Member postings for mike barrett

tested for broken wires and bad joints but cant find any problems, it seems to work over certain parts of the range so begining to think the glass slide is damaged.
New one from Warco all now working again..

mike

Edited By mike barrett on 13/12/2021 16:23:07

I have a Warco 500mm digital readout on my miller.
The Y axis has stopped working, number on display not changing when the axis is moved. Swapped input to the readout and the readout is working fine.
Have taken the slide to bits and cant see any damage or swarf so assume that the LED and sensors are failing.
Before I pay Warco £115 to but a replacement anyone else had problems and are there any fixes?
BTW it started to fail intermittently so would work on part of the track and then stop incrementing the reading and then start again. Luckily I wasn't doing anything precision at the time...

We have brought (mostly secondhand) Blue trackmaster track and trains. these are all about 10/15 years old. they have a battery, motor, and a clever clutch mechanism to try to make them kid proof.
The grandchildren (3 and 6) love them and we have built up quite a collection.
I have repaired a few of them, usually electrical problems that are an easy fix.
One weak point is the drive is thru a very small plastic gear thats an interference fit to the drive wheel shaft. This gear splits. tried gluing it together but it doesnt last very long.
Cant find any replacement gears the same size, I think its too small to 3D print and I havent managed to get the wheels off the shaft, without breaking them, to replace the gear.
Bit frustrating want to repair them but just cant see how to do it, i guess that true of lots of plastic toys..
Mike

New forks arrived, slightly longer than original but the fit perfectly, even enough thread on them so I didnt need to extend it.
All back together and working.
At least I now know all about front forks and how to take them apart and put them back together!

cheers mike

Mk2 Viresse had the lower link on the rear suspension that fixed the rear tuck in.
My Herald has wider tyres that help with the tuck under, still need to be careful and as you say brake before the corner not in it!
It does have an advantage over the Vitesse and that the lack of weight in the front (4 cylinder instead of 6 cylinder engine), means it does not understeer.

mike

Mk2 Viresse had the lower link on the rear suspension that fixed the rear tuck in.
My Herald has wider tyres that help with the tuck under, still need to be careful and as you say brake before the corner not in it!
It does have an advantage over the Vitesse and that the lack of weight in the front (4 cylinder instead of 6 cylinder engine), means it does not understeer.

mike

Its got a rebuilt 1500 triumph engine, Newman cam, stage 2 head, Jenvey individual throttle bodies and wasted spark ignition.
All run by a upgraded Megasquirt MS2 controller. This means you can map the ignition and fueling based on input vacuum and throttle position. There is a high pressure fuel pump in the boot and pressure regulator on the fuel rail. It has broad band AFR sensor so can be run in closed loop to control the mixture. The Megasquirt software is excellent and allows you to tune and log data from the engine. It hasnt been on a rolling road but is still as fast as a 2L Vitesse but much more economical. Not cheap but a fun project that involves a lot of engineering, electronics and software.
The car also has an overdrive gearbox with close ratio GT6 ratios and a 3.89 diff. Its been around Scotland twice and down to Italy and up and down the alps!

PM if you more details.

regards

Mike

regards mike

I suppose its really called a hybrid not really a road bike or a mountain bike but perfect for the pot holed roads in Cambridge! Suspension forks and sprung seat pillar.

Mike

Its a road bike so I am happy with the quill stem, I have never had any problems with it.
Old bikes seem so difficult to maintain, there are no manuals and no standards for parts!
I have had triumph classic cars for over 30 years (Herald, Vitesse, Dolly, Stag, GT6, TR6 and now have a 13/60 herald with EFI) and they are easy to run and maintain mainly because there is so much good information and data about the cars.

cheers

mike

Mike

Thanks for all the helpful answers. I am/was trying to keep the bike standard but its begining to be a bit like Trigger's Broom ... it would have been easier to buy a new bike but I do like repairing stuff!

But.

I can get a 1 1/8" 25 TPI die from one of the online suppliers in stock, buts it £45.
I have managed to find a set of forks with a threaded steering tube (1 1/8" that seems to be the correct length.
I am hopeful it will fit as the original forks were made by RST and seem to be standard set.
Will know when the new forks arrive. if I need to lengthen the thread then I will buy the die.

Regards Mike

Edited By mike barrett on 24/05/2021 18:35:23

thanks excellent site!

mike

Good point! One of the problems is finding any technical (sizes) details of what being sold on line.
I think I need to find an old school bike shop to visit.
Also thinking of going back to see if I could rebuild the original forks. The springs have rusted badly but I should be able to replace them. There are a couple of plastic bushes that are worn but i could make new ones.
the part I dont understand is what stopped the forks coming apart, They now fall apart. There was no bottom fixing as far as I could see unless it has rusted away. I cant find a manual for the original forks, The company used to publish manual but was taken over and the manual doesnt seem to be available any more.

regards Mike

Roger

thanks for the reply. My wife, jane, has gone from knitting to hand spinning and now using a spinning wheel and has been experimenting with dying. I amazed at the time and skill it takes to go from a fleece to wool that you can knit.
I have been watching here spinning and helped setup an old unused spinning wheel. The wheels are very clever and based on years of development!
At the moment I am thinking of taking an existing spool and spinner and then building a frame and motor to drive it. Simple start to see how easy it is. Having a small spinning wheel means she can take it away in our campervan.
John Arbon videos are very good, we were planning to go to there open day this year but as everything else it was cancelled.

cheers

mike

Picoscope are very good with excellent software and support.

Be careful if you buy an old one off Ebay as some of the drivers (particularly for the data loggers) are no longer supported on Win 10. Just check on there web site before buying! Guess how I know... ;(

Mike

thanks everyone for the very helpful ideas and suggestions.

cheers

mike

A friend is making masks to wear in the community (don't want to start a discussion whether they are a good idea) and she is using a strip of tomato paste tube for the bending bit that fits on the bridge of the nose. But its a bit weak and doesn't fit the mask to the nose very well.
Anyone know what metal is used in 'proper' disposable masks? I think its zinc based but not sure if its pure zinc or an alloy? Any ideas?

I was hoping to get something she could use, I can cut strips for her.

any suggestions very welcome!

Thanks mike