Maker Pro
Maker Pro

Barrel connectors

P

Phil Allison

Jan 1, 1970
0
"David Eather"
Also Tourettes is involuntary, It will come out where it doesn't make
grammatical sense. Phil is pretty good at grammar - so tourettes isn't it.


** Amazing.

The ONLY sensible thing this net stalking, fuckwit troll has ever posted.
 
P

Phil Allison

Jan 1, 1970
0
"miso"


** FOAD you STINKING NUT CASE TROLL

Never post here again.

Or this NG will be sabotaged.
 
D

Don Y

Jan 1, 1970
0
Dell business grade laptops are designed to be repairable. I can't speak
for their consumer stuff.

You don't need "ifixit" for Dell. They have good online documentation.

Apple is the one making disposable notebooks. Everything is soldered and
glued. Perhaps that makes a more rugged notebook, well except macbook
lids and hinges are shit. The bottom is quite rugged. But basically with
even the battery being captive, they are throw aways.

Apple has fallen victim of the Siren's Song. They want everything to be
sexxy -- which they equate with slim and small.

Quality is not an issue for them. They'll provide the best they can
SUBJECT TO THE ABOVE!

I suspect its only a matter of time before we find their products
totally filled with styrene or some other flowable substance that
will give them mechanical strength after assembly/test.

There's a different mindset in laptop users vs desktop (and apple
vs. all the above). Laptop buyers *want* smaller (except keyboard)
and lighter -- portable. Stuff it in a desk drawer. They NEVER
expect to upgrade or repair it. Often don't even replace the
battery when it fails! It has a limited life from the day it
was purchased. Replacing software is about as "versatile" as
it can get!

Desktop users tend to think about upgrading memory, optical drive,
disk drive, etc. It's more a "piece of furniture" -- more inertia,
less likely to get lugged out to the tip. They've already begrudgingly
found a place for the monstrosity so its size is no longer as apparent.
It's got its own "place" in the house -- you go to *it* instead of
bringing *it* to you!
 
D

Don Y

Jan 1, 1970
0
Hi Jeff,

Incidentally, when using metal vernier calipers to measure the barrel
wall thickness, it's a good idea to unplug the charger first. I
caught myself just before doing something really stupid.

I currently use a drill index to measure the ID's of "2 conductor"
chargers -- micrometer for the OD (easier for me than caliper).

As the center conductor on 3 pin is slightly recessed, this approach
still works -- though the supply has to be off lest you short to
the center pin.

Seems like a set of (dimensioned) plastic "tubes" would be ideal.
And, a bigger set into which the plug's OD can be fitted.

Maybe I'll ask a buddy to turn some for me!
 
D

Don Y

Jan 1, 1970
0
Hi Matt,

I don't think all their *new* stuff comes with color-coded connectors,
so it doesn't help in that case. I think it's one more way to try to
prevent screw-ups in the store. To an untrained eye, a lot of the
connectors look the same, and the only way to tell them apart on the
shelf is by reading the part number on the backing card. Having them
color-coded makes it more obvious that the various parts differ.

Ah. Interesting to see that they would undertake some action
that improves their service! Most companies wouldn't spend a
dime on something that they can't *enforce* to improve service.
Usually the droids are trained to ask you to bring in your powered
device so they can match the plug, but I think they also have a list of
what adapters and tips to use for the more popular devices; if the
catalog says "Adaptaplug Z, blue tip", it's faster for the droid to
find it on the shelf. It also makes it easier to upsell to a multi-
voltage adapter that has multiple tips, as long as it includes the one
the customer really needs.

Understood. So, next year all the colors could conceivably change
and user be damned... But, at least staff won't screw up!

Nut drivers are color coded, by size. And, I *think* this is
standardized, to some extent (haven't checked all manufacturers
OR EVEN MANY MANUFACTURERS to know for sure). Makes it easy to
locate the right size "first time" or "relative" to the (wrong)
size in your hand.

