User Map

[LePaul]

Just wanted to let everyone know that the User Map has been adjusted to show distances in metric, since a majority of our users are from metric nations

I also made the starting point of the map something fun....the Guinness Brewery in Dublin, Ireland! (My favorite beer. Please keep this in mind when attempting to bribe!)

If you haven't already placed your location in User Map, it is very simple. In the top left is the icon for User Map. Just pan/zoom for your location and you can right-click to place your location.

It will also show up in the posts, where you see the user's profile on the right...the distance to that person. (For me, in the United States, everyone is thousands of kilometers away!)

Enjoy and thank you for visiting!

[Izzy]

I'm an old engineering bugger from the UK, we went metric in 1971, except for distance we still use Miles and speed MPH. (The origional metric system was devised in the 17th century in England ). But I was brought up with both systems and can flick between the two, I think only a few countries use the Imperial system USA being one of them, although I think the majority of science and engineering are now using metric, except for fasteners, and that's a whole different bucket of crabs, (UNC, UNF, ANC, ANF, BA, Witworth, M, MJ,...) when I worked in the watch bay we also used 'gnat's cocks' and 'waffles' and there were 5 waffles to a 'gnat's cock'

[Amedee]

Would be nice to have it as a user preference

[LePaul]

Would be nice to have it as a user preference

I agree...I gave into the metric kids who threatened to steal my lunch money

[johan]

I wonder when th US will leave the dark ages in terms of units and when the British will start driving on the right side on the roads

[Anders Olsson]

Sorry for continuing the off topic

But, people in Sweden (including me) actually still use inch for things like wooden boards and steel pipes for plumbing.
It just happens to be a very suitable unit of length for certain things, in particular for wood for construction.

I sometimes draw things with important dimensions in inch too, if I know they are likely to end up in the US.
It does not matter for our workshop if I select a critical dimension to be made 25 or 25.4 mm for example, but it tends to make you more popular in the US if it is 25.4

The same thing when it comes to screws. I use M5x12 mm when I can, both because it is handy to have a standard screw size for equipment and because it happens to be compatible with UNF #10-32

[Izzy]

I know what you mean an 8ft 2x2, and sheet wood sold in 8x4ft.
Not sure about the M5 to #10-32UNF, it's close

[nilrog]

I, and probably Anders too, grew up with a measuring devices that had both metric and inches on it. So for us it doesn't matter that much if it is metric or inches
Todays generation in Sweden only see the metric stuff because that is what you find in the stores.

[ivan.akapulko]

We also used inches, but only in respect of pipes for water or heating supply. Industrial sizes only in metric.

[Izzy]

It's funny when sometime it's labelled as Metric stock. 25.0 +0.45,+0.35 rather than Imperal 1" stock

[Titus]

Why do you think some things are still in inches(TV'/pc screens, piping). And why our PCB holes are 2.54mm apart.
Stupid bloody imperial system and industry standards

[jonnybischof]

Why do you think some things are still in inches(TV'/pc screens, piping). And why our PCB holes are 2.54mm apart.
Stupid bloody imperial system and industry standards

Actually, pretty much every PCB connector that used 2.54mm (or another imperial) pitch has a metric successor nowadays (2.5mm for example). It's just that most companies that have their component libraries all set up are reluctant to switch over to new parts (and lose compatibility with older projects) which is why these components are so hard to weed out.

I have to admit that I also use the good-ol' 2.54mm pitch pin rails all the time. The fact that I use an eCAD software with 0.001mm resolution also makes it a bit less important to have even numbers.

[LePaul]

Just as a reminder...we like seeing where people are logging in from! If you haven't added you location to the User Map, please do so!