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My geek thread

Old 05-08-17, 08:03 PM
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Reboot the cable modem and then directly connect a computer to it using an Ethernet cable and speed test. That will let you know for sure if the ISP is the problem.
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Old 05-08-17, 08:04 PM
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Hard drive isn't the issue at that speed. 1.6 meg (I'm assuming here you mean Mbps, megabits per second, not MB/s, which is megabytes, which is 8 times larger/faster) is like 200kB/s, your laptop hard drive is faster than that unless it's from 1985, in which case, how the heck did you even manage to get on this website?

if it varies greatly based on time of day (and not based on what you're watching/doing at home) then it's the cable company having issues and short of rebooting your cable modem there isn't much you can do without their help.
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Old 05-10-17, 06:38 PM
  #1603  
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Not so much a geek thing, but more a Joe the Plumber thing. I have a PhD in engineering, but I didn't need this to fix the problem. However having this kind of skilz has help me teach engineering for a long time.

I have two rental houses that I own. One was built in 1905 and the other in the 1930's.

Well the oldest one had a plumbing problem with very low flow to both the tub and showerhead in the bathroom furthest from the cold and hot sources. I know this house and I am guessing that the galvanized hard pipe probably dates from the late 40's to the mid-50's so pipe build up might be an issue. If it is that it is an expensive or time consuming fix.

Anyway, the fact that both the tub and the shower flows were impeded and the shower had a bit more flow than the tub made me think that it was an issue with the diverter valve. Visual inspection said that this was probably a Price-Pfister set from the 1970's.

Today I pulled the diverter valve (it was indeed a three handle Price-Pfister set-up) and the seat washer had broken up and clogged everything n the diverter valve. I cleaned it up, went to Lowes and bought a bunch of the correct washers for $2.12 after taxes, and fixed it.

I would have preferred to by a new stem as there was a bit of corrosion on the old stem, but my Lowes did not stock that diverter valve. They did stock the hot/cold valves, though.

Not very geeky, is it.
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Old 05-10-17, 06:56 PM
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We live in a late 1920s house. For here, that is on the historical list and we get a tax break on it. There is an incentive to keep stuff "old".
We have hard water and no water softener (never-mind why).
Normally - I hire a plummer.
But I do valve stem replacement and cleaning from time to time.
I found I can soak the stems in CLR and that breaks stuff up a lot. For assemblies I use an electric toothbrush dipped in CLR.
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Old 05-10-17, 07:25 PM
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Originally Posted by Doge
We live in a late 1920s house. For here, that is on the historical list and we get a tax break on it. There is an incentive to keep stuff "old".
We have hard water and no water softener (never-mind why).
Normally - I hire a plummer.
But I do valve stem replacement and cleaning from time to time.
I found I can soak the stems in CLR and that breaks stuff up a lot. For assemblies I use an electric toothbrush dipped in CLR.
That works unless the metal parts have been corroded away.

I had a ceramic stem that went bad in my own house and I dd a vinegar soak and it worked for a couple of years. Fortunately for me someone bought the original maker and now makes replacement stems. It went bad again this spring and vinegar soaking did nothing, but I was able to buy an OEM replacement and everything is good.
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Old 05-15-17, 04:54 PM
  #1606  
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Fixed my youngest son's car today. I thought it was an almost catastrophic CV joint failure but instead all of the lug nuts on a front wheel were very loose. One was even missing. WTF?
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Old 05-15-17, 05:15 PM
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Originally Posted by mollusk
Fixed my youngest son's car today. I thought it was an almost catastrophic CV joint failure but instead all of the lug nuts on a front wheel were very loose. One was even missing. WTF?
You might want to get into this...
Good ECU maps are hard to find. I just ordered two from Chip Express. Not a remap, works inline.
https://www.chipexpress.com/products...ng-boxes/1313/

I've been wondering about...
-Getting an OBD device.
-Learning to chip tune (ECU remap) cars.
Not very nice to say, but judging from the folks talk to that do this - it can't be all that hard.
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Old 05-15-17, 05:48 PM
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Originally Posted by Doge
You might want to get into this...
Good ECU maps are hard to find. I just ordered two from Chip Express. Not a remap, works inline.
https://www.chipexpress.com/products...ng-boxes/1313/

I've been wondering about...
-Getting an OBD device.
-Learning to chip tune (ECU remap) cars.
Not very nice to say, but judging from the folks talk to that do this - it can't be all that hard.
It's not rocket science. Listen to the people who have blown up engines like yours, take it slow, and you'll be fine. Modern cars have knock sensors that do a good job of saving you from a bad tune, but you can still break rods and pistons if you mess up.

