Tag: how to

How to Create Blocks in Autocad

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Let’s start with creating  a simple block for this post.
Creating a block is a good way to to lock a set of items in one place to prevent deletion of useful items during editing. creating a block is also useful if you want to use that same block multiple times and call that item back up again with the quickest methods.

First you have to draw the item you want to be in a block.

Once the item is drawn, you can now highlight the item you just drew in cad, and then either right click and select “paste as block” or if you are on a newer version of autocad, you have to turn on the menu at the top of the window . once the menu is activated in Autocad, select “edit” in the droop down menu you will see “paste as block” select “paste as block”
pasteblockmenu

You have now created a block.

Now double click that block. and you will see  block editor open. The block will be highlighted in the list of blocks. The name should be random alphanumeric and symbols.
blockedit

Let’s name that block something you can remember.
Now at the top of that list there should be a space you can type in. The blocks name will be in that spot. Go ahead and copy that name and close the block editor.
Now in the command area type “rename” a new window should pop open.
renameblock

In the area that says “Old Name” paste in the name you copied, or you can scroll down the list of blocks on the right until you see the name of the block you want to rename. In the field below “Old Name” simply type in the new name of the block and press “Ok”.

You have now created and renamed a block in autocad.

you can easily call the item up with the “Insert command” or just type “i” and press enter.

Please let me know if this was informative enough, or simple enough or not.

Fire Alarm Design Made Easier

Posted onAuthorTruXter7 Comments

I have put together a collection of  great homemade tools that I have been building for fire alarm design in Cad since 2007.
Over the years these tools have evolved and gotten better looking with deeper detail, yet increased design speed while keeping a nice uniform appearance to my fire alarm designs.|
The videos and pictures below are some of the earlier on  functions. I have created so much more and still maintain a (better than) fair price for such a large collection of design tools.
Click the link below if you want to just skip right to  the tools, or continue reading the article to get a better understanding. More recent videos are in the link to the  fire alarm design tools website.
Fire Alarm drafting files for sale

Detail

Fire Alarm battery calculationsThis Fire Alarm Template, along with all of the addons mentioned, there are also a few items and hidden gems. Such noting in the printed fire alarm lay out, you will see original date that each specific job is started, and the date it was printed. This protects the fire alarm company and the fire alarm designer. Gives the designer proof of date of file creation and print out, if there is ever any wonder if someone else has messed with the fire alarm design. at the same time, you will also  see the name of the person who printed the drawings. So if Dave grabs Bill’s file and edits fire alarm system and prints this fire alarm system out, Dave’s name will be on the printed file along with that date. If Bill goes back and prints that fire alarm layout, the drawings will now have bill’s name back on the drawings. Where this protects the company, is the date of file creation and date of printout. if you add that to the date your fire alarm drawings are submitted to plans review plus date of notification of acceptance, you have further support of your contract if the customer has any issues with your productivity time.

Titleblock

titleareaThere is also a location with in the fire alarm template, with in a block that allows you to insert project numbers and permit numbers. The intention of this option is permitting purposes. County/City/State project numbers and building permit numbers to be specific. I did this for the occasional issue that would come up when our Plans and permitting department would have the random act of luck, and just not have everything with him. I make sure he has the permit number and project number in the exact same spot every time.
Also there is a spot to type in the AHJ. City/County/State information goes there. There is also a spot to note if the building is fully sprinkled (fire sprinkler existing) or not. Some jurisdictions this is needed. So when Permitting  guy is at the plans review office, the answer to that question is readily available.

For organization efforts, there is a location to add the salesperson’s name. For the occasional moment when no one knows who sold a specific job, and no one wants to claim it. That person’s name is right there on the fire alarm drawings locked in a block. helps prevent many disputes, and possible conflicts of interest.

Candela

candelaThe candela tool is made for ceiling mount and wall mount visual notification devices. So a fire alarm designer can know exactly what candela setting the device should be. This helps with battery calculations and voltage drops.

Also allows you to not have a mess load of full on technicians at a location and allows the chance for a trainee/helper to get his hands on experience with less people standing over him while he works. This was to reduce failure at plan review in the city/county/state. This turned out to have many benefits for the company. This allowed us to work on a lower budget and kept us all free from common errors.

