PupCam

Hmm. Given @polybear's recent shocking revelations of changes to the construction of his favoured LDC, @jonny777 highlighting the negative environmental impact of commercial cake manufacturing (including LDC no doubt) and @Andrew P's recent report on what sounds to have been a particularly fine example of LDC I have (in my role as Business Advisor) a confidential business proposal for Poly's post-kitchin re-development and pre-get on with that blxxdy railway activities. Specifically, I suggest that he puts the new kitchen to good use developing as the first product of "Poly Bear's Country Kitchin"TM brand a LDC along the lines sampled by Andy (but of course, superior to that particular example) and using ethically sourced ingredients in accordance with a sound environmental plan. Whilst full Business Advisor Ts & Cs are still to be agreed, it will be obvious that I will be designated Chief Scoffer Tester with assistance from Andy who will be responsible for taste comparison testing and Jonny who will be responsible for insuring the ethically sourced ingredients do not have a negative impact on the taste, texture and general presentation of the finished product. Poly will of course be responsible for all aspects of material procurement, the LDC production (whilst wearing the regulation Corporate "Poly Bear's Country Kitchin"TM pinny), sales and distribution (mostly to his advisors/helpers). Can't wait for the first tasting!

That "Covid Insecurity" will affect us all over the coming months and years although clearly to very different and personal degrees. It is perhaps currently the key "Obvious Factor" affecting likely exhibition attendance either as "part of the show" or as a punter that I alluded to. I couldn't agree more and used the same argument when, as a founder member and, in the positions of Membership Secretary and Chairman of a couple of R/C Model Flying clubs I was always amazed that members would be quite happy to spend hundreds and later thousands of pounds to acquire/build/operate a model aircraft (which had a very high probability of returning home in a bin bag) but would bleat about putting the subs up from £50/year to, say, £55/year in order to have somewhere to fly them! Although in the case of a model railway club the principle is likely to become a double edged sword as the club's success led to bigger, better and more comprehensive facilities being provided which would then effectively escalate the running overheads to be funded directly by the membership. Again another very, very fine balance to be struck. Ah! I've still got a couple of W&H catalogues lurking somewhere I can remember poring over them in my youth, day dreaming over that magnificent layout to built in the future ..... That "Covid Insecurity" will affect us all over the coming months and years although clearly to very different and personal degrees ......... the recurring theme (and quite rightly so). Is it actually a North / South divide, I'm not so sure? For me the divide is more along the lines of Size of Exhibit versus Size of Show (which very roughly correlates to is it a one or two day show?) for a number of factors but primarily controlled by logistics and costs. The show I referred to earlier is clearly southern (being located not that far from the M25) but regularly had exhibits from the north, to a lesser extent the extreme south west and more recently from across the Channel. In my experience, you are very unlikely to attract or be able to attract a huge layout with a team of 10 operators to a one day, village hall show irrespective of whether it is coming 5 miles or 500miles (I have no doubt that there are of course exceptions to this rule!) Am I correct in thinking that this is the current principle of the Government's experiments in opening "mass attendance" events (let's not get all political here discussing the rights and wrongs)? I think the recent snooker final, a pop concert and some other similarly sized events have been run along these lines, as much as a scientific experiment as a means to let the people enjoy themselves. Personally I'm not that bothered about attending a snooker final, pop concert or a football match at the moment (well, if I'm honest, or at all) but it does highlight once again that doing so is very much a personal thing and clearly everyone is different.

Space isn't generally likely to be a problem as the decoders are to be installed in O Gauge rolling stock. Each vehicle will only need a couple of digital functions but there are a good number of vehicles potentially hence the desire to minimise the decoder unit cost. Nigel's suggestion of the hand -rolled Paul Harman design would seem to fit the bill perfectly so I'm going to give that a go although I've just been distracted by the getting the new DCC++ EX software up and running. Progress has been made in that direction but I'm not 100% of the way there yet. When I do get round to building a decoder or ten I'll let you all know how I get on. Anyway, many thanks for your suggestion.

You've blown the cover now Bill! If I've got it wrong, please say ....

