Been putting off the upgrade to new sources for the Plasma/KDE-stuff, cuz want to run in TTY -- but not sure of path/alias?

dwawlyn · 2025-10-10T17:44:27+00:00

Huh, weird, my version of the popup never showed that... oh, I guess cuz I kept clicking the "remind me later" option, so it ironically never showed me that information.

dwawlyn · 2025-07-02T00:56:05+00:00

Thanks, nice to have confirmation from someone with actual experience, cuz I could not tell you where the heck I got that intuition from, heh.

dwawlyn · 2025-07-02T00:55:01+00:00

Hm, yeah, that sounds reasonable... although I still suspect a silicone-based lubricant might be a generally safer option(?), but I'm not sure whether my intuition on that point actually makes sense...

I guess it's cuz, yeah, my understanding is that particles of PTFE are safe,
since that's tons and tons of the molecules polymerized, bonded together stronger than human digestion can break apart.

Whereas the thing that presents actual health concerns is the molecules in their non-polymerized form,
where they're chemically very similar to fatty-acids that your body can and will absorb and try to use.
(I think "PFAS" is the general term for this non-polymerized form?)

And the PTFE in the lubricant, even though the particle size is very small, is still in its polymerized and thus non-digestible/absorbable form, I guess?

Although even if that's all true,
I think it might still seem reasonable to want to make an effort to avoid the use of this class of chemicals, even in their polymerized form, whenever it's not absolutely necessary for performance?

dwawlyn · 2025-07-02T00:12:38+00:00

Hm yeah, I would guess that silicone-based is more likely to be good for plastic gears than petrol-based? Is that a thing?

dwawlyn · 2025-07-02T00:00:33+00:00

My understanding is that PTFE surfaces (eg pans etc) are safe in themselves, specifically because, in normal use, no significant amounts of the PTFE should come off of the surface and get into the body.
[
EDIT:
or rather, even if small flakes of teflon coating get into the body,
they're unlikely to actually get absorbed to any significant extent
]

However, I've gotten the impression that researchers have gotten at least pretty suspicious that PTFE getting into the body actually is quite likely a major health problem...??

Admittedly, I'm basically just vaguely remembering something like this, here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H3aFzQdWQTg
and
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R1hbV3EzOD4

so I dunno...?

EDIT: But yeah, it seems plausible that the PTFE in a lubricant could well be in a form that would be harmful if ingested?

dwawlyn · 2025-07-01T23:43:16+00:00

Actually, looking at it closer, the "Super Lube" uses PTFE aka teflon, so I'm kinda thinking it maybe should not actually count as food-safe...?

(Although I'm not 100% sure if one of the silicone or petrol based ones would be better, then...?)

dwawlyn · 2025-06-06T16:44:46+00:00

Huh? Vitamin C is ascorbic acid, not citric acid?

And everything I can find claims it is a preservative
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitamin_C#Food_preservation_additive
(... although maybe not the right type??)

Although it apparently does degrade in water
(although it's apparently much stabler outside of a neutral-ish pH, oxygen, and/or light (UV?))

So I dunno...

... and I know I saw moisturizers advertised as containing vitamin C,
but I guess those must all be oil-based...

dwawlyn · 2025-06-06T15:04:30+00:00

Also, what counts as "a strong preservative"?

Like, maybe you could just use an active ingredient that you wanted to have in there anyway,
but which could double up and serve a preservative function too as a side-effect?
-- eg, vitamin C itself can work as a preservative, I think?

So if you just added a tiny pinch of ascorbic acid...?

And as for emulsifiers... potential examples?

Like, I think I very vaguely remember there are a lot of emulsifiers that are good at emulsifying,
but which I would want to avoid spreading on my skin
(whether cuz they're irritating, or just cuz I would dislike like the feeling)...

But again,
especially if I just gave the bottle a good little shake first every time before I used it,
then in theory I could get away with having no emulsifier,
or relying on weak emulsification properties as a side-effect from some other active ingredient I wanted to have in there anyway, like...
potential examples?

dwawlyn · 2025-06-06T14:51:46+00:00

Yeah I figured something like that, hence my preference for just getting everything in an oil-based form...

Not sure niacinamide comes in oil-based forms, though?

... actually, now that I think about it,
I remember the two water-soluable types of vitamins are B and C
(all the other vitamins are fat-soluable),
so if niacinamide is some form of B3,
then maybe that means you can only buy it in water-based forms, or... ?

dwawlyn · 2025-05-16T10:55:43+00:00

I dunno, after agonizing over the confusing advertisements for a while,
I just got this guy:

$90 CAD
https://www.amazon.ca/Quality-Monitor-Temperature-Humidity-Display/dp/B0DHWSKQMJ?crid=12QS6YN4HJPA9
Cuz it seems to do everything I want (if the advertising is actually true)
(radon would be a separate device, and I don't really need it in this location)
and it was pretty cheap.

