hybridfree/eevblog-posts huggingface dataset:
The "Perkl-Light Energy Spa (tm)" - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: AntiProtonBoy
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 21, 2011, 12:40:36 pm
content: Here is another snakeoil product for your amusement:QuoteTranslation:The Perkl-Light uses a collection of 50 cent LEDs to light up a Perspex plastic, which then engages with your stupidity, thinking your "vibration" is raised, your "energy blocks" are dissolved, and your "evolutionary journey" is sped up... whatever those might be.The LED colours can be adjusted via some kind of programmable circuit with an LCD display. Fancy!

author: Unknown
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 21, 2011, 04:43:40 pm
content: At least it can be used to cure the pain of watching this in the first place.Interesting choice of location to promote it. Try promoting this at CES; that would be a laugh. Or not?

author: SgtRock
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 21, 2011, 05:03:00 pm
content: Greetings EEVBees:--Thanks AntiProtonBoy. I do love to watch the old "Medicine Show", "Get down off that wagon wheel sonny. And now let me tell you a little bit about Chief Thunder Cloud's amazing rejuvenating elixir, good for..."--I remember when Uri Geller would tell people to hold stopped watches in their hand to he could use telekinesis (backward through the TV signal) to get them running again. Watch repairers know that if you hold a stopped watch in your hand, often the warmth of your hand will re-liquify the lubricating oil, allowing the watch to start running. Geller would also tell people to check the kitchen drawers for ESP bent silverware."Marconi invented the radio but he had to wait years and years till anything decent was on." Johnny CarsonBest RegardsClear Ether

author: Unknown
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 21, 2011, 08:48:58 pm
content: 'Here, do you feel this? The effect could be subtle.'

author: Time
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 21, 2011, 09:51:51 pm
content: When I hit an energy block I just rub one out. Does wonders for my journey.

author: KJ6EAD
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: September 22, 2011, 06:33:41 am
content: Light therapy has been shown to have some positive physical effects, especially on skin conditions but the snake oil guys make claims far beyond scientific reality.

author: AntiProtonBoy
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 22, 2011, 07:58:09 am
content: Quote from: KJ6EAD on September 22, 2011, 06:33:41 amYeah, for example, some sleep disorders and seasonal affective disorders can be treated with light therapy. Limited doses of UV-A radiation helps with the production of Vitamin-D. Usually the equipment used on the patient is large, with a lumen output that is many orders of magnitude greater than a simple LED.

author: Trigger
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: September 22, 2011, 02:48:29 pm
content: Quote from: Time on September 21, 2011, 09:51:51 pmYou, Sir, win the internet for the day for the laugh
Eagle 6 - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: george graves
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 04, 2011, 03:37:09 pm
content: Here ya go Dave!http://www.cadsoftusa.com/betatest/Check out their "design link"

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: November 12, 2011, 09:07:40 am
content: Yes, and if it linked through to footprints and schematic symbols for 100,000 parts, I'd be mightily impressed!Dave.
Chat Box - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 11, 2011, 01:36:01 am
content: Before anyone asks, I've removed the chat box for a while to see what effect it was having on my CPU loading.It should return once the new server is up and running.Dave.

author: Computeruser
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: September 11, 2011, 10:56:24 am
content: Based on this morning's look (Sunday AM North America), forum performance remains quite variable. Mostly OK, but periods of lag. So removing the chat box may have helped, but not a lot. ... C

author: Unknown
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 11, 2011, 11:25:41 am
content: Since they chat box appears to be a horrible design that refreshes the whole page at regular intervals (ever heard of AJAX, people?), I wouldn't be surprised if this made a significant difference in server load.

author: JuKu
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 11, 2011, 12:00:33 pm
content: Coincidence or not, but the site worked much, much better today.

author: Fraser
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 11, 2011, 12:15:51 pm
content: Hmmmm Chatbox..... I don't miss it and when last viewed, it appeared to have turned into a flame room with all manner of hostility vented.Does that kind of crap have to be on the front page.... recent heated posts about which multimeter to buy don't give a great 'first impression' of this site as the friendly place that it actually is.

author: Unknown
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 11, 2011, 12:58:11 pm
content: I wouldn't know about the contents, I always ignore it. I don't consider contributing content to be very useful either since it's not archived, organized or searchable.

author: ndictu
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: September 11, 2011, 02:00:23 pm
content: Quote from: alm on September 11, 2011, 11:25:41 amI think it did just load the messages, but with a lot of overhead since it all the html formating was done on server side. The problem is that it didn't check if there were new messages, simple HTTP caching would be good enough. But it didn't use a database so at least it wasn't making a new query every second.

