Ronnie Sullivan
Member
More of a lighter note for seasoned programmers.
A few years ago I did a conveyor system to deliver mattresses to various wrapping machines. (different size mattresses went to different wrapping machines) The conveyors marshaled the mattresses to the correct machine.
It has all worked perfectly until......
The wrapping machine engineers came over from Italy for a problem and slowed their in conveyors right down. They solved their problem and went back
leaving me with a problem.
As it is/was, when a mattress is at the wrapper it waits for a signal from the wrapper to say it is ready for the next one. My conveyor starts and delivers one into it. Once the wrapper has the mattress inside it turns off its 'ready signal and the next mattress waits for the signal again.
But now, with their in conveyor going so slow, the next mattress on my conveyors arrives while the ready signal is still on.
This causes my system to push another in and the wrapper can't handle 2
When the in conveyor was going fast, the ready signal went off in 3 seconds and there was no chance of another mattress arriving in that time but now it is on for 20 seconds.
So, the crux of the tale is, I had to change the program so that the next mattress waited even though the 'ready and the 'mattress at wrapper signals were both true.
I sat at my desk and tried lots of ways but each time, I couldn't get a properly working solution.
Then just like Archimedes, I shouted eureka while walking my dog.
Fancy that, walking a dog and still doing logic in your head - only programmers do that.
I put the alterations in, to no fanfare but inside I was cheering myself lol.
A few years ago I did a conveyor system to deliver mattresses to various wrapping machines. (different size mattresses went to different wrapping machines) The conveyors marshaled the mattresses to the correct machine.
It has all worked perfectly until......
The wrapping machine engineers came over from Italy for a problem and slowed their in conveyors right down. They solved their problem and went back
leaving me with a problem.
As it is/was, when a mattress is at the wrapper it waits for a signal from the wrapper to say it is ready for the next one. My conveyor starts and delivers one into it. Once the wrapper has the mattress inside it turns off its 'ready signal and the next mattress waits for the signal again.
But now, with their in conveyor going so slow, the next mattress on my conveyors arrives while the ready signal is still on.
This causes my system to push another in and the wrapper can't handle 2
When the in conveyor was going fast, the ready signal went off in 3 seconds and there was no chance of another mattress arriving in that time but now it is on for 20 seconds.
So, the crux of the tale is, I had to change the program so that the next mattress waited even though the 'ready and the 'mattress at wrapper signals were both true.
I sat at my desk and tried lots of ways but each time, I couldn't get a properly working solution.
Then just like Archimedes, I shouted eureka while walking my dog.
Fancy that, walking a dog and still doing logic in your head - only programmers do that.
I put the alterations in, to no fanfare but inside I was cheering myself lol.