Contributing to the cause - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: heyjay
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: April 20, 2011, 04:25:48 am
content: heydave,just wanted to let you know... signed up to contribute for the monthly cause.love your honest and instructive videos...keep up the good worktake care, hope all works out!!jay

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: April 20, 2011, 05:09:13 am
content: Thanks, much appreciated!I plan on doing a video soon which explains (and helps promote) all this, but basically, because this is now my full time gig, I am encouraging recurring (monthly) PayPal donations. Because that is the one area where I can see that could help pay for the blog on a full time basis in the medium to long term. There is only so much you can earn through direct advertising, Amazon, Zazzle, and Adsense, and unfortunately that doesn't earn enough at present.The wife will make me go back out and get a real job in another few months unless I show a new source of steady incomeAnd because of some other changes, if that happens, then I won't have nearly as much time to work on the blog as I did when working at Altium, let alone now.The math is very attractive, if all my viewers donated $1/month, then I could definitely do this full time indefinitely, and could even remove the adsDave.dik_wnOE4dk

author: Unknown
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: April 20, 2011, 06:29:14 am
content: wonders how long before the David Jones signature series jousting sticks are offered for sale or auction?

author: Ronnie
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 20, 2011, 07:02:54 am
content: What about a one time any amount donation option just like Wikipedia is doing every November and December?

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: April 20, 2011, 10:42:14 am
content: Quote from: Ronnie on April 20, 2011, 07:02:54 amI've had one-off donation buttons since day 1, maybe I should put them back.But the problem is I'm trying to get and show (the wife) that there is a regular recurring income. So whilst the one-off payments are nice and are appreciated, I'd rather people sign up for a recurring smaller one-off donation than a larger one-off donation. Likely better for you, and better for me!Dave.

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: April 20, 2011, 10:43:26 am
content: Quote from: Mechatrommer on April 20, 2011, 10:38:56 amAussie dollars please! that greenback is going down the toilet pretty darn quick!Dave.

author: firewalker
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 20, 2011, 10:50:36 am
content: Quote from: EEVblog on April 20, 2011, 10:43:26 amDo you accept Euros (€)?Count me in!

author: tnt
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 20, 2011, 12:24:32 pm
content: What about making more uCurrent so I can buy one :pBTW, would it work to see transients on a scope ? (like monitoring power consumption of a smart card when it's running an algorithm and stuff like that, see the power spike at each clock ?)

author: saturation
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 20, 2011, 12:46:09 pm
content: I'm in. Lets see how this pans out. Good luck! If you need more, I hope not, let us know.

author: Strube09
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 20, 2011, 01:03:58 pm
content: Dave,Do you earn money from your zazzle store and merch? I know it is not recurring income but it is something if people buy a shirt or two.Strube

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: April 20, 2011, 01:15:31 pm
content: Quote from: Strube09 on April 20, 2011, 01:03:58 pmYeah, I do (10% of each sale), but it doesn't add up to much. More done just for fun really.Dave.

author: firewalker
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 20, 2011, 01:43:36 pm
content: Just a though... does you wife work? If not...

author: Mechatrommer
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 20, 2011, 02:48:15 pm
content: Quote from: firewalker on April 20, 2011, 01:43:36 pmhis wifey is a scientist at work in the morning, and a wonder woman during the nighti'm in, a cup of coffee for Dave monthly. so can you do me a favor? LCR measurement accuracy, method and brand/tool recommendation

author: firewalker
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 20, 2011, 03:10:00 pm
content: Dave, is the procedure automated? Every month our contribution (according to what we selected) will automatically send to you by our PayPal account?Something else. After the donation completes it redirects you to an 404 error "Page not found".http://tinyurl.com/669hcckCode:http://www.eevblog.com/thanks?tx=3AY3997931528773W&st=Completed&amt=2.00&cc=AUD&cm=&item_number=&sig=ZIiI02eNENpAlNdqSlJaUCv%2fQ0giIUv%2bWFpwt9mffhcnwu45qtnlVpMEStOESvQeNre7XjlGYIYxTQqxO1TQmIp%2fcWKNiah0wppRw1meynSuppIXYhG5Ldb6GfsA0nlHa0hvEDdJblkFOvzxkjBiyJ1sakpQJgd5dacPuv6umVA%3d

