#robotics Logs

Jan 24 2014

04:37 aemquo Hello all.
11:57 doomlord_ how much would a robot capable of cleaning a bicycle cost
11:57 doomlord_ not necaserily full AI, just following a predetermined path
12:41 myofevilrobots hold pinky finger to corner of mout
12:42 armyofevilrobots probably about a meeelion dollars.
13:08 GuShH_ GargantuaSauce: toy?
13:43 GuShH_ doomlord__: why would you need a robot for that
13:45 GuShH_ all you need is a high pressure stream of water aimed toward the friggin bike going back and forth a couple times, once dry, lube the chain / sprocket, that's all it takes to keep a bicycle clean... you can easily automate the washing procedure.
13:45 GuShH_ you don't need a robot.
13:45 GuShH_ although you could argue it would be a robot.
13:45 GuShH_ I say it's an appliance.
13:46 ShH_ doesn't call toasters robots... and they perform similar acti
20:10 eadthem what would cause a brush in a kirby vac to wear like this http://final.servegame.com/public/kirbyBrushes.jpg
20:10 eadthem both brushes are the old ones before replacement
20:12 Tom_itx drag
20:12 eadthem drag?
20:12 Tom_itx are you talking about uneven wear?
20:12 Tom_itx one brush may be draging more than the other
20:15 eadthem no look at the sides
20:15 eadthem 1 brush the side is rubbed down
20:15 Tom_itx can't see it that well
20:16 armyofevilrobots I bet it's vibrating in the channel that holds the brush, and there's a cutaway in that channel where you don't have erosion.
20:16 eadthem mmmm
20:16 eadthem guess ile keep a eye on it
20:26 eadthem so for new brushes shuld i wear them for a while before using it under load
20:26 eadthem granted this is a vacuume
20:27 eadthem i could run it on the variac
20:53 ShH_ hands eadthem a cup of co
20:54 eadthem ?
20:54 GuShH_ just saying hi
20:54 GuShH_ those brushes are not equal (not talking about the wear)
20:54 GuShH_ when replacing, replace always both.
20:54 eadthem i did
20:54 eadthem those were the old ones
20:54 GuShH_ one has a damaged spring and is different
20:54 GuShH_ alright (I wasn't reading)
20:55 GuShH_ so what's the problem now :/
20:55 eadthem the worse one was on the bottom
20:55 eadthem nothing just concerned about the side wear on the one
20:55 GuShH_ on the other side the brush on the bottom of the picture looks exactly like the top one?
20:56 eadthem no
20:56 GuShH_ they _are_ different
20:56 eadthem only 1 side of the top brush
20:56 GuShH_ that's why they wear differently
20:56 eadthem wich happend to be on the bottom side of the motor
20:56 eadthem ok
20:56 GuShH_ also it could be the spring binding causing less pressure in case that's the one with less wear
20:57 ShH_ thinks chinese will put together anything with anything... ie. first parts they f
20:57 eadthem well comutator was in good shape
20:57 GuShH_ I need to get a brush set for the angle grinder... they used to give you spares with every power tool
20:57 GuShH_ did you clean it?
20:57 eadthem new brushes fit properly
20:57 eadthem no
20:57 GuShH_ I always do
20:57 GuShH_ emery cloth, light touch
20:57 GuShH_ brings them back up and you can feel the wear with your finger nail
20:57 eadthem ya this is out of a kirby so made in USA ...
20:57 GuShH_ "made" more like assembled to me
20:58 eadthem kirby herritage 1984 to be exact
20:58 GuShH_ alright it is american
20:58 GuShH_ and someone did a poor job at replacing brushes, that's all
20:58 eadthem those are the orignal brushes i think
20:58 GuShH_ eadthem: old appliances last forever if they are well taken care of
20:58 eadthem yep
20:58 GuShH_ what makes you think they're the originals? :/
20:59 eadthem tbh i have no idea
20:59 GuShH_ my fridge recently required some attention but it's older than me.
