Another problem is that biodiesel "fogs" up if it's not kept warm. If you live in a place that sees ambient temperatures below 50deg or so you're going to have problems.
Some people get around this by diluting the BioD with regular Diesel. Others run on two tanks... one for regular diesel to start, and another for BioD that is warmed up by the engine's waste heat. =Smidge=
Bending is a form of stretching. Think if it as the outside edge is getting longer and the inside edge is getting shorter, and somewhere in the middle the length stays the same. (That's exactly what's happening)
probably because Voice recognition isn't all that reliable. Guy gets a headcold or answers the phone and suddenly things don't work all that well.
I'm kinda thinking if there would be some way to make a brail "Screen" of some sort. A large array of pixels that could be raised and lowered to form brail markings and possibly other shaped (like boxes to outline function buttons and prompts).
Not really in the realm of do-it-yourself projects... at least not easily or cheaply... but should be possible somehow! =Smidge=
Once you "own" the rights to the patent process, you might be in a position to fix it!
(As a bonus, I found this article that puts forth the idea of creating " public-domain information preserves" for things like medical and other fundamental concepts that really need to be public in order to be beneficial.) =Smidge=
No no no! You want polished stainless steel ceiling tiles! That way, not only can you hear someone talking in a normal voice from across the room, but you can see them in the reflection as well!
You also want to abolish all color. Colors are visual distractions. You want everything to be stark white, preferably plastic or enameled metal, which blindingly bright white flourecent lamps everywhere. The only source of visual stimulation will then be the workstation monitor, and the employees can devote their attention entirely to it.
Because the 2.4GB disk isn't available yet, and will be at least twice (and likely more) expensive just inof itself. The article also explains that their 1.5GB disk requires a mere fraction of the supporting components - meaning cheaper and easier to build (and therefore buy) products that use them. I'd imagine it would also use less power too, which is good for portable devices.
The big deal isn't the capacity, it's the simplicity. =Smidge=
Granted, the motors in floppy drives are pretty weak... but each drive contains two stepper motors, one uni-directional servo motor, at least 3 input switches (either optical or mechanical), and all the electronics to drive them!
The whole thing can be controlled with simple pulses to the various pins on the cable connector, which means an old floppy drive is a cheap (free) way to add motor controls to any microcontroller project, or even drive it with the PC's printer port. Ideal for science fair projects and other low-low budget / non critical / fun stuff.
No, the second wheel is not being hit by the main wheel. That would be bad. The taper on the "wings" is to provide an offset. (The wings act as valves - blocking off ports in the top and bottom of the engine body.)
The "vertical" wheel is driven by a gear and belt system from the "horizontal" wheel. I would've thought all the threads about timing belts/chains would have tipped it off, if you somehow managed to not notice the huge belt and pulley assembly on the sife of the engine in those 3D models.
There doesn't have to be a flywheel. The inertial mass of the components provides that function. =Smidge=
It's a flywheel after all. There's a good deal of energy stored in it's rotation. Inertia alone would be sufficient to complete the cycle.
Now here's an interesting thought. You have two (hopefully dynamicaly balanced) flywheels (aka "Gyroscopes") with their axes perpendicular to eachother... very similar to the gyroscope arrangement in a navigational gimbal - used to make a platform that is rotationally stable to provide a reference point for measuring the rotation of your craft.
What would happen if you mounted this engine in a car? Worse yet, and aeroplane?
If the mass/speed of the wheels is high, then the entire engine will not want to rotate in any direction. Forcing it would cause very high bearing forces and a torque that would try to rip the two disks apart.
Sounds like an interesting problem. Hopefully they can keep the mass of the components down to minimize the gyroscopic effects. =Smidge=
All censorships exist to prevent any one from challenging current conceptions and existing institutions...
Didn't say it was it was a very good purpose...:) The rest of the quote reads:...All progress is initiated by challenging current conceptions, and executed by supplanting existing institutions. Consequently, the first condition of progress is the removal of censorships. -George Bernard Shaw
Amen.
