EEVblog #686 - Mailbag

[fvdpol]

Didn't notice anything different on the video frame rate, but have the feeling that with the Sony camera the auto focus works much slower than with the Cannon.

Maybe it's due to lighting conditions or so, but especially in shots were something is held close to the camera it seems to take forever for the Sony to focus.

Also depth of field is quite shallow (I liked the sharp, in focus background over the blurry stack of test equipment in the back). Of course this can be personal but I like to see the equipment p*rn in the back :-)

[janengelbrecht]

I was happy to see that Wun Hung-Lo Factory is a legit manufacturer....i will surely keep and eye on its products in the future
 

[Rasz]

mini blade fuses, I like that idea ill start using that when I run out of glass tube holders

https://www.eevblog.com/forum/chat/counterfeit-chinese-fuses/

[Macbeth]

What grinds my gears is that there is no reason whatsoever to make shitty fuses like this. I mean, by Chinese standards, surely the saving of that precious bit of metal by producing 1A fuses vs 50A fuses is worth it? But no, corruption and laziness is the order of the day.

Of course the same criminals killed thousands of children with fake formula milk, and even make fake eggs including the fake shell. What kind of sick mind comes up with this? The lack of animal welfare over there in China and battery cages, etc, should surely produce cheaper eggs than artificially manufactured ones?

One that really turns my stomach is . I will be sure to not eat any street food at all when I visit Shenzhen. I think I will have to pack some nice ham and cheese sandwiches with English mustard on Warburtons white bread when I pay a visit.

[84GKSIG]

mini blade fuses, I like that idea ill start using that when I run out of glass tube holders

https://www.eevblog.com/forum/chat/counterfeit-chinese-fuses/

well. lol that explains the melted fuse boxes i get to see through work half the time, counterfeit fuses, why even bother though as macbeth said. there is no reason for it, other than being lazy. ive seen a few cases where a dodgy fuse that didnt let go almost set thousands of dollars worth of car on fire, its kinda scary

[GEuser]

Thanks to the person who sent dave the MAVO30 Analog Multimeter , I liked it .

[Fraser]

I looked at the uRAD monitor after this blog but sadly it was too expensive for what it offered me in my scenario. I just bought a GQ 300E plus for GBP50 (used twice so sold on ebay as used). It looks a decent enough design and has a good following on the NET.  The RRP is under $140 which isn't too bad either.

http://www.gqelectronicsllc.com/comersus/store/comersus_viewItem.asp?idProduct=4570

http://www.gqelectronicsllc.com/comersus/store/comersus_dynamicIndex.asp

GQ Forum:

http://www.gqelectronicsllc.com/forum/forum.asp?FORUM_ID=14

Software download page:

http://www.gqelectronicsllc.com/comersus/store/download.asp

[jpelczar]

Is the package from "wun hung lo" a joke?

Apparently the text above "Wun Hung Lo" means "Oh Shit !"

[SeanB]

Don't worry, the genuine OEM parts also melt and die a horrid death. You know this if you ever drove an older car with Bosch or Lucas electrics.

[iampoor]

Don't worry, the genuine OEM parts also melt and die a horrid death. You know this if you ever drove an older car with Bosch or Lucas electrics.

Yes....hell on earth is trying to fix an MGB's electrical system. 

[SeanB]

MGB electrics is not that bad. There is a special dislike for Italian designed electrics here though, where the words Magnetti Marelli are particularly loathed. Then you get the French, who used the worst parts of all 3 to make electrical mechanisms in vehicles.

Then you get older American luxury vehicles, where they added hydraulic parts into the mix as well.

[SNGLinks]

Don't worry, the genuine OEM parts also melt and die a horrid death. You know this if you ever drove an older car with Bosch or Lucas electrics.

Yes....hell on earth is trying to fix an MGB's electrical system. 

MGB electrics aren't too bad. I converted my MGB-GT from +ve earth to -ve earth.

[iampoor]

MGB electrics is not that bad. There is a special dislike for Italian designed electrics here though, where the words Magnetti Marelli are particularly loathed. Then you get the French, who used the worst parts of all 3 to make electrical mechanisms in vehicles.

