Watching The Trades

I have wanted to own Chief Architect for a long time. What other program will enable you to create beautiful models of everything from light commercial buildings to grand log homes? What other program will also enabled you to print out full construction docs (including electrical, plumbing, and HVAC) for those same buildings? What other program will come up with a materials and price list for you? What other program will check your drawings against code (though I have to wonder how well this feature actually works)? What other program will also enable you to plan out your landscaping around the house in a professional and detailed manner?

Granted, you have to know what you are doing to use the program, but that is no problem for me. I know everything.

This weekend I thought, “So what if costs $400+ bucks? I want it.” So I go to the website to check it out again. They improved the program a lot since I last looked at it. Check out this gallery that was created by users of this software. And if you really want to make yourself want this program, watch this overview.

After I read a few online reviews and poked around a bit, I found out that they let you download a trial version. How could I resist? I had already decided that I really really wanted to own this program, but it never hurts to check a product out.

While I was downloading the trial version, I found out that the price of the software was $1,495.

Ouch.

I go though this every time. I always remember that I really really want this program. But I can never seem to accurately remember the price. And even though I am always increasing what I am willing to pay for it, it never seems to be enough.

They do make a striped down version for people who only want to have something to show their contractors that they sell under the “Better Homes and Gardens” label. Basically they are glorified drawing programs. If you need to draw up real plans you need Chief Architect (click here to see a set of plans drawn up with the program).

The problem is that I don’t really need to draw up real plans in my real job. When I work from prints I work from existing blue prints. When I need to draw up an estimate to do a job, all I really need is boring old Excel.

But even granting all that, I am still trying to convince myself to buy the program. Just think of it as spending money on your education, I say to myself. Myself is not buying that line of argument just yet.

I would have an easier time selling myself on this line of bull if their demo was a little better. I mean, I understand that the utility of the demo is going to be way restricted compared to the real thing. But did they really have to make it so that you could not save even one file? That makes it very tough to get through all their tutorials since all the tutorials are based off of one house design that you are supposed to work through from the bottom up (and that takes some time).

In the grand scheme of things, this is probably a good thing. Judging by how much fun I had getting through one tutorial, I would probably be short $1,495 by now if it was easy to get through all of the tutorials. Still, the fact that I can’t work my way through the tutorials kind of bums me out.

If you are curious, here are some screen shots of the tutorial that I did go through. They don’t look all that pretty because ray-tracing is not a feature that the demo supports. But when you consider how fast it was for me to whip something like this up, you realize why this is such a cool program.

This first screen shot is from the back of the house the tutorial made me design. That is my only excuse for the double deck.

This second shot is from the front. Did not get around to the stairs and other such details.

This is an overview of the first floor. Did not get around to doing the interior work. That is a separate tutorial.

This the plan for the second floor. But it looks different than it did on the screen because I converted it to a GIF to save space.

This is the plan for the first floor.

This is the plan for the basement.

This is the materials list.

Now come up with a good reason for me to buy this program.

I always thought that the way you should treat your rechargeable batteries should depend on the type of battery that you are using. I thought that Nickel-Metal Hydride and Nickel-Cadmium rechargeable batteries should be completely drained down before reusing. On the other hand, Lithium Ion should never be drained all the way because that might cause them to lose polarity. Plus, Lithium Ion does not suffer from memory problems like the other rechargeable batteries.

Now, I am not the only one who thinks this. This article on batteries also says that Nickel-Metal Hydride and Nickel-Cadmium rechargeable batteries should be completely drained down before reusing.

Recently though, I have come across information that makes me think that I am mistaken, and that by draining my Nickel Cad batteries all the way down I have actually been shorting their life.

The start of my confusion came from this post from On the Level….

It turns out that you can ruin a rechargeable battery by running it down to zero. The polarity of the battery cells can even become reversed, ruining the battery for future charges.

Now I was going to leave a comment saying that this was only true for Lithium batteries. But before I did that I wanted to find an official source to quote. This is from the Dewalt FAQ on batteries…

Is it better for DEWALT batteries to be completely discharged before charging?

No. Just the opposite, you should stop using a battery as soon as you feel a substantial decrease in power from the tool. Completely running down a battery may damage the battery. Do not tape trigger to run down the battery.

That was a bit of shocker to me. Surely DeWalt still sells Nickel Cad batteries. To double check I went over to the Skil site and found this….

• Never fully discharge a battery! Do not fully discharge batteries by taping the trigger in the on position or by leaving work lights on.

• Recharge a battery when a tool is no longer able to complete the current application.

At this point I was confused. What ever happened to Nickel Cad memory effect? So I looked up Nickel Cad batteries on Wikipedia and here is what I found….

It is sometimes claimed that NiCd batteries suffer from a so-called “memory effect” if they are recharged before they have been fully discharged. The apparent symptom is that the battery “remembers” the point in its charge cycle where recharging began and during subsequent use suffers a sudden drop in voltage at that point, as if the battery had been discharged. The capacity of the battery is not actually reduced substantially. Some electronics designed to be powered by NiCds are able to withstand this reduced voltage long enough for the voltage to return to normal. However, if the device is unable to operate through this period of decreased voltage, the device will be unable to get as much energy out of the battery, and for all practical purposes, the battery has a reduced capacity.

