How do you deal with paranoid family?(and do you know any electricians into EE?) - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: XOIIO
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 08, 2016, 01:46:46 pm
content: Alright so I had to re-word it to get it to work in the title, I'm not an EE, but I've been heavily interested in electronics for as long as I can remember, I spend a crapload of time watching electronics videos, I love learning and seeing how things are built, learning about new electronics principles, and watching repairs.I also equally love learning how things work and repairing things in real life too, I spend a pretty big chunk of my time on it, also modifying things and taking things apart to see how they work, even if I already know a bit (like LED light bulbs, which is relevant).My family has seen and know this, because they have been around me for years as I have done this, yet, I still get to hear this paranoid crap from them multiple times, this time regarding an LED light.There are countless things I have taken apart to inspect, repair, or modify, that I use on a regular basis, or have running 24/7, and it's been like this for years, but for some reason this still come up, and maybe it's because she's older, or maybe just paranoid in general but it's massively annoying.I'm typing this up on a very expensive laptop I took apart while under warranty to control potential damage from a pretty bad liquid spill, sitting next to a couple fans, one running on a power supply I modified, one exhaust vent fan that I wired up because there is no ac or ventilation in here, with heat shrink and a proper grounded lead, and I often clean off this computer with an air compressor built from the remains of an air conditioner.,However, when I want to actually use an LED light that I disassembled to see how it worked, since it was at a good price point and put out an impressive amount of light, all of a sudden, it's some "dangerous" thing that can't be left on all day.The only thing I did to this aside from taking it apart to inspect it was reattach one of the wires from the built in power supply back to the LED array, which broke off because it had a pretty crap solder joint, yet all of a sudden this thing is dangerous, and the reason it shouldn't be left on? I'm not an electrician.This is coming from someone who thought that the metal case on this exhaust fan has "electricity flowing through it".But the fact that "I'm not an electrician" was a reason that my reassembly of a four part light made it dangerous is just ludicrous, right? I mean, from the stories I've heard, at least thus far, electricians often can't even get live and neutral the right way around, let alone doing board level repairs and troubleshooting.Do you know any electricians that actually take an interest in this sort of thing?I don't know this is probably mostly just so I can vent but how the hell do you get logic into the heads of people like this? I mean I even explained, and pointed out, about 15 things I use regularly that I've been into, that they haven't complained about, but this light is still some big issue.Maybe they have a bit of sense in them, since I've left it on in a fixture in a "safe" area without a bunch of flammable things, and I plan on leaving it there all day with a temperature probe (which I built from scratch) in an effort to prove that it won't go nuclear.And don't get me wrong, I know there are countless people who know way, way more than me, but honestly I just took a bit of offense that she thought an electrician would know more than I do about this stuff.

author: nctnico
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 08, 2016, 01:53:59 pm
content: First questions that pops into my mind:- how old are you?- how many times did you break one of your bones?

author: XOIIO
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 08, 2016, 02:02:50 pm
content: Quote from: nctnico on July 08, 2016, 01:53:59 pm22 now, and yes, unfortunately I live with family. Job market here seems to be shit.Never broken a bone, although I should have one or twice, the one that comes to kind is from skiing down a near vertical hill, someone was just sitting in the middle of it near the bottom, it was icy, so I had to try and get around, slipped, and hit a tree at a pretty good clip. Still surprised I didn't break my leg.Probably should have gotten tetanus by now too honestly, with the amount of times things have pricked/cut me.

author: apis
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 08, 2016, 02:06:02 pm
content: Family will never learn, you can win a Nobel price in physics and they will never trust you to install a lightbulb anyway. Some parents are like that. Just try to not let it bug you.

