Well, I left out an important ingredient..... you have to have the decision making power and experience to pull something like that off. As #2 man on the project, I had that ability. And, a reputation for getting things done. Which might be why they put me on that crash TLine project with P.Rupert.
The position I had is rather unique as LLNL never hired anyone for that kind of work from outside. It is too specialized and inside knowledge is required of the entire organizational structure... who is who and where there.... to get things done. Gained by many years there. A matrix organisation.
I had a habit of introducing myself to the exec secretary of the next group's project that I would be going to work as thier coordinator. One said to me .... I know who you are. Your reputation precedes you. ? Still dont now if it was good or bad. but, I drove people hard. i run a tight ship.
-Richard
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Not all fresh grads are without useful experience Introducing MARTY, Stanford's self-driving, electric, drifting DeLorean
The students have done a lot more than this in self driving cars. I saw a presentation over the weekend that was jaw dropping. The Delorean is now doing flowers. More, they were having far too much fun. Of course, there are buckets of money to support autonomous vehicle programs today.
The students have done a lot more than this in self driving cars. I saw a presentation over the weekend that was jaw dropping. The Delorean is now doing flowers. More, they were having far too much fun. Of course, there are buckets of money to support autonomous vehicle programs today.
There is also a very hands-on robotics class at Stanford (or maybe that was the robotics class with the DeLorean). It has a reputation for being very valuable but also very hard. Students weigh whether or not they think they can cut it before enrolling.
It illustrates that college are, among other things, filters. They filter out those who don't have native intelligence to think up to some level more than than they teach people how to think up to that level. That's because we still don't know how to teach people to think.
And of course, the better colleges have tighter filters.
It illustrates that college are, among other things, filters. They filter out those who don't have native intelligence to think up to some level more than than they teach people how to think up to that level. That's because we still don't know how to teach people to think.
And of course, the better colleges have tighter filters.
Listening to some Dupre solo cello recordings from the early 60s. Although there are some limitations in the recording method, I cannot imagine the music being any more beautiful recorded with the latest greatest SOTA equipment.
Sometimes good to remind oneself that the music is what really matters.
Sometimes good to remind oneself that the music is what really matters.
Here is an interesting take on voice coil linear actuators: http://www.moticont.com/pdf/lvcm-all.pdf They plot force vs. stroke. This one should be able to move a lot of air: Moticont's New Addition, LVCM-070-089-03, Features Higher Continuous and Peak Force 40 Lb continuous force and 120 Lb peak force.
Jackelin du Pre was amazing. So small bodied, yet so strong playing.
If you are in the mood, do some comparative listening on the same piece with her playing and then with the giant Gregor Piatigorsky
George
I still find it difficult to see conductor-pianist Barenboim (her husband) knowing he dumped her when she got ill.
So, I want to see if I have applied these ideas properly.
I have always wanted to try to convert a speaker into a sensitive scale for small weights. My idea is to use a photoswitch (without hysteresis) in a feedback loop with the voicecoil to keep the voicecoil in the exact same position. This eliminates distortions from anything(x), Bl(x), Kms(x), provided that the feedback resting position is the same as the natural suspension position.
Bl(i) distortion remains, so my idea is to counteract this with an identical voicecoil on the pole piece driven oppositely to the voicecoil. This would probably work better with underhung coils, as when the voicecoil has partial coupling with the motor assembly the flux coil will overcompensate. Obviously another way to do this would be to monitor the flux with a hall sensor or something and drive the flux coil in a feedback loop with that. This is just the simplest idea I had. Perhaps a sample/hold can measure inductance difference between coils and drive them according to their coupling to the motor assembly, thus compensating for the main differences in coupling.
Obviously the feedback loop(s) will need compensated. Output is taken from the current passing through the voicecoil which corresponds to the force with which it is pushing on the cone in order to keep it in line with the photoswitch.
There are better positions for the photoswitch but this one was easy to draw. Because the feedback loop may force the cone into a position other than it's natural center if it disagrees with the suspension, it would be good to have a sample/hold at the photoswitch output to provide a reference for the feedback loop. This way the switch output could be sampled at startup and feedback would keep the cone in it's natural position. This however could not be used as a tare feature because doing so would allow the cone position to shift, introducing Bl(x) distortion.
It would be a great use of inverted dustcap woofers.
I have always wanted to try to convert a speaker into a sensitive scale for small weights. My idea is to use a photoswitch (without hysteresis) in a feedback loop with the voicecoil to keep the voicecoil in the exact same position. This eliminates distortions from anything(x), Bl(x), Kms(x), provided that the feedback resting position is the same as the natural suspension position.
Bl(i) distortion remains, so my idea is to counteract this with an identical voicecoil on the pole piece driven oppositely to the voicecoil. This would probably work better with underhung coils, as when the voicecoil has partial coupling with the motor assembly the flux coil will overcompensate. Obviously another way to do this would be to monitor the flux with a hall sensor or something and drive the flux coil in a feedback loop with that. This is just the simplest idea I had. Perhaps a sample/hold can measure inductance difference between coils and drive them according to their coupling to the motor assembly, thus compensating for the main differences in coupling.
Obviously the feedback loop(s) will need compensated. Output is taken from the current passing through the voicecoil which corresponds to the force with which it is pushing on the cone in order to keep it in line with the photoswitch.
There are better positions for the photoswitch but this one was easy to draw. Because the feedback loop may force the cone into a position other than it's natural center if it disagrees with the suspension, it would be good to have a sample/hold at the photoswitch output to provide a reference for the feedback loop. This way the switch output could be sampled at startup and feedback would keep the cone in it's natural position. This however could not be used as a tare feature because doing so would allow the cone position to shift, introducing Bl(x) distortion.
