#249338 - 15/02/2005 16:26
Re: Power
[Re: tman]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 25/12/2000
Posts: 16706
Loc: Raleigh, NC US
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Actually, Godfrey does have a point. In the US, it's hard to find a wallwart that doesn't overhang at least one other outlet due to the relatively small size of our plugs. I imagine that it's less of a headache in the UK with those massive plugs you guys use.
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Bitt Faulk
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#249339 - 15/02/2005 16:27
Re: Power
[Re: tman]
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veteran
Registered: 01/10/2001
Posts: 1307
Loc: Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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Quote: The UK plug is vastly overengineered. It's nearly indestructible though and at a guess those solid brass pins can probably pass at least 40-50A.
And just the metal that goes into them is probably worth a fiver... I also love the quaint tradition of eqipping every outlet with a rocker switch...
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#249340 - 15/02/2005 16:32
Re: Power
[Re: Roger]
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pooh-bah
Registered: 16/04/2002
Posts: 2011
Loc: Yorkshire UK
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Quote: Er, he means Boxer dogs, not boxer shorts
Now that has taught me something that I didn't know: Americans wear boxer shorts over underpants? Nothing like a bit of extra security I s'pose.
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Politics and Ideology: Not my bag
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#249341 - 15/02/2005 16:37
Re: Power
[Re: tman]
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pooh-bah
Registered: 25/08/2000
Posts: 2413
Loc: NH USA
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Aaah yes the BS 1363/A, officially rated at 13A/230V/50Hz.
The brief 75 pages of BS specifications may be found here.
Electrical regulations are fun no?
Best,
-Chris
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WWFSMD?
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#249342 - 15/02/2005 16:40
Re: Power
[Re: julf]
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pooh-bah
Registered: 16/04/2002
Posts: 2011
Loc: Yorkshire UK
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Quote: I also love the quaint tradition of eqipping every outlet with a rocker switch...
Ah now, be fair, every householder has the option of selotaping over the toggle switches on the sockets they don't want switched off. Actually both with and without are available, equally - but as they cost about the same, you might as well have the switches.
I once went to a demonstration by MK, where they got an elephant to stand on a plug and socket to demonstrate the strength. It was never made clear which jungles had installed a ring mains.
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#249343 - 15/02/2005 16:50
Re: Power
[Re: boxer]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 25/12/2000
Posts: 16706
Loc: Raleigh, NC US
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In the US, boxer shorts would be considered a type of underpants.
Hard to tell if you're being glib here or not, though, so I'm taking the road of making myself look like an idiot.
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Bitt Faulk
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#249344 - 15/02/2005 16:53
Re: Power
[Re: julf]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 18/01/2000
Posts: 5683
Loc: London, UK
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Quote: I also love the quaint tradition of eqipping every outlet with a rocker switch...
What's quaint about that? It means you can turn things off without unplugging them. And, as stated elsewhere in this thread, UK plugs are a health hazard when left unplugged, with those titanic prongs...
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-- roger
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#249345 - 15/02/2005 16:55
Re: Power
[Re: Roger]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 25/12/2000
Posts: 16706
Loc: Raleigh, NC US
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Out of curiosity, what electrical devices do you have that don't have switches on them?
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Bitt Faulk
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#249346 - 15/02/2005 17:33
Re: Power
[Re: wfaulk]
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pooh-bah
Registered: 16/04/2002
Posts: 2011
Loc: Yorkshire UK
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Quote: In the US, boxer shorts would be considered a type of underpants
As indeed they are in the UK, but the important point to remember here is that boxer shorts are unsuitable for running for buses, where other types suit that purpose. I'm happy for you to assume glib, and, hopefully amusing.
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Politics and Ideology: Not my bag
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#249347 - 15/02/2005 17:36
Re: Power
[Re: boxer]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 25/12/2000
Posts: 16706
Loc: Raleigh, NC US
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I have to wonder how often you're running for buses in your underpants, and the percentage of those times that it occurs in a bad dream. Or maybe for you it's a good dream.
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Bitt Faulk
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#249348 - 15/02/2005 17:45
Re: Power
[Re: wfaulk]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 13/07/2000
Posts: 4181
Loc: Cambridge, England
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Quote: Out of curiosity, what electrical devices do you have that don't have switches on them?
Car-player, Rio Receiver, Karma, Carbon... the only Rio product I can think of with a real mains power switch is the Rio Central. ATX PCs tend not to have power switches, too (though some do) and so having them plugged-in but switched-off at the wall when upgrading means the cases are still earthed.
