What is Ground Start? Ground Start or GST is a signaling technique for telephony from a terminal, or a subscriber local loop, to a telephone exchange in which a party gets a dial tone by momentarily grounding one side of a (telephone) circuit. The Ring side of a wire pair is usually the side that is grounded. Local telephone companies typically provide two types of dial tone switched trunks — ground start and loop start. Most pay-phones use ground start signaling. Ground Start vs. Loop Start Loop start is the Read More

We have all made mistakes using our computer where we have mistakenly deleted an item, changed an item or renamed it. While these slips of the mouse or mind can be critical at times, there are a few ways you can restore and undelete your changes in Windows. The three ways to do so is with the recycle bin, using the shortcut Ctrl + Z and using 'Undo Changes' from the menu. Here are some tips: Using the Recycle Bin One of the easiest ways to restore your files or Read More

Socket 754 is a 754-contact CPU socket used by some AMD Athlon and Sempron processors. Socket-754 supports a 200MHz system clock and an 800Mhz HyperTransport link. Socket-754 is similar to Socket-939, except that Socket-754 supports only one memory controller channel as opposed to the dual channels available on the Socket-939 and that the HyperTransport bus is 800MHz as opposed to 1000Mhz. The Socket-754 is a Pin Grid Array (PGA) Zero Insertion Force (ZIF) socket. A ZIF socket features a lever on one side of the socket. When this lever is Read More

The original Xbox gaming console was released in late 2001 in the United States and in early 2002 throughout Asia and Europe. Microsoft then replaced this console in late 2005 with the improved Xbox 360, which has significantly greater video, networking, and movie playback capabilities. Since the release of the Xbox 360, Microsoft has redesigned the console’s motherboard a total of six times in order to correct flaws and make improvements to the console’s over all design. A common task that arises for Xbox enthusiasts is determining the type of Read More

Variac is the trademark name of a variable autotransformer. A variable autotransformer is a single-coil transformer in which two portions of the same coil are used as the primary and the secondary. Variable autotransformers are used for the same purposes as regular transformers, but handle lower voltages. They also differ from regular autotransformers in that they are equipped with automatic switchgear in order to automatically step a voltage up or down, depending on preset conditions. How Variacs Work Variable autotransformers consist of a regular autotransformer that has been scratched in Read More

Hiding an IP online is necessary for a variety of reasons. Various websites, video games, and miscellaneous connections to the Internet share information about the network’s location and host. The simplest way to prevent sharing this information, while still being able to connect to the Internet is by hiding the individual’s and his/her Internet enabled device’s IP address. To do this,  the user has to use a proxy server to hide the original IP. The Benefits of Hiding an IP Hiding an IP usually provides the following benefits: Anonymous Surfing Read More

A cryptographic certificate or digital certificate is a type of credential that is included with a public key to ensure that the key belongs to a specific user. A cryptographic certificate is similar to a physical certificate such as a birth certificate, passport, or Driver’s License, and is used to verify that a trusted entity has confirmed that the public key belongs to a user. Encrypted servers, email clients, financial institutions, and some individuals often use cryptographic certificates to prove that they are trustworthy.   How Cryptographic Certificates Work Cryptographic Read More

A laptop battery provides power for a laptop when it is not plugged into a power source. The laptop battery is in the laptop. The power cord that charges a laptop battery is called the AC Power Adapter. The laptop battery can only power the laptop for a limited amount of time before the battery loses power and has to be recharged with the AC Power Adapter.   The length of time the laptop battery lasts mostly depends on the applications and programs the user runs on the laptop. Other Read More

Task Manager is a small application that usually comes standard with MS Window operating systems such as XP and Vista. The program can give you current information regarding many aspects of your computer including computer performance, processes, network activity, applications currently running, logged in users, and system services. The Task Manager can also help terminate processes or applications, set process priorities, and even shutdown Windows. While Task Manager provides the user with plenty of utility, many times a computer user or administrator will also want to print out information it Read More

The broad definition of a transducer is a device that changes energy from one type into another. However, most transducers change between electricity and another energy type. Transducers also have other names depending on their usage such as probe, detector, pickup, sensor, gauge, and electrode. Chemical Transducers Acidity and alkalinity are measured using a pH meter and an ion-sensitive electrode. The electrode is a complex device consisting of many parts but is essentially a galvanic cell. The voltage produced by the electrode depends on the concentration of hydrogen ions in Read More