Legend
fire alarm legendThe legend has a space to show device count for new,existing and relocated devices. Helps with ordering. If there are certain devices in the legend that you are not installing with this design, you can just look for this symbol’s name in the layers menu and just click the light bulb to the left and turn that device off. This also helps if you have to make major edits( but the “already placed” fire alarm symbols will be fine where they are), you just turn them off for a moment, make your edit, then turn them back on.
If you made it this far here’s some free samples
Cad blocks

Gimp Brushes

——————————————————————————————

***THERE IS AN UPDATED VERSION OF THIS FIRE ALARM TEMPLATE
and here is the fire alarm template version from 2015 (Videos showing function) <– NEW***
Also please notice I added a fire sprinkler template and an access control template with symbols.
Please like and share this post.
Fire Alarm Cad

2009 , I created this post about a fire alarm autocad file I was giving away. I was steadily making changes to the cad file. Adding blocks, different fire alarm symbols, legend, battery calculation spreadsheet, Candela measuring tool, smoke array tool and many functions that just made the job easier. Every time I would get a new idea, I would add it to my template. After much time, I decided that I have way too much work in the thing to just give it away. So if you were not here through the beginning phases, Sorry.
(Here is the 2015 version of the fire alarm template)
Along with a fire sprinkler template and an access control template.

The fire_alarm.dwt file is no longer on the server for free, but here is where you can purchase it. Fire Alarm drafting files for sale.

Foxit Reader How To Disable start Tab

Posted onAuthorTips Of Tech22 Comments

Foxit Reader How to Disable start Tab

 

You get this? Right? Every time you open Foxit Reader. It opens some extra tab labeled “start” you ignore that tab so you can read your pdf. Then you close Foxit Reader and get this notice “Hey… you have another tab open dummy, do you really want to close both tabs?” as if you will lose everything… It’s a fricken pdf, you won’t lose anything.
Anyway, after about 10 or so times telling yourself “I can deal with it , it’s better than Adobe any day” you kind of get sick of that stupid little notice.
So you want to disable the start up tab in Foxit right?
The fix is pretty simple.

Open any PDF file with Foxit Reader. Once that opens, click on “File” in top left of your screen. When the menu comes up look near bottom of that menu and click on “preferences” should have two gears next to it, click that button.
Stopping the start tab on Foxit

Once you click that button, you will get a pop up window called “Preferences” should be in the middle of your screen. Look to the left side of that small window and you will see a rectangle with a menu inside of it.  Accessibility at the top, updater at the bottom.  Now look near dead center, Says “General” click that word. The “open page now” changed to the “General interface”.  Look at the bottom of that small window at “Application Start up” and you will see “Show start page” Uncheck that option. Click “Ok”, and you are done.

Fixing Foxit

Now close Foxit and open a PDF and test it out. Foxit should be fixed now.
Why in the heck was this a good idea?

On another note, i found where you can edit that page and make it say whatever you want to.

Want me to tell you how?  Comment below so I know it’s worth writing it up.

Android apps for Fire Alarm and design

Posted onAuthorTruXter

Android apps for Fire Alarm and design

hd measure instrument – right off. asks you to put in your height. in centimeters. so you will need this page http://www.onlineconversion.com/length_common.htm
You have to be the exact height you stated and your eyes have to be the “regular” position from top of the head. So if your forehead is a bit high, I would suggest you take it down a centimeter or so. You can get a pretty accurate reading . You are measuring the distance from where you stand, to the base of the object across the room. So, if you are measuring the distance to a wall, you need to point the sites on the spot where the wall meets the floor. Once you establish distance, you can then measure height. Works like smart meter but seem much more precise.

measure & sketch – this one has potential for something. but I couldn’t get a measurement. looks more like a designing tool than a measuring. actually looks like you take a photo of a space and start measuring available area to design in. Would be awesome if it would export to autodesk.(if I am correct as to what it does. but really, I haven’t a clue.. couldnt do much more than take a picture of the room.

distance and area measurement didn’t do anything but say “awaiting signal”

smart measure – got it right on the mark. no setting no configuration needed seems to work on the feature that repositions your screen to tell what angel you are holding the phone. the more straight up the phone, the further out. plus an obstructions are sensed by the camera. very nifty. error is you have to consider your distance from the base and the distance to the top and subtract your distance from the base to get the full height.

navaile electrical calculator

voltage calc
voltage drop free

Inexpensive ways to Speed up Your Computer

Posted onAuthorTruXter

These are the steps I take to speed up my computer. I have been doing this since my first computer, when I first noticed it was getting slow. These steps work every single time I have had an issue with a computer running slow. and I never really had to buy much. Except for canned air.

