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Trevor Wilson <trevor@SPAMBLOCKrageaudio.com.au>: Jun 05 01:23PM +1000 On 4/06/2017 5:10 PM, N_Cook wrote: > 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   **Mmmm. Diana Rigg. The subject of more than one schoolboy dream. Then there was that beautiful Lotus Elan. Mmmm.   Still, a young Joanne Lumley was delectable in The New Avengers...   -- Trevor Wilson www.rageaudio.com.au

Trevor Wilson <trevor@SPAMBLOCKrageaudio.com.au>: Jun 05 01:25PM +1000 On 5/06/2017 1:23 PM, Trevor Wilson wrote:   > **Mmmm. Diana Rigg. The subject of more than one schoolboy dream. Then > there was that beautiful Lotus Elan. Mmmm.   > Still, a young Joanne Lumley was delectable in The New Avengers...   **OOps. Typo. Joanna Lumley   -- Trevor Wilson www.rageaudio.com.au

whit3rd <whit3rd@gmail.com>: Jun 04 05:44PM -0700 On Friday, June 2, 2017 at 5:29:52 PM UTC-7, Paul Hovnanian P.E. wrote:   > Both product lines appear to be discontinued b...   > Does anyone have charts of tip numbers vs laptop models? Or even tip numbers > vs output voltage and connector dimensions   An old Radio Shack catalog is a good place for the iGo tips info: <https://web.archive.org/web/20080213191031/http://www.radioshack.com:80/family/index.jsp?categoryId=2818125&cp=2032056>

Phil Allison <pallison49@gmail.com>: Jun 04 03:13PM -0700 thekma...@gmail.com wrote:   ----------------------------   > than 1dB. MASTERING matters a *lot* > more than recording or playback format, > analog or digital.       ** Question:   Have you heard even one CD that sounded really good ?   If the answer is no, then keep looking.   If the answer is yes, then there is nothing wrong with the 44.1/16 bit format.   Think it through.     .... Phil

ohger1s@gmail.com: Jun 04 04:05PM -0700 On Sunday, June 4, 2017 at 6:13:39 PM UTC-4, Phil Allison wrote:   > If the answer is yes, then there is nothing wrong with the 44.1/16 bit format.   > Think it through.   > .... Phil     Yes, but with a qualification. The CDs that I have that sound good to me tend to be live productions and they are universally rock oriented. That is, they use instruments that are already heavily processed and are inherently dynamic in nature.   While I enjoy string quartets (I Salonisti is one of my favorites), symphonies on CD tend to be less successful in my opinion. Even good vinyl doesn't provide the illusion of a true live performance when it comes to symphonies, and this is an area where I'd hoped CDs would blow by vinyl. I would have thought that if it was recording technique, that would have been addressed decades ago.

Phil Allison <pallison49@gmail.com>: Jun 04 04:30PM -0700 > Yes, but with a qualification.   ** My question was not addressed to you.   So why don't you go drop dead.       .... Phil

thekmanrocks@gmail.com: Jun 04 05:25PM -0700 ohg...@gmail.com wrote: " is, they use instruments that are already heavily processed and are inherently dynamic in nature. "     "Heavily processed" and "inherently dynamic"   Contradiction in terms?

Mike Easter <MikeE@ster.invalid>: Jun 04 09:36AM -0700 BatteryUser wrote: > What is available to coat the device contacts to prevent the constant > opening and battery spinning   There is much misinformation floating about the concept of 'dielectric greases' as 'dielectric' implies non-conducting rather than conducting.   There is a problem with conducting greases, because you would need for the metal in the grease to match the metal in the contacts or there will be more problem rather than less.   Somewhat interesting article here https://www.w8ji.com/dielectric_grease_vs_conductive_grease.htm Dielectric Grease vs Conductive Grease   -- Mike Easter

Wolf K <wolfmac@sympatico.ca>: Jun 04 01:43PM -0400 On 2017-06-04 10:30, BatteryUser wrote: > opening and battery spinning ?   > These contacts are usually way down inside the device and are not all > that easy to get to.   Aerocar makes a contact cleaner-lubricator for use in model planes, trains,m etc. Works real good: in older locomotives, the current draw was halved. Try a good hobby shop.   -- Best, Wolf K https://kirkwood40.blogspot.com "Take my advice. It's almost new, I've hardly ever taken it myself."

