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Subdeacon Joe

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    Electric vehicles

    in SASS Wire Saloon

    Posted

    In California to be considered and e-Bike it must have operable pedals, otherwise it's a motorcycle.  All the usual bicycle laws apply, although there are speed limits for them.  Class 1 and 2 are limited to 20mph, Class 3 to 28mph.

     

    https://www.calbike.org/california-e-bike-classifications/#:~:text=E-bikes evolved from traditional,and may use bike lanes.

    "The California vehicle code defines e-bikes as: “[A] bicycle equipped with fully operable pedals and an electric motor of less than 750 watts.” It further breaks e-bikes into three categories, following a classification system created by PeopleForBikes that has been adopted in 40 states.

    • Class 1: Provides assistance only when the rider is pedaling and ceases to provide assistance when the bicycle reaches a speed of 20 mph
    • Class 2: Operates via pedal-assist or throttle and ceases to provide assistance when the bicycle reaches a speed of 20 mph
    • Class 3: Provides assistance only when the rider is pedaling and ceases to provide assistance when the bicycle reaches a speed of 28 mph

    Golf carts:

    AI Overview
     
    Yes, golf carts can be street legal in California if they meet certain requirements. These requirements include safety features, vehicle identification numbers, and registration. 
     
    Safety features 
     
    • Horn: Alerts other drivers
    • Fenders: Protect the vehicle
    • Seat belts: Protect passengers in a collision or sudden stop
    • Lights: Headlights, taillights, brake lights, turn signals, and reflectors
    • Windshield and wipers: Improve visibility in bad weather
    • Parking brake: Prevents the vehicle from moving accidentally when not in use
    • Rear-view mirror: Shows the area behind the vehicle for up to 200 feet
    Vehicle identification numbers and registration
    • Golf carts must have a 17-digit vehicle identification number (VIN) 
       
    • Golf carts must be registered with the California DMV 
       
    • Registration requires the following documents:
      • Application for Title or Registration (REG 343) 
         
      • California Certificate of Title 
         
      • Manufacturer's certificate/statement of origin 
         
      • Bill of sale 
         
      • Verification of Vehicle (REG 31) 
         
      • Statement of Facts (REG 256) 
         
    Speed limits 
     
    • Street-legal golf carts are usually limited to a maximum speed of 25 miles per hour
    • They are usually allowed on roads with a speed limit of 35 miles per hour or less
    Violating golf cart laws in California can result in fines, impoundment, and increased liability. 
    • Thanks 1

    The Demon Core

    in SASS Wire Saloon

    Posted

    17 minutes ago, Pat Riot said:

    You may not think so, but I do. How much experience do you have working with PhD level Physicists?

     

    Not many, maybe 4 or 5, but dozens of geologists, including geophysicists.  Maybe, pardon the pun, the geologists are just more down to earth and practical than nuclear and theoretical physicists.  

    • Like 1
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    The Demon Core

    in SASS Wire Saloon

    Posted

    42 minutes ago, Pat Riot said:

    Sorry for this long read:

     

    I am not sure if those Physicists at Los Alamos were brave, overeducated dumbasses or just under the influence of hopeful notoriety. 
    I worked with Physicists and Sr. Engineers at Hughes for 5.5 years ‘83-‘88 in R&D labs.
    In regard to the Physicists their goals were lofty and to create or discover something that would garner them praise and recognition from other Physicists around the world in Academia. 

    I often wondered how many of the Physicists not only in the U.S., but throughout the world have injured or shortened the life spans of themselves and their colleagues chasing the answers that could get them notoriety among their peers. 
     

    Many Physicists that I knew were quite unassuming men that were brilliant at what they did, but lacked a certain level of common sense.

