Early Risers.

[JohnDMJ]

27 minutes ago, AndyID said:

 

Ah! I thought it was just a simple latching relay circuit but it's actually a divide by two counter. Good idea.

 

Does it use some electronic bits or are there two relays?

 

So just a D-Type flip-flop in toggle mode with as many buttons as you like providing the 'clock' pulse to toggle it!

[Florence Locomotive Works]

29 minutes ago, iL Dottore said:

Ceiling fan? You mean that you are sleeping indoors?

I thought the done thing to do is, after taking a few medicinal drops of your finest sipping likker, to sleep in a hammock on the mosquito netted porch while your hound dawg snoozes next to you and the cicadas provide a soothing background.... 

Or perhaps I’m thinking about another part of the country.... 

 

On a more serious note, as you are a whizz at all things mechanical, what about stripping down the ceiling fan and rebuilding it (if there is no smell of burning then your electrics are probably going to be okay)

 

Cheers! 

Unfortunately I have been refused permission by higher powers for disassembly of the fan, to my great annoyance. If you’ve ever been around cicadas for any length of time, you will learn to hate the noise they make. Back September for a school trip I went to middle of deepest darkest Arkansas and slept overnight in a Thai fisherman’s hut, without mosquito net. It was a very interesting experience, but I’ve slept better on trans oceanic flights than I did then. There were about 17 of us in there, felt a bit like something out of Bridge over the river Qui, as we weren’t really fed dinner, or lunch. But we did get breakfast, sort of. The place was called Heifer Ranch, but the 3rd world simulation area has been closed now.

Edited July 3, 2020 by Florence Locomotive Works

[AndyID]

4 minutes ago, JohnDMJ said:

 

So just a D-Type flip-flop in toggle mode with as many buttons as you like providing the 'clock' pulse to toggle it!

 

Essentially, yes. The tricky bit would be finding one that operates on 230V 50Hz.

[Ian Abel]

Moaning (well afternoon really!)...

 

Drugs are great

Having now started taking some prescription pain-killers, I'm somewhat less irritable than the past few days, and actually passably reasonable company according to the Mrs!

Still mostly immobile, but a far better nights sleep was had, and I can move around somewhat for the basic necessities.

 

Public holiday today as the "4th" falls on the weekend. Jemma over later to drop off Whitney as she is back out to NY again for another week of sitting waiting to be called.

I'll be doing little more than crosswords, reading, checking in here and p!ssing and moaning about my plight!  In the grand scheme of things not really fair to complain given what many folks are enduring.

 

Weather continues to be mostly unbearable here in the mid-30s and intensely humid. Not being mobile enough to want to go out has its benefits for now.

 

Carry on and count your blessings

 

[AndyID]

27 minutes ago, J. S. Bach said:

I lived for awhile in that "other part of the country" and would absolutely NEVER have thought to "to sleep in a hammock on the mosquito netted porch while my hound dawg cat snoozes next to me and the cicadas provide a soothing background". Even if i had had the inclination, I-95 traffic sounds would have eliminated any soothingness. Note: the sound level increased a measurable amount when the "sound barriers" were installed.

 

Not last night in these parts except in a really good bug-bag. It was down to 46F which is....oh, work it out for yourself

 

We are a good way from the nearest highway so road noise isn't problem. Unfortunately we are beside a lake and at this time of year there is a constant racket from the boats and jet skis and of course there is usually a ski tug blasting out a few hundred watts of some gawd awful "music".

[Sir TophamHatt]

Well, a fairly successful day.

 

Put away the bulk load of wipes I bought (36 packs!).

 

Found out the control boards for the signals are coming next week - hooray!

 

Still no answer on some other lighting I've had on order / shown interest in for nearly 2 months now.

 

Still haven't found the correct size tubs for loft storage... BUT figured I can get free delivery to the store as I'll be ordering over £30 worth. I wonder if I can use my discount from work to get a gift card and use it online.

 

Talking of work, in for 3 days next week (out of 4 per week) so at least I'm able to do something instead of sitting at home getting a bigger waistline at home 

[JohnDMJ]

15 minutes ago, AndyID said:

 

Essentially, yes. The tricky bit would be finding one that operates on 230V 50Hz.

 

No. Just use a 5 Volt logic circuit to operate the logic side then use that to toggle a logic-level relay capable of switching 240V. As the switches need two wires, use the relay's circuit to provide the switches with logic level voltage derived from the flip-flop's power supply in the switching box!

[Ozexpatriate]

51 minutes ago, iL Dottore said:

I thought the done thing to do is, after taking a few medicinal drops of your finest sipping likker, to sleep in a hammock on the mosquito netted porch while your hound dawg snoozes next to you and the cicadas provide a soothing background

That would depend on whether you want to be coyote food - depending on the dog - which might be the coyote's first choice.

