The Wall and The Solution

Jan had a recent request.  Could I alter the end of the front garden retaining wall?  She wanted an enclosed lower lawn and garden where she could quietly work without having to worry about Molly wandering off.

The end of the existing sandstone block retaining wall was 1200mm at one end and 0mm at the other.  Essentially a triangle section.  The existing blocks were far too heavy for me to lift requiring them being broken up in-situ.  This was achieved using a heavy duty electric jack hammer borrowed from my brother-in-law.

Triangle shape is the location of the original wall and the rectangle is what Jan wants.  The broken up sandstone blocks are being disposed of in the hard rubbish weekly “wheelie bin” collection.  Two pieces at a time each week.  It will take several months for all of them to be removed.  Time isn’t an issue in retirement!

Once I have the new wall constructed I’ll make a gate.

Australia Port delivered a large package this morning.

I correctly guessed it would be the bike trailer Jan had ordered from www.cyclingdeal.com.au

An initial test fit to ensure all the components were included.

Apart from the bearings in the hub of the 16” omni wheel sounding dry, everything looked fine.  It came with a very large strong carry bag which included a shoulder strap.  I had assumed the bag would be completely waterproof but the top is open.  I don’t intend filling the bag which means I should be able to roll the open top and secure it with elastic straps making a water resistant seal.

The connection to the rear of the bike will require modification.  The trailer connection consists of a quick”-lock” axle which is designed to replace the existing axle in a convention derailleur system.  My bike now has an internally geared hub with a solid axle which is also larger diameter.

I have identified a potential solution.  You can see the existing rear wheel securing nut (Arrow A) in the photo below.  There is also a threaded hole on the frame at point B.  I assume this is a mounting point for a bike carrier.  The threaded hole is the exact same size as the trailer axle/

I propose purchasing two 70mm stainless steel bolts and insert them through these threaded holes from the inside of the frame.  This will then enable me to mount the trailer locking nuts (photo below) to the frame of the bike.

Well that’s the plan!

Refurbish and Re-purpose

When the old roller door at the front of the garage was replaced earlier in the year I decided to keep the old door motor.  I don’t like discarding things that might prove useful at some future date.  The original door and motor were almost 40 years old and well made.  It was the roller door that had reached the end of its life.   Unlike the new door motor, which is mostly plastic, the old door motor assembly is 90% steel and aluminium.  

I refurbished the motor noting its mechanism was electrical/mechanical.  The new motor is digital with a printed circuit board.

Today I decided to fit the old motor to the garage’s existing manual rear roller door.  This door is used infrequently as I can’t be bothered manually raising and lowering it.

The first step was to support the closed door and I made some temporary shears legs for that.

 

With the door secured I was able to remove and relocate the door end bracket which then provided sufficient space to fit the motor.

Before

After

The controller micro-switches will need to be adjusted as the rear door is slightly smaller.  I also need to run cabling and install a new 240V power point for the motor.

Meanwhile……… where did I carefully store the door remote control units???

Muchea – 35km north

The instructions for the bike internally geared rear hub stated the oil should be changed after 1000km and then annually or at 5000km, whichever came first.  I’ve always done vehicle oil changes at twice the manufacturers recommended frequency and the bike would be no different.  It had reached 500km.

The first step was to remove the old oil using the syringe.  This took 40 minutes as the hub is a sealed unit and I didn’t want to apply too much suction perhaps damage the hub seals.

By applying a small amount of suction and then easing off I gradually extracted 25mls of oil from the hub.

The next step was to carefully insert the “cleaning oil” into the hub before spinning the wheel for five minutes whilst working the gears up and down the range. The cleaning oil was then drained out using the syringe and replaced with 25mls of new oil.

The old oil and cleaning oil were placed in a plastic bag and clipped to the clothesline with a peg.  I placed two neodymium magnets on the outside of the plastic bag against the oil as an experiment to see if there was any metal suspended in the oil.  Obviously oil isn’t magnetic but the magnets stuck to the bag.

 

24 hours later I took down the bag and drained out the oil before cutting the bag open to see what had been attracted by the magnets.

There was metal.  A fine gritty paste.  Obviously created during the “wearing in” of the gears in the hub.

I’ll do another oil change at 1000km.  I have plenty of oil now I’ve purchased the 75W-90 gear oil and litre of White Spirits.

The weather had changed and yesterday was a lovely afternoon.  I decided to cycle to the northern end of the Tonkin Expressway.  It’s 35km to the end, all cycleway.

North of Ellenbrook is the “Fauna Bridge” It’s two lanes wide and was built to allow the wildlife to cross the Expressway.

