sci.electronics.repair - 25 new messages in 11 topics - digest

sci.electronics.repair
http://groups.google.com/group/sci.electronics.repair?hl=en

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Today's topics:

==============================================================================
TOPIC: Polaroid Pola-Pack battery chemistry
http://groups.google.com/group/sci.electronics.repair/t/84793df5d234c33c?hl=en
==============================================================================

== 1 of 5 ==
Date: Thurs, Jan 20 2011 9:34 am
From: Jeff Liebermann

On Thu, 20 Jan 2011 05:11:07 -0800, "William Sommerwerck"
<grizzledgeezer@comcast.net> wrote:

>It's unfortunate there are no standardized rechargeable battery packs for
>portable devices. This might have been doable when they were powered by AA
>and C cells, but modern devices are so small, and the battery is so tightly
>mechanically integrated, it isn't possible.

There's a reason why nobody standardizes on battery packs. Battery
packs are a major profit center. It's the razor blade model. Give
away the razors, and sell lots of blades. For example, Motorola makes
it policy of requiring a new battery, microphone, antenna, charger,
and other accessories with every new model handheld radio and cell
phone. Even models that are very similar, have intentional lumps and
holes to make the previous generation of accessories incompatible.
Same with some HP LaserJet cartridges.

There's some hope with the ITU standardizing on the microUSB battery
charger connector for portable devices:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_Mobile_Terminal_Platform>
<http://www.wacapps.net>
which are slowly being "embraced", which is doublespeak for being
shoved down the manufacturers throats by various regulatory agencies.

Way back in the early 1990's, there was some effort to standardize on
a single laptop battery. Mallory and others invented a ten C cell
package that just slid into the side of the laptop. It was popular
for a short while, until laptops shrank below the size where it would
fit. Nice try.

--
Jeff Liebermann jeffl@cruzio.com
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558

== 2 of 5 ==
Date: Thurs, Jan 20 2011 10:59 am
From: "William Sommerwerck"

>> It's unfortunate there are no standardized rechargeable battery
>> packs for portable devices. This might have been doable when
>> they were powered by AA and C cells, but modern devices are
>> so small, and the battery is so tightly mechanically integrated,
>> it isn't possible.

> There's a reason why nobody standardizes on battery packs. Battery
> packs are a major profit center. It's the razor blade model. Give
> away the razors, and sell lots of blades. For example, Motorola makes
> it policy of requiring a new battery, microphone, antenna, charger,
> and other accessories with every new model handheld radio and cell
> phone. Even models that are very similar, have intentional lumps and
> holes to make the previous generation of accessories incompatible.
> Same with some HP LaserJet cartridges.

You can still get LaserJet series-4 cartridges with no problem.

Oddly, companies /neglect/ to take advantage of profits they could make on
batteries. Palm no longer provides parts or service for the Tungsten T3 --
which is illegal. Had they charged (no pun intended) $50 to replace the
battery, I would have sent the T3 to them. I replaced it myself for $6. If
it lasts two or three years -- and batteries are still available -- I'll be
happy.

"Unless and until" some "ultimate" battery technology is developed, it's
unlikely there will ever be a universal battery system (or systems).

== 3 of 5 ==
Date: Thurs, Jan 20 2011 3:01 pm
From: Allodoxaphobia

On Thu, 20 Jan 2011 09:34:52 -0800, Jeff Liebermann wrote:
> On Thu, 20 Jan 2011 05:11:07 -0800, "William Sommerwerck" wrote:
>
>>It's unfortunate there are no standardized rechargeable battery packs for
>>portable devices. This might have been doable when they were powered by AA
>>and C cells, but modern devices are so small, and the battery is so tightly
>>mechanically integrated, it isn't possible.
>
> There's a reason why nobody standardizes on battery packs. Battery
> packs are a major profit center. It's the razor blade model. Give
> away the razors, and sell lots of blades.

It's also the plumbing model.
Ever replace a rubber washer or bad valve seat in a leaky faucet?

WAY near the top of _my_ pet peeve list.

