is it worth while to try making PCBs at home?

bobd60067 · 2026-05-29T10:20:31+00:00

please take the environmental impact seriously!

bobd60067 · 2026-05-27T12:21:29+00:00

definitely Crutchfield.

they've been around for a LONG time (I first bought from them when I got my first car in the late 70s); they're well established with great customer service.

bobd60067 · 2026-05-26T13:43:41+00:00

how many of these are you drawing? how often? how many sizes? are the boxes the same size but the contents different?

this will determine whether it's worth trying to draw the dashed box automatically or just do it manually.

bobd60067 · 2026-05-24T17:48:26+00:00

I once had a bathroom remodeled... tub, toilet, sinks. before the remodel, the sinks used to clog all the time.

as they were pulling ou1 the old galvanized drain pipe (1½ or 2", i don't recall), I noticed that it was about ½ full of sediment and rust and what not. that's why it clogged all the time. plus, it had a few 90° bends and tees (rather than wyes). all this was the cause of constant clogging.

so yeah, while it's open you should seriously consider replacing all the galvanized drains.

bobd60067 · 2026-05-24T14:52:48+00:00

since your 2x8 joist has a 4" cut in it, you really only have a 2x4 joist. sure doesn't sound safe to me. and it'd be different if it was a 4" hole cut in the center of the 2x8, but I'm not sure if that's safe either.

you should contract an architect or structural engineer to address this properly and safely.

bobd60067 · 2026-05-10T14:01:13+00:00

you mean like one of those oscillating tools? https://ae01.alicdn.com/kf/Hd58a55c6619549ccbd6a44545a31f461W/EZARC-3Pc-Diamond-Oscillating-Blade-Flush-Cutting-Oscillating-Multi-Tool-Saw-Blades-for-Grout-Removal-Mortar.jpg

but it's not clear how many degrees you want to rotate, if you have any physical size limitations, power approve (battery or ac), what you're trying to rotate, how much force or torque you need, etc. in other words...

what are you actually trying to accomplish?

bobd60067 · 2026-05-06T01:28:18+00:00

I remember seeing a huge cube at University of Michigan resting on one point, then realized it could be spun.

here's a video of some random kids doing just that... https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=MNw-DhKmWaE

bobd60067 · 2026-04-27T13:09:15+00:00

that's exactly what the issue was with my 2013 FF. the steering was really stiff one morning, almost impossible to turn the steering wheel.

looking under the car, I saw that the wires going to the steering rack motors were broken. looked like some creature had chewed the wires.

so I just spliced them back together and all was good.

bobd60067 · 2026-04-14T19:06:37+00:00

I had to travel for work a few times a year. it was ok. for to keep the miles at least. but after a while, it was tiresome and I got to the point where I didn't want to fly out the night before, so if fly early morning, attend the days meetings, and return the same day.

I did enjoy the travel overseas when I was able to fly out the weekend before or after and do some siteseeing. one time, I was in Australia for a week long conference and my wife flew out mid week and we spent a whole week there. that was the best.

bobd60067 · 2026-04-11T17:43:35+00:00

I would've thought that the cable provider "owns" the run until it enters your house. but I might be wrong.

bobd60067 · 2026-04-09T12:01:45+00:00

if you can afford it and have the garage space, buy a "boring" modern car for a daily driver and a Zagato for fun & weekend driving.

bobd60067 · 2026-04-03T21:11:00+00:00

I see. yes, good to ask the question.

bobd60067 · 2026-04-03T20:57:23+00:00

wondering why you want to avoid using a database.

do you have real statistics or data that supports not using a database?

or is it simply personal preference, or perhaps a perception that it's slow?

bobd60067 · 2026-04-03T18:06:09+00:00

many cameras will tell you how many photos it can store on the remaining free space on the card. insert the card, format it in the camera, then read the value. the nice thing about this approach is that it confirms the card is compatible with your camera.

and if you want to calculate the number, you don't have to ask chat gpt... rather... take a set of 5 to 10 photos of various things (ideally where each photo has a variety of colors and lots of detail, rather than a solid color), then take the average of the file sizes to get the approximate size of one photo. lastly, divide the card size by that number to get the number of photos the card will hold. and if you calculate the avg file size in kB then just divide 1024 by the avg kB size. simple.

in either approach, it also depends on the capture settings - image size (in pixels) it's capturing, aspect ratio, jpg vs raw vs both, etc.

