Welcome back…

April 21, 2021 | My Projects | By: Mark VandeWettering

Okay all, it’s been a while. If anyone is reading this, then welcome back to the brainwagon blog.

I’ve been blogging off and on for about fifteen years, but in the last year have found that it’s basically been hard to do anything meaningful here. Between the COVID-19 pandemic and the unfortunate illness and passing of my brother, I just haven’t had the mental energy to write about the kinds of things that I enjoy.

But I’m trying to regroup, and you might begin to see new content here. I’ve decided to abandon my pointless endeavors on Quora which have taken a bunch of what little time I had, and have decided to try to refocus that energy (which has become more about repelling bile and rancor than doing anything fun) and to find a new way to express myself in positive ways.

At the moment, I’m reconsidering everything. This blog may actually change form into something else, using some technology other than WordPress. Or, maybe it just be restructured and restyled to inspire me more. I haven’t decided.

If you are someone who has read my stuff in the past, and has suggestions of technology or techniques to stimulate your creative muse and/or organize your creative output and get yourself in the habit of creation, then feel free to mailto:mvandewettering@gmail.com and let me know. Or just to say hi.

Try not to sign me up for spam though.

I feel like I need a fresh start. I hope to find one.

Comments

Comment from Bill Meara
Time 4/23/2021 at 2:35 pm

I would often look at the Brainwagon link on the SolderSmoke blog and just sigh. It had been so long!

In a way, your return is an example of how The Radio Gods Have Spoken (TRGHS). Just last week I launched an effort to finally, fully understand how the Gilbert Cell in an NE602 really works. I Googled and was led to Brainwagon. About 9 years ago (I think) you had built in LTSpice the Gilbert Cell that VE3DNL had discussed so clearly on his web site. I went ahead and did what you did. Like you I was able to get it to work in LTSpice, but I discovered an error in OM DNL’s model — he had neglected to bias the two center transistors in the upper rank of differential amps. I biased them, and the circuit works better.

In a further example of TRGHS, my friend Bob KD4EDM spontaneously sent me an SST QRP rig (by Wayne Burdick N6KR) It is almost all NE602s. TRGHS.

Welcome back Mark. Blog on OM. We missed you.

73 Bill N2CQR