[polybear]

1 hour ago, grandadbob said:

 

Laurence, I apologise for doubting you.  Serious memory lapse on my part.  I also lied as it appears I did put a (fluffy) dog in the oven.  I am mortified and hang my head in shame and offer my immediate resignation from SODOFF!

 

 

Shame on you

You are forever banished to spend your days in Hamleys, with the express duty of taking care to ensure that all Bears and associated furry friends (esp. Donks, Hippos and Paddingtons) are sitting comfortably on padded shelves, not on the floor, or squashed, or piled in those dreaded wire baskets; rotating all from rear to front of shelves shall be carried out at hourly intervals to ensure a fair chance of re-homing.  And sneaking off to play trains is definitly not allowed.

 

1 hour ago, grandadbob said:

 

Yep. Here he is with his good friend Big Bud the Bear.

 

 

 

And why, may I ask, is Big Bud looking so glum.....

 

[PhilJ W]

1 hour ago, Ozexpatriate said:

 

There are artists who carve old sheet metal (barrows, shovels, etc) into filigree shapes with plasma cutters. A new hobby perhaps?

 

Google "plasma cut wheelbarrow". It's a thing.

Unfortunately it went to the metal faries some weeks ago. Also I'm not sure if plasma cutters will cut through ferrous oxide with a thin coat of cement and other more dubious materials.

[Ozexpatriate]

52 minutes ago, JohnDMJ said:

One thing I can never understand: people down on the beach (yes, currently taboo) in the sea having a swim rush for shelter when it starts raining; why? Is it wetter under water if you're there when it rains?

The point of bathing in the sea is usually not to stay immersed but to be able to dry off on the sand, which becomes difficult when it is raining. Plus, many beach goers do not venture into the water at all.

 

Actually (depending on ocean and air temperatures) it can be quite nice to be in the water while it is raining.

 

I should also point out that while a towel is about the most massively useful thing an interstellar hitchhiker can have,* one usually does not want it to get wet.

 

* See below:

Quote

Partly it has great practical value. You can wrap it around you for warmth as you bound across the cold moons of Jaglan Beta; you can lie on it on the brilliant marble-sanded beaches of Santraginus V, inhaling the heady sea vapors; you can sleep under it beneath the stars which shine so redly on the desert world of Kakrafoon; use it to sail a miniraft down the slow heavy River Moth; wet it for use in hand-to-hand-combat; wrap it round your head to ward off noxious fumes or avoid the gaze of the Ravenous Bugblatter Beast of Traal (such a mind-boggingly stupid animal, it assumes that if you can't see it, it can't see you); you can wave your towel in emergencies as a distress signal, and of course dry yourself off with it ** if it still seems to be clean enough

** only if it is not wet.

 

Edited July 3, 2020 by Ozexpatriate
Do you know where your towel is?

[Andrew P]

4 hours ago, southern42 said:

 

SM

How did you do that?

I have been robbed.  Robbed I say.

Only a few functions on my browser, today:  Bold Italic Underline Link Quote Smiley Bulleted list Numbered list and Preview.  Anything else that was/should be on the bar has disappeared.

 

 

That's because Bar's are CLOSED until tomorrow Polly.

[laurenceb]

30 minutes ago, polybear said:

 

Shame on you

You are forever banished to spend your days in Hamleys, with the express duty of taking care to ensure that all Bears and associated furry friends (esp. Donks, Hippos and Paddingtons) are sitting comfortably on padded shelves, not on the floor, or squashed, or piled in those dreaded wire baskets; rotating all from rear to front of shelves shall be carried out at hourly intervals to ensure a fair chance of re-homing.  And sneaking off to play trains is definitly not allowed.

 

 

And why, may I ask, is Big Bud looking so glum.....

 

Sorry Bob

[Barry O]

1 hour ago, polybear said:

 

Shame on you

You are forever banished to spend your days in Hamleys, with the express duty of taking care to ensure that all Bears and associated furry friends (esp. Donks, Hippos and Paddingtons) are sitting comfortably on padded shelves, not on the floor, or squashed, or piled in those dreaded wire baskets; rotating all from rear to front of shelves shall be carried out at hourly intervals to ensure a fair chance of re-homing.  And sneaking off to play trains is definitly not allowed.

 

 

And why, may I ask, is Big Bud looking so glum.....

 

He saw what had happened to the dog...it was his turn next!

 

Baz

[Barry O]

Apparently it is Ok to play recreational cricket from next Saturday.. no one has mentioned spit/ball/handling again as that was the official reason given re no recreational cricket..I await the "already prepared" documentation from the ECB on Monday.. I may just give  umpiring a miss as the paid players in our League will be trying any which way to win the League (and yes they get a basic match fee plus win bonuses). This means it is always  the umpires fault if they don't win/get 10 wickets/get 100+ runs    Pah!

 

And @southern42 no thank you..

