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Date:         Fri, 8 Aug 2008 21:06:04 -0700
Reply-To:     Mike Elliott <camping.elliott@GMAIL.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Mike Elliott <camping.elliott@GMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Re: [NVC] Engineers: quick and cheerful vibration analysis?
Comments: To: Thomas Buese <tombuese@comcast.net>
In-Reply-To:  <AD871BC0-2C27-4334-A935-C76B15050DC5@comcast.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed

Xenon.

-- 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 7:51 PM Thomas Buese wrote:

> 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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