Jonesy

== 4 of 5 ==
Date: Thurs, Jan 20 2011 5:31 pm
From: Jeffrey Angus

On 1/20/2011 12:59 PM, William Sommerwerck wrote:
> Palm no longer provides parts or service for the Tungsten T3 --
> which is illegal.

How so?

Jeff

== 5 of 5 ==
Date: Thurs, Jan 20 2011 6:23 pm
From: "William Sommerwerck"

>> Palm no longer provides parts or service for
>> the Tungsten T3 -- which is illegal.

> How so?

There are Federal laws that oblige companies to stock service parts for
three to ten years after a product is discontinued. These laws appear to
have been weakened, but it also seems the Federal government doesn't really
care. I had a case where a company couldn't supply parts for a
current-production product, and I had to threaten that I would go to the
Federal Trade Commission.

The Tungsten T3 is still manufacturerd, though not, apparently, sold by
Palm. Palm is legally obliged to provide parts for it, but refuses to. Even
if it weren't manufactured, it has been less than 10 years since it was
discontinued, and Palm is obligated to provide electrical/electronic parts.

==============================================================================
TOPIC: HP zt3000 motherboard
http://groups.google.com/group/sci.electronics.repair/t/f497313c93ede09f?hl=en
==============================================================================

== 1 of 1 ==
Date: Thurs, Jan 20 2011 9:39 am
From: Jeff Liebermann

On Thu, 20 Jan 2011 08:46:21 -0500, Lab1 <.@...> wrote:

>I can't even imagine a schematic for a motherboard, must be like a phone
>book!

For some laptop schematics, see:
<http://kythuatvitinh.com/forum.php>
It's not like a phone book, which is fairly well organized. It's more
like taking a pair of scissors, cutting a big schematic into small
pieces, and then reconnecting them with thousands of wires labeled
with incomprehensible acronyms. It's amazing what can be done with a
schematic capture program to mutilate a schematic.

--
Jeff Liebermann jeffl@cruzio.com
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558

==============================================================================
TOPIC: Can people share a satellite account?
http://groups.google.com/group/sci.electronics.repair/t/0f60ddb458d5e7f9?hl=en
==============================================================================

== 1 of 4 ==
Date: Thurs, Jan 20 2011 9:43 am
From: Chet Kincaid

Forgive my ignorance as I've never had satellite tv and have barely even
touched the controls.

I presume if you have service to more than one tv you have a box by each
both fed from the dish & LNB via a cable splitter.

So can someone take one of their boxes to another location and hook it to
another dish/LNB and still be part of the original service without a 2nd
subscription?

Again, I am showing my ignorance but these things are downlinks only,
right? What do they do about pay per view?

Also, as a separate but related matter, with cable tv moving towards almost
all channels being scrambled and mandatory use of a converter box as
gatekeeper what happens if you take such a box (already activated) to
another location on the same cable system. I'm going to guess if you take
it next door the system has no clue. But I don't know how widely spread
each location is getting exactly the same signal so maybe a block away it
works but across town it would be on a different node or something and not
work?

Yes, I know it sounds like I'm planning to cheat in some way but I'm really
more just curious. Guess I'm wondering why more people don't share
subscriptions if it's technically feasible.

== 2 of 4 ==
Date: Thurs, Jan 20 2011 12:59 pm
From: Bob Villa

On Jan 20, 11:43 am, Chet Kincaid <c...@notarealemail.com> wrote:
> Forgive my ignorance as I've never had satellite tv and have barely even
> touched the controls.
>
> I presume if you have service to more than one tv you have a box by each
> both fed from the dish & LNB via a cable splitter.
>
> So can someone take one of their boxes to another location and hook it to
> another dish/LNB and still be part of the original service without a 2nd
> subscription?
>
> Again, I am showing my ignorance but these things are downlinks only,
> right? What do they do about pay per view?
>
> --
>
> Also, as a separate but related matter, with cable tv moving towards almost
> all channels being scrambled and mandatory use of a converter box as
> gatekeeper what happens if you take such a box (already activated) to
> another location on the same cable system. I'm going to guess if you take
> it next door the system has no clue. But I don't know how widely spread
> each location is getting exactly the same signal so maybe a block away it
> works but across town it would be on a different node or something and not
> work?
>
> Yes, I know it sounds like I'm planning to cheat in some way but I'm really
> more just curious. Guess I'm wondering why more people don't share
> subscriptions if it's technically feasible.

