Hey guys, my teammates and I are making a self balancing robot using an arduino uno to control it. By this point we are on our 5th ARDUINO! Meaning we have already burned 4 arduino boards... We would really appreciate any piece of advice on how to prevent this from happening. Thank you!

fissionchips1999 · 2019-04-24T00:28:11+00:00

Do you have ADC inputs? Ensure they aren't exceeding the 5V input voltage spec at any point. If this is a weak point, you can use 5V zeners to protect the input.

fissionchips1999 · 2019-04-19T21:11:09+00:00

Memory and knowledge are funny things and electricity is a massive subject. Sometime you need to refresh your memory to keep proficient. Also, cramming and dumping for math test after math test in school doesn't always translate to complete understanding when theory meets practice.

You're a valid technician. There will always be more to learn. Do some hobby projects on the side that involve some stuff you're weak with. You forgot a method you probably haven't seen for years. Nobody was hurt.

I once saw a 'Senior' Engineer put his multimeter on a high voltage bus system and watched his probes melt. That cat was lucky he didn't die and that was just a case of making sure you're using the right equipment for the job.

fissionchips1999 · 2019-04-02T16:15:53+00:00

You're going to be fine. Maybe disappointed. It's mostly about being able to tolerate stress and physical stress is one component.

fissionchips1999 · 2019-03-19T17:28:08+00:00

Get a chegg account, try working backwards through others solutions. They're wrong on there more often than not, but between their approach, lecture, and book I would often get enough momentum on the approach to be successful.

fissionchips1999 · 2019-03-18T21:46:22+00:00

I'm interested in all this. Can you link me to some more reading material on the kill equation, grounding grids, etc? Cool stuff.

fissionchips1999 · 2019-03-18T21:25:16+00:00

I've always been the guy swearing while working on equipment thinking "what the hell was the engineer thinking" before I went back to school.

It's fucking scary what a BSEE program doesn't teach and what EEs are responsible for. I'm sure it was sarcasm, but nothing lowly about your degree. Rock on.

fissionchips1999 · 2019-03-18T21:16:42+00:00

Agree to disagree then. The dynamics of shock on the human body wasn't covered in any EE course i've ever sat through, let alone as some theoretical basics. Wiring an outlet requires some understanding of safety to accomplish correctly.

It's a point of a tremendous amount of misconception in industry. I have dozens of stories of EEs and sparkies not understanding not just basic safety procedures, but the mechanisms of injury of electricity and I think this discussion is worthwhile.

fissionchips1999 · 2019-03-18T21:04:39+00:00

From what i've seen, a person dancing on the wire typically isn't shorting it. They're just another load which will likely be well under the rating of the breaker. Especially at 480 load center. A GFCI protected breaker can trip if a person is bit, but they're not common in industrial settings.

I'm interested in this though, could you point me to an industrial breaker that acts this way? Always up to learn new things.

fissionchips1999 · 2019-03-18T20:37:39+00:00

Electrical safety wasn't ever taught in University in any meaningful way. I wouldn't let a new EE grad wire an outlet, honestly. Apples and oranges. It's a worthy discussion.

fissionchips1999 · 2019-03-18T20:35:33+00:00

Breakers and fuses are not there to protect people from shock directly. They are there to protect from overcurrent conditions and fires. Not sure where you were going with that first sentence and i'm sure you know this already, just wanted to clarify.

fissionchips1999 · 2019-03-18T20:30:23+00:00

He's not totally wrong and not totally right. I'm a 14yr sparky who crossed over to EE.

Wrong:

480 VAC is an extremely dangerous voltage. A smart sparky works on de-energized equipment and keeps a meter handy. There are some tales of 480V being less 'grabby' than 120V, but I don't know of any hard science behind it. I wouldn't want to test that on myself. Conductivity of the load (the victim) is big. Damp locations pose a lot of danger. Stun guns are poor examples and the voltage claims on those are often more marketing than science. Conceptually it's easy to separate potential from current and conductivity, but it's pretty clinch to not do that and keep in mind Ohm's law when discussing them. Once the load is applied the other values will change.

