The Engineer's Notebook

Image Gallery using CCK, ImageCache and Views

2010-06-06T08:35:00.000-07:00

This is not as simple as it sounds, and unlike other CMS products out there, you will have to do some research to find something to meet your demands, as not all solutions are equally functional. Some of the features within this solution include...

Images saved as nodes.
Thumbnail images with multiple line descriptions.
Selected image with additional information.
Numeric pager with box outline for each page selection.

While saving each image as a discrete node may put you off, it's the only way to provide some of the other critical features I needed, allowing multiple line descriptions below each thumbnail image in preview mode. None of the single node solutions (that I could find) could do the same thing. My primary goal was to emulate, as much as possible, other photo galleries out on the internet, usually found on commercial websites.

Make sure you have the right modules, installed and enabled. ImageField does not come automatically with CCK, and therefore will have to be installed separately.

CCK - Content, Content Copy, Content Permissions, Fieldgroup, FileField, ImageField, Node Reference, Number, Option Widgets, Text, User Reference

Core optional - Upload (enable)

ImageCache - ImageAPI, ImageAPI GD2, ImageCache, ImageCache UI

Views - Views, Views exporter, Views UI
Define the image dimensions for both the Thumbnail image, used within the gallery, and Normal image, shown after selecting the thumbnail. From the Site Configuration, By module, ImageCache UI menu, select ImageCache.

Add new preset
- Preset namespace: thumbnail

Add Scale And Crop images
- Width: 150
- Height: 150

Add new preset
- Preset namespace: normal

Add Scale
- Width: 800 (depends on your size constraints)
- Height: 600 (depends on your size constraints)
Define all the initial characteristics of the Image node. From Content Management, Content Types menu, select Add contact type.

Identification
- Name: Image
- Type: image
- Description: An image, is a simple method for storing photos to be displayed in an Image Gallery. By default, an image entry does not allow comments and is not featured on the site's initial home page.

Submission Form Settings
- Body field label: Description

Workflow Settings
- Default options: Published, un-check Published to front page.
- Attachments: Disabled

Comment Settings
- Default comment setting: Disabled
Add the field type image to the image content type, and define many of it's characteristics. Select "manage fields" for the image content type just created.

Add New field
- Label: Subtitle
- Field name: field_subtitle
- Type of data to store: Text
- Form element to edit the data: Text field
- Size of textfield: 32

Add New field
- Label: Image
- Field name: field_image
- Type of data to store: File
- Form element to edit the data: Image

Path settings
- File path: images/image_gallery

File size restrictions
- Maximum upload size per file: (depends what you're doing)

Global Settings
- Required: (checked)
- Number of values: 1

Reposition the new fields so that Subtitle appears below Title and Image above Description.
Define which image presets defined earlier within ImageCache will be displayed for this image field. Select Display Fields.

Basic
- Field: Image
- Label: < Hidden>
- Teaser: thumbnail image linked to node
- Full node: normal image
- Field: Subtitle
- Label: < Hidden>
- Teaser: Default
- Full node: Default
Add images to put into the Image Gallery. Use the Teaser Break function within Description after the first line in the Description, to limit what is displayed below the thumbnail image. For each image, use the Content management, Create Content menu, and select Image.

Create Image
- Title: (enter image title)
- Image: (browse and upload)
Create the View that does all the work displaying the Image Gallery. The Image Gallery will display an array of images, with the node Title and Description above the Teaser Break. From the Site Building, Views menu select Add.

Add
- View name: gallery
- View description: Display an array of images that link to content for each image.
- View type: node

Basic settings
- Title: Image Gallery
- Style: Grid
- Use pager: Full pager
- Items to Display: 12
- Header: Full HTML "& nbsp;"

Field
- Add fields: "Content: Image (field_image)"
- Label: None
- Format: Thumbnail image linked to node

- Add fields: Node: Title
- Label: None

- Add fields: "Content: Subtitle (field_subtitle)"
- Trim this field to a maximum length: (checked)
- Maximum length: 16
- Add an ellipsis: (checked)
- Label: None
- Format: Trimmed

- Add fields: "Global: Custom text"
- Label: (delete)
- Text: & nbsp;

Sort criteria
- Add sort criteria: 'Node: Post date"
- Sort order: Ascending

Filters
- Add filters: "Node: Published"
- Published: Yes
- Add filters: "Node: Type"
- Operator: is on of
- Node type: Image

Select "Add display" and choose Page.

Path settings
- Path: gallery
Update your permissions so that your Image Galleries will be visible. From the User Management menu, select Permissions.

imagecache module
- administer imagecache: Authenticated (or other role)
- flush imagecache: Authenticated (or other role)
- view imagecache Normal: Anonymous, Authenticated
- view imagecache Thumbnail: Anonymous, Authenticated

content_permissions module
- edit field_image: Authenticated (or other role)
- edit field_subtitle: Authenticated (or other role)
- view field_image: Anonymous, Authenticated
- view field_subtitle: Anonymous, Authenticated

Your sample image gallery should now be available at http://{site}/gallery page. Feel free to adjust the settings within the image Contact Type, Image Cache, and Views to suit your needs. Have fun!

Source: Learn By The Drop

Publishing via MAMP Pro and DynDNS.com

2010-05-29T07:56:00.000-07:00

Oh, I can't tell you how many hours (and days) I wasted on this one. I'm posting this here in hopes that it was not all in vain, and that I may simplify this for the next poor old chap who is attempting to do the same.

The objective was to do some Drupal development work on the laptop, coding 2 or 3 websites on a local box before uploading to a customer paid for hosting site. This would let me work out any issues before going "live" and causing one of my edits to crash site, and keep the costs down when setting up prototypes for future clients. My tools of choice were MAMP Pro (although you could use another variant based on your platform), and the free services (up to five) offered by DynDNS.com. I choice MAMP Pro over the free version in MAMP because of the multi-hosting option.

Sounds simple, right? Nothing could have been further than the truth. Although, like just about anything else in life, hindsight is 20/20, and the steps required are really quite simple, so long as you don't think too much, and know what you're doing. Otherwise, be prepared to get really frustrated and do some head to desk pounding while you ponder, "What am I missing here? It really can't be this difficult!"

Since I'm currently using a MAC, a recent convert from Ubuntu linux, the steps I give here will be based on this operating system. Those of you with Windows or Linux can probably use this as a guide for doing something similar over there.

Multiple Drupal Sites with MAMP Pro

There is like next to nowhere the web for notes on this, not even on the MAMP web site or documentation. I spent hours and hours on should be posted on their website. I did eventually run into a note on a Drupal forum that provided the solution, like a key to what seemed to be an impassible gateway. That was, Drupal already has built-in multi-site functionality. Don't get hung up on creating over configuring MAMP Pro to the site directory.

Also, with this configuration, you will end up with a single instance of Drupal, themes, and modules, for multiple sites. No more having to maintain multiple versions of Drupal. The only caveat is that any custom themes or modules will need to be stored separately, within the individual site directory. And, when migrating over to the hosting site, you'll need to merge these to drupal/sites/default/themes and drupal/sites/default/modules.

Install MAMP Pro following the instructions that come with the product.
Download the latest and greatest version of Drupal and install in the Sites directory. This should be at /Users/{username}/sites/drupal.
Create the following folders for the website you want to develop.

/Users/{username}/sites/drupal/sites/{website}
/Users/{username}/sites/drupal/sites/{website}/files
/Users/{username}/sites/drupal/sites/{website}/modules
/Users/{username}/sites/drupal/sites/{website}/themes
If you forget this crucial step, Drupal will assume that you are only working with one website, and will store everything in drupal/sites/default. Remember, the whole idea of this article is to setup a multi-site Drupal development station.
Create the settings.php file in your website folder. Copy default.settings.php from drupal/sites/default to your website folder, and rename it to settings.php. Also, change it's permissions so that it is writable. If you forget, not to worry, as Drupal will kindly remind you of this during the initial configuration steps.
Create the MySQL database using phpMyAdmin link in MAMP Pro. For peace of mind, and your sanity later on, make the database name the same as your website, and resist the temptation to name it drupal. While you're there, create a user name and password so you can access your database from Drupal.
Create the Host in MAMP Pro. Provide the Server Name, preferably matching the database and website name. Click the Local name resolution, so you're web server will be able to find it. For Location, enter /Users/{username}/Sites/drupal, nothing more!
This is where I spent countless hours trying to troubleshoot why I could not get the web browser to site my site. Drupal is smart enough on it's own, so there's no need to go and tell it the exact path where your site files are actually located, ie. in drupal/sites/{website}. I kept putting in the full path and getting nowhere. This is one of the reasons for this blog entry, to save someone else making the same mistake I did.
Start up your favorite web browser and point it to your new site by entering your website name into the URL Address bar. Drupal will jump to your directory, read the settings.php, and proceed to present you with the installation start up screens. Follow the directions from there.

Publishing the Site to your Client

Now we're at the point where MAMP Pro really shines, providing you follow the correct procedure. This was another real head scratcher that literally took days to figure out, until I finally stumbled onto the solution. I still can't believe there is no where out there with steps on how to set this up?

Here you're going to have to configure two products, MAMP Pro and your DynDNS account. Working in tandem, they both do all the work of presenting your work to anyone out on the net, providing they enter the right URL. DynDNS provides the web link to the site on your laptop, and MAMP Pro acts as the webhost.

Log onto DynDNS. If you don't already have an account, no problem. They're free for the first five aliases you create.
Add a new host. Click on the Hosts link under the Services column. Enter the Hostname (use the same webhost name you used earlier during the Drupal configuration, and select from one of the domains they offer (the part just before and including .com, .org, etc.)
Setup the IP address. The Service Type should be Host with IP address. On the link provided, click to insert your current IP address. If you're behind a router, you'll need to do some extra work there to poke a hole and allow web traffic to your server. Search the DynDNS website for steps on how to set this up.
Complete the process by answering the remaining questions. There's an Add to Cart button, but don't worry about being charged anything, as again, the first five sites are free. If there's any costs involved, they'll show you up front and give you the opportunity to change your mind.
Create a symbolic link to your website folder. Use the "ln -s {source} {destination}" command from a terminal screen in the drupal/sites folder. The {destination} should be the fully qualified URL that was created in DynDNS, ie. {website}.dnsalias.com, or whatever other domain you chose. This keeps you from copying all your files to another directory, and lets you keep a simpler website name when doing work on your laptop.
This was the 2nd problem which again stumped me for awhile. You cannot use a non-standard name, ie. something without .com, .net, etc. when attempting to create an alias to put your site out on the web, using the DynDNS server.
Go back to MAMP Pro and add an Alias. The name must match both the name used on the DynDNS site, and the symbolic link just created. Select dyndns.com as the service to use to active your website on the web.

