HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: dp@hydra.carleton.ca (Dave Perry VE3IFB)
Subject: Re: SHOCKING STORIES
Organization: O.A.R.C. Packet Working Group at Carleton University
Date: Tue, 21 Jul 1992 12:31:11 GMT

My turn. Back in high school, one of my electronics teachers thought it
would be a good idea to teach us how to dismantle old TV sets for disposal.
We would remove the crts and break a small hole in the end of the neck,
to allow air into it to prevent it from imploding on some poor garbage man.

One team was to discharge and remove the crt, while I was armed with a pair
of pliers to let the air in. I approached one 26 inch colour tube they had
removed which was sitting face down on the bench. I placed my left hand
squarely on the back to steady it, and happened to brush the anode hole
with my right. I guess they forgot to discharge that one, because I saw
blue and black and was thrown back several feet onto the floor. I think
my arm was sore too, but my memory of the incident is fading...

For those that don't know, a picture tube is a big capacitor, capable of
storing charge for days. Watch it.

Dave

-- 
Dave Perry                  | Any opinions stated here are mine
dp@hydra.carleton.ca        | and have nothing to do with Carleton University
ve3ifb@ve3jf.#eon.on.noam   |
Newsgroups: sci.electronics,rec.video,rec.video.cable-tv
From: william@bcarh472.NoSubdomain.NoDomain (William Moss)
Subject: Re: Upconverter or modulator for cable TV freqs
Organization: Bell Northern Research, Ottawa, Ontario Canada
Date: Tue, 21 Jul 92 21:34:15 GMT

In article <1992Jul21.183246.8595@elroy.jpl.nasa.gov>, cyamamot@marconi.Jpl.Nasa.Gov (Cliff Yamamoto) writes:
|> Greetings!
|> 
|> We have a cable TV descrambler (from the Cable Co of course) and it has both
|> ch3 and video/audio outputs.  The video/audio is used to feed the VCR input
|> and TV's *SINGLE* video/audio comes from the VCR.  We only subscribe to one
|> of the 8-10 movie/special channels.  Currently, there is a A/B switch to
|> switch the TV input from the box output to the cable drop (since the TV is
|> cable ready and picks up the basic cable service anyway).
|> 
|> It is kinda annoying to switch that A/B box all the time.  The cable system
|> runs from ch2 to ch60.  The rest are unused.  It would be nice to upconvert
|> the box's ch3 to something above ch60.  Or take the video/audio outputs and
|> modulate it to something above ch60.  Is something like this buildable or
|> available in the market?
Yes. Several companies (Phillips, Radio Shack) market cable to UHF upconverters,
in the $20-$30 range. Theyre not so great for the purpose for which they were
designed (they suffer from intermodulation from alternate channels), but
they work just fine upconverting the single channel 3 output from a VCR
or converter.

Just hook one up to the output of your converter, and combine it with the
cable drop. Depending on your TV tuner type, you'll be able to see the channel
3 output somehere in the range of UHF channel 35-40, or cable channel 70-90
(it depends on how your cable channels are numbered on the TV). You may
have to do some fiddling on your TV's AFC, since the cable mode channels
and UHF channel allocations differ by up to 2MHz.)

-- 
===========================================================================
William G. Moss                      disclaimer: not the views of BNR or NT
Bell-Northern Research Ltd., Ottawa  +1 613 763 8108 WILLIAM@BNR.CA  
===========================================================================



Newsgroups: sci.electronics
From: paranjpe@leland.Stanford.EDU (Milind D Paranjpe)
Subject: Seeking Houston Instruments to Gerber file converter
Followup-To: paranjpe@leland.stanford.edu
Organization: DSG, Stanford University, CA 94305, USA
Date: Fri, 24 Jul 92 09:42:16 GMT

Hi,

I'm looking for a utility to convert Houston Instrument plotter files
to the Gerber format accepted by PCB fabs.  Any clues?

Thanks for email responses,
Milind Paranjpe
paranjpe@leland.stanford.edu
From: mzenier@polari.online.com
Newsgroups: sci.electronics
Subject: Re: MC1377
Date: 26 Jul 92 16:54:07 GMT
Organization: Seattle Online Public Access Unix (206) 328-4944

In article <Brsn58.KtB@immd4.informatik.uni-erlangen.de> orscholz@immd4.informatik.uni-erlangen.de (Oliver Scholz (Turo - Backstage)) writes:
>markz@ssc.wa.com (Mark Zenier) writes:
>[...]
>>4. The way the color burst is generated is hokey, but you can override it.

