New BLOG Site

 I have a new blog site now active, with all the original content found here transferred to it.

The address is: http://www.stclairtech.tech/grassrootsmechanicmovement

Or simply click the link below.

New Blog

Thank you for following along on this little journey!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Intro:

Date Written: April 3, 2020 Welcome to the Grassroots Mechanic Movement Blog:  All other posts (not this intro) follow the project's timeline. Most of the contents here are my personal notes & pictures, placed here as a record of my journey. It is not a written for anyone in particular.  Comments are encouraged, even if only to say that you were here. Thoughts, notes, or suggestions are welcome.  Some visitors will undoubtedly wish to tell me how foolish and impossible this is, please do not bother, as flaming and/or  non-constructive  criticism will not be well received here. I am B. I am a professional Auto Tech with more than 35 years in the automotive mechanical industry. I am currently a garage manager responsible for the maintenance & repair of more than 20 vehicles in the Northeastern U.S. "Rust Belt" and I am looking forward to retirement. I can be a grumpy old fart with little patience for closed-mindedness, so no apologies are of...
Read more

Vol 2, Page 4, Dual Weight PIE Bench Test & Making the Drive Jackshaft

Image
Dual Weight PIE Bench Test & Making the Drive Jackshaft Dual Weights (Maybe I'll take a pic without all of my workbench clutter in the background someday) Two days ago, as I was finishing up for the day, I decided to put both new weights on a single flexplate assembly at the same time. I really did this as a way to see the action and make observations of any interference between them. I was pleasantly surprised when the interaction appeared to be complimentary in nature. I was so pleased with the interaction that I decided to “spin” it up with the cordless drill. The amount of power being transmitted to the bench was remarkable, and because the flexplate was “balanced” out with the second planet assembly, I was able to run it at a somewhat higher speed without further modification. I observed the weights each contacting a stop (one inner, one outer) at virtually the same time and producing complimentary pulses. I was so pleased that I immediately cobbled together a way to...
Read more

Volume 2 Page 15, PIE 4.0, The High Speed PIE:

Image
PIE 4.0 The latest incarnation of the PIE is kind of a step back to an earlier design as well as a step forward to push the limits of PIETECH possibilities.   I am using a single wheel (for now) with a much lighter weight, even lighter than the PIE 1.0 design. I am trying out a quiet gear set which uses a 14mm pitch timing belt as the teeth which is fastened to the same size (3.5") steel pulley as used on the PIE 1.0 & 2.0, and although it is quieter I am not sure if the teeth are robust enough to use as a spur gear. Initial testing of the PIE 4.0 is very encouraging, although there are some small issues arising from the increased speed which has currently been measured at just over 750 RPMs. The most serious issue has been the used motor I pulled off of the storage shelf. Although the 110 volt motor was marked as “Good” because it runs well without a load, it quickly overheats and shuts down when it is turning the PIE4.0. The other issue is the soft gear design which seem...
Read more