DD-WRT needs to be saved, but I won’t bet on it happening
A college classmate asked me if there’s anything to the stories that DD-WRT might potentially get locked out due to new FCC regulations. Unfortunately the answer is yes, there may be something to it....
View ArticleVigilante router security
Last week, Symantec discovered a worm that infects routers and takes measures to make them more secure. For lack of anything else to call it, Symantec is calling it malware, and most of the security...
View Article‘PC Does What?’ seems doomed to fail
A coalition of Dell, HP, Intel, Lenovo, and Microsoft are trying to figure out how to reverse the downward trend of PC sales, and what they came up with was a marketing campaign called “PC Does What?”...
View ArticleWhen the shutoff valves open but the water doesn’t flow
My mother in law bought a foreclosed condo, and I helped her get the water turned back on, but one sink just wouldn’t work no matter what I did. I finally found an answer, and since there wasn’t much...
View ArticleYes, you can replace an Insinkerator in a hurry AND on a budget
After having a second Insinkerator garbage disposal in about three months give it up and start leaking, I started wondering if there might be a way to get drop-in replacement at a lower price. I found...
View ArticleUsing a computer power cord on a garbage disposal
When I replace garbage disposals, I prefer to use a power cord rather than hardwire them straight into the wall. The thing is, I don’t like paying $12 for the official power cord, which is chintzy...
View ArticleReplacing Lionel track pins with nails
Here’s a question that came in recently: Can you replace Lionel O gauge track pins with nails? Yes, but with a caveat. The factory pins have an indentation in them that help to lock track sections...
View ArticleHow to disassemble a Marx 666 locomotive
Disassembling a postwar Marx 666 locomotive, or its plastic counterpart the 1666, isn’t too difficult, but it helps to have some instructions. Marx designed its trains so that a father or older brother...
View ArticleHow to disassemble a Marx 490 locomotive
Disassembling a Marx 490 locomotive isn’t too difficult, but it’s very different from other Marx locomotives. Once you take one apart, though, you’ll see why it was designed how it was. It was Marx’s...
View ArticleWhy to never use steel wool to clean electric train track
You may have heard to never use steel wool to clean electric train track, especially Lionel, but you may have never heard the reason why. There is a good reason. Postwar Lionel trains had a feature...
View ArticleDisassemble a Marx 408 street light
The Marx 408 street lights are difficult to disassemble. They aren’t difficult because they’re complicated, because they’re not. But it takes a bit of coordination and more than a lot of brawn to get...
View ArticleAttach Marx lighted accessories and hide wiring in one step
A frequent question I read is how to attach tin accessories, such as Marx light posts and light towers, to a layout in a semi-permanent but reversible manner. I have found a way to do this, and as a...
View ArticleHow to disassemble a Lionel 1001, 1060 or 8902 locomotive
Disassembling a Lionel 1001, 1060, 8902 or 8302 locomotive isn’t too difficult. The biggest problem is knowing where the three screws are that you have to remove. These particular locomotives weren’t...
View ArticleRental property: a good investment
Is rental property a good investment? It certainly is if you do it right. Here’s what you need to know. I’ve seen several formulas for success, but I follow the one-percent rule, because you can do it...
View ArticleReplace missing Lionel brakewheels with sew-on snaps
I saw an old tip recently regarding using sew-on snaps to replace missing Lionel brakewheels. Reproduction brakewheels generally are available, but sew-on snaps work well, are readily available at any...
View ArticleRepair crumbling insulation with Plasti-Dip
If you’re fixing an old train or some other electrical device, some of the wires have crumbling insulation, and disassembly isn’t an option for whatever reason, the you can repair crumbling insulation...
View ArticleDigiland DL718M tablet: a review
The Digiland DL718M tablet is an inexpensive (sub-$40) tablet sold at consumer electronics stores like Best Buy. Make no mistake, it’s a basic tablet for basic needs. But given reasonable expectations...
View ArticleWhen Lionel bulbs burn out too fast
A frequent question I see is why the Lionel bulbs in any given accessory burn out quickly. I can sum up both the problem and the solution in a single word: voltage. When you have too much voltage,...
View ArticleSolve the NSIS error
I was trying to install some software last week and I got an NSIS error like the one to the right. The message certainly suggests corrupt downloads, but corrupt downloads are relatively rare, and when...
View ArticlePutting a 3-prong grounded plug on a transformer
I’ve talked before about replacing a power cord on a transformer, but for whatever reason, I forgot to mention a cheap source of replacement power cords that also provide a safety improvement. Use a...
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