First thing is, any software that runs when you first start your computer, that is an optional software that you yourself installed, go into the options area of that software and tell it not to run at computer start up . It’s always better practice that when you install the software, tell it not to run at start up. That way you make sure the software never is an issue. If the software installer does not allow you to do so, then try the options area once you confirm that the software runs at start up. One easy way to check is look over by your clock. There might be a few icons around the clock. Go to each one of those items and right click them, go to options and turn those things off and tell them not to run at start up.
If that does not work and the option to dissable auto run is not available. Then you might have to resort to Msconfig and look in the second to far right tab. Should say “startup”. Look for anything that you installed. I myself right away look for “Jusched”, Jusched is Java Update Scheduler. Why is that running? why is that not an optional update? why does it cripple so many computers? Next is I disable anything adobe. but that is only because I don’t use adobe for anything but reading a pdf file. That can run when requested. the whole fast start stuff is bull crap and shouldn’t be an option. Adobe opens no slower if you opt out of fast start. If it does, it’s not much.. maybe three seconds. just for that I typically uninstall adobe from the computer I am using and resort to the faster safer alternative, called “foxit” lets you do more than adobe reader and is faster loading with tabs.
Next is I run a malware scanner, Like a-Squared, Bit defender
(ads moment)
Bit Defender Antivirus

Once the malware is removed. Yeah. I say that as if I am sure something is on there. Instead of the first reboot, I shut the computer off. I crack the case open and locate all heatsinks. Drag the whole computer outside and grab some canned air. I think blast the motherboard, the processor (CPU), the video card (GPU), north bridge , memory sticks, hard drives and cd/dvd drives and then I blast and wipe the interior of the computer case.
after I get the computer put back together, I boot the computer up and go about my merry way.
Some people tell you that you need to run a defragment with your computer. I don’t see it doing much good these days anymore. Maybe back when hard drives were smaller than a floppy disk This would be a big issue, but now, the hard drives are so large, and processors are so fast and the computers come with so much memory in them, a defragment of the hard drive would be like a drop of water in a planet covered in water. Very ineffective and undetectable by a human. but you can try it. It shouldn’t hurt you. Defrag is located somewhere in your menu, usually under system tools in the start menu of all windows computers. Been there for years. Crazy they took out program manager but not defrag.
none the less, that should help you out a bit in making your computer a bit faster, or closer to the speed your computer was when you first bought it.
If you do these steps on a regular basis like once every two or three months, you should pretty much keep your computer running good for a long time with this. I usually do this stuff the same weekends I get my oil changed on my car. keeps my synced up.

I actually do all of this every time a friend or a relative asks me to work on their computer. Just getting their computer back running faster is enough to make them happy.

How to Get Traffic to your website FREE

Posted onAuthorTips Of Tech1 Comment

There is no single post that teaches you to get more traffic. I have multiple pages that explain search engine optimization, Google index and link submissions. The intention is to help you build a better website, gain traffic, and be listed correctly in Google to help you gain traffic, and reduce people who just like to call every page on their website, what ever it is that gets them traffic, while not related to the search terms at all.

We all want to know How to Get Traffic to your website FREE. I know I do. I always look for ways to Get Traffic to my website. be it cheap or free, or anything that doesn’t cost me much.
So over the years I have picked up a few ideas and tips. Most of the Webmaster Search engine optimization knowledge, I got straight from Google. Google’s guidelines are what showed me how to properly index my website in Google and get listed with other websites for specific correct categories.
I have also come up with tricks or shortcuts that cut out all of the webdesign chaos that we normally have to face when we want people to find our websites. All of these tricks, I have posted them on the web so that I can help others get their site seen and yo get traffic to their websites, and to make sure the internet is not so messy anymore.

Here is a list of previous posts on the topic of  getting rank to your website.

Start with a good Website Template to work from. And of course a good website host (this is a sponsored link but I do use them)
Gaining Rank In Google
SEO KeyWord Analyzer
Selecting The Best Online Advertising
Search Engine Indexing
Site Submission Links
Always Check Page Rank
Check Site Owner Whois if you want to quickly see if a domain is available or soon to be.
SEO Tools

Main thing you need to know about getting traffic to your website, is make sure your content is something that a lot of people will want to read about, purchase, search for.  If you are building a website for teaching puppies how to do tricks, you will have more traffic on your website than some guy who is teaching how to properly sort flea shampoos at Wal~mart. obvious which one will be searched more.

