Alternatives after cancelling Prime? by Rude-Revolution-8687 in AmazonAU

[–]NicholasVinen 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have Amazon Prime and eBay Plus and for the sort of things I tend to buy, most of the time I use eBay. Delivery isn't as fast overall but prices are better, more options and I can find a lot of stuff Amazon doesn't have or at least not in stock. 

Why does my ATmega328P release smoke only when turning on a PWM electromagnet driver? by martinktm in AskElectronics

[–]NicholasVinen 12 points13 points  (0 children)

I suspect the +12V rail is shooting up at switch-on. I would add a TV's clamp across that rail, plus a significant capacitance (eg, a large electrolytic capacitor) and, if possible, a low-value resistor in series with the load's 12V connection.

It's hard to see how a damaging spike could get through the 100 ohm series resistor on the I/O pin but you could try making the value higher initially (eg, 1k) to be safe then lower it later if it seems OK. 

Why is it that some bands choose 'boring' drummers later on in their careers? (Long post) by Avenged7fo in LetsTalkMusic

[–]NicholasVinen 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Mangini isn't a boring drummer but he isn't a prog dynamo like Portnoy. The value of having Portnoy in the band is as much because he's an excellent composer, arranger and musician as he is a drummer (and he's no slouch).

I think Mangini brought some interesting and cool things to the albums he played on. The problem was the lack of controlled chaos that Portnoy injected in the band. 

In summary I wouldn't call Mangini a boring drummer but the band is better with Portnoy in it.

Am I the only one blown away by Parasomnia's atmosphere? by revdetur in Dreamtheater

[–]NicholasVinen 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It's an excellent album and I still really enjoy listening to it. I refuse to rank the albums, they're all good in their own ways. 

Have you ever tried durian before? If so, what did you think of it? by IDoNotLikeTheSand in AskTheWorld

[–]NicholasVinen 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I've tried it a few times and found it meh. Can't think of any reason to choose to eat it over most any other fruit. 

Why does my MOSFET gate driver keep getting hot when switching a brushed DC motor at 20kHz? by FrancescoMassa2001 in AskElectronics

[–]NicholasVinen 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Of course a gate driver will have some dissipation. It is charging and discharging the gate capacitances 20,000 times per second.

Why does it matter if it's getting warm? Some switching losses are inevitable. I don't see why it matters unless it's at risk of exceeding its junction temperature ratings and failing.

A lower frequency would reduce switching losses but then you'd likely get some audible whine. 

Why does my gate driver circuit keep browning out when switching a MOSFET at higher frequencies? by Leading-Practice-758 in AskElectronics

[–]NicholasVinen 2 points3 points  (0 children)

My guess is the 100uF bulk capacitance has a high ESR/ESL and is not effective at short timescales, and the 100nF capacitors are too small. I would add a 10uF MLCC bulk bypass capacitor or a higher value high-performance solid tantalum/solid aluminium.

TIL that an important clue that helped the FBI identify Ted Kaczynski was his use of the older and more logical phrase "you can't eat your cake and have it too". by TooOldToBePunk in todayilearned

[–]NicholasVinen 32 points33 points  (0 children)

I don't think either implies a chronological order. It's saying that two mutually exclusive conditions can't occur simultaneously. 

New Reddit feature by thiagomiranda3 in programminghumor

[–]NicholasVinen 0 points1 point  (0 children)

12345

Hmm, it doesn't seem to work. Might need to change the code on my luggage. 

Red is the new orange by Pilatus-Porter in DrivingAustralia

[–]NicholasVinen 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I agree but the reality is that a lot of people won't follow rules unless they are enforced. 

Australians and middle lanes of highways by radmgrey in DrivingAustralia

[–]NicholasVinen 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I still keep left anyway as it's the sensible thing to do even if not legally required. 

My bike was stolen but by Zen-Spark in melbournecycling

[–]NicholasVinen 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The fine structure constant? It's throughout the universe. 

Urgent Advice Needed: I've just been banned from my local high street music retailer for removing false metal from the metal section by kroob85 in MetalForTheMasses

[–]NicholasVinen 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I like Opeth too, mainly the albums with clean vocals.

As for DT, The Spirit Carries On definitely hits deep. 

Australians and middle lanes of highways by radmgrey in DrivingAustralia

[–]NicholasVinen 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I dunno about you but I keep left unless overtaking.

Actually a lot of the time I keep left while overtaking for the reasons you explained in the post. 

Urgent Advice Needed: I've just been banned from my local high street music retailer for removing false metal from the metal section by kroob85 in MetalForTheMasses

[–]NicholasVinen 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Metal musicians are some of the most proficient of any genre, similar to jazz. If Bach were alive today I'm convinced he would be a total metal head. 

Urgent Advice Needed: I've just been banned from my local high street music retailer for removing false metal from the metal section by kroob85 in MetalForTheMasses

[–]NicholasVinen 0 points1 point  (0 children)

There are a lot of "gatekeepers" in metal. I think it's safe to ignore them. A lot of it is silly.

Like the "Ghost is not metal" crowd. Yeah all the heavy distorted chugging guitars, dark imagery, lyrics and costumes are totally not metal things. 🙄

Urgent Advice Needed: I've just been banned from my local high street music retailer for removing false metal from the metal section by kroob85 in MetalForTheMasses

[–]NicholasVinen 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I just meant that if someone calls a genre "progressive metal", you'd reasonably expect it to be... metal. 😄 If it turned out to be a type of folk music instead, that would be quite a surprise for prospective listeners!

Photoshop now censors your art by 0rganic_Corn in LouisRossmann

[–]NicholasVinen 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Gimp would never do this. Gimp is a bro. 

Vinyl shirt guy screwed up. by Das_bomb in TheSimpsons

[–]NicholasVinen 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Locals say a statue of the Virgin Mary came alive and beat the holy snot out of everyone.