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Post by Telemachus on Apr 26, 2020 11:17:38 GMT
I also made a cockup on the PCB design and had to “butcher” it, plus a couple of other minor changes needed including making it fit in an off-the-shelf box. So last night, a new PCB design sent off to Hong Kong. It is already in production, will be finished today but I used cheap shipping so probably 2 weeks to get it back. Total cost about £11 for 5 boards. You’ve gotta love Chinese slave labour! it requires a lot of skill and a hell of a lot of luck to produce a prototype PCB that can go straight into production (many tee shirts ) Yea tell me about it! But with modern software that does lots of checking, it isn’t as bad as it used to be. This cockup was made on the schematic, that cockup then being faithfully passed on to the PCB layout phase! I was bought up on 5v TTL (bipolar transistors) and of course I know that Vcc is the +5v supply and 0v, ground or whatever is the negative supply. Then along came FETs and CMOS and someone decided that it would be far too simple to stick with Vcc and ground, so they invented Vss and Vdd. I have always had a mental block about that for some reason! So I stupidly connected the +3.3v supply to Vss and the 0v to Vdd on the microprocessor. Fortunately I powered it up with a current limited supply so no magic smoke was expelled, but after much head scratching I had to get a scalpel and cut the tracks to the two Vss and one Vdd pins on this tiny surface mount chip, and reconnect the right way round using some tiny bits of wire. Of course Vss and Vdd arise because the connections on an FET are called “source“ and “drain” (no idea why). In my head, a drain is something that stuff is poured into and disappears to earth. But in fact the drain is the thing that hoovers up current (ie the positive), and the source is the thing that emits current (ie the negative). I think... Anyway it is much less of a big deal these days because the cost of getting 5 boards up to 100mm x 100mm, double sided, plated through holes, solder mask and silk screen both sides, is £1.55. Astonishing! The rest is shipping. The only tedium is waiting for the shipping to arrive.
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Post by Telemachus on Apr 26, 2020 11:33:00 GMT
moved to new thread "DIY Smart Alternator Regulator"
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Post by kris on Apr 26, 2020 12:43:56 GMT
Yes I understand your caveats, but if it can do what I need then I’m interested as it would be more versatile than the set up I have to fit at the moment as I don’t have a shunt or battery monitor at the moment I could get the one most suited. I have been thinking about a battery monitor.
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Post by Telemachus on Apr 26, 2020 13:18:12 GMT
moved
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Post by perkwunos on Apr 26, 2020 14:24:56 GMT
to tears with this technical stuff...
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Post by twbm2 on Apr 26, 2020 14:31:39 GMT
I don't think the strategy has ever been about stopping people getting infected. I think it's been about the right people getting it, in the right order, to manage the impact in the NHS. If the young, healthy and inconsiderate insist on infecting each other over the next few weeks, resulting in relatively low numbers getting to the point where they need hospital treatment, that may well work. The downside will be that the vulnerable will definitely have to continue isolation, but that will be the case whenever restrictions are lifted and the cork potentially comes out of the bottle. On the subject of B&Q and other stores, I guess once the purchases are made, the buyers are then committed at home using what they bought rather than moving about, so there may be some balance there. 20 litres of paint and some timber I had in the shed has kept me busy inside my closed bar since the 21st March. You may be right but do you really see the vulnerable accepting a lockdown until a vaccine is available? It may well be possible to have some lesser form of best practice/common sense guidelines in place but to effectively put that group under house arrest is not going to work. There is evidence around our sleepy Suffolk village that it is not working now - even in the house of someone who is meant to be enforcing these rules. I guess if people refuse to comply with advice / instructions that are manifestly in their best interests there's not much that can be done other than fine and prosecute repeatedly, were the resources available. (Actually I guess they could be electonically tagged after a couple of offences). If they went on to contract the virus because they chose not to continue isolation and subsequently put NHS staff at risk because of their selfish perversity the first place they should go after recovery ought to be the magistrates court.
