Any question answered...

Frameworks are two a penny these days. Real question here is how important is the product to the business? If it's mission critical then yeah, they need to know it's not something you are comfortable handling alone. If not, and its a pet project that can be done as and when, then look at it as a skills building exercise.

Its for demo purposes only (until that functionality is available in the bespoke system) so the main thing is having a solution that is quick and easy to create and use. The presentation is next week though (eek!). Thoughts?

FAO: Web Devs

I have been asked to produce a web dashboard for a bespoke IT system, to show summaries in table and graph view etc.

I used to know HTML/CSS/PHP/MySQL (made a website part of my dissertation years ago) and am re-learning at the moment. I think this is out of my depth. Are there any easy solutions/frameworks that exist for this sort of thing or should I kindly tell them this is out of my depth?

If the metrics are known at design time, this becomes a lot easier, as you wouldn't have to work out how to make the queries configurable and make the display of them cope with that.

For a live-data dashboard (on my current day-job platform) I'd use

• D3.js for the rendering (haven't used it yet, but it seems better than jqPlot, which I have)
  
• Fetch the data from an ASMX (old-style) .Net WebService which contains
  
• LINQ-to-SQL to fetch stored data and generate appropriately structured data.
  
  
  

(The latter two chosen because I haven't worked with WCF WebServices and Entity Framework yet.)

Outside of this workplace, I'd still be temped to use a C#/.Net backend, because I haven't seen anything else that does what LINQ does and isn't LINQ. The ability to trace a calculated property in one layer right back to the database fields in VisualStudio and have it strongly-typed all the way is very empowering, and it fits how my brain navigates entity models better than plain old SQL.

d3 is great and fairly straight forward

privatepatterson: that makes sense. ok thanks!

No sweat. You can usually google to find out the stack height of your headset and stem. Your steerer will need to be marginally shorter than that of your stem/spacer stack in order for the top cap bolt to be able to compress the headset when screwed into the star fangled nut. Tester is the oracle with regard to this sort of stuff; a learned man who shares his knowledge for free and who tends not to ridicule the inexperienced.

Its for demo purposes only (until that functionality is available in the bespoke system) so the main thing is having a solution that is quick and easy to create and use. The presentation is next week though (eek!). Thoughts?

Ignore the technobabble above and fake the system using a rapid prototyping tool of choice.

Tester is the oracle with regard to this sort of stuff; a learned man who shares his knowledge for free and who tends not to ridicule the inexperienced.

Are you sure you've for this right?

The steerer should poke out of the top of the stem, with a small spacer between the stem and top cap. Some clever bugger has come up with a way of integrating that spacer into the top cap, but I can't for the life of me remember who :-)

I need to install some protective bars on my motorbike. They protect the engine / oil carters and things like that when the motorbike fall. I bought them on ebay a long time ago, and never installed them as one of the fixing points is on a threaded rod that attached the engine to the bike frame. When the protective bar's plate is on, there not enough thread anymore to fit the bolt. So I need a longer threaded rod.

There are three options for M10 bolts - standard pitch (1.5mm pitch), fine (1.25mm pitch) and the other really fine fine (1mm pitch). You'll need to know which one it is before buying the bolt. The easiest way to work it out is to take the bolt out, and measure 10 threads. In my experience most Japanese engine bolts (Honda Blackbird, ZX9R, R1) are M10x1.25.

Namrick is a useful place for buying bolts (www.namrick.co.uk) is a good place for buying small quantities of unusual bolts, although I don't think they do metric fine cap heads. You'll probably want a 12.9 spec bolt, which most cap head bolts will be.

What kind of bike is it? Might help narrow the options, as would some more information about what bolt head it has.

Ignore the technobabble above and fake the system using a rapid prototyping tool of choice.

What tool do you suggest and what do you mean by fake the system? Do you mean create a dummy database using prototyping tool to then show the 'dynamic' dashboard?

If I understand you correctly:

• The system cannot yet produce the data to drive the dashboard
  
• The dashboard, now, need only exist for the purposes of a 'demo', which I assume is some kind of proof of concept test / requirements validation / sales marketing thing
  
  

So instead of building something 'real' that is both open to interface and requirements changes, discover exactly what the dashboard need do for the demo then fake that using anything good enough. You'll need to discover what good enough looks like though, but some things I've used in the past, in order of increasing realism / complexity

• Paper sketches
  
• Powerpoint
  
• Photoshop
  
• Keynote
  
• Visio
  
• Axure
  
• Flash
  
• PHP CodeIgnitor & JQuery
  
• Raw Ruby + SQL & HTML / CSS
  
  

My understanding could be completely wrong though, YMMV etc.

Vello, you need to measure the length of the bolt you need to replace, not including the head, and get one that is about 10mm longer. If (a) is 10mm , it is probably an M10 x 1.25 thread size, but that is a guess. I wouldn't use studding as it is made to hold ceilings and ducting up, not huge engines.
Think about the clearance you have around the head, and whether you will be able to get a socket or spanner in there, or whether an 'Allan' bolt is a better bet.
I don't think Clerkenwell Screws will have what you need, but these people may have something suitable,
http://www.pro-bolt.com/

There are three options for M10 bolts - standard pitch (1.5mm pitch), fine (1.25mm pitch) and the other really fine fine (1mm pitch). You'll need to know which one it is before buying the bolt. The easiest way to work it out is to take the bolt out, and measure 10 threads. In my experience most Japanese engine bolts (Honda Blackbird, ZX9R, R1) are M10x1.25.
Namrick is a useful place for buying bolts (www.namrick.co.uk) is a good place for buying small quantities of unusual bolts, although I don't think they do metric fine cap heads. You'll probably want a 12.9 spec bolt, which most cap head bolts will be.
What kind of bike is it? Might help narrow the options, as would some more information about what bolt head it has.

