Sitting in an Airport...wotta yawn. Got the laptop perched on top of the valise. (anybody want to buy a hard sided display case suitable for sales samples or WarHammer figurines? It's Air Canada certified for carry on.) All told, my vacation with the Folks has turned out well...until now. Arrived one hour before departure to be informed that owing to "maintenance issues" my flight would not be departing at 7:45...but instead at 11:25 PM. This has since been updated to 11:48; or "midnight" as we English speakers would have it. Latest update on the story of this flight was that it was out of Halifax, NS bound somewhere southern-like (Carribean?, I've no idea), and there was a medical emergency that necessitated a return to Halifax. This aircraft is now inbound from Halifax to Calgary. I got a couple of "meal" vouchers from WestJet (for a whopping 16$)...I think I'd rather have a 50% discount on my next trip...or an upgrade.
Got to see Karen and the niece and nephews...except Evan. He decided on Friday to stay with his Dad past the weekend and was unable to make Xmas at Grandma's. Karen was a little ticked that the Rundquists didn't say anything about the change in plans until the last minute on Xmas eve. Classy.
Got Mom's new (to her) desktop set up. Transferring the files between the Dell and the new HP was a little tricky; when I tried to mount the Dell's hard disk in the HP...it crashed. The HP has been acting a little un-stable since. I can see I've already got a maintenance call ahead of me in the Spring (or Summer, whenever), when I go back for a visit. I set up the Dell with the spare monitor and keyboard the Folks had kicking around, so there are now two PC's living on Mom's desk.
Mom and Dad are in California on Art's (dad's boss) dime. They were unable to make it to Disneyland as there was some unseasonably WET and WINDY weather in LA (more than typical in California in December, I mean). Too bad; Mom still hasn't been on "Soaring over California". The reason I mention it is because Mom was profoundly stirred by the "America Sings" presentation in 1976. That building, in Tomorrow-Land, has since been re-purposed. "Soaring over California" is the new "America Sings".
Going back to C.B.I. for physio on Monday...and I have to drop by the HBC offices in the morning, or Tuesday morning, to get some vouchers signed off. Also must remember that tax information form for WSBC so they know how much to keep paying me before my "early and safe return to work" plan kicks in.
Next on the Agenda is to set up the remaining HP desktop unit + goodies for Susan. She'll be without a PC come the new year 'cause her ex took theirs with him. She's got a work-from-home gig coming up and she NEEDS this unit. All good to me, 'cause it means I can empty one of the storage bins that are crowding the project table that Colin and I want to build Rockets on.
Got to see Keith. He's living just north of Lethbridge, and working for the GEEK SQUAD of the Lethbridge Best Buy. He ROCKS this gig. We went to dinner on Friday eve and I was supposed to get him at 6:30 for his end of shift. Instead, I arrived late to find him poring over a macbook pro that had apparently run out of hard disk space. Wouldn't boot, wouldn't do anything. Watched as Maestro Keith did a command line re-write of the drive and convinced it to dump about 2 gigabytes of superfluous log files and backups. 30 mins later, the mac is working brilliantly and the customer happily paid the 104$ OS install fee. That's not what he did...but that's what they decided to bill it as. What he actually did is the kind of thing you would normally send a unit back to the national service center in Toronto for. A manufacturer-level fix.
Speaking of manufacturer-level fixes:
Since I've got the time, I'm going to tell you how I got that mainspring back into the pull starter on VJ's echo line trimmer. Newer models have a sheet metal "keeper" that holds the spring even if the pulley that holds it inside the housing is removed. As I mentioned before, this early model trimmer lacks that refinement. SO: the problem is to keep the spring wound, and immobile long enough to get the pulley in place over top of it, then bolt the whole thing to the starter housing. At the factory, this is done with a jig, and a special press.
I don't have those.
Winding the spring was no problem; put a couple nails in a scrap of wood and use the fitting on the center of the pulley to wind the spring up until it is slightly smaller than the diameter of the pulley. Keeping it wound is no problem either; use 3 zip ties (in a sort of triangle configuration) to hold the wound spring around its circumference. Getting it back into the housing with the zip ties around it ... that is a problem. The zip ties around the circumference of the wound up spring make it too big to fit into the housing. Even if you could slip the spring out of the zip tie "keeper" and into the housing, there is no way to keep it in there.
I used three copper paper clips, tapped and formed with a kraft hammer and using a door hinge pin as a tamper. The clips slipped into the spaces provided by the three zip tie clasps (at each corner of the triangle, as it were), and once wound tight and formed around the spring , they held it in place and allowed me to remove the zip tie "keeper". The clips were only a couple of mm thick, so the spring fit quite easily into the housing. Next step was to use two 4" c-clamps to hold down the spring while I cut the clips. I backed off one c-clamp just enough to cut away and remove the first two clips; then re-tightened it and loosened the other c-clamp, then cut away and removed the third clip. Now: how do I remove the clamps and get the pulley back in there without the spring flying out of there again?
I froze it.
I used wax (thanks, Babybels!) to plug the hole the starter cord comes out of, then filled the housing, c-clamps and all, with water - up to the top of the fitting for the pulley. After a couple hours in the freezer, I took the assemblage out and fired up the old 65 Watt soldering pencil. I melted the ice around the foot of one of the c-clamps, and removed it. I re-filled the melted hole with water and stuck the starter housing back in the fridge for a couple more hours; then removed the remaining c-clamp, re-filled, and re-froze.
