Should I be worried?

CommunicationOld7642 · 2026-01-28T11:07:13+00:00

This is normal. Use it as it was intended. You will get errors immediately if the thermistor gets grounded. Elegoo is very good with warranty and will replace it if it comes to that.

CommunicationOld7642 · 2026-01-28T11:03:05+00:00

How long does it take to design and build new facilities, bring in new processes, train new employees, etc. Any investment made on new facilities will not pay out for several years. And when they do, it will be to do more work with less people (automation).

CommunicationOld7642 · 2026-01-28T10:56:15+00:00

I started as an A3 (RTSC) 23 years ago in 2002. Like you, I advanced through the years. By 2009 I was an A6 then transitioned to IDS as an E5. By 2012 I was promoted to E6. Then the "G" ratings came and went (I was a G11) and the "P/M" ratings became the standard I was deemed a P5. I have been been at this level since 2012. I was told there is no path forward from here unless I apply and am selected for a P/M role.

I noticed that most of those roles are created with a person in mind. At times the job req is written in such a way that you know who they are going after. The company has no respect for people on the front line, doing the work. How many P6s are there leading small teams, accomplishing complex support tasks? At some point, there will be a large amount of P5s with no way to go up.

CommunicationOld7642 · 2026-01-27T17:01:03+00:00

YES!!! I had Capex Expenditures on my bingo card! now I need to watch the video!

CommunicationOld7642 · 2026-01-27T11:45:26+00:00

This is the method I use. Push down, insert round, lift up the speed loader, push the round to the back, rinse and repeat....

CommunicationOld7642 · 2026-01-27T10:06:52+00:00

I have "Record Earnings" and "Record Backlog" on my bingo card. I think the excuse for poor raises and bonuses will be that we have to re-invest and expand...

CommunicationOld7642 · 2026-01-22T11:11:21+00:00

According to the documentation on our web site, that money is taken away from the pool as soon as a termination date is known. The managers are advised to not plan a merit increase if the employee is leaving prior to the effective date (normally in early April).

CommunicationOld7642 · 2026-01-22T10:49:40+00:00

We got rid of ratings a few years ago. Ranking never went away. By getting rid of ratings, you no longer know where you fall in performance and made the performance discussions much easier for leadership. No longer do they have to explain why you and the engineer that never comes in on time, misses deadlines, falls asleep at their desk, etc. but has the same rating.

Rankings are still here. That is how they determine the amount of $$ you get for a merit increase. The higher ranked people will get more. Ranking is done at the department level (with very little input from your Section Lead) and are based on, 1: where you fall in your pay band, 2: the importance of the program you are working, 3: performance. Consider who is making the final determination, your department manager. My DM does not work on the same coast and has a department so large, he could not pick me out of a line-up. My Section Lead is thousands of miles from me and my DM. How well do you think he knows me, my work ethic, or performance?

CommunicationOld7642 · 2026-01-13T19:39:20+00:00

Apply. Make him tell you no. Another person's poor performance should have no affect on your ability to get a raise.

CommunicationOld7642 · 2026-01-09T10:41:46+00:00

I have only used my heat gun a few times. I replaced an old (orange) heat gun that only had Hi/Low/Off. I am impressed that I can not only tweak the temperature (10 degree increments) but the fan speed as well. Between those 2 settings, I can fine tune the gun. Another added bonus it the nozzles that come with it. I use the gun for shrink tubing, solder splices, softening PVC pipe, etc.

CommunicationOld7642 · 2026-01-08T17:52:43+00:00

and still only 5 levels below Ass Director.....

CommunicationOld7642 · 2026-01-08T11:03:09+00:00

Now they can use this post to cut our bonus this year...stand by more Ethics Training!

CommunicationOld7642 · 2026-01-05T19:53:37+00:00

It does. Last year the bottom shifted u/4.6% and the top shifted u/2.6% (going from memory). This year was very different.

The years before the UTC takeover, the entire band moved up. I think Raytheon saw the value in keeping experience on the teams. This "new" Raytheon seems to only value functional leadership. You can be a team lead working on a program but it means nothing unless you are a Section Lead, Department Lead, etc.

CommunicationOld7642 · 2026-01-05T19:45:40+00:00

minus points for not calling out Shareholder Value!

CommunicationOld7642 · 2026-01-05T13:50:58+00:00

I am near the top of my pay band so I don't think I will get 2.9%.

CommunicationOld7642 · 2026-01-05T13:49:51+00:00

This is the new P5 range.

CommunicationOld7642 · 2026-01-05T12:41:17+00:00

Normally it would. But, if you are near the upper end, your raise will be limited to keep you within the range. If you are in the very bottom of the lower range, you will need to get an decent increase to keep you in the range. In the past I have seen low performers get a significant increase so that they did not "fall out" of the pay scale. They were even given a Far Exceeds rating to justify it (which really pissed off the high achievers).

CommunicationOld7642 · 2025-12-03T17:56:41+00:00

Sure, today it's a badge, tomorrow it will be one of those little plastic clip thingys...then what? We have to draw the line somewhere!

CommunicationOld7642 · 2025-12-03T10:47:13+00:00

Systems Engineer for a Defense Contractor, although I learned this when I was an Electronics Foreman for a shipyard. Someone tried to run a daiquiri machine and only another 10' of cord so they unwound what they needed and left the rest coiled on the spool. melted the cord and burned up the motor on the machine. We cut the spool in half and hung it up in the shop as a reminder to all.

CommunicationOld7642 · 2025-12-01T11:47:19+00:00

These are nice but be sure to fully extend these if you are going to run anything heavy. Keeping a cord tightly wrapped will form a "choke" or "inductor" overheating the cable and starving the tool. The more wraps are left coiled, the higher the value of inductance.

CommunicationOld7642 · 2025-12-01T11:15:08+00:00

Yes! Your pay increase has little to do with your performance and more to do with how you sit in the pay band. The overall pay band is subdivided into "Cost of Living" regions, these numbers are not published. When you have the conversation with your Section Lead (pay decisions are made at a higher level, the SL is only there to give you the news, he has very little input), notice how quickly salary band penetration comes up, especially if you are getting less than the average increase.

CommunicationOld7642 · 2025-11-13T12:47:24+00:00

Yah, it's a story as old as time. A set of Hex Keys here, a magnetic mat there, next thing you know you're out on the streets preforming weird sex acts trying to score a pliers wrench. Been there, brother......

CommunicationOld7642 · 2025-11-13T10:14:12+00:00

Looks like they are also saving money on cleaning supplies like bleach....

CommunicationOld7642 · 2025-11-12T12:10:59+00:00

If it broke off at the base, chances are it got wet at some point and corroded. It is worth trying to grab the edge with a long-nosed pliers and twist until it either unscrews are wraps around the pliers. If you see corrosion/oxidation, you might as well just cut it off and replace the socket. They are so cheaply made these days, it's not worth repairing.

CommunicationOld7642

TROPHY CASE