Robert Green wrote:
"dadiOH" wrote in message news:HviIm.59775
stuff snipped
You can determine which eye is dominant by pointing at something.
Now close one eye...are you still pointing where you were? If so,
the open eye is the dominant eye.

Neat trick. What does it mean if when you close either eye, neither
is pointing at the right object?

Stay away from guns, you'll never hit anything..

--

dadiOH
____________________________

dadiOH's dandies v3.06...
....a help file of info about MP3s, recording from
LP/cassette and tips & tricks on this and that.
Get it at http://mysite.verizon.net/xico

On Nov 4, 12:05*pm, "dadiOH" wrote:
HeyBub wrote:
DerbyDad03 wrote:
On Nov 3, 4:02 pm, "HeyBub" wrote:
Bill wrote:
I'm buying magnifying glasses by the bucket full!

I leave them anywhere I might need to read something small.

Here's a trick. On my last annual visit to the eye doctor, I got a
prescription for 2.25 mag contact lenses.

I wear ONE.

I can easily read without glasses (through one eye of course) and I
can drive because the magnifying lens doesn't interfere with depth
perception even if the objects are a tad fuzzy through that one eye.

The ONLY downside is precision depth perception at arm's length or
less. Most of the time it's no problem but in the case of putting
teeny gears back inside a ladies antique watch, I drop on a
magnifying headset.

These AccuVu constant-wear lenses are good for one-two months and
cost about $30 ($27 at Sams) for six. YMMV.

You are the third person in as many months from whom I have heard the
one-contact-for-reading trick.

What did your eye doctor say about doing that?

Okay with him.

It's roughly equivalent to wearing a hearing aid in only one ear or
walking with a single cane.

If there exists any concern, routinely switch which eye has the
contact. If you're like most people, the shape and size of each
eyeball are the same as the other, so you only need one, er,
"shape"(?).

One other point...

Everyone has one dominant eye. *If you do the near/far lens thing, put the
prescription for the activity you most use (near/far) in the dominant eye..

You can determine which eye is dominant by pointing at something. *Now close
one eye...are you still pointing where you were? *If so, the open eye is the
dominant eye.

--

dadiOH

- Show quoted text -

"...are you still pointing where you were?"

Of course I am.

Closing one eye didn't make my arm move.

"Jim Elbrecht" wrote in message
...
"Robert Green" wrote:

"Jim Elbrecht" wrote in message
.. .
-snip-
I where a headlamp sometimes. It not only sheds more contrasting
light, it also focuses attention.

I'll take this opportunity to spell cop myself-- and apologize to my
3rd grade teacher;
"I'm sorry Mrs.Westfall- yes, I know the difference between
'where', wear & ware. My brain farted.

Don't whirry about it.

-snip-
Interestingly enough, I have the kind of visual deterioration that extra
light doesn't help as much as some of my sight-challenged friends.

I need *a lot* of extra light to make a difference.

I can't even read the huge digit alarm clock I have (1.5" tall numbers in
bright blue!) without my specs, although I did develop a trick. If I hold
my thumbs and forefingers up to my naked eye to make a little peephole, with
a little jiggling I can read the digits. Of course, DaVinci discovered the
pinhole lens first, but hey, let him sue me!

Did you
know that older people's eyes are incredibly more yellow than young ones
but
that the brain automatically "white balances" for you by assuming that
the
brightest, lightest shaded item in a scene is white? I learned all about
that from some brochure about cataracts and other ways your eyes can fail
in
my eye docs office.

Aha! I didn't know the reason- but I've wondered why I've never run
across any of those 'blue LEDs'.

All this makes me realize that as much as I don't like it, state DMV's are
probably doing everyone a favor when the demand eye tests for seniors. I
know both my parents "out drove" their eyesight. Ask you eye doc to show
you how much difference there is between old, yellowed eyes and young, clear
ones. It's PFA.

Apparently my very yellowed eyes are helped, oddly enough, by LED
flashlights. Some people find them too blue, but I bought some 100 LED
"showerhead" flashlights and they help in lots of places. Strapped one
to
the vacuum wand with hose clamps and now I hardly hear "How on earth
could
you miss that?" from the missus anymore. Very bright but no "throw" -
the
beam falters at about 25' feet. Those 1MCP spots are still the best for
lighting up street signs (I've got binocs in the glove box for reading
those, and I'm probably not the only semi-senior who does!).

I prefer to stay home at night.g. That's probably the worst
thing my eyes have done to me. I see fine in the headlights- but
the edges drop off a lot quicker than they did 20 yrs ago. [not just
night-vision, either, as I negotiate in moonlight better without a
flashlight creating too much contrast]

The other night, while driving in a thunderstorm the likes of which I'd only
seen a few times before, I remembered the first time I drove in a T-storm
when I was a kid thinking "they let people like me drive huge, lethal
machines like this with no experience in rain driving whatsoever? - What a
world!"

--
Bobby G.