AFAIK you can't share the satellite unless they would be in the same
building. You could (you didn't hear it from me) share it with a next
door neighbor.
You can take your receiver (or smartcard) with you to a cottage or
such. (at least you could in the past).
I know of people (same family) their homes are a few hundred feet
apart. They have the dual Dish receiver and a boosted signal for their
second remote (UHF signal). No added cost for the 2nd house.

== 3 of 4 ==
Date: Thurs, Jan 20 2011 12:50 pm
From: dplatt@radagast.org (Dave Platt)

In article <_IadnfidaODZ6aXQnZ2dnUVZ_gidnZ2d@earthlink.com>,
Chet Kincaid <chet@notarealemail.com> wrote:

>Forgive my ignorance as I've never had satellite tv and have barely even
>touched the controls.
>
>I presume if you have service to more than one tv you have a box by each
>both fed from the dish & LNB via a cable splitter.

It's technically a "multiswitch", not just a passive splitter. You
usually need to have a dual-LNB dish in order to do this at all,
because the two boxes may need to be receiving signals which are not
only on different frequencies, but which are on opposite polarizations
(and a single LNB can only receive one polarization at a time).

Many of the newer dishes have multiple LNBs built in, and a "single
cable" frequency stacking arrangement which only requires running one
cable from the dish to the switch ("splitter").

>So can someone take one of their boxes to another location and hook it to
>another dish/LNB and still be part of the original service without a 2nd
>subscription?
>
>Again, I am showing my ignorance but these things are downlinks only,
>right? What do they do about pay per view?

Well, there's technical "can" (will it work) and business / legal /
contractual "can" (is it permitted / authorized?)

To the latter point first: with most satellite companies, this is
definitely not allowed by the contract. The account/licensing is for
a "single household" usage only, and may not be shared with another
household. In some cases I think they even may not allow "second home"
sharing (e.g. primary home and a vacation home/cabin) on the same
account, although I'm not all that sure of this... it may vary by the
company. Breaking this rule is technically a form of "theft of
services", and those who are caught at it can be faced with civil
suits for damages and perhaps even face criminal charges (the latter
is not common but it has happened).

Now, on a technical level... yes, this often will work, and a lot of
people bend/break the rules by "lending" one of their secondary units
to a friend or relative. During normal operation, the satellite boxes
are downlink-only and don't have any sort of back-channel to the
satellite provider... and so the provider may not be aware that one of
the boxes has been moved.

Some satellite receivers insist on "calling home" periodically, either
via phone line (typically a toll-free "800" number) or via the home's
broadband Internet connection. If a satellite provider detects two
receivers on a single account, "phoning home" from phone numbers
at different locations, they may decide that this is a possible
violation of the account contract. In this case they might deactivate
one or more of the receivers, or insist on some sort of physical
verification process to demonstrate that the receivers are in fact in
the same home.

For pay-per-view, the satellite provider may require that the receiver
be hooked up to a phone line (for ordering and for payment
authorization), which would provide the phoning-location validation I
just described. In other cases, PPV can be ordered and paid for by
phone or Internet, and the authorization for it sent via the
satellite... in which case a phone line connection may not be required.

--
Dave Platt <dplatt@radagast.org> AE6EO
Friends of Jade Warrior home page: http://www.radagast.org/jade-warrior
I do _not_ wish to receive unsolicited commercial email, and I will
boycott any company which has the gall to send me such ads!

== 4 of 4 ==
Date: Thurs, Jan 20 2011 2:26 pm
From: Jeroni Paul

On 20 ene, 18:43, Chet Kincaid <c...@notarealemail.com> wrote:
> I presume if you have service to more than one tv you have a box by each
> both fed from the dish & LNB via a cable splitter.