> Well, then how do you do it? Any simple way? What I liked about the 1377 was
>the simplicity of the concept...

The default way uses an RC generated ramp with a couple of comparison
thresholds used to deterimine the color burst length.  But , (as described
in the application note 932), you can feed a pulse of the right amplitude
into one of the pins to gate the color reference.  I don't know how that
would work with PAL and all the strange phase shift games that are played
with the color reference.

Mark Zenier  markz@ssc.wa.com  mzenier@polari.online.com
Newsgroups: sci.electronics
From: dave@imax.imax.com (Dave Martindale)
Subject: Re: AC-Regulator exists(?) for 12VAC Halogen Lamp
Keywords: Halogen AC Regulator
Organization: Imax Corporation, Mississauga Canada
Date: Thu, 23 Jul 1992 13:48:05 GMT

u_banzai@mcl.ucsb.edu (Buckaroo Banzai) writes:
>I have a 12VAC Halogen desk lamp that loves to flicker and dim a lot.
>
>I'm wondering if there's a capacitor/choke/coil combination or AC line
>regulator for the low-voltage AC side.

Do the rest of the lights in your house also flicker?  If not, then your
problem is a bad connection, and you don't need a regulator, you need
to find the bad connection.

Low-voltage halogen desk lamps typically use the arms that support
the lamp as the current-carrying conductors as well.  Wherever
there is a "joint" in the support arms, the current is often carried
by simple metal-to-metal contact, with no wire or carbon brush or
anything else to ensure a good connection.

By experiment, you may be able to determine which connection is bad,
and clean some paint out of it, or bypass it with a wire, or something
like that.  On the other hand, I once had a cheap halogen desk lamp
that flickered in the way you described, and I eventually returned it
because I didn't think it was feasible to fix its contact problems.

	Dave
From: tcmay@netcom.com (Timothy C. May)
Newsgroups: sci.electronics
Subject: Re: "Jacobs Ladder" - How do you make this project???
Date: 24 Jul 92 18:55:46 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: Netcom - Online Communication Services  (408 241-9760 guest)

jeff@strobe.ATC.Olivetti.Com (Jeff Lim) writes:
: 
:    
:    I would like to make a "Jacobs Ladder" for my sons summer school
:    project.   Does anyone know how to make one or where to buy parts
:    to make one??  How about a schematic??   Any mail order houses
:    out there?    Any info is appreciated.   Thank You!
: 
: 
:      Jeff
: 
:     jeff@strobe.ATC.Olivetti.Com                  Cupertino, CA
: 
I just posted my experiences from 1968-9 in the "Spark Generator"
thread. Proceed with caution.

-- 
..........................................................................
Timothy C. May         | Crypto Anarchy: encryption, digital money,  
tcmay@netcom.com       | anonymous networks, digital pseudonyms, zero
408-688-5409           | knowledge, reputations, information markets, 
W.A.S.T.E.: Aptos, CA  | black markets, collapse of governments.
Higher Power: 2^756839 | RSA MailSafe Public Key: by arrangement
Xref: sparky sci.electronics:13556 rec.audio:10992 alt.folklore.computers:11389
From: stevep@galadriel.bt.co.uk (Steve Paine)
Newsgroups: sci.electronics,rec.audio,alt.folklore.computers
Subject: Re: Two-sided CD's *DO* exist! (was Re: Life after CDs)
Date: 29 Jul 92 12:40:10 GMT
Organization: Data and Business Comms, BT Labs, Martlesham, Ipswich, UK.

> There was a Monty Python record with an unending track : the last groove
> skipped back on itself, and played forever.
> 
> It ended :
> 
> Zzzzzzzzzzzzzip .. Sorry squire, I've scratched your rec- .. Sorry squire, I've
> scratched your rec- .. Sorry squire, ........
> 

As did Penthouse and Pavement by Heaven 17. The last track ended:
	'for a very long time, for a very long time, for a ... etc'

			Steve.
Newsgroups: sci.electronics
From: tchannon@black.demon.co.uk (Tim Channon)
Subject: Letters to the Editor: Blazing Ta 
Distribution: world
Organization: null
Date: Tue, 28 Jul 1992 23:14:24 +0000

> I don't know which side of the magnetic pulse is causing the spark, but I do
> know that there is a definite difference if you hook the coil primary's 
> polarity backwards, which, if you used standard transformer theory,
> shouldn't matter???  I don't know what the internal grounding for the
> HV side of the coil is, now that I think about it, is it the case, or one
> of the 12v terminals?  If it's one of the terminals, then obviously 
> backwards won't work as well.  If it's the case, then there is something going
> on that is strange here.
> 
Nothing strange.

