Member postings for Steve Withnell

I'm just bidding on a piece of kit and there are currently 18 bids on the thing.

If I look at the bids they are all marked "private listing - bidders' identities protected".

What protection do I have that I'm not bidding against myself? I can't determine how many people are bidding never mind who they are.

Steve

Looks like Android wins at 7 votes to 1, so no real benefit in bothering with the Apple stuff

All posts on this forum are branded "Model Engineer". It's Model Engineer sponsored. POsts here are effectively "Letters to the editor'. David's the editor. That's it.

There are loads of other forums which are not "sponsored" and some not moderated. They are all free.

Note from spider -

"Sorry Mate, bit of crisis last week, needed to peg down the web. Anyway I've put the lump hammer back on the bench, Yours, Chaco White Knee

PS: My Dad thinks your workshop is really cool".

Thought that was quite nice of him really.

Steve.

Is it me or are they getting bigger too? Last week one bugger ran off with my lump hammer...no I didn't try and it snatch it back!

Thanks - what an odd set of sizes. My lathe won't cut 32TPI as standard, I'll have a juggle with the gears to see how close I can get. If I can't I'll have to turn the existing thread off and cut a thread the gears will allow, there is plenty of meat on the connector to allow that I reckon.

Steve

Just got a bag full of "single hole" panel mount BNC connectors, the ones secured with a large nut - anyone know what the thread is? I need to tap the panel to fit them (not the normal method, but it's not a normal application).

Steve

I have a drawing for the Stuart D10/V10 water pump, but I don't have the casting part numbers...It is however gear driven not pulley driven.

Steve

I'm restoring an old radio, the tuning mechanism is a gear reduction drive made of large gear wheels (anti-backlash types) and small pinions. Probably more tham you would find in a typicalclock!

Shpuld these be "dry" which they are, or what should I use as a lubricant?

TIA

Steve

We quite often get calls "I'm calling from BT/British Gas/Sky TV/... we just need you to answer a few security questions". Nope, that's not how it works. You called me, I get to ask the security questions...click.

BTW here is my favourite revenge on the cold caller:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rBfsdkGeMc8

Steve

I guess us non-Loco folks need to send David loads of non Loco articles of the same or higher quality...

Building a case for my Steam Engine is half done, that is I've completed the base, using Mahogany cut to my profile design, I had the woodshop run me off about 6 metres from memory. Purpose being that I'll have a standard base for all my models going forward.

What I haven't done is build the "glass top", so the polycarbonate recommendation is really useful. What I was planning to do was put a sheet of mirror glass as the back panel, I have a small model cased like that and it looks pretty good. (I didn't make that one!).

What's the best adhesive to get the polycarb secured to the wooden mouldigs that form the edges of the "box"?

Steve

Can you not re-cut the threads to something a liitle more common? (Or as I did, solder the buggers on)

Steve

I run WIn7 on a Dell XPS15 (L502x) laptop. It just works. I've never had a virus problem and I've had an internet connection since 1996. I remember a download issue with Win 3.1 WfWG. Win95 had real bad installation problem. Win98SE was good, WIn XP was better. I dumped Vista. Win7 just works.

MS Downloads usually run in the background - the massive iTunes and Adobe updates are more disruptive. Java can be a bit of a nuisance. I assume the same applies to Mac?

I ill treat my machines / OS more than most.

If I had a load of money I'd buy a MAC, probably a Mac Air. Never really seen the need to part with the extra money. They are very nice machines.

Does anyone want a Britannia lathe? (or 2).

One resembles a No.16 and was bought by my great grandfather sometime before 1912. The other resembles a No.2 which I think was used for turning patterns for castings. I think the treadle is about somewhere.

The "No 16" is currently set up and running, with new lead screws for the top and cross sllides..

If there is any interest please PM and I'll get some photo's together. Otherwise they are bound for a fiery furnace (probably in China !)

Steve

Thanks John. Service/exchange might be welcome. I'll wire it up and let you know!

Steve

Turns out the controller is a KB Electornics 240 controller with 8010 series devices. I can't find anythinf amiss with the discrete semiconductors on the PCB whilst in circuit.

Yesterday I did some continuity checks between the field windings, armature windings and the frame, and didn''t spot anything amiss there either.

What I'd like to do is bench test the PCB - what loads should I use for the Armature and Field outputs? I saw somewhere that light bulbs where a useful load.

Any thoughts?

Steve

What might be usefuk is a short column on Hints and Tips, work arounds for known problems. May be a few interesting cannds cycles where the programming has some ingenious twist.

Longer articles might be "How to make x using a KX1 CNC", where x would be any of the popular engineering designs, not previously constructed using CNC. It seems that many people think that CNC is only for multiple parts, but when you have turned the handle on the mill 35 times one way , then back to the start, incremented 2mm across and then repeated whole thing 20 times, you do start to yearn for a Mach 3 wizard to magically appear...

Steve