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Troubleshooting Your Way Through Electrical Problems

Today's troubleshooters use many tools, from simple handheld meters that measure resistance and voltage to sophisticated recording oscilloscopes that capture fast transients. Ever watch veteran electrical troubleshooters in action? If not, you should: It'ssomething to see. Years of experience coupled with intelligent "hunches" seem to guide their investigation. To help you in your troubleshooting

Today's troubleshooters use many tools, from simple handheld meters that measure resistance and voltage to sophisticated recording oscilloscopes that capture fast transients.

Ever watch veteran electrical troubleshooters in action? If not, you should: It'ssomething to see. Years of experience coupled with intelligent "hunches" seem to guide their investigation. To help you in your troubleshooting efforts, we've compiled the following tips to solving motor control, power distribution, and adjustable speed drive problems.

Testing contact quality on energized motor starters. Typically, you must get a "failed" motor to run again as soon as possible. Obviously, you're under pressure and must use all the troubleshooting techniques you've acquired over the years. One tried-and-true technique involves testing contact quality on energized starters.

To understand this method, consider a typical manual or magnetic motor starter having three sets of power contacts and three overload (OL) relays. When a starter energizes a motor, equal currents (theoretically) flow through each contact and OL relay. So, you can measure the voltage drops across the contact or OL relay poles and compare them with one another. How do you do it? First, connect your multimeter's lead set to the correct input terminals and set it to read AC millivolts (mV). With the starter energized, begin with the lefthand pole and place one probe's tip on the line-side terminal. Then, carefully position the other tip on the corresponding load-side terminal, but electrically upstream of the OL relay. Then, note the reading. Repeat this process for the other terminals and compare the results. For each reading, try to place the test lead probes in the same relative position at each contact and OL relay.

You can apply this online millivolt-drop test to contactors serving other loads too. With a little experience, you can measure the voltage drop on a cable termination. Where there's a small amount of exposed bare conductor on the cable, place one probe on a strand and the other on the corresponding lug or bus bar. You shouldn't use this procedure to establish a precise benchmark, substitute as a preventive maintenance program, or replace current-injection OL relay testing or thermographic surveying. It only provides a basic check for use in breakdown troubleshooting situations.

Suppose you do the testing as indicated above on a magnetic starter and get the readings shown in the Table (in the original article). Reviewing these readings, you would see those of the OL relays are nearly the same. However, the starter contact reading for Phase C is significantly higher than the others. This may be the result of an internal problem such as excessive wear, loose hardware, or poor contact pressure.

By taking phase current readings and using Ohm's Law, you can calculate and compare the respective contact resistance values (technically, impedance). With the resultant high-resistance value for Phase C, this condition (if left as is) can cause high heating and eventual starter failure. The result will be unannounced downtime. Remember, even though you're making a fraction-of-a-volt measurement, you're connecting your meter to points energized by line voltage. Therefore, follow these safety guidelines:

• Use only a test instrument having internal protection circuitry that prevents damage, should you inadvertently apply input terminals to line voltages while set at lower voltages.

• Use the utmost caution and exercise all required safety practices.

• Wear appropriate protective equipment such as safety glasses, rubber gloves, etc.

• Make sure you have good work-area lighting.

• Be well aware of the circuit voltage, available short-circuit current, immediate surroundings, working clearances, and the capabilities and limitations of your test instrument. Special thanks to Scott Falke, former High-Voltage Electrician at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, for this troubleshooting tip.

Troubleshooting control power transformers. Getting a process line back into operation can be stressful, considering the electrical components tied into the control system. Sometimes it's not the exotic sensor or mysterious black box (known as the PLC) that's the problem. The source can be as mundane as the ubiquitous control power transformer (CPT) in a motor control center.

Typical CPT problems include open circuits, partial shorts, complete shorts, and grounded windings. First, you should check the primary of the CPT to verify you have power.

Partial shorts. Sometimes, a partial short occurs in the CPT's secondary, causing a voltage drop. Overheating of the CPT is the usual symptom because large circulating currents are flowing through the shorted windings.

Troubleshooting here involves a sequence of steps. First, verify line power is available by taking a voltage reading at the CPT's primary. Then take a reading at the secondary. If the readings are somewhat lower than normal, suspect a partial short.

Another method is to use a sensitive ohmmeter with the CPT's leads disconnected and the system de-energized. Here, a lower-than-normal resistance reading indicates a partial short. However, the difference in resistance from normal will be very slight.

Complete shorts. Sometimes a CPT's winding shorts out, activating a circuit breaker or fuse to protect the circuit by de-energizing it. However, there may be instances where the CPT continues to operate, resulting in excessive overheating (due to very large circulating current) and melting of CPT winding insulation. The most apparent symptom is a strong odor. Another is no voltage output across the shorted winding. But be careful: The short may be in the external secondary circuit and not the CPT's winding.

The best way to find the location is to disconnect the external secondary circuit from the CPT and take a voltage reading at the CPT's secondary. If the voltage is normal, the problem is in the external secondary circuit. If the voltage is zero across the secondary leads, the CPT is shorted and needs replaced.

Grounded windings. In older transformers, especially overloaded units, insulation breakdown is common. Here, the insulation physically breaks down or deteriorates to the point where the winding's bare wire exposes. If the exposed wire comes in contact with a grounded surface (such as the CPT housing), the CPT shorts to ground.

Should the above condition develop, and a point in the external secondary circuit also becomes grounded, part of the CPT winding will be shorted out. Here, the symptoms are overheating, which you can detect by touch or smell. You can also detect this by a low-voltage reading at the CPT's secondary. The only alternative here is to replace the damaged CPT.

The best method for detecting this condition is to use a megohmmeter. First, disconnect the leads from the CPT's primary and secondary windings. Then, connect the megohmmeter's negative test lead to an associated ground and its positive test lead to the winding you're testing. Record the reading. Finally, take an insulation resistance reading between the windings by connecting one test lead to the primary and the other to the secondary.

Diagnosing ASD "trip" problems. Repeated "tripping out" (shutdown) of an installed adjustable speed drive (ASD) is not only an annoying and elusive problem, but an expensive one when manufacturing or production processes stop.

While altering the trip levels of the ASD is tempting (and in some cases economically justifiable), it's not a long-term solution. Repetitive tripping of a drive may be a warning sign complete failure is not far off.

Most modern ASDs monitor many different fault conditions that can trip the drive. Use these parameters as a guide: DC bus overvoltage; DC bus undervoltage; current overload; and ground fault protection relay tripping.

DC bus overvoltage faults. Line transients from the AC source are a common cause of an overvoltage fault. (See Fig. 1, in the original article) The best way to discover the cause of this is to connect a voltage recorder to the AC line inputs and time-stamp the transient event. If the transient events are greater than 2 p.u. (per unit) and less than 0.5 cycle duration, it's likely they're caused by lightning, utility switching (transformer taps, kVAR capacitors), load switching within the building, or some power line fault clearing event.

If you can correlate the transients to a regular utility switching event, contact the utility. It's possible the utility is unaware of the effect it's having on customers. It may even be willing to modify practices or install equipment to minimize such effects. If you can't determine the source of the transient event, then you should install a surge protection device at the service entrance to the building.

For shorter magnitude, longer duration transients, which are classified as swells (1.3 p.u. to 2.0 p.u. and 0.5 cycles to 30 cycles), it's possible an isolation transformer or series line reactor will take care of the instantaneous overvoltage. An isolation transformer will also reduce common mode noise from the ASD. Swells longer than one or two cycles may require some additional voltage regulation like an uninterruptable power supply (UPS). Be careful though: Not all UPS systems can regulate overvoltages.

A longer duration overvoltage lasting greater than 30 cycles is a less common fault affecting ASDs. It occurs when the local utility is slow to respond and compensate for large loads from industrial and commercial customers being switched off, such as at the end of a work shift. The problem is fairly easy to detect with a recording power line monitor. If you can't resolve the problem with the local utility, then a UPS designed to compensate for overvoltages may be the answer.

If line voltage monitoring doesn't record a transient or swell associated with the overvoltage fault, it's possible the increased energy at the DC bus is coming from the load side of the inverter, not the line side. We call this motor regeneration. One problem with elevators and large centrifugal loads, regeneration occurs when the motor is "coasting" and changes from being a motor to a generator.

You can detect regeneration by looking at a change in direction of the DC current level, as measured at the output side of the DC bus. A simultaneous measurement of the DC voltage will confirm current flowing back into the DC bus is causing the overvoltage. Installing a dynamic brake is the most common way to solve this problem. If you've already done this, check the resistance measurements according to the manufacturer's specifications. If it's a solid-state type, check the transistors for proper conduction, using the diode test function on your multimeter. It's also possible the dynamic braking is too excessive, stopping the motor too suddenly. If your drive permits, lengthen the deceleration time to minimize the regenerative effect.

One final word about overvoltage transients: Inadequate building grounds can cause transients to propagate through a distribution system at magnitudes greater than normal. This might explain why one building is having more problems than adjacent ones.

