Monthly Archives: November 2017

fixed : how to typ bold letters in WhatsApp

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Question :

I just received a WhatsApp message from someone which had some words written in bold letters. I want to reply using some bold writing myself, but I can’t find any option to do so on the keyboard.

How can I typ text in bold ?

 

Answer :

When typing text in a WhatsApp message, you can make text (letters, numbers, words, sentences) bold by just typing an asterisk (the * symbol) directly before and directly behind the text you want to display in bold. So, if you type *bold* in your message, it will display as bold on the receiver’s screen.

enjoy !

fixed : USB-to-Ethernet-adapter not working on Nintendo Switch

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Question :

I would prefer to connect our new Nintendo Switch gaming console to the Internet using a cable, as I did with our Nintendo Wii-U. But the USB-to-Ethernet-adapter that was working perfectly on our Wii-U isn’t even recognized by the new Nintendo Switch.

What is wrong ?

 

Answer :

There are 2 sides to this problem, and you might even have to take care of both :

-1-

To use a wired ethernet-connection on the Nintendo Switch, you need to keep the Switch tablet inside the base station. If the tablet isn’t inside the base station, the Switch can’t access the wired ethernet-connection, as there is no wireless connection between the tablet and the base station. Even when docked in the base station, it is the Switch tablet that connects to WiFi directly. There is no WiFi-module inside the base station.

So, follow these steps to get it to work :

  • open the lid on the back of the base station and unplug the power adapter-cable
  • make sure the ethernet-cable is connected to your modem router
  • plug the ethernet-cable into your USB-to-Ethernet-adapter
  • plug the USB-to-Ethernet-adapter into the base station (preferably the USB-port under the lid on the back, as that is a USB3-port)
  • then replug the power adapter-cable into the base station and close the lid
  • then put the Switch tablet into the base station and turn on your TV
  • Go to Settings, then Internet, then Test Connection
  • If the info listed says “Wired Connection” you’re okay and your Internet connection speed will be displayed in a few seconds
  • If not, repeat the above steps and make sure all cables are plugged in properly

-2-

The Nintendo Switch gaming console will only accept USB-to-Ethernet-adapters that are based on the ASIX AX88179 chipset. The only officially supported USB-to-Ethernet-adapter is the Hori NSW-004U Switch LAN Adapter, but any adapter based on the ASIX AX88179 chipset should work perfectly.

buy the officially supported Hori Switch LAN Adapter on Amazon.com here

buy the officially supported Hori Switch LAN Adapter on Amazon.co.uk here

buy the officially supported Hori Switch LAN Adapter on Amazon.de here

Or you can spare yourself some money by buying one of these (note that these are all USB3, which makes them a cheaper and faster alternative to the Hori-adapter that is only USB2) :

buy the alternatively TRENDnet USB3 Wired Network Adapter on Amazon.com here

buy the alternatively uGREEN USB3 Gigabit Network Adapter on Amazon.co.uk here

buy the alternatively Plugable USB3-E1000 Adapter on Amazon.de here

 

enjoy 😉

fixed : broken power adapter for Umax SOHO ethernet switch

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Question :

I have an old Umax SOHO 1OHO8 ethernet switch that I would like to use in my LAN-network, but the power adapter has a very strange problem : one of the pins that go into the wall power outlet has come loose, and now ‘retracts’ whenever I plug the power outlet.

I already tried gluing the pin back into the power adapter with superglue, but I can’t fasten it, so it keeps coming loose. I also tried using an adapter plug, but I couldn’t find one that enabled me to keep the pin from retracting…

What can I do to fix this ?

 

Answer :

Just buy a new one.

You probably won’t be able to find the original one, but you will be able to find a new generic one with the correct specs.

The specs of the Umax SOHO 1OHO8 power adapter are :

  • AC input 230V (so 100-240V will do)
  • DC output 7.5V 1A (= 1000mA)
  • output plug/pin 5.5×2.1mm (= 5.5mm outside diameter & 2.1mm opening diameter inside)
  • output plug/pin polarity : MINUS outside & PLUS inside

You can get a US-version replacement here : US power adapter 7.5V 1A 5.5×2.1mm

You can get a UK-version replacement here : UK power adapter 7.5V 1A 5.5×2.1mm

You can get a EU-version replacement here : EU power adapter 7.5V 1A 5.5×2.1mm  (note that this one actually has a 5.5×2.5mm plug that is compatible with 5.5×2.1mm)

enjoy !

fixed : download-version of Passpartout game for macOS without Steam

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Question :

My children have seen all the raving YouTube-reviews about the painting game Passpartout The Starving Artist by Flamebait Games. Now they want to play the game themselves on their Mac. The regular version is on the Steam-platform, but that doesn’t work flawlessly on Macs with Parental Controls.

Is there a way to play a downloadable version of Passpartout The Starving Artist on their Macs ?

 

Answer :

Yes, there is an official downloadable version of the Passpartout The Starving Artist game for sale on the Flamebait website :

https://flamebait.itch.io/passpartout-the-starving-artist

If you buy the game there, you will be able to download the game for Mac, Linux and Windows, either in 32bit or 64bit version. For all Macs running MacOSX 10.7 Lion or newer (including macOS 10.13 High_Sierra), you should download the 64bit version. The 32bit version is only for ‘obsolete’ (according to Apple) iMacs, MacBooks and Mac minis with Intel Core Solo and Intel Core Duo processors (so ‘first-generation’ Intel-Macs that are  over 10 years old and run MacOSX 10.6 Snow Leopard).

fixed : using a Nintendo Switch on an HD-ready TV without HDMI-input

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the solution outlined below is your best option for all devices that have an HDMI port as their best or only video output, including (but not limited to) gaming consoles like Playstation PS3/PS4, Xbox 360 & Xbox One, Nintendo Switch & Wii-U and all versions of AppleTV

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Question :

I just bought a Nintendo Switch gaming console and I want to connect it to my old flatscreen 26″ LCD-TV that doesn’t have HDMI.

