#surface mounting technology

[pcbdesignbrisbane]

Surface Mounting Technology: Revolutionising Modern Electronics

In today’s fast-paced world of electronics manufacturing, surface mounting technology (SMT) has become the industry standard for creating smaller, more powerful, and more efficient electronic devices. From smartphones and laptops to medical equipment and aerospace systems, SMT enables the production of highly complex circuit boards with speed, precision, and reliability.

At Masters & Young, we pride ourselves on staying ahead of the curve. With decades of expertise in the electronics and engineering space, we specialise in delivering cutting-edge technology and precision-engineered solutions tailored to meet the specific demands of each sector we serve—including defence, telecommunications, medical, and consumer electronics. SMT is one of the key technologies we leverage to ensure the quality, performance, and longevity of our clients’ products.

What is Surface Mounting Technology?

Surface mounting technology is a method of assembling electronic circuits in which components are mounted directly onto the surface of printed circuit boards (PCBs). Unlike traditional through-hole technology, which involves inserting component leads into holes drilled into the board, SMT places components—known as surface-mount devices (SMDs)—onto the board using automated machines.

This approach significantly increases the speed of production and allows for far more compact designs, making it ideal for modern electronics where space is at a premium.

The Benefits of Surface Mounting Technology

1. Miniaturisation of Devices

With SMT, components can be made much smaller than their through-hole counterparts. This is essential in today’s world, where consumers and industries alike demand compact, high-performance devices.

2. Increased Manufacturing Efficiency

Surface mounting allows for faster assembly and automated placement of components, drastically reducing labour costs and time-to-market. At Masters & Young, our advanced assembly processes utilise SMT to deliver efficiency without compromising on quality.

3. Improved Electrical Performance

Because of shorter lead lengths and reduced inductance, SMT often provides better performance at high frequencies—a critical factor for telecommunications, medical devices, and aerospace applications.

4. Higher Component Density

SMT enables both sides of the PCB to be populated with components, increasing the overall density and functionality of the board. This is especially advantageous in designs that demand more features in less space.

5. Greater Design Flexibility

Engineers have far more freedom in circuit design with SMT, allowing for custom configurations and compact layouts. Masters & Young's engineering team works closely with clients to develop tailored solutions that fully utilise these benefits.

Applications of Surface Mounting Technology

The adaptability of SMT makes it suitable for a wide range of industries. At Masters & Young, we have implemented surface mounting technology in projects for:

Medical Devices: Miniaturised diagnostic tools and wearable medical equipment.

Aerospace & Defence: Robust, high-performance electronics for mission-critical systems.

Consumer Electronics: Smartphones, tablets, and wearable tech.

Industrial Automation: Control systems and robotics.

Telecommunications: Signal processing and networking infrastructure.

With every sector having unique regulatory and performance requirements, we tailor our SMT solutions to ensure compliance, durability, and efficiency across all environments.

Why Choose Masters & Young for SMT Solutions?

At Masters & Young, our commitment to excellence extends beyond just technology. Our experienced team delivers end-to-end support—from concept to prototype, through to production—ensuring every product is built to perform and built to last.

We combine the precision of surface mounting technology with industry-leading quality control measures, offering:

State-of-the-art SMT production equipment

ISO-certified processes

In-house testing and validation

Rapid prototyping capabilities

Custom engineering and consultation services

When you partner with Masters & Young, you’re not just getting access to modern manufacturing technology—you’re gaining a team of specialists dedicated to solving your most complex challenges.

The Future of SMT and Electronics Manufacturing

The trend toward miniaturisation, energy efficiency, and increased functionality shows no signs of slowing. As devices become smarter and more connected, surface mounting technology will continue to play a pivotal role in driving innovation.

At Masters & Young, we are constantly investing in our people, processes, and equipment to remain at the forefront of this evolution. Our mission is to empower businesses with solutions that are not only technically advanced but also scalable, sustainable, and strategically aligned with their goals.

Conclusion

Surface mounting technology is the backbone of modern electronics manufacturing. Its ability to deliver high-performance, compact, and cost-effective solutions makes it essential in virtually every industry. At Masters & Young, we harness this technology with precision and care, ensuring that each solution we provide reflects the high standards and innovation we’re known for.

Whether you’re looking to develop a new electronic product or enhance an existing design, Masters & Young is here to help you turn vision into reality.

[firmwaredevelopers]

Surface Mounting Technology: Revolutionising Modern Electronics

In today’s fast-paced world of electronics manufacturing, surface mounting technology (SMT) has become the industry standard for creating smaller, more powerful, and more efficient electronic devices. From smartphones and laptops to medical equipment and aerospace systems, SMT enables the production of highly complex circuit boards with speed, precision, and reliability.

At Masters & Young, we pride ourselves on staying ahead of the curve. With decades of expertise in the electronics and engineering space, we specialise in delivering cutting-edge technology and precision-engineered solutions tailored to meet the specific demands of each sector we serve—including defence, telecommunications, medical, and consumer electronics. SMT is one of the key technologies we leverage to ensure the quality, performance, and longevity of our clients’ products.

What is Surface Mounting Technology?

Surface mounting technology is a method of assembling electronic circuits in which components are mounted directly onto the surface of printed circuit boards (PCBs). Unlike traditional through-hole technology, which involves inserting component leads into holes drilled into the board, SMT places components—known as surface-mount devices (SMDs)—onto the board using automated machines.

This approach significantly increases the speed of production and allows for far more compact designs, making it ideal for modern electronics where space is at a premium.

The Benefits of Surface Mounting Technology

1. Miniaturisation of Devices

With SMT, components can be made much smaller than their through-hole counterparts. This is essential in today’s world, where consumers and industries alike demand compact, high-performance devices.

2. Increased Manufacturing Efficiency

Surface mounting allows for faster assembly and automated placement of components, drastically reducing labour costs and time-to-market. At Masters & Young, our advanced assembly processes utilise SMT to deliver efficiency without compromising on quality.

3. Improved Electrical Performance

Because of shorter lead lengths and reduced inductance, SMT often provides better performance at high frequencies—a critical factor for telecommunications, medical devices, and aerospace applications.

4. Higher Component Density

SMT enables both sides of the PCB to be populated with components, increasing the overall density and functionality of the board. This is especially advantageous in designs that demand more features in less space.

5. Greater Design Flexibility

Engineers have far more freedom in circuit design with SMT, allowing for custom configurations and compact layouts. Masters & Young's engineering team works closely with clients to develop tailored solutions that fully utilise these benefits.

Applications of Surface Mounting Technology

The adaptability of SMT makes it suitable for a wide range of industries. At Masters & Young, we have implemented surface mounting technology in projects for:

Medical Devices: Miniaturised diagnostic tools and wearable medical equipment.

Aerospace & Defence: Robust, high-performance electronics for mission-critical systems.

Consumer Electronics: Smartphones, tablets, and wearable tech.

Industrial Automation: Control systems and robotics.

Telecommunications: Signal processing and networking infrastructure.

With every sector having unique regulatory and performance requirements, we tailor our SMT solutions to ensure compliance, durability, and efficiency across all environments.

Why Choose Masters & Young for SMT Solutions?

At Masters & Young, our commitment to excellence extends beyond just technology. Our experienced team delivers end-to-end support—from concept to prototype, through to production—ensuring every product is built to perform and built to last.

We combine the precision of surface mounting technology with industry-leading quality control measures, offering:

State-of-the-art SMT production equipment

ISO-certified processes

In-house testing and validation

Rapid prototyping capabilities

Custom engineering and consultation services

When you partner with Masters & Young, you’re not just getting access to modern manufacturing technology—you’re gaining a team of specialists dedicated to solving your most complex challenges.

The Future of SMT and Electronics Manufacturing

The trend toward miniaturisation, energy efficiency, and increased functionality shows no signs of slowing. As devices become smarter and more connected, surface mounting technology will continue to play a pivotal role in driving innovation.

At Masters & Young, we are constantly investing in our people, processes, and equipment to remain at the forefront of this evolution. Our mission is to empower businesses with solutions that are not only technically advanced but also scalable, sustainable, and strategically aligned with their goals.

Conclusion

Surface mounting technology is the backbone of modern electronics manufacturing. Its ability to deliver high-performance, compact, and cost-effective solutions makes it essential in virtually every industry. At Masters & Young, we harness this technology with precision and care, ensuring that each solution we provide reflects the high standards and innovation we’re known for.

Whether you’re looking to develop a new electronic product or enhance an existing design, Masters & Young is here to help you turn vision into reality.

[firmwaredevelopment]

Surface Mounting Technology: Revolutionising Modern Electronics

In today’s fast-paced world of electronics manufacturing, surface mounting technology (SMT) has become the industry standard for creating smaller, more powerful, and more efficient electronic devices. From smartphones and laptops to medical equipment and aerospace systems, SMT enables the production of highly complex circuit boards with speed, precision, and reliability.

At Masters & Young, we pride ourselves on staying ahead of the curve. With decades of expertise in the electronics and engineering space, we specialise in delivering cutting-edge technology and precision-engineered solutions tailored to meet the specific demands of each sector we serve—including defence, telecommunications, medical, and consumer electronics. SMT is one of the key technologies we leverage to ensure the quality, performance, and longevity of our clients’ products.

What is Surface Mounting Technology?

Surface mounting technology is a method of assembling electronic circuits in which components are mounted directly onto the surface of printed circuit boards (PCBs). Unlike traditional through-hole technology, which involves inserting component leads into holes drilled into the board, SMT places components—known as surface-mount devices (SMDs)—onto the board using automated machines.

This approach significantly increases the speed of production and allows for far more compact designs, making it ideal for modern electronics where space is at a premium.

The Benefits of Surface Mounting Technology

1. Miniaturisation of Devices

With SMT, components can be made much smaller than their through-hole counterparts. This is essential in today’s world, where consumers and industries alike demand compact, high-performance devices.

2. Increased Manufacturing Efficiency

Surface mounting allows for faster assembly and automated placement of components, drastically reducing labour costs and time-to-market. At Masters & Young, our advanced assembly processes utilise SMT to deliver efficiency without compromising on quality.

3. Improved Electrical Performance

Because of shorter lead lengths and reduced inductance, SMT often provides better performance at high frequencies—a critical factor for telecommunications, medical devices, and aerospace applications.

4. Higher Component Density

SMT enables both sides of the PCB to be populated with components, increasing the overall density and functionality of the board. This is especially advantageous in designs that demand more features in less space.

5. Greater Design Flexibility

Engineers have far more freedom in circuit design with SMT, allowing for custom configurations and compact layouts. Masters & Young's engineering team works closely with clients to develop tailored solutions that fully utilise these benefits.

Applications of Surface Mounting Technology

The adaptability of SMT makes it suitable for a wide range of industries. At Masters & Young, we have implemented surface mounting technology in projects for:

Medical Devices: Miniaturised diagnostic tools and wearable medical equipment.

Aerospace & Defence: Robust, high-performance electronics for mission-critical systems.

Consumer Electronics: Smartphones, tablets, and wearable tech.

Industrial Automation: Control systems and robotics.