DC bus undervoltage faults. Your best bet in detecting ASD undervoltage faults is to use a recording line voltage monitor. Because most ASDs have enough "ride through" to handle short duration (less than 0.5 cycle) sags or dropouts, you don't need to detect fast undervoltage events. While this makes the problem easier to detect, fixing it is more difficult due to large current surges caused by large loads either inside or outside your building. (See Fig. 2, in the original article.) In either case, you'll probably need voltage regulation like that from a UPS.

Another possible cause for undervoltage is when the line voltage supply has "flat-topped" peaks. (See Fig. 3, in the original article.) This happens when you have other large electronic loads in the building. Because all electronic loads convert from AC to DC, the AC-to-DC conversion is responsible for almost all nonlinear (harmonic generating) currents that cause flat-topping. Basically, all electronic loads draw a short burst of current at the voltage peaks. (See Figs. 4 and 5, in the original article.) If the AC source is weak (either the transformer kVA is too low, or the conductors are too small or too long), then the peak currents flatten the peak of the voltage waveform. This reduces the charge on the DC bus capacitor, which presents a problem when someone switches another large load on in the building. As a result, the voltage peak drops further, the capacitor charge becomes even lower than it was due to flat-topping, and the DC bus voltage drops below the trip point. About the only way to recognize this problem is with an oscilloscope or power monitor that can display the voltage waveform.

Current overload faults. While there are several different causes of overload tripping with ASDs, some are easier to find than others. First, make sure there's a proper match between the motor and drive. While this may seem obvious, the actual motor is sometimes different than the original specification due to cost and/or size concerns. Also, make sure the motor is sized properly for the load. Measure the motor current on all three phases and check against the nameplate rating to be sure.

Another overload consideration is whether the load has changed. Sometimes an equipment operator increases the demand of a load without knowing the consequences. What's more, the ASD may not be programmed properly. If the acceleration time decreases, or trip points change, this could account for overload tripping.

You should also make sure the ambient air temperature at the ASD installation is within specified operating temperatures. An increase in environmental temperatures can cause component failure and/or higher-than-normal conduction of components.

An open phase connection can also cause an overload condition known as single phasing. Basically, the other two phase windings in the motor have significantly increased current, and the motor keeps running. If this is the case, the drive will probably trip when you restart it. Open circuits are sometimes difficult to find because wiring is not always easily accessible. The best way to check for single phasing is to measure the in-rush (acceleration) current on all three phases. The one with no in-rush current is the culprit.

Voltage imbalance between phases at the motor terminals can cause excessive current to flow in one or two motor windings. This, in turn, can cause the overload to trip. It could be due to a problem with one of the output transistors in the drive not conducting properly, or a bad connection between the drive and motor, resulting in a voltage drop on one of the phases.

Shorted windings can also cause an overload condition. However, because the ASD may trip and shutdown before you can take a visual reading, you should use a DMM or oscilloscope capable of measuring and recording the peak in-rush (acceleration) current. Make this measurement on all three phases to see if a shorted winding in one of the phases is causing more current to flow in it than the others. Be careful though: A voltage imbalance may be the cause of any current variations between phases. This means you may have to disconnect the drive and motor and test them separately.

If you exceed the overload current on each phase, and it's beyond the nameplate rating of the motor, you may need to investigate whether you're exceeding the mechanical load connected to the motor for the application.

Ground fault protection relay tripping. The fast edged pulses of a pulse width modulation (PWM) drive may cause leakage currents to flow between the motor windings and the grounded motor frame through the capacitor created by the metal windings, winding insulation, and metal frame. With normal 60 Hz sine wave operational, this isn't a problem. However, the high switching frequency of the PWM signal reduces the motor's internal capacitive reactance, causing greater amounts of leakage currents to flow. This can cause nuisance tripping of the drive, as many GFP relays trip at 300mA or less.

Measuring this phenomenon can be difficult, as it may require isolating the motor frame from ground and then reestablishing a connection to ground via a cable that allows you to take ground current measurements.

To reduce leakage currents, use a common-mode choke and dampening resistor or special cabling that employs either EMI suppression, low-pass filtering, or ferrite granule coating that absorbs the radio frequency (RF) energy and turns it into heat. Isolation transformers also minimize common-mode leakage currents, but may not be a cost-effective solution unless you're using them to solve other problems.

Special thanks to Mark Mays, Senior Product Specialist, Industrial Group Marketing, Fluke Corp. for these troubleshooting tips. You can order an application note titled "Measurement of Adjustable Speed Drives" by calling (800) 443-5853.

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April 26, 2004

Canada-Ont agreement will co-ordinate EA process for projects subject to both acts

A proposed agreement between the federal and Ontario governments on environmental assessment co-operation will co-ordinate the environmental assessment process for projects that are subject to both jurisdictions. The draft Canada-Ontario Agreement on Environmental Assessment Co-operation has been posted on the Environmental Bill of Rights registry for a 30-day comment period running to May 14, 2004.

The proposed agreement will establish administrative mechanisms and guide federal-provincial co-operation for the environmental assessment (EA) of projects subject to both the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act and the Ontario Environmental Assessment Act. It will establish a single point of contact for projects and will set up a more effective and consistent process in which each level of government can fulfill its EA responsibilities in a timely manner, while contributing to environmental protection. Specific terms of the agreement will:

- preserve each government's authority and legislative requirements;

- provide for effective consultation between parties to determine their EA responsibilities;

- set out guidelines for determining a "lead party" responsible for administration of each co-operative EA;

- clarify the principles for carrying out a co-operative EA and describe the roles and responsibilities of the parties;

- provide for the development of project-specific work plans to make the EA process more timely and efficient;

- establish a single contact in each jurisdiction to co-ordinate consultation, to resolve process and content issues, and to ensure that parties meet established timelines;

- allow each party to use information generated by the co-operative process to make their EA decisions and to co-ordinate the timing of the announcement related to the proposed project; and

- provide for a continuing review of the bilateral agreement's effectiveness and a thorough evaluation three years after it comes into force.

Projects subject to both federal and provincial environmental assessment legislation include municipal and provincial projects that require federal environmental approvals, permits, licences, or involve federal funding, such as infrastructure projects. The draft EA co-operation agreement follows from Ontario's signing of the 1998 Canada-Wide Accord on Environmental Harmonization.

Comments may be sent in either official language to: Louise Knox, Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency Ontario Regional Office, 55 St Clair Ave E, Room 907, Toronto M4T 1M2; 416/952-1575, FAX 416/952-1573, E-mail louise.knox@ceaa-acee.gc.ca; or Jim O'Mara, Ontario Ministry of Environment Environmental Assessment and Approvals Branch, 2 St. Clair Ave W, Floor 12A, Toronto M4V 1L5; 416/314-7288, FAX 416/314-8452, E-mail eaabgen@ene.gov.on.ca.

Copies of the draft agreement may be viewed on the Web sites of the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency, www.ceaa-acee.gc.ca, or the Ontario Ministry of Environment, www.ene.gov.on.ca (EBR registry reference No PA04E0001).

Table of Contents  | Top of Page

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The UK's fastest growing hydroponics wholesaler

The Bluelab Truncheon is the industry favourite conductivity meter! It is fundamental when growing with a hydroponic system to know precisely what the strength of the solution is before feeding your plants and while they are growing. Too low and your plants may not be receiving enough nutrients. Too high and they can dehydrate.

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Welcome to the memorial page for

Jeffry Marshall Vaught

December 19, 1957 ~ November 7, 2017 (age 59)

The Piano Brothers

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Jeffry Marshall Vaught, 59, passed away November 07, 2017 in Columbus, OH. He was born December 19, 1957 to the late Warren and Agnes Vaught. He is survived by sisters Bonnie (Thomas) Doerner and Cynthia (Kevin Annest) Vaught, niece Sarah (Travis) Thomas and great nieces Skylar Brotman and Savannah Thomas. Preceded in death by his parents. Jeffry was an accomplished chef and loving brother. No services were held due to the families wishes.

© 2018 Edwards Funeral Service. All Rights Reserved. Funeral Home website by CFS


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Crossing the Reconfigurable Computing Chasm

Intel FPGA SDK for OpenCL

In 1960, Gerald Estrin presented “Organization of computer systems: the fixed plus variable structure computer” at the western joint IRE-AIEE-ACM computer conference. His abstract reads in part: “…a growing number of important problems have been recorded which are not practicably computable by existing systems. These latter problems have provided the incentive for the present development of several large scale digital computers with the goal of one or two orders of magnitude increase in overall computational speed.” – and his solution to the problem is given in the title “the fixed plus variable structure computer” – thus giving birth to the concept of reconfigurable computing.

Yep. The idea of reconfigurable computing pre-dates Moore’s Law, which was born six years later in 1966.

Over the next 58 years, we have chased that reconfigurable computing carrot, dangling enticingly just out of reach from the end of our ever-evolving programming pole. And, for at least three of those six decades, we have had reasonable hardware available to fulfill the promise of reconfigurable computing – an architectural alternative that could deliver Estrin’s “one or two” orders of magnitude increase in overall computational speed. In fact, we now know it might deliver as much as three or four orders of magnitude, and that is on top of our almost-entitled biannual doubling due to Moore’s Law.