So now I've got the spring wound up, in the housing, held in place by a 1/2" cake of ice over top of it. I removed the wax plug, and melted the ice immediately around the fitting in the center of the housing where the pulley attaches. I bolted down the pulley...and waited for the rest of the ice to melt; tightening the bolt a little more every few minutes while I waited. After the pulley was bolted down completely, I treated the starter with compressed air, aerosol part cleaner, and WD-40. Installed the pull cord and VOILA' - good as new!
I'm just that good sometimes.
Sunday, December 30, 2012
Thursday, December 06, 2012
There are times when a major inconvenience can be a blessing in disguise.
Our most recent move, for instance.
Grant and Kathy got their move out of the old place done by the 27th of October. All their worldly goods had been moved out of the old place and crammed into the new. This caused some logistical problems. I had a few larger items: the TV and cable drum it sits on, my couch and my waterbed. I gave Grant until the 31 to clear me a passage through the garage in the new house so I could get at my door and get these items moved in. He did so. I arranged for help on the night of the 31st and the 1st to get the items moved and give myself time to clean the carpets, counters and the kitchen appliances.
I got up at the usual time for work on the morning of the 31st, and made the usual trip to the bathroom for my morning communion with the water-closet...
...to find an inch or three of standing water in the bathroom, and more coming from under the kitchen counter.
My bedroom, with the still-full queen-sized waterbed bladder (sitting on a flimsy particle-board sub-frame), is between the bathroom and the kitchen. I realised I wasn't going in to work...as I had to get that waterbed drained before the frame got soaked and collapsed under the weight of the bladder.
That took two hours, by which time the water did soak the sub-frame and rendered it unusable.
S'Okay. I had no room for a queen waterbed in the new place anyway. My lovely waterbed, with its now-damaged frame, went to the landfill. I'm sleeping on a brand new loft bed with a brand new foam mattress.
We suspect the flooding is a result of the property owners refusing to pay to have the foundation drainage of the house connected to the new storm drain line the city installed a few months ago; after which the city also filled in the drainage ditch on the west side of the property. That house didn't have terrific drainage to begin with, and the flooding in the backyard, the garage, and eventually the house, (which is still on-going as of this writing) seemed inevitable. It made some hurry for Grant and Kathy to get their stored stuff out of the garage before it all got waterlogged. Ironically, they had just got finished cleaning the carpets downstairs the night before the flooding started. I, of course, didn't bother cleaning the carpets in my place as they were going to have to be replaced anyways. The landlords still made me clean the oven, fridge, and counter tops (splish splash) and would not release the Hastings' damage deposit until I had done so. Some people, I tell ya!
With the closure of the Annex I had hoped to be back to work as usual in the Central Stock department at our main building. Not a chance.
Central stock has gone from 2 shifts (down from three) and 16 staff; to 1 shift and 8 staff...or less. Wade, Barry, Heather, Mike, Sanjee, Gurmej, Marv, and Amresh. All of whom are higher on the seniority list than I. For all practical purposes, this means there will be no further vacancies in Central Stock until someone retires...or dies. All other W2 staff formerly associated with the department have been "loaned out" to other departments.
This is how I found myself in Major Home Fashions ( the department formerly known as Big Ticket). My day now consists primarily of wrestling mattresses and humping refrigerators...
That's not a pithy witticism...that's what I actually do all day.
Or rather, that's what I did all day: up until November 6th, when I tried to haul a walkie battery weighing several hundred pounds with a crate hook - sideways - and succeeded...in straining my lower back.
We've been here before, haven't we?
Lucky me; because of the previous experience with Lower Back Injury, I know now that one does NOT wait a few days while the discomfort and pain get worse and worse before doing something about it. I went and reported the injury immediately, and got Dave to put some ice on it at the First Aid station. They sent me home in a cab, which I had drop me off at the clinic on Scott Rd and 84th, after which, I got Grant to take me home. My car had to stay where it was for a the next 5 days. Armed with doctor's orders to rest, and a prescription for Naproxen and Benzaprine; I did my best to stay "off" my back for a few days.
Of course...our HR department at work started jonesing right away about their "Safe and Early Return to Work Plan". Huzzah.
After a week or two, WorkSafe BC got involved (the department formerly known as the Workers Compensation Board). I now have a case worker / nurse whose first bit of advice was to immediately find myself a physiotherapist. I did so, in the person of Coral Bates of the Scott Road Physio clinic. She's a real sweetie! Easy on the eyes too...
Alas, my Physio Nirvana was not to last long, because HBC ran out of modified duties for me to perform at work. (I was doing six hour shifts hanging garments in Put To Store for the Top Shop project.) I was put on layoff for a couple of days, at which point my WorkSafe case worker informed me that as I was on layoff, I had to enroll in Occupational Rehabilitation Therapy right away...or they couldn't keep paying me.