author: Ed.Kloonk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 20, 2011, 03:36:24 pm
content: Bring back the PC-DSO project!Only kidding. Gawd, don't do that.Your bread and butter is in those reviews for them there test instruments. Have you ever thought about setting up an ebay account and selling meters online? I would have bought a meter after watching a review of several similar models. The problem for me is I run out of puff when tracking down supply of the exact model reviewed, or worrying about buying from some unknown distributor and not knowing how long I'll wait for delivery.Seems to me you could kill a few birds with a bloody nicely hurled rock.Edit: Seriously though, Is it feasible to design a cheap yet fairly accurate USB-DSO kit with one or two inputs? The rest of the buttons and controls could be done in software, which could be open source(if you'd like a hand with it -wink-).Sometimes I'd kill for a little black box that plugs into my eee-pc to do very basic time-based measurements that the Multi-meter just can't do. I can't justify paying for and carrying around a full featured scope. I'd also like to be able to hack the software, something that you can't do with any of those commercial USBScope products.Pretty please with a cherry on top?

author: FreeThinker
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 20, 2011, 04:01:45 pm
content: Just made my small donation. Strange thing when I confirmed payment in paypal I was redirected toeevblog.com/thanks to be met withSorry, but you are looking for something that is not here.Made me laugh, but perhaps you would like to check it out?

author: saturation
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 20, 2011, 05:18:54 pm
content: Yes, confirm I got redirected to a page with an error after subscribing, but my payments when through.@Ed.Kloonk: if your frequency response needs are low, that's might be an app for those 'toy' DSO scopes like the DSO nano, or the slightly higher up Vellemans. There are discussions of them around eevblog. Let us know if it works for you.@Dave: yes, more reviews on gear. That's really the most unique point of eevblog over all other electronics forums.

author: FreeThinker
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 20, 2011, 05:37:48 pm
content: I think you may have missed my point.You are directed to a THANK YOU page but are told that you are looking for something that does not exist (ie you are not being thanked) I just thought the error highly amusing ( a bit like the boot error 'no keyboard found please press any key to continue') but thought I would make Dave aware incase some didn't see the funny side.

author: saturation
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 20, 2011, 05:40:27 pm
content: Sorry, could be, but IIRC the error also told me that its possible the payment would not go through, and that's more important.When it comes to money, your i/o responses are best error free or someone will be $ad.Quote from: FreeThinker on April 20, 2011, 05:37:48 pm

author: baljemmett
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: April 20, 2011, 05:49:30 pm
content: Quote from: saturation on April 20, 2011, 05:40:27 pmAin't that the truth! (fx: bashes head on keyboard in vain effort to buy something from TI this afternoon)

author: heyjay
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: April 20, 2011, 06:05:23 pm
content: Quote from: EEVblog on April 20, 2011, 05:09:13 amHeyDave,What about you signing up for Amazon Affilates Program -http://affiliate-blog.amazon.com/2010/12/earn-15-on-smallpartscom-referrals.htmlThen when we buy something thru Amazon we can say you referred us... especially Small Parts.Maybe build a tool on the blog where we can enter the Amazon item we want to buy. Then it returns to us the Amazon link with your "Associate Fee #", so you get the commish....You don't need to replicate all of Amazon listings, but a tool that returns a URL so you get the credit.http://onlinebusiness.about.com/od/affiliatemarketing/tp/amazon-associates.htmI can bookmark your Associates # with my Amazon bookmark. Then you should get some cash for anything I purchase thru Amazon....Maybe....just throwing some ideas out.....-HeyJay

author: FreeThinker
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 20, 2011, 06:16:54 pm
content: Quote from: heyjay on April 20, 2011, 06:05:23 pmMaybe wrong but IIRC Dave has trouble with Amazon in Oz doing such as this.

author: johnboxall
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: April 21, 2011, 01:59:16 am
content: Quote from: FreeThinker on April 20, 2011, 04:01:45 pmDitto. But the donation is well worth it, I feel Dave's output is well worth the small payment every month.

author: insurgent
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 21, 2011, 04:07:27 am
content: Quote from: EEVblog on April 20, 2011, 10:43:26 amNo kidding. Now the USD only buys me and HTTP 404! Shoulda payed in Yuan!