Robert Green wrote:
"Jim Elbrecht" wrote in message
...
On Tue, 03 Nov 2009 10:01:12 -0500, Van Chocstraw
wrote:

Robert Green wrote:
As I get older, even with new glasses, I find it harder and harder to
see
things like the engraved markings on socket wrenches. Has anyone found
a
way to mark these things so that they can be read in dim light by old
fogeys?
-snip-
Why don't you get some 4x power reading glasses?
He said "even with new glasses". They aren't the same as the old
eyes-- especially at all distances and in poor light.

Correct. At some point, no amount of lens correction is going to compensate
for the degradation of old age. Van, no disrespect or ill will intended, but
wait until you find out what "floaters" are. Then you'll realize the tip of
the iceberg has shown itself. )-:

I where a headlamp sometimes. It not only sheds more contrasting
light, it also focuses attention.

Yes, great minds run in the same ruts. When I realized I was having
trouble, I bought 3 at Allelectronics because they were cheap, ran on AAA's
instead of infuriating coin cells and had a nice band and swivel head.
Great for dogwalking, too, because I'd have a scooper in one hand, a feisty
squirrel-hating dog in the other and a penlight in my mouth.

Alas, when two of them went missing, (the dog is the primary suspect, but
still hasn't confessed) I went back to Allelectronics but they were gone.
That's the problem with surplus dealers. Haven't found anything near their
price or performance point since. If anyone knows where to get a good
swivel head AAA powered LED headlamp for $5, let me know.

It's a bitch getting old- but it beats *not* getting old.

My favorite quote from Kurt Vonnegut is "I knew getting old was going to be
bad, but I didn't know it was going to be THIS bad!"

Interestingly enough, I have the kind of visual deterioration that extra
light doesn't help as much as some of my sight-challenged friends. Did you
know that older people's eyes are incredibly more yellow than young ones but
that the brain automatically "white balances" for you by assuming that the
brightest, lightest shaded item in a scene is white? I learned all about
that from some brochure about cataracts and other ways your eyes can fail in
my eye docs office.

Eyes are strange....I got a routine eye exam, first in about 5 years,
last Jan. I'm post-medicare, but not ancient ) Hubby usually drives,
so I don't drive often. Out driving alone one day, I had double vision.
It was after noon, had had nothing to eat yet, so figured it was low
blood sugar. Knew it wasn't a brain tumor, as it only happened that
once. Month or two later, got it again. Went back to the cheapo
optemetrist, who checked my prescription and later redid the exam. No
change. Got double vision again, so went to MD. Ahah! One eye crosses
(invisibly, no less) and my eyes had always "adjusted". Got new
glasses, and all is well when I drive. Now my vision is more blurry
without glasses than it was previously but no more double vision. Very
disconcerting when you know the road has two lanes but yer seein' four
lanes )

Apparently my very yellowed eyes are helped, oddly enough, by LED
flashlights. Some people find them too blue, but I bought some 100 LED
"showerhead" flashlights and they help in lots of places. Strapped one to
the vacuum wand with hose clamps and now I hardly hear "How on earth could
you miss that?" from the missus anymore. Very bright but no "throw" - the
beam falters at about 25' feet. Those 1MCP spots are still the best for
lighting up street signs (I've got binocs in the glove box for reading
those, and I'm probably not the only semi-senior who does!).

--
Bobby G.

wrote in message news:T6OdnWuNCIJ3hG_XnZ2dnUVZ_q-
stuff snipped
Eyes are strange....I got a routine eye exam, first in about 5 years,
last Jan. I'm post-medicare, but not ancient ) Hubby usually drives,
so I don't drive often. Out driving alone one day, I had double vision.
It was after noon, had had nothing to eat yet, so figured it was low
blood sugar. Knew it wasn't a brain tumor, as it only happened that
once. Month or two later, got it again. Went back to the cheapo
optemetrist, who checked my prescription and later redid the exam. No
change. Got double vision again, so went to MD. Ahah! One eye crosses
(invisibly, no less) and my eyes had always "adjusted". Got new
glasses, and all is well when I drive. Now my vision is more blurry
without glasses than it was previously but no more double vision. Very
disconcerting when you know the road has two lanes but yer seein' four
lanes )

As Bill the Cat would say: "Gack!" Another thing to look forward to like
finger and toenails get so thick I need surgical scissors to cut them.
Oddly enough, inside I still feel about 25 years old (although my wife
insists I act more like I think I am 13) but outside, Father time keeps
kicking me in the knees, stepping on my fingers, grinding down my teeth,
stealing my hair while I sleep and making my hairline make a beeline for my
neckline. But I consider myself lucky. My friend goes to his dermatologist
to get his skin tabs shaved as often as I get my hair cut. And at least I
don't have double vision - yet! (-:

--
Bobby G.

"charlie" wrote in message
...

"Robert Green" wrote in message
...

I'll be sure to remember we've got a locksmith here when a lock question
arises! Actually, I do have one: I've always carried something called
an
"Ilco Unican Keycard Pat pending 82511A/88 1" which is a like a thick
plastic credit card that has a copy of my car key that snaps in the
middle.
My new car had an "immobilizer" and has a chip in the key head that the
ignition reads and then allows the car to start. The key head is very
thick
and won't fit into a wallet very well. Is there are way around this?
Do
they make "wallet" key card for RF enabled ignition keys?