That's all there is too it! You've now just saved yourself some hours or days to do more real work, developing great websites.

Archive Constant Contact Newsletters as PDF's

2010-05-27T08:02:00.000-07:00

While Constant Contact offers a great feature to distribute newsletters via email, saving the costs involved with printing and postage, they do not provide an option to create an Adobe Acrobat file for archiving. You could of course, providing your email client had the option, print directly to .pdf, but then you would also get all the email header text included.

This problem came to my attention when a web client of mine wanted the ability to archive all past Constant Contact newsletters on their website. I had already setup another great service, Scribd, to store and view earlier newsletters written out as Adobe Acrobat files. But since going with Constant Contact, they had no way to do the same. So, with a little research I came up with the procedure below to solve this problem.

Within eight steps, you'll be able to convert each Constant Contact email, albeit one at a time, to an Acrobat file for your own archives, or even post on a website, without the fear of the content becoming unavailable at some point in the future.

Open up the Newsletter in your email client and click on the "Forward email" link near the bottom of the page.
You will be presented a form to complete on a new web page. Enter your name and email address on line 1. You will also have to enter something in the Your Name filed before you can select Submit.
Go back to your email client and open the new email.
Locate the message "Having trouble viewing this email? Click here" and click on the link to display the newsletter on a new web page.
Using the cut & paste feature, save the URL of this web page.
Open Adobe Acrobat Pro and select File, Create PDF, From Web Page…
Click Settings to access the Web Page Conversion Settings. De-select the Place headers and footers on new page option, and click OK.
Click Create to create your .pdf file.

This Web site is coming soon...

2010-04-14T09:54:00.000-07:00

Not exactly what you want to see on a new production site. This is the message I was greeted to last weekend, after reviewing the frantic email of the site owner who decided to enable our development site and go "live". The folks at GoDaddy were of little help, since we were using Drupal and had installed it into a drupal directory instead of root. Their suggestion was either install a simple re-direct statement in the default index.html file, or remove and re-install Drupal. When pressed for more details on how to accomplish the re-direct, none were provided.

So, if you find yourself in this same scenario, read on. Honestly, I'm liking GoDaddy less and less, and their lack of support for such a simple solution (read on) really surprises me. There have got to be much better service providers out there that really stand behind their product.

After about 3 hours of research, I found an elegant solution, involving only adding an .htaccess file in the root directory of the web service, /html in the case of GoDaddy. No re-installation was required, and you get to keep your same directory structure. Create the file below, replacing "yoursite" to reflect your own web URL. My site used /drupal to contain all the drupal files, so if you use something different, change that to reflect the new path.

Options -Indexes
RewriteEngine on
Options +FollowSymLinks
RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} !^www\.yoursite\.com$ [NC]
RewriteRule .* http://www.yoursite.com/ [L,R=301]
RewriteRule ^$ drupal/index.php [L]
RewriteCond %{DOCUMENT_ROOT}/drupal%{REQUEST_URI} -f
RewriteRule .* drupal/$0 [L]
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-f
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-d
RewriteRule .* drupal/index.php?q=$0 [QSA]

You'll also have to edit your /drupal/sites/default/settings.php file to reflect the new address, changing the value of $base_url to your new URL, sans the /drupal path.

$base_url = 'http://www.yoursite.com';

Now, if this helps anyone else in the same predicament, those 3 hours were worth it. Now why didn't the folks at GoDaddy provide this, that's a question for another day.

Strange problems using Drupal on GoDaddy

2010-02-28T08:40:00.000-08:00

Over the past month I've been developing a Drupal site on a local server. I'm now at the stage to post it online and continue development there, to help facilitate the process and get more client involvement. That is where the problems began, along with a lot of frustration, loss of almost an entire weekend with hours installing, de-installing and installing to see where the problem was. If you find yourself in this dilemma, read on.

The hosting site the client selected was GoDaddy for a number of reasons. Their original domain was registered with them, and their hosting prices are pretty low. The verdict has yet to be determined whether this is a good choice, as the hosting provider I was hoping for, BlueHost, was a bit higher, and probably more horsepower than they needed. I digress.

Problems began after getting the site up and a temporary link to see the website as the client and I continue to develop the site. I chose to let the site install the Drupal application rather than doing this manually, following the principle of KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid). This also setup the PHP and MySQL databases for me, and setup cron to automatically check every hour for updates.

Uploading the DB and PHP was another hurdle, but I'll leave that for another post...

The real problem occurred when trying to view the pages. Everything looked great on the development machine. On GoDaddy, using their previewdns.com server, things looked different. Suddenly all of the collapsed menus stopped working, and the great WYSIWYG editor panel from FCKeditor was missing. What happened!

It turns out that the previewdns server doesn't fully interpret the code coming from Drupal, causing the features I mentioned above to disappear. Not to worry. There is a simple work around. Just install the AdBlock Plus extension and add a rule to block "http://support.previewdns.com/mt.js". Afterward, all your pages will again be visible in all their glory.

Sprinkler Head Trimmer

2009-05-21T19:51:00.000-07:00

The old phrase, necessity breds invention strikes again. What began as a simple solution to a lawn problem was the impetus for this project. The issue was simple, how to quickly cut the grass around irrigation sprinkler heads that are often 2-3" below the lawn surface after being over grown by grass. I have a lawn with St. Augustine grass, which during the summer months grows in leaps and bounds, requiring the lawn to be moved every week. Over a span of weeks, the grass gradually grows over the sprinkler heads, in turn blocking the normal flow of water, generating one of the two conditions below...

head cannot pop up
spray pattern partially blocked

In the past I wasn't too concerned, as I would just ask the folks doing the lawn maintenance to please take care of this. They would take out a hand shears and proceed to cut out a new hole in the grass around the affected sprinkler heads. Watching them I thought there had to be an easier way, but since I wasn't the one doing the work, I didn't give it much more than a passing thought, other than maybe using a rudimentary hand crank or electric drill with a hole saw to offer a speedier solution.

Now the tables appear to have turned, as was mentioned in the April Fools entry, such that I had inherited all the lawn maintenance work. it was now time to devote more energy towards this issue and find a viable solution. I did not want to resort to using hand clippers, since this was way too labor intensive, and would require a great deal more time. I had to engineer a better solution.

I had initially thought of using a portable drill with a large hole. It was simple, and all the components were easily available off the store shelves. Then, recalling that the re-chargeable drill I used to have had since died, and replaced with a corded version. There were numerous occasions when I needed a drill for a project only to find the batteries dead. I thought never again. Now, buying a $30 cordless drill for something that would be used only 2 or 3 times a year seemed like a waste of money.

A hand drill with a large hole saw would also work. At $18 it was cheaper, and wouldn't require charging or a long power cord. I purchased an inexpensive hole saw set at Harbor Frieght, for the 2 1/2" saw (my sprinkler head diameters are only 1 3/4". Unfortunately, the shaft size is too large for the hand drill. I could either buy a $20 3" hole saw, or buy the electric drill to proceed with this solution.

Walking through the isles of a local hardware store and conveying my idea to one of the salesman, he stated something I hadn't thought of, "What about the chance of ruining the sprinkler heads when accidentally applying the saw off to one side of the hole?" My invention would quickly add up to additional expenses from replacing shattered sprinkler heads.

The solution presented itself while I was sitting at the kitchen counter. I had set aside an empty tuna can to use as a water measuring device. I had gotten this recommendation from more than one source that they provide a very effective tool to verify water coverage on a lawn.

"Place the can, open side up, and set the zone timer so that the sprinkler would run long enough to fill the can.This should ensure the correct amount of water and minutes for that zone."

Thinking of my trimmer problem, I thought why not use the can, carving out semi-circle notches to act as teeth (as I had observed for the lawn donut trimmers at Home Depot). The grass trimmer would consist of three parts, the cutting head tool, a long shaft, and a handle. Preferences would be made to use easily available or scrap parts, to keep the project green and help reduce waste that would otherwise end up in a landfill.

Cutting Head Tool

This part would do the work of cutting the grass branches and roots. I chose a tuna can since it's diameter was greater than the diameter of my sprinkler heads. To apply evenly spaced teeth, I placed a strip of masking tape around the can to measure it's circumference, later removing and applying to a worktable. The circumference was a little over 10" so I made marks on the tape every 2" and re-applied to the can. The semi-circle holes were cut using a Dremel with a 1/4" sanding tube, at 2" intervals as indicated by the tape.

A 5/16" shaft attachment hole was made in the center of the base by first drilling with a 1/8" drill bit, then drilling the larger hole in reverse, to avoid having the larger 5/16" drill bit suddenly catch and rip up the metal of the can. A split washer, fender washer and nut on the inside and outside of the can were used to secure the cutting head assembly to the shaft.

Shaft

The shaft served two purposes, a means of applying turning force on the head, while at the same time providing enough distance so that the operator could stand directly over sprinkler head to be trimmed. It also had to be rigid and be easy to attach to the cutting head and handle. A 5/16" x 24" threaded rod was selected to fit this role. Of the other size threaded rods, it was the thinnest rod that wouldn't bend easily.

Handle

The handle would be used both to transport the device and supply turning action to cut the grass. It needed to be large enough to supply a firm grip when using the tool. A scrap piece of PVC was selected to serve this purpose. A 5/16" hole was drilled though the middle to attach to the shaft. The threaded rod was inserted through the pipe, but not protruding beyond the tubing wall. This would keep the handle from wobbling side to side, and also keep the shaft end from cutting into the operator's hands. A split washer and nut was placed both on the inside and outside of the pipe to secure the handle to the shaft.

Usage

I purchased some lawn colored flags to assist locating the sprinkler heads, since once the grass grows over them I have no way to locate where to start trimming.

Temporarily turn on the zone to locate the sprinkler heads.
Place a flag next to each sprinkler head that is active.
Turn off the zone, shutting off the water to the same sprinkler heads.
Walk to nearest flag and visually locate the sprinkler head through the grass.
Remove the flag and place the cutting head tool directly over the sprinkler head.
Apply downward pressure while turning 15 deg. to the right or left.
Lift and repeat step 6 until the grass is trimmed down to the soil.
Remove the grass debris from the newly formed hole in the lawn.
Repeat steps 4-8 for the remaining sprinkler heads in this zone.
Repeat steps 1-9 for the remaining zones.

When complete, you will have all the sprinkler heads free of grass so that your lawn is again evenly watered. You may have to adjust the spray pattern of some of the heads. The colored lawn flags can be stored inside the handle.

