Email: babin_perry@yahoo.com - BCAE1 Home Page
You can still View/Use
Macromedia/Adobe Flash Content
You may want to use Ruffle and it works relatively well but only ON_line. Unless they have made significant changes, it does not work OFF_line.
This top section is for those who are familiar with Windows, its Control Panel and installation of files in the Control Panel. It will also be the place where you will find most links that are needed to run Flash Players properly. For those who need more information, click HERE.
Folder for all files (contains both the browsers and Flash Players folders):
http://www.bcae1.com/fdltestfiles/
Browsers (direct link):
http://www.bcae1.com/fdltestfiles/!browsers/
When choosing a browser for the repair tutorial, Safari is my first choice. For the tutorial plus some online use, Chromium portable is the better option. There are only a minimal number of external links and you could copy those links (right-click, copy link address) and visit them with your preferred online browser.
Flash Players (direct link):
http://www.bcae1.com/fdltestfiles/!flashplayers/
flashplayer32_0r0_371_winall.zip * For those who cannot read the entire file name when you go to the server, place the mouse cursor over the name and your browser should show the full file name near the bottom of the browser window.
* For those who get an error message when trying to install the Flash Player files, right-click the file name and select "Run as Administrator".
Test the browsers on the following page to confirm that they're working as they should. If they are, you will be able to see and smoothly interact with the multiple (15 or so) Flash demos on the page. The Flash files should automatically load without having to click on anything.
Karting page: http://www.asos1.com/karting/
Additional Recommended Software if You're Here Loading Files for the Tutorial:
Irfanview
This is a really nice image viewer that has many commonly used features for images (cropping, resizing...). The most used feature is scrolling through folders of images with the mouse-wheel.
PDF Xchange Viewer
This is a nice PDF reader that works really well with the Safari browser above.
I've found the Gulim font to be the best for the tutorial. If you don't have it installed on your computer (it's supposed to ship with all modern Windows versions but isn't always installed), you can download it HERE.
If you want the free Open Office suite, you can get it from their site.
Installing the recommended software and using the suggested browser (Safari 5.1.7) will make using the tutorial as effortless as can be. Other browsers and software can be used but it may take 2-3 extra clicks and new windows to get to the same place Safari will get you with a single click. If you think that this is ridiculous, THIS file count may change your mind. It's the files that make up the tutorial (about 1% unused/old/replaced with better).
This section of the page page is for those who are trying to find Flash capable browsers for my sites and for my Car Audio Amplifier Repair Tutorial and need a bit more information than was given at the top of the page.
>> Problem #1:
As you know, Flash has been blocked by most modern browsers since mid January 2021. It's difficult to find new browsers that support Flash because so many are based on just a handful of browser engines (Gecko, Blink, Webkit, Trident...) and when those base engines eliminate a feature, it won't be available in the 'wrappers' that are known by other names. A bit farther down the page, you'll find some browser exceptions that will allow you to use Flash content.
Short List of Rendering Engines vs Browsers:
For a much more complete list of browsers and their engines, consult THIS Wikipedia page.
Ruffle for Online Flash Content:
If you still want to use Flash ON_line, you have the Ruffle browser extension. It's not perfect but it works fairly well... but the Flash applets/demos will work more smoothly (as they were designed to do) with a solution that involves the use of a genuine Flash Player (options below). The problem with Ruffle (for me) is that it won't work OFF_line (working with files from your computer's hard drive). Even where it does work, it doesn't render files with the same quality as the original Flash players. Test Ruffle on some of the following sites to see how it works for you.
The Chrome Browser:
Most people are using Chrome as their main (only?) browser. If you visit any of my sites using the latest version of Chrome (with the Ruffle extension, because Chrome now blocks Flash), there is sometimes an option to open a Flash file in a new window, a window that you would maximize to see the fine details more easily. When you select the 'to open this in a new window' option, there may be multiple problems. The problem is, in part, due to the operation of Chrome's internal Blink engine.
Using Ruffle solves problem #1 (viewing Flash content online) well enough. That said, the solutions below may produce better results on my sites.
>> Problem #2:
The second problem is finding a solution to allow the use of Flash content OFF_line. To work offline (where Ruffle won't work) you need to have the Flash Player files installed. Some of the following solutions (browsers) need the Flash Players installed onto your computer and some have them on-board.
Chrome Alternative:
Chromium is the internal engine for Chrome. Think of it this way. Chromium is the Christmas tree. Chrome is the Christmas tree after it's been fully decorated. There is a ChromiumPortable_61.0.3153.0 browser that's available in the browser download folder (click link below). It's an earlier version that doesn't block Flash files but requires that you install the flashplayer32_0r0_371_winpep.exe Flash Player. Installing that player in Windows will allow Chromium Portable to work much like Chrome did before they killed Flash. The Chromium portable browser doesn't work with Ruffle.
