Saturday, May 05, 2012



When I purchased my Samsung Solar netbook, I uninstalled the trial Microsoft office that came with it and installed the full version of Office 2003 onto the netbook. Last week Monday, a friend sent me an Excel document ending with .xlsx extension. It failed to open on my netbook, telling me "the file is not in a recognizable format". Instantly I googled for the cause and solution and I decided to share my findings with you today.

As a fact, if you installed Microsoft Excel 2003 on your PC, you will not be able to open a Microsoft Excel file created with Microsoft Office 2007. Excel documents created with Office 2003 ends with .xls while those created with Office 2007 ends with .xlsx.

If you would like to open, edit, and save workbooks that were created in the newer versions Excel with Excel 2003, you either install Microsoft compatibility pack or use a free online document conversion service.

In this post, I am sharing with you how to use zamzar.com, a free online file converter which I use to convert .xlsx files to .xls files.

STEPS


  •  Go to www.zamzar.com on your PC
  •  Use the "Browse" button to select the file you want to convert
  •  Choose the format you want to convert to. In this instance, you choose "xls" as seen in the picture below:


zamzar online converter



  • Enter your email address and click convert.
  • After some minutes, check your email inbox and you should receive an email from zamzar.com
  • Click the download link in the email to download the converted file.


You should now be able to open the file with your Microsoft Excel 2003.

That's all.

I hope it helps.

In my future posts,I will share with you how to install the Microsoft compatability pack, so you can  be opening .xlsx files with your Excel 2003 without converting the documents online. Just SUBSCRIBE to my blog for you not to miss this.

Cheers!

I have been making money online at fiverr.com for a while now but recently I noticed that the site no longer opens on my PC, though opens on my Blackberry. If you are facing similar problem, worry no more as am sharing with you in this post, how to fix the problem.

It is still not clear to me if it is fiverr that blocks some IP or if it is some Internet Service Providers that are blocking www.fiverr.com on their servers. Which ever way, you can unblock www.fiverr.com and keep making money on the website.

Solutions

1. If you are using network A to browse and fiverr no longer opens, try browsing with other networks. If you want to keep browsing with network A for reasons best known to you, try the second solution below.

2. Unblock fiverr.com with the help of softwares that hide your IP and ensure anonymous browsing. There are loads of them out there including the Your-Freedom SoftwareUltrasurfFreeGateHotspotshield etc. As at the time of publishing this, I use the free version of theHotspotShield software on my PC to access fiverr.com.

Proxy sites like ninjacloak and VPN softwares will also work for you. If you own a Blackberry phone, you can easily access your fiverr account without using any other software or proxy. I use my Blackberry a lot just to log in to my account to prevent suspension because if you fail to log in to fiverr.com after some weeks, your account might be suspended.

I hope this helps.



 Synchronous Generator Construction

A DC current is applied to the rotor winding, which then produces a rotor magnetic field. The rotor is then turned by a prime mover (eg. Steam, water etc.) producing a rotating magnetic field. This rotating magnetic field induces a 3-phase set of voltages within the stator windings of the generator.
“Field windings” applies to the windings that produce the main magnetic field in a machine, and
“armature windings” applies to the windings where the main voltage is induced. For synchronous
machines, the field windings are on the rotor, so the terms “rotor windings” and “field windings” are used
interchangeably.
Generally a synchronous generator must have at least 2 components:
  •  Rotor Windings or Field Windings
  •  Salient Pole
  • Non Salient Pole
  • Stator Windings or Armature Windings
The rotor of a synchronous generator is a large electromagnet and the magnetic poles on the rotor can either be salient or non salient construction. Non-salient pole rotors are normally used for rotors with 2 or 4 poles rotor, while salient pole rotors are used for 4 or more poles rotor.
A dc current must be supplied to the field circuit on the rotor. Since the rotor is rotating, a special
arrangement is required to get the dc power to its field windings. The common ways are:
Salient Rotor of a Synchronous Machine
Non-Salient Pole Synchronous Machie
Non- Salient Rotor Synchronous Machine