On a similar note, I'd like to cite the Bill of No Rights, Article II:
You do not have the right to never be offended. This country is based on freedom, and that means freedom for everyone - not just you! You may leave the room, turn the channel, express a different opinion, etc., but the world is full of idiots, and probably always will be.
And now that you can RTFM, you'll notice that the librarians aren't burning books, they're cleaning out their old paperwork so the gov' can't collect the info under the patriot act. =Smidge=
So that begs the question... does a legit directory of OSS/Developers exist? If not, why not? (Not being a software developer, I honestly don't follow these things...)
And I personally wouldn't consider plces like SourceForge to be a "directoy" of OSS developers as such. I'm talking about something along the lines of what Tony has outlined, only created and supported by the OSS community. =Smidge=
To which, I reply: "It's impossible to make anything foolproof, because fools are so ingenious."
TMI was operator error. As long as there's a human element, things can go very wrong. Unfortunately, every engineered situation has a human element.
Also, even if there were three times as many "fail-safe mechanisms" as there was, if it still went wrong you'ld be saying there wasn't enough. There are many, many nuclear power plants around the world that have been producing electricity without incident since the day they were built. I think it's safe to say that nuclear reactors are pretty safe to operate. (The radioactive waste is another issue...)
Given sufficient time, anything will likely lead to "catastophic failure". Challanger/Columbia anyone?
I suppose next you're going to be up in arms about how engineers don't do enough when they design automobiles to prevent "operator incompetence" from having "catastrophic effects"...
FYI: Chernobyl(sp?) was built without many standard safety features that plants elsewhere in the world use... to save costs. THAT was bad engineering. THAT situation could have been forseen and avoided. That's hardly a reasonable poster child for anti-nuclear-power sentiment. =Smidge=
Well, I didn't mean bad as in catastrophe, I ment bad as in "Crap, back to the drawing board." This is actually the very essence of science: Come up with a theory, and if evidence comes along that the theory can't explain, reconsider the theory. (As opposed to making excuses or ignoring the evidence)
It's bad because the way Quantum theory is currently structured, it should be impossible for the image to be that clear. This observation basically threatens to turn all of quantum physics on it's ear.
Of course, you could RTFA and get the exact same info. (3rd paragraph, to save you the trouble of reading the "whole thing")
Try to never buy from Radioscrap. Overpriced and crap quality...
I've ordered from Alltronics before. They have a $15 minimum order, and sometimes an order may be delayed if something you requested is out of stock. They answer your e-mails rather quickly, though.
Jameco also sells the seemingly elusive PCI prototyping cards, though they're pricey ($70). Anyone know another supplier of these? (They're also good if you're looking to pick up a 266MHz PII motherboard for $20)
large powerplants can get upwards of 75-80% thermal efficiency. The bigger the better. It always pays to buy in bulk;)
Of course, there's still an upper limit. But the fact that bigger engines/plants have always been more efficient is probably the #1 reason there isn't a mini powerplant in everyone's basement.
Micro cogeneration only makes sense if you're tapping into energy that you're already producing but aren't using (or happen to be in a relatively remote location). IE: hot flue gasses off of your furnace or solar energy being absorbed by your roof, maybe biomass if you run a farm. =Smidge=
Slashdot Mirror
I heard they also managed to rid the village of their nasty pigeon problem and end a local famon. Congrats, gentlemen!
P.S. I can't even register to read the article. Anyone got a mirror/cache? Nothing on Google yet...
=Smidge=
Another problem is that biodiesel "fogs" up if it's not kept warm. If you live in a place that sees ambient temperatures below 50deg or so you're going to have problems.
Some people get around this by diluting the BioD with regular Diesel. Others run on two tanks... one for regular diesel to start, and another for BioD that is warmed up by the engine's waste heat.
=Smidge=
Bending is a form of stretching. Think if it as the outside edge is getting longer and the inside edge is getting shorter, and somewhere in the middle the length stays the same. (That's exactly what's happening)
=Smidge=
probably because Voice recognition isn't all that reliable. Guy gets a headcold or answers the phone and suddenly things don't work all that well.
