The Smell of Molten Projects in the Morning
Ed Nisley's Blog: shop notes, electronics, firmware, machinery, 3D printing, and curiosities
Overhead
The sellers have accepted our offer on their house, so over the course of the next couple of months we’ll be moving, then selling this place. Having begun dismantling and packing the contents of the Basement Shop, Laboratory, and Warehouse, my blog-worthy activities will grind to a temporary halt.
Should you or anyone you know be interested in moving to the trendy Hudson Valley region, we have a conveniently located property with a shop-ready basement:
Maybe we can make a deal …
Another problem with the same monitor as before:
This one looks like an ordinary broken link:
Mary has some opinions on their software testing process, but AFAICT that entire department is missing in action.
Having spent entirely too much time on the road and not nearly enough time in the shop, things will be quiet around here for a few days.
Drive to stay alive …
A blog about GRBL configuration and water heat anode rod wrenches, perhaps with a few pictures, would have killer SEO:
| Home page / Archives | 21053 |
| CNC 3018-Pro: GRBL Configuration | 5341 |
| Why You Need a 6-Point Socket to Remove a Water Heater Anode Rod | 5197 |
| G-Code and M-Code Grand Master List | 3250 |
| Toyota Sienna: ABS Trouble Codes | 2385 |
| American Standard Elite Kitchen Faucet Disassembly | 2297 |
| Homage Tektronix Circuit Computer | 1898 |
| Subaru Forester Fuse Boxes | 1607 |
| Bed Bugs: Thermal Kill | 1581 |
| Broom Handle Screw Thread: Replacement Plug | 1512 |
| Kensington Expert Mouse Trackball: Scroll Ring Troubles | 943 |
| Whirlpool Water Heater “Lifetime” Warranty: The Good and the Bad | 922 |
| Digital Tattoo Power Supply: Polarity Doesn’t Matter | 868 |
| Auto-V.I.N Gauge Scam | 829 |
| Review Phreesia Authorization | 827 |
| Baofeng UV-5R Squelch Settings | 806 |
| Raspberry Pi: Forcing VNC Display Resolution | 777 |
| Kenmore 158.17032 Handwheel Clutch Disassembly | 758 |
| 2000 Toyota Sienna: Replacing the Bank 1 Sensor 2 Oxygen Sensor | 751 |
| Bafang USB Programming Adapter | 747 |
| Removing a Water Heater Anode Rod | 724 |
| CNC 3018-Pro: DRV8825 Hack for 1:8 Microstep Mode | 710 |
| Low Budget Bench Power Supply | 691 |
| Kensington Expert Mouse Scroll Ring Fix | 648 |
| Juki JC-001 Foot Control: Resolving Uncommanded Thread Cutting | 646 |
| Browning Hi-Power Magazine Dimensions | 633 |
| Displaying Variables in Gnuplot | 622 |
| Replacing Phil Wood Hub Bearings | 619 |
| Makerbot-style Endstop Power Adapter for Protoneer Arduino CNC Shield | 593 |
| Schwab / Symantec VIP Access vs. Yubikey | 581 |
| Shimano SPD Pedals: Creaking Resolved | 573 |
| Raspberry Pi Interrupts vs. Rotary Encoder | 566 |
| Kohl’s Guest WiFi Terms & Conditions: The Short Version | 558 |
| GRBL Error 33: Arc Coordinates vs. Decimal Places | 516 |
| Abusing a Leather Punch for Manhattan-Style Circuit Construction | 515 |
| OMTech 60 W Laser: Adjustable Honeycomb Stops | 511 |
| LTSpice Diode Models Sorted By Forward Voltage | 511 |
| Why You Shouldn’t Use Heat Pumps in the Northeast US | 509 |
| HP-48GX Calculator Disassembly: Case Rivets | 508 |
| Homage Tektronix Circuit Computer: Laser-Engraved Hairline Tests | 504 |
| Homebrew Magnetizer-Demagnetizer | 488 |
| Quick-and-easy IR-passing / Visible-blocking Optical Filter | 475 |
| Old Kenmore Sewing Machine Foot Control Repair | 467 |
| Reversible Belt Buckle: Post Restaking | 464 |
| Toyota Sienna: Rear ABS / Speed Sensor Failure | 461 |
| Mini-Lathe Tailstock: Alignment | 455 |
| Philips Sonicare Essence 5000: Battery Replacement | 445 |
| Mysterious Noise in Toyota Sienna Minivan: Fixed! | 440 |
| Demolition Card GTA 5-10-9 | 434 |
| Icecast and Ezstream Configuration | 424 |
| OMTech 60 W Laser: Controlling the Air Assist Pump | 418 |
| Multimeter Range Switch Contacts: Whoops! | 417 |
| Chili Powder Beetles | 410 |
| Mini-Lathe Metric Threading: 21 Tooth Gear | 407 |
| Water Bottle Spring Cap Repair | 404 |
| Baofeng UV-5: Squelch Tail Elimination | 399 |
So much for all the techie stuff.