Thanks for your help,

--
Bobby G.

those are not for starting/driving. they are for opening the door when you
lock yourself out of the car.

Well, my old wallet key starts and runs my 1990 car! I guess I could hide a
spare RF enabled key inside the car somewhere and use the wallet version to
let me in to get it. Not ideal, but probably workable. In fact, I had the
car broken into and the steering column popped but without the RF key, all
it did was grind up the starter motor, so I have a spare key I could cut
down like the Ilco key and carry that with me. Now to figure out where to
get a cheap key dupe for a Chrysler. The last I checked they wanted an
obscene amount of money. Any suggestions as we wonder far, far away from
the thread topic?

--
Bobby G.

Robert Green wrote:
"charlie" wrote in message
...
"Robert Green" wrote in message
...
I'll be sure to remember we've got a locksmith here when a lock question
arises! Actually, I do have one: I've always carried something called
an
"Ilco Unican Keycard Pat pending 82511A/88 1" which is a like a thick
plastic credit card that has a copy of my car key that snaps in the
middle.
My new car had an "immobilizer" and has a chip in the key head that the
ignition reads and then allows the car to start. The key head is very
thick
and won't fit into a wallet very well. Is there are way around this?
Do
they make "wallet" key card for RF enabled ignition keys?

Thanks for your help,

--
Bobby G.
those are not for starting/driving. they are for opening the door when you
lock yourself out of the car.

Well, my old wallet key starts and runs my 1990 car! I guess I could hide a
spare RF enabled key inside the car somewhere and use the wallet version to
let me in to get it. Not ideal, but probably workable. In fact, I had the
car broken into and the steering column popped but without the RF key, all
it did was grind up the starter motor, so I have a spare key I could cut
down like the Ilco key and carry that with me. Now to figure out where to
get a cheap key dupe for a Chrysler. The last I checked they wanted an
obscene amount of money. Any suggestions as we wonder far, far away from
the thread topic?

--
Bobby G.


Any good independent locksmith can beat the dealer price by at least
1/3. Around here, the Chrysler dealer doesn't even do keys any more-
they send them to the local freelancer. If you don't have 2 working
keys, you will need to get the magic number from the dealer- they look
it up using the VIN. You can also buy uncut blanks on ebay, and do the
self-program voodoo on them if you have at least 2 keys, and are willing
to risk a pig in a poke versus the guaranteed keys from the locksmith.
(and if you can find a hardware store willing to cut carried-in blanks,
or are patient enough to cut them yourself by hand with a rat-tail file.)

I hate the damn security keys, personally. Both of my cars have them,
and they make my keyring painful to carry in a pants pocket.

--
aem sends...

DerbyDad03 wrote:
On Nov 4, 12:05 pm, "dadiOH" wrote:
One other point...

Everyone has one dominant eye. If you do the near/far lens thing,
put the prescription for the activity you most use (near/far) in the
dominant eye.

You can determine which eye is dominant by pointing at something.
Now close one eye...are you still pointing where you were? If so,
the open eye is the dominant eye.

--

dadiOH

- Show quoted text -

"...are you still pointing where you were?"

Of course I am.

Closing one eye didn't make my arm move.

Then close the other eye.

If you'll look carefully when you point you'll see that there are *two*
fingers out there pointing (unless you only have one eye). When pointing,
our brain ignores one of them and selects the dominant eye as the "rear
sight".

--

dadiOH
____________________________

dadiOH's dandies v3.06...
....a help file of info about MP3s, recording from
LP/cassette and tips & tricks on this and that.
Get it at http://mysite.verizon.net/xico

I don't know of any wallet keys with the RF gadget, or the
resistor pellet. Wish there were. Yes, some of the RF key
head are a bit too large for my liking.

--
Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
..


I'll be sure to remember we've got a locksmith here when a
lock question
arises! Actually, I do have one: I've always carried
something called
an
"Ilco Unican Keycard Pat pending 82511A/88 1" which is a
like a thick
plastic credit card that has a copy of my car key that
snaps in the
middle.
My new car had an "immobilizer" and has a chip in the key
head that the
ignition reads and then allows the car to start. The key
head is very
thick
and won't fit into a wallet very well. Is there are way
around this? Do
they make "wallet" key card for RF enabled ignition keys?

Thanks for your help,

--
Bobby G.

Robert Green wrote:

As Bill the Cat would say: "Gack!" Another thing to look forward to
like finger and toenails get so thick I need surgical scissors to cut
them. Oddly enough, inside I still feel about 25 years old (although
my wife insists I act more like I think I am 13) but outside, Father
time keeps kicking me in the knees, stepping on my fingers, grinding
down my teeth, stealing my hair while I sleep and making my hairline
make a beeline for my neckline. But I consider myself lucky. My
friend goes to his dermatologist to get his skin tabs shaved as often
as I get my hair cut. And at least I don't have double vision - yet!
(-:

Can't help on the other problems but I've solved the long-toenail
difficulty.