author: Unknown
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 11, 2011, 04:36:23 pm
content: It appeared to me that the whole EEVblog forum front page was refreshing at regular intervals, but maybe this was just SMF and not related to the chat plugin.
Blog about home-PCB-manufacturing? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: x18
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: September 11, 2011, 03:33:13 pm
content: hi dave,how do you create your board prototypes? if you create the lightning masks, print them out, etch the boards all by yourself. perhaps you could do a tutorial about that. what is important in the layout software to create good masks for self made boards?greetings.

author: mikeselectricstuff
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 11, 2011, 03:43:57 pm
content: I wrote thisarticle about making PCBsthis many years ago - most of it is still valid.Quick summary of the key points :Ensure your PCB software puts small holes in pads to act as centre-punch marks for drilling.Laser print on drafting film.Use silicate, not hydroxide developer.
Altium Designer Tutorial? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: x18
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: September 07, 2011, 08:52:50 am
content: hi dave.could create a video tutorial für altium designer? how to start, schematic, how to choose different footprints, perhabs how to create an own library for a part, transfer the schematic to the layout editor and route it. perhaps you could show some tricks and secrets of te programm which are the most important?that would be awesome!greetings.

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 07, 2011, 09:21:57 am
content: Altium already have a bunch of videos, and what you are asking for is a lot of information.Any PCB tutorials I do I want to do as general purpose and program in-specific as possible. I don't really want to just do a tutorial on how to use a program, especially a commercial program that is out of the affordability of most individuals.If Altium want me to do tutorials for them, they can pay handsomely(they had their chance for several years)Dave.

author: x18
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: September 07, 2011, 09:42:33 am
content: then why don't you make a tutorial about pcb design and show types of boards, layering, routing, etc. and show it with examples in altium designer and mention keyboard shortcuts you use.by the way you made a videoblog about something similar i think...you used altium and showed something with routing and teardrops and so on. do you know the episode number? i can't find it anymore and wanted to watch it again.

author: johnboxall
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 07, 2011, 11:01:16 pm
content: Dave's PCB guide and video:http://alternatezone.com/electronics/pcbdesign.htm
Pic compilers - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: Charliem
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: November 14, 2011, 12:32:33 am
content: Hello Dave,I have been enjoying your blogs and all your rants. Keep up the good work. You mentioned pic and AVR. I was wondering if you had a opinion on which pic compilers are worth mentioning. Unless you like ASM.

author: Slobodan
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: November 15, 2011, 01:41:17 pm
content: Maybe this:http://ww1.microchip.com/downloads/mplab/X_Beta/installer.html

author: westfw
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 15, 2011, 08:58:28 pm
content: QuoteNOT! (not concise. Colleges taught subsets like PL/C. The complete PL/1 language was huge in ways that only IBM would do for their flagship language on their biggest mainframes.)for PIC, it'll depend a lot on whether you're talking about the 8bit PICs (PIC10, PIC12, PIC16, PIC18), the 16bit PICs (PIC24, dsPIC30, dsPIC33) or the 32bit PICs (PIC32) The later are compiler-friendly and have versions of gcc as well as proprietary compilers. The former are obnoxius, but have a significant number of proprietary compilers of widely varying prices. Many are "free" for evaluation or size-limited programs with "limited" optimization. I've usedhttp://www.bknd.com/cc5x/and been pretty happy with it.Avoid (IMO) the free compilers that have "NO optimization" (like the freeware PIC16/PIC18 compilers from Microchip themselves, unfortunately.) They produced really, really, awful code of the sort you might expect from an undergraduate compiler student doing their first project, where everything is about parsing and "code generation" is an afterthought. The kind of code that assembly language folks point to an say "See! Compilers suck!" (Of course, this is subject to the marketing whims of the vendor. At any moment they could decide that the freeware versions should support "some" optimization, which would change the equation. Bah!)Pascal and Basic compilers are also available, and if "free" or "open source" is more desirable that a standard language, there is "JAL" ("Just Another Language"), which is sorta between C and Pascal.

author: Charliem
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: November 16, 2011, 10:45:56 am
content: Hello Gents,I have several different pic compilers myself and use which ever one makes the job easier at the moment. I was just asking to see what Dave likes using, if any. Thanks for the replies.RegardsCharlie
Microphonics - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: mjbmikeb
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: August 19, 2011, 11:11:08 am
content: Circuitry that behaves like a microphone, except that you don't want it to!

author: AntiProtonBoy
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: August 19, 2011, 11:22:31 am
content: Elaborate!

author: Unknown
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: August 19, 2011, 11:31:20 am
content: Just trollin' is my guess...

author: AntiProtonBoy
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: August 19, 2011, 02:33:08 pm
content: mjbmikeb, your posts seem completely pointless. I mean, all you do is make a brief statement in each new thread, and then leave the topic open ended. If you want meaningful discussions to take place, you need to put more effort into your posts and give them a purpose.

