Sign of the times

Rickharris

Senior Member
Didn't have a cat after the neighbours ate it - I did have design a remote control for my bed room lights - complex string based system - with enough knots you could have infinite memory.

Crystal radio was always a good start - I had a chemistry master who was a radio ham and helped me build a valve based regenerative receiver - Oooo the open topped transformer and exposed HV connections - No H&S then but I survived.
 
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knight

Member
I had a chemistry master who was a radio ham and helped me build a valve based regenerative receiver - Oooo the open topped transformer and exposed HV connections - No H&S then but I survived.
That reminds me of my father's power supply that was used up until recently to power our amateur radio TX and RX.
Built with no side panels, no top cover, exposed transformer, exposed HV caps, 90 odd percent of the thing at 240 volts. I was always a little hesitant hooking up the radio to it. Eventually switched it on one day, something let the smoke out, don't know what my father didn't want the excuse to repair it.

It did however give me my project for my HSC, which was a switchmode power supply. Ironically the power supply that blew up was built by my father at much the same age 30 odd years prior.
 

Marcwolf

Senior Member
I like to keep little snippets of information on an just in case the world ends scenario. Technology is nice but if we loose it then we are stuffed, unless one knows about pre-tech.

Things on my shelf for the just in case...
Bow Lathe construction plans, also Bow Drill.
1899 How to build your own Dynamo
1905 Book of mathamatics and full Log tables
Slide Rule, Protractor etc
Solar Stills and water purification info.
just to name a couple.

For general info only...
Take Care
Marc
 

Minifig666

Senior Member
Those sort of books would be general literature for young boys and adults when they where released, now you would be lucky to find them on an adults shelf never mind a kid's one. Maybe 'The Dangerous Book for Boys' being the only acception, but I wonder how many of the projects where actually made in it?
Really is a shame the way most youth are considered oddby their peers because they have practical skills. Times have changed.
 

Dippy

Moderator
In the event of Global meltdown I am simply going to write a New Post to the Froum to ask for their advice - I bet certain members will still be logged on even as the Nukes are coming down from NK.

As to the suggestion of having a snippet of knowledge about everything useful I'm in thorough agreement with others and myself from 20 posts ago.

Has anyone worked out what a "klosus" is?
 

Rickharris

Senior Member
There is something very warming about thermionic devices.

But More like this - What ever happened to Selenium?



As for Kolossus I don't know - Google gets hits but no sense - Sounds like a medical condition or perhaps text speak for "I have a very big one".
 

Dippy

Moderator
It's more trendy as a dietry mineral isn't it?
I've got an old Weston Master light meter somewhere.

"By the way what is a klosus."
- maybe it's the inability to spell correctly ?
I bet you say you have dylexia... I've got a note and everything.
 

jaka

Member
Had a couple of glasses of beer when I typed shloshus.

Dippy.

What I really meant was what is a colossus.

Jim
 

boriz

Senior Member
You need to get a long way down the track to even be able to recognise that there is a microcontroller involved - (although its a good bet these days) ...
A friend was having problems using a new lens on his expensive digital SLR. He fixed it eventually. I was amazed to hear that it required updating the BIOS on the lens itself!.
 

D n T

Senior Member
The downfall of education and thus technology

As one of the earlier mentioned Technology teachers, it gets up my nose when students just cut and past of the net.
Isn't dewey decimal one of donald ducks sons?
Selenium, don't they put it in anti dandruff shampoos?
Its a bit sad when some meat sack goes through school and fails everything but the system gets him into a mining job that pays him more in his first year than I get after 4 years service and 4 years uni ( and I have a uni fee bill to pay).
Perhaps I should have abused my teachers and bashed the other students, I would be a mine site supervisor by now.

As long as my children learn to value education, knowledge, skills and turn into good people, then I will be happy.

I do laugh at this thought though, imagine if the millenium bug was real and all computers died in 2000, only those with real skills would have been worth anything.
All the managers and bigwordusers would but worthless, painkillers would be worth more than gold, and Play station 3 would have never existed.

See you all later.
Thanks, now I know I'm not the only onewho has the ideas within this thread.
 

Dippy

Moderator
".. imagine if the millenium bug was real and all computers died in 2000"
- well, you wouldn't have been able to do nearly 400 posts or maybe had a D&T job.
Now, there's a thought...;)
 

John West

Senior Member
I guess my C-64 would have once again become my main PC. Y2K immune.

They sure don't build 'em like they used to! ;)
 

manuka

Senior Member
Perhaps I should have abused my teachers and bashed the other students, I would be a mine site supervisor by now.
Just a mining supervisor! Isn't that background a criteria for politicians?
 

Dippy

Moderator
My PCs are old because I am tight.
Nothing has ever gone wrong on any of them.
All bar one are over 5 years old. One (this one) is left on 10 hours per day, 340 days per year.
Apart from the usual Gatesian issues none have ever gone wrong.
Reliability is terrible.:rolleyes:
 

Minifig666

Senior Member
Has anyone ever built a truly reliable (modern) PC? Maybe if UNIX based OSs where the standard we would all enjoy computing much more, but Losedows, or Windoze, had to go and take the market majority leaving 0.6% of computers to run a Linux OS.

I geuss we'll never know!
 

eclectic

Moderator
Has anyone ever built a truly reliable (modern) PC? Maybe if UNIX based OSs where the standard we would all enjoy computing much more, but Losedows, or Windoze, had to go and take the market majority leaving 0.6% of computers to run a Linux OS.

I geuss we'll never know!
A genuine question:

I'm at a loss, trying understand your post.
Could you
re-explain please?

e
 
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Minifig666

Senior Member
It was a somewhat rhetorical question! I was trying to make the point that if UNIX based OSs where the standard for computers then we might have more reliable computers.

Any help?
 
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