Electronics Zero K breadboard resistor

I always try to not just "take" when it comes to learning a new thing, but this electronics caper has really been worked out already by a whole stack of really clever people.

I cant seem to come up with anything to offer the world, so I came up with this as a forlorn attempt to quench my karmic debt.

Its the zero K breadboard resistor.

Its a wire with a knot in it.

It works just like a wire, but is easier to handle.

Its all Ive got at this stage.





My karmic overdraft doesnt seem to have changed.






120 Things in 20 years says, "When thinking electronics, a zero K breadboard resistor can be simultaneously just right, and not quite enough.".

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Making smoked foods Original rib ideas 0 Plagiarism 1

I just found out that my "Luxury cut ribs" idea wasnt original.

It seems that not only is there a competition BBQ circuit, but on it you might find something called "Hollywood cut ribs" which have an uncanny resemblance (being identical) to Luxury cut ribs.

Oh well.

Im still holding out hope for Frenched luxury cut ribs as my one contribution to the carnivorous, and our deep-seated need to cook stuff on charcoal.  

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Equipped for Success!

Here are a few special tools, pieces of equipment and ideas that may contribute to your aquaponic gardening success.



Total Dissolved Solids meter
Bluelab Commercial Truncheon® Meter
This is a Total Dissolved Solids meter.
Total Dissolved Solids concentration has a direct effect on plant growth rates.

When asked "How do you measure total dissolved solids?"   Dr. George B. Brooks, Jr. said 
Couple of ways. I use one of these for example:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traditional_handheld_refractometer
Or you can measure it by how well the water conducts electricity since it is mostly the sodium, calcium and magnesium salts that cause the problems:
http://faq.gardenweb.com/faq/lists/hydro/2004072354016749.html
Some suggest that measuring EC is more accurate and give you a better measure of how salts are affecting your plants.

Before shopping for a TDS or Salinity Meter read these
http://www.thermo.com/eThermo/CMA/PDFs/Articles/articlesFile_11377.pdf
http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-04/rhf/feature/index.php

Dissolved Oxygen Meter 
These are one of the most valuable instruments you can own if you are stocking in high density. I believe there are two types of DO Meters.   Ive been told profession aquaculturist  generally do not use the type with a membrane.  But DO Meters can be very expensive and any good meter is probably better than none at all.
I will have to do more research and add to this post as I learn more.

Ceramic Metal Halide 
Ceramic Metal Halide bulbs are efficient and the full spectrum of light is as close to the Suns spectrum as you can get.  
Supplemental lighting will permit you to grow 365 days a year. 
Remember to wear shades and sun block!  CMH really are FULL spectrum.
I ordered mine from  
http://advancedtechlighting.com/cmhmain.htm

This is a High Pressure Sodium (HPS) replacement bulb.  The important thing to know about the ballast is that it should be a Copper Core HPS ballast.  I also bought my ballast kit for about $69.00 from the same company Advanced Tech Lighting.



Rocket Mass Stove
Efficiency is the key to heating a green house.  Check out thess videos about Rocket Mass Stoves

http://tinygreenlove.blogspot.com/2012/02/amazing-rocket-mass-heater.html

Add a self feed bin for pellets!

Greenhouse Glazing

Greenhouse plastics can diffuse light and transmit as much as 90%  of the Suns light
Agricultural Solutions - Polyethylene Greenhouse Films
Interstate Plastics - Polycarbonate twinwall

Speaking of greenhouses, here are a few ideas

Something as simple as this canopy frame could be used for a basic frame with a greenhouse film.

 Or you can go a little bit better with a FarmTek greenhouse

 My ideal green house would be partially bermed in with a massive wall on the North side and glazing  on the South side.   Energy conservation is key to making a greenhouse work.  Here are some examples.

http://www.roperld.com/science/solargreenhouses.htm

 http://www.addisonindependent.com/?q=node/12649

 

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Stirling engine ver 2

I made a few changes to My little home made Stirling Engine.