author: Zad
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 19, 2011, 04:48:01 pm
content: Some of them are very non-sequitur and random. My guess is that this "person" is a spam bot, hoping to build up enough postings that the forum allows them to do something or other. I'm reporting it to see what the mods think anyway.

author: baljemmett
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: August 19, 2011, 05:51:57 pm
content: Quote from: Zad on August 19, 2011, 04:48:01 pm... aren't they all in the 'suggestions for blog topics' section?

author: Unknown
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: August 19, 2011, 06:36:02 pm
content: Quote from: baljemmett on August 19, 2011, 05:51:57 pmYes but why not post a list under one single topic? No real questions asked just fire away a few dangling topics? Why do this as first thing in a forum? Fails the Turing Test for me.

author: Zero999
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 19, 2011, 08:39:25 pm
content: 12 posts each starting a thread doesn't seem right to me.The odd thing is posters who do this kind of thing have a spam website in their profile or signature which isn't the case here. I say give him/her/it the benifit of the doubt and ban them if they keep it up. I think I'll send them a private message.
Solid state relays and leakage current - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: mjbmikeb
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: August 19, 2011, 11:32:55 am
content: My SSR is off, but the neon indicator on the output says it's on. How can that be?

author: Psi
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 19, 2011, 11:38:46 am
content: need more info, SSR make/model

author: Bored@Work
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 19, 2011, 03:03:24 pm
content: Quote from: Psi on August 19, 2011, 11:38:46 amYou will notice mjbmikeb has posted 10 similar short and useless questions within a few minutes. No need to waste time with such people. Of course the usual suspects will swallow one of the ten bait and waste their time with him, but that is their choice.

author: Unknown
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: August 19, 2011, 03:27:46 pm
content: Quote from: BoredAtWork on August 19, 2011, 03:03:24 pmSorry BAW but this begs the question "why did youspendwaste time replying?".

author: Zero999
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 19, 2011, 06:08:51 pm
content: Quote from: mjbmikeb on August 19, 2011, 11:32:55 amRead the data sheet for the SSR. This is fairly common. The solution is to connect a high value resistor (try 220k to 1M) or low value capacitor (try 2.2nF to 10nF) in parallel with the neon and resistor.

author: Bored@Work
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 20, 2011, 04:19:12 am
content: Quote from: Uncle Vernon on August 19, 2011, 03:27:46 pmConsider it a public service announcement. But as you can see, the usual suspects are already all over it.

author: Zero999
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 20, 2011, 08:47:48 am
content: Yes, I shouldn't have wasted my time replying to this crap. This doesn't look like the typical bot though: no advertising posted and nor is there any in the signature or profile.I've sent him/her/it a private message asking it to stop. I trust that Dave will wield the banhammer if it carries on.

author: Mechatrommer
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 20, 2011, 01:32:01 pm
content: Quote from: Hero999 on August 20, 2011, 08:47:48 amyou've made waste double time.

author: Zero999
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 20, 2011, 02:50:46 pm
content: It's not posted since so perhaps it was time worth spent but maybe I've spoken too soon.

author: Simon
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: August 20, 2011, 04:57:55 pm
content: I have PMed the op and told him/her that their account is under review due to the nonsensical posts made and could they explain themselves. I've had no reply and there seems to have been no further "activity" over the last 24 hours. If anymore of this senseless stuff is posted by the user I'll just delete his/her account as it is just annoying and brings down the boards quality.
review: the one multimeter with inductance - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: Dan Frederiksen
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: July 28, 2011, 03:06:13 pm
content: I've only found one multimeter that also has inductance measurement and it's the UNI-T UT70A and since the UT61D did so great in the 100$ shoot out (actually only 45$ on ebay) I thought a review of the 70A might be interesting (50$ on ebay)it always seemed so foolish to me that we can measure caps and resistor but we need an LCR meter to measure inductors..inductors are key components in electronics as well so why can't all MMs measure inductance???maybe a review of this will start a trend among all the meter makers. we need inductance in our meters. far more important than temperature.

author: Mechatrommer
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 28, 2011, 03:27:41 pm
content: Quote from: Dan Frederiksen on July 28, 2011, 03:06:13 pmno! temp is more important. inductor only when you deal with somekind of frequency related circuit, tuning and resonance. but temperature is everywhere, from circuit performance, to sensors to your measurement device stability and to check if you are in fever or not.

author: Unknown
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: July 28, 2011, 06:27:37 pm
content: How well does it do low values (say <1uH) inductors? How much control do you have over test frequency and current? A 'dumb' inductance measurement tends to be much less useful than a straight capacitance measurement, since inductors tend to be much farther from ideal than capacitors. Inductance depends strongly on factors like frequency and core saturation. There also tends to be far fewer inductors than capacitors in your average circuit.I wouldn't choose a multimeter based on one feature that's likely poorly implemented, the basics like DCV and resistance are far more important, since you use these much more frequently.

