Started to read this article by Stan Van Gundy, the Pelicans coach, expecting something about Lonzo Ball and JJ Reddick and how having Steve Adams changes things. Not about that at all.
Mower Dashboard and Early Blades
Mounted the controls into the dash. Left side is going to be for the blades, right for the drive motor. A volt meter is on the far left to keep tabs on the batteries. Also found the right PVC part, a 2″ plug, that ought to be what I need to hold the blade motor. Shopping on-line is a bit tougher than being able to root around at the big box stores for parts. Looks like I’m pretty much done with the electronics. Onward to the blades.
COVID-19 Thriving in Texas
From the Guardian in the U.K.:
Texas governor’s hands-off approach to Covid-19 has allowed the virus to thrive
Unity Ramen
My ramen has gotten a bit complicated, baroque even. Yesterday evening I realized I had forgotten the sauerkraut. So I made some ramen today so I could get my kraut fix. The usual broth: garlic, ginger, soy, sesame oil. Used flat Vietnamese rice noodles instead of packaged ramen. Some chopped carrot and onion and an egg. Added sauerkraut, togorashi, furikake, chicken, beef and pork, with a bit of avocado at the end.
Friedman vs. Galbraith, 50 Years On
A good read for anyone looking for a different perspective on the economy of the US, and the world. About the depression era ideas of John Kenneth Galbraith. From Foreign Policy.
America Abandoned Its Economic Prophet. The World Embraced Him.
How It Happpens
From the news yesterday:
Joe Rogan, Dave Chappelle, Elon Musk and Grimes have been hanging out in Austin
From today’s news:
Dave Chappelle Tests Positive For Covid-19, Remaining Austin Texas Shows Canceled
New Era Ramen
The first ramen of the Biden-Harris era. Stuffed pork chop. Was thinking about adding some leftover beef and chicken and making it a “unity” ramen. Maybe next time.
This Land
A good BBC article on the Woody Guthrie tune.
This Land is Your Land: America’s other national anthem
British View of US Capitol Riot
Sometimes I like to look at the foreign press to get a perspective on what is going on in the US. A good overview on the reaction to the Capitol Riot from the BBC. I’m have to point out that most of these UK politicians, like Boris Johnson, are Trump allies. Even the far-right Nigel Farrage had pretty harsh words.
Capitol siege: Trump’s words ‘directly led’ to violence, Patel says
Mower Blades
The old mower had two large (19″) blades that weighed in at a couple of pounds each. Since they were spinning at some dangerous speed, they needed a big, heavy (30 lb) deck for safety. And to support all of this there a big heavy pulleys bolted to the deck attached to taut belts that went to the motor. All of this leads to a large, heavy system built like a tank (as they say). I suppose this is good for heavier work, but I’m just mowing a suburban lawn. I am looking to do something smaller and lighter.
The first thing I found were these little scooter motors. 24V 30W for under $20. Use maybe four of them and for a blade In had a look at some of these heavy duty heads for string trimmers. Lots of these steel string trimmer heads on Amazon for $12.
Attaching the shaft of the motor to the blades is a small problem. Found these adapter kits, but they expect a shaft with more threads. Realized I could just use some standard washers and nuts and be done with it. Also re-learned a lesson about metric vs imperial parts. Seems 5/16″ nuts are darn close to 8mm.
Also noticed the motor fit nicely inside a 2″ PVC pipe. PVC. Might be easier to work with. I drilled a “T” and found out the geometry isn’t quite right. Going to try cutting a bit but PVC pipe might not be the way to go.
Also noticed the old blades were offset. I guess this is how they keep from having an unmowed stripe down the middle in the gap between the two blades. Turns out the deck mounting points were also offset a bit, I suppose to account for the offset blades. I was imagining a simpler right-angle design. Another puzzle to solve.
Steven A. Guccione 