I was recently gifted an iFixit screwdriver kit that doesn't include any regular hex drivers. Is everything just Torx now? Did I miss one of the Secret Meetings?
That said, Phillips heads were included, which is great because #ploopy products use those. Yay!
@PKL Torx has better grip at smaller sizes so for their Precision kits especially that smaller one, it’s more common than hex. On their larger sets and their standard size driver, hex is standard issue 😄
@tekeous oh good. Having used it recently, I also found that some of the torx bits can substitute for hex drivers. Dunno how good that is for longevity though...
Revisiting work seems to mostly be instances of wondering whether I did something for a good reason or whether I was lazy/stupid that day. 'Cuz honestly, it's hard to tell sometimes.
The (unacceptably high) difficulty level of updating a rooted Android phone is an incredibly clear signal that Google prioritizes its monopoly control over the OS in a way that completely compromises security.
It lowkey blows my mind that in the year 2024 you can really buy a computer where the value prop is: we assumed you're a gullible moron, so the training wheels are welded on. Here, look at all these ads you can't turn off.
Sometimes I have to design the weirdest looking stuff, and I can feel myself losing my grip on reality a bit.
Today's project was a vacuum jig for screen printing, and if we're being honest, it's just a box with many, many (carefully considered) holes in it. If I stare at it long enough, I start wondering if I'm in a simulation.
My little misadventure in tooling has reminded me of the One Rule of Buying Electrical Things From Chinese Marketplaces (and, increasingly, Amazon), which I have included below as a PSA:
Thou shalt open and inspect every tool that cometh from Overseas. Chief among thy concerns shall be lapses in electrical safety, followed by fire hazards.
Every tool shall be inspected, regardless of how cute it is.
Sometimes I read an application note for a component or system and it says something I don't understand. Usually, I reach for another app note to get more detail, or maybe a paper.
Then, the next note (and the next) will say something contradictory, or just as confusing. At that point, I propose one ought assume nobody knows what they're doing, and it's time to start looking for pennies to rub together in the R&D budget.
I've murdered a usb port on most of the computers I've had. I'm starting to think it's a kind of mark of the trade.
Also, an interesting anecdote: most computers can sink surprisingly large ground currents through USB. I've accidentally passed >10A (for a short time) this way without damaging equipment.
Finally, wisdom: are you debugging something high powered by plugging a PC into it? Run it off the battery if you don't have isolation.
Working on a reflow oven is an exercise in thinking deeply about the fundamental secrets of the universe.
Like, what is temperature anyway? How do you measure it? How do you measure it accurately? Why can't I measure temperature accurately? Or repeatably, for that matter?