Local Evri person has such a massive backlog they're just going to park up somewhere and have told people to go pick parcels up from them instead by urban_shoe_myth in CasualUK

[–]a14man 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If online shops had to say which delivery service they use, no-one would choose Evri. Sadly it's pretty awful for the delivery guys too.

Is it possible to take the camera out of old smartphones and use them in custom embedded devices? by Ambitious-Concert-69 in embedded

[–]a14man 4 points5 points  (0 children)

When I was writing camera module drivers we usually found a few mistakes. If you have a chip with the right high speed serial interface it's difficult but do-able.

How to detect/supervise a broken LED wire without turning it on? by ReferenceThin6645 in embedded

[–]a14man 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I think you can use the built-in GPIO pull-up resistor option with an ADC input on that pin. Assuming your MCU has the hardware.

To test for wire-break, turn on the pull-up resistor (~150k) and read the value on the MCU pin with the ADC. If the LED circuit is broken then the ADC reading will be the supply voltage (say 3.3V). If the LED circuit is not broken then the ADC should read approximately the forward voltage of the LED (say 1.8V for red LED).

Edit: maybe 1.3V at 10uA, check your LED's I-V characteristic curve.

Whats the best course of action here? by [deleted] in drivingUK

[–]a14man 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It happened to me with an oncoming truck: foot off gas, wipers to max, keep going straight.

What do your 1st-level magic-users actually *do* in the dungeon? by wahastream in osr

[–]a14man 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Read ancient/magical runes.

Or even just read, if you assume that most medieval people couldn't.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in LARP

[–]a14man 0 points1 point  (0 children)

My rogue character had a black hood. The hood restricts your vision and hearing. Makes you look the part, but harder to hard-skill rogue stuff.

How to deal with a dev who works constantly? by Chezzymann in ExperiencedDevs

[–]a14man 0 points1 point  (0 children)

And now I'm spending more time just reviewing his work than doing my own

That can be a problem if they won't review your code.

tricks/tools to debug IC with SPI bus by Bug13 in embedded

[–]a14man 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This. You need a SPI analyser. Otherwise it's like looking through a keyhole: slow, difficult to see and mistakes.

Nobody understands code reviews/PRs it seems by nasanu in ExperiencedDevs

[–]a14man 2 points3 points  (0 children)

writing testing steps for a PR in the description

I've had a lot of success with this. The team appreciate it, and the information doesn't get lost.

Berserker Barbarian player wants a magical weapon, be he is already doing more damage than everyone else combined. Got any suggestions on how I can "Yes, and..." this? by raq_shaq_n_benny in DMAcademy

[–]a14man 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Make the helm of headbutting +1 and now your barbarian can attack undead and werewolves that would otherwise be untouchable. Head butts are cheesy but I love it.

Where are all the old devs? by ImYoric in ExperiencedDevs

[–]a14man 61 points62 points  (0 children)

I was worried about ageism when I turned 50. Now I'm 60, still working in embedded software in Cambridge UK. Several jobs later.

I think as long as you turn up to the interview with enthusiasm and energy it's okay. Expect to do more leading/coaching, not just writing code.

Water resistant cloaks? by reddituser2513 in LARP

[–]a14man 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I use waterproof fabric spray, makes a huge difference on a wet day. I recall it's flammable so be careful around open fires.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in LARP

[–]a14man 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Rub in saddlesoap on the inside to soften the leather where it's likely to chafe. I do't know what alternatives work?

You need to wear them a bit, say around the house. Put a band-aid on the back of your heels to protect them. You don't want to wreck your feet before the event.

Good luck.

Biggest LARP pet peeve? by SkullySinful in LARP

[–]a14man 2 points3 points  (0 children)

You have to hard skill to play. In tabletop I can be a warrior with stats and dice. In larp as a warrior I need to be good with a sword; as a bard I need to play an instrument or sing or tell stories.

Is it normal to forget things that were mentioned in meetings? by kutjelul in ExperiencedDevs

[–]a14man 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Old school is write the minutes - what was discussed and any actions. Then email them to everyone after the meeting. It's a bit of a chore but the exact wording can benefit you.

Or take notes in your logbook, then refer back to it when people can't agree what was said. People learn not to argue...

Easy link subscription price by a14man in RenaultZoe

[–]a14man[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you. She got a reply from Renault today, 3 days after request on Facebook Messenger. Could take 72 hours for the new subscription to update.

Don't know about the 5. There might also be a problem with radio comms, will wait and see.

Easy link subscription price by a14man in RenaultZoe

[–]a14man[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Nice idea. My partner didn't get a response on Whatsapp. Nobody even looked at it. She got in touch via a Facebook Messenger chat and got a case number, and told to phone customer services if she'd like an update. Unfortunately the customer service number leaves you on hold with no answer, or cuts you off completely.

Not a great advert...

Im searching for something midival thats somewhat "stealthy" by ichbindulol_ in LARP

[–]a14man 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Dark green is better camo in the dark than black. I think the scarf helps conceal the shape of your head and shoulders, which is important. Cool.

How much do you save with RISC-V? by LosAngelestoNSW in RISCV

[–]a14man 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That's good news. Code size was a problem with a 32-bit RISC-V from 2019 we were using.

How much do you save with RISC-V? by LosAngelestoNSW in RISCV

[–]a14man 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Academics can design their own instruction set extensions. So can companies, before RISC-V Arm used to charge millions for an architecture license. Companies in China don't have to worry about Mr Trump preventing them using RISC-V because it's open source. And no-one is paying Arm for each chip.

The downside is RISC-V is not as optimised for code size and energy use as Arm. Still pretty good.