Member postings for Jon Lawes

My heartfelt condolences to them.

Its an interesting range of opinions, broadly in line with mine!

I think the engineer/Engineer comparison is an interesting one. I can live with being an engineer (lower case e). When I step out of the workshop covered in swarf and oil, smiling at my amateur efforts, I certainly feel like an engineer.

Thanks all

I've worked in engineering all my life, primarily aircraft. I've been a model engineer for a few years, but I confess I have no qualifications other than an MoD apprenticeship.

When discussing hobbies with a colleague I said I was a model engineer. He then pointedly told me that I wasn't any sort of engineer as to be called an engineer I would have had to go to university, or be chartered in some way.

All my working life I thought I was an engineer (it was in my job title a few times), but it turns out I was misled.

So what am I?

Edited By Jon Lawes on 24/11/2020 22:28:42

I use the HD44780 displays, cheap to buy and you can pack a lot of info into them.

I'm hoping today, this will be the first of my new subscription! I've never subscribed to ME before, I feel like I've hit a milestone.

I write the program I intend to make in block diagram format first, with things that are repeated often as one block that you then call on every time its needed. Then I write the blocks (translating them from plain english into Arduino) and drop them into the text.

Make good notes. If you make a line do something, write a remark next to it to tell you what it is doing it for. It will help in the debugging.

By putting in a deadline it forces people to think outside the box. Even if they don't achieve it there is a good chance it will accelerate the move towards these things.

Volvo had a deadline of 2020 to get to zero deaths in a Volvo car per year. I don't imagine they hit it, but isn't it fantastic that they tried?

That looks fantastic. The scale mesh on locomotives is so easy to get wrong, that just looks right.

I love seeing people start/restart/come back to this hobby. You have so much enjoyment ahead.

Enjoy your new machine

Jon

I'd be interested in the results!

Cheers

Jon

I'd be tempted to sell it and use the money to buy something more fit for purpose.

What a great idea. Probably less efficient than batteries but does that matter? Less rare earth metals and such, batteries degrade over time, and as the article says, easily scaleable. If the plant needs more capacity, add some tanks!

I love seeing new technology like this emerge. Although I can't imagine its the first time its been tried

I'd check to see what your nearest track is. No point building something for a gauge which doesn't have local support nearby.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Rob-Roy-William-Martin-Evans/dp/0852429290

This is the build book.

I'm also building a Britannia at the moment, it is more complex but you only build it one piece at a time, and you can keep going until you get it right. That being said, its years of work.

Also this website lists lots of different steam locomotives you can build, its a wiki site so the info is better for some than others. Full Disclosure; I started the site so again am biased.

https://smalllivesteamengines.fandom.com/wiki/SmallLiveSteamEngines_Wiki

Edited By Jon Lawes on 07/11/2020 23:37:44

I've just finished a 3.5 Gauge "William" by Martin Evans (someone else started it, I finished it). Other than a few smal stationary engines I'm a novice. I didn't make the boiler but I made all the fittings. I realise you said its not of intrest but certainly consider it, its a lovely locomotive. 

It has a build book, a non-tapered boiler, Is a decent size (about as large as one person can lift safely), and being 3.5 gauge the tracks are more readily available than 2.5 gauge. I can't think of a better choice personally, but I'm biased. As you can see there are still some cosmetic things to do.

Edited By Jon Lawes on 07/11/2020 23:33:13

It's certainly a good advert for torque multiplication through gear reduction!

I bought my Dewalt LION on a Screwfix offer as well, many years ago, and its been fantastic. Battery drills used to be such a compromise, if you had anything hefty to do you would grab a corded drill. These are really flexible, last ages on a charge and are quite robust. The batteries are now small enough to not be an encumberance too.

When mine oneday goes beyond economical repair I'll probably replace it with the same brand.

Hello Edward, a very elegant locomotive. Welcome.

Great work. To create something like this is not only addictive but fantastic for the soul. Well done, You seem to have taken to it like a duck to water. Now to plan the next one!

Welcome Thomas!