Clown shoes.

Robert Green wrote:
wrote in message news:T6OdnWuNCIJ3hG_XnZ2dnUVZ_q-
stuff snipped
Eyes are strange....I got a routine eye exam, first in about 5 years,
last Jan. I'm post-medicare, but not ancient ) Hubby usually drives,
so I don't drive often. Out driving alone one day, I had double vision.
It was after noon, had had nothing to eat yet, so figured it was low
blood sugar. Knew it wasn't a brain tumor, as it only happened that
once. Month or two later, got it again. Went back to the cheapo
optemetrist, who checked my prescription and later redid the exam. No
change. Got double vision again, so went to MD. Ahah! One eye crosses
(invisibly, no less) and my eyes had always "adjusted". Got new
glasses, and all is well when I drive. Now my vision is more blurry
without glasses than it was previously but no more double vision. Very
disconcerting when you know the road has two lanes but yer seein' four
lanes )

As Bill the Cat would say: "Gack!" Another thing to look forward to like
finger and toenails get so thick I need surgical scissors to cut them.

And you call yourself a DIYer? On AHR?! A Dremel tool works nicely
with a sanding drum tip...Of course, if you can't reach toes or see them
well, you need an assistant )

Oddly enough, inside I still feel about 25 years old (although my wife
insists I act more like I think I am 13) but outside, Father time keeps
kicking me in the knees, stepping on my fingers, grinding down my teeth,
stealing my hair while I sleep and making my hairline make a beeline for my
neckline. But I consider myself lucky. My friend goes to his dermatologist
to get his skin tabs shaved as often as I get my hair cut. And at least I
don't have double vision - yet! (-:

--
Bobby G.

"Robert Green" wrote in message
...
"Roger Shoaf" wrote in message
...

I'll be sure to remember we've got a locksmith here when a lock question
arises! Actually, I do have one: I've always carried something called
an
"Ilco Unican Keycard Pat pending 82511A/88 1" which is a like a thick
plastic credit card that has a copy of my car key that snaps in the
middle.
My new car had an "immobilizer" and has a chip in the key head that the
ignition reads and then allows the car to start. The key head is very
thick
and won't fit into a wallet very well. Is there are way around this? Do
they make "wallet" key card for RF enabled ignition keys?

Thanks for your help,


The only wallet keys with the chip that I have seen would be on the real
high end stuff like Lexus.

What I would suggest is to get a spare with the chip, stash that in the
trunk and then get the wallet key that will let you into the trunk.

What kind of car do you have?

--

__
Roger Shoaf

Important factors in selecting a mate:
1] Depth of gene pool
2] Position on the food chain.

On Wed, 04 Nov 2009 14:35:26 -0700, charlie wrote:
My new car had an "immobilizer" and has a chip in the key head that the
ignition reads and then allows the car to start. The key head is very
thick
and won't fit into a wallet very well. Is there are way around this? Do
they make "wallet" key card for RF enabled ignition keys?

I think that's highly dependent on the system. I had an after-market
immobilizer fitted to one of my cars and it can with a little
cylindrical widget about an inch long and 3/8" diameter which just dangled
from the same keyring as the key and was read by the immobilizer.

Are you sure your key doesn't do other stuff, too (remote door locking
etc. and therefore has a battery in it and other 'guts')? I've seen cars
where they'll supply two keys as standard - one that's just the
immobolizer/ignition and one that does all the other stuff too; the bigger
one's almost twice the size of the smaller...

cheers

Jules

Roger Shoaf wrote:


The only wallet keys with the chip that I have seen would be on the
real high end stuff like Lexus.

What I would suggest is to get a spare with the chip, stash that in
the trunk and then get the wallet key that will let you into the
trunk.


Oooo! Good idea!

On Nov 5, 7:33*am, "dadiOH" wrote:
DerbyDad03 wrote:
On Nov 4, 12:05 pm, "dadiOH" wrote:
One other point...

Everyone has one dominant eye. If you do the near/far lens thing,
put the prescription for the activity you most use (near/far) in the
dominant eye.

You can determine which eye is dominant by pointing at something.
Now close one eye...are you still pointing where you were? If so,
the open eye is the dominant eye.

--

dadiOH

- Show quoted text -

"...are you still pointing where you were?"

Of course I am.

Closing one eye didn't make my arm move.

Then close the other eye.

If you'll look carefully when you point you'll see that there are *two*
fingers out there pointing (unless you only have one eye). *When pointing,
our brain ignores one of them and selects the dominant eye as the "rear
sight".

--

dadiOH
____________________________

dadiOH's dandies v3.06...
...a help file of info about MP3s, recording from
LP/cassette and tips & tricks on this and that.
Get it athttp://mysite.verizon.net/xico- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Whoosh! Right over your head. :-)

I wasn't talking about eyesight mechanics or the brain's
interpretation of the light rays entering either eye.

