NIK

Hi, I thought DNA allows proteins to be manufactured. Genes provide the coding by the way of groups of DNA base pairs that the protein manufacturing areas in the cells can read the DNA and assemble proteins from that code sequence. If protein could be added to DNA what would be the consequences?. If Covid had been produced by modification wouldn't the organisation that modified it be clever enough to disguise the edits as a number of seemingly random changes?. Regards Nick

Hi, The definition of vulnerable will vary depending on the Covid variants in the country at the time. This is because the variants have different characteristics such as transmissibility and symptoms/long term damage/lethality. So originally the UK Covid vaccination programme was said to be a race so that restrictions could be lifted as soon as possible. Any variants that increase transmissibility*, or are more damaging to health or affect people that do not yet qualify for vaccination deserve deep thought and study. * If a variant comes along that increases transmissibility but has dramatically less health effects then the situation is a bit different. Regards Nick

HI, Weren't those F1 drivers who tested positive for Covid isolated because they might infect others so their response to Covid was not necessarily a factor in when they raced again?. Regards Nick

Hi, That's good to hear. The Pi Hut are stocking a plug in type breadboard with the Pico pin descriptions printed on it. That will help all of us without X-ray vision who can't see the printing on the underside of the Pico. Regards Nick

Hi, The PIO assembler code for MicroPython is not quite the same as for the C/C++ SDK. I'm guessing this was in order to simplify getting code compatibility with MicroPython and its IDEs. It certainly complicated my work trying things out in MicroPython before writing a C/C++ version. Regards Nick

Hi, So hopefully the Arduino IDE has been extended to support that board. Looks like it might fit inside a OO coach if needs be. I'm not sure yet what using an RP2040 as the MCU does to help the user. I suppose its a non Chinese MCU (die by TSMC of Taiwan, packaged in Japan) so is not likely to be embargoed by the rest of the world. Also the documentation seems to be very good. It may be the smallest low cost Dual Core MCU on the market - they've fitted it in a Nano form factor. Micro Python on a MCU board is a nice feature as is the free Open MV license for machine vision The PIO state machines are an interesting feature for the price - I had a Pico using 4 state machines coordinated by a simple C++ program on one core running for two months without problems. Hopefully the RP2040 will be on the market for many years although whether there will be clones of the RP2040 and the boards it features on is less sure. Regards Nick

Hi, I was fishing near Aldermaston in Berkshire. The plane I saw was a large 2 engine passenger jet (engines attached to wings). I was too far away to ID the type or airline. Planes taking off from Heathrow normally seem to turn to south over Reading. The plane I saw turned from easterly to south to the west of Reading which I guess avoids the Heathrow departures path. Regards Nick

Hi, If you google 'Arduino Nano RP 2040 connect' then you should see a link to Tom's hardware which says it is a MCU board being made for the Arduino organisation. Looks like it has not been released yet - waiting for Arduino IDE to be extended?. Regards Nick

Hi, Its an Arduino that happens to contain the RP2040 microcontroller that is used in the Raspberry Pi Pico. I'm interested in its introduction as it might result in the Arduino IDE supporting the Pico in addition to the Nano RP2040 Connect. Regards Nick

Hi, While I was out fishing in the South of England yesterday I kept hearing large jet aircraft at heights and paths I hadn't noticed before. Then when there was a gap in the clouds I saw one doing a sharper bank than a passenger plane with passengers on board might do and at a place where turns aren't normally seen. Pilots doing non simulator refreshers in preparation for more passenger flights?. Regards Nick

What happens to a brit if they have a Covid jab while abroad?. They go green, then amber then red. Regards Nick

Hi, Yes, sorry I took Class 33/1 to work with EMUs to mean the Class 33/1 could control the drive system of the EMU rather than the EMU driving cab being used to control the power unit of the Class 33/1. Regards Nick

Hi, Were the Class 33/1s only compatible with 3/4TCs trailer units?. Then the Class 33/1 could be controlled from the driving cab of the TC. Perhaps you were thinking Class 73 Electro Diesels?. Regards Nick

Hi, Will Hornby remake their 'jacking/damper' brackets on their model Hitachi units in dodgy Mazak so they can recreate the real thing?. Regards Nick

