convert recumbent trike to electric

4.16: gear/trike`helmet/
head-mounted electric traffic signaling:
. having a light mounted on top of
recumbent triker's helmet
can offer the same lights a motorcycle has;
it plugs into a socket on the body
that lets you give signals by button,
without needing a hole in body of velomobile
for arm to give signals .

4.21: news.gear/trike/MagicPie Kit:
Easily Convert Trike into Electric:

builtin-shoes as toe-clips

4.16: gear/trike/builtin-shoes as toe-clips:
. Idea: combine powergrips with a heel cup
that has most of the outer half removed;they fit together
... but moot if building a shell for the trike
that is complete with a floor?
still, even if saved from catastrophe of
slipping out of pedals and breaking a leg
as your foot is dragged under the trike,
slipping onto a shell's floor
is still an annoying interruption of pedaling;
and, the new idea would mean

politics of bike lanes

2.21: news.pol/bike lanes/zombie issue:
. this paper: why bike lanes and paths aren't the answer,
is hoping to demand equal rights for hpv's
. we need to plan cities around hpv's;
(human-powered vehicles);
this is sad .
hpv's should be electric-assisted
and enclosed (velomobile)
so that the physically disabled
can use the same vehicles .
. safe, weatherproof, eco-friendly,
economical and healthy:
universally usable transportation .
the automotive x-prize winner has a good start;
that car is light eno for pedaling to be meaningful .
. it should also perfect suspension systems
so that we can forever be rid of flat tires .
why bike lanes and paths aren't the answer:
League of American Bicyclists:
. bike paths along roadways:
# economics:
It is difficult, if not impossible in most locations,
to design a safe [side path]-style
separated bicycle facility .
# accidents occur at intersections:
every driveway or side road is an intersection;
and side paths enormously complicate those intersections
in ways that impact safety...
ADULT BICYCLISTS in usa 1996
- CHARACTERISTICS AND RIDING EXPERIENCE
Facility Relative Danger Index
-- likelihood of experiencing a crash
On-street bike lanes (BL) 0.41
Signed bike route only (BR) 0.51
Major streets w/o bike facilities 0.66
Minor streets w/o bike facilities 0.94
Multiuse trail 1.39
Off-road/unpaved 4.49
Other (most often ‘sidewalk’) 16.34
what to tell your gov:
# eliminate on-street parking:
thereby freeing up two lanes of road width
making it easier for cars to share lanes with bikes
# more radials aka roundabouts .

global warming -- getting warm

10.07: co.apt/pol/global warming -- getting warm:
. what if we couldn't help global warming,
because the main heat was coming from earth's core?
the solar magnetism shakes the earth crust,
to release more of it .
. more definitely,
the main problem with policing global warming
is it's basically caused by pop'explosion;
if we did reduce warming, and the pop kept expanding,
what then, are we asked to ride in go carts?
. but usa cars do make it so hard to be thrifty:
if I work an hour how far can I drive?
oh, about 3miles, since your insur'is so high
because you're riding a 2000 lb islamo-class bomb;
what is that 2000 lb about ?
your safety and cheap steel .
. what if we could have aluminum velo'motorcycles;
cycles with sleek shells?
they could get 300mpg, and be comfortable,
out of the weather and wind;
then if we also reduced population,
we could convert food crops to fuel crops,
growing ethanol for our engines, nice clean fuel;
and we'd get less cancer on that clean fuel .

the wining x-prize car is here!

the winning x-prize car is here!
Edison2 CEO Oliver Kuttner`The Very Light Car:
. the production models should be < 1000lb;
the proto' was 830lb, yet crash testing is meeting spec's .
 . along with the weight loss, and aerodynamics,
 it features a revolutionary suspension system .
challenge.gov lists the spec's it met:

High fuel economy (100 MPGe)
low emissions (200 g/mi CO2e wells‐to‐wheels
greenhouse gas emissions and low tail pipe emissions);
Production‐capable and designed to reach the market
in volumes of at least 10,000 units per year;
Safe and affordable .

some comments I replied to:

We don't have to re-engineer the entire car
in order to reach 100mpg? well,
that was just the min'spec';
the prize went to the fastest, cheapest, greenest .
. safety and comfort for mileage
isn't a good tradeoff?
. this is a weatherproof recumbent,
cheaper to own than riding the bus!
if you want 2000lb of safety add-on's
why not 3000? why not a hummer;
be the best you can be;
I'm just glad to get off the friggin' bus .

computerized with sticky brakes

2.26: sci.gear/cars/computerized with sticky brakes:
. crosstalk sept 2009 quoting pc today 2005
predicted that accidents like brake malfunctions
could be caused by net-based malware
through rfid - programmable embedded computers in cars .

Does the New Generation of Computerized Cars Pose a Security Threat?
PC Today 10. Oct. 2005

"([Some] automotive communication networks have access to
crucial components of the vehicle, like brakes, ... ) .

shopping for velo' security chains locks

gear/trike/security

2.23 ... 2.24:

idiot-proofed derailleurs

[1.10:

. this idea might actually be worth it for a velomobile,

where stalling on a forgotten downshift

can represent a non-trivial traffic impediment

due to the velo' being wider than your ordinary bike

and not easily push-started .]

4.23(2009): tech.gear/mobi/derailleur changing while still:

. did anyone try a front derailer on the underside,

one that would change gears by pedaling backwards?

. that idea would work for the rear derailer too,

but there are so many of those to do,

pedaling backwards would be an annoyance .

. these would be great for when being

caught by surprise in high gear,

and then no longer would you have to find some manual way

of getting started before you can downshift .

composite tech for velo'shell

4.6:

homemade trike from bolted aluminum

cloroplast blog

use of plastic pipe as fairing support

clear fairings

. long clear fairings get VERY hot .

. the reason for the valley down the middle

is so you can see despite having

a leg covering while leaning back .

. minimizing knee bend (maximizing ankle work)

will help visibility too .

aluminum clothes line wire and make some more supports

. for the main frame, I use PVC tubing:

flexible to allow some 'give' for potholes

. bent using a heat gun:

heat small sections and use a jig .

HILLMAN 123150 WIRE CLOTHES 9GA ALUM50 ($7.41 each)

coroplast.com

sources of coroplast and foam board

1. In the yellow pages, look under plastics.

Any sign making supplies shop

will carry coroplast,

but charge a premium for it.

2. after an election,

check for large signs being tossed

in the dumpsters of the losing candidates

3. Foam board at Staples and Office Max

(foam core with plastic front and rear panels)

. stiffer than coroplast; Expensive, but sturdy.

4.6: construction ideas

aluminum wire:

. I used wire rope clamps

to secure the ends of the aluminum wire to make a hoop

. I didn't use a jig to make the hoops

and later wished I had.

. use 2mm "fine flute" coroplast.

(Most coroplast is 4mm,

and is more difficult to work with .)

4.7: proj.mobi/dog.guard/sum of recent web:

. facebook coro'shell site has links? they weren't obvious .

best new tech ideas:

. alum clothesline for ribbing,

and bolted square 2"alum to flat angles .

4.11: tech.mobi/aluminum contouring:

. one way to get aluminum to bend into curves like a boat

is to use bundles of thinner pieces,

like the ones in the screen kit

4.22:

. when they are bound with string many times,

they will bend without kinking or wrinkling .

4.11: mobi/trike/xt fairing:

. the small lexan fairing would be a good base

for attaching fiberglass rods,

or the screen kit beams laminated .

. walmart online may show cheap tents

for extending the strong xt .

4.11: all about fairings

fairing supplies(eu):

http://www.bayplastics.co.uk/

http://www.arielplastics.com/

http://www.diyplas.co.uk/

http://www.kentplastics.com/

[epoxy-fiber] composite construction of aircraft

. polystyrene as core material

Polystyrene comes in large blocks

and is normally used to form large structures

such as wings, control surfaces, etc.

If you are building a plans-built airplane

you will build a large portion out of this material.

Polystyrene can be cut with a knife, saw,

or "hot-wired" into the shape of an airfoil.

You can find plans for a "hot-wire" device

in the Rutan booklet

Mouldless Composite Sandwich Homebuilt Aircraft Construction

available from supply companies.

glue:

. on being informed that I was building an aircraft,

Indspec Chemical Corp. refused to sell me

any glue other than Penacolite Adhesive G-1131

Avex rivets:

. not all blind rivets are pop rivets .

something to help build a tent

micro tent $1000

A one-man tunnel tent

Two all-around zippers allow a

middle part to be opened.

The zippers are made waterproof

by specially designed storm flaps.

The integral mosquito net

can be closed separately.

Five loops on the back

hold the insulating mat in place.

The Worlds Strongest Dome Tents

We manufacture a wide range of

patented Tensegrity and Geodesic structures

using our own tarp fasteners, "Grip Clips."

All Shelter Systems' structures are "shingled,"

with the panels overlapping each other

to make a totally waterproof

and yet breathable shelter.

. made with a strong, tear-resistant fabric

and non-puncturing tarp fasteners.

The poles of the dome are made of PVC, a thermo plastic,

which gets stiffer with the cold.

Poles may be kept warm by

wrapping them in a blanket

with large bottles of boiling water.

4.12: tech.mobi/beam connectors:

. the way to connect aluminum beams geodesically

is drill the ends

and sew them with metal wire for pull

and then wrap the joint with parachute cord,

or other rope like nylon .

. then glob the rope together

by smearing it construction caulking .

. since the beams can be joined at any angle

in any number,

this can form a web of any shape .

. another form of beam lamination or sandwiching

is when the layers come from various directions,

so that where there is a joint,

one vector is being attached from both sides

by another vector .

4.22: web.mobi/shell/parts suppliers:

tents and flag poles!

GPX 4-person Backpacking Dome Ten

flag poles are another local

. by using a superflex pole (fiberglass)

the sides poles can be bowed apart

by a top pole that fits in a pocket sewed to both side poles .

. these pockets look are T shaped,

with the top of the T sewed around the side poles .

. this'll give me a cheap source of many fiberglass rods,

so the velo'shell can be kick-tuff!

6ft x 1/4" white fiberglass rod

6ft x 1/4" white fiberglass rod e140037

/ $2.40 ea + (Oversized Shipping)

Bike Flag Bracket:

Silver plated stamped steel e140038 / $1.80

-- these brackets can hold the rods in ways that are either removable

or can be constructed modularly:

here is a rod pocket that can be bolted to other things,

strong where strength is sorely needed .

oversized shipping costs:

For small products we can ship by USPS using Priority Mail ONLY.

Up to 2 lbs. $11.25

each extra lbs. $.75

Pole 6' to 8' $24.00

each extra pole $1.00

. you'll want to ask how much each pole costs,

for 10 poles the shipping is

45.25/10 = 4.52 per pole;

so the real cost is 7 per pole ok .

Fibergrate Dynaform¨ Round Tube

. a strong hollow tube will be easy to connect by drilled holes

$23.7 per 10ft x 1"(1/8 wall)

Polycarbonate Tubing

Can be used with flexible fittings (tube fitting section).

UV stabilized, can be used outside.

