Week 10: Precepts 4/13 and 4/15
Notes by Aminatou Seye <3
Previously in class…
Electrical group:
- Secured the ignition coil on the blue motorcycle, which was loose and vibrating when we started the motorcycle.
- Drove the Model T throughout the friend center lawn. We also went to the MAE lab to find the crimping tool and tested it on a random wire found in the lab.
Wheel group:
- Trued and tightened parts of the wheel and finished the rear wheel. The bearing got pressed in with a missing part, so we needed to knock it out and install a new one. We also need a new liner, inner tube, and tire for the wheel. Another issue is that the spacer (looks like a washer) that contacts the outer race is missing, so we need to find a solution.
- Drove the Model T throughout the friend center lawn.
Engine Group:
- Grinded the seals down to 44 degrees instead of 45 degrees (it was supposed to be 46 degrees, but now it is below by 2 degrees, which is a problem that needs to be fixed).
- Drove the Model T throughout the friend center lawn.
Clutch and Oil Group:
- Made sure the fasteners were tight, ensured that the Whitworth parts were in the correct position (as opposed to other types of threads), and started finding the neutral position of the carburetor.
- Drove the Model T throughout the friend center lawn. Adjusted the timing of the spark using an ohmmeter (checking for beeping; when the points are open, there was no beeping because the magnetic field collapses, which causes a change of magnetic field and produces a high voltage, and when they are closed, the beeping started) on the red motorcycle.
Exploring Chapter 5…
Head of Discussion: Aynslie
Section 1: The Further Education of a Gearhead: From Amateur to Professional:
- The author criticizes academia while uplifting learning trades and doing hands-on work. A possible source of this critique is that he viewed graduate school as a task that is seen as needed rather than something he enjoys and is passionate about. There also could be a factor of parental pressure, given that his father was a mathematical physicist, and he viewed it as too theory-based.
- Motorcycle references:
- Cafe racer: lightweight bikes made for agility, originating from the British rocker subculture for racing between cafes.
- Cleaning Supplies (e.g., electrical contact cleaner, carburetor cleaner, engine degreaser): made for taking away oils and residue
- Lubrification: Cutting oil, lithium greases: used to reduce friction
Section 2: The Motorcycle Antiquarian
- Different ideas of work: many people see work as a means to an end and value a 9-5 structured shift, while others like freer schedules and being a “free man”, like what Fred does, and what the authors aspired to do.
- Definition: Impedance—in an electrical sense, it is when the current and voltage is not in phase; applies to capacitance and inductance. In this book, it refers to the resistance (measured in ohms). Impedance is important in a motor since it prevents overheating and maintains a healthy current flow.
Section 3: Shockkoe Moto
- Theme: important to learn things the hard way and make your own mistakes so you can understand the why rather than blindly trusting old knowledge.
- In class, we compared this to the advice of either explaining to children why they aren’t allowed to do something or letting them make mistakes themselves so they can develop problem-solving skills.
Section 4: Writing Service Tickets
- Motorcycle references: using a tap to thread things, removing the brass float needle on a carburetor (a component that stops or allows fuel flow from the tank).
Section 5: Madness, a Magna, and Metaphysics
- Motorcycle reference: a valve train, multiple cylinders that are all connected with a camshaft that opens with a sequence, camshafts and rockers (components that control the timing and lift of the intake and exhaust valves), the clutch, master and slave cylinders.
- Class lecture on hydraulic cylinder: One important principle in engineering is mechanical advantage: if you have a master cylinder with a small diameter and move it a large distance, it move a certain amount of fluid, if its a big cylinder that same liquid would move the same amount of distance, you need a lot of forces to deal with a surface that is not moving. This is governed by the work equation, where Work is force times displacement.
- The author is saying to take broader concepts and use them to check yourself to make sure your decision in life is well thought out, and you’re not impulsively making decisions. He also urges readers to balance their own selfish, personal interests and recognize the balance between doing a good job and the right job.
Exploring Chapter 6…
Head of Discussion: Hala
Section 1: The Contradiction of the Cubicle
- Machine building is dictated by the object of reality: a machinist has an objective measure (i.e., an engine either works or doesn’t). On the other hand, in an office job, the metric is more subjective, and employees are often evaluated on how well they get along with the people around them.
- The author advocates for a balance between work and private life.
- A trend the class noticed: many jobs today are trying to make office jobs more fun and flexible.
Section 2: Indexing and Abstracting
- The narrator tries to go back to work after a philosophy degree, but he couldn’t find a fulfilling job even though he had a master’s degree. He was distraught because he found that many office jobs he saw don’t care as much about quality, despite all the skills he spent a lot of time acquiring. He argues that physical environments (like the ones in which hardworking people operate), while corporate working is mentally challenging and harms your soul.
Section 3-5: Indexing and Abstracting, Learned Irresponsibility, Interlude: What college is for
- The author argues that employers do not care about GPA. (The class found that this is only partially true. It is true that most employers want to know that you can pick up skills fast rather than your actual skills, but it depends on the major many times. Grades can be an indicator of whether you’re able to follow rules, for instance.)
Section 6: Teamwork
- The author criticizes office work and says it is more about teamwork than individual responsibility. He also argues that corporate culture teaches you specific ways to approach a problem and to bond with people, which brainwashes people by controlling their entire day and actions.
Section 7: The Crew versus the Team
- This section discusses the difference between the often interchangeably used terms of a team vs a crew. A crew is a group of people with individual skills, like a group of electricians, plumbers, and carpenters. You need all of them working together to make a building, for example, but each group respects the others, and rather than having a whole team working on the same thing (as on a team), you break them up into different categories and let individuals develop separate skill sets. Thus, there is individual confidence in a crew.
4/13: About Model T
- The motorcycle is not power-steering operated (manual steering). There are two levers on the steering column, the left lever is the spark advance, and when it is running, it moves from retarted to advance, and you will hear the engine change it sounds. Always start in the retarted position (where the piston is already up and is about to come down)because the piston can cause the crankshaft to reverse its direction, which is really bad on a Model T. On the right-hand side of the column is the slide valve, the adjustment for the carburetor. This sets the engine speed: the more gas you give it, the faster it goes. Furthermore, the motorcycle also has three pedals. The left pedal is the shifter. This has three positions: when it’s pushed in, it is in low gear; when it’s halfway out, it is neutral; and when it’s all the way out, it is in high gear. The middle pedal governs whether or not you go in reverse. The right-hand pedal is the brake, specifically the drive shaft brake rather than the wheel brake. To stop, take your left foot off the clutch and put the right foot down. The starter is on the floorboard; it is a little button (the size of a computer mouse). It is very important NOT to push that down when the engine is running.