A Crummy Commercial

These AA cell to D cell converters seem useful, there were 4 in the Ebay junk box.  They allow for 2 AA cells in parallel but that doesn't seem like a good idea so I just used one.  They are now in the LED camp lantern which should be handy during the next power outage: Also got a nice plastic box of pre-cut wires for a solderless breadboard - BTW I got the solderless breadboard from the same Ebay seller: https://wb9kzy.blogspot.com/2025/02/a-quick-project-for-cleared-bench.html I wouldn't have ever bought pre-cut wires new but as a part of a junk box special, they might prove useful for keeping things neat - usually I just strip short pieces of "telephone" wire. Best Regards, Chuck, WB9KZY http://wb9kzy.com/ham.htm

I did receive the stuff I bought on ebay mentioned here: https://wb9kzy.blogspot.com/2025/03/march-madness.html Basically just someone's junk box but kinda like getting a Christmas present - there is room for both delight and regret.   The Memkey ?  turns out to be this: https://www.digikey.com.mx/en/products/detail/parallax-inc/27963/368098 here is the manual: https://www.mouser.com/datasheet/2/321/memkey-31235.pdf Yawn, it's a keyboard encoder board - no Morse code within a zillion miles ! :( What is this dealie: It's a remote doorbell ringer - might be reworked into a small amplifier ? And finally I was hoping that this kit might be buildable: Nope, although it does have some of the parts the PLCC brain is missing, also the relays.  Too bad, the case is nice, sorta like a Ten-Tec clamshell. We'll revisit this junkbox again, hopefully finding more useful items. Best Regards, Chuck, WB9KZY http://wb9kzy.com/ham.htm

This video popped up on my Youtube feed: source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BpEfINt4B8I This sounds like an interesting sandwich - sort of the cold cousin to the Reuben ? Here is the episode: at about 21:45 Bill says: "Corned beef, imported Swiss, lettuce, Russian dressing, cole slaw, kosher pickle, slice of tomato, mayonnaise, peanut butter, horseradish, and a little hot mustard." Best Regards, Chuck, WB9KZY http://wb9kzy.com/ham.htm

I love this youtube thumbnail: source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MgfO0uIG9rE Say what you will about Dave and his crew, they do read the comments !  So now people don't have to do an internet search to determine continued existence when they see a new Letterman video thumbnail. Best Regards, Chuck, WB9KZY http://wb9kzy.com/ham.htm

Was watching Curious Marc: source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJuFG4SLWN4 where he buys two Shuttle barberpole indicators for $250 (yikes!) - but he mentions: https://www.rrauction.com/ the closed auction item from October 2024: source: https://www.rrauction.com/auctions/lot-detail/349149607010484-space-shuttle-simulator-instrument-panel-enunciators/ I had never heard of these guys before, wow, talk about high end stuff ! BTW, with Firefox I learned that if a shift + right click is done on a web page photo it is possible to save pictures on sites like RR Auction that disable the right click. Best Regards, Chuck, WB9KZY http://wb9kzy.com/ham.htm

This article: https://spectrum.ieee.org/electric-eraser reminded me of the time someone got the idea at GTE to re-use EPROMs - maybe there was a supply problem ?  - one problem was that we had been printing the part numbers on the chips with epoxy ink.  So I started looking through the McMaster-Carr catalog to find ways to clean off the ink, we tried soaking the chips in thinner and then used electric erasers to clean off the marking. What a nightmare ! It didn't work very well, they had extra people come in and after using the eraser they had to use a rag wetted in solvent to try and wipe up the residue. We eventually changed from printing the part number with epoxy ink to somewhat expensive impact printed labels from the WH Brady company.  I remember the sales rep for WH Brady was the slowest walker - the plant was BIG, I didn't have time to waste strolling along :) The erasers we used were AC powered and bigger but similar to this: source: https://www.mcmaster.com/prod...

Frost in 1959 at age 85 Mentioned this poem yesterday: https://wb9kzy.blogspot.com/2025/04/a-few-pictures-of-ice-storm-aftermath.html My Dad had a record of Frost reading his poems including Birches .  I don't know where it is and I don't have a working record player anyway.  But good old Youtube can be useful at times: source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aBw-OaOWddY . snapped off birch limbs from the ice storm along with a gallon of sap, the ice is gone but the damage remains Best Regards, Chuck, WB9KZY http://wb9kzy.com/ham.htm