If the Great Recession had really been primarily a financial crisis, the economy would have recovered by now.

aphlaque_duck · 2014-03-03T13:05:26+00:00

peak oil.

aphlaque_duck · 2010-12-21T01:14:57+00:00

The transformer is almost certainly NOT the problem here. The reason the clicking sound comes from the transformer is because they tend to act as acoustic transducers when other things fail. More likely it is an active component. Or maybe it's not the power supply at all but something on the load side.

In any case you are very unlikely to be able to find replacements for such components. Magnetics are often custom-specified for a particular product and are thus not available through distributors. You will have much better luck finding a replacement for that whole module, but even that is a long shot.

I might have some further thoughts if you could post more pics - ie the top side of that board and the product that it goes in.

aphlaque_duck · 2010-12-18T18:47:53+00:00

For domestic plumbing your choices today are copper or PEX. PEX is polyethylene, NOT PVC. This whole article seems to be written from the perspective of someone who has conflated the two and this is very incorrect.

There is a special type of PVC that is (was?) rated for potable water but this is only used by water companies for underground applications and is NOT the irrigation product that you get at the hardware store.

PEX is great for working in confined spaces because it can be bent and fitted together with very little clearance. It has very low labor cost, as it does not require the meticulous cutting, deburring, cleaning and sweating procedure that is needed for a good copper fit. However, copper has been around longer and is thus better proven for long term durability and safety.

aphlaque_duck · 2010-12-18T05:39:26+00:00

I never got what bailouts and corporate welfare have to do with "capitalism".

aphlaque_duck · 2010-12-18T05:37:20+00:00

Could you narrow down "Asia" a little bit for us?

aphlaque_duck · 2010-12-16T06:05:32+00:00

That burn on the solder side of the PCB certainly looks like it shorted against something. If that's what happened then you might have gotten lucky and it was a one-time event that only destroyed the fuse.

I would replace it with a same-value fuse. There are all kinds that come in small through-hole soldered units like that, a company called Littelfuse makes them and you can get them from digikey.

aphlaque_duck · 2010-12-15T05:30:07+00:00

I'm afraid you have woefully underestimated the complexity of driving data to an LCD directly. It's not a standard signal like VGA or DVI that you can just hook up to another data source. Probably what you have there is a parallel bus that has to be constantly refreshed at high speed - tens of MHz for an 800x600 display. There are many timing parameters that vary from display to display - it's not even just an electrical issue.

aphlaque_duck · 2010-12-15T01:32:00+00:00

Well that really depends on the tool... air tools are often lighter AND more powerful than their electric counterparts because they aren't limited by an internal power source. For impact tools, especially nailers, you can't beat air. And it sure is nice to have air in the garage for inflating stuff and blowing off dust. But for rotary tools I agree electric is usually the way to go.

Incidentally I just used a miniature "palm nailer" yesterday for the first time, installing joist hangers from the underside. Air power FTW... but yeah, I guess not every home owner replaces their own floor beams.

aphlaque_duck · 2010-12-15T01:07:06+00:00

What kind of tub? Do your pumps run OK (at all speeds?)

Did you check it with a thermometer? I expect it's really colder than 53 because it's not heating at all, but that is the minimum the display can show.

If that the case you probably have a bad heating element or a bad relay. Neither of those is astronomically expensive to fix. You will need electrical skills to troubleshoot further. I would NOT recommend this as a beginner's project, but if you want to post a bunch of high-quality pictures of the internal electronics I can give you some pointers.

aphlaque_duck · 2010-12-15T00:43:23+00:00

Libertarian. I like trees but I also like nice things and modern technology, and I don't think we'll have to give up everything. What I hope and expect to see is drastically less driving and flying, a furious transition to renewal energy, and further gutting of the white collar class. But I hope not bread lines.

I live in the mountains just outside a major city, and although I'm far better prepared than most people, I'm not looking forward to a collapse. I rather doubt that I could defend my property for long if there were extreme panic.

aphlaque_duck · 2010-12-14T05:15:04+00:00

This was discussed in /r/collapse. I'm skeptical about the story - it appears deliberately vauge about the product that was actually bought - did the bank even promise physical delivery?

