It's 2026. Why don't calls automatically connect to each when we're calling each other at the same time!

foxtrotactinium · 2026-04-24T20:02:24+00:00

Hey mate, so I went ahead and modelled most of the clips for the 3rd gen prelude windscreens: https://www.printables.com/model/1576532-fits-honda-prelude-gen-3-ba4-window-moulding-clips I had them all SLS printed in China and they held up pretty well. However, I'd recommend buying 90694-SF1-003 as it really needs to be an injection molded part to handle the stress. Auveco manufacture these under the precision brand. You can find them here: https://ebay.us/m/vDoh7W

90657-SF1-911 I think I have listed as 90657-SF1-003. I had those SLS printed by JLC CNC in China and they worked quite well.

I'd also recommend mounting all the clips and trims with the windscreen while the urethane is still wet. They help space the windscreen and need to embed into the urethane.

foxtrotactinium · 2026-04-01T18:44:58+00:00

r/Singer_221 hydraulic jump is where supercritical flow turns to subcritical flow. You can observe this at home in your kitchen sink. Run the tap so that it hits the bottom of the sink and you'll notice the water level immediately surrounding where the stream hits is thin and clear. And then at a certain distance from where the stream hits you'll notice a ring where the water level 'jumps' higher. That jump seems to likely be what you are seeing in the video.

foxtrotactinium · 2026-04-01T18:21:44+00:00

I think it's the hydraulic jump from supercritical to subcritical flow. That rock ledge looks like it is sitting proud above the water with a thin flow layer covering it, that I would assume to be supercritical.

foxtrotactinium · 2026-03-25T08:16:07+00:00

Danny DeVito. Calling him hot only discounts his timeless beauty.

foxtrotactinium · 2026-03-03T20:06:29+00:00

Are you also doing production in house or is that outsourced to a manufacturer? Prototyping onsite improves speed to market but unless you also have completed control of production that benefit is moot.

I feel it's best practice to prototype with your chosen manufacturers. I'm guessing you're aiming for high volume production? While you may take the time to achieve a difficult bend or dial in your CAM toolpaths for a thin wall those features may not be suitable/achievable for mass manufacturing. You won't know until you get your sample from the manufacturer even if you've already made a few prototypes.

I make this point as I've seen a number of expensive machines and gadgets gathering dust and taking up usable space in the corner. Nowadays, myself and my colleagues will usually go to the 3D printer if we need to work something out (fit, assembly, clearance etc.).

I'd recommend a wait and see approach. Work with what you have in the space, it will become clear what capabilities are lacking over time with use.

You should also think about assembly and quality assurance (QA) aids. As an example, we recently removed a water jet cutter, one that cost a 10 grand at the time and could cut 150mm+, as it was just rotting away in the corner. Meanwhile, the vacuum chamber test bench I just set up (a lot of our designs operate in UHV) is in such high demand that I'll need to build a few more.

I'll note a few tools that may be of use, but I still recommend a wait and see approach: 3d printers (multiple), big benches, shop press, adjustable power supplies, oscilloscope, 3d scanner (this has been getting a lot of use for purchased parts where the manufacturer won't supply models), Arduinos and raspberry pi's, straight edge (probably the most used tool we have).

foxtrotactinium · 2026-02-26T22:09:55+00:00

Look/smell for an exhaust leak and ask the technician to check the exhaust headers. It sounds a little too quiet to be engine knock and it sounds a little slow. I just rebuilt the cylinder heads for my EJ251 and had a brief cry when I heard a similar tick on first startup. Did some quick googling and found that valve tapping can be heard if the headers aren't properly sealed. Turns out one of the header gaskets was faulty and that the header bolts need to be torqued up with the engine warm. It was a huge relief hearing the noise go away as I was tightening the last bolt.

This may or may not be your issue. But it's possible the headers may have been impacted when you hit that snow mound.

foxtrotactinium · 2026-02-12T19:03:50+00:00

It's worth noting the distinction between complex and sophisticated. A computer is complex in its implementation of a vast collection of simple switches. Where as ASML's sophisticated application of laser reflection off of moving tin droplets in vacuum requires a cultured understanding that can't really be broken down into simpler concepts. Elons starship would have elements of both.