[I'm not a big fan of color coding; large percentage of people
have some form of colorblindness -- primarily men! I wonder
what the "other" colors look like to them? OTOH, colors are
more appealing TO ME than the microprinting that would otherwise
be required!]
It also simplifies things like being able to tell a nontechnical person
a couple of states away "go to Rat Shock and buy a 123-456 adapter and
the green tip" to replace some mission-critical wall wart without a
truck roll.

I don't work there or invest there; I just think that at least a little
bit of thought has gone into the approach, which increases the chance
that people can get the right parts. Shame about the prices, though.

Yup. Would be even nicer if ALL the adapters followed a similar
line of thought.
I've seen one or two devices like that. One was a smallish wall-wart
(like 1 watt or so output) that just had a co-ax jack on its housing,
and a cable with co-ax plugs on both ends for the device.

In Germany, a lot of the holiday lights seem to run on low-voltage AC,
and the standard for that seems to be that the wall-wart has a 2-pin
DIN socket |- on the housing, with matching plug on the light string.

I've seen such things here, too (though not holiday lights). Odd
connector. I think it may have been on the illuminator for my
stereoscope (which I promptly removed and replaced with something
more "reasonable" :> )

I'll have to see if I have any of the items I mentioned squirreled
away (waiting to figure out their use, someday) and see if anything
comes to mind.
<grin> I notice all the "house numbers" are of the form MRI####
[Matt Roberds Industries? :>]

Yep. I secretly run People's Shining Transistor Factory #18. Did you
know that a TO-92 fits inside a TO-3 shell really well? :)

Ah, that explains why the shipping charges are so low!!! :-/
And, why some of them RATTLE when shaken!

How are you fixed for supplying high quality *tea* leaves?? ;)
You're welcome!

And again...
 
Hi Matt,

I don't think all their *new* stuff comes with color-coded connectors,
so it doesn't help in that case. I think it's one more way to try to
prevent screw-ups in the store. To an untrained eye, a lot of the
connectors look the same, and the only way to tell them apart on the
shelf is by reading the part number on the backing card. Having them
color-coded makes it more obvious that the various parts differ.

Ah. Interesting to see that they would undertake some action
that improves their service! Most companies wouldn't spend a
dime on something that they can't *enforce* to improve service.
Usually the droids are trained to ask you to bring in your powered
device so they can match the plug, but I think they also have a list of
what adapters and tips to use for the more popular devices; if the
catalog says "Adaptaplug Z, blue tip", it's faster for the droid to
find it on the shelf. It also makes it easier to upsell to a multi-
voltage adapter that has multiple tips, as long as it includes the one
the customer really needs.

Understood. So, next year all the colors could conceivably change
and user be damned... But, at least staff won't screw up!

Nut drivers are color coded, by size. And, I *think* this is
standardized, to some extent (haven't checked all manufacturers
OR EVEN MANY MANUFACTURERS to know for sure). Makes it easy to
locate the right size "first time" or "relative" to the (wrong)
size in your hand.

[I'm not a big fan of color coding; large percentage of people
have some form of colorblindness -- primarily men! I wonder
what the "other" colors look like to them? OTOH, colors are
more appealing TO ME than the microprinting that would otherwise
be required!]

Because some people are impaired, is no reason to impair everyone
else. That's just stupid. Should we cut your legs off and put your
eyes out to make life for them somehow "fair"?
Yup. Would be even nicer if ALL the adapters followed a similar
line of thought.

Maybe all connectors should have their P/N in Braille?
 
D

Don Y

Jan 1, 1970
0
Hi Jeff,

[I'm not a big fan of color coding; large percentage of people
have some form of colorblindness -- primarily men! I wonder
what the "other" colors look like to them? OTOH, colors are
more appealing TO ME than the microprinting that would otherwise
be required!]

Just a short historical note... PC manufacturers have always had
problems getting customers to plug things into the correct jack. The
use of a DE-9S connector for video and a DE-9P for serial was the
worst. The obvious solution was to label everything, but there wasn't
enough room.

