Wednesday 03/18/2026
What Each Group Did on Monday
Wheel Group:
- Cleaned forks, removing oil before sandblasting
- Measured the leather seat dimensions
Electrical Group:
- Smoothed the kickstarter using emery paper so it is easier to remove
- Reinstalled the gasket
Clutch + Oil Group:
- Team 1:
- Cleaned the clutch plates
- Installed the clutch plates and springs
- Plan: begin working on the carburetor
- Team 2:
- Worked on the brakes
- Identified that the brakes were loose and attempted to fix them
Top + Bottom End Group:
- Cleaned chains
- Used electrolysis to remove rust
- Calculated gear ratios
Demonstration: Rectifiers
- A rectifier has three visible electrodes and a fourth internal (hidden) connection
- We need DC (direct current) because the battery has a positive (+) and negative (–) terminal
- In motorcycles, the positive terminal is connected to ground
- The term ground comes from using the Earth as a conductor
Purpose of a Rectifier:
- Converts AC (alternating current) from the alternator into DC to charge the battery
Observations:
- The rectifier has four terminals:
- Two labeled AC
- One labeled +
- One labeled –
- It operates using diodes
Circuit Simulator Explanation
- A simulation was shown using a 40 Hz AC source
- Color indicators:
- Green = positive
- Red = negative
- Yellow dots show the direction of current flow
Key Concepts:
- Current flows in one direction only in this setup
- A diode acts like a one-way valve for current
How AC is Converted to DC (Bridge Rectifier)
- Four diodes are arranged to form a bridge rectifier
- A resistor is placed in the circuit
- The AC source is connected to the bridge
How it works:
- Current takes a zigzag path through different diodes depending on the AC cycle
- Even when AC reverses direction, the output remains:
- One side always positive
- One side always negative
Application:
- The alternator acts as the AC source
- The battery receives the rectified DC output
Rectifier Testing Demonstration
- Red probe connected to AC terminal, black probe to negative terminal → reading of about 0.5 volts
- When leads are reversed → overload reading, meaning no current flows
- This demonstrates the one-way behavior of diodes
Discussion: Shop Class as Soulcraft by Matthew B. Crawford
Main Ideas:
- Emphasizes the value of manual labor and its intellectual demands
- Argues that repair skills are important and meaningful
- Suggests manual trades are a valid alternative career path to traditional academic routes
Craftsman vs. Tradesman:
- Craftsman: more personal, focused on mastery
- Tradesman: more economically practical and sustainable
Critique of Modern Work:
- In many office jobs, there is no clear objective measure of success
- In manual work, success is clearer:
- If something works, the job was done well