Since the subscription is usually attached to a card you must insert
in the box, you can only watch one at a time so you could have
multiple boxes and multiple TVs but since you have just one active
card you would have to take the card with you to the one you want to
watch. This of course assumes the card and box used by that particular
provider are some standard so you can buy third party boxes compatible
with the subscription.
Another common setup is to send the output video from the box to other
TVs in a home, either modulated in RF through a coaxial cable or by
wireless video transmitters. As long as all the TVs are yours this
should not be illegal.

> So can someone take one of their boxes to another location and hook it to
> another dish/LNB and still be part of the original service without a 2nd
> subscription?

Yes, you can connect your converter box to any dish pointed to the
right satellite and it will work and they will not know unless you
connect the box to a phone line and the box calls by phone so they
could see its is calling from another number. I don't know if any
control exists about the number the call originates from.

==============================================================================
TOPIC: Brittle plastic?
http://groups.google.com/group/sci.electronics.repair/t/2baa17ceeaefe60f?hl=en
==============================================================================

== 1 of 1 ==
Date: Thurs, Jan 20 2011 10:25 am
From: PlainBill47@yawho.com

On Wed, 19 Jan 2011 23:15:41 -0800 (PST), "larry moe 'n curly"
<larrymoencurly@my-deja.com> wrote:

>I got rid of my vintage 1995 Sanyo TV because the plastic case was so
>brittle it didn't seem capable of safely supporting the weight of the
>CRT, but the plastic of my 1976 TV seems fine. Both cases were made
>of fire retardant ABS, but why was it so much more brittle in the
>newer TV?
Any plastic is a combination of materials. One of the materials is a
plasticizer, which provides flexibility in the finished product.
Plasticizers tend to be somewhat volatile, evaporating slowly with
time. Depending on the exact compound, it may take months, years, or
decades before the loss of flexibility becomes a problem. Of course,
there are ongoing efforts to find plasticizers which are cheaer to
make and last longer.

Most manufacturers run artificial aging tests to prevent problems like
this, but even those rarely can do better than 10 to 1 (one years test
= ten years of normal use). Few manufacturers are willing to hold a
new product off the market for more than a year of testing.

PlainBill

==============================================================================
TOPIC: Reduce power of a microwave oven?
http://groups.google.com/group/sci.electronics.repair/t/76e6c7ef368fc8a0?hl=en
==============================================================================

== 1 of 2 ==
Date: Thurs, Jan 20 2011 11:28 am
From: David Nebenzahl

On 1/20/2011 4:44 AM Michael A. Terrell spake thus:

> mike wrote:
>
>> Yes, that's what I had in mind. All you need is a switch that can
>> handle that much volts safely...and maybe some means to make sure
>> that switching a charged cap doesn't explode the diode or the switch.
>>
>> Some months ago, I had to replace the diode in my old one.
>> Hooked a resistor to a couple of clip leads and hooked them to the cap.
>> I never did find any of the resistor pieces. May have gotten swept up
>> when I cleaned up the puddle I made. ;-)
>
> You exceeded the maximum voltage rating of that resistor.

Gee, ya think?

Another incredibly useful 1-line post from the shoot-from-the-hip master ...

--
Comment on quaint Usenet customs, from Usenet:

To me, the *plonk...* reminds me of the old man at the public hearing
who stands to make his point, then removes his hearing aid as a sign
that he is not going to hear any rebuttals.

== 2 of 2 ==
Date: Thurs, Jan 20 2011 5:48 pm
From: "Michael A. Terrell"

David Nebenzahl wrote:
>
> On 1/20/2011 4:44 AM Michael A. Terrell spake thus:
>
> > mike wrote:
> >
> >> Yes, that's what I had in mind. All you need is a switch that can
> >> handle that much volts safely...and maybe some means to make sure
> >> that switching a charged cap doesn't explode the diode or the switch.
> >>
> >> Some months ago, I had to replace the diode in my old one.
> >> Hooked a resistor to a couple of clip leads and hooked them to the cap.
> >> I never did find any of the resistor pieces. May have gotten swept up
> >> when I cleaned up the puddle I made. ;-)
> >
> > You exceeded the maximum voltage rating of that resistor.
>
> Gee, ya think?
>
> Another incredibly useful 1-line post from the shoot-from-the-hip master ...

