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BatteryUser <BatteryUser@NoPlace.com>: Jun 04 07:30AM -0700 QUESTION 1: I have several devices that have battery (alkaline AA or AAA) contacts that regularly get resistive. Opening the device and spinning the batteries usually solves it but only for a day or so.   What is available to coat the device contacts to prevent the constant opening and battery spinning ?   These contacts are usually way down inside the device and are not all that easy to get to.   QUESTION 2: is there a AA and AAA battery that is less likely to leak all over and destroy my devices ? Yeah I know, take the batteries out BUT not always remembered ! So please do not annoy me with that recommendations.   I have brand new, never used AA and AAA batteries that leaked. These are many years before the printed good by date. What total crap. I have no-name batteries that never leak. The one that leak are Duracell and Costco brand name batteries.   QUESTION 3: Now that contacts have been destroyed by leaking batteries, what is the best procedure to get the contacts working again? The contacts are deep inside and I cannot take the device apart. I cannot buy a new device because in some cases they are not available or are now too expensive to buy.

"David E. Ross" <nobody@nowhere.invalid>: Jun 04 07:48AM -0700 On 6/4/2017 7:30 AM, BatteryUser wrote: > The contacts are deep inside and I cannot take the device apart. > I cannot buy a new device because in some cases they are not available > or are now too expensive to buy.   In my home, Duracell is permanently prohibited. I have had too many devices destroyed by leaking Duracell batteries.   -- David E. Ross <http://www.rossde.com>   Consider: * Most state mandate that drivers have liability insurance. * Employers are mandated to have worker's compensation insurance. * If you live in a flood zone, flood insurance is mandatory. * If your home has a mortgage, fire insurance is mandatory.   Why then is mandatory health insurance so bad??

krw@notreal.com: Jun 04 10:57AM -0400 On Sun, 4 Jun 2017 07:48:29 -0700, "David E. Ross" >> or are now too expensive to buy.   >In my home, Duracell is permanently prohibited. I have had too many >devices destroyed by leaking Duracell batteries.   I've had them all leak. The solution is to keep batteries fresh. If we have a power outage and flashlights get used, I change all the batteries, whether they need it or not. Remotes get their batteries changed at least once a year and other devices are left without batteries in them or, sometimes, a slip of paper between the contact and the battery. Alkalines leak when they're discharged, so don't let that happen. BTW, Duracells are about all I use anymore. They're somewhat cheaper than Everready's and just as good.

"J. P. Gilliver (John)" <G6JPG-255@255soft.uk>: Jun 04 04:54PM +0100 In message <oh15hf$1eoe$1@adenine.netfront.net>, BatteryUser >opening and battery spinning ?   >These contacts are usually way down inside the device and are not all >that easy to get to.   I'm not aware of anything; IME, tinning with solder is often beneficial, but of course not practical if they're inaccessible.   Automotive use sometimes uses some sort of jelly-like substance around the battery terminals - my memory's telling me Vaseline or petroleum jelly (are those the same thing?), but my memory needs needs a new battery ... (-:   >I have brand new, never used AA and AAA batteries that leaked. These >are many years before the printed good by date. What total crap. >I have no-name batteries that never leak.   I don't _think_ I've ever had a rechargeable cell leak, at least anything corrosive - at least not since NiMHs. (Of which I now only buy the ones that hold their charge: they tend to only be available in about 80% the capacity [2.5 rather than 2.9 Ah for AA, 3/4 rather than 1 Ah for AAA], but I don't have to worry about whether they're charged when I need them.)   >The one that leak are Duracell and Costco brand name batteries.   As someone else has said, alkalines leak when discharged. (I've had zinc ones go off even when unused, but even if I had a need for primary cells, I don't think I'd buy zinc.)   The one time I've seen actual capacities quoted for primary cells (in a Farnell catalogue: that's the same company as something beginning with H in the US), Duracells _were_ the highest capacity, but only by about 10%; given the amount of advertising they do, which you usually pay for in the price, I'd not normally buy them - if I had to buy primary cells, I'd buy own-brand (but alkalines), since the variation isn't great. >The contacts are deep inside and I cannot take the device apart. >I cannot buy a new device because in some cases they are not available >or are now too expensive to buy.   If unavailable, i. e. obsolete, you have nothing to lose guarantee-wise by breaking into the device.   -- J. P. Gilliver. UMRA: 1960/<1985 MB++G()AL-IS-Ch++(p)Ar@T+H+Sh0!:`)DNAf   age. fac ut gaudeam.

rickman <gnuarm@gmail.com>: Jun 04 12:12PM -0400 David E. Ross wrote on 6/4/2017 10:48 AM: >> or are now too expensive to buy.   > In my home, Duracell is permanently prohibited. I have had too many > devices destroyed by leaking Duracell batteries.   So now you let other brands leak in your devices?   One good thing about Duracell is their guarantee. I had a radio controlled clock that was ruined by leaking Duracells and they sent me a $100 check to cover the cost! All I had to do was call.   I'm pretty sure the batteries didn't run down before they leaked as I would have noticed the clock wasn't working.   --   Rick C