Rene Lamontagne <rlamont@shaw.ca>: Jun 04 01:06PM -0500 On 6/4/2017 12:43 PM, Wolf K wrote:   > Aerocar makes a contact cleaner-lubricator for use in model planes, > trains,m etc. Works real good: in older locomotives, the current draw > was halved. Try a good hobby shop.   I have been using M G chemicals contact cleaner for some 35 40 years and find it one of the best, I use it on battery terminals, all types of rotary controls, switches, circuit board edge connectors such as computer memory and other add on cards and it has always worked great. BTW I use only Panasonic Alkaline battery's and have never had one leak.   Rene

Jeff Liebermann <jeffl@cruzio.com>: Jun 04 12:03PM -0700 On Sun, 4 Jun 2017 07:30:02 -0700, BatteryUser >opening and battery spinning ?   >These contacts are usually way down inside the device and are not all >that easy to get to.   <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alkaline_battery#Leaks> <http://modernsurvivalblog.com/preps/battery-corrosion-why-they-leak-and-how-to-prevent-it/>   What has happened is that the alkaline electrolyte (potassium hydroxide) attacks the tin or chrome plating on the spring connectors. The connectors are made from spring steel, plated with copper, nickel and either chrome or tin (if it needs to be soldered). Oxides of these metals make for lousy electrical connections.   The problem is that you're not going to improve the connection between steel (rust) and the battery terminal (stainless steel) with any kind of "contact enhancer" or magic elixir. Even replating the spring clips doesn't help if there is a liquid electrolyte or caustic agent present. The trick is to keep the contacts dry so that there's no electrolysis possible. That's unlikely with unsealed portable devices. I've had some luck spot welding small squares of stainless steel shim stock onto the spring terminals, but that requires total disassembly of the device, which is not always possible or convenient. It also hardens the spring steel, causing the spring eventually break.   My experience with various "dielectric greases" and "contact enhancers" have been dismal. Most do an excellent job of trapping small amounts of electrolyte in the grease so that it can continue to do damage. The best I've been able to do is seal the alkaline battery with thin RTV at the junction of the battery contacts and the case. That also plugs up the overpressure valve. Fortunately, alkaline batteries only belch gas at EOL (end of life) which is a tolerable indication that it's time to replace the cells.   I have a few suggestions on how to minimize the damage caused by alkaline batteries, but in the end, the only solution is to avoid using alkaline batteries. I've been switching to LSD (low self discharge) NiMH cells such as Eneloop, and LiIon where possible. I've had the older type of NiMH cells leak. However, Eneloops can be made to leak, usually by overcharging: <http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?180661-NiMH-leakage-Does-it-happen&p=3259769&viewfull=1#post3259769> None of my LiIon cells have leaked yet. If your device will handle NiMH cells, do it. If your device can handle LiIon, even better.   Unfortunately, that won't help if your battery contacts have already had the tin or chrome contact layers removed by corrosion. Replacing the contacts might be possible. Repairing them with replating is too much work. Spot welding or soldering some pieces of metal to the sprint clip is ugly, but does work. Leaving the corroded contact metal exposed, especially if the battery compartment hasn't been thoroughly cleaned is guaranteed to recreate your intermittent connection problem.   >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.   All the alkalines I've used leak. Some leak in the original packaging. <http://802.11junk.com/jeffl/crud/Kirkland-AAA-leak.jpg> Other alkalines perfer to leak where they can do the most damage: <http://802.11junk.com/jeffl/crud/maglites.jpg>   >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.   That's also been my experience. Oddly, Costco Kirkland batteries didn't leak very much and had a much longer shelf life until after Costco started putting highly visible expiration dates on their bubble pack packages. My conspiracy theory is that they did something to REDUCE the shelf life of their cells.   >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.   I tried to answer that under your first question. Basically, you either provide a better connection by replacing, replating, or augmenting the contacts, or you'll have continuous bad connections. If you want a short cut, try welding nickel strips to the terminals of your battery and bypass the spring contacts completely. It will be rather awkward having to weld nickel strips onto your alkaline batteries when they are replaced, but that's the price of not having to replace the spring contacts. Switching to LSD NiMH will help reduce the leaks, but won't fix the intermittent connection problem.       -- 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

