Search found 17 matches

by don87109
Sat Feb 09, 2019 8:33 am
Forum: General Discussion
Topic: Potentiometer - Eureka Moment
Replies: 2
Views: 4318

Re: Potentiometer - Eureka Moment

Yes, I was referencing a 10 turn pot with a mechanical counting dial. The one I found in my junkbox was really excellent. It was made by Bourns many years ago and it's easy to read...and even mounts from the back avoiding the minor complication of zeroing the dial since that is not removed for mount...
by don87109
Sat Feb 02, 2019 9:14 am
Forum: General Discussion
Topic: Potentiometer - Eureka Moment
Replies: 2
Views: 4318

Potentiometer - Eureka Moment

For all my years I have used pots and never really recognized an obvious drawback...there's no way to tell what value the pot is set at. Okay, maybe I recognized the drawback but just accepted it. A few days ago I was rummaging though my ample junk box and discovered a multi-turn pot with a dial ind...
by don87109
Sat Apr 01, 2017 12:42 pm
Forum: General Discussion
Topic: looking for a digital Fahrenheit sensor
Replies: 13
Views: 8748

Re: looking for a digital Fahrenheit sensor

ok, great... BTW, what is the accuracy going to be ? like i said my last one was not linear at all.. not sure if sensor length was a issue or not, ( 5ft ) i had the caps that was recommended for long distance. helped some, but never accurate. and yes i did calibrate before.. anyway. i'm going to be...
by don87109
Mon Mar 27, 2017 5:25 pm
Forum: General Discussion
Topic: looking for a digital Fahrenheit sensor
Replies: 13
Views: 8748

Re: looking for a digital Fahrenheit sensor

well here is the thing.. i built a digital temp a few years ago using the ICL7107 and a LM34 sensor...the ICL7107 was set up as a volt meter.. it worked, but it never was linear.. and i did use the recommended parts. so i am tired of it..and want to use a Arduino nano and a temp sensor, i guess i c...
by don87109
Mon Mar 27, 2017 10:51 am
Forum: General Discussion
Topic: looking for a digital Fahrenheit sensor
Replies: 13
Views: 8748

Re: looking for a digital Fahrenheit sensor

I don't quite understand what you mean by a digital temperature sensor that reports in Fahrenheit. Most analog sensors report in voltage or resistance changes and the conversion to Fahrenheit or Celsius is done with circuitry. How do you envision a digital sensor reporting it's data? Are you expecti...
by don87109
Mon Mar 27, 2017 10:09 am
Forum: General Discussion
Topic: Articles poorly written, e.g.Translational Reality Part 2
Replies: 0
Views: 13207

Articles poorly written, e.g.Translational Reality Part 2

IMHO the Translational Reality Part 2 article is poorly written...And many other articles over the years also suffer this problem. I often try to understand the basic concept of an article before I invest the time to read it thoroughly. I think a high level summary of the article is needed before it...
by don87109
Sat Nov 10, 2012 7:09 am
Forum: General Discussion
Topic: UPS has to see AC before providing backup
Replies: 6
Views: 5856

Re: UPS has to see AC before providing backup

What model UPS do you have? I have a couple of APC units from the 250/400/600 line. They were "orphaned" due to a hardware upgrade so I gave them a new home. I've never used them, but was able to obtain schematics at the time. A quick look suggests that a simulated "AC Fail" sig...
by don87109
Fri Nov 09, 2012 5:03 pm
Forum: General Discussion
Topic: UPS has to see AC before providing backup
Replies: 6
Views: 5856

UPS has to see AC before providing backup

I have a couple Of UPS's that seem to have a strange limitation. They have to see AC before they become "armed". IOW, if they are not plugged in when the power fails you can't use them. Similarly, if when operating on battery and it becomes discharged you cannot replace it with a fresh bat...
by don87109
Fri Nov 09, 2012 4:47 pm
Forum: General Discussion
Topic: Cell phones with Wi-fi ...
Replies: 5
Views: 5238

Re: Cell phones with Wi-fi ...

Hi. Those cell phones featuring wi-fi ; what are they supposed to do? Can those phones access a nearby wi-fi laptop hardrive files, can the laptop navigate the internet connection from the cell phone service; both ; none... What is the typical use for the feature ? When I'm away from home I use my ...
by don87109
Tue Sep 11, 2012 8:16 am
Forum: Computer Programming
Topic: Repeating wifi signal ?
Replies: 1
Views: 4106

Re: Repeating wifi signal ?

I've never heard of a laptop capability to repeat a signal. Then again, I have not heard of a lot of things. I've used wifi range extenders in the past with good results. Newegg has some reasonable deals. I had success with this one recently for $25 on sale. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp...
by don87109
Mon Feb 08, 2010 6:41 am
Forum: General Discussion
Topic: Simpson 260 sticky meter
Replies: 5
Views: 3794

Re: Simpson 260 sticky meter

Lenp,

Thank you, very informative post. I don't think the pointer is touching the glass, but I'll double check and then proceed with your other ideas.

A couple of years ago I tried to fix a sticky meter and just managed to ruin it. They are pretty delicate mechanisms.

Thanks again,

Don
by don87109
Sun Feb 07, 2010 2:11 pm
Forum: General Discussion
Topic: Simpson 260 sticky meter
Replies: 5
Views: 3794

Simpson 260 sticky meter

I have a couple of old Simpson 260 multimeters that have sticky meter movements. Is there a way to free these movements? They seem to stick at the high end of the scale. Somehow I aways reach for the 260 when I need a meter. The new-fangled digital meters just don't seem as good for general purpose ...
by don87109
Thu Jan 07, 2010 5:51 pm
Forum: General Discussion
Topic: What Microcontroller Language do you prefer?
Replies: 19
Views: 16806

Re: What Microcontroller Language do you prefer?

For many years I was an assembler programmer on communications computers, and my own home-built 1802 elf computer. I have used C, basic, and Cobol(yeah, I'm an old guy). I love assembler, but when you need fancy math a higher level language is really needed (I think C is queen of the pigs). The prob...
by don87109
Thu Jan 07, 2010 5:36 pm
Forum: General Discussion
Topic: Flat Screen TV pet peeve
Replies: 3
Views: 2172

Flat Screen TV pet peeve

Maybe it's the TV's I buy (Sharp, Samsung, Panasonic), but many programs just don't fill the screen having black bars on the sides or the top and bottom. Yes, in most cases the image can be expanded to fill, but usually portions of the screen are lost. That is, to stretch the width you generally los...
by don87109
Wed Jan 06, 2010 5:52 pm
Forum: General Discussion
Topic: Can I Lengthen wire of IR emitter?
Replies: 4
Views: 3591

Re: Can I Lengthen wire of IR emitter?

Thanks, haklesup, I'll keep that in mind.

Right now I'm leaning toward simply pulling a new cable, but if I hit any difficulty maybe I'll pursue sharing the RG 6.

Don