What is happening?

Today, Leeder brought the new 24V DC motor we will be installing on the Bridgeport.

It was poorly packaged, and an aluminum mount that was attached to the side of the motor was broken. The motor is around a food long and 35-40 lb.

Fortunately, a test run of the motor on the batteries showed it runs very well. It drained the batteries significantly quickly.

Since the motor mounting holes differ than on the original, an adapter plate is currently in the works. The pulley will be transferred as well.

We had a discussion on converting the old zerk-based oiling system, to a more automatic one shot lube system. More details on that in a Bridgeport specific post.

Below is a shot of a hole in the bottom of the y-table. Oil comes out and disperses along the visible surface bearing. The wavey valley machined in the bearing helps the oil disperse along the length. These are the types of areas that need oil, sent from a central location.

We did more sanding and applied more bondo to get the surfaces as smooth as we can for the final paint layers. We have already applied a few layers of paint as they make the surface imperfections more visible.

The knee.

The ram.

The column.

The sun has risen significantly since November of last year when they were last touched. As soon as it got warm enough, the panels were adjusted for the new angle.

Before.

After.

While up there, they were cleaned.

Also checked for any general problems, like rust or wires being damaged. Everything looked good.

Wrenches were organized.

Also in the works in the CAD stage for now is a new battery table. The specific requirements were taken from a recent Home Power Magazine article.

The requirements we summarized are:

• Venting hydrogen gas the the outdoors
• Line the bottom with EPDM or Vinyl Shower Pan Liner 40 mills, 6-8 in on the sides to contain acid spills
• Air intake low but above acid spill line
• Caulk and weather seal the box
• Seal around battery cables to prevent gas leakage
• Use plywood 1/2 to 3/4 in thick, grade B-C at minimum (A is highest, first letter is front, second is back)
• Insulate bottom if floor stays cold all winter
• Have a latch or padlock
• Easy to reach, replace, maintain (plenty of room); 2 ft or less in depth
• Easily fit within our garage configuration

The front and top will be hinged together and drop down allowing access to the batteries.

It is still under constant tweaking, as it is coming along but that is the rough idea. We still need to manufacture some copper terminal blocks and make the wiring nice and safe and easy to manage.