Telecommunications: Signal processing and networking infrastructure.

With every sector having unique regulatory and performance requirements, we tailor our SMT solutions to ensure compliance, durability, and efficiency across all environments.

Why Choose Masters & Young for SMT Solutions?

At Masters & Young, our commitment to excellence extends beyond just technology. Our experienced team delivers end-to-end support—from concept to prototype, through to production—ensuring every product is built to perform and built to last.

We combine the precision of surface mounting technology with industry-leading quality control measures, offering:

State-of-the-art SMT production equipment

ISO-certified processes

In-house testing and validation

Rapid prototyping capabilities

Custom engineering and consultation services

When you partner with Masters & Young, you’re not just getting access to modern manufacturing technology—you’re gaining a team of specialists dedicated to solving your most complex challenges.

The Future of SMT and Electronics Manufacturing

The trend toward miniaturisation, energy efficiency, and increased functionality shows no signs of slowing. As devices become smarter and more connected, surface mounting technology will continue to play a pivotal role in driving innovation.

At Masters & Young, we are constantly investing in our people, processes, and equipment to remain at the forefront of this evolution. Our mission is to empower businesses with solutions that are not only technically advanced but also scalable, sustainable, and strategically aligned with their goals.

Conclusion

Surface mounting technology is the backbone of modern electronics manufacturing. Its ability to deliver high-performance, compact, and cost-effective solutions makes it essential in virtually every industry. At Masters & Young, we harness this technology with precision and care, ensuring that each solution we provide reflects the high standards and innovation we’re known for.

Whether you’re looking to develop a new electronic product or enhance an existing design, Masters & Young is here to help you turn vision into reality.

[electronic22]

Why Are Surface Mount Inductors Vital in Modern Electronics? A Complete Guide

Surface mount inductors have emerged as critical components in today’s compact and high-performance electronic devices. As the demand for miniaturization and efficiency continues to grow, these components offer a reliable solution for energy storage, filtering, and signal integrity. Whether you are designing consumer electronics, industrial systems, or automotive applications, understanding the role and advantages of surface mount inductors can significantly enhance your product development process.

What Are Surface Mount Inductors?

Surface mount inductors are passive electronic components designed to store energy in a magnetic field when electrical current flows through them. Unlike traditional through-hole inductors, surface mount variants are mounted directly onto the surface of a printed circuit board (PCB), enabling compact, low-profile, and automated assembly designs. These inductors are widely used for their efficient space utilization and high-frequency performance.

How Do Surface Mount Inductors Work?

The basic working principle of surface mount inductors is grounded in electromagnetic induction. When current passes through the coil inside the inductor, it creates a magnetic field. This field resists changes in the current, providing a filtering or energy storage function depending on the application.

Surface mount inductors are typically manufactured using a ferrite or powdered iron core surrounded by a coiled conductor. The magnetic properties of the core and the number of coil turns determine the inductance value. Their compact design allows them to perform reliably in dense circuit boards.

Where Are Surface Mount Inductors Used?

These inductors are essential in multiple sectors where space-saving components are crucial. Common applications include:

Smartphones, tablets, and laptops

Power supplies and DC-DC converters

Automotive electronic control units (ECUs)

RF and telecommunications systems

Medical and industrial instrumentation

LED lighting systems and IoT modules

Each of these areas requires high-performance signal integrity and energy efficiency, both of which are facilitated by surface mount inductors.

What Are the Key Benefits of Surface Mount Inductors?

Surface mount inductors provide a range of advantages for engineers and product designers. Their integration into compact electronics is particularly valuable in today’s market.

Enable miniaturized circuit design for compact devices

Support high-frequency operations with excellent performance

Reduce production time through automated pick-and-place mounting

Offer low DC resistance (DCR) for higher efficiency

Enhance electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) in sensitive circuits

Provide thermal stability in harsh environments

Available in a wide variety of inductance values and sizes

These benefits make them indispensable in both analog and digital electronic systems.

What Are the Different Types of Surface Mount Inductors?

The choice of surface mount inductor depends on the specific application and performance requirements. Key types include:

Wire-wound inductors: Known for high Q-factor and current handling capabilities, ideal for power applications.

Multilayer inductors: Offer compact size and are suitable for high-frequency filtering.

Thin-film inductors: Deliver precision and low-profile characteristics, often used in RF circuits.

Molded inductors: Provide strong mechanical durability, often used in automotive environments.

Each type has unique characteristics that influence its behavior in a circuit, and selecting the right one depends on factors such as frequency, current rating, and size constraints.

How to Choose the Right Surface Mount Inductor?

Selecting the right surface mount inductor for your application involves considering several important technical parameters:

Inductance (L): Measured in microhenries (µH) or nanohenries (nH), this value defines how much energy the inductor can store.

Current rating: Determines the maximum current the inductor can handle without saturating or overheating.

Saturation current: Indicates the point at which the inductor loses its inductive properties.

DC resistance (DCR): Lower DCR means better efficiency and less power loss.

Frequency range: Ensures compatibility with the intended signal or switching frequency.

Size and footprint: Must match the PCB layout and spatial constraints.

Understanding these parameters helps ensure optimal circuit performance, reliability, and compliance with regulatory standards.

Why Are Surface Mount Inductors Preferred Over Through-Hole Types?

While both surface mount and through-hole inductors serve similar electrical purposes, surface mount options are increasingly preferred in modern electronic assemblies. This shift is driven by:

Smaller package sizes suitable for compact PCBs

Better performance at higher frequencies

Faster, more cost-effective automated manufacturing

Improved thermal performance in high-density applications

Enhanced mechanical stability during vibration or movement

Surface mount technology enables the design of lightweight, efficient, and high-performance devices across various industries.

What Are the Trends in Surface Mount Inductor Technology?

As technology evolves, surface mount inductors continue to improve in performance, durability, and miniaturization. Key developments in this field include:

Use of advanced core materials for higher energy density

Lower EMI solutions to support 5G and wireless technologies

Integration with ICs and other passives for modular designs

Eco-friendly manufacturing with lead-free soldering

High-reliability solutions for automotive and aerospace sectors

These innovations make surface mount inductors a forward-looking solution for next-generation electronic products.

Where to Buy High-Quality Surface Mount Inductors?

Finding trusted suppliers is essential for securing reliable surface mount inductors. It’s important to source components from distributors that provide:

Comprehensive technical datasheets

RoHS-compliant and quality-certified components

Wide inventory of top brands and value options

Global shipping and responsive customer service

Compatibility with high-frequency and power electronics

Buyers and engineers should consider trusted electronic suppliers with extensive product listings and verified sourcing standards.

Conclusion

Surface mount inductors are indispensable building blocks of today’s advanced electronic systems. Their compact form factor, high-frequency capability, and reliable performance make them ideal for power conversion, signal conditioning, and EMI suppression tasks. By understanding how these components work, where they are used, and how to select the right one, engineers can unlock new possibilities in their designs. As innovation accelerates, surface mount inductors continue to play a central role in enabling smarter, smaller, and more efficient electronics.

[viasiontechnology]

Discover the basics of SMT assembly in this introductory guide. Learn about Surface Mount Technology (SMT), its components, assembly process, and its significance in electronics manufacturing.

[aimarketresearch]

Surface Mount Technology Market Size, Share, Trends, Demand, Future Growth, Challenges and Competitive Analysis

Surface Mount Technology Market report is an important manuscript for every market enthusiast, policymaker, investor, and market player. The market research and analysis conducted in this report assists clients in forecasting the investment in an emerging market, growth of market share or success of a new product. In addition, this business report endows with a delegate overview of the market where it identifies industry trends, determines brand awareness, potency and insights and provides competitive intelligence. Report contains strong and weak points of the competitors and analysis of their strategies with respect to product and  industry. Surface Mount Technology Market is the most established tool and hence used widely to generate market research report.

With the complete understanding of business environment that is best suitable for the requirements of the client, Surface Mount Technology Market business report has been generated. Businesses can also achieve insights into profit growth and sustainability programs with this market report. Market drivers and market restraints explained in this report gives idea about the rise or fall in the consumer demand for the particular product depending on several factors. This market document contains all the company profiles of the major players and brands. Each of the topics is properly elaborated with the in-depth research and analysis for generating an absolute Surface Mount Technology Market survey report.

Access Full 350 Pages PDF Report @

Surface mount technology market will grow at a CAGR of 8.86% in the forecast period of 2021 to 2028. Rise in the supply for electronic products to miniaturized consumers is an essential factor driving the surface mount technology market.

Surface mounting (SMT) technology is defined as a type of technique of generating electronic circuits where the parts are installed or put straight on the printed circuit board (PCB). An electronic device thereby generated is a surface mount device (SMD). It has mainly substituted the technique of connecting parts with cable leads in the circuit board through-hole technique design in the sector. Both technologies, such as huge transformers and heat sinked power semiconductors, can be used in the same board for components not suitable for surface mounting.

Surface Mount Technology Key Benefits over Global Competitors:

The report provides a qualitative and quantitative analysis of the Surface Mount Technology Market trends, forecasts, and market size to determine new opportunities.

Porter’s Five Forces analysis highlights the potency of buyers and suppliers to enable stakeholders to make strategic business decisions and determine the level of competition in the industry.

Top impacting factors & major investment pockets are highlighted in the research.

The major countries in each region are analyzed and their revenue contribution is mentioned.

The market player positioning segment provides an understanding of the current position of the market players active in the Personal Care Ingredients

Table of Contents: Surface Mount Technology Market

1 Introduction

2 Global Surface Mount Technology Market Segmentation

3 Executive Summary

4 Premium Insight

5 Market Overview

6 Surface Mount Technology Market, by Product Type

7 Surface Mount Technology Market, by Modality

8 Surface Mount Technology Market, by Type

9 Surface Mount Technology Market, by Mode

10 Surface Mount Technology Market, by End User

12 Surface Mount Technology Market, by Geography

12 Surface Mount Technology Market, Company Landscape

13 Swot Analysis

14 Company Profiles

Critical Insights Related to the Surface Mount Technology Included in the Report:

Exclusive graphics and Illustrative Porter’s Five Forces analysis of some of the leading companies in this market

Value chain analysis of prominent players in the market

Current trends influencing the dynamics of this market across various geographies

Recent mergers, acquisitions, collaborations, and partnerships

Revenue growth of this industry over the forecast period

Marketing strategy study and growth trends

Growth-driven factor analysis

Emerging recess segments and region-wise market

An empirical evaluation of the curve of this market

Ancient, Present, and Probable scope of the market from both prospect value and volume

The major players covered in surface mount technology market report are ASM Assembly Systems GmbH & Co. KG, YXLON International, Viscom AG, Universal Instruments Corporation, Teradyne Inc., Saki Corporation., Panasonic Corporation, Orbotech Ltd., OMRON Corporation, Nordson Corporation, Nikon Metrology Inc., Naprotek, Inc., Mycronic, Kulicke & Soffa Industries, Inc., KOHYOUNG TECHNOLOGY Inc.,  JUKI CORPORATION., Illinois Tool Works Inc., GLENBROOK TECHNOLOGIES, FUJI Corporation, Electro Scientific Industries, Inc and Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. among other domestic and global players. Market share data is available for global, North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific (APAC), Middle East and Africa (MEA) and South America separately. DBMR analysts understand competitive strengths and provide competitive analysis for each competitor separately.