For an example of listening to people who have been there, my car needs an upgraded high pressure cam fuel pump before you add much power at all, or it will run lean and go boom. I found that out reading the forum. Other people found out by venting their block.

I used Cobb access port, but go with whatever is supported most for your car.
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Old 05-15-17, 06:06 PM
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Originally Posted by Flatballer
It's not rocket science. Listen to the people who have blown up engines like yours, take it slow, and you'll be fine. Modern cars have knock sensors that do a good job of saving you from a bad tune, but you can still break rods and pistons if you mess up.

For an example of listening to people who have been there, my car needs an upgraded high pressure cam fuel pump before you add much power at all, or it will run lean and go boom. I found that out reading the forum. Other people found out by venting their block.

I used Cobb access port, but go with whatever is supported most for your car.
For now I'm just buying a pre-tuned chip. Cobb looks right priced.

This will be my 3rd "chip". 2nd on a Diesel. They work by knocking. Lean does not apply. The engines are different. I blew up my first car at 180K gas, twin turbo unrelated to tuning.
My E320 Diesel in still great at 206K, I tuned it at 55K and a few more times as dealer kept re-flashing it.

This "new" car is the curb weight of a Sprinter with a similar engine, and the other chip is for a Sprinter.

I don't always cruise empty highways in Utah, Wyoming, and Montana, but when I do I want it to be in a tuned diesel.
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Old 05-15-17, 08:30 PM
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Originally Posted by Doge
For now I'm just buying a pre-tuned chip. Cobb looks right priced.

This will be my 3rd "chip". 2nd on a Diesel. They work by knocking. Lean does not apply. The engines are different. I blew up my first car at 180K gas, twin turbo unrelated to tuning.
My E320 Diesel in still great at 206K, I tuned it at 55K and a few more times as dealer kept re-flashing it.

This "new" car is the curb weight of a Sprinter with a similar engine, and the other chip is for a Sprinter.

I don't always cruise empty highways in Utah, Wyoming, and Montana, but when I do I want it to be in a tuned diesel.
Ah, diesel, then yes, very different tuning. More margin for error.
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Old 05-20-17, 08:07 AM
  #1611  
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There's something really satisfying about logically complex bugs that are hard to track down but then get fixed by editing a single line of code.
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Old 05-20-17, 10:42 PM
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Originally Posted by globecanvas
There's something really satisfying about logically complex bugs that are hard to track down but then get fixed by editing a single line of code.
yes
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Old 06-09-17, 08:17 PM
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So I'm an electrical engineer, in utility power, mostly an automation and scada expert.

I enjoy anything about power, motors, etc, plus maybe automation, scada, control.

Anyone have any good book recommendations? I'm not looking for textbooks, just easy reading on my kindle. Technical is fine if I don't have to do math and get out a calculator and a computer.

I'm thinking Empire of Light maybe, or a Tesla book that's good.
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Old 06-28-17, 06:01 PM
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Im trying to post 10 times so i can finally post urls.
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Old 06-28-17, 08:19 PM
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Originally Posted by krumvis
Im trying to post 10 times so i can finally post urls.
do it elsewhere...
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Old 06-29-17, 01:27 AM
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Originally Posted by Flatballer
So I'm an electrical engineer, in utility power, mostly an automation and scada expert.

I enjoy anything about power, motors, etc, plus maybe automation, scada, control.

Anyone have any good book recommendations? I'm not looking for textbooks, just easy reading on my kindle. Technical is fine if I don't have to do math and get out a calculator and a computer.

I'm thinking Empire of Light maybe, or a Tesla book that's good.
All I know is the four or five EE courses I did in college were super hard.. respect!
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Old 07-02-17, 03:58 PM
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Originally Posted by Flatballer
So I'm an electrical engineer, in utility power, mostly an automation and scada expert.

I enjoy anything about power, motors, etc, plus maybe automation, scada, control.

Anyone have any good book recommendations? I'm not looking for textbooks, just easy reading on my kindle. Technical is fine if I don't have to do math and get out a calculator and a computer.

I'm thinking Empire of Light maybe, or a Tesla book that's good.
Probably not what you wanted, but learning about ladder logic controls might be a good thing.

This stuff was supposed to be obsolete years ago, but still isn't. And most schools don't teach it.
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Old 07-02-17, 04:57 PM
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Originally Posted by mollusk
Probably not what you wanted, but learning about ladder logic controls might be a good thing.

This stuff was supposed to be obsolete years ago, but still isn't. And most schools don't teach it.
Yeah, I'm pretty decent at that, could use a bit more depth probably though. One of our products has a native ladder logic graphical language so you can directly convert old physical drawings of logic schemes into code for the PLC.
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Old 07-12-17, 10:33 PM
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I have a geeky bike related math question.