20:59 GuShH_ I was ready to buy a new one
20:59 eadthem we have never replaced brushes as long as i can remeber
20:59 GuShH_ but decided to give it a go and refill the refrigerant
20:59 eadthem i remeber my mom takeing this kirby down town a couple of times for new fans or a brushroll but thats it
20:59 GuShH_ bought the basic kit and hey so far it's all working good, cleaned up all the coils, all nice.
21:00 GuShH_ my shop vac is from the 80s
21:00 eadthem ya this kirby is 2 years older than me :p
21:00 GuShH_ it's "industrial" grade with a heavy cast top
21:00 GuShH_ and it just keeps on working, never had to fix anything... chances are I might have to replace the brushes soon
21:01 GuShH_ well the accesories are gone, and it's using a replacement hose... but that's all.
21:01 eadthem ya been re buying accessorys for the kirby
21:01 eadthem just got a new handle when i bought the brushes
21:01 GuShH_ I think these got lost, more than broken
21:02 eadthem lets you use it for stairs kinda like a dust buster on steroids
21:02 GuShH_ heh
21:02 GuShH_ I have a fancy vacuum cleaner from Italy that I can't use because I can't source the bags
21:03 GuShH_ my shop vac uses an old style cloth-type bag mostly as a filter for the motor, everything is just thrown into the big bucket.... but this tiny thing uses a paper bag
21:03 GuShH_ and a non standard size.
21:03 GuShH_ shame, I would use it if I could
21:03 eadthem ya i upgraded the bag adapter
21:03 GuShH_ although it's not a water filtration vacuum, it's just a regular one... not too fancy
21:04 eadthem the kirby uses a G3 bag adapter
21:04 eadthem so i can use the modern micron hepa bags
21:05 GuShH_ eadthem: why not throw it all away and buy a roomba like most consumers are doing? heh
21:05 GuShH_ then if you have pets, have it choke on a turd.
21:06 eadthem mmm when they make a romba that can do stairs ile consider it
21:06 GuShH_ heh
21:06 eadthem keep in mind ive been using it to blow cellulose insulation in to my garrage walls
21:06 eadthem :p
21:06 GuShH_ I wonder, do they just fall off the stairs or do they avoid them?
21:06 eadthem avoid
21:06 GuShH_ bah no fun.
21:07 GuShH_ I have a universal motor from a vacuum I've been meaning to repurpose for a dust / smoke extractor
21:07 GuShH_ they are just way too noisy though
21:09 GuShH_ I don't see the point in scoobas / roombas for other than tiny apartments and very lazy people
21:09 eadthem get a old kirby
21:09 GuShH_ you would need an army of those toys to clean my house
21:09 GuShH_ and it could be cheaper to just hire someone....
21:09 eadthem put a muffler tube on the inlet and outlet
21:10 eadthem by muffler tube you take some thin tubeing and put it in a larger PVC pipe
21:10 GuShH_ I might build up a box to dampen the noise
21:10 eadthem you fill and pack the gap with cellulose insulation
21:10 GuShH_ or find a way to have it mounted outside
21:10 eadthem sound transfers thrue the thin inner tube to the cellulose
21:10 GuShH_ similar to how supressors work
21:11 eadthem ya cept theres no holes in the innner pipe
21:11 GuShH_ I've build a couple of those for PCP guns
21:11 GuShH_ Don't worry it's legal
21:12 ShH_ is tired ... spent most of the time on the roof, fixing the mess left by the silly wea
21:12 GuShH_ and damn I could use a wet cutter for the tiles, the angle grinder produces way too much dust
21:12 GuShH_ but I only have to cut 2-3 more and that's it, no point in buying more tools
21:12 eadthem mmm wear a dust mask
21:12 GuShH_ it was windy so it got all picked up
21:12 eadthem that sillcia dust from tile will kill
21:12 eadthem ahh
21:13 GuShH_ hmm they're ceramic, terracota...
