lunes, 19 de junio de 2017

The old Trackpoint Cap vs. the new Trackpoint Cap


The Trackpoint is that mythical device that allows you to move the mouse with the tip of you finger.  Some guys love it (the cool guys), some other hates it (the spawns of evil).



For some weeks I started to sense that the Trackpoint on the my Thinkpad Yoga 14 started to get harder. I thought it most be something about the sensibility on the mouse settings to so I tweeked out. 
It worked for a while, but in a month it became harder again. So I think something was wrong with the software, I checked the configuration and I set it to the "fastest" speed possible and it was still hard to move. 
Low Profile Thinkpad Cap
I was sad and nobody was able to soothe my burning heart, I thought it was a hardware issue with my Trackpoint, but as a last resource I though it should be a good idea to replace the Trackpoint cap. So I went ahead and order my replacement caps (which are the low-profile replacement caps, not the regular one, not the super low-profile and not the ultra low-profile cap. ). 

It was kind of obvious that I needed to replace it.
Once I changed the cap the Trackpoint started to move really fast without too much force, it was the solution to my problems. Now I'm happy and successful again. 

You can see on the picture that the old Trackpoint is worn out and it is more flexible on the inner side than the new one. Maybe that is why the pushing the Trackpoint was harder on the old one and the new one was a breeze. 

Lesson learn: Don't be dirty like me and change your Trackpoint more often. 

Also remember: There are different kind of Trackpoint Caps size.

Regular Size Thinkpad Cap

Low Profile Thinkpad Cap

Super Low-Profile Thinkpad Cap

Ultra Low-Profile Thinkpad Cap


viernes, 2 de junio de 2017

Hardware: Lenovo Universal USB 3.0 to VGA/HDMI Adapter

Information


Also known as "Lenovo USB 3.0 Dual Video Adapter". This is an adapter to include an extra USB monitor to your PC.

Drivers:

This adapter uses DisplayLink Technology, so you can get the driver from  Support WebSite or you can get the driver from the DisplayLink site.

Windows  (Windows 10 - 1703 64bits) 

I tried it out first on Windows. A new device will be show on Windows Device Manager called "Lenovo U3 to VGA HDMI Adapter". It will run with the DisplayLink drivers.


After that with the "Win+P" combination you can extend the desktop without issues.

So, here goes the question. What can happen if you connect a monitor the HDMI port and also a different monitor to the VGA port ??
The result is very good. You can have two extra monitors on your computer. Both ports works for independent monitors.



Android -7.0 and 6.0.1

This device is not formally supported under Android by Lenovo, but I checked that DisplayLink has an Android driver (an app on Google Play). I tried it out with one port of the device (any port but only one at the time) and it worked.

I tried it with my Moto G4 plus and a Samsung device and it worked to put your display video on a external monitor.

You need to play a little but with the "DisplayLink Presenter" app until it tells you "Start now" and you screen will be casted via USB.

Images