The polarity matters because the tip of the plug is hotter than the ground 
and therefore breakdown is assisted in one direction only. (only when hot of 
course and plugs run _very_ hot).

A clue to diagnosing incorrect polarity is erosion of the ground  instead  of 
the tip.

Otherwise there is roughly a +-12v difference when the Kettering circuit is 
used.

The characteristic is a high voltage to cause breakdown (ionaisation) 
followed by a long discharge at much lower voltage. This is necessary to 
ensure initiation of combustion even under marginal combustability conditions 
eg. at idle. 

If you really want to start something, perhaps try discussing surface 
discharge plugs and the special ignition system used on the RO80.

  TC. 
    E-mail: tchannon@black.demon.co.uk or tchannon@cix.compulink.co.uk
From: schuster@panix.com (Michael Schuster)
Newsgroups: sci.electronics
Subject: Re: Looking for Cassette Test Tape
Date: 29 Jul 92 13:11:42 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: PANIX Public Access Unix & Internet, NYC

In article <1992Jul28.212405.28473@iex.uucp> mikek@iex.UUCP (Mike Keilhofer) writes:
>Does anyone know where I can buy a Cassette test and
>alignment tape? I had heard that Abex Labs sold these
>but have found their number out of service.

TEAC sells several directly form their California parts office.
I don't have their number handy but it's easiest enough to find.
The MTT-114N is a 10 KHz tape for azimuth alignment, and costs
about $35.

BASF has an $80-ish multipurpose tape which includes azimuth,
frequency response, etc. They do not sell direct; some high
end audio shops might special order it for you. It's called
the "Professional Service Tape" and comes in Type I and Type
II tape formulations.



-- 
_______________________________Mike Schuster________________________________
NY Pub. Access UNIX/Internet: schuster@panix.com | 70346.1745@CompuServe.COM
The Portal (R) System: schuster@cup.portal.com   | MCI Mail,GEnie: MSCHUSTER
From: dorsey@coke.ebay.sun.com (Bill Dorsey)
Newsgroups: sci.electronics
Subject: Diagnosing Monitor
Date: 22 Jul 92 21:40:26 GMT
Reply-To: dorsey@coke.ebay.sun.com
Followup-To: dorsey@coke.ebay.sun.com
Organization: Sun Microsystems, Inc.
NNTP-Posting-Host: coke.ebay.sun.com

I transported a pc-clone computer (386) and what used to be a $550 color monitor
3000 miles in a van a month or so back.  I packed the monitor in the original
shipping container, so figured it would be safe from shipping damage.

Well, I just recently got around to hooking the thing up.  It has developed a most
annoying problem since I last used it.  An intermittent, non-periodical horizontal
flicker is now manifesting itself often enough to make me not want to use the
computer.  The flicker only affects a portion of the screen when it occurs
(typically 5-20% of the vertical size of the screen), and seems to perturb the
left and right edges of the screen (and everything in between) equally, and in a
sinusoidal pattern.

The problem occurs independently of the video mode the PC is in, and the video card
passes the manufacturer-supplied diagnostics.  I've checked all connections
carefully, and can find no problem with them.

The monitor is a TVM Supersync monitor (model 5A).  Could this be a problem I might
be able to track down with the aid of an oscilloscope but without a service manual?
Failing that, where would I take something like this to have it repaired?  If
the repair costs exceed $100, then I may as well junk the thing since I can buy
a better monitor than the TVM used for as low as $150.

Thanks.

- Bill Dorsey
Newsgroups: sci.electronics
From: henry@zoo.toronto.edu (Henry Spencer)
Subject: Re: Caller ID]
Date: Sun, 26 Jul 1992 02:18:52 GMT
Organization: U of Toronto Zoology

In article <62790@cup.portal.com> Chris_F_Chiesa@cup.portal.com writes:
>Here in Rochester, NY (disregard the CA posting address), the closest thing 
>we have to the CALL TRACE and send-the-offending-#-to-the-police feature,
>is something that you PAY EXTRA for, which allows you to "tag" the "last 
>phone call received," but you then have to CALL THE PHONE COMPANY at a later
>time, during business hours, and tell them the date and time of the call so
>they can go back and LOOK UP the "tagged" call and THEN, MAYBE do "whatever"
>with it.  Sounds like we're behind the times, eh?