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[semiconductors-and-technology]

Surface Mount Technology Market Insight, Size, Share and SWOT Analysis by Key Players, Forecast 2030

Surface Mount Technology (SMT) revolutionizes electronic assembly by directly mounting components onto PCBs, eliminating the need for through-hole insertion. This method enhances device compactness, weight reduction, and component density, making it the preferred choice in contemporary electronics manufacturing.

Market Dynamics: The Surface Mount Technology market has witnessed rapid expansion owing to the escalating demand for compact, lightweight, and high-performance electronic devices across diverse industries. The surge in smartphones, tablets, wearable tech, IoT devices, and automotive electronics has propelled the adoption of SMT solutions. Additionally, advancements in SMT equipment, materials, and processes have bolstered productivity, yield rates, and cost-effectiveness, further amplifying market growth.

Request Sample Report: https://www.snsinsider.com/sample-request/3433

3. Key Components and Technologies:

The Surface Mount Technology market encompasses a wide range of components, equipment, and materials tailored to meet the diverse needs of electronics manufacturers. Key components include surface mount devices (SMDs) such as resistors, capacitors, diodes, integrated circuits (ICs), and microcontrollers. SMT equipment includes pick-and-place machines, solder paste printers, reflow ovens, and inspection systems. Materials such as solder paste, solder masks, and adhesives play a crucial role in the SMT process.

4. Market Segmentation:

The Surface Mount Technology market can be segmented based on component type, equipment type, application, and geography. Component types include passive SMDs, active SMDs, and electromechanical components. Equipment types encompass placement machines, soldering equipment, inspection systems, and cleaning systems. Applications range from consumer electronics and telecommunications to automotive, aerospace, medical devices, and industrial equipment.

5. Future Outlook:

The future of the Surface Mount Technology market looks promising, with continued advancements in miniaturization, automation, and smart manufacturing driving innovation and market expansion. The rise of Industry 4.0 and the Internet of Things (IoT) is expected to further accelerate the adoption of SMT solutions, as manufacturers seek to improve efficiency, flexibility, and connectivity in their production processes. Moreover, the increasing demand for electric vehicles, renewable energy systems, and smart infrastructure will create new opportunities for SMT technology providers.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, the Surface Mount Technology market is at the forefront of electronics manufacturing, enabling the production of smaller, lighter, and more advanced electronic devices. As the demand for high-performance electronics continues to grow, SMT solutions will play an increasingly critical role in driving innovation and competitiveness across industries. With ongoing advancements in technology, materials, and processes, the Surface Mount Technology market is poised for sustained growth and innovation in the years to come, shaping the future of electronics manufacturing.

Access Full Report Details: https://www.snsinsider.com/reports/surface-mount-technology-market-3433

[generalmarketresearch-blog]

https://www.htfmarketintelligence.com/report/global-surface-mount-technology-market

[aaloktronix]

Surface mount technology is a modern method of assembling electronic components onto a printed circuit board (PCB). Get more details about SMT in this post.

[zooliminology]

(To Ψ)

How did y'all manage to determine/estimate the shape of the Far Plane? Is there any way of "measuring" or tools to help with that?

So, this one is undoubtedly an interesting question, though the answer is a little difficult and not what I would call satisfactory. Sometimes any good scientist must admit they do not know the entire answer. To the best of my geographic expertise and available data, the Far Plane doesn't really seem to conform to any known "shape," and to date we have yet to discover any actual edge to the plane. We have however observed areas that are not accessible through seemingly real windows and doors, which we have dubbed "white holes," but the Far Plane continues on in other or even the same directions despite these.

The Far Plane also does not conform to our Euclidean understanding of three-dimensional spaces, with many rooms and entities existing in circumstances that would otherwise be impossible. This makes any two or even three-dimensional map inadequate to display the intricacies we have observed. Whatever documents you may see that try to display the Far Plane in relation to our reality are theoretical diagrams that attempt to explain its specific intrusions and postulate about its extent.

Most of what I use to help survey the places we can access in the Far Plane consists of LIDAR technology that can be mounted on relatively inexpensive drones if need be. These radars can be used to map out both interiors and the outdoor landscapes with waves of light that bounce off surfaces. This is adequate for most of my research, though any closer examinations generally require other methodology.

-Ψ

[beckyninja]

Rude Awakening

Pairing: Roboute Guilliman x FemReader

Warnings: Sexual content, MDNI

Description: The Reader sends a long awaited message to her home world, only to receive a very unexpected reply.

Plot, lore, and spice in this one folks! (Also, please excuse the very cliched name I decided to use for the Reader's home world.)

This is a continuation of my Guilliman/Reader series. To read the previous parts, check out my Masterlist.

“Transmitting in one minute, Lady Heir.”

Guilliman watched you sit even straighter than before, if that were possible. You’d changed out of the light, flowing dresses he’d grown accustomed to seeing you in these past months, and back into the corseted gown you’d worn upon your first meeting. Your hair was pulled back into a severe bun, your hands tightly clasped on your lap.

Every sinew in your body radiated tension. He resisted the near overpowering urge to go to your side.

“No, Roboute. If I’m to be seen to be acting independently, in the interests of my world, I can’t sit in your shadow.” You’d leaned against him in the Thunderhawk during the flight to your ship, “No matter how I might wish to.”

When he made it clear he intended to be present for the event, and therefore his Ultramarine guards as well, Captain Takahashi suggested they move the whole operation to the spacecraft hangar. Glancing around, Guilliman understood why.

It had been ages since he’d existed in a space not built with giants in mind. Even the towering ceilings of this hangar seemed somehow claustrophobic after the sheer massiveness of The Macragge’s Honor. And that was not the only difference.

Not a candle in sight.

The air still smelled of fuel and chemicals, but the cloying aroma of incense was absent. Captain Takahashi must have driven her cleaning crew hard, for every surface gleamed clean and starkly bright under the artificial lighting.

It all looked so… new. Even the crew, standing at attention in their clean uniforms.

He heard his Ultramarines shifting in their armor and couldn’t blame them for their unease. The differences in culture and technology between your people and the Imperium had never been so obvious. The clash to come….

Guilliman’s gaze returned to you.

You feel it too, the mounting pressure. If we are to avoid bloodshed, you must walk a razor’s edge.

Again, the urge to go to you. His jaw clenched.

***

Your heart felt as though it was about to beat its way out of your chest. 

Strange, how quickly emotions could change. In the days since confessing your family’s sordid history to Roboute, you’d felt… lighter. Unafraid, for the first time in years. 

When he held you, all your grandmother’s torments and scheming seemed insignificant. You were untouchable. Safe.

The folly of such thoughts crashed upon you as you stared at the transmitter. An entire world’s fate rested on your words, on a diplomatic mission no one thought would succeed. 

A diplomatic mission some had done their best to ensure would not succeed. 

Will Grandmother listen to reason? Will the Grand Council? The Military? The Church? 

You squeezed your eyes shut, fighting a rising tide of panic.

Am I leading my people down the path to annihilation?

“Connection established.” The technician’s voice sounded loud in the silence. “Transmitting in ten…”

Light guide me. Protect me against the chaos of the Void.

“...eight…”

Reveal my path and grant me wisdom to protect my people.

“...six…”

Illuminate the minds of those I speak to, that they may see the Truth.

“...four…”

I can’t do this! I can’t!

“...two…”

Your eyes flashed to Roboute. His burning blue gaze met your own. Strength. Courage. Love.

“Transmitting now.”

You lifted your chin and breathed deep. “Honored Matriarch, Grand Council, People of TerraNova, I speak to you today of a new dawn for our people. Six standard months ago, I set out upon a diplomatic mission to propose an alliance with the Imperium of Man.”

Calm settled over you with each word. “I am overjoyed to report the complete success of my mission. Roboute Guilliman, Lord Regent of the Imperium, has accepted our proposal. He has agreed to ensure our continued autonomy in exchange for technology and resources.”

And now for the bombshell.

“To seal this alliance, I have agreed to take the Lord Regent’s hand in marriage.”

***

“... I await your response so that a meeting between the Lord Regent and our beloved Matriarch may be arranged. May the Light, and the Lord of Light, bless the joining of our people. Thank you.”

Guilliman felt pride swell within him as the technician cut the transmission. He strode forward, boots thundering on the metal flooring. 

“You were magnificent, my dear.”

You looked up at him, face pale. “I pray it was enough.”

He reached out a hand, gently taking your tiny fingers in his own, and helped you to your feet. You swayed slightly.

Captain Takahashi appeared at your side, a glass in her hand. “Drink, Lady Heir. You did well.”

Guilliman made eye contact with the Captain as you drank.

She nodded. “I mean it, my Lord. Our leaders will be hard pressed to deny the logic of such a statement.”

He placed a steadying hand on your shoulders. “I have seen diplomats with lifetimes of experience fail to make so compelling an argument.”

“From anyone else,” you murmured, “I’d call that flattery.”

“I am not accustomed to praising the unworthy.”

“I know.” You smiled, face regaining some color, “Still, Void take me! I’m glad that’s over.”

Guilliman chuckled slightly. “How long before we can expect a response?”

Captain Takahashi shook her head. “Hard to say. The message should have been received almost instantaneously, but our leaders will need time to formulate a reply.” She hesitated. “Though, the Matriarch is known for her decisiveness.”

His armored hand tightened on your shoulder at the mention of your grandmother. “I am… eager to meet this woman.”

He sensed your tension returning. “Let us return to The Macragge’s Honor, my dear. We can-”

“Captain!” A shout from the technician drew everyone’s attention. “Incoming communication!”

Captain Takahashi strode to the console. “A recorded transmission?”

“Negative, Ma’am. Live.”

“Oh, Light….” Guilliman watched you wilt once more.

He pulled you against him. “From your homeworld, Captain?”

“We’re too far for a live message.” The Captain’s eyes remained fixed on the screens in front of her. “No. This originates from one of our naval vessels.”

“Lord Guilliman.” Sicarius spoke for the first time since entering this ship. “Transmission from The Macragge’s Honor. Long range scanners have picked up contacts exiting the Warp.”

He faced the Ultramarine. “Details.”

“Five ships of similar make to this one. One significantly larger. Numerous smaller vessels. All approaching rapidly.”

From the scowl on Sicarius’s face, Guilliman knew he expected an ambush. “Have we received any attempts at communication?”

“Negative, my Lord.”

“Captain?” The technician looked toward Captain Takahashi. “Do I answer?”

“Yes.”

Guilliman looked down at you in surprise. You reached up and placed your hand over his gauntlet on your shoulder, your expression determined.

“I will answer, Captain Takahashi. Put it on screen.”

A moment of silence, save for the persistent beeping of the console. “Very well, Lady Heir.”

You tried to pull away from his grasp. “Roboute-”

“No.” He walked with you, hand remaining on your shoulder. “This time, we stand together.”

