Using two or more transformers together on a train layout

Dave Farquhar Toy trains , , ,

Using two or more transformers together on a train layout seems like a good thing to do. It’s a common practice in consumer electrical devices to chain multiple batteries together to get more power. So it stands to reason that you could chain multiple small American Flyer/Lionel/Marx transformers together to get more power.

It doesn’t work that way–you can’t chain two 90w transformers together to get 180 watts. But there are still reasons you might want to use multiple transformers; say, to control different blocks of track on your electric train layout.
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How to clean viruses off other people’s systems safely

Dave Farquhar security, Viruses, Windows , , , , , , ,

What should you do when someone hands you a computer, tells you they think it has a virus, and asks you to clean it?

Proceed carefully, that’s what. You don’t want to infect your other computers with whatever it has.

To get it gone safely and effectively, you really need two things: an antivirus live CD, and a spare router.
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Sorry about that downtime

Dave Farquhar Uncategorized ,

We had some power hiccups this morning, and that led to some networking issues that I didn’t notice until tonight. Between soldering a circuit together for the article I’m working on, drawing diagrams, and rebuilding a consumer-grade HP Pavilion to possibly resell, I never noticed my webserver wasn’t up.

But we’re back now, and my soldering skills, well, pretty much look like the last time I did some soldering. Makes me wonder how much business I have trying to solder a new power jack onto my sister’s Toshiba laptop, but the replacement jack is just two connections, so four joints total.

Publishing again

Dave Farquhar Personal

Last week one of my blog posts got out of control and morphed into something I thought would be more appropriate for a magazine article. So I fired it off on Monday to an editor for an opinion, and he told me yesterday that they want to buy it. And, presumably, publish it at some point.

Once I get some drawings to him, they’ll write up and send me a contract. I don’t want to say the name of the magazine or the subject matter until the contract’s signed, but it’s a magazine published by a company that’s been around since the 1930s and is very highly regarded. I’m looking forward to working with them.

Instant welding with Aileene’s Tacky Glue

Dave Farquhar General

I’m not sure where I read this first, but I love this trick for making instant repairs. If you’re putting together something made of paper, wood, or a combination of the two, join it together with a bit of Aileene’s Tacky Glue (this also works with ordinary Elmer’s white glue or Elmer’s wood glue), then zap it in a microwave for 20 seconds. That 20 seconds is enough to instantly cure the glue for a strong bond.

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How to check SSD alignment

Dave Farquhar Hardware, Windows , , ,

If you didn’t align your partitions when you upgraded to an SSD, there’s a pretty good chance you’re giving up performance and life expectancy. Here’s how to check SSD alignment.

But first, a bit of good news. If you created the partition with Vista or Windows 7, your partitions should be aligned. If you upgraded from XP and didn’t re-partition the drive in the process, then it probably isn’t.

Get ready for some command-line jockeying and some math. Read more