Date   : Fri, 18 Sep 2009 02:28:55 +0200
From   : rick@... (Rick Murray)
Subject: Leccy @ Acorn World '09

Mick Champion wrote:

> I am surprised to see a 13 A fuse can take a 30 amp load for over 5 minutes.

When I was at school, my physics teacher told me that as a rough rule of 
thumb, a standard plug fuse needs about twice its rated current to blow it.

Note - obviously catastrophic failures will make a big crowd-pleasing 
bang. When my MDFS keyswitch failed, it shorted live to earth (actually 
I think the live pin fell off and touched the casing, I don't remember). 
This blew the fuse in the plug. And the one in the multiplug. And the 
one in the other multiplug. And the ring main fuse.

As it also did EVIL things to the earth, it buggered up the line drivers 
in most of the connected Econet equipment on both sides of the SJ 
bridge. Thankfully my A5000 and FileStore's only damage was needing the 
net card pulled out and replacements fitted. The bridge didn't fare so 
well. Only one side works - and that's because I fiddled around with the 
line drivers inside it to get that much working. I really ought to track 
down a couple.


> You would think that as a paying customer that they be more 
> accommodating.

Hahahaha! We pay good money to be ignored. Just ask anybody who has been 
dumb enough to call a premium number helpline and found themselves in a 
queueing system. Ker-ching!

Remember the old analogue mobiles?
   The Vodaphone you are trying to contact is not responding. It may
   respond if you try again.
(translation: we can't find this phone right now, but if you
               call again we'll sucker you for more cash)


> Heh? 3 meters on the same board?

Are they electronic or spinny-disc? If the former, I await the wails of 
agony as the meter reading gets completely screwed up...


> When I had one here, ?1 would not last long.

COIN meter!!!? The place I stayed once we had a cute little key. 
Actually, I have one now. It's a COGES thingy that I can stick in the 
vending machine at work. Just loaded a fiver into it. That's a lot of 
cups of coffee. Damn shame nothing in this country can do a decent 
cuppa. The work machine's "tea" has mint or something in it. WTF?!?!? 
Can I break open the machine and load it up with Tetley? Please? PLEASE!?


Best wishes,

Rick.

-- 
Rick Murray, eeePC901 & ADSL WiFI'd into it, all ETLAs!
BBC B: DNFS, 2 x 5.25" floppies, EPROM prog, Acorn TTX
E01S FileStore, A3000/A5000/RiscPC/various PCs/blahblah...