***

You leaned back against Roboute, partly annoyed, partly grateful. In truth, you felt drained. A mere moments ago you’d wanted nothing more than to return to your quarters on the Imperial ship. Quarters that had rapidly begun to feel like “home”. 

No time for further thought before a figure appeared on screen. It was not who you expected.

The angular face. Hair that curled to his shoulders in defiance of every military regulation. Eyes that never seemed to rest in one place for more than a moment. All familiar, except for the red scar bisecting one cheek.

“Victor?!” 

“Hello, cousin. And, ah…,” his eyes moved behind and above you, “Lord Guilliman, I presume?”

The lack of decorum brought a flush of shame to your cheeks. You felt Roboute’s hands tighten ever so slightly on your shoulders.

“Lord Regent, may I introduce Prince Victor, son of-”

“Another prince, who was the son of a Patriarch, who was the husband of our beloved Matriarch, and so on and so forth. Second in line to the throne of TerraNova. Lord of the Fleet, etc.” Your cousin waved his hand dismissively. “Very pretty, very inconsequential titles.”

Void damn him! He hasn’t changed.  

“Victor, this is-”

“Quite possibly the most powerful man in the galaxy, yes I know.” He grinned, the expression twisted by the scar on his cheek. “And your intended! Congratulations, by the way.”

“An unexpected pleasure, Prince.” 

Roboute had once explained his multiple organs to you. Now, you felt him expand his third lung, giving his already deep voice an inhuman resonance that sent shivers across your skin.

Even through the screen, your cousin couldn’t remain unaffected. You felt a tiny thrill of satisfaction at seeing his cocky smile quiver.

“Unexpected for me as well… my lord. My fleet’s interception of my lovely cousin’s message necessitated this intrusion, I’m afraid.”

You stiffened. “The message? Did it-”

“Don’t fret, my dear. I’m sure our beloved Matriarch is frothing at the mouth as we speak. Unfortunately, she no longer has the power to act one way or the other.”

Dread pooled in your stomach. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, that she’s currently a prisoner in her own palace, cousin. Courtesy of the only other living member of our dynasty.” 

“Conrad?” The magnitude of the disaster struck you hard. “Oh, Light.”

“Clear the deck!” Captain Takahashi snapped.

You heard the retreating of many feet, and glanced up toward Roboute. He stared at the screen, mouth set in a grim line. The Ultramarines likewise remained.

“Victor, perhaps a more private-”

“What’s the point, sweet cousin? Your fiance and his…ah…warriors may as well know what kind of mess they’re about to sail into.” 

***

Guilliman could see why you disliked your family.

The nonchalant mockery dripping from every word this boy said, set his teeth on edge. He showed no regard for the devastation his little speech wrought on you, never once used your proper title. And something in the way he looked at you….

“So, there has been a coup.” He didn’t bother to hide the growl in his voice.

“Indeed.” The boy avoided his gaze. “Grandmother and what’s left of her personal forces are holed up in the capital whilst Conrad, bookish little Conrad, and his army lay siege.”

Guilliman felt you sag against him. “The Military?”

“Apparently they think he’ll be easier to control that dear old Granny, or me, for that matter. And they thought you were dead until a few minutes ago. So they’ve made him their figurehead.” He shrugged. “I don’t really even blame Connie, locked away in that monastery for so many years, he never did learn how to think for himself.”

“The Grand Council?”

“Ran off to the Eastern Continent. Putting up a decent fight, actually.”

You seemed to gather yourself. “So there’s still hope. Wait. They thought I was dead?”

“Oh, yes. Grandmother seemed certain of it. Was almost ready to announce it to the people.” A grating laugh. “I can only imagine her expression when your message came through. I know it shocked the Void out of me.”

Guilliman spoke again. “You called yourself ‘Master of the Fleet’. This implies you have control of your world’s naval forces.”

“Those personally loyal to me, yes.”

“Your mercenaries?” You shook your head. “Victor, they’ll turn on you as soon as you can no longer pay them.”

The boy’s expression turned dark. “They’re loyal, little cousin. Ever since I saved their asses from Grandmother’s order of execution. You can count on that.”

Guilliman didn’t care for his tone. “What are your intentions here, prince?”

He ignored him, darting eyes settling on you. “You need to come home, cousin. Immediately. With me. The people are confused and divided.”

“We need to present a united front.” You nodded slowly.

Guilliman tightened his grip on your shoulders.

“You always were the smartest of us.” Your cousin smirked. “I’ll send a transport immediately.”

Captain Takahashi joined the conversation. “I will gladly transport the Lady Heir on board this ship, my prince.”

“Ah, the ever loyal Captain! You know we all thought you dead too? I appreciate the offer. But we both know my Predator is faster than your little cruiser. And speed is paramount.” He waved a hand. “You can follow along at your own pace.”

“A third option.” Guilliman tried to make eye contact with the prince, but his gaze kept sliding away. “The Lady remains aboard my flagship, and we follow you to your homeworld.”

“Cousin, would you like to explain to your fiance why that won’t work?”

You gave him an apologetic look. “For me to arrive with an Imperial fleet-”

The boy interrupted once again. “It would certainly look like a conquering horde, now wouldn’t it? Unless, of course, that’s your intention.”

“Victor!”

He leered. “It would be clever. Take advantage of our weakened, divided state and swoop in to add us to your collection of worlds. Your marriage to my cousin would give you just enough legitimacy to preserve your image. Assuming, of course, that you Imperials care about such things.”

“I gave my word to the Lady that this would be an alliance, not a conquest.” Guilliman managed to catch the boy’s direct gaze and hold it. “I intend to keep my word.”

He paled and, once again, his eyes darted away. “Well, well. How noble.”

Your hand reached up and grasped one of the gauntlet’s on your shoulders. “Do not make such an insinuation again, cousin.”

A corner of Guilliman’s mouth tipped up at the indignation in your voice.

“Still,” you murmured, “an Imperial fleet, much less the flagship of the Lord Regent, arriving at this time could cause widespread panic.”

And undermine any hope of peaceful compliance.

He never desired unnecessary bloodshed, not even in the days of the Great Crusade. The idea of attacking your homeworld appealed to him even less. Still, to send you alone into the hands of this arrogant princeling… into a war zone….

“Should she agree to this, the future Lady of Ultramar will be accompanied by an Ultramarine guard.”

An astounded murmur from the Ultramarines behind him. Your head snapped up, mouth opening in shock.

The boy remained silent for a moment, blinking. “I…ah… of course. Of course! You want to protect your investment. I understand.” He made a show of peering at the Ultramarines. “I suppose we’ll make them fit somehow.”

You turned back to the screen. “Give me one standard day, Victor. Then send your transport.”

“Agreed. It will be ever so nice to see you in person again, cousin. I’m sure we’ll get this mess sorted in no time.”

The transmission ended.

You pressed your face into your hands. “Void damn it all. Just when things were going so well.”

Guilliman looked down at you. Sometimes he forgot how young and inexperienced you were. You’d learn soon enough.

Nothing ever goes to plan.

***

You stood in the midst of your quarters aboard The Macragge’s Honor, and tried desperately not to weep. 

A fool. I’m a damned fool.

You thought back over the last months. All your life, you’d heard horror stories of the Imperium. Its cruelties. Its fanaticism. How ironic that the best moments of your life so far had been spent here, onboard its flagship.

With him. 

You’d told yourself it could last forever. That all would be well.

Damn you, Conrad. Why? Why now?

You bent to pick a piece of clothing off the floor, only for your corset to tighten further around your chest. Sudden rage filled you.

“Off, get off!”

It had taken two attendants to help you put the thing on. Tears of frustration filled your eyes as you clawed at the hooks and laces to no avail. 

“Void damn it!” 

Behind you, the door hissed open. You recognized the presence even before he spoke.

“Are you all right, my love?”

You didn’t dare turn around, face burning with embarrassment. “I’m sorry, Roboute. I just… I can’t….” You sniffled like a child.

“Let me.”

“You don’t have to- ah!”

A wrench and the sound of tearing fabric. The corset fell away. You gasped, catching it against your breasts. Your mind went blank.

A thud behind you made the floor shake. Then, hot breath on your bare back. The heat seemed to spread across your skin, burning away the rage and frustration, until only longing remained.

“Roboute….”

Lips pressed against the back of your bare shoulders. Impossibly large hands circled your hips, holding you immobile. 

“It seems our marriage will be delayed.” His deep voice resonated within you. “But, by the Throne, I will have this.”

You could only whimper in reply as the lips traced across your shoulders, your neck, and down your spine. The hands on your hips slid upward until they met the corset you still clutched to your chest.

Light forgive me.

You let the piece of clothing drop to the floor, and gasped as the hands covered your breasts. 

“So soft.” He rumbled.

No one had ever touched you like this. You whined as he began to squeeze and knead, calloused skin against your nipples sending shocks of pleasure through your body. Liquid warmth pooled between your legs.

You felt yourself yanked back into a hard chest, only then realizing he’d sunk to his knees. His forehead came to rest on your shoulder. One hand continued to play with your chest, while the other spread down over your belly.

“Tell me to stop.”

“No.”

I want this.

He groaned, and the hand on your belly moved lower, fingers dipping beneath the waist of your skirt and underclothes. You suddenly found it hard to breathe.

“I heard you last night.” He rasped. “I heard you touching yourself, calling my name as you climaxed.”

“Oh, Light!” You should feel ashamed, but his words only stoked the fire within.

“I almost went to you. Throne, I have wanted to go to you every night since the first. Now you are leaving me, and I cannot….” A deep, gasping breath. “I cannot hold back anymore.”

You moaned his name.

“Show me how to bring you pleasure.”

You reached one hand behind you, carding your fingers into blond hair, feeling the massive demigod shiver at your touch. With the other hand, you guided his hand lower, until his fingers met your wet center.

Both of you hissed at the sensation.

“L-like this….”

Spreading your legs a little wider, you pushed his fingers until they brushed against your nub. Your back arched at the sudden sting of pleasure.

He caught on quickly, beginning to rub circles. You ground against his hand, revelling in the wantonness of your actions. Enough with decorum. Enough with following the rules. You wanted him.

You wanted your husband.

“Roboute, faster!” 

He obeyed. And you writhed, no longer recognizing the sounds that came out of your mouth. You heard only his deep, panting breaths against your shoulder. You felt only his fingers against you. Nothing else mattered.

As you leaned back against him, you felt something hard against your rear. You’d felt it before, when he held you down atop his desk. Without hesitation, you rubbed against it, and he let out a strangled growl.

“Yessss….”

His hips began to move. Even as he rubbed you, his massive hand also pressed you back against him. You felt him hard and hot through his tunic. And big. So big. It should have frightened you.

Instead you felt the tension inside you grow tighter. 

“Roboute, I… I…!”

“Give it to me.” He snarled. “Only to me.”

The tension snapped. You opened your mouth, but no words came. Your vision went white. 

Hot and wet and so so good…!

The sudden sting of teeth in your shoulder. A muffled roar. Scalding liquid against your lower back.