Then you get older American luxury vehicles, where they added hydraulic parts into the mix as well.

Werent their some budget Fiats and ALfa Romeos that are basically electrical deathtraps in the 70's? I think it was he Fiat Spider?

Don't worry, the genuine OEM parts also melt and die a horrid death. You know this if you ever drove an older car with Bosch or Lucas electrics.

Yes....hell on earth is trying to fix an MGB's electrical system. 

MGB electrics aren't too bad. I converted my MGB-GT from +ve earth to -ve earth.

A the end of the day I love the cars (have a 79) but the Lucas plugs should have been replaced he day we bought the car. Thats why I am not too found of the electrical system.  (Of course its my fault!  )

 O0

[84GKSIG]

ive worked with japanese italian and english cars electrical systems, most of the time its a case of running around doing 2 things:
1 
2 
and positive earth systems
and converted positive systems which still run an alternator.
one car was so confusing the wire colours meant nothing, the indicators were positive and some how you got a negative signal at the bulb and that was a hell, but i dont mind converting older car radios for folk who want to keep positive earth. ive done a couple now where ive added a switch and 3.5mm jack for ipod input to units which are am only, i actually find that fun.
working on the cars them selves not so much, ignition barrel in a s2 Bentley , combination light switch and ignition. theres something like 20 wires off the back of the thing and all the wiring is cotton insulated 

[SeanB]

Rolls Royce as well, those are nice cotton covered wire. Just do not disturb it if it is over 4 decades old, you will have grief. I replaced a few wires with PTFE wire and sleeving to fix flexing segments that wore out and shed insulation.

Older vehicles you cannot tell the engine is idling when it is working well, unless you look to see if the fan is turning. though to change the engine oil you do need a lot more than what is in a 5l oil can, that is what you use to fill up from low level to full, and the engine will happily burn that for you in around 3 tanks of fuel.

[Stonent]

radhoo, would an ionizing smoke detector work for calibrating the uRads? they giv information on radation exposure on the package.

dave what about destroying some $2 multimeters with the big knife?

can you program the electric imp with a regular sd card slot on a pc? if you can't will some dunce pluging one into an sd card slot ruin it?


Is the package from "wun hung lo" a joke?

when are you going to teach Sagan to solder? when you do make a video.

Smoke detectors use Americium which is mostly an Alpha emitter. Detectors that can pick up alphas are much more expensive. Alpha particles are blocked by anything as thick as a piece of paper.

Cesium 137 is the most recognized calibration isotope but depleted uranium is also used. Some older detectors used Radium but it has a half life that makes it unsuitable for long term use. Old detectors with Radium check sources can't be calibrated against it accurately if it is more than a few years old but ones with depleted uranium can for the next billion years and still be up to 85% accurate without modifying your calibration formula.

[timelessbeing]

I miss 720p25. My computer chokes on the 50p.

[8086]

I miss 720p25. My computer chokes on the 50p.

I was thinking the same as well. I like the resolution but the frame rate now makes the experience not very good with my machine. Drops frames sometimes etc and it is noticeable occasionally.


It's not even a very crap PC either.. 

[timelessbeing]

It's great that Dave is shooting such high spec videos and that we have the technology to be able to enjoy it. But if Youtube is able to resample videos into so many different formats (like 144p   ), I'm sure they could also manage 25/30 fps down-sampled video. I used to happily watch 720p25, but now I'm forced to choose either 720p50 (unwatchable) or 420p which is OK but Dave's content often involves tiny parts and the detail becomes important. Personally, I don't even notice the difference between 25 and 50 fps unless there's frequent and fast movement.

While I'm on the subject of quality, the mailbag videos in particular looks "soft" to me. They're not very sharp, and the highlights are blown out. For example, in episode #694, watch 3:34 when he pulls a white parcel out of the white foam beans. Everything looks like a white blob.

I know that juggling all of the aspects of camera work and getting everything right is a challenge. These are just the things I notice most of all. Everything else is great.