Brian Gregory <bvdvgvrvevgvovrvy@gmail.com>: Jun 04 08:29PM +0100 On 04/06/2017 15:48, David E. Ross wrote: > In my home, Duracell is permanently prohibited. I have had too many > devices destroyed by leaking Duracell batteries.   Same here. Duracell = rubbish.   There are also a little bigger than the correct size for AA and will jam in some devices that will take any other AA battery without problems.   --   Brian Gregory (in the UK). To email me please remove all the letter vee from my email address.

PeterC <giraffenos.pam@homecall.co.uk>: Jun 04 09:42PM +0100 On Sun, 4 Jun 2017 20:29:25 +0100, Brian Gregory wrote:     > Same here. Duracell = rubbish.   > There are also a little bigger than the correct size for AA and will jam > in some devices that will take any other AA battery without problems.   The LSD NiMH from Aldidl and 7dayshop are a tad big - IME they go in but can be difficult to get out where they slide in axially. Eneloop are OK for size, but I don't know if the other 'good' makes are. -- Peter. The gods will stay away whilst religions hold sway

krw@notreal.com: Jun 04 05:22PM -0400 On Sun, 4 Jun 2017 09:36:23 -0700, Mike Easter <MikeE@ster.invalid> wrote:     >There is a problem with conducting greases, because you would need for >the metal in the grease to match the metal in the contacts or there will >be more problem rather than less.   The idea isn't that the grease is conductive (it's not), rather than it will aid in creating a "gas-tight" contact, reducing oxidation. The contacts wipe through the grease but it piles up around the contacts, keeping air and water from the contacts.

rickman <gnuarm@gmail.com>: Jun 04 07:03PM -0400 J. P. Gilliver (John) wrote on 6/4/2017 11:54 AM:   > 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 ... (-:   Yes, they are the same thing. I've heard of that being slathered over the starting battery terminals, but I wouldn't use it on anything else, at least not any electronics. On a car battery the protection is from the unavoidable small amount of battery acid leaked in operation. Other places in the car don't have that problem and you don't want petroleum jelly melting into stuff where you didn't intend it.     > 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.   I think you will find Duracells are priced competatively if you shop around. Here Costco has good prices on Duracells, but they have their own brand which is even cheaper. A number of reviews have been done and they show the Costco brand to be just as good as the Duracells and in fact, the found tiny dimples on the Costco brand cells that are only found on a type of Duracell (one that isn't their cheapest cells).   Reviews (tests) have shown the Sunshine brand from Dollar Tree (a store where "Everything is a Dollar") are just as good as well and even cheaper than the Costco brand at 4 for $1.   Costco has great prices on hearing aid batteries too. Cheaper than any other prices I have found.   --   Rick C

krw@notreal.com: Jun 04 07:11PM -0400 >Costco brand to be just as good as the Duracells and in fact, the found tiny >dimples on the Costco brand cells that are only found on a type of Duracell >(one that isn't their cheapest cells).   Because they look the same, and may even be made in the same factory, doesn't mean they are the same.   >Reviews (tests) have shown the Sunshine brand from Dollar Tree (a store >where "Everything is a Dollar") are just as good as well and even cheaper >than the Costco brand at 4 for $1.   The warranty is worth something, though I've only used it once.   >Costco has great prices on hearing aid batteries too. Cheaper than any >other prices I have found.   Not surprising. This is the sort of thing shopping clubs are good at.

ohger1s@gmail.com: Jun 04 04:14PM -0700 > it will aid in creating a "gas-tight" contact, reducing oxidation. The > contacts wipe through the grease but it piles up around the contacts, > keeping air and water from the contacts.   And that's your answer.   Back in the 70s, Ford USA used to pump their electrical under hood connections chock full with a brownish thin grease (like lithium only not white). Not only air tight and moisture proof, but water proof as well.   The metals *will* make contact through any weight grease you can get between the battery and the contact, but will deny air and moisture from the contacts.   As for damaged contacts, the best solution is to remove, strip, and replate them. Of course, this is more work than most items deserve. What I do is run a wire brush on a Dremel and remove as much crap and remaining plating as I can. Add good flux and flow solder onto the contact. The solder plating will work fine for the most part as long as you keep a bit of grease between it and the battery.