author: vk6zgo
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 30, 2011, 08:21:34 am
content: Inductance measurement is very useful in determining if a transformer has a shorted turn,which is amost impossible to determine with a resistance measurement.Of course,you normally have to have a good unit to measure beforehand,so you can take a note of the value of Inductance(& "Q" if the meter shows this) .You can then determine the condition of any transformers of that type,(& with experience,of similar types).I would agree,though,that the more standard facilities of a DMM are of greater importance than an Inductance range.There are many circuits available for add on Inductance (& Capacitance) testers to use with a standard DMM.I have a Capacitance measuring adaptor for my Fluke 77 which is more useful than the built in Capacitance range of a fairly recent Fluke at my most recent job.The built in C & L ranges are usually very limited,compared to an adaptor,although they may be more accurate within those ranges.VK6ZGO
Quality DMM Test Probes - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: sparkness
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: July 29, 2011, 09:02:04 pm
content: My suggestion is DMM test probes. Problems I have found with the probe mfg web sites is that their photos are too damn small to see any detail in the tips that they offer. I own some cheap meters that my probes cost double!

author: Kiriakos-GR
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 30, 2011, 12:49:47 am
content: Here it is ..https://www.eevblog.com/forum/index.php?topic=448.0
Teardown of a mid 1960's valve oscilloscope or similar test gear - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: mjbmikeb
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: August 19, 2011, 12:50:25 pm
content: I had a Telequipment D43 scope for many years. It worked great, and doubled as a room heater.Unfortunately the electrolytic caps died some time around the turn of the century.
State of Electronics Doco - 2nd trailer - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: March 24, 2011, 06:51:07 am
content: The 2nd trailer is out!Karl needs help getting as many views as possible on this in order to get the big media companies interested, so please pass far and wide if you have the means. Thanks.Dave.

author: saturation
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 24, 2011, 10:58:03 am
content: Very nice production! I've added my view.

author: deephaven
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 24, 2011, 12:46:55 pm
content: Watched it with fascination, excellent!

author: firewalker
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 09, 2011, 07:53:00 pm
content: Very good!!!

author: lecroy
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: July 09, 2011, 06:03:31 am
content: Video is nice but considering its titled "Sate of Electronics" and about 80% of it is filled by retired engineers and museum curators the conclusion is sad and very clear. !What's the goal of this doco ?nic

author: gregariz
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 10, 2011, 01:16:41 am
content: That doco is going to be something very special when its finished. I've never seen anything like it in the Australian Scene, all the names you have read about but can't put a face to.... it will probably be required viewing by any electronics student in Australia

author: Mechatrommer
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 10, 2011, 02:47:42 am
content: Quote from: EEVblog on March 24, 2011, 06:51:07 amHow? do we need to register Vimeo?

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: July 10, 2011, 08:11:41 am
content: Quote from: Mechatrommer on July 10, 2011, 02:47:42 amNo, just view it!Dave.

author: Mechatrommer
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 10, 2011, 03:50:23 pm
content: gotcha! @ 00:03:42 . its on TV!

author: logictom
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: July 22, 2011, 11:42:02 pm
content: Any updates on the doco?

author: johnboxall
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: July 23, 2011, 03:16:57 am
content: Quote from: logictom on July 22, 2011, 11:42:02 pmKarl's pretty busy at the moment, I think this takes lower priority as it is a hobby and not a paid-for project. You can follow him on twitter - @digitalhack and @karlvonmoller for updates.

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: July 23, 2011, 03:53:44 am
content: Quote from: tronixstuff on July 23, 2011, 03:16:57 amYes, he's just spent a massive amount of time in Asia earning a living, so the doco has unfortunately had to take a back burner.Dave.

author: Bloch
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: July 23, 2011, 09:36:06 am
content: OT i know buthttp://www.brokenwings.com.aumust also be finised at some point .... soon
Cat Regulations? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: the_other_guy
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: July 23, 2011, 01:19:01 am
content: Hi everyone!Dave, can you do a blog on Cat regulations? I've tried to find some decent info online, but those sources don't completely explain it. I bet there are others who would like to learn about them as well.

author: Kiriakos-GR
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 23, 2011, 01:55:38 am
content: Can you name those bad sources ?

author: Unknown
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: July 23, 2011, 03:22:47 am
content: Basically these are safety protection classes for test and measuring equipment according to IEC 61010-1.Here is some quick infohttp://zone.ni.com/devzone/cda/tut/p/id/5019http://www.amptron.com.my/pdfs/section%201%20-%201.pdf

author: Jimmy
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: July 23, 2011, 03:29:27 am
content: QuoteBasically you should buy catII or better. The cat rating is a safety rating of the device and has nothing to do with quality or accuracy so you cant say catIII is better than catII to work on electronics because either multimeter will do the job safely.

