Member postings for Martin W

Alistair

There are a couple of PMs for you.

Martin

Alistair

I have sent you a PM

Martin

This was covered in the latest 'Consumeractive' section of Computer Active wasn't it. I thought that they were chasing this up for you to see if they can persuade or prod Hermes into action and get some resolution to the problem. That said to date I haven't had a problem with Hermes so consider myself somewhat fortunate but as per the norm for any company problems are highlighted but good/adequate service slips by unnoticed.

That said it is always worth knowing when these incidents happen as it can give an indication of the relative merits of any service, but as always it is the companies offering the cheapest service that seem to be more susceptible to making a pigs ear of things. Yet we continue to use these services and hope for the best, it would be interesting to know what percentage of their trade has had a problem and compare that to other couriers performance figures including successful resolutions.

I have no vested interests in Hermes and have to date not had a problem, keeping fingers firmly crossed as I am expecting some deliveries soon.

Hope you get it sorted to your satisfaction soon and as you say 'It's your £20'.

Martin

Greensands

You say that if you move the base station close to the transmitter unit you can establish communication between the units but when running at a distance readings become erratic and eventually fail. Is there any possibility of moving the base station closer to the transmitter to see if this helps to relieve the problem in the longer term. If it does then this indicates that there is a communication problem between the units. This could be caused by the transmitter losing power or more probably from some sort of signal interference from another source. Have you changed/added anything electrical/electronic in the vicinity of the base station, changing lighting from a tungsten bulb to a LED/ energy saving bulb, different TV controller as some now work on RF rather than IR. There are quite a few items that run in the same 433MHz band that could affect the communication between the units. Another avenue that may be worth looking at is has there been any changes to the physical environment in the vicinity of the units.

Just a few thoughts that might help shed some light on the problem.

Martin

Edited By Martin W on 30/09/2021 13:26:45

As John asks what is the fault with the weather station. Is it a single channel failure e.g. wind speed/direction, humidity, temperature or a complete failure of all of these inputs.

If the display module appears to be working but not receiving any data then the fault could be either this unit or the transmitter module mounted in the cylindrical screen however if the base station is displaying sensible readings for one or more channels then the communication between the transmitter module and base station looks OK.

A quick check list below might help identify the problem.

a) Windspeed and Direction: Check: sensor - cabling- connectors of failing channel.

b) Temperature and Humidity: Fault on the transmitter module, unit as per you picture.

Without further information it is impossible to proceed any further or offer any sensible help.

Martin

Edit:  Posts crossed so ignore above if not relevant.

Edited By Martin W on 30/09/2021 12:48:08

EDIT The Amazon seller I referred to still claims to be stocking replacement modules, however although they look identical there may be a compatibility issue.

Edited By Martin W on 30/09/2021 12:53:53

Had a quick trawl on the internet and came up with this which if it works could well prove cheaper than trying to get the existing unit repaired.

Martin

edit: Spelling error

Edited By Martin W on 28/09/2021 11:24:51

We have not had any problems/delays with deliveries of letters and parcels in the Reading area of Berkshire. I have never had problems with small/medium parcels on their 48hr tracked service which I think is excellent value for money, now they will collect from your door for a small fee. For large/small letters and small/medium parcels I wouldn't consider going anywhere else. That said the local DO is close and convenient.

MartinW

Had a look in lathes.co.uk and while there were several manufacturers with the initials JW or WJ I could not find one with this logo/emblem.

Martin W

I always find collections at auctions a somewhat bitter/sweet affair. It invariably means that someone with a passion and/or skill has passed on and what they have made/collected is being split up, hopefully to buyers who really appreciate how much effort and skill that went into assembling that collection in the first place.

That said there are some superb models there which deserve to go to a good home.

Thanks for the pointer Jason

Martin W

Only if they were being fitted by the company drip .

I would love to take something like that on, however I know that I have neither the skills nor the staying power to complete it and as I am in my late 70's probably would be pushed for time.

I hope that both projects find a good home and get completed with the same level of skill you have shown in all the engines etc. you have shown in threads on this site.

Martin W

Paul

If you do want to pursue the restoration of this lathe then you can quickly check the speed control board by replacing the motor with a 80-100W filament bulb and varying the speed control pot. If the intensity of the bulb varies uniformly from dim/off to full brightness with the adjustment of the speed control pot then there is a fair chance that the speed control board is OK. Depending on how badly bent the lead screw and cross slide screws are bent there is a good chance that they could, with care, be straightened enough to check basic operations. What could be a problem is damage to the head, chuck spindle, chuck and head bearings though bearings are relatively cheap and can be replaced. The original sheet metal work can either be hammered into submission/shape or bits fabricated and bolted/pop rivetted in place.

If you do take it on as a project then good luck and I hope you get a working lathe.

Martin

ps:

The motor can be checked by connecting it to a low voltage DC supply, 12/24V, and if it spins up and rotates freely and evenly in both directions then it is likely to be OK

Edited By Martin W on 23/08/2021 00:35:51

Paul

What part of the country, hopefully UK, are you in? Nearest large town will be fine. There might be someone in your vicinity that could help you out even if it is only to confirm that the lathe is beyond sensible repair.

Martin

Edit; rewording

Edited By Martin W on 22/08/2021 19:13:46

Great for dusting/painting the ceiling near the walls but useless once away from the wall for support. So then its back to a hop up to complete the job so why get one in the first place when one has a hop up? Could be used as a wishbone for tug of war teams Christmas outings. Might be useful as library steps but doesn't look that stable, health & safety wouldn't like it, especially if you have an armful of books to shelve but then libraries have purpose built stable moveable steps already.

Window cleaners often use short triangular shaped ladders, to access higher windows, with a few steps. This just looks like a cut down fancy version of one of these, no doubt with a very fancy price tag. So in no way something new but just a copy of an existing piece of equipment.

Cynical rant over.

Martin W

Edited By Martin W on 18/08/2021 00:57:34

Thanks Michael, interesting article and one wonders what it will lead to in the future. Don't like the colour/pattern of your wallpaper/paint then just get sample for it to match to and voila a redecorated room. As you say significant military potential and as the colours are defined by temperature it could also break up an IR image to make it less identifiable though IR camouflage is already an established process for concealment.

Martin W

And I thought it was a wind up!!!!

Methinks pgk may have a vested interest in this unique design. That said it is an interesting combination of approaches to solve a problem and must have been relatively difficult to blend these designs into an apparently functional unit. I look forward to developments that may be forthcoming that could solve as yet undiscovered problems.

Martin

'Martin K'

It wasn't so much getting ones teeth into a problem as getting the remains of strangers teeth from the burrs!!!!

Used to scrounge used burrs and diamond drills from my dentist before his demise. They have come in very useful at times for a variety of projects. Yeah I know 'Off Topic' but pertinent to the posts immediately prior.

Martin

OOPS

Yes Phil 30mA is correct, my excuse is I was typing too quickly and reading slowly!! Thanks for the correction, 300mA would be a trite too exciting for the recipient.

Cheers

Martin

RCDs work by detecting any differential current between Live and Neutral and when this exceeds a preset level the unit activates and disconnects the mains supply within a specified time. Therefore if one touches a live wire and their body completes a return path i.e. damp shoes and wet grass then the unit will trip if the current exceeds the specified maximum which is nominally 300mA. This provides protection for the user irrespective of whether the system is two wire or 3 wire.

There is a popular misconception that these units work by measuring current flowing in the earth wire. Earth wire current is not measured by RCD units, in fact the earth connection totally bypasses the active circuitry of an RCD.

edit: Last para

Edited By Martin W on 17/07/2021 19:09:31