On Tue, 28 Aug 2007 15:07:34 +0100, "Keith G"
wrote:


"Don Pearce" wrote in message
...
On Tue, 28 Aug 2007 23:06:05 +1000, "Phil Allison"
wrote:

"Don Pearce"

That picture is a little worrying. The solder should have wetted
all

If the joint is heated properly it should flow though by capillary
action - you don't actually solder both sides.



** The Chinese do - wherever a via is really needed

12 year olds with bare feet, standing on a dirt floor in a big
galvanised
iron shed with a diesel gene droning on outside copying sample PCBs.

True enough - I suspect the 12 year olds are the ones approaching
retirement age, though.


I haven't been to China and I haven't seen for myself, but I
suspect/hope the views expressed above are not true or, if they are, I'm
pretty certain they won't last for long. Here's a few 'galvanised iron
sheds' to be going on with:

http://www.diytrade.com/directory/gl...s_Factory.html

http://www.best-portable-dvd-player-...m/about-us.htm

http://kwanwa.en.alibaba.com/aboutus.html

http://www.besa.org.uk/besa/news/view.jsp?item=313

http://trumpxp.en.alibaba.com/

http://www.business-in-asia.com/suzhou.htm


What pious Westeners need to realise is that *today* much of the food
they eat and the clothes on their backs from even from respectable,
big-name UK stores is produced by what we in the UK would class as
'slave labour' - so much so, in fact, that we import slaves into the UK
for our home-produced food and goods!

No-one is more aware of the Human Rights issues in China ( and, worse,
the Animal Rights issues) but my view is that it's better to have the
work and low pay for now than no work at all - after that things can
only get better (hopefully) as standards start to climb. Let's face it,
there's never going to be a shortage of cheap labour in places like
China and India and no nation can go from the 'middle ages' to the
planet's *leading economic superpower* without some pain!!


My thoughts on child labour tend towards the pragmatic. If they aren't
building mics, the alternative is usually prostitution. Doing nothing
when your family is starving is not an option.

For a *non hollywood* movie insight into modern China with its economic
contrasts, watch 'Not One Less' (from Zhang Yimou of 'Hero', 'House Of
The Flying Daggers' and 'Curse Of The Golden Flower' fame) - quite the
best movie I have *ever* seen!!

On the microphone front - been through the 1st phase (nasty, tinny sound
at 'normal' levels) and the 2nd phase (prolonged, self-generated noise
not unlike the landing beach scenes in Saving Private Ryan) and now in
the 3rd phase (strangely quiet again and back to the original tinny
sound)!! I'm letting it have its head for the moment - it's going to be
a bit of a challenge and if anybody was considering going the same
route, I would say keep your hand in your pocket, atm!!

Question - I have a mic amp here which I don't *think* supplies phantom
power - what would happen if I try it and the mic gets phantom power it
doesn't need/want?



It looks like the mic has a transformer output, so it shouldn't matter
whether there is phantom on the line or not. Best to turn it off,
though. As for the strange sounds, it may be that the mic has picked
up some condensation in transit - or was it sealed with some silica
gel?

d

--
Pearce Consulting
http://www.pearce.uk.com