author: Maxlor
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 08, 2016, 02:07:58 pm
content: Short answer: I don't think there is a good way to educate them; just accept it and move on, and eventually, out.Longer answer: their hesitance to trust your work comes from a couple of preconceived notions, such as that light sockets (and thus anything sitting in them) are deadly and only certified experts should work (work, certainly not play!) on them, and that you're just tinkering with harmless stuff. This combined with little notion of how things work and don't work is what makes your family behave in this way. One way to fix it in your favor would be to educate them, but that would take require willingness to be educated and your willingness to teach them, which is usually something that's not there, simply because it costs a lot of time.The way forward is for you to impress them over and over, until they start getting the feeling that good things happen when you take a closer look at things. Repair things, improve them (in a way that family members and not just you can appreciate) and over time you'll see a level of trust build up. The downside of course is that you'll become the go to guy for anything that needs fixing

author: XOIIO
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 08, 2016, 02:12:16 pm
content: Quote from: Maxlor on July 08, 2016, 02:07:58 pmI am the guy that they come to when things need fixing, and they have seen plenty of things that I've done, but I still get this from time to time and it's frustrating.I even show them high voltage supplies that I repaired, but I guess maybe they just don't grasp it, or somehow the high voltage from a power supply isn't the same as the household circuitry (which it isn't, it's around four times higher)

author: Tomorokoshi
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 08, 2016, 05:17:45 pm
content: Electricity is invisible and powerful. This makes it seem magical, and many people are reflexively afraid of magic.While a mathematical analysis of the circuit is unlikely to help, as mathematics is also invisible and powerful, it may be a means to a starting point. Start with something simple, like a power source, a switch, and a light. Draw out the schematic and run the math on it.The reactions to computers when they became available through the mass market was similar. People were apprehensive or afraid of them. They were complicated, indecipherable, powerful, mysterious - all the things that electricity is to those disposed to be leery about things like that. Although, I would have expected the mystery around electricity to have worn thin by now.Sometimes, a sequence of demonstrated successes is the only way to mellow out those concerns.

author: tautech
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 08, 2016, 05:42:14 pm
content: Quote from: XOIIO on July 08, 2016, 02:02:50 pmDon't do that.....you might get hurt or even die.I'll stick to electronics and things electrical thanks, that skiing stuff sounds FAR too dangerous.

author: XOIIO
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 08, 2016, 05:56:04 pm
content: Quote from: tautech on July 08, 2016, 05:42:14 pmIt probably wasn't all that close to vertical, but it was pretty darn steep, and icy since it was the end of the day. Been years since I went skiing last. Can't find any info since that place closed, I was hoping I could find out what grade the slope was.

author: edpalmer42
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 08, 2016, 07:05:02 pm
content: If the people involved are older, they've watched you grow up. Correcting and warning is an old habit for them. They don't understand that it's insulting since it makes it look like they have no trust or faith in your abilities. If you tell them that, they just get defensive and say something like "I'm just trying to keep you safe.", and suddenly you're the bad guy.It's a no-win situation. Ignore it and move on.Been there, done that.Ed

author: chris_leyson
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 08, 2016, 07:08:56 pm
content: I don't know man, it's difficult, I guess some people judge others based on their own abilities or inabilities. I even see this in my day job, unfounded critisism, but I'm not going to elaborate. Electricians and EEs are probably two different types of people doing very different types of work. I'm an EE but according to UK law I'm not an electrician I'm not IEE part 17 qualified so I can't legally rewire my own house although I could do the same or a better job than a qualified electrician. Damn, I even crimp stranded mains wires with a ferrule because it protects the strands and gives you a bigger contact area in a screw terminal and if I'm stripping wires I make damn sure I don't damage the wire, I use so called aerospace strippers like the Ideal Stripmaster. I've seen electricians light cigarettes from live wires but that was back in the day when you could smoke indoors, wtf I'd use my ZippoYour're a young man and by the sounds of it very eager to learn and at your age you can absorb knowlage like a sponge. If I was in your shoes I would look to get an electricians qualification of some sort, I don't know how it works in Canada.A few years ago I was made redundant and had the chance of learning new skills, Welsh assembly would pay £1500 in tuition fees so I learnt Autocad which I havn't used since, shit man I should have done my part 17 qualification. At least I would have a piece of paper that would get me a job as an electrician rather than some sort of trumped up Autocad certificate churned out from a poor excuse of an accademic establishment by a bunch of teachers that couldn't be bothered to turn up half time and just cram as many people in and milk Welsh Assembly. Rant over buit I think it deserves a little rant because they are taking the piss.I wish I had done part 17 then at least I would to fall back on if shit happens.