VAL Digest V2 #197

VAL Digest           Friday, March 25 2005           Volume 02 : Number 197




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Topics in Today's Digest:

[VAL] Re: VAL Digest V2 #196
[VAL] tire balance
Re: [VAL] tire balance
Re: [VAL] tire balance
[VAL] Re: LED lamps
Re: [VAL] tire balance
Re: [VAL] tire balance
Re: [VAL] Re: LED lamps
Re: [VAL] LED light fixtures?

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Date: Thu, 24 Mar 2005 09:29:37 EST
From: ABLUTIONS@xxxxxxxxxx.com
Subject: [VAL] Re: VAL Digest V2 #196

DeColores, Mike !    (and to the VAL Digest  members, I promise not to send 
anymore "personal" posts but wanted all  of you to know how "small" the 
Airstream world is !  Mike & I have  been friends for years through doing volunteer 
work for a couple of  ministries but we don't see each other or stay in contact 
on any kind of regular  basis ! He lives in the Delta &  I am several hours 
of fast driving  away in the state capitol).
 
The couple we bought "Tramper" from towed it to a lake every spring and  
hooked it up to a septic tank, water, electricity, TV cable, telephone,  etc.  
They even built a permanent deck and boat ramp that they parked  it beside. There 
it sat all summer for their weekend outings until  they hauled it home in the 
fall.   So I know that you can have the  best of both worlds -- guest house 
AND tramping around !
 
AFTER we know more about what we are doing, we want to buy big gutted  
Airstream  to put on our land in Madison County and customize (we want  to keep 
Tramp as original as possible while being safe, &  comfortable).  You got a 
fabulous deal practically in your back  yard & we are envious considering what we 
paid and how far we  drove to get it -- not to mention that we've been looking 
for a small Airstream  not too far away and in our price range for over 2 years 
!  
 
You will have to come over and meet The Dixie Tramper next time you  are in 
Jackson -- it's quite noticeable sitting in our driveway next to "Gump",  
Ronnie's 1924 Model T,  in "fashionable" Northeast Jackson (the neighbors  are 
going nuts!)!   Oh, the name came from a metal sign that was  given to us by the 
widow of our best friend who died last year (Ronnie loves old  cars, old 
engines, old furniture, old travel trailers, and, luckily, old women  &  because 
Randy did too, Lu wanted Ronnie to have his  prized "old" sign). The sign says 
"The Dixie Tramper --- Belzona,  Mississippi."  No one has any idea what it 
signified originally  but it is the perfect name for our baby Airstream.   Ronnie  
sand-blasted & painted the sign and it is going in a place of honor  inside 
or outside of Tramper.  
 
You will love this forum -- we have learned so very very much from just  
reading and going to recommended web sights.  Keep in touch & come see  us (that 
invitation goes to ANY VAC member!).
 
In His Grip,
 
Anne (and Ronnie) 

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Date: Thu, 24 Mar 2005 15:17:02 -0500
From: "Brian Brown" <BBrown3996@xxxxxxxxxx.rr.com>
Subject: [VAL] tire balance

I think I need my tires balanced... Should I have them done on the axle or
removed?

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Date: Thu, 24 Mar 2005 12:23:06 -0800
From: "Mark" <mark@xxxxxxxxxx.net>
Subject: Re: [VAL] tire balance

On the axle is always best, if the shop you take it to can do it.  This will
put the brake drums into the equation...much better end results, methinks.

Mark in Modesto

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Date: Thu, 24 Mar 2005 15:07:43 -0600
From: root <geraldj@xxxxxxxxxx.com>
Subject: Re: [VAL] tire balance

On Thu, 2005-03-24 at 12:23 -0800, Mark wrote:
> On the axle is always best, if the shop you take it to can do it.  This will
> put the brake drums into the equation...much better end results, methinks.
> 
> Mark in Modesto
> 
> -----------------------------------------------------------------
Spin balancing on the axle is truly best, but most truly hardest to
find. The computer balancers most tire shops use today require virtually
no skill to use and take just a few seconds. I have trailer and truck
wheels they can't balance because the center opening of the wheel is too
large. I've spent an afternoon with weights, tape and much patience
statically balancing my utility trailer tires and drums. The difference
while towing was dramatic, until the used weights came off the rims. I
didn't try to hold them on permanently with tape, just long enough to
pick the size and location of the weights.

When spin balancing on the axle, its important to mark the rim location
with paint stripes so it can be put back in the same position when taken
off for minor work. Patching a tire will destroy the balance so that
work doesn't make the marking so critical.

When drums are a part of the unbalance, tire rotation also requires new
spin balancing.

Not only are the tools for spin balancing virtually antique, the skills
required are mostly gone. Since truck rims don't fit on most of the
computer balance machines, it may be that a truck repair shop may have
the spin balancing capability.

Gerald J.

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Date: Thu, 24 Mar 2005 14:04:25 -0800 (PST)
From: jon fitz <fitzjo1@xxxxxxxxxx.com>
Subject: [VAL] Re: LED lamps

I love LEDs, but my personal opinion is that they can
still be tricky to use for general illumination.  But,
as Dr. J said, the rate of new product introduction is
amazing.  White LEDs are now available in ratings up
to 5 watts!  But, they tend to be very tightly
focused, and some don't like the color/spectral
output.