Item is priced per foot;

sold in 8' intervals only.

abs vs pvc

ABS is foam core and more flexible than PVC

so it will warp in the sun.

[. maybe it would do ok with reflectix shell over it?]

PVC is easy to work with in the same manner as ABS,

but if you buy foam core, you will have the same problems.

You can buy PVC in solid core.

If you don't use the cleaner, the joints will come apart.

We in the Tampa Bay Area

stopped using ABS here over 30 years ago.

PVC is stronger and holds up better then ABS.

abs -- very strong per weight!

. not only will it warp, but it also changes

length with temperature more than metals .

. they say to be sure you get a good grade (see markings)

so perhaps tampa bay felt cheated by fakes .

. never thread the abs?

it backs your threads with nothign but foam;

reminds me that drilling foam core

may be another source of weakness .

could drill larger than needed,

and make an epoxy neck .

Compositech (3830 E 44th St Ste 538, 85713 )

(520) 584-8780

Harrington Ind Plastics Inc (4141 E Tennessee St Ste 137, 85714)

(520) 745-8433

Fiber Tech USA Llc (1517 N Wilmot Rd Ste 105, 85712)

(520) 546-7892

astm D2661 Specification for Acrylonitrile-Butadiene-Styrene (ABS)

Schedule 40 Plastic Drain, Waste, and Vent Pipe and Fittings

www.simplifiedbuilding.com

Kee Lite -- the way to quick rebuilding

Aluminum slip-on pipe fittings

secured to pipe with a set screw .

Aluminum Schedule 40 Pipe, 3/4" ft/$5.35

Aluminum Bundle - 6 of 6', 1" /$157.22

Aluminum Bundle - 6 of 6', 1-1/4" /$193.30

Aluminum Bundle - 6 of 6', 1-1/2" / $221.65

Kee Klamp: Galvanized steel slip-on pipe fittings.

walmart` fiberglass rods

4.24: aq.gear/walmart#kolb&speedway:

4 camp pads /$5.88 -- for shell

wire galvanized yoursymmetry.com`14guage 100ft/$3.47

8 fiberglass poles, 6ft with safety flags /$4.96

4.25: sci.gear/mobi/flag.pole`adhesion:

. how is flag on pole?

fabric pocket glued on, and flag sewed to pocket .

. also notice the metal clip is pounded into place

so it stays on by a compression fit -- the fiberglass is tough .

4.23: hub caps: [obs except composite ideas]

. the hubs can be cut from high-density foam

and with the scraps of foam,

strips of these can be used as backing

like 2ndary washers, so that each cap

is held into place by 3 points,

where each point is a strip and a region of hub,

sandwiching 1..3 spokes .

. then paint dayglo orange

. to complicate things,

use fabric to cover the screws;

sew on a fabric from the radius

up near the screw locations,

then finish off with some spray-on adhesive .

. the paint will then cover the threads and gloss the fabric .

4.27: mobi/trike/hubs/alum or .com:

. hubs can be reinforced with aluminum flashing over hub

may also be commercial hubcaps for aerodynamics .

4.27: trike/hub`caps:

. hubs are complicated by quick release doesn't rotate

so hub has to clear it,

. the foam can be like a doughnut,

with its hole filled by aluminum flashing circle

that can have tabs

that are bent down and then out again

to fit snugly within the foam hole .

4.30: gear/composites/rattle-free hinge:

. could make a rattle-free hinge by

using rope binding wo matrix .

4.30: proj.trike/shell design/ [safety tip]

rods and adhesives have silicates:

. rods and adhesives have silicates

{epoxy use, fiberglass-cutting} needs the air.filter

-- both involve epoxy(silicates).

proj.trike/shell design/knots:

. this reminds of a boyscout trick,

I should check a manual similar to theirs

for more tech with tied branches:

use 3 tied poles to form a

pole with a knotch at the end .

. that knotched pole is bound to the faring`horz'tube,

the knotches are bound to the shell`s top poles .

composites/overview

mobi/trike`shell/materials selection:

fiber-matrix

5.12: composite tech:
. here is foam but used as a mold for fiber-epoxy,
Zote foam from Mark Mueller at Windwrap Fairings
. he used contact cement on zotefoam to itself and to velcro .

5.23: foam

. could use art`gift/apt`bedroom`floor.mat

as stronger version of shell than the camping mat .

5.28: foam/stays round:

. the roundness of the shell around the wheel wells

can come from the shell if something stiff is used as the skin,

such as the camping mats .

6.5:

. in addition to tent fly, try fabric store .
rip-stop nylon fabric

8.30: todo.gear/composites/foam shade:

. mobi foam may need cover from sun

see kite place for carbonate finish sheets,

and kevlar thread .-- see how this is uv protected .

tech.gear/composites/rod-structuring

5.3: pull.ropes:

. instead of relying on shear-grip alone,

when doing rod-composite structures,

also use rope along the length of the rods,

as is used for holding the sanctum together;

eg, when making an H-shape,

you would run rope along the horz.rod,

tying the two verts together .

5.6:

. when the joints are being bundled by a composite,

there will be several layers;

and the pull.ropes can be applied between the 2nd and 3rd layers

-- atleast it shouldn't be under the first layer,

because it would get in the way of the composite making the most

densely fibrous contact possible to the rod .

5.15: pull.ropes for bows:

. string comes up to rod pocket into a seam

like when a drawstring is closing a pouch

. how is rod`pullstring following the curved rod of a bow?

the strongest and easiest is to bring string to both pockets;

then wind a double helix around the rod .

. to be modular, keep a metal ring between pocket and pull.string

perhaps fashioned from galv'wire .

[23: . but a pocket will give the string more support, less wear .]

. alt'ly,

a piece of strap is folded to form both a pocket and double loop

then a loop for each helix

then make pull strings wrap around the pocket to reinforce its stitching .

5.25: pull.ropes/strategic placement:

. both pull.ropes should be in both loops to pull them evenly .

[5.28: they should be symmetrical,

but the can go through just one loop .]

5.25: pull.ropes/loop reinforcement:

. to reinforce the pull.rope`loop, keeping them open,

even after bundling T-joint with fiber-epoxy,

leave in each loop a bike brake cable housing

(or if need larger for both pull.ropes to fit,

then use some rubber hose from tire pump)

. the housing may help keep the fibers from cutting eachother .

5.6:

. keep in mind that epoxy is brittle like aluminum,

so it should only be involved in situations where flexing is minimized;

that's why, altho' aluminum is stronger per weight than steel,

this is so only in tubes that are of larger diameters,

offering greater triangulatory resistance;

so,

you don't want to try making a filler out of very thin rods:

keep the compositing action near the joints

where thickness can be built up relative to the surface area .

5.12:

. to minimize dependence on testing epoxy strength,

the primary strength should come from the stitching

like a tent holds poles together .

. the epoxy will be there just to protect the threads from wear .

5.25: overlapping rods

. when overlapping poles to make an extension

and using a composite binding (rope with epoxy or caulk)

then reduction of wiggle room could be sufficiently done

simply by addition of a 3rd rod to the bundle .

5.30:

. 2 rods can fit in one al'beam at the same time;

so, they can be like female-female connectors .

5.31:

. while the pull.ropes will keep overlapping rods from lengthening,

the overlap-joint must somehow prevent shortening .

. when using the one al'beam as a female-female connector,

the way to do this is to make the al'beam longer than the overlap,

so that each end of the al'beam will allow only one rod .

. the pinched part is wrapped in fiber-matrix

both to prevent the al'beam ends from being a cutting hazard,

and to strengthen the fragile crimped aluminum .

5.31: overlapping rods/nylon.strap:

. is there some nylon.strap-version of an overlap-joint:

. T-joints (the kind using strings) on both ends of both rods,

could use their pull.ropes to provide both the usual pull-apart resistance,

and a push resistance: the ends that are near the overlap,

their pull.rope loops would share a rope .

. a joint specialized for overlaps could be like this:

a 3" strap uses 1" loop back to form a pocket,

and then another 1" strap is sewed on the part of the longer strap

where there is no pocket .

. the short side of the pocket should include a pull.rope loop .

. a nylon.strap joint could also be useful in conjunction with an

al'beam fe-fe connection by filling this sewed strap piece with matrix

instead winding a matrix-slathered string around the al'beam ends .

5.3: gear/composites/shell-to-rod attachment:

5.24:

. the shell is partially nylon like a tent for toughness,

and then also some sort of insulation for reflecting desert heat .

. this insulation can be either foam mats

(as for placing under sleeping bags, or at a stand-up station)

or it can be reflectix, which is not as tough, but great at insulating .

. the foam can be arranged like plates on a rhino,

then along the cracks of these plates are wide bands of nylon fabric;

this gives a lot of surface for many connections .

5.3:

. the mat is sewed to cloth with stitches 1/2inch apart

-- the same as its thickness .

5.24:

. there is not eno' strength along the rod to epoxify the flange .

-- that fact nixes this idea:

5.3: "(

. the insulation is attached to fiberglass rods by a composite flange:

. the general flange pattern is to form a pocket of several epoxied layers

on both sides of the the rod,

perhaps also gluing the rod to the fabric,

but leaving edges unglued for easy sewing to the mat or other flanges .

-- if smearing the entire pocket with epoxy to strengthen the threads

then the flange could not easily be reused

in case the shell or was damaged or the threads broken .

) .

5.24:

. attaching foam to anything by stitching is very labor intensive;

that fact nixes an any idea that shell should get some of it strength

from triangulating the rigidity of the foam;

eg:

5.3:

. "(. the rear cone [mobi/trike`shell/tailbox] can get strength from

the rigidity of its own camping mat panels .

)

5.6: rod-structuring/application of the matrix:

5.24:

. for some rod-to-rod connections it is better to use fiber-epoxy

than to sew pockets together;

this is where technique of applying the epoxy

can be critical to the strength of the joint .

5.6:

. once the epoxy or other matrix is mixed,

simply wad strips or strings of fiber into the mix,

then after working it in,

slide down fiber with pinched fingers to wring out the excess,

and apply to joints that are already held together with a wire tie .

. practice ahead of time winding the string in place,

keeping in mind that it has to be very tight,

so it is the fiber that is filling up most of the volume,

not your matrix (the epoxy) .

. pre-knot the end of the string,

and then when the winding is done,

use that knot to catch a clamp to weight the end down .

5.12:

. the test can be part of the manufacture

by making pockets that tightly fit pole via sewing

and pole is slathered with epoxy to see how holds to fabric,

then pockets are sewn together .

-- re: 5.3: try the epoxy on practice parts first .

rod & beam structuring:

5.12:

. the design is extensible and repairable in layers

. the core is a flimsy pole,

while stiffening can be done incrementally by

splinting on layers of aluminum.beam

. if an aluminum.beam is bent then it may be floppy

but the shell will still be usable until home for repairs .

5.24:

. a network of aluminum.beam is also useful for

minimizing the effects of a cutting gash

such as when caught on something while in motion

or during a vandalism attempt .

. when a network joint can be floppy

it can be constructed by stapling the ends together

with a twisted ring of wire .

. if stiffness is needed, then the joint can be bolted,

and/or reinforced with epoxy-fiber .

