Member postings for mgnbuk

So much there that is just wrong.

Reads like an American article written by antis looking for excuses - and quoting incorrect UK "facts" to back up their viewpoint.

My brother's 6 year old Leaf should be halfway through its second battery according to the "facts" above - strange that the original item still shows 97% of manufactured capacity & range remains the same as when the car was new ? And the OE battery on that car is guaranteed for 8 years (which seems to be the usual warranty period for the high voltage battery in other makes as well) & will be replaced if capacity drops below 75% within that time.

Home charge points are not rapid chargers - a 100A supply will run the standard 7Kw home charge point comfortably from a 32A breaker.

Not suggesting that EVs or the current charging infrastructure are perfect, but most of the quoted "article" assertions are either suspect of just wrong.

Nigel B.

So it would appear that there has been ongoing replacement of “large lumps of the gas infrastructure “.

Strange then that the new tariff information that I got from British Gas yesterday showed the new daily standing charge for gas went down by a penny a day from my soon-to-expire fixed rate deal to 27p, but the same charge for electricty doubled from 24p to 48p.

Nigel B.

..... ME and MEW are a bit behind the times and stuck in the mud.

..... the lathe and for many a mill is just another power tool used to make something.

Heresy !

Nigel B.

It would be good if a Model Engineering show could be restarted

Mortons have their own events subsidiary :

Mortons Media Group Ltd. owns and operates over 30 shows and events across the UK catering for a range of enthusiast audiences. From classic bike shows and classic car shows shows to autojumbles and off-road motorcycles; we entertain over a million people every year.

So a Model Engineering show / event may happen if they feel they can make something out of it ?

Nigel B.

That could be good news.

Indeed.

Mortons appear to have taken good care of the motorcycle titles they have taken over & they make extensive use of archives as Hopper said, both to supplement articles in the mags and produce targeted "specials".

They also make their motorcycle titles (and a couple of years of back issues) available on the Readly subscription service - hopefully ME & MEW will follow & join EIM on Readly.

Nigel B

Why would you want or need a VFD anyway?

This is a gear-head lathe which gives a good range of easily changeable speeds.

And it has a single phase motor, which is not designed for use with a VFD.

Nuff sed.

A replacement 3 phase motor will run more smoothly than a single phase motor, but will require something to drive it from a single phase supply - usually a VFD these days rather than a static or rotary converter.

The VFD can be set up to provide a fixed 50Hz - it is not a requirement to vary the output frequency & this is how I choose to run my 3 phase Myford from a single phase supply. Even with a fixed output frequency a VFD can be programmed to give a soft start & stop so easier on the gearbox, plus a 3 phase motor will be totally enclosed so no manky windings due to cooling slots like that poor Hoover.

So many advantages to going for a 3 phase motor & VFD combination.

Nigel B.

Presumably, the claimed life of 25,000 hours is based on switch on once and continuous use.

No - it is the anticipated period of operation to reach 70 (or 50) % of the original light output in lumens, apparently.

The packaging should give an indication of the deterioration percentage used for the claim with "L70" or L50".

CFLs were similarly rated.

I have ended up changing the high bay workshop lights at work after a couple of years use while they were still functional, but when the light output dropped to "too dim to be useful". This applies equally to CFL or Led units, but the CFLs work out cheaper to change & the wattage isn't much lower for the Leds to save the extra upfront cost.

Nigel B.

Get a motor repair shop to fix your mistake(s)?

If the "mistake" is the same one I made trying to do the same thing on a similar size motor (415V only 3 phase FB2 clone spindle motor), then the "fix" is a rewind !

The winding wire is very fine on this size motor and, despite being careful, trying to dig out and separate the star point one of the wires broke off flush where it vanished into the varnished winding - rather "game over" at that point.

I had it rewound rather than replace it as IIRC there is something non-standard about the FB2 motor - undersize shaft maybe.

Nigel B.

Metric motor flange dimensions

Above link gives dimesnisons of standard metric motor mounting flanges.

Nigel B.

If so then there would be a void above the back of the panel as additional cooling. How are they used if set against a plasterboard ceiling? Attached directly or some sort of enclosure?

