What Did You Do Today (2016)

[Clive HartlandParticipant @clivehartland94829]

During my term as an Army Instrument Tech. I had occasion to help repair the engines of the American Howitzers we kitted with, the cooling system had two fans driven by quill shafts at an angle, due to the load and high revving these quill shafts snapped and we had to lift the engine out complete to remove and replace the parts.

We ordered new quill shafts and 2 were allocated to each gun as spare but, on a visual inspection the maker had failed to mill the splines! I think it took about 6 months to get replacements that were correct, meanwhile we were scrounging off the Germans who had good ones. No doubt they made their own., The point here is that we were ordering high quantities as we had to have spare capacity for repair. So how did they miss the splines on the shafts.

[EmgeeParticipant @emgee]

Went to the ME show at Ally Pally, lots of tool and machine stands and the usual metal suppliers. There were a 'vast array of boats and ships but hardly any traction engines, I didn't see any IC engines at all, my apologies to the organiser if I missed them. Impressive model tracked loader, the operation of loading a model bulk trailer was certainly worth a few minutes viewing, hydraulic operation at 10Bar pressure.

All of the traders I remembered from years ago seemed to be there so if you want to stock up with tooling or materials you should be lucky.

Emgee

[Michael ToppingParticipant @michaeltopping17870]

I went to the show as well. Locos are my thing and there was a good selection of models on the club stands. The trade stands are pretty much the same as other years. My main reason to go was to order a new motor/ inverter set up for my Warco super major mill from Transwave. I only hope it is as easy to set up as the salesman says it will be.

Overall it was well worth the effort of going.

Michael

[BazyleParticipant @bazyle]

Glad you enjoyed the show and hope you appreciated the boating exhibits as well as the locos as many have nicely detailed engines.

I noticed one new supplier selling only metal. Their name had 'aluminium' in it but they were also selling brass. The files man who was at Bristol that I mentioned in another thread was there but with a smaller selection. The big tools stand that used to be in the opposite corner from the entrance was not there and I think overall there may have been fewer traders. Plenty of club stands though.

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

2016 starts here – workshop spring clean day

Found a lovely fabricated throttle body I made a couple of years ago – can I remember how I planned to make it work?

Just dropped my daughter to work – there's an awful scary amount of black ice – drove a good two miles of up/down (but straight road) hoping it was water not ice but taking it very easy, then confirmed it was ice at the T-junction at the end. Bit scary as a huge SUV looming about 150 yards behind me…

[Roger Provins 2Participant @rogerprovins2]

To get out of my place it's up a very steep hill and then down a steep hill ending in a T junction at a busy main A road.

All icy this morning – quite a scary early trip to the local shop!

[martin perman 1Participant @martinperman1]

I traveled down to Alexandra Palace and spent, with a couple of friends, the day wondering around the show picking up useful information and the odd goody. A good day.

Martin P

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

RNR Aluminium where there last year too, I got a couple of lengths of metric Stainless round from them and a few bits from the file man who does quite reasonably priced Presto etc drills if you don't mind buying a box.

The days Haul

Edited By JasonB on 16/01/2016 20:42:53

[BazyleParticipant @bazyle]

Fileman had a few 3in files with round tang and some more about 5 in with flat straight tang. Both with a 'neutral' non directional tooth which I think are for filing machines. Felt a bit blunt compared to my one existing file so might be just badly made but will give them a try.

[EmgeeParticipant @emgee]

Anyone having parts of text and most titles missing from view ?

Also in main site index only the first letters of words showing until the mouse is over them and the line is then visible ?

Using Vista and Chrome browser on a laptop.

Emgee

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

Text Looks OK to me a the moment.

I bought some files from him last year and they have been OK.

[Roger Provins 2Participant @rogerprovins2]

No problem with text/titles here. Linux/Firefox.

Rog

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Posted by JasonB on 17/01/2016 07:14:45:

Text Looks OK to me a the moment.

.

No evident text display errors on the trusty old iPad.

MichaelG.

[EmgeeParticipant @emgee]

All text OK this morning, must be my computer.

Emgee

[OuBallieParticipant @ouballie]

Michael,

Inverters are easy, once you get your head around the initial set-up procedure of what buttons to press and in which order, unless yours has already gone through that procedure.

The one I fitted to the drilling machine, being second hand, needed resetting and it nearly had my grey matter go on strike the first time I read the set-up procedure.

