A long time ago I had a lot of fun building electronic gadgets. There were many articles about
building all sorts of fun things, up to and including computers. I had a lot of fun assembling
Heathkit stuff. My first Heathkit computer had an awesome 30 MB hard disk. Most of the kits
they were selling at the time had only two small floppies.
Disappointing that there is so little about hobby electronics on the Internet.
What started me off on this rant was getting up in the dark, and having triac controlled light switch
because of hysteresis coming on bright enough to be unpleasant to my dark-adapted eyes.
I'll bet few members know what a triac is, or what hysteresis is. The dictionary isn't much help,
it doesn't even list "triac", and its definition of hysteresis doesn't help in understanding the
problem with the light. And I've forgotten too much to explain it well, even if I had ability to draw
diagrqram in this post.
hysteresis
n.
5ModL < Gr hystercsis, a deficiency < hysterein, to be behind, come short < hysteros, later, behind < IE *udteros, compar. of base *ud3, up > OUT6 Physics a lag of effect when the forces acting on a body are changed, as a lag in magnetization (magnetic hysteresis) of a ferromagnetic substance when the magnetizing force is changed
hys#ter[et$ic 73et4ik8
adj.