Week 38 / 2024

Published: 22/09/2024

I discovered the rabbit hole of collecting vinyl this week. Oh no.

What's been happening?

  1. After months of toying with the idea of buying a vinyl player, I finally decided to take the plunge last weekend. I went for the most popular recommendation for beginners: Audio Technica's LP60X.

    Conventionally, people pair vinyl players with wired speakers. To save space, I chose a different approach. I found a way to connect a vinyl player to my existing audio setup that uses two Apple HomePod mini(s). Yes, I know that this essentially defeats the purpose of an analog music player, but that doesn't matter to me. The tactility of vinyl interests me far more than superior audio quality.

    I received the LP60X during the week, but I was still waiting for additional audio components to get delivered for my HomePods plan to come to life. However, I was really excited and decided to try out the plan anyway. I unboxed and assembled the player, then connected it to my TV's RCA ports using the red and white cables. On my TV, I ensured that HDMI ARC — the secret sauce of this whole plan — was turned on. I switched the TV to its AV input, hit play on the vinyl player, and waited in anticipation.

    No audio. The TV switched away from the AV input. I expected this. Most TVs have an auto timer that disconnects the AV input if they don't detect both audio and video signals. My TV received audio from the vinyl player, but there was no video signal. To continue testing, I asked my dad if he had any video device at home that connected via RCA. Surprisingly, he did! He brought out an old Tata Sky set-top box, which we connected to the TV. Et voilà — Michael Jackson's Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin' started playing on my HomePods.

    Woohoo, the plan works! Now, I just need to replace the set top box with something smaller and less archaic. I'm planning on using a Raspberry Pi. Expect to hear more about this part of the project in the coming weeks.

  2. Owning a vinyl player means I now need records to play. While researching players, I discovered a site called Discogs. I bookmarked it to revisit once I had a working vinyl setup. This week, I looked up Discogs 101s on YouTube and was blown away by what I found.

    Discogs (short for Discographies?) is an online, crowd-sourced music database and marketplace. Once you have a Discogs account, you can maintain a collection and wants list of music you own. When you want to try and acquire a record you want, you can search for sellers and transact with them.

    My favorite aspect of Discogs is the vast amount of information it offers. I view it as a music research tool. I can use it to track down the first ever pressings of The White Album by The Beatles. I can see who might be selling a copy and, in theory, try to make them an offer. I say "in theory" because these first pressings are rare and cost a lot of money.

    I'm not completely convinced about the idea of "rare records" at the moment. For now, I want to focus on finding copies of records that I consider perfect. I currently have two such records and might be picking up two more. Perhaps one day, I'll be able to justify acquiring something rare, like a 1968 Indian pressing of The White Album.

    Discogs listing for the 1968 Indian pressing of The White Album by The Beatles, costing $300

  3. Shifting focus away from vinyl, I solved an interesting UI challenge this week. I needed to address a problem with cards that contained content of varying sizes. My goal was to ensure that all the cards maintained the same height across different screen sizes.

    I tried several solutions but couldn't find one that worked. Then, my colleague shared this Stack Exchange answer, where I learned about Flexbox's align-items: stretch API. Suddenly, I had my solution. It's incredible to still be learning new things about Flexbox years after I first learned how to use it.

  4. Man United finally seem to be ticking. Our 7-0 thrashing of Barnsley F.C. this week was a joy to watch.

  5. Early in the week, I assembled a Geass60 Revival from bowlkeyboards. I had been waiting for its arrival for about seven months and was eager to put it together when it finally came. This time, I started with a hotswap PCB to test the board in different configurations before finalizing the soldered build.

    I completed the hotswap build last weekend and used it throughout the week, making adjustments as needed. Yesterday, I finalized the configuration and soldered the board.

    Discogs listing for the 1968 Indian pressing of The White Album by The Beatles, costing $300
    Geass60 Revival by bowlkeyboards

Media Diet

  • S is making me watch my first K-drama, Something in the Rain. Despite some yucky mushiness in certain episodes, I'm really enjoying it! I especially love the lead characters' outfits. So cool.

~

This weeknote was typed out on a Geass60 Revival by bowlkeyboards, built with broken-in and hand-lubed Cherry MX Blacks on a Aluminium plate.

Week 37 / 2024 →