And, yet, we are still not there.

One could argue that Moore’s Law has prevented us from realizing the promise of reconfigurable computing. After all, simply riding the von Neumann horse from one semiconductor process node to the next gave us a reliable 2x improvement in price, performance, and power every other year, and we didn’t have to rewrite our software or even redesign our computing architecture to get it. When you get that kind of bounty almost for free, who needs to be greedy?

Reconfigurable computing has always had a die-hard cult-like academic following, however. If the real world can’t deliver on a promising technology, at least careers can be made publishing conference papers about what might have been. And, when modern FPGAs finally came along, researchers could easily build actual hardware to prove their point. Time after time, industry and venture capital were pulled into the fray, betting that the pairing of programmable logic with conventional processors would add those much-anticipated zeroes to our performance benchmarks. Time after time, they failed – not because we didn’t know how to build the hardware for reconfigurable computers (we did), but because nobody could program the things.

Of course, we could build the “Demo.”

For years, we’ve seen example after example of systems delivering amazing results with specialized algorithms accelerated to remarkable levels via painstakingly crafted custom FPGA accelerators parked next to conventional processors. If you had a team of expert digital designers, an unlimited budget, and a year or so to spare, you could deliver 100x better performance and power than conventional computers on your performance-critical application.

Or, you could just run it on 100 parallel Intel servers on day one – and get close enough, with far less cost, risk, and development time. And, as long as Intel was tracking Moore’s Law, doubling all our goodies every couple years, there was little incentive to dive into the terrifying world of RTL-based design to go even faster. The sustained systemic exponential improvement of Moore’s Law acted as a kind of sedative for development of the programming methodology that would unlock the potential of reconfigurable computing.

Of course, Intel didn’t continue tracking Moore’s Law forever. Over the past decade, we’ve seen significant slowing in the venerable trend, with less gain on each process node, and longer (and more expensive) development cycles between them. On top of that, the von Neumann architecture itself has started to hit practical limits in the form of power consumption. Faster clocking gave way to more parallelism, and, ultimately, even the practice of stacking racks and racks of servers into giant data centers hit a wall when the power company simply couldn’t deliver any more power.

Intel itself now needs reconfigurable computing, and, of course, they’re working on it. Hard.

With the acquisition of Altera, Intel is now in a position to deliver the required hardware – processors with FPGA accelerators – into the data centers of the world. Intel’s dominance of the data center gives it a substantial leg up on the competition when it comes to widespread deployment of a disruptive technology like reconfigurable computing. But as long as the programming problem remains unsolved, that dominance is vulnerable.

Intel inched closer to that goal recently, with the deployment of their first SDK that merges Intel’s existing software development frameworks and compiler technology with the OpenCL capabilities in Altera’s Quartus Prime FPGA development tools to smooth the path for OpenCL developers wanting to take advantage of FPGA acceleration. The ultimate objective here is to abstract away details of the FPGA implementation so that software developers can write something closer to conventional code and still take advantage of FPGA acceleration, without having to have hardware engineers on the team who are FPGA/RTL experts.

The FPGA SDK adds FPGA support to both Microsoft Visual Studio and Eclipse-based Intel Code Builder for the OpenCL API. This gives OpenCL developers a familiar environment for their FPGA exploits. To address the problem of hours-long code-compile-test cycles on FPGAs, Intel is providing what it calls “Fast FPGA emulation” using Intel’s compilers to emulate the functionality of the FPGA implementation in software for more conventional software-like debug cycle iterations.

Because OpenCL itself is also a bit of an evangelical sale, Intel has included a smorgasbord of features designed to reduce fear, uncertainty, and doubt in the software development crowd. An OpenCL jump-start wizard helps programmers to overcome “blank page” syndrome, and features like syntax highlighting and code auto-completion make it seem like regular-old software development. To help with the FPGA-isms, there is “what-if” kernel performance analysis and quick static FPGA resource and performance analysis. And, when it comes time to push the design into actual hardware, there is support for fast and incremental FPGA compile to reduce the pain of those final (hopefully) few design iterations.

It will be interesting to watch the adoption and evolution of the FPGA SDK for OpenCL. At first, it is likely to be a “power tool” for teams who are already sold on the benefits and aware of the costs and risks of FPGA acceleration. While this is not the magic bullet that will break the dam and allow mainstream software to flow into the long-waiting arms of reconfigurable computing envisioned by Gerald Estrin 58 years ago, it does represent a significant step forward in allowing software engineers with no hardware training to begin to take advantage of some of that promise. For now, tapping into the real potential of FPGA-based acceleration will still probably require the expertise of FPGA designers and the development time of RTL-based implementation. But any progress toward bridging that development gap could be significant.

14 thoughts on “Crossing the Reconfigurable Computing Chasm”

  1. Stop with the Gerald Estrin story. His system was a system to add instructions to an existing CPU design. This is no more reconfigurable computing than von Neumann’s machines with patch cords. In fact Gerald Estrin studies under von Neumann, so why not say von Neumann invented reconfigurable computing? Gerald Estrin’s name first appears in reconfigurable lore in the 1995 Scientific American article. They found someone they could say invented reconfigurable computing because they didn’t want anyone active to claim inventing reconfigurable. Darpa had a big program going at the time. My proposal was deemed “fundable but not funded” My proposal was to add a processor with a FPGA in the same package and eventually on the same die. Reconfigurable computing could not start until the FPGA was invented. You can see my first proposal http://commacorp.com/First_contract.pdf and all the other patents I have in reconfigurable computing here bit.ly/WhoIsSteveCasselman

    None of the Professors in the Darpa program could claim priority over my work so they dug up someone they could pass off as the father of reconfigurable computing. That person is me. I invented reconfigurable computing and I have the patents to prove it. If you read my first contract it lays out reconfigurable computing as it is known today. I urge to to read my first contract and see. While Estrin’s work is interesting he is arguing for a complex instruction set computer that you can fit a new board into not a on the fly reconfigurable as I clearly proposed, design, built and made a living off of, to this date. You might as well say that Estrin invented the PCIe bus.

  2. Reconfigurable computing isn’t that hard, you just need to think outside the Intel/Altera box. They aren’t very good at parallel software or languages, which is why the opted for OpenCL over doing something new.

    If you want to solve it you need to tackle the parallel-software problem and how you write software that looks more like HDLs – highly parallel and easy to drop onto different parallel architectures (FPGA, GP-GPU, ASIC). Here’s my attempt –

    There are other ways to do it, but OpenCL (APIs in general) are pretty much a dead end. Xilinx seems to be equally bad at executing in this area, so I’m expecting some new players to pop up soon as people work out how to do it all with RISC-V, LLVM and embedded FPGAs.

  3. The Estrin paper points the way but didn’t actually describe a reconfigurable computer that could be built and used. The paper didn’t lead to any further work. A much better way to see the emergence and development of actual reconfigurable computing is to look at the “FCCM 20” papers, which go back to the first meeting of the IEEE Field-Programmable Custom Computing Machines conference in 1993 (at http://tcfpga.org/fccm20/). These are peer-reviewed papers which describe the evolution of real reconfigurable computing hardware, tools and applications that were built and used, and delivered large speedups over conventional computers of the time.

  4. The use of OpenCL and HLS will make much easier the rapid prototyping of IP cores for machine learning and AI that need very fast time-to-market and cannot afford the development time of RTL.
    The use of accelerators as IP cores, with the right APIs that can interface with the higher level programming frameworks like Pyhton and Spark seamlessly, can be used for the wide deployment of FPGAs in the data centers for example. for more info check the relevant project we are working on: http://vineyard-h2020.eu

  5. Great points on Estrin, and particularly good point that reconfigurable computing as we know it was not possible before the advent of (re)programmable logic.
    The problem is still the programming, though. Partly, it’s that we are bad at parallel programming – we have HDLs for those rare/odd folks who can actually think clearly about parallelism, but our enormous legacy of algorithms were almost all conceived with sequential thinking in mind. Personally, I think an evolution of HLS is our best shot at convergence between the sequential way algorithms are written and the parallel way we want to execute them. We are a long way from an HLS that can convert arbitrary sequential code into decently-optimize-but-fits-in-my-hardware parallel implementations, however.
    A couple years ago, I came up with “Impact Levels” for reconfigurable computing. i.e. What needs to be done to your existing code/algorithm to take full advantage of reconfigurable computing?

    5. “Do-Over” – code must be completely rewritten in a new language/paradigm
    4. “Mod” – significant rewrite of existing code
    3. “Port” – similar to moving to a new processor/OS/etc – some human intervention is required
    2. “Recompile” – source code works as-is with a simple automated recompile
    1. “None” – executable works as-is and takes full advantage of reconfigurable hardware

    Today, we are mostly at level 5 – rewrite your code from scratch, with the accelerator parts in RTL/HDL. I’d argue that nobody is better than level 4 right now (solutions such as Intel and Xilinx are putting forward today). In order for reconfigurable to hit mainstream – I’d argue we need level 3 or 2. I also claim we’ll never reach level 1 (hypervisor-like-thingy that reverse-compiles machine instructions then runs advanced HLS on the resulting source code in real time – dynamically reconfiguring FPGAs as accelerators on the fly)

    1. It’s curious that we don’t see similar demands placed on GPU computing. You could apply the same Impact Levels to CUDA/OpenCL programming coming from mainstream implementations, and you’d get similar results, mostly at level 5 or maybe 4. In both GPU computing and FPGA (aka reconfigurable) computing the benefits have justified the effort for many applications.

