Brain Dead Moments

[John Barton]

Ok who has had brain loss with their laser or their jobs?

My latest is really too embarrassing to admit. But I am going to anyway.

Our new laser stopped working. Some of the electrical components worked and the control board did not.

So we call the factory and they have us open the cabinet and we tell them that the board between the power supply is not lighting up. We buy a circuit tester - they send us a new board - I install it and it doesn't work - we buy a multimeter - i learn how to use it thanks to Google and the kind person who wrote a great tutorial on mulitmeters and electricity.

I test the wiring - nothing. We call the factory - we test - we call - we get the webcam out and try to have them guide us - back and forth -

Then I happen to stand up and see that the emergency shutoff switch - BIG RED BUTTON - is depressed.

I twist it to release it and the laser starts right up and zeros in at the home position.

Two days without the laser!!!!!!

When it quit I saw my guy looking at the red button so I ASSumed that he had already checked it.

I felt SO FOOLISH.

However not so foolish as to realize that maybe the factory should have "check the red button" as their number one troubleshooting suggestion. :-)

Anyone got any more embarrassing stories than this - please????

[paul mott]

I am in the process of fitting a temperature controller / monitor for my tube water temperature and because I couldn't find a suitable, tubular thermocouple - decided to make my own.
For this it was necessary to obtain some Type K thermocouple wire (Ni-Cr / Ni-Al) and a short length of 6mm bore SS tube and weld the wires.
My spot welder applies a lot of pressure to the weld and the tube needs internal support to prevent distortion, the nearest thing to hand that fitted the tube nicely was this stainless bolt. After making the first weld it became obvious and yes you have guessed it, I have welded the bolt into the tube.
I turned a piece of brass to fit the tube for the next one, that didn't weld in.

Paul.

http://www.machsupport.com/forum/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=12444.0;attach=216 23;image

[Mike Null]

Have you ever heard the saying, "too smart for his own good"?

[paul mott]

I don't fully understand your comments there Mike. Perhaps you would like to elaborate ?.

Paul.

[Mike Null]

Paul

No offense intended. It is just another way of saying that sometimes we out think ourselves. Perhaps it would have been better to reference Murphy's Law.

[paul mott]

:D:D:D

Paul.

[Larry Bratton]

Don't feel too bad. I did something similar but not quite as bad. I moved my machine to another location. It had to stay in storage and had been moved many miles. I had to have the space rewired and spent bucks getting it ready. Got it moved in to the new space..plugged it up to the new wiring..hit the switch and nothing! My wife said I got that "deer in the head lights" look on my face. As visions of huge expenditures danced across my mind..I happened to notice the Emergency Stop had been depressed. Gave it a twist and turned it off and bingo..when I hit the switch this time, she booted up...whewwww...disaster averted again. Maybe there is a lesson here and maybe it's to check the most obvious and simple things first before hollering wolf.

[Mitchell Andrus]

HA! Mike's sig finally fits the tread.
.

[Belinda Barfield]

When working on a large piece of granite I was using the pass through doors on the front and back of the machine. I placed the bypass magnets in their usual positions but the "door open" light just kept beaming at me. After about 15 minutes of fiddling with any number of magnet configurations I realized the top door was open. :o

[Dan Hintz]

When working on a large piece of granite I was using the pass through doors on the front and back of the machine. I placed the bypass magnets in their usual positions but the "door open" light just kept beaming at me. After about 15 minutes of fiddling with any number of magnet configurations I realized the top door was open. :o
Ha ha... I like this one. Like when I'm frantically searching the house for my keys or sunglasses because I'm late for something, only to realize (or worse,have someone point out) that the keys are in my hand or the glasses are on the top of my head. Those are always fun days...

[Gary Hair]

I'm sure glad I've never done that myself, I'd feel pretty foolish...


When working on a large piece of granite I was using the pass through doors on the front and back of the machine. I placed the bypass magnets in their usual positions but the "door open" light just kept beaming at me. After about 15 minutes of fiddling with any number of magnet configurations I realized the top door was open. :o

[Viktor Voroncov]

1993 - beginning of computer era in former USSR. I have sold my second plotter (Aristo, 61 cm, sprocket feed, was purchased for 8000 USD, sold for 15 000). Customer is 4500 miles from me, call me and say - plotter do not work at all :( Explained me - I made file on PC, send to plotter but plotter do not work.
Q: What do you see on display?
A: Nothing - display also do not work.
We start bombing Aristo with panic faxes, their service staff was crazy, they want send me new motherboard, new power supply, send me many advices and one of them was measure incoming voltage on power supply. When customer told me that incoming voltage is 0, I carefully ask him - DID YOU PLUG PLOTTER TO ELECTRICITY? Answer was NO, YOU DIDN'T TELL ME DO THIS :)

[Dan Hintz]

Viktor,

A similar story happened in Florida (?), though because it dealt with a political office the story was a little more high profile (the details have grown quite rusty over the years, but the main story still rings true). In a nutshell, the head of an office for education was rattling her sword to anyone who would listen about how the computers the local government had purchased were worthless and didn't work. This went on for months until someone had enough and went to look at her system. As she stood there defiant, proclaiming "See, the system won't even turn on, and I've been without a computer for all of this time!", the guy bent down, plugged the machine in, and it booted right up.

She was quietly removed from that position within a few months...

[Bill Cunningham]

I'm still looking for the 'Anykey'. They say if you press it twice real fast the drink holder pops out!:cool:

[Chuck Stone]

I'm still looking for the 'Anykey'. They say if you press it twice real fast the drink holder pops out!:cool:

I think that works if you press Alt + F4, too

[Bill Cunningham]

Nope!!Alt<f4> wants to close Firefox.. No drink holder pop out :mad: