whitequark changed the topic of #tinyqma to: design of an open hardware DDS-based QMA with a low-voltage dc/rf stage :: http://irclog.whitequark.org/tinyqma
<whitequark> I'm thinking of reusing A/C oil mist filters
<bofh__> I assume you mean commercial A/C unit filters, since I think the standard ones are about as good as what'd already be on a fridge.
<whitequark> huh? what do you mean?
<whitequark> 'commercial' is not 'standard'?
<whitequark> probably open it out and stuff it chock full of charcoal
<bofh__> what I think of when I say standard is, like, the cheapest A/C unit you can buy at the hardware store
<bofh__> what you just linked seems like it'd do the job
<whitequark> hrm
<whitequark> I'm not sure what the cheapest A/C unit would have
<whitequark> but if it's the same as the cheapest refrigerator, then it would be safe to say that it is a filter-drier
<whitequark> to avoid water freezing freon lines shut.
<whitequark> and acidification and.
<whitequark> which would not work bc what we need for GM is absorption of oil vapor and mist
<whitequark> and a filter-drier doesn't really have the kind of surface area needed for that.
<whitequark> i /suppose/ i could try. but it is very unlikely this will work
<whitequark> actually no
<whitequark> on second though what i linked is not the right thing.
<whitequark> *this* is what i want.
<whitequark> this is specifically an oil separator
<whitequark> i've seen one you can disassemble somewhere but that place is out of stock methinks
<bofh__> yeah, the cheap AC units just use filter-driers in my experience (I can never remember the name for w/e reason)
<bofh__> and IMO it's not even worth trying
<whitequark> nod
<bofh__> one of the things I wish I was in russia for is there's so much extremely cheap industrial/scientific/instrumentational equipment that you can get
<bofh__> I mean I just order online, but still.
<whitequark> uh
<whitequark> russia does not have a lot of that
<whitequark> bespoke production in moscow, yes, to a degree, if it's not high-tech
<whitequark> industrial equipment, yes, if it's reasonably common, it is very cheap
<whitequark> the rest is nigh impossible to obtain
<whitequark> like "scientific"? lol our science is fucked. 80s tech is considered new
<whitequark> instrumentation is probably in even worse state than that
<whitequark> an individial cannot import an oscilloscope through customs. at all. this is forbidden by law.
<whitequark> and not even any kind of company can do that, i asked my previous employer and it was troubling apparently
<whitequark> so... russia is great for scooping up low-complexity but high-capital-investment kind of production, tools and products
<whitequark> which is the majority of advanced DIY
<bofh__> yeah, that's what I meant, and I imagine a lot of the advanced DIY arose out of necessity
<bofh__> also, importing an *oscilloscope* is forbidden? what.
<bofh__> (also I meant 80s scientific stuff in my comment - that's honestly still what you find more often than not in university labs)
<whitequark> I have no idea about scopes.
<whitequark> they're ostensibly for "industrial use only", I mean, wat? I can get a 8-pack of argon cylinders as an individual but not an oscilloscope?
<bofh__> now I'm curious how the hell one imports say, a 500MHz Bruker NMR unit
<bofh__> wow
<whitequark> step 1: get fucked
<whitequark> step 2: get fucked really hard
<whitequark> step 3: try to bribe someone
<whitequark> *shrug*
<whitequark> well, I suppose no one would import argon cylinders, alright
<bofh__> I wonder what the customs officials'd do if they realised every CRT TV can be converted into a (crappy) analog 'scope with an absolute minimum of new parts
<whitequark> I can get... I dunno, a GM cryocooler, whatever
<whitequark> a turbomolecular pump.
<whitequark> the customs broker had the documents on it, though I wrote just "pump" in the declaration
<bofh__> rofl
<whitequark> or even "used pump", I don't recall
<whitequark> it's technically true :]
<bofh__> "it looks like some kind of pump, w/e let it through"
<whitequark> yes
<whitequark> they are incredibly arbitrary
<whitequark> I could import a mini CNC mill but only via airmail
<whitequark> as opposed to EMS. I can't import it via EMS, but airmail is A-OK
<whitequark> because... ?????
<bofh__> that's just hilarious
<bofh__> clearly because if it's in airmail, the TSA will have made sure it's not a bomb
<bofh__> (</sarcasm>)
<whitequark> EMS goes via a plane too, right?
<whitequark> probably same plane
<bofh__> likely the same one
<bofh__> unless it's got its own private fleet (so basically dhl, ups or fedex) there's no reason for it to not go on the same flight as airmail
<bofh__> (fun fact: fedex is iirc the 9th largest airline in terms of fleet size)
<whitequark> huh
<whitequark> unsurprising
<whitequark> oh and DHL has even more inane restrictions
<whitequark> as well as UPS. like no org can send me anything at all. via airmail? that's ok. via EMS? that's ok. but not UPS.
<whitequark> last time I had to go negotiate with customs and they just sent it back
<whitequark> pigfuckers
<bofh__> granted, UPS are fuckers themselves in my experience, but that's just assholish
<bofh__> I am grateful that while I've had delays, I've never had to argue w/customs or had them send shit back.