5.25: aluminum.beam triples:

. the aluminum beams can be triple bundled

to form h-structs at their ends;

ie, during a T-struct with the bottom being a triple,

and the top being a rod,

the concavity at the end of the triple will fit around the rod .

. the triple can be stapled around a rod by wire loop,

then goop with flashing caulk

then cover goop wih bundles of rope loops around the triple .

. picture the triple with the rod taking the place of the middle beam

about a centimeter deep, so there is room to have

bindings around the triple on both sides of the rod .

. the staple goes through at a 1/4inch below the rod,

and also just above the rod,

the middle beam above the rod is not connected by the staple

but is there simply to provide filler to prevent collapse

during bundling of the beams above the rod .

5.27: aluminum.wire

. sculpting the fenders can be easier with the aluminum clothesline wire

. twisting wire can make random networks .

. a bit of epoxy to hold the twist on its base,

and then the whole net is kept in place by fabric sewed onto it .

5.28: sewing with string:

. sewing needle for string ?

can be done by small loop of thread holding string,

and using an awl to widen holes .

rod-structuring/nylon straps/T-joint

5.24:

. the most important pocket is holding 2 rods in a T-structure,

where the base of the T is part of a bow,

so that pocket is also got a pair of loops for the pull.ropes on the bow .

5.16:

. a T-shaped rod connection can be done with a single strap,

doubled to form 3 loops:

. form loop for rod connectiong to bow;

run the strap down the bow`s rod and then back up

to form the loop for the top pull.string;

then run the strap back up to bow`rod`end

and down the bottom side of the bow`rod,

ending the strap with a loop the bottom pull.string .

finally, the sandwich of strapping around the bow`rod is stitched shut .

5.24:

. a major design variation at this point

is whether to create a T-joint is strong eno to

keep the top from breaking and sagging,

or instead design it with the sag built-in,

so that the top rod is hanging in a loop that is tangling from the bow`tip .

. yet another version is to be both dangling

and resting in the corner formed by the bow's rod and its string:

here the same loop that holds the bow`string could hold the T-crossing rod .

5.30:

. this is an improvement on, the T-joint:

. the previous version tried to do the whole joint with just one strap;

but for getting the cross-loop near the end of the pocket,

that meant that the piece was too thick to machine-sew in some places

meaning that it took longer, and the result was loose or messy .

. the new method just uses some rope in place of the cross-pocket:

just sew a pocket with loops at the end for the pull.ropes,

but wherever you want a cross-loop, leave a couple of 1-ft ropes

that are perp to the pocket's stitching on the sides

and are inside the pocket so they get run over by the stitching .

. alt'ly or additionally,

the loops of the rope can be sticking out of the stitching,

so it has a P-shape .

. bring the ends of the rope outside the pocket

to insure that the rope got run over by the stitching multiple times .

rod-structuring/nylon straps:

5.24:

. if you did need the pocket to adhere to the rods

then one way to make sure the pocket hugs tightly during epoxy cure

is to wrap string around the drying pocket;

when that dries, then the string can be removed

and another layer of fabric-epoxy applied .

. if you have slow-curing epoxy,

then you might try doing all the layers at once .

5.15:

. the design should not allow the parts to press directly on the stitching;

eg, if you have a wide nylon band,

then you could double-fold it to make a pocket where

2 of the 3 sides are held by fabric alone rather than stitching .

5.16:

. a single 1"-wide strap fits around a pole,

to make the joints for connecting string to rod,

which is good for making a stand-alone bow;

but, consider how the joint lets the bow points attach to other rods,

in the case of the TT-struct that is extending the chair`back,

there is a perp horz' which has the same need as the pull.rope

only the sheath is larger to fit a rod .

5.24:

. at one point in the design (the top rim of the clam`bottom),

there is a need for some rods to be bound overlapping,

in order to form one long rod out of 3 shorter ones .

. this can be done without having to know how much overlap is needed,

like so:

. 2 of the rods come together at the back to form the tailbox`top,

these are then fed through the loops of the TT-struct

extending from the chair`back .

. a bow is made for the front, which has a version of bow`string in the middle,

so that rather than looking like a D,

it's as if an H had its top verts bent inward to connect with eachother .

. this can be done with a system of pull.ropes that not only keep the pockets on,

but also help keep a couple of mid-way bands suspended in place .

. with the front and rear subsystems in place,

it becomes readily apparent how much they overlap .

. the entire tear-shaped struct can be pull.roped to keep the overlaps together .

5.30: rod-structuring/nylon straps/X-joint:

. the x-joint is has no 3-sided pocket,

it's just 2 perp loops stapled together like so:

a 2" strap is viewd vert'ly;

a 1" strap is placed parallel 1/4" from the top;

the sides of them are sewn together -- to hold a vert.rod .

. the bottom edge of the 2"strap is flipped around

to be aligned with its top edge;

and then these edges are sewn together -- to hold a horz.rod .

gear/composites/rod-in-tube/pull-rope doubles as anchor.line:

5.30:

. instead of having a pull.rope joint at bottom of seat`back`s extension.rod,

attach its top pull.ropes to the bottom of seat or to some other point on trike

so that the pull rope will both keep the top`T-joint on its rod,

and also keep the rod in seat`tube .

6.15: gear/composites/metal chemistry of copper with aluminum:
. Copper is PLUS 0.34 volts OVER Hydrogen.
Aluminum is negative 1.7 volts UNDER Hydrogen,
that is 2.04 apart with Copper the anode,
therefore copper would be sacrificed to the aluminum.
However, if chlorides from salt air is around,
then the aluminum will also be corroded.
Properly sealed, preferable dichromate sealed,
aluminum is non conductive and hence zero with respect to hydrogen.

11.16: gear/composites/sewing plastic sheet:

. to sew plastic into shell or tents etc,

use foam strip as shim to reduce leak

and allow wider stitching (fewer hand-stitches) .

gear/composites/nylon.strap/overview

gear/composites/nylon.strap/pull.rope buckle:
6.5:
. make things easy to take apart
by adding a buckle into the pull ropes:
. instead of pulling end-to-end pockets,
each end`pocket is pull-roped to the loop of a buckled belt .
. buckles with adjustable straps can also make it easier to
get a good pull.rope`tension .

9.6.2: gear/composite/nylon.strap/al'beam to rod

. the al'beam triple could have a nylon.strap joint
-- easier to reproduce than fiber-matrix;
here is for one or more al'beams
that don't interlock with rod:

. make a pocket for al'beam like for the belt`loops on jeans:
the beam is like the belt in this model;
the straps are perp to the belt .
. the strap that is holding the belt loops together (the pocket strap)
has loops on either end, like the usual T-joint:
one for pull.ropes, the other for a rod .

. to interlock triple.beam with rod,
replace rod's loop with a full wrap-around -- an exact T-joint,
only the construction differs to accomodate
the beams not fitting the usual strap pocket like a rod can .
. either use wider strap's (3" as in car seatbelts)
or first sew thin straps together like this ++-++ ,
then bend in half and sew the tips of the crossbars together .

. to keep sandwich from sliding
drill beams and rivet with wire twist .

. the strap joint has to be strong eno'
to crumple al'beam before it can penetrate driver .

. when a triple beam is arranged to interlock with a rod,
drill 2 holes so that one hole is just beyond the inner beam,
and the other hole is a half inch under the first;
ie, solidly going through all 3 beams .
. putting the tie this wqy reinforces the area contacting rod .

ripstop sheet

6.5: summary:
. best is ripstop polyester with a polycarbonate resin finish.
(originally by icarex)
cheapest is blemished ripstop nylon at kite store .

. tutorial on Sewing ripstop nylon

types:

CORDURA¨
Ultra-Lightweight Woven CORDURA¨ Fabrics Made with INVISTAª
Type 335C High Tenacity Nylon
* pack cloths, ripstops, dobbysÉparachute fabric strength, ultimate lightweight
Type 480 and 485 High Tenacity Polyester
* best-in-class performance at value price
n.amer suppliers:
http://www.jennisfabrics.com/JEnnisFabrics/faq.jef#searching
http://www.emtexinc.com/
http://www.consoltex.com/pages/brands.aspx?lang=EN-CA
http://www.buschassociates.com/products.php
http://www.brookwoodcos.com/rg_division.html
http://www.bdadye.com/specifications.html
http://www.bpf-llc.com/specifications.html

fabric and thread weights:
There is the weight per area of fabric {usa: raw oz, uk: finished gsm};
-- gsm: grams per square metre --
and there is also a 'denier' ('d')
'denier' was originally grams per nine kilometres of thread.
[a high-d thread is thick or dense]
Thus we have the well-known 1000 d and 500 d Cordura fabrics,
the 210 d Packcloth,
and the 70 d tent fly fabric .
[a high-d thread with low fabric weight has a loose weave]
--
. usa's raw oz per sq.yard, means the actual weight depends on the coatings
used for durability, rainproofing, etc .

materials caveats:
. neon colors do not fare well in the sunlight
. For added UV protection in the sun,
spray fabric lightly with Armor All
(used on dashboard of car)

www.tufflight.com/icarex.html:
We seal the seams and edges for fuel proofing and durability with CA, epoxy, or Goop
. Goop can safely be thinned for brushing with laquer thinner.
5.6:
polycarbonate-toughened fabrics lose toughness when adhered with solvents.
. polycarb'fabric can be very tough on sewing machines .

3m77 is example of changing formula for lower voc content
replaces some carcinogen with acetone -- not good for same targets .
there are actually 2 3M-77 formulas - the "Classic" one that contains dimethyl ether
and the new one that contains acetone

polycarbonate sheet

gear/composites/polycarb (polycarbonate farings)

6.6:
. the faring is made of 'carb (polycarbonate)
and it's supposed to have reflectix glued to it;
but, polycarbonate loses toughness when adhered with solvents?
should rethink the use of spray-on adhesive:
maybe use caulk, esp'ly silicon? that may not stick to well to 'carb;
a greenhouse.text said it does work with al'tape and silicon,
but just as a window sealant .
GE SilPruf Silicone Sealant (Polycarbonate Compatible)
GE silicone 2, its used for aquariums and food prep areas in resturants.
(one silicone has "mineral spirits, and Xylene, is that ok?)
. don't clean with either ammonia or bleach; use soap rinsed with acid .

. some construction silicones may be ok for 'carb but not stick that well .
http://books.google.com/books?id=dSQ8cS5WXpcC&pg=PA516

. the most important thing is that the reflectix`surface be fixed,
so that the al' doesn't rub off;
in that case, the gentlest thing for the al'
is to spray-glue it to the plastic sheet,
and then staple-stitch it to the faring .
. drilling is one thing 'carb is really tolerant of .
. make the staples alligned with the wind .

. the al'tape can help both with curving the reflectix,
and attaching it to the faring`edges .

polycarbonate adhesives are formulated free of volatile organic compounds (VOC)
for better air quality and yet provide high strength bond
for polycarbonate and other thermoplastics.

