Sometimes you need to get away from all the instant bad news. I believe that we, as a nation, are turning into a bunch of pussies because all we hear is a shipload of evilness. Day in and out you have earthquakes, airport scares, child abductions, murders, markets crashing, and on and on. Trouble is, you have no control over any of those things. And, quite frankly, shouldn’t even be worrying about them. You’re more likely to die from a fall in the tub than a terrorist.

I used to travel a bit back and forth between Chicago and Austin for work. After a stressful trip to Chicago (anger capital of the world, IMO), I’d sit at the back of the plane with my glass of wine and my book. It was a ritual I had to follow. Like a decompression chamber. Sloughing off the bad vibes of the North and re-acclimating myself to the laid back groove of Austin. (Austin is changing, even in the few years we’ve been here, but it’s still more copacetic than most places.)

The book of choice was “In the Mountains of Heaven”. It’s a travel book, and an inspiring one at that. It’s one of those books that makes you feel good about humanity. Things aren’t always rosy, but they are real, and you see that there are so many more good people than bad. It makes you think of other cultures. It makes you ponder about others lives. People whom you will never meet, but who love and feel in just the same way that you do.

So, if life is wearing you out, I suggest a glass of wine and a chapter from this book. You can find it remaindered or used, or can get a new copy at Amazon. It made my trips back to Austin a lot more enjoyable and meaningful.

In the Mountains of Heaven: True Tales of Adventure on Six Continents

Ever wanted to pretend to be a Roman Legionnaire? Need a lightweight but really kick-ass little axe? Then take a look at the Fox Roman-style Hunter’s Axe.

It weighs only about a pound and is a little over a foot long, making it an ideal little axe for your yard work (or building fortified camps). It’s made in Northern Italy using Swedish steel and is of very high quality.

What do I like most about this axe? Well, it looks really cool for one. And it has a wonderfully shaped blade. But the one thing that I find most impressive is the handle design.

The handle is a marvel in wood shaping. You grasp the axe from the bottom end of the handle and it fits perfectly into your clasped hand. It’s such a natural position that the axe becomes and extension of your arm. The grip is so perfect that it feels magical in your hand — it’s that good.

In the USA you can get the Fox Roman Hunters Axe at A.G. Russell for about $70. (Russell is a reputable dealer, based out of Arkansas. I’ve bought a number of things from them.)

Here is the link: Fox Knives Roman Style Hunters Axe

When working with digital electronics it’s often helpful to see what you are doing. Unfortunately our eyes don’t have the ability to see data flowing through a copper wire. Instead, being the smart animals we are, we come up with tools to help us.

One such tool is the Logic Analyzer. It’s a device that can monitor and display the bits of ons and offs that are flowing through the circuits we’ve designed.  Unfortunately, while these tools are very helpful for the professional and dedicated amateur, they often have a price tag that quickly bankrupt you (a low-end Tek portable 32 channel starts at $10,000).

Fortunately, a lot of the analysis part can be passed off to desktop computers. This allows the fancy Intel Core i7 in your desktop to crunch the bits, leaving data collection to a (relatively) inexpensive USB-connected device. This is where tools just as the Saleae Logic come in.

This tiny device (the small black box of anodized aluminum) connects to your computer via a USB mini cable and has 8 protected inputs (the rainbow of flexible wires). In the above photo we have it connected to the Arduino data lines feeding the A6276 LED driver. In this configuration we can see how the micrcontroller is talking to the driver, making debugging and understanding much easier.

Once you have done a sample run, you can see the results in the Logic’s software:

The above is a simulation run, so the data are all over the place.

In our programs, we look for things like single data streams, clocks, and latches. It’s actually easier to understand than it sounds. You “latch” the driver — basically tell it “hey, wake up, I’m talking to you!” Then you give it a clock, saying “hey, what I’m about to say now is important”. Then you give it the data, “here’s what I want you to do.”

Now the Saleae Logic isn’t going to beat those wonderful Tek and Agilent devices — but not many amateurs need such expensive (and complicated) devices. Heck, I’d wager that many professional engineers just need a quick way to check on plain-old data streams, and the Saleae does this wonderfully. (The Logic screams “field tech tool” — it’s tiny, light, and plugs into a laptop.)