Jeff Liebermann <jeffl@cruzio.com>: Jun 03 10:02AM -0700 >I got one of those all in one printers, scanners, etc. It's a HP model >C4480.   The HP Photosmart C4400 series was initially released in 2007. Therefore, you "got" a 10 year old printer. Anything that old has had considerable use, which means it full of crud and in need of cleaning. Especially important and messy is the area UNDER where the ink cartridges are parked when not in use or the power is off. Ink will drip into a felt pad and eventually pile up into a stalagmite until hit hits the level of the ink nozzles. At that point, the moving cartridges spread the tar like dried ink mess all over the printer. If the printer was transported upside down, it is likely you have a mess to deal with.   It's not a totally horrible AIO machine, but I strongly suggest you NOT purchase brand new expensive ink carts until you're sure that the printer sections operates correctly. If not, this might help: <https://support.hp.com/us-en/document/c01442936> Buying cheap clone or refill carts on eBay works for me. However, I've had some failures and always buy from two different vendors to be sure at least one works. Good luck.   >The USB end is just a strandard USB plug. The end by the printer is a >squarish type of plug, probably a little more than 1/4" (both ways).   Just search eBay for "USB Printer Cable". <http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=usb+printer+cable>   >Is there a name for this kind of plug? It would be easier to buy one if >I had a name for it.   The connector on the printer is USB 2.0 Type B. <https://files.cablewholesale.com/hires/10u2-022xx_24.jpg>   Do NOT get it confused with a USB 3.0 Type B. <http://www.compusb.com/wp-content/uploads/images/products/p-2520-img_0295.jpg>       -- 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

oldschool@tubes.com: Jun 03 12:45PM -0400 On Sat, 03 Jun 2017 10:02:59 -0700, Jeff Liebermann <jeffl@cruzio.com> wrote:   ><https://files.cablewholesale.com/hires/10u2-022xx_24.jpg>   >Do NOT get it confused with a USB 3.0 Type B. ><http://www.compusb.com/wp-content/uploads/images/products/p-2520-img_0295.jpg>   Thanks for all the info.   I paid $1 for it at a garage sale. The woman who sold it is a neighbor who I know and trust. She said she got another printer with her new computer, so she did not need this one anymore. She said the ink had run out though, and it's expensive.   I did NOT buy it for printing. I dont really need a printer. I probably print something about 3 times a year, and I just let the local library print it for me at 15 cents a page, and it's on a high quality laser printer. If I wanted a printer, I'd only buy a laser type.   I bought this printer for the built in scanner. I have some old photos I want to scan, and I was quoted $3.95 per scan at a local business. I know I can scan without the printer ink. In fact, I went to a WIFI today and downloaded the drivers/software for it from HP's website. In the process I found some videos about using it, and discovered that I really dont need to connect it to a computer to scan. It has a place to plug in a SD card, so I can just put my scanned photos on that card, and then transfer them to my computer with a USB SD card adaptor.   Either way, I'm sure I'll get my bucks worth out of it. Not to mention that a new (2017 model) printer may not work on my computers, since my newest operating system is Windows XP.   Either way, if I can get a cord on ebay for $3 or so, I will buy one. At least now I know what to buy.....   Thanks

Jeff Liebermann <jeffl@cruzio.com>: Jun 03 07:14PM -0700 >print something about 3 times a year, and I just let the local library >print it for me at 15 cents a page, and it's on a high quality laser >printer. If I wanted a printer, I'd only buy a laser type.   I was going to try to convince you that a laser printer is much better than an ink sprayer for printing, but decided that I had said enough.   You might have a problem using it as a scanner if you don't have ink cartridges installed. Some HP printers of that era would notice that your printer was out of ink, and produce a screen full of error messages announcing that if you don't buy some new carts, the world as we know it would suddenly end. The problem was that the error messages would not go away and would appear in the middle of literally everything that you might be doing with the printer including scanning. If you get a "feed me more ink" message while trying to use the scanner, you have the problem. I know a few tricks to somewhat circumvent this problem, but finding some cheap printer carts on eBay will satisfy the printers insatiable appetite for ink, and make the demanding error messages disappear.     -- 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

