Member postings for SillyOldDuffer

My table appears to be the same as yours and it's fine.

The problem may be the position of the black lever coaxial with the dials. On mine full right disengages the drive and full left engages it. There's a point just before full left where the drive engages but the table is very stiff. The lever feels as if it's hit the end-stop but it's fibbing. Your video shows the lever just about in the position where my table stiffens up. Try pushing the lever harder to the left.

Fingers crossed,

Dave

Sure does. Pedant mode: I used to own a Creed 7B teleprinter, a marvel of precision mechanical engineering that disappeared during a house move.

The 7B used Baudot code which considerably pre-dates computers. The Carriage Return-Linefeed sequence is necessary to give the teleprinter time to physically move the carriage without losing any text. I'm pretty sure that teleprinter design was inspired by even earlier typewriters and their manual carriage return linefeed lever.

Making a working model teleprinter or a mechanical cypher machine like an Enigma would be a serious challenge. Anyone tried it?

Dave

My workshop looks like that only after I've tidied it up. The shame...

Dave

I'm a sucker for second-hand books. Last night I dipped into a recent purchase ("Morton's Advanced Electrical Engineering", to find this comforting start in the Preface:

Lewis Carroll, the genius of gentle humour, writes in The Three Voices,

Or, stretched beside some babbling brook,
To con, with inexpressive look,
An unintelligible book.

While it is not anticipated that this present volume will be read in such pastoral surroundings, it is hoped that it will not prove unintelligible to those for whom it is intended.

Unfortunately after luring me into a false sense of confidence, the first paragraph of Chapter One assumes that I already know what a linear circuit and a passive element is, the difference between current and potential difference, the meaning of impedance and admittance, and that I understand that a source of electrical energy might be constant-voltage or constant-current. Good mathematical skills are needed too - Chapter One then plunges straight into "simple" Matrix Algebra.

This is not a good book for a beginner, and it reminded me of Rod's original question "Seems I need an idiots guide to basic electronics. - Is there such a thing? Could anyone offer constructive advice as to how I might move forward"

Most of the "good" books I used in my youth are out-of-date. They all spend a lot of time on thermionic valves and are blissfully ignorant of the 40 years worth of rapid development since they were written.

If I were starting today, I would buy a copy of "The Art of Electronics" by Paul Horowitz and Winfield Hill" as recommended by Andy Ash in his first reply. The book is up-to-date, it doesn't assume much too much of the reader, it summarises most of modern electronics and, in the opinion of many, it's well written.

I wouldn't rely only on the book though. As others have pointed out H&H isn't aimed at complete beginners. I'd use the web to supplement and clarify the book. Steve Withnell provided this excellent **LINK** to a simulator containing animated examples of many circuits. I wish such a thing had been available when I were a lad. The simulator also allows you to enter and test your own circuit diagrams, so you can use it to double-check your understanding. If that's not enough, Google is your friend, as is this forum.

Be aware though that learning electronics takes effort - it's not something you can do over a weekend. It's a bit like learning to ride a bike: you have to get your head round some new concepts and language before it starts to make sense.

Dave

Edited By SillyOldDuffer on 05/08/2016 11:47:42

Thanks Alan - I'll order some Acetal!

Regards,

Dave

My attempts at turning plastic have all ended badly. Could be me getting it wrong (again) or perhaps I've been using unsuitable scraps. Are there plastics that don't turn well? The tool was sharp HSS at up to 1200rpm. Michael's comment about the need for speed has left me wondering if that was fast enough?

Thanks,

Dave

Unfortunately the reason for low productivity in Britain isn't really "10 men with clipboards". If it were really that simple the problem would have been nailed long ago.

Hard to fix causes of British low productivity compared with similar economies include: persistent 10% - 30% lower investment in equipment, transport, infrastructure and R&D; chronic mid-range skills shortages; decision making in business and government that tends to favour quick returns rather than long-term improvements.

Historically the shortage of mid-range skills shortages in Britain has been alleviated by immigration. It will be interesting to see how Brexit squares that circle! Heavy investment in appropriate education and training will be needed to upgrade our workforce and it might take a decade or so before the benefits appear.

Regards,

Dave

I don't think so. The HSE site Neil quotes is summarising what's required of a business. The wording isn't aimed at us.

Mostly the CE Mark is for the benefit of purchasers, but it can also be used for the benefit of users. In the case of an Assembly Line, there's a bunch of HSE requirements to be met. Requiring a CE Mark is the HSE's shorthand way of telling the lines' builder that he has to confirm that all the legal requirements have been met. The purpose is to ensure that the safety requirements of the Assembly Line are considered.

Although hobbyists wouldn't normally need to provide a CE Mark there might be exceptions. I can't think of any though. The possibility of falling foul of other legislation is something to be aware of. For example, the law takes a dim view of private individuals who make weapons, house-breaking equipment, drugs or coinage, whether or not you CE mark your toys.

Dave

A even more awkward question is "When will the UK really be out of the EU?"

Nothing happens until Article 50 is invoked by us and we don't appear to be ready to do that yet. The Brexit campaign didn't cover any of the details, there isn't a single vision, there are many risks, and cost/benefit of the various components will be a problem.

