The Night Mail

[Happy Hippo]

4 minutes ago, J. S. Bach said:

Is that what is called a drill press over here?

Yes it is.

 

Supposedly they will drill a hole perpendicular to the bed of the machine.  So marking out a job and drilling it half way through, then turning it over and drilling it from the other side should result in a single hole without the tear out of the wood fibres on the exit point which is associated with drilling all the way through where the timber is unsupported.

 

They are rarely truly perpendicular and needs small amounts of packing to the column to make that possible.

 

Another problem that the lighter models have is the moveable table can flex slightly under load which is not conducive to high levels of accuracy.

 

 

[J. S. Bach]

14 hours ago, Florence Locomotive Works said:

Evening all, ...snip...

 

Douglas

What a nice looking yard, almost park-like.

This morning I mowed the front yard and some of the back. "Some?" you say? Yes, I left some wildflowers alone so that I can enjoy them when they bloom.

Daisies:

 

A variety of other, mostly yellow flowers:

 

 

And some really small ones under the carport:

 

 

 

 

[jamie92208]

36 minutes ago, Happy Hippo said:

Yes it is.

 

Supposedly they will drill a hole perpendicular to the bed of the machine.  So marking out a job and drilling it half way through, then turning it over and drilling it from the other side should result in a single hole without the tear out of the wood fibres on the exit point which is associated with drilling all the way through where the timber is unsupported.

 

Just put a piece if scrap 2 by 1 under the piece you are drilling. No problem with swarf if the two pieces of wood are smooth and in good contact.

[Happy Hippo]

1 hour ago, jamie92208 said:

Just put a piece if scrap 2 by 1 under the piece you are drilling. No problem with swarf if the two pieces of wood are smooth and in good contact.

Agreed,

 

The drill through half way and then re-drill the other is really to prove the accuracy of the machine set up.

 

I usually make a fixture from scrap ply and soft wood that fits and holds the work piece so that when doing repetitive work, the  next piece is dropped into place in the fixture. and then repeatability of holes is achieved. The ply is large enough to be fitted onto the drill bed. My drill stand is very small and doesn't have a moving table.  Once the task is finished, if the  fixture is of simple construction, then it's scrapped and goes to the firewood box.  I do have a few which were a bit more complex, so live in a cupboard on the off chance they may be required again.

 

However, most of them just get binned as they are intended to be sacrificial. 

 

Having been inspired by some of the Youtube videos, I'm now looking to make a router lift table for my small trim router, although I do already have one that fits a corded Dremel drilll, but it is a bit too small for anything above dolls house work.

Edited April 29, 2021 by Happy Hippo

[Florence Locomotive Works]

8 hours ago, J. S. Bach said:

What a nice looking yard, almost park-like.

Thank you Dave,

 

Our bit is only from the dead looking line of grass on the right up to the clump of trees in the center, and then it extends some left of that. The general public certainly agrees with you on the park bit, we have had a few drunk party come-fromers end up in it. Your wildflowers are looking nice, if you ever need some inspiration I suggest driving the turnpike between Tulsa and Oklahoma City, the variety is quite high.

 

Douglas

[jamie92208]

Just a random thought.  How dependent are modern modellers on chips, not the eating kind but the electronic version. With the current worldwide chip shortage, will dinosaur analogue modellers like me, be atvan advantage for the next two years till things get sorted out. Almost enough to make me retire smugly to a DCC free zone in the shed.

 

Jamie

[Happy Hippo]

18 minutes ago, jamie92208 said:

Just a random thought.  How dependent are modern modellers on chips, not the eating kind but the electronic version. With the current worldwide chip shortage, will dinosaur analogue modellers like me, be atvan advantage for the next two years till things get sorted out. Almost enough to make me retire smugly to a DCC free zone in the shed.

 

Jamie

I have both chipped and unchipped locos, but until you pointed this out to me I never realised the wisdom of my decision!

 

I embraced DCC in an almost prehistoric way where the loco has a chip and is used purely to drive and isolate.  It certainly saves on a lot of cross board wiring!

 

Driving signals and turnouts depends on the railway. Splott West Sidings is designed around a Megapoints controller which I use to drive servo or stall motors.  No route setting, just as in the olden days in exactly the same way as a mechanical signal box operated, although I've not interlocked anything. The upcoming Rhech Capel Junction has no signals and will feature hand operated turnouts with crossing nose polarity controlled by  a microswitch attached to the respective stretcher bar on the turnouts.

 

I have no desire to go for macro route setting or any other form of remote operation.

 

Absolutely no attempt will ever be made to drive the trains from my smart phone.

 

I have nerve damage in some of my fingers from a mild dose of frostbite many years ago, so I find that the touchy feely of sliding my finger over a screen for fine control difficult at times.