oldschool@tubes.com: Jun 03 11:09PM -0400 On Sat, 03 Jun 2017 19:14:55 -0700, Jeff Liebermann <jeffl@cruzio.com> wrote:   >circumvent this problem, but finding some cheap printer carts on eBay >will satisfy the printers insatiable appetite for ink, and make the >demanding error messages disappear.   No convincing needed. I know a laser printer is much better. I was told that the ink drys up in these inkjets too, and only last a half year or maybe a full year. So if I print my usual amount of pages, which is less than 20, I'd waste most of the ink anyhow.   If I still had one, I'd connect up an old dot matrix printer, just for plain text stuff. The ribbons in them lasted years. They were cheap to use and did a halfway decent job on text, but not pictures.   Either way, I'll just give the library $5 or less each year for printing, and spend much less that way and wont have to cope with dried up ink. Better yet, the library can print paper about 16 by 20 inches large. Great for schematics. And it's still 15 cents a page.   I connected that thing earlier and scanned a piece of colored junk mail, just to test it. I did not have it connected to the computer (obviously, without a cable). It has a little LCD screen on it, and I saw the scan on that screen, and no error messages. My camera is packed away in my camping stuff, so I did not have a SD card handy. So, after I did the scan, the printer seemed confused with no place to copy the image. I hit "Print" and heard it chatter. Only then did an error pop up (No paper). So, I think it will work as a scanner.

Michael Black <et472@ncf.ca>: Jun 04 11:17AM -0400

Foxs Mercantile <jdangus@att.net>: Jun 04 10:31AM -0500 On 6/4/2017 10:17 AM, Michael Black wrote: > I just grab them off printers lying on the sidewalk waiting for > the garbage pickup. Except they seem to have no use for things > other than printers, so I have a bunch that just do nothing.   The B connector seems to be the connector of choice for Arduino and other IoT bits. My MFJ-225 VNA has the B connector.       -- Jeff-1.0 wa6fwi http://www.foxsmercantile.com   --- This email has been checked for viruses by AVG. http://www.avg.com

Andy Burns <usenet@andyburns.uk>: Jun 04 04:50PM +0100 Foxs Mercantile wrote:   > The B connector seems to be the connector of choice for Arduino > and other IoT bits.   Those will generally be micro B, or mini B, not plain old B.

oldschool@tubes.com: Jun 04 01:30AM -0400 While looking at an oscilloscope, a human-like figure appeared on the screen. It was an alien from another planet, teleported to Earth.   Good grief, I always thought oscilloscopes were only supposed to show wave forms.....   Then the figure came out of the oscope and began attacking and killing people and destroying things.... (televisation)   This is some real scary shit...... [as I pull a blanket over my head] Damn,,,,, I never knew oscilloscopes were this dangerous.....   Seen only on "The Outer Limits".   There is nothing wrong with your computer. Do not attempt to adjust the picture. We are controlling transmission. If we wish to make it louder, we will bring up the volume. If we wish to make it softer, we will tune it to a whisper. We will control the horizontal. We will control the vertical. We can roll the image, make it flutter. We can change the focus to a soft blur or sharpen it to crystal clarity. We can change your operating system in the blink of an eye. For the next hour sit quietly and we will control all that you see and hear. We repeat: there is nothing wrong with your computer. You are about to participate in a great adventure. You are about to experience the awe and mystery which reaches from the mind of the internet, to... The Outer Limits.   This show from 1963. Called "The_Galaxy_Being". Takes place at Radio Station KVKVI. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Galaxy_Being   I get the biggest laugh out of that show and how they used all the electronic stuff from that time to scare the crap out of people...   We now return control of your computer to you...... (Until next week).     Followup Action: To be safe, I just unplugged my oscilloscope, so it cant turn itself on......... But should I put electrical tape on the power cord prongs too? Nah, I think I'll just take the scope to the garage and shut off all the breakers in the garage.....

Phil Allison <pallison49@gmail.com>: Jun 04 12:02AM -0700 > This show from 1963. Called "The_Galaxy_Being". > Takes place at Radio Station KVKVI. > https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Galaxy_Being   ** I remember watching that episode on B&W TV in Melbourne.   It was verrrry scary stuff ...       .... Phil

N_Cook <diverse@tcp.co.uk>: Jun 04 08:10AM +0100 > too? > Nah, I think I'll just take the scope to the garage and shut off all the > breakers in the garage.....   I've been enjoying watching the first series of "The Avengers" in the UK, only seen the Diana Rigg ones before (much higher production values for those). This was in and around 1963, with Honor Blackman. Wobbly scenery , Mcnee fogetting his lines (done live in those days as no electronic recording and editting), hilarious fight scenes, close-ups on non-existent items as an actor had not correctly placed the item ,etc. Ever involving fiends with electronic devices, , jamming ICBM radar receivers, electronic rays stopping anything like motors at a distance, etc. Every episode has an actor who went on to be famous. No mention of an interociter yet though

analogdial <analogdial@mail.com>: Jun 04 12:33PM HaHaHa! The station engineer in that episode was named Allan Maxwell.   Possibly the inspiration for that great SW radio pirate broadcaster, Alan Maxwell:   https://archive.org/details/KipmIlluminatiPrimaMateria-AlanMaxwellPirateShortwave   "He who shrank" is lifted directly from an Outer Limits episode. Maybe others.

analogdial <analogdial@mail.com>: Jun 04 12:39PM analogdial wrote:     > https://archive.org/details/KipmIlluminatiPrimaMateria-AlanMaxwellPirateShortwave   > "He who shrank" is lifted directly from an Outer Limits episode. Maybe > others.   My mistake. It's "He who evolved" that was lifted. Well, it's been about 15 years.