The software is not complicated, and sometimes feels too sparse, but that is by design. It wasn’t developed to be a kitchen sink device. It was designed to allow you to quickly look at digital signals without a lot of pain. The software is currently available for Windows, though the developer is working hard on a Mac and Linux version.

Don’t let the simplicity of the implementation make you think that this is a “cheap” device. Included are top-notch USA-made probes, high-quality flexible leads, a sturdy metal device, and a nice case. Very professionally done and something that will have have other electrical engineers asking “what’s that?” quickly followed by “I want one!”

I know what you are going to say: A tape measure? What the heck is so exciting about a tape measure?

Well, it’s exciting when it’s a Komelon Self Lock tape measure.

Why? Because of the utter simplicity of the implementation. You pull the tape out and it auto-locks. Always. No buttons, no levers, no switches. Pull the tape and the tape stays. Period. To retract, press the big green button on top. Easy as that.

I can’t tell you how much such a feature makes things easier in the shop. I can’t understand why all tape measures don’t work this way.

Like a lot of tools, tape measures also seem to have an inferiority complex. Longer must be better, right? No way. Honestly, how often do you measure 25′ spans in your shop work? I’d guess: Never, unless you are building a house/deck. I’d much rather lug around an 8′ or 12′ model than some 25′ beast.

For my shop, I keep shorter measures wherever I’m likely to need them: the miter saw, the tool bucket, one at each work bench, etc. Better to have a couple of them about than always be looking to see where you left your only measure. Return them to their designated space after use, so you don’t waste time looking for them.

You can pick up a 12′ Komelon Self Lock for about $8 at Lowe’s or Amazon.

Komelon SL2812 Self Lock 12-Foot Power Tape

Make sure to get the Self Lock version. I’m sure their other stuff is great, but I dig the ease of use.

I’ve owned a Craftsman 19.2 V drill for a while now. I love cordless drills, but I’ve come to the conclusion that these devices are the SUVs of tools. Meaning, if the Ford Escape is good, then the Explorer must be better! It’s a cold war of battery voltages and the loser is you.

Why? Because they just become heavier and heavier. Our chicken coops use hundreds of screws, and after a day of lugging around a +19V tool you feel like your arm is about to fall off. Sure, that 24 V beast might look manly, but try holding it over your head for half the day. No fun at all.

Instead, I highly recommend taking a look at the new lines of lower voltage Lithium Ion powered tools. The set that I own is from Makita.

Makita LCT203W 10.8-Volt Compact Lithium-Ion Two-Piece Combo Kit

The set I got (about $150 from Amazon) comes with a drill/driver (left) and an impact driver (right). As you can see, I use my screwdriver bits in the drill/driver and usually have a 1/8″ drill bit in the impact driver. (It’s kinda a waste of the impact, but it’s just for pre-drilling purposes.) Included are two batteries (one for each) and a charger. It all comes in a very spiffy metal hard case.

To give you some perspective on size, here is what the drill looks like next to my “normal sized” Craftsman drill:

As you can see, the whole Makita unit is less than the size of the Craftsman battery and handle! It’s also, obviously, far lighter. It’s a perfect all-day driver.

Some stand-out features that I like:

• Very light weight.
• Powerful for their size.
• Quick charging.
• LED helper light that STAYS ON once the driver stops. This is a feature that should be on all drills. When you start/stop the drill, the white LED stays on for about 15 seconds. I can’t tell you how helpful this simple feature is when you are working in dark spaces.
• Quality build. They don’t feel like cheap tools.

Some things I wish were improved:

• Replacement / extra batteries are too expensive.
• Not as much torque as the big drills, but that’s not really a design failure — if I have a heavy job, I use the bigger drill.
• This set only accepts HEX bits. These are much more expensive than regular drill bits, and harder to find in a variety of sizes. For me, no big deal, since most of my pre-drilling is with an 1/8th bit.

Makita does make a regular chucked version of the drill, but the sucky part is that it’s most of the cost of this set! I spent the $30 or so more and got two tools.

If you are doing a lot of in-place drilling and fastening, I highly recommend that you have the pair of tools. It saves a LOT of time as you aren’t swapping bits all the time. In my case, the drill has my screwdriver bit and the impact the drill bit. (Their drill/driver has better speed control than the impact, and it has a torque setting so you don’t over fasten.)

If you are in the market for a new lightweight drill, take a look at the Makita 10.8V line. I’ve put some good hours on them and have not been disappointed in my purchase.