The recent winter rain has certainly greened up the land.  By summer this will all be dry and brown

Eventually I reached the end of the Expressway.  There is a large Road Train Assembly Area here.

There is no railway to the northern half of this vast state, everything goes by road.  Large trucks towing three long trailers are made up here before heading north. 

The information in the bottom right of the above sign caught my eye.  Next drinking water is 21km south at Ellenbrook.  I’ll need to remember that for summer rides.

The cycleway is in very good condition.  My brother informed me it cost $1000 per metre and for that money it should be good. 

On the return leg I noticed three white crosses in a field next to the cycle path.

‘Lost’ ‘Jesus’ ‘Saved’  Each sign was located at the end of a long mound of earth.  Mass graves?

The distance is steadily accumulating

 

Next Project and a Whine

I don’t drink fermented grape juice as it tends to give me heart palpitations.  However Jan likes the odd drop and of course; Australia produces vast quantities of the stuff.  I thought Jan might like a bottle of this well regarded imported drop.  Hope you can read the label!

 

 

The new project I’ve started is the building of a boat navigation system for our oldest grandson and his newly purchased ketch.  The system will be headless (ie; he has to provide the screen) and cheap.  The computing will be achieved using a small Raspberry Pi.  The software will be “OpenPlotter” which happens to be free.

I made a list of the required components which Jan purchased from AliExpress.  The majority of them were delivered today.

This is a list of what is in the photo

A - GPS Puck.  USB cable is only 2m long so I'll need to cut and extend it to 4m

B - Small handheld wifi/bluetooth keyboard and mouse. (not essential)

C - Digital Volt & Amp meter (not essential) 

D - 12V fuses. 

E - 12V fuse holder

F - HDMI port on the case.  Allows HDMI connection to the Raspberry Pi.  Could be used as a monitor connection.

G - Two 12V to 5V USB power sockets.  One to provide power to the Raspberry Pi and the second as redundant backup

H - 12V socket and plug for incoming 12V power supply to the case

I - Weather sensor (temperature, humidity and barometric pressure)

J - Two USB ports for the exterior of the case.  One for the GPS puck and the second for something else!

K - 12V power switch with LED

L - 5pin socket and plug for the lead from the case to the weather sensor

M - Powered USB3.0 4 port extension board.  The Raspberry Pi isn't powerful and using the onboard ports can overload the Pi causing it to overheat or fail.  This board should alleviate the problem

N - Qty of leads for the GPIO pin on the Raspberry Pi.  The GPIO connects the sensors to the RPi

O - 12V to 5V converter.  Will be used to power the USB extension board

P - The case. 

Q - GPIO Test Board for testing the wiring configuration.

The case is actually an electrical junction box purchased from the local hardware store.  I cut the top out of the lid and glued in a piece of 30 year old Perspex I’ve been keeping for some future project (which has arrived)

 

I am now waiting on the following

• A nine axis gyro sensor which will be calibrated to measure the yacht yaw, pitch roll, direction of travel and speed
• A USB TV Tuner stick that will be recalibrated to receive ship Automatic Identification System (AIS) signals
• Ethernet socket
• Some ancillary cables
• A Raspberry Pi4 (currently there is a world-wide shortage)

The plan is to build a system that can be expanded.  Possible future options include incorporating an autopilot self-steering system and a digital weather map capability by receiving weather data from an on board HF radio.

Quick Delivery and a Tumble

It was starting to look like I was running out of things to do when the postman saved the day with a combined delivery from China.  Compared with earlier deliveries this was rather quick as the orders were only placed at the end of June.

 

Clockwise from bottom right.

• An aluminium set square
• Replacement bike brake sensor
• One metre of 6mm clear tube for bleeding the bike rear hub
• A 150mm syringe for the same purpose.

The syringe came with a very thin hose.  Too thin to fit on the syringe!  It might prove useful for a future project.   I already have a similar sized syringe which I use to empty the oil catch can on the 4WD.  With two syringes I can use one as a “dirty” syringe to remove the old oil and a “clean” syringe for the new oil.

Monday was a fine day and I decided on a long bike ride.  Approximately halfway around the route I passed Ascot Marina on the upper reach of the Swan River.

Some nice boats and equally luxurious looking apartments and townhouses. 

On the other side of the complex were chimneys and what looked to be pottery kilns.

This is all that remains of the Ascot Brick Works established in 1910, initially producing pottery before converting to clay pipes and roof tiles.  It closed in the early 1980’s and is now a historic site. 

The area is also home to Ascot Racecourse.  No sign of Queen Elizabeth, but then she didn’t attend Ascot this year. 