Stephen Wolstenholme <steve@easynn.com>: Jun 04 03:10PM +0100 >While looking at an oscilloscope, a human-like figure appeared on the >screen. It was an alien from another planet, teleported to Earth.   At work about 50 years ago we had a oscilloscope that could project onto a screen for talks and demonstrations. It was just a plain old scope mounted upright that aimed the image onto a oily reflector. It had to be in a dark room to make the projection clear. One day an insect fell into the oil. Now that was a scary image.   Steve   -- Neural Network Software for Windows http://www.npsnn.com

thekmanrocks@gmail.com: Jun 04 05:28AM -0700 " BUT sweet fuck all was pure digital, it was mostly fucking tape based SHIT. "     Phil: I've heard analog tape-based CDs that blow the doors off many "DDD" spars code discs because those earlier anolog sources were mastered without all being squashed down to a crest factor of less than 1dB. MASTERING matters a *lot* more than recording or playback format, analog or digital.

mike <ham789@netzero.net>: Jun 04 02:51AM -0700 On 6/3/2017 9:37 AM, Jeff Liebermann wrote:   >> Thanks, but the original request was for a FREE manual. >> $10 just about killed the urge to fix it.   > You have a very low threshold of pain.   Doesn't have anything to do with pain. I have the ability to think past the first step of a multi-step process and predict that there is likely no outcome where the value of the result exceeds the cost. Free is exactly the right price for each step. Fortunately, that roadblock was achieved at the first step and further efforts are avoided. It'll take up the same space in the attic whether it's fixed or not. ;-)   I couldn't find one that was > <https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/TekScopArc/info> > More: > <https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/search?query=tektronix>   I think I'll visit the TEK museum next week and see if they have anything helpful.

davidp@agent.com: Jun 04 03:53AM -0400 >> tester and sold tubes. Gold plated pins with a lifetime warranty.   >I can't remember if I ever saw a Radio Shack comic book. I did have a >Tandy Leather comic book in the early sixties.   http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=Radio+Shack+comic+book&_in_kw=1&_ex_kw=&_sacat=0&_udlo=&_udhi=&_ftrt=901&_ftrv=1&_sabdlo=&_sabdhi=&_samilow=&_samihi=&_sadis=15&_stpos=27517&_sargn=-1%26saslc%3D1&_salic=1&_sop=12&_dmd=1&_ipg=50

"megamusic" <nema@nema.nema>: Jun 03 08:32PM +0200 "bitrex" <bitrex@de.lete.earthlink.net> wrote in message news:4cqYA.28135$5D5.24639@fx37.iad... > VR27A/B, and the channel goes quiet as the pot is rotated clockwise.   > There's normal-looking signal at pin 8 of both IC1C and IC2C for each > channel, the op-amp phase inverter, though.   Check X10-X18 cathode ground wire, especially if it is flat IDC cable (common problem in behringers)

oldschool@tubes.com: Jun 03 11:54PM -0400 >> channel, the op-amp phase inverter, though.   >Check X10-X18 cathode ground wire, especially if it is flat IDC cable >(common problem in behringers)   Just curious. What is that thing. I looked at the photo but could not read the details on it. Is it a preamp or what? Having both ICs and Tubes is kind of unusual too. Looks kinda cool, whatever it is.....

Phil Allison <pallison49@gmail.com>: Jun 03 10:28PM -0700 > Just curious. What is that thing.     ** Incapable of using Google ??   You seem to be a very lazy shithead.         ..... Phil

Jeff Liebermann <jeffl@cruzio.com>: Jun 03 10:23AM -0700 On Fri, 02 Jun 2017 17:36:19 -0700, "Paul Hovnanian P.E." >through the cord to set up output parameters). One could conceivably hack >together tips for new devices if one knew how to progam the supply. Voltage >is easy to figure. Overcurrent is a bit trickier.   I couldn't find very much detail: <http://www.nerdipedia.com/tiki-index.php?page=Smart+laptop+charger&structure=index> <http://www.instructables.com/id/Hacking-your-iGo-Universal-Power-Adapter/> <http://www.d-de.com/services/tips/igojuice/>   I think this is the original patent: <https://www.google.com/patents/US8092261> More: <https://www.google.com/search?tbo=p&tbm=pts&hl=en&q=inassignee:%22Igo,+Inc.%22>   -- 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

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