And yet another snide, useless post from you.

--
You can't fix stupid. You can't even put a band-aid on it, because it's
Teflon coated.

==============================================================================
TOPIC: Are CRT monitor registers standardized?
http://groups.google.com/group/sci.electronics.repair/t/c82cfde479e993f8?hl=en
==============================================================================

== 1 of 3 ==
Date: Thurs, Jan 20 2011 11:32 am
From: David Nebenzahl

On 1/20/2011 6:44 AM nospam@nospam.invalid spake thus:

> Hi all, I used WinDAS to adjust G2 on an overbright Sony F500R
> monitor, and want to learn about a few of the other registers,
> especially 22-38 and the relationships between them (full dump copied
> below). Google was useless.
>
> In general are these registers standard across monitor
> manufacturers?

[snip]

> REG# ** LABEL ** VALUE NOTES

[...]

> 104 ** H_PHASE ** 149
> 105 ** H_SIZE ** 114
> 106 ** V_CENTER ** 148
> 107 ** V_SIZE ** 132
> 108 ** PIN ** 136
> 109 ** PIN_BAL ** 128
> 110 ** KEY ** 128
> 111 ** KEY_BAL ** 128
> 112 ** MOIRE_CANCEL_SW ** 0
> 113 ** MOIRE_LEVEL ** 0

Hmm; if I didn't know better, I'd say at least some of these look like
the OSD controls in registers. So while I can't help you, I'd say
chances are good that there might be a standard.

(Or if there isn't one, there *should* be ...)

--
Comment on quaint Usenet customs, from Usenet:

To me, the *plonk...* reminds me of the old man at the public hearing
who stands to make his point, then removes his hearing aid as a sign
that he is not going to hear any rebuttals.

== 2 of 3 ==
Date: Thurs, Jan 20 2011 12:36 pm
From:

"David Nebenzahl" <nobody@but.us.chickens> wrote in message news:4d388db2$0$24073$822641b3@news.adtechcomputers.com...
> On 1/20/2011 6:44 AM nospam@nospam.invalid spake thus:
>
>> Hi all, I used WinDAS to adjust G2 on an overbright Sony F500R monitor, and want to learn about a few of the other registers,
>> especially 22-38 and the relationships between them (full dump copied
>> below). Google was useless.
>>
>> In general are these registers standard across monitor
>> manufacturers?
>
> [snip]
>
>> REG# ** LABEL ** VALUE NOTES
>
> [...]
>
>> 104 ** H_PHASE ** 149
>> 105 ** H_SIZE ** 114
>> 106 ** V_CENTER ** 148
>> 107 ** V_SIZE ** 132
>> 108 ** PIN ** 136
>> 109 ** PIN_BAL ** 128
>> 110 ** KEY ** 128
>> 111 ** KEY_BAL ** 128
>> 112 ** MOIRE_CANCEL_SW ** 0
>> 113 ** MOIRE_LEVEL ** 0
>
> Hmm; if I didn't know better, I'd say at least some of these look like the OSD controls in registers. So while I can't help you,
> I'd say chances are good that there might be a standard.
>
> (Or if there isn't one, there *should* be ...)

Yes, what I posted is a partial dump of the F500R's registers. There
are 6 or 7 pages of them, but the rest look like frequencies, resolutions
etc and other numeric values. The final page is called "Fact Free" and
I'm still clueless about what that is.

I started to read the Service Manual (btw Sony has them on their site
now at http://esi.sony.ca/esupport/esupport/) and it's almost complete
Greek to me. Without a couple thousand dollars (at least) in equipment
I can't hope to follow it.

== 3 of 3 ==
Date: Thurs, Jan 20 2011 5:27 pm
From: whit3rd

On Jan 20, 6:44 am, <nos...@nospam.invalid> wrote:
> Hi all, I used WinDAS to adjust G2 on an overbright Sony F500R monitor, and want to learn about a few of the other registers,
> especially 22-38 and the relationships between them (full dump copied below). Google was useless.
>
> In general are these registers standard across monitor manufacturers?

