Space1 Secret Rocket Space Hanger - Part 1

STEP 2: Clearing these trees was part of the operation of constructing a portable rocket space hanger

HOW TO BUILD - PART 1
SPACE1 SECRET ROCKET SPACE HANGER
One can build a non-permanent portable space hanger, that can temporarily house equipment, space machines, transports, and space craft, and/or serve as a rocket tool room. This secret hanger was constructed primarily by one person over a period of about one week. This blog will detail construction, and aspects of portability, while not revealing location.

STEP 1: Site survey during 2015

OVERVIEW
The secret space hanger is made from steel pipe and a durable UV treated and rip-stop poly woven skin. Overall, a site is leveled, a base laid down, and a steel pipe structure is erected and fastened to the base. The structure is made level and proportional, and the bolts and fastener brackets are tightened. Then skin is applied with ropes and tensioned with ratchets. There are three sections of skin, one at the front with the doors, one at the back, and one covering the top and sides. The base is dual anchored, to prevent sliding in strong wind, and to prevent the kiting effect of lift. The end result is a structure that has withstood an excess of 60 mph winds.

The Assembly Manual will show the design is for assembly by 3 to 5 people. The tips provided here show how to assemble by one person. If you are assembling this alone, the instruction manual will need revision. Do not assemble and complete the "trusses" and then try to erect into position as shown by the manual. Do assemble half of the truss, erect the first two and connect together, then add on one additional section at a time. Once this sub section is assembled, one side will be lifted up to attach the remaining pipes. The help of a friend is convenient, or you could put 2 saw horses under the assembly while you attach more pipes.

STEP 1 - SITE SURVEY
The first step is selecting the site by doing a site survey. The site must be large enough to encompass the structure size. As the structure is not permanent, it exhumes a secrecy for space work. The structure is low cost (about $500 for the main package compared to $15,000 for a non portable wood structure) and relatively light weight (it must be anchored when assembled) as it can be disassembled and transported to another location.

STEP 2 - CLEARING TREES
The next step is clearing the site from debris and trees as needed. Clearing trees may take a month, for vehicular and chain saws acquisition, chain saw maintenance and repair, cutting, trimming, loading, hauling, unloading and repeat disposal.

STEP 3 - PURCHASES
Purchase the structure and transport it to the site. Common structures, at different levels of quality, are available online, from Harbor Freight, Home Depot, Menards, and similar hardware stores, like Runnings, Farm & Home Supply, and TSC. This project describes a Menards Round Top Garage version that came in two boxes. Other descriptions include garage in a box and storage shed. This unit is ShelterLogic brand. MENARDS is constantly changing their sale prices. Check here for the latest pricing.

Sort out the components and label the piles of parts, then obtain the additional components needed. Locate the position of the base on the property. Situate the structure away from trees with branches above.

The base is laid out and pipes are being assembled for the top and sides. Do not fully assemble the pipes from top to bottom if the project is being put together by one person.

ADDITIONAL COMPONENTS TO PURCHASE
Additional components to purchase include earth anchors, anchor braided steel wire, wire clamps, rope, three pulleys, front door pipe, and tools. The base will require 2x6" treated perimeter lumber and its assembly hardware. (It takes two connected 12-foot sections for each side and a 14' section for the back) The front requires stubs to hold the front pipes. Purchase 4 pipe clamps to hold each of the two front pipes to the wood stubs. The structure as assembled is 10 feet high, 24 feet deep and 13 feet wide. The perimeter base size is 13'x24'. The hardware includes screws, angle iron, and straight connectors for 2" thick lumber. Although a 13' front base lumber is not needed, it's highly recommended as it will hold the front pipes at left and right, and provide a sturdier front door at the bottom where the wind can move the door in and out. As the back was reinforced, a chain link fence pipe was purchased with two connectors and threaded into the bottom pocket.

TOOLS
Tools and supplies needed for the project include 2 ladders, chainsaw, knife and blades, pole chain saw, oil, truck, tarp, ratchet (socket wrench with attachments), crescent wrench, pliers, scissors, duct tape, power drill, drill bits, level, rubber hammer, regular hammer, metal cut off power tool, sandpaper, wheel borrow, shovel, post hole digger, set of bungee cords, extension cords, lighting, ...

THE FLOOR
The floor is built up from the ground soil with a 4-inch deep layer of pea rock. Make sure the rock is dry when you purchase it, or you'll pay for a lot of extra water weight. The pea rock insulates the vehicles from ground moisture with a filtered granulated layer of air and rock. Rake and level the floor as needed.

to be continued

Cortex Brain Breadboard in a Tray Part 51

CORTEX BRAIN BREADBOARD IN A TRAY PART 51
EACH TRAY HOLDS A BRAIN CORTEX

Take a plastic veggi and rice food tray and recycle it for constructing solderless breadboard brains. The advantage is it holds all the tiny parts and the breadboard, and assembly can take place inside the tray without misplacing and losing any parts. Additionally, the trays holds all the parts collected for assembly, so access to assembly parts is swift. An assembly line could distribute completed parts trays. The photo shows a brain cortex being assembled inside the tray. The jar at left is waiting for the electric brain board.

The tray is ideal for assembly of multiple brain boards. Note the tray holds a double wide breadboard which can hold two Parallax Propeller chips or 16 computers. Also a chip for EEPROM memory can be included with each board. At right is a solar panel. Assembly hints: move the board to the left side and deposit parts on the right side. Another tray can hold assembly tools like a wire strippers, wire cutters, screwdrivers, and meter.