Both my Doctor and Physiotherapist felt OR Therapy might be a little premature...but not to worry; by hook or crook, I've managed to delay the actual onset of the WCB Health Club for Broken People for a few days and the financial downside hasn't been bad at all. So: next week (after a follow up with my MD to get my blood pressure checked - oops!, I forgot that last time!) I begin daily sessions of physical training and exercise designed to build me up and equip me with the knowledge I need to maintain that physical level so I DON'T get another back injury in the future.
Know what else would prevent me getting hurt at HBC? Finding another job that doesn't require wrestling mattresses and humping refrigerators!
I'm going to discuss scheduling with my OR Therapy clinic tomorrow. I want to take a day out next week for a Career Development Seminar at LDS Employment Services.
Our most recent move, for instance.
Grant and Kathy got their move out of the old place done by the 27th of October. All their worldly goods had been moved out of the old place and crammed into the new. This caused some logistical problems. I had a few larger items: the TV and cable drum it sits on, my couch and my waterbed. I gave Grant until the 31 to clear me a passage through the garage in the new house so I could get at my door and get these items moved in. He did so. I arranged for help on the night of the 31st and the 1st to get the items moved and give myself time to clean the carpets, counters and the kitchen appliances.
I got up at the usual time for work on the morning of the 31st, and made the usual trip to the bathroom for my morning communion with the water-closet...
...to find an inch or three of standing water in the bathroom, and more coming from under the kitchen counter.
My bedroom, with the still-full queen-sized waterbed bladder (sitting on a flimsy particle-board sub-frame), is between the bathroom and the kitchen. I realised I wasn't going in to work...as I had to get that waterbed drained before the frame got soaked and collapsed under the weight of the bladder.
That took two hours, by which time the water did soak the sub-frame and rendered it unusable.
S'Okay. I had no room for a queen waterbed in the new place anyway. My lovely waterbed, with its now-damaged frame, went to the landfill. I'm sleeping on a brand new loft bed with a brand new foam mattress.
We suspect the flooding is a result of the property owners refusing to pay to have the foundation drainage of the house connected to the new storm drain line the city installed a few months ago; after which the city also filled in the drainage ditch on the west side of the property. That house didn't have terrific drainage to begin with, and the flooding in the backyard, the garage, and eventually the house, (which is still on-going as of this writing) seemed inevitable. It made some hurry for Grant and Kathy to get their stored stuff out of the garage before it all got waterlogged. Ironically, they had just got finished cleaning the carpets downstairs the night before the flooding started. I, of course, didn't bother cleaning the carpets in my place as they were going to have to be replaced anyways. The landlords still made me clean the oven, fridge, and counter tops (splish splash) and would not release the Hastings' damage deposit until I had done so. Some people, I tell ya!
With the closure of the Annex I had hoped to be back to work as usual in the Central Stock department at our main building. Not a chance.
Central stock has gone from 2 shifts (down from three) and 16 staff; to 1 shift and 8 staff...or less. Wade, Barry, Heather, Mike, Sanjee, Gurmej, Marv, and Amresh. All of whom are higher on the seniority list than I. For all practical purposes, this means there will be no further vacancies in Central Stock until someone retires...or dies. All other W2 staff formerly associated with the department have been "loaned out" to other departments.
This is how I found myself in Major Home Fashions ( the department formerly known as Big Ticket). My day now consists primarily of wrestling mattresses and humping refrigerators...
That's not a pithy witticism...that's what I actually do all day.
Or rather, that's what I did all day: up until November 6th, when I tried to haul a walkie battery weighing several hundred pounds with a crate hook - sideways - and succeeded...in straining my lower back.
We've been here before, haven't we?
Lucky me; because of the previous experience with Lower Back Injury, I know now that one does NOT wait a few days while the discomfort and pain get worse and worse before doing something about it. I went and reported the injury immediately, and got Dave to put some ice on it at the First Aid station. They sent me home in a cab, which I had drop me off at the clinic on Scott Rd and 84th, after which, I got Grant to take me home. My car had to stay where it was for a the next 5 days. Armed with doctor's orders to rest, and a prescription for Naproxen and Benzaprine; I did my best to stay "off" my back for a few days.
Of course...our HR department at work started jonesing right away about their "Safe and Early Return to Work Plan". Huzzah.
After a week or two, WorkSafe BC got involved (the department formerly known as the Workers Compensation Board). I now have a case worker / nurse whose first bit of advice was to immediately find myself a physiotherapist. I did so, in the person of Coral Bates of the Scott Road Physio clinic. She's a real sweetie! Easy on the eyes too...
Alas, my Physio Nirvana was not to last long, because HBC ran out of modified duties for me to perform at work. (I was doing six hour shifts hanging garments in Put To Store for the Top Shop project.) I was put on layoff for a couple of days, at which point my WorkSafe case worker informed me that as I was on layoff, I had to enroll in Occupational Rehabilitation Therapy right away...or they couldn't keep paying me.
Both my Doctor and Physiotherapist felt OR Therapy might be a little premature...but not to worry; by hook or crook, I've managed to delay the actual onset of the WCB Health Club for Broken People for a few days and the financial downside hasn't been bad at all. So: next week (after a follow up with my MD to get my blood pressure checked - oops!, I forgot that last time!) I begin daily sessions of physical training and exercise designed to build me up and equip me with the knowledge I need to maintain that physical level so I DON'T get another back injury in the future.
