gizmologist

*Sigh.* The chemical energy in the gunpowder had to be stored in the first place, just as the energy from burning wood had to be distilled out of sunlight and fertilizer by the tree. If you make hydrogen fuel, due to inefficiencies in the process, it will always take more energy to make the fuel than you get out of it.

Duh! That's not really the point. The point is, you never get as much usable energy out as you put in.

Excellent idea. Sometimes pressure washers create problems by forcing water into places it should not be, like electrical boxes. The hand method is much safer.

Why spend the extra money on kosher salt if you're not even going to eat it? Plain salt will work just as well.

I get very nervous with Li-Ion batteries in parallel. If they're not perfectly matched, they can start a fire. Li-Ion batteries need to be treated with great respect.

However, crimp connectors - Properly crimped! - are recommended for some aircraft uses because solder is brittle in a high-vibration environment.Properly crimped means a very expensive mil-spec crimping tool, not the cheapie from the hardware store.

What about the gears contest?

I think you mean proprietary, but in any case, good info. Some folks report shorting ID pin to ground works for Garmin, too.

Hmm... Never saw those before!

You can still (Thank God!) get real leaded solder. I avoid the unleaded solder like the plague.