IMO, better solution is to make it so things won't *fit* in
the wrong places! :> Don't know about you but, other than
my laptops, I can't *see* anything on the backs of the machines
once they are "in place" (under desk, etc).

And, manufacturers don't want to clutter up the front, ACCESSIBLE
side of the machine with all those connectors (where they would
be easy to access but a cosmetic eyesore).

So, the rationalization is that "you only do this once" so it
can be tedious.

Is your keyboard mouse plugged into the front USB connectors
on your machine? Or, the rear? When you have to unplug either
of them (to relocate or untangle), how easy is it to reinsert the
plugs? Which side is "up"? Can you "feel" where it should go?

In the PS2 days, could you see the color surrounding each of the two
*adjacent* keyboard/mouse connectors?

<grin>

Like most PC things, they just "happened" -- without much
forethought.
So, one manufacturer decided to try color coding, as
inspired by Frog Design of San Francisco. That was Packard Bell.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Packard_Bell#Computers:_the_new_Packard_Bell>
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frog_design>
To the best of my foggy recollection, there was no grumbling about
color blindness. Since color coding was not patented, most everyone
copied the idea.

You can choose colors that minimize the most common forms of
color blindness. Just like you can choose "product keys"
that use all capital letters (no '1' vs 'l' confusion) and
avoid '0' vs. 'O' vs 'Q', '8' vs. 'B', '1' vs 'I', etc.

*If* you think about it before *doing* it! :>

E.g. red vs. blue is a much safer bet than red vs *green*!
(people seem to "always" be able to perceive blue)

OTOH, you can be ignorant and assume everyone can distinguish red
from green, yellow from blue, etc. -- JUST BECAUSE YOU CAN! :>

How happy would you be if everything was labeled with 4 pt text
so only "young" eyes could read them? What percentage of the
population couldn't?

~10 million men in the US are color blind. Would you want to
trust them to know which button stops the saw that is cutting
your flesh vs. starts it IN AN EMERGENCY? Or, NOT start the
saw while you are setting up a job?

To put things in perspective, there are only a couple million
people in the country who are "legally blind". You are far more
likely to discover the guy standing next to you can't tell
if you're wearing a red shirt or green! (e.g., at least one child
in ever classroom, statistically, is color blind. He can't
see the red ball but can tell that it's not the green SQUARE!)

N.B. I have no forms of color blindness.
 
Hi Jeff,

[I'm not a big fan of color coding; large percentage of people
have some form of colorblindness -- primarily men! I wonder
what the "other" colors look like to them? OTOH, colors are
more appealing TO ME than the microprinting that would otherwise
be required!]

Just a short historical note... PC manufacturers have always had
problems getting customers to plug things into the correct jack. The
use of a DE-9S connector for video and a DE-9P for serial was the
worst. The obvious solution was to label everything, but there wasn't
enough room.

IMO, better solution is to make it so things won't *fit* in
the wrong places! :> Don't know about you but, other than
my laptops, I can't *see* anything on the backs of the machines
once they are "in place" (under desk, etc).

I rarely had (all laptops now) to fiddle with them either. Put the
thing on the floor, over in a corner (where it can suck up cat fur).
Many towers have USB connectors on the front panel. It's sorta nice
for USB stick. My monitors also have USB connectors on them. Handy.
And, manufacturers don't want to clutter up the front, ACCESSIBLE
side of the machine with all those connectors (where they would
be easy to access but a cosmetic eyesore).

Kinda dumb to want connectors there on a laptop. That's where the
hands go.
So, the rationalization is that "you only do this once" so it
can be tedious.

Seems like a good strategy to me.
Is your keyboard mouse plugged into the front USB connectors
on your machine? Or, the rear? When you have to unplug either
of them (to relocate or untangle), how easy is it to reinsert the
plugs? Which side is "up"? Can you "feel" where it should go?

Have you ever heard of this new thing, "wireless"? No, I never have
to untangle my keyboard (wired) or mouse (wireless).
In the PS2 days, could you see the color surrounding each of the two
*adjacent* keyboard/mouse connectors?