Uh, you seem to have misinterpreted the original posting.  That *is* call
trace.  Except perhaps by prearrangement, the number from call trace does
*not* get sent automatically to the police -- how would they know what
to do with it?  Call trace just logs the number so the phone company can
dig it out if someone asks them to.  And yes, some areas do have it as
an extra-cost optional service.
-- 
There is nothing wrong with making      | Henry Spencer @ U of Toronto Zoology
mistakes, but... make *new* ones. -D.Sim|  henry@zoo.toronto.edu  utzoo!henry
From: NICE_BOY@jsblan.byu.edu
Newsgroups: sci.electronics
Subject: Re: Radar Detectors
Date: 31 Jul 92 00:59:36 GMT
Organization: Yale CS Mail/News Gateway

|>
|> There was a gadget on the market briefly around 10 years ago that
|> did this - it transmitted a modulated 10.525 GHz signal with the
|> modulation freq set by a knob calibrated in MPH (jeeze!) but later
|> produced with the calibration in Hz.  It required a ham radio license
|> to operate it.  I haven't seen this thing on the market in a long time.
|>
|> There was an article in one of the hobby electronics magazines (Pop. Elec.,
|> etc.) at roughly the same time that used a coffee can as the cavity,
|> and passively reflected the radar signal with some new modulation on
|> top of it (that is, any speed you select).
|>
|> I wish I had more details about issue number, manufacturers, etc., but
|> you might try one of those online magazine database services and look
|> for some of the keywords that would apply.
|>
|> Hope this helps!
|>
|> Dave
|>
|> --
|> ==========================================================================
|> Dave Bushong, KZ1O@K1UGM.MA         +    No .sig, no tattoo,
|> Wang Laboratories, Inc.             +        no bald spot, no nothin!!
|> Internet: dbushong@wang.com         +-------------------------------------
|> Project leader, OCR Products        + (reserved for future expansion)


Dave,
    Ask a ham, there are severaly at Wang.  Your posting linking the HAM
band 10 ghz with radar is BOGUS!!!  We don't do pulse mode, we don't do 10.525G.
And we certainly wouldn't be involved with defeating the police radar.

Come join us, don't guess!

Tom
--
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*********************************

NICE DRAWING, BUT NOT NICE ANSWER

#################################
From: wellison@kuhub.cc.ukans.edu
Newsgroups: sci.electronics
Subject: Fry the Monkey
Date: 28 Jul 92 15:44:22 CDT
Organization: University of Kansas Academic Computing Services

I had heard this story years ago when I worked for DEC as a field engineer. I
don't know if I believe it or not, but here goes.

It seems that a FE in Atlanta, Ga. was working on a PDP-11/34 that was used in
controlled experments on the brain stimulus of live monkeys. The 11/34 was
hooked up to a DAC setup that was hooked into a interface that was wired to a
monkey's skull. So as the story goes, the customer brought the system down and
gave it to the FE to do a PM on and run diagnostics. So he fires up DEC-X and
the diagnostics run the DAC's from minumim to maximum voltage, which fried the
monkey's brain. Now I can see a monkey bouncing off the side of the cage
because a diagnostic cranked the voltage up ! ! Like I said, I don't know if I
believe this story, but knowing some of the FE's, I wouldn't put it past them
either ;-) Any old time DEC FE's out there that have heard this story ?

-=-=- Wes =-=-=
Xref: sparky sci.electronics:13501 rec.video:9701
From: jimc@tau-ceti.isc-br.com (Jim Cathey)
Newsgroups: sci.electronics,rec.video
Subject: Re: Blue Lasers
Date: 28 Jul 92 20:25:19 GMT
Organization: ISC - Bunker Ramo, Spokane, WA

In article <1992Jul28.010835.15051@cis.ohio-state.edu> rubin@chocktaw.cis.ohio-state.edu (Daniel Rubin) writes:
>Why not just use more than one laser here?  Scan the picture in 2 blocks
>with 2 lasers or 6 lasers for color.  Why stop there keep adding lasers
>until you have got a sharp flicker free image.  Sounds like a great look
>what I built project...

Joints.  (Just like building a big-screen TV out of lotsa small tubes.)