Overall readership continues to decline, which would matter a whole lot more were I drumming up business engagement:
My shop notes occasionally come in handy for other folks, so it’s not a dead loss …
Trigger warning: gore.
A week ago I milled a stack of cursor blanks, then engraved a test hairline on a scrap cursor to make sure everything was ready:
After raising the spindle a few inches, I reached across the table, peeled the tape, and, as I pulled my hand back with the finished cursor, snagged the back of my left index finger on the V bit.
So. Much. Blood.
Urgent Care PA: “You may have nicked the tendon. Get thee hence to the Hospital Trauma Center.”
Trauma Center MD: “See that white fiber down in there? That’s the extensor ligament. Looks OK and should heal fine.”
Me: “Urp.”
Trauma Center MD: “Unless you’re one of the 20% who get an infection.”
Me: “Unless I’m one of the few who contract an MRSA infection, then just up and die.”
Trauma Center MD: “Well, yes, there’s that. If the wound swells or smells bad, come back here quickly.”
Dutchess County is now on the trailing edge of the Omicron wave, but the Trauma Center is attached to the Emergency Room and had a steady stream of customers arriving by ambulance. While being entirely content to not be their most urgent case, I had plenty of time to examine the wide variety of instruments parked in the room with me:
I’m on a ten-day regimen of surprisingly inexpensive Amoxicillin + Clavulanate Potassium capsules, which is apparently what it takes to knock down a potential infection these days.
Five days later, it looks like I should pull through:
So I hereby swear a mighty oath on the bones of my ancestors to always sheath my blades. You should, too.
But we all knew that last week, didn’t we?
The overall page view count may be down, but people have been replacing water heater anode rods at an increasing pace:
| Home page / Archives | 23775 |
| Water Heater Anode Rod Access Done Right | 8432 |
| CNC 3018-Pro: GRBL Configuration | 5301 |
| G-Code and M-Code Grand Master List | 5049 |
| Why You Need a 6-Point Socket to Remove a Water Heater Anode Rod | 4300 |
| American Standard Elite Kitchen Faucet Disassembly | 2621 |
| Toyota Sienna: ABS Trouble Codes | 2531 |
| Raspberry Pi: Forcing VNC Display Resolution | 2011 |
| CNC 3018-ProXL: Y-axis Extension | 1641 |
| Subaru Forester Fuse Boxes | 1276 |
| Broom Handle Screw Thread: Replacement Plug | 1239 |
| Removing a Water Heater Anode Rod | 1221 |
| Auto-V.I.N Gauge Scam | 1029 |
| Low Budget Bench Power Supply | 984 |
| CNC 3018-Pro: DRV8825 Hack for 1:8 Microstep Mode | 980 |
| Kensington Expert Mouse Trackball: Scroll Ring Troubles | 929 |
| Whirlpool Water Heater “Lifetime” Warranty: The Good and the Bad | 917 |
| Digital Tattoo Power Supply: Polarity Doesn’t Matter | 912 |
| Bed Bugs: Thermal Kill | 908 |
| Review Phreesia Authorization | 834 |
| Huion H610Pro (V2) Tablet vs. Ubuntu 18.04 | 821 |
| Kenmore 158.17032 Handwheel Clutch Disassembly | 799 |
| Shimano SPD Pedals: Creaking Resolved | 788 |
| 2000 Toyota Sienna: Replacing the Bank 1 Sensor 2 Oxygen Sensor | 753 |
| Schwab / Symantec VIP Access vs. Yubikey | 751 |
| Toyota Sienna: Rear ABS / Speed Sensor Failure | 729 |
| HP-48GX Calculator Disassembly: Case Rivets | 688 |
| Reversible Belt Buckle: Post Restaking | 683 |
| Kensington Expert Mouse Scroll Ring Fix | 629 |
| Makerbot-style Endstop Power Adapter for Protoneer Arduino CNC Shield | 616 |
| Displaying Variables in Gnuplot | 614 |
| Kohl’s Guest WiFi Terms & Conditions: The Short Version | 613 |
| Replacing Phil Wood Hub Bearings | 595 |
| Magnesium Water Heater Anode Rod: Seven Years Later | 576 |
| Adding a Device to LTSpiceIV | 564 |
| Philips Sonicare Essence 5000: Battery Replacement | 550 |
| Browning Hi-Power Magazine Dimensions | 545 |
| MPCNC: Emergency Stop / Feed Hold / Resume Pendant | 544 |
| Raspberry Pi Interrupts vs. Rotary Encoder | 538 |
| CNC 3018-Pro: Home Switches | 534 |
| Resistance Soldering: Transformer | 510 |
| Adafruit Touch-screen TFT LCD Rotation | 489 |
| Quick-and-easy IR-passing / Visible-blocking Optical Filter | 476 |
| Dis-arming a Steelcase Leap Chair | 471 |
| Icecast and Ezstream Configuration | 470 |
| Why You Shouldn’t Use Heat Pumps in the Northeast US | 465 |
| Baofeng UV-5R Squelch Settings | 460 |
| Mini-Lathe Tailstock: Alignment | 449 |
| Homebrew Magnetizer-Demagnetizer | 446 |
| Arduino Serial Optical Isolator | 444 |
| Mysterious Noise in Toyota Sienna Minivan: Fixed! | 444 |
| Baofeng UV-5: Squelch Pop Suppression | 434 |
| bCNC Probe Camera Calibration | 432 |
| Demolition Card GTA 5-10-9 | 431 |
| Multimeter Range Switch Contacts: Whoops! | 425 |
| Realigning Tweezer Tips | 421 |
| Schwalbe Marathon Plus and Michelin Protek vs. Glass Chip | 418 |
| Kenmore Model 158 Speed Control: Carbon Disk Replacement | 417 |
| Kenmore Electric Dryer: Power Resistor Replacement | 416 |
| Old Kenmore Sewing Machine Foot Control Repair | 414 |
| Closing the Dmesg Audit Firehose | 400 |
That adds up to 200 k page views from 122 k visitors, for an average of 1.6 pages / visitor, down slightly from last year. For a variety of reasons, I wrote only 242 posts over the course of the year, so more folks read only the single post matching their search terms.