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: April 21, 2011, 05:45:33 am
content: Quote from: FreeThinker on April 20, 2011, 06:16:54 pmI'm already doing this, and it brings in a reasonable amount.You can see the links on my blog site that links to my affiliate program.I had problems at the starts, they wouldn't pay me, but finally got it sorted so is now working and I get my cheque when the balances reaches $500.Dave.

author: Mechatrommer
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 21, 2011, 05:55:43 am
content: Quote from: insurgent on April 21, 2011, 04:07:27 ami thought this currency conversion stuff is settled inside paypal that i should not sorry. whether i pay in usd, aud, or yuan

author: insurgent
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 21, 2011, 04:48:45 pm
content: QuoteIt does. I was just making a joke about getting the 404 error for the "thanks" page after paying in USD

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: April 21, 2011, 11:26:56 pm
content: The thanks page should be fixedDave.

author: Simon
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: April 22, 2011, 06:54:22 am
content: uh I expect I'd happily set up a small fixed payment (once i'm back from my trip in a week if I'm still alive). I do enjoy the videos and have had my bacon saved once (maybe more) by one of daves videos. although I'm not sure why people love the reviews so much. OK I like to look at one now and then but really 100% reviews gets boring. I tend to prefer the theory and/or practical videos as I hate books and examples are always nice

author: Mechatrommer
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 22, 2011, 07:21:11 am
content: Quote from: Simon on April 22, 2011, 06:54:22 ami agree. but this gadget mania thing will keep the industry/economy circulating. and it help newbies choosing the right gear, not a rip off one.ps: there's a paradigm... "you'll become a better "engineer/hacker/performer" by having a very good tools". not my word though.

author: alexwhittemore
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 22, 2011, 07:25:31 am
content: Quote from: Simon on April 22, 2011, 06:54:22 amI'm a big fan of both. I LOVE spending money on tools, and that's mostly what gets reviewed, so I'm always open either for the sake of knowing what to drop money on next or for the sake of living vicariously. But at the same time, I've learned more practical stuff from the on-the-shoulder-whiteboard-examples, and that stuff is just plain useful everywhere.

author: saturation
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 22, 2011, 11:35:23 am
content: While a tutorial will help clarify basic concepts, you can also read about those in a book. But Dave does present the issue clearly with an emphasis on its practical application.Art of Electronics does well at doing similar but its outdated for many things digital.Reviews, however, cannot be obtained in a book, and those in magazines are often sanitized in favor of the manufacturer, particularly if they donate or loan the gear. Reviews thus, without impartiality, are useless, and eevblog has so far managed to present Dave's view honestly and straightforward.Gear doesn't have to be the next $100,000 Lecroy or Agilent MSO; it can be as lowly as a tweezer attachment for a DMM, a patch cord, a new design microclip.

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: April 22, 2011, 12:11:44 pm
content: About the reviews, and content in general, it's still the age old problem since I started - you can't please everyone all of the time, or even a majority of the time, it's just impossible.Problem is I built the blog on a broad mix of stuff - reviews, tutorials, rants, advice, stories etc, and generally I've found that people saw what they liked in a particular episode and stuck around hoping to get more of the same.So when you have built an audience generally all expecting and liking different stuff, you kind of have to keep that up.The majority of people do actually watch every episode though, but I know they have preferences for certain subjects, that's only natural.Luckily the general mix is what I like to do, so I continue to do that for no other reason than that's what I like to do.The only other option is to separate the channel out into different categories, but I can only see downsides to that, no real upside at all.Dave.

author: alexwhittemore
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 22, 2011, 12:21:43 pm
content: I make a point of watching them all. There are, as you say, some I like more than others. But I learn something to make it worth the time spent watching every episode regardless, so just keep it up!

author: Simon
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: April 22, 2011, 01:00:12 pm
content: there are a couple of run of the mill multimeters and the odd next best oscilloscope for the beginner comes out (was rigol when i was getting a beginner scope). It's nice to see newer stuff but it's not the only point of interest

author: Fraser
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 22, 2011, 02:10:26 pm
content: Dave,I have no issue with the monthly contributions but I am concerned that you may wish to remain out of the workplace. You are a clever guy with much to offer but I also know that it is easy to become 'stale' if you are outside the working environment too long. I suppose you can study technology changes but I keep up with the world via my employer and daily work.Don't become a wise OLD SAGE who gets left behind by the lightning fast progress of technologyI wish you well and will continue to follow both your Video Blogs and the forum.