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Post by Boaty on Apr 26, 2020 17:27:21 GMT
Except nobody can really tell me if the social distancing rules are actually law. They were brought into effect as secondary legislation under the Health and Safety act 1984 but have they made it onto the books? Even the Govt keeps referring to their "advice". They have also been moving the goal posts around - the driving to take a walk is one, exercising twice a day now being acceptable is another. In addition we have B&Q re-opening and selling loads of non-essentials. Most B&Q's are out of town and I know the one at Great Yarmouth was today full of people buying gardening stuff and the like. The lockdown is beginning to fracture. Add to that the 1000s of people with second homes (and I include leisure boaters) and they cannot even get to them to check if any work/maintenance is required. Then there are those trying to justify visiting/moving their boats when they are not live-aboards and those land dwellers who are swanning around as though nothing has happened. I see evidence of the latter every day in my village and the cry is the same - more people die of flu! The message is beginning to get lost and I suspect that is because the Govt will not talk about the next stage. The daily reporting of numbers is also becoming messy, mainly due to the press publishing their spin on things.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 26, 2020 17:34:59 GMT
I've always thought from the start of it that UK does not have the policing power to deal with this sort of thing.
Ok so we have the army but their strength lies in logistics and killing people.
I don't believe they are trained to deal appropriately with random members of the public.
Getting things done on a logistical basis like sorting a bombed out bridge, weapons training and some heavy vehicle responsibility. Are they trained for professional and appropriate interaction with Mr Ordinary who has started behaving more normally now it's been a month?
I don't think so.
Don't forget Mr Ordinary pays their wages!
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Post by Deleted on Apr 26, 2020 17:43:47 GMT
The lockdown only happened after people started to lock themselves down - the Gov belatedly reacted.
Is the end of lockdown beginning - I'd say yes - 20 odd boats passed me today heading towards London - a reverse of the situation a week or two before lockdown happened.
The Gov will huff and puff over the next week or two but will bow to people power (above scientific evidence) - they know where the votes are....
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Post by Deleted on Apr 26, 2020 17:46:28 GMT
I've always thought from the start of it that UK does not have the policing power to deal with this sort of thing. Ok so we have the army but their strength lies in logistics and killing people. I don't believe they are trained to deal appropriately with random members of the public. Getting things done on a logistical basis like sorting a bombed out bridge, weapons training and some heavy vehicle responsibility. Are they trained for professional and appropriate interaction with Mr Ordinary who has started behaving more normally now it's been a month? I don't think so. Don't forget Mr Ordinary pays their wages! More importantly they have family and friends affected by any bollocks which come out of this. The trouble is we used to get shot for disagreeing with the boss. The good news is that most just get sacked these days. So things have improved since the last war.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 26, 2020 17:47:28 GMT
@blacksheep
Oh yes.
Boris will come out of the woodwork and suddenly look all statesmanlike, pay this barbour another oner to wreck the hair a little bit more and announce "it's ok, we have passed the peak, I can announce that the lockdown will be lifted. Go and enjoy the sunshine knowing that we sorted it all out".
It would be funny if this didn't happen.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 26, 2020 17:50:14 GMT
The lockdown only happened after people started to lock themselves down - the Gov belatedly reacted.
Is the end of lockdown beginning - I'd say yes - 20 odd boats passed me today heading towards London - a reverse of the situation a week or two before lockdown happened.
The Gov will huff and puff over the next week or two but will bow to people power (above scientific evidence) - they know where the votes are....
I think that's what is driving Trump. Not sure what's going on here yet.
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Post by lollygagger on Apr 26, 2020 17:52:02 GMT
While people slowly slip back to a more normal but sensibly safe life it's a good test and just what's required IMO. If the government tried to organise that it would be a cock up with wide bland rules that didn't fit anyone's circumstances.
This way is win win. They don't have to order everyone around, which is more of a lefty thing, and if the infection rate subsequently shoots up it won't be their fault. If it does go up they can pick some poor people as scapegoats and if it doesn't they can take the plaudits for their gentle handling of the situation.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 26, 2020 17:54:22 GMT
The lockdown only happened after people started to lock themselves down - the Gov belatedly reacted.
Is the end of lockdown beginning - I'd say yes - 20 odd boats passed me today heading towards London - a reverse of the situation a week or two before lockdown happened.
The Gov will huff and puff over the next week or two but will bow to people power (above scientific evidence) - they know where the votes are....
Not sure what's going on here yet. Catch up at the back! (or be like the Gov )
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Post by Deleted on Apr 26, 2020 18:00:00 GMT
If I and mine ensure we follow the guidance ... and you and yours ensure you do the same ... what's to worry about.
Why have we become a nation of curtain twitchers, constantly wanting to point out that he, or she, or they, are or aren't doing this, that or the other?
It would appear the plan has worked well thus far, and the NHS is still well within capacity, which is all that was intended.
Rog
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