November 2025 - Talk - lists.gtalug.org

Where to buy Raspberry Pi
by William Park 20 Nov '25

20 Nov '25

I just found out my Raspberry Pi B+ (model 1) can't do USB device mode. Its microUSB port is power only. According to official specs, Raspberry Zero W (model 1 or 2) do support "OTG" on its microUSB port. So, can anyone recommend store selling Raspberry Zero W? Even Amazon sell it, but I'd like try local store first.

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Emulating keyboard, mouse, and touchscreen
by William Park 19 Nov '25

19 Nov '25

OK, see my initial writeup at Github.com (https://opengeometry.github.io/NOTES/beagleboneblack/) Using USB Gadget driver and *BeagleBone Black*, I was successful in making scriptable * * * *keyboard* * *mouse* --- relative mouse * *touchscreen* --- absolute mouse, basically simple one-finger touchscreen I will try out *Raspberry Pi* and *Odroid*, after I do some yardwork that I've been neglecting.

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Imperial Pub closed on Saturday
by D. Hugh Redelmeier 17 Nov '25

17 Nov '25

I really enjoyed GTALUG's post-meeting gatherings there. Even though I'm not really a drinker. I haven't been since the pandemic started, <https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/after-more-than-80-years-imperial-pub-has-…> (Sorry for that ugly link. It's a "gift link" from me, allowing you to get though the Star's paywall.) Its replacement is a TMU expansion: "student-housing and education complex".

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$5 Bluetooth speaker from Dollarama
by William Park 17 Nov '25

17 Nov '25

Today, I tripped over audio wire and broke the headphone jack at the front of PC. And, almost caused other damages, way way more than $5. So, I went out and bought that "$5 Bluetooth speaker" from Dollarama that Colin talked about. * bluetooth -- *works*. * 3.5mm jack -- *works*. * microUSB -- only for charging. * only 1 speaker -- okay. * microSD -- presumably for audio files. Didn't test. * USB-A -- don't know what it's for. The rubbery plastic smells, so I'm air it out in the garage.

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contact cleaner or something else?
by Karen Lewellen 13 Nov '25

13 Nov '25

Hi all, ..to safely extract something stuck in an RCA type port? I suspect it might be a broken cable point, some of the ones I got from long & McQuade actually snapped. Was fortunate the first time, another RCA cable pulled the first forward. Might a magnet draw it forward enough that I could use say a paper clip to remove it all together? Thanks for ideas, Kare

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Speed of microSD card?
by William Park 11 Nov '25

11 Nov '25

I'm trying to make BeagleBone Black <https://www.beagleboard.org/boards/beaglebone-black> into a programmable keyboard (and mouse, hopefully). It has one "USB device" port (mini-USB) and one more common "USB host" port (USB-A). It boots off microSD or eMMC. One frustration is slow speed of my SD cards. I have lots of them, 8-16GB and 5MB/s. Too slow to flash images, and too slow to run on it. So, I've been shopping around for a *fast* microSD card. What I don't understand is, - some U1 cards are faster than U3 cards. This means, I can't just search for "U3" cards. - Do you know why U3 cards are slower than U1 cards? - Any brand recommendation? - Canada Computer has lots of "Teamgroup". Are they good? They are new (to me). - Of course, can't go wrong with Samsung. But, not at $20 range. - no Kingston. All the dead cards were from Kingston.

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OBS: Open Broadcast Software - Updated: Online Only
by Alan Heighway 10 Nov '25

10 Nov '25

*NOTICE: Due to host illness and weather this will be online only. * Description: *OBS: Open Broadcaster Software – What Is It, How Do I Set It Up, and How Can It Work for You?* Curious about streaming, recording, or running a live show? Join us for a hands-on session all about *OBS (Open Broadcaster Software)* – the powerful, free, and open-source tool used by content creators worldwide. *Alan* will take you on a guided tour of OBS, showcasing its core features and how it can be used for everything from simple screen recordings to fully-produced livestreams. Whether you're a beginner or just looking to refine your setup, you'll learn: - What OBS is and what it can do - How to set up your first scene - Adding video, audio, images, and screen captures - Best practices for smooth streaming and high-quality recording - Tips and tricks to make your production look polished and professional Stick around for an open *Q&A session*, where Alan will answer your questions, troubleshoot common problems, and help you get comfortable with broadcasting. *No experience required – just bring your curiosity!* Speaker: Alan Heighway *Agenda*: 1. Business Meeting 2. Presentation 3. Discussion 4. Adjournment 5. More Discussion @ the Pub (Optional) *Date / Time:* November 11th, 2025 19:30 EST *Location:* *Online using Nextcloud:* https://hub.gtalug.org/call/7m45sf9i *A*lan *H*eighway <http://heighway.ca/> heighway.ca 416-712-5247 VA3WAH / VA3YKZ [image: Please consider the environment before printing]

