See ya later 2017

"This is not a year on which I shall look back with undiluted pleasure. In the words of one of my more sympathetic correspondents, it has turned out to be an ‘Annus Horribilis.’ I suspect that I am not alone in thinking it so."

Liz Windsor

Ode to the SS8050 (or equivalent)

We tend to credit those who create an idea, not those who perfect it, forgetting that it is often only in the perfection of an idea that true progress occurs. Putting sixty-four transistors on a chip allowed people to dream of the future. Putting four million transistors on a chip actually gave them the future.

Malcolm Gladwell

Once upon a time when we knew way less about transistors (er, about 12 months ago) we thought that a big chunky TO-220 logic level monster was good for all applications, and ordered mosfets like the IRLZ44N  rated at 55V and a whopping 47A (!!) and the FQP30N06L rated at 60V and 32A accordingly. We even secured some Darlingtons like the TIP-12X series, and lately Darlington arrays in ICs like the ULN2803A and similar.

Then we spotted TO-92 packages and read online that they were awesome for amateur electronics - so away to the online store again and soon we had a swag of different transistors, each with their own confusing array of characteristics.

Finally (and hindsight is wonderful) we found the amazing and versatile SS8050 which is rated at 40V and 1.5A with a Base-Emitter Saturation Voltage of 1.2V (logic level) and is available in TO-92, SOT-89 and SOT-23 packages.

So much transistory goodness

Now we use the SS8050 almost exclusively and lately have been miniaturising via adapters (for instance the SOT-23 package is 3mm x 1.4mm, i.e. damn hard to see let alone solder)

It now appears in our joule thief torch for "spent" batteries as follows:

Just add used battery - and check out that stupidly cute gold button!

Miniaturising has been frustratingly good fun and very satisfying, for example when we modify a crappily designed early edition candle PCB to actually fire up with some creative use of 1206 form resistors.

Resurrecting a sick puppy with tiny tiny components!

Where will it all end? Probably when a stereo microscope is first ordered then sent back as the level of ridiculousness reaches it's zenith (any day now).

Returning from fantasy to reality it has been a really great festive season with many social engagements (yay we know people now) and the lovely Jackson gracing us with his presence. Take care y'all and come back soon for a visit.

At the Hobart airport post Christmas

P.S. not one ellipsis - take that Donald Trump!

The end (of 2017) is nigh

"Christmas is not a time nor a season, but a state of mind. To cherish peace and goodwill, to be plenteous in mercy, is to have the real spirit of Christmas."

Calvin Coolidge

Kym has been enjoying working with the Feds again, but she received a call that the pesky goats had escaped and were out on the road! A phone call to Anthony who makes a quick dash up the mountain and literally drags mummy Fergie 300 metres up and down dirt roads and back to the paddock to be tethered until the night.

One hilarious vignette forever etched on the brain is the scene with Eugenie stuck with the handle of the bucket over her head and slinging goat pellets everywhere for Beatrice to gather up - such fun! 

After work, we arc up the new solar portable electric fence and go to bed to sleep the sleep of the just. But the goats have other ideas, and escape again!  Luckily the original route onto the road wasn't repeated as we had stopped up the little wallaby holes that allowed the earlier transgression. So more wires were added and now that the solar unit is almost fully charged we are seeing some better behaved and firmly corralled goats...

Now we wait for the next breakout!

Speaking of naughtiness, the church has suffered two break-ins this last couple of weeks, so with a few hours to kill a little program was written around this circuit...

So much nerdy goodness!

...and after a bit of soldering and making, we get this ominous black box...

Beep beep - go away!

The box senses mammals (PIR module), then checks the light level (LDR) and if it is dark, the two 1W LEDs are lit and a message booms out about being filmed (a clear lie).

A nice little project for a Saturday arvo - and hopefully after installation the crinimals cowardly crawl away..

You've got to be kidding!

"In the silence, I could hear the distinct sound of goats maa-ing in the barn. Lying there listening to them made me smile, too. I'd always loved goats - every one of them different from every other one, and all of them goofy and playful."

Steve Watkins

After all the rain (thank you now the tanks are chock-a-block for summer), today we could finally venture out to collect two goats that we ordered three weeks ago. It did rain of course, but not enough to dampen our spirits. We had been told that there was a cross-breed mum (3yo) and female kid (3mo) that had been corralled and drenched in readiness for our visit. We borrowed a trailer and headed over to Deep Bay. Well it was a goat bonanza and their yard was full of trailers full of goats!

Eventually it was just us, the owners and a paddock full of bleaters. We explained that we had chosen "Fergie" and "Eugenie" as names for the new additions to our plot, and before we knew it we had "Beatrice" as well - bonus?

Rural ambience courtesy of the B-list royals

Anyhoo after trucking them back to our place everyone settled in well and the bleating has subsided enough that rural tranquility reigns again. We also took advantage of the trailer to dump some rubbish at KWS and pick up an old bath ($20) for water on the other side of the property. Some new hoses will provide the necessary dihydrogen oxide as summer approaches.

The new family has already been munching away at the weeds that have been bothering us, as well as stripping the few little pines that had sprung up in the shadows of their ancestors.  So now we have sheep for mowing the grass and goats for mowing the weeds - good one...

In the meantime what is happening in the civilised world?

Baaaaa!!!

Hiding in the plane site

"Let your plans be dark and impenetrable as night." 

Sun Tzu

Kim Jong-un and Donald Trump seem to be hankering for a nice little diversionary war as "enfant terrible" activities threaten to swamp their respective domestic agendas.  So it's a bit of a worry for us peaceniks lolling about in our down-under paradise, but here in Tassie we have the whole thing figured out.

Firstly, we are mightily heartened by the fact that the official military maps these deranged demagogues use for their planning are missing a certain island south of the Australian mainland...shhh...

Where's Tassie?

Also we note that the distance from Pyonyang to Hobart is a healthy 9,359 km - a bit of a stretch if the bloke firing rockets only ever uses binoculars to sight his targets.

But finally, and most sneakily, today we've covered the entire island so that only our most diligent detractors will be able to see us, check this out from the BOM radar...

There's an island around here somewhere?

Hah! Good luck getting through that muck ya dastardly bomb loving buffoons! Take care y'all and please come and join us in our safe space anytime - that is, if you can find us...