      What I find most interesting is level 2 or 3 Impact for moving between GPU computing and FPGA computing. I’ve seen a CUDA graphical benchmark running on an FPGA in OpenCL. FPGA implementations often run at better power/performance than their GPU counterparts. Of course FPGAs and GPUs each have their own strengths and weaknesses as computing platforms.

      1. CUDA would never have happened if Nvidia did not let people see the “assembly” code for the part. Image where we would be if Intel never published the opcodes that run their processors. That’s where we are at in FPGA programming.

    2. The big problem in programming FPGAs for reconfigurable computing has always been the FPGA manufactures. Xilinx, at one time, had a system to program FPGAs called Jbits. This system was portable, fast and easy to use. You could get a FPGA bitstream in seconds. It started with the only open FPGA called the XC6000 series. The system used Java and overloading to write code and run it on a processor and when you had with you wanted Jbits could generate a bitstream in seconds. This approach was abandoned because you could use it to reverse engineer a bitstream in the same way you can disassemble a program. This was a big mistake by Xilinx. Altera/Intel has the same technology that they use in house but they are more afraid of letting the bitstream defination out more than Xilinx.

      It’s interesting to note that Xilinx published the bitstream format of the Virtex I FPGA. In one of their appnotes they had all the information to generate your own bitstream. The appnote was published without Xilinx management permission by a rouge (by very smart and nice) employee. This information allowed my to do partial runtime reconfiguration in 1999. I’ll also point out that I talked to one professor that claimed it takes one man year to reverse engineer the bitstream for Xilinx parts. They do this for every part that comes out.

      One of the biggest problems is that Xilinx and Altera/Intel want you to use their devices to implement your software but they don’t do this themselves. I was able to get my hands on the Xilinx software code and I implement part of their placer in hardware and it ran 10x faster than on the fastest CPU at the time. I challenge these companies to use their parts to compile bitstreams for their parts. If they did this internally they would learn what it takes to get their software to the point where any software programmer could use it.

      They need to eat their own dog food and lead by example.

  6. One last comment. I use the Intel SDK for OpenCL on FPGAs all the time and it’s pretty darn good. It works best when you use just the plain vannia C and write the code so it’s pipelinable. I’ll point out that it was a bad management decision not to just go with C/C++ along with OpenCL to program FPGAs. That may change in the future but their argument was that OpenCL is for full programs and C/C++ is for IP generation. I tried to argue there is no real difference and that anything you can write in OpenCL you can write in C/C++ because they are Turing complete languages. That argument fell on deaf ears.

  7. @beercandyman – I’m gonna claim that whether the FPGA bitstream is open or closed is moot. The RTL, LUT placements, routing, and other critical parameters ARE accessible with any of the FPGA flows mentioned. There’s plenty of critical detail in there to engage/confuse even the bit-craziest software developer. And, honestly, 99.9% of software developers would have no idea what they were looking at. Opening the bitstream is simply not the same as opening up assembly code on a GPU. Many humans can understand assembly. Nobody understands the bitstream.

    But, would access to the bitstream let hyper-intelligent developers come up with their own design flows/compilers that would perform better than the FPGA vendors’ synthesis and place-and-route? Having spent a few decades developing synthesis and place-and-route software myself with large, super-talented engineering teams in EDA – I’m gonna weigh in at “no F-in way”

    1. So the way that Jbits worked is that there was a very low level where you (or a hyper-intelligent developer) would describe wire and lookup tables. One level up from there would be functions like add, subtract, multiply, divide … From there a user would just say A = B + C. It was fully object oriented and all the hard work is done in Java classes. Jbits was really great because it went so far and to be able to figure out placement and all sorts of fancy stuff. The API was able to run on a microblaze inside the FPGA and do runtime routing and configuration using the ICAP ports.

      It is the best technology I’ve seen for do reconfigurable computing. I’ve spent 30+ years working on reconfigurable computing and I’ve seen many technologies come and go. You could use Jbits to do AI/Deep learning training on FPGAs. You could have libraries of precompiled functions that get stitched together at runtime. You can relocate function in hardware in milliseconds.

      I like your articles but I have to say you don’t know what you are talking about on this one.

      Maybe you should educate yourself before you weigh in.

      The paper most of the low level stuff is done in libraries.

      This paper should the true beauty of Jbits. By taking a data set and an algorithm you can make FPGAs faster than ASICs (unless you want to build an ASIC that only uses one key hardwired key for encryption).

      there are more but what I will say is that you could use Jbits to do AI/Deep learning training on FPGAs. You could have libraries of precompiled functions that get stitched together at runtime. You can relocate function in hardware in milliseconds.

    2. “whether the FPGA bitstream is open or closed is moot” Right on!
      Having to generate a new bitstream is not practical for several reasons:
      1) The bitstream “configures” the fabric by effectively closing the switches between vertical and horizontal
      wires in the interconnect and connecting LUTs and FFs to the fabric. There are hundreds of thousands,
      maybe millions of bits in the bitstream. It simply takes too long to generate and shift in the
      2) The propagation delay is the biggest factor affecting Fmax so timing driven placement is critical. And
      adds time to compiling the bitstream. Other comments regarding Micro Blaze ignore this performance
      3) The tools and HDLs are too focused on the physical design rather than logic design. Customizing a design
      for a new function or algorithm must start with the data flow that contains the necessary computational
      elements arranged in the correct sequence for the algorithm, and then the control logic to get inputs,
      sequence the data through the data flow, and put the outputs to the destination.
      4) RE-configurable computing requires a configurable data flow with multiple ALUs and controls to pass
      the data through the data flow.
      5)No, multi-core, out-of-order, branch-guessing, and speculative-execution is not the answer or we
      would not be having this discussion.
      6)Algorithms are often expressed as loops of expressions where there is computation and summation.
      Compilers can create abstract syntax trees(ASTs) and APIs that extract the details of the algorithm
      needed to design the elusive RCC.

  8. @Beercandyman, I have now “educated myself” via your suggested reading list, and I’m once again ready and qualified to weigh in. Thanks for the advice on that.

    I have to say I am not persuaded.

    Yes, Jbits is interesting. Yes, it appears that, as you say, you could “use Jbits to do AI/Deep learning training on FPGAs”. You could also use the front panel of a PDP-11 to poke in the entire Photoshop application. There will be a meeting of all engineers wanting to do that next Monday in the phone booth behind our offices.

    In short, Jbits would qualify as level 5 on my impact scale – any existing algorithm would have to be completely rewritten using a new paradigm.

    I stick with my view that – even if Xilinx suddenly opened up the bitstream tomorrow and released an all-new, updated version of Jbits that was compatible with modern-era FPGAs, it would have absolutely zero effect on the mainstream adoption of reconfigurable computing. I assert that there does not exist a large population of software developers just itching to get their hands on FPGA bitstreams so they can optimize accelerators beyond what they could currently do with RTL synthesis and automated place-and-route, and thinking “Gee, I’d port my HPC application to an FPGA accelerator if only I could use my own personal version of ChipScope to see what’s going on at the LUT/route level.”

    In fact, I believe that the opposite is true. We will not see widespread adoption of reconfigurable computing until there are high-level programming approaches that hide the FPGA architecture from the software developer. OpenCL is in the right direction, but IMHO insufficient to spark widespread adoption. When we have the ability to describe our algorithm in natural, logical terms without having to do large amounts of target-technology-specific optimization, mainstream adoption has a chance.

    I also believe that it’s ironic to be debating the wisdom of non-encrypted FPGA bitstreams being used in cloud-based data center processors during the same week the world learned about Meltdown and Spectre.

    I do agree with you that partial reconfiguration is a critical element of the success of reconfigurable computers. And, I think that using MicroBlaze in the FPGA to control its own reconfiguration is very cool and meta.

    As for the FPGA/EDA companies eating their own dog food and porting their own tools to use FPGA-based acceleration, I’d LOVE that. However, I think it’s currently impractical for a number of reasons. EDA algorithms’ complexity is what I’d call “wide” rather than “deep”. In other words, there aren’t often simple nested loop structures that are computationally intensive that could be parallelized with hardware implementations. More often there are tens of thousands of lines of code that are more “control dominated” which wouldn’t reduce easily to parallel/pipelined data paths. And, much of the complexity tends to be in the data model rather than in the software algorithm.

    Then, if they succeeded, their customers would need to be using specialized reconfigurable-computing hardware in order to design with their chips – which would raise the barrier to entry for people wanting to buy their parts. Or, they’d have to develop, test, and support two completely different versions of their tools – one for conventional computers and a completely separate thread for the reconfigurable version. It would add enormous cost and complexity to their tool development, and both Xilinx and Intel/Altera already have more engineers working on design tools than they do on silicon. You’ll be hard pressed to talk them into doubling that investment just to give some of their customers better design tool performance.