Edited April 30, 2021 by Happy Hippo

[Dave Hunt]

I'm with Jamie in the PSOG* camp, although in my case the decision to eschew DCC arose chiefly because I had all the DC equipment I needed from many years ago and being naturally lazy and tight fisted I couldn't face the idea of shelling out something like the best part of £750 as well as going through all the faff of chipping my locomotives. The downside was the hours I spent under the baseboards installing in the region of 200 yards of wire and 36 isolating switches. At least I didn't have to mess about trying to find space for the chips in the locomotives and fiddle about programming them all. Mind you, I do have the scars on my head as witness to the perils over under-baseboard activity when there isn't a lot in the way of natural head covering.

 

Dave

 

*Potentially Smug Old Gits

[jamie92208]

Perhaps Dave and  I, plus any other dinosaurs, should form a new modelling group called SAGA.*

Though someone else may already use that Acronym.

 

Jamie

 

*  Smug Analogue Gits Association.

 

 

[PhilJ W]

49 minutes ago, Dave Hunt said:

I'm with Jamie in the PSOG* camp, although in my case the decision to eschew DCC arose chiefly because I had all the DC equipment I needed from many years ago and being naturally lazy and tight fisted I couldn't face the idea of shelling out something like the best part of £750 as well as going through all the faff of chipping my locomotives. The downside was the hours I spent under the baseboards installing in the region of 200 yards of wire and 36 isolating switches. At least I didn't have to mess about trying to find space for the chips in the locomotives and fiddle about programming them all. Mind you, I do have the scars on my head as witness to the perils over under-baseboard activity when there isn't a lot in the way of natural head covering.

 

Dave

 

*Potentially Smug Old Gits

 

2 minutes ago, jamie92208 said:

Perhaps Dave and  I, plus any other dinosaurs, should form a new modelling group called SAGA.*

Though someone else may already use that Acronym.

 

Jamie

 

*  Smug Analogue Gits Association.

 

 

Perhaps we should start our own thread here on RMW. Smug Old Gits?

[Happy Hippo]

43 minutes ago, Dave Hunt said:

Mind you, I do have the scars on my head as witness to the perils over under-baseboard activity when there isn't a lot in the way of natural head covering.

Not having baseboards the size of an aircraft carrier's flight deck, I carry out any wiring with the board tipped on it's side.

 

One of the advantages of Pongoland is they allow you to retain your combat helmet as part of your reserve liability equipment.

 

I have a hard hat because I have a soft head.  It has a pretty disruptive pattern cover to go over the top, although I will admit I no longer feel the need to add extra vegetation from the surrounding area or extra scrim materiel to break up the outline

5 minutes ago, jamie92208 said:

Perhaps Dave and  I, plus any other dinosaurs, should form a new modelling group called SAGA.*

Though someone else may already use that Acronym.

 

Jamie

 

*  Smug Analogue Gits Association.

 

 

Try Whips:

 

Wiring Habit Involves Perilous Soldering

[Happy Hippo]

5 minutes ago, PhilJ W said:

 

Perhaps we should start our own thread here on RMW. Smug Old Gits?

Better still be a BOF.

 

Boring Old F*rts

 

At least Douglas can breathe a sigh of relief, smile and think:  'Not me!'

Edited April 30, 2021 by Happy Hippo

[Oldddudders]

I'm not particularly clued up on the world chip-shortage, but have been aware for more than 6 months that a key high-end electronics factory in Japan burned down last October. That has impacted the camera industry, since modern DSLRs, and their natural successors Mirrorless cameras, make substantial use of bespoke chips. Cameras have been in short supply and discounts have been fewer than usual as a result. Sony has just made a minor mod to two £2k+ cameras, probably to eke out scarce displays.

 

I did hear Peugeot has revised one current model to have an analogue speedo, in place of electronic.  

 

I intend no slight to ESU et al when I say I think their products are a little further down the sophistication chain, given that they don't have to identify a human - or animal, or bird - eye and direct a focussing system to follow it at 20 frames a second...... 

 

And although I have used DCC since 1997, it isn't for everyone, and DC works just as well as ever it did.  

[jamie92208]

According  to a reporterbon radio 4 yesterday therecare 3 main reasons for the chip shortage.

1. The power outagescin the winter in Texas which caused problems at some foundries which I believe produce the silicon wafers.

2. The fire at s factory mentioned qbove along with water shortages.

3. Trumps sanctions on China.

 

The speaker said that the supply chain for chips is very complex with some of them crossing 70 borders before ending up in a product.

 

Jamie

[Happy Hippo]

Jamie, thanks for an insight  about the chip shortage.  I think only need three more to bring the fleet entirely into the DCC world. (Four if you include the not yet arrived Class 121 DMU.)  My 95xx 'Teddy Bear' was ordered with the sound already fitted.

 

I did wonder about getting a 5 amp power booster for the NCE Powercab I have, but in all honesty my train lengths are never likely to require that much power.  My Sulzer Type 2 is in the process of having one of the bogies de-geared and un-motored so that it can run off a much cheaper sound decoder.  The haulage of the modified loco still being far more than the maximum train I plan on running.

 

If  I do decide to upgrade in the future, it's just a case of getting the motor and gears refitted and a larger sound decoder inserted.  The small one can then be re-blown and put into another, smaller loco.

