tyrebyter

I dabbled in electronics when I was very young. Vacuum tubes were the norm and linear faders did not exist at the time. Transistor radios were a brand new and amazing thing to behold.

Then I got into cars. I have worked on British sportscars ever since. I still do in a limited capacity. I have done did all sorts of repair and maintenance and a lot of modifications to hundreds, if not over a thousand or so of these cars.

I am here trying to learn what I can about designing an electronic circuit to turn on and off or otherwise control an aftermarket electric radiator fan in a 1976 Triumph TR-6.

It seems some folks wonder about my screen name so here is an explanation :

Rewind back to the oil embargo of the '70's. Then president, Nixon, decreed "Thou shalt not drive over 55 MPH" as a fuel saving strategy. Radar detectors became very popular Christmas presents and numerous companies suddenly sprouted up that built and sold them. Truckers had always kept constant touch with each other via Citizen's Band (CB) radios. Once the Federal 55 MPH mandate was passed into law, the truckers would regularly report traffic conditions, radar/speed traps etc. over the CB. So did many motorists that were driving cars, including myself.

CB radio usage more or less required that you call yourself self something. Your CB "handle" as it were. For reasons that would take too long to explain here, I chose "Tirebiter" as my CB radio handle.

Fast-forward to 1995 when I first signed onto the Internet. I needed a screen name so I used "Tirebiter". I also had a web page hosted by the now defunct Compuserve.com. I named the webpage "ASK TIREBITER". On this webpage I gave out my e-mail address and offered free advice about how to keep your MG or Triumph sportscar running. I was answering several e-mails every day for several years.

Then forums such as this one became the norm. Compuserve had slowly lost ground to AOL and other Internet providers and eventually closed up shop, permanently. During the time my webpage was up, one of the "askers" had mentioned I should change my screen name to "Tyrebyter". Reason being is that I was offering free advice to British car owners and Brits call tires "tyres" and I was doing it via the Internet and e-mail which utilizes bytes.

Now, when I register and log on to a new forum for the first time, I use the screen name "Tyrebyter". Now you know why.

In a shallow pool, you can see clear to the bottom.