    I don’t doubt your expertise in this area, but I think your judgment is clouded by your personal history with reconfigurable computing, and that’s interfering with your view of what the “average” modern software developer needs in a computing platform.

    1. So at least the Jbits approach has gone from “no f’ing way” to a level 5 impact so I’m making a little progress! Jbits can be both a low level approach and a high level approach. The low level part should be done by the FPGA manufactures themselves. Once you go up the “class stack” Jbits is very high level you code at the behavioral level. You can call out functions just like any programming language (because it’s Java). You could, for example, automatically translate an OpenCL program into a Jbits program and create a bitstream in seconds instead of days. This is because Jbits is a constructive technique and does not relay on random place and route algorithms. Since Jbits is built on classes you can run your program as a normal Java program in any Java IDE (which you debug in) and when you are happy with the results you run MyFPGACode.generate() and you’ll have a fully functioning bitstream in seconds to run in hardware.

      It should be pointed out that both Xilinx and Altera have these kinds of tolls in house which they use to generate bitstream for testing FPGA for manufacturing flaws. The Altera FPGA are problematic because the randomize the routing which means you can’t just move a precompiled bitstream around without a lot of coding work at the low level.

      The power behind runtime generation of bitstreams (whether you use Jbits or not) is that you can use precompiled bitstreams and stitch them together at runtime. This allows you to build just in time bitstreams compilers where the front end could be anything from x86 assembly to Python.

      Your argument about special chips is a non-sequitur as Jbits works on any FPGA. Jbits was developed by Xilinx for under $5 million dollars via a DARPA grant. That’s a drop in the bucket cost wise.

      Once again I’ll state that the FPGA manufactures have hobbled reconfigurable computing by hiding proven technology because of their paranoia about the bitstream.

      One of the problems that Xilinx faced with Jbits was support. It’s not a good idea to support every curious engineer as this is cutting edge technology. But what they could have done is use the technology in-house to speed up HLL to hardware systems. Instead they generate verilog and then run that through the same tired old software. Nothing will turn off the “average” software developer like 2 day compile times.

      There are also a lot of known FPGA/reconfigurable developers that could use the technology to develop new tools so FPGA companies would not have to support the whole world. But that’s not what Xilinx did. They threw out the baby with the bath water and now tell you how good their software is because the shaved off 10% of the 2 day compile time for devices.

      Both Xilinx and Altera need visionaries in their upper management. Something they don’t currently have. They have great engineers and excellent managers but even the latest CEO pick for Xilinx (a really great guy) is described as “”Victor is unique in his ability to translate vision and strategy into world-class execution” which is to say he’s not a visionary.

      A product that rewires itself from the inside of the FPGA.

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Explicit Electrical operates as an electrical construction company that specializes in domestic, commercial and industrial electrical installations as well as routine maintenance on existing electrical installations. Explicit Electrical also conducts electrical inspections and tests on behalf of the client to assure that the electrical installation complies with the minimum regulations and that the Certificate of Compliance “C.O.C.” are up-to-date and valid.

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Business Reports

Employment Letters Index

Business Reports :

From :

S.R. Chatterjee,
Personnel Manager,

3rd January 2000

To :

B.P. Das Guptha,
Managing Director,

It is with regret that I present this report for your immediate consideration.

(1) Excess Staff

We had a boom in business during last five years. We were the leader in the field of air conditioners. Both our manufacturing unit and the regional sales offices were adequately staffed to handle the large business enjoyed by us. Today the position has changed topsy–turvy.

Three new competitors have entered the fray, though small companies compared to our size, they also manufacture quality product. Their staff size and overheads are very small in relation to ours. In view of this, they are able to sell their product at lower price. Any buyer will prefer quality product at lower price. In view of this reason, these three competitors have taken 65% of our past business.

This drastic reduction in turnover has made many staff members, both in manufacturing and sales network with the related administration, accounts and personnel departments finding no productive work to do.

(2) Gradual Loss in the company

Many machines in the production unit will idle and you will agree with me that we have paid heavy sum for purchase. With poor sales, the net profit has gone into negative side ending up in substantial loss.

(3) Future is Uncertain

With our present infrastructure, it will not be possible to see profit. We cannot afford to reduce our prices. With our existing prices, as mentioned before, our market share is going to be quite low. As such, our future is bleak.

(4) Our Immediate Strategy

The Only way out to cross the woods is to reduce our prices and try to get a lion share of the market. This is not possible with the current level of expenses. Expenses should be brought down to a large extent.

(5) Golden Handshake

To cut down the expenses, reducing the staff strength is vital. Except, for very talented employees, many people in all the departments can be got rid of. Towards this, the top management can think of offering voluntary retirement scheme, which in modern management is most popularly termed as Golden Handshake arrangement. Of course, this will apply to those who have put in certain minimum number of years of experience. Rest of them can be retrenched. The methodology can be worked out by the top management.

It is unfortunate that we are forced to take such a decision and the same is inevitable in view of the precarious predicament that we are confronted with.

Business Reports :

Employment Letters Index

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Letter Writing

Letter writing is one form of art which is considered to be an important part of the civilized society. Communication between men is quite indispensable and wherever such communication is not possible in persons, we are left with the choice of writing letters. The purpose of writing is to communicate a thought, a fact, an idea, a sentiment, a celebration or a happening. Letter Writing, itself being an art, should aim at certain standard of form and of elegance. We must ensure that we introduce precision, accuracy, clarity, lucidity and grace into the most ordinary form of our written communication.

The subject of a letter is an important thing to consider, as the body or the text of the letter is entirely based upon the subject. We must always think of the person or persons to whom we are writing the letter. The body or the subject matter must be written in such a way that the letter becomes interesting for the person or persons receiving it. Structure of the letter i.e. the way the writing is progressed much also be kept in mind while drafting a letter, say Personal or Business. A structured contents of a letter conveys the message properly than a letter containing useful information but written in an unstructured and rustic manner.

Letters should be so designed that they make the reader at ease. Short, simple and brief sentences compounded in shorter paragraphs gains the readers’ appreciation and attention. For these reasons, it should be studied, understood and mastered.

Good writing is a skill. A good communication would be the one in which the writer looks at the things from the reader’s angle.

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Letter for An Amendment to Distributor Contract

Letter for An Amendment to Distributor Contract :

This letter should be typed in the official letter-head of the company.

The Company's Name

Door Number and Street's Name,
Area Name,
Postal Code : XXXXXX
Phone Number : 0000 - 123456789

TO :

The Receiver's Name,
Door Number and Street's Name,
Area Name,
Postal Code : XXXXXXX

Date :

Reference :

Dear _____________,

As an amendment to our distributor contract dated February 11, ATV Accessories, Inc. is pleased to offer an incentive program for our newest product, the SunSeat Saver.

The incentive program will include a bonus credit system dependent upon volume of product sold.

Details of the incentive program include.

A per distributor quota of 1100 units per month for April through August

A three-day cruise incentive for regional managers with the highest sales overall

Bonus points when SunSeat Saver is bundled with WideView MirrorFor maximum benefit from the incentive program, we encourage you to apply the bonus credits to additional SunSeat Saver inventory.

We also reserve the right to terminate the incentive program at any time without justification or obligation.

Your signature below will indicate your acceptance of the incentive program as an amendment to our contract. We appreciate your partnership and continually welcome ideas that we can implement to encourage your success.

Yours Sincerely,

(The Sender's Signature)

The Sender's Name

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Letter for An Amendment to Distributor Contract

Letter Asking A Donation
Letter Asking A Favor
Letter Asking for More Details
Letter Asking for Donations
Letter Denying of Dealership
Letter for Change of Address
Letter for Distributorship
Letter for Employment
Letter for Hotel Reservation
Letter for Letter of Credit
Letter for Line of Credit
Letter for Product Launch
Letter for Promotion
Letter for Retirement Congrats
Letter for Scholarship
Letter for Settlement of Bill
Letter for Tender
Letter for Testimonial
Letter of Agreement
Letter of Assurance
Letter of Credit
Letter of Enquiry
Letter of Order
Letter of Persuasion
Letter of Sympathy
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Letter to A Foreign Buyer
Letter to Pen-Friend
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Pin It

A New Newspaper for a New Democracy

July 26, 2011 5:00 am

By Ghazala Irshad

After 30 long years, Cairo’s oppressive smog cleared the way for a change in the air on the crisp evening of February 11th. The sun chose a dramatic descent for the occasion, setting Tahrir Square ablaze in a red as fiery as the anti-regime protestors. It vanished into the inky twilight, just for a moment, before the news that Egyptians had overthrown their president lit up the square again. The wind picked up and followed book publisher Sherif Boraie and Nugoom FM radio presenter Youssef Al Hosseiny as they made their way past young bloggers crowding the long, narrow corridors of Pierre Sioufi’s upper-level flat to the terrace. A newly formed group of teenage friends, including 17-year-old activist Sanaa Seif, were excitedly taking in scenes of Muslim Brotherhood members crying, the irreligious praying, and strangers hugging and kissing in the streets below.

