I thought I'd write down my experience … Continue reading Building the perfect, cheap DIY NAS →

Ubuntu on the Acer Nitro 5

[updated June 2021] [June 2021] New chapter about Ubuntu 20.04 The Acer Nitro 5 is an interesting breed; decent computing power, a mid-range SSD, a large screen with high contrast, a decent and solid keyboard with good haptics at an ok price - but will it run Ubuntu 18.04? (yes, it will - also with … Continue reading Ubuntu on the Acer Nitro 5 →

Resetting a PCI device

The Wi-Fi adapter on my VivoBook 17 has been acting up under Ubuntu 18.04 LTS insofar that at a random point in time, possibly accelerated by power saving features, the Wi-Fi will stop working with suspicious syslog entries: ath10k_pci 0000:03:00.0: failed to wake target for read32 at 0x0003a028: -110 The usual tricks (suspend/resume, reload driver, … Continue reading Resetting a PCI device →

Ubuntu on the ASUS VivoBook 17

Following the proud tradition [1],[2],[3] of documenting Linux installations on all the hardware I break, I'm happy to report that Ubuntu 18.04 works fine on the ASUS VivoBook 17 (model number X705U). Things I tested and that work: OS boots from USB and from harddisk Secure boot WLAN USB On board and external (USB) camera … Continue reading Ubuntu on the ASUS VivoBook 17 →