Areas for Improvement

The device cuts the grass around the sprinkler heads, but may require epoxy at either end of the threaded rod, as handle or cutting head can work loose when trying to cut through larger grass roots. Replace the tuna can with something a little thicker, to keep the head from flexing when encountering thicker than normal grass roots. Finally, design the head so that it contains a smaller tube (with no teeth) with a diameter slightly larger than the sprinkler head to automatically center the tool over the sprinkler head.

Material List:

No. Description Price
1 8 cm x 3 cm Tuna Can. Cutting Head Tool. -
1 5/8 In.-11 x 24 In. Threaded Rod Coarse Thread Zinc Plated. Shaft. Home Depot
$4
4 5/16 In. Nut Hex Coarse Thread Zinc Plated. Cutting Head Tool and Handle. Home Depot $1
4 5/16 In. Washer Lock Medium Split Zinc Plated. Cutting Head Tool and Handle. Home Depot $1
2 5/16 In. x 1-1/4 In. Washer Fender Zinc Plated. Cutting Head Tool. Home Depot $2
1 1" I.D. x 6" PVC tube. Handle. Home Depot -
1 Orbit 10 Pack Home Depot Colored Flags. Home Depot $2

Pancakes Anyone?

2009-05-13T12:03:00.000-07:00

Why let the guys with the TV commercial advertising instant pancakes by shaking a plastic bottle have all the fun? You can make your own shake, mix and pour device from scratch, to make great tasting homemade pancakes with minimal mess, and re-use the bottle to help save the environment. Since you add the ingredients, you get to select your favorite recipe. Well, that's at least what I thought, and thus is the basis of this article.

As with any convenience item, there are of course pros and cons. Sure, the commercial product has a lot of great features, but weigh them for yourself and see which is more reasonable.

Simple
Price
Ingredients
Environment

You may still may decide you'd rather go with their product, and that's ok. What I'm offering is what I believe a better alternative.

Simple

Their product has these features down pact. What could be simpler, unless of course you go to a restaurant and forgo the cooking process altogether. All you do is add water, shake, and pour the pancake batter onto a hot skillet.

My version is a little more elaborate. It requires a set of common kitchen tools, ie. a measuring cup and spoons, along with a bowl to temporarily hold the mix. The plastic bottle effectively substitutes for the blender and tool used to pour the batter. The time spent shaking determines the level of mixing. Granted, you could do all of this with two bowls and a fork, but that takes longer and a little more work. Plus, you would miss out on the whole bottle shaking experience as shown in the commercial!

If you like, the dry ingredient mixture can be left in the bottle for up to 3 months. This will speed up the preparation process greatly, reducing this to 5 minutes or less. When making pancakes in this manner I forgo the vanilla extract, eliminating the need for measuring spoons, add 1 1/2 cap fulls of milk and 1 egg, shake, 1/4 stick of melted butter, shake, and pour.

Price

That's were it gets a little tricky. Considering the commercial version is mass produced, and anytime large quantities are involved, costs of materials drop. Based on this premise, their product should be cheaper. Here's how the costs break down by ingredient from a local grocery store. For sake of clarity I show the typical volume of ingredients purchased, as this will also affect the cost per serving.

Item

Store
Qty Store
Price
Recipe
Qty Recipe
Cost
Publix All Purpose Flour, 5lbs, serving size ¼ cup, 75 servings. 18.75 cups
$2.29 1 cup $0.12
Clabber Girl Backing Powder, 10oz, serving size 1/8tsp, 472 servings. 19.67 tbsp
$1.49 1 tbsp $0.08
Morton Iodized Salt, 26oz, serving size ¼ tsp, 491 servings. 122.75 tsp $0.63 ½ tsp $0.03
Publix Pure Granulated Sugar, 5 lb, serving size 1 tsp, 567 servings. 189 tbsp
$2.69 2 tbsp. $0.03
Publix All Natural reduced fat 2% Grade A Milk, 1 gal, serving size 1 cup, 16 servings. 16 cups
$2.89 7/8 cup $0.16
Publix extra large Grade A Eggs, 1 dozen, serving size 1 egg, 12 servings. 1 doz $1.49 1 egg $0.12
Crisco Pure Vegetable Oil, 16fl oz, serving size 1 tbsp, 32 servings. 32 tbsp $2.59 2 tbsp $0.16
Publix Pure Vanilla Extract, 1 fl oz. 6 tsp $3.99 ½ tsp $0.33

Doing the math, that comes to about $0.10/pancake with my design. The commercial version ranged from $0.19 to $0.15/pancake, depending on the size of their product, their larger size being a better buy. My version beats the competition on price. Removing the Vanilla Extract will give an even greater savings.

Ingredients

The commercial version uses dehydrated versions of the liquid components. That's how they're able to get away with just adding water. I'll go the extra mile and say that using real ingredients, not hydrated versions, taste better. In addition, you'll have some control of the mixture in case of dietary concerns, ie. the type of milk, butter and/or oil used, etc. In the store bought version, all of these parameters are fixed. By choosing a different recipe, you could decide to make a shake and pour waffle mixer instead!

Environment

Seeing that we live in a society based on consumption, it's only natural to think once in awhile, "Where does all this stuff end up after it has served it's function?" Looking at the piles of garbage stacked on the street for collection each week I quickly see that our consumption has a cumulative effect, and all ends up in the nearby landfill. My mixer would eliminate adding yet another piece of trash after each and every batch of pancakes via the commercial alternative.

To summarize, here's a simple way to mix and make pancakes. While not as fast as the commercial version, you'll know exactly want went into the ingredients, avoid the cleaning the beaters of an electric mixer (engineer's are notorious for being lazy), save a little money, and help rid the environment of yet one more consumable of modern life.

Make Your Own Mixer

First locate the container. It needs to have the following properties.

Large cap for ease of pouring in ingredients.
Big enough handle to hold onto while shaking.
Medium size to hold up to twice the recipe contents.

I scoured the isles of the local supermarket, and although the laundry bottles were about the right size, none of them had removable labels. The mixer needed to be free of all labels, to allow room for the recipe and directions to be added later.

Just about all brands, including the store brand knockoffs had switched to directly printing the labels onto the plastic. I tried sanding one label off but found that it produced an ugly finish. The solution was found using an older style that still used paper adhesive labels at the local Dollar Store. For a $1 I had a container for the pancake mixer, plus enough laundry soap to wash 2-3 weeks of clothes. Make sure you rinse this with a lot of water to remove the detergent residue, otherwise you'll have pretty soapy tasting pancakes!

Pancake Recipe

Next, select a Pancake Recipe. There are scores of recipes for pancakes, buttermilk pancakes, whole wheat pancakes, etc. The recipe I use makes about 10 large pancakes. It was given to me by a friend's daughter who has a talent for cooking. What I really like about it is it's simplicity. I simply add a dash of nutmeg for flavor.

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon white sugar
7/8 cup milk (or less)
1 egg
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons melted butter or vegetable oil

This is by no means unique. If you have a favorite recipe, by all means use that instead. Record the recipe on one side of the bottle with a permanent marker, keeping the list of dry and wet ingredients separate. On the other side, record the preparation steps shown below.

Preparation

Pre-heat a large pan to 4 (out of 9) on the stove burner.
Add the dry ingredients into the bottle. Secure the lid and shake for 30 seconds. Pour this mixture into a small bowl.
Add the wet ingredients (except oil) into the bottle Secure the lid and shake for 30 seconds.
Add the dry mixture into the bottle. Secure the lid and shake for 3 seconds.
Add oil to the bottle. Secure the lid and shake for 1 second.
Lightly butter or oil the pan.
Pour batter onto the pan up to the pancake size desired.
When bubbles have formed on the surface (30-50 sec), flip and cook the other side for 30-50 sec.

Cooking Tips

Thickness - Slightly less than 7/8 cup of milk will produce thick, fluffy pancakes, but requires additional cooking time. Using melted butter (20 sec in a microwave) instead of vegetable oil also helps.
Temperature - Apply a thin coat of vegetable oil on the pan surface before each pancake. This helps to cool the temperature of the pan and keep the pancakes or pan from burning.
Size - Pour the batter to form a circle of approx. 4" dia. Try not to exceed this dimension beyond the size of your spatula, or the pancakes will be difficult to flip.
Time - Thinner pancakes take 30 sec per side. Thicker pancakes take 40-50 sec per side. Use a watch with a second hand or timer to keep all the pancakes consistent in color.
Color - Use melted butter instead of vegetable oil for better color. Increase the cooking time to darken, checking at 10 sec intervals to keep from burning. Once determined, use this same time for the remainder of the pancakes.

Areas for Improvement

Draw a line to indicate 1/2 cup on the bottle cap, so that it could be used instead of a measuring cup. Find the conversion rate of a common dinner spoon to tablespoon (Tbsp) and teaspoon (tsp), to avoid having to use a proper set of measuring spoons.

The Human Element

2009-04-28T18:00:00.000-07:00

Observing people can be very interesting, in much the same way of making scientific observations of the physical world, learning its properties and laws to create formulas, and gain insight to gain some control over our destiny. Talking with our peers, friends and family is one way to learn about the Human Element, noting actions which resulted in positive outcomes vs. those which didn't.

Following the theme of this blog, sharing information for the benefit of others, here's a list of guidelines I've learned based on the observations of myself and others, grouped by category.

Self

You are what you think, and later act based on this perception.

If you think you can or can't, you're right. That belief becomes your reality and will become fact. In essence, you are only limited by your thoughts.

We don't know the value of people, places or things until they have been taken away. Unfortunately we often don't realize this with friends and family until it's too late, ie. a funeral.

Get to know what makes you happy. Discover a hobby, pastime, or activity that you enjoy. This does not always have to involve being around other people. This will guarantee you happiness when all your friends or family are unavailable.

Get a college education. It provides the keys to your future and higher income. In addition to preparing you for your career, it will broaden your view of the world around you.

The more you learn, the more you know that you're only scratching the surface. The opposite is also true, ignorance is bliss.

Try not be jealous of others. There will always be someone better off, but also worse than you. Be happy with who you are and grateful for the things you do have.

Try to live in the moment, not yesterday, not tomorrow. If not, you'll never enjoy the good times you're experiencing in the present.

Try to find something positive in each negative situation. This provides balance and a new perspective. It's kind of a glass half full vs. half empty sort of thing.

It's ok not to have a girlfriend / boyfriend. Use the time to pursue your dreams. Later, you'll see all the missed opportunities that are no longer available, due to lack of funds, children, etc.

Don't settle for second best, despite what your friends and family may say about your goals. The one who misses out will be you.

Don't live your life to please others. In the end, you're stuck with the consequences. Do what gives you happiness and you'll have no regrets.

Listen to the wisdom of your elders. Their stories prove that history will repeat itself unless some different course of action is taken. Their advice is invaluable and often very insightful.