Several kilometres later the path took me over some wetlands and through trees via a timber decked footbridge which had a couple of doglegs.  This is where I erred in my judgement ignoring the sign for cyclists to dismount.  With no pedestrians present I decided to ride across.  The timber decking was very slippery after all the recent rain and shade from the overhanging branches.  Both wheels went out from underneath me at the first dogleg.  I had a choice of falling clear and colliding with the bridge steel posts and railing or going under the bike.  The latter seemed to be the lesser painful option.

It took several seconds to extract myself from under the bike before giving myself the once over for damage.  I’ve discovered my body no longer bounces and I’ve also become a genuine “Little Aussie Bleeder”.  For years I’ve been accused of being thick skinned.  That has obviously changed!  The bleeding was likely encouraged by the blood thinners I take.  Fortunately the bike was undamaged. 

I could have cut the ride short and cycled directly home but decided to continue on crossing the Swan River for a second time to reach Guildford. 

St Matthew’s Anglican Church in Stirling Square, Guildford

From Guildford I cycled north to Ellenbrook before heading home down the Tonkin Principal Shared Path (PsP).  Distance covered was 69.4km

The subsequent shower on my return home revealed that in addition the the previously identified cuts and grazes I had a few bruises.  Lesson learned!   

Cycling & Other Stuff!

I read this the other day

"Cycling is the slow death of the planet."

A banker made the economists think this when he said:

“A cyclist is a disaster for the country’s economy: he doesn’t buy cars and doesn’t borrow money to buy. He don't pay insurance policies. Don't buy fuel, don't pay to have the car serviced, and no repairs needed. He doesn't use paid parking. Doesn't cause any major accidents. No need for multi-lane highways.

He is not getting obese.

Healthy people are not necessary or useful to the economy. They are not buying the medicine. They don't go to hospitals or doctors.

They add nothing to the country's GDP.

"On the contrary, each new McDonald’s store creates at least 30 jobs—actually 10 cardiologists, 10 dentists, 10 dietitians and nutritionists—obviously as well as the people who work in the store itself."

Nice to know my new enthusiasm is contributing to the death of the planet.

Meanwhile, the major modifications to the bike are complete and I went for a 69km ride to test everything.  Unfortunately (for me) it was a cold day; well cold for Perth; and I wasn’t wearing appropriate clothing.  More on that later.  The bike performed faultlessly and I was very pleased. 

Two days later Jan and I were food shopping in the local shopping centre when a female approached me outside Aldi.  It was my sister, who proceeded to tell us she and my brother-in-law had just completed 14 days home self-isolation after contracting COVID.  Three days later I started to develop a sore throat.  The next day Jan developed a headache and loss of hearing in one ear.  Two days later we decided all the dots may have lined up and we did our first Rapid Antigen Test.  You guessed it.   Negative results.  I suspect this cold is a consequence of me failing to wear appropriately warm clothing during that long test ride on the bike.

During the recent inclement winter weather I’ve been pottering around in the workshop attempting to turn scraps of timber into something useful.

Jan asked if I could make a dolls house?

This one is supposed to be in the shape of an apple.  It could just as easily be a tomato!  I suspect Jan was thinking of something more conventional.

Not that Gullible

The new internally geared bike hub contains oil.  To be precise it’s 25mls of special Shimano oil which has to be changed every 400km or annually, whichever comes first.  There is also a special oil change at 1000km involving a flushing oil to remove any swarf (ie; metal filings) created during the initially running in period.

The Shimano oil change kit consists of a one litre plastic pot with lid for the waste oil.  A small plastic syringe and a length of plastic hose with a metal connector at one end which screws into the hub.  This kit costs $70.  The oil is an additional $20.  Total cost is $90.   Well I’m not that gullible!

I can buy a plastic syringe from China for $4.52.  A metre of 6mm plastic hose from China is $2.52.  An empty plastic soft drink bottle for the waste oil, cost $0.  That just leaves the metal connector.

I removed the existing plug with a 3mm Allen Key

 

It’s a small grub screw with a rubber washer.  I found a 6mm nut fitted which told me the thread in the hub was 6mm.

The next step was to drill and tap a 6mm thread in a piece of scrap metal plate.  I then screwed a 6mm bolt into the thread and placed a locking nut on either side.

 

This provided a stable support allowing me to drill a 4mm hole down the length of the bolt.  The bolt was then cut in half to give me a 6mm nipple with a 4mm hole.  This can be screwed into the hub and the 6mm hose attached.

That’s $70 saved.  Well more $60 ,as I need to factor in the cost of the syringe and hose.