And therein lies the rub! I have been heavily involved with a well known, medium to large size and I believe well regarded show since its inception over 30 years ago (no names no pact drill, as the principles apply to all to a lesser or greater extent although Tony and some others know the one to which I am I am referring). Our show was always intended to be a showcase for the hobby, to promote new interest and encourage participation. The general ethos behind its planning was always to provide the best possible variety and range of high quality exhibits (not the cheapest!) but it was never intended to generate a profit for "Club" funds (I use the term in its broadest sense). As we aren't a charity it obviously could not persistently make a loss year on year and so on average it needed to operate essentially on a cost neutral basis. Another key driver behind its organisation was to ensure that those exhibitors and demonstrators whom we invited to support "our show" had a most enjoyable and comfortable time, their property was always protected and most importantly they were not out of pocket by supporting and forming part of our show. As many exhibits come from far afield this of course entails providing over-night accommodation for quite large numbers of people and the days of finding club members willing to put "George and Fred" up in the spare bedroom for free over the weekend probably finally disappeared in the 70's. Clearly traders, whilst an essential element of any good and successful show, participate on a different basis to exhibitors and demonstrators. That isn't of course to suggest that we don't strive to make their attendance as enjoyable and, of course, as profitable as possible. Whilst I was never directly involved in the detailed financial aspects of the show I was aware of the orders of magnitudes of the costs and I'm fairly certain that the average model railway exhibition attendee will have absolutely no idea of what those costs are (and why the heck should they) and most importantly, if asked, would significantly underestimate them. As an example, just think about how much it would cost to provide over-night accommodation for two or three nights for over one hundred people - that's one line in the balance sheet ...... Now remind yourselves of where the money to cover those costs comes from. In our case essentially just two sources; the entrance fee from you the punter and the traders stand fees. And what is the greatest unknown to the organisers? The number of punters who will actually walk through the door. Of course, after a number of exhibitions you might think you can make a reasonable guess but even with a well established show with a good reputation there is significant variability no doubt caused by a variety of obvious and not obvious factors. Think the entrance fee is too high (for what you consider to be a good show)? That's OK, we'll reduce the ticket price and either double the number of punters (just exactly how do we do that then?) or put the trade stand fees up. Oh no! we've now got a whole host of disgruntled traders either withdrawing or at least threatening to withdraw their support. We don't want that and can't afford that; the particular mix of exhibitors, demonstrators and traders IS our show. If all the traders turn in to box shifter clones the show is dead anyway. What is clear is that there is a very, very fine balance to be struck and maintained. Like many things in life, a successful model railway exhibition is effectively a very fragile ecosystem and, as we see elsewhere in the world, ecosystems can easily be upset by slight changes introduced either deliberately, carelessly, accidentally or without choice. Unfortunately I fear that the "exhibition world", as others have already pointed out, was changing anyway and how long "what was" could carry on as before is a debatable point. What is certain is that the last fifteen months or so have significantly hastened that change. What emerges as the "new way" at the end of it is anyone's guess! Alan

Welcome aboard!

Just an example of one of my "better quality" conversions - it just happened to be of a duck by a lake in a North London park circa 1960. I think the quality of it is quite remarkably considering that little bit of Standard 8 cine film has been stuck in a loft cycling between very hot and very cold with no attention paid to its well-being for more than 40 years and then it has been captured using a cheap webcam and an old projector lens. If you look carefully you will notice that actually the image is quite soft round the edges and one of the many projects on the to-do list is try and improve the optical quality of the telecine machine. I can't tell you how pleased I was when I came across the clips of Deltics etc at New Barnet and then how mortified I was when I realised that particular bit of film, the only bit in the 15 or so reels that I have, exhibited this problem. Just to add insulate to injury, I've got half an hour of beautifully exposed, close-ups of a snail sliding up a branch. I hate snails ...... I had my Ford serviced and MoT'd earlier in the week - yet another suspension spring broken and had to be replaced. That's all four springs on a 15 year old car have been replaced at least twice and a couple may have been replaced three times now. I'm beginning to think they are making them out of some sort of soft cheese instead of a more appropriate material although I suspect the appalling state of the road surface makes a significant contribution to the lack of longevity . Usually the spring failures have been fairly benign and undramatic although on one occasion a couple of years ago when a front spring failed it rotated and the sharp, broken end sliced through the sidewall of the brand new (<100 miles) front tyre. I have to tell you Puppers became rather grumpy at that point particularly as the RAC didn't want to deal with it as it was "within a 1/4 mile of my house" (but not at or outside my house and completely immovable blocking the public highway) Grrrhhhhh! Yes indeed, best wishes to all who are ailing in some way. Hmm, beginning not to look forward to Jab 2.0 now which is due in a couple of weeks. I've often wondered .......

