Ear Wax - John Dunn, Consultant, Ambertec, P.E., P.C.

The goal was to devise a customized infrared sensor for remote temperature measurements, something similar in purpose to hand held sensors already being sold. Using a blackbody hot plate as an infrared emitter, I arranged an infrared lens and a thermocouple to monitor the emissions. Thermistor readings were also acquired for comparison purposes. 

 

For a trustworthy test reference, I had one of those hand held, remote temperature sensors. It was a nice instrument, approximately the size and shape of a soldering gun and it had a digital display.

I was getting my test results this one day when someone asked if he could borrow the digital sensor for a half hour or so and I said yes. Sure enough, just that much later he returned it to me and I went back to my own testing only now, my data was coming out utterly wrong.

My boss at the time was a difficult man, so it was with some trepidation that I had to go ask him what had gone amiss. I handed over the digital sensor whereupon he accused me of having misused it, thereby ruining its battery. Then he began pressing buttons.

The problem turned out to be that you had to set the digital sensor to match the emissivity of the target whose temperature you want to measure. The setting for the hot plate needed to be for an emissivity of 0.9, but it had been changed by the borrower to 0.5 and was not restored before being returned to me.

My boss fixed that. Then he took the digital sensor and put its bezel up to his ear to get one temperature reading and then stuck the bezel in his mouth to get the temperature in the back of his throat. When he saw that the two readings were correct, he thrust the thing back at me.

The bezel was still wet with his saliva and there was a small piece of ear wax stuck to part of the bezel's rim.

I didn't say anything. I just took it to the washroom and sanitized it. I sanitized my hands too.

Later in the day though, I quit.

Comments

[George Storm]

In case others are tempted to follow this path:

Assuming that there was no manual available to read - why didn't you first ask the person who had borrowed the meter?

Known-difficult bosses are usually there because they contribute something of significance.
You learnt something about IR sensors that day. Maybe you could have stuck him for a few more weeks?

(Known difficult ex-boss)

[John Dunn]

The borrower had disappeared and I had no idea to where he'd gone. There was nobody else to ask.

Also, George, you cannot have been as difficult a boss as this guy was. My wife came to that shop one day and this guy wanted to show off his new sports car to her.

She only told me this later on, after I'd quit.

Maybe we'l trade war stories one day. :)

[Don Humphrey]

I'm curious John,
What was the end application for this device.

[John Dunn]

Hi, Don.

I'm afraid I can't reveal that because of a confidentiality issue.