After Article 50 is triggered, we enter into a period of negotiation that ends with agreed arrangements for managing the separation together with a framework describing our future relationship with the Union. The negotiation can take up to 2 years throughout which time our membership obligations remain in force. Once the negotiation is complete, the EU will need to obtain the consent of the European Parliament and a qualified majority in the European Council. On the UK side, it's less clear how the decision will be confirmed, but my guess is an Act of Parliament will be needed. It could easily take 4 or 5 years to sort that lot out.

But it's only then that the real work starts. I have no idea how long it will take to replace 45 years worth of legislation and EU aligned practice, or how long it will take the economy to take advantage of the new rules, or how long it will take to conclude new trade deals etc. It's rather likely that the Article 50 negotiation will leave a lot in place, including free movement of people, and that it will take a decade or two to sort out the rest.

Interesting times ahead. I intend to spend more time with my lathe!

Dave

I checked it out last night Mark and will be playing with it again later. I had no trouble getting an oscillator going. It seems to be a pretty good way of trying circuits without actually building them, and you don't have to be a genius to use it. Nor do you have to install anything.

Thanks to Steve for highlighting it.

Cheers,

Dave

So this is what the Microsoft Privacy Statement says about Cortana.

"Microsoft collects and uses various types of data, such as your device location, data from your calendar, the apps you use, data from your emails and text messages, who you call, your contacts and who you interact with on your device. Cortana also learns about you by collecting data about how you use your device and other Microsoft services, such as your music, alarm settings, whether the lock screen is on, what you view and purchase, your browse and Bing search history, and more."

That Siri! I hope she's not related to that nice Nigerian Prince who used to email me...

Seriously though, it's always a good idea to read the small print.

Dave

Anyone got plans for a street-legal anti-aircraft gun that could also be used to cull caravans and incontinent dogs!

Only joking,

Dave

Swings and roundabouts Steve!

Remembering that there are lies, damn lies and statistics:

Indices Difference
Consumer Prices in Aberdeen are 3.05% lower than in London
Consumer Prices Including Rent in Aberdeen are 26.83% lower than in London
Rent Prices in Aberdeen are 56.16% lower than in London
Restaurant Prices in Aberdeen are 6.33% higher than in London
Groceries Prices in Aberdeen are 3.51% higher than in London
Local Purchasing Power in Aberdeen is 41.09% higher than in London

And remember what a filthy place London is!

My insurance costs jumped by 10% after a postal reorganisation. The new postcode apparently means that my rural village is part of a big city, ho hum.

Cheers,

Dave

Wow that's good!

Trouble is that Mr Gates (or rather his successor) has already done it. Upgrading from Windows 7 to Windows 10 overwrote several of my security settings without warning or permission. It didn't happen by accident, it was deliberate. The problem isn't that Windows 10 is broken, the problem is that an upgrade provided by Microsoft committed a major breach of trust. I'm not happy with it, and it's only the latest example in a long history of corporate bad behaviour.

I'm still using Windows 10, but now I check upgrades before I apply them. And I try not to use Windows 10 for anything private.

I don't think I'm paranoid, but you never know...

Cheers,

Dave

Edited By SillyOldDuffer on 29/07/2016 20:45:11

Not so unfortunately. We live in an incredibly complicated world and inevitably our experiences are of it are narrow and often misleading. For example, my lifetime experience of the Fire Brigade is are that the service is unnecessary. Ditto lifeboats on ships. The truth is that people are particularly bad at understanding risk, even people who know that people are bad at understanding risks.

So yes personal experience is important, but beware - it has serious limitations. There are plenty of times when it's wise to take advice, preferably good advice.

Let's be careful out there!

Cheers,

Dave

Hi Jon,

Just wondering if you've got a problem like the one I had. My cheapo DRO suddenly developed erratic poor repeatability on the X-scale. After a bit of faffing around I found that the scale and head had become slightly misaligned due to a loose screw. The head not running true caused the scale to intermittently flex, bind and then break loose. It was enough to mess up repeatability by up to 0.04 - but not every time I used the mill.

Dave

"cryptoviral ransomeware"

A wild guess but perhaps he was in the Royal Flying Corps. The RFC was part of the British Army and officers had army ranks. I'm pretty sure that Biggles was a Captain during WW1.

Dave.

I don't remember Lucas being particularly "well-respected"!

A good friend of my dad's emigrated to the USA in 1960 and ended-up in California managing an auto-spares outlet specialising in parts for foreign cars. I remember him on a visit circa 1980 explaining how embarrassing it was telling american customers in to replace a failed British part that the Lucas replacement was gob-smackingly expensive because they were "superior quality". Sadly his business records showed that the claim wasn't true: in practice he had fewer returns of Far Eastern alternatives that were less than half the price. Despite the evidence his Lucas rep refused point blank to believe that cheaper alternatives could possibly be better than anything "Made in England".

My experience of British cars in the seventies was mixed: I certainly spent lots of time fixing electrics and changing bulbs. Such was the reliability of components back then that Mr Lucas was jokingly called "the Prince of Darkness" and he was alleged to have invented "magic smoke".

Ever since then I've been wary of putting too much trust in brand-names and high prices. Quite a few very successful companies eventually came unstuck because of poor labour relations, mismanagement, failure to invest, resistance to change, fraud, low productivity, excessive wage bills, inefficiency, theft, politics, spanish practices, adverse market forces, ignoring the customer, more effective competitors, asset stripping, mistakes, bad investments, material changes, low profits, tax, tariffs, bubbles, recessions and excessive costs etc. It's not just a British phenomenon, you can see the same in all industrial economies.

Dave