Know what else would prevent me getting hurt at HBC? Finding another job that doesn't require wrestling mattresses and humping refrigerators!
I'm going to discuss scheduling with my OR Therapy clinic tomorrow. I want to take a day out next week for a Career Development Seminar at LDS Employment Services.
Thursday, October 18, 2012
Okay...time to clean house.
I'm at the folks place in Cardston, Alberta. Been here a couple of weeks now. Helping Mom get a few things done around the house and putting out some feelers in the area for a new job. Still; I'm heading back to the Lower Drainland come the 26th of this month, which is next Friday. I took a few weeks off (unpaid) to help the folks and look into a few new career possibilities, yes; but what I really came out for was for an unfinished project: Mom and Dad's 2002 Mazda sedan.
I just don't have the vinegar in me to finish this sucker.
It started out as a ring job. Straightforward, no? Just pop off the cylinder head, pull the oil pan, remove the pistons, hone, re-ring and re-install...simple, right?
Wrong.
The year previous to this model, a new 2.0 liter engine was offered to replace the standard 1.8 liter. Slightly bigger engine in the same size engine bay has the same effect as the same size engine in a smaller engine bay: stuff gets moved around. In this instance, the "stuff" was two of the bolts used to hold on the "engine baffle".
Okay, see the red circle up there? That's where a couple of bolts that hold the "engine baffle" in place are. Notice how the "engine baffle" is an actual solid bulkhead between the crankcase and the oil pan -- with some drip holes, sure, but it makes it impossible to access the crankshaft and pistons without removing the baffle first.
I'm at the folks place in Cardston, Alberta. Been here a couple of weeks now. Helping Mom get a few things done around the house and putting out some feelers in the area for a new job. Still; I'm heading back to the Lower Drainland come the 26th of this month, which is next Friday. I took a few weeks off (unpaid) to help the folks and look into a few new career possibilities, yes; but what I really came out for was for an unfinished project: Mom and Dad's 2002 Mazda sedan.
I just don't have the vinegar in me to finish this sucker.
It started out as a ring job. Straightforward, no? Just pop off the cylinder head, pull the oil pan, remove the pistons, hone, re-ring and re-install...simple, right?
Wrong.
The year previous to this model, a new 2.0 liter engine was offered to replace the standard 1.8 liter. Slightly bigger engine in the same size engine bay has the same effect as the same size engine in a smaller engine bay: stuff gets moved around. In this instance, the "stuff" was two of the bolts used to hold on the "engine baffle".
 |
| Part number 14 in the Diagram I pinched off the 'Net. |
Now note that those two bolts circled in red are inside the casting!!! Positioned immediately next to the transmission bell.
Which means...?
YOU HAVE TO DISMOUNT THE *&^%$#@@!!! TRANSMISSION TO GET AT THEM!
If there was an Academy Awards for automotive engine design, I would happily nominate this engine for Stupidest Design Flaw That Could Have Been Avoided.
I was game to try, I admit. I tried last time I was here in March. I tried again (and again) this week. I've thus far come within a hairsbreadth of dropping the transmission onto the garage floor -- twice! I've spent 200$ on tools and sundries to try to make further progress on this car and I just...can't. Everything I've tried to do, I've had problems with. I broke both front ball joints, I broke a new breaker bar. I've gone through TWO sets of 1/2" extenders. I've practically dis-assembled the entire front end of the car and even if I somehow manage to get that baffle off...I'm still going to end up screwing around with re-assembly and dis-assembly before I can get the rings swapped, the engine re-assembled, and the transmission re-mounted.
I really just want to chuck it all, you know?
It's not like I don't already have other projects waiting on me here. Karen gave me a Dell laptop that needs to have its screen connector re-connected. The Acer laptop I fixed for her lost its wireless. In that instance; I'm going to recommend a mini-USB wireless adapter.
I also have other projects waiting at home. Colin and I have model rockets to build. With the help Erik gave me with the Passat, I now know the car is in good shape and I ought to get it back on the road. Baaska's laptop needs a new hard disk, Ramesh wants me to fix his kids' computer again...
Sometimes it's hard not to feel overwhelmed, you know?
I have been able to get a few things accomplished with my time here. I spent a day at the LDS services center in Lethbridge, going over my work experience and getting my new resume' done. I've now got an account with LDS services and with the Job Bank. I'm checking daily, and sending out resumes' to anything that looks interesting. Tomorrow I'm going to try to arrange for a few minutes with a company in Lethbridge that has definite career potential. Just to be thorough, I'm also sending out resumes' to companies in the Lower Mainland. It's nice to have a job to go back to...but only if I have to.
The only other major accomplishment was getting the garage cleaned up (apart from the dis-assembled car in it), and finally dealing with that unholy-travesty-bio-hazard-eldritch-terror that was my parents' (accidentally defrosted for three weeks) freezer.
Saturday, September 15, 2012
Been a long time...again.
I'm not sure I like Bloggers new look, but I suppose I can live with it. For this entry, I think I will start where I'm sitting...and move outward.
First is the new computer. A Dell Precision 490 workstation with WAY more power than the custom Asus machine I was using. I've got it sitting at the foot of my massive waterbed on a little Ikea-esque desk I bought from JYSK a few months back. It has all the toys; webcam, mike, internet phone link and a printer/scanner/copier that is sitting on a rack above the desk...bolted to the wall.
