If you’re looking to gain IP address information for a Mitel 5312 IP Phone on your network, from the handset, try the following gleaned info:

Hold down the up and down buttons together and then release just the down button. While still pressing the up key dial 234 on the dial pad and then release the up key. Select Yes for Network Parameters, and select Yes to View current values.

Disaster struck about a year ago. I’d been saving iMovie projects to a Western Digital WD3200BEVT 2.5-inch drive of mine when suddenly none of my Macs would recognize the drive anymore. The iMovie files on the drive were collected over several years, with each year representing a fundraising project for my kids’ school. Not wanting to give up on the data, I shelved the drive until this weekend.

A few symptoms I noticed… When a USB to SATA cable was attached to the drive, the drive would spin up, but it was never recognized by the system (System Profiler showed nothing). When a FireWire to SATA cable was attached to the drive, the drive would spin up, but then it would make a clicking noise, spin down, and repeat, all without my Macs recognizing it.

Looking for an easy way out, I contacted Kroll Ontrack, a data recovery specialist here in town. I was quoted $700-1,300 to recover the drive’s contents. I thanked them for their courteous and prompt response, but I decided the data wasn’t worth that much to recover. After reading some information on the web, it appeared this type of drive cannot be repaired by swapping the PCB, so since it was pretty much a lost cause, I decided to take the PCB off the drive and have a look.

On the underside of the PCB, I was able to identify tarnished leads, circled in the photo below. Using my trusty Pentel Clic Eraser (i.e. white eraser), I gently rubbed the tarnished areas. The tarnish came right off and the board was once again shiny.

After reattaching the PCB and plugging the drive in with the USB to SATA cable, the drive mounted with all my data. $1k saved. Sorry Ontrack.

My old Specialized rear wheel (with Stout hub) needed new bearings and new cone nuts during a rebuild. Finding the 1/4-inch diameter bearings is easy, but no info exists for the cone nuts. I decided to measure the diameters and lengths of the existing cone nuts and order new cone nuts from Wheels Mfg; CN-R081 and CN-R097. For before and after shots, see the original cone nuts are shown in front of bags with new cone nuts):

Two make the new cone nuts work, I made two modifications:

1. I had to remove the dust shield from the drive side nut (see clipped shield below):
   
2. I had to remove one thick washer and replace it with a thinner one, this corrected the total axle width back to 135mm, so I felt good about that.

I was only counting on this wheel as a backup, but I already find myself putting it in service. It squeaked for the first couple days in use, so I pulled it apart, re-packed with Phil Wood’s grease. It squeaked for another couple days of use, but is now quiet and seems to be functioning fine. Thank you Wheels Manufacturing!

My KickBack’s spring is trashed from several years of winter riding and I’ve never liked how it smacks the KickBack into the frame with a clank whenever I hit bumps on the road. A couple days ago I replaced the KickBack’s feet, so I figured why not do some more tinkering? I know I can pick up a replacement spring for not too much, but there’s not much satisfaction installing something that lacks power and will continue to make  noise.

On a recent ride home, I came across a 15-inch black rubber bungee cord laying in the road. I pulled the s-hooks out of it and it is the perfect length to replace the KickBack’s spring system and work with the existing screw hardware, with a couple washers added in:

Better yet, the 7/8-inch diameter replacement feet that I picked up at Menards happen to be a perfect fit for the KickBack’s frame stop!

After an evening family ride to Izzy’s, I’m stunned at the improvement. The Dummy has never been this quiet and the KickBack recoils with more strength than a brand new Xtracycle replacement spring. I’m posting some pictures of the finished fit belowabove and when this set up wears out, I’ve got plans to rig something up that’s even more elegant with less frame rub – stay tuned. As it is, I’m guessing the current set up won’t last more than a year before the bungee cord rips.

Finally, last enhancement was replacement of the metal clips that seem to rust out while inside the Kickback in winter environments. I picked up a three pack of these and clipped the nub off one side. Notice how they are very similar in size:

Butterfly clips replace Xtracycle Kickback clips

Ok, now I can get back to washing this beast…

After the last two winters, I’ve entered spring with a creaking noise coming from the rear of the Dummy. Last year, I found that it was spoke nipples that needed some lubrication, but that didn’t help this year. I then tried tightening the spokes, based on advice from a repair guy during Minneapolis Bike to Work Week, but that didn’t help either.

Even though I rebuilt the Dummy’s rear hub last spring, I decided to do it again by gutting the bearings, cleaning the hub, and packing with new bearings and grease and boom, back in business! So glad to have a silent, non-creaking ride again.

