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Date:   Fri, 8 Aug 2008 20:51:55 -0600
Reply-To:   Thomas Buese <tombuese@COMCAST.NET>
Sender:   Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:   Thomas Buese <tombuese@COMCAST.NET>
Subject:   Re: [NVC] Engineers: quick and cheerful vibration analysis?
Comments:   To: Mike Elliott <camping.elliott@GMAIL.COM>
In-Reply-To:   <489CD93F.6020909@gmail.com>
Content-Type:   text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; format=flowed; delsp=yes

On Aug 8, 2008, at 5:39 PM, Mike Elliott wrote:

> Mr B-Z, > > I have been sorting and packing for the past three months. I'm > rounding > the last turn of the racecourse, and am--even as I write this-- > taking a > well-deserved break. This is like packing for a long backpacking > trip, or > a camping trip: I make lists, I sequence things. I overprepare and > overthink things, but I'm usually pleased that I seldom forget > anything or > bring more than I need. I am, in short, ideally-suited to pack up a > house, > a family, and a business, and move them, my stuff, and myself 1,000 > miles > while craftily leaving the hard work (loading the ginormous 26-foot > Penske > truck) to wife and family. Admire me, gentlemen. As you see, the way > I do > things, I leave plenty of time to wonder about The Big Things, like > this > dead horse.

I am so jealous of your organizational skills-On to Bend w/ the proper air pressure!

grin,

Mr BZ-are you using nitrogen in your tires?

> > > -- > Mike "Rocket J Squirrel" Elliott > 71 Type 2: the Wonderbus -- NOW SOLD TO THE BUYER OF OUR HOUSE > 84 Westfalia: Mellow Yellow ("The Electrical Banana") > 74 Utility Trailer. Ladybug Trailer, Inc., San Juan Capistrano > KG6RCR > > > > On 8/8/2008 4:26 PM Tom Buese wrote: > >> Mr. Squirrel, >> >> I can't believe you have time to beat this issue to death when you >> are leaving in 2 days? You must be completely packed & ready to go? >> >> LOL, >> >> Mr. BZ >> >> >> On Aug 8, 2008, at 5:02 PM, Mike Elliott wrote: >> >>> Well. Yes. Of course. One /could/ use such a *sniff* low tech >>> approach. >>> One might as well plant a small boy back there with a video camera, >>> Blair >>> Witch-style, and review the tapes later.* >>> >>> There is something about your solution that I like: it appeals to >>> my inner >>> R. Goldberg. But my inner Mythbuster (read: Grant Imahara) wants >>> accelerometers and graphs. >>> >>> I, personally, would combine your approach with my approach >>> (subjective >>> ball-watching v geeky graphs and stuff AND would add to it some >>> means to >>> inflate/deflate the tires remotely while in motion as well as sense >>> and >>> report back sidewall temperatures. I'm telling you: with sufficient >>> funding this could quickly mushroom into a completely absurd >>> project! >>> >>> ==================== >>> >>> * Actually, if that wasn't so darn dangerous and illegal, it would >>> be a >>> great way to evaluate tire pressure v ride harshness! >>> >>> -- >>> Mike "Rocket J Squirrel" Elliott >>> 71 Type 2: the Wonderbus -- NOW SOLD TO THE BUYER OF OUR HOUSE >>> 84 Westfalia: Mellow Yellow ("The Electrical Banana") >>> 74 Utility Trailer. Ladybug Trailer, Inc., San Juan Capistrano >>> KG6RCR >>> >>> >>> >>> On 8/8/2008 9:41 AM Jim Akiba wrote: >>> >>>> For what you're trying to do, software, sensors and data are way >>>> overboard I think. Match the solution to the problem... you simply >>>> want to be able to verify that at X tire pressure you do or don't >>>> have >>>> an additional level of "bounciness" whatever that means correct? >>>> >>>> What not just grab a cheap video camera, some bungees, a plastic >>>> wide >>>> mouth jar big enough for a tennis ball, a ping pong ball, and a >>>> softball for example(you might need something much heavier/lighter >>>> depending on the displacement and frequency of bounce). Put the >>>> tires >>>> at X pressure, write that on a piece of paper and "show" this to >>>> the >>>> running camera(to link that tire pressure with the video with >>>> certainty) that is now strapped to the trailer and recording the >>>> ball >>>> in the see through plastic container. Ride in a set path that you >>>> will >>>> repeat at whatever speeds you would like. Concentrate on road >>>> safety >>>> and consistency in driving. Change the tire pressure a few times >>>> and >>>> repeat. Simply watch the tape, and "see" what you can see... You >>>> could likely run this test and have an idea of what you want in the >>>> same amount of time it would take to track down a good sensor for >>>> cheap, install the software, run the test, and analyze the data.. >>>> and >>>> I'm almost 100% certain that interpreting the simple visual data >>>> will >>>> be much more intuitive for your average bear than raw numbers... >>>> especially if you aren't sure of what range of displacements and >>>> frequencies you're starting with(which you would really need to >>>> ballpark to even pick the correct sensor) >>>> >>>> Hope this helps, >>>> >>>> Jim Akiba >>>> >>>> On Wed, Aug 6, 2008 at 12:06 AM, Mike Elliott >>>> <camping.elliott@gmail.com> wrote: >>>>> This is a question for the engineering geeks here. >>>>> >>>>> Say you were towing a little trailer behind your Vanagon. Say >>>>> that the >>>>> trailer had a rudimentary suspension consisting only of leaf >>>>> springs. Say >>>>> that this trailer also had tires, the pressure of which could be >>>>> adjusted: >>>>> higher pressure results in a harsher ride, while lower pressure >>>>> results in >>>>> a softer ride. Say you wanted to determine the optimum pressure >>>>> of ride vs >>>>> tire squishiness but were unable to find a small boy to ride in >>>>> that >>>>> trailer to report back about smoothness of ride v tire pressure >>>>> while the >>>>> experiments were being conducted, so lacking that small boy, your >>>>> thoughts >>>>> naturally turn to instrumentation. Okay, so say you had a laptop >>>>> computer >>>>> (WinXP) which could ride in the passenger seat, and /three/ >>>>> business days >>>>> in which to acquire the needed sensor (accelerometer?) as well as >>>>> the >>>>> software to display the ride bounciness. >>>>> >>>>> Could it be done? >>>>> >>>>> -- >>>>> Mike "Rocket J Squirrel" Elliott >>>>> >> >>


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