Today I acquired...........

[Cuthy246]

Try talky toaster maps, the free ones

@northwest https://extract.bbbike.org/ is good for free maps too. Can get both osm maps and topo data

 

[Robotstar5]

Today I was forced to acquire a bigger gas bottle thanks to Calor dropping the 4.5kg size even had to buy a new regulator as the old one doesn't fit the bigger bottles.

 

[MetalMonkey]

Jeepers that has taken me back about 60 years squeegeeing the gloop through a screen with a rubber wiper thing and then etching it off . I didn't realise that was still carried out but I guess it's all digitally controlled now.
Just realised it was all digital then ..............we used our fingers!

The way I used to do it was laser print the design on an acetate sheet, then lay it over the board, UV expose it, then straight in the acid etch tank - and that was old-school twenty-odd years ago!
Obviously only good for the odd small job on a single layer board, but handy if you need to knock something up quick, or prototype - anything serious we would send out externally to be done.

 

[OJCar]

Better access.

 

[brightspark]

Today I was forced to acquire a bigger gas bottle thanks to Calor dropping the 4.5kg size even had to buy a new regulator as the old one doesn't fit the bigger bottles.

View attachment 411871

did u just have to swap it or did they con you in to having to pay for new bottle ?? i have an empty 4.5kg one

 

[Robotstar5]

did u just have to swap it or did they con you in to having to pay for new bottle ?? i have an empty 4.5kg one

They won't take the small bottles back so I picked up a big one from marketplace for a tenner and just had to pay for the refill/exchange.

 

[Seadog]

Today I was forced to acquire a bigger gas bottle thanks to Calor dropping the 4.5kg size even had to buy a new regulator as the old one doesn't fit the bigger bottles.

View attachment 411871

That sounds like Apple's tactics.

 

[MattF]

They won't take the small bottles back

But then they have the cheek to get on about people reappropriating gas bottles.

 

[Robotstar5]

But then they have the cheek to get on about people reappropriating gas bottles.

I have a cunning plan for the old bottle

 

[sako243]

Jeepers that has taken me back about 60 years squeegeeing the gloop through a screen with a rubber wiper thing and then etching it off . I didn't realise that was still carried out but I guess it's all digitally controlled now.
Just realised it was all digital then ..............we used our fingers!

@MetalMonkey's method is the one we use.

The way I used to do it was laser print the design on an acetate sheet, then lay it over the board, UV expose it, then straight in the acid etch tank - and that was old-school twenty-odd years ago!
Obviously only good for the odd small job on a single layer board, but handy if you need to knock something up quick, or prototype - anything serious we would send out externally to be done.

Same here, a lot of what we do is one off designs and quite often can achieve a next day turn around on the entire system if we need to. You can do double sided boards relatively easily. That's what I've been doing today at the other office unfortunately the ferric chloride has gone weak and the gauze in the tank (proper old school made of titanium) is worn so I've really been struggling with it.

If the etching has been working then it's about 20 minutes to make a board from printing off the transparency to the board ready for drilling. The only thing we lose out on is plated through holes but there are solutions for that.

 

[Cobbler]

They won't take the small bottles back so I picked up a big one from marketplace for a tenner and just had to pay for the refill/exchange.

According to what I’ve seen, Calor have changed their minds on this, going to fill them, but not replace or test them when the time comes. So many caravans have locker space designed for them. I could be wrong on this, it could only be propane though.

 

[Robotstar5]

According to what I’ve seen, Calor have changed their minds on this, going to fill them, but not replace or test them when the time comes. So many caravans have locker space designed for them. I could be wrong on this, it could only be propane though.

I was at a Calor stockist today and 4.5kg bottles weren't on the list, maybe it will be updated.

 

[Cobbler]

I was at a Calor stockist today and 4.5kg bottles weren't on the list, maybe it will be updated.

Just had a look on the Calor web site & they say that they can be exchanged at the Calor depot by appointment, this is different from what was written in the Caravan club mag. Calor are a law unto themselves.

 

[redlig]

The way I used to do it was laser print the design on an acetate sheet, then lay it over the board, UV expose it, then straight in the acid etch tank - and that was old-school twenty-odd years ago!
Obviously only good for the odd small job on a single layer board, but handy if you need to knock something up quick, or prototype - anything serious we would send out externally to be done.

We used to use a board with strips of copper at about 1/4 " spacings and already pre drilled at again 1/4" spacings and just scratched out the copper as required. But I bet you already knew that. I forget the name of it now.

 

[julianthegypsy]

Just had a look on the Calor web site & they say that they can be exchanged at the Calor depot by appointment, this is different from what was written in the Caravan club mag. Calor are a law unto themselves.

It's going to cause huge problems for anyone with a motor home and many boats too.

 

[Cobbler]

It's going to cause huge problems for anyone with a motor home and many boats too.

It already is, a friend of mine has recently bought a Carthago campervan, takes two of the small cylinders in the locker. He’s got over it by using 2 patio gas ones, luckily they just fit in the locker. Don’t a lot of plumbers use them? Or used to, imagine trying to drag a 6 or 13 kilo one up into a roof space.

They have also done away with the 6kilo lightweight cylinder which was a far more manageable weight to handle in & out of a locker.

 

[julianthegypsy]

It already is, a friend of mine has recently bought a Carthago campervan, takes two of the small cylinders in the locker. He’s got over it by using 2 patio gas ones, luckily they just fit in the locker. Don’t a lot of plumbers use them? Or used to, imagine trying to drag a 13 kilo one up into a roof space.

The thing is, how are you going to make an external access gas locker big enough for a bigger bottle? Especially since every inch will already be used internally? Madness!

 

[Cobbler]

The thing is, how are you going to make an external access gas locker big enough for a bigger bottle? Especially since every inch will already be used internally? Madness!

My camper takes a single 6kilo, we have been using the lightweight as access is a bit restricted, no longer available, they were much sought after by the caravaners. They were a couple of pounds dearer to refill than the standard ones, but much nicer to handle

 

[MattF]

But then they have the cheek to get on about people reappropriating gas bottles.

Repurposing was obviously what I meant there. Senior moment.

 

[sako243]

We used to use a board with strips of copper at about 1/4 " spacings and already pre drilled at again 1/4" spacings and just scratched out the copper as required. But I bet you already knew that. I forget the name of it now.

Vero board / strip board. I think Vero tends to be associated with the ones without the tracks these days.

To be honest with the proliferation of surface mount stuff it's a useful bring able to prototype your own boards.