Posts by TRT

Re: SPADs, TDFs, what a cornucopia for disaster

I'm surprised that's such a low figure. But good that you checked. Thanks.

Re: Blown bulbs?

They'll be swapping them for TBTC at some point. On the Northern Line that's the pair of big red leaky feeders between the rails that swaps sides every 25m. The swapping of the cables is what's detected by the onboard computer. Coupled with unique positioning beacons every now and again, and counters which detect the number of axles passing a sensor - usually at pointwork where they count up on one side entering a section and count down again on the other leaving the section; the normal reading being zero - the system knows to within 25m the position of every train on the track. Add in a braking profile curve and a motoring profile curve (I believe they now do coasting as well, but the option was originally left off due to cost) and trains can run much closer together. The system on the Central Line fails if it's raining, foggy, windy or if the day ends in a Y, so drivers are usually operating in one of the manual modes. The Northern Line is a bit more reliable, but the drivers still take the trains in and out of the sidings on manual. The DLR is fully automated, though, even in the depot.

Re: SPADs, TDFs, what a cornucopia for disaster

I bet most of the SPADs were in the depots. And the old red light, block signalling system does have a tripcock just in front of the aspect which automatically applies the emergency brakes if the front of a train passes it.

The system does "fail safe" - the most common track detection fault is a drinks can falling into the gap in the rails which marks one signalling block from another. Fixed block is a rather simple system that passes a current through the axle of the train via the wheels - so anything on the rails in that block is detected - car, train, big clips joined by a wire... and then there's the traction current short-circuit system, which kills the power if there's a short. There's a big bar that staff stick across the supply rails to make an area safe - huge red light on the the top if there's even a whiff of voltage. Makes a lovely bang as it's dropped on - not a job I'd like to do!

Re: The curse of having an Amstrad

Ah yes. I vaguely remember having to Dimension arrays at some point in the past. How lazy we've become.

Re: Who owns Resi and Transi?

I know what needs to go online - all those old The 555 Timer Cookbook and The 741 Op Amp Cookbook things. Tiny little printed on bog-paper books that you could get from Tandy - was it Roger Penfold who authored them? Anyway, brilliant little books on just about any electronic standard IC. IIRC they had a punched hole in one corner for some reason.

Re: Doesn't add up

Well, we've all been there. Taking a look at something because it piques your interest, and then you open up a whole big can of worms. I've been in a similar position recently with "taking a look at" an electric gate motor, which revealed a faulty door intercom, which revealed a ground fault with the external lighting system, which revealed an almost overloaded lighting design, which revealed a whole pile of defective outdoor SELV transformers, which revealed a rodent with a liking for PVC... and so on. Until you end up doing 13 hour days for a couple of hundred quid, which you've blown buying the esoteric tool you needed to fix one of the faults.

Sounds a little like my response when I had ITIL explained to me.

"Ah yes, sounds like someone's making money selling common sense again."

You mean...

Poke Mingo?

Re: Ouch!

Another reason to avoid Lycra Mobile.

Re: 10^8 nanoseconds?

Ha! I reckon it's just them working in units they are comfortable with.

Re: I've just had a document delivered...

It seems our Problem Management manager also reads El Reg.

Defining a problem as being the "underlying cause of an incident" (1) isn't helpful and (2) in the event of the incident being "I can't get my iPhone to connect to Eduroam" defines the End User as the problem.

Re: I am struggling to understand...

Also pointing out media ignorance. Especially if appeared online.

Chips

So THAT'S why they were so good. I never realised. #hungershutters

And don't forget the tar tunnel and clay pipe museum. Clay pipes are essential boffin material.

I could have written that!

And a little way further is the bridge at Old Trafford which when crossing, as a 5 year old, I decided to shoulder barge the rotten wooden door at the base of the pier, as 5 year old idiot children are prone to do. The door swung open, taking me with it, opening onto nothing but rusty iron metalwork sticking up out of inky, oily depths of water far below. Hanging onto the door handle for all my life was worth I had no option but to swing out and back. I've been terrified of bridges crossing water ever since. Took all my nerve and several attempts before I could walk on the pier at Brighton.

Re: Easy solution (Black Bush)

Paddy.

Re: Easy solution

A drop of water helps release the aromas of a good single malt.

Macs are a great little number for versatility. Unix based OS, runs Virtualbox for Windows or other UNIX flavours, lightweight, good battery life. Pity they cost so much, but it's not as gross as people like to make out.

Re: Common Sense...

They won't let me have a logo on my company polo shirt. But then I work for City University Network Team.

Re: apple only? (@Nate Amsden)

Dell do a nice line in penguin based machines...

Re: Dude!!

Sounds like my place of work.