No, color coding is silly. I can't even see it on my laptop, or
remember what it is.
<grin>

Like most PC things, they just "happened" -- without much
forethought.

Neat, huh? Would you rather have had IBM tell you how you had to use
your computer?
You can choose colors that minimize the most common forms of
color blindness. Just like you can choose "product keys"
that use all capital letters (no '1' vs 'l' confusion) and
avoid '0' vs. 'O' vs 'Q', '8' vs. 'B', '1' vs 'I', etc.

*If* you think about it before *doing* it! :>

E.g. red vs. blue is a much safer bet than red vs *green*!
(people seem to "always" be able to perceive blue)

OTOH, you can be ignorant and assume everyone can distinguish red
from green, yellow from blue, etc. -- JUST BECAUSE YOU CAN! :>

How happy would you be if everything was labeled with 4 pt text
so only "young" eyes could read them? What percentage of the
population couldn't?

~10 million men in the US are color blind. Would you want to
trust them to know which button stops the saw that is cutting
your flesh vs. starts it IN AN EMERGENCY? Or, NOT start the
saw while you are setting up a job?

To put things in perspective, there are only a couple million
people in the country who are "legally blind". You are far more
likely to discover the guy standing next to you can't tell
if you're wearing a red shirt or green! (e.g., at least one child
in ever classroom, statistically, is color blind. He can't
see the red ball but can tell that it's not the green SQUARE!)

N.B. I have no forms of color blindness.

It's silly to penalize the sighted because there are unsighted.
 
J

Jasen Betts

Jan 1, 1970
0
In the PS2 days, could you see the color surrounding each of the two
*adjacent* keyboard/mouse connectors?

I ran linux and linux doesn't care which you use for what.
swapping them was a good way to keep mischevious people out of BIOS setup
and the linux bootoader
Like most PC things, they just "happened" -- without much
forethought.

The two were interchangeable, just the bios wasn't written that way.

I've got a keyboard with an orange plug somewhere, I forget whose
branding it has.
How happy would you be if everything was labeled with 4 pt text
so only "young" eyes could read them? What percentage of the
population couldn't?

~10 million men in the US are color blind. Would you want to
trust them to know which button stops the saw that is cutting
your flesh vs. starts it IN AN EMERGENCY? Or, NOT start the
saw while you are setting up a job?

The stop button is the one you can operate with the palm of your
hand.
 
T

Tim Williams

Jan 1, 1970
0
Jasen Betts said:
The stop button is the one you can operate with the palm of your
hand.

It's a great design -- it works, with or without fingers! :^)

Tim
 
D

Don Y

Jan 1, 1970
0
Hi Jasen,

I ran linux and linux doesn't care which you use for what.
swapping them was a good way to keep mischevious people out of BIOS setup
and the linux bootoader

There's no difference in the havdware! So, unless NOTHlNG is plugged
into *either*, a probe() can identify which is pluggedy where!
The two were interchangeable, just the bios wasn't written that way.

Exactly. Force the user (your customer) to follow an arbitrary rule to
make your job (0NE TIME!) a tiny bit easier. :(
I've got a keyboard with an orange plug somewhere, I forget whose
branding it has.


The stop button is the one you can operate with the palm of your
hand.

That's not true of all devices.

For example, many have two hefty round buttons. The ON button usually
has a metal sleeve that surrounds the button to it's full height. I.e.
depressing it requires a fingerTIP and follow-through motion as the
button recedes into this sleeve. The same is not required of the OFF
button. Don't these manufacturers think that people can tell RED from
GREEN? :)
 
D

Don Y

Jan 1, 1970
0
Hi Tim,

It's a great design -- it works, with or without fingers! :^)
R0TFLMFA0!

Yes! Though I Suspect "0FF" is the last thing on your mind, in that
situation!
 
J

josephkk

Jan 1, 1970
0
Also Tourettes is involuntary, It will come out where it doesn't make
grammatical sense. Phil is pretty good at grammar - so tourettes isn't it.

