Member postings for SillyOldDuffer

Thanks John. Another family heirloom turns out to be worth about twenty quid...

Grumpy Old Git, eh! Fancy me having to ask - I am one.

Ta,

Dave

My £4.99 Lidl digital flattened it's original battery in less than 3 months. Intrigued by the stories of excessive current being drawn even when they are switched off I set too measured it. Not everything on the internet is trustworthy. Mine takes 25 microamperes, which isn't a lot.

Short battery life might not be the caliper's fault. I've noticed that the quality of batteries I buy varies wildly. There seem to be a lot of fakes, low capacity versions, and elderly cells out there. Some types, including the CR2032, have rather short shelf lives.

My cheapo calipers have been going strong for over a year on the same battery. As a special treat I bought it a new expensive named brand cell. It might be a coincidence that it's lasted better than the 5 for a quid bargain I fell for at a car boot sale!

I'm guessing that cheap calipers come with a cheap battery and the likes of Mitutoyo come with a good one and a proper 'on/off' switch. For hobby use, buying an expensive caliper to save on batteries is surely bad economics. You can get an awful lot of good batteries for the price of a quality caliper. I'm not knocking quality calipers - there are plenty of other good reasons for investing in one.

Cheers,

Dave

OK I have to ask. What's a GOG? Surely not "Girl on Girl" or the "Gynecolgic Oncology Group".

Cheers,

Dave

I had a good look at my Avo8 and am going to make the dangerous claim that I have the oldest. Can anyone beat 1955?

Although the meter has Mk II red and black terminals, it's an original Avo8 (no 500VDC range) and the serial number suggests it was made in February 1955. In addition to the usual markings it has an Admiralty Pattern Number (10S/16411) and Government Broad Arrow.

Still in GWO. Antiques Roadshow here I come!

Dave

Edited By SillyOldDuffer on 22/07/2016 16:07:50

And I assumed that "Churchkhela" was the name of a locomotive.

The worst feature of the Avo8 is the special 15V battery it uses. My older model wants a BLR121. I thought they were unobtainium these days but I see Maplin's still have them at £12.99 each.

I don't use my Avo much because it sticks in it's leather case and when it is out the thing is inconveniently big and heavy. The 10A AC range is useful though.

Cheers,

Dave

Thanks Clive - fascinating stuff! Trouble is I might get nightmares featuring Mongrel Brazilian Killer bees now.

I get lots of bees in my garden but how can I tell if they're honey bees or not? I don't think there are any beekeepers for miles.

Cheers,

Dave

Is it true that all British bees died out during the first world war and had to be replaced by Mexican bees? I think I heard it on the radio recently but it's possible I dreamt it!

Cheers,

Dave

It won't last Michael! The next stage, very soon, is that people don't ask your age because there's obviously no doubt just how ancient you are. Very hurtful. Then you notice that policemen and doctors are about 12 years old and realise that boys of 40 are far too inexperienced to make grown up decisions.

Poor old me. I've reached the time of life where young people help me cross over the road. This is whether I want to go or not...

Dave

Edited By JasonB on 16/07/2016 20:38:23

Just a thought, but most AC meters only work properly with sinusoidal currents. As the waveform coming out of an inverter is unlikely to be sinusoidal, the meter might be thoroughly confused! That's in addition to the possibilities mentioned by others.

Hi Andrew,

A new chinese lathe is an excellent entry to the hobby for a beginner who doesn't know the ropes yet.

Don't be put off by negative comment on the web, a lot of it is out-of-date. While you won't get a high-quality tool my experience is that, at least for hobby use, the lathes are very good value for money.

If you buy from a reputable British supplier, they will support you if you are unlucky enough to get a dud.

The problem for a beginner buying second-hand is that you need to know what to look for, be confident that you can fix faults, and be aware how much spares might cost, or even if they are available. There are some real bargains out there, but there's no magic that makes something like a 60 year old Myford immune from wear, tear and abuse.

For reasons of space I started with a mini-lathe. I learned lots and had plenty of fun with it. Come on in, the water's lovely!

Cheers,

Dave

A good example of why I'm often impressed by the knowledge exhibited on this forum. Not only does Bob know what the tool is, he tells us that it's been assembled incorrectly!

Regards,

Dave

Me too please Geoff. It's possible I've already read it as I've been interested in Amateur Radio for many years.

Apologies for hijacking the thread from me too .

Thanks,

Dave

Edited By SillyOldDuffer on 08/07/2016 20:47:11

Norman's figure is correct if you do the RPI calculation, but the value that gives can be somewhat misleading because what can be bought, the cost of labour, and the relative distribution of wealth across society have all changed significantly over the years.

Compared with the average Englishman your ancestor was a rich man. A Gentleman didn't have to work for a living and his money probably came from rents and/or investments. The "economic status" value of his £16000 in 1800 would be equivalent to over £20,000,000 today. That's about $40M AUD.

It would be interesting to find out where the money went. Quite a few of the Gentleman class were heavy gamblers, or perhaps you're the missing heir to half of central London!

Cheers,

Dave

I take it Bazyle refers to the belief that BNC stands for "British Naval Connector" or perhaps "Bayonet Naval Connector". That's certainly what I was told as a lad.

Unfortunately I don't think it's true. The connectors were developed for military use by Messrs Neill and Concelman and are most likely named after them. Thus BNC is "Bayonet Neill Concelman" and TNC is "Threaded Neill Concelman".

I see the Neill Concelman theory has been promoted to truth by Wikipedia's BNC entry but does anyone actually know?

Feeling obliged to comment on this has left me worried that nowadays I'm both a first class nerd and a first class pedant! Sometimes it's a cruel world.

Cheers,

Dave

After buying a milling machine my second project was a simple padlock. As you can see from the pictures I was very much a Learner Driver.

Although made from metal the design is one of five from "Making Working Wooden Locks" by Tim Detweiler, which I bought a few years ago from Camden. I'm not sure they still stock it.

Cheers,

Dave

Ah ha, now that makes sense! In other words, don't trust a colour code unless you know which one it is. No wonder people are sometimes sold the wrong thing.

Thanks,

Dave

My second order of 1" mild steel rod from my local metal emporium was colour coded differently from the first. When I asked why I was told "it's not the type of steel mate, it's who we got it from".

Dave

Hear hear!