As Hosni Mubarak reluctantly handed over his power to the military that night, Boraie and Al Hosseiny proudly gave power to the voice of Seif and the other youth over the cacophony of fireworks, patriotic chants, and honking horns: “Congratulations on your revolution. Now, we want you to create a newspaper for the new democracy.” Without hesitating to question the lack of experience among the teenagers, Seif agreed. After all, if they could topple a regime, they could do anything. They would have to wait until the following day to start, though. “Tonight, we must celebrate!”

Nearly six months later, as a new wave of protests and sit-ins take place across Egypt, the teens are carrying the spirit of the revolution forward in the pages of a free, Arabic-language monthly underground bulletin that aims to “educate and activate” its readers from all socio-economic backgrounds. They have managed to illegally self-publish and personally distribute over 25,000 copies of each of its five editions throughout Cairo and in cities as far away as Minya and Mansoura. Standing for the principles of “freedom, equality, and justice,” the simply titled El Gornal, (“newspaper” in Egyptian Arabic) brazenly flaunts a Mubarak-imposed law that requires new publications to undergo a lengthy approval process by government security services.

Despite the regime’s fall, the point of El Gornal’s simple act of defiance is to raise awareness and provoke thought, according to 20-year-old photographer and filmmaker Ziad Tareq, who is also participating in Tahrir’s second sit-in. The paper aims to force Egyptians to go beyond unity during protests and pride in the revolution by continuing to cultivate and harness “people power,” which Tareq believes many of his fellow citizens have yet to find within themselves after 30 years of repression.

“Some in Tahrir never even knew what they didn’t know. The system destroyed people and made them complacent,” says Tareq, whose own father is a member of the National Democratic Party and recently ousted editor-in-chief of the government-owned Al-Ahram newspaper. (Unsurprisingly, their relationship is not on good terms.) “Honestly, no type of government will ever be good for us unless we as a society evolve. We changed our government; now, we must change our people.”

One of the ways El Gornal is influencing change is through informative articles about complex questions written in layman’s terms, such as a piece by a legal expert explaining the distinction between military rule and emergency law, or a more recent feature defining new terms used by mainstream media in reference to upcoming parliamentary elections. Basic, but important, information such as this is overlooked by mainstream or government-controlled media outlets that either assume their audiences are already aware, or intentionally keep them in the dark.

But El Gornal strives to do more than just set the mainstream media straight. Half the paper is dedicated to publishing the unedited opinions and testimonials of their wide variety of readers from different parts of the country, about everything from the role religion should play in government, to a first-hand account of the military’s force against protestors at the Israeli embassy in May. While the team behind El Gornal may not agree with all the opinions they feature, (“Some of them reflect our society’s need for time to drop naivete and develop maturity,” says Tareq) they emphasize that the point is to give everyone a platform for their voice to be heard.

Reader enthusiasm for this type of forum for information exchange and expression of opinion among average Egyptians has been instant and dedicated, says Tareq, and their desire to stay connected mirrors the country’s overall unity: “I’m most encouraged that people are so willing to hear the news and thoughts of their fellow citizens from all over Egypt,” he says, as a man in galabiya enters his tent to ask for an extra copy of the paper.

Tareq feels the best way to revive Egyptian society is, like El Gornal, to “break everything the old regime left behind in order to make room for brand new freedoms, without any attachments or agendas.” He and the others hope that readers will recognize El Gornal’s existence itself as groundbreaking, but more importantly, as a challenge for Egyptians to push all “unnatural boundaries” in their daily lives.

“Mubarak stepping down is not a happy ending for us; it is an opportunity for a fresh start,” adds the gracefully composed Seif, a high school senior whose wide-eyes and soft-spoken demeanor belie her sharp wit and strong will. “We must establish the freedom we deserve–together.”

But there is no one more deserving of the freedom of expression than this group of young adults, (or “Facebook kids,” as he calls them), says Sioufi, whose sprawling Tahrir Square flat served as a recharging station and hippie commune of sorts for hundreds of demonstrators seeking refuge during the 18 days before Mubarak resigned.

“They have earned the respect of not only their peers, but also their elders,” Sioufi says. They need El Gornal because “their opinions should not be written off or relegated to one column in a standard newspaper to be read only by other youth. They deserve equal prominence and readership as the journalists and political figures highlighted in existing media.”

But for all the media talk of the youth-led “social media revolution,” the movement did not become a force until it stepped outside of the world wide web and disseminated into the hands of Egyptians on the streets, says Seif. “We hope people use El Gornal as a tool to fight back against the media’s misinformation,” she says. Ultimately, Seif, Tareq, and the others want readers to pay it forward by sharing knowledge, debating, and taking action together, the way that they themselves did as strangers in Sioufi’s flat early this year. After all, it only took 18 days to yield positive results last time.

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breakfast casserole for 100 teens
I have someone gotten myself in charge of breakfast for a youth conference. I was thinking of strata as the main dish but am open to other suggestions. My question is this - we don't have enough refrigerator space to make 10 (?) big pans of this and refrigerate them overnight. Should I make them up in the morning (not much time to soak), leave in the cold oven overnight, or make something else?
Under NO circumstances leave out overnight.

You need about 6 of those half-pan size aluminum pans, assuming you will have some additional foods. Do have some yogurts and hard boiled eggs no matter what else.

How about the egg, cheese and hash brown type casserole that can be made up that morning and doesn't need to soak. Make some (1-2 pans) meat free for the vegetarians in the bunch, the rest with ham.

thanks - do you have a recipe for the egg/cheese/hashbrown casserole?
Here is for 100. It makes 32 quarts:

* 16 (2 pound) packages frozen hash brown potatoes, thawed
* 16 pounds pork sausage OR diced ham
* 16 small onions, diced (5-6 pounds)
* 80 eggs
* 8 cups milk
* 2 tablespoons and 2 teaspoons onion powder
* 2 teaspoons garlic powder
* salt and ground black pepper to taste
* 12 pounds shredded Cheddar cheese, divided in half (can use jack, Mexican blend, etc).

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease the baking dishes. Place the hash brown potatoes in the bottom of the baking dishes.
Cook the sausage until crumbled, nicely browned, and not pink. Drain.
Meanwhile, whisk together the eggs, milk, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper, and pour over the potatoes. Layer with half the Cheddar cheese, the sausage mixture, and the remaining Cheddar cheese. Cover with aluminum foil.
Bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour (75 minutes if the dishes are deeper). Remove covers; return casseroles to the oven and bake until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean, and temperature is 180 in the middle of the dish. This can take 10 minutes to 30 minutes depending on how thick the dishes are filled.
Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

By the way, when I make this for adults, I often add veggies, maybe bell pepper, or mushrooms, sliced or diced tomatoes, diced green chilis.
Thaw the potatoes in the refrigerator, not on the counter. To make homemade hashbrowns and freeze ahead, you can use the recipe in my OAMC potato plan:


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Sedona Destination Weddings

El Portal Sedona Hotel is perfect for a Sedona destination wedding – if you don’t believe us take a look at these photosSedona Destination Wedding - El Portal Sedona Hotel

The luxury boutique hotel is a truly special place to have your wedding. The property features a romantic central courtyard with a dramatic backdrop of Sedona’ majestic red rocks that is the perfect spot for a small wedding. The inn also features a spacious great room that can serve as the perfect room for an intimate reception.  The twelve room boutique hotel was designed and built with painstaking attention to detail.

That same painstaking attention to detail will be there in helping you plan your wedding. El Portal provides guests with unparalleled concierge services, and has created many memorable Sedona weddings for up to thirty guests at the luxury inn, or up to 100 at Segner Estates Country Ranch. The intimate and romantic courtyard is a beautiful place to say your vows, lush gardens and towering red rocks make for a magical setting; or some brides choose to hold the ceremony just a few steps away in the Tlaquepaque Chapel. Surrounded by huge sycamore trees, tall vine-covered stucco walls and cobblestone pathways and courtyards, it feels like it has been around for centuries.

Segner Estates Country Ranch can accommodate more guests if you prefer a larger gathering. Set in the beautiful hills above Sedona, this offers a truly unique destination wedding in Sedona!

For more photos visit:

Photos courtesy Josh Wilson Photography

By | 2014-04-03T21:43:31+00:00 April 3rd, 2014|Accomodations, Sedona Destination Wedding|2 Comments

  1. Trevor monks April 6, 2016 at 2:31 am - Reply

    Hi we are looking for a wedding venue for this fall and we are wondering if you have any openings. We are especially interested in Segner estates. Any info is appreciated! Thank you

    • El Portal Sedona Hotel April 28, 2016 at 5:49 pm - Reply

      We no longer do weddings. You may want to check out Agave of Sedona:
      (928) 554-4995

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Bike the Red Rocks of Sedona!

Love to mountain bike?  The Sedona area has some great trails and paths – with mind-blowing landscapes. Take a look at this video from El Portal Sedona Hotel.