I'm kinda thinking if there would be some way to make a brail "Screen" of some sort. A large array of pixels that could be raised and lowered to form brail markings and possibly other shaped (like boxes to outline function buttons and prompts).
Not really in the realm of do-it-yourself projects... at least not easily or cheaply... but should be possible somehow!
=Smidge=
I wonder if anyone has ever tried to patent the patent process... seems like it might to through nowadays. :)
Hell, if you can patent the wheel, then why not?
Once you "own" the rights to the patent process, you might be in a position to fix it!
(As a bonus, I found this article that puts forth the idea of creating " public-domain information preserves" for things like medical and other fundamental concepts that really need to be public in order to be beneficial.)
=Smidge=
Magic self healing server pixie dust!
=Smidge=
No no no! You want polished stainless steel ceiling tiles! That way, not only can you hear someone talking in a normal voice from across the room, but you can see them in the reflection as well!
You also want to abolish all color. Colors are visual distractions. You want everything to be stark white, preferably plastic or enameled metal, which blindingly bright white flourecent lamps everywhere. The only source of visual stimulation will then be the workstation monitor, and the employees can devote their attention entirely to it.
=Smidge=
Because the 2.4GB disk isn't available yet, and will be at least twice (and likely more) expensive just inof itself. The article also explains that their 1.5GB disk requires a mere fraction of the supporting components - meaning cheaper and easier to build (and therefore buy) products that use them. I'd imagine it would also use less power too, which is good for portable devices.
The big deal isn't the capacity, it's the simplicity.
=Smidge=
Granted, the motors in floppy drives are pretty weak... but each drive contains two stepper motors, one uni-directional servo motor, at least 3 input switches (either optical or mechanical), and all the electronics to drive them!
The whole thing can be controlled with simple pulses to the various pins on the cable connector, which means an old floppy drive is a cheap (free) way to add motor controls to any microcontroller project, or even drive it with the PC's printer port. Ideal for science fair projects and other low-low budget / non critical / fun stuff.
Here and here are just some of many examples.
Fun fun!
=Smidge=
Ah.
No, the second wheel is not being hit by the main wheel. That would be bad. The taper on the "wings" is to provide an offset. (The wings act as valves - blocking off ports in the top and bottom of the engine body.)
The "vertical" wheel is driven by a gear and belt system from the "horizontal" wheel. I would've thought all the threads about timing belts/chains would have tipped it off, if you somehow managed to not notice the huge belt and pulley assembly on the sife of the engine in those 3D models.
There doesn't have to be a flywheel. The inertial mass of the components provides that function.
=Smidge=
It's a flywheel after all. There's a good deal of energy stored in it's rotation. Inertia alone would be sufficient to complete the cycle.
Now here's an interesting thought. You have two (hopefully dynamicaly balanced) flywheels (aka "Gyroscopes") with their axes perpendicular to eachother... very similar to the gyroscope arrangement in a navigational gimbal - used to make a platform that is rotationally stable to provide a reference point for measuring the rotation of your craft.
What would happen if you mounted this engine in a car? Worse yet, and aeroplane?
If the mass/speed of the wheels is high, then the entire engine will not want to rotate in any direction. Forcing it would cause very high bearing forces and a torque that would try to rip the two disks apart.
Sounds like an interesting problem. Hopefully they can keep the mass of the components down to minimize the gyroscopic effects.
=Smidge=
All censorships exist to prevent any one from challenging current conceptions and existing institutions...
:) The rest of the quote reads: ...All progress is initiated by challenging current conceptions, and executed by supplanting existing institutions. Consequently, the first condition of progress is the removal of censorships. -George Bernard Shaw
Didn't say it was it was a very good purpose...
Amen.
On a similar note, I'd like to cite the Bill of No Rights, Article II:
You do not have the right to never be offended. This country is based on freedom, and that means freedom for everyone - not just you! You may leave the room, turn the channel, express a different opinion, etc., but the world is full of idiots, and probably always will be.
=Smidge=
I'm still not interested in registering at NYT.. so I'll not be able to read the article and flame here instead...
