Something Random

[Stereodude]

Today's update on my HT project:



The ceiling is done for now. Wiring starts tomorrow.

 

[ddrueding]

The next phase at my place is the roof. That starts Monday.

 

[time]

Hopefully, you're getting a radiant barrier retrofitted under your roof tiles?

 

[ddrueding]

This is costal California. I am getting half inch CDX plywood, thirty pound felt, and lifetime composite shingles combined with galvanized bonderized gutters and flashing. The attic is vented enough for this climate.

 

[CougTek]

I don't know why, but I have the face of "the guy who knows". I've been asked for directions yet again today. There were dozen of other people around, but somehow, like many, many times, the lost guy chose me for help. It's been like that for as long as I can remember. First time I visited Québec City, people stopped me on the walkway to ask me where was this, where was that. Every single time I happen to walk in downtown Montréal, I'm asked for directions. I think that if I was dumped in the ass hole of China, little chinese people would ask me for directions even though I don't look Chinese and don't speak the language. Would I climb mount Everest, I bet ya that some other climber would stop me to ask me where the summit is. At least I'll know what to answer if I ever visit Australia. If someone asks me for this or that, I'll just answer "It's right behind the bush".

On my tombstone will be written : "Here rest the guy who knew". So after my death, the world will be lost.

 

[LunarMist]

If you look anything like that Dearth Vader character in real life, the direction people would want is AWAY.

 

[ddrueding]

That would be The Terminator (aka, your governor)

 

[mubs]

Despite your physique and scowl, you probably look like a kind and gentle giant, Coug

 

[CougTek]

I'm six feet tall and 195lbs, that hardly qualifies as a giant. And people usually look for the opposite direction, except when they want to ask for directions. It's really puzzling to me.

 

[LunarMist]

That would be The Terminator (aka, your governor)

Dearth Vader, Terminator, Kelvinator... It's all the same to me. :crnval:

 

[LunarMist]

I have to go to Indiana. I'm not sure if that is any better or different than Cincinnati.

 

[CougTek]

Fushigi should know, he lives there.

 

[LunarMist]

I thought he abandoned SF long ago.

 

[timwhit]

Fushigi lives in Illinois. Mercutio lives in Indiana.

 

[Bozo]

I thought Mercutio lived in the Chicago area??

 

[Mercutio]

I thought Mercutio lived in the Chicago area??

Fushigi lives in Aurora, which is a western suburb of Chicago.
I live (for now) just east of Gary, Indiana, which is the in the tip of the northwestern corner of the state.

 

[timwhit]

Northwest Indiana is part of Chicagoland. A couple people in my office in downtown Chicago live in NW Indiana.

 

[Stereodude]

ARGH!!! I bought 500' of 12-2 in wall speaker cable from Monoprice thinking it would be enough for my Home Theater build and it wasn't even close. :bibber:

Of course it's my own fault since I decided to run the cables up into the ceiling and back down into the walls instead of running them horizontally through the walls (my original plan that I based my cable estimates on). Going into the ceiling makes the runs longer but much easier to run.

Monoprice has the best price I found on 12-2 stranded in wall speaker cable, but waiting for another box would ice my build for about a week while I wait for the UPS ground shipping. I tried to find a local source this morning, but came up empty handed. :frusty: I ended up buying another 250' from Parts-Express. It's more per foot, but based on past experience, I should get it tomorrow (even via ground shipping) due to their relatively close location.

 

[timwhit]

Home Depot or Menards didn't have anything?

 

[Stereodude]

Home Depot or Menards didn't have anything?

There aren't any Menards around here. I went to HD, Lowes, and an electrical supply house. None had it. HD used to sell it. Now they stop at 14-2.

Perhaps if I had done a lot of legwork I could have found it locally, but I can wait a day instead of spending the whole day trying to track it down.

 

[MaxBurn]

Yeah the local shops would likely have something but it might be that monster crap for way too much money. Doesn't monoprice offer faster shipping?

 

[Stereodude]

Yeah the local shops would likely have something but it might be that monster crap for way too much money. Doesn't monoprice offer faster shipping?

Yeah, for a pretty penny. 2 day shipping would have made their wire more expensive than Parts Express's total and gotten it here no sooner.

 

[Stereodude]

Well, the Parts-Express cable arrived today and I got the runs in. It's a bit different than the Monoprice cable. The Monoprice cable has a loose white jacket that the inner conductors can move around in some. The Parts-Express cable is perfectly round and rubber-like with the red and black insulated wires embedded in the white rubbery round insulation that encases them.

