Oh!pEnions

Changing to NGK Iridum IXs

I used Platinums on my first car, a Proton Satria 1.6 long ago. This will be my first time with Irirdiums.

My car runs at least 90Km per day and this means, I would be servicing my car every 4 months.

This daily commute seems slightly shorter compare to when I was an Engineer decades ago and I am used to driving such distances by now. And to be honest, I enjoy driving on long roads (except when I am going to be late). Unfortunately, this also translates to higher wear and tear on the car. I think it's time I need to do some serious maintenance on this decade old car.

First off, I would be changing the spark plugs. Based on my experience with Perodua, the spark plugs are changed every 20,000Km for about RM52.00 despite their Service manual stating it has to be changed every 100,000Km. At my current job which service European cars, they are changed every 40,000Km. Lastly according ton NGK's Iridium IX, they are changed at every 100,000Km. A lot to think about because there is a theory that the original sparks when I first got the car could be very, very good. But you know, 10 years later, this is not so important anymore.

I won't compare with Service Intervals because that's too long. I mean, for 100K, this would mean 10 service intervals or 5 years. Let's look at mileage instead. Of course, I would need to bump up the normal plugs five time since Perodua changes mine about every 20K.

Perodua: RM52.00 x 5 = RM260 = RM0.0026/Km
Iridium IX: RM158 = RM0.0016/Km

So, yeah, despite what everyone says and their own theory of cost saving, I want to try some NGKs. Because I can.

This time, I decided to try PH Auto located in SEA Park,Petaling Jaya. The total cost set me back quite a bit since I also bought a thermostat, an air filter and some Toyota Long Life coolant.

Before you can start replacing the spark plugs, you need to deal with the Air filter compartment first. The first thing is to unlock all six clamps.

It is also a good time to change the air filter too. We used to just blow away the dust with compressed air but after some time, it is better to change to a new one. I think the older one was about a year ago, or 3 services past...


The you need to unscrew the three 10mm bolts. Note that the bolt above is the shortest of the three.

Carefully pull the tray up and then move it to the right, making sure the clipped tube and wires are not pulled out (I can pull them all out but I'm too lazy to today). Again, remove the four 10mm bolts which secures the ignition coils.

Starting with the rightmost which I call this #4, after pulling out the ignition coil, I unscrew the plug with a tool I borrowed. For Perodua, I used a 14mm socket. The plug looked a little burnt and some oil though.

Things got a little worrying with #3 as there are some oil residue on the tool and also on the ignition coil.

I started to worry once I reached #1 as there are more engine oil on the coil and the plug well. Even the plug is wet.

This is Plug #1 and it is wet with engine oil

Spark Plug conditions from left to right

Anti-Clockwise starting from bottom right

Conclusion
After starting up the car, the idling is much smoother and from the brief test drive, it seemed like the car is getting impatient with my slow driving. I cannot prove this but I did take a before and after video where the sounds from the Engine has changed slightly.

I will know more when I commute come Monday...

But one thing for sure, I cannot ignore the engine oil in the spark plug wells. It is a serious condition where (according to the Internet) it could be failing gaskets or maybe just the o-rings. Still, that means more money gone.

That Click-Clack word generator

If you have a nice pencil and a cream notepad with subtle lines, you will definitely enjoy drawing out your ideas. And for me, a nice Keyboard makes typing, um, enjoyable. I have changed a lot of keyboards for the last 20-odd years. From the ones that came with the PC to the clear blue (everyone went nuts with clear colours when the clear Apple iMac first came out) to well, DELL's and so on).

Despite the variations, I could not compare the one back when I was in Uni. At that time, the PC were either XTs or 386s but there was one item which captivated me. The Cherry mechanical keyboards. Boy, it was so fun to type on, as if I was using some kind of fancy typewriter. I also feel like one of those hackers or computer experts like the ones you see in the movies because of the clacking sound. Anyway, it was high time I got myself a new keyboard as the current one felt very big and it was so.... so, PS/2.

The so-called gaming accessories became big a few years ago and everyone was talking about red or blue switches and so on. I did try a few at the shops and their asking price really want to make me turn to a life of crime. It was not until two nights ago that when I was about to doze off, an Ad on Facebook came and price was too good to resist!

Long story short, I got the Keyboard sans keypad for half the asking price, which is quite a bargain since it was from Armageddon. Yep, the MKA-2C Psychraven from Singapore. The only problem I had was:

1. No USB connections (kinda miss my Dell)
2. No keypad so my pinky keeps molesting the mouse
3. I'm always hitting the CAPS LOCK
4. Very small ENTER which means I end up hitting the '\", and
5. The slant angle of the keyboard could be higher, please.