I am so going to miss this place when we move out.
Oh yeah; I suppose I should mention us getting evicted. This summer, and past spring, the Landlord spent a little money sprucin' the place up a bit. We got a new coat of paint, a new backyard fence, some new woodwork on the back deck...
Note that exactly none of that was requested, or required. This is just how the management company that acts as Landlord for the Owners decided their yearly budget ought to be spent. I can hardly blame them; between the brand new United Church on the north side of our property and Mr. Avtar's new house on the south side, this place was looking like a dump.
Mind you, what the place needs is new double-glazed windows and new non-drafty-and-non-dry rotted doors. A new furnace would have been nice. Kathy told the Landlord that we would not be signing the lease renewal unless they could at least address the furnace issue. They said; "see ya!". Silly people. Mind you, we're still probably going to fix the garage door for them...'cause we need for it to be able to open in order to get our stuff out of it. This will require dis-assembly of a very heavy (and ALSO dry rotted) solid wood garage door about 10 ft wide. Has some damaged hardware too...
Hmm. Got sidetracked a bit there. What was I doing in the garage already? Okay, lets move over to the living room next...
Starting at the fireplace, we've got the toolbox holding all the Model Rocket Gear...
I got Colin into Model Rocketry. Just like his old man, the boy has taken to "blowing stuff up" (under controlled conditions) really well. His catch phrase when pressing the launch button on our Estes Electron Beam Launch Controller (tm) is; "SUCK IT, PHYSICS!!!". We've lost 4 ready-made models this summer after about 18 launches (or six packs of engines, if you prefer...). Our most reliable model was an Estes Loadstar, with 10 Launches and 9 successful recoveries. That's right, the remaining three models accounted for only 8 launches between them. Heck, the Cosmic Cobra didn't even open its parachute! The shuttle express had 4, and the Athena had 2, and a "frankenflight" of the Loadstar with the Athena's nose cone had 1 flight...which crashed. The Loadstar was repaired after the crash, but never really flew straight after that. It's up a tree somewhere east of Crescent Park School's ball field.
We learned from our mistakes. Our current ready-made is a bit fancy: an Estes SkyTraxx, with a 3 piece nose cone suitable for carrying a small payload. We've also moved up to D class rockets.
The back story behind the move to bigger and better goes like this: One of my many Facebook friends is a former Single Adult Ward alumnus named Roger Tewson. Rog is a EMT these days and he's been following our rocketry exploits on my page for awhile. A few months back he asked me how best to get himself and his boys started in the hobby, and I obliged. He bought his youngest son the Estes Moon Mutt mini-A class kit...and himself and his older son the starter kit with the Estes Amazon and Crossfire models. The Amazon is 34" tall...way bigger than our somewhat battered Loadstar. That's right folks...I got Rocket Envy.
So, our next model was a level one D class kit: the Estes Stormcaster.
It's very similar in design to a Canaroc kit I built when I was Colin's age: the Black Brant V. The Black Brant series is still in use in Canada and other Commonwealth countries...but sadly Canaroc, and the models based on the Black Brant sounding rockets are no longer available.
Okay, so what else is there in the living room? Well, there's my workbench. I bought a PVC folding table and a couple folding chairs for it. It's the nexus for most of my Projects.
Ah yes...my Projects.
I have discovered that I need Projects to keep me...sane.
Currently there's a couple of HP workstations that I got from Sister Williams. One has been donated already to my friend Tony, and the other is being used by Colin; 'cause he killed his Dell laptop after spilling water on it. Teens with expensive electronics? Buy the extra warranty coverage! I still have another of those HP's and the previously mentioned Asus system to find homes for. I've got Colin's system hooked into that boom box that used to belong to Laurie's Opa. Sounds awesome. I've been using it to dub my CD collection onto tapes (reversal of fortune, no?) as the new mini van's CD changer doesn't work (I removed it), but it's tape deck does. What else gets done on there? Well, we built the Stormcaster on it, (and when I say "we", I do mean both of us; Colin helped) and I performed a Minor Mechanical Miracle there.
The MMM came about when Vijay was trying to replace the pull cord on his Echo gas powered line trimmer. I've read the manual for that model and there ought to be a warning something like this: "CAUTION: under NO circumstances should the user of this trimmer EVER REMOVE THE PULLEY FROM THE PULL STARTER UNIT."
Newer model trimmers made by Echo and other manufacturer's now include a sheet-metal retainer inside the pull starter housing to keep the clockwork spring in place...but this was an older model and it lacked that refinement. So, Vijay removed the pulley, the retaining bolt flew to the far corner of his shed, and the clockwork spring SPRANG out of its housing and darn near took his eye out...
...and he asked me to try to put it back together.
I did some due diligence: I had a consult with the guys at Fraser Valley Tools in Surrey, and reviewed a few YouTube videos on the subject. The consensus from all sources was that getting that clockwork spring re-wound and getting it to sit still long enough to get the pulley back in place over top of it was absolutely and unquestionably IMPOSSIBLE - without the factory tools and jigs used to put it in there in the first place.
Took me nearly a month to figure it out.