There is controversy about whether the memory effect actually exists, or whether it is as serious a problem as is sometimes believed. Some critics claim it is used to promote competing NiMH batteries, which apparently suffer this effect to a lesser extent. Many nickel-cadmium battery manufacturers either deny the effect exists or are silent on the matter.

The memory effect story originated from orbiting satellites, where they were typically charging for twelve hours out of twenty-four for several years. After this time, it was found that the capacities of the batteries had declined significantly, but were still perfectly fit for use. It is thought unlikely that this precise repetitive charging (e.g. 1000 charges / discharges with less than 2% variability) would ever be reproduced by consumers using electrical goods.

An effect with similar symptoms to the memory effect is the so-called voltage depression or lazy battery effect. (Some people use this term as a synonym for “memory effect”) This results from repeated overcharging; the symptom is that the battery appears to be fully charged but discharges quickly after only a brief period of operation. Sometimes, much of the lost capacity can be recovered by a few deep discharge cycles, a function often provided by automatic NiCd battery chargers. However, this process may reduce the shelf life of the battery.[5] If treated well, a NiCd battery can last for 1000 cycles or more before its capacity drops below half its original capacity.

I looked at some of the sources quoted by the Wikipedia article. One of them was a technical manual from a manufacture of a Nickel Cad battery. It says….

Certain NiCd cylindrical cells employing sintered type electrodes experience memory effect. The memory effect occurs due to the possibility of alloying reaction between cadmium and nickel in the cadmium electrode. However, memory effect can be eliminated if cells are completely discharged. NiCd cell employing pasted electrode technology is much less susceptible to memory effect, because less nickel is present in the cadmium electrode.

So I guess I can call this a kind of vindication. But this same technical manual (and other documents on Nickel Cad) says that a complete discharge runs the risk of reversing the polarity of some of the cells so you should not do it. So even if completely discharging the battery protects from the memory problem, you will be losing cells by completely discharging the battery.

And this essay called Dan’s Quick Guide to Memory Effect; mocks those of us who believe in the memory problem. He says…..

True memory only happens in sintered plate NiCd cells (which aren’t necessarily the sort of NiCd you’re using, and are of course completely different from any kind of NiMH cell), and it only happens when you precisely discharge a cell to exactly the same level over and over again, and recharge it without any overcharge. True memory effect happens in satellite power systems, electronics test labs, and practically nowhere else.

As I said in the beginning, you can find other people on the web who disagree. But what Dan says agrees with what the manufacturers say. So I guess I am going to have to admit that I have been shortening the life of my Nickel Cad’s by draining them completely.

That is what you get for acquiring your knowledge of batteries from the old hands on the building site.

This is the type of thing that is important to keep in mind when buying a chainsaw…..

One design feature you need to look at very carefully is the handle bar and how it is mounted to the saw. I own an 046 Magnum Stihl, which is supposed to be one of Stihl’s upper end, “pro” model saws. The handle bar wraps around to the right side and mounts with two self tapping screws into the gas tank. Any blow to the top of the handlebar results in shearing out these two screws and a ruined gas tank…..more than a hundred dollar repair. This has happened twice with this saw.

The odd thing is, several of the 030 series, a supposed “lesser” quality saw, have a handle bar design that fully wraps the saw and mounts down under it, which is far superior to the gas tank mount. My advise is take note of this design flaw and buy your saw accordingly.

This post originally appeared on my ape man blog.

Why don’t European tradesmen use pickup trucks? As best as I can tell from what I read, European tradesmen use a mixture of small vans and one ton (and up) trucks. The half ton and three quarter ton pickup trucks that are widely used in America are almost unheard of in Europe. Why is this?

This question has been really bothering me lately. It seems like somebody somewhere should have come up with a reasonably good answer by now. Sadly, this does not seem to be the case.

I think the main obstacle to the serious study of this question is the fact that everyone thinks that the answer is obvious. If I were to ask any economist that question, they would tell me that the answer was “high gas prices and narrow streets” without even stopping to think. But while this answer is perfectly fine for explaining why your average European consumer does not drive a truck, it does not explain why the trades do not make more use of pickup trucks in Europe.

To state the problem as simply as possible: High gas prices and narrow streets should pressure tradesmen to use the smallest possible vehicle. But given the vehicles that European tradesmen are reported to use it would seem that they are using vehicles that are too big for the job on a regular basis. As best as I can tell from what I read, Europeans will use a one ton flat bed for a job that could be done by a half ton pickup truck. This does not square with the idea that they should feel immense pressure to use the smallest possible truck.

The idea that a half ton or three quarter ton pickup truck is the most gas efficient vehicle for many trade jobs is a hard sell in some circles. So many people nowadays are buying these trucks for reasons that have nothing to do with economics that they have become a symbol of excess. This obscures the fact that American tradesmen (as opposed to the general consumer) generally use the most economically efficient vehicle to do their job. (more…)