Peter
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#249349 - 15/02/2005 17:57
Re: Power
[Re: peter]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 25/12/2000
Posts: 16706
Loc: Raleigh, NC US
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Curses! Foiled again!
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Bitt Faulk
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#249350 - 15/02/2005 18:04
Re: Power
[Re: tman]
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enthusiast
Registered: 27/09/1999
Posts: 200
Loc: Berkeley, CA
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Quote:
Which is actually a really hideous hack since you're not supposed to draw power from the USB port without actually telling the host/hub how much you'll be drawing. A lot of the devices actually try to draw more than the 500mA that you're allowed on each port if it's self powered.
Only if the device you're plugging in doesn't have a USB slave. My phone and GPS have USB interfaces, so it's fine.
The ugly hacks are the lighter plugs and wall warts that just have a powered port with no other electronics.
Speaking of hacks, I have a bus-powered hub that works just fine as a power splitter in the car.
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-Zandr Mk.IIa #010101243 currently getting a 500GB SSD. More spares in the shed.
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#249351 - 15/02/2005 19:20
Re: Power
[Re: n6mod]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 24/12/2001
Posts: 5528
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Quote: Only if the device you're plugging in doesn't have a USB slave. My phone and GPS have USB interfaces, so it's fine.
Ah yeah. If it's a proper USB device then it's okay but there are loads of them that aren't. Fans, lights and mobile phone chargers come to mind.
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#249352 - 16/02/2005 04:27
Re: Power
[Re: tman]
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enthusiast
Registered: 17/08/2000
Posts: 334
Loc: Seattle, WA. USA
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I would love to see more "wall warts" like the one that came with my Linksys WET11.
The "wart" is fashoned like a wide plug, instead of the usual 90 degree, power strip hogging monstrosity. It works great, either on a power strip or a standard wall outlet.
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Brian H. Johnson MK2 36GB Blue, currently on life support "RIP RCR..."
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#249354 - 16/02/2005 07:08
Re: Power
[Re: bonzi]
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pooh-bah
Registered: 16/04/2002
Posts: 2011
Loc: Yorkshire UK
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The bus services round here are more of a nightmare than a bad or good dream, for us motorists. In a good dream, I'm drifting along the Cote d'azur in the Citroen DS Decapotable, which I've finally acquired. In a bad dream, I'm trying to cope with the expense of keeping it running with the rust and hydraulic problems. In neither dream do buses or underpants occur!
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Politics and Ideology: Not my bag
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#249355 - 16/02/2005 17:00
Re: Power
[Re: boxer]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 06/10/1999
Posts: 2591
Loc: Seattle, WA, U.S.A.
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Quote: In a good dream, I'm drifting along the Cote d'azur in the Citroen DS Decapotable, which I've finally acquired.
Need to know: Did you acquire the Citroen in the dream?
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Jim
'Tis the exceptional fellow who lies awake at night thinking of his successes.
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#249356 - 16/02/2005 17:18
Re: Power
[Re: jimhogan]
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pooh-bah
Registered: 16/04/2002
Posts: 2011
Loc: Yorkshire UK
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Quote: Did you acquire the Citroen in the dream?
It's the only way I'm ever going to acquire one!
I thought that I might quietly acquire my other "must have" icon as a retirement present to myself: A Revox Reel-to-Reel, until I discovered that a decently reconditioned one comes in at around $3,000 - 3,500
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Politics and Ideology: Not my bag
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#249357 - 16/02/2005 17:20
Re: Power
[Re: boxer]
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veteran
Registered: 01/10/2001
Posts: 1307
Loc: Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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Quote: I thought that I might quietly acquire my other "must have" icon as a retirement present to myself: A Revox Reel-to-Reel, until I discovered that a decently reconditioned one comes in at around $3,000 - 3,500
I have always been drooling for a B77, until I found out that they have stopped making tapes!
The only thing that would come close would be a Nagra...
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#249358 - 16/02/2005 19:41
Re: Power
[Re: julf]
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pooh-bah
Registered: 16/04/2002
Posts: 2011
Loc: Yorkshire UK
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Quote: I have always been drooling for a B77, until I found out that they have stopped making tapes!
Amazing how many 10 1/2 in. reels, sealed, knocking about on ebay, but one of the 2 places I asked about a B77 reckoned that they were still getting fresh supplies in 2,500ft reels. A77's come in at about 1/2 the price and a couple of B77's have gone recently on ebay for around £2 - 300, but I didn't want to take the risk.