Observe the lives of those around you. Take note their successes so that you can do the same, and their failures, so that you can avoid making the same mistakes.

Relationships

A peer is someone at your level. A friend is someone with common interests and offers emotional support. A lover is a friend with physical intimacy. A spouse is all three within the same person.

Don't start a serious relationship until at least 6 months (or more) from the prior one. If not, you'll never learn from prior mistakes. You need time to heal and discover what makes you happy from within.

Don't start a serious relationship with someone ignoring the previous rule. You'll act as a nursemaid to this person to heal their wounds. Afterwards they'll be a different person, and probably leave since the relationship has changed.

Don't start a serious relationship with someone who is your teacher, instructor or professor. You are seeking the attention of a parental figure. This is unfair to your peers, since they cannot compete with the social or financial status of the new love interest, but may be a better match.

Don't start a serious relationship with someone who is still in a relationship. It shows no respect to the third party involved, and only provides a foundation for the same thing to happen to you in the future.

Don't start dating until you are emotionally and financially independent. You need to be able to stand on your own two feet. If not, you'll always be subject to someone else's will and decisions.

Don't marry the first person you date. You'll regret your decision later when you find someone else who would have been a much better match if you had only waited.

Date at least three people before you decide to get married. With each date you'll learn a little more about yourself, and what you want and don't want in a partner.

Spend at least one year dating prior to the marriage proposal. This is often the time romantic memories are made, why cut this short? Also use this time to see and observe your future partner's family and friends. You will learn a lot about your partner really is.

Don't get into a relationship and later try to change your partner to be someone else. Ignoring this fact can be a waste of time for both of you.

Consider the advice of your peers, since they can often see things you can't because of your emotional involvement and time invested in the relationship.

Consider a partner with a profession and/or a college education. You will enjoy a higher household income and the opportunities that come with it.

Always consider the feelings of your partner. If your action creates conflict, consider a different course that doesn't. You'll both be happier in the end.

Communicate and respect differences of opinion. This should allow time for both parties to be heard and responded to. No one likes a one sided conversation or to be told what to think.

Work

People are generally promoted up to the point of incompetence or their limits. This is not to say all employees are incompetent, but may explain why some appear to be.

As companies try to maximize the work with minimal staff, you will be assigned ever more tasks and responsibilities. Know your limits and convey this to your employer to keep from getting burned out.

At the end of the day what's more important, your health or your productivity. Both. Abuses in either will effect the other.

When employers do not fully utilize your skills, start doing more than they ask, and volunteering for extra projects. This will help to get you noticed and promoted. Be prepared for the extra work!

What you did not complete on your last day of work is not important. What you did during the months and years prior is. Not for the remaining employees, but as a reference for future work.

Don't stress out at your job. You are not indispensable, despite what you believe or hear from your employer. The project or task will get done with or without you, and the company will continue to function.

Try to find a job doing the things you enjoy. You will wonder where all the hours went at the end of each day.

Working 24 hours a day will quickly alienate family and friends. You may succeed but pay a steep price of loneliness at the end of your career. Time with family and friends recharges the soul.

Invest the time and money to learn a profession. This may require college and student loans. The higher income will pay for itself many times over, yielding more money over your lifetime than if you didn't.

Execute your work as if you were the consumer of the goods. Not only will your work improve, but you will develop pride in what you do.

Money

Money is the tangible measurement of human potential, influence and property.

Expenses tend to rise to meet our income. Some of us unfortunately get around this by using credit cards, only to face staggering debt later.

The cost of goods are relative to income, only what we pay for them varies. Look at any fashion catalog to see this in action.

More money does not always equate to more more happiness. Recall earlier times in your life to see this in action.

Money acts like a catalyst to speed up processes. Without it, more labor and time will be required to accomplish the same outcome.

Most problems can usually be resolved through the application of additional time or money.

Escaping Darwin Awards

2009-04-15T13:06:00.000-07:00

Having recently browsed a sample ebook from the Darwin Awards book series I thought about this blog entry, recalling that some of my own childhood experiences were quite foolhardy and dangerous too.

"I accumulated enough hydrogen gas to fill a 5 gallon glass wine jar. To convince a skeptical onlooker who thought the jar was empty, I ignited it. It created such a loud boom that all the windows in our house rattled. Fortunately for the both of us, the jar didn't explode."

This and more are described in the Why Science? entry. I'm not alone in my pursuits. Here I want to invite friends to list their own, often humorous but equally dangerous stunts. My motive here is not to encourage similar acts, but show the foolishness of them, and be grateful that no one was hurt. The phrase "Don't try this at home." should come to mind!

First off, what is a Darwin Award? In the most simplest of terms it's an award given after the elimination of oneself from the gene pool, or later inability to pro-create after executing a foolish act, in honor of the great scientist Charles Darwin. For a more in-depth description please go to their website at www.darwinawards.com.

There are generally two types of activities that bring one close to receiving the aforementioned award. One is in the pursuit of exploration, where all logic and reasoning is often foregone, and thoughts of "Is this really safe?", or "My gut tells me that this is not really a good idea." are completely ignored. Why, you ask? Because of the chances of success. Our mind is so focused on the goal that we don't realize the danger we are exposing ourselves or others to.

On the otherhand, there are those of us who enjoy taking risks, for the mere excitement of the event, from the mondane thrill of winning a hand at a poker game, to the adrenaline pumping excitement of bunge jumping off a bridge. These type of activities can carry a great deal of risk, which we know and acknowledge beforehand. We calculate the odds. And, if we determine our odds of misfortune are low enough, we proceed with the activity. The key term here is, we think out the possible outcomes ahead of time.

Please share your own stories, where little thought was taken concerning the potential risk of failure. And, but for the grace of God, you escaped a Darwin Award.

Universal Coil Winder

2009-04-14T08:09:00.000-07:00

Doing a search of coil winding machines or Tesla Coil winders on the web you will see a variety of approaches, some with motors, others with speed and direction control, some using complicated gearing mechanisms, and even a few with turn counters. The designs seem either extremely spartan or overly complicated, with some designs even describing how to build motor and counter circuits. I wanted something simple, adjustable, accurate, and inexpensive.

My interest in this topic arose when making a miniature Tesla Coil. I needed to wind the secondary coil using very fine wire (about the thickness of human hair). To save time, I secured a length of PVC tube (cut to the length estimated for the windings needed) to an electric hand drill to wind the coil. After about 5 minutes I had my coil, but upon later examination, I found that I was far short of the required number of turns. I resolved then and there to put making a universal coil winder at the top of my next project list.

My design criteria for the Universal Coil Winder included the following:

Simple. Low part count and easy to use.
Adjustable. Accommodate multiple coil dimensions.
Accurate. Include a turn counter.
Inexpensive. May go long periods of time without use.
Green. Use recycled materials.

Most of the time went into collecting the parts and finishing up the design. You'll need a drill press and saw for the end supports, and scroll saw or Dremel tool to make the cutout for the digital counter. A disc sander was used to make the coil supports and hand crank.

Simple

I wanted something with very few parts, flexible (to possibly expand or contract based on the size of the coil), rigid (so it wouldn't flex too much during use), and look good. Even though an ugly or hastily assembled design would work, I still prefer going the extra mile to make the end product more attractive and feature rich.

Reviewing in my mind the basic functionality of this machine I came up with the following...

"A coil winder really has one function, turn a form (typically a tube) about it's longitudinal axis with a wire attached at one end, so that the number of rotations are equal to turns of wire on the coil. Two cones, with radii greater than the tube form, are needed to help center the form about the axis of rotation. A bearing set is needed at each end for both axis support and smooth movement. A hand powered unit will need a hand crank attached to the axis."

So, first and foremost, I had to meet this basic criteria, and then think about what extra features to add on.

I considered some box designs, and even debated using nothing more than a thick strip of wood as a base, much like the metal support of a lathe bed where the head is fixed and the tail adjusts. I decided against this because of weight or the complexity involved for the clamping mechanism. I chose an open support system, also rigid, using inexpensive wooden dowels. The equilateral triangle shape was also selected for 3 reasons: a) to keep the part count down, one less dowel needed; b) maximize the distance between the axis of rotation and the dowel frame; and c) move the center of gravity below the axis point to add stability.

The choice of the threaded rod is also critical. 10/32 rod was selected since it didn't flex much with the fine wire I was using, but you probably should consider using something thicker, say 5/16 or bigger for working with larger gauge wire. This will also require changing the bearing sets so that the bearing ID matches the threaded rod diameter for a snug fit.

The two coil support cones were made to fit the coil size I was currently winding, only 1" dia. These are nothing more than 3/4" MDF discs that were rotated about a drill bit or nail and pressed against a disk sander at an angle. The hand crank was made in the same manner, although without any angle applied. This is how I worked around not having a lathe to make them up proper. For larger coils I'll have to make new cones, or glue 2 or 3 pieces of MDF to make larger cones that can handle a larger set of coil diameters.

Adjustable

Various coil forms can be mounted within the machine, using the wing nuts to position and tighten the cone supports against the tube. Initially, the thought was that the left support panel would be detached from the 3 wooden dowels and metal threaded rod to change out the coil. But after assembling the unit and putting this into practice, I found that it was too difficult, and repeated disassembly and assembly would only weaken the structure. To change the coil, remove the threaded rod by pulling to the right, using the hand crank disk as a handle. After re-inserting, place the O-ring on the small portion of the threaded rod sticking out from the support place to keep the rod from slipping out while turning. The counter will cease to function if the rod is not fully seated in the machine.

The end support plates size and dowel lengths determine the range of coils you can use with this machine. My version allows coils up to 20" long with a 5" diameter. These dimensions can be scaled up or down according to your needs.

Accurate

What I'm referring to here is the ability to make a coil according to exact specifications, and not the following assumption, which as the wire gauge and turn count go up, becomes less accurate because of the accumulation of small inter-wire gaps.

coil length = (wire diameter) x (number of turns)

I wanted a coil winding machine that could guarantee beyond a shadow of a doubt the number of turns. To do this I had two choices: a) concentrate while counting in my head; or b) utilize a digital counter. I chose the digital counter for obvious reasons, as an engineer I've got too many distractions!

Inexpensive

This is where I was quite fortunate. After scouring the net for coil winding designs, and finding surprising very little. I stumbled on a suggestion that a very cheap digital counter could be had, and with a little modification, used for counting things. What I'm referring to is the pedometer I found at the local Dollar Store. Removing the back I found that the count was triggered by a weighted wire that moved when walking, which acted like a switch by making contact with a metal pin.