And then all was soft, melting warmth. You went limp, and he caught you against him. You felt the swelling of his chest, the thunder of his double heartbeat.

“My love…mine….” He turned your boneless body until you looked up into his sweat-streaked face. “Forgive me.”

You snuggled into his chest. “There’s nothing to forgive, my husband.”

He shuddered at your words. “My beautiful little wife.”

For a moment you stayed there, keeping the outside world at bay.

“Just a little while longer, Roboute.” You whispered. “And then I’ll never leave you again.”

***

Guilliman remembered your words as he watched the transport depart. In the end, only one of his Ultramarines had gone with you. The ship your cousin sent simply couldn’t fit any more.

He hadn’t been surprised when Tarchus volunteered for the duty. He believed, in his own way, the Ultramarine had grown rather fond of you in the past few weeks. And the man was capable. He’d keep you safe.

Still, what I would not give to be the one at her side.

The previous night with you in his arms had been an indescribable joy. Whatever the Ecclesiarchy might have to say on the matter, you were bound to him now. Even if he hadn’t had you fully. Not yet.

He had plans for that. Some customs he couldn’t quite bring himself to disregard. Such as the matter of a ring.

“Roboute, it’s beautiful!” You’d gasped as he slipped the gold and sapphire band on your finger.

“And long overdue. It belonged to my mother, one of the few things I have left of her.”

Your eyes had widened. “Are you sure-?

“I am.” He’d smiled down at you. “She would have liked you, I think.”

“I’ll treasure it.”

“I have added one thing.”

He’d shown you the device embedded inside the band. “Captain Takahashi graciously gave me this. I intend to take my fleet to the asteroid belt her star maps show lies just beyond your system. If you need me, press the largest gem in the ring. A beacon will activate.”

He’d grasped your chin, ensuring you looked into his eyes. “And I will come for you.”

He would, he vowed. Even if he had to carry you off like the barbarian warlord your people thought him to be.

“My Lord,” one of the baseline crew suddenly spoke up, “something’s happening.”

His eyes never left the departing transport. “Yes?”

“One of their fighters seems to be malfunctioning. It is moving erratically.”

“More power to the forward void shields.” Captain Sicarius barked.

A tiny ship, smaller than a Thunderhawk, appeared in the corner of Guilliman’s eye. It twisted and bucked as if the pilot had gone mad. And yet….

The crewman continued. “If it keeps its current course, it will not impact any Imperial ships, my lord.”

A horrible revelation flashed through Guilliman’s mind. “Fire on that ship!”

“My lord?”

“Now!” He lunged toward the hangar opening, as if he could reach out and strike the ship down himself. “NOW.”

He heard the crewmen frantically issuing vox orders, and yet knew they wouldn’t matter. It was too late.

The fighter screamed toward your transport.

“No.”

Your pilot must have seen the threat. He jerked the ship away, but the fighter followed.

“NO.”

Impact.

Guilliman dropped to his knees as all the light left in his life went out.

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[daylesspax]

So, I’m sure other people have said this BUT!

TFOne spoilers ahead:

Transformers One’s uses of ‘transformation’ is impeccable. I think I truly got to appreciate it when the race contestants did their transformations and each was uniquely done! Yes, almost all transformations across franchises are unique, but it made me so giddy in the theater to watch it…

And then I saw how the roads changed and, well, transformed

The trains in particular, they survive the surface because, like the surface, the railway/railroads change and adapt to the ever-changing and transforming planet— because of course their railroads can transform!

I know I’m jumping around— but I also took note of it during the mining montage, about how caves regularly open, close, and shift around. They need special tools to keep rifts open long enough to mine, and as we’ve seen, mining is incredibly dangerous and it shows what miners have to put up with— their lives are constantly in danger because unlike human mines, where we have some certainty in the stability of the terrain, their mines are at risk of spontaneously closing or coming across an unstable energon vein. And also knowing that the material they mine is so volatile is just an extra layer! (And the fact the planet transforms so often leaves room to question why transformers themselves aren’t nomadic— how can cities like Iacon or the High Guard’s hideout exist? Does the Primis simply sense where his people are most concentrated and transforms to accommodate their homes? Do they use similar technology to the stabilizing sticks but stronger to keep the space open?)

Moving away from that tangent…

I would also like to pull attention to the incredible fight scenes! I have only seen the movie once in theatre so I can’t give a deep analyses into things I’ve missed, however, I’d like to share the things I picked up

I adore how incorporated transformation is to a transformer’s movement and what they can do with their bodies— they shouldn’t move like humans because they aren’t humans and I love it when transformers media does stuff with their bodies that makes sense. For example, Elita one spinning her entire torso/waist in a 360 to do a spin-kick rather than doing it with her full body because she doesn’t need to do that! There are no muscles, skin, or bones that could break if she did that!

Sentinel is able to transform his weapon and transform his arm to capture D-16’s rather than simply catching it with his normal fist

They’re able to move their kibble to suit their needs in either mode— my favorite example is when Optimus tears off Megatron’s tank cannon (the one mounted on top of his vehicle, not the black one in his arm) but Megatron fucking flips over and TRANSFORMS IT BACK INTO HIS BODY TO CONSEQUENTLY USE IT AS A WEAPON TO SHOOT OPTIMUS HOLY SHIT THAT’S COOL AS FUCK!

Optimus/Orion is also able to move his little rocket booster thingies on the sides of his arms both in and out of vehicle mode, making it really feel like it’s still the same mech and that the vehicle form is still attached to the mech and not just plain kibble that doesn’t move outside of transformation!

Another example of really incorporating the vehicle mode with the mech, uh— AIRACHNID??? She can just transform her head open (a little)?!! Her entire body is a thin, but deadly frame, and it’s obvious where each of her limbs are in vehicle mode, which I think is super cool!

And just… gods, this movie is good

[nolablu]

ASTRO NOTES: THERES MORE THAN JUST THE AL (ARUDHA LAGNA)

*      . . · * ⋆ ·⠀⠀* .   ⠀ ⋆ ·    . ✵ * ⠀   ˚ . ⠀⠀. ✷⠀⠀ ˚ .      ˚ .       · *· .⠀⋆ · ⠀ ⠀ ˚ .⠀⠀. ⠀ ˚ . .               ✦    .⠀⋆ ·⠀⠀⠀ * . ⠀⠀ · ⠀⠀ * ⠀ ˚ . ⠀⠀.     ⠀ . .    ⠀⠀ * ⠀   ⠀ ˚ . ⠀⠀. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ˚ . . · * ⋆ ·⠀⠀⠀ * . ⠀⠀ * . ·    ⠀⠀ ☆⠀. ⠀ ˚ .    ⠀⠀⋆ ·⠀⠀⠀ * .      · ⠀⠀ *     ⠀ ˚ . ⠀⠀.   ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ˚ . .     ⠀⠀ * ⠀⠀ ˚ . ⠀⠀.     ⠀⠀☆⠀ ˚ . ·      ⋆ ·    *     ⠀       ·    ⠀⠀ *      ⠀ ˚ . ⠀⠀.       ☆⠀ ˚ . . ⠀ * ⠀     ˚ . ⠀.      ˚ . . · * ⋆ ·⠀⠀* . ⠀⠀ *    ⠀⠀ *⠀. ⠀ ˚ . ✷⋆ ·* . ☆ · ✷⠀⠀ * ⠀ ˚⠀.⠀ ˚ .

▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬

┊ ┊ ┊ ┊ ┊ ┊ ┊ ┊ ┊ ┊ ┊

┊ ┊ ┊ ┊ ┊ ┊ ┊ ┊ ┊ ┊⋆ ·⠀

┊ ┊ ┊ ┊ ┊ ┊ ┊ ┊⋆｡˚ ✩

┊ ┊ ┊ ┊ ┊✭ ·｡˚ ⋆ ˚

┊ ┊ ┊ ┊˚ . ⋆ ·⠀

┊ ┊✷⠀⋆ ·⠀˚ .

┊ ┊ ˚ . . · * ⠀

┊ . ˚ ✩

. · *

The Sanskrit translation of Arudha means “mount” or “attainment”, and in Vedic astrology, it shows what’s seen, the outer image or perception of a house. It’s not about what the house actually is at its core but rather what others notice, what shows up on the surface and what becomes tangible or visible as a result of that house. Now, you can find the Arudha for just about any of the twelve houses. As I had just explained, it’s the perception of that particular house, so let’s use the third house as an example since we’re all online here. The third house governs all forms of communication, as well as our usage of our hands and fingers. In our modern world, technology has advanced our level of communication to a height never seen in prior generations, so the digital space where we communicate is also third house realm (possibly 11th house as well). Now, I say that to say, if you want to see how you’re perceived online then look at your A3 chart, the Arudha Lagna of the 3rd house. Consider the experiences that you’ve had online, and continue to have.

*      . . · * ⋆ ·⠀⠀* .   ⠀ ⋆ ·    . ✵ * ⠀   ˚ . ⠀⠀. ✷⠀⠀ ˚ .      ˚ .       · *· .⠀⋆ · ⠀ ⠀ ˚ .⠀⠀. ⠀ ˚ . .               ✦    .⠀⋆ ·⠀⠀⠀ * . ⠀⠀ · ⠀⠀ * ⠀ ˚ . ⠀⠀.     ⠀ . .    ⠀⠀ * ⠀   ⠀ ˚ . ⠀⠀. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ˚ . . · * ⋆ ·⠀⠀⠀ * . ⠀⠀ * . ·    ⠀⠀ ☆⠀. ⠀ ˚ .    ⠀⠀⋆ ·⠀⠀⠀ * .      · ⠀⠀ *     ⠀ ˚ . ⠀⠀.   ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ˚ . .     ⠀⠀ * ⠀⠀ ˚ . ⠀⠀.     ⠀⠀☆⠀ ˚ . ·      ⋆ ·    *     ⠀       ·    ⠀⠀ *      ⠀ ˚ . ⠀⠀.       ☆⠀ ˚ . . ⠀ * ⠀     ˚ . ⠀.      ˚ . . · * ⋆ ·⠀⠀* . ⠀⠀ *    ⠀⠀ *⠀. ⠀ ˚ . ✷⋆ ·* . ☆ · ✷⠀⠀ * ⠀ ˚⠀.⠀ ˚ .

This is probably one of the most vital charts for anyone who’s online cause people aren’t looking or seeing your actual natal chart through these online spaces. Unless they know you in person then it’s going to be the Arudha that’s being seen. It’s illusion! I do feel like I’m onto something here…..I’ve been looking at my A3 chart, and it’s been an interesting read to say the least. As for finding the A3, the same method that’s used to find the AL can be used. Just count how many houses the lord of your 3rd house is from the 3rd house itself then count that same number of houses forward from the lord’s position, that’ll land you in the sign of your A3. For example, let’s say the 3rd house in the natal chart is in Capricorn, so you look to see how many houses away Saturn (lord of the 3rd house) is away from the 3rd house. Now let’s say that Saturn happens to be in Aquarius, so it’s two houses away, so then you count two houses starting at 3rd lord’s position, which in this example would be Pisces. The Arudha Lagna of the 3rd house would be in Pisces.

