Brian

It's fascinating looking around at manufacturers websites and realising just how cr*p most of the sites are. Loads of pictures of the outside of a bag from every conceivable angle but sod all images of the insides.

I'm looking for a new backpack. For the right one I'm prepared to spend sensible money. Requirements... Comfortable and Ergonomic: easy to wear, and easy to put on and off when getting on public transport Space for 16" full-sized laptop Internal compartments so that other 'stuff' doesn't end up in a pile at the bottom of the main compartment Internal space for other stuff: 10" tablet, USB charger, battery pack, folding headphones, a few usb leads, maybe a bit of small other tech, notepad, pens External pockets for things like glasses, a decent sized water bottle and/or travel mug, paperwork and passes Waterproof: good in the rain Any recommendations?

What do people use to sync their diary across multiple devices? I just want to access and update my diary on my desktop machine running Outlook, a couple of Windows laptops, an Android tablet, and an Android phone. I am loathed to hand Google all my personal data. Likewise all the paid-for, and free, services want my login details, which goes against the first rule of data security. I can't believe it's difficult but I'm blowed if I can find a solution. In my mind it's simple; I have a Dropbox account, I run something on each device which syncs my diary to a file in Dropbox, no-one but me needs to know any of my login details.

As we demonstrated on the pyro course, once pyro starts burning you'll not put it out. So it's down to considering what might be next to the burning pyro. In normal storage it's usually going to be dry solids like cardboard and timber, so you'll need extinguishers suitable for those. Once it's on stage then there are other considerations, but then everything around it ought/must be either inherently flame retardant (IFR) or durably flame retardant (DFR). In other words, it's either stuff which doesn't burn or stuff which has been treated so it doesn't burn. Even so, extinguishers suitable for material that might not be IFR/DFR ought to be on hand. In transport, then the law in the form of CDGUPTER(2009) kicks in and the type, size, and quantity of extinguishers that MUST be carried is detailed. It's worth considering that most pyro devices are short duration; by the time you've grabbed the extinguisher they will have finished. Hence the need to focus on what they might set alight to. HTH.

I'm not surprised. You've gone from a 700 deg F tip to a 900 deg F tip. In real money 370 deg C to 480 deg C. Better to keep the temperature down and go for a bigger tip. For XLR's I'd be using an A7 tip; 380 deg C and a 1.6mm chisel. That'll be plenty hot enough for leaded and unleaded solder.

One of the counterintuitive things about reflections and lack of terminations is that you might find it not working at a given cable length. Make the cable shorter OR longer and it'll start working. Keep making it longer, for example, and it'll stop working; longer still and it'll start again. Likewise, with a passive split, make a change on one leg and the other will stop working. If you do it properly, with an active splitter, properly wired cables, and terminations, then it will always work. Once you try to do it on the cheap then it might work one day and not, after a slight change, the next.

eBay's advanced search, and select sold items.

Not much...

Just about every international standard has K as the designator for relays/contactors. I wonder if it's a SSR with a TO3 base? I'd put money on Strand using the right code.

Ah, temporary importation. It's a nightmare. Some carriers specifically exclude carrying items for temporary importation because of the paperwork problems. And it's not just UK-EU that is the problems. I've had kit returned from the US where it had been sent for repair, having been refused customs clearance, because there wasn't sufficient evidence that it'd been made in the US. Even though it's emblazoned with 'Proudly Made In The USA'.

Steve hasn't visited since 2012. His registered email address is (was?) his Le Maitre one.

That's the one. I was trying to remember where I'd done a show where a whole section of vertical boxes was just pushed out of the way on an air cushion.

Would anyone who has LED screens in their hire stock be willing to answer some questions by PM?

Making you own conversion kit is trivial if you have a few basic tools. Aluminium bar can be had from eBay. Tool wise all you need is a hacksaw, drill, and M4 tap. A ceramic 'choc block' can be used to connect the leads from the new GX9.5 lamp holder to the existing.

The proper way to test an antenna is with a VNA (Vector Network Analyser) where you can see how well it is matched as you sweep the frequency band. A £50 nanoVNA from eBay is a very useful tool. Sidenote: I wanted some stubby antenna for 915MHz; in the UK, with the right connector, I was looking at around £25. eBay came up trumps at £9 for 5 pcs. Result. On testing them with a nanoVNA it turns out they were nothing more than 2.4Ghz WiFi antenna and barely usable at 915Mhz.

Thanks, a look inside shows the 12V input appearing on an unpopulated 2-pin connector. There is 'something' connected to the rail as I measure something with the meter but I've not tracked it down,

Does anyone know if the Jester (a 12/24 if it matters) actually uses the 12V feed? I know that the Juggler, which is supplied with the same PSU, doesn't. I've just run one up on only 5V and it seems to work. The one set of schematics I don't have, which would answer the question, is for the CPU card.

By looking at the wrong page on the Labgear website!!!! The one on the Screwfix site does indeed have gain BUT it'll need line powering to work and it's unlikely to get that from two radio mics. At the very least there's going to need to be a power injector somewhere in the setup.

Hmmm, 15dB of insertion loss. So that means only 1/32nd of the power you put in comes out.

Most standards bodies have nothing to do with the EU. CENELEC has Turkey as a full member and many North African countries as affiliates. So the issue of CE and UKCA marking is not about the standards but about the recognition of those standards. Beside, the UK was never going to go its own way as it makes absolutely no commercial sense to do so and, luckily, most standards bodies are run by industry and not governments.

And if you are in the UK... https://www.interspaceind.com/shop-our-products/product/50-usb-balbox-2/category_pathway-44.html

Just remember that the number of carriers prepared to carry Pyro is vanishingly small.

It's worth noting that the alternate manufacturers aren't really interested in the sort of smaller stuff that is often used on stage. So you might struggle to get products that suit your situation. You will need to get suitable reassurance in regard to product size. It's also worth noting that if le maitre are out of stock of any product then you might be waiting until the new year for any delivery.

I would STRONGLY advise anyone wanting to use pyro this panto season to get your orders in NOW, and to take delivery AS SOON AS YOU CAN.