The Engineer

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The Engineer last won the day on January 7

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542 Exceptional Poster of Nottstalgia

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About The Engineer

  • Rank
    Super Nottstalgian

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  • Gender
    Male
  • Location
    Within earshot of Little John.
  • Interests
    Knackling, fettling and mending owt, electrical and mechanical engineering, the Emett Clock.

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  1. Speeding fines are proportionate to income afaik. According to The Sun, Justin Welby's salary is £87k so a £300 fine (plus costs, etc.) sounds reasonable.
  2. I've dabbled with clocks (not just that big 'un). One repair in the 1980s that sticks in my mind belonged to someone who worked with my wife (you know how it goes... he can fix owt, bring it in). The pinion was broken off the end of the balance wheel shaft. I managed to source a new shaft but had to transfer the bits over from the old shaft. The balance wheel with spring was easily removed. That left a tiny collar with a pin that actuated the escape mechanism. I teased it upwards using two pairs of long nose pliers and heard 'ping' before realising it was gone. I w
  3. PROGRESS WITH MOTORS SO FAR Petals geared motor (the one with residue of molten plastic) I stripped this down and it's definitely burnt out. Hard to say what the molten plastic was - all that remains is a lump! I have a Parvalux catalogue from 2007 and have been trying to figure out nearest replacement model for size, wattage, speed, gearbox ratio, fixing holes, etc. (the original rating plate is missing). Snag is that it is Imperial and the output shaft is 1/2" diameter (12.70mm). A new metric geared motor will have 12.00mm diameter output shaft. The geared motor
  4. Not quite as it appears... I tested the little Crouzet motor (that drives the clock mechanism) at home and it was fine (not bad if it is the original as I suspect, running 24/7 with one or two breaks for over 50 years). I concluded that it had not been the cause of any 'blue smoke incident' or causing any fuse to blow. I queried with the guys as to which fuse had blown - the one they identified feeds the Parvalux geared motor that turns the big cobweb/butterfly wheel. I took the Crouzet motor back last Monday (17th April) and refitted it (together with its
  5. Demolition resumed this week. They have closed Bath Street off this time.
  6. Update on the Emett Clock. Had an email from Vic Centre to say there had been some blue smoke and blown fuse for the small motor that drives the clock faces (same motor also initiates the chiming and performances). They suspected a resistor and were asking me where I sourced the one that was fitted. I told them it was the original part. I offered to go in and have a look, saying there is also a capacitor in the motor circuit (not sure they were aware of that as it is a bit hidden). By arrangement I went in this afternoon and decided best course of action was for me t
  7. I can concur. I am viewing on an Android phone. I have had to select 'Desktop site' since they changed the format a few years ago. I saved it as a bookmark (in Chrome browser) so that it always opens the desktop site.
  8. Forgotten Dreams by Cyril Stapleton, born in Mapperley https://youtu.be/Te_Zt0qFLIM
  9. Just looked at the BBC News home page. Apparently the most important topic in the world right now is that a former top-flight footballer turned freelance pundit is to 'return to air' on the Beeb after resolving an issue about some comments he made on social media that didn't fit with their guidelines on conduct. Over on ITV news, the main story is about some 'showbiz' awards in America. Meanwhile, a war rages on in the Ukraine, there is unrest in Greece after a train crash that killed dozens of people and a large tech bank in Silicon Valley has gone bust.
  10. Spotted this while browsing their website: Family History Drop-in Sessions Back by popular demand, these sessions are free and on the first Thursday of every month 10am to 12pm at St. Ann’s Valley Library. Want to find out about your ancestry but don’t know where to start? Want some tips on where to look next? Then come along and talk to experts at our free drop-in sessions. All welcome, Nottingham ancestors not essential!
  11. @The Pianoman Nottingham City Libraries website says all computers have accessible USB drive to save your work. I have downloaded JPEGs of census returns in the past. From the website just now: Nottingham City Libraries have Windows 10 computers with access to: Internet Scanning Printing in colour, black & white, A4 and A3 (charges apply) if you are not a member you can print from your own device at some of our libraries Microsoft Office 2016 applications An access
  12. Demolition started late last year. I thought they had paused for a Christmas/New Year break but I see now (from those photos and also as I pass there weekly) that they have removed all the rubble from the part that has gone, together with all the demolition equipment. Hard to tell what's occurring. They put full-height scaffolding up on part of the front (Brook Street, where reception was) and part of the rear (Bath Street, Official Mail Vehicles entrance) before demolition started. I've not figured out reason for that.
  13. The first remote controls were wired, then they brought out ultrasonic ones. You could change channel by jangling a set of keys (accidentally or on purpose to annoy someone!)
  14. My dad worked for DER (Domestic Electric Rentals) from mid-1960s onwards as a TV repair technician, having been trained by Rediffusion a few years before. He would carry three or four spare sets in his Anglia/Escort/Fiesta estate car so that if on-site repair was taking too long he could leave a good one and take the faulty one back to the guys in the workshop (in Bulwell at first and later in Broad Marsh). I think they were told to leave a slightly upmarket one (i.e. bigger) to try to get customers to upgrade (more rent!) DER was owned by Thorn and was later joined by Radio Rent
  15. https://www.nottinghampost.com/news/local-news/gallery/30-pictures-looking-back-life-2694281