There was an update for the UConnect software for our 2016 Cherokee Trailhawk, so I downloaded the update to a thumb drive as instructed on the UCconnect site.
What exactly was updated I’m not too sure – it’s too bad they don’t include release notes, so that owners can verify that features behave as expected, and also to learn what new functionality the system has.
Anyway, I also discovered that the instructions on the UConnect site weren’t very accurate.
Tip #1. Download the update to your desktop, then extract the enclosed files to the thumb drive. Not within a folder, and there were 2 files for this latest updated.
Tip #2. The instructions on the UConnect site state to put the vehicle into Run mode, but without the engine running. This is done be keeping your foot off the brake pedal, and pressing the start button twice. Problem with this is that the update takes quite a while – and the vehicle shuts off – which messes up the install. I ended up calling the 1-800 number provided in the UConnect installation guide, and was advised by a support manager to actually start the vehicle, and then proceed with the update. Sucks to have to idle the vehicle for the 20 or 30 minutes it takes to do the update, but at least it works!
Tip #3. Lastly, there was a spot where the screen goes blank for quite a while – 5 minutes or so. I thought something failed, since the vehicle had shut off as well. When putting the vehicle back to RUN, the screen remained blank, and unresponsive for just over 5 minutes – which prompted me to call support. A couple minutes into the call, the screen came back to life, and the installation started over.
Kudo’s to UConnect Support, I was surprised to get through right away on a Saturday – no holding – just had to press a couple buttons after the automated answer and listening to the voice menu.
Category Archives: Hobbies
LibreElec & VPN on Raspberry PI
Tried out a vpn service for my Raspberry Pi media devices, called PureVPN. Their app works great on OpenElec, however OpenElec doesn’t run on the current Raspberry PI 3B+ hardware, and there is no indication that it ever will.
LibreElec does support the current hardware, however the PureVPN app doesn’t support LibreElec. I contacted PureVPN support, and they were unable to provide any timeline as to when their VPN app would support LibreElec, and I’m not willing to use older Raspberry PI hardware to accommodate PureVPN’s requirements. I was able to get a refund with minimal hassle. If it wasn’t for their inability to support the hardware/software I wanted to use their service on, I would probably still be using their service, as it was a very good value.
I found another vpn service, called Ivacy, and it does install & function. I found that some of it’s configuration settings, such as split tunneling were not intuitive, and their notifications as to when it’s connected and when it’s not connected were not very obvious. I experienced regular connection drops – seemed like every hour, the connection would drop. Getting a refund a week after signing up was straightforward and appreciated.
Now I’m using NordVPN, and I’ve found the connections to be much more reliable – and there seem to be a greater number of servers in some regions to connect to. While it’s not the least expensive option out there, I think the reliability is well worth the extra expense.
Building a new PI with DAC
Purchased a Justboom DAC Hat a while back, along with a PI 3B+. Was going to install OpenElec, but found out the latest distro isn’t compatible with the Pi. I ended up going with LibreElec, which has been working great with it.
I did solder the IR receiver onto the Justboom DAC but found it wasn’t responding to a couple remotes – I have a Flirc dongle that worked fine though, so I have Lirc disabled for now. I might spend more time trying to get it working later, so I can use the Flirc dongle elsewhere.
#dtparam=audio=ondtparam=audio=offdtoverlay=justboom-dacHave been very pleased with the sound quality of the JustBoom DAC – makes my vintage AR-210’s sound amazing! I also have an old pair of Wharfedale Diamonds that also sound awesome – just lacking some bottom end – but for a tiny speaker, they are still awesome!
Aquarium rebuild
After a tragic loss of all but 2 fish in my aquarium, I took it as an opportunity to try something a little different.
The 2 survivors are my stealthy Bristlenose Pleco’s.
The new occupants:
- 9 Rummy-nose tetras
- 6 Discus
- 3 Botia dario loaches
Added a very large piece of driftwood to the tank, and also added a new LED light – MicMol 36″-48″ Planted tank lamp, with scheduling. The lamp is very nice – but is a pain to program. Just have to be patient 🙂
I have been finding snails to be a challenge to control, which was one of the reasons for adding the loaches. Unfortunately, they don’t seem all that interested!
I’ve been reducing the amount and frequency of feeding the fish, although the discus I bought are young and growing! One seems to be a runt.
Gecko Upgrades
I received the East 3D Gecko upgrade kit, last fall, and recently I had finally gotten around to tearing down the printer and installing it. In the process, I also installed some RGB lighting, ceramic heat bed, and the Lerdge power-off module kit as well.
The upgrade kit changes the gantry suspension so that it hangs from 4 points, instead of the original 2 points. It also changes the XY gantry, providing a new rail to make things much easier to square up.
I ended up removing the power-off module after it resulted in a blown fuse in the ac input switch – thankfully the blown fuse protected the main board and power supply.
The ceramic bed is a much flatter printing surface – and is supposed to provide much better print adhesion. In practice, I find it works really well, provide that you have the surface perfectly clean and levelled from the start. If either of these things aren’t perfect, you end up with a spaghetti print!
One of the other upgrades I did previously was replacing the stock hotend and extruder with original E3D components.