Get the Chromium browser:
CLICK
Get the Flash Players:
CLICK
Please understand that you don't need to remember, specifically, which Flash Player you need to install. Install all four players in the Windows Control Panel. If, for some reason you could install only one (unlikely scenario), you'd install the one given in the text associated with the browser you're going to use.
Using Flash OFF_line:
The following internet browsers options can be used online as long as you're aware that their security protocols will not be up to date. For those who want to use Flash files OFF_line (for the amplifier repair tutorial or for Flash-based games), the following applies.
You will install the Flash Players in the Windows Control Panel. Understand that the Flash Player has to be version flashplayer32_0r0_371 or earlier (nothing beyond 371 will work). The later versions have an inbuilt timebomb (courtesy of Adobe) that prevents them from working beyond the EOL (End Of Life) date of 1-12-2021. See NOTE.
On-Board Flash Player Files:
When you see the Flash logo --, that means the browser has on-board Flash player files. Some of these browsers have multiple render engines and the Flash capabilities will likely be for only one of the engines. For Flash to be enabled for all engines, you will need to install the Flash player files linked above.
Windows Compatibility:
From what I've been told by those who have installed the Flash player files, there are no problems installing them in Win10 (and I assume Win11). The same applies to the internet browsers listed on this page.
You don't need this for the tutorial but...
All of 32.0.0.371 flash player files (MANY more than the 4 files you need for viewing the Flash files in the tutorial) can be downloaded from the Wayback Machine site (archive.org). This was previously stated but bears repeating... For those who get an error message when trying to install the Flash Player files, right-click the file name and select "Run as Administrator".
fp_32.0.0.371_archive
Click HERE to see a full size version of this image.
Security:
Safari 5.1.7, Maxthon3 3.5.2.1000 and Maxthon4 4.9.5.1000 are older browsers that will not be entirely secure on risky sites. These solutions are to view the content that I've produced both online and off. Using the older browsers online, you can expect to get infected with a computer virus or suffer some other sort of attack on any sites where you are trying to get something for free that's not supposed to be free. I'd also suggest doing a search for the best anti-virus software and installing that.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
More information on PORTABLE BROWSERS if you don't know what they are
Standard Software:
When you install normal software onto your computer, it's generally integrated into the operating system (Windows-whatever). This often results in bits of it being dropped into hundreds? thousands? of locations. Portable software is typically self-contained. It may use files stored on your computer but it's not distributed widely into locations other than the folder that's created when it's unzipped. Using portable software means that you can use a familiar software of YOUR preferences without affecting another computer.
Portable Software:
Portable internet browsers can be loaded onto a flash drive (or any storage media) that you can carry with you to use at home or work.. wherever. Most browsers rely on files on the computer that's being used. This is true for some portable browsers as well. For this use, the files that we're concerned with, are the Flash Player files. These can be seen if you go into the CONTROL PANEL >> PROGRAMS AND FEATURES). See NOTE.
The Scary .EXE Files:
The .EXE file can be used for evil but the downloads for browsers and such are simply installation files or self-extracting zipped files that will unzip to a folder that will contain the portable browser file.
Microsoft and Adobe (your nannies):
Initially, I was told that Microsoft has prevented the Flash Player files from being installed into the Win10 operating system (even the pre 371 versions). I don't use Win10 but from what I've seen (from buyers of the tutorial), the installation in Win10 isn't an issue. I'm not sure about Win8/8.1. Not being able to load the Flash Players means that browsers (standard and some portable) can't display Flash graphics. You need a fully self-contained browser that doesn't require that the Flash Players be installed in Windows.
Maxthon3, Maxthon4, Maxthon5 (likely) and FlashBrowser appear to be the only browsers with their own on-board Flash Player drivers (actually a .dll file). They can be used as normal (integrated into your computer's OS) or portable browsers. Since these browsers have Flash software built into the files, you don't have to worry about having the files on the computer that you use them on. This is especially important for the portable version that you take with you.
Email me (under banner at the top of the page) if you know of any other self-contained browsers that don't need the Flash Players to be installed onto the computer that's being used.
Finding the .EXE File:
When Maxthon portable browsers are unzipped, you will need to open the Maxthon.exe file and create a shortcut to it, pin it to the taskbar or to the start menu. In my situation the file is here:
E:\maxthon_portable_4.9.5.1000\MaxthonPortable\BIN\Maxthon.exe
and here
E:\maxthon_portable_5.3.8.2000\MaxthonPortable\BIN\Maxthon.exe
It will be somewhat different on your computer but you can see that it's in the BIN folder. Knowing that makes it a bit easier to find.