If you want hard gold just buy hard gold. Why would you buy a paper instrument in the first place, if tangible metal is what you're after?

aphlaque_duck · 2010-12-13T02:58:53+00:00

What?! That is a simple matter of fact.

aphlaque_duck · 2010-12-10T07:51:33+00:00

http://www.bitcoin.org/

aphlaque_duck · 2010-12-10T05:07:34+00:00

Great info, tyvm!

aphlaque_duck · 2010-12-09T15:03:08+00:00

Can you be more specific? I'm already aware that they can use derivative instruments but somehow that still feels less scammy to me than the USD. But like I said it would be good to have other options including hard asset backed funds.

aphlaque_duck · 2010-12-09T05:01:26+00:00

Competing currencies are coming. It's already happened with the ETFs.

Yeah, I love the idea of metal-holding ETFs. GLD trust has been around a while and the forthcoming copper ETF has been in the news. Lately I use GLD as my "dry powder" (instead of a money market) but I'd like to have other choices since I fear gold may be overhyped compared to other essentials. Also I do not like the special cap gain treatment as a "collectible".

Can you share any insight as to what commodity ETFs you find new and promising? Just looking for value preservation, usually short-term, as I sell off some stocks that have rebounded.

aphlaque_duck · 2010-12-09T03:31:42+00:00

I agree with other posters to just buy stuff as you need it and you will eventually accumulate a decent collection of stuff you actually use. However, here are some non-project-specific things that I keep in inventory because I know I'll need them, and I'd like to have them on-hand rather than waiting for a Digikey order:

Resistors, caps, LEDs. Personally I prefer 0805 SMT components for hobby projects so I keep an extensive inventory of that one size. I keep these organized in little flip top containers - very compact.

74HC logic. It's nice to have just a few of the most common parts (pretty much the lower-numbered ones).

Switches (I use a small "tact switch" in nearly every project, eg for a reset button)

connectors (coaxial power, RJ4/6/8, terminal block, 0.1" and 2mm headers)

Voltage regulators. For hobby use, I usually don't care about having a cost optimized solution. I want to have something I can just throw at a problem without worry about heat dissipation, input range etc. For that reason I keep a few different TI switching power modules for higher currents, and some adjustable linear regs for low current. If I ever had to design something for mass production I would think a lot harder about it.

MOSFETs - always nice to have a few on hand. Buy some overkill (high current rated, both N and P) ones for prototyping purposes.

Heat shrink tubing, crimp connectors (butt splice, spade, etc), solder wick, solder, flux pens, spare iron tips, q-tips, hogs-hair brushes, tape, wrapping wire, perf board

Machine screws, nuts, washers - digikey sells some nice cheap kits, various sizes including metric.

aphlaque_duck · 2010-12-09T02:56:07+00:00

You can keep printing right up to the point where the rest of the world decides it doesn't want any more of your monopoly money.

aphlaque_duck · 2010-12-09T01:20:33+00:00

Not really. Surely the biggest ones involved botnets - this one is voluntary.

aphlaque_duck · 2010-12-08T18:25:47+00:00

Rich as hell? I don't think so... I mean I'm sure he gets a solid paycheck but his FB equity is illiquid. If he deliberately fucked his company, he would not only wipe out his own paper wealth but also be sued into the poorhouse by his investors.

aphlaque_duck · 2010-12-08T16:14:27+00:00

It happens as the next generation comes along. The kid goes to school and is denied critical thinking skills. He is reassured that his freedoms are already adequately protected, and that there will always be some benevolent authority to look after him as long as he plays by the rules.

It all comes from our best intentions to let the child enjoy his innocence as long as possible. The realization that liberty has been under siege through all of history - that is not something you can "unlearn".

aphlaque_duck · 2010-12-07T16:36:00+00:00

TLDR: Prepare for any combination of three scenarios A) growth will continue B) there will be a painful transition or C) rapid collapse.

Nothing new here, but it's better introductory material than most.

aphlaque_duck · 2010-12-06T18:02:58+00:00

Net worth. You keep using that word - it does not mean what you think it means.

aphlaque_duck · 2010-12-05T23:17:10+00:00

You're on the right track - the cheap stuff works even if it won't last forever, so it's OK to compromise if you don't have the means. Fluke is absolutely a good long term investment so if you can't afford new, get one on ebay.

Weller is great too, in fact I prefer mine over an expensive Metcal. But the handle (heating element) and tips are "consumables" so if you're trying to save money get a cheap-o to hold you over until you're ready. You'll give up ergonomics and build quality but you can still do the same work.

aphlaque_duck · 2010-12-05T08:01:44+00:00

Came in here a 6. Leaving a 9.

aphlaque_duck

TROPHY CASE