*      . . · * ⋆ ·⠀⠀* .   ⠀ ⋆ ·    . ✵ * ⠀   ˚ . ⠀⠀. ✷⠀⠀ ˚ .      ˚ .       · *· .⠀⋆ · ⠀ ⠀ ˚ .⠀⠀. ⠀ ˚ . .               ✦    .⠀⋆ ·⠀⠀⠀ * . ⠀⠀ · ⠀⠀ * ⠀ ˚ . ⠀⠀.     ⠀ . .    ⠀⠀ * ⠀   ⠀ ˚ . ⠀⠀. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ˚ . . · * ⋆ ·⠀⠀⠀ * . ⠀⠀ * . ·    ⠀⠀ ☆⠀. ⠀ ˚ .    ⠀⠀⋆ ·⠀⠀⠀ * .      · ⠀⠀ *     ⠀ ˚ . ⠀⠀.   ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ˚ . .     ⠀⠀ * ⠀⠀ ˚ . ⠀⠀.     ⠀⠀☆⠀ ˚ . ·      ⋆ ·    *     ⠀       ·    ⠀⠀ *      ⠀ ˚ . ⠀⠀.       ☆⠀ ˚ . . ⠀ * ⠀     ˚ . ⠀.      ˚ . . · * ⋆ ·⠀⠀* . ⠀⠀ *    ⠀⠀ *⠀. ⠀ ˚ . ✷⋆ ·* . ☆ · ✷⠀⠀ * ⠀ ˚⠀.⠀ ˚ .

That’s the end of to this note! Yes, no introduction either. Anyways, I will most likely return to this periodically as well. Some believe A11 (Arudha Lagna of the 11th house) is how you’re perceived online and I can see why some would believe so and I partially agree to an extent but not entirely. I have a different view on A11 in relation to our online presence. This is all theory at the moment. I wasn’t entirely sure if I wanted to share this either, as people are so attached to their natal charts 😣 This is just something to have fun with and explore for all the internet addicts, also it would be our Arudhas that we’re all interacting with rather than are legitimate birth charts…if that makes any sense lol. Anyways, Here’s a photo of Lain off a perc, looking you DEAD in the eyes bihhhhhh!

✷⠀ * ⠀✵ ⠀ ˚ . . ✷ · *· .⠀⋆ ·⠀⠀ * . ⠀⠀ · ✷⠀⠀ * ✵ ⠀ ˚ . ⠀. ✷⠀ ˚ . . ✷⠀⠀ * ⠀ ˚ . ⠀⠀.⠀⠀ ˚ . . · * ⋆ · * . ⠀ * ✷ . · ✷⠀⠀ *⠀. ⠀ ˚ . ✷⠀⠀⋆ ·⠀⠀⠀ * .· ✷⠀ * ✵ ⠀ ˚ . .✷⠀ ˚ . . ✷⠀⠀ * ˚ .⠀. ✷⠀ ˚ . · * ⋆ ·⠀⠀ * . ⠀⠀ * ✷ . · ✷⠀⠀ *⠀. ⠀

[downwiththemutantnjnjaturtles]

Donatello's First Love—Splinter's Talk

mostly bayverse, could be 2003 if you squint hard enough. did it a little different with this one compared to the others :0 word count: 1.6k

Spanning his messy corner of the Lair, Donnie's many monitors mounted to the wall were alight with a blue glow. The same few camera feeds rotated between the locations outside of their home and other places, monitoring, and allowing surveillance to take a backseat in his mind while he worked. At his desk, he gently squeezed a pipette into the mouth of a breaker, waiting for the reaction he was looking for to occur. 

"Interesting," he mumbled to himself, "I wonder what happens if I were to supercool the mixture." 

He placed the substance in a tray and prepared another batch, this time, much more concentrated. There wasn't much to do around the house besides experiment with the materials he'd salvaged. That was fine; he enjoyed the process, and filling notebooks—and his walls—to the brim with chemical equations, notes and mathematics that hardly anyone but he could read. 

Careful with his large fingers to not drop the pipette, he sucked a few drops up from the test tube, going in to add to the mixture. He squinted, almost there. And then the startling alarm pinged on the screen next to him, making him jump and squirt the chemical on his work surface. He quickly wiped up and looked over at the computer. "'Motion detected: [y/n]'s apartment complex'," the screen read, switching camera feeds to one of the multiple tiny cameras he had set up. He only put cameras where he thought it mattered; he was paranoid about an ambush, and even more so at her place than theirs, now that she was coming and going from the Lair. The likelihood of their enemies finding out her association with them was about a fifty-seven percent chance, fifty percent too much for Donnie.

He scanned the monitor for signs of anything suspicious, but it turned out to be only a friend dropping by with a key to put a package inside, with [y/n]'s permission. 

"Oh," he muttered, suddenly feeling silly. He made sure the person left her apartment—and locked it back—before quickly switching the feed. That was his one secret nobody had managed to catch him out on yet. Even so, he felt slick and a little guilty for spying. But, justifiably, they needed to know if she ever was in danger! He dismissed the notification and rotated the feeds manually. "Whoops. Sorry, [y/n]...yeah, I'll just switch that back." 

He shuffled around to resume his work titrating. Except Splinter stood curiously behind the desk, eyes trained close on the monitors, and then Donnie. Donnie flinched—Splinter usually didn't come in or near his lab. In fact, none of his family normally bothered him when he had his nose in his work, because none of them understood it. Not even Leo bothered to try to get the details. The details went over their heads. 

"So, Donatello, what is it you are working on?"

"Oh, Master Splinter," Donnie greeted him, glancing back to make sure the monitor was no longer on the door to her apartment. He picked up the pipette and test tube he'd knocked over before, "What is it?"

"Refer back to my last question," Splinter replied. He leaned calmly against his cane and looked all around the cluttered lab. Notes taped, tacked, even glued to walls. A whiteboard full of impossible equations, various pieces of technology in disrepair he'd picked up from trash and things going to recycling. Quite the mess, but Donnie knew where everything was. Splinter cocked his head slightly. "What disorganization," he commented.

"Disorganized to you," Donnie corrected with a smile, "but I can find anything I'm looking for—it's actually 'unorganized', implies that it never was organized. The definition of 'disorganized' suggests that something once was organized but now isn't, but I never once had this place in order," he rambled. 

"Donatello," Splinter interrupted. Once his son got talking, it was hard to stop him. He just had to interject to get a word in. "What is it you are doing? You have been very unfocused lately. This is strange for you."  

"Unfocused" was an understatement. With a mind already running miles per minute, he was getting caught up in his own head. Getting his work station back to a functional state, he set up his tube tray, answering, "Titrating these and writing out their chemical equations. The brain's like a muscle, gotta exercise it and stay sharp," he said. And with all that sharpness, he was only half-suspicious as to why Splinter was suddenly interested in what he was doing. 

Splinter nodded. "Then I must not have seen miss [y/n]'s apartment complex on your screen. Carry on." 

Donnie froze, watching Splinter out of the corner of his hazel eyes. His stomach dropped. So, it was one secret—they weren't going to understand, he was just as protective of their home, too! What if she couldn't call the police, or even them in time if someone broke in? Her apartment wasn't in a good area, Donatello already didn't like that. What if someone grabbed her? He couldn't put his mind at ease without knowing. 

"I—well, this was a recent development, you see," Donatello stuttered, fidgeting with the purple wraps around his hands. He realized then how weird it all looked and panicked. He'd never meant for it to go this far; his cautionary measures just kept escalating more and more with his feelings for her. "I swear, it's just outside of her place! I would never put a camera in her apartment, that would be creepy, and way overstepping," he explained. "I told her I'd always look out for her and that she can count on me."

"Oh, I suppose it's no problem, then, since she gave you such consent," Splinter said, looking away momentarily to scratch his chin. His eyes snapped back over to his anxious son and popped a hairy brow up as he knocked the end of his cane on the floor to grab his attention further. "Is that right, Donatello?" 

He wanted to go into his shell. I'm busted, this is not good. "Don't tell her! So, I, um…I didn't exactly…" The thought trailed off. He didn't need to finish that sentence for both of them to know. 

"Precisely my point. Now that we have made that clear, would you like to tell me what this is really about?" 

"No! I mean, I will, since you're asking, but—agh, I swear, I'm not a creep," he said. "I just wanted to make sure she'd be okay. That's it." 

Splinter crossed behind his desk, slipping an arm around his son's shell. Donnie wanted to pull away. "Come with me. Let's take a walk." 

He led them out of the Lair into the tunnels outside their home. They could loop around easily and end up back at the Lair, and Splinter knew Donnie was going to resist talking if the others could be around to hear. Sometimes, you must play on other people's terms, he thought, listening to the quiet drip echo as they ambled through the sewer. He figured it was time to do a little damage control, although he normally pledged not to interfere with his sons and them making their mistakes. However, he didn't want to see Donatello make a potentially hazardous one to himself. 

"Now, you must understand, my son, you cannot know everything at once," Splinter said, avoiding an accusatory tone. "You have a brilliant mind, but you certainly don't tend to see the obvious." 

"What do you mean, master?" Donnie questioned. The "obvious" being under any other circumstances, his actions would definitely be seen as "creepy". The notion flew right under his radar as something to worry about, as their circumstances were anything but normal. 

"Of course, you are a young man, you want to watch out for the one you love," Splinter pointed out. Donnie cringed, even though he hasn't made much of an attempt to hide that fact. He was excited to explore something new, why should he have hidden thos feelings? He didn't shout them to the world. But it was well-known among their family that he'd beaten his brothers to the punch when it came to her, and no going for it was an unwritten but understood boundary. Still, this wasn't a conversation he was prepared for have tonight; his mind was still back at his lab.

"About everyone but Michelangelo has noticed you've been retreating to your lab more often recently." He chuckled. "And your antics around her are obvious, again. Loosen your grip a little. You are annoying your brothers vying for her attention." 

Donnie felt a rush of embarrassment come over him. Yes, he was showy—expressive, maybe too quick to whisk her away to demonstrate his new inventions, the stuff he'd discovered. Donnie knew he could hyperfixate on and obsess over things; she was on his mind more than not. As for annoying his brother, he wasn't the strongest, but he was the smartest. He was much more eager with his staff and putting his siblings back in their lane when she was around. The electric component on his weapon came in handy for quick corrections, and goofing around. 

Through all of that, he remembered having a moment of clarity when she was inspecting his computer setup one night and the camera almost flickered to hers, to which he scrambled to shut it off. Conveniently, he brushed that aside. 

Donnie lifted his goggles, rubbing his face sheepishly. "I guess you're right," he admitted. 

"The things you do for love," Splinter shook his head. "Be sure you do not push her away by accident. You are fortunate I had the mind to come talk to you about this before you made a mistake and a fool of yourself. Consider it a fair warning," he said as he looked over at his son, who waited quietly for him to continue, "to not overstep." 

"I understand, loud and clear." 

Splinter nodded in agreement, "Good. I trust you will take this advice well. You have a good heart and good intentions, Donatello, do not be clouded by your mind. Your brain is not your only quality."