0 7L IBR.html
Simply replace the www with archive. eg:
http://archive.nytimes.com/2003/04/07/national/
Presto! At least until they fix the hole...
And now that you can RTFM, you'll notice that the librarians aren't burning books, they're cleaning out their old paperwork so the gov' can't collect the info under the patriot act.
=Smidge=
Indeed. It's a surprizingly common scam, too.
So that begs the question... does a legit directory of OSS/Developers exist? If not, why not? (Not being a software developer, I honestly don't follow these things...)
And I personally wouldn't consider plces like SourceForge to be a "directoy" of OSS developers as such. I'm talking about something along the lines of what Tony has outlined, only created and supported by the OSS community.
=Smidge=
To which, I reply: "It's impossible to make anything foolproof, because fools are so ingenious."
TMI was operator error. As long as there's a human element, things can go very wrong. Unfortunately, every engineered situation has a human element.
Also, even if there were three times as many "fail-safe mechanisms" as there was, if it still went wrong you'ld be saying there wasn't enough. There are many, many nuclear power plants around the world that have been producing electricity without incident since the day they were built. I think it's safe to say that nuclear reactors are pretty safe to operate. (The radioactive waste is another issue...)
Given sufficient time, anything will likely lead to "catastophic failure". Challanger/Columbia anyone?
I suppose next you're going to be up in arms about how engineers don't do enough when they design automobiles to prevent "operator incompetence" from having "catastrophic effects"...
FYI: Chernobyl(sp?) was built without many standard safety features that plants elsewhere in the world use... to save costs. THAT was bad engineering. THAT situation could have been forseen and avoided. That's hardly a reasonable poster child for anti-nuclear-power sentiment.
=Smidge=
Maybe that the floating point errors in those Pentium chips was really a plot to undermine the government's computer systems!
=Smidge=
How exactly is metal a good material for cases?
RF Shielding? Durability? Easy grounding? Doesn't accumulate static charges?
=Smidge=
And knowing is half the battle!
And losing is the other half!
=Smidge=
Well, I didn't mean bad as in catastrophe, I ment bad as in "Crap, back to the drawing board." This is actually the very essence of science: Come up with a theory, and if evidence comes along that the theory can't explain, reconsider the theory. (As opposed to making excuses or ignoring the evidence)
=Smidge=
It's bad because the way Quantum theory is currently structured, it should be impossible for the image to be that clear. This observation basically threatens to turn all of quantum physics on it's ear.
Of course, you could RTFA and get the exact same info. (3rd paragraph, to save you the trouble of reading the "whole thing")
=Smidge=
You'll be better off, or you'll be dead. And if you're dead, you won't mind that you're not better off!
=Smidge=
How about sources for new/surplus components?
o nics.com/w ark.com/
http://www.goldmine-elec.com/
http://www.alltr
http://www.allcorp.com/
http://www.ne
http://www.jameco.com/
Try to never buy from Radioscrap. Overpriced and crap quality...
I've ordered from Alltronics before. They have a $15 minimum order, and sometimes an order may be delayed if something you requested is out of stock. They answer your e-mails rather quickly, though.
Jameco also sells the seemingly elusive PCI prototyping cards, though they're pricey ($70). Anyone know another supplier of these? (They're also good if you're looking to pick up a 266MHz PII motherboard for $20)
=Smidge=
Patterns! Maybe they should get Maximillian Cohen involved!
=Smidge=
large powerplants can get upwards of 75-80% thermal efficiency. The bigger the better. It always pays to buy in bulk ;)
Of course, there's still an upper limit. But the fact that bigger engines/plants have always been more efficient is probably the #1 reason there isn't a mini powerplant in everyone's basement.
Micro cogeneration only makes sense if you're tapping into energy that you're already producing but aren't using (or happen to be in a relatively remote location). IE: hot flue gasses off of your furnace or solar energy being absorbed by your roof, maybe biomass if you run a farm.
=Smidge=
Reminds me of the Super Mario Bros. Movie :)
*hangs head in shame for knowing that*
=Smidge=