I have discovered a native talent for mechanical assembly: If I can envision it in my mind, I can make it work. If I can't see it...that is, if the "simulation", the mental model I've built of a procedure in my mind doesn't work...I can't do it. If I can see it working, I can do it. If I envision it, and I can't see it working...I keep thinking about it until I find a way that it can work.
I would love to describe how I pulled this off, but I think I'll leave it for another post. Are we at the front door yet? Yes? Good, let's go outside.
First thing in view is the Van. I'm rather pleased with it. It really proved its worth today as we participated in the annual Thanksgiving Food Drive for the Surrey Food Bank. We picked up two routes in Delta and transported a third to the depot at the 126th street chapel. We also did a little overtime chasing missed pickups in the area. I had to bribe Colin to get him to come along, but it worked. It's going to come in handy when I move.
Further outward yet and what do we have? My neighbor Roy Crabb. An incredibly interesting man. He's recently joined our Ward and is a fellow Ward Missionary. I have a lot of respect for the man. He's also going to be the subject of another, later, post.
Beyond that there's Church, and Work, and Phil's hobby hut; that last being a place that Colin and I have made frequent pilgrimage to in search of engines, models, and other Rocketry sundries.
Oh! Church! I almost forgot; my eldest niece, Shayla Marie Hastings...is getting married next week at the Vancouver Temple. I will be attending.
Work has been awesome...and it's about to end. I am saddened by this. I'll tell ya more about it later.
I'm not sure I like Bloggers new look, but I suppose I can live with it. For this entry, I think I will start where I'm sitting...and move outward.
First is the new computer. A Dell Precision 490 workstation with WAY more power than the custom Asus machine I was using. I've got it sitting at the foot of my massive waterbed on a little Ikea-esque desk I bought from JYSK a few months back. It has all the toys; webcam, mike, internet phone link and a printer/scanner/copier that is sitting on a rack above the desk...bolted to the wall.
I am so going to miss this place when we move out.
Oh yeah; I suppose I should mention us getting evicted. This summer, and past spring, the Landlord spent a little money sprucin' the place up a bit. We got a new coat of paint, a new backyard fence, some new woodwork on the back deck...
Note that exactly none of that was requested, or required. This is just how the management company that acts as Landlord for the Owners decided their yearly budget ought to be spent. I can hardly blame them; between the brand new United Church on the north side of our property and Mr. Avtar's new house on the south side, this place was looking like a dump.
Mind you, what the place needs is new double-glazed windows and new non-drafty-and-non-dry rotted doors. A new furnace would have been nice. Kathy told the Landlord that we would not be signing the lease renewal unless they could at least address the furnace issue. They said; "see ya!". Silly people. Mind you, we're still probably going to fix the garage door for them...'cause we need for it to be able to open in order to get our stuff out of it. This will require dis-assembly of a very heavy (and ALSO dry rotted) solid wood garage door about 10 ft wide. Has some damaged hardware too...
Hmm. Got sidetracked a bit there. What was I doing in the garage already? Okay, lets move over to the living room next...
Starting at the fireplace, we've got the toolbox holding all the Model Rocket Gear...
I got Colin into Model Rocketry. Just like his old man, the boy has taken to "blowing stuff up" (under controlled conditions) really well. His catch phrase when pressing the launch button on our Estes Electron Beam Launch Controller (tm) is; "SUCK IT, PHYSICS!!!". We've lost 4 ready-made models this summer after about 18 launches (or six packs of engines, if you prefer...). Our most reliable model was an Estes Loadstar, with 10 Launches and 9 successful recoveries. That's right, the remaining three models accounted for only 8 launches between them. Heck, the Cosmic Cobra didn't even open its parachute! The shuttle express had 4, and the Athena had 2, and a "frankenflight" of the Loadstar with the Athena's nose cone had 1 flight...which crashed. The Loadstar was repaired after the crash, but never really flew straight after that. It's up a tree somewhere east of Crescent Park School's ball field.
We learned from our mistakes. Our current ready-made is a bit fancy: an Estes SkyTraxx, with a 3 piece nose cone suitable for carrying a small payload. We've also moved up to D class rockets.
The back story behind the move to bigger and better goes like this: One of my many Facebook friends is a former Single Adult Ward alumnus named Roger Tewson. Rog is a EMT these days and he's been following our rocketry exploits on my page for awhile. A few months back he asked me how best to get himself and his boys started in the hobby, and I obliged. He bought his youngest son the Estes Moon Mutt mini-A class kit...and himself and his older son the starter kit with the Estes Amazon and Crossfire models. The Amazon is 34" tall...way bigger than our somewhat battered Loadstar. That's right folks...I got Rocket Envy.
So, our next model was a level one D class kit: the Estes Stormcaster.
It's very similar in design to a Canaroc kit I built when I was Colin's age: the Black Brant V. The Black Brant series is still in use in Canada and other Commonwealth countries...but sadly Canaroc, and the models based on the Black Brant sounding rockets are no longer available.
Okay, so what else is there in the living room? Well, there's my workbench. I bought a PVC folding table and a couple folding chairs for it. It's the nexus for most of my Projects.
Ah yes...my Projects.
I have discovered that I need Projects to keep me...sane.
