Everybody Staze...

Nobody leavz...

You are here: Home / 2012 / Archives for January 2012

Archives for January 2012

Radio Shack 22-812 Multimeter

By

While at the coast a few months ago, I stopped by a Radio Shack and picked up a 22-812 Multimeter for the incredible price of $50 (the RS website doesn’t even list the unit anymore, and the local RS’s have it for $69-79 depending on the display). The unit appears to be out of production (may not be the case), which is a shame since finding a Multimeter with these features, plus a computer interface is nearly impossible for under $150 anywhere else. I’ve had the meter for a few months now, and it seems fairly solid, with a few complaints.

  • It’s “twitchy”. When you have it reading a voltage, for example, the last few digits move around a lot. Maybe the voltage actually fluctuates like this, but it seems like it’s noise in the circuitry of the meter. It’s not a major problem, but…
  • It blows fuses easily. In my case, it was my fault by trying to measure amperage without a load, but others have complained about this. After I blew the one, I found it came with two extras (one 12A, one 500mA). After blowing the one, and replacing it, I just purchased 10 of each from Jameco, and put them in my supplies for later (I’m sure I’ll blow more).
  • It’s not a Fluke (as evident from above)

Now, when I say it’s not a Fluke, that seems obvious from the price. An equivalent Fluke would probably be $400. Would it be worth it? Yes. Can I afford that, or would I use it? No. $50 for what you get, with this meter, is a great price, and I’d buy one again if I had the chance. If I had a few hundred, I’d buy a Fluke and be 100% happy. But for $50, I can be 80% happy, and have saved the money.

[xrr rating=4/5]

Motor coupling on Kenmore Series 80 washing machine

By

Not going to go very far with this post, since there is a plethora of info out there about doing this job, but I will take the time to point out some issues, and point to resources.

This PDF is probably the best info I could point to, as everything else I found suggested turning the washing machine on it’s side/back, and doing the work from the bottom. But, removing the cowling from the machine was quick, easy, and make the whole job MUCH easier than tipping it over.

My main tips for all this are:

  1. Sears Parts centers should all have this part in stock. It’s $18. It’s well worth it to pick one up and do the repair yourself using the above PDF as a guide
  2. When the motor coupling breaks, you’ll often get a heck of a racket when it’s running. BUT! The pump to drain the water usually still runs (since it’s attached directly to the motor, and not the tub transmission). If I’d realized this, I could have saved myself a lot of work by using an aquarium pump to get the water out

All and all, it’s an easy fix. It took me less than 45 minutes to replace the part, and about 15 minutes to drive to and from Sears. So, 1 hour of work, and $18 in parts. Bet a repair man would have charged AT LEAST $100. And, you’ll probably teach yourself something about how the washing machine works in the process. =)

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows

By

Sequels, seemingly, rarely live up to their former incarnations. Series like The Matrix, Ghostbusters, and Die Hard, all took the originality, and fun of the first, and hardly lived up to their mandate with the second movie. Sometimes, though, like Terminator, they take on the ideas of the first, and build something as good, or better. Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows falls more toward the latter, than the former, being a very good follow up to the first movie.

The action is well spaced, and seldom drags (like some other action movies can). My wife, a consummate hater of most action movies (to the point that she really dislikes the new Batman movies… I know, right?), actually enjoys both the first, and now the second Sherlock Holmes. The only actor that was slightly awkward from the first movie was quickly “dispatched” in this movie.

Robert Downey Jr. does a wonderful job as Sherlock Holmes for the same reason he does so well as Tony Stark… he has a certain boyish arrogance about him. I’ve heard in real life he’s an extremely down to earth, humble, enjoyable guy, but he plays the part SO well at this point, it’s hard to tell. And the combination of him and Jude Law makes for an extremely good combo (may not Clooney/Pitt, but close). But, I digress. The movie flows much as the first, and like the first, it tends to drag JUST a bit about 3/4th of the way through the movie. Classical story tellers would probably say this is normal as it’s the “calm” before the climax, and that may be the reason for it in this case. It’s only noticeable while it’s going on, and once that drag is over, you’ve soon forgotten about it. And like the first, the viewer is left wondering what exactly is going to happen from scene to scene, and by the end of the movie, things wrap up nicely. Short of the first Mission Impossible, there has seldom been a action/mystery that has been quite so “ahhhh” at the end.

All and all, a solid movie, that’s well worth the price of admission, and will definitely be, like the first, something I purchase on DVD and watch many a time. The biggest question in my mind is, how will they live up to this, and the previous movie, in the third. But, I have the same concern about The Dark Knight Rises.

[xrr rating=4.75/5]