March 23, 2013: /r/VXJunkies - The Quest for the .88 Delta
#/r/VXJunkies **53,576** junkies for **1 year!**
Have you ever wondered about how computers work? Have you ever thought about getting down to the very basics of what makes a machine like that run? Have you ever just wanted to mess with metal parts until lights lit up or smoke appeared, whichever comes first? If so, welcome to the wonderful world of VXJunkies.
In my case, the story starts in 1996. While most tech-inclined people were fascinated by the rapid rise of the Internet, I was more of the type to hang with my grandpa in his workshop. Right there, in his backyard, we worked with strange tools and wondrous machines, dodging the occasional pipe or offset valve. He kept using terms I only heard from him, constantly muttering something about "ferrocores" not complying with "DL hashing standards" or cursing under his breath at "Yalgeth" and "her fu-- oh, sorry... very stupid limit". I never quite understood what he was working on, but it was fascinating. I grew up, though, and eventually stopped coming over to see him. Life, school (and growing up in general) got in the way, and I never really heard of him again until I got a package in the mail a few years ago.
Friday, February 29th, 2008. It was raining. It was cold. The UPS guy hastily made me sign the receiving slip and retreated into his truck, pointing to the lumbering package he left on my porch. Shivering, I brought it inside. It was heavy, and... *vibrating* somehow. I slowly opened it, and there it was: a machine I had seen a hundred times, so familiar and yet so distant in my memory. As it turns out, my grandpa had passed on and left this box in my name. I had just gotten my first very own VX Machine.
It was a beauty of a VX4 Mark III. I flipped a few switches that I recognized by sight, and it gently hummed back to life. The 7-LED numerical display on the right showed my current delta: 0.07. Far from perfect - my grandpa used to reach 0.40 with ease - but I couldn't do much without any documentation. Fast forward a couple of years, and this is where /r/VXJunkies comes in: there I found [everything I'd need to get started](http://www.reddit.com/r/VXJunkies/comments/ewihz/) and more. With the help of the community, I've been able to reach the 0.40 Delta mark my grandpa had set, and I'm still learning and getting better all the time. For example, simply [upgrading my ferrocores](http://www.reddit.com/r/VXJunkies/comments/ewxef/) from the stock VX4 set to the ones I built (completing grandpa's blueprints) made my dephasing interval shrink from 9.10 to 8.02! Throw some adjustments due to recent discoveries regarding Holt's Junction, and BAM: 0.45 Delta, *on a VX4!* It might not be impressive to most, but it sure was to me. The folks over at /r/VXJunkies can help anyone get going with a basic module in no time - just add passion, patience and curiosity.
And now, a few words from the mod team:
>##1. I see a few of you are directors in well known VX-related companies. Why did you choose to establish a presence on Reddit? >> **oneisnotprime** This is where the community is growing. Just 10 years ago a CRD-20 cost over $62k for a unit with only 9 static pinboards, and which took 80 cubic meters to produce a dual-tachyotic signal! With the rapid advancement of the periolith coil comes less of a need for palladium structures and we are now seeing an improved legal environment for ultraband-O-K12s. Someday soon I fully believe we'll be seeing VX gear at Walmart and basic VXing as part of a general education.
>##2. Could you share a highlight of your VX career? >> **oneisnotprime** I am mostly known in the community for my 10e-16 Yalgeth Run and my 7 year tenure with Dr. Miljavic Ernada on parallel alignments with reduced harmonics, but nothing for me can beat the time I synchronized manually (no å-subD suppression) an entire ten-bay of copper prongboards on the first try. Best day of my life.
>##3. What is the highest *stable* delta you've reached pre-Holt's Junction? >> **oneisnotprime** We have a YL minus 10e-13 minimum delta requirement for modding in the community.
>##4. What do you think will be the state of VX Modules in 10 years? 20 years? >> **Dragonai** VX is to computing as Bitcoin is to currency. Currently, mainstream methods of achieving steady-state thermoefficient deltas are nowhere near as potent as VX modules, and yet, these lesser methods are popular in physics and chemistry labs all over the country (I'd venture to say even across the globe, though Switzerland and the Iberian nations are taking great strides to standardize). I'd say within a decade or two, every modern home will be host to a VX module. Raising kids with one in the home will pique their curiosity, and they will naturally want to tinker with ?-cohesion and Fankel geometry; it's a deep and ever-growing field and the barrier of entry is honestly lower than people think; ignorance is simply easier than understanding. :)
>##5. What VX model would you recommend for soon-to-be-junkies reading this? Everyone has their preferences, but please try to be unbiased. >> **Dragonai** The VX5 with a Rockwell chromatosilicate ferrocore, without question. Yes, this is against the grain. Most people would say I'm a heretic and slice my deimometer circuit out of disgust, but hear me out. The 5 lends itself extraordinarily well to low-resistance magnitude compression due to the copper gasket, which is perfect for the amateur enthusiast. They top out at about 4300 kTr, so no worrying about destroying any microwaves!
>##6. Great, now if you could give them *one* tip (aside from "Read the [FAQ](http://www.reddit.com/r/VXJunkies/comments/ewihz/)), what would it be? >> **oneisnotprime** It can be difficult for a new VXer to distinguish between pseudo-scientific nonsense (like compacting Yalgeth's Limit in a variable wavelength diamatic structure) and true cutting edge advancement in the field (such as some of the work coming out of Australia on uniform distribution of delta cohesion, or sinusoidal particulate structures). Stick to the basics. And for crying out loud, do not leave your diode clock uncalibrated! We don't need another Reykjavik '97.
So there you have it. Whether you're just starting out and looking for advice or you're a old-timer coming over to brag about your accomplishements, /r/VXJunkies is the place for you.
DISCLAIMER: I am not responsible if you don't follow procedure and end up overvolting your cat/spouse/television. Phasing is a serious business. Always read and follow the label.
This was Junkie Roujo, new Intern for Subreddit of the Day, signing off.
P.S. Shout out to /u/qweiopasd, fellow writer at SRotD: It's his/her birthday! =D