Currently there's a couple of HP workstations that I got from Sister Williams. One has been donated already to my friend Tony, and the other is being used by Colin; 'cause he killed his Dell laptop after spilling water on it. Teens with expensive electronics? Buy the extra warranty coverage! I still have another of those HP's and the previously mentioned Asus system to find homes for. I've got Colin's system hooked into that boom box that used to belong to Laurie's Opa. Sounds awesome. I've been using it to dub my CD collection onto tapes (reversal of fortune, no?) as the new mini van's CD changer doesn't work (I removed it), but it's tape deck does. What else gets done on there? Well, we built the Stormcaster on it, (and when I say "we", I do mean both of us; Colin helped) and I performed a Minor Mechanical Miracle there.
The MMM came about when Vijay was trying to replace the pull cord on his Echo gas powered line trimmer. I've read the manual for that model and there ought to be a warning something like this: "CAUTION: under NO circumstances should the user of this trimmer EVER REMOVE THE PULLEY FROM THE PULL STARTER UNIT."
Newer model trimmers made by Echo and other manufacturer's now include a sheet-metal retainer inside the pull starter housing to keep the clockwork spring in place...but this was an older model and it lacked that refinement. So, Vijay removed the pulley, the retaining bolt flew to the far corner of his shed, and the clockwork spring SPRANG out of its housing and darn near took his eye out...
...and he asked me to try to put it back together.
I did some due diligence: I had a consult with the guys at Fraser Valley Tools in Surrey, and reviewed a few YouTube videos on the subject. The consensus from all sources was that getting that clockwork spring re-wound and getting it to sit still long enough to get the pulley back in place over top of it was absolutely and unquestionably IMPOSSIBLE - without the factory tools and jigs used to put it in there in the first place.
Took me nearly a month to figure it out.
I have discovered a native talent for mechanical assembly: If I can envision it in my mind, I can make it work. If I can't see it...that is, if the "simulation", the mental model I've built of a procedure in my mind doesn't work...I can't do it. If I can see it working, I can do it. If I envision it, and I can't see it working...I keep thinking about it until I find a way that it can work.
I would love to describe how I pulled this off, but I think I'll leave it for another post. Are we at the front door yet? Yes? Good, let's go outside.
First thing in view is the Van. I'm rather pleased with it. It really proved its worth today as we participated in the annual Thanksgiving Food Drive for the Surrey Food Bank. We picked up two routes in Delta and transported a third to the depot at the 126th street chapel. We also did a little overtime chasing missed pickups in the area. I had to bribe Colin to get him to come along, but it worked. It's going to come in handy when I move.
Further outward yet and what do we have? My neighbor Roy Crabb. An incredibly interesting man. He's recently joined our Ward and is a fellow Ward Missionary. I have a lot of respect for the man. He's also going to be the subject of another, later, post.
Beyond that there's Church, and Work, and Phil's hobby hut; that last being a place that Colin and I have made frequent pilgrimage to in search of engines, models, and other Rocketry sundries.
Oh! Church! I almost forgot; my eldest niece, Shayla Marie Hastings...is getting married next week at the Vancouver Temple. I will be attending.
Work has been awesome...and it's about to end. I am saddened by this. I'll tell ya more about it later.
Sunday, March 25, 2012
I once asked; "is this a journal, or a quarterly?".
Guess we know the answer to that one.
Spring is on its way here in the Lower Drainland. Pollen is BURSTING forth from dormant flora...and sales of Benadryl are at their yearly high peak. Allergy season is upon us...but I'm not having any sinus trouble.
I'm getting nosebleeds. Much more fun.
No unfortunate incidents as yet, but it is annoying.
On to the news; let's begin with the vehicular situation:
I sold the Golf.
I'm selling the Passat. Once it's ready.
I bought a Mini-Van. I guess I really DID miss ol' Mean Green.
It's a 1997 (thank you, AirCare!) Nissan Quest GXE. All options except the sun roof and the integrated multimedia system. It does have a Kenwood (tm) multi-CD changer under the passenger seat. I still haven't completely figured out all the gadgets on this van. There are buttons on the dashboard that I still don't know what they do!
Next item is computers (what else?), and how I seem to be in the re-homing business. I don't go looking for these machines...they just show up. I thought I had only one desktop tower to get rid of and then my Ex up and asks me if I wanted back the custom Acer that I traded to Colin for the Dell I bought him last year. The Dell itself was upgraded to the max and offered (along with a flat screen monitor) as a door prize at our Scout Troop fundraiser. It's living at the Inlayo's house now. I was also fixing a laptop for Marv, and it seems I'm not done there yet as he was phoning me at odd hours yesterday to set up the wireless networking on it. I wasn't all that available yesterday as I have been spending odd hours myself fixing Kathy and Grant's Sony Viao tower upstairs. They got a piece of malware on it and while the malware got removed fairly easily, it took pieces of Windows XP networking utilities with it. Patricia Williams spent a little time consulting on it over the phone and reached the same conclusion that I had: wipe out the hard drive and re-build the Windows XP install. However, since this is a "work" system, it wasn't that simple. I had to install a secondary drive to take all their data and programs off the primary before I wiped it. Of course, not all the data came along...but so far Kath says she can re-construct what is missing.