. could it be painted to provide shade?
It is UV blocking already, but you can paint the inside with a plastic paint.
-- Garry :www.utahtrikes.com/ 05/26/2009 09:07:08 PM

. use of spray adhesive
8.11.7/aq.gear/ace hardware/elmer's multi-purpose spray adhesive
. the spray adhesive has many of the evils not meant for polycarb's,
but perhaps it may be used in undo-mode:
spray it on the reflectix, wait for the voc's to boil off,
then applying it to the polycarb will not be dangerous .

. to give it perm'tack, it may also be ok to spray 'carb strategically,
just as you would cut it, making holes only where the remaining web is
strongly triangulated: like an small blots every 6", about 3" from the edge .
. then again,
what if the 'carb is porous wrt to voc's?
putting just a dot on, the solvent might spread
surprisingly beyond the dot .

advice from the maker:
http://www.hobby-greenhouse.com/lexan.htm

Chemicals to avoid include:
. benzene, gasoline, acetone, and carbontetrachloride,
formulae containing petroleum based solvents (Deep Woods mosquito repellant)
etc --. 'carb can turn opaque and become brittle, losing toughness .
materials to watch:
. vinyl -- used as covers for greenhouse .

Drilling: Drill with a high-speed steel or carbide-tipped twist drill.
Drill holes slightly larger than the fastener to allow for expansion and contraction
(e.g., drill a 1/4" hole for a 3/16" screw).
Place holes at twice the fastener diameter
or 1/2" from the edge of the sheet, whichever is greater.

11.16: trike/shell/faring/uv shield:

. good way to get good fit over faring is

pieces of nylon glued and smothered with epoxy;

it's not in contact with the carbonate:

it gets stapled over reflectix .

staple stitching

gear/composites/staple stitching
6.17: summary:
. foam camping mats are light and tough;
but, the mat is too thick to machine-sew;
however, it can be easily stapled:
. 18 guage wire is 1.2mm thick, 50ft /$1.9,
http://www.acehardwareoutlet.com (sku#50598)
is a replacement for paperclip wire,
but the aluminum is a bit softer .
. staple-stitching is more convenient than hand-sewing with rope;
because, while a sewing needle for rope is not easy to come by,
staples serve as their own needles, though for most situations
you may need to use an awl or scissors point to start the hole .

. the 2 major stitching styles are:
1: the foam-wide staple grabs the foam
and then on the other side,
gets twisted with the ends of adjacent staples .
2: the hair-pin staple stradles a backer wire,
and then twists around itself .

. the use of thicker wire; eg, 14guage galvanized
(walmart/yoursymmetry.com's 100ft/3.47)
allows the design of undoable stitches:
it's stiff eno' so that you can form the ends of the stitches into
loops that can be laced with string,
or hooks that can grab string or rods .

. if staples will be eroding one of the "(fabrics) involved;
(as when a foam hub`cap is stapled to the spokes of a wheel)
then consider adding an additional layer of fabric
(as when spokes are laced with string
that the staples can twist around)

. if pieces of fabric are arranged in a way that cannot be machine-sewed,
the job of hand sewing can be replaced by stapling;
before the pieces are to be assembled,
prep them by sewing a tube of fabric along their edges
(eg, fold the fabric's edge over
and sew that fold in place)
then fill all the edge tubes with backer wire
which can be straddled by hairpin staples .

6.2: foam:

. staples on foam can be both very strong and look neat on the outside
by using the sewing mach's stitching tech:
instead of looping around the fabric,
the stitch loops around a thread on the other side .
. on the outside along where the staples will be,
is a wire that can either be run continuously
or in segments from a series of shallow wide staples .
. from the outside pushed inward are narrow deep staples,
that straddle the outer [backer] wire,
and then on the other side,
they twist around a nearby rod, beam, or spoke .

6.4: avoiding spokes:
. if concerned that the wire will erode the spokes,
then foam can be on one side with a catch-wire[*] on the outside,
and a catch-rope on the other side of the spokes .
so then long staples come in around the catch-wire,
through the foam, past the spokes,
and finally are wrapped around the catch-rope on the other side of the spokes .
(*: a backer wire, like the backer thread provided by a bobbin spool)

6.5: fabric:
. a metal grommet is the ring in a fabric that reinforces the edge,
as for lacing holes in a shoe;
. to reinforce woven fabric cheaply, use wire and the sewing.mach:
. sew loop all along the edges, ie, fold-over for a neat edge,
but do it widely, so that a wire can be sent through the loop .
. with wires on all edges, there can be staples that go around that wire,
while one prong of the staple goes through the fabric .
. both prongs then bend around something the panel is being attached to .

al'beam (aluminum composites)

gear/composites/al'beam

6.4: twin-beam triangulation:
. to curve a vert.beam around some obstacle,
have the vert spawn a diagonal on the way up,
and then a horz.beam at the top will have 2 points to attach to .

6.14: dooring:
. a door`frame and it's threshold`frame can be made from al'beams
connected by shaped wire:
the wire is shaped like a paperclip bent into a right.angle;
and also bent in such a way that it creates a friction fit
between the wire form and inside of an al'beam .
. reinforcing this formed-wire connector is a caulk filling
and/or a fabric covering .
. the hinge can be part of the formed-wire joint:
. for the joints making up the hinge`side of the threshold`frame,
one end of the wire comes out of the joint
and follows close by along the z-axis -- where the hinge should be .
. when this is done for both the near and far corners,
there can be overlap that is bound together
-- forming the core of the hinge .
. the fabric that is forming the panel of the door
can then be wrapped around this core .
. to be more modular,
a hinge`core.wire can be built into the frames of
both the door and the threshold;
and then these cores can be bound by wire spirals .
. the door can thus be repaneled independent of the hinge .

bows of fiberglass rod

gear/composites/bow
6.22: gear/composites/bow/multi-string.bow:
. with a single string, as normally defines the bow,
the bending of the rod can only occur in one way for a given size of rod:
depending on the length between the attachment points .
. the shape can be further modified by using more than one string:
mark the 4ft rod at every ft for mark#0..4,
the left string is mark#0 - mark#2,
the middle string is mark#1 - mark#3,
the right string is mark#2 - mark#4 .
. this can take the shape from "(u) towards "(o) .
. in the making of vehicle structures,
it allows a rod to be bent without having the string being in the way as much,
because the shape is more like "(C) than "(D);
eg, there can be a bow under the seat
and extending far up each side,
without requiring the driver to duck under a string .
. this multiplicity of bow strings
can be taken to a continuum
by using just one string on a bow in a sock,
so that when the string is pulled taut,
both the string and the rod are pulled into a curve .
. a discrete version of the continuous sock,
is to knot a 1...4-inch loop in the string every 6...12 inches,
then while stringing the bow, also wrap the loops around the bow
as was done with the sock .

10.28: web.mobi/trike/shell/fire-resistant fabric:

.adlinsulflex.com/fire-blankets/pyroblanket-17-oz

Flame Resistant Fabric Information

Topps Safety Apparel Inc.

P.O. Box 750, 2516 E. State Road 14 Rochester, IN 46975

Phone: (574) 223-4311 or (800) 348-2990

Flame Resistant Industrial Apparel

Fabric Content: DuPont NOMEX¨ IIIA aramid (93% NOMEX - 5% KEVLAR - 2%Carbon).

Characteristics: Inherently flame resistant anti-static fabric

engineered to reduce "nuisance" static.

Self-extinguishing, will not ignite, melt, drip or burn.

Nomex¨ is a registered trademark of DuPont.

Fabric Content: INDURA¨ (100% Flame Resistant Cotton).

Characteristics: 100% cotton treated with a permanent flame resistant finish.

INDURA¨ is a registered trademark of Westex, Inc.

FIREWEAR¨ 55%FFRª (Fibrous Flame Retardant Fiber) - 45% Cotton.

The FFRª Fiber is designed to emit a noncombustible gas

through microscopic pores in the fiber when the fiber is exposed to flame.

FIREWEAR¨ FFR Fabrics are trademarks of Springs Industries, Inc.

Fabric Content: TUFFWELD¨ (60% Lenzing FRª - 40% Kevlar¨).

protection against constant weld spark spatter.

TuffWeld¨ is a registered trademark of Southern Mills, Inc.

40% PBI¨ - 60% Kevlar¨).

PBI¨ - KEVLAR¨ blended fabrics have excellent flame resistance

and are self-extinguishing. Does not burn, melt or drip.

Pbi Gold¨ is a registered trademark of Hoechst Celanese Corporation.

Topps¨ garments meet all requirements of the

NFPA 1975 Standard on Station/Work Uniforms for Fire Fighters, 1999 edition.

Topps¨ Flame Resistant Garments meet the performance requirements for

protective clothing as governed by

OSHA Rules 29 CFR, Part 1910.269

and ASTM F1506-1994.

10.29: proj.trike/shell/screen-foam composite:

. another way to prevent mold and reinforce shell

is to patch-work al'screen stapled to foam

so it better resists tearing from knives or dogs .

11.16: trike/shell/cheap vs easy-to-work materials:

. cheaper than fire-resistant plastic-board

is finding way to apply al'flashing to edges

need a crimper to make edges safe, and neat way of stapling it to the foam .

11.28: trike/shell/toughskins epoxified fabric plates on foam:

. another way to reduce vulnerability to flames and cuts

is to do a fiberglass construction in a paneled or semirigid way:

. start with tent construction,

use foam for insulation and contouring,

then use plates of epoxified fabric over that .

. paneling is like when sidewalk concrete is separated

into sections that can mov randomly without cracking randomly

-- keeps the fiberglassing tough .

. another view is the recipe for thorn-proofing jeans:

it was something like tough-as-nails, a chewy adhesive,

that would bend with the fabric .

trike's helmet as tip of velomobile

gear/mobi/trike/helmet

4.15: mobi/caution sign/aerodynamic when spring-loaded:

. with a large warning sign on a spring-loaded hinge,

it's only up when slow .

...

. then again, being slow may not be the problem;

I've seen more than one rear-ender

happening when people were distracted

and either not looking ahead

or confusing brakes with accelerator .

. might be better to have a small sign that conforms,

(slow vehicle triangle)

and then get people to see it with a strobing beacon .

. be thinking about how to avoid blind folks .

4.20: helmets

how-to buy helmets

Arai's Renegade is a fav' .

Lazer Century, $170 modular -- quietest

(hybrid: flip-back jaw shield)

Motorcycle full face helmets

. Full faced masks need

at least a finger in front of your chin.

. Press down on the top of the helmet (hold it there)...

make sure it feels comfy and surrounds the whole of your head.

. dirt bikes get the cheapest full-face helmets .

[. the main point is dog shielding above the collar .]

4.24: aq.gear/walmart#kolb&speedway:

. fuelhelmets.com` f1 street helmet medium /80

-- dot fmvss #218 sh-f10015w

-- The Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS)

known as FMVSS 218 (49CFR571.218),

describes in great detail the requirements for "DOT" certification

of all helmets sold in the United States for use by motorcyclists.

UPC-A: 702587105009 is not in upcdatabase.com

but they let me add the item

parts for f1[model]001[black]5[medium.size]

PARTS: F1 PIVOT KIT BLACK stock#QC000P $4.99

PARTS: F1 CLEAR SHIELD CLEAR stock#QC050S $19.99

buy at parts-request

--. davidson.com? defunct

. polystyrene

. when on your head fastened,

you should be able to move your scalp as you move the helmet .