Some names are familiar.
Your "G2" means the second grid of the CRT, and determines
the overall brightness (and needs correction often as the tube ages).
A 'readjustment' of a color monitor is potentially complex, it seems
like most things we used to do with screwdrivers are now 0-255 range
binary numbers, probably for one or several 8-bit DACs.

(about registers 28-33)
Red, green, blue blanking levels (the cutoff 'black' setting) might
have a 'center' value so one can start the adjustment procedure
at a neutral value (we used to center the ranges first, set G2 or
"screen" and go from there). The "max" might mean maximum
value of the voltage, not necessarily maximum integer in the
DAC register...

then when the 'zero' brightness values are set you adjust gains
of the video amplifiers, i.e. 'drive'
(registers 22...27)

Sizing and centering the screen with (104...107)

Pincushion and pincushion balance adjustments(108...109) are
for barrel distortion (or inverse barrel == pincushion)

Keystone (get this wrong and the rectangles come out as rhombuses)
(110...111)

> REG# ** LABEL ** VALUE NOTES
> 1 ** G2 ** 115 Factory setting (139) caused overbrightness
> 2 ** DRV_ZERO_LEVEL ** 0
> 3 ** DRIVE_MIN ** 0
> 4 ** DRIVE_MAX ** 250
> 5 ** dummy4 ** SKIP
> 6 ** dummy5 ** SKIP
> 7 ** SRGB_CONT ** 225
> 8 ** SRGB_BRT ** 75
> 9 ** dummy8 ** SKIP
> 10 ** dummy9 ** SKIP
> 11 ** dummy10 ** SKIP
> 12 ** dummy11 ** SKIP
> 13 ** dummy12 ** SKIP
> 14 ** REG13 ** 2
> 15 ** REG14 ** 2
> 16 ** REG15 ** 0
> 17 ** OSD_ENLARGE_LIN ** 102
> 18 ** REG17 ** 35
> 19 ** REG18 ** 177
> 20 ** REG19 ** 37
> 21 ** REG20 ** 80
> 22 ** R_DRV_CONT_MIN ** 200
> 23 ** R_DRV_CONT_MAX ** 200
> 24 ** G_DRV_CONT_MIN ** 150
> 25 ** G_DRV_CONT_MAX ** 150
> 26 ** B_DRV_CONT_MIN ** 150
> 27 ** B_DRV_CONT_MAX ** 150
> 28 ** R_BKG_BRT_CENT ** 100
> 29 ** R_BKG_BRT_MAX ** 86
> 30 ** G_BKG_BRT_CENT ** 140
> 31 ** G_BKG_BRT_MAX ** 125
> 32 ** B_BKG_BRT_CENT ** 125
> 33 ** B_BKG_BRT_MAX ** 105
> 34 ** CONT_MIN ** 30
> 35 ** CON_MAX_BR_CENT ** 150
> 36 ** CON_MAX_BRT_MAX ** 115
> 37 ** BRIGHTNESS_CENT ** 125
> 38 ** BRIGHTNESS_MAX ** 170
> 39 ** R_USER_DRIVE ** 151
> 40 ** G_USER_DRIVE ** 139
> 41 ** B_USER_DRIVE ** 142
> 42 ** R_USER_BKG ** 128
> 43 ** G_USER_BKG ** 128
> 44 ** B_USER_BKG ** 128
> 45 ** REG44 ** 60
> 46 ** USER_COLOR_FLAG ** 2
> 47 ** H_FREQ ** 1078
> 48 ** COLOR_MODE ** 1
....
> 100 ** SIGNAL_INDEX ** 17
> 101 ** V_BLK_WIDTH_MIN ** 115
> 102 ** V_BLK_WIDTH_MAX ** 115
> 103 ** REG102 ** 115
> 104 ** H_PHASE ** 149
> 105 ** H_SIZE ** 114
> 106 ** V_CENTER ** 148
> 107 ** V_SIZE ** 132
> 108 ** PIN ** 136
> 109 ** PIN_BAL ** 128
> 110 ** KEY ** 128
> 111 ** KEY_BAL ** 128
> 112 ** MOIRE_CANCEL_SW ** 0
> 113 ** MOIRE_LEVEL ** 0
... and lots more...

