Member postings for Danny M2Z

Thank you ndiiy.

That was exactly my point.

I was not trying to be rude but just wondering how 18th century clockmakers made tiny holes and maybe CTT should do a bit more homework.

I, for one, would be most interested in the results.

* Danny M *

* Danny M *

That's what I was alluding to,

Anneal, drill and re-harden.

* Danny M *

So how did they do it back in the 18th century?

Use dashcam footage to identify similar vehicles to your one.

Fire up the 3D printer to clone the number-plate (with sockets for the ceramic magnets)

Drive down the tollway with impunity as somebody else is going to cop the bill.

It's actually much quicker and cheaper to vacuum form the new plates from ABS

Not teaching people how to break the law, my 6x4 trailer (Vic, Australia) only requires the towing vehicle registration to be displayed so rather than paint it on I realised how easy it is to make a numberplate.

* Danny M *

Neil, you are a bloke after my own heart.

Writing Assembly Language code, even for a lowly Z80 or 6502 processor is like a crossword puzzle, but when it all comes together how sweet is the feeling?

I used to belong to a PC geek club in Melbourne and the member's used to push each other with a monthly challenge. It was most educational.

Friend David once won a comp for a screen saver, it was about 80 bytes. He remarked that to include a variable time delay( default was about 60 seconds) would blow out the length of the program. I still have it on a floppy.

Actually my ancient Microbee has an EPROM containing a Z80 Assembler but also a Z-80 dis-assembler which came in very handy for studying/tweaking the code.

* Danny M *

G'day. I have been holding back but following this thread with interest as the subject is dear to my heart.

The first PC that I built was from a kit in 1983, an Australian Microbee Microbee Wiki Linky

This little Z80 based machine inspired me to participate in a programming course for the mighty Z80 processor at Wangaratta TAFE. Just a weekly 150km round trip but well worth the effort,

No mucking about on this course, the teacher knew his stuff, Straight into the the architecture, the registers, interrupts and addressing the number of clock cycles to cycle a traffic light.. I wish that a modern microprocessor had as much access to the core and registers,

Built an expansion board soon after and moved most cassette programs into EPROMS after building an EPROM burner.

The Assembly Code tutorials were well worth driving through the fog from the Ovens River and so the Microbee still has a place in my workshop.

Currently monitors and graphs battery charge cycles via a home made A/D converter on the old green screen. Sure beats watching an ESV with a stopwatch.

I have a BBC Master Compact packed away btw, Never used as it came without a boot disc (demo model)

* Danny M *

I made one of these 10 years ago and what a lovely tool for precision sharpening HSS tools HH's Grinding Table

Not quite a Quorn but excellent for a home workshop.

To desolder a through hole component a hollow tipped soldering iron with a vacuum pump is pretty handy.

Many years ago I attended a RAAF course for High Reliability Soldering Instructors. This was based on NASA best practices.

Imagine my amusement when some of the solder joints that the class had made were projected onto a large screen, microscope photos magnified to over 2m across and the class were invited to inspect our work and offer a critique.

This was very educational and as many of the class were working on aircraft instrumentation it was vital that our work was as perfect as humanly possible.

One thing that I did learn was that many (cheap) commercial solder suckers (especially with a Teflon tip) can generate a large ESD (Electrostatic Discharge) pulse if they have a plastic body so nowadays look for an ESD safe solder sucker if that's what you use

As for soldering braid, it;s useful to remove solder from the base of a 1950's valve base and indeed I still have a few reels which are useful for repairing model aircraft fuel tanks but for printed circuit boards it's only good for lifting tracks.

After I left the old job I managed to find a decent soldering station at a mil surplus auction along with lots of tips.

I paid a lot (lot) less than the original price so pretty happy.

* Danny M *

Mine were wrapped in newspaper and we ate them on the way home on a single decker #108 bus from Bow to Homerton.

Lots of vinegar and if I was good mum paid for a huge pickled onion.

Ask away Stevie, you shall soon learn who are fair dinkum and who are the keyboard warriors.