. it does not fit well if you can

roll the helmet forward off of your head by

firmly pulling upward from the rear while it's securely fastened .

4.27: proj.gear/helmet/getting in there with glasses:

. the usual way of getting glasses into a helmet

is by having straight ear arms,

and going in through the front;

but I have glasses with a strap,

and I'd like to keep it that way .

. worse, I have glasses that are bulging out an inch from eyes

(because they don't see close-up eno'

without putting them on the end of my nose);

here's how to get them into the full-face helmet:

. remove the cheek cusions,

and slide the glasses to top of head,

then get half-way into the helmet,

and drop the glasses into place (reaching through the front) .

4.30: proj.gear/helmet/paint prep:

. rdy paint by soap-scouring, rinse,

then scouring with arub,

then cleaning with tissue paper and arub .

proj.gear/helmet/paint:

. spray with high-temp enamel,

then when dry to touch spray with neon orange enamel .

. I tried to do avoid getting it on the rubber trim

by spraying close to the trim at close range .

. when I tried spraying the neon this way,

it melted into the black .

. I was distracted by holding my breath

instead of just shaving and using an air filter .

. I dropped it,

which smeared the orange off and possibly the black too .

. let it sit before trying the repair .

...

make sure helmet vents are not painted shut,

one vent cover popped out rather than move,

but popped back in again .

...

sun helmet, rotate 3 times .

5.3: proj.gear/mobi/helmet/neon`2nd coat:
. used last of neon, tried to melt it some with clear spray,
but it seems to melt less than the orange on black .
mis:
. the clear spray seemed to never stop spraying even when upside down,
so not sure if it will be unclogged but it says that should work .

5.3: proj.gear/mobi/helmet/decals n vents:
. razor to remove the tape exposing the decals,
make sure the vents are still working -- I'm breaking things
(was it really important I paint these?!)
. add another layer of clear to start protect the edges of the paint
around the decals (the removed paint is in the form of an asterisk) .

5.5: strobe attachment
. it has vents that can be drilled to anchor led strobe .

proj.mobi/helmet/clear paint

5.26: proj.gear/helmet/filter access:
. is there any way to wear an air filter with the helmet on?
the helmet is a tight fit exactly where the mask needs to be .
. the best bet to retain full face protection
is to find some way to connect the helmet to a partial coat,
. and then have some way to seal the coat to shell;
then if the cabin air could be filtered ... .

mis.gear/helmet/paint job on rubberized parts:
. near the bottom where the rim is rubberized,
the feel of the paint is very different than on the hard parts .
and there are places where it still doesn't feel dry
-- weeks later !
. hang it on the ladder to get some sun exposure .

5.27: mis.mobi/helmet/chronically ulcerating paint is worse under sun:
. the part that was sticky at room temp'
is like fresh paint out in the sun .
. maybe a few more sun's will help,
else need to scrape and cover with a reflective tape .

5.29: proj.gear/helmet/light fixture:
. the strobe is being attached to the back of the helmet,
anchored via drilled holes through vents,
where string go in hole and then out the back of the vent .
. the strobe I have is magnetically attachable,
so if I attach a short piece of 2x4 angle iron,
that will provide a place to attract the magnetic .
. mount it corner up, like the letter A,
with the long side facing the rear .

6.6: paint remaining sticky:
. the paint wouldn't harden on the helmet's soft plastic parts?
it could be that the hardening is from a cross-linker,
and the plastic was made to stay soft by being impregnated (and covered with)
an antioxidant that prevents cross-linking .
. may try smearing it with silicon caulk (try a sample first)
in order to stop it from being sticky .
sticky paint shaved off:
. using razor, all the sticky paint was shaved or scraped away .
. the plastic it was on was rather waxy,
so it left a fairly clean surface .
paint chipping:
. the paint is chipping easily,
both where it apears to to have be bumped,
and along groves of the vent,
perhaps both because the module was shifted,
and because it was not properly sanded within that groove .
. the shifting could have occured while trying to force the opening,
which had a valve that had been painted while shut, and was frozen .

6.19: reflective tape:
. apply reflective tape in patches since this is expensive flat tape
going on a curved surface .
. it should also be shaped like [slow-moving vehicle].sign in back:
orange triangle with clipped red borders .
. the white tape up can go up front around all the forward edges .
6.20:
. what is the angle of the [slow-moving vehicle].sign? see mobi notes:
an equalateral, all angles are 60deg (60*3= 180)
and the triangle is oriented with a point at 90 deg .
. the borders meet by being clipped perp to center;
eg, the upper point is clipped for an edge that is angled 0 deg .
. my version has a border 2" thick,
and has a height limited by what is visible on the back of my helmet .
. the easy way to make this reflective border is using segments
so that there is no wrinkling as this flat tape is applied to a round surface .
. also, to simplify the job of forming the clipped shape,
divide the job first into the 3 clipped borders;
each of these 3 borders has a rectangular portion
that is capped on either end by 2 right-triangles .
. for example, at the top point, the left border's triangle
has it's long side at the horizontal,
with a 30deg angle on the left,
and a 60deg angle on the right .
. the left-side of this triangle is the width of the reflective tape: 2" long,
and then when you figure the right-side`length
(seemed about 1.15" after playing with geometry),
then you can form these caps by cutting a rectangle x * y,
and then cutting that rectangle diagonally in half .
mis:
. I thought that if a rectangle is cut diagonally then the pieces would
each be useful as caps on either end; not true .
. to have a pair of symmetrical cap's,
if one rectangle is cut diagonally upward,
then the other rectangle must cut downward .
mis"trig:
side#opp60/ sin60 = side#opp30/ sin30
2 / 0.866 = side#opp3 / 0.5
2 * 0.5
-------- = side#opp3 = 1.1547
0.866
mis"calculator:
. to get math functions, you need to "(import math),
then do something like ada's "(use math) or specifiy the package explicitely:
math.sin(math.radians()) .

6.20: proj.trike`helmet/fitting glasses in:
. getting into helmet with glasses not easy, ideas?
they can fit in from the front, and not fall off since being recumbent;
and if it seemed like they were going somewhere,
the helmet visor would hold them in place .

7.25: mis.gear/nicad.batt's:

. right now there are not eno' AA nicad's for even usage:

the radio goes through 2

while the helmet light goes through 3 .

. if you mix these pools, and one changes much more than the other,

there will be mixing of old and new,

with differing discharge characteristics .

9.2: todo.trice/helmet/shield stay:

. need to drill the visor and wire it to open just eno' so that

in case it fogs you can see underneath,

but can't open far eno' to give dog access to face .

10.4: co.net/trice/safety/protection/my reply:

friendly reminder how "(personal choice) can backfire:

I once thought if an accident was bad eno' to need a helmet,

I'd rather be killed by it

than live with disability and recovery pains;

along the way, I met a lot of head injury cases

as I worked at a place where they'd get rehabilitated:

. it's amazing how often the severely damaged brain will survive,

and the results are downright ugly:

emotions are difficult to handle,

and emotions are hit a lot when the world is suddenly harder to understand .

. relationships get shallow and brittle;

because you're not the same person !

. head injury is a nightmare .

10.8:

[...]

> All any of us can do is look at the available information,

[...]

. yes, that was my point exactly:

when I first started out cycling,

I had no idea of the hideous consequences of head injury,

and what a surprising nightmare epilepsy can be .

. I also didn't know that a full-face helmet

resulted in less brain injury risk than a skull cap,

as impacts to the face tend to be transmitted to the brain .

. I'm not advocating the use of helmets

just for seeing everyone is fully informed .

-- enjoy real choice .

10.13: sci.gear/earbuds/under helmet:

. try getting into helmet with earbuds:

ok, that's another plus to adding radian's custom-formed earplugs to them .

shell ideas for recumbent trike-based velomobile

4.6: places for design ideas:

shells made of Coroplast:
co.mobi/facebook`group"Velomobiles-- Coroplast
Bill Volk's Coroplast Craziness Page!
. cloroplast on riveted aluminum .

. an over-the-head tent-style shell .

pro'composites:
. in 2008 www.cab-bike.blogspot.com's owner
traded the cab-bike in for a mango
. the mango's en.velomobiel.nl link seems to be dead,
but that maker has moved on to the quest:
a $7K Monocoque design with 8m Turning circle
. see the diff of {mango, quest} .
-- Leitra = Leichter individueller Transport .

trike`shell/req's:

4.23: [req]

. build panniers to hold batt for alarm system .

4.23: proj.mobi/trike/shell:

. on the trike, trying to see limits of shell:

. the knees stay under line of sight to fairing`top.bar,

so, extend the seat`back.tubes,

then add a crossbar to them (just under line of sight) .

. the clearance near heels can be tight

but need an opening in the floor there anyway

for feet to back-kick going in reverse .

5.3: getting through doors:

. if the trike with shell won't fit through door sideways,

then it needs to be redesigned .

. one compensation is by removing the rear wheel to lower height;

but then it's a cramped situ'

getting it reinstalled after getting inside the shed .

. another way is to make the top.guard (for shoulder and neck)

be easily removable, eg, buckled onto the body,

and then clicked off from the inside .

sci:

. if the shell stays under the chin,

then the trike will fit atleast through

the [current] kitchen door .

6.14:

. the highest point of shell is determined by chair`back`extension .
[@] trike`shell/body`chair`back`extension
-- assuming the top.guard (for shoulder and neck) is easily removable,
eg, buckled onto the body, and then clicked off from the inside .

mobi/trike`seatbelt:

5.3:

. the backpack strap could be used as a seatbelt,

and would keep the driver under the mats during a rollover .

. this could however place more stress on the neck

unless a rollbar was in place .

. part of staying strapped in would be a buckle system

that was keeping the door from flying up .

5.20: complications:

. this might not be of use without a shoulder strap too .

. the lid is not strapped strongly eno' to act as shoulder straps,

because it is connected to the faring,

which in turn is only weakly connected to the trike frame

by some bands that are practically on stilts .

. finally, a serious accident is highly likely to involve a turn-over,

so that a roll bar may help;

nevertheless, imagine that with a full-face helmet and the shell around your,

a seatbelt is keeping you with the vehicle, its foam, and its visibility .

. in a panic, people may evade the trike while driving right into you! .

mobi/trike`shell/insect guard:

5.8:

. needs an insect guard too,

need trap doors that open to let feet kick backwards,

lifting lid pulls string that opens trap doors .

5.16: security:
. shell needs to prevent dog attacks,
and be modest for deterring theft .

5.11: hand protection is nontrivial:

. to protect the hands,

the tolerance on the shell is tight near the wheel,

as the shell would be too wide if covering the wheel,

and the steering-hand space overlaps the wheel well space .

. the shell has to come close to the wheel and be rigid,

so that a dog can't push the shell aside

to reach the hand .

. the shell can hang over the tire a bit, perhaps 2 inches,

or what would appear to be a fender .

. this would make for better sun protection on the hands,

and would give more triangulation .

