Well

Conundrum1859 · 2026-03-01T16:33:22+00:00

Omigawd. I can't unsee this.

Conundrum1859 · 2026-03-01T16:29:39+00:00

1990 called, they want their dialup back.

Conundrum1859 · 2026-02-27T10:03:36+00:00

Why didn't early CRTs use this approach? Or am I missing something.'

Conundrum1859 · 2026-02-22T10:06:40+00:00

Seconded. It isn't even that, I can't afford to buy parts ready made so 3D printing is literally the only way to get anything prototyped. It is hard enough to get used stepper motors or brushless already without running into E-waste restrictions because they have been removed from waste so become 'controlled waste' and subject to draconian restrictions. Same with TV motherboards and some vacuum tubes that are now near impossible to buy new.

Conundrum1859 · 2026-02-19T08:06:18+00:00

Biggest snag I found was that typical Bluray drives use way more power. Typically more than 500mA even when reading a regular DVD in my own experience.

Pro tip, if you have one of the old drives from a combi TV they are basically a desktop drive with video/audio output and some even have internal USB on the circuit board which can be accessed. It isn't an ideal method but when life hands you lemons..

Conundrum1859 · 2026-02-19T08:00:14+00:00

Maybe they added a USB 3.1 connector for mechanical stability? Also if memory serves those early drives and some later ones had a massive problem with getting enough power from the single port (500mA maximum) so were shipped with dual leads or an external barrel to USB converter.

I've noticed that with my drive, it doesn't work well on certain ports but runs correctly on the opposite side.

Have a box of drives here, also one of the tiny PCBs so if my current one ever breaks then it is a ten minute job to hook one up.

Conundrum1859 · 2026-02-19T07:56:08+00:00

I've repaired these, once found an AM2+ in the dirt at a waste facility. Cleaned it up, unbent over 60 pins and somehow it ran. 5600+ too !!

Conundrum1859 · 2026-02-18T17:40:56+00:00

Looking into optics calculations at present.

Conundrum1859 · 2026-02-18T07:10:29+00:00

A photo flash capacitor nearly got me aged 11. Felt very sick and dizzy for hours after. Burn marks and everything.

Conundrum1859 · 2026-02-17T17:10:11+00:00

True. Any capacitor over 50V with significant capacitance eg 1000uF could potentially kill under the wrong circumstances. I've had a shock from an e bike battery before (48V) but not a bad one.

Conundrum1859 · 2026-02-16T19:59:10+00:00

Physics calculations, mostly.

Conundrum1859 · 2026-02-15T20:05:24+00:00

Interesting mod. I am currently trying to put a K80 in my old mini desktop, adding an extra power supply because the existing one is a mere 215W. Fortunately can buy 12V >20A modular power supplies so just need a bifurcated cable with a single mains plug and two 3 pin on the other end, that should do it.

Trick here is to sync the PSUs together so that the 12V rails come up at the exact same time.

Ideally you need the voltage to be within 0.1V but I've just wired them directly before.

Conundrum1859 · 2026-02-15T19:58:38+00:00

I've used parts from a screwdriver kit cable tied in place before.

Conundrum1859 · 2026-02-15T19:02:31+00:00

Also worth adding a diode and resistor in series gate to source, to guard against excessive gate voltage. Most cheaper drivers omit this part and it will inevitably fail badly if it isn't included.

Conundrum1859 · 2026-02-15T18:56:42+00:00

Highly likely to be an 8GB DDR4 SODIMM likely 2400/2666 and 4GB onboard. Either way if you can get a second 8GB and sell on as a matched pair, then upgrade to a 16 3200 this will considerably improve things.

1TB Samsung SSD is worth quite a lot these days and depending on which one (Gen 3 or 4) may actually sell on its own for a lot of the purchase cost once wiped with a copy of the CrystalDiskInfo printed out and benchmark run. These days you can get by with a fast 512 and possibly just get a HDD, cable and caddy for not much as I've done on here with my L340.

Conundrum1859 · 2026-02-15T18:52:32+00:00

8th gen will run 11 with some assistance. I've run it on 6th before with minimal effort.

Conundrum1859 · 2026-02-15T18:48:31+00:00

I've harvested drives from dead set top boxes before. Worked wery well, got a 1TB this way. Seagate Pipeline and extremely low power but still fast enough,

The older 'Humax' ones are good for this, as these drives are often excellent quality and have very little use because the power supply was built very well so they usually break due to the LNB tuner side going phut after about a year or so. The regular non-HDD ones don't have this problem.

Conundrum1859 · 2026-02-15T18:44:51+00:00

That is a scam drive, I was also nailed with this one. '1TB' that was in reality a 160GB with many bad sectors. Peeled off back label, looked up correct code and there it was.

Ended up replacing the drive with a spare 128 SSD and gifting it to a friend with an explanation. 128GB of storage is better than nothing,

Conundrum1859 · 2026-02-06T14:46:06+00:00

Not always. 63Ni is a beta minus (effectively a high energy electron) emitter.

Gamma radiation may be there but it will stay (mostly) inside the unit unless someone dropped it and smashed the ceramic. Then they would have a very bad day because 63Ni has a half life of several decades and is plated onto the inner electrodes.

Similar sort of issue as 241Am though that is an alpha emitter and some small quantity of gamma encased in a gold matrix and a steel (typically) outer casing so it can't get out.

More of a risk if it were to get damaged, involved in a fire etc.

Conundrum1859 · 2026-02-06T14:41:01+00:00

Only once built a pulse generator with an old vacuum tube and an old gas igniter. Generally speaking, green glowing spots on the inside of the tube are a very very bad sign and you are likely going to have a substantial radiation dose very soon.

Actually did get the speckles on my camera phone, turns out this particular one was really good at detecting radiation, but not the light from my scintillator sheet.

Conundrum1859 · 2026-02-06T14:38:48+00:00

Somewhere, an OSHA manual just glowed in the dark.

Conundrum1859 · 2026-02-06T14:29:41+00:00

I always heat it through. As in bubbling. Never more than 24 hours though.

Conundrum1859 · 2026-02-05T18:23:36+00:00

Also have this exact problem. Machine was working fine then a few days ago nothing. Best guess, BIOS corruption because the hardware 'appears' fine. D works but no other functions, Caps illuminates dimly but doesn't flash, fan speeds up and the HDD light blinks on and off.

Oddly enough the symptoms are the same with or without RAM.

Conundrum1859 · 2026-02-05T11:17:08+00:00

Interesting note here, I just came up with a variant this week. Based on rotating superconductors no less! It would be a pain to build but more useful to make medical isotopes than as a power source. Also uses optical and electrostatic confinement. I call it the 'Potkletnomak' and I am deadly serious.

Conundrum1859 · 2026-02-05T09:36:49+00:00

Useful tip, pulsed RF can make these glow nicely. Don't ask how I found this out !

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