Flash Player Versions:
The original Flash Player in Maxthon 4.9.5 was v18. It generally worked well but sometimes had a long lag. THIS site has newer DLL files for the pepflashplayer. I've tried up to 24.0.0.170. It appears to be a bit better.
Make a Backup of the .dll File:
If you update the file, make a new folder in the plugins folder and drag the original flash DLL into it. Then copy and paste the new unzipped DLL file into the plugins folder (example below for the portable version).
Extra Credit for (prospective?) Tutorial Buyers
If you actually read this, you're one in a million. This will be posted in two places. The first is the Read-Me file in the tutorial download folder. The second place you will see it is at the bottom of the following page. If you want clickable download links to the recommended software, copy the link and paste it into the address field of your online browser. On the Tech-Tips 10 page of the tutorial, all recommended software is listed there under item #22.
https://www.bcae1.com/temp/!_READ-ME_if_you_want_to_view_the_Flash_files.htm
There has been some resistance to install the preferred software for the tutorial. The tutorial isn't simply a text document with a few images. It's a huge collection of various documents that can be accessed (clumsily) by various pieces of software but after spending, literally, thousands of hours with the material, certain software works more smoothly and offers more features than what may be the default software currently installed. The recommendations are all top-notch pieces.
Before going any farther, I will tell you that I benefit in absolutely no way by recommending any software that you will see below. What I want is to ensure the best experience with a very complex set of documents/information that make up the repair tutorial. This will sound corny but if you succeed at learning to repair car amplifiers, then I've also succeeded.
The best browser (by far) is Safari 5.1.7. There is virtually nothing that any other browser will do better. Chromium Portable is a bit faster but that's because it loads the part of the page you're seeing while the rest loads in the background. Safari loads the entire page (some are very large), then displays it. For a fast computer, there will be little difference between the two.
Note that neither of these are for online use. Online links (which are clearly indicated as online) can be copied and pasted into your preferred online browser and visited that way. If you never visited any of the online links, you would miss very little. Most all of the datasheets and other information you need is included with the download (which you should keep updated, at least a few times a year).
With Safari, the correct applications are used when you click on a file type. When clicking on a Windows folder, you want the Windows file manager (Wfm) to be what you use to access the files. That's what you get with Safari (and a few other of the multi-engine browsers... if you're on the correct browser engine). When using a different browser, instead of going to a Windows folder, you get a window with a list of individual, clickable links but you can't scroll through the files (like you can when looking at images in the file manager).
Let's take image viewing, next. When you're in a Windows folder, if you have a good image viewer (Irfanview, recommended << wonderful, free, very easy to use...), you can click on one image and scroll through the entire group of images by rolling the mouse scroll wheel, by using the arrow keys or even pressing the spacebar key. If you have an image viewer that allows that type of image viewing, keep it. If you're still using Windows Paint, upgrade to Irfanview.
Next is PDF files. With Safari and PDF Xchange Viewer, if a link is supposed to take you to a precise point on a precise page, that's what you will get. Other browsers simply open the PDF file to the first page. Others do a bit better by going to the correct page but not the correct point on that page. For large diagrams, this can be a problem. I try to include map references (MR) but, not all PDF pages have map references to give. Going to the correct point is best. >> Safari.
Remember that Safari properly opened the Wfm when you clicked on a link that should rightly go to the file manager. This is another reason that that's important. In the tutorial, you will see several .ods files. These are from the Open Office FREE office suite. Microsoft Office may be able to open them as well. What's critical is that you go to the Wfm so that Windows can use the correct application to open the files. Using most browsers, the file you click on will be saved, you'll have to go to the download folder for that browser and then open the file. It won't even be saved in its correct location. Another inconvenience that Safari avoids.
Multi-Engine Browsers
This is a blast from the past. For some internet browsers, you could, at one time, choose between 3 or more 'engines'. 
Short List of Rendering Engines vs Browsers:
Safari = Webkit
Chrome (before 2013) = Webkit
Chrome (after 2013) = Blink
Mozilla/Firefox = Gecko
Older Microsoft = Trident
Webkit, Trident and Gecko were the ones commonly offered. Blink also became an option but not always a good option for the tutorial.
With these, the Internet Explorer Trident engine properly used Wfm for files. The others were hit and miss (mostly miss).
Blink was fast but the browsers were not the best at handling files, otherwise.
Gecko is just a disaster. Firefox has its supporters but the only thing I found useful with it is viewing the page source (the background information that tells the browser how to display the page) shows errors nicely. If you've never really delved into the capabilities of a web browser, I think you'd be amazed at their complexity. Even the older browsers... incredible.
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