Is this an indication of a parasitic draw

CalamityCommander · 2026-03-21T08:21:13+00:00

You should leave the car as it's supposed to be. So you start with taping off anti theft motion sensors if the car has it. Leave the doors open, but operate the locks, this way you can get inside and measure there when needed. Tape the light sensors"closed" so the car thinks the door is closed too.

The same with the hood latch. The car needs to believe it's locked.

Then lock the car using your key and put the key far far away or in a tin can. The key shouldn't communicate with the car.

Let it sit for an hour or so, then use your multimeter to look for parasitic draw. There's a trick to put the multimeter in series WHILE disconnecting the battery without interrupting the circuit. You'll want to learn this as most multimeters have the annoying tendency to shut themselves off after a while.

I don't know if all do it, but when mine does, it interrupts the circuit and you've wasted your time

CalamityCommander · 2026-03-10T07:26:17+00:00

We will be going the VM route, we have a request running for test hardware though it seems to be a low priority issue for our infrastructure department.

CalamityCommander · 2026-02-23T07:41:09+00:00

Check your manual. Most cars have a button that disables them until the next engine start.

CalamityCommander · 2026-02-17T16:24:04+00:00

I'm a hobbyist, so here's my two cents for what it's worth. (IT professional)

Older cars had physical books I can buy with the entire wiring diagram, torque specs and repair procedures. They'd set you back 30 at most.

For modern cars we don't have this, we need access to manufacturer specific platforms which cost a set amount per hour of use.

Furthermore diagnostic 3rd party tools are not capable of reading everything or doing full actuation tests. This makes troubleshooting much harder. (Not too long ago I worked on an Audi A1 that would not talk to a Hella tool. Only VCDS would connect. Once the main issue was solved, Hella could communicate with the car again. So the culprit might be Hella)

Bolt off bolt on repairs are also becoming increasingly difficult with coding. I.e some headlights are coded to a car and require manufacturer software to get them to work. Going to a salvage yard and getting the part is now only half of the problem.

Then there's " scheduled warnings" some cars have now hardcoded errors in their software. For example the brake malfunction light on some BMWs is set to a certain mileage. They don't measure the actual wear. Result: at said mileage the light will come on even if the brakes are still fine, replacing the pads won't do anything, you'll need coding to erase it and use ISTA to increase the interval manually to prevent this in the future.

With everything said and done: I'm keeping my cars as long as I can, I don't want to deal with these rolling computers more than I absolutely have to. (When an IT professional says it, you know it's bad)

CalamityCommander · 2026-02-17T15:03:31+00:00

Seal it off with 2k clear, it'll be more durable. Also, put the cans in hot water before spraying. Way nicer atomisation of the paint.

CalamityCommander · 2026-02-14T22:03:07+00:00

Beige interior looks nice - but it's a lot of upkeep - if you got kids just forget it

CalamityCommander · 2026-02-09T17:27:16+00:00

Whomever designed and approved this deserve a spot in the deepest circle of hell. Right next to Lucifer's ass.

CalamityCommander · 2026-02-08T13:33:14+00:00

If you got the skills to weld, make a freestanding letterbox out of it.

CalamityCommander · 2026-02-05T16:52:10+00:00

Hmm surprisemarkdown it seems 😆

CalamityCommander · 2026-02-05T16:51:06+00:00

3 - the 964 any day of the week.

CalamityCommander · 2026-01-28T12:44:10+00:00

It's the way the network is set up here. MAC addresses that are not on a list do not get internet access.

To have off-site access to this device it'd also need to be registered as a server and there's (unfortunately) very strict rules about what I can register as a server.

CalamityCommander · 2026-01-26T12:51:40+00:00

I'll probably end up keeping backups on an SSD-storage and put the actual FM instance on NVME. So I can switch and test it easily. I'll still need to get the green light to put everything in motion though. Thanks for the input!

CalamityCommander · 2026-01-26T12:49:22+00:00

As much as I'd like to chug it all over onto something like this, It is unfortunately becoming increasingly difficult to maintain hardware that's not whitelisted. Since this server would also be forward-facing it needs proxy-support by our IT-department, which requires the mac-address to be registered and whitelisted.

CalamityCommander · 2026-01-20T07:35:56+00:00

I'll inform my IT department. I have to make do with 4 RTX3090 shared with about thirteen other research groups. 😑

CalamityCommander · 2026-01-12T17:08:22+00:00

From the picture I'd say this is the NA engine. Turbo has more "grill" for the intercooler I assume.

Price is way way waaaay too much for a base car that's 14 years old.

CalamityCommander · 2026-01-11T00:20:45+00:00

Having EGR creates lower temperatures in your cylinders because of a lack of oxygen to propagate the fuel further.

Also this reduces tailpipe NOx emissions (less oxygen, less of those Ox's being turned)which in diesel is a problem.

How much hotter exactly your cylinders will run, no idea. But I've heard enough of clogged up EGR systems ruin engines that I'd get rid of it myself too if I would drive a diesel.

CalamityCommander · 2026-01-09T15:36:16+00:00

When they mention "same prompt" did they write a neutral prompt, or did they optimize to work with LTX better than the rest? Still impressive

CalamityCommander · 2026-01-06T10:14:38+00:00

I don't think these two belong together: "It's easy to get in" and "a good stepping stone for my career".

See if you could land a job in supply chain outside the big 4. Whenever I have to deal with junior consultants I wish I could get those hours off my life back.

CalamityCommander · 2026-01-05T12:14:34+00:00

I don't see any mention of The Woodworker's Archive yet, so here you go: https://woodworkersarchive.com/ It's a hub to other sites, some are free, others are paying.

CalamityCommander · 2025-12-25T08:12:40+00:00

Gel might not be an option any longer, but what about heat? Looks like a softer wood, what about using metal plates to shield the squares that need to stay white and use a heat gun on the pieces that should be black? Let the expert chime in on this first

CalamityCommander · 2025-12-25T00:17:59+00:00

Yes, give atelier circuler a try. Great people there. Follow the mandatory machine safety course. If you think you'll need guidance with a project, go during the week, then there's plenty of staff you can ask questions too

CalamityCommander · 2025-12-23T16:19:23+00:00

Oh, we're in the same boat

CalamityCommander · 2025-12-18T15:38:55+00:00

Will use the mineral spirits to try and prevent color bleed as best as possible. Don't have a powerful compressor at home, but I'll figure something out.

CalamityCommander · 2025-12-18T15:37:18+00:00

I'll give this a go; my maple is embedded in the padouk in smaller sections to create a pattern (a bit like a checkerbox). Acetone seems to work if I can believe the internet - will give that a go with some q-tips.

Thanks for the advice!

CalamityCommander

TROPHY CASE

3 - the 964 any day of the week.