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: July 23, 2011, 03:51:57 am
content: I think all Cats should be regulated against and downright banned.The only good cat is one squished between the tread of my car tires.Oh, you mean multimeter ratings...Dave.

author: Joshua
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: July 23, 2011, 05:18:09 am
content: Quote from: EEVblog on July 23, 2011, 03:51:57 am+1

author: A Hellene
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 23, 2011, 05:27:36 am
content: I like Cats, too; let's exchange recipes!-GeorgeN.B. I cannot remember when and where I have blatantly stolen the above from; but it still makes me a smile whenever I read it!

author: Kiriakos-GR
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 23, 2011, 12:16:19 pm
content: I believe that the CAT who lives in the multimeters, it is the poor relative of the any CAT who live in the streets.The usual CAT ratting = seven life's = CAT VIIThe multimeters can do only CAT III the most.LOL

author: Unknown
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: July 23, 2011, 01:26:15 pm
content: The CAT on a Hot Tin Roof was probably CAT II

author: ivan747
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 24, 2011, 02:42:54 pm
content: I thought about implanted RFID tags on real cats. I would like some info on CAT regulations and why they exist. To keep my post funny:
LIVE EEVblog show this weekend - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: July 21, 2011, 12:26:06 pm
content: Time for another live show:http://www.eevblog.com/live-show/This Sunday (Sat Yankee time)Usual stuff, just and or two of me yapping live and taking questions on UStream.Dave.

author: ivan747
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 21, 2011, 02:09:45 pm
content: Will you do it next weekend? I won't be able to watch the show on Saturday, unfortunately.On an unexpected turn of events I was able to watch the show.

author: Slobodan
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: July 21, 2011, 03:49:19 pm
content: Looking forward to it...

author: johnboxall
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: July 22, 2011, 12:35:01 am
content: Good timingthe adafruit show starts two hours later.

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: July 22, 2011, 02:25:24 am
content: Quote from: tronixstuff on July 22, 2011, 12:35:01 amAh, didn't even realise!Watch the audience vanish at the two hour mark huh?Dave.

author: dengorius
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: July 22, 2011, 03:05:33 am
content: Electronics marathon
Autopage the EEVblog Forum - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: BlackBirdf
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: July 20, 2011, 08:43:33 pm
content: I wrote a rule for the EEVblog Forum, so the Firefox addonAutopagercan load the next page of the forum as soon as you reach the end of a page.This addon also works on many other sites like google!Check outhttps://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/autopager/for more information.

author: Unknown
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: July 20, 2011, 08:59:39 pm
content: WowI'll try it out. Thanks.
"SMF cannot connect to database" errors - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: mikeselectricstuff
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 17, 2011, 10:32:42 am
content: Been seeing this error quite a lot in the last week or so.It tends to come up pretty instantly when it happens.Usually OK on the first retry though.

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: July 17, 2011, 11:13:10 am
content: I see it occasionally.No idea of the exact cause, but assuming it's the shared server getting temporarily overloaded.Dave.

author: patb
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: July 17, 2011, 11:37:03 am
content: Yeah, same here. I get also page load time-outs from time to time (not so uncommon).

author: Joshua
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: July 17, 2011, 06:43:55 pm
content: I concur with Mike. I also have had this same message frequently within the last couple of months. It usually goes away on the first refresh as well.

author: Jimmy
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: July 18, 2011, 02:40:28 am
content: I haven't seen it once on this forumIt may depend on how many connections you can have on the database at any one time as the eevblog forum gets more users there is a better chance someone is using the forum at the exact same time as you.

author: Chet T16
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 18, 2011, 10:38:29 am
content: I've seen this a few times aswell but can't remember ever having a page timeout so it points to something internal between the forum and database.Is the database on the same server or a different one? My current host uses a different server for databases so no more default 'localhost' in setting up. Generally it works fine but its another variable into the equation when tracking down problems

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: July 18, 2011, 11:36:41 am
content: The forum is on the same server, using LocalHostDave.

author: Neilm
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 18, 2011, 06:13:38 pm
content: Ironically, I got the message when trying to view this.Neil

author: ndictu
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: July 18, 2011, 07:30:12 pm
content: Dave: I'm not familiar with SMF but maybe there is an error log somewhere with more info? "Cannot connect" is too vague, could be that the databse doesn't respond to the request at all, or it could actively deny it for some reason.Also, the database server probably keeps its own logs, maybe you could find something there. Depends on what you are using (MySQL?) and the settings.It would probably help to know the time so you can search the logs easily, so next time this happens to me I'll post the exact time here. I suggest everyone would do this, a few timestamps should be enough. Also, make sure to use the server time (shown under your name on the top of the page) since it can be a little different from your local time.