5.15: chair`back extention`height:

. height for TT-struct = 13+1/8 inch .

5.30:

. if the rim.rods`ends do attach to the rack,

then a good connection from seat back ext rods is 9"

so then use 10" to give 1" of hang room

. rods pushed down all the way into seat`back`tubes .

. a 33" rod is needed to extend the chair`back tubes 10" .

remaining rod from a 33" cut for the TT-struct is 39"

. if can't use that, then could cut one rod in half (33 * 2 + 6)

or could have extra hang length in case I change mind about height (36*2)

. one of the 39's might be bottom bow under seat .

[1243: can the other 39 be spine along z-axis underneath?]

5.15: chair`back`width:

. tubes`centers are 14" apart .

[23: but the tubes are 0.5"wide,

and the bow is resing on inside corner . ]

5.17: faring cover size:

. 31vert, 24wide .

[23: got some reflectix just 24wide]

5.26: hand signals:

. how can shell be closely enclosing while still being able to

give turn signals ?

. maybe just make it easy for the back part of the lid to lift

(the part ahead of the rear-view mirrors) .

6.14: turn signals:

. either the cabin needs electric turn.signal switches
or part of the lid easily lets left hand escape .

anchor placement restrictions:

5.29:

. bow under seat has to clear brake lever during sharp left turn

-- must be set back near chair`seat`curve's lowpoint .

5.30: TT-struct`width:

. tires are 30" apart and the width could be that at elbows;

but by the time ext reaches height,

it is gone far back behind shoulders

where the tear drop should start narrowing .

5.30: under-seat bow dimensions:

6" deep, 32" wide = 35 -1/8" rod

-- leaves 37" rod .

5.30: faring`vert.bow:

. the faring`vert.bow needs 28" rod .

8.9: mobi/trike/shell/req's/derailleur protection

. may be wise to park in lowest gear,
and have a shell be rigid to show impacts to derailleur in parking lot .
. may need to service all parts of bike to know access needed
and how it will affect shell design .

10.22: mobi/shell/fire resistant:

. metal cover near edges of foam deter temptation to

test flammability with pocket lighter .

trike`shell/body

4.25: mobi/shell/mockup:

. some interesting tension in the design

between how easily it covers driver,

vs how much it can also cut wind smoothly .

. the easiest way is to extend the cone's hor'z.bar,

but the air wants to move the ext`points`z.line

from the hor'z.bar, to my hands,

and the next critical point is my shoulders .

. this curvature may be easy due to the

spring of the fiberglass rods,

as you can form a globe from perp' circles .

. instead of getting out from the top,

most of the body would lift,

hinged from the nose.cone`s horz.bar,

similar to the way a trucker`s cab

lifts to get at the engine .

. the top`horz.rods would be going from

the tips of the cone's hor'z.bar

to some place just under my line of site,

and far eno' apart to allow my head to turn

even while wearing the full-face helmet .

4.30:

. the front wheel bearing house can hold a cross binding

that holds a rod spanning from faring bottom

to midpoint of seat's back rest;

the rod brace should be reinforced with

epoxy and nylon fabric;

then it can attach to faring

with reused mobi locknuts and bolts

to be a side of clams`s bottom half .

. after faring work is done

give the edges of reflectix a light adhesive spray

so it can be pulled up again to disassemble shell .

4.30: proj.trike/shell design:

4.30: handlebars reused for holding the mirrors:

. remove the trike's mirrors

to add them to the mtn.bike handlebars

and make that part of shell's lid .

reuse mtn'bike handlebars for trike:

. reorg shed to get at free mtn bike handle bar;

ensure the mirrors fit in the handlebars:

an inch wider than trike on either side .

. knick the handlebars

so that the rods that cross them

fit inside just a bit

and the bindings main job

is just holding the rods in the knotch,

and then the knotch can do its job

of keeping the handlebars from rolling .

6.16: overview:

. the shell is like a clam's, with a top (called the lid)
hinged to a bottom (called the body)

5.19:
. the architecture has a 3-backbone ribbed design
made of fiberglass for both toughness,
and for creating curves in aerodynamically critical places .
. 2 of the spines are forming the rim of the bowl,
and the other is centered on the bowl's bottom
holding the bows on the bottom in place as if they were ribs of the spine .
. the other places where additional structuring is required
can be done with the al'beams (aluminum beams from windowscreen kit) .

. the rim.rod is a fiberglass.rod structure
that is at the rim of the body,
and is an extension of the faring`bow#top (or rather,
the faring`bow#top is the front segment of the rim.rod) .
. following the rim.rod rearward, it flows over the front wheels;
it's supported by vert's coming up from the under-seat`bow) .
[6.18: this support minimizes the upward swing caused to the rim.rod
from being tied down to the rack .]
. the most rearward supports for the rim.rod are
the vert's extending from the chair`back`tubes;
and finally, near the rear of the trike's rack,
the tips of the rim.rod are connected to each other,
and may optionally be tied to the rack .

obs" trike`shell/TT-shaped struct:
5.3:
. the risers could be 3 rods bound in a circle at their bottom;
this package would then fit in the chair`back`tubings .
. up at the top, the triples of rods would be in a linear array,
with the middle one being shorter
to form a knotch in which the horz'rod could rest .
. a better way to find rigidity for the risers
is to connect them with an X-shaped pair of crossing rods;
. then to give the horz'rod strength,
do some more triangulation from the risers to the tips of the horz'rod .
. finaly, to give the risers from swaying forward-backward,
do triangulations from risers that form the tailbox`top.rods .
. the tailbox should slope to minimize its surface to crosswinds .
5.4:
. to keep the TT struct staying in the chair`back tubes,
the X cross bars create a hilt
that stops it from falling in the tubes very deep,
and then buckles could keep the rods from flying out of the tubes .
5.12:
. the TT raises roughly a foot beyond the seat,
and when meeting eye level is nearly above the rear hub.

5.14: bow tech:
. the way to do the TT-star rod structures is as a bow
where the bow appears to be facing downward and holding 2 arrows .
. this bow shape offers the same sort of triangulation as the TT-star idea .

5.25: bow`joint:

. made a bow`joint,

cut rubber tubes for reinforcing loops .

mis:

. what to do about the cross-rod tube ??!?

. remove rubber tubes as too stiff:

the current loops with large rope is stable

in a figure-8 pattern,

the cross piece loop could have been part of same strap

reducing some stitches .

. find length for one-piece bow joints, and cut;

. notice diff's in strap quality:

camping gear from walmart has looser weave .

5.25: bow`string/strategic placement:
. use bow`joint`s bottom loop to hold bow`string
so that bow tension is not pulling on joint'stitching .
[5.28:
. it might be more stabilizing to have that be
running through both loop (for topology of a figure 8) ] .

5.16:
. if the bow idea is used for triangulation,
how does the bow`arch get attached to the vert's?
. there is alot of downward pull from the bow`points
to push the bow away from the vert, and off the chair`back;
so the primary force is to hold the rods together very tightly;
and this is best done with rope-binding:
. you're in back of, and facing, the seat;
with the vert'poles in the chair`back`tubes,
repeat:
( a loop of rope is around the vert'poles with ends facing you,
then these ends come up and over the bow,
then cross eachother before going around the vert'pole again .
) .
5.19: sway minimized:
. the TT-struct is not concerned with z-axis sway because
the bow points are connected to the trike from by top rods
parallel with z-axis .

5.30: new design requires no cross.rod

. if the rim.rods`ends do attach to the rack,

then they can be attached directly to seat`back`extension.rods,

ie, the TT-struct can be replaced with an ii-architecture .

. instead of using the bow attachment to limit push of vert.rods into chair`tubes,

simply have eno' vert.rod to reach the chair`tubes`bottom .

6.18:
. the bow`string of the faring`bow#top can be bound to the faring`T-bar;
the length of this string determines the width of the body;
-- making the body`width adjustable;
but the lid's construction may depend on this width remaining fixed .
6.25: clarification:
. the faring`bow#top is really part the rim rod,
and as such, it's bow points will be bound parallel with other rods;
rather than holding the bow.string .
. the bow.string is still needed, but needs to be placed out of the way:
at a z-axis point very near the faring
rather than the middle of the cockpit .

6.1: not dependent on rack for support:
. the suspension is moving rack wrt chair
yet rim rod is connected to both?
the rim rods don't need to reach the rack,
needing only a T-joint with the chair back extension
and then a bunji or rope connection to rack .

6.1: detachable lid allows passage through doors:
. if the shell lid is both bowed and detachable
then the chair ext' can be shorter
-- and then it would be easier to fit the shell through a door .
. the lid meets its hinge on the faring by
inserting a pair of beams or rods into a pair of loops .
. when the lid is down, the driver buckles it in place;
and the buckles prevent the lid from moving backward out of the loops .
. these buckles will also work with the bow's ends hooking the bowl,
to stabilize side-to-side motion of the lid near the driver .

6.19: proj.mobi/trike`shell/rear`arch:
. possible to isolate chain but a morass
derailleur gets very low to ground in; low gear .

6.19: vert's near front.wheels:
. when vert is holding up rim rod,
it can be on the trike`crossbeam (main tubes to front.wheels);
but has to avoid both leg.space and steering.space
which includes the brake.controls moving over the crossbeam .

6.4: rim.rod`width:
. why was it desirable to have the rim.rod enclosing the wheel?
it offers only slight performance gains for the speeds I want,
and it complicates design of the vert .

6.4: vert.beam#front.wheels:

twin beam triangulation:
. the way to make the vert#front.wheel curve around over the wheel
in order to let the rim.rod be positioned out past the wheel,
is twin-beam triangulation [@] gear/composites/al'beam/twin-beam triangulation

clearing tube lips:
. the vert can be attached to the steering`bearing`housing.tube like so:
. the housing has a lip that the vert needs to clear,
so make a block that fits between the lips, and protrudes beyond them,
as a base for the vert to attach to .

6.18:
. like the hub`caps, the body`panels should be using loops or hooks
so that they can be removed for doing maintenance .
. every edge of a panel should be matched with
a place on the structure that has either rods or string to wrap hooks on .
. in places where the hooks would be in danger of becoming
unhooked during turbulence,
the situation needs loops connected to strings that are tied to structs .
. divide the body job into floor and sides .
. stitch the floor`shell directly to struts;
in the case of the sides`shell,
the stitching can be done in zipper fashion:
the paneling is flexible, so the part not stitched
can be pulled aside to reach at the current stitch .
. for the last stitches of a panel,
they should be at a place that is reachable;
eg, where you can reach from the inside .

9.11: trice`rack#front/faring-boom mount:

. the bike`rack may be useful on the trike attached to the

( rack`rear: boom

, rack`front: faring) .

. it might help stabilize the faring,

and give the lid more foundation,

while also providing a base for using that empty space for storage .

clam`bottom:

5.3: overview:

. the shell has a clam architecture,

where the bowl-shaped bottom half is hinged to a lid-shaped top half .

. the top rods form the upper rim of the clam`bottom;

they are going from the faring top, over the front wheels,

over and around the driver`shoulders,

and connecting to the chair extension .

