General Articles

Here's is a great piece of freeware. It's simply called "convert" by Josh Madison. It's an amazingly useful program - something that every mechanical engineer should have on their desktop! It's function is simple - it converts any imaginable unit of measure. Force, mass, volume, acceleration, density, distance etc. Here's a screenshot:

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I've recently been trying to build up a folder containing images of thermal management solutions - very handy to dip into when trying to come up with ideas for a project!

Today a Playstation 2 fell into my hands and naturally I couldn't help reaching for the screwdriver. I thought I'd share the pics of the internal assembly with you...


1. Main chassis with a MONSTER fan on the top! Do these things judder around the room like a washing machine on full spin when you switch them on?
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The electric guitar industry can be described as a closed industry. It is difficult to get new ideas accepted in a field that is already overburdened with products (instruments and accessories). The electric guitar is difficult to define as a product. It can be said that it is an instrument of craftsmanship so shrouded with historical and cultural connotations to be labeled as such. Nevertheless, there have been many cases in its development where its treatment (especially by manufacturers) can be described as being “as a product”. Segovia proclaimed the very thought of an electric guitar was an "Abomination... …to take such a noble creation and plug it in like a kitchen appliance".

Early development of the electric guitar grew out of necessity and musical trend, rather than being a direct response to the advent of new technology. The technology behind the electromagnetic pickup and amplifier had been around for a while, and it was adapted to the guitar in order to make it audible amid large bands. There is no definitive date for the invention of the electric guitar, although the first to be manufactured commercially was in 1932 by Adolph Rickenbacker, a Swiss die and tool maker (see Fig.1).
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