"Thanks, master Splinter. I'll let up on it," Donnie relented with a small smile. He was still uncomfortable, feeling a bit dumb. He always was so caught up on making predictions, keeping everything running smoothly and safely that he didn't always consider how that worked for other people. Just because it made sense to him, didn't mean it made sense to them. Note that for later, Donatello, he reminded himself. He turned around to head back to the Lair. 

Splinter stopped to take in a little sunlight from the grate above his head, stopping Donnie in his tracks. "Oh, and Donatello," he called. 

"Yeah?" 

Splinter assumed parental status, and Donnie knew that scolding tone all too well. "Tell her about it, or turn that damned camera off." 

~wooOoOOOoooOooOooo partitionnnnnnn~

Side rant: I actually hate it when people portray Donnie (except for 2012 iterations) as shy and unconfident. He is literally the opposite in 2003 and Bayverse. Donatello is not "a little baby uwu" and I'm tired of people making him look so meek 😭

[aeth-eris]

★ book a reading ★ ★ masterlist 1 ★ ★ masterlist 2 ★

★ aquarius new moon | 1/29 | the collective ★

the aquarius new moon isn’t here to play nice. this energy is about shaking up the status quo and pushing the collective to think beyond traditional systems. globally, we’re seeing conversations around technology, governance, and community building take center stage. whether it’s discussions about AI regulation, grassroots movements for climate action, or the push for decentralized economies, this moon is amplifying the need for radical innovation and collaboration.

★ aquarius is all about progress, and the new moon is asking, “what’s your role in shaping the future?” we’re seeing countries debating policies on renewable energy, protests demanding corporate accountability, and an ongoing global dialogue about bridging the gap between economic inequality and technological advancements. this energy demands collective action, not passive hope.

★ aquarius energy can feel detached, and with the rapid pace of global events, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed or disconnected. burnout is real as the pressure to “fix everything” mounts. people might overthink global issues to the point of inaction, forgetting that small, local efforts also matter.

 ★ mercury conjunct pluto in aquarius: deep dives & accountability ★

this aspect is dragging skeletons out of closets on a collective scale. whistleblowers, investigative journalism, and public demand for transparency are at an all-time high. the truth is surfacing, and it’s making waves in politics, corporations, and social systems.

★ headlines are dominated by revelations of corruption, mismanagement, and systemic failure. governments are being forced to reckon with public dissatisfaction, whether it’s over healthcare policies, economic inequality, or environmental negligence. globally, movements for justice are gaining traction, and accountability is becoming non-negotiable.

★ this transit can lead to obsessive thinking and paranoia. conspiracy theories might gain traction, and the line between fact and fiction could blur. the collective needs to practice discernment and avoid sensationalist rabbit holes.

 ★ venus conjunct neptune in pisces: compassion meets disillusionment ★

with humanitarian crises escalating—ranging from climate disasters to the global refugee situation—this transit highlights the collective’s deep desire to help but also reveals the limitations of idealism.

★ empathy is at an all-time high, with people rallying to support those in need. relief efforts for climate-impacted regions and global calls for mental health reform reflect this compassionate energy. art, music, and storytelling are thriving, acting as outlets for processing collective grief and hope.

★ neptune’s influence can lead to escapism. some may turn a blind eye to crises, overwhelmed by their scale, while others might romanticize solutions without considering practical steps. idealistic movements need grounding to create lasting change.

 ★ mars retrograde in cancer: emotional recalibration ★

mars retrograde in cancer is hitting home—literally. with housing crises, inflation, and strained family dynamics, the collective is being forced to confront its relationship with security and stability.

★ expect heightened focus on housing reform and cost-of-living debates. family structures are also under scrutiny, with many reevaluating traditional roles and creating new dynamics of support. on an emotional level, people are prioritizing self-care and mental health, recognizing that rest is essential for resilience.

★ passive-aggressive behaviors and unresolved tensions are surfacing. political gridlock over economic relief measures could exacerbate frustrations, leading to protests or emotional burnout on both personal and collective levels.

 ★ uranus and saturn: rebuilding foundations ★

uranus in taurus and saturn in pisces are playing the long game, reshaping how we live, work, and interact with the planet. these planets are clashing with traditional institutions that resist change, creating friction but also opening pathways for innovation.

★ sustainable farming practices, renewable energy, and shifts in labor markets are key areas of focus. discussions about universal basic income and fair wages are gaining momentum as people demand equitable systems that prioritize well-being over exploitation.

★ resistance from traditional industries and governments may slow progress. tensions between rapid innovation and long-term stability could lead to economic uncertainty, with stock markets reflecting the push-and-pull of these forces.

 ★ what this means for the collective moving forward ★

★ the mercury-pluto conjunction signals a collective hunger for honesty and justice. expect more revelations about corruption and inequality, with public pressure forcing systemic reform. separating truth from sensationalism will remain a critical challenge.

★ venus and neptune are pushing the collective to lead with compassion. grassroots movements will shine, but there’s a need to balance hope with practical action to avoid burnout and disillusionment.

★ mars retrograde is forcing us to reconsider what emotional and physical security look like in a rapidly changing world. housing reform, mental health initiatives, and support for low-income communities will take center stage.

★ uranus and saturn remind us that progress doesn’t have to abandon tradition. expect debates over how to modernize without losing cultural roots or foundational structures.

 ★ collective prediction: the next few weeks ★

the collective is entering a period of profound recalibration. political systems will face increasing pressure to reform as public trust erodes. climate discussions will dominate global summits, with bold initiatives being proposed but met with skepticism about their feasibility. economic instability may spike as industries navigate the push for sustainability versus profit.

creativity and community will act as anchors during this turbulent time. grassroots movements, mutual aid efforts, and artistic expression will provide solace and inspiration. the collective is being called to dream boldly but also to ground those dreams in practical steps.

key takeaway: this is a time for resilience and intentional action. the cosmos is asking us to hold leaders accountable, nurture our communities, and embrace change without fear. while the challenges are great, the potential for transformation is even greater.

★ book a reading ★ ★ masterlist 1 ★ ★ masterlist 2 ★

[superconductivebean]

#1588: Magical Photography

It seems, me and @espressoristretto-patronum were struck by the same lightning strike of creativity: we needed the old photography.

And the mechanics behind taking a photo when there are barely any artificial lights, and the camera itself looks like a box, weighs quite a lot and requires a tripod to mount it, lest you want to waste a sum of anywhere from 30 to 120 dollars (~$950 to ~$4500 today). Anyway.

I am sure that, over the years, the greater HP fandom has come with their own explanations. Multiple times. Moving pictures are one of the HP's selling features after all; they quite literally cherish old gifs. I haven't read any of those, but I may repeat someone by the sheer accident of a thought being simple will visit many heads.

The post is going to be long-ish.

To put photography super simple: a photo is an impression left by the light that gets captured on the camera's photosensitive: 1) matrix, if it's a digital camera, 2) film, plate, or paper, if it's an analog camera.

In digital cameras, that impression is coded a certain way and stored as a file on the memory card. Our stories and HP itself don't present the technology at all, so I will not discuss it much.

In analog cameras, you may say, the impression of light is captured by exposing silver halides, or similar material, to something well-lit.

Both kinds of cameras require being exposed to the light for a period of time. This period is called exposure time. The more light camera receives, the more visual information it gathers and is able to etch on to the surface of its unit of storage. Short exposure times are most excellent if there is a sufficient amount of light, and long exposure times will be the best option for if you are capturing something that emits a very little amount of light (e.g. night sky).

The need for continuos exposure of light can be somewhat mitigated by using ISO(=increasing light sensitivity of the sensor) in the digital cameras:

But if you can use exposure, i.e. provide enough light per unit area, enough lux, better use that. Analog cameras, as you likely notice by now, can't afford any such luxuries.

Analog photography requires a set-up for two reasons:

memory capacity is dictated by what you literally have on hand to store the latent images—plates, papers, or rolls of film—and these options are often costly to make anew;

too little or too much light are not valid options, there is only one and it's called Enough Lux.

Then, it all depends on the kind of the camera. For the sake of our timeline—1900s—I'm not going to mention something old-school. Instead, I will thoroughly mention graveyard.

Many of the old cameras followed the design of the camera obscura and rarely had lenses made in accordance of the principles of optics.

The old camera is typically two boxes: 1) the front box has in-built lens that can be capped, 2) the read box could slide back and forth and had the ground glass aka focusing screen: a matted glass plate mounted at the face of the box on which the image from the front was projected laterally reversed (i.e. upside down).

An additional prism or lens could be installed to flip the image, but it wasn't strictly necessary. By sliding the box, the image was brought in to the camera focus—appeared sharp on the screen. The infamous photographer's cloak was needed precisely to help the man focus the image as otherwise it was nearly impossible to see it in the daylight.

The photosensitive material, usually a plate, is installed afterwards. The cap on the lens acts like a shutter.

The film (or plate, like in daguerrotype, or paper, let's say, Bayard or calotype) then must be processed to render it insensitive to light.

The development of the photosensitive materials went hand in hand with the evolution of cameras. Not all cameras were as simple, if not to say crude; going forward, they became more and more advanced, as shorter exposure times were desired, so was the need for different focal ratios (the ability to control the amount of light on the sensor).

The Camera that we are all familiar with does not appear until 1930s.

With that in mind, to reconstruct a possible kind of camera used by the wizards, we should keep in mind that those would be huge and cumbersome apparatuses mounted on tripods.

So this image of Ranrok from the beginning of the game:

was captured with something like this:

and put to paper likely using a variation of halftone or photogravure; woodcut could do, too.

I'm not overly familiar with the contemporary printing techniques. Will read on them.

Today, organising a set-up like this isn't impossible even if you take your photos with the authentic cameras from two centuries ago. But how was it for people living back then?

I went very in-depth and in-detail. It is needed to draw a picture, or an approximation of it, before I can theorise anything about the wizards. I have a headcanon, yes, but it is not easy to put to concise wording without an atrociously long exposition to the topic of the early photography.

So.

The technology being was it was—crude at the wee hours of its dawn—left many to their own devices. Organising the process and getting the materials and the room, as well as the fact many photographers processed their photos themselves, rendered photography quite a prosperous business venue—if you could afford everything needed for it and could keep up with both the demand of a client and the process itself. It was ridiculously tiresome and hazardous, cumbrous even for something so monotonous and simple.

Besides, early photography was also notoriously long. Anywhere from few seconds to nearly an hour, depending on the intensity of the light and whether if you had fallen asleep or yawned or shuddered.

Hours long exposition was the thing in the landscape photography, that includes city photography. By today's standards, 5 seconds is a lot. But in the 1800s, it would've been considered incredibly quick!

Early techniques used photosensitive materials of poor sensitivity. This is why you'd commonly spend around few minutes before the camera lens: light needed to leave strong enough impression on the plate.

The main source of light was the Sun. Just making windows larger was not enough. The entire room was transformed or constructed in a form of a greenhouse to accommodate the camera's design and the plate's poor light-catching qualities. This set-up, established in the 1840s followed the overwhelming popularity of the daguerrotypes, had remained barely touched or changed until the 1860s.

