Ran across this and thought you might be interested if you hadn't seen
these already...maybe interested even if you had!

http://sensi.org/~svo/motori/

http://www.microrax.com/MicroRAX-Home.html

R

RicodJour wrote:

Ran across this and thought you might be interested if you hadn't seen
these already...maybe interested even if you had!

http://sensi.org/~svo/motori/

Very good article - and I like the way Viacheslav thinks! I did think
his complaints about drilling PC boards were humorous since all he
needed to do was replace the plotter pen with a small drill...

http://www.microrax.com/MicroRAX-Home.html

I could actually /use/ something like this (prototyping parabolic trough
tracking systems), but it's prices like Twintec's that keep me working
with wood.

--
Morris Dovey
DeSoto Solar
DeSoto, Iowa USA
http://www.iedu.com/DeSoto/

wrote:

I'm working on this PC board drill / mechanical wooden clock parts /
aluminum mill constructed from junk box electronic parts and scrap
wood:

http://webpages.charter.net/videodoc...eAssembly5.avi
(Intel Indeo codec - Windoze platform AVI)

Interesting! Please post photos as you build, and another video when
it's running!

Steppers are controlled by homebrew PIC microcontrollers and linear
drivers. Thought you might be interested in the SolidWorks rendering
of the mechanism.

You do understand that you're on a very slippery slope here, yes?

Approximately 1 nsec after you cut your first perfect part with this
machine, it'll dawn on you that everything around you would work better
if you could program it in g-code.

:-D

--
Morris Dovey
DeSoto Solar
DeSoto, Iowa USA
http://www.iedu.com/DeSoto/

On Oct 28, 8:22*pm, Morris Dovey wrote:

, it'll dawn on you that everything around you would work better
if you could program it in g-code.


NOBODY expects the G-Code!

Morris Dovey said:

I'm working on this PC board drill / mechanical wooden clock parts /
aluminum mill constructed from junk box electronic parts and scrap
wood:

Interesting! Please post photos as you build, and another video when
it's running!

I'll try. I'll probably add it to my hobby web site along with the
schematics and source code for the microcontroller and a simple DIY
PIC programmer.

You do understand that you're on a very slippery slope here, yes?

Approximately 1 nsec after you cut your first perfect part with this
machine, it'll dawn on you that everything around you would work better
if you could program it in g-code.

Not really. I've been surrounded by electronics since I was a kid and
thus am already on the slope. But you are right - it does work better
with G-Code. Not as pleasing as G-Strings, but what the hey...

My next project along these lines was supposed to be a mill which
turns segmented wooden bowls on a lathe. That solves the problem of
consistent wall thickness, exploding parts, and labor - especially
since no one around here can afford or wants to spend $300 on a piece
of handmade art that took 30 hours to make.

How is the recent energy stimulus affecting your collector business?


Greg G.

Greg G. wrote:

How is the recent energy stimulus affecting your collector business?

Heh. It's brought out the opportunists out like a cloud of mosquitos -
mostly "marketing" folks who know nothing about management, production,
building, physical science, business, and whose vision extends only to
buy low / sell high. Every one of 'em has pointed at sure-to-come
government subsidies as a guaranteed source of incredible wealth for
anyone who has "positioned" themselves properly at the public trough.
When I tell 'em that a viable business plan is a prerequisite for any
negotiations, every one of 'em so far has gone "Huff huff" and vanished.

The folks who would most benefit from the panels didn't see enough of
the stimulus dollars to make any significant difference in their lives -
certainly not enough difference to be able to permanently buy-down their
heating costs. From my perspective, the middle class is vanishing (and
they're _not_ moving /up/ the scale).

The collector business has been shrinking.

--
Morris Dovey
DeSoto Solar
DeSoto, Iowa USA
http://www.iedu.com/DeSoto/

Morris Dovey said:

Greg G. wrote:

How is the recent energy stimulus affecting your collector business?

Heh. It's brought out the opportunists out like a cloud of mosquitos -
mostly "marketing" folks who know nothing about management, production,
building, physical science, business, and whose vision extends only to
buy low / sell high. Every one of 'em has pointed at sure-to-come
government subsidies as a guaranteed source of incredible wealth for
anyone who has "positioned" themselves properly at the public trough.
When I tell 'em that a viable business plan is a prerequisite for any
negotiations, every one of 'em so far has gone "Huff huff" and vanished.

The folks who would most benefit from the panels didn't see enough of
the stimulus dollars to make any significant difference in their lives -
certainly not enough difference to be able to permanently buy-down their
heating costs. From my perspective, the middle class is vanishing (and
they're _not_ moving /up/ the scale).

The collector business has been shrinking.

I suspected as much. Sometime back in Feb I went downtown and ended up
sitting next to a couple of "used car salesman" types as they eagerly
discussed how they were going to sell and install photovoltaic's in
order to reap their personal fortunes via new energy bills. They also
seemed to be under the illusion that a roof full of cells would
somehow generate enough wattage to not only power the commercial
establishment, but sell back to the power company. I had to think to
myself, "Only if the business is growing mushrooms."

Don't misunderstand, I've been following the alternate/passive energy
field for years, starting with MIT and their solar assisted earth
bermed homes projects back in the 70s. But I realize the limitations.

Speaking of limitations, there was an ad on TV the other day hawking
natural gas. The announcer proudly declares that. "America has enough
natural gas stores to fuel the country for 100 years." 100 whole
years, eh? And what after that - brush fires? At what rate of
consumption? Combined with what other fuels? As much as I'd like to
believe that we will come up with a way to easily break the covalent
bonds in water or develop some miracle energy source that draws power
from an alternate dimension, the realist side of what passed for my
brain says that until that new technology is proven perhaps we should
watch what we waste. Future generations may well look back and curse
our existence and folly. If we've managed to use up 50% of the world's
fuel stores in a scant 100 years, it doesn't look very bright for the
next 100. With the rapid development of several previously third world
nations that we've brought into the consumption age with our wholesale
migration of manufacturing, we now have 1.3 billion new competitors
for those energy stores. But I guess I'm preaching to the choir, eh?

I suppose we should look at the bright side - we can always burn oil
executives and bankers for heat. And politicians are always good for
a blast of hot air. 535 of them should heat up a good size boiler.

As for the middle class - agreed. It's been sliding downhill for a
decade or so.

Hang in there, it may be improving somewhat.



Greg G.

"RicodJour" wrote in message
...
Ran across this and thought you might be interested if you hadn't seen
these already...maybe interested even if you had!

http://sensi.org/~svo/motori/

I never saw a plotter draw mekid people before. My high school drafting
teacher would have got really upset about this.


http://www.microrax.com/MicroRAX-Home.html

Marvelous toys. Kinda expensive, but very nice.