Search found 63 matches

by Gary
Mon Mar 23, 2009 9:24 pm
Forum: General Discussion
Topic: Happy Square Root Day, everyone!
Replies: 5
Views: 4063

Re: Happy Square Root Day, everyone!

dacflyer wrote:i still say Pi R round :grin:
Pie are round foo! CORNBREAD R square...
by Gary
Sat Aug 04, 2007 6:10 pm
Forum: General Discussion
Topic: Wireless energy transfer over several feet at 50% efficiency
Replies: 8
Views: 6455

" I assume your post was in regards to incandescent lamps - Correct. I was also forwarded (this week) an unrelated video of a guy putting water and salt into a test tube. When exposed to RF energy, it released oxygen and hydrogen gas and put out a flame several inches tall. I doubt they were w...
by Gary
Fri Aug 03, 2007 1:04 pm
Forum: General Discussion
Topic: pine trees attenuate satellite dishes
Replies: 9
Views: 6808

Depends if the sap is running.
by Gary
Fri Aug 03, 2007 12:57 pm
Forum: General Discussion
Topic: Wireless energy transfer over several feet at 50% efficiency
Replies: 8
Views: 6455

Wireless energy transfer over several feet at 50% efficiency

Just heard a guy (Graduate student in physics at MIT, Andre Course (sp?)) on National Public Radio talking about recent research. They are now able to light up a 60 watt light bulb about 8' away from a wireless power source. He claims the new technology will have a conservative efficiency of 50% and...
by Gary
Fri Jun 22, 2007 1:14 pm
Forum: General Discussion
Topic: Will cars ever run on pressurized air?
Replies: 61
Views: 30123

I remember seeing a picture of a mining locomotive that used compressed air. This is one application that actually makes sense. It looked a lot like a conventional old fashioned steam locomotive, but had a big tank where the boiler would normally be. Somebody bought it at scrap value and later made ...
by Gary
Wed May 09, 2007 1:06 pm
Forum: General Discussion
Topic: air conditioner pre cooler
Replies: 42
Views: 23800

While compressor coils are built for outside environment, and spraying water on them is a quick way of cooling them off in a hot dry envlronment, there can be problems. Mineral and salt buildup on the coils from the evaporated water can be a problem. Also a problem is the combination of copper coils...
by Gary
Fri Sep 22, 2006 12:22 pm
Forum: General Discussion
Topic: LED Tea Light Candle
Replies: 13
Views: 10138

No Dean, they are not used for warming food. Just a warm glow. Restaurant supply stores sell electric ones to replace the little votive candles. Some of the votive candles last 24 hours, and are about 2 inches high. The battery powered versions probably last for many days. They are popular in some r...
by Gary
Fri Sep 15, 2006 1:11 pm
Forum: General Discussion
Topic: we just GOTTA come up with a design challenge..
Replies: 9
Views: 6705

1. CNC or stepper motor projects would be welcome. 2. A distance meter project using a hack of the Stanley FatMax True Laser Measurer. To collect distances and output the numbers into a computer or USB cord or thumb drive. As an architect I got a fatmax device for about $100.00 and it works well eno...
by Gary
Fri Sep 15, 2006 12:54 pm
Forum: General Discussion
Topic: Very far-fetched pre-project...
Replies: 23
Views: 14052

Sound is fairly useless in the audible range at least. For these purposes. If I remember correctly, high frequency sound (in the audible range) is very directional, but can be stopped by a very light piece of material. Low frequency sound (in the audible range) penetrates deeper and into heavier mat...
by Gary
Wed May 03, 2006 5:23 pm
Forum: General Discussion
Topic: Measure electric fields underwater...
Replies: 9
Views: 6815

Hammer Head Sharks special head shape helps them find animals under the sand by electric field. A great white shark in captivity was found to bang into the side of the concrete tank wall almost every time it tried to swim around. It turned out there was an electrical anomaly there due the way the st...
by Gary
Tue May 02, 2006 5:19 pm
Forum: General Discussion
Topic: Similar to a solar cell...
Replies: 16
Views: 10998

Using an antenna to harvest electricity may be free, but not without cost. And it could be illegal. You could probably use an old wire fence near a high voltage transmission line, disconnect the ground and get power, but it would be stealing, and you would be caught. Someone's thought of that long a...
by Gary
Tue May 02, 2006 9:00 am
Forum: General Discussion
Topic: 6 Farad Capacitor as scooter battery?
Replies: 11
Views: 8151

Now I know why. Never was that good at math and thought we'd wing it this time. Was hoping 6 Farads would at least be a sizable ride. 100 mfd used to seem like such a large capacitor, I was blinded by size and let hope take over. Motor is probably 200 or 300 watts. Eventually wanted to use it on an ...
by Gary
Mon May 01, 2006 10:51 pm
Forum: General Discussion
Topic: 6 Farad Capacitor as scooter battery?
Replies: 11
Views: 8151

6 Farad Capacitor as scooter battery?

I tried hooking up a 6 farad capacitor <http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=9715034171&rd=1&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWN%3AIT&rd=1> to an old Zapworld.com scooter, but it doesn't seem to work at first crack. The capacitor is 12-24 volt capacity, and has an automatic shutoff ...
by Gary
Thu Mar 02, 2006 5:19 pm
Forum: General Discussion
Topic: A&E show called MindFreak with Chris Angel
Replies: 6
Views: 4917

Re: A&E show called MindFreak with Chris Angel

The bulb trick was probably done with a couple long hairs or nylon thread.

Any technology sufficiently advanced (to a particular audience) will be regarded as magic. Especially if it is insuficiently explained or insuficiently understood by the audience, or if they are carefully misled.
by Gary
Thu Mar 02, 2006 5:11 pm
Forum: General Discussion
Topic: Mechanical equivalent of impedance matching?
Replies: 10
Views: 6979

Re: Mechanical equivalent of impedance matching?

How about "sweet spot"?