More than wiling to help you if I can

Indeed and IMHO they are wonderous things; flexible, powerful and most of all cheap (~£5 - £15 for a clone). With lots of cheap accessory boards you can do almost anything with them. I use them for all sorts of little projects. So much so that often the answer is an Arduino, now what's the question? As examples; I've built a little GPS tracker that I use for logging my bike rides (yes I know you can do that with your Smart phone), a telecine machine for converting old cine films to DVD & YouTube videos, a working faux "Smiths Chronometric" Speedo (the ubiquitous speedo for old British motorcycles and cars from the 1920s to the 1960s) and countless other gadgets. The Telecine machine came about when mother was just about chuck out all the family cine films from the 60's which, along with the old projector, had been kicking around in the loft for 40+ years. Fortunately Puppers interrupted the disposal process (it would have been criminal to chuck all those memories out). Research on the interweb on how to get them transferred revealed a number of homebrew telecine machines based on an old projector and I like a challenge! Fundamentally you replace the very bright projector light with a white LED and the big screen with a the innards from a webcam. There's some other cunning tricks to play of course to get a working system. In my case I use some free software used for taking astronomical photographs as the means of catching the thousands of images that make up the cine. The machine uses an old R/C model aircraft electric motor and speed controller to drive the projector and a couple of Arduinos to drive the speed controller and to trigger the software to capture each frame. You can see the two Arduinos mounted on the piece of Vero board on the righthand side of the "insides" photograph. Results are variable but then, many of the films are in a very old and generally in a poor condition. The duck video isn't bad quality though considering how it's been transferred. Unfortunately some cracking shots of Deltics, Brush 2s, Brush 4s etc racing through New Barnet in the mid 60's were ruined by a faulty camera - each frame being semi superimposed on the previous one. Blast and double blast!!!! The speedo uses an Arduino, bits of an old R/C servo and the astute railway modeller will recognise a Portescap motor and gearbox. It's a tight fit in a modern replacement Chrono housing and uses an original dial blagged from a friend. Yes the "DCC++" system is a very cunning and cheap way of using an Arduino and a simple plug-in DC motor driver board to build a fully operational, capable and flexible DCC control system. I've built the original and it works brilliantly with the original (free) software but now some new chaps have decided a completely new, (allegedly) even better version and that's what I've been amusing myself with these last couple of days. I did in fact have some success today and managed to get the "Noddy" installation version working on my original unit. The O Gauge Dapol 08 was running up and down a length of Peco Streamline rather nicely in the end You may have spotted, I rather like Arduinos!

The Tornado's Blue Circle radar didn't need such accurate alignment

Rectifier fried - AC getting to rails? A distinct possibility I would have thought, it will be a selenium plate rectifier and he'll know if it's gone by the smell ... If it is that it could be repaired with a modern silicon bridge rec (or does it have Full/Halfwave switching I wonder?) but you have to ask yourself would it be a good idea as the transformer and the mains cable is no doubt way beyond it's serviceable best? I would have thought it would be better to retire it as a museum piece or completely re-build it with modern components mounted in the original case (depends if he's precious on originality or not) or maybe buy something slightly more modern like a servicable, late H&M controller if he wants to retain a period look. I expect such things are available on Ebay and a patient punter should be able to pick one up a reasonably priced example. Otherwise just buy a modern, meaty job and crack on. UPDATE I thought as much. You'd need to choose carefully though to avoid the out of the frying pan into the fire syndrome! https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2380057.m570.l1311&_nkw=hammant+and+morgan+controllers&_sacat=0

That is the correct answer!

As if!

Yes, now you come to mention it that is a distinct possibility! I'm reminded of my efforts just over a year ago to get a grocer shopping account setup for my house bound self-isolating mother (it wasn't easy!). On numerous occasions this involved calling the Customer Helplines at the various supermarkets. Having endured the endless pre-recorded messages and the menu system for the supermarket that favours orange as its corporate colour, I was asked whether I would be prepared to do a short customer satisfaction survey afterwards to which I agreed. I then joined the queue, sat patiently listening to the corporate muzac interspersed with those re-assuring messages telling me how important and valued I was. Having waited for precisely an hour the call was automatically terminated and transferred directly to the customer satisfaction survey ....... So yes, on reflection, that probably won't work either!

4) Seems to be the most sensible and after sufficient McSporran's you won't care anyway! Anyway, here's hoping the immune system is back to normal ASAP and normal service can be resumed. A team of cynics is rudderless without a Captain .... That's not an argument! What would you rather have a Harley OR a motorcycle, now that's an argument Oh how I long to re-live the days of my youth laying down a carpet of Duckhams 2 Stroke smoke along the road. I wonder if the air cooled RD is still for sale How about the phone ... In Other News: Although I'm waiting for the "proper" Arduino MEGA board to turn up I had a crack at building the code for the DCC++ EX system yesterday. It didn't go with a swing..... The destructions say that you can substitute a NANO for a UNO and the code includes NANO specific definitions etc but it falls over whinging about incorrectly set timer flags. And despite setting it up so that Ethernet was not included it got into a strop because it couldn't find an Ethernet card so some surgery had to be performed. So then I thought I'd have a go with the simple to use, installer designed for use by Noddy. NANO isn't on the list of processors to choose from - do make up your minds chaps! Anyway, I'll have another ponder today if only to pass the time and to educate myself.

