[rescue] Cooling (Long Message, sorry)

[Dave McGuire]

On April 16, Jochen Kunz wrote:
> >   Disclaimer: I'm a computers-and-electronics-head, not a
> > math-head...
> An electronics-head should know that. I asume you are more interrested
> in digital electronics? 

  Most of my electronics work in recent years has been with
microcontrollers, though I do some RF and basic analog stuff here &
there.  I didn't say I was an electronics EXPERT, but I've certainly
designed my fair share of circuitry both personally and
professionally.  I don't have a college background, so if making
something work (for example) can be done by either an hour of
calculations to figure out the correct value of a fixed resistor or
five minutes of using a variable resistor then measuring its value, I
will choose the latter.

  The tendency to reduce all things electronic to overcomplicated
mathematics is irritating at best and counterproductive at worst.  I
know full well that switching power supplies aren't purely resistive
loads, and I [basically] understand power factor theory, even though I
can't sit down and generate page after page of equations about it...it
JUST WASN'T IMPORTANT in that conversation.

> > L wouldn't know a cosine if it walked up and shook my hand.
> ??? You don't learn basic trigonometry at scool?

  No, as a matter of fact, I didn't.  I ignored high school and failed
literally everything except computer science.  Instead I spent my time
learning how to do *useful* things, like building networks, writing
software, and designing hardware.  I was allowed to graduate as a
result of a deal that was likely illegal, but it resulted in the
school having a real computer science program.

  Right now, I design electronic circuitry (microcontroller and wireless
datacomm stuff) for a living, and I'm doing well, perhaps in spite of
the fact that I don't have a strong mathematical background.  My brain
just doesn't grok it, never has, and likely never will.

> >   Nothing with a switching power supply is a purely resistive load, we
> > all know that.  I'm talking about rough calculations here.  Thanks for
> > clarifying the finer points.
> You know. Here are geeks around. Geeks are nitpickers. ;-)

  Geeks also try to impress each other a little too much by pointing out
the things that other geeks don't know.

  *grr*

         -Dave

-- 
Dave McGuire                                 "Mmmm.  Big."
St. Petersburg, FL                                -Den