 

Baz

[JohnDMJ]

 

22 minutes ago, Ozexpatriate said:

The point of bathing in the sea is usually not to stay immersed but to be able to dry off on the sand, which becomes difficult when it is raining. Plus, many beach goers do not venture into the water at all.

 

Actually (depending on ocean and air temperatures) it can be quite nice to be in the water while it is raining.

 

I should also point out that while a towel is about the most massively useful thing an interstellar hitchhiker can have,* one usually does not want it to get wet.

 

* See below:

** only if it is not wet.

 

 

Whilst I see your point(s), much depends on why you are on the beach in the first place and your attitude to getting wet; I recall seeing a young lad without a care in the world bathing, fully clothed (including trainers, jeans and sweatshirt!) in Sandown Bay on the Isle of Wight.

 

Attitudes to living and enjoying life do differ.

 

A good Hitch Hiker ALWAYS knows where, in the Galaxy, his towel is!

 

 

[AndyID]

1 hour ago, JohnDMJ said:

 

No. Just use a 5 Volt logic circuit to operate the logic side then use that to toggle a logic-level relay capable of switching 240V. As the switches need two wires, use the relay's circuit to provide the switches with logic level voltage derived from the flip-flop's power supply in the switching box!

 

You could do something like that but you'll need some additional conditioning circuitry at the switch input to eliminate contact bounce, and probably optoisolators to prevent currents induced in the long wires from the switches banjaxing the input to your flip-flop.

 

Alternatively you could just use two relays

[AndyID]

2 hours ago, JohnDMJ said:

One thing I can never understand: people down on the beach (yes, currently taboo) in the sea having a swim rush for shelter when it starts raining; why?

 

One possible reason is that sudden downpours in Summer are often caused by thunder storms. It's debatable whether the beach is any safer than the water when there is lightning about.

[Ozexpatriate]

10 minutes ago, AndyID said:

It's debatable whether the beach is any safer than the water when there is lightning about.

Both can be extremely dangerous when there is lightning about. Even more dangerous is taking shelter under tall trees at the edge of the beach.

[The Stationmaster]

5 hours ago, PhilJ W said:

Afternoon all from Estuary-Land. The replacement Wheelbarrow hasn't arrived yet but its tracked and its on its way. According to DHL I'm number 49 on the delivery and the driver is on his way to number 47, twenty minutes ago it was number 44 so it shouldn't be long now. If there is a fault with this one hopefully if its a different faulty component I can build a good wheelbarrow out of the two. Stop Press, It's arrived, now to unpack the box, be back later.

I hired a tracked wheelbarrow once.   Absolutely brilliant thing because not only was it tracked but pushing a lever made it jack up to move the bin higher so it could tip into a skip (dumpster for US readers) that was already part loaded.  And being power worked I didn't have to push it to get it from a fair way down the garden uphill to reach the skip;  only problem with it was that if you moved the accelerator lever to the 'hare' position it was a job to walk fast enough to keep up with it to steer it safely.

 

https://www.jewson.co.uk/p/dumpster-JTH06725

Edited July 3, 2020 by The Stationmaster
Lost the link - restored

[TheQ]

Working on somewhat smaller bits of metal I've been cutting to size and folding up the hand rails on some decking for the tiny radar.  You can't see that,  there's a radar building in the way. 

 

Ben the nose like a radar Collie has just been up and scrounged a bit of my supper,  he's now kipping at the foot of the bed. 

 

Time for my choccy goodnight Awl, 

 

 

 

[PhilJ W]

Evening all from Estuary-Land. Haven't assembled the wheelbarrow yet. Too wet and windy outside  and now its too dark. If the faulty one can be put right it will be donated to a good cause. Now for a muggatee and to continue battling Farcebook.

[tigerburnie]

Evening all, well another day of standing in a river up to my nickey-nacky-noos for not a lot again, I know they say that catching a Salmon isn't easy, trips per fish rather than fish per trip, but this is getting out of hand here, it absolutely lashed it down all afternoon, no idea how parts of me got wet when inside waterproof neoprene, but I managed it. It's almost enough to drive you to model train making................................

[brianusa]

On 02/07/2020 at 13:39, AndyID said:

 

The air must be very clean here in the Northwet.

 

 

That bit is North facing. The other side has hardly any moss.

 

 

I have often wondered why we we dutifully have it cleaned off every so often.

     Brian.

[PhilJ W]

18 minutes ago, The Stationmaster said:

I hired a tracked wheelbarrow once.   Absolutely brilliant thing because not only was it tracked but pushing a lever made it jack up to move the bin higher so it could tip into a skip (dumpster for US readers) that was already part loaded.  And being power worked I didn't have to push it to get it from a fair way down the garden uphill to reach the skip;  onluy problem with it was that if you moved the accelerator lever to the 'hare' position it was a job to walk fast enough to keep up with it to steer it safely.

Its not tracked in that sense, its a single wheel at the front jobbie. The tracking referred to is an app that tells you exactly were on the delivery round your parcel is.