I don't suppose you have any of the oil removed at the oil change left (i.e. not yet disposed off) and any of the fresh new oil you could do an experiment with? You could try mixing them and see what happens (although it would hardly be representative of the conditions inside a running engine!)

Hmmm, if all of the oil has gone "waxy" I might be tempted to think that the previous oil and the new oil were not in fact compatible (for whatever reason) as I assume the system wasn't flushed between the old and the new? I've only ever flushed an engine out once as part of an oil change and that was to remove many small bits of piston ring in an attempt to "tide me over" until a full engine re-build could be undertaken ....... (still haven't got round to it ) Was the oil that was used for the previous oil change the correct oil I wonder?

Unfortunately you've summarised the situation perfectly and I am a) frustrated about it and b) disgusted about it. You all know my views on the assumption that ALL of society can and will "use the online solution we've provided for your benefit". I'm sure there could or at least should be some anti-discrimination laws that could be wheeled into action to fight for the "Non-standard" bod (eg the little old lady of 92). What we need is a legal expert ..... Undoubtedly there will be a percentage of the population that disdains REAL "experts" but I think in reality that it is a relatively small percentage and they are clearly just stupid people and they should just be ignored. During my working life I have worked with numerous very clever people including many Doctors and indeed very closely with someone who was held in the highest regarded as the company Boffin (No names, no pack-drill Poly ....). At one stage I was flattered (and slightly bemused) by the fact that the Doctrine of doctors with whom I was working assumed that I was, on paper at least, more highly qualified than I am - I chose not to disillusion them. In fact the very reason I got the position in the first place was to add, shall we say, a degree of engineering practicality to some "rocket science" proceedings. I would add (with just a hint of modesty maybe) that in terms of real, practical engineering experience I was head and shoulders above most if not all of them because, like Poly, I had been there, I had done that and I had numerous T shirts. I can't help thinking that the blanket term of "Expert" is too freely used over too wider a spectrum in the media and on the internet, the equivalent of "From DC to Daylight" in the RF spectrum and that sensible people like us should use it as in the correct, dictionary definition: "A person with a high level of knowledge or skill relating to a particular subject or activity" (interesting that the dictionary makes no mention of qualifications .... ) And the term (and perhaps the user) just ignored when it is used derogatively. I'd like to think that, just like spotting my "friends" Mr B and Mr H from an earlier post, we can all easily determine who is a real expert and worthy of the title. Alan

Morning all. I've had to invoke the "Pupper's Patented 'ppointment Procuring Procedure" with the GP for the 4th time in recent weeks this morning. I'm pleased to say it worked again although the 10 minutes on hold when I did get through did have me twitching! I was feeling quite reasonable when I awoke this morning but it's all gone downhill since playing the Appointment Lottery but I won't bore you with the details of my afflictions. Anyway, whilst awaiting the telephone call from the doctor (wouldn't a face to face appointment and examination be good for a change!) I feel I may have a crack at downloading and building the code for the DCC++ EX system as it basically involves sitting in my chair and barely moving. I can also do the mods to the hardware which looks to be the removal of the two jumpers which were part of the original hardware configuration whilst sitting on my rear. Enjoy your day folks!

Well due to my current circumstances I find myself doing (an enforced) "3/5ths of Not A Lot" so that might just be a very good idea. That's two new projects I've picked up today: 1) Having a play around with the new DCC ++ EX malarkey 2) Having a go at making home-made Boston Baked Beans What with musing over the possibility of rustling up an Inglenook Shunting Puzzle Layout as a DCC++ Test Track it's a good job I don't have to go to work!

Whilst they may not be the best possible connector (I spent my entire working life in an industry that used very expensive "best possible connectors") the phono socket in this case has a number of advantages: a) It's perfectly adequate b) It is tight and won't come adrift without a bit of a fight c) It's perfectly capable of operating at the current levels demanded by my loco d) (and most importantly) I had a matching set in my bits box .....

Puff pastry for me I think but leaving the black pudding out of course As for the beans; I think the addition of some suitably drained baked beans would work nicely. I agree that you need to get rid of 98% of the "bean juice" because a) it's over-rated and b) it would indeed lead to Soggy Pie Syndrome.

That sounds good! I will have to investigate. Alan

In general, the one thing Pupper's uneducated palate cannot abide is offal and why anyone would want to consume kidneys (in particular) is beyond me but there we are. However, I do remember many years ago having a meal in a restaurant in Paris after a particularly tedious work meeting where I plumped for a steak for the main course. It was served with bone marrow (the short length of up-ended bone made a natty container for the marrow) and was absolutely delicious. The only draw back when eating it seemed to be that it gave the impression of being 100% semi-liquid cholesterol and you could almost hear ones veins and arteries shouting for mercy. Oh no! (Again!)

Ah, good old Marsh. You'll have to update me on his progress sometime Brian.