Solar-Powered Sprayer

The solar sprayer became operational today. Jim and Jake were able to get out and fertilize the trees that were planted a few weeks ago. Jim told us that it was working great, but we are already coming up with ways to improve it. The photos show the sprayer, Jim spraying the trees, and Jake towing the trailer.

Brainstorming!

We walked in this afternoon to a swirling tornado of ideas from Paul and Ryan as they were brainstorming the latest version of the HUG air exchanger. We ended up ordering some small air to water heat exchangers and some small filters so that we can build our first prototype.
Wayne was busy designing and building the prototype filter housing. The photos show Ryan and Paul working on their ideas, the rough drawings on the whiteboard, and Wayne's filter housing.

Death of a good tree(s)...

It was with a heavy heart that we decided to remove the ailing red pine trees that surrounded ARC "08. The stress from construction, and the unusually dry spring, lowered their defenses to the point that fungus and pine bark beetles were able to get a foot-hold in them. Upon the discovery of the beetles, we knew that we had to remove them before more trees became infected.
Jim and Jake are working hard to finish the job and ensure the safety of the other trees. Felling the trees is a difficult proposition because of the the ARC and other structures in the vicinity. Jim's experience is really coming to play here in making sure that the trees drop right where they need to. The photos show the ailing pines, the small holes made by the pine bark beetles, Jim running the chain saw, and Jake operating the Cat.

Kathy's World

The shop has finally revealed a super-secret project that Wayne has been working on. During our weekly meetings, there are several references to a mystical place called "Kathy's World" Wayne and Ryan did extensive research, and finally found that it existed on the same orbit plane as Earth, but diametrically opposite in relation to the Sun. Based on their calculations, they have come up with an accurate model which was presented to Kathy at today's meeting. Kathy was impressed, to say the least, and told us that it was the best thing that has ever come out of our research facility. Now, when Kathy says; "in my world," we know exactly where she means! ;)

Tree irrigation

Jim and Jake spent Friday morning running some irrigation to the new trees that we planted last fall. It only a took a few hours, and they had the thirsty trees soaked in water.

Super Wayne to the rescue

Wayne had an idea that saved us a whole lotta diggin. To turn on the irrigation water, we need to stick a 6 foot long wrench down a pipe to an underground valve. We learned that the pipe was bent, preventing the wrench from reaching the valve. Wayne's idea: Rather than digging up the valve to straighten the pipe, put a universal joint on the wrench so it can follow the bend.

He welded the joint in place within an hour and voila! We had irrigation before the afternoon was over.

Forest maintenance update

The pine forest is nearly half thinned, and we have quite a pile of mulch and tree tops. It is going very well, and they expect to be done in early May. Jim has been busy marking trees and keeping our tree equipment maintained and running well. Shawn has been helping him to stay ahead of the mulching. The photos show Jim maintaining a chainsaw, the pile of tops, and the the thinned out forest.

The Buzz on the new bee hives

Shawn has been busy finishing up the new bee boxes in advance of our new incoming colonies. We had only one colony survive the winter, and are planning to add four more. The new bees are a strain from Russia, and they are hardier and well suited to our climate. The new colonies will be here in early June. Jim is our resident bee expert, and is excited for the new season to finally "bee" here!

solar powered sprayer/waterer II

The assembly is starting to come together on the sprayer/waterer. We installed the solar panel , and the hose reel today. It should be operational by next week. The photos show the hose reel, the solar panel, and the location of the battery.

People powered generator II

The belt arrived today and we were able to turn the generator with the pedal assembly. We achieved 12 volts with moderate effort, and so we will move on to designing a circuit to control the power that we make.

People powered generator

Mike was working today on a pedal powered generator. We started with a pedal assembly that was donated by Erika O'Brien. We are adding a permanent magnet motor to use as a generator, and a regulator system. When it is finished, a person will be able to sit in their favorite chair and power their computer while burning calories. Pedaling to watch TV will also be an option. The photos show the crude prototype that we are building to test the output of the generator.

Video Coming!

Happy Dancing Turtle recently purchased a high definition video camera, a 27" IMac computer, and professional video editing software. We at the mani-shop are excited to have this opportunity to bring HD video to the blog. Please check back often for updates!