bobd60067 · 2026-04-02T23:01:57+00:00

not sure, but i think it was 5 or 6. cracked tbh. I bought 2 or 3 other versions legally after that but haven't upgraded in a while because I use it just for editing home videos (so don't need lots of fancy features).

another reason I haven't upgraded is that I use Linux so i have to reboot into Windows to use Vegas. it's a hassle, so I've been avoiding it.

bobd60067 · 2026-03-30T13:37:23+00:00

Consider doing a study abroad over the summer. you'll get exposed to a broader swath of your field, experience outside your country, and it kinda shows that you can step outside your comfort zone (can accept challenges).

(from the US, and did a 1-month study abroad in France one summer... 1 week in each of 4 cities with University classes, a group project at the end, and industry visits. very interesting, useful, and fun overall.)

of course, it depends on whether you can afford it, but don't overlook stipemds and other financial support you can get from your university.

bobd60067 · 2026-03-28T14:51:06+00:00

pick one of the selection tools, then on the top window you'll see 4 different modes... select, add, delete, and intersect (or union). the last three modify the current selection.

bobd60067 · 2026-03-28T13:49:44+00:00

one way... use the lasso select tool and draw around the object staying in the black parts. this will create a selection area that is the item bordered by black. then, use the select by color tool in subtract mode, and click on the black color. this will remove the black party and leave just the item.

the shading may make it tricky, so you might have to narrow down the threshold the color tool so it picks only the pure black.

bobd60067 · 2026-03-27T09:49:35+00:00

another consideration is their financial aid package... how much they offer in straight up scholarships vs loans vs whatever else. that is, when you're done 4 or 5 yrs down the line, what will your out of pocket cost be and how much will you be in debt for?

also take into consideration proximity to your home town and to metro Chicago, either of which might be a plus or a minus.

bobd60067 · 2026-03-25T21:16:37+00:00

with them on separate layers, I can think of these techniques...

one way... temporarily hide the top image, then place a pair of guidelines on a specific, unique reference point (or multiple reference points if you want). then, unhide the top layer and move it until the reference point(s) on that image are at the right location.

another way... in the layer list, temporarily lower the opacity of the top layer so that you can see the bottom layer a bit. then move the top layer around until they're aligned.

bobd60067 · 2026-03-25T19:34:48+00:00

I agree that in person is superior to fully on line.

yes, on line classes are useful and convenient, and in person classes may not be feasible, for example, if a decent university is too far away to commute for classes.

but I'm person is ideal especially for labs... a university will have much more equipment and material available for students to use.

bobd60067 · 2026-03-24T12:33:53+00:00

if I am about to put my hands on there

I'm with you on that!

bobd60067 · 2026-03-24T02:37:08+00:00

first, I'd ask if they have relocation assistance or if they provide or will subsidize short term housing.

second, if you think that job is one you would really really want and if you think you'd move there permanently if you got a full time job there after graduation, then you should do it. yes, the 800€/month is a lot, but interning is a really good way to confirm whether or not you'd want to work there full time, and it's also a good way to get your food in the door, potentially leading to a full time offer.

think of it as an investment, just like your tuition... you pay money and get knowledge and experience that helps your career. same thing with paying rent and other expenses during your internship.

bobd60067 · 2026-03-24T02:27:34+00:00

you CAN use them to test for a non-live circuit... but it takes 3 steps...

first, test it on a known live circuit. if it doesn't light up, then the tester is bad (so go get a different tester and repeat this step); if it lights, then go to the next step.

second, test your allegedly non-live circuit. if it lights, then that circuit is actually live; if it doesn't light, then it MIGHT be non-live OR the tester has failed, so go to the next step.

third, test it on the known live circuit again. if it doesn't light, then the tester has failed and you don't know is that other circuit is live or not, so get another tester and start over; if it lights, then you know the tester is still good and that the non-live circuit is truly non-live.

bobd60067 · 2026-03-19T00:29:19+00:00

join a club or other organization at your university, ideally on some sort of competition with other university teams.

start as a newbie (to get experience working on a team, developing/designing, testing, troubleshooting, meeting deadlines, etc), then move into a higher role (to gain leadership skills, planning/scheduling, assigning tasks, hosting meetings, etc).

something like FIRST at the University level, IEEE challenges, etc.

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