Even tough the TV is able to display HD-video up to 1080i and computer-display resolutions up to 1280×768 pixels at 60Hz, it does not have an HDMI input, neither a digital audio input (a.k.a. “Toslink”).

The only input options are :

– DVI digital video + 3.5mm (a.k.a. “jack”) analog audio

– VGA analog video + 3.5mm (a.k.a. “jack”) analog audio

– Component YPbPr analog video + stereo analog audio (5 plugs, a.k.a. “RCA” or “tulip” or “chinch”)

– S-video analog video (S-video plug) + stereo analog audio (a.k.a. “RCA” or “tulip” or “chinch”)

– SCART analog video + audio (SCART plug)

How do I connect my Nintendo Switch to this TV-set ?

 

Answer :

Even though it might seem the most obvious to connect the Nintendo Switch’s HDMI-output to the TV’s DVI-input, since HDMI and DVI are 100% video-compatible, this comes with 2 problems :

– DVI has no audio, so you will have to connect the audio separately ; in this case that would require a DAC (digital-analog-converter) for your audio since your TV has no digital audio input

– DVI does not support HDCP-encryption as HDMI does, so any ‘copyright-protected’ HDMI content will be blocked when connected to DVI…

So… do not try to use the DVI-input, but use the Component YPbPr connection, especially since the digital-to-analog video-conversion gets rid of the HDCP-limitations for you also !

This converter cable is the most elegant option that will do the trick for you :

LogiLink HDMI to YPbPr & Audio Converter Cable (2m) [Amazon.com]

LogiLink HDMI to YPbPr & Audio Converter Cable (2m) [Amazon.co.uk]

LogiLink HDMI to YPbPr & Audio Converter Cable (2m) [Amazon.de]

…it turns out that the HDMI-output of the Nintendo Switch is supplying enough power to  power the built-in converter, so you don’t need to connect the USB-power cable.

Donate Button (MacManusNL)

 

If you have an HD-Ready flatscreen TV and you want to connect an AppleTV or a gaming console (Nintendo Wii-U, Nintendo Switch, Playstation PS3/PS4, Xbox One or Xbox 360), your best option is to use the HDMI-to-YPbPr converter-cable mentioned above.

But… in some cases these might also be interesting :

An HDMI-to-VGA&stereo converter-cable :

LogiLink HDMI to VGA & Audio Converter Cable (2m) [Amazon.com]

LogiLink HDMI to VGA & Audio Converter Cable (2m) [Amazon.co.uk]

LogiLink HDMI to VGA & Audio Converter Cable (2m) [Amazon.de]

An HDMI-to-HDMI&stereo converter-cable : [so this splits the audio from the HDMI-video signal and converts it into a separate analog stereo (2x RCA) signal, but beware that the output video signal is 720p, 1080p and 1080i only, which is problematic for most HD-ready flatscreen TVs, especially when combined with an HDMI-to-DVI converter] :

LogiLink HDMI to HDMI & Analog Audio Converter Cable (2m) [Amazon.co.uk]

LogiLink HDMI to HDMI & Analog Audio Converter Cable (2m) [Amazon.de]

fixed : use one printer in two networks at the same time

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Question :

I have a network printer on my (private) network that I would like to make available to the people on my AirPort Guest Network, but I don’t want guests to access my private network.

Is there a way to do this ?

 

Answer :

There are options to do this, but it can’t be done the way you would find most elegant probably… the problem is the restriction in AirPort Guest Networks that users can’t connect to each other, so adding the printer to the AirPort Guest Network won’t make it available to any AirPort Guest Network user.

On the other hand, an other restriction on most network printers is that they only have one Ethernet-card that is shared between the UTP-cable port and the WiFi connection, so the cable-connection and the WiFi-connection will always have the same IP-address, making it impossible to connect the cable to your private network and joining the Guest Network using the WiFi-connection at the same time…

Your best option is to connect the Ethernet/UTP-cable and/or the printer’s WiFi to your private network and creating a separate network to be used as a Guest Network to which the printer can be connected using it’s USB-cable. Since you will need an extra wireless router or an extra (secondhand) AirPort Base Station or Time Capsule to create this separate Guest Network, you can plug the printer’s USB-cable into that wireless router / AirPort Base Station / Time Capsule.

You could also use a printer server, if it isn’t possible to connect the printer’s USB-cable into the wireless router / AirPort Base Station / Time Capsule. You can find relatively cheap print servers on Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.de

Regarding the setup of your networks, you will probably be best off doing it like this :

  • set your internet modem in router mode (if you would set it in bridge mode, you wouldn’t be able to connect two separate networks behind it)
  • connect both routers (or AirPort Base Station or Time Capsule) to the internet modem
  • setup one router (or AirPort Base Station or Time Capsule) to create the private network and private WiFi network
  • setup the other router (or AirPort Base Station or Time Capsule) to create the Guest Network and Guest WiFi Network
  • make sure that the IP-ranges issued by both routers are completely different (to prevent easy connection from the Guest Network to your private network (and the other way around)
  • if any of your routers give a “Double NAT” error, just ignore it

That’s it !

the only downsite is that having such a complex network setup with multiple routers will have negative influence on your (internet) connection speed ; this difference in speed will probably not be very big if you have few devices connected, but if you have a lot of devices connected that also use a lot of bandwidth (like video streaming) you will probably have slower internet speed than you used to…

enjoy !