Why don't camera reviews cover the data connection to the PC?

Highly unlikely that anyone will believe him. He has such a long history that anytime he starts up someone points out that he has no idea what he's talking about.

On Mon, 29 Dec 2008 14:29:28 -0800, SMS put finger to keyboard and composed:

What bugs me is that anyone with an iota of technical competence can in a matter of minutes determine the connectivity of a mini-USB cable or a USB charger using only a $10 multimeter.

- Franc Zabkar

nobody else would be like that, right?

You're wrong. You can often buy digital multimeters for less than $2 at Harbor Freight. I bought ten of them at $3 each for an enrichment day science presentation that I did at my son's school on Ohm's law (something that a few people in this newsgroup would have benefited from, judging from a recent thread on batteries where several people, including Navas, demonstrated their lack of understanding of the difference between current, power, and energy).

On Wed, 31 Dec 2008 14:06:17 -0800, SMS wrote in :

Always the insult. How childish.

only if there's a harbor freight store nearby and if it's on sale. that's not going to be the case for most people.

On Wed, 31 Dec 2008 15:37:54 -0800, nospam wrote in :

Not to mention the quality issue. There are some good things at HF, but there's also a good deal of cheap crap.

They do mail order as well.

Have you actually tested any of them, or are you just spitting out more crap? Is your lab standard reference NIST traceable, and currently certified, or are you just blowing more smoke? Do you have any idea just how cheap .1% resistors are in OEM quantities? Or that the HF meters use the same basic IC that the more expensive meters like Fluke use? A lot of people on the electronics newsgroups have compared them to expensive meters, and they are an excellent value.

On Wed, 31 Dec 2008 22:58:21 -0500, "Michael A. Terrell" wrote in :

Do you always fly off the handle like a dipwad? Sheesh. I was just talking about HF in general, not that item in particular.

On Wed, 31 Dec 2008 22:58:21 -0500, "Michael A. Terrell" put finger to keyboard and composed:

Maybe this will give you an insight into John Navas's business model:

After many years watching comp.dcom.modems, I saw no evidence that John Navas tested any dialup modem on anything other than his own POTS line(s). In fact he often expressed his disdain for the testing standards and methodologies of others, many of whom used industry standard telecoms simulators. Such is the arrogance of the man.

- Franc Zabkar

I've seen his type before. Say 'Have a nice day', and they throw a hissy fit. Let him choke on his own bile.

On Thu, 01 Jan 2009 16:53:42 +1100, Franc Zabkar wrote in :

'Those who have evidence will present their evidence, whereas those who do not have evidence will attack the man.'

What's more, for the specific purpose of checking out USB connectivity and charging you don't even need a good meter, a crap one is perfectly adequate.

but then there are shipping charges, bringing it closer to $10. and it's actually a $3 meter, not $2.

with that insult you concede the debate.

'Those who have evidence will present their evidence, whereas those who do not have evidence will attack the man.'

On Thu, 01 Jan 2009 18:22:11 -0800, nospam wrote in :

Nice try, but that was just a question, a serious one.

The gas to drive across town to their store isn't free, either so what's your point?

Using even a crappy meter is more than some people can understand, as well. :)

Sometimes you need to monitor a half dozen voltages or currents at once. I'd love to do that with lab grade HP meters, each with a IEEE-488 interface, but they are over $2k each. :(

Some people actually do electronics, while others separate fly shit from pepper. It isn't difficult to figure ot which category people are in. I have about a dozen digital meters. The Fluke bench meters are unrepairable, but the cheap HF meters keep working. Several other meters are used, for the extended ranges, or special functions.

Fifty years ago he would have claimed that the $20 Heathkit VTVM wasn't as good as the RCA VoltOhmist. that was closer to $100 even though the circuits were almost identical.