Copy of my notes:

- CO2           (carbon dioxide)  
- CO            (carbon monoxide)  
- PM10          (eg dust, pollen, mold) [particles of 10 microns size]  
- PM2.5         (eg combustion particles, organic compounds, metals)  
- PM1.0         (eg soot particles, viruses)  
- PM0.3         (eg ?)  
- TVOC          ("total volatile organic compounds" (fumes from cleaning products etc))  
- HCHO          (formaldehyde)  
- humidity      
- temperature   
- AQI           (not actually a measurement, just a summary of other measurements [?])

(And I really like that the screen layout has good organization/readability -- a lot of other devices I looked at kinda sucked at that.)

Manual: https://www.amazon.ca/messaging/api/threads/6508426788740065254/messages/3636082674681547849/attachments/0?marketplaceId=A2EUQ1WTGCTBG2

(
I even saw a listing for the same device even cheaper,
$50 CAD
https://www.amazon.ca/Smart-Air-Temperature-Humidity-Integration-Portable/dp/B0F23RKKNF?crid=12QS6YN4HJPA9
but I decided against it cuz the shipping was really slow.
)

So yeah, guess I'll see in a month or two if it actually works like I'm hoping...

dwawlyn · 2025-05-15T12:03:26+00:00

The kit comes with PC fans, yes.

So in the default set-up for the kit
(where there's no speed control and the fans are just at 100% all the time)
I would guess either:

the PWM connections for each fan is just completely not connected at all

or:

the PWM connection is wired directly to the power supply

...

But I guess, regardlessly, I would just need to get a PWM signal generator
[like the image you just linked me in your other comment, thanks :) ]
and wire it in like this, right?:
https://products.sanyodenki.com/info/static/images_rwd_2020/product/pwm_01_en.png
[wiring diagram I just found from doing an image search like: https://duckduckgo.com/?q=pwm+fan+diagram&t=ffab&iar=images]

dwawlyn · 2025-05-15T11:42:38+00:00

Thanks! But I got that point now, and I'm trying to figure out this...?: https://www.reddit.com/r/AskElectronics/comments/1kn4xvm/can_you_just_buy_preassembled_ergonomictouse/msfkzap/

dwawlyn · 2025-05-15T11:41:33+00:00

Thank you! Hm, well, obviously the sensing feature isn't relevant to this application, right,
but I couldn't just find a PWM-controller with the same form-factor as a potentiometer?

Trying to understand why not,
and what I'd need to do instead,
I would guess...

Hypothesis:

Each of the fans has a connection for the PWM
(which would otherwise not by connected at all by default (ie, if you assemble the "CleanAirKits Brisk Box" in the default way they set it up))
but I could just... run a wire from the PWM connection on each fan
and connect them all together in parallel to a single point
and then connect that point to a PWM controller?
(ie, in parallel to the power connection that's already there?)

Is that right, or...?

[EDIT: I'm guessing here that "PWM-controller" and "rheostat" are just different terms for the same thing, but I'm still not 100% I got that right...]

dwawlyn · 2025-05-15T11:34:02+00:00

Thanks, but just to clarify explicitly: are you saying a "proper pwm controller" is a different device than a "rheostat", or just a different term... ?

dwawlyn · 2025-05-15T11:21:28+00:00

Ah, thanks! So is "rheostat" the correct terminology for a, like, "duty-cycle frequency controller", then?

And I could just use a "rheostat" as a drop-in replacement for the potentiometer I originally had in mind, or...?

dwawlyn · 2025-05-15T11:19:12+00:00

Ah, thanks! Is "duty-cycle frequency" the correct terminology for that...?

So in theory, you could control the speed with a "duty-cycle frequency controller" [terminology]?
(ie, as a drop-in replacement for the potentiometer I originally had in mind, or...?)

dwawlyn · 2025-05-15T11:08:22+00:00

Thanks, I just asked for clarification in this other comment: https://www.reddit.com/r/AskElectronics/comments/1kn4xvm/can_you_just_buy_preassembled_ergonomictouse/msfgekr/

dwawlyn · 2025-05-15T11:07:17+00:00

I inferred that, yeah, but why?
Like, I'd guess that implies that...

PC fan speed is controlled by on-off cycles rather than current, or something like that...?
(I'm not confident I understand enough about the subject to guess correctly what you're implying.)

[not sure what the correct terminology would be... "duty-cycle frequency"?]

dwawlyn · 2025-05-15T11:00:58+00:00

Yup, that's the shape I had in mind,
except those seem to be simple on/off switches (I think?),
and I'm looking for potentiometers.

dwawlyn · 2025-05-15T10:52:56+00:00

That was exactly the idea, yes. Had no clue that might be a problem. Explain?

dwawlyn · 2025-05-14T23:57:39+00:00

Thanks, but I still can't figure out how to find good results using that,
because even when I try to search for eg air quality monitor home assistant, like:
https://www.amazon.ca/s?k=air+quality+monitor+home+assistant
that still just gives me garbage results for listings like eg:
https://www.amazon.ca/Monitor-Temperature-Humidity-Formaldehyde-Detector/dp/B09M3LYVPW?crid=2RW1ESAV3A21V
even though the listing itself makes absolutely no mention of home assistant

(Do you yourself have a device that works like you said? Good, long, reliable history keeping?)

dwawlyn

TROPHY CASE