It would be a great use of inverted dustcap woofers.
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Nah, I was there and I was I, so I would know best. I took care of them and made project management look good by keeping on schedule. They had my back. It never went higher ... it was covered up by the good old boy network. 25 years and many projects under my belt there. Ranked #2 overall.
I was not easily replaceable... so, I got away with a lot of calc risk taking. Same thing in USArmy.... with rank comes privilege there, also. I was walking by a Colonel one day and I did not solute him. He stopped me. asked my name etc and he said... dont i salute officers. yes, and I walked off. never did salute him. I was in a critical MOS, was chief at microwave radio relay station. Short handed and long schooling to replace me. And I had rank and that was enough. Besides, i would have loved it, if they kicked me out as a civilian again so what did i care. I had been drafted. But I did good work. I let that be my shield.
We had a lot of fun with the Lifers in the Army. The more they tried to mess with us, the more we found interesting ways to make their life miserable also. Eventually, they left us alone .. almost.
We were put on alternating shifts ... 12 hours on for 3 days and then 3 days off and 12 hours opposite hours for 3 days...... 6am to 6pm and then 6pm to 6am. I must admit, that was a good payback.
THx-RNMarsh
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No. It was never acceptable... not then and not now. That part of the world has never changed.
It's all situational and if you are a risk taker under the right conditions. and, of course, timing.
Was hoping some others have had interesting experiences of thier own creation that they would admit to ....
I seem to have had a lot and continue to have them. My recent foreign adventures are right up there. Taking an airplane with two native American friends and flying to Xian, China without a visa from China and getting a royal 4 day tour by the daughter of the chief of police. Or, remote villages where there is zero help if anything goes wrong and it did. What a great life I have. Wouldn't change any of it for anything. No regrets.
Guess I ain't dead, yet.
Any risk takers out there?
THx-RNMarsh
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You're the only person that didn't make me hungry when mentioning Thai and/or French food (the way you did).
Married twice
George
HaHa. But only a mild risk. On #5 here.
All over the map... younger, older, same, foreign, native. Geez. That's it? WoW. Getting bored .... think I'll soon go walk in the warm monsoon rain.
Still interested in the DVC or MFB stuff. Already, several creative ideas which hopefully will start to develop into a prototype with good results.
-RNM
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Thanks George,
Your back at it again. Finding all those tidbits that seem to keep things in balance.
The denial that parts make a difference is strange. I guess they can't hear any difference. Which brings me around to George's UTube links. It's kind of the same thing. You have people that can sight read, then you have musicians who can feel and project their emotions...na'er the twain shall meet.
It's just playing notes. It's just a mic, an amp, a pre amp, DAC, etc, etc, etc....
But then, when it conveys life and meaning, emotion and soul....
It's what separates Jacqueline du Pre, Greor Piatigorsky, Pearlman, Van Cliburn, Segovia, etc....
These folks shouldn't exist, they are only playing notes.
Which also reminded me of a studio engineer that I had a conversation with. He was once a budding child prodigy guitarist and earn a scholarship to a prestigious music school.
To cut to the chase, he had a nervous breakdown and couldn't finish, never made it to his senior recital.
Fast forward, as studio engineer at a big recording studio, he commented about this composer taking about twenty minutes describing the the piece to the orchestra, so they would understand it and know the emotions that the composer put into that piece.
The studio engineer told me what a fool and what a waste of money that composer had just done. He's telling that to these professional musician's who just read the music and play. It won't make any difference in how it sounds.
When I met up with a conductor colleague friend of mind I asked him what he thought of the composer and the studio guy.
He flat out told me that it would make a huge difference in the recording now the musicians could tap into the feelings and emotions the composer was guiding them to.
He went on to also mention that the reason for the breakdown of the prodigy, was that he couldn't get to the feeling or emotion part of music...so he went into the studio aspect of it.
Cheers,
Your back at it again. Finding all those tidbits that seem to keep things in balance.
The denial that parts make a difference is strange. I guess they can't hear any difference. Which brings me around to George's UTube links. It's kind of the same thing. You have people that can sight read, then you have musicians who can feel and project their emotions...na'er the twain shall meet.
It's just playing notes. It's just a mic, an amp, a pre amp, DAC, etc, etc, etc....
But then, when it conveys life and meaning, emotion and soul....
It's what separates Jacqueline du Pre, Greor Piatigorsky, Pearlman, Van Cliburn, Segovia, etc....
These folks shouldn't exist, they are only playing notes.
Which also reminded me of a studio engineer that I had a conversation with. He was once a budding child prodigy guitarist and earn a scholarship to a prestigious music school.
To cut to the chase, he had a nervous breakdown and couldn't finish, never made it to his senior recital.
Fast forward, as studio engineer at a big recording studio, he commented about this composer taking about twenty minutes describing the the piece to the orchestra, so they would understand it and know the emotions that the composer put into that piece.
The studio engineer told me what a fool and what a waste of money that composer had just done. He's telling that to these professional musician's who just read the music and play. It won't make any difference in how it sounds.
When I met up with a conductor colleague friend of mind I asked him what he thought of the composer and the studio guy.
He flat out told me that it would make a huge difference in the recording now the musicians could tap into the feelings and emotions the composer was guiding them to.
He went on to also mention that the reason for the breakdown of the prodigy, was that he couldn't get to the feeling or emotion part of music...so he went into the studio aspect of it.
Cheers,
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