Nothing interesting, a backwards ESD diode once in awhile I never fired anyone for making an honest mistake. We did for a while have a director that was a horse's behind and just waited out the inevitable, I simply told my boss that I would ignore him and wait for the end. Thankfully he lied to a customer and had his butt kicked out by the CEO.
I did something back in 1966 when I worked for Friden. I was in charge of a environmental heating/cooling unit, and I had to test some uA709 IC's. I don't exactly remember the procedure but we had to cool them to some below 0C temperature.
One day I had the bright idea of seeing the cooling limit of the box (it looked something like a microwave would today) and I turned on the Co2 that cooled it, this was OK, BUT I forgot the IC's I was testing were still in the box, that could cost up to $100each. Thank goodness they survived.
One day I had the bright idea of seeing the cooling limit of the box (it looked something like a microwave would today) and I turned on the Co2 that cooled it, this was OK, BUT I forgot the IC's I was testing were still in the box, that could cost up to $100each. Thank goodness they survived.
I had my hands deep inside a 440v valve actuator on a test bench, while a coworker approached and was about to plug in the supply to the unit, unaware of what I was doing. I pulled my hands out as fast as I could, all while yelling at him, which led to some carnage, but well worth it considering the alternative. He was unaware of what had happened until about a minute after, no brain/no pain kind of personality.
This was the same facility where I had instructed a person to watch over a pressure vessel and to cut the air supply when it was starting to accumulate pressure on a gauge.
I returned to find the needle bouncing of the peg (approx. 120 psi)while he was nowhere to be seen.
The 36 inch half-sphere had a same sized valve attached that was beginning to strain and about to begin to release... I pulled the supply from the device and walked away, quickly.
This was the same facility where I had instructed a person to watch over a pressure vessel and to cut the air supply when it was starting to accumulate pressure on a gauge.
I returned to find the needle bouncing of the peg (approx. 120 psi)while he was nowhere to be seen.
The 36 inch half-sphere had a same sized valve attached that was beginning to strain and about to begin to release... I pulled the supply from the device and walked away, quickly.
A harmless story then.
I was in the lab at Ryerson wiring up an experiment. The prof had explained that we were going to use power transformers to investigate phase and some other stuff I can't remember. So while I was wiring the transformer up, my lab partner plugged it in, and it was a step up transformer! I got zapped pretty well, thankfully my flying arms didn't hit anything or get cut. When I looked to the bench, my lab partner was holding the plug into the receptacle just staring.
We are still very good friends to this day, even though he fried me.
I was in the lab at Ryerson wiring up an experiment. The prof had explained that we were going to use power transformers to investigate phase and some other stuff I can't remember. So while I was wiring the transformer up, my lab partner plugged it in, and it was a step up transformer! I got zapped pretty well, thankfully my flying arms didn't hit anything or get cut. When I looked to the bench, my lab partner was holding the plug into the receptacle just staring.
We are still very good friends to this day, even though he fried me.
New Years' eve on campus... We put champagne wine and food on a table, waiting for girlfriends to come...
Water supply in the building was broken then, so we had to go the other building...
My friend prepared a surprise, he connected an electrolytic capacitor to a cable with a plug, and was standing near the socket in a wall, waiting for ladies to enter the room...
As soon as they entered, he plugged in the plug. The capacitor exploded under a bed. Smoke, paper & foil from under the bed, ladies screaming, we are laughing... Then realised that there was a cardbox under the bed, with window drapes in it, that started burning!
There was no water, so we used champagne wine as fire extinguishers!
I don't remember what year it was... 1977? But I remember the wine!
Water supply in the building was broken then, so we had to go the other building...
My friend prepared a surprise, he connected an electrolytic capacitor to a cable with a plug, and was standing near the socket in a wall, waiting for ladies to enter the room...
As soon as they entered, he plugged in the plug. The capacitor exploded under a bed. Smoke, paper & foil from under the bed, ladies screaming, we are laughing... Then realised that there was a cardbox under the bed, with window drapes in it, that started burning!
There was no water, so we used champagne wine as fire extinguishers!
I don't remember what year it was... 1977? But I remember the wine!
