Hey, gang.
I got *out there* this morning!
I got up at 4:15 AM and had ice cold coffee left over from yesterday, my
glucosamine and other supplements and medications, a pint of Cheerios and
milk, then turned on the radio, reviewed this thread and had my regular pint
of hot coffee.
Around 5:30 some lady came by beeping the horn on her car asking for the
neighbor, Marivel.
Just before 6 I left and went over (it's only a block) to fire up the
system. I plugged in the motor first and felt _some_ turning of the pedals
as I coasted down Greenwood Drive. I couldn't read the speedo; it was too
dark.
Then I started fooling around with the desk lamp and its 20 W fluorescent
reflector bulb. I clipped it to the seat frame and it lit up first pedaling,
then coasting downhill. I said hello to Wally, out on her daily
constitutional. She lost her husband of 40 years in August a year and a half
ago. After about a half a year she would speak of him with joy in her eyes,
not sadness. That's how people deal with [censored]. It's actually really healthy
to reach such acceptance in only half a year. My mother is still depressed.
We lost my Dad last September, 2003. I digress....but this whole project
started when Linda died.
I'd installed a #14 cork in the derailer mount tube after drilling it on the
Unimat One. Then I glued and screwed in a broom hanger bracket I got in the
dollar section at Shopper's Warehouse to form a steering column retainer to
keep the front end from flopping around when parked. So I clipped the desk
lamp to that thing but the clamp was closed nearly all the way and it wasn't
holding well. What to do?
I tried padding it with a rain poncho in a baggie, the kind you use once and
then can never repack correctly. Too slippery. Then I figured, why not bet
the bank, and put my key case under the clamp. Just right. You use what
works.
With the clamp secured, as soon as I hit a bump, the lamp fell to be
supported against the AC motor. No problem. It lit up right away and
remained lit as I climbed the sidewalk to the end of Greenwood Drive and
descended. Closer to the ground, it might make a decent light for navigating
terrain. I figured I'd end on a high note.
I took a pic of the lamp on the bike. Then I took snaps indoors of all the
major compnents, but there was a lot of visual clutter. I'll upload them
soon and post links. In our new quarter, we'll work at keeping down the
background noise. I pulled a hanging halogen torchiere fixture out of my
trash boxes yesterday. That will help a lot. I have a lamp stand, too, which
provides better lighting than the flash on the camera. It's more
predictable.
I did not notice any impairment in coasting speed with the 20 W bulb on or
off. It seems like I could ride all night. There's a little chain
instability at the large cog. I'm considering a 10-32 shoulder screw in the
generator shaft and a derailer arm on a spring to damp it.
I do feel drag when I pedal with the wooden support under the dual leg
kickstand and the light on, but then I am pedaling by hand, not with my
legs. I haven't got the kickstand leg braces in yet. You can sit and pedal
as is, but the stand is cam-actuated, and without a brace, it wiggles and
wears very quickly. I've worn one out with less than an hour of seated
pedaling. It's on the Peugeot mountain bike now. The kickstand legs are
square and to drill them correctly they need to be chucked four jaw on a
really big lathe with the stand opened, or maybe sleeved, to make them round
so they can be drilled at the right angle to put in spokes which will not
*bend* when the wingnuts are tightened to secure the stand. It won't be
easy. The camera will help.
Please check both groups for two posts made with the AOL newsreader, which
does not cross post. I'll use Outlook Express from now on.
Yours,
Doug Goncz
Replikon Research
Seven Corners, VA 22044-0394