I was simply stating that I was still *pointing* to the exact spot
that I was *pointing* to before because my arm didn't move.

Jules wrote:
On Wed, 04 Nov 2009 14:35:26 -0700, charlie wrote:
My new car had an "immobilizer" and has a chip in the key head that the
ignition reads and then allows the car to start. The key head is very
thick
and won't fit into a wallet very well. Is there are way around this? Do
they make "wallet" key card for RF enabled ignition keys?

I think that's highly dependent on the system. I had an after-market
immobilizer fitted to one of my cars and it can with a little
cylindrical widget about an inch long and 3/8" diameter which just dangled
from the same keyring as the key and was read by the immobilizer.

Are you sure your key doesn't do other stuff, too (remote door locking
etc. and therefore has a battery in it and other 'guts')? I've seen cars
where they'll supply two keys as standard - one that's just the
immobolizer/ignition and one that does all the other stuff too; the bigger
one's almost twice the size of the smaller...

cheers

Jules

My van came with ONE of those, and no other keys. It cost me $125 or so
at the locksmith on the way home, to get two smaller keys programmed
using the magic number the dealer gave me. And since idiot chrysler
expects everyone to carry around that huge key the size of a serving
spoon, only the driver door and hatch have lock cylinders. Major PITA.
Key isn't just huge, the tiny loop angled the wrong direction means you
can't put it on a key ring and carry keys in your pants pocket. Been
meaning to see if anyone sells an aftermarket fob that could be
programmed to talk to the van without killing the original huge key and
vanilla security keys. Maybe buy a used key off ebay or something, and
just cut the shaft off.

Never understood the purpose of remote locks that only work from a few
feet away. You are standing at the damn door anyway, and if keys are in
your pocket, you already have to set down whatever you are carrying with
that arm.

--
aem sends...

"Stormin Mormon" wrote in message
...
I don't know of any wallet keys with the RF gadget, or the
resistor pellet. Wish there were. Yes, some of the RF key
head are a bit too large for my liking.

When my car was broken into, they left with me two dead keys by the time my
steering column was repaired. I'm going to perform an "auto key autospy" to
see if the chip can be removed and encased in something slimmer. Then I
might try it with a good key.

--
Bobby G.

"Jules" wrote in message
news
On Wed, 04 Nov 2009 14:35:26 -0700, charlie wrote:
My new car had an "immobilizer" and has a chip in the key head that the
ignition reads and then allows the car to start. The key head is very
thick
and won't fit into a wallet very well. Is there are way around this?
Do
they make "wallet" key card for RF enabled ignition keys?

I think that's highly dependent on the system. I had an after-market
immobilizer fitted to one of my cars and it can with a little
cylindrical widget about an inch long and 3/8" diameter which just dangled
from the same keyring as the key and was read by the immobilizer.

Are you sure your key doesn't do other stuff, too (remote door locking
etc. and therefore has a battery in it and other 'guts')? I've seen cars
where they'll supply two keys as standard - one that's just the
immobolizer/ignition and one that does all the other stuff too; the bigger
one's almost twice the size of the smaller...

I've got a keyfob that does all that, and now that you remind me, I could
technically use that to get in and out of the car (unless the battery dies!)
and keep the RF enabled key hidden somewhere in the car. The RF keys (it's
a 2002 Chrysler minivan) have no battery, just a bulbous head.

I just had a friend go through conniptions after locking his keys in the car
with the ignition on. It turns out that on that model Ford, when the
ignition is on, the keyfob doesn't work. We finally got in by using a coat
hanger to push the power window button. That incident reminded me I had
only one RF key for my van, and I ought to get a second one.

--
Bobby G.

"Roger Shoaf" wrote in message
...

"Robert Green" wrote in message
...
"Roger Shoaf" wrote in message
...

I'll be sure to remember we've got a locksmith here when a lock question
arises! Actually, I do have one: I've always carried something called
an
"Ilco Unican Keycard Pat pending 82511A/88 1" which is a like a thick
plastic credit card that has a copy of my car key that snaps in the
middle.
My new car had an "immobilizer" and has a chip in the key head that the
ignition reads and then allows the car to start. The key head is very
thick
and won't fit into a wallet very well. Is there are way around this?
Do
they make "wallet" key card for RF enabled ignition keys?

Thanks for your help,


The only wallet keys with the chip that I have seen would be on the real
high end stuff like Lexus.

What I would suggest is to get a spare with the chip, stash that in the
trunk and then get the wallet key that will let you into the trunk.

What kind of car do you have?