Thanks guys.

Actually reading your answers I realize I should have explained that I need a threaded rod, not just a bolt, as it goes all the way thru the engine, lateraly: I've made a little drawing to clarify.
With regards to the thread, my plan was to buy the nut and rod at the same time to avoid compatibility problem with existing: nothing is threaded on the frame or engine, I can use whatever I want providing the diameters is correct for the hole, and the existing rod is 10mm diameter.

The bike is an old Suzuki tourer, GSX1100G (shaft driven)

Loic

1 Attachment

Ah yes, I know the type - the CBR1000F which Cycliste has in her Ginetta G20 has a similar long bolt, as does the Blackbird engine I've got. In that case, a length of 10mm studding should be fine - that's how both the engines above are attached. It's probably best to use high tensile studding, but this should do the trick. Then you'll just need a couple of M10 nylocs, one on either end.

If I understand you correctly:

• The system cannot yet produce the data to drive the dashboard
  
• The dashboard, now, need only exist for the purposes of a 'demo', which I assume is some kind of proof of concept test / requirements validation / sales marketing thing
  
  

So instead of building something 'real' that is both open to interface and requirements changes, discover exactly what the dashboard need do for the demo then fake that using anything good enough. You'll need to discover what good enough looks like though, but some things I've used in the past, in order of increasing realism / complexity

• Paper sketches
  
• Powerpoint
  
• Photoshop
  
• Keynote
  
• Visio
  
• Axure
  
• Flash
  
• PHP CodeIgnitor & JQuery
  
• Raw Ruby + SQL & HTML / CSS
  
  

My understanding could be completely wrong though, YMMV etc.

To clarify:

The system can produce the data to drive the dashboard, in the form of text strings, so something that can update a graph and summary table view using this data or a fake version will suffice.

The dashboard, now, need only exist for the purposes of a 'demo', which I assume is some kind of proof of concept test thing -Correct. Essentially, we want to be able to show if something in the system changes, the dashboard can be refreshed to reflect the change.

I think realism is definitely an important factor. Which leaves me with the following:

• Axure (never used but willing to give it a go)
  
• Flash (never used but willing to give it a go)
  
• PHP CodeIgnitor & JQuery
  
• Raw Ruby + SQL & HTML / CSS
  
  

With my novice understanding, if there is a script for how the presentation is going to go, would it be too obvious to make several HTML pages with a 'refresh' button, which is actually a link to a similar looking pages but with different stats (and faking that is it connected to the system)?

Thanks for all the help, you're a lifesaver!

Ah yes, I know the type - the CBR1000F which Cycliste has in her Ginetta G20 has a similar long bolt, as does the Blackbird engine I've got. In that case, a length of 10mm studding should be fine - that's how both the engines above are attached. It's probably best to use high tensile studding, but this should do the trick. Then you'll just need a couple of M10 nylocs, one on either end.

Thanks!

I think as you put up before either 8.8 HTS rod or if you can find a supplier 10.9 for increased strength.

Here seems pretty reasonable on price and shipping.

http://www.gwr-fasteners.co.uk/m10-threaded-bar---88-high-tensile-14329-p.asp

Thank you.

supplier 10.9 for increased strength.

Am I right to guess this is super hard to find in small quantities?

Is there a reason why most of the latest LED bulb models are not available in the UK? I keep looking
for them online and they only ever become available in the US. Philips and Cree now even updated
the latest ones with never versions but still nothing...

I think realism is definitely an important factor. Which leaves me with the following:

• Axure (never used but willing to give it a go)
  
• Flash (never used but willing to give it a go)
  
• PHP CodeIgnitor & JQuery
  
• Raw Ruby + SQL & HTML / CSS
  
  

With my novice understanding, if there is a script for how the presentation is going to go, would it be too obvious to make several HTML pages with a 'refresh' button, which is actually a link to a similar looking pages but with different stats (and faking that is it connected to the system)?

Yes - exactly. As long as everyone involved is clear that you a producing a mock-up, and that a mock up is suitable for the purposes of the demo that's pretty much what I would suggest.

Axure is good for that kind of thing but you can also do it in Powerpoint (export presso as web pages)

Is there a good thread discussing and comparing different pedal systems?

Also, where's the 'where's that thread' thread. A bit Ironic...

Just search a few key words and if there is nothing you like, start a new one.

There's this but I was hoping for something better.

Heres a query: I'm looking for a room in a flat/house share around Dalston/Haggerston/Islington etc.? Any available for move in ASAP or within 30 days. Checked Gumtree up to today only found 1 or two which I'm going to check out today?

If anyone has one PM me please

Is there a reason why most of the latest LED bulb models are not available in the UK? I keep looking
for them online and they only ever become available in the US. Philips and Cree now even updated
the latest ones with never versions but still nothing...

Too much demand at the component level?

Maybe the consumer bulb demand can't compete with the demand from other industrial channels, e.g automotive applications, commercial lighting, hipster bike torches...

Surprised Philips models aren't more available as they're an European company and are vertically integrated from SMD component up to consumer products.

What heights would a medium giant bowery suit?