J_M_Franklin

Wookie, it is also wise to check the preferences in SETI, I have mine set to run always on all machines, never causes an issue. On the SETI account page I have a limit set there too..can't recall off the top of my head what it is...I think if the CPU uses more than 50% then BOINC suspends until less than 50% in use.

Now sheduled for Thursday(for us in the UK).

You can always attach to another project like Milkyway and therefore spilt the work loads and if one project goes down (as SETI does quite often) your PC's can still carry on crunching.

An easy to contol it all is use BOINCstats to project manage everythin. Just go to http://boincstats.com/ create an account then in BOINC manager got to Add Project but choose Account Manager and put in the BOINCStats details, then you can manage your connected PC's from the BOINCstats webpages and it also gives you stats on your workloads etc. Here is mine http://boincstats.co...37646bacd13d53/

Thanks for the info, but been about the S@H community for a very long time now having been crunching on and off since 1999, tried many things, but have always ended up back at the basic interface.

On a positive note, I have finally added a Cuda cored Nvidia card to my server so now it will do some that little bit faster as this card turns units round in about 1.5hrs from memory. Also I have managed to get my old laptop working that has a T7700 Dual Core 2.4GHz Core 2 Duo in it...crashed the other day due to a hardware failure, namely the power input is dodgy..managed to jerry rig it for now, but eventually will strip the machine and build it into a different case as the machine is past it's sell by date thanks to the kids braking a hinge on the screen...

Very sad news indeed, I am fortunate in that i had, in years gone by, regular contact with Patrick and met him several times in my life, although not for about 6 years now. He was a great man, a true inspiration for anyone, whether they had an interest in Astronomy or not...

He was the legend that was Sir Patrick and few people live up to the legend that surrounds them. A man from a lost generation, the likes of which the world is very much the poorer for losing. I hope that his home is turned into a Museum to remember him...it's an amazing treasure trove of information and astronomical history.

A very sad day.

Thanks to some scrotes the UCB Planetary Science building has been without power for several days and as such my machines are shut down as all have run out of work units...Hopefully we should be back online tomorrow at some point.

I love this thread, and I am now wondering IF..and it's an enormous IF, I could convince the other half to let me redesign my 20" Nasmyth to a 20" Binocular...drooolllll over this thread...

Thanks for the link to it, certainly given me some serious pause for thought.....now where can i buy a small cheap and second hand CNC machine?????

Prefer to use WiFi for such control...and my Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 accepts adhoc connections..and I have not changed any settings...

OK..gave in to the inevitable...SETI is now running on two laptops and one machine ...Laptops are Core 2 Duo 2400GHz and I5 2.5GHz whilst the main machine is a dual core P4 @3.4GHz. I have other machines I could fire up and may do in the coming weeks, but for now those will have to do.

Sad you have to sell the scope, but that is no reason to leave the forum...your not selling your eyes as well are you??

Personally I think the whole ranking system is discriminatory...There are no dust grains, meteoroids, asteroids, Dwarf Planets, Rocky planets or gas Giants....your all showing a complete case of Planetism

:D

There is some good advise rolling out in the thread, and BlueAstra makes some good points.

I would reiterate the following into a concise post though.

• Secure fence with no gaps and secured gated entry/exit that has a closed hasp padlock attached when not in use. I would make the fence at least 6ft high and at this height it is legal to add anti-climb paint or sharper deterrents, such as broken glass or metal spikes. I would refer members to this website page for advise that keeps you inside the law.
  

• Ensure you install security lights that are controlled by photocells and motion detectors so they only operate when activated in the dark. I would ureg avoiding the obvious and cheap Tungsten halogen floodlights, instead I would suggest round bulkheads that have 16W 2D lamps installed. These are cheap and the lamps last for years. Also, they operate in a way that does deter because they do not cause overt shadows as brighter security lights do. Check your garden in the dark and check for the dark spots where a person could hide if disturbed, and put a light there. I would urge one being placed on the top of your gates as this will act to stop people interfering with hinges, locks etc. If you need some electrical advise feel free to PM me as I am a contracting electrical engineer and have installed thousands of security lights over the years.
  

• Alarms are only a deterrent if they are VISIBLE and WORK, however alarms are no deterrent to a determined thief and as such these are not overly important so long as other measures have been taken. The best alarm would be a motion detector along the fence line and on the gates as this would alert BEFORE they managed to access any equipment, and the best form of alarm is the recording of a large dog, this is always more of a deterrent than a normal "alarm" sounder.
  

• Keep a list of all serial numbers marked on any equipment, and as has been said, photograph it. If you keep telescopes outside then it might be worth considering a GPS theft tracker. I have one installed in my Land Rovers and it is a good peace of mind. With your equipment it may also assist in cutting any premiums down to size, and whilst it may not deter a thief, it would certainly aid in recovery of large items.
  

• Someone mentioned above about DNA marking, well this is linked to microdots and anyone interested would be advised to consider this outfit.. I have had personal experience with them for equipment marking and they are very helpful and extremely professional. Costs are not cheap, but then nor is the equipment they protect and this is insurance industry recognised .
  

• Signage....People forget this, but it is actually a deterrent, if you use Smartwater, Microdots, GPS trackers or cameras, use clear, obvious and visible signage. As has been mentioned, thieves are opportunists for the most part and they are not looking to get caught, they will avoid any location that has clear and obvious signage of protection measures in place, yes it is harsh, but they will go an burgle those who have not protected their home and outbuildings.
  

• There is a train of thought that making your garden and buildings look vulnerable or "cheap" will act as a deterrent, rubbish, many true opportunist thieves have drug or other addiction habits, they do not think rationally in the way you and I do, they are looking for anything worth a couple of pounds or more that they can grab quick, and a poorly secured outbuilding with no obvious signs of deterrent is an easy target...remember, people keep lawnmowers and other garden tools in poorly secured buildings, and these can be worth serious money to a thief, they will not hesitate to take anything that is not bolted to the floor in your building.
  

• Any equipment that is not normally attached to the telescope but you like to keep handy would be better off locked away, to that end i would suggest a Van Vault. These have secure locks and can be secured to the floor of a building, for anything from £100 to £400 you can ensure that all your ancillary equipment is secure.
  

• If your scope is mounted on a pier, consider using locking nuts on at least two of the fixings, or if your not moving for a long time, use sheer nuts to secure the pier.
  

• If you keep your scope on a tripod but don't move it, consider making a foot for two of the legs that the leg actually sits in and can be secured by a retaining lock or security bolt/nut. this will deter any random thief because the effort to remove would take too long and they would be concerned with detection.
  

• Inside a building/Dome there is another deterrent that you can employ to scare off any would be thief...strobe lights...these can be linked to any security system you have, or you can manufacture your own way of operating them with a delay to allow you to enter and disable before your disabled.
  

These are just some of the ways that you can deter the scum of society and I hope that no-one ever has experience of such a theft of equipment, but if you take sensible and reasonable precautions then you can minimise the risks to the point where you can sleep at night...

I have just transferred my 1.4 million credits to the team...have not been overly active on SETI the last few years, but under the original project i ran 54 machines in a SETI farm cooled by home made ac...

On the original project I had some 150,000 hours of computing time credit...

I may run it again...but at least my stats are here now..

Just downloaded both and ran some tests with my Canon....first impressions are that BackyardEOS is the better option for me with my 450D, however I am in contact with the writer to see if it's possible to use Backyard with Webcams, as I think that would be very useful all, afteral, not everyone has a Canon or can afford one.