Would you give that a recheck. The correlation is imperfect. Plus many
of the related syndromes include a bit of the out of place profanity.
Perhaps study a bit of the more recent findings before so confidently
making assertions. Just a suggestion.

?-)
 
D

Don Y

Jan 1, 1970
0
Hi Jeff,

Right. That usually degenerates into using identical keyed
connectors.

It's worked (reasonably) for USB.

Also, you don't need a key if you can ensure none of the "right"
signals will ever come into contact with the "wrong" device.
E.g., a multiconductor audio connector wherein "mic" is on a
particular pin, "line in" on two others and "line out on still
others.

Plug in a device that uses all of the above and its one connection.
Plug in separate devices, then separate but compatible connections.
(silly example; but look at DVI connectors and the range of
options they support)
The problem with those is that there's always someone
willing to apply brute force to override the keying.

Can't protect from idiots. I know a guy who plugged a (4p)
power connector into a disk drive "backwards" (I didn't
think that would be possible with *any* amount of effort!)

"Didn't you feel it not fitting?"
The original XT
power supply to MB connectors were like that. The only thing that
kept them from being inserted in the wrong receptacle was some easily
broken keying plastic. I think I killed about 3 motherboards before
the new ATX connectors arrived, which solve the problem. However, it
didn't last, when manufacturers went from 20 pin to 24 pin, using the
same connector and adding another with 4 pins. Now, there was plenty
of opportunity to improperly insert the 20 pin plug in a 24 pin socket
and blowing something up. Yeah, I really like keyed connectors.


That's much like all display advertisements for desktop and laptops.
There are absolutely no cords anywhere in sight. I recall one ad
showing a desktop on the kitchen table, with the requisite smiling
gorgeous blond computing merrily, but with no cables or power plugged
into the easily visible back of the computer. It's almost like
cables, cords, and wires are a necessary evil, not to be shown to
prospective buyers for fear of causing immediate panic or distress.

I think they *do* intimidate many people. Show them a bunch of
wires and they imagine "but how do I know where they'll all go?"
Ok, I'll confess. I'm a slob and have wires everywhere. The mouse
and keyboard go into the back of the desktop. Same with the USB
camera and several USB hard disk drives. I have 4 USB jacks in the
front of my Dell Optiplex 960. Three are filled with cell phone and
smartphone cables, used to sync, replicate, clone, or download data
from the various phones and devices. Most everything else is either
wireless or connected via ethernet.

I leave the front connectors (audio, FW, USB) "free" for transient
things. A thumb drive that I want to plug *just once*, etc.

The first thing that I do when setting up a new machine is glue a
small 4 port powered USB hub onto the back, somewhere (double-sticky
3M "foam"). Then, put all the low speed devices into that:
mouse, keyboard, etc. Leaves the rest of the machine's USB ports
('cept for the one I just used) clear for other devices. If I
need a separate "channel" for a particular high speed device
(video digitizer), I add a 4/5 port card.

My solution to the "two many USB devices" issue is to split peripherals
among different workstations. E.g., scanner and color inkjet don't
need to be attached to machine that I use for CAD -- which needs a
tablet, etc.
All the connectors can be hidden behind doors. The current desktops
by Dell, HP, and Acer have doors to access the connectors. Several of
my customers have removed the doors because they get in the way.
Again, it's like cables and connectors are a customer repellent.

My front connectors hide behind a flimsy door. I keep it closed
lest it snap off! (cuz the connectors aren't used, normally)
Huh? I'm moving cables and connectors around all the time.

Exactly! Just because they *think* (hope) that's the case
(which is how they rationalized putting stuff "out of the
way" on the back) doesn't make it so.
I cheat and use a inspection mirror. Even so, it's a pain to get it
right. Therefore, most of my machines are setup so that I can slide
them forward, lean over the top, and deal with the connector tangle. I
also have photos of the backs of my machines, so I can re-insert the
USB plugs in the same holes. Some drivers don't like it when the USB
port moves.