author: Kiriakos-GR
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 18, 2011, 09:39:53 pm
content: The server has lots of slowdown issues the last 48 Hours, CPU usage issue again ?Dave check the logs .
EEweb - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: Waifian
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: March 16, 2011, 12:48:09 pm
content: Dave is the featured Engineer onhttp://www.eeweb.com/

author: johnboxall
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: July 11, 2011, 11:41:32 pm
content: Followed by yours truly.http://www.eeweb.com/spotlight/interview-with-john-boxallAny other EEVblog forum members in there as well?
Crystal oscilators - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: jerzmacow
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: July 07, 2011, 08:32:58 pm
content: First post! I've always wondered how 2 pin crystal oscillators worked, and for that matter what the difference is between the 4 pin and the 2 pin ones. This is a pretty common topic I would assume so if anybody has some good links that would work to. I looked on google but nothing I came up with was of much help.Thank you!p.sFor some reason "the meaning of life, the universe and everything" doesn't work for the authentication. I hope that's a bug.

author: Zero999
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 07, 2011, 08:50:28 pm
content: The two pin components are not complete oscillators. They are crystals and need other components to make them oscillate. The four pin components are complete oscillators and don't need any additional components.

author: ejeffrey
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 07, 2011, 09:31:14 pm
content: A 2-pin crystal is basically like a tuning fork. If you bang it on something it will ring at a specific frequency, but die away eventually. You can make an oscillator out of a tuning fork by putting a microphone on one side, and a speaker on the other. Just like a PA system will squeal due to feedback if the microphone is next to the speaker, this system will oscillate. Unlike the undisciplined feedback of the PA system, it only works at a single frequency very close to the natural frequency of the tuning fork.A 4 pin crystal oscillator has essentially this circuit built in. There is a little amplifier that amplifies the output from one terminal of the crystal and applies it to the other. All of the components are set correctly so that you apply power and you get a clock out.
Transistor Types - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: Bancroftjo
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: May 08, 2011, 03:16:37 pm
content: Could you do a bolg on all the different styles of transistors out there?

author: Armin_Balija
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: July 04, 2011, 11:04:21 pm
content: I feel like there's a lot of different transistors out there. The most common types used today are fairly well covered in several videos on youtube. I'd love to see Dave do a video on them, but I doubt he'd spend the time on it when there's plenty of resources out there atm.
what has simple machines rev 2 got against the British flag - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: Simon
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: June 28, 2011, 05:54:01 am
content: Hey, where as most people have theircountry flag on their profile mine is just an "image not found" icon. Can we have the British flag back please

author: ElektroQuark
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: June 28, 2011, 07:54:12 am
content: dimlow has it showed correctly. I think SMF has something with you, not UK.

author: Unknown
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: June 28, 2011, 11:35:12 am
content: <---- Agree. Both UK and England flags are available and working.

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: June 28, 2011, 12:06:10 pm
content: Your profile didn't have any country selected, and for some reason pointed to an image that didn't exist, instead of simply not displaying a country.Fixed now.Dave.

author: Simon
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: June 28, 2011, 04:34:36 pm
content: Quote from: EdoNork on June 28, 2011, 07:54:12 amah well just another to the list

author: vk6zgo
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 29, 2011, 03:05:09 am
content: It's funny-looking!VK6ZGO

author: Unknown
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: June 29, 2011, 11:32:03 pm
content: When Britain can win the cricket more than four times a century they can rightfully expect their flag to be displayed on a more permanent basis.
A Project Build - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: Guanaco
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: April 30, 2011, 04:38:33 pm
content: Dave, I love the blog.I'm getting started in amateur radio and learning e-theory to start building my own equipment. It would be useful to me, and probably other beginners, to watch a project build from beginning to end to get a feel for the processes and considerations that go into it. I would be particularly interested in a power supply build from scratch like those you described in "How To Set Up An Electonics Lab." The actual project, though, is not that important. A power supply does seem like a good next step for a beginner, after they have set up a lab.Of course, I'm also self interested in that a power supply project is what I am starting on now, and who wouldn't want Dave to walk them through it? All the same, I look forward to your next posts. Keep up the good work!

author: martysdomain
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: June 28, 2011, 07:54:33 pm
content: I am also in AR. Shoot me your call. I think a simple linear bench supply would be a good project!
Compilation of disassembly techniques - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: robrenz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 28, 2011, 05:06:40 pm
content: Dave, It might be nice to save video clips from all your teardowns of all the non obvious/difficult/almost impossible disassembly tips and tricks that you don't usually show and combine them into one blog.

author: ivan747
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 28, 2011, 05:31:07 pm
content: Second
Topics' URLs are being changed to eevforum.com - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: ivan747
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 25, 2011, 08:53:45 pm
content: This is extremely annoying: when I go to any topic, the URL is changed to eevblog.com. Now I can't copy the topic's URL or go back without being taken to the homepage. I'm sick of it, please change it back!

