ION knock detection

[garfield at pilgrimhouse.com]

On Tue, 19 May 1998 14:59:34 -0700, Sandy <sganz at wgn.net> wrote:

>Boy Gar -
>
>Sounds like we may just want to whip up both protos (ION, and EGOR) at the
>same time, can save some $$ since we will be way under the SQ inches that
>the lowest cost protos will allow.

Yeah, I try to pick the small, easy stuff so I don't have to work too
hard. 8)  But seriously, I think you're right about combining the two
"wee boards" into one panel, cuz otherwise the min # panels is gonna
leave us with WAY too many blanks.

Say, I meant to ask you about this, and pick yer brainstem a bit; with
the outfits you normally use, how do they bid the board area? Do they
quote you on squares, or do they give you a price per panel. Not
interested in the markup with # layers, that'd be too hard to pass
along, I reckon, but was tryna understand how these proto shop's
"minimums" work. What does it usually work out as, as far as min # of
panels? And if the answer is complicated and tedious to tryna explain,
I'll ask ya sometime when we need to talk on the tele. It's not a
biggie, just curious.

>So, it sounds like you had better quit
>the chit chat and get back to work ;-)

I'm sorry, Sir. You've obviously confused me with someone who gives a
rip. Hee. Hey, I'm a retired person now, and I don't rush for ANYTHING
anymore. I know I'm swingin the "irresponsible" pendulum to the other
extreme, but basically all I've been doin for the last two weeks is
sippin mint juleps on the veranda (as they say in the south), eatin all
my favorite foods, drinkin a bottle of vino each evening with supper,
stayin up late or not even goin to bed till morning, goin flyin when I
want, workin on projects when I want, eating when I want, sleepin when I
want, just basically feelin REAL FREE. Wheeeee!

>Oh, don't get zapped!

Like they useta say in school, it's not the volts that kill ya, it's the
amps. Course, it takes volts to break down the skin resistance, but I've
been hit horrendously good with even a hot CDI system, and it was
NUTHIN, compared to the time I got my two pinkies across 400VDC. Now
THAT's dangerous; you can't at all let go, your muscles are frozen in
spaceNtime. What saved me was I started to black out and fell backwards,
pulling my hands free. Once the high resistance of the skin is broken
thru, it's how much current can the beast supply that kills ya. I don't
actually think there are many IGN systems that pack enough joules to
really kill a person, as long as their heart is strong.

But lotsOguys sure kill themselves working on 460V motor controllers in
the lab! I'll take the HV IGN work any day. Heh, FREE electroshock
therapy. After a good jolt, you just feel SOOOO glad to be alive!
Electric Prozac, I guess.

Anyway, this observation about the "unbearable smallness of being" of
EGOR and ION will allow YOU to manage the bum's rush for the boards, as
well. Once EGOR get's tested, assuming he survives the gaunlet, then we
can hold off people tapping their feet for your board, which we probably
can't do economically until we get a first cut on ION as well, by simply
explaining that the boards are too small to economically make until BOTH
are ready for the board shop, and sooo, IN THE MEANTIME, breadboard it
up on some perf board, cuz neither circuit is gonna be all that hard to
wire up in an evening, anyway! Poof, scheduling "emergencies" solved.

We get the end product, which is a nice universal pair of tiny modules,
but also deal with those chomping at the bit, since they can't really
whine that the circuits are too big to hand wire up. Nice, eh?

Cheers, dude, 
time for me to burn some dead animal parts on the barbie, B)
Gar