Funniest snake oil theories

Status
Not open for further replies.
Jump to Latest
#14,581
astouffer said:
SMD rework is a breeze with the right tools. Use a heat gun and tweezers and chips lift off in seconds. Add some flux and plop a new one right down. Done. Hot tweezers are the other great tool.
Click to expand...

I know. My buddy works on computers. He showed me how to use the hot plate and everything.

I use SMD parts in my builds when there's absolutely no other option. Drop and mop.

I still hate that stuff.

Removing DIP parts is huge pain unless you buy the expensive cutters to snip off each pin.
Click to expand...

Solder wick and an alligator clip makes real short work of it for me.
 
#14,582
To be honest, I haven't any TV reception anymore. If I want to catch up on news I do it online, and I read/view multiple sources. There is a lot of dumbing-down occurring currently. And I blame the media (reporters) and politicians (of which a large percentage were lawyers.)

In indra1's defence and support, he is not claiming anything, but just a curious person by nature - that is to find out more about a subject that is interesting. As I too am - curious by nature.

I definitely do not subscribe to all the BS sold to the "audiphools." The only reason that my cables are off the floor is so that cleaning (vacuuming) will be easier.

The single most expensive cable in my system is a Canare cable that was given to me by a friend. And the colour matches that of a Bellari SUT🙂.
All my cables are made up with the writing in one direction (because I'm a tad OCD) not because it makes a difference to the sound.

All my components are mounted to rather solid AC compressor frames bolted to the wall - because I have suspended wooden floors, and on one occasion a stylus was destroyed by a friend not listening and treading too heavily and close to the turntable (I had not been able to get around to installing a wall mounted bracket due to home renovations taking preference.)

I just like to sit back and enjoy the music nowadays. The age of fiddling is long past.
Long live music and the beauty of nature.
 
Last edited:
#14,583
billshurv said:
I think some outfits still give me hope. For example


Okto Research


Now I happen to be potentially in the market for just such a product and the price, whilst not a change down the back of the sofa level is not silly. I don't 'need' one but in my case would add a lacking convenience due to limitations in other parts of my system. Any performance enhancements would be entirely due to my fault with gain staging 😀
Click to expand...

Seems like nice gear for the price.

wiseoldtech said:
While my last shop was based and survived on TV and VCR service, along with the occasional audio repairs, I saw the train coming with vintage restorations.
The market for new products, both audio and video, I watched it slide downward in quality.
This comes from being a long-time service tech and seeing the changes over time (cutbacks in quality, reliability, etc).
Since I knew the vintage stuff was way better built, and even stylish compared to the boring modern stuff, I started focusing on that part of service.
I sensed a market out there, and not thinking of greed, I knew I had to supply my skills to those people, who appreciated it.
Besides, I personally adore the vintage era stuff, and appreciate it.

With some simple advertising, (which I still have going on the internet), the vintage restoration business flourished beyond my dreams.
It got to the point about 15 years ago that I became backlogged, booked up, and had to put people on a waiting list, which they patiently abliged.
The shop simply couldn't hold all the influx I was getting.
Five years ago, I had requests sitting, waiting, over a year!
Console stereos, vintage receivers, record players/turntables, radios of all types, boomboxes, you name it, they all eventually got done, as well as the current crappy tv's, dvd's, cd's that seemed to break down right after warrenty.


Now, retired, I limit things to my own pace, I deserve to "coast" my way to the grave, I've done my job, and done it well.
Nevertheless, my soldering station, computer, and file cabinet of extensive service manuals are never fully cold or ignored.

My customers thank-you emails, Christmas cards, etc., all remind me that I provided a much needed service.
Click to expand...

Thanks for this. Seems like you know how lucky you were to do something you enjoy and make a living off it, and also be able to feel good about providing a service that people appreciate.

I am growing very tired of my current career and yearn to do something that allows me to stand back at the end of every day and looking at what I accomplished.
 
#14,584
astouffer said:
SMD rework is a breeze with the right tools. Use a heat gun and tweezers and chips lift off in seconds. Add some flux and plop a new one right down. Done. Hot tweezers are the other great tool. Removing DIP parts is huge pain unless you buy the expensive cutters to snip off each pin.
Click to expand...

Low temp Solder. 100 pin TQFP, not a problem. BGAs are another matter. We use it at work. I'm not sure what brand it is or were we got it, but there are several web sites which talk about it such as this one:

A Guide to Low Temperature Solder Alloys | Indium Corporation(R) | Indium Corporation Blogs | Indium | Solder Alloys
 
#14,585
I made all of my cable from wire & connectors I bought & soldered together. No snake oil. I actually found a dead rattle snake outside of my house, so I sliced it open, head to tail, looking for a precious gland or bladder containing the mystical oil, so that I might try some first hand. No cigar. None to be found.
 
#14,587
egellings said:
I made all of my cable from wire & connectors I bought & soldered together. No snake oil. I actually found a dead rattle snake outside of my house, so I sliced it open, head to tail, looking for a precious gland or bladder containing the mystical oil, so that I might try some first hand. No cigar. None to be found.
Click to expand...
Ah, ha, you forgot that it has to be a rare snake only found in certain exclusive areas of the world, the areas only known to those exotic cable builders. :nownow:
 
#14,588
😀
 

Attachments

  • 792A85A8-B471-4BA9-A5F6-6749D2F76A36.jpg
    792A85A8-B471-4BA9-A5F6-6749D2F76A36.jpg
    132.7 KB · Views: 183
#14,590
I think that there was certainly a lot of good engineering in the 70s, especially from the Japs, amplifiers and tape machines, and even the aesthetics say 'quality', and a certain plain blandness has taken over but with thick front panels.

Yesterday I was googling a certain speaker manufacturer's users and am across a Pinterest thread containing about 50 pictures of speakers. Each allowed a click to reveal another 50 or so, and I was amazed at just how my idea of what is available has been conditioned by my (typical) area of exposure, this confirmed by so many very expensive speakers of intricate industrial design, and with often high finishes which must make them expensive. Many were intriguing.

It is virtually impossible to know if there is a real gem out there, without being a billionaire and repeatedly buying and selling that is.
 
#14,594
Indeed. That's because "Brit" has not been commonly used in a derogatory or demeaning way. How about "Limey"? Do you like that one?

Jap - Wikipedia

You can debate me if you like, but the fact is that most Japanese people find the word demeaning and offensive. The fact that "Jap" is an abbreviation is not relevant. Better to just type or say the extra few letters.
 
Last edited:
#14,596
Not my cup of tea, either, sir. Not at all.

However, if I am aware that a word is a racial slur, I certainly avoid using it. Are you comfortable with the "N" word as well? I am not. "Jap" is in the same category.

One of my best friends is from Normandy. He refers to himself playfully as a "frog", and it's all in good fun. I don't know a single Japanese person who jokes about being a "Jap", and I know quite a lot of Japanese people.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top Bottom