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From: Jeroen Belleman <jeroen@nospam.please>
Newsgroups: sci.electronics.design
Subject: Re: LEDs, drama
Date: Mon, 5 May 2025 19:35:47 +0200
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On 5/5/25 14:02, Carlos E.R. wrote:
> On 2025-05-05 12:54, Bill Sloman wrote:
>> On 5/05/2025 3:28 am, Cursitor Doom wrote:
>>> On Sun, 04 May 2025 06:56:23 -0700, john larkin <jl@glen--canyon.com>
>>> wrote:
>>>
>>>> On Sun, 04 May 2025 12:18:12 +0100, Cursitor Doom <cd@notformail.com>
>>>> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> On Fri, 02 May 2025 08:10:44 -0700, john larkin <jl@glen--canyon.com>
>>>>> wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> One of my young engineers just got the first unit of a thing he
>>>>>> designed. He was all cautious about bringing it up a step at a time,
>>>>>> so I just pulled rank and switched it on in self-trigger mode. It
>>>>>> works.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/wl51ennrq60edw9ina3za/P800-1Hz- 
>>>>>> Selft-Trigger.mp4?rlkey=ravaj03c330jjfmplylxr2k7j&dl=0
>>>>>>
>>>>>> It's an 8-channel high voltage pulse generator. We're not sure what
>>>>>> it's used for and the customer won't tell.
>>>>>
>>>>> Could be for the timing capacitors in a fusion bomb. I really wouldn't
>>>>> worry about it.
>>>>
>>>> I've done timing to fire implosion fission bombs, and this doesn't
>>>> look to be one of those.
>>>
>>> Yes, I said *fusion* bomb which is somewhat different. Timing is
>>> critical for those. It's rather like grasping a wet bar of soap.
>>>
>>>> Some of the things that could be really fun aren't, because the good
>>>> bits are secret.
>>>
>>> Yes, I can see how that would spoil things a bit from your POV.
>>>
>>>> One of my son-in-laws has a PhD in engineering mechanics and works for
>>>> a big lab that blows things up. He says it's not much fun because the
>>>> booms happen miles away and all he gets is data.
>>>
>>> Er, yes. I think on balance I'd sooner be miles away in his position.
>>> Jeff loves blowing stuff up. Haven't heard from him in a while; hope
>>> he's okay and not been 'hoist by his own petard' if I might throw in a
>>> bit of Hamlet here.
>>
>> A petard was a very small canon or mortar used for blowing down doors 
>> and walls, and notoriously dangerous to the person employing it.
>>
>> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petard
>>
>> It may be one of the many idioms that Shakespeare invented (and he 
>> invented a lot), but the weapon was invented in 1579 when Shakespeare 
>> was 15, so he could well have picked up the phrase from some of his 
>> contemporaries.
> 
> Wow, thanks, I always wondered where the expression came from.
> 
> You see, for me the word "petard" is very similar to the Spanish 
> "petardo", a firecracker.
> 
> 
> The wikipedia doesn't explain why it was that dangerous. The Spanish 
> article on it is much shorter, but the explanation on how it was 
> prepared is more detailed.
> 
> 

It comes from French. It literally means "farter".

Jeroen Belleman