Mine are under my work tables -- which are pushed up against the wall
(just enough room for cables to sneak up between wall and table).

So, to see behind (with mirror) I have to crawl under table just
to get a mirror in position (or, use binoculars to view a mirror
on a telescopic arm -- I can't read small print at 3 ft in a dimly
lit area!)

Sliding the machines forward means all the cabling is at risk.
Video cables to two monitors, all the USB connections, SCSI
cables, audio cables, network cable, etc.

I.e., I *really* don't like having to crawl around behind machines
UNDER a table just to make sure the DB9 is "correct side up".
Or, that the USB plug is actually lined up with its mate and
not just "upside down".
Only in the late part of the PS/2 era. In the beginning, everything
was either black or beige.




There's a long story here, but I'll save it for another time. There
was some planning, but in the dot com era, almost anything that looked
like a computer was funded and occasionally delivered. Some of these
even sold well.


True, but there's more. Every color has its meaning and effect on the
user. For example, red is suppose to be some form on alarm. Green
means go. Yellow means stop and think about it. See your
neighborhood traffic signal, or industrial designer, for details. The
problem is that these three only apply to the USA. For example, in
China, red means good luck. Trying to find a common ground for color
coding is not a trivial exercise if you plan to ship world wide. For
example, while monitors in the USA came in beige, gray and black,
those sold in Europe came in all kinds of garish colors. These are a
bit over the top, but might give you a clue as the thinking:
<http://www.empower-yourself-with-color-psychology.com/meaning-of-colors.html>
<http://www.designbyjoyce.com/color_meanings.html>

You can use *shapes*. E.g., 'O' [sic] and '1'. Or, a consistent
"pull on, push off". Where the information channel is available
to all instead of a select group with a particular skill/sense set.
Product colors are the domain of the industrial designer, who has a
very different criteria for selecting colors.

As for accommodating the needs of the visually impaired, various
federal laws require that access to computing facilities and devices
accommodate such handicaps. However, I don't believe that color
blindness is considered a handicap by any of these laws. I dug into
the ADA web pile, but didn't find anything specific for color
blindness. Since it's not requirement, I suspect color blindness can
be ignored.
<http://www.ada.gov>

It's not ignored in safety critical applications.
All I could find is a settlement agreement with Wells Fargo bank
agreed to fix the fonts on their web pile so that a color blind user
could set the colors on their computer to improve visibility.

Look at the effort the gummit is going through in order to make
currency more "accessible" to the visually impaired. Look at
the colossal screw ups it's made in the past re: the *unimpaired*
(Susan B Anthony, anybody? :> )
 
A

amdx

Jan 1, 1970
0
We've been through this before. Tourettes is only with spoken word.

A friends wife is a nurse and had to deal with someone as psychotic as
the bad Phil. Besides cursing profusely, he would also shout "give me a
blow job".

Is that a successful technique? :)
 
D

Don Lancaster

Jan 1, 1970
0
Do you mean coaxial power plugs, or RF connectors with females on both
sides?

If you are building custom gear and you meant a DC coaxial connector,
use a Cannon XLR connector for power. There are 4 pin connectors if you
want to be official. Use a 3 pin if you are the only person using the
gear. The 4 pin version is to avoid people not knowing what they are
doing plugging in the wrong gear.

Four pin XLR is used in ENG, but then it also found its way into some
custom audio.

We have bunches of these in stock cheap on eBay.
Amphenol rather than Canon, in original die cast metal.

http://www.ebay.com/sch/m.html?_odk...TR12.TRC2.A0.Xxlr&_nkw=xlr&_sacat=0&_from=R40

--
Many thanks,

Don Lancaster voice phone: (928)428-4073
Synergetics 3860 West First Street Box 809 Thatcher, AZ 85552
rss: http://www.tinaja.com/whtnu.xml email: [email protected]

Please visit my GURU's LAIR web site at http://www.tinaja.com
 
Top