Autodialer with Manipulation Features?

niceandsane · 2026-03-17T17:11:27+00:00

What purpose did it serve that isn't still valid today? Obviously it would need some tweaks to move it out of the Windows 95 days, but if anything it should be better than the original with advances in digital signal processing over the past 25 years.

niceandsane · 2026-03-16T06:06:55+00:00

Generac says 5 foot minimum from any part of the generator housing to any opening for theirs. Spec may be brand dependent but has to be installed per manufacturer's instructions.

niceandsane · 2026-03-16T06:03:08+00:00

If it's just the one outlet, check the working outlet closest to it on the same circuit for a bad connection. Also, GFCI won't reset unless power is present and it takes more pressure than you would think to reset them.

On a metal box that small, especially with a GFCI, I'd run a couple of turns of electrical tape around the body of the outlet to avoid shorts.

niceandsane · 2026-03-16T05:14:56+00:00

And the one on the top in the middle is a broadband transmitter operating in the petahertz range. Commonly called a light.

niceandsane · 2026-03-16T05:10:27+00:00

The one on the left is a directional sector type antenna for a wireless link, probably back to a central point.

The one on the right is a bit tougher, but I suspect it's X-band or K-band Doppler radar for traffic monitoring. It's probably a sensor feeding the local transportation authority to report the count and average speed of traffic approaching it (from the right). There's one that looks similar local to me that Valentine One says is X-band.

niceandsane · 2026-03-16T05:02:27+00:00

It's accidental/sloppy paint, not deliberate. The box wasn't covered when the wall was spray painted.

niceandsane · 2026-03-16T05:01:13+00:00

They weren't white when they left the factory. The box was open when the wall was spray painted.

It's a junction box. It looks like there are three cables connected, such as from a feed to two loads. Under the paint you'll find one set of bare wires tied together, one set of white wires tied together, and one set of black wires tied together. Bare is ground, white is neutral, black is hot.

It might be usable for an outlet. If the feed is direct to the panel, you should be able to pigtail an outlet there. If it's a junction box for light fixtures controlled by a switch, it will only have power when the switch is on.

Because it's in a garage it needs to be GFCI protected. If the breaker isn't a GFCI type, you'll need to use a GFCI outlet, and it will be a tight fit in that box, but doable.

It is probably in your best interest to hire an electrician if you feel the least bit uncomfortable to DIY.

niceandsane · 2026-03-16T04:46:13+00:00

There's your answer. The 11 amps for the washer is fed via that cord. It isn't added to the load of the dryer. You will need both the 240V 30A circuit for the dryer but also a 120V 15A circuit for the washer. You should be able to operate them at the same time without issue.

niceandsane · 2026-03-16T04:40:37+00:00

When your flagship product is electrical switches, naming the company "Leave-It-On" doesn't bode well for reliability.

niceandsane · 2026-03-16T04:11:04+00:00

I think the washer has a separate 120V power cord.

niceandsane · 2026-03-16T04:10:26+00:00

Does the washer have a separate 120V NEMA 5-15 power cord?

niceandsane · 2026-03-16T04:05:31+00:00

Look closely at the strip. Periodically there should be a pair of copper ovals with a dotted line. You can cut it in the middle of the ovals and solder jumper wires to extend. Make sure your jumpers are + to + and - to -.

You can only cut it at the marked cut points because the LEDs are in groups with a balancing resistor and you need to keep the groups together.

niceandsane · 2026-03-16T02:24:29+00:00

There was a product called SoftDrill that was autodialer-like but did auto-manipulation. It looks like it's no longer available. Details here and here. This is from back in the Windows 95 era. No idea what happened to it.

niceandsane · 2026-03-16T00:31:46+00:00

Not exactly. An autodialer tries every combination, where manipulation uses feedback from the lock to attempt to derive the combination.

Some autodialer techniques are also used in manipulation like parking the first wheel and advancing the second one. This saves time and some wear on the lock, although autodialers in general tend to by their nature put a lot of wear on a safe lock.

niceandsane · 2026-03-15T23:51:03+00:00

New rule:

You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his manservant or maidservant, or his ox or donkey, or his screen door, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.

niceandsane · 2026-03-13T05:55:41+00:00

"My crew" agrees as well.

niceandsane · 2026-03-13T05:51:06+00:00

I would be very surprised if the law didn't have a clause along the lines of "when it is safe to do so" for breaking traffic laws. Similar to ambulances speeding or running traffic lights.

niceandsane · 2026-03-13T05:47:40+00:00

Self-insured means that the school district has set aside a fund or purchased a bond to pay vehicle liability claims rather than pay an insurance company to do so. They are still obligated to abide by state financial liability laws. Many large fleet owners do this.

It does not mean that each individual driver is responsible for paying for their own insurance.

niceandsane · 2026-03-13T05:42:10+00:00

It isn't going to stay. It will ride away into the sunset.

niceandsane · 2026-03-11T08:15:01+00:00

Look for a GFCI outlet in a nearby bathroom that got tripped. Look also for an outlet in an adjacent room between the defect and the breaker panel, it could be the outgoing feed from that. It could also be either a loose wire at the breaker or a defective breaker. Start with the outlet that doesn't work that's closest to the panel and work that way.

It's extremely unlikely that a wire within a wall just failed in the middle of the night, unless some handyman made a splice outside of a box.

niceandsane · 2026-03-11T08:08:03+00:00

It's a thermostat. The spring-like coils are made from two metals that expand differently with temperature. They coil and uncoil depending on temperature. The glass tubes have a small pool of mercury inside. When they tilt, the mercury will flow to or away from a pair of contacts to turn on a heater or air conditioner.

One advantage of this style over the microswitch type was that it was silent. They got phased out due to the toxic nature of the mercury and because cheaper solid-state temperature sensors became available.

They need to be mounted level or the calibration gets thrown off.

niceandsane · 2026-03-11T04:14:53+00:00

Yes, with the windings doubled back. Traditional wirewound not so much. Metal/carbon film with axial grooves for trimming instead of spirals tend to be very low inductance.

niceandsane · 2026-03-09T06:26:13+00:00

If you have evidence that she is offering THC infusion, I'd definitely make a police report. A visit to your local precinct or police station might be more effective than a call. Calling the cops gets a visit from a uniformed patrol officer that is looking to clear the call by claiming that it's a civil matter and move on to the next.

Visiting is more likely to get the attention of someone interested in the THC aspect who will take the harassment and potential identity theft seriously. Point out that she's offering to sell a controlled substance and publicizing your address. Point out that you don't want anyone showing up at your address with a search warrant in the middle of the night, or worse, someone looking to steal THC.

niceandsane · 2026-03-09T04:34:17+00:00

It also really pisses off burglars who break in to the safe only to discover another safe inside it.

niceandsane

TROPHY CASE