Change is always required when your engine seizes after only 55 seconds.

This one ran until the plastic bits caught fire.

Much better...

The original displacer popped itself to bits when it got hot enough, so this new version has a different design thats open to air travelling through it.

The autopsy also shows why my little engine stopped so suddenly. There is only around a quarter of an inch of air above and below the displacer when its at its extremities, and the bottom popping off made the displacer touch the bottom of the can it was in.



I replaced the can surrounding the displacer because I had to use a can opener to get the displacer out, and reattached the power piston balloon.

In the process of building the new displacer can, I discovered a new way to drill a hole that suits my personality perfectly.

You punch a hole with a nail, then rip a circular hole with pointy nose pliers in much the same way as opening an old style tin can of fish that the eater would open with a key.





If you arent old enough to know what Im talking about it, count yourself lucky and get on with it. You havent missed a thing.

I drilled a few large holes in the top and bottom of the displacer, and packed it full of stainless steel, kitchen scrubber pad.

Apparently this works, and acts as a thing called a regenerator.

A regenerator can often be found on a Stirling engine and acts to store heat between the hot and cold sections as the air moves between the two.



The regenerator material collects heat from the freshly heated air inside the can the displacer is in. As the heat is displaced from the hot section to the cold section, some heat is removed and stored in the material. This is a good thing, because we want the cold side of the equation to be as cooled as possible. When the cooled air returns to the hot end, it picks up the heat it dropped into the regenerator on the way through, making it heat up more rapidly.

Its not by magic that the heat knows when to sit and when to be picked up, just that the air is hotter on the way up from the heated section, and has cooled a bit at the top before coming back through the regenerator.

I put the new displacer in its tin can, and threaded its wire through the bottom of the top can that holds the crank shaft.










In the process of de-constructing the first version, I bent the shaft a little, and it never ran quite as smoothly again. The little Stirling engine took a lot more heat to get it going this time, but Im not sure if it was due to the new design of the displacer, or just due to the fact that every thing was a bit warped.

Friction really kills these things, so making sure the shaft is straight is a must.

It does run, and its going a lot faster than the first version, but I suspect that has to do with all the extra heat from using a gas burner rather than a candle, and not some gain in efficiency.

I think I now know a little more about these interesting engines, and a little more about the universe in general, and I think Ill have another go at building a better one. Id really like to make one efficient enough to run on the waste heat from my wireless router so it could just jig around all day for free.



120 Things in 20 years is finding the universe yet more interesting as a result of building this version 2 of my first, working, home made Stirling engine.

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Electronics Motor repair success

I fixed my broken motor that is meant to power the auger via the tiny gearbox that will deliver the fish food in my demand fish feeder.

Normally I prefer less complicated sentences.

But Im all excited.

It turns out, the problem was there were simply too many parts.

Or more accurately one too many parts, and one that was simply in the way.

The silver bit was the one too many. I think that broke off the bit where the wires connect, and fell into the motor, generally clagging things up.





The little nylon washer creates part of the front bearing, but it made getting the brushes back on impossible, because it had to be put on after the brushes. Thats an impossible path through the plastic front. I dont have the kinds of quantum tools that walking through walls requires. And if I did, I wouldnt waste my time with motor repairs. Id do much more interesting stuff, like poking my head through the fridge to see if the light really does go off when the door is closed.

So be leaving out those two small parts, I managed to make my motor work.

Only two parts.

And they were tiny.

Those that know me will realise thats a pretty low number of excess bits after a repair. I think I did quite well.

So well in fact, that it looks like this when its running.

That should do nicely.

What this all means, is that there is really no reason why I cant put this thing together today, and actually finish something.

Maybe.








120 Things in 20 years - If I keep repairing them, one day an electronic motor repair might leave me with enough parts to eventually build another motor. I should fix cars.

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Stirling engine Success!

I just made an engine!