How does one go about determining the variation at a set distance in half degrees? This is in regards to seat tube angles from the center of BB to top of saddle. In this case 72.5-73.5 ST with a saddle height of 77.5 cm.

My road position requires a straight post on a 73.5 degree ST that puts the saddle rails nearly centered. The frame I'm looking at allows replicating it exactly bar a shallower ST angle messing things up. My guess is the answer here falls beyond the scope of saddle rail adjustment from centered.

Thanks to anyone with the basic math skills to solve this.
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Old 07-13-17, 07:56 AM
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Originally Posted by miyata man
I have a geeky bike related math question.

How does one go about determining the variation at a set distance in half degrees? This is in regards to seat tube angles from the center of BB to top of saddle. In this case 72.5-73.5 ST with a saddle height of 77.5 cm.

My road position requires a straight post on a 73.5 degree ST that puts the saddle rails nearly centered. The frame I'm looking at allows replicating it exactly bar a shallower ST angle messing things up. My guess is the answer here falls beyond the scope of saddle rail adjustment from centered.

Thanks to anyone with the basic math skills to solve this.
Not totally clear to me what you're asking, but if the BB to saddle height, measured along the 73.5 degree seat tube, is 77.5 cm, then every degree change in the seat tube angle will require moving the saddle fore-aft about 4 mm in order to keep the saddle in the same place relative to the BB.
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Old 07-13-17, 09:10 AM
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Can that be, less than half a cm difference between a full degree change in seat tube angle?

I was trying to simplify the bio-mechanical equation and tackle the math from a set point outwards to a specific distance. In essence a moonshot. Miscalculating your aim at the moon from the edge of our atmosphere by half a degree would result in being off course by thousands of miles.
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Old 07-13-17, 09:34 AM
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Sorry, that's not correct. Should be about 1.3 cm per degree.

At 77.5 cm along 73.5 degrees (= 16.5 degrees from vertical), the saddle fore/aft distance from seat post to vertical over the BB is 22 cm. At 72.5 degrees this becomes 20.7 cm, which is a difference of 1.3 cm.
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Old 07-13-17, 10:02 AM
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Thank you. With the saddle already positioned so far forwards on a relatively steep ST weight distribution and handling are already teetering on the edge.

Abandoning the high level of sophistication present currently in low production stock race bike frames to effectively buy a much less well sorted kit car hasn't gotten appealing yet. So I really geek out about strictly defining every piece of the whole. Which is why it took a me a dozen years to buy my current bike.
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Old 08-07-17, 04:54 PM
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I thinking of returning my new S8 and getting another dead OS Windows Phone 10.
The Android apps are certainly more plentiful and more refined but the OS is so pasted together it is really hard to use. Most things take 2-3 times the swipes/touches. I have not tried iOS, but I expect it is similar. I keep waiting for Sailfish as I was an Meego user. But I've given up. I can't get no phone satisfaction.

Examples -
-Windows has one "home" screen - you swipe up and it spins to every icon. Swipe left and apps are alpha.
-Every windows phone icon is a widget. All resize.
-I have to hold the S8 to WiFi tether. I can keep my Windows phone in my bag or case and use it (from my laptop Windows 10).
-Windows 10 phone with dock does HDMI HD TV, or RDP with keyboard and can replace my laptop for some things.
-Paired with my car I can "Hey Cortana", so far "OK Google, or Hey Bixpy" is local to the phone.

/rant
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Old 08-07-17, 06:22 PM
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Originally Posted by Doge
I thinking of returning my new S8 and getting another dead OS Windows Phone 10.
The Android apps are certainly more plentiful and more refined but the OS is so pasted together it is really hard to use. Most things take 2-3 times the swipes/touches. I have not tried iOS, but I expect it is similar. I keep waiting for Sailfish as I was an Meego user. But I've given up. I can't get no phone satisfaction.

Examples -
-Windows has one "home" screen - you swipe up and it spins to every icon. Swipe left and apps are alpha.
-Every windows phone icon is a widget. All resize.
-I have to hold the S8 to WiFi tether. I can keep my Windows phone in my bag or case and use it (from my laptop Windows 10).
-Windows 10 phone with dock does HDMI HD TV, or RDP with keyboard and can replace my laptop for some things.
-Paired with my car I can "Hey Cortana", so far "OK Google, or Hey Bixpy" is local to the phone.

/rant
I know how you feel. It's only a matter of time before my WP dies. Nothing out there for a direct replacement so I would have to get a bigger (and more capable) phone like a 950.
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