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Tire pressure low when cold? Here’s why

Dave Farquhar DIY November 23, 2020November 24, 2020

It never fails. After the first freeze of the year, the tire light goes on in the car. Frequently both of the family cars. And if it only happens to one, it’ll happen to the other when the first really deep freeze of winter hits. Low tire pressure when cold isn’t just your imagination. Here’s why it happens and how to know if it’s a 75-cent problem or a $200 problem.

Every 10 degree drop in temperature can lower your tire pressure by about a pound, which can cause low tire pressure in cold weather. Don’t drive on a tire with less than 20 pounds of pressure in it.

Q scale model railroading

Dave Farquhar model railroading November 19, 2020November 15, 2020

Eventually, whenever the discussion of proper O scale railroading comes up, someone mentions Q scale. What was Q scale model railroading, and why didn’t it catch on?

Q scale was the North American equivalent of European O scale, which sized models at 1:45 scale, or 17/64 of an inch to the foot.

Is isopropyl alcohol the same as rubbing alcohol?

Dave Farquhar DIY, Health November 18, 2020October 26, 2021

We use the two terms interchangeably. But is isopropyl alcohol the same as rubbing alcohol? Not necessarily, but the difference may or may not matter, depending on what you’re using it for. Let’s look at isopropyl alcohol vs rubbing alcohol.

Rubbing alcohol can be either isopropyl or ethyl alcohol, but the main difference is purity. Rubbing alcohol is 70% pure, where products sold as isopropyl alcohol are typically 91% or 99% pure.

Jonard EX-2 review: The best chip puller

Dave Farquhar Hardware, Retro Computing November 17, 2020October 31, 2020

If you’re looking for the best chip puller or IC extraction tool, I don’t think anyone will argue with my assertion it’s the Jonard EX-2. I finally picked one up this fall after watching various retro Youtubers use them for more than a year. The videos aren’t exaggerating. This chip puller makes life with retro machines much easier. This is my Jonard EX-2 review.

How to stain pine to look like oak

Dave Farquhar DIY November 16, 2020September 10, 2023

Can you stain pine wood to look like oak? You can, but it takes some patience and the right materials to get consistent results you’re likely to be happy with. Practice helps too. Here’s how to stain pine to look like oak.

This trick can be helpful if you want to attempt a DIY project like a picture ledge, but want it to match other furniture in the room. And it also applies to other finishes, not just oak.

Yet another server migration

Dave Farquhar Uncategorized November 12, 2020

On Thursday, November 12, 2020, I migrated to a new host. My old host was a bit too far behind on some of the major software required to run current WordPress builds correctly. I decided that building a new server and migrating my 20+ years of content to it was my best option.

It should be a lot faster. The new hardware is faster. The new software would be faster even if it were running on the same hardware. And I found and fixed a couple of problems along the way. But if you notice something not working, please post a comment to let me know.

And if you noticed the server was up and down a lot on November 12, that’s why. The new server didn’t work on the first try, and it takes about two minutes to change the firewall rule to point to a different server.

MOS 6522 replacement

Dave Farquhar Retro Computing November 12, 2020February 4, 2022

One question that comes up pretty frequently among vintage computer enthusiasts is what to use as a MOS 6522 replacement. Commodore used this chip extensively, but so did others. There are suitable replacements in the form of second-source 65c22 chips, but not all of them work. Here’s what to use.

Commodore went out of business in 1994, and started winding down its chip production as early as 1992. But some of its designs were available through second sources, and the 6522 was one of them.

Broadcom vs Intel NIC

Dave Farquhar Hardware November 10, 2020March 2, 2022

My son was having trouble with the Realtek network card in his PC. The question was what to replace it with. Well, it wasn’t going to be another Realtek-based card. Should I get a Broadcom? Or an Intel? Let’s look at the pros and cons of a Broadcom vs Intel NIC.

Monitor stand for retro computers

Dave Farquhar Retro Computing November 9, 2020September 25, 2022

In the 80s, when all-in one computers like the Amiga 500, Apple IIc, Atari 520 and 1040ST, and Tandy 1000EX and HX were popular, monitor stands helped us keep our systems organized. It’s hard to find a monitor stand from the period now, but there’s an acceptable modern substitute, or you can make your own. If you make your own, you can make it suitable for 8-bit systems as well, letting you stack your disk drives next to a monitor with the system unit underneath.

Amiga Bridgeboard: The PC compatibility option

Dave Farquhar Retro Computing November 5, 2020April 15, 2026

A photo of someone’s newly acquired Amiga 2000 turned up on a vintage computing forum recently. It was sporting two 3.5″ drives, but also had a Chinon 5.25″ drive in its lower bay. Someone asked what the 5.25-inch drive was for. I responded it’s a good sign the system has an Amiga Bridgeboard in it. The Bridgeboard turns a big-box Amiga like a 2000 into an odd hybrid Amiga-PC clone.

First released in 1987, the Amiga Bridgeboard consisted of most of an IBM PC clone on a single full-length card. It had its own ISA bus, but it was also able to access some Amiga functionality, not just to provide IO but also to provide ways to share data between the two systems.