Replies

One question I would like answered, and it has not been addressed in either the news articles or commentary.

The "toy" had been out for... what was it, three weeks?

Were these "toys" still illuminated? If so, where can I buy those batteries? I leave a powered flashlight in the drawer overnight and it's dead the next morning.

Or was it an unlit black box with the wires and batteries exposed?

Had it been an actual bomb, and the BPD had dismissed it as a "hoax"... but the "hoax" exploded and killed men, women and children... would you be here today pointing fingers?

Or would you still think that leaving unattended black boxes with exposed wiring and battery packs around a major metropolitan area (on major though fares and important infrastructure, no less) is a swell advertising plan, and if any police force reacted to them they "over reacted"?

I don't think that you have thought this through, bro.

APf

"Were these "toys" still illuminated?"

They probably were still operating. A single CR2032 coin cell has .022 Ah capacity, and a single D alkaline cell has 15 Ah capacity.

One CR 2032 will keep one LED (with no dropping resistor) lit for about a week continuously, so four D cells should keep 30 LEDs lit for at least three weeks. If the signs had light sensors that shut them off in the daytime even longer. (.022/15)/30=20

I have an LED flashlight that has three LEDs and three aaa batteries- the battery life given in the product literature is 200 hours or about 8 days continuous. An incandescent of similar size, like a Mini Mag, would go flat in a few hours of burn.

The LED signs were not boxes, they were open circuit cards with all the components visible. You can even see resistors.

A breadboard with visible LED's, wires, batteries, and resistors doesn't look like anything but a breadboard with LED's, wires, and batteries. Anyone on the bombsquad who didn't know instantly that these things were harmless should be looking for a new job. I suppose a detonator could be disguised to look like this, but to do anything it would still have to be connected to something explosive--which these weren't.

A better question is why did it take Boston's finest 3 weeks to find a "BOMB" ?

Also I only pointed one finger... ;)

(Ok that was just a little topical humor people!)

Shop for the LED's not the batteries. That is where the power saving is going on! Plus they had a sensor that turned them off during the day. Clever really.

Look my point about the van remains valid. I walk around with electronics all the time. A lot of them look like bombs. It is my job. I don't need this kind of grief about anything with batteries and wires is a bomb hoax. The cops made a mistake. They just can't own up to it.

-- lates
-- jrawk