    We dealt with radiation for testing in our labs, but nothing like the Demon Core. We had small radioactive test sources that were stored in lead “pigs”. These sources were basically the size of a 1/4” drive screwdriver bit with a radioactive pellet on the end. I do not recall the strength of the radioactivity of these “sources” but a couple of them were low. Just enough to register or show that they were aligned for the testing of electronic chips used in satellites for radiation hardening. 
    We also had a couple of pigs that had small but powerful radioactive sources. If someone said “We need the big pig for testing” the level of excitement in the lab went from elevator Muzak to 70’s rock within seconds. These sources were not to be trifled with. 
    Now, for setting up these chip and circuit board radiation tests the test bench was set up near our lead hut test area. Basically, the lead hut was a bunch of 4x8x3 solid lead bricks that were stacked to make an enclosure around the test fixture that held the devices to be tested. Cables and test leads were routed between to bricks and there was a specific brick with a hole in it the size of the source. This brick and the test fixture had to be aligned so the “Test Source” could be inserted into the hut on a wand and placed against or near the chip or board to be tested without the ability to actually see the circuit and the wand from outside the hut because once the lead lid was place on the hut via a small bridge crane the testing Physicists could not physically see the source or the test circuit. 
    The test source was kept in a mock lead pig so the Physicists could open the pig and use the wand (basically a gun cleaning rod with a female 8-32 head) to screw the source into it then the source is introduced into the hut for alignment adjustments. 
    Nearly every Physicist had their own Test Source and they all Carri’s them in their pockets during test set ups. 
    I was constantly telling these guys that this was a very bad habit and that could lead to mistakes that could get someone hurt. I also told them they should have a “2 man rule” when dealing with radiation so they could safety check each other. I was ignored as I was a mere knuckle dragger. 
    Anyway, I said all this to lead up to this.

    We had a Physicist that was doing a particularly high profile test for the Air Force. He had a demonstration to do for some Air Force brass using a really high radiation source to show that the new chips developed for a project were sufficiently radiation hardened and would operate well within specs. 
    Mike worked very hard and put in some long hours getting this test ready. I noticed him constantly checking the alignment of everything and using his dummy source to the alignments. The dummy source he carried in his pocket like a little trophy. 
    One day Mike asked me to holler him move the Big Pig into place and he commenced actual radiation testing. Whenever the top of the Big Pig was opened I left. My job was not to be handling that crap and I has no intention of allowing a bunch of absent minded Physicists to ruin my life.

    So, Mike’s test went off perfectly. The Air Force brass was pleased and now Mike had to disassemble the entire setup which took a couple of days. 
    On day 3 after the test some nuke auditors came to the lab and I was assigned to assist them. 
    We put on your lead aprons and masks and I opened each pig and retrieved the sources so we could show the sources were there, the sources matched the documentation for rad levels and that they were in the proper pig. 
    When we got to the biggest pig I immediately knew something was wrong when I looked inside to align the wand to screw it onto the source to retrieve it. The source was the color of aluminum, not stainless steel. I pulled the source out and as I was showing it to the inspectors I saw the word “DUMMY” etched into it
    My heart sank.

    All hell broke loose. 
    Long story short: For 3 days Mike the Physicist has been carrying the highest level rad source we had in the lab around in his pants pocket.

    He was immediately hospitalized. Auditors swooped in from the Air Force. Sweat pumps were fully online. People weee questioned. Procedures were scrutinized and in the end all of the recommendations provided by one lone Sr. R&D Tech (me) were turned into procedure's.

    From that day on I was a pariah in that lab. Why? Because I had no degree yet the PhD level intellectuals had to follow procedures that I helped develop utilizing my Navy experience and the standards & regs set by the Air Force. 
    In the end, Mike the Physicist was deemed

    “Okay” but would not be fathering any more children. He was made to sign a document exonerating Hughes and the Air Force should he later succumb to radiation related disease or injury. 

     

     

     

    First, a peeve - why do people apologize and call anything over 50 words "a long read?"  50 pages, yeah, that's a moderately long read, but this was barely 1000 words. 
    That out of the way, excellent post.  

    I don't think your statement

    52 minutes ago, Pat Riot said:

    I am not sure if those Physicists at Los Alamos were brave, overeducated dumbasses or just under the influence of hopeful notoriety. 

    which disparages all of the physicists at Los Alamos is fair.  I'm fair certain that some of them fit those descriptions, but, in general, people in that field go into it driven by curiosity and a drive to try to Understand How It All Works.    They were voyaging into uncharted waters. They had theory on paper, or chalkboards, but how well did that theory match up with the Physical Universe and How It All Works?  

    I think those incidents were caused by complacency and a huge dose of hubris.  "Hey!  I've done this dozens of times!"  Like the fast draw people who blow a hole in their leg with a blank.  

     

    The flip side is that in the two incidents in the video they knew instantly what they had done and took the necessary steps to keep it from getting worse.  And Slotin, knowing, KNOWING, he was a dead man, keeping his cool and mapping out the exposure of everyone in the room, amazing.

    As to "overeducated dumbasses,"  I've noticed that a fair number of people with advanced degrees are dumber than a box of rocks on anything outside their narrow field. 
     

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