Searching on the internet I found some information from an Australian who had sent a sample of the Shimano oil to a laboratory for analysis.  Like me; he didn’t believe the oil was special.

The laboratory analysis stated the oil was a fully synthetic gear oil rated 75W-90.  The cleaning oil was 20% the gear oil and 80% White Spirits.  White Spirits can have a different meaning in different countries.  However as he and I are in Australia I know what he means.

Our local local auto parts shop was having an end of financial year sale and I managed to buy one litre of Castrol fully synthetic gear oil 75W-90 for $24.  At 25mls an oil change that’s 40 changes.  However I’ll take 200mls of the oil and add it to 800mls of white spirits which will give me 40 oil flushes and 32 oil changes.

No doubt Shimano would state using the Castrol oil voids the hub warranty but as I bought it from Germany I doubt I would have much success with a warranty claim.  Never the less I plan to do the oil change at twice the recommended frequency and also do a cleaning flush each time. 

Misty Morning

Very unusual weather for Perth.  Jan said it reminded her of our time on the cut. 

I made a 20km trip to Fremantle where I collected the new rear wheel for the ebike from Melody Wheels.  Adrian had fitted the Shimano Alfine 11 speed internal hub to a new rim which I’m using to replace the existing wheel and 8 speed derailleur.

Back home I started on the installation.  Obviously I’m getting old as I find myself reading the instruction and taking my time.  Actually the hub didn’t come with instructions.  I couldn’t buy the hub in Perth, eventually finding a seller at the right price in Germany.  However they wouldn’t ship to Australia so I had the hub sent to our son in the UK who forwarded it on to Perth.

Then the brake rotor was fitted

“Houston we have a problem!”

There was a gap between the \face of the rotor and the locking ring.  I looked online and found a diagram which showed a spacer that I didn’t have.

The local bike shop phoned Shimano Australia who advised there wasn’t a spacer in Australia.  The shop then phoned the UK (bike mechanic was from Devon).  None in the UK, but they though they might get some in late November.

It’s circumstances like this that require “Kiwi Ingenuity”.  When you live in the bottom right corner of the world thousands of miles from anywhere you develop a culture of being able to fix anything with hay baling twine and a piece of No8 fencing wire.

I went to the local hardware looking for something that could be used to make a spacer.  A brass plumbing fitting

The interior diameter was slightly too small but the exterior dimension was just right.  The end was roughly cut off the fitting and then compressed onto the end of the wooden handle on the garden shovel.  This provided sufficient stability to place the roughly cut face against the sander and smooth it off.  Finally the threads inside were filed off.

 

My $6 spacer

And then the locking ring was fitted

Once the chain was fitted I adjusted the gear shifter cable and went for a ride.

The hub worked but now there was no assistance from the motor.  Very puzzling as I hadn’t done anything to the electric system.  After fruitlessly going down numerous online rabbit holes I decided to disconnect all the ebike electric control cables then restore them individually testing each in turn.  The left brake lever sensor was faulty and requires replacing.  That’s a puzzle as it wasn’t touched during the hub modification.

I’ve now turned my attention as to how I can avoid spending a small fortune on the propriety oil Shimano sells in very small bottles.  I refuse to believe Shimano makes their own specialist oil for these hubs.

Envious

Our eldest grandson has bought a yacht and I’m more than a little envious.  

It’s an Alan Buchanan designed 36ft ocean going steel ketch built in the UK in 1991.  Having a full length keel and ketch rigging should mean it’s very stable and safe; but probably slow.  No doubt he will have plenty of work on his hands refurbishing it.  With little free time and an empty wallet it should keep him out of trouble. 

My e-bike modifications have paused pending the availability of the new rear wheel.   The pool heater is now working satisfactorily which means I need to tidy the cables and do some painting <yuk>

Jenny I only intend to wear my birthday suit during the walk if all the mattresses in the huts are occupied on my arrival.   The sight of my wrinkled, patched, faded, stained and baggy suit should be sufficient to drive at least one occupant screaming into the night not to be seen until dawn.

Brian I think they were lucky with the jury decision.  It’s not a sensible decision to retaliate by cutting off the finger of an intruder you have apprehended.   The court takes a very dim view of disproportionate responses.  IMHO the best weapon to use is a 26” cross cut saw.  You can always devise a reasonable excuse for the saw being the the house and you happened to grab it as the nearest available object.  Hold the saw by the handle and thrust the blade at the intruder.  They will instinctively grab the blade which you immediately jerk back.  I’m almost certain they will be so focussed on the remains of their fingers they won’t see your swift kick between their legs.   A further improvement is to have an old pair of steel capped safety boots beside the bed.  Whilst the intruder is down on their knees with the remains of their fingers between their thighs, give them a mighty kick on the tailbone.  When you call the police mention you think the intruder has a gun.  This ensure they actually attend the scene promptly rather than being give a case number and “advancing in the queue”.