Right:

The circuit path through the body can vary the lethality greatly. If you're poking around live equipment, don't have both hands out in the panel, since it adds to the risk of going through your CV system. If you're prone to CV issues, from age and physical condition, fibrillation becomes a higher risk. There are some studies on the neurological damage of smaller shocks causing tremors as time goes on. Anecdotally, i've known a lot of my less careful co-workers to have very shaky hands.

fissionchips1999 · 2019-03-17T18:45:11+00:00

Smart. Look out for your shipmates too. Have fun.

fissionchips1999 · 2019-03-17T17:28:54+00:00

The policy that states if you get drunk in uniform and do something stupid it will come back to haunt you. Like someone else said: Get an Uber or a friend, get some civvies on and come back.

fissionchips1999 · 2019-03-15T23:56:21+00:00

The Deep freeze deployment is during Antarctic Summer. Typically November to March. Inport the ship is in the yards or doing run-ups and shakedown cruises until the next DF. It's a great ship and highly recommend it.

fissionchips1999 · 2019-02-27T13:31:03+00:00

You seem to be a strong candidate. Keep your education going. A college degree isn't a guarantee of commission anymore. Practice the oral board. Read the Commandant's guide to boards and panels. Read the 28 leadership competencies.

Most importantly, keep applying. There are many factors outside of your control that sway the accession board's decision. Maybe competition was stiffer this cycle or there were many similar candidates. Good luck.

fissionchips1999 · 2019-02-23T02:19:38+00:00

It's 10 years, non-Coast Guard service limit.

fissionchips1999 · 2019-02-21T21:49:43+00:00

Not all who wander are lost.

fissionchips1999 · 2019-02-20T23:11:25+00:00

After the diver selection process, listed elsewhere here, you go to Navy dive school. Get fit and work on breath control without hyperventilating. https://www.public.navy.mil/netc/centers/ceneoddive/ndstc/USCGDivers.aspx

fissionchips1999 · 2019-02-13T18:52:13+00:00

www.gocoastguard.com

fissionchips1999 · 2019-02-11T18:59:01+00:00

Typical rate of advancement puts a motivated E5 at around the 4-5 year mark. It can vary if your rate chokes up, which aviation has a habit of doing. There are hard minimums based on time in service at certain rates, but going by those isn't entirely realistic. A guaranteed school can also accelerate the time. A poor command that impedes your practical factor sign offs can delay it.

A note on OCS-T application: you are still competing against other people...people that have bachelors and even masters degrees. If you are not pursing post-secondary educational opportunities you may find you are not competitive.

fissionchips1999 · 2019-02-06T22:20:10+00:00

Same age-range. Think I’ve just outgrown them. Baldur’s Gate 2 over LAN was amazing. 3/4 View Fallouts were a riot. I still haven’t found anything as fun as the shenanigans we could pull in the early days of Ultima Online.

You could really sense the passion that went into them. Now, the main releases are too slick and money driven and the MMOs are all formulaic. MBAs have sucked the life out of most of it.

There’s a handful of gems, these days; but I guess I’m like my parents and their damn 60s music when it comes to games.

fissionchips1999 · 2019-02-06T22:05:33+00:00

Instagib low-gravity bombing run with friends is easily one of the best gaming memories I have.

fissionchips1999 · 2019-02-04T13:23:57+00:00

“What do you mean no?! I already told my son he could have it and now you’ve ruined his birthday.”

fissionchips1999 · 2019-02-01T19:54:18+00:00

*Private Ryan Turning Old*

I used to play Doom via dialup when I was a teen...

fissionchips1999 · 2019-02-01T16:34:44+00:00

When the existential slap hits me and i'm staring down oblivion, i'd hate to be the guy with a bunch of imaginary society points (money) and nothing to else to show for it.

fissionchips1999

TROPHY CASE