author: Wartex
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: June 27, 2011, 03:26:39 am
content: Dave you need to learn how to use MOD_REWRITE for apache or you will royally shaft yourself with severely reduced traffic, broken links already posted on other domains, broken links on the forum and so on. Simply moving full blown, active forums between domains is a BAD idea. Google can easily drop you completely from search results if you have exact same content on 2 different domains (not necessarily concurrently), it's an anti-content scraping mechanism.Also, the embedded youtube window dimensions are broken - video has portrait window instead of landscape.
Request Technology Teardown Lytro Camera - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: Jimmy
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: June 23, 2011, 07:57:42 am
content: DaveI know you are into this sort of cutting edge technology so can you do a blog on camera sensors and how they work. Maybe even take apart old cameras to show how they have evolved over the years.Quotehttp://allthingsd.com/20110621/meet-the-stealthy-start-up-that-aims-to-sharpen-focus-of-entire-camera-industry/go tohttp://www.lytro.com/picture_galleryan you can play with the focus of the picture
$50/$100 LCR Meter Showdown? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: dopplershift
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: July 25, 2011, 04:03:05 am
content: I'm surprised this doesn't appear to have been suggested before... my search didn't come up with anything though.As a suggestion for upcoming vblogs:How about some LCR meter showdowns in the same style as the $50/$100 DMM showdowns?Or maybe a review/comparison of the ones you use?Or a buying guide/feature explanation for LCR meters in general?

author: vtl
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: July 25, 2011, 04:06:03 am
content: I don't think you can buy an LCR meter that will also measure ESR at that price range. Was looking all around and seemed like the cheapest was $150 for the Tonghui one. ESR is really important when measuring caps, and arguably much more important measurement than capacitance when dealing with electrolytics.

author: dopplershift
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: July 25, 2011, 07:24:17 am
content: Good point vtl.Although I didn't really have a price range in mind, I just thought that thestyleof the DMM shootouts was very informative and useful. I guess the title of my post wasn't incredibly well thought out.Quote from: vtl on July 25, 2011, 04:06:03 amThats the sort of thing that I'd like to see in any possible LCR meter review/comparisons... with Dave's usual "5 second" (read 10 min) explanation why you'd want to know a cap's ESR, how its measured, why the cheaper LCR meters don't do it etc etc.

author: Dan Frederiksen
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: July 28, 2011, 03:08:12 pm
content: I've only found one multimeter that also has inductance measurement and it's the UNI-T UT70A and since the UT61D did so great in the 100$ shoot out (actually only 45$ on ebay) I thought a review of the 70A might be interesting (50$ on ebay)it always seemed so foolish to me that we can measure caps and resistors but we need an LCR meter to measure inductors..inductors are key components in electronics as well so why can't all MMs measure inductance???maybe a review of this will start a trend among all the meter makers. we need inductance in our meters. far more important than temperature.
Teardown of multiMAUSpro + multiZENTRALEpro - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: lgrfbs
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: July 20, 2011, 02:29:31 pm
content: I wise to see a teardown of the multiMAUSpro + multiZENTRALEpro:http://www.roco.cc/produkteshop/multizentralemauspro/handbuch.htmlFor see if it has good build-quality and if it can motivate the prize of it.
Forum picture efficiency - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: Rufus
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 21, 2011, 05:19:36 pm
content: I uploaded a 52kB jpeg in thishttps://www.eevblog.com/forum/index.php?topic=3483.msg46415#msg46415thread.The image embedded in the thread is a 300kB png 'thumbnail' which links to the original 52kB jpeg.

author: Zero999
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 21, 2011, 06:17:41 pm
content: Yes, I've mentioned this before.The forum software encodes all thumbnails >500x500 as 32-bit PNGs which often take more space than the originals.It's much worse for monochrome PNGs, see attached image which is only 1.2kB but the thumbnail is 62kB.Reducing the resolution of all thumbnails down to something more reasonable like 100x100 8-bit would be more reasonable. It would also be good if it only reduced the resolution to pictures over a certain file size, say 5kB (that way most monochrome PNGs won't be scaled down) but I doubt the forum software is intelligent enough to do that.