5.12:

. another horz.rod is under seat at belt level or below to clear elbows .

5.19:

. the architecture has a 3-backbone ribbed design

made of fiberglass for both toughness,

and for creating curves in aerodynamically critical places .

. 2 of the spines are forming the rim of the bowl,

and the other is centered on the bowl's bottom

holding the bows on the bottom in place as if they were ribs of the spine .

. the other places where additional structuring is required

can be done with the al'beams (aluminum beams from windowscreen kit),

which can be easily connected by bolting to eachother

or bolting and binding to sockets or tabs of nylon straps .

. the easiest way to form the curve around the front wheels

is to form a polygon, first by creating a square,

then triangulating the corners of that square .

5.30:

. I've got the temp' tear-drop rim rod shape
by strapping to front, and tucking ends under rack .
. the rack may be a good place to keep them .
. it does cause the front to bow-up a bit,
but that could be a welcome offset to the bow-down caused by shell`weight .
5.31:
. the clam`bottom`rim needs to be held in place midway
by a vert that can be anchored at the steering`bearing`tubes .
. unless the rim is to hang out beyond the wheel
in which case the anchor point might need to be further inward,
with a max distance given by driver`leg`space .

5.15: ribbing with bows:
. can bring struct to underside,
the string is attached to under chair
and the bowed rod is a rib of shell`bottom;
-- so bow is around trike `frame and chain;
and, shell is enclosing chain except around rear wheel .
5.23:
. the strings of the bottom bows are kept from flexing under shell`weight
by having vert'strings that tie the bow`rod
to the same place on the chair which the bow`string attaches to .

connecting top.rods to faring:
5.6:
. the faring`skeleton is a T-bar, and the horz'bar is hollow tubing;
so then rope can be pushed through the tubing twice,
to form loops at both ends .
5.12:
. to get rope through T -bar, use 2ft of galv'wire as needle .
5.13:
. the top.rods would be bowed out by connecting them to a bowed rod
whose mid.point was connected at the faring`T.bar`bottom;
the connection would occur near the front of the front.wheels .
. alt'ly,
the top.rods could be connected to a bowed rod,
and the bowed rod could be strapped to the faring`T.bar`top,
. the top.rods would then have eno' length to also form the tail box .
. the bowed rod coming from faring`T.bar`bottom would still be used
for extending the nose.cone .

5.30: connecting top.rods to rack
. the rim rod connects to the rack with a deep pocket:
it is a 3" pocket with no cross-rod loop,
instead, the pull.rope loops are reused for tying the pocket
to a cross rod on the rack .
with the above version is that it has no clearance for tight steering .

5.3: mis"base rods flawed:

"(

. the base rods of the clam`bottom are going from each side of faring`bottom to a steering bearing housing,

and perhaps attached to the chair frame,

just under the driver`elbows (about 4" above chair`seat)

. the top`rods are supported from a series of vert's:

risers come up from the base rods, starting from either side of the front wheels .

)

. the problem with the above version is that it has no clearance for tight steering .

5.30: rim.rod:
. the tear-shaped shell`clam.bottom`rim.rod
is composed of 3 overlapping rods, so now looking for overlap tech;
trying to form a splint with 2 al'beams,
I notice that 2 rods can fit in one al'beam at the same time;
so, they can instead be like female-female connectors .
-- makes it easy to hold them atleast temp'ly .

5.30: new design requires no cross.rod
. if the rim.rods`ends do attach to the rack,
then they can be attached directly to seat`back`extension.rods,
ie, the TT-struct can be replaced with an ii-architecture .
. instead of using the bow attachment to limit push of vert.rods into chair`tubes,
simply have eno' vert.rod to reach the chair`tubes`bottom .

trike`shell/floor
6.2: [6.14:] [6.22:]

. how do the feet clear the floor during pedaling ?
. the [incremental] approach is to
first get the main faring struct (the faring`bows) into place .

. a pair of x-axis joists (parallel to the x-axis)
are laid on the faring`bow#bottom at these points:
1: in front of the pedal space:
that is the floor.joist#[in front of pedal.space];
it's length is barely greater than the width of the pedals
because the bow it traverses is rather narrow at that z-axis point .
2: on the string;
that is the floor.joist#[behind pedal.space] .
6.16:
. the string of the faring`bow#bottom is located carefully;
because, if it is too forward then it blocks pedaling;
too rearward, then it reaches the tips of the bow,
or reduces the size of the floor`doors
by which the driver can plant feet on the ground during an exit,
or scoot the feet to push the trike in reverse .

. spanning these x-axis floor joists are z-axis floor.joists;
they are arranged on either side of both feet (there will be 4) .
. these joists help to isolate the tricky space,
where the floor dips to clear the driver's heels .
. non-tricky parts of the floor will not be affected by
any damage incurred from bottoming-out of floor under the heels .
. the floor`heel.space can be floppy
without having the whole floor bouncing with each bump in the road .

under-seat bow:

6.24: tech"connecting to the chair
. to avoid any modifications on the chair webbing,
create looping band that hangs from the chair frame .
. the webbing is reapplied after the looping band is put in place .
. the looping band is a 5"[*] strap with loops on either end .
. after a looping band is on either side of the chair,
the loops are connected to each other by rope .
. on each side, the bottom and top loops are bound to each other,
and these binding ropes have some free length
that is then used for vert's that hold up the underseat bow .
*:
. the 5" is just an estimate for what is needed to get past the webbing .

6.22: multi-string.bow:
. the use of a multi-string.bow could allow new ideas for the under-seat bow:
instead being limited to a D-shape,
it could be extending clear up to the rim.rod .

6.14: [6.16:]
the z-axis point for attaching the bow's string
is at chair`seat`curve's low.point .
[6.24: . there is 6" from that point of the chair`bottom
to the bottom of the shell (about 2" from the ground) . ]

6.24:
. if using only a short bow (one whose depth would fit under the chair),
the under-seat bow provides anchor points just behind each front.wheel;
it provides a strong base for the rim.rod's mid.point vert's .
. if using the multi-string or deep-bow idea,
the rim.rod's mid.point vert's are actually part of the underseat bow .
. is there still room for arms if underseat is changed? yes .
. in either case,
the under-seat bow has to clear the rear.brake`lever during a sharp left turn
(this lever is on the left side facing the driver) .
6.16:
. the points of the under-seat bow provide strength not only against
y-axis vectors, but also in the x-axis,
so that it's not easy to push the shell from the front wheels
thereby preventing a dog from accessing the driver's hands .
. this pair of points is matched above by the points from
the lid`bow [@] shell`lid
. because of the z-axis position of the under-seat bow,
(close to the middle of the body)
there is less need for rim.rod`vert's to be based from the steering hubs .

mis"under-seat`bow`width:
. what is the x-axis distance from the under-seat`bow
to the back of the front wheel ? 5.75"
. to decide the position of this bow's points,
you need to know how you want the rear of the body to be shaped;
eg, a straight line from the back of the front wheel to, say,
3" to the side of the rear wheel
will put the under-seat`bow's point outside the body .
6.18:
. the under-seat`bow's width must be fixed before its rod is cut to size;
because the width of the bow is fixed by ground clearance .
. the current design has this bow's points directly behind the front wheels .
. you need to know how you want the rear of the body to be shaped;
eg, a straight line from the back of the front wheel
to, say, 3" to the side of the rear wheel
will put the under-seat`bow's point outside the body .

6.14: floor`doors:

. doors in the floor are needed for both
using the feet to push the trike in reverse,
and using the ground for setting the feet while standing up to exit the trike .
. given there is a parking brake, exit can also be done by
standing on the trike`frame;
however, this starts the knee at an extreme angle;
[6.16: and makes it less easy to raise the lid while standing up ] .

. there are separate doors for each foot to reach ground;
each is about the size of a shoe box,
and the door`seals can be assisted by having the door and frame
be shaped like a shoebox and its lid .
. the rear of each door is within hand's reach
-- a place where some knobs should go
(the leg`space`bottom is atleast a knob's length from the floor) .
. the door and it's threshold can be made from al'beams .
[@] gear/composites/al'beam/dooring

trike/chain.cover:

8.9:
. thick wire frame can be tied to the
front.derailleur's post and to the cross.tube for then hanging fabric
that could protect the jeans from chain oil .
8.11: attachement to post
. how to get wire inside post for front derailleur?
8.14: there is a plastic cap on the post:
with the cap off, bend a wire's end so that it fits snuggly inside the post;
then drill a hole in the cap,
thread the bend wire through that hole, and remount the cap .
. as the wire exits the post it bends into a horz over the chain;
there are other things attached to the post;
and, they can be used as an anchor for attaching a twist or zip tie
that can hold the horz.wire down .
8.17: tight fit:
. getting between the chain and the pedal crank is a tight fit,
might be easier to start the shield and it's framework
outside the cylindrical space formed by the crank spin .
8.21: al'flashing:
. one why to make a chain guard is with 4 pieces of al'flashing
for each {left, right} side,
there is a top and bottom half that connect eachother
after fitting around the rotating parts .
. these are then capped by having al'flashing bent into a U-shape .
. may be held in place by velcro for easy removal .
...
. this won't work for the right side:
it needs to be held by the skeleton
or be part of the cover piece .

body`chair`back`extension

6.2: material selection:
. how many al'beams fit in chair.tubes?
but that's a critcal struct -- it should use rods for toughness .
[6.14: to fit tightly, those are 23" inside the chair`back`tube ] .


6.14: measure door`widths:
. shed door is 31, 30 easily
side door is 30.75, 29.75 easily
front door is 33 .

6.14: height:
. the height must be low eno' to fit throught a door
(atleast after removing rear wheel),
and be high eno' to clear the shoulders
function of body`height
. the height of body (with lid removed) can be less than 29" .
. this is very near where the shoulder is,
but the rim.rod approaches at an angle from far outside the shoulder`width,
ie, any complications with getting past the shoulder fall on the lid's design .
. to bring the shell`height near 29",
the chair`ext`length need to be near 28"
( 23" inside the chair`back`tube + 5" ext`length ) .

trike`shell`lid

4.23: mobi/shell/hinge at front:

. if the door would hinge from the front,

it would be held in place by the wind .

door/forward hinge:

. the doors can be hinged by the fabrics

that are being used as covering:

for protecting the driver,

shell could include bed roll foam

(highdensity for backpacking ground cover) .

5.27: mobi/trike`shell/clam`lid:

. the lid can be a triangulation

with sloping sides and a horz'plane underneath like a widened letter"A .

. it would be stiffened with beams in an X pattern,

something that would not create sharp obstructions

when the driver was crumpling into it during a collision .

lid/bow over driver's lap
6.1:
. where is knee rise?
a bow that gives the lid a domed shape
can be situ'd over the driver's lap;
this dome-shaping allows the shell`lid to have any height
independent of height of shell's body,
and allows for smoother profile to crosswinds .
. the bow`endpoints can act as hooks over shell bowl rim for stable fit .