And we offer our guests personalized concierge services, so if you want to mountain bike the red rocks and don’t have your own bike, we can arrange rentals for you! We will help you enjoy all the things to do in Sedona! 1.800.313.0017

El Portal is a boutique hotel located in the heart of Sedona. We are a pet friendly hotel with no pet fees (up to room limit).

Leave A Comment


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Spa Find Beautiful Beginnings Pregnancy Treatment

2 hours

Spa Find treatments and products utilise mud, salt and spa blends from mother earth to give you harmony, beauty and health during your spa visit and continually in your own home. Spa Find have developed a distinctive range of
Spa Treatment Journeys utilise therapy techniques from around the world, and bring together the ancient therapeutic powers of Dead Sea Waters with intensely pampering massage rituals from the Orient.
A nuturing mum-to-be three stage spa ritual that includes a full body exfoliation, scalp massage, mini facial and a heavenly foot and leg massage, perfect to take care of all your pregnancy needs.

Please note: Treatment suitable from the 14th week of pregnancy and for nursing mothers.

A: On the whole yes they can, depending on the treatment chosen there may be one or two contra indications, these will be discussed fully with you before treatment begins.

A: Yes we can discuss the products we use during your treatments and recommend the best products for your home routine.

A: Yes, you will feel immediately revitalised from the inside out. Your skin will glow and feel silky smooth.

A: Spa Find pioneered the use of healing minerals, Muds and seaweeds. These bring unique healing, relaxing and rejuvenation qualities to your treatments.

A: Our therapist will have an initial consultation with you to discuss your requirements and will recommend the best treatment for you.

[ngg_images gallery_ids=”6″ exclusions=”4,6″ display_type=”photocrati-nextgen_basic_thumbnails” gallery_width=”600″ gallery_height=”400″]


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Box Build Assembly

The Finished Product

Embedded360 caters to clients in the following sectors for both Box Assemblies as well as PCB Assemblies :

  • Power Electronics
  • Automotive Electronics
  • Industrial Systems

Whether your project is simple or multifaceted, E360 will deliver quality, detailed assembly to each of your box builds or frame integration projects.

Our box build assembly services include:

  • System level assembly
  • Sub-level product assembly
  • Product assembly
  • Testing (in-circuit, flying probe and functional testing)
  • Software loading and product configuration
  • Warehousing, order fulfillment and traceability
  • Packaging and direct drop shipments to your customers when desired
  • Aftermarket services and repair

Impressed? Let’s Talk

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Brooklyn NY, 718-210-3888

Brooklyn NYC Emergency Services

NYC Towing, NYC Auto-Repair, NYC Locksmith and
NYC Junk car removal

Brooklyn NY 11218, 718-210-3888

Your first choice in any case of emergency - a family operated company, that specialize in emergency situation like roadside assistance, car lockout, house lockout, car repair, car towing.
Our trained and professional service man will solve any problem in a timely manner and in reasonable prices. Call us and you will not be disappointed - Brooklyn and all 5 bouroughs

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Brooklyn Emergency Towing: benefits of using our solid and professional services

  • We operate 24/7, you can call us anytime, and count that we will answer!

  • Your car and property will not be damaged by a fault technician / repairman

  • Fully licensed and insured business - you are safe with us

  • Toll-Free customer and technical support available all the time

  • Competitive Pricing, We will give you an honest offer before the job is done

  • Fast Response time, Fast Service all times.

  • submit Your Review

24/7 NYC Emergency Services

Brooklyn and New York City Towing, Auto Repair, NYC Car Donations, New York City Locksmith

Our company, established in 1995 is a full service company in any case of auto/locksmith related emergency. We have a large client base that gets a fast response to any emergency need. Last year we towed more than 5600 vehicles in NYC area alone, and helped more than 6500 lockout situations.

You can trust us, we are certified, licensed, insured and bonded, reliable and trustworthy. We offer professional service, quick response times, and our name is our most important value. We wish to have only satisfied customers.

The services offered by us include all kind of vehicle towing, Roadside assistance, Roadside repairs, Auto-Repair, and Auto-Body service, Locksmith - both car, resident and business, either you locked out, or you need to install new locks, or replace the current one. We also offer Junk car removal service, which is done in the most ecological manner, car donations, with full tax deduction from your income tax return

Our service runs 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, using our fleet of towing trucks and technicians. There is no distance limit, and we will accept any call.

When you call Emergency-Services you can expect

  • Fast and reliable answer to your problem
  • Only trained, professional and skilled technicians and towers
  • Fair prices
  • Service coverage of all Brooklyn, Manhattan, and New York City Boroughs - Queens, Bronx, Staten Island

To get our service all you need to do is call us and to one of our services specialist . We will do the rest. You can also use the form in the web site to contact us, ask any question, and we will try to answer as soon as possible. Consultation is free of charge - giving you the best solution to your problem. It is essential to be well informed and it is vital to know your rights and options to make the best decisFion for your problem. In today's economical context, it becomes more and more important to use only the most reliable service around, So you can get back with your life quickly and fairly

Any boroughs towing Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, Bronx, Staten Island - We will be there asap !

Service Areas:

Borough Neighborhood ZIP Codes
Bronx Crotona - Tremont
Fordham - Bronx Park
High Bridge - Morrisania
Hunts Point - Mott Haven
Kingsbridge - Riverdale
Northeast Bronx
Pelham - Throgs Neck
Brooklyn Bedford Stuyvesant - Crown Heights
Bensonhurst - Bay Ridge
Borough Park
Canarsie - Flatlands
Coney Island - Sheepshead Bay
Downtown - Heights - Slope
East Flatbush - Flatbush
East New York
Sunset Park
Williamsburg - Bushwick
Manhattan Central Harlem - Morningside Heights
Chelsea - Clinton
East Harlem
Gramercy Park - Murray Hill
Greenwich Village - Soho
Lower Manhattan
Union Square - Lower East Side
Upper East Side
Upper West Side
Washington Heights - Inwood
Queens Bayside - Little Neck
Flushing - Clearview
Fresh Meadows
Long Island City - Astoria
Ridgewood - Forest Hills
Southeast Queens
Southwest Queens
West Queens
Staten Island Port Richmond
South Beach - Tottenville
Stapleton - St. George

Emergency Services - Locksmith Services - Junk Car Removal - Professional Towing


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February 23, 2016

Ed Sheeran had a $2 peep show in Melbourne and no one went to see it

Recently in Melbourne, Ed Sheeran held a special peep show wherein the price of admission for a 30-second private concert was $2. You’d expect fans to line up for that bargain, right? WRONG.

The peep show, which was arranged by radio presenters Hamish Blake and Andy Lee, involved Sheeran patiently waiting inside a dark and shady establishment along King Street. Hamish – dressed up as an equally shady promoter – tried to invite people in but to no avail. Understandably so.

‘I think one of the big problems is that people think Ed Sheeran is a code word for a new drug’, Blake said.

The waiting lasted for more than 2 hours until finally, a couple went in and got the biggest surprise of their lives. Soon enough, a few more customers came in and got to see Ed Sheeran live – and in thongs no less!

‘That’s the best f***ing $2 I ever spent’, one attendee said perfectly.

Tagged with: News, , ,


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Local Job Board

  • Cleaner
  • YMCA of Kingston
  • Closing Date: 20 Jan, 2018
  • Seasonal Customer Service Specialist
  • Greenshield Pest Control Inc.
  • Closing Date: 30 Mar, 2018
  • Sales Team Member
  • FrontRunner Professional
  • Closing Date: 16 Feb, 2018
  • Centre Director
  • Frontenac Club Day Care & Integration Program
  • Closing Date: 02 Feb, 2018

Utilize St. Lawrence College’s employment services and job board to assist you in finding and getting your next job. Access our industry-leading job board and find a job in your field from real local employers. Get in-person assistance & employment help at our resource centres. Or use our online employment tools to improve all aspects of your job search, from resume building to interview preparation and career assessments. Feel free to contact us to help you get started!

Why Our Job Board?

Employment OntarioThe St. Lawrence College Job Board provides you with the most up-to-date career opportunities in your region. Refine your job search based on location, occupation, education and more to find the perfect career match for your needs. You are provided with all the tools necessary to make a positive impression on potential employers. From resume writing to preparing for the interview, St. Lawrence College Employment Services will help you build your future.

Events & Workshops

See All Events
  • Jan20

    Eastern Ontario Transportation Career & Job Expo

    Meet with local employers and training providers in the transportation industry. Explore opportunities tailored to help you succeed in your transportation career. Positions include: Diesel Technician,...

  • Jan31

    What to expect at a Job Fair

    Learn tips to be successful in your job search. Get help to write a resume that gets you noticed. Learn how to give an elevator speech. What should you wear to a job fair? How to answer those tough ...

  • Feb14

    YGK Job Fair

    Kingston Jobs. Kingston Employers. Come see the many opportunities around you! Make sure you bring multiple copies of your resume. If you're interested in updating your resume, visit our Resource ...