Racial stereotyping is another thing one should not do. WMB is rather an 1899-ish sentiment
I call on the moderators to remove those who are really crossing the lines of decency and proper behavior in public.
Last edited:
Yeah. funny how things like 'good engineering practice' get ignored when there is flooby to discuss. Ideas like class II sources, balanced lines or transformers where there is a measurable gain get ignored. Too sensible?
Racial or cultural? There is a difference between racial stereotyping and cultural anthropology type observations. Asian culture may differ in some ways from Western culture, on average. If so, should saying so be prohibited?
Also, IIRC Scott Wurcer described how Asian electronic executives claimed to hear small differences between DACs or Op-Amps, something like that. Do you want him binned too?
Last edited:
Again and again I see in front of me the truth of Jneutron suggestion.
It is not the dirt of the PE ground that increases noise, it is what it is picked up by the loop(s) formed by one of the PE ground conductor and from any other PE ground conductor and/or shield of the unbalanced signal interconnects.
Reduce/minimise this loop area by routing all power cabling and all interconnects held tightly together.
George
Attachments
In general you are correct, but my example was simply that I was in Asia no other connection was implied.
In Japan the cultural more was at times for a doctor to prescribe treatment and not tell the patient any information about what is wrong even if they are in the last stage of terminal cancer. I have no idea how prevalent this attitude still is or was.
I would expect Mr. Marsh's advice that the best way to see a country is to sneak in without a visa would be less than optimal in North Korea or Myanmar at this time. He also failed to point out China has a 72hr. visa free policy for major attractions like Xian. China 72-Hour Visa-free Transit in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Xian, Guilin, Chengdu
Last edited:
... are correct
. The idea is to minimize voltage drop created by interference current flowing through one of the signal conductors, which is, in case of typical RCA SE link, the signal ground return (shielding or anything else that serves as a signal return).
Though Richards post could be considered a generalization, I do not believe there was any ill intent. Please remember we are a multi-cultural board, and we all have different views and perceptions.
My comment should only be taken within the context given... it has happened many times with working peers in Asia. Its a -not cause me to loose face or not show disrespect to me. They wouldn't tell me because it was my product and it didn't work well, they respected me as their senior so didn't want to tell me that my amp sucked. When in fact it was fine.... grounding issues. But that cultural characteristic cost a year of time. Now they respect me even more because they learned something about the right and wrong ways of grounding.
BTW - The owner/investors and president interviewed me for the position of their CEO. These are smart wealhty (uber) business men with many investments in small businesses. I accepted. the people I know very well for 20 years yet this cultural habit persists while I am the rude direct speaking American. They are great friends of mine and though I don't work with them any more (no salary and no free condo), they honor me with an office to work out of if desired for my personal projects and help and I do same for them. That is how Dadod's circuitry got into their hands and owner/investor is putting up the money to make a run of them based on my relationship and trust.
Basically, you don't know what you are talking about.
-Richard
Last edited:
Once upon a time all broadcast equipment featured a chassis ground separate from audio ground and transformer isolated inputs and outputs as well as a double or triple shielded power transformer. as long as all chassis were connected to rack ground, I seldom saw RF or AC noise on the audio. The situation is quite different now.
In designing power distribution for broadcast and recording studios we try to minimize any potential difference between ground points using several methods:
We specify 15-50 KVA 240>120 V transformers, and bridge the two main lugs of the distribution panel resulting in all breakers being fed from the same 120 V leg.
Most installations use isolated ground receptacles and wiring back to the technical central ground point, which can reduce ground potential differentials, but which can also cause ground loop problems when used with unbalanced interconnects. When this occurs bridging chassis with heavy wires usually reduces the problem.
Less frequently we use balanced power with CT secondary 120V transformers. The extra GFCIs, wiring and non-standard receptacles make installation more difficult and expensive.
Add to this new poorly isolated, shielded and bypassed equipment (Orban is a notable exception) and the proliferation of cell phones which can induce high currents into non-RF shielded equipment and it is a recipe for noise hell. I have pointed out cell phone clicks and buzzes in studio audio more than once to no avail and have been unsuccessful in getting studio owners to ban them from studios. They say they would lose business if their millennial ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) clients couldn't check texts every few seconds.
Oh boy.
Howie
Last edited:
- Status
- Not open for further replies.