  •  supply the dc power from an external dc source to the rotor by means of slip rings and brushes.
  •  Supply the dc power from a special dc power source mounted directly on the shaft of the synchronous generator.
A dc current must be supplied to the field circuit on the rotor. Since the rotor is rotating, a special
arrangement is required to get the dc power to its field windings. The common ways are:
  1.  supply the dc power from an external dc source to the rotor by means of slip rings and brushes.
  2.  Supply the dc power from a special dc power source mounted directly on the shaft of the synchronous generator.
Slip rings are metal rings completely encircling the shaft of a machine but insulated from it. One end of the dc rotor winding is tied to each of the 2 slip rings on the shaft of the synchronous machine, and a stationary brush rides on each slip ring.
A “brush” is a block of graphitelike carbon compound that conducts electricity freely but has very low friction, hence it doesn’t wear down the slip ring. If the positive end of a dc voltage source is connected
to one brush and the negative end is connected to the other, then the same dc voltage will be applied to the field winding at all times regardless of the angular position or speed of the rotor.
Some problems with slip rings and brushes:
  • They increase the amount of maintenance required on the machine, since the brushes must be checked for wear regularly.
  •  Brush voltage drop can be the cause of significant power losses on machines with larger field currents.
Small synchronous machines – use slip rings and brushes.
Larger machines – brushless exciters are used to supply the dc field current.
A brushless exciter is a small ac generator with its field circuit mounted on the stator and its armature circuit mounted on the rotor shaft. The 3-phase output of the exciter generator is rectified to direct current by a 3-phase rectifier circuit also mounted on the shaft of the generator, and is then fed to the main dc field circuit. By controlling the small dc field current of the exciter generator (located on the stator), we can adjust the field current on the main machine without slip rings and brushes. Since no mechanical contacts occur between the rotor and stator, a brushless exciter requires less maintenance.

The Equivalent Circuit of a Synchronous Generator

The voltage EA is the internal generated voltage produced in one phase of a synchronous generator. If the machine is not connected to a load (no armature current flowing), the terminal voltage will be equivalent to the voltage induced at the stator coils. This is due to the fact that there are no current flow in the stator coils hence no losses. When there is a load connected to the generator, there will be differences between EA and Vφ. These differences are due to:
  1. Distortion of the air gap magnetic field by the current flowing in the stator called armature reaction. 
  2. Self inductance of the armature coil
  3.  Resistance of the armature coils
  4. The effect of salient pole rotor shapes.
We will explore factors a, b, and c and derive a machine model from them. The effect of salient pole rotor shape will be ignored, and all machines in this chapter are assumed to have nonsalient or cylindrical rotors.

Armature Reaction

When the rotor is spun, a voltage EA is induced in the stator windings. If a load is attached to the
terminals of the generator, a current flows. But a 3-phase stator current flow will produce a magnetic field of its own. This stator magnetic field will distorts the original rotor magnetic field, changing the resulting phase voltage. This effect is called armature reaction because the armature (stator) current affects the magnetic field, which produced it in the first place.
Refer to the diagrams below, showing a two-pole rotor spinning inside a 3-phase stator.

Equivalent Circuit of a Synchronous Machine
Equivalent Circuit of a Synchronous Machine


.....to be continued.....





Handling anger is an important topic. Christian counselors report that 50 percent of people who come in for counseling have problems dealing with anger. Anger can shatter communication and tear apart relationships, and it ruins both the joy and health of many. Sadly, people tend to justify their anger instead of accepting responsibility for it. Everyone struggles, to varying degrees, with anger. Thankfully, God’s Word contains principles regarding how to handle anger in a godly manner, and how to overcome sinful anger.