-- 
+----------------+
! II      CCCCCC !  Jim Cathey
! II  SSSSCC     !  ISC-Bunker Ramo
! II      CC     !  TAF-C8;  Spokane, WA  99220
! IISSSS  CC     !  UUCP: uunet!isc-br!jimc (jimc@isc-br.isc-br.com)
! II      CCCCCC !  (509) 927-5757
+----------------+
			"PC's --- the junk bonds of the computer industry"
Newsgroups: sci.electronics
From: aaronb@suhana.analog.ingr.com (Aaron B.)
Subject: Where to get Video & Audio Modulator.
Keywords: RF modulator.
Reply-To: aaronb@suhana.analog.ingr.com
Organization: Home Office Enterprise
Date: Sun, 26 Jul 1992 00:40:52 GMT

All Eletronics used to carry this thing and now they want me to
buy a broken Video Game and salvage the modulator out of it, damn.
There's another company that carry it, American Design Components
phone: 1-800-776-3700.  I don't know whether they still carry them,
I got the one year old catalog.

Anybody out there knows where to get this sucker please E-mail me.
Another source that I have are MCM Electronics and Dalbani both
carry them for VCR replacement parts, so they are more expensive
then the other.

Aaron B.

aaronb@suhana.analog.ingr.com

Newsgroups: sci.electronics
From: strong@tc.fluke.COM (Norm Strong)
Subject: Re: Underground CD copying
Organization: John Fluke Mfg. Co., Inc., Everett, WA
Date: Thu, 23 Jul 1992 14:43:31 GMT

In article <klp.711752974@reg> klp@doe.carleton.ca (Ka Lun Pang) writes:
}
}Hi folks,
}
}More than one person have told me that some crooks have been making illegal 
}copies of CDs. And one told me that those CDs are worse in fidelity.
}
}I don't know the details of making a CD but as I understood, there are 
}micro hills and valleys representing 1's and 0's. Now if the bad guys have
}the technology of manufacturing CD, which part(s) of the process they can't do
}perfectly to cause degradation in fidelity?
}
}Anyone knows if there are REALLY illegal CDs on the market and if so, how do
}they different from the REAL CDs?

It's not unknown for a high quality commercial CD to be copied through
the analog outputs and used as the master for a low cost CD.  This is
possible mainly because the actual cost of a CD is much much less than
the selling price.  If you do not have to pay production costs, you can
obtain 10,000 CDs, complete with booklet and jewel box, for about
$13,000.  

-- 

Norm Strong  (strong@tc.fluke.com)
2528 31st S.   Seattle WA 98144   USA
From: gt8021a@prism.gatech.EDU (EASON)
Newsgroups: sci.electronics
Subject: Re: Telephone scrambler
Date: 28 Jul 92 18:44:25 GMT
Organization: Georgia Institute of Technology

In article <6867.2109212074@kcbbs.gen.nz> Steve_Grant@kcbbs.gen.nz (Steve Grant) writes:
>Does anyone have plans for such a device?????
>Could I get a copy of them please? Thanks -

(Once again supporting the theory someone pointed out a couple weeks ago...)

This project is in the new August Radio Electronics magazine.  It's a device 
which plugs between your handset and the phone.  I just picked up this 
issue yesterday, and don't have it with me for further info - sorry!

-wte
-- 
Bill Eason         w-404/894-2381        h-404/352-6914
BE-EE/CS May 1987    MS-EE June 1992    PhD-CS ???? 19??
wte@cdrom.gtri.gatech.edu (pref.)  -or-  gt8021a@prism.gatech.edu
Newsgroups: sci.electronics,rec.audio,alt.folklore.computers
From: bower@peppermint.udel.edu (Tyson Bower)
Subject: Re: Life after CDs
Organization: University of Delaware, Newark
Distribution: na 
Date: Mon, 27 Jul 1992 19:45:32 GMT

As far as pressing the "grooves" on a CD closer together goes, I believe 
they are already very nearly as close together as they can get.  They can
be packed in slightly more (I think this is how some of those `long' 
CD's are made to exceed the 74 min standard) but not much.  

It has to do with limitations due to the wavelength of the red laser
used to read the discs.  If the spiral track gets and tighter, the
laser cannot accurate track a single row to pits/bumps.  Apparently,
the solution to this restriction is to use a blue laser instead, which
has a shorter wavelength and can therefore focus in on a smaller spot.
Unfortunately, blue lasers are rather expensive and the technology
does not yet exist to mass produce them at a realistic price.

Does anyone know more about this?

Newsgroups: sci.electronics,rec.audio,alt.folklore.computers