I replaced the crude switch with a magnetic reed switch, and glued this inside, so that the unit would still count, but still remain sealed and water tight. Bringing a strong magnet within 3/8" of the pedometer (where the reed switch was located) would energize the switch and register a count. To interface with the universal coil winding machine I drilled a hole and secured a magnet into the hand crank. A slot was cut out in the adjacent end plate to mount the digital counter, and spaced so that each revolution of the hand crank would register one count as the magnet passed below the circuit.

Note: I found that when the magnet was too close to the reed switch, two counts where recorded. Further experimentation may be required, ie. adding a 0.01pF capacitor across the switch leads to de-bounce the switch. I chose a different route which so far seems to be working well: I mounted the magnet opposite to the crank, so that the magnet is away from the sensor when I start or stop turning the coil. I also made sure that the distance of magnet to sensor was just close enough to trigger a count, but no less.

Green

With the Tesla Coil project I stumbled on the MDF (medium density fiberboard) material for the base. I liked it since it appears more solid than particle board, denser than pine, and cheaper than any of the hardwoods. It was very easy to work with, and I didn't have to worry about cutting against the wood grain, knots, etc. Only after the fact did I also realize that using it for my scientific projects that I could be doing a small favor to the environment, re-using wood that otherwise would end up in a landfill. You might considering giving it a try on your next project and go green.

To Use

After mounting the coil form, make sure the wing nuts are tight.Nothing is more frustrating to find mid-way through winding a coil, the nuts work free and the coil form stops turning but the hand crank with the magnet begins to indicate false turns. The coil has to be re-made since the winding count is no longer accurate.

I got the best results when I placed the supply of wire 3' or more from the machine, and positioned the winder so that wire approaches the coil at an angle greater than 90 deg. throughout the coil winding process. I then used a plastic credit card or something similar to gently keep the wire snug against the prior windings while turning the hand crank. Also, try to add tension on the wire also help keep the windings tight and even. This was done by running the wire under the bottom dowel of the machine or looping around a scrap dowel piece in a vise nearby.

So that's my design, with the reasons behind it. It's a very simple machine for making coils, using an inexpensive digital counter to record winding count, all for very little money.

Material List:

No. Description Price
2
Wooden Dowel, 48"x1/2"dia. 3 x 24" long rods for the frame.
$2
2
MDF (Medium Density Fiberboard), 7"x7"x3/4". 7"x7"x7" equilateral triangle end plates with 1" corners.
-
1
MDF (Medium Density Fiberboard), 3"x3"x1/2". 3" dia. hand crank disc.
-
1
10/32 threaded rod, 24" length.
$2
2
Sealed ball bearing assembly, 1/2" OD. $4
2
#10 fender washers
-
2
#10 wing nuts -
1 small rubber O-ring (size of 10/32 threaded rod)
-
1 6/32 pan head bolt, 1 1/8"
-
1 Digital Pedometer. $1
1
Magnetic reed switch.
$2
1 Rare earth magnet, 1/8"x5/8"dia.
$1

April Fools!

2009-04-01T07:00:00.000-07:00

Wow, my first RIF!

No, not a new microcontroller or identification tag, but something a bit more onerous, a Reduction In Force (employer initiated unemployment or layoff). Despite what you would expect, my first reaction was not anger or depression, but more of shock as I recollected on-the-job experiences during the past 8+ years. But since I like to focus on the positive, getting the notice last Monday, just two days before April 1st, I thought, Why didn't they just postpone this to today? I could have had a great comeback, "April Fools, right? What a great joke!!! I've got to remember this one at the next party!"

Since then I've went through a wide range of emotions, but mostly subdued as I took care of the last minute duties of reviewing old emails for client recommendations, collecting peer email accounts, completing pending expense reports, etc. Some of the more melancholy activies included packing up the contents of the office locker (discarding items long since outdated), walking through the halls one last time, and mailing the company credit card, ID badge and VPN token card to my manager (he works in another state).

Talking to my wife, friends and family has been great, hearing messages of support and hope for the future. I highly recommend this activity if you should find yourself in a similar situation. The support these individuals provide is invaluable. In addition, with my wife employed and our savings, I'm not stressed out about how to make the next mortgage payment. Something I'm extremely grateful for! The expressions "live within your means" and "save for a rainy day" suddenly become very evident as practical guidelines to live by.

Today, looking out on the horizon, I feel really great! In much the same way an explorer feels when about to begin a grand adventure, dreaming of the possibilities that lie ahead. As is usually the case, with every door that closes, new ones open. Finding out what behind them is what makes the journey interesting.

Setting up a Lab, Part II

2009-03-22T20:00:00.000-07:00

When setting up the laboratory I considered the following factors:

room space constraints
electrical power distribution
worktable surface
table size requirements and storage
lighting and ventilation
cleaning and dust management
power tool selection

Each of these areas had to be logically thought out, to prepare for a wide variety of needs, all while not painting myself into a proverbial box. I also tried to keep expenditures low, to prove that setting up your own laboratory can be reasonably affordable.

Room Space Constraints

The size of the room I had to work with was 10' x 11', with a single window and door at opposite ends of the longer dimension, and a closet along one side of the shorter. It is a bedroom that will be re-purposed into a laboratory and shop. Due to the limited space, I think there will only be room for two tables, a wooden bench for power tools, and lab table for assembly, testing, and stable surface on which to conduct science experiments.

Electrical Power Distribution

As I have outlets on the three walls, I will use commonly available power strips positioned on the floor nearby to supply electrical power. I am also considering purchasing 60" versions to mount along the rear of the table and workbench for ease of use.

Worktable Surface

The lab table's surface had to be resistant to chemicals and heat, since I would be soldering or using corrosive chemicals. I also wanted some acid resistance, should I decide to venture back into chemistry. This was really a hard choice for me, as I really wanted to go with the epoxy resin surface that I've used at numerous labs throughout high school and college, but had a hard time justifying the price (almost double the alternatives with shipping added in). Diversified Woodcrafts should be a strong contender when conducting your own search. I would have used them, but they did not offer the phenolic alternative.

Table Size Requirements and Storage

Being mindful of the utility of using standards, I selected a common dimension for ease selling it in the future, and of course help retain its value. I settled on a 60"x30"x29" phenolic model. This was placed in the middle of the room to allow unlimited access from all sides, with space for a workbench against one of the walls. Storage was also a concern, so I decided to look for workbenches with embedded cabinets, to avoid having to consume more space in such a small room with needing additional furniture. I found a 60"x20"x34" birch wood workbench, with shelf storage below and side mounted wooden vise to meet this need. The birch wood would provide a dense material for a sturdy workbench, resist lateral movement and support the heavy weight of the power tools. The additional cabinet storage would be the new home for my assortment of hand tools and smaller electrical versions.

Lighting and Ventilation

Lighting is currently provided by the North facing window during the day, and a floor lamp for all other hours. I have my heart set on using a telescoping round fluorescent lamp and magnifying lens, but have yet to decide where to locate this. Most likely this will be positioned at one side of the lab table to assist with detail work during project assembly. Ventilation will be provided by an air conditioning duct in the ceiling and opening the window as needed.

Cleaning and Dust Management

Dust has been a concern during initial work in the lab when I was using a bench top sander, so much so that everything in the room developed a rather thick coating of dust during my Tesla Coil project. I will relocate this and the table saw to the garage to keep dust levels to a minimum. A ShopVac will be used to keep the lab clean of shavings and dust.

Power Tool Selection

I didn't want fall into the dilemma of purchasing items inadequate for the task at hand, since cheaper solutions are often more expensive, or the flip side, acquire equipment with greater precision and durability than required, so I wanted to match the tool to the task. Using these guidelines and quite a few hours of online research I found the Ryobi brand name sold at Home Depot to be a good fit, and hope it will provide a lifetime of service with the expected usage I am planning (primarily some evenings and/or weekends). Their tools are relatively inexpensive, so will also help to keep the total investment as low as possible and the wife happy. Off course, additional expenditures will be incurred as I augment hand tools not already in my current collection, depending on the needs of the project.

Should you decide to follow this setup, you should have a very good baseline to start from. Speaking from first hand experience, nothing is more frustrating than to collect all the parts for a project, start working on it and only to find out that a critical tool is missing. Before closing, there is an additional topic to consider. Please keep in mind your safety, and follow all the safety guidelines mentioned in each of your power tool manuals. Try to use some common sense too. It's not worth loosing a limb or your eyesight because of carelessness. Best of luck and have fun exploring the world of Science!

Material List:

No. Description Price
2 Chicago Electric 97684-0VGA 6 Outlet Power Strip with Surge Suppressor. Harbor Freight Tools $6
1 Science Lab Table by Corilam - Wood. 60"x30"x29" phenolic top, custom order. eduFurniture $384
1 H7724 60"x20"x34" Workbench with Drawers - Birch. Grizzly Industrial, Inc. $365
1 Ledu L745BK Fluorescent Magnifying Swing Arm Clamp Mount Lamp, 42 Reach, Black. Amazon.com
$80
1 Shop-Vac 9620600 Ultra Plus 6 Gallon Wet/Dry Vac. Ace Hardware $50
1 Ryobi ZRDP102L 9" Benchtop Drill Press, with Laser. Home Depot $90
1 Ryobi BD4600 6" Benchtop Disc and Belt Sander. Home Depot $109
1 (optional) Ryobi SC164VS 16" Variable Speed Scroll Saw. Home Depot
$109
1 (optional) Ryobi BS903 9 In. Bandsaw. Home Depot $109
1 Ryobi BTS21 10" Table Saw with Transport Stand. Home Depot $249
1 Ryobi ZRBGH616 6" Benchtop Grinder. Home Depot $44
1 (optional) Ryobi A04BG06 6" Spiral Sewn Buffing Wheel. Home Depot
$7
1 (optional) Black & Decker 70-613 6" Crimp Wire Wheel, Coarse. Home Depot
$8
1 (optional) Dico 531-Wr1 Buffing Compound. Ace Hardware
$6

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Some Axioms to Consider

2009-03-20T12:00:00.000-07:00

Axioms or idioms, although brief and sometimes a bit cryptic, tend to predict the outcome of current actions, or explain what has just taken place very well. I like to think of them as over simplification of events, and predictors of outcomes. As a child, my first realization of them came from TV, watching The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show segment Fractured Fairy Tales. Who said you couldn't learn anything from watching cartoons?

Here are a few I have collected and would like to share. I'll try to limit these to those you may not have heard, and for me, seem to re-occur with some frequency.

Cheaper is often more expensive.
The cheaper alternative often costs more over a long time span, considering the cost of replacement and/or repairs. Also applies when purchasing goods with payment plans considering the additional interest charges incurred. This axiom is not true when the usage duration is short or limited.

Match the tool to the task.
Find the tool that exceeds the expected usage requirements by a reasonable uncertainty factor, in the event these requirements change in the future. Paying for more is only benefiting the next owner.