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: June 01, 2011, 08:22:06 am
content: Attachment thumbnail size changed to 100x100I don't seem to have any option for PNG or JPG or quality etc.Looks like the PNG image I just attached is now 4,695 bytes as a thumbnailDave.

author: Zero999
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 01, 2011, 04:07:00 pm
content: Good, hopefully this will take some load off the server.
Explanations who does this device work.... - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: ulix
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: May 11, 2011, 12:10:17 pm
content: Hello David,I'm a beginner to the field of eleectronics, I know little about all the different parts.Me wish is that you include in your blog the most important components, for example resistor, cap, coil, transistor (pnp, npn), diode, IC Timer 555, ....would be very thankfullycheers

author: Simon
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: May 13, 2011, 06:51:48 am
content: you best start with books and online. If you want dave to explain how a resistor works 99.9999 %of the audience will be left yawning. A 555 timer blog showing slightly more advanced uses and tips n tricks might be nice but really if you want to know ho discrete parts work read a book any information on the internet. I think there is a website called "all about circuits" that has some free PDF books

author: logictom
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: May 13, 2011, 10:52:54 am
content: Yeah there are loads of sites with this infoCheck out MITs free lectures:http://ocw.mit.edu/courses/#electrical-engineering-and-computer-scienceand as Simon mentioned abovehttp://www.allaboutcircuits.com/vol_1/index.htmlis a great site.There's a physics site with some good info but can't find the link right now, I'll post it when I remember what it's called.

author: Tony R
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: May 13, 2011, 11:03:31 am
content: Getting started in electronics by Forrest Mims is a great book to read, i had it when i was about 12...
Request for a blog: Designed for the dump - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: TheKaneB
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: May 07, 2011, 06:39:30 pm
content: Why is my old 8 bit computer from '83 still working as it was new, while my new 3 yrs dual-core laptop have so many problems? (right audio channel gone, display often blinking, touchpad's buttons not working anymore, etc...).I've found this interesting video on the YouTubeIt's cool but I think you (Dave) can do far better! I'd like to see a blog when you describe what to do to design a long-lasting product, and explain why (from an engineer's point of view, of course, talking about materials, components, building processes and so on...) today's consumer product are so shitty.This video I've found is also too much "polite", she speaks to not-so-nerd people and the number of "you knows" is too low for me :-Dbye :-)

author: Mechatrommer
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 07, 2011, 07:03:35 pm
content: great idea and concept! but sadly its hardly within our control, esp pro and engineers out there. hobbiest always design to last!

author: TheKaneB
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: May 07, 2011, 07:21:46 pm
content: Quote from: Mechatrommer on May 07, 2011, 07:03:35 pmYes, I know, but I just want to know which process do last and which don't, which materials last longer and which are jumping straight to the dump, which components have 40 years of life-span and which explode in 40 days, and so on...I think some of the causes are cheap capacitors, super thin PCB layers, components with very slim tolerance that burn as hell when you give them 0.5V more than what they were designed for, and so on... BTW I'm just guessing, an Engineer can confirm or refute my hypothesis.
A blog on Microprocessors? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: dchester
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: March 22, 2011, 11:12:28 pm
content: Im interested in microprocessors(not microcontrollers). But the books are from the 80s and the Intel 8085 is now obsolete. So what are the new options in learning and playing with microprocessors? What new low cost options are there ~£50(or less than $100)?

author: Simon
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: March 23, 2011, 06:43:46 am
content: I don't think he is talking about that mecatrometer. He's refering to low end cpu's which used to power the first computers but are still used today as advanced MCU's.

author: joelby
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 23, 2011, 07:17:05 am
content: For low-end chips, these don't seem to be very fashionable anymore. You could try the Z-80 or 68000 architectures. They're both very well documented and still readily available (well, the Z-80 is).There aren't many reasons to use them, though - it's considerably cheaper and simpler to use something with on-board peripherals and I/O, but there are certainly unique and interesting challenges with using microprocessors.

author: deephaven
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 23, 2011, 09:54:37 am
content: The best micro ever IMHO was the 68B09/63B09.

author: dchester
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: March 29, 2011, 08:35:40 pm
content: Yes mostly looking at high end MCUs but more interested in those that need external storage. I just mainly want a few pointers on what to get to get started.

author: TheKaneB
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: May 02, 2011, 09:38:29 pm
content: I second your request for a blog on microprocessors :-)Don't forget the possibility of building your own uP within an FPGA, or downloading a so called "soft-core" from the internet (in Verilog/VHDL source code) and use it in your project.There are many open source implementations of many 8-16bit CPUs, like z80, 6502, 68000 and so on... Many FPGA dev board also include DRAM, VGA, USB, PS2, Ethernet connectors, and many others.

author: dchester
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: May 02, 2011, 09:53:47 pm
content: Yeah, Dave keeps mentioning his $50 FPGA boards in blogs but i can't find themso maybe he could get one of those and talk about development on it.
Transferring threads to   Product Reviews, Photos, and Discussion - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: Kiriakos-GR
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 02, 2011, 04:58:31 am
content: Hi Dave , I need if possible those threads to be transferred to (Product Reviews, Photos, and Discussion) section .Thanks.https://www.eevblog.com/forum/index.php?topic=1032.0https://www.eevblog.com/forum/index.php?topic=660.0

author: Mechatrommer
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 02, 2011, 09:45:38 am
content: its ok friend. maybe they are too busy right now.