  

Another almost finished & Bang in the Night

The pool heater timer system has been installed in between showers. 

The pump is located in the left box (yes… I have to paint it!) with the right box for the controllers.

If my chinglish is accurate I’ve correctly deciphered the instructions for both the solar controller and timer.

(yes… the wiring needs to be tidied)

I’ve wired the solar panel to the MPPT controller input.  The controller output goes to the battery, the Timer and the 12V relay.  The controller has load terminals which I have programmed to only be live when the controller is getting power from the solar panel.  The wire from the controller load terminal goes to the Trigger terminal on the Timer.  The result is the Timer function will only work when there is sun on the solar panel.

The terminals on the right side of the Timer are a switch which is activated by the Timer.  This switch activates the relay which is the switch for the water pump.

I’ve been able to establish the Timer has three options (programs)

P1 – A monostable trigger delay signal to trigger the switch.  When the time is up, the switch is disconnected 

P2 - A signal triggers and starts to count down. After a user set time in seconds, the switch turns on for a user set period in seconds and then turns off.

P3 – A signal trigger the switch on for a user defined period in seconds, then turns the switch off for a user defined period in seconds.  This is an , infinite loop provided there is a trigger signal.

I need to configure the P3 program.  My objective is to set the times in the P3 routine so the pump runs for 30 seconds every 15 minutes when there is sunlight on the solar panel.

Bang in the Night

On a more interesting topic, two nights ago we were lying in bed when Jan heard the backdoor handle.  Actually, even deaf old me heard a loud noise!  I asked Jan “Did you lock the backdoor darling?”  Jan was certain she had, which meant I should (needed to) investigate.  Reader I sleep in my birthday suit, so any intruder is either going to die of fright or choke on their tongue during hysterical laughter. 

The door was locked and I couldn’t see anyone outside.  However we subsequently decided it might be prudent to replace the single outdoor globe with a motion detector light.  That’s another job now completed.

My thoughts are there is a fine line between insufficient home security and too much.  Insufficient suggests a “soft target” whilst too much might suggest you have something very valuable worth taking. 

One thing we both noticed during this bang in the night was the damned dog slept through the noise and our subsequent nocturnal investigation.

 

Water Considerations and More Projects Completed

The planned walking track crosses numerous streams which means finding water shouldn’t be an issue.  Therefore no need for a large water storage container.  Instead I’ve purchased a small water bottle holder that will be attached to my belt.  For a water bottle I’ll buy a bottle of water on arrival in NZ and keep it for the walk. 

You would think water running off snow melt would be pure but the National Park website mentions all water should be filtered.  I assume they are just protecting themselves against any potential adverse action should someone fall sick.  I’m going to be boiling most of my water but just to be safe I’ve bought a small water filter.

 

The plastic bag gets filled with untreated water which then runs through the filter to be collected in my water bottle.  The syringe is used to back flush the filter.  The manufacturer claims the filter will remove 99.9% of sediment and bacteria.  Obviously it’s not going to remove viruses!

After comments from DavidSS and Dave about my last blog post I should explain how I intend to cook on the walk.  I will buy a selection of freeze-dried meals in NZ.  There are a wide range of meals available.  This is one example from the manufacturers website.

The meal is contained in a sealed aluminium foil bag.  The top of the bag actually has two seals.  An upper and lower.  The meal is rehydrated by tearing off the top and adding 500ml of boiling water to the contents.  The bag is then resealed using the lower seal and left for 20 minutes before opening it and eating the food from the bag.  No washing up.  Flatten the empty bags and place them in a small rubbish sack.

Irrespective of manufacturer; all the meals require a maximum of 500ml of boiling water.  My APG stove is all I will need to cook.

The last of the latest shed projects has been completed.

Jan has knitted some blankets for the larger cradle.

Of course there is no rest for the wicked and this morning the washing machine failed.  It’s making a horrible “clonking” noise and I suspect that means one of the drum spider arms has broken.  It’s a big job disassembling the machine to get at the failed components and after checking the cost of a replacement part ($200) I decided repairing the machine wasn’t economically viable.  Jan is now researching washing machines and looking for discount codes!

I disconnected the power and hoses before manoeuvring the machine out the back door.  These days I’m too damned old to pick the machine up so I resorted to using my brain and employed the principle of levers and packing to wriggle it through the back door.