The only thing constant in life, is change.
Nothing remains the same, although there are periods where very little changes occur, at which point we slowly convince ourselves that the status quo will continue indefinitely. This axiom's infallibility is especially evident after the loss of a friend or loved one.

If things are bad, wait. (corollary to prior axiom)
Since nothing remains the same, a negative series of events will not last forever and good fortune is on the horizon. Caution: This is known to work in reverse. And again, referring to the prior axiom, the bad luck will not last forever.

New laws are born out of bad actions or events.
Look at political history, the legal system or talk to anyone working in Human Resources at your place of employment to see evidence of this axiom.

People love a crisis or disaster.
Anytime a disaster occurs, people feel the need to watch and/or act. Once the crisis is perceived to have subsided, attention wains. News media outlets make use of this axiom through sensationalism. Think about automobile accidents and the traffic jams they cause only for approaching traffic.

Failure brings action. (combination of 3 prior axioms)
Until something has failed, very little attention is paid to it, with the assumption it will continue perform indefinitely. Look at the failure of bridges or airplanes for examples.

Price is directly proportional to the loss of failure.
The price of items are usually very low, especially if the loss incurred after the object ceases to function are insignificant. Think of consumables vs. those items affecting the safety of many people. Also influenced by lawyers with lawsuits.

Competition is inversely proportional to price. (influences prior axiom)
In order to sell a good, it must be cheaper or have other desirable qualities non-existent in the marketplace. Loyalty to brand names tend to lower this effect.

People resist change. (related to prior axiom)
It is the unknown that people dislike, since the outcome may be negative. Brand names, favorite restaurants, holiday destinations, etc. take advantage of this axiom.

Scale and cost are inversely related.
The initial product takes the most time and expense. By increasing production to greater than one will the per unit cost drop by a fixed amount, the cost of the initial design and testing. The inverse relationship of this axiom only appears when material part count orders reach successive supplier quantity discount levels.

Emotions and beliefs alter reality.
The state of our emotions and beliefs determine how we perceive events. Observe people at the same church during a wedding or funeral. Talk to people with different religious and/or political beliefs than your own. Extreme emotions and beliefs tend to have a more pronounced effect, revealing very different realities.

Why Science?

2009-03-19T06:44:00.000-07:00

My first ventures into Science was the fantasy of most young boys. Well, maybe not all of them, especially those who were normally interested in sports and other outdoor activities. While they were out playing baseball, basketball, soccer or football, I was delving into the world of science, through reading whatever science books I could get my hands on at the local school and public library, and then later re-creating the devices or experiments described therein.

I built Crystal Radios, mesmerized how they ran without batteries, created and burned flammable acetylene gas mixtures using only Calcium Carbide crystals and water. I lit up old cathode ray tubes from oscilloscopes, producing nickel sized glowing discs on the phosphor screen that could be moved with a nearby magnet, using only an old Henry Ford wooden induction coil for the high voltage source and lantern battery to power the filament. I made X-rays to the alarm of a nearby friend, converted an old refrigerator compressor into a vacuum pump to experiment with high vacuum within a bell jar. I later used the same pump to evacuate empty refrigeration freon tanks, partially filling them with water by immersing into our pool, and later pressurize to make super water squirt guns.

My experiments were not limited to re-creating devices, but also discovering and exploring the properties of a large number of the items found in the Periodic Table of Elements, ie. creating Oxygen through electrolysis, Chlorine via chemical reactions with Sulphuric acid, and impure Nitrogen by combustion of Oxygen in an enclosed container. I also melted Sulphur to observe it's plastic like quality and potential as a electrophorus surface, created a Carbon-arc furnace using gutted D cell battery terminals and household current via a lamp cord, observed ionized Helium-Neon gas in a portable laser ray gun I had built, burned Magnesium shavings and was fascinated by the bright light it produced or how it burned only hotter with the addition of water, etched Copper printed circuit boards using Ferric Chloride solutions, dissolved Zinc extracted from D cell batteries in Sulphuric Acid to create lighter-than-air Hydrogen balloons, practiced Silver plating glass for a future Ruby laser project that was never realized, experimented with a Xenon flash tube strobe, made a Gold foil electroscope, created a true 30" vacuum using a glass tube and liquid Mercury, and over charged Lead-acid batteries to create a Hydrogen gas source, only later to be foolishly detonated to demonstrate that it was really Hydrogen to a third party.

Needless to say, that I had a blast (at times quite literally) throughout the process and had gained a great foundation in both Physics and Chemistry by the age of 16, albeit sans the trouble of learning all of the mathematical formulas and fundamental laws involved. Later in High School, as a sophomore in Physics I discovered the algebraic formulas explaining what I had observed, only to be further enlightened again in college, that the formulas had been greatly simplified, and that Calculus was a much better tool for explaining and predicting scientific phenomenon.

It was throughout this time in my youth I gained a reputation with friends at school as somewhat of a mad scientist, before this was fashionable in the cartoon world of Dexter's Laboratory or Inspector Gadget, and viewed somewhat pensively by parents and siblings as to what new trouble I was about to get myself into.

Some of my early Do's and Don'ts include...

Do build crystal radios. Don't use the screw terminals of a telephone jack for the antenna and ground connections as it created a direct short across the tuning coil and affected all telephone communication in the house.
Do experiment with primitive chemical compounds. Don't pulverize charcoal briquettes, mix with Potassium Nitrate and Sulphur to make gunpowder, then attempt to sell to neighborhood kids in the form of homemade flares.
Do experiment with basic electrical components, ie. capacitors, resistors, diodes and the like, to discover their electrical characteristics. Don't connect 110 VAC (via a converted lamp cord and alligator clip leads) to a capacitor. It explodes, and surprises you with an alternate method of creating confetti via a spark and bang!
Do create Hydrogen gas. Don't accumulate large quantities of it in a 5 gallon glass wine jar, try to convince an older brother it's really Hyrdogen inside and not air, and igniting it with a torch igniter. It created such a loud boom that all the windows rattled in our house. Fortunately the jar didn't explode. Needless to say, my brother took me more seriously.
Do experiment with 10,000 volt NST (neon sign transformers). Don't touch any of the high voltage wires, even with what appears to be an insulated screwdriver. The screwdriver was immediately involuntary thrown across the room!
Do experiment with creating Acetylene gas. Don't light it and add air with a straw to see what happens. I burned all the facial hair in an instant from the ensuing flash over.
Do experiment with high voltage rectifier tubes. Don't do this without first heavily shielding the area with lead to avoid X-ray exposure. Surprisingly, after discovering what I was doing, a friend of mine quickly panicked and ran from the room.
Do experiment with Sulfuric Acid. Don't mix it with NaCl as the greenish-yellow cloud of Chlorine gas it gives off is painful to the eyes and nose. Later I discovered this had the side effect of relieving sinus congestion, and tried to convince friends of this by carrying a small vial of the acid and salt to combine at school.
Do experiment with Fresnel lenses and parabolic reflectors with sunlight. Don't use them to burn the skin of unsuspecting classmates while walking to the next class or during graduation practice ceremonies.
Do experiment to learn the theory of electrical transformers. Don't convince the household pet to casually chew on the 1,000 ohm winding of a tiny audio transformer while touching a 9-volt battery to the 8 ohm winding. The sudden jolt of voltage of voltage was enough to send the animal fleeing from the room for safety.
Do experiment with re-creating a small exothermic reaction, Nitrogen Tri-Iodide, found in a Chemistry book. Don't create large quantities, store in a glass jar, and later cool down by pouring in refrigerated water. The jar immediately exploded, glass fragments flying everywhere. This was enough to curb my interest in explosives.
Do experiment with static electricity. Don't use the household cat as the source of afore mentioned energy by picking up the animal to rub it's fur against the refrigerator, later extracting a spark from it's nose. It's not hard to see why they don't enjoy this?

Setting up a Lab, Part I

2009-03-18T19:10:00.000-07:00

This is a topic near and dear to my heart, and a desire that I've had clear back to my childhood days, to have my own lab. It was only in my possession in the truest sense of the word during my youth when I was between 7th and 11th grades. Afterwards, during a few years in my mid-20's I was fortunate enough to have access to a full machine shop, complete with Bridgeport Mill, lathes, and other assorted precision machining equipment after work hours. Since then, my shop or working environment used to consist of nothing more than a simple breakfast table with a miniature lathe and milling attachments, with a coping saw for cutting parts, to now only a glass dining table and kitchen counter top and no lathe. A very poor, poor excuse for building and experimentation. Unfortunately for most of you reading this, this may still be all you have. Believe me, I feel your pain!

My first lab consisted nothing more than an open air roof covered patio on the side of our home, with small tool shop. The shop, basically a place for renters or live in mother-in-laws, was a bedroom sized room with only an outside door. It had become my dad's workshop, complete with painted wooden bench, tools, and more baby food jars of nails, nuts, screws, etc. than I care to remember. It was here where I learned to read electrical schematics, how to solder (and painfully learn not how to pick up a 100 watt soldering iron), experimented with high voltage aka. 10,000 volt NST or the afore mentioned induction coil without killing myself, and tried a little in Chemistry by making Gunpowder, Hydrogen gas, and Nitrogen Tri-Iodide (a very sensitive exothermic and unstable compound). I had no idea how many years I would have to wait before having a similar environment to work in.

Much later, after moving out on my own and getting a job, did I discover a whole new set of tools and level of precision they offered. I never knew about machining metal to within 1/100th of an inch! The machine shop, when I had the time, which was limited only to after hours while other people on the shop floor (for safety reasons of course), became my learning environment for the Bridgeport mill and metal lathe. My projects took on a whole new level of precision. Here I built a Nitrogen Laser (never got around to testing it); a 200,000 volt Van de Graaff and laser light table, complete with assorted metal clamps and 1/4-20 threaded aluminum rods. About this same time I purchased a small cheap tabletop metal lathe to work at home, and proceeded to make numerous miniature 1" dia. Van de Graaffs for sale and gifts to family and friends. This era in my life was like going from the Stone Age to Metal Age in human development. I learned all about building with precision.

From this point on, I began to take school more seriously, and as a consequence limited my time with science and building things. A unique job opportunity presented itself across the country, where I could both work and study at a university, and finally pursue my engineering degree. I moved there and eventually found a small bedroom sized cabana, complete with kitchenette, bathroom and sofa-bed. Here I managed to buy another miniature metal lathe, moving up to a better non-generic version, a Sherline, to build more miniature Van de Graaffs. Later, even this activity stopped, as my studies became too demanding. To be honest, I really didn't have the space here anyways. For the record, I spent the next 7 years completing my degree (another blog entry of what not to do when getting your education).

