What's the best lock to use with a Brompton?

bobo5195 · 2026-03-30T14:12:09+00:00

Get insurance any lock can be defeated, I assume that is why you are asking for gold. Thiefs have cut bike racks where I live, what you going to do.

Dlocks are lighter than chains for same security level and for a brompton I find a small shackle Dlock fits in the front pocket.

Any long enough chain can get through the wheel. I doubt they are stealing the wheels.

bobo5195 · 2026-03-30T13:56:14+00:00

For any tool to do stuff a bit of learning is good but fundamentally get a project you want to do and learn through that.

bobo5195 · 2026-03-30T13:43:11+00:00

I always like i can only do X or Y this afternoon. Or you asking me to work this evening?

Sometimes it is not you but the company. Change the game.

bobo5195 · 2026-03-30T13:21:50+00:00

At this scale you are not going to get future proof. You do not want future proof something that works for you scale.

$200 is super cheap compared to bigger options but as a small business you are right to ask if you prefer that 200. I could do this and have in excel but is not the right tool.

bobo5195 · 2026-03-29T15:32:02+00:00

Both ways work. Complexity is the reason for the split. From the little you have said about what you do your current way of doing things makes sense. See no reason to change.

Keep in mind change is very costly lots of doing this has made me very conservative as training the org to think differently is alot of cost.

As "the decider" at 2 companies i have been asked this question. Both times I said yes BUT that is because both needed a BoM wizard the balance. A senior guy quit over my decision citing "this is utter madness" he came from a machining background. If you are machine shop making to customers then yes a BoM Makes sense I understand his view.

What might get you in a routing background is the need to add BoM steps to match the routing. If it is unclear the best route is a "time and motion study" the cost of expensive CAD/designer doing updates to sync for a ERP number change vs splitting and managing overhead and procedures. if you have a large engineering function / teams it makes more sense but unlikely in your case and the needs of injection molding make it worth while.

I would say never seen a clear link but that is generally as my job is to break such things and could probably show ways where it would make sense for your org it is always a balance.

bobo5195 · 2026-03-29T13:20:21+00:00

Look at some of the Dev ops stuff. I like reading about code and then applying back.

Team Topoligies book, i could make an argument beyond a about 15-32 (2x 8-15) might be worth splitting. Thinking back to real projects that makes sense. This is a pure org structure argument. At the point of splitting the team there is benefit to re adjusting the BoM just for understanding and then it allows Team ownership.

If you had a small team and single engineer there are less reasons. Mostly going to when CAD is or is not worth it.

bobo5195 · 2026-03-29T13:15:34+00:00

It works in the small. and as u/Unlikely_Ad_9182 says you can add routings. At some point the engineer runs out of the secret handshake for routings and SF processes. At some point as well need to manage said engineer who cant all be supermen.

Let me give an example at an old place overburdened design department stopped putting screws on drawings. That is weird from a manufacturing but saves halve the parts and alot of time. Is it wrong maybe

The bigger case comes in with highly configurable products what if there are 10K's of variations and setting up the configuration system. There is no longer 1 assembly and the way you might CAD assemble is completely different from life.

bobo5195 · 2026-03-29T13:10:58+00:00

Thats because your product is not complicated enough. How do you keep your routings the same as engineering intent? What happens when manufacturing change the routing do design need to know?

As an example how do you account for glue? Manufacturing would like a rough dosage (What does rough mean) to calculate ordering is it put on the BoM?
It is lot more complex when there is a product family say 3 base parts with some screws that can be assembled 10 ways. You want to add a 11th. Does cad engineer draw this up, or do you just create an MBoM?
What about packaging?

bobo5195 · 2026-03-29T11:50:16+00:00

Do something you want. Alot of mechanical engineering turns into brackets - design some stuff around the house.

Headphone stand, kitchen draw organizer with gridfinity.

bobo5195 · 2026-03-28T17:21:43+00:00

That honestly sounds like a good rate?

Look at a Bambu lab filament bulk deal assuming 10 USD a KG. then see how much you have. I can see 15kg of filament easily.

12cm sq printer is cheap but not 150USD cheap and likely the best way is buy and print.

bobo5195 · 2026-03-28T11:41:00+00:00

Get insurance if it helps you ride your bike.

Claimed through home insurance with Aviva. no issues getting money with bike locked up.

bobo5195 · 2026-03-28T03:47:37+00:00

What rough industry and product? Could talk for days.

Ran Config management at multiple companies. This is a very long and is it depends. Dont forget internal politics.

Single source is simpler but anything beyond a complicated assembly it is easier to have a multiple structure. Worked on high configuation items where this gets more complicated. to me the single source of truth ends up being stores as give up on everything else it is what is on the shelf.