I even think I got it on video.

It ran for about a minute at around 78 rpm before making a popping sound and seizing up.

Which would have been perfect if it was connected to an old record player...

playing a very short song...

that I only wanted to hear once.

The camera battery went flat during filming, but but the video should be on there. Ill find out tomorrow. If not, Ill just fix it.

Yay me!

More later...



120 Things in 20 years is very pleased with itself       :{)

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Aquaponics Silver perch eat Kale

I grew some kale that turned out to made of leather and task a bit like canvas.

But it turns out my single, enormous silver perch eats it.

Even in winter where the water tends to be too cold for silvers to be interested in anything except worms.

You learn something new every few months.

I have some health stuff to deal with, and then Ill start some kind of exciting new thing.

I promise.

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Aquaponics Direct composter success

I just got back from my trip to the East coast of Australia, and was happy to find the system ticking along nicely.

Some of the dried duckweed in my direct composter looks like it might be trying to live again, but I cant tell if its greening due to life or mould.

There must have been some heavy rain while I was away, as it was soaked through.

I think Id better put a lid on it.

When I lifted it up I saw a stack of worms going to ground into the growbed, and some more hanging from the little composter.

The worms seem to like it.

It was also very easy to grab a handful of worms for the fish, so the fish seems to like it as well.

It should also be adding some nutrient back into the system, and also saving some because of the duckweed I removed, so the plant will like it as well.


All in all, I count this a complete success, and it seems like quite a good solution to my problem of only having one fish.



120 Things in 20 years thinks flying around in helicopters is a pretty good way to spend some time.

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Aquaponics Silver Perch update

I recently ran out of fish feed, so Ive been hand feeding them worms, and what ever they call fly larvae in whatever part of the world you live.  They are called "gents" here when bought as bait, or stored in a fridge shared with people who dont want maggots in their fridge. "Maggots" when found in smelly stuff.

The point is, as a result of feeding them live food like worms, gents, and caterpillars, they are venturing a bit further up the water column to the point where they are now easy to photograph.

This guy is pretty big.

And heavy looking.

It looks like this up close.

I have no idea how big or how heavy it is, but Ill try to get a photo next to a ruler.

I wont try to weigh it because I cant think of a way to do it without stressing it.

Ill weigh it if I ever eat it.



120 Things in 20 years - Sometimes your aquaponics silver perch get quite big when youre not looking.

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Fire Tin can stove success

I decided to make another tin can stove with the new design, but this time I thought Id make it work.

A major design flaw of the first attempt was not actually the bit where the tin ripped in two, but was actually the bit where I was thinking upside down.

The previous version had grooves that would only reach the bottom.

That was never going to work.









This time I made the grooves in such a way as they would still be grooves when they reached the top.

Much more likely.

So, the top (open ended) half of the can is bent like this, and made to sit into the bottom (still with the base on) of the can.

All up this process takes only 5 minutes or less.

The zig-zag bit is placed zig-zag down into the half on the left.

It doesnt even need to be a snug fit.

Just drop it in place.





The result is, that when you light the alcohol and wait a few seconds for the device to heat up, it vaporizes the spirit within the zigs and the zags of the two walls created by the can halves, and is emitted as gaseous fuel through the top of the (now inverted) zig-zag bits.

Like this.

Perfect!

And quick.

A quicker, more durable ethanol stove.

A total success.




Much better than the last attempt.

Thanks to whoever first thought of this method of making a little spirit stove, that enable the happy camper to knock out a stove within a few minutes of dumping a cans contents into a pot.

Now all I need is canned food that actually tastes good.

And perhaps the ability to make a tin can.

I have no idea how to make a tin can.

But Im not going to make a can as a "Thing" because nothing good ever came out of a can.





120 Things in 20 years - No can was hurt in the making of this post.



And sweetened condensed milk comes in a can, and that stuff is delicious.

But I still dont want to learn how to make a can.

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