Entropy

Relax in southern comfort on the east bank of the Mississippi. You're just around the corner from Beale Street and Sun Records. Watch the ducks, throw back a few and tell us what's on your mind.
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mediatechnology
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Re: Entropy

Post by mediatechnology »

@Bill have you considered using a conventional "hand-operated" toothbrush?
They don't seem to ever require repair...

@JR - congratulations on seeing the sun. It's been over a week here of near-constant overcast and rain.

For my next project I'm thinking about maintaining the cast iron cookware we have for when we return to the stone age in a few weeks/months.
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JR.
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Re: Entropy

Post by JR. »

billshurv wrote: Mon Apr 06, 2020 5:48 am I've hit a new low recently. I've had to repair a $10 electric toothbrush twice in 2 weeks. First time was some corrosion on the PCB which I cleaned. A week later it had flattened the batteries again and I noticed the rubber seal at the top was not holding water at bay. As nipping to the hardware store is out I decided to go for a make and mend solution, dried and cleaned everythign and daubed in plenty of petroleum Jelly. Should hold for a few more days until I find somewhere with one in stock who can post. Oddly £250 toothbrushes that connect to your phone are plentiful, but ones that actually clean your teeth for sensible money are hard to find!
I've had good luck with braun... not as cheap as they used to be.

JR
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JR.
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Re: Entropy

Post by JR. »

mediatechnology wrote: Mon Apr 06, 2020 7:04 am @Bill have you considered using a conventional "hand-operated" toothbrush?
They don't seem to ever require repair...

@JR - congratulations on seeing the sun. It's been over a week here of near-constant overcast and rain.
we haven't received normal rain fall lately, while water and silt still coming down the rain ditch from uphill.

I have a couple dozen fledgling tomato and pepper plants in my raised bed garden... They weren't getting enough water from my spray bottle, that was fine for sprouts inside the greenhouse, but out in the yard with direct sunlight they need more water.
For my next project I'm thinking about maintaining the cast iron cookware we have for when we return to the stone age in a few weeks/months.
Wouldn't that be the "iron" age? :lol:

JR
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mediatechnology
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Re: Entropy

Post by mediatechnology »

They want to take us back to the stone age but I have to draw the line somewhere. :lol:
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Re: Entropy

Post by billshurv »

mediatechnology wrote: Mon Apr 06, 2020 7:04 am @Bill have you considered using a conventional "hand-operated" toothbrush?
They don't seem to ever require repair...
I converted to electric only a few years ago on advice/orders of dentist. before then I considered electric silly. My first one (braun) was flawless until the battery holder cracked, so I got the £10 special. Running costs seem about the same compared to manual brushes, plus old ones are handy for cleaning other things.

Next up to fix is a B&O remote control. I'll bet inside the nice cast metal case it's just a philips unit :D
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JR.
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Re: Entropy

Post by JR. »

I had to repair my braun once when after years of use, smutz got down inside gumming up the works.

I have noticed a few times the internal (nicad?) battery getting puny... When that happens I sit it on the counter and leave it running until it stops to deep discharge the battery. After that it bounces back.

I have tried using generic brush heads, but they do not work the same or as well as the stock (but more expensive) braun brush heads.

JR
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Re: Entropy

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JR. wrote: Tue Mar 26, 2019 11:48 am
JR. wrote: Wed Aug 08, 2018 12:23 pm P1010288.JPG

OK fixed it, a simple spring in compression works. I had to double up the standard spring to get enough return force, and you can still see the old broken spring (really hard to cut... which may say something about spring's brittleness).

I used cable ties to attach the valve actuation lever to the spring so not a pretty fix... I tried a flat washer on top of the spring but it gets cocked at an angle and drags, locking up.

JR

PS: Yes i know I need to clean my sink... :oops:
The dealer I bought this bottle washer from generously gave me a replacement free when this broke the first time last year. Well the free replacement just broke again, same spring failure at the exact same place.

P1010288.JPG
This picture is my proof of concept using a coil spring in compression, instead of the tiny spring used in torsion mode. You can see the broken old torsion mode spring still hanging from the valve arm.

Since I became email buddies with the bottle washer manufacturer customer service guy, I yanked his chain again, asking if they would provide spare springs so I could repair my now two broken washers (no response to that so far).

He proudly declared that they upgraded the stock spring to deliver 15,000 cycles, surely that would be enough for me. :roll:

I shared some quick back of the envelope math quantifying some 10,000 cycles per year from my typical bottle washing routine, giving his new improved bottle washer a life expectancy of only 18 months. :lol: :lol: The first generation springs obviously less than that.

I haven't heard from him since sharing my life expectancy math.

I did suggest several possible design alternatives.

1- Using a larger diameter coil in torsion mode would reduce the angular travel per cycle for lower fatigue stress, albeit only incremental improvement.

2- coil spring in compression like my proof of concept, but better execution in valve arm attachment to not bind up.

3- coil spring in extension mode, pulling the valve arm back up toward top of outlet tube.

4- perhaps grab coil spring in middle so spring operates in both compression and extension modes at the same time.

The shame is this is the best bottle washer I have found, when it isn't broken. Too nice in other aspects to be disposable.

JR
This thing is trying really hard to be disposable...(<$12 new). I now have three broken ones. :oops:

I talked to a service rep last time and he shared that they redesigned the spring increasing the life. Bzzzt fail.

I still have the service guy's email... I asked him before about a replacement spring, I guess I'll try again... :lol:

I guess I wash a lot of beer bottles.

JR
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Re: Entropy

Post by JR. »

Not purely entropy but I broke my chainsaw handle yesterday. I accidentally dropped a heavy piece of tree trunk on it. Replacement handle on order already... I really like that Stihl... I had the blade sharpened on thurs and it was cutting like butter before I broke it.

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mediatechnology
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Re: Entropy

Post by mediatechnology »

Well it will Stihl work once you get that handle back on...

(Sorry about the pun. Couldn't pass that wide-open door.)
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Re: Entropy

Post by JR. »

mediatechnology wrote: Sun Jun 14, 2020 1:56 pm Well it will Stihl work once you get that handle back on...

(Sorry about the pun. Couldn't pass that wide-open door.)
It Stihl works now :lol: .....but broken handle is not safe.

JR
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