Took a few attempts, accompanied by the usual Anglo-Saxon and coffee breaks, but eventually sorted and now wonder how I managed beforehand.

The best conversions next to the clutch on the lathe.

Geoff – The joy of just dialling in the speed.

[MuzzerParticipant @muzzer]

Viewing all the machine tools, tooling, inspection gear, cabinets etc at coming to auction over the coming week or so.

Kennametal (near Bath) – staggering quantities of stuff going under the hammer. Milling and turning tooling, cutters and inserts – as well as massive 5-axis CNC beasts. 

 

Makes you wish you had a large workshop (and wallet). That currently rules me out of course but there is some fine equipment there, most likely going for "trade" prices.

Haha. I'm trying to post a second link of about one sentence and a short hyperlink. Why does it say the text contains 8400 too many characters? I give up trying to add it in stages. 

Edited By Muzzer on 17/01/2016 18:52:24

[MuzzerParticipant @muzzer]

…but it allows me to paste it into a new post. Go figure….

Engine Dynamometer Services & College Engineering Dept (Purleigh, Essex). Various Colchester etc lathes.

Edited By Muzzer on 17/01/2016 18:53:19

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

Posted by OuBallie on 17/01/2016 09:33:10 on strike the first time I read the set-up procedure.

Took a few attempts, accompanied by the usual Anglo-Saxon and coffee breaks, but eventually sorted and now wonder how I managed beforehand.

You're not admitting that English is better for swearing in than Afrikaans are you Geoff

Neil

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

Posted by Muzzer on 17/01/2016 18:52:41:

…but it allows me to paste it into a new post. Go figure….

Engine Dynamometer Services & College Engineering Dept (Purleigh, Essex). Various Colchester etc lathes.

Edited By Muzzer on 17/01/2016 18:53:19

When you highlighted the link you may also have pijked up a script or an image without 'seeing it'.

Neil

[BazyleParticipant @bazyle]

Sort of end on an era. Last day of the Chiltern Model Railway Association exhibition at St.Albans Arena as it will move to Stevenage Arts next year. Our club has had a stand there for decades it seems but next year I will be able to have a rest from it. Bit of a pain this year that Ally Pally moved to clash with it.

[JAParticipant @ja]

Too cold for the workshop so I made a first attempt at getting a Raspberry Pi 2 working. I was vaguely aware that Linux was a Unix based system (I had used Unix at work) so rapid progress was made until I started coding in Python. I could not get rid of a syntax error in my only line of coding.

JA

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

Posted by JA on 18/01/2016 16:49:09:

rapid progress was made until I started coding in Python. I could not get rid of a syntax error in my only line of coding.

Search for 'online python tutorial' there are some really good ones based on interactive real-time python 'consoles' on line.

Neil

[OuBallieParticipant @ouballie]

Neil,

By no means rooinek (I could type another, but that's not for family viewing)

Each language has the appropriate word/s to describe ones feeling much more succinctly than the other, and when combined, one feels so much better.

I haven't spoken much Afrikaans since 2002 when on holiday in PE, and with English being my native tongue I use A-S most of the time, but 'foreigners' do creep in every so often.

Dare I admit I can say Afrikaans words to all and sundry, with a smile on my face, and have no fear of being on the wrong end of a 'fiver'

Just spent the whole day looking at Facebook photos taken at the original Kyalami F1 circuit

Geoff – That wonderful circuit now castrated , but my memories racing there survive.

[Roger WoollettParticipant @rogerwoollett53105]

Posted by Bazyle on 17/01/2016 22:58:26:

Sort of end on an era. Last day of the Chiltern Model Railway Association exhibition at St.Albans Arena as it will move to Stevenage Arts next year. Our club has had a stand there for decades it seems but next year I will be able to have a rest from it. Bit of a pain this year that Ally Pally moved to clash with it.

If you have not done so already join the raspberry pi forum.

https://www.raspberrypi.org/

By all means google first but there is a lot of help available on the forum. Be sure to include the line that gives the error and the erreor message.

[SillyOldDufferModerator @sillyoldduffer]

Hi JA,

I've used Python on a Raspberry Pi 2 and it all works fine. You're probably tripping over something simple like trying to execute Python3 code with the Python2.7 interpreter. What was the error message?

Cheers,

Dave

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