Technology Notes

Why is my clothes dryer so slow?
Rule #1 in life: the more boring the task, the more important it is

Sound-canceling headphones vs earmuffs: a comparison
Low frequency-induced hearing loss, tinnitus, and a review of the Bose QC headphones

How to deal with a flat tire
Many people seem not to know what to do when they get a flat tire. Here's a quick tutorial

Are those inexpensive USB software-defined radios any good?
They're getting cheaper and more powerful than ever. Just our luck now that radio is almost obsolete

How to make a high gain 2.4 GHz helix antenna for wi-fi
Directional gain of 16 dBi and only 18 inches long

How to drill evenly-spaced holes in a rectangular pattern
A fast and cheap way of drilling evenly spaced holes on a grid

How to reduce vibrations in a push lawnmower
Simple modifications to prevent permanent nerve damage caused by vibrations

Building and using a high-quality Western blot imaging system
You can build an imaging system for the lab for 1/8 the cost, and get better results by understanding how they work

Questions and Answers about 5G wireless
No wait, this will be interesting, I promise. come back!

I drink the charger electric
What Walt Whitman would have written if he lived in our age of 5G NR cell phone technology

How to flatten crinkled pages in a book
If an expensive book gets wet, it can usually be saved. Just don't use a clothes iron.

Battery vs. gas-powered chainsaws
They're great, as long as you don't plan on cutting down any trees with them.

How to Make a Substitute for Lysol 4 in 1 Spray Disinfectant
The only good product Reckitt Benckiser ever made, and they discontinued it.

Review of HP Prime Graphing Calculator

Review and Instructions for G Shock GW-4000D-1A (Casio 5087)

A Dolphin's Review of the Samsung Tab Pro 8.4

DSL vs. Cable Modem: A Real-World Comparison

How to Drive on Snow
Tips on driving on snow-covered roads and driving up hills in winter without getting killed.

Build an Air Variable Capacitor
Variable capacitors are useful in a lot of situations. But adjustable plate capacitors bigger than 1000 pF are difficult to find, and those that are available tend to be inconveniently large.

Dimming Fluorescent Lamps
Fluorescent lamps have many advantages over incandescents: they are available in a variety of color temperatures, they have a large surface area that creates a better architectural effect, they last longer, and they use less electricity. However, it is also a royal pain to get them to work with a dimmer.

Identifying Sources of Radio Frequency Interference Around the Home
Eliminating RF interference is not just something you do for fun. Static on the radio could be a sign of faulty electrical wiring. Fixing it could save your life.

Silence of the Lamps: Reducing Radio Frequency Interference From Small Fluorescent Lamps
Tubular fluorescent lamps with electronic ballasts are very popular because of their instant-on characteristics, low audible hum, and compact size. However, many such lamps produce unacceptable amounts of radio frequency interference.

A Remotely-Tuned Loop Receiving Antenna for LW and MW
This article describes how to build a loop antenna for low frequency (LF) and medium wave (MW) reception with remote-controlled tuning. Like all loop antennas, it is highly directional, which allows you to null out unwanted noise sources.

Digital vs. Acoustic Pianos: An Unbiased Comparison
A discussion of the relative merits of digital pianos and acoustics.

Repairing Spex Fluorolog 2 Fluorescence Spectrometer
This page contains technical information we discovered when repairing our Spex Fluorolog 2 spectrofluorometer (model no. CM1T11I) in room 341. It serves as a reference for when the chewing gum and twine wear out, and we have to repair it again.

Photographing Fluorescently-Stained 2D Gels
This article discusses some of the common fluorescent dyes and describes how to build a light source for photographing fluorescent 2D gels using a CCD camera.

Repairing Edwards E2M30 vacuum pump updated
To repair a seized vacuum pump, the pump has to be completely dismantled and every part checked for corrosion and scoring.

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