This is not all there is to Webdesign. Not by a long shot. It is great to have good graphics on your website.So good knowledge of graphics design is a good thing. Good content and well worded descriptions of your content. You must have pictures for everything you are selling or giving away. People like pictures. They like pictures a lot. If you do not stick to at least the basic rules, you will not make it to the full 12 second attention window that people have, if they can even find you.
Seo is a fun game, when you get into understanding how you can get rank and get your website seen and how to work on indexing your website with Google and other search engines.

On another lower note, for all of the SEO and web-designers who build for other people. This link powweb try it and look at the cost, to show thanks please note that you got that link from me, I will get a discount on my next payment. Look. The first two years are an amazing cost, and each follow up is pretty typical, unlimited storage, unlimited bandwidth, unlimited email accounts. So, thank me with saying you got the link from here.

How To Fix Thunderbird Reply at Bottom

Posted onAuthorTruXter1 Comment

If you use Thunderbird as your primary email client and when you hit “reply” and your message is now below the quoted message from the original message and you really want to fix  this. I promise you it is right in front of your face.

I always forget how to fix the reply for Thunderbird. I work in an office with 30+ computers that use Thunderbird and I always have to fix this when we hire a new employee or get a new computer. So the whole reply at bottom be default for Thunderbird makes me nuts. Here is the fix for you.
In Thunderbird:

  1. Go to “Account Settings”
  2. Select “Composition & Addressing”for the account in question
  3. Check the checkbox in the Composition group that says “Automatically quote the original message when replying”.
  4. Once the combo box below is enabled select the option “Start my reply above the quote”

This will solve your response or reply issue with Thunderbird. I have no idea why they default the reply below the quote.
Mozilla needs to set the default so the reply is at the top of the quote in your reponse emails.

How To Start an Online Store

Posted onAuthorTruXter1 Comment

Ever want to start your online store but have no idea how to get started or how much everything costs?
Ever just want some suggestion of how to start an online store but have no products to offer?
I have done some looking on How to Start an Online Store. Most I find are websites that charge you to sell stuff from their site, and their sites are barely customizable. Barely.
If you want to know how to start an online store, hopefully I can help motivate you into figuring out how to start an online store for yourself. See the reason why I say “Figure out”, is because we both know that once you get your store up and running, you will want to make changes and adjust your pages here and there to make things work better for you, look better and sell more stuff related to your store. Almost all of those online store providers out there, will charge extra for everything you want to do.
So here is how to start an online store and make it yours, all yours.
This page will get you started and the total cost to you would be less than $150 a year. but first let’s get you started at making money online without the cost of anything, so you can generate money to buy the things you need to make the bigger money.

First lets get you an account at Zazzle.Com. Zazzle allows you to create shirts (or the model shirt image) that people will see as they brows Zazzle’s directory. If someone like’s the shirt you created, they can then purchase the shirt, you will be rewarded a percentage of the cost of the shirt. I say shirts but Zazzle has lots of more products, like bumper stickers, coffee mugs and a few more things. You just have to go there and see for yourself. If you click any of the links I gave above just sign up and see the interface, there is no cost at all to you and they do not request any personal information, you need to take care of the taxes yourself. There is plenty of good money to be made with Zazzle. you just have to come up with something cool that someone will want, like a saying, or a design or the such. (if you have questions further, post below, I will gladly respond in less than a day if I can help, I probably can.)
I advise that you let your account build up money before you take the next step. So go ahead and bookmark this page so you can come back later when you make a bit of cash. That way your money made from nothing, buys what you need next.

To take things up a notch, you would be good if you found a website that has lots of storage and many options, I mean MANY options and unlimited bandwidth ok, if you are not too techy, let’s just say , a website host that allows you to be completely unlimited. For cheap and is a really good quality website host. If you are techy, unlimited email accounts, unlimited bandwidth, unlimited storage, 75 mysql accounts and unlimited php scripts as long as they work ok with your 75 mysl db limit (addon scripts and so fourth if needed) plus tons of up to date php scripts ready to install by just a click, but you are not limited to auto install, they are good for the new and those of us who like tech support. Here is a recommended web hosts: Host your Web site with PowWeb!
Now once you get your site  Web site with PowWeb! It comes with a domain of your choice, less than $5 a month, so, less than $60 a year. You can not lose. (if you have questions further, post below, I will gladly respond in less than a day if I can help, I probably can.)