After an hour into typing, the muscle memory is starting to get used to the new setup and as long as I don't think about which keys to hit, the mistake are at a minimum. But somehow, the light effects on the keyboard is kinda distracting. I am sure there are a lot of settings but it did not come with the manual. I guess I'll look up the 'Net later. Right now, I'm just click-clacking around.

The current IBM with PS/2 connector (top) and the Armageddon MKA-Psychraven 2C with the modern USB connector

The keyboard's lights are sometimes quite distracting. Maybe one day, they would have a white LED for the keycaps while the rest can round around for all I care.

Cleaning the IBM keyboard. Yeah, there's a lot of stuff stuck in there.

Repairing the Panasonic Washing Machine

For months, after every wash, the floors were flooded. We could not understand why. After checking the surroundings, we guessed that the washing machine is the culprit. This machine has been serving us for years and I guess, its time to get a new one. Not a very nice idea since during the MCO, we are worried if we even had a job....

Anyway, fast forward months later, I was able to take a look at the washing machine and boy, I was full of anger...

This is the insides of the washing machine. You can access this area after removing a few screws which secured a metal plate. Looking around, I know the plastic base is wet but there are no leaks or signs of any dripping. And then I saw some empty la-la shells (clamps shelfish). Yes, my friends, it only mean one thing: Rats.

And so, I started to feel around the tub and eventually the hoses. Bingo! The stupid rat has eaten a hole in the drum;s drain pipe.

After pestering my Wife to get the replacement part from Lazada (I don't really have an active account), the package arrived a few days ago. Something weird here as when I took a closer look...

It was the part of the OTHER end of the drain pipe! There is no other parts available and so, it's time to improvise!

I had to cut away the hose first and then on the ends, slowly peel off the remaining plastic. Seems like they were secured with some kind of Sabah glue but once I start to peel the cut surface away, the hardened glue broke away.

Care must be taken on this part as the 'T-junction' hose is quite soft.

The old (lower) against the new (upper)

Man, that is one serious 2 inch hole. No wonder the whole floor flooded so easily. It was like opening a tap.

I do not have Sabah glue and so, I decided to use some silicon as some kind of gasket and to make sure it holds. I am using the leftover silicon which I used for the kitchen sink. This is a whitish version, called Neutral Silicon 605 from Pentens. Although the bottle says it is ECO FRIENDLY, you still have to be careful on whom or where you use it.

With the white silicon acting as watertight gasket, I secure the hose with some cable-ties.
Originally, I wanted to use those metal tap adjustable hose clamps but they might crack the plastic.

The same goes for the lower end which connects to the 'T-Junction' piping.

Mission accomplished!
This is how the old hose looked like.

This is the new improvised hose.
So, we're going to wait for at least 24 hours for the silicon to dry before testing with a laundry load.

Bagus

Bagus: pronounced as bagos or baɡʊs
Meaning: good, wonderful, fine, alluring, useful, enjoyable, pleasant taste, well done (congratulatory), great work done, etc

But here in Malaysia, there is another meaning....

Mom/Dad: Son, don't run or you'll fall
Kid: *runs anyway*

Kid falls, blood on their shin and cries

Mom/Dad: Ha! Bagus! Bagus! Runa again la! Bagus!

In this example, the parent was not encouraging the Kid nor congratulate them on their action. It's almost a sarcastic remark and has the opposite meaning as in, "Great work, Kid, do it again and hee how much more painful when you fall again".

In other words, "I told you so"

Going into Trance

When I was small, my late Mom had to bring me to a lot of mediums due to my sickness and other stuff. By then, I would have known the procedures:

1. Take off the shoes, settle down and if you're lucky, there are no bullies who pick on you.
2. Wait, and then, you follow your Mom in offering prayers and lighting up joss sticks
3. Wait.

4. Wait

Suddenly, the chanting would stop and you WILL know what is going to happen next.

The centre of the room is cleared and only the table is left. A man would then start to light up some joss-sticks and then pray to the altar. Almost immediately, he sort of almost falls and starts to shake, from his hands to his head. He is then lead to the table and this is where expectant visitors line up. They would be asking him questions, which he, being the medium would relay back the answers from the afterworld.