About 5 years ago, with the engineering degree behind me, I finally purchased a home, and delved into a new hobby of R/C airplanes. My lab workspace was nothing more than the round glass dinning table for cutting balsa wood, a fancy wooden office desk for gluing and assembly, and the kitchen counter for soldering and other assembly work. I later found out that although glass offers a fantastic smooth surface for cutting with razor blades, it scratches very easily. During this recent phase in my life I learned all about building airplanes from scratch, even winding the coils to create brushless motors. Later, wanting to move onto bigger and faster planes, I graduated on to RTF (Ready To Fly) models, which I still fly today, learning and practicing aerobatics as time permits. I no longer needed the space for building airplanes from scratch, but still a place for assembly and repairs.

So now to the whole point of this blog, building a laboratory. The impetus for this project was realized after seeing a YouTube video of a miniature Tesla Coil last year, using a diminutive 6" x 1" secondary coil to generate very long electrical sparks, something very uncommon. I had to build one! This was the spark, for lack of a better metaphor, to the return of my love of science and exploration. Building this fantastic Tesla Coil would soon lead to other scientific projects, and the reminder that I really need a proper laboratory to work in. As luck would have it, a sum of money suddenly become available to give this dream a chance to materialize (the topic for a future blog about the power of positive thinking). I could now start the process of building my own lab, a life long dream. This would be a combination workshop and science lab, like those I used in college. The next blog will go into the specifics of what I did to make this a reality.

Page: 1 2

1" Tesla Coil

2009-03-02T23:00:00.000-08:00

I should title this with, "How to Create 500,000 volts on a Dime", but that may be a bit of a stretch. It costs a bit more. This coil has a great design though and I wish I could take credit. The original was designed by Florian Wopfner in Austria. Check out his site for an overview and more photos. What I'll discuss here is the steps I took to replicate it, with more details should you wish to do the same.

I originally discovered his miniature coil on YouTube when exploring different versions of Tesla Coils, using spark gap, solid state, short and tall ones. Unfortunately, most had really weak performance, often only producing spark streamers of an inch or less. Now of course I found exceptions, but none as small as Florian's. Not only did his mini coil generate longer streamers, it created ones exceeding the length of secondary coil. This was what initially got me interested. Afterwards it was his simple, yet elegant design. It could be built by almost anyone on a budget.

As with all Tesla Coils, the unit can be described by it's discrete parts, as shown in the schematic above. I'll describe each of the components and what is involved in their creation. Florian's website does great job of showing each part, but leaves out some of the construction details. That's were I come in. For the sake of consistency I'll talk about each component in the same order he does.

Primary

The Primary Coil is the means to pump electrical energy into the Secondary Coil. It is one of the elements which determine the frequency at which the Tesla Coil operates. Because some of the windings are not insulated, one end of the coil can be attached at various points, effectively shortening or lengthening the coil which in turn change the frequency of the circuit.

The Primary Coil consists of 10 turns of 13awg wire, and is held in place using 25 degree plexiglass angles, forming an inverted cone at the base of the secondary coil. Outside of this coil, on the same plastic angles is a single winding for a strike coil, with the ends overlapping but not touching.

Cut all the plastic angles to the same size, and drill the holes for the wire to pass through. The holes for the primary need to be staggered, so that the coil forms a uniform spiral. The diameter of the holes needs to be at least 0.025" > wire diameter, to allow movement of the wire through the plastic, as it curves to make the coil. The hole for the strike coil is made at the same position on each plastic angle, slightly higher than the primary windings. These pieces are later secured to a plexiglass disc of the same diameter as the wooden base.

Make the 7" dia. 3/4" MDF base and 0.20" plexiglass platform. Use the following shortcut for making all the discs required in this project...

Make a guide hole. Drill a small hole the size of a paper clip in the center of the piece to cut.
Draw a circle. Using a scrap piece of breadboard, place the paper clip through one hole and into the hole just drilled. Find another hole on the breadboard approx. 1/2 the diameter away and insert a mechanical pencil here. Draw a circle by rotating the breadboard and pencil about the center containing the paper clip.
Cut out the disc. Cut just outside of the line so that the circle is bigger than desired. Use a band, scroll or saber saw if you have one available.
Make a sanding jig. Find a piece of scrap wood about the same width as the diameter. Drill a hole the size of a paper clip slightly less than 1/2 the diameter from one edge. Insert the paper clip through the disc to trim and then into the hole just drilled. The disc should rotate freely about the paper clip.
Trim the disc to size. With the disc placed on the scrap wood, place both on the table of a disc sander. Using the sander, slowly rotate the disc against the sander, applying pressure on the wood in increments so that the disc eventually matches the size of the previously drawn circle.

Tape the two discs together and drill four holes used to attach to the wooden dowel supports via wood screws. Separate the discs and set the MDF base aside (shown on right). Place one of plastic angles used for the primary coil on the plastic disc, and drill a hole 1/4" away from the last hole near the center, for the wire to pass through. Re-drill the center hole in the plastic disc for the M4 bolt to pass through freely.

Draw up a paper template to line up the plastic angles on the plexiglass platform so that they are spaced evenly. Place this template beneath the disc and position all eight plastic angles on the surface, using the correct order so that the holes allow for the wire to spiral out uniformly. Using a needle applicator, apply plexiglass cement along each side of the plastic angles. Capillary action will draw the cement between the plastic, producing a mirror finish where the two surfaces meet.

Create the Primary Coil. First remove the enamel insulation from about two windings worth of wire. This exposed wire will allow the Tesla Coil to be tuned to it's surroundings by moving a tap at any position on the bare wire, to lengthen or shorting this coil in the circuit. Find an object about 4" dia. and wrap 10 turns of wire tightly on this form. Gently unwind. While maintaining the coil form insert the enameled end of the wire into the plastic angle containing the hole furthest from the center of the platform. Insert in this hole, and gently work the wire into successive holes, using the curve in the wire from the step to assist. A needle nose pliers will be needed when exiting the last hole, to bend the wire downwards though the hole in the platform.

Add the strike coil. Remove all the insulation on one windings length of wire. Assemble this coil using the same method as the primary, but do not let the ends of the wire touch. Trim the length so that the wire overlaps between two adjacent plastic angle supports.

Secondary

The Secondary Coil is where the electricity is generated, induced by the coupling action of the Primary Coil to generate voltages upwards of 500,000 volts.

Assemble the Universal Coil Winder described in another project on this blog. This will greatly simplify winding the coil. Do not make the assumption of coil length by wire dia. multiplied by the number of turns. Due to the high number of turns, and fine wire used in this design, the result will result in a coil of over 100 turns too short.

After winding the coil, apply multiple coats (10 or more) of polyurethane to the coil to help secure the wire to the pvc tube and reduce strike overs sparks between windings. Because the high potential at the top load, there are hundreds of volts between windings. A poorly insulated secondary will quickly burn up as voltage arcs develop between some of the turns.

Attach a 3/8" plexiglass plug with a machine bolt hot glued through the center at each tube end. Use 50mm and 25mm bolts for the top and bottom connections respectfully. The longer bolt will be used to attach the Top Load toroid terminal. Unlike other coils, do not run the wire through a hole in the side wall of the tube. The high voltage potential will generate leakage all along the exposed wire length. Instead, solder to a short strip of copper foil near each end of the windings, connecting to the end bolts. The foil width should match the dia. of the 4mm washer and have a hole at one end for the bolt to pass through. Add electrical tape over the bottom windings to add insulation and minimize spark discharges to the primary coil.

Tank Capacitor

The Tank Capacitor serves as a collection point, to accumulate energy from the high voltage power supply, and then dump this into the Primary Coil is a series of oscillations. The capacitance value is one of the elements which determines the frequency at which the Tesla Coil operates.

The Tank Capacitor here uses a collection of capacitors, wired in series, to handle the high voltage needed for the Tesla Coil. Capacitors created in this manner are called MMC (Multi Miniature Capacitors). High voltage capacitors are generally very expensive, so using many cheaper lower voltage capacitors offers an alternative. As a safety factor, bleed resisters (10 mega ohm) are placed across each capacitor to bleed or leak away dangerous currents when the Tesla Coil is powered off.

The capacitors are first hot-glued to the breadboard in two columns, and wired in series using the excess leads of the resistors in the form shown in the above schematic. Later the assembly is glued to a 3/8" thick 3.5" x 0.75" piece of plexiglass. This plastic has two mounting holes for attaching to the base using two 4mm x 25mm machine screws, washers and nuts.

Sparkgap

The sparkgap is used to dump the energy accumulated in the Tank Capacitor into the Primary Coil. This is one of the critical elements of the coil which determines the length of the streamers from the Topload.

The sparkgap in this design consists of two separate sparkgaps with a common connection, a two pipe sparkgap to charge the Tank Capacitor (MMC), and three pipe sparkgap used to discharge the Tank Capacitor into the Primary coil. Attempting to use just the later sparkgap did not appear to work, producing only a single discharge when first applying power, thus the reason for my unique approach.

After cutting 4 1/2" dia. copper pipes to the required 2.5" length, de-burr the edges. Otherwise sparks will originate from these points instead of all along the tube length. A single 4mm hole is drilled into the center of each tube, cutting through only one wall. Make 4 holes in the 3/8" thick 2.5" x 4" plexiglass so that the tubes are spaced 0.14" apart, mounted using a nut inside each tube with the 4mm x 25mm bolt, washer and spacer. Two additional holes are drilled at tapped to mount to the base using two 4mm x 25mm machine screws, washers and nuts.

Topload

The Topload is nothing more than one side of a large capacitor, with the other end being the ground and area surrounding the coil. It is through this element that charges are built up and eventually sufficient enough to break away and generate the long streamers that Tesla Coils are famous for. Without it the coil will produce very short streamers.

Make the Topload by cutting a 110mm x 1/2" MDF disc. Refer to the directions earlier for the steps involved. Enlarge the center hole to allow the 4mm machine screw to easily enter. Cut a lengh of the split corrugated plastic tubing sufficient to make a complete loop around the MDF disc form. Insert the disc into the split tubing, and continue to wrap the tubing around the edge of the disc. Tape the outer edge together, and compress the cut portion of the tubing into a neat circle on each side of the disc, trying to eliminate any gaps.

Apply the aluminum foil tape. Cut 5 1/2" sections of the 2" aluminum foil, and divide this evenly into 6 strips. Apply each strip longitudinally, starting on the top disc, ending on the bottom of the same disc.Continue to apply the foil, overlapping the previous foil a little with each new piece so that no plastic is exposed. Repeat this until all of the tubing is covered, which will take about 80 strips. Finish by cutting out two foil circles that are applied, one to each disc surface, covering any gaps between the foil and MDF. Puncture the center hole on each side.

