Bicycle Projects
Dynamo battery-charger for the Panasonic Lumix camera.
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On this tour I decided I’d like to improve my photography, this meant an improved camera than my Canon Powershot ‘point-and-shoot’ would be needed.One of the main criteria for selecting previous cameras was the type of batteries they used. AA being preferred, as could be charged via my bicycle’s hub dynamo through a custom charger that I made in 2008. This unfortunately greatly restricted my selection, so after reading sterling reviews about the Panasonic Lumix LX5, which was a non-AA battery camera, had to face the fact that a new ‘2013’ dynamo charger was required….back to the lab!
This piece of plastic will retain one end of the battery pack [within the project's housing] so the spring-pins will make contact onto the relevant battery contacts.
A little bit of machining and it soon takes shape. When charging, the battery would be held in place by the spring-pins pushing the opposite end of the battery over to one side slightly, against the side face of the slot on the housing, so in essence, the spring-pins serve two purposes, making for a minimalistic design.
The spring-pins sticking out the rear, where the connecting wires from the electronics board will be soldered.
The few electronic components, along with the surface-mount adaptor PCB and the chassis-mount socket. The control chip is a Lithium-Ion charge control IC, the MCP73861, manufactured by Microchip, selected as the charge current can be set as required. My front-wheel hub dynamo can supply a maximum current of 500mA, but I chose a charging level of only 200 milli-amp so as not to cause too much of a 'load'.
A small plastic box from Maplin Electronics, the battery will slide into the front end slot. The side slot is where the positive 5v regulator will sit, beneath the aluminium heatsink plate, also shown.
The supply connector, regulator / heatsink and the spring-pin block mounted in place.
Space within the box was rather limited, so had to mount the large smoothing capacitor just behind the spring-pin block, of which fitted rather snug! The nearest components on the control board are rectification diodes, required as the dynamo output is an AC current.
The charge control IC is seen mounted on the topside of the control board. The green LED indicates 'charging', whilst the red denotes a fault condition; hopefully the initial function-check of that LED is the only time I see it on! A spare spring-pin is also lightly glued within the housing.
A few more components mounted on the control board, then the circuit was double-checked against the datasheet before testing. To test I used a bench power supply, confirming quiescent current, then later testing with the lithium battery in place, which drew the calculated charge current of 200mA.
After initial tests proved okay it was then tested using the bike's hub dynamo.
Time to take some photos.
Time to take some photos.
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Rohloff sprocket removal tool.
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My touring bicycle's gearing system is not a standard derailier as found on most bikes, but instead uses a hub-gear, manufactured by a German company called Rohloff. Without getting too technical, removal of the rear sprocket - for reversal or replacing - requires a standard chain-whip tool, as required on a typical derailier equiped bike. Only needing to use it every two-three thousand miles seemed a relatively heavy item to cart around. With a little thought I came up with a rather neat, lighter, substitute.
The first design was based around a Honda motorbike 'C' spanner, seen at the rear. The modified version at the front, has three studs that align with holes on the bicycle's sprocket, while the lug at its rear, allows use of the 15 mm spanner - that I carry for wheel-nut and pedal removal - to give the necessary torque for removal of the sprocket. It appeared to work okay, although I still wasn't 100% content.
The new design was made from a piece of NASA graded material - forged in the heart of the volcano in Mordor - well, it was actually a piece of 4 mm ferrous steel from an Ebay stockist. In essence it's an ‘O’ spanner, with four studs, instead of three, that would apply equal force around the sprockets circumference when loosening.
The four, 5mm stud holes, drilled and tapped.
The straight section was cut 16 mm wide, then later would be filled down to an exact 15 mm width, with corners rounded, to allow said spanner to fit precisely. The studs were simply 5 mm shank-bolts, threaded and tightened into the tapped holes. The protruding studs were the thread-less shank length of the bolts, cut ~6 mm above the face.
The protruding threaded length was cut flush with the underside face.
Another, [relatively heavy] tool I tour with, used for removal of the cranks from the bottom-bracket - so used even less than the chain-whip tool - was an 8mm Allen-key. Realising I could loose weight by making the new tool into a dual-tool I had a stubby length of the 8mm Allen key welded onto the end of the arm (Welding courtesy of Andrew Holman). Pocket ‘Multi-tools’ have never appealed to me, although this one seemed to score well….but maybe I’m too biased to vote fairly!
Pre delivery inspection.
Fits like a glove. Ready for use, well, after I’ve rode a few thousand miles first!
Time for a PG.
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Panoramic 360' camera rotator.
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On my last tour I never captured any video footage and [now] wishing I had done this time around thought I’d take advantage of my camera’s video mode by recording footage of any areas that stand-out, also deciding to include a video link on the blog so friends, family and followers could appreciate the areas I’d be riding through even more-so.