* Danny M *

No it isn't Argument

* Danny M *

Not exactly a scam but lately I have noticed that a lot of 'reputable' charities offer to send one a booklet to save an animal or how to apply basic first aid. (Reply by mobile phone text message only)

My neighbour's daughter responded and discovered that her phone is now inundated with begging requests for donations and soon her mailbox we suspect as if one gives one's contact details them under Australian consumer law it is ok for an organisation to contact a 'customer' if they initiated the contact by sending a message to their number.

Pretty sneaky IMHO.

A few Australian charities have been dropped from my list of where to donate my funds.

* Danny M *

0.742" ???

* Danny M *

G'day Kiwi.

Glad you got things sorted. Docs on your Xmas card list?

Welcome back.

* Danny M *

Model Engineering, you bet!

The BBC series Robot Wars **LINK** has always fascinated me as a mix between model engineering, materials, tactics and skill.

Quite enjoyable if one is into mayhem but to me the most interesting part was the innovation of the designers to design a better robot that was reliable but packed a big punch,

Flippers are OK but spinning discs are deadly especially if they work when one is upside down.

I cannot fathom why the BBC abandoned this great adventure as it was a great incentive for young people to become interested into robotics, electronics, materials and engineering.

Adding an Arduino or a Pi with sensors could take this to a whole new level.

* Danny M *

Edited By Danny M2Z on 21/01/2020 08:19:29

Just google "cold blue for barrels" then pick whatever you can legally purchase.

One tip, Cleanliness and de-greasing is mandatory.

* Danny M *

I phoned a property at Burrowye where I occasionally go to help with the computers and hunt feral pest animals (rabbits, foxes and deer) to enquire about how the family were faring during the firestorm near their property.

A sad reply." Danny, the road is closed so when you can make it through bring your .22 as there are hundreds of animals to be put down, You can show your firearms licence at xxx as they have offered to donate ammunition. we have run out so grab a few cases."

* Danny M *

P.s. The smoke has cleared a bit and a waterbombing helicopter just dipped it's bucket into the lake

I must second this method, Only difference is that my Eclipse pin vice is held lightly in the chuck of my X2 mill - At the same table setting that was used to drill the initial hole.

* Danny M *

All resolved.

I received an email from the head of the department (my message got through) and he said that the young person in the video was wearing eye protection but being of the wrap around acrylic type they were indeed not easy to see.

This would be addressed in any future videos and he assured me that OH&S is taken very seriously at the TAFE.

I am satisfied with this and plan to visit the TAFE to further investigate what courses they are offering and to check out what sort of equipment they have.

I shall get back.

* Danny M *

It was a video ndiy, the chuck was spinning and the young operator had his hand on the controls.

When my son attended a basic electronics course at the same TAFE (prior to joining the Royal Australian Navy) he mentioned that all of the function generator kits that the students were constructing were going up in smoke. As he was yet to complete his I asked him to bring home the circuit diagram and the suspect part.

It was a 50µA analogue meter that had been 'converted' to read to 1A by somebody sticking a new scale onto the face. No shunt had been fitted. The students were also required to pay $20 for this 'conversion'.

I sat down with my son, explained the problem and asked him to calculate the value of the required shunt. It was some fraction of an Ohm and I said that such a low value would be impossible to purchase so we would make one. Went to the workshop, gave him a coil of nichrome wire and showed him how to measure the resistance of about 5m then calculate the required length, This was wound onto a 4.7MΩ resistor and worked perfectly. He also made one for his friend. They were the only two people to pass that phase of the course. (I still have the device in my workshop).

I went to the TAFE to complain, had to make an appointment in writing then went to a meeting a week later with the head of the department, his assistant and the teacher in question. Was served nice coffee and biscuits and told that mistakes happen. I simply requested that the students who had failed be re-tested and refunded for the faulty meters,

It was only after I threatened to visit the local newspaper editor that they reluctantly agreed. I also asked the 'teacher' to explain how to calculate the value of the required shunt resistor. He could not - mumbled something like 'he never had his calculator with him'.

Sorry about the saga but it still makes me mad that such people are out there and protected by the system.

* Danny M *

Just visit this place left hand supplier

Only problem is that they are from down-under so your your items could also be upside down - but handy if you are a lefty and can stand on your head

* Danny M *