Entropy continued
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Thanx,,,, I expect to find two motors inside, a fan/blower motor to move air through the cooling coils, and compressor motor to cause the cooling. Since I have a complete backup unit I will swap out the motors too.
JR
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I finally dove into taking it apart and the 40 UF run capacitor measures 1.09 nF which sounds no bueno. Time to dissasemble the old (unused) unit to see how that capacitor measures.
That could be easy, if that fixes it... Finding some nasty black mold hiding up inside... probably a nice damp environment.
JR .
That could be easy, if that fixes it... Finding some nasty black mold hiding up inside... probably a nice damp environment.
JR .
Cyrano called it correctly... the run cap was the problem. 
Out of circuit the bad cap measures 0.12 nF, the good cap from my spare parts unit measures the correct 40 UF. So now after a quick swap the fuse eating dehumidifier is back in service.
I am part pack rat and part hoarder... so I consider it a notable success every time some pack ratted part saves the day. Now I can discard the rest of the parts dehumidifier. The only consideration now is maybe I should remove the compressor JIC, or not.
JR
Out of circuit the bad cap measures 0.12 nF, the good cap from my spare parts unit measures the correct 40 UF. So now after a quick swap the fuse eating dehumidifier is back in service.
I am part pack rat and part hoarder... so I consider it a notable success every time some pack ratted part saves the day. Now I can discard the rest of the parts dehumidifier. The only consideration now is maybe I should remove the compressor JIC, or not.
JR
Disco Volante
Well-known member
Hmm, the little hoarder in me says keep it, JIC.. Next thing to go would be the motor bearings... Compressors aren't cheap right? ;-)
Happy Tinkering!
Happy Tinkering!
The parts unit is already headed for the curb.
I ordered a new one when the old one failed and it arrived yesterday. As often happens the new one is nicer (quieter). I now have three dehumidifiers available, which is probably one too many.
I noticed when shopping for a new one, that the old brand is long gone, not a good sign for engineering robustness.
JR
I ordered a new one when the old one failed and it arrived yesterday. As often happens the new one is nicer (quieter). I now have three dehumidifiers available, which is probably one too many.
I noticed when shopping for a new one, that the old brand is long gone, not a good sign for engineering robustness.
JR
When it rains it pours... My former good dehumidifier (Frigidaire) appears to have a problem now...it stopped extracting moisture. It is making plenty of heat.
So I need to take it apart to make sure the cooling coils are not blocked, but not today.
[edit- I couldn't wait.... In a classic one-two punch of irony, the dehumidifier I bought to fight black mold by reducing humidity, got its condenser clogged up with black mold . I had to modify a high suction attachment using some plastic tubing to really suck... I pulled out a lot of loose mold colonies. I should probably replace this but it is working again for now. I sprayed the condenser coil with some anti-fungal/antibiotic. /edit]
JR
So I need to take it apart to make sure the cooling coils are not blocked, but not today.
[edit- I couldn't wait.... In a classic one-two punch of irony, the dehumidifier I bought to fight black mold by reducing humidity, got its condenser clogged up with black mold
. I had to modify a high suction attachment using some plastic tubing to really suck... I pulled out a lot of loose mold colonies. I should probably replace this but it is working again for now. I sprayed the condenser coil with some anti-fungal/antibiotic. /edit]JR
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Its been a bad (or good) week for entropy.... My frigidaire dehumidifier stopped working properly so it is in queue for the trash day collection. So two dehumidifiers being discarded. The trash pickers like these for the aluminum (?) inside.
My coffee drum roaster started dumping roasts early. The software expects the operator to stand there and watch it roasting. I have better things to do with 20 minutes of my life, so use timers so I can multi-task. The pre heat process typically takes 4 minutes. The roaster wants the drum to be up to starting temperature before adding the room temperature beans, for more consistent roasts. Then I reset the timer for 9 minutes so I can watch the last few minutes of the roasting and precisely stop the roast (typically at the beginning of the second crack).
This roaster has an added safety feature that sounds an alarm if the drum temperature rises too high, too quickly suggesting perhaps an empty roaster. The operator has to tell the roaster to ignore this safety alarm or it stops the roast.
In my normal pattern of roasts, roughly 1/2 pound of green beans, the roaster does not get too hot, too fast, so I don't monitor for the safety alarm. My speculation is that climate change global warming has made Hickory MS so hot that safety alarm was triggering (kidding). Since I was now out of fresh coffee, yesterday I performed a roast while I stood there watching the roaster (18 minutes I won't get back). Of course the watched roaster didn't alarm, so nothing to fix, and my coffee supply is OK.
===
Another entropy event, my 30 odd year old radar detector, a Valentine one, is now having boot up issues. At power up it won't stop beeping. I am not sure what to look for but I did happen to have a torx bit that fits the tiny crews holding the bottom on. After getting the chassis open, it is still not very accessible. There appears to be a cast metal waveguide inside.
