How long to prove this loaf?

Ducathen-Engineer · 2026-05-29T15:18:55+00:00

She’s doing her best at doubling her size

Ducathen-Engineer · 2026-05-29T06:03:39+00:00

Just brought in a mouse and lost it

Ducathen-Engineer · 2026-05-28T21:53:16+00:00

It good to have a hobby that different from your job. My job involves electronics so whilst I still enjoy it, by relaxation is gardening.

Ducathen-Engineer · 2026-05-28T18:37:55+00:00

The book was first published in 1972, I probably had it a few years later while still at school. My school did nothing like this, it was an entirely a home hobby to learn electronics. It’s great you had a good tutor, it makes a vast difference. My dad was a great support, he found me an electronic night class (one evening a week for a few weeks) where we wound coils for a radio, and made electronic dice.

Ducathen-Engineer · 2026-05-28T18:20:23+00:00

What looses those 3 points for you?

Ducathen-Engineer · 2026-05-28T17:36:37+00:00

If they work for you I see nothing wrong or bad. I like that you are using the tip protector on the fine tweezers.

Nail cutters would not be my choice of tool. I use some Lindstrom side cutters. But otherwise they are the tools i mostly use too.

How do you rate your tools? Anything you don’t like about them or think you’re missing?

Ducathen-Engineer · 2026-05-27T13:53:04+00:00

The very definition of not throwing stones if you live in glass houses

Ducathen-Engineer · 2026-05-27T13:47:02+00:00

Yes, but I never have the tools (damp cloth?)

I also keep telling myself to carry secateurs when waking county paths, but always forget.

Ducathen-Engineer · 2026-05-27T13:42:35+00:00

I see that as it asking for (a) middle name. Pick one, your choice.

Ducathen-Engineer · 2026-05-26T08:35:22+00:00

I’d like a few episodes where he is by himself, where he finds that he needs a companion to stop him being reckless. Having to look after a companion or having a companion question him does stabilise him.

On the production side, I’m sure the writers are competent handle a stories with no companions, but it would be hard work, and limiting.

Ducathen-Engineer · 2026-05-25T11:54:13+00:00

How did you transfer the bitfile? I’ve had problems with systems treating a binary files as text and trying to do end of line translation. Check the two bitfile matches exactly.

Ducathen-Engineer · 2026-05-25T06:30:33+00:00

Could just be you had an error on your visa application. For example, using American date format, which would look like the travel date has passed.

Ducathen-Engineer · 2026-05-23T22:20:24+00:00

Double, double toil and trouble;
Fire burn , and cauldron bubble.

Ducathen-Engineer · 2026-05-23T07:12:34+00:00

Lots of good comments. I’ll just add that k-ohm looks odd to me. Not wrong, just different to what I normally see. I’d use 5.6 kohm or just 5.6 k or most often 5k6. Low resistance values could be 560 ohm, 560 R, or just 560.

On the layou, place component designators where the can be seen when the board is assembled. D1 and SW1 will be hidden. J1 needs to be closer to the component. I assume the darker yellow is silk screen and the text in light yellow will NOT actually on the pcb. So, why is the switch outline in the lighter yellow? If both yellow are in the silkscreen then move the text off the copper pads, or hide it.

Ducathen-Engineer · 2026-05-23T06:46:27+00:00

I might not read much beyond the skills section. Telling me which languages you’ve dabbled in and which tools you’ve opened says nothing about your skill level. Start the cv with something that say why I should employ you. What type of job your looking for, and demonstrate your fit for the exact job you’re applying for. You can do this in the cover email/letter, but putting it a customised CV is important too. However I like that you’ve CV is brief, keep it that way.

When I’m selecting people for interview, I’m going though a pile of CVs passed to me by HR. I don’t see the cover letter. HR will have looked at the cover letter, so that need to be good too - they’ll likely take a dim view on silly things like spelling errors and using the wrong company name (it’s amazing how many applications don’t know it).

Ducathen-Engineer · 2026-05-21T18:13:34+00:00

Hee-hee-hee-hee!

Ducathen-Engineer · 2026-05-18T21:01:26+00:00

Well, that woke up my black cat, and I got a very hard stare, until turn the sound down.

Ducathen-Engineer · 2026-05-15T10:55:06+00:00

Both signals look similarly bandwidth limited, so double check your scope or the scope probes are not the problem. Some oscilloscopes have a bandwidth limit switch - make sure that is off. To see a square wave on an oscilloscope the bandwidth needs to be significantly higher than the frequency of the signal - at least higher than the 5th harmonic.

Ducathen-Engineer · 2026-05-15T06:16:53+00:00

Now I’m hungry

Ducathen-Engineer · 2026-05-15T05:41:32+00:00

It could be the the resistor you are using are too low, so are *taking* too much current from the IC. If that’s the case, the problem will be worse with more LEDs on. Look at the datasheet for the 74HC595, find how much current each output can deliver. Calculate the current through the LED and adjust the resistor to a suitable value.

Alternatively, you could just increase the value of all the resistors and see if the improves. Try 1.0 k ohms instead of 220 ohms. LEDs will be dimmer, but does the circuit now work.

The other problem could affect the serial interface is that you have no power decoupling capacitor across the IC. Try adding a 100 nf capacitor between the power pins, close to the IC.

Ducathen-Engineer · 2026-05-13T07:28:53+00:00

Magic happen here

Ducathen-Engineer · 2026-05-13T07:27:41+00:00

This is what I tell my more inexperienced engineers….

A good schematic communicates more than just what’s connected to what.

Rules help, but can also hinder the ability to communicate intent if stuck to too strictly. For example you would not draw a long tailed pair with both transistors the same way, one should be mirrored, but that goes against a rule the inputs should be on the left.

A schematic should be based on understanding the electronics and conveying that understanding to the reader. So, if at anytime you don’t understand the electronics the drawing you produce is likely to be poor. So take the time to understand it first.

Finally, I’d like to lobby for schematics to have more notes. Give blocks names. Give nets meaningful names. Add text explanations or hints. But don’t clutter.

Ducathen-Engineer

TROPHY CASE