==============================================================================
TOPIC: Awesome speakers!!
http://groups.google.com/group/sci.electronics.repair/t/19ed616a0fe70f02?hl=en
==============================================================================

== 1 of 3 ==
Date: Thurs, Jan 20 2011 12:37 pm
From: dplatt@radagast.org (Dave Platt)

In article <ih9ljd$mkt$1@news.eternal-september.org>,
William Sommerwerck <grizzledgeezer@comcast.net> wrote:

>Given that they use SEAS drivers, they're probably very good. But there are
>better speakers for the same or less money.
>
>I see nothing wrong with a "serious" listener spending $15K for a pair of
>speakers -- that's what you spend on a car these days. But most people don't
>see it that way.
>
>If $15K is outside your budget, listen to the less-expensive Martin-Logan
>hybrid electrostatics. They're not "cheap", but you're getting a really fine
>speaker at a "reasonable" price.

Alternatively, take a look at some of the kitted "assemble it
yourself" speaker systems available from (e.g.) Madisound and
Zalytron. Many of them are available either as parts-only kits (build
the cabinets yourself from plans), or with cabinets pre-built (just
finish the cabinets and install and wire the components). There are
some very good kits available... essentially equivalent to the
reference designs from the driver manufacturers themselves.

== 2 of 3 ==
Date: Thurs, Jan 20 2011 2:15 pm
From: "William Sommerwerck"

> Alternatively, take a look at some of the kitted "assemble it
> yourself" speaker systems available from (e.g.) Madisound
> and Zalytron. Many of them are available either as parts-only
> kits (build the cabinets yourself from plans), or with cabinets
> pre-built (just finish the cabinets and install and wire the
> components).

One of the advantages of such kits is that you can build a rigid, tightly
braced, really /dead/ enclosure, which is never found in modestly priced
"box" speakers. You can also experiment with such things as painting the
cabinet with Nextel.

> There are some very good kits available essentially equivalent
> to the reference designs from the driver manufacturers themselves.

There used to be a joke that /everybody else/ knew more about using KEF's
drivers than KEF did. This was generally true.

== 3 of 3 ==
Date: Thurs, Jan 20 2011 3:26 pm
From: dplatt@radagast.org (Dave Platt)

In article <ihac61$9h9$1@news.eternal-september.org>,
William Sommerwerck <grizzledgeezer@comcast.net> wrote:

>> Alternatively, take a look at some of the kitted "assemble it
>> yourself" speaker systems available from (e.g.) Madisound
>> and Zalytron. Many of them are available either as parts-only
>> kits (build the cabinets yourself from plans), or with cabinets
>> pre-built (just finish the cabinets and install and wire the
>> components).
>
>One of the advantages of such kits is that you can build a rigid, tightly
>braced, really /dead/ enclosure, which is never found in modestly priced
>"box" speakers. You can also experiment with such things as painting the
>cabinet with Nextel.

Yup.

I designed and built my own cabinets, rather than using a fully-
kitted design, as I wanted to fit them into a specific space in
my living room. Double-thick front bezel with a deadening compound
between the two layers, lots of internal bracing, and a thorough
glopping of the interior with Shur-Stick Permanent Patch 100. These
boxes are *dead*... they go "thuck" rather than "boing" if you tap them.

http://www.radagast.org/~dplatt/speakers/

>There used to be a joke that /everybody else/ knew more about using KEF's
>drivers than KEF did. This was generally true.

Point taken :-)

==============================================================================
TOPIC: How to repair an invisible machine from the 23rd century?
http://groups.google.com/group/sci.electronics.repair/t/e431feeea64c740f?hl=en
==============================================================================

== 1 of 3 ==
Date: Thurs, Jan 20 2011 12:39 pm
From: dplatt@radagast.org (Dave Platt)

In article <ih98r3$5te$1@news.albasani.net>, Pimpom <Pimpom@invalid.net> wrote:

>Invisible machine or invisibility machine? There's a difference,
>you know. The schematics are quite different too. Before you even
>attempt to repair the former, a quantum interlocuting frammis is
>absolutely essential.