However, I ended up placing an order for 250' of 12-4 CL2 speaker cable from Monoprice though yesterday. I decided that a single 12ga cable wasn't adequate for connecting a 2 ohm load (subwoofer) to an amp that can deliver 1200W into it. That's 24.5A peak which means a 1.9W cabling loss per foot.

I have 6 runs in my HT to cover the 4 1200W subs (6 possible locations for the 4), so I will add an additional 12-4 run to each giving me 3 12ga runs in parallel to each of those 6 locations lowering the power losses to .63W per foot at peak output. For the other 11 speaker locations the single 12ga runs will be adequate to cover 8ohm 100-200W loads.

 

[ddrueding]

4800w for just subs? Frigging awesome.

 

[Stereodude]

4800w for just subs? Frigging awesome.

Yeah, I have two QSX PLX 2402 amps to power them.

 

[CougTek]

For the other 11 speaker locations the single 12ga runs will be adequate to cover 8ohm 100-200W loads.

In theory, a "stereo dude" should only need two speakers to be happy. Imposter!

 

[Stereodude]

Well, apparently my Amex was compromised somehow. I had charges from CLICKANDBUY, PAYPAL, and something else that weren't mine. The card is now invalid and they're sending me a new one. :bibber:

 

[Bozo]

Well, apparently my Amex was compromised somehow. I had charges from CLICKANDBUY, PAYPAL, and something else that weren't mine. The card is now invalid and they're sending me a new one. :bibber:

Just went through the same thing with my Discover card. A ton of money charged to iTunesstore. :cursin:

 

[MaxBurn]

I read that was a huge thing, "enhancing" some apps standing in the store. I wonder if the developers got their money yanked back when the merchant account got corrected.

 

[Stereodude]

Here's where the room stands:



Closer shots of the wiring:

Front:


Rear:


Wires to the Rack:


Wire for new circuits:

 

[CougTek]

I'm thinking my company is about six weeks from going under.

Any developments with this? Any of your pay checks bounced? In the thread celebrating your prolific contribution, you mentioned that you don't spend as much time at your desk as you used too. Is it related to your precary job situation?

 

[LunarMist]

In theory, a "stereo dude" should only need two speakers to be happy. Imposter!

Around 1975 they called me the "quad." I'm sure you remember that era. :cyclop:

 

[Stereodude]

:erm: A few years before my time.

 

[CougTek]

All I listened to in the 70s was a pair of JBL speakers connected to a fairly good Harman Kardon stereo amplifier. I never listened to a CD4 system. Much too expensive. I would have like to listen to Black Sabbath quad mix albums, but I never did.

 

[Pradeep]

QSX PLX 2402 amps to power them.

I was thinking that these would need 240 but it looks like 110V is ok. What kind of subs? Doing it yourself?

Does your panel have a 400A service? That would seem to be too many circuits for 200?

 

[Stereodude]

I was thinking that these would need 240 but it looks like 110V is ok. What kind of subs? Doing it yourself?

DIY. 4 sealed subs, each with 2 of these.

Does your panel have a 400A service? That would seem to be too many circuits for 200?

It's 200A service. You can put as many circuits on your service as you want as long as you have a breaker for the total. Older installs don't have a master breaker, so they have some different requirements.

 

[ddrueding]

DIY. 4 sealed subs, each with 2 of these.

Wow. That is downright crazy. And awesome.

 

[Mercutio]

One of my coworkers had been using one of my classroom computers to develop and test code.

Classroom computers that get re-imaged on a regular basis.

She says she lost almost 70 hours of work and she has no backup or other copy of what she's done.

Now I'm trying to decide if I should actually bother to help her or if this is the sort of lesson that is best underscored with pointing and laughing.

 

[ddrueding]

If you can recover the code, point and laugh until she's just shy of tears, then provide code. If you can't recover the code, the lesson has already been delivered.

 

[timwhit]

One of my coworkers had been using one of my classroom computers to develop and test code.

Classroom computers that get re-imaged on a regular basis.

She says she lost almost 70 hours of work and she has no backup or other copy of what she's done.

Now I'm trying to decide if I should actually bother to help her or if this is the sort of lesson that is best underscored with pointing and laughing.

CVS, SVN, or even Google Code.