6.16:
. the under-seat bow provides strength not only against y-axis vectors,
but also in the x-axis, so that it's not easy to
push the shell from the front wheels
which would allow a dog access to the driver's hands .
. this pair of points is matched above by the points from the lid`bow
[@] shell`lid

6.21: avoids intersecting leg space:
. the lid is curved by the bow,
and near the center the lid is certainly not intersecting leg space;
but what about the sides? this does look possible .
. in the worst case, the lid does not have to be aerodynamic:
instead of flowing from dome to flat going from back to front,
the lid can have a spine architecture,
where the spine is given the highest loft being at the center of the bow;
then ribs can be any shape,
so that the use of flat ribs over the driver`knees
would ensure that the lid was not intersecting leg space .


6.2: lid`connection to rearview mirrors:
. the mirror tube is bound to the lid`bow somewhere in the middle,
and there are z-axis beams all along the lid`bow,
so you have to see where the mirror-holding tube wants to go first,
and then place the z-beams to either side of it .

[6.16:] sci"bow`string clearance:
6.4:
. is the lid`bow clearing the driver's arms? yes:
the purpose of the lid`bow was to raise the lid beyond the rim to the nose .
. the rim height is well above the hands and elbows near the lap,
and rises to above the driver's shoulders as it goes rearward .
6.5:
. even if the rim`height were below the hands
the lid`bow`string doesn't have to be at the very ends of the bow,
only then the bow`string could no longer
double as a place where the lid would rest on the body;
6.16: still, it's essential that the shell`bottom's sides cover the hands,
because if the the lid had to do that,
shaping it around the hands could not be done with a bow,
thereby complicating or weakening the lid's design .


6.25: mobi/trike`shell/lid`x-axis roll-stabilizers:
. the handlebars are embedded into the lid for holding the mirrors
they are usually held from rotating by a friction fit by a T-joint .
. the lightweight way to do this is to drill a set of holes
symmetrically on each side of the handlebars
which are large eno' to allow a fiberglass rod to pass through .
. the rods could be the same used by the lid`hinge mechanism .

9.10: trice/shell`lid/neck adjustment:

. there should be room in the lid for the neck to come forward several inches

as sitting forward may be a fav'position for accelerating rapidly .

. there should also be after that, just a slit

so that rain stays out, but falling forward has

more room to move without choking .

faring

todo.mobi/trike/shell/faring/drill holes for stapling
faring needs
tiny holes along edges to apply staples after reflectix
and to bring foam of shell to faring .


7.18:

proj.mobi/trike/shell/faring/shortening aborted:
. consider faring mod;
that would make it point down more at top,
making the bend too sharp when it hit the shell`top .
-- and much work for little more compactness .

6.1:

prep'ing reflectix:
. to help with cutting the reflectix to fit the faring,
use a piece of paper taped in place
and cut so that the cuts are parallel to direction of headwinds .


5.30: faring`vert.bow:
. the faring`vert.bow needs 28" rod .


5.17: faring cover size:
. 31vert, 24wide .
[23: got some reflectix just 24wide]


. this depends a lot on tech.gear/composites/polycarb,
as the faring's 'carb doesn't mix well with many solvents in adhesives .


reflectix application:
the faring reflectix procedure:
. the reflectix exterior may need a bit flat black to prevent blinding others,
and to keep that black from rubbing off, it needs a thorough coat of clear .

10.14: trike/faring/staples under al'taped reflectix:

. the faring al'works (reflectix and aluminum.tape) go on first,

then staples go through it?

for neater look, staples in place with theses steps:

put al'tape on underside of edges

then staples in place (unbent)

then al'wrap over faring and staples,

then bring al'tape over edges of faring and onto al'wrap,

then panels meshed with staples,

and finally staples bent .

. the faster way is to keep staple`location

a good distance from edge of faring,

so that the full staple job can be done before al'taping .

. al'wire is not as stiff as office.staple`wire

so instead of bending the staples outward after penetration

as was done for the first hub.cap's flag,

bend inward and twist them together .

nose.cone:

. the rods are flexible eno' to form a cone shape;
a bow could be attached to the faring`bottom by its middle,
and then the ends could attach to the top`rods .
5.13:
. an additional bow, again with middle to faring`bottom,
has its ends 2inches above the ground just in front of the front.wheels .
. the bow would be kept taught by a string
that was just in back of the pedal space,
while also being just in front of the kick-road-for-reverse space .
. it would be held in place at its ends by a vert.bar
connected to the bow above .
5.30:
. the placement of the rim should be further back
so that the shell around the feet have a rim.rod over them
making it easy to add walls on either side of the feet
by having matching bows above and below
so that a series of verts can be attached between these bows .
. the top bar of the faring's T-struct needs to be extended,
because it's now attaching to a wider part of the bow .
. this extension can be a 32" rod strapped to faring`T-struct
and capped with the usual T-joints
to hold the bow along with some pull.ropes .
[1630: even better,
since the top.bow now needs some way to keep it from moving along the z-axis,
replace that extension rod with a perp'ly located vert'bow:
. this is a bow whose ends meet the top and bottom of the faring`T-struct;
ie, it's running both vert'ly when looking from the front;
and, it's following the curve of the faring when looking from the side . ]

nose.cone`skin:

5.2: reflectix with spray adhesive:
. how to make the shell adjustable if changing mind about boom length?
. mylar will be a mess to install,
easier to spray adhesive as needed to lay reflectix
over the nose cone starting from center,
then slicing it radially like sun rays .
. see how much trimming to do it with no overlapping .
-- reflectix will be great for this:
instead of radial from a circle,
let it be a rectangle, with the longest side
following the longest dimension of the faring
(vertically then make rays going along with wind flow) .

5.4:
. use spray glue to attach orange flags to reflectix,
then sew the flags edges to assist the glue,
and finally with the sewing complete,
the reflectix can be spray glued to the nose cone .

5.24: flag arrangement:
. for "(why do it that way), flags should go in triangle
-- "(known to be the most visible) .
. 3 flags put their bases together to form a small triangle
with 3 long spikes left, right, and upward .
. just the bases need be sewed to the reflectix
and the other parts will lay flat from the wind,
or if it looks too easy to vandalize,
then sewing should be completed before installation
(gluing reflectix to nose cone);
the installation is an incremental procedure:
glue vert'ly, and then part of is staying in place
to help you see how the rest will have to be cut
in order to lay flat on the curved surface .
. the base of the flags is small,
so there is plenty of room between the flags
for the cuts to be made .

hub`cap:

5.27: req's:

. 8" is the diagonal of cone for hubcap,

the distance from center of wheel beyond q'release lever,

to the inside center of rim .

. flags which could cover the 8" seam are 12"x 9" .

5.12: foam & {fabric, reflectix, suncover}:

. instead of alum&foam

use foam covered uniformly with fabric, or reflectix,

ie, some kind of uv protection ..

5.20: it might be that the camping mats don't need that ?

5.13: impl:

. test wheel cone w paper then use that as template

. use orange flags to patch cone` seam .

5.13: stitch-like staples:

. the way to add foam is staples,

where you bend a wire in half to form a U,

then go in from the back side,

so that the staple is wrapped around one spoke,

then both ends of the staple go in through the same hole of the foam,

then bend the ends around and down with needle nose pliars,

so it appears to be 2 stitches .

. trying this with galvanized wire from walmart`picture-hanging supplies,

it seems cheap and doable;

but wondering if the staple rubbing against the spoke

will need to be insulated .

5.12: thread attachment:

. with the fabric over foam idea,

there can be foam on one side,

and then then the fabric on both sides

then sewn together with the usual needle ...

so the thread will not be bare against the spoke .

5.12: composite tech:

. here is foam but used as a mold for fiber-epoxy,

Zote foam from Mark Mueller at Windwrap Fairings

. he used contact cement on zotefoam to itself and to velcro .

replacing quick-release handles:
6.11:
. how are those skewers looking with handles removed: 0 .
6.12:
. can front.wheel`quickreleases be reversed? yes;
but, a part just fell out of brake:
[@] "[small brake plate spacer]
reminds me to check if was installed correctly,
or if I'm going to reinstall it correctly:
beveled edge of spacer goes away trike`center .
. now that the handles are on the inside,
the front.wheel`hubs are just rounded nuts,
and it will be easy to match them with a hub`cap .
. the cap will be cut from foam
with a hole in the center to fit the nut,
and the cap`outer.surface will come flush with that of the nut .
mis"brake plate not on pin:
. started screwing the axle on before the brake`shoe.unit was in place
and was wondering why the unit looked unalligned .
. the dish.angle will be so gradual while the foam so flexible,
that there may be no need to slice radially
(what would usually be needed to create conic height) .


6.12: sewing:
. disks were cut from backpack ground cover foam;
tried using the sewing.mach' to attach flag to foam:
. doable but a mess; may need to sew by hand .
pre-glue would help make it look neat,
but not sure there is anything that sticks to this waxy plastic .


6.13: stapling flag:

. the coating on the flag's fabric is thick and tough,
so using a machine needle as an awl did not work;
esp'ly for using large wire to make the stitches.
. for attaching the flag,
the best stitch wire came from paper clips,
then the quickest awl was the sharp point of singer sewing scissors .
. straighten the paperclip, cut it in half,
then bend it around needlenose pliars,
so that it was about 5mm wide, and 15mm deep .
. it goes easily through this foam,
and on the other side use 2 needlenose pliars at the same time
to bend the ends outward, to make this shape:
_n_
where the top is grabbing cloth, and the bottom is holding foam .
8.19:

todo: the corners of the hub`flags need very secure stitching .

6.13: stapling hub`cap to wheel

cap.stapling#1:
. my first idea for the attaching the hub to the wheel spokes,
was to install staples whose ends were shaped into hooks or loops:
n
u u
. the loops were then used as eyelets for lacing string
that was also wrapped around the spokes .
. to make sure the string doesn't escape from a hook,
say the lacing is coming from the left,
I'd go to the staples right hook, back to the left hook,
and then repeat at the next staple .
. this required some puzzling as the staples did not match the spokes,
so I had to keep in mind how to lace the current locations
of the surrounding spokes .

cap.stapling#2:
. my plan for the next wheel will pre-lace the spokes,
and then use staples that form open hooks -- never closed loops --
with the hooks pointing towards hub`cap`edge
-- rather than pointing away from staple`center .
6.20:
. tried pre lacing the spokes with backer string:
lacing#1: zigzap:
. go outside of the inside spokes
then inside of the outside spokes
(ie, the long way around, to help the string stay up ... but,
doesn't work: the only thing to keep it in place
is the tension between foam fitting inside the wheel,
the hook grabbing the backer string to keep the foam inside the wheel,
and the foam being stiff eno to keep the string from falling to the hub)
lacing#2: wind the string around all the outside spokes:
. zigzagging was too much of a crap shoot;
because, it may be pulling on the staples in unexpected ways
or leaving the string out of reach;
but, then after winding the string on the outside spokes,
it seemed that things would be too floppy .
lacing#3: wind the string around all the inside spokes:
. since the hub is on the outside and the string is springy,
putting the string on the inside spokes will provide
the distance needed to absorb that springyness .
cap.stapling#3: synch staples with spokes:
. before stapling, mark the cap where the spokes are,
then strategically place staples among spokes .