Now, growing up, I did believe in all this because it did help me boost my confidence, pass exams or whatever fear I had because I was also carrying the amulet which was blessed. But now, the hocus-pocus is starting to wear off. That is, until a few days ago. I was in another medium's room, but this time, with more lights and much brighter walls. Everyone was crowding around me and the joss-stick I was holding seemed...wrong.

In my mind, I was thinking, 'You know, maybe I just fake it and see what the fun is all about' and so, I help it up again. All of a sudden, I was in a dream-like state and my vision was clouded with white edges. There were people talking to me but it was not important. In front of me was a white parchment with some circles, plus yellow markings. I was trying to concentrate and remember the pattern. And then, suddenly, I was back in that room, trying to redo what I saw....

And I work up...

08.06.2020 How not to do a campaign

So, as I was driving my daughter to some location which I forgot, we were passing through the Batu Tiga Toll (not=w demolished) where I noticed a lot of people wearing white overalls, with yellow helmets, goggles and face masks. They were in the midst of putting up some black vinyl netting next to the Toll entrances. It was quite haphazardly done and some cars actually went through them and smashed into the Toll dividers.

When it was our turn, we carefully maneuvered through, I was given a big wall calendar and roughly told to go to the Toll Office. Had to drive up there, missed the turn and carefully reversed back to the small lane to get to that office. Once there, I was informed that I had the WINNER Calendar and was told to wait for the Prize Giving Ceremony.

So, a bunch of us waited. And waited. By now, it is nearly ten in the morning, which means I have been waiting for nearly three hours. and, they (or rather, the female CEO showed up). She looked weird, disconnected, maybe tired. So, it seems that we, are fodder for some last minute Company Campaign.

This explains the haphazard ads (or netting) in front of the Toll Booths, the the weird instructions by the 'Staff' and the CEO's tardy appearance.

In the end, I walked out and went on with my destination, trying to think of a good reason for my Daughter's lateness to school. And then I woke up, wondering what has this dream got to do with us?

02.04.2020 Hunting for food in the Urban Jungle

So, we;re now in the Second Phase of the MCO (Movement Controlled Order). Although we're still required to stay in our homes, we're still allowed to go out for the sake of shopping for groceries. However, for the Second Phase we are only allowed to travel alone in a car. This is not a good thing so, my Wife and I had to drive two cars...

It was slightly after Two in the Afternoon as my Wife insisted we go out after Lunch.
Also, during this period, the car park entrance was free which is a kind gesture by TMC

This is one of the rare instances where the Staff outnumber the Customers.
On a normal day, you will only be able to experience this when they open around 0830 in the morning

They will let in about 5 Customers per time and each would be handed a card with a number.
The outgoing Customer's number is then handed over to the Guard for the new Customer.
The highest number I have seen was 47.

This is the second time I was here and now, apart from spraying your hands with sanitizers, they will take your temperature too.

All the cheap SPAM has disappeared. and these are the only ones left

Even the affordable Sardines and Tune has gone

Time to get this elusive Anglia Shandy which my daughters love

Allt he shops are closed, except for the 7-11

This is one of the few busy streets in Bangsar and well, look at it now

In the 80's (when I started to use Public Transport), this was how the main road looked like: empty
You can lie on it for a few minutes and there would still be no car coming up.

Time to face the music as I accidentally broke an egg...

Life in 2025

One day, we will all wake up to fresh air and to the sounds of nature all around us.
We will eat fresh food grown from our own garden and slaughter our own meat just like how our Grandparents did. We will feel at one with Nature. We will.

Through technology, our bodies toned and kept to top conditions through auto-acupuncture which simulates muscle activity and we never get sick much. Maybe its the unfiltered tap water or the slightly dirty pumped indoor air, but I believe they are part of helping our body's immune system to fight any diseases. How do we know that? All Information comes from the screen, thanks to the Govenrment who are workng tirelessly to ensure the contents are authentic.

Daily life is so normal and bliss. Why commute to Office when you can work at home? Even your children are being taught right in their rooms, downloading accelerated information into their brains. And their tests? Perfect score all the time! And they are so well behaved, and well groomed, just like our neighbour and their neighbours too. This technology allows children the right to education all over the World, at the same time, and at the same topics, all towards the peaceful goal of a Unified World.