You may be pleased to know that halogen bulbs provide
some of the highest efficiencies obtainable for
general illumination purposes.  Next time you're in
the home improvement store, compare the output (in
lumens) of standard and halogen bulbs of identical
wattage.  The difference can be dramatic.  Small
halogen bulbs are available in all sorts of
configurations.  Just make sure to use lower wattages
if your goal is power savings.

BTW-further improvements can be made with improved
reflectors.  You can also upgrade (or just remove)
yellowed or opaque lenses.

Jon in SC
68 Overlander


		
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http://smallbusiness.yahoo.com/resources/ 

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Date: Thu, 24 Mar 2005 13:35:19 -0800
From: "Mark" <mark@xxxxxxxxxx.net>
Subject: Re: [VAL] tire balance

Way back when I turned wrenches for a living, we had a machine (German, I
think) which we could roll under a jacked up corner which (using
circumfrence and RPM) would spin the wheel at any road speed you wanted.

Of course, all the doctors and lawyers wanted their Porsches and Mercedes
balanced for 120 miles and hour at first, but then calmed down once they got
it through their thick heads that, since they never actually DROVE that fast
(maybe once...), they got a lot better results if they reduced the balancing
act to the speed they actually drove the things.  Big difference
sometimes...

The point is, if you DO find a shop with such capability, and their machine
indicates road speed, be sure they use a reasonable speed, commensurate with
your own driving habits, or the results might not be quite what you want.


Mark in Modesto

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Date: Thu, 24 Mar 2005 17:26:13 -0600
From: root <geraldj@xxxxxxxxxx.com>
Subject: Re: [VAL] tire balance

On Thu, 2005-03-24 at 13:35 -0800, Mark wrote:
<SNIP>
> 
> Of course, all the doctors and lawyers wanted their Porsches and Mercedes
> balanced for 120 miles and hour at first, but then calmed down once they got
> it through their thick heads that, since they never actually DROVE that fast
> (maybe once...), they got a lot better results if they reduced the balancing
> act to the speed they actually drove the things.  Big difference
> sometimes...
> 
> The point is, if you DO find a shop with such capability, and their machine
> indicates road speed, be sure they use a reasonable speed, commensurate with
> your own driving habits, or the results might not be quite what you want.
> 
> 
> Mark in Modesto
> 
You could get hurt or do permanent tire damage spinning a tire rated for
80 mph at 120 mph. If the tire didn't come apart then, it might fail
later on the road.

There are two sets of on vehicle balancers on epay at the moment. One
comes with a broken alignment machine, the other is the earliest
technology with a three phase motor on the spinner.

Gerald J.

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Date: Thu, 24 Mar 2005 17:36:04 -0600
From: root <geraldj@xxxxxxxxxx.com>
Subject: Re: [VAL] Re: LED lamps

On Thu, 2005-03-24 at 14:04 -0800, jon fitz wrote:
> I love LEDs, but my personal opinion is that they can
> still be tricky to use for general illumination.  But,
> as Dr. J said, the rate of new product introduction is
> amazing.  White LEDs are now available in ratings up
> to 5 watts!  But, they tend to be very tightly
> focused, and some don't like the color/spectral
> output.

The last announcement in Electronic Products was for a LED with a 20
degree spread. Really broad for a LED with illumination intensity yet. I
didn't find a price yet.

> 
> You may be pleased to know that halogen bulbs provide
> some of the highest efficiencies obtainable for
> general illumination purposes.  Next time you're in
> the home improvement store, compare the output (in
> lumens) of standard and halogen bulbs of identical
> wattage.  The difference can be dramatic.  Small
> halogen bulbs are available in all sorts of
> configurations.  Just make sure to use lower wattages
> if your goal is power savings.
> 

Watch out for the high temperature of the quartz-halide / halogen lamp.
It has high efficiency because the envelope is run at a high enough
temperature to evaporate tungsten from the quartz back to the filament.
That keeps the filament from evaporating so fast which allows it to be
run at a higher temperature and keeps the envelope from clouding up. But
to do that the quartz envelope (glass would melt) has to operate hot
enough to ignite fabrics that get too close. Floor lamps sometimes sold
as "torchiers" turned into torches when drapes fell on them or they
dried out close spaced ceilings and ignited them. Those used 300 watt
halogen lamps.

The slight bit of skin oil left on a halogen lamp will cause lamp
destruction as the oil gets converted to carbon and overheats the
quartz. So you have to never touch that envelope or wash it with a good
residue free oil solvent.

The efficiency of a halogen lamp is still quite a bit poorer than that
of a fluorescent lamp with ballast.

> 
> Jon in SC
> 68 Overlander


Gerald J., WBCCI #5623, VAC, Electrical Engineer

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Date: Thu, 24 Mar 2005 20:14:44 -0500
From: Daisy Welch <jtdjtd@xxxxxxxxxx.net>
Subject: Re: [VAL] LED light fixtures?

> What size "brick" do you have in your outside light (the one over the 
> door)?

Hi Dave, I think it is 12 LEDs. I had to take a rasp to it 
so that it would fit up in there. It is still going strong. 
I took the translucent cover off to let the light out.

Daisy

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End of VAL Digest V2 #197
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