Dumpster diving heaven

[dinges]

For some reason the original diary doesn't end up in my diary link, therefore a direct link to the discussion. Just for my own future benefit:

http://www.fieldlines.com/story/2006/7/14/165245/306

BTW, if anyone reads this and knows of another way of making diary entries show up under my diary listing, I'd be interested.

Peter.

[wooferhound]

Here is your diary

http://www.fieldlines.com/user/dinges/diary

It's not fixed but it's all there.

[kitno455]

no its not. he had another diary called 'dumpster diving heaven' that is missing.

allan

[wooferhound]

did you click the link ?

that story is the first one listed.

[dinges]

Woofer, I've had the problem before. I create a new diary entry and it does show up under 'recent activity', with other poster's diaries. However, when I go to my user profile and click on my diary, it's not there. This is the 2nd time it happened, and the previous time, I had to spend a lot of time on the board trying to re-find it (I needed it for my own reference). Didn't want this to happen again, so I've just posted a new diary entry with the link to the original, 'disappeared' (in my user profile) diary.

[DanB]

This may or may not be my fault.  Somebody (dont remember doing it myself) set your diary to 'always display'.  Editors do that to certain stories when they feel it's worthy of being on the front page - usually any story with nice pictures of a fun project gets that sort of treatment...

But - if its a 'diary' that gets set to show on the front page then I believe it vanishes from your diaries section.  this is a bug with the software that runs the board I believe.  I think its back now though into your diaries where it belongs.

[oztules]

No Danb

only the link diary that Peter put there.

My 300w boost converter has gone to diary heaven as well. I think I will do a Dinges, and post a link in my diaries to it as well....if I can find it that is.

...........oztules

[dinges]

Oztules is right, it still hasn't returned.

Not a big deal, the link I've put in a new diary entry points to the original, 'disappeared', diary.

Not nearly as annoying as the fact I've just had to install Windows again. Now I'm stuck with XP instead of NT2000. Yuck.

[dinges]

Ok, so I've finally got an alternator for the lawnmower genny. A Delco Remy 55A one, with internal regulator.

Have taken the thing apart, cleaned it up. Regreased the bearings (couldn't be bothered to replace them). The voltage regulator I removed. One of the brushes I grounded, the other one I rewired to the 'D+' terminal that became available after the regulator was removed. So, now I've got full access to the rotor field. The Homepower mark8 rotor fieldcontroller connects to it. Will start building this controller next weekend.

The field draws a full 3.6A when connected to 12V. With full field, when I give the alternator a spin by hand, it generates 3VDC! Was amazed of that high voltage at this low RPM. On the other hand, at the same time, the field was consuming 3.6A at 12V = about 40W...

BTW, as I took out the rotor, the brushes jumped out. It took me quite a while (about an hour) of tinkering with pieces of string and stickytape, to try to hold the brushes in, that I realized there was a little hole in the alternator case. Its purpose is to put a pin through so the brushes remain in place as you re-assemble the alternator. Just took me about an hour to find this out. Doh...

Some pix of the cleaning, refurbishing and modifying are below. Int the last picture you can see the parts that were leftover: the voltage regulator (white) and the field-rectifier (black).

The only thing I don't like about this alternator: it doesn't have a key! The pulley has to transfer all torque to the axle by means of clamping pressure. Yuck!