This Valentine one has paid for itself several times over in 30 years of avoided radar traps. A similar replacement is now more like $675. I am shopping new cheap detectors and for around $50 I can get more features than the decades old Valentine.
JR
My coffee drum roaster started dumping roasts early. The software expects the operator to stand there and watch it roasting. I have better things to do with 20 minutes of my life, so use timers so I can multi-task. The pre heat process typically takes 4 minutes. The roaster wants the drum to be up to starting temperature before adding the room temperature beans, for more consistent roasts. Then I reset the timer for 9 minutes so I can watch the last few minutes of the roasting and precisely stop the roast (typically at the beginning of the second crack).
This roaster has an added safety feature that sounds an alarm if the drum temperature rises too high, too quickly suggesting perhaps an empty roaster. The operator has to tell the roaster to ignore this safety alarm or it stops the roast.
In my normal pattern of roasts, roughly 1/2 pound of green beans, the roaster does not get too hot, too fast, so I don't monitor for the safety alarm. My speculation is that climate change global warming has made Hickory MS so hot that safety alarm was triggering
(kidding). Since I was now out of fresh coffee, yesterday I performed a roast while I stood there watching the roaster (18 minutes I won't get back). Of course the watched roaster didn't alarm, so nothing to fix, and my coffee supply is OK.===
Another entropy event, my 30 odd year old radar detector, a Valentine one, is now having boot up issues. At power up it won't stop beeping. I am not sure what to look for but I did happen to have a torx bit that fits the tiny crews holding the bottom on. After getting the chassis open, it is still not very accessible. There appears to be a cast metal waveguide inside.
This Valentine one has paid for itself several times over in 30 years of avoided radar traps. A similar replacement is now more like $675. I am shopping new cheap detectors and for around $50 I can get more features than the decades old Valentine.
JR
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scott2000
Well-known member
Anytime I use my phone's gps,it's pretty accurate alerting me to all the speed traps... Not sure how that works.....but I'll use it even if I know where I'm going just for that... and to know how fast I'm going since my speedo is off.....
Actually just grabbed one today from a scrapyard....Pretty excited about that....
Back in the 70s I drove a car with a broken speedometer... I don't recall getting stopped for speeding often.
===
Recently I repaired my odometer, apparently a common problem with old mustangs. Now I can track my gas mileage and I enjoyed 21.8 MPG for my last 200 miles of mostly highway driving, just above the speed limit.
I pulled the trigger on a relatively cheap radar detector (1/10 the price of the new Valentine). The only customer complaint I found was weak false alarm filtering. Since I live/drive in a less populated area, I'd rather get a few false beeps than miss real ones.
JR
JR - Your dehumidifier may be on a recall list and you can get paid to ditch it including disposal fee.Its been a bad (or good) week for entropy.... My frigidaire dehumidifier stopped working properly so it is in queue for the trash day collection. So two dehumidifiers being discarded. The trash pickers like these for the aluminum (?) inside.
My coffee drum roaster started dumping roasts early. The software expects the operator to stand there and watch it roasting. I have better things to do with 20 minutes of my life, so use timers so I can multi-task. The pre heat process typically takes 4 minutes. The roaster wants the drum to be up to starting temperature before adding the room temperature beans, for more consistent roasts. Then I reset the timer for 9 minutes so I can watch the last few minutes of the roasting and precisely stop the roast (typically at the beginning of the second crack).
This roaster has an added safety feature that sounds an alarm if the drum temperature rises too high, too quickly suggesting perhaps an empty roaster. The operator has to tell the roaster to ignore this safety alarm or it stops the roast.
In my normal pattern of roasts, roughly 1/2 pound of green beans, the roaster does not get too hot, too fast, so I don't monitor for the safety alarm. My speculation is that climate change global warming has made Hickory MS so hot that safety alarm was triggering
===
Another entropy event, my 30 odd year old radar detector, a Valentine one, is now having boot up issues. At power up it won't stop beeping. I am not sure what to look for but I did happen to have a torx bit that fits the tiny crews holding the bottom on. After getting the chassis open, it is still not very accessible. There appears to be a cast metal waveguide inside.
This Valentine one has paid for itself several times over in 30 years of avoided radar traps. A similar replacement is now more like $675. I am shopping new cheap detectors and for around $50 I can get more features than the decades old Valentine.
JR
Use this link- Two Million Dehumidifiers With Well-Known Brand Names Recalled Due to Fire and Burn Hazards; Manufactured by New Widetech
The first dehumidifier was replaced free under warranty, the second one worked for over a decade without catching on fire.
Thanx anyhow...
[edit- the old parts dehumidifier, and the Frigidaire, both made it to the curb yesterday afternoon. This morning they are both gone.
I don't know whether the town collected them, or local scavengers. Often when I discard large piles of junk, I see people picking through the piles. /edit] JR
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I'm not sure how that would help in court?