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voice assistant experience/recommendations
by CAREY SCHUG 09 Nov '25

09 Nov '25

TO work offline. Don't want microphones carrying my speech over the internet to unknown servers owned by "the man", no matter how encrypted. Might even build a totally offline local network. AI suggested Sepia Open Assistant, and Mycroft AI as preferred, with Linux Open Assistant as another (harder to configure?) choice. Or point me to a website with a better analysis/comparison than my simple AI search? Any experience, recommendations? This is for an older person, relatively inexpert, still struggling with highly technical details due to poor memory, not retaining what I learned last year or sometimes even last week. tend to have to refresh their memory for every project. if one has better YouTube tutorials, that could be the deciding factor. hmmm, looked on youtube for Sepia, first hit says Mycroft has been killed. Or maybe that's only the stand-alone plug-in device, not the software. Nor that is pushing rhasspy combined with Home Assistant. other suggestions on youtube, did not seem to be any for sepia. Carey

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How to unpack/repack Debian initrd.img?
by William Park 07 Nov '25

07 Nov '25

(It's double posted. So, reply to your mailing list). :-) How do I * *unpack* an existing /boot/initrd.img-x.y.z (Debian) * *repack* back. Of course, I need to do some work in between... hence, the question. To unpack, I can use 'unmkinitramfs'. But, I can't seem to repack an initrd from *current* directory. 'mkinitramfs' always takes stuffs from my system directory (/lib/modules/x.y.z/). Current directory has many add-ons from the original initrd, that I don't have, so I don't want to lose it. mkinitramfs -v -r ./ -o ~/new_initrd.img x.y.z According to manpage, "-r ./" should force the root directory as current directory, but it doesn't seem to.

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GTALUG General meeting
by Alan Heighway 05 Nov '25

05 Nov '25

OBS: Open Broadcast Software <https://www.gtalug.org/?p=253> Description: OBS: Open Broadcaster Software – What Is It, How Do I Set It Up, and How Can It Work for You? Curious about streaming, recording, or running a live show? Join us for a hands-on session all about OBS (Open Broadcaster Software) – the powerful, free, and open-source tool used by content creators worldwide. Alan will take you on a guided tour of OBS, showcasing its core features and how it can be used for everything from simple screen recordings to fully-produced livestreams. Whether you’re a beginner or just looking to refine your setup, you’ll learn: - What OBS is and what it can do - How to set up your first scene - Adding video, audio, images, and screen captures - Best practices for smooth streaming and high-quality recording - Tips and tricks to make your production look polished and professional Stick around for an open Q&A session, where Alan will answer your questions, troubleshoot common problems, and help you get comfortable with broadcasting. No experience required – just bring your curiosity! Speaker: Alan Heighway Agenda: 1. Business Meeting 2. Presentation 3. Discussion 4. Adjournment 5. More Discussion @ the Pub (Optional) Date / Time: November 11th, 2025 19:30 EST Location: In Person: TMU George Vari Engineering and Computing Centre, 245 Church Street (just north of Dundas), Room 201 (See note below) Online using Nextcloud: https://hub.gtalug.org/call/7m45sf9i NOTE: The doors to the building are normally locked. There will be someone from GTALUG at the doors on the southeast corner of Church and Gould to let people in. If you come late or don’t see anyone at the door please SMS at 647 657 6575 for THIS NIGHT ONLY. Do not call. *A*lan *H*eighway <http://heighway.ca/> heighway.ca 416-712-5247 VA3WAH / VA3YKZ [image: Please consider the environment before printing]

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