There were unforeseen difficulties: like re-installing proprietary Sony Viao device drivers, and getting rid of the Windows Genuine Advantage notification tool; somehow in those 130-plus updates it managed to sneak in despite the best Black Magic I could install. At least it won't ask to be activated...ever.
I was going through an online guide to get rid of the W.G.A. tool and was failing miserably in the "delete the executable and .dll file from the system32 directory". Kept running into a system flag. After 20 minutes of this pointless exercise I facepalmed and exclaimed; "I am going about this all wrong!"...and re-started the system in command-line mode.
DOS can be your friend...but how many users today remember 25-year-old DOS commands and syntax?
Anyways, W.G.A. tool has been banished to a carefully made dungeon and shouldn't be bothering the Hastings' at all. Just like any other piece of nagware, spyware, malware or other things that go bump on your hard drive. I don't care if it IS an offcially liscensed MicroSoft product! I don't want it on my system or any other system, for that matter!
Number three on the list is work. We are finally getting a handle on Manhattan. We've spent the last three weeks on Cycle Counts; attempting to make our actual inventory match up with our virtual inventory. By and large we have done this, but human nature dictates that mistakes are still being made, so this is something we'll have to stay on top of. My section lead, Jackson Jang, is having fits over some of the things I've been doing to keep this process moving forward efficiently, but his boss, Reggie Mahendra, is loving me for it. I'm able to do more with a handheld RF terminal than some of our more "highly-trained" people can do with a system terminal and full access! It just takes a little longer. In short: I know enough to be dangerous...
I thought I had booked off vacation time for Spring Break this week and a vist to my folks in Alberta next week, but I am informed that I actually booked off next month. Will have to look into that. I also have Paul coming for a visit and we'll see what we can do to get together and catch up.
Guess we know the answer to that one.
Spring is on its way here in the Lower Drainland. Pollen is BURSTING forth from dormant flora...and sales of Benadryl are at their yearly high peak. Allergy season is upon us...but I'm not having any sinus trouble.
I'm getting nosebleeds. Much more fun.
No unfortunate incidents as yet, but it is annoying.
On to the news; let's begin with the vehicular situation:
I sold the Golf.
I'm selling the Passat. Once it's ready.
It's a 1997 (thank you, AirCare!) Nissan Quest GXE. All options except the sun roof and the integrated multimedia system. It does have a Kenwood (tm) multi-CD changer under the passenger seat. I still haven't completely figured out all the gadgets on this van. There are buttons on the dashboard that I still don't know what they do!
Next item is computers (what else?), and how I seem to be in the re-homing business. I don't go looking for these machines...they just show up. I thought I had only one desktop tower to get rid of and then my Ex up and asks me if I wanted back the custom Acer that I traded to Colin for the Dell I bought him last year. The Dell itself was upgraded to the max and offered (along with a flat screen monitor) as a door prize at our Scout Troop fundraiser. It's living at the Inlayo's house now. I was also fixing a laptop for Marv, and it seems I'm not done there yet as he was phoning me at odd hours yesterday to set up the wireless networking on it. I wasn't all that available yesterday as I have been spending odd hours myself fixing Kathy and Grant's Sony Viao tower upstairs. They got a piece of malware on it and while the malware got removed fairly easily, it took pieces of Windows XP networking utilities with it. Patricia Williams spent a little time consulting on it over the phone and reached the same conclusion that I had: wipe out the hard drive and re-build the Windows XP install. However, since this is a "work" system, it wasn't that simple. I had to install a secondary drive to take all their data and programs off the primary before I wiped it. Of course, not all the data came along...but so far Kath says she can re-construct what is missing.
There were unforeseen difficulties: like re-installing proprietary Sony Viao device drivers, and getting rid of the Windows Genuine Advantage notification tool; somehow in those 130-plus updates it managed to sneak in despite the best Black Magic I could install. At least it won't ask to be activated...ever.
I was going through an online guide to get rid of the W.G.A. tool and was failing miserably in the "delete the executable and .dll file from the system32 directory". Kept running into a system flag. After 20 minutes of this pointless exercise I facepalmed and exclaimed; "I am going about this all wrong!"...and re-started the system in command-line mode.
DOS can be your friend...but how many users today remember 25-year-old DOS commands and syntax?
Anyways, W.G.A. tool has been banished to a carefully made dungeon and shouldn't be bothering the Hastings' at all. Just like any other piece of nagware, spyware, malware or other things that go bump on your hard drive. I don't care if it IS an offcially liscensed MicroSoft product! I don't want it on my system or any other system, for that matter!
Number three on the list is work. We are finally getting a handle on Manhattan. We've spent the last three weeks on Cycle Counts; attempting to make our actual inventory match up with our virtual inventory. By and large we have done this, but human nature dictates that mistakes are still being made, so this is something we'll have to stay on top of. My section lead, Jackson Jang, is having fits over some of the things I've been doing to keep this process moving forward efficiently, but his boss, Reggie Mahendra, is loving me for it. I'm able to do more with a handheld RF terminal than some of our more "highly-trained" people can do with a system terminal and full access! It just takes a little longer. In short: I know enough to be dangerous...
I thought I had booked off vacation time for Spring Break this week and a vist to my folks in Alberta next week, but I am informed that I actually booked off next month. Will have to look into that. I also have Paul coming for a visit and we'll see what we can do to get together and catch up.