I’ve gone through several plastic feet on the KickBack, mounted to my Big Dummy. I’ve grown tired of purchasing replacement kits to source the plastic feet, as the kits are relatively expensive and I don’t need all the extra parts they provide. I’ve across a couple great ideas from others:

http://andy-projects.blogspot.com/2013/08/xtracycle-kickback-kickstand-fixes.html

and

https://jnyyz.wordpress.com/2012/03/27/extra-feet-for-the-xtracycle/

So, I followed their advice, in particular the advice in the second link – going with vinyl caps instead of rubber ones. Based on this information, I purchased a couple types of caps/feet at Menards:

https://www.menards.com/main/home-decor/furniture/casters-furniture-hardware/grips-pads-tips/shepherd-7-8-black-hi-vinyl-leg-tips/p-2718333.htm

and

http://www.menards.com/main/furnitureutilityhardware/78inch-vinyl-hi-tips-black/p-1469292.htm?plckReviews=true

I placed the caps, from the first link, on the KickBack – they fit like a champ and so far seem to be working just fine.

Multiple sets of replacement feet for 1/10 the OEM cost is a bargain. Thanks, Andy and Prof. from Toronto. Now I need to figure out a cheap and better way to replace the KickBack’s spring.

**********************************************

5/6/2017 UPDATE:

Was doing some post-winter maintenance on my Big Dummy and noticed the 7/8-inch chair tips were both punctured and I believe I had just put fresh ones on a year ago. All’s good. I removed the punctured ones with a utility knife and tossed a couple new ones on. Menards still carries them, so it looks like I can pick up another 4-pack of the 7/8-inch size.

This information has been useful in the past, so I am re-posting it just in case the source ever goes away:

With summer bike riding around the corner, I decided to charge up my Tunebug Shake. The trusty device fired up and seemed to be charging, but I found that when I unplugged the USB charging cable and played music, it soon turned off on its own.

Figuring it might be the battery, I visited Tunebug’s website and was surprised that they do not offer a battery replacement and worse, this is what their support site advises:

Does Tunebug offer a battery replacement or upgrade?
Tunebug does not offer a battery replacement or upgrade service. The device will need to be recycled in the event the battery completely wears out over time.

Since the Shake seemed like it could be destined for a recycling facility, I decided to take it apart to see what sort of battery was inside and how easy it might be to swap it. Turns out, it is very easy to work with – only 4 screws need to be removed with a Torx T-6 bit.

Once inside, I found a battery measuring about 25 mm x 25 mm that was easily removed by pulling the battery’s plug from the board. The battery had a slight bulge to it and wasn’t registering much of a charge on my multimeter, so I looked for replacements on the web. I found AtomIndustries.com selling a ASD1190 – 3.7v Lithium Ion Polymer Lipo Battery 500mAh on eBay. The replacement battery was about $10 shipped and I would only have to swap plugs from the old battery to the new one with a little bit of solder, so I decided to try it. The replacement battery arrived a couple days later, I cut the plugs and soldered the swap, and the Shake fired right up and ran on its own again! It was obviously much tighter getting the new battery back inside the Shake, but it worked and should provide several more years of enjoyment. Thank you atomindustries.com!

Dropped the Dummy’s chain on the ride home this evening – I should’ve been proactive with the faint creak I was hearing 🙂 I had my chain tool handy and probably could’ve pressed out the faulty link on the spot, but I was close to the west bank at the University of Minnesota and one of Goldy’s warm buses was waiting just a few feet from my.

I’ve asked parked/off-duty Metro Transit bus drivers before if I could test putting the Dummy on their rack and they usually give me a strange look and oblige. It wasn’t the most secure set up, but I knew it worked. I expected Goldy’s racks to be similar and I was right. Here’s a view from inside the bus.

Its not hard to get a longtail cargo bike on the rack of a bus, but I believe the front wheel overhangs where a front wheel would usually rest on the rack. The adjustable support arm that would usually grab onto the front wheel instead grabs on to the top bar of the Dummy. If this doesn’t make sense, I’ll get a pic outside the bus if it should ever happen again.

I requested and received my unlock from AT&T yesterday, but they sent instructions requiring that I restore my phone with iTunes. This is nonsense, as I have no intention of losing my 7.1.2 jailbreak. I grabbed a T-Mobile SIM from a co-worker and tried the instructions below:

1. Turn iPhone off
2. Insert non original carrier SIM card (T-Mobile SIM in my case).
3. Connect your iPhone via USB cord to your PC or Mac and allow the computer to power on the phone.
4. Open iTunes on your PC or Mac iTunes may pause for a moment and/or show a pop up box with a failed activation message, click “ok”.
5. Briefly disconnect USB cord, then reconnect USB cord.
6. iTunes should now display a message saying “Congratulations, your iPhone has been unlocked”.
7. If prompted for a Carrier Update, please accept.

It appears my iPhone is now unlocked and usable with any active SIM card.