{"id":2035,"date":"2008-01-23T21:19:01","date_gmt":"2008-01-24T02:19:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/neanderpundit.com\/?p=2035"},"modified":"2008-01-23T21:19:01","modified_gmt":"2008-01-24T02:19:01","slug":"light-at-the-end-of-the-tunnel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/neanderpundit.com\/?p=2035","title":{"rendered":"Light at the end of the tunnel"},"content":{"rendered":"

not a train headed my way<\/em><\/p>\n

For a change. <\/p>\n

I don’t blog much about work, but this has been a thorn in my side. <\/p>\n

I have been asked to add an accessory to a machine tool. The kind of thing I do a lot of, and do often. Like falling off a log. <\/p>\n

And usually, they;re in and out jobs.<\/p>\n

This one has taken four trips. And each trip, I discover some new horror. <\/p>\n

SO Here are the pieces: <\/p>\n

Machine tool with outdated control and outdated, budget software, which the manufacturer no longer supports. <\/p>\n

External component with “black box” properties- it has certain functions which can be partially controlled, but the majority of it is hidden, and there is a piece of software which connects to it, which is in itself, a barely operable translaton to english from two other languages. Some screens are still in German, some still in Swedish. <\/p>\n

Programmable controller which connects the two, but which has it’s own whole set of limitations. <\/p>\n

Any two of the above obstacles make the task merely impossible. Four or more, well, it’s unheard of.<\/p>\n

Add to this, the fact that many of the mechanical components of the machine are worn, and cause problems\/mask errors of the other equipment. Add to THAT, the customer’s decided (and deserving) distaste of the amount of time this has required. <\/p>\n

That’s where I am. Oh, and the area where I must work is travelled with stunning regularity by forklifts- I have to place orange road cones to prevent being hit, and have been hit twice just today despite the cones. And the area around the rest of the machine- well, I have to suck in my still not insubstantial gut to get there. <\/p>\n

The first system went online today. With the help of a few incredibly talented people, I made the impossible possible. And it’s an incredible feeling of accomplishment. <\/p>\n

Now I just have to do it all again, to a machine ten feet away. <\/p>\n

May God have mercy on my soul. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

not a train headed my way For a change. I don’t blog much about work, but this has been a thorn in my side. I have been asked to add an accessory to a machine tool. The kind of thing I do a lot of, and do often. Like falling off a log. And usually, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2035","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/neanderpundit.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2035"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/neanderpundit.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/neanderpundit.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neanderpundit.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neanderpundit.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2035"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/neanderpundit.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2035\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/neanderpundit.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2035"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neanderpundit.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2035"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neanderpundit.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2035"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}