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  1. OBW0549

    How can we Improve EP in 2017?

    From unpleasant experience on a few other discussion boards, I've come to dislike all systems of assigning "rank" or "status" or "rating" to members, regardless of what they are based on. What I have seen is that they often promote disunity and conflict, as board members vie for status versus...
  2. OBW0549

    How can we Improve EP in 2017?

    That's probably it; I only have the free Reader installed. My experience with "latest gee whiz" tools is that most of the new stuff added is superfluous, and rarely makes any substantive improvement while making casual use more complicated. A good example (and I know not all people feel this...
  3. OBW0549

    Getting 12v to run 50ft distance

    Having a 50 ft run to your LEDs has nothing to do with the transformer getting warm. Is the transformer actually "a little warm", or is it "darned hot"? I'd say if you can stand to hold your hand on it for 10 seconds, it's probably not too hot. Getting "a little warm" is perfectly normal. To...
  4. OBW0549

    Heatsink

    Heatsinks reduce the junction-to-ambient thermal resistance, not increase it.
  5. OBW0549

    How can we Improve EP in 2017?

    Interesting. When did Microsoft add that feature? I've got a Win7 machine and some WinXP machines back in the lab, and they don't offer PDF as a print option.
  6. OBW0549

    How can we Improve EP in 2017?

    Ha! Tried it, and it works! And if you're running Chrome on a Mac, the print function gives you the option of printing to a .pdf file. Sweet...
  7. OBW0549

    Hacking Nodal and Loop Analysis

    It's largely a matter of preference; go with whichever method seems most intuitive and straightforward.
  8. OBW0549

    How can we Improve EP in 2017?

    I'll second that suggestion. Can't think of anything else, actually.
  9. OBW0549

    Very Old Components I Can Not Identify.

    Oh, my, those are OLD. I recall seeing those in use before the Chicxulub asteroid impact that wiped out the dinosaurs (who, by that time, were about the only folks still using those things), but the data sheets were probably lost in the ensuing inferno and it's unlikely any record remains of...
  10. OBW0549

    Happy New Year!

    A happy and prosperous New Year to all EPointfolk!
  11. OBW0549

    Is this circuit diagram correct?

    Looks OK to me, too. Depending on which electret mic you are using, it's possible you may need to use a different resistance value for R1; but other than that it should work.
  12. OBW0549

    Three cheap calculators in one!!!

    You cannot. Calculators are designed to do a specific set of functions and are hard-wired to do ONLY those functions. And those functions DO NOT include sharing data with other calculators or driving additional displays. If you want to make a device such as you've described, you'll have to...
  13. OBW0549

    Merry Christmas

    Merry Christmas, everyone. And if you're traveling over the holidays, have a safe trip!
  14. OBW0549

    LT1528 voltage drops too much

    Yup. Regulators (and opamps too, for that matter) can also oscillate due to poor construction techniques such as the breadboard shown in the picture, with that tantalum capacitor connected to the rest of the circuit via a long wire. Wires have inductance, and a long wire has a LOT of...
  15. OBW0549

    Cons of using large transistors?

    Using a transistor (or, for that matter, any other electronic component) with a higher maximum voltage rating (or maximum current) than is needed is almost never a problem, provided its other characteristics (such as current gain, frequency response, saturation voltage, leakage currents, and so...
  16. OBW0549

    What is this weird plug/transformer?

    Are you really sure it's putting out AC? Some DMMs can't distinguish between AC and DC when on their AC setting because their input is direct-coupled rather than coupled through a capacitor, and these will interpret a DC voltage as if it were AC. Check the output of your device with the DMM...
  17. OBW0549

    how to Design SMPS.

    The procedure is as follows: Step 1: Google "how to design SMPS" Step 2: From the list of Google hits, pick something that looks promising-- perhaps this document. Step 3: Download the document and read it. Study it until you understand it. Step 4: Look around the Web for other tutorial...
  18. OBW0549

    Temperature sensor

    Adafruit has a contactless IR thermopile sensor that will do what you want for about $10. It interfaces via an I2C bus and Adafruit provides a library for using it with an Arduino.
  19. OBW0549

    Will it effect laptop's battery if I use charger connected when fully charged?

    That's what I've been doing for the last several years with my MacBook. I leave it on the charger 24/7 but once every month or so I disconnect it and run off battery until it throws a 'Low Battery' warning. As I recall, this was the manufacturer's recommendation.
  20. OBW0549

    Aluminum Extrusion

    I Googled "flanged square extruded aluminum tubing" and came up wit all kinds of stuff, including this link to Coltwell Industries, which seems to make something like what you're looking for.
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