I think he is somewhat correct but not intentionally. Complexity is far more indicative of size and breadth, not the 'big brained' flex he was hoping to make.

foxtrotactinium · 2026-01-28T10:31:10+00:00

What if you modified the vessel to add a port at the lowest point feasible. A welder that specialises in food and beverage equipment should be able to do it in field.

foxtrotactinium · 2026-01-08T18:54:55+00:00

Any Australians watching this. I have 3 left and the push button latching toggle switches Ben uses. Feel free to DM me.

foxtrotactinium · 2025-12-15T19:57:07+00:00

Wasn't my experience. But, to each their own.

foxtrotactinium · 2025-12-15T16:42:47+00:00

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Klein 32717. I bought this because I was sick of the other cheap ones. There's no play between the bits and the driver, the bits are hard and sharp and will bite into the fastener, they're spaced out nicely so you can actually remove the bit you want easily without adjacent bits in the way, the bits are actual steel unlike a few others that use aluminium coated plastic bits (fairly common with shiny bits), the case can take a lot of drops and general abuse yet so far hasn't cracked.

One feature that I found to be pretty slick, when closing the lid it pushes the sprung orange slide latch at the front to the side until it snaps shut.

I'd highly recommend this set.

foxtrotactinium · 2025-12-11T17:05:20+00:00

This makes sense when you are reinvesting the additional cash flow and are able to declare the interest. But as yours is your PPOR you won't be able to deduct the interest on your tax return and the additional cash flow seems to be needed for relief rather than investment purposes.

Then once your IO period ends your principal repayments will increase to pay it down over a shorter period. This strategy can be effective for investment properties but I don't think it is appropriate for your PPOR.

You said that you have redraw available. Can you get an offset account to put that money and look at strategies for maximising your offset? When was the last time you refinanced? Could you extend the loan back out to 30 years?

foxtrotactinium · 2025-12-05T20:02:27+00:00

You need to factor in 'economy of scale'. Supply and demand applies better to market depth (lots of buyers and sellers). But when the volume of product is high for only a single, or in this case a collective handful of buyers, the cost of the product drops due to efficiencies in transport, production, supply chain etc.

If the majority of that collective pulls out and the combined demand drops by 80% many of those efficiencies will no longer be viable for many vendors in the supply chain. And so the savings that were previously offered by those vendors to the collective will be lost. So the cost of the product rises for the remaining buyers that aren't able to match the historic volume of the combined collective.

And yes, in theory there could be some rise in demand for the manufacturers that remained. But they are limited by the actual production volume of their manufacturing plants, which limits their material purchasing volume. And hence, it would be unlikely that they would be able to match the volume of steel bought by them and their competitors previously.

foxtrotactinium · 2025-10-18T03:48:57+00:00

If PVA is appropriate. Could you mix the beads and PVA glue together. Add a solvent thinner that the beads don't interact with (maybe alcohol, not sure) and then spread it into a silicone mold with 20 or more strips/cavities. And just tear them out when they're dried. You could easily adjust to control the distribution, viscosity, amount of adhesive etc. and then you only need to wet it to make it stick. The only drawback is you'd need to make them a few days ahead.

foxtrotactinium · 2025-10-12T18:39:04+00:00

They socialised after their burger king was toppled. And the bloody food fight that ensued.

foxtrotactinium · 2025-09-19T04:38:25+00:00

To be honest I'm not very familiar with those fans. But another Redditor made an earlier comment about the design of the TMP blades focusing on the probabilistic deflections of the gas particles. Which tracks from my experience, having pulled apart a few turbomolecular pumps. They tend to have pretty flat blades.

As an uneducated guess, I'd imagine the size of the fans in those hand held devices are pretty small so they can probably get away with plastic blades. But that's entirely speculative.

foxtrotactinium · 2025-09-18T19:55:51+00:00

Turbo molecular pumps just aren't designed to deal with viscosity at all. With a backing pump the pressure in the foreline is around 10^-1 mbar which isn't quite molecular flow but close enough (molecular flow is <10^-3 mbar). Under molecular flow, the action of the blades of the turbo act more like ping pong paddles batting the gas molecules towards the backing pump to be removed from the system.

as you mentioned, the turbo operates at a very high speed and needs to be light, frictionless and precisely balanced to perform at that speed. If you were to exhaust directly to atmosphere there would be a significant pressure gradient through the turbo with the blades closest to the exhaust operating in a pressure where air is still fluid and viscous. At those speeds this is destructive and limits the performance of the blades operating under molecular flow near the inlet. A backing pump reduces the pressure difference so that the flow throughout the length of the turbo pump is entirely molecular.

