On 07/08/2010 03:30 PM, spaco wrote:
(top posting fixed)

Sunworshipper wrote:

Well, got myself in a pickle this time. I answered an ad with some guy
wanting lathe work done, he said it was a couple of groves in pulleys.
Come to find out he wants me to design, engineer, and build a speed
reducer for a Geo Metro engine powered hmmm plane. I'm not sure, but

snip

Anybody have any ideas I can help this guy out with? BTW, he's
computer illiterate, I thought I could help at least in that area, but
running into brick walls.

SW wishing he was making his own plane. 31 years since solo.

It would take me about 2 seconds to decline doing anything design
related to an airplane. You could do a great job and then the guy could
fly drunk and crash and you could loose everything you've got just
because you are in litigious (sp?) America.

Yup. Back away slowly until he can't see you, then run like hell.

Not just because it's for a plane -- if I knew the guy already I might
make a part or two. It's the fact that a couple of grooves in a pulley
morphed into a design/engineering task -- that means that the guy is
clueless, which means that you can't trust him to build the rest of the
plane right.

(my spell checker thinks "litigious" is just fine).

--

Tim Wescott
Wescott Design Services
http://www.wescottdesign.com

Do you need to implement control loops in software?
"Applied Control Theory for Embedded Systems" was written for you.
See details at http://www.wescottdesign.com/actfes/actfes.html