The 300 x x1200 Led panel I have in the kitchen was bought with a surface mount frame - 4 off 50 mm deep aluminium extrusions that screw together to make a frame that is attached to the ceiling. The panel slides into this & there is enough room to sit the driver module in the space between panel & ceiling.

Similar to this one on Ebay

Nigel B.

I would think acetone is rather more difficult to get nowadays (in the uk).

Readily available on Ebay - around a fiver for 250ml delivered. Widely used as nail varnish remover, apparently.

I use GT85 aerosol rather than WD40 for cleaning greasy grime from parts that require subsequent light corrosion protection, as it is frequently on offer in Aldi during cycling promotions.

I bulk buy aerosol brake cleaner to clean parts where no residue is required - worked out at around £1.50 per 500ml tin for a case of 12 delivered last time I bought some. A quick look on Ebay suggests that prices have risen, but still possible to get 12 x 500ml tins for £21.50 delivered.

Nigel B.

Do Chinese single phase motors have a centrifugal switch ? The capacitor may be permanently connected (PSC).

Does the machine have forward / reverse capability - if so, maybe look at the reversing switch / contactor arrangement.

Nigel B.

Axminster combination square

Steel rule with no 0.5mm graduations, but doesn't have a reversed scale.

I have a vague recollection of having used a combination set that had a rule with the readings reversed on top & bottom edges of the rule but can't recall the make at the moment.

Nigel B.

There may well be an option to reverse direction.

Indeed there may, but Andy did say " I can make the display increment or decrement in the correct sense using the setup page, but the displays for ARC and ARRAY are then reversed " .

My suggestion to reverse the scale count direction by swapping the A & B channels was based on that comment, which I read as using the counter parameters to set the count direction correctly had introduced other issues.

Nigel B.

though I bet they are crimped!

It is usually possible to remove crimped-on pins / sockets from the connector body by inserting a removal tool (usually a very thin wall tube) to close down the barbs that retain the pin / socket. This makes changing the locations easier than soldering - if you have the correct removal tool !

In the case of a crimped pin D connector, though, I would probably just cut it off & replace with a solder bucket type. A small portable vice to hold the connector for soldering makes life a lot easier fitting these. Not one of my favorite jobs, though.

Nigel B.

that tap I used it on was 1/2" whitworth

Must have taken a bit of effort to break that !

The stores at Broadbents used to keep Walton tap extractors, which have extendable fingers to engage with the flutes rather than the machined ends of your set. The fingers can be obtained separately for replacement if they get damaged.

I think I still have some somewhere in the garage, but only in smaller sizes. It took me a while to learn to stop breaking 2BA taps when fitting switchplates ...

Nigel B.

Swapping the A and B channels in the scale plug will reverse the count.

These systems mostly seem to use 9 pin "D" connectors on the scale cables, so not too bad to get in with a soldering iron - always assuming that the manufacturer didn't use crimped on pins !

Nigel B.

Scraping used to be a four year apprenticeship in the old days.

4 years was the "modern" reduced time apprenticeship - the "old hands" here did a seven year stint !

Neat, non-invasive solution to your alignment issue. Nice clean machine as well.

Nigel B.

Never had much luck with Mercer dial guages at my last employment - they all seemed to fail that way, so I would suggest not wasting your time and bin it.

Webought the guages new & independantly certified by a local specialist test company, as they were used for final acceptance of alignments on rebuilt CNC machines. The guages were treated carefully and stored in the original packaging between uses but, almost inevtiably, the next time they were brought out the plunger would be rough & sticking.

We gave up on Mercer guages eventually after this had happened several times & went to Mitutoyo guages. Never had to replace one of those.

From (rather distant now) memory, I think it was the plunger racks that were the problem - very, very fine teeth.

Nigel B.

Drew is there any reason that the motor could not have been mounted behind the lathe much like Blowlamp's picture with the shaft facing to the left?

Second picture down on the original post shows the lathe mounted very close to a brick wall on a narrow bench - possibly not enough room to put the motor there ?

Nigel B.