A leftover weekend project was to see if I could get my dad’s old Triplett 630PL meter back to working shape. As a boy, I remember "carefully" using "his" meter when I was in junior high school and attempting to build Heathkit projects … like my shortwave radio. Thankfully I never has to depend o the homemade radio since I had a Zenith TransOceanic … which I still have to this day! What is interesting is that I now live where we could ONCE see the Voice of America towers(Bethany Rely Station) before they were taken down (the Cold War was over). Some great history and memories listening to VOA and other shortwave radio stations as a kid.
Back to reviving the old analog meter: Although the meter was in great shape and kept in its original boxes (with instruction book!), the 2 batteries inside the meter didn’t hold up so well. Thankfully no corrosion that did any damage and replacing looked to be simple … UNTIL trying to find an Eveready Energizer 413A 30 volt transistor battery … $37 ?? Yikes!
Thankfully there is a simpler solution. Put three 9 volt transistor batteries in series and the 27+ volts works great. Whew … now at an ultra-long life "D" battery to the mix and put the case back together.
Since I’ve been driving the 1982 Mercedes Benz 300D Turbodiesel most of the late winter and spring this year, I’ve been racking up the miles and am due for a full fluid and filter change. Tonight was the night and after 4 filters (2 fuel, 1 oil and 1 air) and 8 quarts of oil, the “old girl” is ready for her weekly road trips once again. I sure like the sound of this car!
Our lawn has never looked greener than this year (above, although cloudy in the photo) even if the landscaping and general cleanup leaves a lot to be desired. Which reminds me, we have a lot to do before calling it summer, but for now just getting the limbs and fallen trees cleaned up is an satisfying accomplishment (one more fallen tree to go).
Since I have a bunch of florescent lights in my shops (most are 8 footers) it is getting to be a challenge to keep up with replacing both tubes and ballasts, I’ve decided it was time to experiment a small 2 foot 2 bulb fixture and replace with a couple cheapy “warm white” (2700 degree) LEDs from eBay.
So far my luck in rewiring has not been good. Supposedly just removing the ballast and wiring 110VAC directly should work … it didn’t???
Initially I tried using this ballast (probably bad) and then snipped it out and bypassed.
EDIT 4/25/2016: Looks like a little rewiring and retesting has it working. I like this little LED fixture … get those tubes priced lower and I’ve got quite a few to replace!
The other day after seeing Bill Engvall on the ABC sitcom Last Man Standing, I tried to remember his comedy bit where he used the line, "Bob, he’s a smoker." I could remember much more so I mentioned it casually to a friend — a few days later he text me the segment from his album "Dorkfish" which had to do with animals in Africa. Yup, that was it an d it had me smiling all over again. Thanks for the laughs Bill Envall … and you too Tim Allen(currently my favorite show … and the political component doesn’t hurt either!)
The saga of our poorly running 2010 BMW X5 35d continues while replacing component by component the SUV is inching back towards running condition. The most recent hiccup was a bit of a computer glitch after getting the ECU back from the tuner. I was hoping that as as soon as I powered everything back up that it would be smooth sailing — nope, not going to happen.
Modern car problems aside, I’m still trying to remain patient with the fixes. Eventually I think everything will come together for good as I’m starting to see the light the end of the tunnel OR it might just be that I’m learning about BMWs after years of Toyotas, Hondas, Volkswagens and Mercedes?
I ordered another "tool" Thursday night call Carly for BMW … which is OBD scanning software that runs on iOS devices like the iPhone and iPad (of course I ordered the adapter too). It is suppose to be a lot easier to use then the Ross-Teck software and VAGcom cable that I have for VWs, but assume a bit more restrictive too? Never the less, I’ll probably be able to use it on Taylor’s car too?
While learning a bit more about Amazon S3 data storage, it was time to experiment with the hotlinking and leaching of stored content, be it video or photo. Although the S3 storage is relatively inexpensive, every byte that is stored (no biggie) … or megabyte that is downloaded/streamed (photo/video) is billed whether or not it is from the originating site or hotlinked site. Amazon has “bucket policies” that can be added or edited to their S3 servers as needed. I’ve written my own code, but after-the-fact I of course found a few prewritten policies; par for the course (call it a learning curve).
I would have put the title of the book in the subject line, BUT it is a long one: We the People: The Modern Day Figures Who Have Reshaped and Affirmed the Founding Fathers’ Vision of America … whew! Title aside, I’m really looking forward to readings Juan Williams thoughts on the impact on America from well known figures like President Reagan, Thurgood Marshall, Martin Luther King, Jr., Rev. Billy Graham and First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt. According to a short online review, Williams also touches on events like Stonewall Riots which brought gay life into America’s public square, as well as "the role of women in contemporary life as shaped by Betty Friedan."
At a time when many are concerned over the volatility in politics this year and see the radical change happening in our country in a negative way, a quick glance reminds us that America has had a turbulent past as it moved forward (or backward, depending on your perspective regarding some of the change). I’m hoping a little perspective has me believing that "not all is lost" … even if the current change in direction seems wrong.Hopefully after reading I’ll want to add a few more comments to this post?
like my shortwave radio. Thankfully I never has to depend o the homemade radio since I had a Zenith TransOceanic … which I still have to this day! What is interesting is that I now live where we could ONCE see the Voice of America towers (Bethany Rely Station) before they were taken down (the Cold War was over). Some great history and memories listening to VOA and other shortwave radio stations as a kid. 
Whew … now at an ultra-long life "D" battery to the mix and put the case back together. 
a small 2 foot 2 bulb fixture and replace with a couple cheapy “warm white” (2700 degree) 