Index to the Brain Cortex
http://humanoidolabs.blogspot.tw/2013/11/brain-cortex-index-part-16.html

Brain Cortex Power Wiring Part 45

BRAIN CORTEX POWER WIRING PART 45
ELECTRIC JUICE  It's time to attack the brain cortex wiring and complete this phase of the project. Let's get some electric juice going! The jar is home to the brain cortex. Every home needs electrical wiring and the brain's jar is no different. The electric juice will power the brain, lighting, speaker, and sensors.

Wire each twin power unit like this

The next step is wiring the power unit. In this procedure, the battery holders are removed and the ends (+ and -) black and red wires are connected together with yellow twists. Be consistent by connecting the wires on the right sides of the twin holders.

Snap in a size D battery into each battery holder.

Insert batteries outside of the jar

Initially we're using Zinc Carbon batteries (Philips LongLife R20).

Now cut four black wires and four green wires, each 5-inches long, and strip the ends. Connect these with yellow twists to the left side wires on the battery holders. Attach a small piece of Scotch tape to insulate

Taped ends prevents shorts

one end of each wire to prevent a short during the installation.

Measure the voltage of each twin power unit. Remember, a twin power unit equals two batteries and two battery holders connected together in series to obtain 3 volts. (The voltage of new batteries not under load

Finished wiring - test shows 3.13 volts

will be slightly higher than 3 volts.)

Reinstall all battery holders, remembering their correct positions to fit into the jar holes.

Gather up all the green wires, insert one 5" length of green solid wire, and twist the ends together with the  yellow twist. Repeat for the red wires. The two lengths of solid wire will connect to the solderless breadboard. Use a plastic clothes pin to hold all the ends together. Test again for voltage. In the test, the meter shows 3.13 volts for new Zinc-Carbon D cell batteries connected together. Note: during this procedure, the Solar Panel red and black wires are left floating. These may connect later to the solderless breadboard.

The Chinese yellow wire twists are sold in Taiwan, in a package of 20 for NT$20 obtained from the dollar store. The brand is manufactured under authority of Sellery Inc. California USA, and the DIY item number is TE-18. http://www.sellerytools.com  886-2-26103915

Note: The battery holders each have a red and black connection wire. Supply a 5-inch length of wire and connect it to the lowest wire nearest to the jar floor. This enables it to reach the top where similar colored wires connect together. 

Index to the Brain Cortex
http://humanoidolabs.blogspot.tw/2013/11/brain-cortex-index-part-16.html 

DIY Miniature Ukulele

Assembling a DIY guitar with ukulele conversion

BIG BRAIN SCIENCE
BUILD A MINIATURE DIY UKULELE FOR SCIENCE EXPERIMENTS

This is the first installment to describe our DIY kit assembly of a very tiny miniature guitar that will be converted to a ukulele for Big Brain science. This tiny instrument fits in one hand and can supplement the larger Quantum Uke, potentially reproducing a larger range of upper octave scales.

Punch-out shapes on 4 balsa wood sheets

Photos are the best guide for assembly

This "made in Taiwan" kit is in half English and half Chinese languages. Instructions are on the box and include a very general overview which is not intended to supply any significant detail or useful information for assembly.

You'll need to refer to the photos and try fitting the pieces. This is where a complicated point arises. There are several pieces that do not fit.

The insertion tabs are over-sized so these need to be trimmed and sanded. The diagram shows the punch out parts found on the four balsa wood sheets.

This section was modified

The tiny photos (use a magnifying glass for viewing the details) may be the most helpful during assembly. The enlargements presented here may be helpful. Note, the guide for string the guitar strings was abandoned as this section was originally non-functional. White wood glue, like Elmers Wood Glue, is not included. We had the Chinese translated to English and again the wording was not useful for assembly - so don't be too concerned over this. Just follow the photos.

Use extra care in punching out the parts. If any sections are difficult to remove from the surrounding balsa wood sheet, remember to use a sharp tipped hobby Exacto knife. Note the section that was modified, to provide actual string tuning pegs. These are small screws fit into glued left over wood pieces. We also substituted taught rubber bands in place of the supplied thread.

Tiny guitar conversion does not need six strings

A Uke has 4 strings and a classical guitar has six. This instrument also works with one string fingered like a violin. Replace the thread with thinner, smaller taut rubber bands. Cost for this project is $6 for the kit, $1 for the glue, plus a Mass Railway Transit fee.

Material
Dimensions
Assembly
Purchase
Instructions
Modifications
Sources
Punching
Refinements
Stringing
Frets
Resonator Chamber
Tuning
Materials

Array Disassembly Reassembly

BIG BRAIN ARRAY DISASSEMBLY AND REASSEMBLY

For moving, shipping, and transport, all Big Brain arrays needed to be disassembled. The challenge was how to take apart these wired breadboards and remember how to reassemble at the destination.

Wires are removed from Array edges

1) The first solution was to photograph all the boards in color detail from various angles.  Each breadboard is unique and has identifying features.

2) The second solution is to use color coded wires. For example, a green connecting ground wire from one breadboard to another was disconnected at one breadboard. In the exact hole position, another green wire was inserted. For reassembly, the wires are matched, although several wires of one color may exist and to sort this out, photos are consulted. Connecting array color codes include black, green, blue, red, salmon, white, orange and yellow wires.