Missing your friends? You can dine with them at the same time zone with you, right from the comforts of your lounge. And today is Friday, which means everyone is enjoying Beef Stroganoff blocks. Oh, don't worry if you're a Vegan or have some Religious inhibitions. The Department of Social Correction will help you to think just like everyone else. Still,if you think your friend is not behaving well, give the Department a call and you will have a new Friend before you start to miss them. Sometimes, there would be random parts in the block and we know, some of these guys at the Factory are just plain Jokers. No, that wrist tag did not belong to you former friend. Those guys just accesses your friends list and printed the name tag. Really. Stop asking questions or we WILL come and pay you a visit.

Working everyday at the office is bliss as all you every need to do is to execute commands and the automatons would do the rest. Yes, you are the most inportant part of the World's Economy as only you, and the rest of your friends can fill the gap where decision making is concerned. Time will have no meaning as what cannot be completed today, can wait until tomorrow. We are all the same, every where, every time. No more Wars, No more Politics, and importantly, We are One.

There is no need to come out of your house but if you really need to drive around, just remember to get that Medical Tag approved before Lunch or else you will have an un-excellent day. You can drive any car you see on the street outside but remember, it has a 5Km distance limit so you need to plan your trip well to prevent any location lockdown when the Siren sounds at 1900. Don't worry, all these are momentary solutions until the Government has solved the latest Virus which has ravaged a lot of innocent for the past few decades. Do your part and soon, we will all be able to beat this.

So, Dinner is done, sit back and enjoy a good cup of Selection #14 with your Wife. Oh, go on, have some 0.5g of sweetener, then. You deserved it for being a good boy! Wait, you Wife does not like you being too friendly tonight? Have you checked your Social Distancing etiquette? How about your Social Touching meter? Remember, there is a limit on non-sanitized bodily contacts per day. Oh, she is moody all evening? Right, a new Wife would be sent to you before your scheduled 2245 bedtime and we'll need an additional half hour to make sure your children knows their new Mom. Shall we match her bases on last week's Perfect Mate survey?

See you soon, Buddy and don't forget to take your daily Formula 152!

The SMD LED that blinks

That's right, folks. Somewhere in China, someone has managed to make White SMD LEDS blink at 1.5Hz!

OK, if you want to know how fast 1.5Hz is, just say, 'One Thousand and One' and that would be your 1 second.
So the 1.5Hz is you saying, "One Thousa..'. And I am hoping they would do 1Hz as well

It's great for putting them as navigation blinkers in small spaces but just like the Candle LED, I suspect that if some were put side by side, they might flash out of sync. Which, would be bad if they're connected on the same surface place. So, you need to place one at the top of the model and one at the bottom. And in a pinch, you can use them as 1.5Hz clock generators too.

Now you see it...

Now you don't.
And that's, 'One thousan...' for you of 0.6667 seconds

The 0805 LED is already very small but in modeling scale, its already a tad too big. There are smaller ones such as the 0603 and the 0401 which are great for scale lighting. Anyhoo, see that small square at the top left of the chip? I think that's the circuit to make the LED flash.

Sometimes, you just gotta Bling

I couldn't resist in getting some of these clear breadboards. For those who are into circuit design, breadboards are the best and fastest way to test if your design works before you move into the circuit board stage. Bigger circuits or chips with more ports would need more of them. Not a problem; you just snap another piece on and continue.

Although they're big and clunky, butdo bear in mind that this is just a prototype. I do have a choice of using spare finalised PCBs but it's not a good idea re-programming chips again and again when the Codes are not finalised.

Still, looking at the same old yellowing breadboards everytime can really be kind of boring and the monotony does destroy creativity fast...

They're small, they're inter-lockable aaaaannndddd clear!


Note that unlike the original breadboard, the clear one dies not have what I would call as power rails on both sides. But gollee! The orignal is so full of dust and yellowing. Kinda like all my projects going to the limbo and back when parts arrives... or not.

I'm sorry, Sir. I won't be programming for you

Well, that sucked. Really sucked. And it was on a Monday too.

Let me tell you why.
(tl;dr - POS Test Clip not working)

Once I have finalised a program, it means it's code is ready for Production. So, the moment the chip has been programmed, it would be soldered onto the circuit board and that's it. So, if there is any changes after that, I would be expelling a lot of colourful expletives.

But, the codes still need to be changed. Unlike a normal chip which I can just pull it out of the socket, SMDs are a whole lot different. Desoldering SMDs requires a lot of work if your intention is to reuse them. Another alternative is what one would call ICSP (In-circuit Serial Programming) where you just connect the circuit board directly to the programmer. In this case, I would just need to solder the relevant pins from the chip to the programmer. No a problem until you realise there are tons of them lying on the table.