21:13 GuShH_ not sure what's exactly in them
21:13 eadthem mmm
21:13 GuShH_ but to get silicosis you'd need to work with them on a daily basis for a while I would imagine
21:13 eadthem ya true
21:13 eadthem how do you drill terra cotta
21:13 GuShH_ http://www.loimar.com/images/tejas/teja_francesa.jpg
21:14 eadthem i built this smoker and it would be handy to be able to drill a hole in it :p
21:14 eadthem also need to make a wooden frame for it
21:14 GuShH_ they have a tab on the bottom with a tiny hole you can use to fasten the copper wire (don't use steel... they did and it rusted out, leaving most tiles free to flop about)
21:14 GuShH_ these things are heavy as heck, 4.5KG each
21:14 GuShH_ and I was fixing the side of the roof, which uses half tiles every other tile... which means, cutting.
21:15 GuShH_ it's easy though, mark, cut almost through and snap it with a sharp hit, then clean up the cut
21:16 GuShH_ eadthem: so basically clay but who knows what's really in the mix
21:16 GuShH_ mine are unglazed, which sucks... they pick up dirt in no time and reflect less heat
21:16 GuShH_ uhh anyway a carbide tipped drillbit should drill them easily, but I can try that out yesterday in case you don't want to risk the smoker or haven't got any spare bits
21:17 GuShH_ masonry bit I'm thinking
21:17 GuShH_ drill with the right size at once, can't step drill on these materials
21:17 eadthem wonder if i could use a junk HSS
21:17 eadthem with some abrasive stuff
21:17 eadthem and water
21:17 GuShH_ I bet it will work just fine
21:18 GuShH_ problem is twisting and applying too much side force which could cause it to crack the material
21:18 eadthem ya realy just need 1 hole to hold the RTC 100 thermoprobe
21:18 eadthem for the PID controller
21:18 GuShH_ then use some fireclay or similar to seal it off?
21:18 eadthem naw
21:18 eadthem leaks are ok
21:18 GuShH_ bah
21:18 eadthem i got a huge one on the rims
21:18 eadthem they dont mesh fully
21:19 GuShH_ well if it's mostly clay based I'll try it out tomorrow on some broken tiles
21:19 GuShH_ maybe the knowledge will come in handy at one point
21:19 GuShH_ I did notice a few sparks while cutting
21:19 eadthem its a 18 inch or 17 inch terra cotta pot
21:19 eadthem and a 18 or 17 inch terra cotta bottom
21:20 eadthem err bowl
21:20 GuShH_ using a cutoff wheel for tiles and such, it's got tiny reflective bits in it.. doubt they're industrial diamonds, too cheap for that
21:20 eadthem only issue i have is the grate sits on metal brackets that are between teh 2 pots
21:20 GuShH_ yeah these tiles are made with pretty much the same material as pots
21:20 eadthem leaves a 1/10th of a inch gap i dont want
21:21 GuShH_ and are fired in a similar way in fact
21:21 eadthem i didnt want the grate to sit in the pot
21:22 eadthem i was afrade the steel grate might expand faster than the pot and break the pot
21:22 GuShH_ I want to build a furnace for aluminum casting... I really do, in fact I have a half-built one I could repurpose that was already in the house
21:22 GuShH_ it was used to fire clay pots and such, artsy people heh. but it has crumbled down.
21:23 GuShH_ we also had a bread oven but ... it's also mostly gone. they would rent out the house and nobody really took good care of those things
21:23 eadthem well brb gonna blow a couple modules of wall tonight
21:23 eadthem got to get the shop warmed up to use
21:24 GuShH_ pft at least you can do that, I have brick walls and only a couple of them are double / hollow...
21:24 GuShH_ and I can't build an annex for a real shop unless I want to pay more taxes... stupid country, can't do anything.