” I finish many fewer projects than I start.” This disclaimer has been on my About page for years, and it has never held more truth. I neglect this blog for much too long, then I feel the need to do a big update post. Things are given short shrift, or they are fogotten completely. A recent Cory Doctorow podcast inspired me to do something about that.
I have a new motorcycle which I love. Kiddo and I rode in the DGR again this week. We lost one of the cats, and we are still hurting. We have foster kittens. There’s a robot thing I want to talk about. I’m saving it all for later though.
Tonight I did a new thing! The railcar needs a new alternator. It’s only been charging intermittently. I planned on removing it and swapping it for a rebuilt one. It uses a Delco 10SI, one of the most common alternators ever built. They were original equiment on most things General Motors from the early 70’s to the mid 80’s, and they are commonly used on tractors, railcars, and other odd engines.
After discussing the issue with a friend and spending half an hour with YouTube University, I was inspired to try rebuilding it myself. The worst case is that I still need to buy another one, while the best case is that I spend $20 on parts and learn something new.
It came apart easily. Perhaps too easily. The hardest part is changing the bearings, and I had a trick for that.
Differential temperatures! Science!
Mrs Mack505 is out for the evening, so the castings went in the oven while I prepared dinner. (On the stove. I’m not that stupid.) The bearings spent an equal time in the freezer, and they just dropped into their slots. The pieces are now cooling downstairs on the workbench, and hopefully tomorrow I will be able to reassemble them into something which will charge my batteries.
Before I go, here’s a bit from the Wayback Machine:
May 25, 2014 – Results from the Polaroid Colorpack II
May 25, 2010 – P365
May 25, 2009 – Summer Begins
As the title suggests, look for more tomorrow.
Notes from Mosquito Hill 