 

I did panic somewhat at the thought of hard wiring a decoder into a loco, but when I did finally pluck up the courage to do so, it was a very straight forward process.

 

I'm having a plate full of chips tonight, breaded fish and mushy peas.

 

It's Friday and it's nearly drink o'clock.

[Tony_S]

DCC chips still seem to be available! The latest versions of graphics cards for high performance computers are frequently on back order as they are being purchased for use in Bitcoin mining applications rather than shooting Zombies on games PCs and consoles. In addition to the fire, flood/drought reasons the world economy had recovered allegedly quicker than expected so producers of sophisticated chips are struggling to meet demand. It must have been in the 1990s when a Japanese factory was out of action (earthquake I think ) and PC memory cards were similarly scarce. The college I worked in was raided and the Business Studies computers were stripped of their memory chips. 

[polybear]

1 hour ago, Tony_S said:

..... as they are being purchased for use in Bitcoin mining applications .......

 

How does a graphics card dig a hole for something that doesn't exist?

A confused Bear

[Oldddudders]

59 minutes ago, polybear said:

 

How does a graphics card dig a hole for something that doesn't exist?

A confused Bear

Bitcoin is basically the Emperor's New Suit Of Clothes for investors in the paranormal. 

[Happy Hippo]

1 hour ago, polybear said:

 

How does a graphics card dig a hole for something that doesn't exist?

A confused Bear

I think that when Brian Rolley finally gets around to writing the complete history of the Industries in Scrumcap Valley, that we will discover the last working deep bitcoin mine in the universe is not too far from Aberflyarff.

[coastalview]

3 hours ago, Tony_S said:

DCC chips still seem to be available! The latest versions of graphics cards for high performance computers are frequently on back order as they are being purchased for use in Bitcoin mining applications rather than shooting Zombies on games PCs and consoles. In addition to the fire, flood/drought reasons the world economy had recovered allegedly quicker than expected so producers of sophisticated chips are struggling to meet demand. It must have been in the 1990s when a Japanese factory was out of action (earthquake I think ) and PC memory cards were similarly scarce. The college I worked in was raided and the Business Studies computers were stripped of their memory chips. 

Having just bought a new desktop PC I can confirm the point about graphics cards. Many of them are virtually impossible to get and those that are available may often be going for significantly more than the retail price.

 

Bitcoin mining is according to Forbes using 120 TWh (Terawatt hours per year), the equivalent of a small country. So it is hardly the most environmentally friendly exercise. 

 

It can however be absurdly profitable.  I know someone who has made at least £50k from a £5k gamble. He's cashed in and left the £5k to run on. In many circumstances you legally don't have to pay any tax.

 

It is however not for those of a nervous disposition or those who don't do significant research as it is very easy to get ripped off.

[Florence Locomotive Works]

Afternoon all,

 

 

I we were dismissed at noon from school today, as there are big faculty and staff meetings this afternoon, so a early steam up could be had. 
 

Said run went very well, no derailments, and no excessive priming now that I’m using a syringe to inject precise (well, mildly) measurements of oil into the lubricator. Before I was just watching for a reflection of the oil level from the other hole. 
 

Here’s a picture of the engine cooling down, with the Meccano water tower and my modest collection of rolling stock in the background. 
 

 

Re DCC: try live steam, as many trains as you want on the track, given sufficient operators! (And space)

 

Re Bitcoin: Dubious stuff. Far to unpredictable for my liking. An interesting concept though, and it gives something for Reddit to mutter about. 
 

Douglas

 

 

 

[Happy Hippo]

18 minutes ago, Florence Locomotive Works said:

Afternoon all,

 

 

I we were dismissed at noon from school today, as there are big faculty and staff meetings this afternoon, so a early steam up could be had. 
 

Said run went very well, no derailments, and no excessive priming now that I’m using a syringe to inject precise (well, mildly) measurements of oil into the lubricator. Before I was just watching for a reflection of the oil level from the other hole. 
 

Here’s a picture of the engine cooling down, with the Meccano water tower and my modest collection of rolling stock in the background. 
 

 

Re DCC: try live steam, as many trains as you want on the track, given sufficient operators! (And space)

 

Re Bitcoin: Dubious stuff. Far to unpredictable for my liking. An interesting concept though, and it gives something for Reddit to mutter about. 
 

Douglas

 

 

 

I ran three at once, once!

 

It is not an exercise for the faint hearted.

 

I prefer to let my steamers run sedately around whilst holding  a suitable beverage and admiring the steam trail in the cooling evening

[PhilJ W]

This looks useful.

https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/839776488/habilis-workbench-handmade-wooden?ref=shop_home_recs_1&frs=1&crt=1&fbclid=IwAR3T1kE9pagDbHdkCO9Lm4g8Ge_MHtNm9-7chM-W4GGS3ninlBSDl_czTOU

[PhilJ W]

I've no idea what happened here.

[simontaylor484]

Well according to my spam box i am a millionaire in bitcoin several times over and yet i keep getting sent more

  It is an interesting concept mining for something that doesnt exist

 

Is it open cast or longwall method