From the Tips Box: Controlling Xbox Controllers in Windows, Keeping Your Computer Cool in the Summer, and a DIY Book Scanning Rig

from-the-tips-box-controlling-xbox-controllers-in-windows-keeping-your-computer-cool-in-the-summer-and-a-diy-book-scanning-rig photo 1

Once a week we round up some great reader tips from the tips box and reader comments, and share the with the rest of you. This week we’re looking at an alternate way to control Xbox controller in Windows, how to keep your computer cool in the summer heat, and how to build a power DIY book scanner.

Control Xbox Controllers with Joy2Key

from-the-tips-box-controlling-xbox-controllers-in-windows-keeping-your-computer-cool-in-the-summer-and-a-diy-book-scanning-rig photo 2

Srivatsan shared the following tip in the comments on our How to Use an Xbox 360 Controller On Your Windows PC guide:

For a free alternative, I recommend Joy2Key. Its a bit less user-friendly, but you can generally do everything that Xpadder can do. And you can also make several “profiles” for each program you use, like for each emulator, for example. Just a protip.

That’s certainly a viable alternative to the $10 pricetag on Xpadder (although we’re such big fans of Xpadder and the general quality and user-friendliness of the app, we’re happy to support the one-man shop behind it). Thanks for sharing!

Keep Your Computer Clean to Drop the Operating Temperature

from-the-tips-box-controlling-xbox-controllers-in-windows-keeping-your-computer-cool-in-the-summer-and-a-diy-book-scanning-rig photo 3

Mark writes into the Tips Box with the following tip:

I’m not sure if this is as much a tip as it is a reminder given that I’m just going to tell everyone to go read the same HTG articles that I read… BUT I can’t say enough good things about your computer cleaning tips. I live in a third floor apartment with no AC and it’s so freaking hot out where I live. I’ve been doing everything I can think of to keep my computers cooler but by far the best (and way less fussy than messing your chip speed and voltage, for sure) is just making sure the case is really clean. I followed your overheating laptop/cleaning guide and and your clean a dirty desktop guide. After cleaning both my laptop and desktop the average operating temperature on my laptop dropped a full 8F and on my desktop a full 4F. That’s a serious shift for what amounted to very little work.

We can’t say we’re surprised! We’ve solved overheating problems on more than a few desktop machines over the years by blasting away the 1/2” layer of dust bunny insulation on the hardware. A clean computer is a happy and better cooled computer.

Build a DIY Book Scanner

from-the-tips-box-controlling-xbox-controllers-in-windows-keeping-your-computer-cool-in-the-summer-and-a-diy-book-scanning-rig photo 4

Uri writes in with this DIY book scanning project:

I’ve really gotten into ebooks lately but there are so many books out that there are never going to get turned into ebooks. Sure you can get popular fiction and best sellers, but what if you want to read a book from the 1950s on your reader? Unless it’s been a best seller ever since then, it’s not happening. To that end I started building a one of the DIY book scanners I found via Instructables (turns out I was using one the best known builds around and they have their own web site now). Other than a few special parts, it really is something you can build out of scraps. I’m almost done with mine and so far, during the initial tests, I’m surprisingly fast at manually scanning the books given how easy it is to switch from page to page and get a perfect shot. I figure a few more tweaks and I’ll be able to scan books while watching movies.

We’ve had one of these book scanners on our future DIY project list for ages, this might just push us over into starting work on it. Thanks Uri!


Have a tip or trick to share? Shoot us an email at tips@howtogeek.com and look for your tip on the front page!

Article From the Tips Box: Controlling Xbox Controllers in Windows, Keeping Your Computer Cool in the Summer, and a DIY Book Scanning Rig compiled by Original article here

More stories

How to Connect Your Android to Your PC’s Internet Connection Over USB

People often “tether” their computers to their smartphones, sending their computer’s network traffic over the device’s cellular data connection. “Reverse tethering” is the opposite – tethering your Android smartphone or tablet to your PC to use your PC’s Internet connection.

Ask The Readers: How Do You Find Your Next Game?

Once upon a time the only place for new video game information was down at the arcade. These days there’s a news source and niche for everyone and every kind of game; where and how do you find your next video game conquest?

How to Share Files Online with Ubuntu One

Ubuntu One, Ubuntu’s built-in cloud file storage service, allows you to make files publically available online or share them privately with others. You can share files over the Internet right from Ubuntu’s file browser.

What Is Two-Factor Authentication, and Why Do I Need It?

More and more banks, credit card companies, and even social media networks and gaming sites are starting to use two-factor authentication. If you’re a little unclear on what it is or on why you’d want to start using it, read on to learn how two-factor authentication can keep your data secure.