Saturday, September 24, 2011

Common Tools Explained

 A Useful collection of explanations to help you understand the everyday use of common tool - enjoy:-)

DRILL PRESS : A tall upright machine useful for suddenly snatching flat metal bar stock out of your hands so that it smacks you in the chest and flings your beer across the room, denting the freshly-painted project which
you had carefully set in the corner where nothing could get to it.


WIRE WHEEL : Cleans paint off bolts and then throws them somewhere under
the workbench with the speed of light . Also removes fingerprints and
hard-earned calluses from fingers in about the time it takes you to say, 'Oh
sh--!'

SKIL SAW : A portable cutting tool used to make studs too short.

PLIERS : Used to round off bolt heads. Sometimes used in the creation of
blood-blisters.

BELT SANDER : An electric sanding tool commonly used to convert minor
touch-up jobs into major refinishing jobs.

HACKSAW : One of a family of cutting tools built on the Ouija board
principle... It transforms human energy into a crooked, unpredictable
motion, and the more you attempt to influence its course, the more dismal
your future becomes.

VISE-GRIPS : Generally used after pliers to completely round off bolt
heads. If nothing else is available, they can also be used to transfer
intense welding heat to the palm of your hand.

OXYACETYLENE TORCH : Used almost entirely for lighting various flammable
objects in your shop on fire Also handy for igniting the grease inside the
wheel hub out of which you want to remove a bearing race.

TABLE SAW : A large stationary power tool commonly used to launch wood
projectiles for testing wall integrity.

HYDRAULIC FLOOR JACK : Used for lowering an car to the ground after
you have installed your new brake shoes , trapping the jack handle firmly
under the bumper.

BAND SAW : A large stationary power saw primarily used by most shops to cut
good aluminum sheet into smaller pieces that more easily fit into the trash
can after you cut on the inside of the line instead of the outside edge.

TWO-TON ENGINE HOIST : A tool for testing the maximum tensile strength of
everything you forgot to disconnect.

PHILLIPS SCREWDRIVER : Normally used to stab the vacuum seals under lids or
for opening old-style paper-and-tin oil cans and splashing oil on your
shirt; but can also be used, as the name implies, to strip out Phillips
screw heads.

STRAIGHT SCREWDRIVER : A tool for opening paint cans Sometimes used to
convert common slotted screws into non-removable screws and butchering your
palms.

PRY BAR : A tool used to crumple the metal surrounding that clip or bracket
you needed to remove in order to replace a 50 cent part.

HOSE CUTTER : A tool used to make hoses too short.

HAMMER : Originally employed as a weapon of war, the hammer nowadays is
used as a kind of divining rod to locate the most expensive parts adjacent
the object we are trying to hit.

UTILITY KNIFE : Used to open and slice through the contents of cardboard
cartons delivered to your front door; works particularly well on contents
such as seats, vinyl records, liquids in plastic bottles, collector
magazines, refund checks, and rubber or plastic parts. Especially useful for
slicing work clothes, but only while in use.

SON-OF-A-BITCH TOOL : (A personal favorite!) Any handy tool that you grab
and throw across the garage while yelling 'Son of a BITCH! ' at the top of
your lungs. It is also, most often, the next tool that you will need.

Friday, September 16, 2011

Electricity onboard.

There are many common misconceptions regrading battery capacity.

Deep cycle batteries are sold by capacity and are normally rated in amp-hours (Ah). It would be reasonable to expect a 100 amp hour battery to deliver one hundred amp hours – one amp for one hundred hours OR ten amps for ten hours.


Sadly this a long way from the truth. The number of amp hours you can extract from a given battery is dependent on the following factors:
  • The battery’s chemistry – for example – common lead acid batteries will deliver far less energy than AGM or GEL batteries for the same amp hour rating.
  • The batteries age – as batteries age they become less able to deliver the same capacity.
  • Your willingness to shorten the life of the batteries by deeply discharging the battery.
  • The chargers ability to fully charge the battery.

The following link goes to an online PDF from Victron Energy.

It's a must read as it describes all the different types of batteries and charging methods available for Yachts but this information and formula is equally applicable to any domestic application you may have.

It has chapters on why batteries fail and how to make them last longer, alternators and generators, power calculations and much more.

I won't reproduce the Victron report here for copywrite reasons, but click the link to check it out, A good read IMHO for anyone interested in Battery power and storage applications around the home, mobile homes and caravans or boats.

Monday, September 12, 2011

DailyTech - Flying Drones Dubbed "SkyNET" Break into Wireless Networks

DailyTech - Flying Drones Dubbed "SkyNET" Break into Wireless Networks

Symantec will offer a new product dubbed "Norton AntiAircraft." This product will indeed disable some of these drones, yet for no apparent reason will completely ignore others. Also it will ocassionally target small children and puppies.

Not to be outdone, McAfee will offer a solution which puports to offer protection yet Internet trolls will proclaim the software actually does nothing. Anecdotal evidence will abound with no clear cut answers.

AVG and Avast will provide free programs to combat this threat. Web pundits will debate endlessly as to which is better, but in the end both will be shown to burn down houses at an alarming rate.

Eset will develop software which actually works fairly well, but almost noone will have ever heard of it.

Eventually Microsoft will take over the FAA turn all areas into no-fly zones where only Microsoft branded mini F-22s will be allowed to operate. These drones will of course be hacked to run botnets themselves and the cycle will repeat itself.

Finally Apple will come along and place improved reality distortion field generators (these will be magical) and the people will rejoice in their newfound sense of security and safety.