• The Cookie Knows

    11/30/2018 at 20:43 • 8 comments

    We had Chinese take-out last night, and check out the fortune from my cookie:

    It's a sign from the universe about which way to take future projects.

  • More data on PCB Gremlins

    12/23/2017 at 17:47 • 0 comments

    So, the PCB Gremlins got to the TritiLED V3.0 board.  The timestamp on the gerber files is at 20:49 local time, making me think that the mysterious PCB-bug-inducing behavior is not limited to post-midnight design sessions.

    I ordered the boards before prototyping the circuit: today, on a breadboard, I found the problem - an input line on the 74LVC1G123 pulled high when it should be pulled low.  I haven't even received the PCBs back yet.  I can rework the three incorrect PCBs easy enough - cut a trace and run a piece of wire-wrap - but it means another order to have a "releasable" version for the coin cell challenge.

    Moral of the story: even the relatively early 20:49 is late enough for the PCB Gremlins to strike.

    Beware.

  • RadioShack Cabinet

    06/24/2017 at 23:44 • 5 comments

    A local store closed about 10 years ago, and the manager sold me this cabinet for $50. No parts inside, though :( It brings back fond memories of projects in my youth.

    For years, it was behind my 10m target range, and somehow got hit a few times. This mystifies me, because I *never* miss ... there must be a hole in my trap :-)