Years ago my differential (rear end) started making a bad bearing noise. I took to the closest ford dealer and his chief mechanic said no problem, but thought he was a medical doctor (told me to watch it and bring it back in 6 months for another check up).
I decided to get a second opinion from a shop that specialized in rebuilding differentials. Since they had to tear it completely down to replace the bearings, I took the opportunity to change the rear end ratio. I only made a modest change to about 3.50:1. I expected to see a speedometer error but it continued to read accurately. My speculation is that the speedo reads the ABS brakes tachometers.JR
Damn that global warming.... I just had another coffee roast dump prematurely. Was standing there watching it when it dumped. I suspect the air temperature tripped a safety over temperature threshold. The roast has a fancy IR temperature meter so it measures the temperature of the beans as well as the temperature of the air inside the roaster. The high temp threshold for the hot air is something like 402'F while the beans were still roasting on their way to first crack maybe 365'F.
After it cools down I will see if I can adjust the 402' threshold up higher to something like 405' or 410'
I may have a clogged filter that is slowing air flow just enough. I really don't suspect climate change.
{edit- I just ordered a set of new filters/edit]
JR
After it cools down I will see if I can adjust the 402' threshold up higher to something like 405' or 410'
I may have a clogged filter that is slowing air flow just enough. I really don't suspect climate change.
{edit- I just ordered a set of new filters/edit]
JR
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You could go to a dealer and get your speedometer “tested” and you could get off with a warning…I'm not sure how that would help in court?
Years ago my differential (rear end) started making a bad bearing noise. I took to the closest ford dealer and his chief mechanic said no problem, but thought he was a medical doctor (told me to watch it and bring it back in 6 months for another check up).
JR
Today my replacement radar detector arrived after I got home from my weekly shopping trip so no chance to test it out. To avoid a ticket I had to go old school, watching out for smokies. I saw two on the other side of the interstate while I was heading to the store, coming home I saw them both parked side by side at the regular speed trap location, scanning the return direction
I was down to 75 in the slow lane... Some guy with TX plates passed me about a quarter mile before the trap but saw them and tucked in front of me.
JR
A good friend used to get a lot of tickets, and the judge told him that he has exhausted all the classes he can take. He said "please come into my chambers after todays cases if you would". So he went in after, the Judge, through all the records from his priors, said "Lou, you are a very smart guy, from what I gather, you are an engineer and do some quite mind boggling things. Let me give you one piece of advice that may help you. When you design, be first. When you drive, be second. There is no harm in that, because someone is going to get the ticket. It just won't always be you.
From then on, he always allowed a car to take the lead and never got another ticket...
Most of my speeding stops did not involve other drivers I could comfortably cruise behind. One time while I was driving from MS to Atlanta, on the 459 bypass around Birmingham that is really divided, with the two directions a few hundred feet apart in some places. I took a radar hit at speed so knew I was tagged, but the officer was heading in the opposite direction so had to crossover to my direction catch up to me. I figured a ticket was inevitable, so I slowed down to the speed limit and waited for the smoky to catch up to me. Just before the officer pulled up behind me, some ***** decided pass me at 20 MPH+ over the limit. It was a fairly easy call for the officer. Ticket the fast driver who was aware of his surroundings, or ticket the ***** who speeds right in front of an officer with his lights flashing?
JR
OK kids don't try this at home.... Today I blew the fuse inside my fancy cigarette lighter 12v power plug, for my battery charger. I'm not sure what it touched to blow the fuse but I didn't have a spare fuse laying around... I found one 500ma fuse in my packrat collection but decided that was a little small.
I decided to fabricate a "redneck fuse". A little like the old penny in the fuse box trick but only slightly less dangerous. I stripped the insulation off some copper stranded wire, then soldered a single copper wire strand across the glass fuse. I think I did a calculation once and this makes a low-mid single digit amps fuse, but don't hold me to that number.
I just ordered a lifetime supply of replacement fuses, but this redneck solution will hold me until they arrive. There is another 10A fuse in the adapter cable so I am adequately fused.
JR
PS: My cheap new replacement radar detector arrived and today was my first test. While shopping the expensive features seemed to be advanced filters to prevent false alarms. I am pleased to report that my cheap detectors had exactly zero false alarms today except for one K band hit in the Walmart parking lot that I can ignore.
I decided to fabricate a "redneck fuse". A little like the old penny in the fuse box trick but only slightly less dangerous. I stripped the insulation off some copper stranded wire, then soldered a single copper wire strand across the glass fuse. I think I did a calculation once and this makes a low-mid single digit amps fuse, but don't hold me to that number.
I just ordered a lifetime supply of replacement fuses, but this redneck solution will hold me until they arrive. There is another 10A fuse in the adapter cable so I am adequately fused.
JR
PS: My cheap new replacement radar detector arrived and today was my first test. While shopping the expensive features seemed to be advanced filters to prevent false alarms. I am pleased to report that my cheap detectors had exactly zero false alarms today except for one K band hit in the Walmart parking lot that I can ignore.
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