And so, to cut a long story short, I invested in a SMD test-clip. And after waiting for more than two months, it arrived. But after using/testing it for half and hour, it sucked. At first I thought it was because the solder got in the way. So I took a fresh chip and it failed 9 out of 10 times. Using this clip would have saved a lot of time, that is, if I had any last minute changes.

Oh well, maybe one day I would be able to find a more reliable clip but not today. I'll just let today suck monkey balls.

And so, here it is. That sucky SMD clip (black) connected to ribbon cables and then finally, to a DIL adaptor (yellow) to connect to my programmer

So, in normal sense, I would just plug this clip onto my circuit board and re-program the chip from there.
But it did not work. Damn it.

Flux Dreaming

Imagine this. You just work up from your dream. Very gently. And everything is still, serene, quiet. You're still comfortable in your bed, plus, the Sun has not come up yet. The only sensation you feel is some kind of a familiar and inviting warmth

And in a lazy way, you realise the memories from the last dream moments ago was still fresh...

I was in some college/organisation where I was being audited or something. Finally, when I was given the score, it was not a very good one with the Appraiser snarkily saying, "Perhaps you should have joined other activities/modules to improve that score." AND THEN I REALISED, (or recollected) THAT SOME OF MY RECENT DREAMS WERE ACTUALLY TEST MODULES!!!.

So, for the next hour or so, my mind was trying to remember which dream were the test modules, keep the score, and then went back to sleep to search for that room where the Appraiser was. I could not find her...

Then my Phone's SocMed notifications started...

Here no water, la

Day 3

There is still no water. The sudden water cut has affected the daily lives of those living in the area. In a weird way, some staff could not report for work and I do not know why. Most cafes and restaurants have started to close and the surviving ones have to use their wits for the first time, to survive. With one less shop today, the same amount of customers still needs to be fed. Some stalls have resorted to using disposable cups and things have not reached critical levels where customers have to use their hands to eat or bring their own cutlery.

On another note, it is believed that dihydrogen monoxide (aka DHMO) is harmful, thanks to the hours of research on the Internet. The authorities have launched a vigorous campaign three days ago, to eliminate traces of this dangerous chemical in the area...

I hope this water shortage is resolved soon before things come to a boil...

Mileage Recalculation

OK, I have recalculated my Mileage data again. And the figures feels wicked. I just hope I am correct this time because I am now calculating based on the mileage used and not some other crazy ideas like using the distance on the future tankfull.

Anyway, they are not as consistent as I wanted since I have to use my car on full load at least once in that same tank. Or even a drive into town. And that, gives me an average of perhaps, 13.8 Km/L?

Fighting Apocalypse

I had a very exciting and almost scary dream this morning.

We're in a wooden house of some sort, maybe a lodge and in the middle of the woods. In front of me was that Tom Holland kid, you know, the current Spiderman. And yes, he was in costume sans the mask. Not sure what were discussing intensely about, but at this point of time, I can tell you that we're seconds away from something big/dangerous. And his panicking face did not help at all. Either we're arguing or, well, it was something else

Then the sudden yellow blast from behind made toothpicks on my right, or rather, where Spidey stood an eye blink ago. Funny thing was, the blast was so close to my right ribs but I did not feel anything.

Oh, right. I was Iron Man. Tony Stark without his helmet.

I had to keep moving, from every corner of the house to the next, because if I stopped, even for a second, that bright golden blast would be heading my way. This went on and on for quite a while, maybe it's because my slow brain could not take over from the reflexes and adrenaline that was trying to save my very existence.

And then I woke up.

And the message in that dream?
Yeah, the green grass outside were beautifully maintained and it was dusk

What Goes Down, must come Up

It's more than seven years since VeeChai suffered from any damage costing more than RM50.00...

It started long ago when the front window's control button got loose. Well, it was not a problem since it still workied. But last year, one of the windows could not go up after it came down. OK, since it's the window behind me, I could just do some stretching exercise and tap on the controls at the back. And just a month ago, the same thing happened to the window on my left....

I did scout around Pasar Road for a replacement and even entertained the idea of doing some risky DIY repairs. I mean, why not? That small little thing, which does not even have any blinking LEDs, costs about RM80.00 is starting to look a little too expensive. After looking at the module and realised that there is a circuit board and some chips inside, I guess the asking price was OK afterall. Then again, the dream of wanting to repair it at my own leisurely convenience came to naught when the second window broke down. No way I am going to lean over to close that window when I'm doing more than 30Km/h on the roads.

And so, RM75.00 flew away just like that....