Hi, Efficient quarantining for people entering a country seems to be needed at least until vaccination against COVID has reached what is considered by the experts a satisfactory level. In the UK maybe people should be quarantined in old army barracks and guarded by the Army and the only TV they have is a continuous video feed showing folks in the NHS coping with COVID. However as Bismark said: “Politics is the art of the possible, the attainable — the art of the next best”. It may seem a shame that going on holiday abroad this summer is so contentious but the logic remains - the UK is an island and it can control the majority of air flights to and from the UK. Vaccination for the country first, holiday flights afterwards?. Regards Nick

Hi, Just for info there are way smaller LEDs than that available to the general public. Regards Nick

Hi, The BBC online is reporting on how the UK health service is planning to deal with outbreaks of the Indian variant. Second vaccine doses may be brought forward. Local or regional economic and social restrictions are being considered and surge testing is being increased in hot spots around the country. Confirmed cases of the Indian variant have doubled from 520 to 1313 in a week. Regards Nick

Hi, From the info provided including a diagram: it looks as though the cracks have been discovered where a cantilever joins a cantilever at a change in section profile and then joins a cantilever at 90 degrees to it (assuming the part shown is a lift loading subframe and the body contributes little to the stiffness). So instead of having one stress raiser (like the squarish corners of the De Havilland Comet Mk1 passenger windows) there seems to be three or four all joining around 9:30 O clock in the red circle. Regards Nick

Hi, Not everybody in the UK has NHS and NI numbers. For instance I read the NHS is offering COVID vaccine jabs to illegal immigrants (presumably as that is a good national strategy to reduce transmission and demand on acute services). Having watched Jabbed! Inside Britain's Vaccine Triumph and first episode of the latest BBC2 series of Hospital filmed during the winter/spring I'm surprised air travel for non work reasons in and out of the UK is being considered for relaxation this summer. The number of people in the NHS backlog for major operations caused by the COVID disruption seems very large to me. Regards Nick

Hi, Sorry I forgot Ballast Magic was a powder not a liquid. I think I didn't see it out of the bottle, only the test bits of board with track and ballast glued on. I used Cascamite 45+ years ago on my first scenic model railway and any powder that didn't get wetted by the water spray tended to get on point blades, rail heads and pickups causing poor conductivity. Regards Nick

Hi Scafellpike, What was the value of resistance that you got and what sort of meter did you use in the test?. I don't have any Ballast Magic - I don't suppose they have put what chemicals are used in it on the packaging?. Some evaluation of Ballast Magic was done in my club for Deluxe Materials prior to it going on sale. It was found that the pre production liquid didn't glue all the ballast down (at least in the evaluation). Perhaps something was been added (such as an ionic surfactant?) before Ballast Magic went into production?. Regards Nick

Hi Scafellpike, I think I remember somebody probably on RMWeb having a problem with conductive ballast/glue on their layout. The conductivity will depend on the glue used. Was it PVA or possibly PVA with other stuff added by the manufacturer?. I've just read PVA reacts with metal salts. This is a long shot is the water you diluted the PVA with (if you did) very soft or very hard?. When a club member brought along some ballast collected from a foundry I tested the particles did not conduct and were not magnetic but I didn't do a resistivity test on a test board with the ballast glued around a bit of track using PVA. If we ever fit block detection using 10k resistors on vehicle axles we shall find out. Regards Nick

Hi, No need for apologies but as a vague question could result in a lot of people doing fruitless work why not focus on what you want?. You have mentioned there is a desired unit cost but have yet to say what it is. You've hinted you might want 30 to 40 decoders so that's a start. Now how much can you afford to spend on each decoder?. A possible clue: a low cost decoder with present technology needs a microcontroller unit (MCU) at its core. MCUs can be had from a few pence up to £10 sterling or more. As you have mentioned they have to be programmed and the cost and ease of programming varies tremendously. Another variable is the physical size of the decoder - have you got the space for 150% of an Arduino Nano clone for example?. Regards Nick

Hi, So you wanted us to guess what your idea of cheap is?. As is often the way with other questioners if you could say what your requirement is then folks can save their time and energy and focus on what you are after. Regards Nick

Hi, I understand Spanish flu was so called because the Spanish government were the first to document its prevalence. Maybe a bit similar to the Kent COVID variant which was first reported from samples analysed in the UK (the worlds biggest analyser of samples for COVID?) that happened to come from people in Kent. Regards Nick