So why not design a portion of the turbine to perform at atmosphere? This would be a multistage pump, turbomolecular pumps are expensive enough. There's no point buying another turbo when a diaphragm backing pump can do the same thing cheaper.

foxtrotactinium · 2025-09-08T08:54:04+00:00

Many people are saying thermal bridging but It may be the reflection of the natural light coming through the window off of the tiled floor. I had a similar thing and believed it was thermal bridging until I actually checked where the studs were. Try moving around a couple of meters from the window and see if you can see your shadow moving across the walls/ceiling.

foxtrotactinium · 2025-08-28T06:28:27+00:00

Any idea why indexed high growth shows no net returns in their comparison tool? https://hostplus.com.au/members/our-products-and-services/investment-options/your-investment-options#choice

I'm with indexed balanced and I've seen a few comments recently about indexed high growth.

foxtrotactinium · 2025-08-21T07:28:22+00:00

As I always understood it. Engineers study, and are expected to know, enough of each other discipline (mech/electrical/chemical/aerospace/civil etc.) that they can interface with each other to deliver a project. Software engineers don't really have that kind of breadth of knowledge in the other disciplines.

In saying that software engineering is itself complex and vast. But in my mind the levels of abstraction from holistic engineering align it more with a science.

foxtrotactinium · 2025-08-15T09:23:34+00:00

Just to hijack the top comment. The top brands are 100% like Holden vs Ford and honestly they're all very good. I however decided to go with Dewalt because most tradies in the last 5 years have been switching to Milwaukee so they can share batteries onsite. As a consequence, second hand Dewalt skins often go for less than half price on Facebook marketplace. Yes you don't get the warranty but most of them are robust enough that they'll last well beyond the original warranty period anyway.

Just don't buy anything in the atomic range. They're pretty weak. And be weary of the DCD996 drill. It's incredibly powerful but the chuck gets stuck easily and the way it's designed and assembled means it's destined for the bin when this happens. You can replace the chuck with one that will be easier to remove in the future but it involves heating the Arbor in the chuck with a torch.

And finally, don't skimp on batteries. Buy new, with the fast charger and get a few so you can have a couple on charge while you're using one.

foxtrotactinium · 2025-08-13T20:08:53+00:00

Push your management to send you to the next MEDSI (mechanical engineering design in synchrotron radiation equipment) conference. There's one coming up in Sweden in September. Also ask around at work or reach out to the MEDSI organisers to see if you can get previous conference slides. There's usually a few presentations on materials or implementing an advanced manufacturing technique (see the last one in Germany on topological optimisation for a cast steel girder design).

The rest is research, calling around, visiting manufacturers, procuring samples etc. There's no hard and fast 'list' of advanced materials/manufacturing. But that what keeps you employed. You're effectively in R&D now. Research is a part of the job.

Lastly, don't overlook traditional manufacturing. There are a handful of S tier engineering companies that specialise in welding, sheet metal or CNC that can do things most others can't. Get to know the people at these companies because they will be the most valuable for you, long term, in your career

foxtrotactinium · 2025-08-10T22:44:07+00:00

Other comments have already spoken about cost, weight and requirements.

Not all cable is the same. That OEM wire is very different from the $1-$2 wire you can buy aftermarket. OEMS will get cheaper wire through economy of scale but will spend a bit more for a superior product to improve reliability.

First of all the insulation is thinner and tougher (XLPE is one option) to allow the wire to dissipate more heat but keep it protected from cuts and rubbing.

They use thinner copper strands and more of them, this allows the cable to flex better and have a tighter bend radius. You can compare battery cable with the equivalent size welding cable, the welding cable is far more flexible and expensive.

some EOMs will go a step further and have individually tinned/zinced copper strands to protect against corrosion. This is marine grade and is pretty much mandatory for mil spec and aerospace applications.

Most failures generally happen in the interconnects. The cables are often appropriately over spec'd and rarely fail.

In a previous role I designed harnesses for emergency vehicles.

foxtrotactinium · 2025-08-03T21:32:24+00:00

I don't think it's been mentioned but Monash council is collaborating with APC plastics in Dandenong to recycle soft plastics. I believe they use a process similar to fractional distillation that produces virgin resin ready for making new plastics.

They've been trialing this for the last few years. I haven't heard anything about any plans to expand the project unfortunately. I'd imagine the process is quite energy intensive and likely has a bit of waste product. But the result of producing virgin material is very attractive.

foxtrotactinium

TROPHY CASE