2002 Chrysler minivan

--
Bobby G.

wrote in message
m...
Robert Green wrote:
wrote in message
news:T6OdnWuNCIJ3hG_XnZ2dnUVZ_q-
stuff snipped
Eyes are strange....I got a routine eye exam, first in about 5 years,
last Jan. I'm post-medicare, but not ancient ) Hubby usually
drives,
so I don't drive often. Out driving alone one day, I had double
vision.
It was after noon, had had nothing to eat yet, so figured it was low
blood sugar. Knew it wasn't a brain tumor, as it only happened that
once. Month or two later, got it again. Went back to the cheapo
optemetrist, who checked my prescription and later redid the exam. No
change. Got double vision again, so went to MD. Ahah! One eye
crosses
(invisibly, no less) and my eyes had always "adjusted". Got new
glasses, and all is well when I drive. Now my vision is more blurry
without glasses than it was previously but no more double vision. Very
disconcerting when you know the road has two lanes but yer seein' four
lanes )

As Bill the Cat would say: "Gack!" Another thing to look forward to
like
finger and toenails get so thick I need surgical scissors to cut them.

And you call yourself a DIYer? On AHR?! A Dremel tool works nicely
with a sanding drum tip...Of course, if you can't reach toes or see them
well, you need an assistant )

Yeah, "what a drag it is getting old." (-:

--
Bobby G.

"Jules" wrote in message
news
On Tue, 03 Nov 2009 09:00:56 -0500, Robert Green wrote:
Any hints, clues, tips, suggestions?

You could possibly notch the vertical face of the most common ones for the
types of job that you do using a hacksaw or a cutting disc in a grinder
(e.g. 1 notch for 3/8", 2 for 1/2", 3 for 9/16"). Maybe spacing the
notches at 90 degree intervals (or 45) will make them far enough apart to
avoid ambiguity.

Personally I've found that if I'm using sockets a lot I can just look at a
bolt and know what size it is, and look at a socket bit and do the same. I
seem to lose that skill if I'm not using them often though, and it all
falls apart given a mixture of AF / Whitworth / BSF / Metric sizes (which
often applies to old British cars :-)

cheers

Jules

Actually, part of the problem is putting the poorly marked sockets and bits
BACK into their cases, which have much better markings. I've started an
index card list of the sizes of the items around the house that always need
the occasional tightening so I can save myself the trouble of trying five
sockets to find the right one. Owned a Jag and a Triumph before I swore off
British cars forever. Got all those damn oddball sizes and know all the
jokes like: Why do the English like warm beer? Because Lucas makes
refrigerators.

--
Bobby G.

"aemeijers" wrote in message
stuff snipped

My van came with ONE of those, and no other keys. It cost me $125 or so
at the locksmith on the way home, to get two smaller keys programmed
using the magic number the dealer gave me. And since idiot chrysler
expects everyone to carry around that huge key the size of a serving
spoon, only the driver door and hatch have lock cylinders. Major PITA.

You got off cheap. My dealer wanted $125 for ONE key! That's just
outrageous.

--
Bobby G.

"Robert Green" wrote in message news:hd1vao$nc3

2002 Chrysler minivan


OK there are two ways to approach this one. First is as I suggested would
be to stash the transponder key inside the car somewhere and use a standard
key for entry. The second way would be to bypass the transponder system.
Here you could remove the antenna ring from around the lock and tape a key
inside and use a mechanical key to start the car.

This is not advised if you are in an area that you are likely to have a
minivan stolen, and your insurance company may very well balk if it is and
you file a claim and they find out you had bypassed the theft deterrent, but
the choice is yours.


--
Roger Shoaf
If you are not part of the solution, you are not dissolved in the solvent.

On Fri, 06 Nov 2009 16:32:35 -0500, Robert Green wrote:
Personally I've found that if I'm using sockets a lot I can just look at a
bolt and know what size it is, and look at a socket bit and do the same. I
seem to lose that skill if I'm not using them often though, and it all
falls apart given a mixture of AF / Whitworth / BSF / Metric sizes (which
often applies to old British cars :-)

Actually, part of the problem is putting the poorly marked sockets and bits
BACK into their cases, which have much better markings.

Aha, OK. I'm not always that organized - half the time I end up with a
small pile of socket bits on top of the case, and every few months they'll
end up back where they should be :-)

Owned a Jag and a Triumph before I swore off British cars forever. Got
all those damn oddball sizes and know all the jokes like: Why do the
English like warm beer? Because Lucas makes refrigerators.

:-) I've had several Triumphs, a couple of old British Fords, and worked
on many a vintage Rover... much of the problem was the vast number of
owners that many of these cars have had over the years though, and they'd
use whatever bits they could get their hands on to fix things. Although
Triumph's quality control could be a bit random too (and you wouldn't
believe the amount of casting sand I've pulled out of their engine blocks...

Oddly, I've never had much trouble with Lucas electrics, despite the
reputation.

Oh, I always wanted a classic Jag XJ6 or XJ12 but could never have
afforded to run it back in the UK, but of course it's a lot cheaper here
in the US (like, 1/8th of the cost) and I think they did export quite a
few, so I might find one this side of the Pond someday...

cheers

Jules

"Jules" wrote in message
stuff snipped
:-) I've had several Triumphs, a couple of old British Fords, and worked
on many a vintage Rover... much of the problem was the vast number of
owners that many of these cars have had over the years though, and they'd
use whatever bits they could get their hands on to fix things. Although
Triumph's quality control could be a bit random too (and you wouldn't
believe the amount of casting sand I've pulled out of their engine
blocks...