Attach the Topload toroid by placing a 4mm nut and washer midway on the 50mm machine screw of the Secondary Coil. Place the toroid onto the remaining length of the screw, and attach another 4mm washer and nut. Secure by tightening the nut until snug.

Powersupply

The Powersupply is what supplies the electrical energy to the Tesla Coil. It much have a voltage high enough to ionize the air in the Sparkgap, a requirement for the oscillation to take place between the Tank Capacitor and the Primary Coil.

The Powersupply selected is a small 10,000volt, 23mA OBIT (Oil Burner Ignition Transformer). It is connected to the Tesla Coil using two 20,000volt insulated cables terminated with male banana plugs. These are attached to the Tesla Coil via high voltage input terminal, a 3/8" thick 3.5" x 0.75" plexiglass plate with two female banana jacks placed vertically 2" apart. Two additional holes are drilled at tapped to mount to the base using two 4mm x 25mm machine screws, washers and nuts. All inter-wire cabling is done using #8 lugs and 14awg speaker wire. A wire with an alligator clip is used to connect to the exposed end of the Primary Coil.

Additional Notes

The Tesla Coil generates high voltage at high frequencies. To prevent damage to nearby electrical appliances, a separate ground path is provided. Never attach the coil to the AC ground! Doing so could make an accidental strike of a electrical streamer from the Topload to you or anyone else lethal.

A 50' copper grounding cable was created using 8awg copper speaker wire, with two large copper clips at each end. One end is attached to the bottom bolt of the Secondary Coil, the other to a separate grounding rod, inserted into the earth at least 8' from the house.

Material List:

No. Description Price
1
Enameled Copper Wire, 0.15mm, 38swg, 1500m. 1031 turns (270') Secondary Coil. Maplin
$26
1 Enameled Copper Wire, 13 awg. 11 turns (20') Primary Coil. Skycraft Parts & Surplus
$3
10
WIMA FKP1 1250V 0.022uF 10% Polypropylene Film Capacitors. MMC Tank Capacitor. Mouser Electronics
$19
10 10 Meg Ohm Bleed Resistors for Tesla Coil Capacitors, 200 pcs. MMC Tank Capacitor. Rainy Lake Electronics
$9
1 Breadboard 1/16"dia 4.50X6.00". (2" x 3") MMC Tank Capacitor. Digi-Key
$10
1 10,000 volt 23mA Allason Oil Burner Ignition Transformer 2721 631A. Power Supply. eBay
$26
1 3/8" thick Plexiglass. (3.5" x 0.75") MMC Tank Capacitor, (2.5" x 4") Spark Gap, (2.5" x 4") High Voltage input terminal, and (2 x 13/16" dia.) Secondary. Skycraft Parts & Surplus
$12
1 0.20" think Plexiglass. (7" dia.) and (8 x 2.5" x 1.75") Primary Coil. Skycraft Parts & Surplus
$12
1 0.75" thick 7" dia. MDF board. Base Plate. Home Depot
-
1 0.50" thick 110mm dia. MDF board. Top Load. Home Depot
-
1 322 Aluminum Foil Tape, 1.89 in x 50 yd. Top Load. Home Depot
$8
1
5 Ft. Split Flex Tubing, 1" I.D. Top Load. Miller's Hardware
$8
4
0.5" dia. x 2.5" copper tubing. Spark Gap.
-
1 1" dia. x 8" PVC tube. Secondary.
-
8
#6 1/2 In. pan head slotted drive wood screw with washer. Base Plate and Primary Coil.
-
7
4mm x 25mm machine screw round head phillips drive with washer. (2 ) MMC Tank Capacitor, (2) Spark Gap, (2) High Voltage input terminal and (1) Secondary.
-
4
4mm x 25mm machine bolt with 5mm phenolic spacer. Spark Gap. -
1
4mm x 50mm machine screw hex head. Top Load.
-
10
4mm nut with washer. (2) MMC Tank Capacitor, (4) Spark Gap, (2) Secondary and (2) Top Load.
-

No.	Description	Price
1	8 cm x 3 cm Tuna Can. Cutting Head Tool.	-
1	5/8 In.-11 x 24 In. Threaded Rod Coarse Thread Zinc Plated. Shaft. Home Depot	$4
4	5/16 In. Nut Hex Coarse Thread Zinc Plated. Cutting Head Tool and Handle. Home Depot	$1
4	5/16 In. Washer Lock Medium Split Zinc Plated. Cutting Head Tool and Handle. Home Depot	$1
2	5/16 In. x 1-1/4 In. Washer Fender Zinc Plated. Cutting Head Tool. Home Depot	$2
1	1" I.D. x 6" PVC tube. Handle. Home Depot	-
1	Orbit 10 Pack Home Depot Colored Flags. Home Depot	$2

Item	Store Qty	Store Price	Recipe Qty	Recipe Cost
Publix All Purpose Flour, 5lbs, serving size ¼ cup, 75 servings.	18.75 cups	$2.29	1 cup	$0.12
Clabber Girl Backing Powder, 10oz, serving size 1/8tsp, 472 servings.	19.67 tbsp	$1.49	1 tbsp	$0.08
Morton Iodized Salt, 26oz, serving size ¼ tsp, 491 servings.	122.75 tsp	$0.63	½ tsp	$0.03
Publix Pure Granulated Sugar, 5 lb, serving size 1 tsp, 567 servings.	189 tbsp	$2.69	2 tbsp.	$0.03
Publix All Natural reduced fat 2% Grade A Milk, 1 gal, serving size 1 cup, 16 servings.	16 cups	$2.89	7/8 cup	$0.16
Publix extra large Grade A Eggs, 1 dozen, serving size 1 egg, 12 servings.	1 doz	$1.49	1 egg	$0.12
Crisco Pure Vegetable Oil, 16fl oz, serving size 1 tbsp, 32 servings.	32 tbsp	$2.59	2 tbsp	$0.16
Publix Pure Vanilla Extract, 1 fl oz.	6 tsp	$3.99	½ tsp	$0.33

No.	Description	Price
2	Wooden Dowel, 48"x1/2"dia. 3 x 24" long rods for the frame.	$2
2	MDF (Medium Density Fiberboard), 7"x7"x3/4". 7"x7"x7" equilateral triangle end plates with 1" corners.	-
1	MDF (Medium Density Fiberboard), 3"x3"x1/2". 3" dia. hand crank disc.	-
1	10/32 threaded rod, 24" length.	$2
2	Sealed ball bearing assembly, 1/2" OD.	$4
2	#10 fender washers	-
2	#10 wing nuts	-
1	small rubber O-ring (size of 10/32 threaded rod)	-
1	6/32 pan head bolt, 1 1/8"	-
1	Digital Pedometer.	$1
1	Magnetic reed switch.	$2
1	Rare earth magnet, 1/8"x5/8"dia.	$1

No.	Description	Price
2	Chicago Electric 97684-0VGA 6 Outlet Power Strip with Surge Suppressor. Harbor Freight Tools	$6
1	Science Lab Table by Corilam - Wood. 60"x30"x29" phenolic top, custom order. eduFurniture	$384
1	H7724 60"x20"x34" Workbench with Drawers - Birch. Grizzly Industrial, Inc.	$365
1	Ledu L745BK Fluorescent Magnifying Swing Arm Clamp Mount Lamp, 42 Reach, Black. Amazon.com	$80
1	Shop-Vac 9620600 Ultra Plus 6 Gallon Wet/Dry Vac. Ace Hardware	$50
1	Ryobi ZRDP102L 9" Benchtop Drill Press, with Laser. Home Depot	$90
1	Ryobi BD4600 6" Benchtop Disc and Belt Sander. Home Depot	$109
1	(optional) Ryobi SC164VS 16" Variable Speed Scroll Saw. Home Depot	$109
1	(optional) Ryobi BS903 9 In. Bandsaw. Home Depot	$109
1	Ryobi BTS21 10" Table Saw with Transport Stand. Home Depot	$249
1	Ryobi ZRBGH616 6" Benchtop Grinder. Home Depot	$44
1	(optional) Ryobi A04BG06 6" Spiral Sewn Buffing Wheel. Home Depot	$7
1	(optional) Black & Decker 70-613 6" Crimp Wire Wheel, Coarse. Home Depot	$8
1	(optional) Dico 531-Wr1 Buffing Compound. Ace Hardware	$6

No.	Description	Price
1	Enameled Copper Wire, 0.15mm, 38swg, 1500m. 1031 turns (270') Secondary Coil. Maplin	$26
1	Enameled Copper Wire, 13 awg. 11 turns (20') Primary Coil. Skycraft Parts & Surplus	$3
10	WIMA FKP1 1250V 0.022uF 10% Polypropylene Film Capacitors. MMC Tank Capacitor. Mouser Electronics	$19
10	10 Meg Ohm Bleed Resistors for Tesla Coil Capacitors, 200 pcs. MMC Tank Capacitor. Rainy Lake Electronics	$9
1	Breadboard 1/16"dia 4.50X6.00". (2" x 3") MMC Tank Capacitor. Digi-Key	$10
1	10,000 volt 23mA Allason Oil Burner Ignition Transformer 2721 631A. Power Supply. eBay	$26
1	3/8" thick Plexiglass. (3.5" x 0.75") MMC Tank Capacitor, (2.5" x 4") Spark Gap, (2.5" x 4") High Voltage input terminal, and (2 x 13/16" dia.) Secondary. Skycraft Parts & Surplus	$12
1	0.20" think Plexiglass. (7" dia.) and (8 x 2.5" x 1.75") Primary Coil. Skycraft Parts & Surplus	$12
1	0.75" thick 7" dia. MDF board. Base Plate. Home Depot	-
1	0.50" thick 110mm dia. MDF board. Top Load. Home Depot	-
1	322 Aluminum Foil Tape, 1.89 in x 50 yd. Top Load. Home Depot	$8
1	5 Ft. Split Flex Tubing, 1" I.D. Top Load. Miller's Hardware	$8
4	0.5" dia. x 2.5" copper tubing. Spark Gap.	-
1	1" dia. x 8" PVC tube. Secondary.	-
8	#6 1/2 In. pan head slotted drive wood screw with washer. Base Plate and Primary Coil.	-
7	4mm x 25mm machine screw round head phillips drive with washer. (2 ) MMC Tank Capacitor, (2) Spark Gap, (2) High Voltage input terminal and (1) Secondary.	-
4	4mm x 25mm machine bolt with 5mm phenolic spacer. Spark Gap.	-
1	4mm x 50mm machine screw hex head. Top Load.	-
10	4mm nut with washer. (2) MMC Tank Capacitor, (4) Spark Gap, (2) Secondary and (2) Top Load.	-