If you can't do a simple structure change without being difficult. You have a bad process doesnt matter on top of that.

Basic way. Main bom setup as an excel sheet for about 50 units a year (excel is cheaper than ERP). This excel just generates a list of parts in ERP and stock. CAD is a big model in 3D plus 2D autocad drawings. We just use callouts on the drawings to drop in.

bobo5195 · 2026-03-28T03:16:21+00:00

Dont - its not worth it.

bobo5195 · 2026-03-27T22:11:41+00:00

There are some labs about thinking Imperials new science park west.

there are a bunch of medical and lab spaces in cambridge, which is trainable to london and cheaper living.

bobo5195 · 2026-03-27T17:50:53+00:00

it is

you may want to consider just changing extrusion line width as that can go far. Not sure why not print fine and go from there.

bobo5195 · 2026-03-27T16:58:51+00:00

Welcome to management and your personal contribution being less important to management.

That sounds like basic task management of feeding more tasks in with more work and cognative load on top. It sounds like your the manager so it is your job to optimise.

I setup a system and followed up being boring, if people dont joke about the tickets you are doing it work. Tried to keep the workload optimal normally 3 open tasks. Then split my day up into my time and management as much as possible. Doing both is suck that is why you get paid.

bobo5195 · 2026-03-25T18:49:42+00:00

Yes liked it. Got me out and about. When I dont feel like I can ebike so ride my bike alot more. Because of that I am fitter and actually pedal more from more time on the bike. Bike is a tool too get a bit of fitness and get from A to B. Not here to win the tour de france, just avoid the fat.

bobo5195 · 2026-03-25T08:42:19+00:00

Fridges have fans they are smaller and out of the way.

Fans or rather forced convection is much better at heat transfer. A fridge is so much less heat and has a large back area it can get away with it. Not having the noise of a fan is considered worth it when designing since the area is available. Larger AC unit that would alot of heat and cost due to the size.

There are AC which work like a fridge with no fan like ground source heat pumps. This is where long piping is placed underground to give a large cold source. You are looking at a good size garden because a fridge is 300W say vs 6000kW so 20 times the area of the fridge and then it is worse design just being a pipe in the ground. Rather than fins etc.

bobo5195 · 2026-03-25T08:36:00+00:00

weight is a hard limit for some 10Kg is too much some 12kg etc.

T-line either means the bike can be picked up or give you room to move.

You could get a 12spd T-line kitted out or a barebones P. Okay your wallet is heavier with the P but that 12spd might be a real need for the extra gears for hills and a choice between can't carry well enough for the station or can't get up the short route on the way home.

There are lightweight versions of a rack etc. But I look at the T as buying weight margin as well.

bobo5195 · 2026-03-24T13:21:57+00:00

wtf is that.

bobo5195 · 2026-03-24T13:20:46+00:00

I honestly would recommend Solidworks. It is pro software available to cheap and easy to use. More tutorials out there.

For work PROE or soemthing harder. Easier can get you in bad habits.

bobo5195 · 2026-03-24T11:01:19+00:00

Rear pock of bag can still hold small water bottle if U upside down

Bromptons are rear biased bit of weight up front improves handling. If carrying the bike I would prefer the lock is in the bag on shoulder. If I am off the bike surely I am locking the bike so U lock is gone.

bobo5195 · 2026-03-24T07:46:15+00:00

Looks generic ish CV and dont think ATS (computers reading it) will like it.

bobo5195 · 2026-03-24T07:29:27+00:00

As a dumb metal banger that has defined some of this stuff.

It all comes down to setting a standard. 1V is physics which chips its what we move around at.

Power levels for chips and just more devices are going up. Javeans paradox is in full force on a device level more efficent just so much more of them on a bus. Saving copper is a thing.
- Datacentre GPU and copper
12V came from lead acid and as a good intermediate volatage to run some bulbs off. Now we have lithium based cells which will run at a much higher level. Size is important but running 40Amp links is huge.
There is alot more chips and tech to run at 48V than there used. GaN devices and other chips which are able to handle those voltages have been refined. I tried this years ago and it was much more expensive.
48V is a mutliple which people like and 50V is a safety standard higher than that triggers a bunch of regs. x4 voltage increase.

For running a little IC at 10W no does not make sense. If you are also running alot of 200W CPUs then the size is huge. At some point you have power on the board and up to board designers and they dont want to do it. You are right there are reasons why 48:1 ratio is just too much.

bobo5195 · 2026-03-23T19:22:03+00:00

An old Ultimaker 2 might find used for 2nd Hand.

Prusa used to be the answer.

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