bitrex <bitrex@de.lete.earthlink.net>: Jun 04 03:49PM -0400 On 06/02/2017 11:52 PM, Phil Allison wrote:   > You need to scope the X7 tube grids in the bad channel.   > Plus recheck all DC voltages too.   > .... Phil   Checked the DC voltages at quiescent across all the relevant resistors for both channels and and here's what I find:   R3: 26.1   R4: 24.5   R5: 22.6   R6: 22.3   R7: 1.08   R8: 1.01   R9: 0   R10: 0   R11: 0.94   R12: 0.91   R13: 0   R14: 0   Scoped the tube grids in the bad channel and they're getting signal just fine; with a 1V P2P sine wave as input the grid signals for the bad channel look identical to the good channel as the "Warmth" controls are rotated.   There's zip on the plate resistors, though. DC voltages remain the same. Checked all the tube pins for continuity to the board and they check out. Checked all the ground leads for continuity and they check out fine, too. It seems like there wouldn't be a problem there anyway if all the bias voltages look correct, anyway.   IF C36/C37 were bad I believe I'd still be getting some signal. Only thing that makes much sense to me at this point is a fault with IC1B.

bitrex <bitrex@de.lete.earthlink.net>: Jun 04 04:00PM -0400 > 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.....   You put your sick beats in one end and they sound dope-er coming out the other

"Gareth Magennis" <soundserviceleeds@outlook.com>: Jun 04 09:13PM +0100 "bitrex" wrote in message news:VFZYA.6917$vu6.2174@fx30.iad...   > 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.....   You put your sick beats in one end and they sound dope-er coming out the other     ************************************************************     I like that. :)     Gareth.

bitrex <bitrex@de.lete.earthlink.net>: Jun 04 04:21PM -0400 On 06/04/2017 04:13 PM, Gareth Magennis wrote:     > ************************************************************   > I like that. :)   > Gareth.   I'm pretty sure "The Dopeifier" would be a pretty good name for a signal processor product; sadly the major manufacturers don't seem to ask my opinion on these matters much

Phil Allison <pallison49@gmail.com>: Jun 04 02:58PM -0700 bitrex wrote:   ---------------- > the bias voltages look correct, anyway.   > IF C36/C37 were bad I believe I'd still be getting some signal. Only > thing that makes much sense to me at this point is a fault with IC1B.   ** The only way to explain your results is that there is a low impedance path between the plates of the tube - maybe just after the coupling caps.   So not faulty components, a PCB issue.   Cleaning the area with a good PCB solvent is a sensible first step.     .... Phil

bitrex <bitrex@de.lete.earthlink.net>: Jun 04 06:25PM -0400 On 06/04/2017 05:58 PM, Phil Allison wrote:   > So not faulty components, a PCB issue.   > Cleaning the area with a good PCB solvent is a sensible first step.   > .... Phil   I was thinking an internal short between the inverting and non inverting sections of the op amp, but yeah, that wouldn't really explain the symptoms as it would still present a high-impedance load thanks to R150 and R126.

bitrex <bitrex@de.lete.earthlink.net>: Jun 04 06:25PM -0400 On 06/04/2017 06:25 PM, bitrex wrote:   >> .... Phil   > I was thinking an internal short between the inverting and non inverting > sections   inputs, rather

"Gareth Magennis" <soundserviceleeds@outlook.com>: Jun 04 11:49PM +0100 "bitrex" wrote in message news:sN%YA.58378$EH.37489@fx40.iad...   On 06/04/2017 06:25 PM, bitrex wrote:   >> .... Phil   > I was thinking an internal short between the inverting and non inverting > sections   inputs, rather       ************************************************************       I would not rule out a PCB issue if I were you.   This is more common than you may think.       Gareth.

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