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Politics and Ideology: Not my bag
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#249359 - 16/02/2005 20:16
Re: Power
[Re: boxer]
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pooh-bah
Registered: 06/02/2002
Posts: 1904
Loc: Leeds, UK
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Quote: A Revox Reel-to-Reel...
Silly youthful question time:
What the hell would you want an old reel to reel tape machine for?
What would you do with it?
Cheers
Cris.
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#249360 - 16/02/2005 20:58
Re: Power
[Re: boxer]
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pooh-bah
Registered: 13/09/1999
Posts: 2401
Loc: Croatia
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Ah, B77 was my object of desire, too (in the times, some 20-25 years ago, when I was doing light and sound for several amateur theatre troupes). It was a standard fixture (usually two of them) in theatres we were performing in, but I was recording and preparing tapes on a contraption of Polish manufacture (a copy of an ancient Grundig or something). I still have somewhere multicoloured blank tape and cutting and splicing gadgets... Several months ago I learned that a girl I knew very well in those times used to work in Studer recently (and probably could have bought some old but working Revox machines), but she got 'downsized' in the meantime.... As for the value of those machines: purely sentimental, of course, but isn't it enough?
_________________________
Dragi "Bonzi" Raos
Q#5196
MkII #080000376, 18GB green
MkIIa #040103247, 60GB blue
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#249361 - 16/02/2005 21:31
Re: Power
[Re: Cris]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 17/01/2002
Posts: 3996
Loc: Manchester UK
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Quote:
Quote: A Revox Reel-to-Reel...
Silly youthful question time:
What the hell would you want an old reel to reel tape machine for?
Says the man with a pinball machine at home. Reel to reel machines are seriously cool. I had two mint A807s until recently, sold one and kept the best one for myself complete with trolley.
It's still my best recording medium at home. Plus with BBC moving to solid state digital recording there's tonnes of Zonal on 10.5 inch NAB spools going begging.
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Cheers,
Andy M
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#249362 - 17/02/2005 07:47
Re: Power
[Re: Cris]
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pooh-bah
Registered: 16/04/2002
Posts: 2011
Loc: Yorkshire UK
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Quote: What would you do with it?
Watch the spools go round with uncanny, silent, precisely engineered precision (Sorry for the tortology, I couldn't think of anything better!), instead of counting rabbits, in my dotage. As I said to Andy, I could well take down an impressionist print and stick it on the wall instead, on the basis that it's a better art form!
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Politics and Ideology: Not my bag
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#249364 - 17/02/2005 20:38
Re: Power
[Re: andym]
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pooh-bah
Registered: 16/04/2002
Posts: 2011
Loc: Yorkshire UK
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Quote: Couldn't have put it better myself. Nothing looks better than 10.5 inch spools at 15 IPS, except maybe 30 IPS.
Many years ago, Piccadilly Radio, erroneously thinking that I was a high roller in the media industry, showed me round the facilities, I pointed to an A77 and asked what it did, "oh, we have to keep a record of all our broadcasts, they said, we change that tape every 24 hours": Which says to me that it was recording a 10.5"LP tape at 15/32, or a triple play tape(Which was brittle, but available at the time) at 15/16 . Philips had 4 speed recorders with the bottom speed at 15/16, has anybody seen a 15/32 or 16 Revox special for that purpose? As a clue, they demonstrated a 1 7/8 4 track Dolby A77 against a 7.5 2 track to show how impressive the Dolby B system was at an audio show that I went to.
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Politics and Ideology: Not my bag
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#249365 - 17/02/2005 21:07
Re: Power
[Re: Cris]
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pooh-bah
Registered: 16/04/2002
Posts: 2011
Loc: Yorkshire UK
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Quote: What the hell would you want an old reel to reel tape machine for?
Because I always wanted something better than my 16th birthday present
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Politics and Ideology: Not my bag
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#249366 - 17/02/2005 21:42
Re: Power
[Re: boxer]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 17/01/2002
Posts: 3996
Loc: Manchester UK
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Most stations have used VHS machines on long play for recording their RoT logs for well over a decade now. It's only in the last few years that they've used computers to do it instead. Hallam FM were still using VHS and a Sony F1 last time I was there.
The 807s can be fiddled to do whatever speed you like as they're entirely servo controlled.
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Cheers,
Andy M
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#249367 - 18/02/2005 09:25
Re: Power
[Re: andym]
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pooh-bah
Registered: 16/04/2002
Posts: 2011
Loc: Yorkshire UK
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I suppose when you've got security video recorders that do 40 days, 24 hours or more was quite fast and low bitrate on a PC comes almost for free.
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