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Mechanical Genius photo of the day

Discussion in 'Mini Lounge' started by spaner, Jan 5, 2012.

  1. Wedge

    Wedge Member

    ???? Where in hell did the 27-2 came from lol I feel so dumb or maybe I missed a post but the question was about random answer ... I'm wondering why its not 50 since out of 4 answers 2 are right. Making it a 50% chance of choosing the right answer 25 or if i don't take the logic to far answering a question at random out of 4 answers despite what the answers say its always going to be 25 this logic means if we had 5 choice of answer the answer would be anything that says 20 ..... **** I blew my own mind..... wo
     
  2. spaner

    spaner Well-Known Member

    That was funny. I spilled my coffee...[​IMG]


     
  3. Wedge

    Wedge Member

    ^^ got it haha:eek:
     
  4. spaner

    spaner Well-Known Member

    ...


    How to turn a 100watt bulb into a 5watt bulb.




    [​IMG]



    ...
     

    Attached Files:

  5. greg0187

    greg0187 Moderator Staff Member

  6. fupabox

    fupabox Well-Known Member

    oh that's about as Rube Goldberg as they come....lol wow
     
  7. spaner

    spaner Well-Known Member

    It's like he just won 50 million, and he's got nothing better to do.
    Right idea, wrong application.
     
  8. woodhe1

    woodhe1 Member

    They use these chains a lot on emergency vehicles.
     
  9. spaner

    spaner Well-Known Member

  10. fupabox

    fupabox Well-Known Member

    that's brilliant..gonna try it on a 50cc 2 stroke scooter I'm building...
     
  11. Sambarmon92

    Sambarmon92 Member

    Anyone interested in replacing their JDM headlights to something more legal...... :cool:

    Halogen version:
    xlarge.jpg

    HID version:
    headlight-fix.jpg

    Quantities are limited, so order NOW ! :rolleyes:
     
  12. spaner

    spaner Well-Known Member

  13. greg0187

    greg0187 Moderator Staff Member


    Pretty good read but the author makes it seem like there is something to get excited about. The car makers are just refining fuel consumption with faster computers and adding turbos to boost the power.

    Unthinkable a couple decades ago? Not really.

    Case in point. 1990 300zx TT. Variable valve timing, twin water cooled turbos. That was 24 years ago and I'm sure that technology existed on the racing circuit years before that.

    Now.... I'm surprised the author didn't mention Mazda's SKYACTIV Technology. Rather than improve efficiency with an external aid like a turbocharger or an electric motor, Mazda has devoted its development resources to optimizing the internal-combustion process.

    It will be interesting to see how these engine hold up over the next few years. Can you say Wankel.
     
  14. spaner

    spaner Well-Known Member

    Boom...
    Yea, it's what everyone in mainstream is going to be up to, now. But, it's not new, 20 to 30 years out of date, not what I would describe as "innovation".

    Did you happen to read the comments at the end?

    It is a very good overview "snapshot" of the state of innovation back in the 90's...it's 2012 right?

    So, where's my jet pack?....:sly:
     
  15. greg0187

    greg0187 Moderator Staff Member

    Last edited: Dec 20, 2012
  16. spaner

    spaner Well-Known Member

    We played with this years ago, the problems come in when you are not spinning your tires. The ratio difference causes the cable to fall out of alignment as soon as any of the four tires pulls the truck forward...you get slack. And, if you don't have a rear lock-up, forget it. The free tire just spins, right? If you are in a hole, you are spinning all four, it'll just turn you sideways. Not all the way, but enough to start snapping stuff off. You'd need one on each side, and you'd need to be in a drag situation for the whole pull.

    If you're really in a bad way, what you want is some old fire hose. We used this one time to get my dad's truck out of an old bridge that we had tried to cross, and dropped all four in. Two lengths, three wraps around each rear tire. Not only did it pull itself out, but both rears were able to lift/climb the "straps" out of both holes at the same time. Yea, we ripped the front end to hell though, but got it out.

    After that one we bought the tow-truck winch, and got a 10,000lb pulley block. Might not come out in one piece, but it comes out.
     
  17. greg0187

    greg0187 Moderator Staff Member

    yeah, my thoughts exactly. Not ideal but if I were stuck out in the middle of no where and it was an emergency or had no choice i would cut the tire off a spare... mount it up... and work it for a while. even if i had to move it from left to right in conjunction with brakes in order to get out. There is no way I would pay the $1000 for the kit tho. Thats an expensive piece of emergency equipment.
     
  18. spaner

    spaner Well-Known Member

  19. Daner

    Daner Member

    Apparently these tire chains are not a new idea. According to this site they are called Thorne Anti-Skid Chains.

    http://theoldmotor.com/?p=69148

    And here is a result I scared up with a quick search. This book is from 1917.

    http://books.google.com/books?id=o_...6AEwBQ#v=onepage&q=thorne skid chains&f=false

    Between the old Pop Sci monthly magazines and books like this on google it's a wonder I ever get any of my school papers written. lol

    Just for fun here is a article by Winston Churchill in the May 1932 Pop Sci mag. It's crazy so many of the things they predicted from back then are happening.

    Just scroll down and click on 390. That will bring you right to the article.
    http://books.google.com/books?id=8-EDAAAAMBAJ&q=churchill#v=snippet&q=churchill&f=false
     
  20. spaner

    spaner Well-Known Member

    Thanks for that Daner,

    When I was growing up, my favorite books to read were my grandfather's engineering reference books.
    The size of a pocket book, but 8" thick. We only have the two left now, and my dad and I fight over them all the time.
    After referencing them for 30 years, we still find new and interesting things in them. Lot's of pictures and direct and to the point explanations of what something is for, and how to build it to the application. Steam engine and other hi power pull mechanisms incorporating 3 ton flywheels, are the most interesting sections.
    My grandfather came up to the northern gold fields in the early 1930's, and never left. The family is still here. He never searched for gold, but always had a job with one of the big three of the area. Head engineer for each of them at one time or another.

    I guess the difference now a days, for school books, is that they are mostly, if not all, theory. VS the engineering books of the 1920's, were basically generalized schematics and practical application instructions, with minor theory to reassure the engineer that the application was sound.

    Need to build a hydro electric dam, or a mine site head frame? All you needed was a few of these reference books.
     

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