To give you an idea of how awful online advertising has become, WordPress shoveled 817 k ads at those readers, slightly more than four ads per view. Given the toxicity of online advertising, I just started paying $50/year for a “personal” plan to get a few more gigabytes of media storage, which also let me turn off the ads. Most of you won’t notice, as you already run ad blockers, but it will calm the results for everybody else.
Fortunately, losing the $250 / year income from those ads won’t significantly affect my standard of living.
An email arrived yesterday:
Subject: [redacted] review blog invitation about bluetooth programmer
Message: Hi dear,
Thanks for taking time to read this email.
I am Colleen from [redacted] brand, we sell two way radio on Amazon. I learned that you have wrote two way radio review blog before and I think your blog was written well.
Now we have a product named bluetooth programmer that need to be reviewed. […] We would like to invite you to write a review blog about it.
Your can earn $2 from each product sold! We promise it. Just put the link we provided you in your blog and the Amazon backstage will count the data. And we will pay you $2 for per product sold by your link through PayPal on the 30th of every month. (Please provide your PayPal account)
If you are willing to help us write a blog, please tell us if you have a radio and your address we will send you the product for free to review.
You can view more detailed information through this link:
[redacted]
Perhaps this “review” caught their eye:
Or maybe it was my opinion of the Baofeng intermod problem?
Most likely, it’s just the result of an ordinary web search.
You might think everybody would know about Amazon’s crackdown on out-of-band review kickback scams, but either word hasn’t gotten around or the rewards still exceed the penalties. I think the latter applies, particularly when the offender (or its parent company) can spin up another randomly named Amazon seller with no loss of continuity.
“Earning” two bucks on a few purchases during the course of a year won’t move my Quality of Life needle, so I reported them to Amazon and that might be that.
For future reference, the chat with Amazon’s Customer Support rep produced a deep-ish link to their otherwise un-discoverable “Report Something Suspicious” page; the randomly named nodeld is a nice touch.
Speaking of randomly named sellers, it’s highly likely any Brand Name you remember from the Good Old Days has been disconnected from the tool / hardware / service you remember. Perusing a snapshot of the who-owns-who tool landscape as of a few years ago may be edifying: I didn’t know Fluke and Tektronix now have the same corporate parent.
Enjoy unwrapping your presents and playing with your toys …
For reasons that made sense at the time, two weeks ago I ventured outside the house. A few days later, this appeared:
The pallid skin over on the left comes from a bike glove. The central bump is one of those annoying sebaceous hyperplasias appearing after a Certain Age and not relevant here.
Having been around this particular block a few times, Mary recognized the diffuse red rash, sleeping 30 of 36 consecutive hours, and a day-long 103 °F fever as Lyme disease. I’m currently taking 100 mg of doxycycline twice a day and (after a week) feeling better, while sleeping a lot more than usual at random intervals during the day.
We’re both highly aware of Lyme disease: Mary routinely dresses in a complete overlayer of permethrin-sprayed clothing and I generally strip-and-shower immediately after any yard work in similarly sprayed, albeit less enclosing, attire. In this case, we think a tiny Deer Tick nymph affixed itself to the outboard side of my wrist, where I could neither see nor feel it, and (because I didn’t take a shower after being outside for only a few minutes) remained attached long enough to infect me.
Caught and treated early, Lyme disease generally does not progress into “post-treatment Lyme disease”, an ailment rife with what can charitably be described as serious woo, despite some evidence of actual disease.
Some of Mary’s Master Gardener cronies have endured co-infections of Babesia microti and we’ll be watching for those symptoms after doxycycline tamps down the obvious problem.
I’ll be puttering very carefully around heavy machinery and posting irregularly for a few weeks …
Memo to Self: the Basement Shop has a lot to recommend it!
The Smell of Molten Projects in the Morning 