Once you get your site up and built, log back into your Zazzle account and get the “HTML” codes from all of your products and find a place on your website that you want them. Like here Funny Shirts. Or build an entire website for your products like Tech Gear.
Next sign up for and advertisement affiliate company. Like the Google ads I have on the right, or Link Share ads

 

LinkShare Allows you to get ads from specific dealers, and select specific products. If the ads are from a large company with a large selection of items, then you can make personal choices or related choices of products that work well with your website content or theme.
Google seems to pay a bit more, but you can run both types of ads, just keep your ads clean and not a bombardment or you will chase potential customers and readers away.

Or find an independent advertiser who is going to be a limited advertiser but will be more specific to you, like BUY SHEET MUSIC ONLINE which of course is what I run on my music website.

Now your site is up and running and so far, nothing has cost you a single red cent. Your products this far are paying for your website and your advertisements are giving you extra money, How do you get even more money? Easy, create more stuff on your Zazzle account, you can put as many of your product ideas as you can come up with, on your site. It’s your fricken site. Zazzle does not mind, as long as they get their cut. You don’t get your cut until they do. So all is good there.

In the meantime (while you wait for the money to roll in) you can also try doing surveys online. You sign up, give them your email address they send you invites and you pick the surveys you feel like doing. Who knows maybe you will get ideas for your site. With all survey sites listed below, you should get maybe10 surveys a day, count on three of them being either too low pay for the time span required or just not interesting. I usually spend 2 hours a day doing the surveys and make roughly $50 for that time. Some days I make way more. You can also sign up for their affiliate programs and link people to them if you feel it fits your content.

Survey Savvy Pays very well, but not a bunch of surveys.

Inbox Dollars They send you Surveys and they send you emails to look at. Money builds up good. Just look at the emails, the surveys pay to little. You will get the hang of it after a while.

Opinion Outpost Has many fair to good surveys, occasional super high pay out surveys.

A.C.O.P Surveys Pays very good has many surveys.

Buxto Not much pay but is easy. Takes a while to build up $$

If you select to use any, I really do recommend you use them all, or you just wont have enough surveys for it to be worth it. I selected these after years of searching and years of getting tons of spam from other sites. These are the ones that really pay and they are willing to invite me to lots of surveys. They are all free. Disclose whatever you feel like.

This is how I make money online at no cost to me. I still have a day job and my day job income is about twice the amount of my online income. Not bragging just letting you know that there is a lot of money in this, enough that I have been doing the totals and it’s paying for my car, fuel and insurance and buys my lunch every day. My original investment, three hours designing 7 shirts and two bumper stickers. Took three months before the first item sold, and then it took off. Meanwhile steadily doing my surveys every single day before I go to bed. When I get a new idea, I create a new product on Zazzle and post it on one of my sites when I figure what site the product goes best with. I am now running 8 websites. Well they run themselves but I had to set them up and I update them when needed. and yeah I would crumble if I lost my job. It’s not making me rich yet, but it sure does seem to be getting better all the time. I just need a product that is 100% mine to sell and make 100% profit from.
Now here is the piece of the puzzle you needed most. There is a software you can use to build your own website using wordpress and Amazon affiliates, to run basically your own store on your own website using Amazon They are called WPAssociate. You are now up and running with your own store online, and your actual start of your company cost you no money and very little effort. If you look at the wpassociate website you will see how it all works and how very inexpensive it is. If you used the steps I mentioned before this, you would have bought all of this from profits made, with no and I do mean NO investment at all but your time. Just use the money you make with the free stuff, to purchase the stuff that has a cost. In little time you will be running your online store making money without investing money at all.

WPAssociate transforms your WordPress site into an attractive Amazon affiliate store in an easy way; no programming experience necessary. Choose looks, products and placement and you’re ready to go.

( I had a link to a company called Wp-Associate, I think you can find it in addons now)

How to get traffic to your website for free. you will need this later.

Yes most if not all of the links I posted, pay me. That is what this whole post is about. How I make money online. This is my disclosure letting you know that I make money from all of those sites and links I posted. I do profit from every link in this post. Which is what I am showing you how to do. Sometimes I go weeks without messing with this stuff at all. Sometimes I get crazy ideas and am buried in work. I think it’s great.

Hope this helped you figure out how to make money online.

Have fun and Good Luck
and if you found this post helpful, please click like or share on your social network of choice.