*&^%$# DIRTY RAT!!!

[joa]

This eve I went to use the SB and it wouldn't make a connection. After getting in behind everything in my cabinet I noticed that about 5 of the cables had been chewed on by a rat!!!! Some of them are chewed clear through, others just down to the copper.

Arrrggghhhh!!

I think what happened is that the last time I used my machine I was looking for a dropped bit in my cabinet and must have moved the wires so that they plugged the hole that they go through. I think the dirty rat is living in my cabinet!

What is the best way to splice these back together without causing problems with radio intereference??? Can I just crimp butt connectors on each wire and then tape them together? Is there a better way (that doesn't require soldering- I hate soldering!)?

Thanks!

Joa
"anybody have a good cat they'll lend me?"

[Ted Hall, ShopBot]

Uh Joa,

That is a sad story!

If you only lost a foot or two of the wires, maybe you can just use some slack, cut the bad part off, and move the connectors back to the good part. If you don't still have a Wago Insertion Tool to work the connectors, a very small screwdriver will work to open the connectors.

If you can't give up the wire length, yes you can splice, but the connection needs to be really solid because these are high current connections ... I'd favor soldering in this case.
Better yet, why not give us a call today. I'm sure that someone could be talked into sending out a new set of wires.

Here's my concern though ... I'm hoping the rat also ate your serial cable ... otherwise, the tool should have connected unless one of those motor wires shorted out and damaged the control box.

Let us know ...

[davidallen]

Newark Electronics has solder splice connectors (part #16f3539) that make solder connections very easy. they're heat shrink tubing with hot melt adhesive near the ends and a ring of solder in the middle. you just insert the wires and heat with a heat gun to solder and insulate in one step.

da

[joa]

Yes, thankfully (?!) he (or maybe she) chewed clear through the serial cable so I'm just going to get a replacement.

Thanks for the tip on the splice connectors, sounds like the ticket!

My father-in-law told me about a SUPER good rat killer made by Purina. Apparently will kill all the mice and rats in a garage/shop in about 24 hours or less. Works much better than Decon. He puts it in a gatorade bottle so the mice/rats climb in the top (on its side) and then the dogs and cats don't get into it. Pretty good idea.

Joa
"bad rat, bad rat, what ya gonna do..."

[DKJSIGNCO@AOL.COM]

WHEN CUTTING V-GROOVE LETTERS INTO AN HDU SIGN
THE TOOLPATH GOES OUTSIDE THE LETTER, MANLY ON THE "G's", IT SORT OF PUTS A BULLET HOLE RIGHT IN
THE MIDDLE OF THE "G"....ALSO IT WON'T CALCULATE A TOOLPATH FOR E's & L's. I AM USING ARTCAM PRO
W/ A V-BIT 120 DEGREES.BUT IT WILL CALCULATE A TOOLPATH W/ A CENTERLINE FOR ALL THE OTHER LETTERS ON MY SIGN OF THE SAME SIZE

I'VE ALREADY TRIED OTHER TOOLPATHS AND IT WON'T EVEN CALCULATE .....WHAT NOW???
PLEASE REPLY

[billp]

Jim, send me a copy of your file, and I'll see if I have any better luck wth it..Bill P.

[Mayo]

If it's mice you want to get rid of, here's an easy way that works and won't have any potential problems with other animals because there's no poison. And you won't have dead mice decaying and stinking in places you can't find.

I doubt this would work for rats, but it might be worth a try. If it doesn't work, all that would happen is they would escape.

You need a mop bucket, some stiff paper like the brown paper shopping bags we used to get before everything turned "plastic", some string or tape, a piece of wood about two feet long, and some peanut butter.

Place the paper over the top of the bucket to make it into a "Drum". Stretch it tight and tape it to the sides of the bucket or use string to tie around the bucket.

Now cut an X shape in the center of the paper drum. Make it about 2.5 inches across. Now put peanut butter on the points near the center of the X.

Place the wood stick leaning from the floor to the top of the bucket so the hungry mice can climb the stick, go for the peanut butter, and fall into the bucket.

Now dispose of the mice that collect or give them to a pet shop or to a friend that raises snakes.

A less humane method would be to place some water in the bucket and after the mice get too tired to swim, they drown.