I sold my TR6 shortly after a neighbor's kid beheaded himself in a TR4. Got
a used Ford LTD patrol car at auction - a heavied up version that could
probably roll right over a Triumph. Only got 7 MPG, had a monstrous engine
in it and a trunk that was probably large enough to hold a disassembled
Triumph. That was back when gas was 32 cents a gallon and no one had ever
heard of global warming. Hard to believe.

Oddly, I've never had much trouble with Lucas electrics, despite the
reputation.

Neither have I, but there are enough similar jokes that I suspect there's a
grain of truth in it. SU carbs were a totally different case. Hope I never
see another one. Every bad thing I had ever heard about them was true, plus
some things I had never heard.

Oh, I always wanted a classic Jag XJ6 or XJ12 but could never have
afforded to run it back in the UK, but of course it's a lot cheaper here
in the US (like, 1/8th of the cost) and I think they did export quite a
few, so I might find one this side of the Pond someday...

Maybe. I had a Mark X and belonged to the local Jag club. I remember when
one of the guys invited me over to see his new XJ12. I was standing next to
it when I asked him why the hood was so hot. The answer was that it was
running! I had no idea because it ran so quietly it made almost no noise.
Looking under the hood revealed a mass of cross-linkages the likes of which
I have never seen before. It was the most complicated automobile engine
I've ever seen, before or since. I wonder how long it stayed as ghostly
quiet as those first few 1000 miles. With all the moving levers, I suspect
it wasn't long. What I'd really like is an X-KE, but those are incredibly
expensive now, even old rusted through hulks. I always thought Ford/Jaguar
could have made a fortune reviving that version, or one very much like it.

--
Bobby G.

Some of the "chips" are an electrical resistor. And some are
a RF transponder. Depending which kind of car it is, and
what they were using. On some vehicles, replacing the column
should not change the resistor value. Not sure about the
transponders. I've got less learning about those.

--
Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
..


"Robert Green" wrote in message
...

When my car was broken into, they left with me two dead keys
by the time my
steering column was repaired. I'm going to perform an "auto
key autospy" to
see if the chip can be removed and encased in something
slimmer. Then I
might try it with a good key.

--
Bobby G.

"Stormin Mormon" wrote in message
...
Some of the "chips" are an electrical resistor. And some are
a RF transponder. Depending which kind of car it is, and
what they were using. On some vehicles, replacing the column
should not change the resistor value. Not sure about the
transponders. I've got less learning about those.

When they returned the parts to me, one of them was labelled "immobiliser" -
yes, Brit spelling, dunno why. I guess it's time for a post mortem on that,
too. My understanding is that it's device like the little foil anti-theft
things they put into high priced items at Wal-mart and other similar stores
with electronic exit gates. If the car's sensor doesn't detect such a
device during starting, the engine turns but never starts.

I found some instructions for a "Autotop Skim programmer" that's sold to
work around the problem that gives you an idea of how it works:

"This is a small standalone device that can overwrite the pin code stored
within the skim module fitted to Chrysler/Jeep & Dodge. This will then allow
new keys to be programmed into the vehicle. The skim module is Chrysler
terminology for a combined immobiliser and aerial module. Writing a new pin
code to the skim module involves removing the Skim module, which is located
around the ignition barrel, from the vehicle, which is a fairly simple
process. The pin code that is written to the skim module is a fixed code
that will be detailed with each kit. Once the new pin code has been written
to the module, keys can be programmed into the vehicle by using any
Diagnostics key programming tool which is fitted."

Not sure that helps me with two dead RF keys and one live one. I don't like
the idea of having to leave the RF key hidden in the car, either, although
that will be the cheapest solution. More research needed

--
Bobby G.

"Roger Shoaf" wrote in message
...

"Robert Green" wrote in message
news:hd1vao$nc3

2002 Chrysler minivan


OK there are two ways to approach this one. First is as I suggested would
be to stash the transponder key inside the car somewhere and use a
standard
key for entry. The second way would be to bypass the transponder system.
Here you could remove the antenna ring from around the lock and tape a key
inside and use a mechanical key to start the car.

This is not advised if you are in an area that you are likely to have a
minivan stolen, and your insurance company may very well balk if it is and
you file a claim and they find out you had bypassed the theft deterrent,
but
the choice is yours.

Since my need for a spare key came about as a result of kids trying to steal
the van, and the insurance company only providing one replacement key, I
would have to say I live in an area where minivans are stolen. (-:

I've been Googling all over to try to find the cheapest way to get a second
or third key made up, and it turns out that the equipment to do so would
cost as much or more as the getting the keys made from a locksmith, and
there's no guarantee they would work, either.

So, it's back to Google and then the phones on Monday to see who's got the
lowest prices on Chrysler minivan RF keys.

Thanks for your input, Roger.

--
Bobby G.

