Recent content by Opcom

@Hakzaw1 I hope you are well, and all are well. I last was involved in the 2012 event at urban 15. Can you please direct me to any newer TEXLEM info, and is there an active DFW group? Thank you, Patrick

See, we are all having fun now! Thanks!

There were two sides to it. The 'good ol boy network' which avoided involving HR, and the 'protected classes' which used HR as much as possible. To be fair, it is necessary to mention the g.o.b. network as equally responsible and generally creating as much misery and buffoonery as the other...

Probably won't happen. Its not a good idea.

Thanks! That is very detailed information and I'm glad to have it.

I didn't realize the Synrads used a ceramic tube. That puts them in a different category. They are a work of art allright.

Most of the ones like that i have used are made with a filler in the ends that looks like an epoxy or plastic. Might make a good smell. It might be as well to strip an old space heater for the nichrome wire, rewind it on a ceramic sheet and use radiant heat to boil up the diode. The lamp idea...

It still has the firing electronics including the solid state switch, etc. Nitrogen's probably the way to go. Probably taking it to TEXLEM

There was/is a green one that was used to 'test' the lunar retroreflector. should be google-able.

There's an interesting publication here about research into a nuclear laser suitable to instrument use but it does not seem practical for hobby construction. Proposed gamma-ray laser could emit 'nuclear light'

The answer to the riddle is "management". I worked with a technician once that pretty much consistently failed to do good work. There was also a quota system in place due to government contracts and for that reason they didn't want to get rid of the particular individual, but they didn't want...

I've decided to let it go. Not sure what venue for it. It just does not meet my requirements but it is too nice to scrap.

I'd have thought the optical properties of the target would have been investigated more thoroughly before the experiment was conducted. Enjoy carefully!

What is the temperature rating of those resistors? I think nowhere near the goal. This goal temperature seems unusual. Is the expected result worth what it will cost to do it?

A lamp is workable but choose it carefully so it can itself do without cooling air. The heating will be slow. A useful technique for quickly heating your device and avoiding the thermal inertia of a block of metal would be to use a 0.001 to 0.01" thick strip of perhaps copper, or another metal...