With left-hand or right-hand circular polarization? The RHCP models
have been very difficult to come by lately...

== 2 of 3 ==
Date: Thurs, Jan 20 2011 1:44 pm
From: David Nebenzahl

On 1/20/2011 12:39 PM Dave Platt spake thus:

> In article <ih98r3$5te$1@news.albasani.net>, Pimpom
> <Pimpom@invalid.net> wrote:
>
>> Invisible machine or invisibility machine? There's a difference,
>> you know. The schematics are quite different too. Before you even
>> attempt to repair the former, a quantum interlocuting frammis is
>> absolutely essential.
>
> With left-hand or right-hand circular polarization? The RHCP models
> have been very difficult to come by lately...

... but in any case, you're gonna need maximum byte separation (MBS).

--
Comment on quaint Usenet customs, from Usenet:

To me, the *plonk...* reminds me of the old man at the public hearing
who stands to make his point, then removes his hearing aid as a sign
that he is not going to hear any rebuttals.

== 3 of 3 ==
Date: Thurs, Jan 20 2011 8:16 pm
From: Phil Hobbs

Lab1 wrote:
> On 1/18/2011 2:40 PM, Lloyd Hearsewave wrote:
>> I've found an invisible machine from the 23rd century, but it's not
>> working.
>>
>> How can I repair it?
>
> Spray paint it so you can see what broke.
>

Send the owner a bill for the repair, with 200 years' worth of compound
interest. Then you can keep the machine in lieu of payment.

Cheers

Phil Hobbs

--
Dr Philip C D Hobbs
Principal
ElectroOptical Innovations
55 Orchard Rd
Briarcliff Manor NY 10510
845-480-2058

email: hobbs (atsign) electrooptical (period) net
http://electrooptical.net

==============================================================================
TOPIC: Cell phone data plan
http://groups.google.com/group/sci.electronics.repair/t/8974e71ed0054784?hl=en
==============================================================================

== 1 of 1 ==
Date: Thurs, Jan 20 2011 7:07 pm
From: LSMFT

If I have cell phone usb stick for wireless data connection can I use
Magic Jack phone service on my notebook?

--
LSMFT

Simple job, assist the assistant of the physicist.

==============================================================================
TOPIC: Nickel plated polyimide--where to get?
http://groups.google.com/group/sci.electronics.repair/t/8bee83d05dbdcb50?hl=en
==============================================================================

== 1 of 1 ==
Date: Thurs, Jan 20 2011 8:32 pm
From: Phil Hobbs

I have a partly-baked idea for improving temperature controllers, but it
requires a bunch of nickel plated polyimide film--say 3 to 8 mils thick,
with 40 microinches of electroless nickel on it.

I need to pattern it and then solder to it. Copper is too conductive,
which is a pity, since I already have a roll of polyimide with 1/2 oz Cu
on it.

I haven't found anybody that's interested in supplying it in engineering
quantities (say 10 square feet).

Anyone here have a favourite shop that does nickel plating on plastic?

Thanks

Phil Hobbs

--
Dr Philip C D Hobbs
Principal
ElectroOptical Innovations
55 Orchard Rd
Briarcliff Manor NY 10510
845-480-2058

email: hobbs (atsign) electrooptical (period) net
http://electrooptical.net

==============================================================================
TOPIC: ****************Photo Recovery Software****************
http://groups.google.com/group/sci.electronics.repair/t/040dcd99845765d4?hl=en
==============================================================================

== 1 of 1 ==
Date: Thurs, Jan 20 2011 8:38 pm
From: chris jeraco

Photo Recovery Software

************************************************

http://www.photorecoverysoftwares.net/

************************************************

Photorecoverysoftwares.net offers Photo Recovery,Photo Recovery
Software,Digital Photo Recovery Software - Photo Recovery Software
recovers lost and deleted photos from hard drive, memory card, SD
cards and flash drives. Deleted photo recovery from digital camera.

==============================================================================

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