Anger is not always sin. There is a type of anger of which the Bible approves, often called “righteous indignation.” God is angry (Psalm 7:11; Mark 3:5), and believers are commanded to be angry (Ephesians 4:26). Two Greek words are used in the New Testament for our English word “anger.” One means “passion, energy” and the other means “agitated, boiling.” Biblically, anger is God-given energy intended to help us solve problems. Examples of biblical anger include Paul’s confronting Peter because of his wrong example in Galatians 2:11-14, David’s being upset over hearing Nathan the prophet sharing an injustice (2 Samuel 12), and Jesus’ anger over how some of the Jews had defiled worship at God’s temple in Jerusalem (John 2:13-18). Notice that none of these examples of anger involved self-defense, but a defense of others or of a principle.

Anger turns to sin when it is selfishly motivated (James 1:20), when God’s goal is distorted (1 Corinthians 10:31), or when anger is allowed to linger (Ephesians 4:26-27). Instead of using the energy generated by anger to attack the problem at hand, it is the person who is attacked. Ephesians 4:15-19 says we are to speak the truth in love and use our words to build others up, not allow rotten or destructive words to pour from our lips. Unfortunately, this poisonous speech is a common characteristic of fallen man (Romans 3:13-14). Anger becomes sin when it is allowed to boil over without restraint, resulting in a scenario in which hurt is multiplied (Proverbs 29:11), leaving devastation in its wake, often with irreparable consequences. Anger also becomes sin when the angry one refuses to be pacified, holds a grudge, or keeps it all inside (Ephesians 4:26-27). This can cause depression and irritability over little things, often things unrelated to the underlying problem.

We can handle anger biblically by recognizing and admitting our selfish anger and/or our wrong handling of anger as sin (Proverbs 28:13; 1 John 1:9). This confession should be both to God and to those who have been hurt by our anger. We should not minimize the sin by excusing it or blame-shifting.

We can handle anger biblically by seeing God in the trial. This is especially important when people have done something to offend us. James 1:2-4, Romans 8:28-29, and Genesis 50:20 all point to the fact that God is sovereign and in complete control over every circumstance and person that enters our path. Nothing happens to us that He does not cause or allow. And as these verses share, God is a good God (Psalm 145:8, 9, 17) who allows all things in our lives for our good and the good of others. Reflecting on this truth until it moves from our heads to our hearts will alter how we react to those who hurt us.

We can handle anger biblically by making room for God’s wrath. This is especially important in cases of injustice, when “evil” men abuse “innocent” people. Genesis 50:19 and Romans 12:19 both tell us to not play God. God is righteous and just, and we can trust Him who knows all and sees all to act justly (Genesis 18:25).

We can handle anger biblically by returning good for evil (Genesis 50:21; Romans 12:21). This is key to converting our anger into love. As our actions flow from our hearts, so also our hearts can be altered by our actions (Matthew 5:43-48). That is, we can change our feelings toward another by changing how we choose to act toward that person.

We can handle anger biblically by communicating to solve the problem. There are four basic rules of communication shared in Ephesians 4:15, 25-32:

  1.  Be honest and speak (Ephesians 4:15, 25). People cannot read our minds. We must speak the truth in love.
  2. Stay current (Ephesians 4:26-27). We must not allow what is bothering us to build up until we lose control. Dealing with and sharing what is bothering us before it gets to that point is important. 
  3.  Attack the problem, not the person (Ephesians 4:29, 31). Along this line, we must remember the importance of keeping the volume of our voices low (Proverbs 15:1).
  4.  Act, not react (Ephesians 4:31-32). Because of our fallen nature, our first impulse is often a sinful one (v. 31). The time spent in “counting to ten” should be used to reflect upon the godly way to respond (v. 32) and to remind ourselves how anger is to be used to solve problems and not create bigger ones.

Finally, we must act to solve our part of the problem (Romans 12:18). We cannot control how others act or respond, but we can make the changes that need to be made on our part. Overcoming a temper is not accomplished overnight. But through prayer, Bible study, and reliance upon God’s Holy Spirit, ungodly anger can be overcome. Just as we may have allowed anger to become entrenched in our lives by habitual practice, we must also practice responding correctly until it becomes a habit itself.
Subscribe to RSS Feed Follow me on Twitter!