Usually, it would something like this:

Obvious it is that the working process was dictated by the weather. Inconvenient, to say the least, and bankruptcy for an average brit. Exposure time was also, as I said, long. Long. Up to 30 minutes long.

Up to 30 minuted in the direct sunlight put through glass. People tanned while taking photos sometimes. If you've wondered why people on the old photos are uncanny and serious, this is one of the reasons why. In addition to that, if you move after the exposure has been set…

Long-exposure photos are quite popular today. You can use longer exposure to create effects like motion blur and many others.

Few examples, (c) Boarsart:

Allow yours truly to contribute to the bit with this crappy shot of the mouse light shaken near the lens:

But if you are shooting a single family portrait for 30 minutes straight (and nobody can move), any such effect will be catastrophic. It is not as much of an issue for the photographies recorded in film (by the time it is film, the photos are also taken much faster) but if you are making a daguerreotype—you are going to ruin it.

By the way: the "ghosts" on the photographs are caused by this effect. How it happens? Imagine exposure not only as gathering light thing, but as layering with transparent paints except you are also able to layer light on top of dark—because it's light theory, not colour theory. Anything you add to the solid foundation will be translucent. Therefore, if you have appeared mid-shoot, your figure would appear ghostly on the final photo—or not seen at all if your clothes blend with the background too much.

But don't worry. People couldn't give in into the slumber for long. To keep them straight and well-posed, other people invented yet another Victorian torture device: head-rests!

These beasts weighed tens of kilograms and had to be moved and recalibrated to fit each new customer manually. People were quite afraid of these things, hence the caricature from above (I believe, it's from Punch?). To shorten the exposure time, some photographers even applied white powders, like flour, on their clients' faces, as white reflects most light, therefore, it appears brighter. Can also explain the Perfect Skin people from the old photos often have.

Sitting underneath direct sunlight wasn't pleasant for the eyes either.

The photo room is commonly at the roof, has white or pastel-colour walls, and look much like a greenhouse. The light is blindingly bright. How to solve… this, somewhat, at least? Install blue-tinted windows! It's actinic anyway—meaning, affecting the photochemical reaction—and the daguerrotype plate is sensitive to light at the blue end of the spectrum, only barely affects the exposure time, and simultaneously keeps the client's eyes relatively unstrained. Don't worry though, they could blink. If you are supposed to sit before a camera for more than even 5 seconds, a blink wouldn't be registered. It's too fast to catch.

Atrocious exposure times were also the reason why people preferred to sit during the shooting.

By the time it's 1850s, something needed to change.

Sunlight was a terrible source of light. The entire work process is tied to the vagaries of the weather. Daguerrotypes, albeit photosensitive, weren't terrific at it at all. Not only that: they were hazardous. Fixing—the post-process, if you will—required the person working with the negatives to work with mercury vapours as it was the method of de-sentification the plates to light. As a result, many people died from the effects of the mercury poisoning in the years following the boom of daguerrotype photography. But it wasn't the main reason why the daguerrotypes were soon to be replaced with the ambrotypes and ferrotypes.

Underexposure was the deal-breaker for daguerrotype photography. It didn't solve this issue, nor offered solutions, neither was cheap enough to keep going. To make a plate for this kind of photography, you need an amalgam of (preferably) pure silver and copper or brass. It's too expensive in the long run. And it goes without saying to suppose it was a quest to replicate an image from the daguerrotype.

The replacement for it had already been introduced but but before the faster wet collodion methods, ambrotype and ferrotype, could take over (either was as sharp as the daguerrotype whilst requiring a lot less maintenance and possessing the duplicability of calotype), photographers needed to find sources of the artificial light.

Said light, however, with technology at hand, ought to be in the blue part of the spectrum. Anything like kerosene lamps—a very new thing at the time yet taking over the market at a rapid pace as it was the replacement for candles—couldn't be used; the light of the kerosene lamp is in the red part of the spectrum.

Photographers tried candlelight. Weak and insufficient source of light. Some tried the Drummond light—limelight—as it was super bright and was widely used in theaters and music halls. At the start of the 19th century some even suggested to use it for street illumination but… This is how the limelight looks like:

A piece of calcium carbonate, usually in cylindrical form, is skewered on the thin rod on top. To make it candescent, flame was required, and was put directly at the piece whilst it has been continuously rotated. Besides, the piece was not burning away evenly and required an abysmal amount hydrogen gas. You can change it for the coal gas, also known as the town gas, or for acetylene. Either way, you are stuck with a highly flammable and agressive chemical reaction.

The size of the piece was also a huge problem. It was too big to be safely and effectively utilised for this purpose. Look at the packaging:

So. The limelight is expensive. Needed additional pair of hands. Could engulf the entire studio with uncontrollable flames and take down the entire building with it—not to mention mercury. You don't want mercury vapours raw—and certainly don't desire them travelling around the city block trapped in a thick cloud of smoke.

The photographs made with the limelight were overexposed and had "chalky" look to them. Photographers couldn't really stick to it. Yet, it was used occasionally up until the 1860s because it was still light and the clients have paid for the session.

If you had ever seen or felt the intensity of a scoop light, limelights are as blinding. Daylight or this, for so a lot of decades, was the only choice besides the option of refusing to make photo of themselves for many people (it sounds quite dramatic; taking a photo wasn't formidably expensive for most people but depended on the kind of the technology involved; the daguerrotype would be more expensive (silver) than an ambrotype (glass) or a ferrotype (iron sheet), or a calotype (paper)).

There were other attempts to introduce chemical sources of light to the process but neither could provide the necessary amount of blue, nor they were sufficient light sources.

I have mentioned 1860s a few times. What happens in the 1860s?

The invention of magnesium wire.

Its light is highly actinic and it's continuous. Magnesium wires were used to take photos of the catacombs of Rome in the late 1860s—to give an indication of just how bright they can be:

It was the breakthrough.

But magnesium introduced few new troubles. First off, staring at the wire could hurt the eyes. Second, the wire was prone to fuming and snuffing itself; dousing it in water could cause it to burn even brighter due to the reaction with hydrogen in the water's vapour. Thirdly, that thing blasted like gunshots.

It is then when you see the change in postures on the old photos, too. People could stand! (c) photos. A jardinière becomes a Very Important Decorum:

Flattening the wire, developing the special casings for it, performing the shooting in synch with the burning helped a bit but now it was too much uncontrollable light.

To mitigate this whilst still providing enough lux, magnesium flash was developed after the few years of unsuccessful tries. We know this flash under another name: the flash-powder.

It was usually a mix of potassium perchlorate and magnesium, but PP could've been replaced with 1) nitrates of barium, thorium, or ammonium, 2) or with potassium permanganate. Sometimes, sulfur was added (you don't want to do that, it's not gunpowder!!!).

If you supposed the new solution introduced storage complications, spontaneous combustion and smoke clouds enshrouding the sitters, you are most correct. Photographers were granted mobility in their work to escape dinner parties before guests could realise their gowns and food were coated in grime. The flash itself was also quite loud:

The flash-powder had remained in use until well into the 1960s.

Cheap, quick, serving its purpose well until electric flashes eventually came to replace it. Albeit, the flash gives a very soft light; we struggle to replicate it with safer alternatives today, believe it or not.

Flash-powder was also a cheaper option between it and the flashbulb used in the analog cameras we know circa 1930. The bulb had been rapidly modified and worked on since, as the first examples of this technology were single-use items. And, you know. Flashbulbs.

Colin's camera is an indication that analog cameras can be used in the wizarding world. Especially the older cameras, the box-n'-box, something like Thornton Pickard, Houghton's Midg or the Brownie.

All of these use something called gelatin silver print as a unit of storage—in other, more familiar words, it is the Kodak film we all know and remember (hopefully; please tell me we are all old farts).

It was lousy of me not to mention what were exactly these many -types of photography and photographs. They are all based on the two discoveries that made photography even possible: 1) camera obscura that has been known c.5 century B.C. and 2) photosensitivity of the silver nitrate (when powdered and exposed to sun, turns black as ink), discovered in 1614 by Angelo Sala. So, what are these:

1839-1856: daguerrotypes. Required polished-to-mirror-finish sheets of silver-platted copper or brass. Needed to be exposed to a source of light, could take seconds, could claim tens of minutes. The latent image is only visible when exposed to mercury vapours for a few minutes; could've been entirely avoided by exposing the plates to the sun after covering them with red or yellow colour filter but was rarely if at all done due to the process taking at least a day. Besides, the image could appear as both negative and positive if viewed at different angles but only under specific light. Fixing is done by a rinsing with fixer and and in auric chloride. The plate is then sealed behind glass. Expensive and lengthy process.

1856-mid1860s: ambrotype. Glass plate is the base material. One side is coated with a thin layer of collodion and then dipped in the silver nitrate—so it will stick to the glass. Then the plate is exposed for a time necessary, but quick enough to avoid over-exposition or drying. Remove, develop, fix. The back of the ambrotype image was usually covered with something black: lacquer or cloth—done to highlight the opaque areas that appear lighter when viewed against the dark background. The glass used could be tinted. The resulting negative is always positive image and can be seen under any light. Cheaper and slightly shorter in comparison.

1860s-mid1950s: ferrotype. Basically, ambrotype, but the base material is a thin sheet of iron. Eventually, replaced ambrotype photography due to the flaking of the ambrotype images. Before the glass for ambrotype would be ready, it required a thorough cleaning to degrease it. Iron for a ferrotype was a lot easier to prepare, it was faster to shoot with, to fix and develop it and seal the resulting image. All could take just few minutes. Inexpensive and fast option.

1890s—nowadays: kodak film gelatin silver print. Insanely long-lasting, incredibly photosensitive, an absolute winner.

Essentially, all use silver and a some kind of emulsion to stabilise it for a period of time, enough to capture something. Now that I wrote all this,

my headcanon.

Wizarding photography as we know it really took off only after the flash-powder was made. In muggle photography, the flash creates enough light to leave an impression.

Wizards are different. They do not capture light. Instead, they expose a kind of unit of storage but for magic readings and call it exposure.

Too much magical impression—which I can characterise as nothing less than magical residue left by any soul and particle of the universe—"corrupts" the film. This is why magical photography is usually few seconds long, but can also act like a normal magical painting. Sometimes.

So, why using the flash?

It blinds the magic. It is also too much magic. An overload or better say, over-exposition. The first ever photo made with the flash was thought to be ruined but…

Magnesium is an element alchemists supposed being able to burn if not forever, then persistently. They also thought it was used in the process of making the Philosopher's Stone. What if you add sulphur to it, too?

The magic has been rejuvenated but kept repeats itself an infinite number of times after has been hit with a sulfur-magnesium flash; it's imposed a some kind of self-circuiting behaviour that allows it to just flash the same scene over and over again. It is persistent, at least.

phew

That should be all. I might return to this post to review it in the future and maybe clean up details here and there and add clarity. Hope it was informative. Oh and there was a guy in 1901. He was measuring the heights of the Moon's mountains. I forgot to mention.