  • Feb28

    Smart Serve

    Are you interested in the service industry? Ontario law states that you must have passed the Smart Serve course in order to serve alcoholic beverages at your place of employment. Call us for more ...

Kingston Weather

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Posts Tagged ‘Expertise and Art’

Essentials of Home Remodeling: Perfect Blend of Expertise and Art

Essentials of Home Remodeling Perfect Blend of Art and ExpertiseRemodeling is a modification of the already old structure or looking to improve the idea. Remodeling can be performed to revive damages a result of various aspects like local climate, accidents as well as natural phenomena towards update all the view and also comfort of your abode. Remodeling entails various issues like accurate planning, qualified expertise along with finishing. Special emphasis ought to be given in picking out a reputable along with trustworthy renovating contractor. Remodeling companies really should be licensed not to mention insured. Proven status satisfied customers is often a crucial factor so far as remodeling contractors are viewed. Remodeling service provider should transport general fault and personnel compensation insurance policies. Handling all of the different facets about remodeling project to have individual can be frustrating and also overwhelming past experiences. A likely customer is required to handle such things as getting a number of bids by each business, picking a fabulous contractor coming from each trade that you just think you are going to do the right job for the greatest price, getting most trades due and harmonized from one. To generate things easier for that common men and women the renovating companies are usually always by service.

These firms leverage long term relationship by means of suppliers and also contractors to supply their consumer’s best deals and best value materials on the market. Most in the remodeling firms have different departments just like interior not to mention exterior division devoted to their personally own areas. The inner remodeling division focuses on kitchen remodels, bath remodels and many other interior upgrading detailing whereas the surface division satisfies exterior beauty on the home. Remodeling in houses get gained considerably popularity between common people who the advent of those companies which may have made remodel tasks more simple, easier and easy. Reconstructing the primary areas on the household constantly plays a critical role inside adding value to your residence. Center Point Home improvement, which gives best the kitchen area remodel and additionally basement redecorating in Colorado, was started by Mr. Doug Pollock. With finished 19 many of knowledge as Roofer contractor throughout Denver they focus on every last need in the customer. Kitchen home improvement in Denver has become the best solutions available through the company.


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Overland Licenses VR2 Technology to Quantum - EnterpriseStorageForum.com

Overland Licenses VR2 Technology to Quantum

Overland Data Inc. , which makes mid-range tape automation solutions, today announced that Quantum Corp. , a provider of data protection and network storage, has signed an agreement to license Overland's patented Variable Rate Randomizer (VR2) technology.

Overland's VR2 technology will be integrated into future Quantum tape drive offerings, officials said.

Overland's VR2 substantially increases the capacity and throughput of linear tape formats. The first successful implementation of Partial Response Maximum Likelihood (PRML) channel encoding technology on linear tape drive platforms, VR2 can increase native capacity and native data transfer rate performance of existing linear tape technologies by as much as 50 to 100 percent without requiring any changes in tape path design, recording heads and/or media. This is accomplished by achieving rate efficiency of greater than 99 percent, making it one of the most effective PRML implementations ever developed.

Christopher Calisi, president and CEO of Overland, said, "The majority of our tape automation business is based upon DLT (Digital Linear Tape), and we are pleased that VR2 will be an enabling technology to advance the future success of DLTtape drives. Quantum now joins a growing roster of companies who have licensed VR2 including StorageTek, Seagate, Imation and Tandberg Data. We are optimistic that VR2 licensing revenue will make a meaningful contribution to Overland's profitability beginning in calendar 2002."

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About Me

  • Age: 18 years old Etnicity: Caucasian
  • Hair: Blonde Eyes: Hazel
  • Weight: 90 pounds Height: 5'2 feet
  • Sexual Preference: Bi-Sexual
  • Favorite Colors: fushia and peach
  • Favorite Food: barbeque and green salads
  • Favorite Music: pop music
  • Hobbies: I love to shop! Who doesn't! Lol!

Favorite sex position: I like doing it in the missionary position, although I enjoy adding some twist to it.

Favorite lingerie or clothes: Satin lingerie-love the way the smoothness and softness of this against my pussy.

Does your family know what you do?Yup!They even asked when my next video will come out. Great, huh?

turn-on:Well, he don't have to be super rich or anything but I love a guy who will treat me on a nice restaurant with a soft violin music playing in the background.

Top Rated Sets

  • Hot in the kitchen # Photo Set Update | 2011-12-02
  • Video Episode 25 # Video Update | 2011-06-12
  • Erica is television goddess # Photo Set Update | 2011-03-27
  • Eric in black lingerie # Photo Set Update | 2012-03-11
  • Sexy in plaid skirt # Photo Set Update | 2012-06-04

My Pictures Updates:

Inside my members area you will find TONS OF VIDEOS, quite a few of them been shoot by me ,cause this is as real as it gets and made me feel more relaxed since no one was in the room ;)
Get Instant Access to all of my exclusive pics and videos!!!

My Videos Updates

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ESA SP-1291 Mars Express: The Scientific Investigations

20 August 2005

Mars Express arrived at its destination in December 2003 to investigate most of the facets of the Red Planet – the interior, surface, atmosphere and ionosphere – in unprecedented detail.
Read online

In addition to these global studies, the unifying theme of the mission is the search for water in its various states everywhere on the planet. The resulting water inventory (so far covering water vapour and water ice) has a great significance for the search for potential life forms, past or present, on the surface and below.

Copyright 2000 - 2018 © European Space Agency. All rights reserved.


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So, Is The Red Tide Going To Destroy Florida?

The ocean is now fighting back.

Red Tide in Japan/Amana Images via Getty

Everyone thought that the swirling cloud of death rising from the ocean would manifest as a shark-infused tornado. In fact, something much scarier is brewing: The Red Tide.

It's a massive and toxic collection of algae floating just off the coast of Florida, and it could wash ashore at any time—potentially devastating both marine and human life in its (very literal) wake. The Red Tide gets its name from its blood red color, and it basically makes the ocean look like that scene in The Shining.

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For context: The Tide is actually a supersaturation of Karenia brevis, a microscopic algae that commonly occurs in low concentrations.

It's only when it gets out of hand that it kills ocean life and leads to serious respiratory irritation (and possible death) to fishermen. If it hits the shore, beachgoers are vulnerable, too. This year's bloom is about 90 miles long and 5,400 square miles wide. Rhode Island is only about 1,500 square miles wide.

Last month, a similar bloom in Lake Eerie shut down Toledo's main source of drinking water. People don't drink ocean water, but they eat things that breath it, and they swim in it, and that's enough to potentially cause harm.

The good news? For the last few days, the tide has been running 20 miles off the western coast of Florida, with no immediate signs of heading for land.

The bad news? That course could change at any time.

The worst news? Scientists can't predict its path outside of a 48-hour window.

Happy summer.

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Curiouser And Curiouser

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Well, spavined ratfker James O'Keefe has claimed a Republican scalp this time. Hoorah! Bipartisanship! O'Keefe even bragged about this very thing on Twitter the other day when a bunch of us pointed around that he'd been kicked in the jewels by a court in the liberal enclave of San Antonio. See, went the spiel, I got me a Republican, too.

No, wait...

Ellis is a Republican, but not the right kind of Republican.

He leaves undone by the very qualities that helped him endure: his willingness to jostle his own party, brag and spout bull as he aired private views that were not always in line with his public stances. Following the release of the recording, Ellis found himself forced to tell a skeptical public that he didn't understand the limits of campaign laws that he had long championed...A former math teacher, Ellis defined himself over the years as a budget hawk who often schooled lawmakers and reporters on state finances using blackboards he had mounted in a Capitol conference room. He frustrated many of his fellow Republicans over his fight last year to curtail Gov. Scott Walker's plans to expand voucher schools statewide, a battle that resulted in a watered-down version of Walker's plan getting signed into law.

And not only that, but...

On Thursday, the second video was released. It was culled from the same recordings as the first one but focused more on Ellis' comments critical of his fellow Republicans. At one point, the person recording the conversation said Walker was focusing on a potential presidential run in 2016. "Amen," Ellis responded. Later, he said, "I think Walker's working for Walker."

Dawn breaks over Marblehead.

I could be connecting the wrong dots at the end of a long week, but this looks very much like a hit put out on Ellis by the friends of Scott Walker's chronically unethical political operation, so that the goggle-eyed homunculus hired by Koch Industries to manage their midwest subsidiary formerly known as the state of Wisconsin would be rid of a considerable pain in his ass. This becomes even more suspicious when you realize that the very thing that hung Ellis -- his desire, expressed in the surreptitious video and audio recordings made by O'Keefe's band of ratfkers, to coordinate his campaign with a SuperPac in violation of Wisconsin law -- is exactly the same thing that is part of the bill of particulars against Walker himself. Thus is some "everybody does it" dust thrown in the eyes of people looking sideways at the fact that Walker never has run a campaign in his life -- including for student government at Marquette -- that wasn't shady is some significant way. Unless, of course, you believe that James O'Keefe ever has only the interest of good government at heart. This, however, requires you to ignore one of the fundamental rules of modern politics -- the one thing you can count on about ratfkers is that they will fk rats.

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