author: Simon
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: April 22, 2011, 02:35:24 pm
content: Well I'd suggest dave does some um "consulting" ? work self employed designing stuff and/or advising people. that would give him flexibility to keep the blog going and keep him in tune with the industry

author: Mechatrommer
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 22, 2011, 04:22:33 pm
content: i think he is in "very well capacity self sustaining" of doing that.Quote from: Aurora on April 22, 2011, 02:10:26 pmsubscribe tohttp://www.eetimes.comu'll have a hard time keeping up.

author: Ed.Kloonk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 22, 2011, 09:17:12 pm
content: I just had a mental image of Dave doing a live video directly from the nursing home. Title: Wheelchairs. Don't turn it on, take it apart.

author: Fraser
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 22, 2011, 10:18:21 pm
content: I just completed the subscription process and all went well.I think 67 UK pennies a month is a bargain for what Dave and this Forum provides

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: April 22, 2011, 11:06:02 pm
content: Thanks for the donations guys, much appreciated, a dozen or so already and I've barely announced it.One thing with the donations though I just realised, if it comes from your PayPal account balance then there are no fees. But if it comes from your credit card then PayPal take $0.30 + a percentage (at my end). So that's $0.33 for a $1 donation, $0.37 for a $2 donation, $0.47 for a $5 donation etc. OUCH!Dave.

author: Geoff Harrison
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: April 27, 2011, 01:32:17 pm
content: Dave, I think you're hurting yourself by removing the single donation option.I made a small donation a few years ago, but then drifted away from the blog when you started doing more drive time rants and live shows, which didn't interest me. I recently checked in again and found you were back to doing theory and reviews and I'd like to make a donation, but all I could find was the subscription option. I don't trust PayPal any further than I can throw them, and there's no way I'm going to set up an automatic payment scheme through them. I know you'd like to create a predictable income stream, but in my case, at least, it's going to be either yearly donations or nothing.There's nothing wrong with trying to push people to make automatic monthly payments, but it seems counter productive to refuse money from people who want to want to use other methods.

author: johnwa
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 29, 2011, 12:50:44 pm
content: Quote from: Geoff Harrison on April 27, 2011, 01:32:17 pmI would second this suggestion. I would be quite happy to make a contribution, but I prefer to have as little to do with paypal as possible. I have heard too many bad things about them.John

author: sacherjj
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 29, 2011, 08:33:22 pm
content: I would also prefer a single donation situation. I know other boards I'm on offer labels like "EEVBlog Supporter" for those that donate $20 a year. I feel like just finding the Rigol stuff here has been worth that to me this year.Reluctantly, I've signed up to month subscription. (Not reluctant to send money to Dave, but also reluctant to deal with PayPal. Bunch of crooks...) Anyhow, I have to get paid from one company through them, so it is like an automated EEVBlog tax.

author: martysdomain
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: May 18, 2011, 01:42:52 am
content: Quote from: EEVblog on April 20, 2011, 10:42:14 amI think a one-off donation button would be a good option for people who don't want to keep track of another monthly payment.

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: May 18, 2011, 02:13:23 am
content: Thanks for the input guys.I've re-enabled the 1-off donation button on the main page.Dave.

author: Fraser
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 19, 2011, 05:45:55 pm
content: Dave,I just cancelled my monthly AU$1 donation as it's a pitance and I don't have great trust of PayPal. I'm sending you a lump sum instead as the money might come in handy now rather than spread over many months.Best WishesAurora Communications

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: May 19, 2011, 11:29:45 pm
content: Thanks.The whole idea of the monthly donations is that it shows the wife there is a regular recurring income from the blog, rather than just one-off amounts that can be easily forgotten.That's help me convince her that I can actually do this work from home gig and don't have to get a full time 9-5 job again.$1 is indeed a pittance, but if you get thousands doing that it adds upDave.

author: Fraser
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 20, 2011, 12:42:06 pm
content: Hi Dave,All is clear nowFrom previous videos you wife appears to be a lovely person so I hope she will be patient with your plansMay you get thousands of financial subscribers.Best WishesF.