One of my previous bosses would refuse to believe that some things could not be done.
The toolroom manager would come in with a design schematic and say something like 'Look, we can't fit the display behind the bezel because there'll be a clash with the mounting posts. It can't be done.'

To which the boss would not argue, he's just say 'Go away and think about it'.

An hour later the toolroom manager came back to say 'well, if we move the posts back 0.5 millimetres and mill out half of the pillar we can just about fit it in. But then there'll be nowhere for the backlight inverter cable to come through cos the display will be butting on the PCB. It just can't be done.'

'Go away and think about it'.

An hour later, 'Look, if we drill a hole through an unpopulated area of the PCB and feed the wires up through then we can get the inverter wires to the backlight. But then there'll be nowhere for the serial connection header IDC to go, there's no radius of curve for the cable to enter. It can't be done.'

'Go away and think about it.'

An hour later- "Mike, (for twas his name) I've thought about it every which way I can, it's impossible.'

'Go away and think about it.'

By which time the toolroom manager is spitting feathers, stressed, angry, bitching about the boss, grumble grumble grumble going to get another job tomorrow, what I have to put up with etc.

An hour later 'OK, if we desolder the existing header and put on a right angled instead, assuming we don't fuck up the through hole plating, we can just about make the serial header IDC fit so long as we can get a double-45 degree fold in the IDC cable. But evn if I do that, the front panel wiring bundle needs 20 mil circular clearence to get past the power switch and now the IDC header is there it won't fit. It's impossible.'

'Go away and think about it'.

GODDAM IT I SAID IT'S IMPOSSIBLE!

'Just go away and think about it' (unruffled).

Another hour later- 'FINE if we space the PCB on 3 mils' worth of washers this will give us z-clearence to get the panel wiring bundle in IF we press it oval instead of round, but to fit in the frame we'll now have to lose the cooling area for the air circulation. It'll overheat and there's absolutely nothing I can do about it. That's it, Game Over, we're fucked with this one.'

'Go away and think about it'.

GODDAM IT don't you get it? IT CANNOT BE DONE!'

'Just go away and think about it overnight'.

Next day- 'OK. Maybe if we take the front panel off and depopulate it we can - carefully- mill some slots into the panel either side of the display- that way we can get air through from the back to the front if we fit a small internal fan. So now the lid is 2mm thick but because of the retaining screws in the captive fasteners can only protrude by 1 mil we have to use 3 mil long threads. But no-one makes 3 mil long threads in M2.5. It can't be done.

'Go away and think about it'.

for FUCK'S SAKE!

'Just go away and think about it'

an hour later- OK, well perhaps if we use countersunk to avoid the overflush condition and cut down 5mm threads to 2.5 we can make this work.

At this point the equipment in question was bulging at the seams with the requirement of getting everything into half a 19 inch rack and when the screws were undone the top tended to pop up like a jack-in-the-box. But it all went together. Under strain. Next stop, EMC testing. The results came back.

'Oh this has all been a colossal waste of time. The 200Hz from the backlight inverter is driving up the harmonic range and exceeding class 3 radiated emissions. Might as well chuck this fucker in the bin! What a bloody waste of time.'

'Just go away and think about it'.

*seethe*

an hour later- "Look. We need to shield the inverter, the wires, the screen, the serial header and the only way to do that is put them in a can. There is NO FUCKING WAY we can fit a can into that. It's as tight as a gnat's chuff down there.

'Go away and think about it'.

ARRRRGH!!!!!!

An hour later- 'OK. If we mill a slot into the rear of the panel, get barry to make a can of 0.1 mil thick tinplate, run a transparent wire mesh in front of the display, star-earth the rest, elongate the PCB mounting holes to let it slide back off the posts so it can allow the space for the screening can and then FUCKING PRAY that it works, it might be OK.

Said modifications are done. The final product is presented to the boss for approval.

'There's a surface blister on the anodising from where you've milled the reverse slot in the front panel. Do the whole panel again but without making it blister'

JEEZ FUCK SHIT WANKER WHAT THE HELL I QUIT! I QUIT!

'Go and think about it'.

The next day,m the replacement panel is on, it's blemish-free and the whole thing has finally come to fruition despite the toolroom manager suffering apopolexy.

The boss says 'OK. Now make me 10 more before next week or we lose the contract'.

MOTHERFUDGING KUNTSPANGLE ARSEFECK BOLLOCKS KILL MURDER SHITE!!!!!!!

The odd thing was- he drove the toolroom manager absolutely to distraction. But in the end there was always a way if you just 'went away and thought about it'. I wouldn't say he was particularly liked, but he was respected.

Then he fired us all and moved production up to his other company in Essex. But in hte end that turned out to be a good thing so I'm not going to complain.

apologies for length.
( Rotating Wobbly Hat That's not a banana. THIS is a banana., Wed 24 Jun 2009, 19:28, 2 replies)

did he fire you
and tell you to go away and think about it?
(mr-lizard Hell's teeth man!, Wed 24 Jun 2009, 20:17, closed)

no need
I'd already started writing freelance features while working there so I now had the time to spend a year doing just that.

shame about the £400 a quarter it was costing me to go on the internet during peak hours though..... Still was making three times that in articles though.
( Rotating Wobbly Hat That's not a banana. THIS is a banana., Wed 24 Jun 2009, 20:20, closed)