Robert Green wrote:
"aemeijers" wrote in message
stuff snipped

My van came with ONE of those, and no other keys. It cost me $125 or so
at the locksmith on the way home, to get two smaller keys programmed
using the magic number the dealer gave me. And since idiot chrysler
expects everyone to carry around that huge key the size of a serving
spoon, only the driver door and hatch have lock cylinders. Major PITA.

You got off cheap. My dealer wanted $125 for ONE key! That's just
outrageous.

--
Bobby G.



Do you have the paperwork for the new column they put in? The 'magic
number' should be in there- with that, you can just start calling
locksmiths directly.

--
aem sends...

"Robert Green" wrote in message
...
"Roger Shoaf" wrote in message
...

"Robert Green" wrote in message
news:hd1vao$nc3

2002 Chrysler minivan

I've been Googling all over to try to find the cheapest way to get a
second
or third key made up, and it turns out that the equipment to do so would
cost as much or more as the getting the keys made from a locksmith, and
there's no guarantee they would work, either.

So, it's back to Google and then the phones on Monday to see who's got the
lowest prices on Chrysler minivan RF keys.

Thanks for your input, Roger.


OK see your local locksmiths. There will be two options here, one is to
clone the key you have and the second option is to have the locksmith
reprogram with standard keys. You can get by cheaper if you go without the
remote buttons on the duplicate keys.

--

Roger Shoaf

About the time I had mastered getting the toothpaste back in the tube, then
they come up with this striped stuff.

Roger Shoaf wrote:
(snip)

OK see your local locksmiths. There will be two options here, one is to
clone the key you have and the second option is to have the locksmith
reprogram with standard keys. You can get by cheaper if you go without the
remote buttons on the duplicate keys.

That is what I did, mainly to get smaller keys. Sure wish all the doors
had lock cylinders, though, like my old van. Or at least a separate fob
for the buttons, like it had. Damn cheap Chrysler.

--
aem sends...

"aemeijers" wrote in message
...
Robert Green wrote:
"charlie" wrote in message
...
"Robert Green" wrote in message
...
I'll be sure to remember we've got a locksmith here when a lock
question
arises! Actually, I do have one: I've always carried something
called
an
"Ilco Unican Keycard Pat pending 82511A/88 1" which is a like a thick
plastic credit card that has a copy of my car key that snaps in the
middle.
My new car had an "immobilizer" and has a chip in the key head that
the
ignition reads and then allows the car to start. The key head is very
thick
and won't fit into a wallet very well. Is there are way around this?
Do
they make "wallet" key card for RF enabled ignition keys?

Thanks for your help,

--
Bobby G.
those are not for starting/driving. they are for opening the door when
you
lock yourself out of the car.

Well, my old wallet key starts and runs my 1990 car! I guess I could
hide a
spare RF enabled key inside the car somewhere and use the wallet version
to
let me in to get it. Not ideal, but probably workable. In fact, I had
the
car broken into and the steering column popped but without the RF key,
all
it did was grind up the starter motor, so I have a spare key I could cut
down like the Ilco key and carry that with me. Now to figure out where
to
get a cheap key dupe for a Chrysler. The last I checked they wanted an
obscene amount of money. Any suggestions as we wonder far, far away
from
the thread topic?

--
Bobby G.


Any good independent locksmith can beat the dealer price by at least
1/3. Around here, the Chrysler dealer doesn't even do keys any more-
they send them to the local freelancer. If you don't have 2 working
keys, you will need to get the magic number from the dealer- they look
it up using the VIN. You can also buy uncut blanks on ebay, and do the
self-program voodoo on them if you have at least 2 keys, and are willing
to risk a pig in a poke versus the guaranteed keys from the locksmith.
(and if you can find a hardware store willing to cut carried-in blanks,
or are patient enough to cut them yourself by hand with a rat-tail file.)

I hate the damn security keys, personally. Both of my cars have them,
and they make my keyring painful to carry in a pants pocket.

--
aem sends...

I hated them to, but not so much after the immobiliser kept a pair of
teenage kids from taking my van on a joy-ride to who knows where! It was
bad enough that I had a very high deductible and it cost me nearly $500 to
get fixed, but that's much, much better than having the car savaged by
savages and left in a ditch somewhere after all the insides had been ripped
out.

Thanks for your input, I'll check out my local locksmiths first.

--
Bobby G.

"aemeijers" wrote in message
...
Roger Shoaf wrote:
(snip)

OK see your local locksmiths. There will be two options here, one is to
clone the key you have and the second option is to have the locksmith
reprogram with standard keys. You can get by cheaper if you go without
the
remote buttons on the duplicate keys.

That is what I did, mainly to get smaller keys. Sure wish all the doors
had lock cylinders, though, like my old van. Or at least a separate fob
for the buttons, like it had. Damn cheap Chrysler.

--
aem sends...

Not just Chrysler but all makes are omitting mechanical lock cylinders on
trunk and passenger doors. An option is to buy the handles for the base
model without the keyless entry but that is expensive.

--

Roger Shoaf

About the time I had mastered getting the toothpaste back in the tube, then
they come up with this striped stuff.