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7d ago
inBack from an old install site in Dayton, surprised by what stayed
Man, that hit close to home. I still see old work from years back all over town. There's this one house where I put in a brass mail slot and matching house numbers back in the day. Owner never changed them out, even painted around them twice. Last time I drove by, they had a stainless steel smart lock on the door. Felt like seeing an old truck parked next to a new Tesla. My stuff was still doing its job, just not the shiny thing people look at anymore.
11d ago
inThe solar farm outside Austin finally made me rethink my stance on panels
The visitor sign posts are a pretty good marketing trick, I'll give them that. But 120 MW on paper doesn't tell you what it costs to keep those sheep alive in a Texas summer, or how often the panels need washing from dust storms. Saw a smaller setup near Fort Stockton last year and the wildflowers were dead by June, just dry stems under the glass. Maybe it works for them, just not convinced one pretty sign changes the whole picture.
17d ago
inStop using that $10 solder sucker before you wreck a board
And on top of that, the blue ones build up static like crazy. I had one grab a tiny SMD cap and fling it into the carpet, never saw it again. But yeah, the trace yank is the real killer, especially on old boards where the copper is already thin and brittle. That pawn shop find is a steal though, those stations usually go for way more. I swear by keeping a roll of solder wick around too for the really stubborn joints, it's slower but it never rips anything off. Once you go vacuum you never go back, no matter how much solder you've got stuck in your sock drawer.