Ping Adam re charges

[Bob Eager]

I despair of my older boy (who is 17).

The pull switch for the light in the bathroom has failed. Got a new one today and will fit it tomorrow.

So he says: "That'll take you a while, why don't you pay someone to do it?"

He lives in another world, has no clue about how much things cost (most things, that is). Then I realised I don't know, either, because I always DIY.

So, supply and fit standard pull cord light switch in bathroom. Hopefully no loft access needed but old one is painted over many times so may be a bit of a bugger to get off.

How much would I be looking at in the South East? (Kent). Just for interest (and son's education...)

[The Natural Philosopher]

£60

[Andrew Gabriel]

Why don't you get him to do it, and supervise?

I had certainly changed a pull-cord switch by 17. Actually, I had taken it down, taken the switch mechanism apart to see how it works and why it had stopped working, fixed it, put it back together, and put it back up.

It was up for about another 30 years (with a couple of cord replacements, which with that one meant taking the switch mechanism apart), until some builders flooded it and replaced it.

[Bob Eager]

Because he wouldn't want to. Younger son has offered to do it, though. But then he built a PC years ago, has his own tools, fixed his iPod Touch when he broke it (twice), etc....

By the age of 17 I'd done a load of Part P-able stuff...!

I think the contacts have worn beyond repair and welded together. It did get very wet several years ago when a BG contract man (long story) failed to replace the ball valve on the cold water tank in the loft correctly.

[Tim Streater]

By 17 I had found our old wartime Ministry of Supply radio that was bust, found it needed a new diode (put in an OA81), tied a loose wire to HT, and thereafter covertly listened to Radio Luxembourg after going to bed.

[Tim Streater]

and 8 for the fruitbat.

[The Natural Philosopher]

By 17 I had built 3 radio control sets, the last one of which actually worked..

[Lobster]

Yeah, I've got one of those at home too :(

I tend to avoid such TV shows like the plague, but did anyone see that programme earlier in the week about a group of British teenagers living with an Amish family in the US?

The kids (17-18 yrs) were put to work at the house, and most had absolutely no clue: one girl in particular, by her own admission literally didn't even know how to do the washing up, or sweep a floor with a dustpan and brush, or fold clothes, and we got to see her trying ineffectually to do these tasks under the incredulous gaze of her Amish hostess.

Turns out her mother did absolutely everything at home and the girl's literally *never* done any washing up etc in her life (just to emphasise the point we are then treated to an excruciating set-up filmed earlier back, in the UK, with daughter sunning herself on the patio while Mum sits their painting her nails for her).

David

[Brian Gaff]

Hmm, well similar job quoted at double that in SW London a few months ago. Brian

[Brian Gaff]

When you say noisy, are you suggesting its the ceiling acting as a sounding board, as a layer of some squishy material can stop that sort of problem, though it depends on the way the screws sit and whether they can be fastened through grommets without the vandals pulling so hard the whole lot comes off!

Not Tarzan trainees must not swing on pull cord sign mandatory.

Brian

[The Medway Handyman]

I'd charge £45 labour & mark up the cost of the switch by £5.

[JohnW]

I had built a Mullard 3W valve amplifier and pre-amp by 17 to use with my SP25 with Deram cartridge. This could nearly make your ears bleed when turned up just below distortion level. So how come my TV sound system is allegedly 1000W and is nowhere near as loud? Eeee - and the kids of today won't believe you Josia.

John

[tony sayer]

In article , JohnW scribeth thus

When I was 10 I built a One valve amplifier using IIRC an ECC82 but found that with some modifications it worked very well as a transmitter..

But on the 405 line TV sound bands, so using a channel just the one removed to those locally in use it went some three miles or more.

Had a rather neat pirate wireless station on the go for a while there;)..

[Scott M]

I've found the same; it seems to be a feature of modern ones. Years ago they used to use a separate switch unit inside (black with a little arm that rotated through 90deg) which are nicely quiet. Car boots or house renovations are probably the only source for these now :-(

[Bob Eager]

I forgot about that. I had an SP25, initially with a Deram cartridge. A friend of mine built a Heathkit stereo amplifier (his parents were well off; I got a scholarship to a mainly fee paying school). I couldn't afford that, but I built a clone; EL84s for output as I recall. Never did put the chassis in a case.

That was after the 4 valve TRF receiver at the age of 15; that never got a case either!

[ARWadsworth]

City Electrical Supplies used to stock them.

[Chris J Dixon]

The basic information he needs to take on board is that to pay someone else to do an hour's work means that you have to work for several hours,(1) because of their need to make a profit and your deductions for taxes etc.

(1) Bankers excepted.

Chris

[Weatherlawyer]

=A32 odd in Wilcos. 1/2 to fit.

[Tim Streater]

Between the RF and AF stages, to extract the AF signal from the RF.

Of course a valve could have been used as a diode, but the manufacturers hadn't done that. Perhaps some more knowledgeable head could tell me what they in fact had used. It looked like a large resistor, but when I removed it and broke it apart it appeared to have several small disc-shaped segments stacked together in series.

[dennis]

Are you sure that wasn't a selenium rectifier?