12V car cig lighter adapters - safe?

So why did it take you so long?

I gave you the formula to do this yesterday.

You mentioned that you wanted it with 7 characters. I am not sure what that's about, other than if you were hoping for an answer to 7 significant figures.

So why did you make such a song and dance about it?

Keeping an open mind about learning as opposed to training has always been my principle, but you're welcome to borrow it and try it out

Oh dear....... ;-)

Why are you asking a question which can be answered in a few seconds following a quick google search?

I'll ask you one, seeing as you're so knowledgeable. It was done in the first few weeks of my BTEC ONC course so shouldn't be too demanding for you. It was done as a lesson in compact circuit design where the aim was to build a flipflop to the smallest size possible with set components. I won. So as what I did isn't exactly hard for anyone with a brain to work out and I'm regarded in ukrm as just a thicko knuckle dragging yorkie munching lorry driver, you who claims you're a competent electronics engineer, will have no problem with the answer. Oh, only downside is it's not something you're going to find using Google.

"When building a simple flipflop circuit using a pair of LEDs, capacitors, resistors and 2 BC108's, what can you do to reduce the size to the smallest possible, explaining the reason why? "

We'll see just how competent Graham is. I've just asked him a question which I can guarantee you will not find anywhere on Google.

Course you wouldn't say that to someone in lets say a bar in Montana now would you?, very polite society there;)..

Well perhaps you wouldn't say it again .. ever;

That's much more interesting. When you say smallest, do you mean smallest number of components; and which type of flipflop do you mean?

You and me both.

Anybody who thinks that m,erely being able to calculate the resonant frequency of an LC circuit is the be all and end all of electronic engineering, is a lot dumber than he thinks...

Try a stochastic analysis of mean path delays through a digital circuits over the full temperature range..

Or trying to get a > 60db noise figure from a 1uv 100MHZ front end running 3 inches away from a load if ECL and Schottky TTL logic..

I'm with Andy here, unusually. one over root 2 pi l c is something you learnt to pass an exam: afterwards, you used a table..;-)

Ah so you've done that as well..... One of my first projects was the design of hybrid frequency synthesisers using the logic families you mention as well as CMOS in order to reduce power consumption and then digital as well as analogue filtering for the PLL. There were some basic filter equations that could be used to make sure that there was at least theoretical stability, but then it became much more empirical. For example the construction and mounting of the oscillator components was critical to avoid mechanical disturbance causing microphony. Even the choice of FETs was vital From the same manufacturer there could be a substantial difference to noise behaviour depending on the factory and the packaging method of the device.

It became more entertaining when microprocessor based control systems were added. Only a single supply rail was available (mobile equipment) and most MOS microprocessor devices and peripherals were two or even three rails. Hence the code had to be burned into low power bipolar proms (at £50 a pair) making development expensive. The uP subsystem had to be powered on and off several times a second to reduce power consumption from the batteries. All of this in very close proximity to a receiver that was wide open over a wide frequency range and a spec that meant that only a few spot frequencies were allowed to be unusable.

The hours I spent in Faraday cages without air conditioning and in contortions in vehicles to get it all to work. Many interference interactions could be found and fixed but would often make others worse.

Some aspects are probably better now as the result of VLSI technology and ASICS, but I think that anything involving RF either purposefully or accidentally will always have a green fingers element to it - and I don't mean he staining from copper and brass shielding.

You could always get a decent calculator. HTH. HAND.

I've given you the component list.

There is only one type of flipflop you can build using those components.

You didn't provide the quantities of components or the objective. Now you are specifying the complete list of components, so now what is the meaning of smallest? Do you mean that all of the components must be used or may be used?

If you are going to use all of the components that you mentioned, then the circuit can be a classic one as follows:

- Emitters of both transistors to negative rail

- Collector of each transistor connected via LED and a series resistor to positive rail

- Base of each transistor connected via resistor to positive rail

- Capacitors connected from collector of each transistor to the base of the other.

Result is astable multivibrator.

Or try to get any useful answer at all from a polarimetric many-GHz radar system with a 500MHz IF and ultra-sensitive sample-and-holds/ADCs when some sod puts up a mast transmitting 10W or so at about the same frequency just outside the window..

Or a calculator for those of us a bit younger ;->

No its not!. RF is quite understandable you just have to have Green blood flowing in yer veins;)...

At bloody last. Now what trick can you do to reduce the size of the PCB?

That wasn't the question that you asked.

You need to learn how to be more accurate in your specifications, be they for junior electronics or the selection of Yorkie bars.

... not install two PCI cards so close that they were touching.

Does it _have_ to be on a PCB? It's quite possible to wire that up almost 'rats-nest' construction, then perhaps pot it in resin.

Yep.