One disadvantage of touring solo is being the camera man, so appearance in photos is few and far between! So thinking a panoramic camera rotator would work nicely, which after some Googling I found the disadvantage of professional ones is the price, and more-so, the size! All I wanted was a small, simple, battery driven device that would spin 360 degrees in ~60 seconds or so. So for these reasons - and that I like making things - there was only one option.
A bracket to hold the motor in place, made from a scrap piece of sheet steel.
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On my last tour I never captured any video footage and [now] wishing I had done this time around thought I’d take advantage of my camera’s video mode by recording footage of any areas that stand-out, also deciding to include a video link on the blog so friends, family and followers could appreciate the areas I’d be riding through even more-so.
One disadvantage of touring solo is being the camera man, so appearance in photos is few and far between! So thinking a panoramic camera rotator would work nicely, which after some Googling I found the disadvantage of professional ones is the price, and more-so, the size! All I wanted was a small, simple, battery driven device that would spin 360 degrees in ~60 seconds or so. So for these reasons - and that I like making things - there was only one option.
This tiny motor + gearbox - bought from a decommissioned nuclear power station car-boot sale in Kosovo, okay, I’m lying, it’s another Ebay purchase - output spindle was rated at 60 rpm @ 3 volt, so would fit-the-bill nicely.
A bracket to hold the motor in place, made from a scrap piece of sheet steel.
A 52 tooth gear and worm-gear, this would reduce the
output spindle down to a reasonable speed for a good pan.
The idea was to secure the camera in place by using the threaded insert, found on the underside of most cameras. The end of the thread had to be machined down to locate, and sit securely, in a corresponding hole on the base-plate.
The top and bottom plates were made using clear acrylic sheet, cheap as chips, but not as tasty. The spindle was clamped to the main gear by using nuts, machined down slightly to help reduce the over-all height of the finished item.
Motor, gear and AAA Battery box in place, a recessed slide-switch
will be mounted on the top face for simple activation.
The recess around the side of the gear is a thumb-hold, used to prevent the spindle turning whilst screwing the camera onto the spindle.
In operation with the intended camera, although having also purchased a Go-Pro helmet camera, which give amazing video footage, courtesy of their Fish-Eye lens, so made a small adaptor-tray, enabling that camera to be mounted on the spindle.
One complete revolution takes ~ 50 seconds.
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Pallet garden-table.
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Okay, maybe this project wasn't bicycle based [directly], but was inspired from my travels through the African countries, where recycling / re-use of waste material is the norm, so indirectly qualifies the project to be featured.
Cycling to and from work each day along the Milton Keynes ‘Redways’ cycle path, I’d been passing a very large pallet that had been [so kindly] dumped by some lesser mortals. For a pallet, the timber was very clean, and screaming out to evolve from its present existence. At that time of my life, I'd felt something was missing, fortunately (for the pallet!) I soon realised it was a garden table. The next step was obvious.
With the pallet far too large for a car (not that I had one anymore) or fit onto my bicycle’s trailer, the only option was take my crow bar to the pallet, and dismantle in situ! After a few trips back n’ forth the lengths were in the back garden ready for surgery to commence.
Cycling to and from work each day along the Milton Keynes ‘Redways’ cycle path, I’d been passing a very large pallet that had been [so kindly] dumped by some lesser mortals. For a pallet, the timber was very clean, and screaming out to evolve from its present existence. At that time of my life, I'd felt something was missing, fortunately (for the pallet!) I soon realised it was a garden table. The next step was obvious.
With the pallet far too large for a car (not that I had one anymore) or fit onto my bicycle’s trailer, the only option was take my crow bar to the pallet, and dismantle in situ! After a few trips back n’ forth the lengths were in the back garden ready for surgery to commence.
First step remove the nails, else the table cloth would be ruined!
The lengths were laid out with the best, stain-free sections lined up to ensure it would look good. A piece of string was tacked to the middle length so the circumference could be marked in place.
The pallet, slowly evolving..
The 'not so good' length's were screwed on the underside, to join the top length's together.
Chamfering the underside length's.
That's the top done, but the workmate 'legs' don't quite go ...
Tea - one lump. Varnish - one brush.
Rather than buy the legs, which would clash with the 'old / used' look I was after - and wanting to keep the recycle/re-use theme - the hunt was on. For a few weeks, I'd been cycling home from work down a bridleway, and been passing a recently felled tree. Straight, and with an ideal diameter, I soon took possession.
An old brick-tie being cut and filled,
recessed into a chiseled slot at the top of the new legs,
then screwed onto the underside length's.
Only three legs were chosen to ensure its stability on uneven, outside, ground. With a light sanding between each of the four coats of varnish I managed to get the rough grain, splinter-free, smooth finish that I was after. Now where's the barbeque?
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