Can anyone think of a brilliant engineering research project?

[kington99]

I soon have to pick what my fourth year engineering project is going to
be. There's a list of projects that the university sets but students
can submit their own ideas if they'd prefer. I'd like to run my own
project, but I can't think of a suitable topic. The final output is a
12,000 word thesis based on theory and experimental results. I have a
budget of money, workshop hours and computing time in which to complete
this, and most projects are expected to involve some sort of physical
construction element i.e. creating the component you designed, or
building an appropriate test rig to obtain data you need.

So can anyone think of a great project, preferably unicycling related?


--
kington99

Dave

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[Hazmat]

How about a geared unicycle project or something to do with suspensions?
Those are pretty much the most discussed things to improve unicycling
these days
Well with the geared unicycle, isn't that what a schlumpf unicycle was
made for?? :D A good idea for a project would be to see what brake
callipers and suspension would do to a unicycle. In other words, would
this benefit those who do MUni or trials. Another idea might be to
create a freewheel unicycle, as in a unicycle when you pedal forward it
moves but when you star to pedal backwards the unicycle goes into a BC
like form.

Hoped this helped and hope your project gets you top score. ;) ;)
Hazmat


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[rustycogs]

As I am only on my second day of learning to ride a unicycle, I would
suggest a training/learning aid. Something along the the lines of a
training hub that only rotates in the forward direction. When you can
ride 150m or so you rotate "the switch" to the freewheel setting.

Good Luck


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[semach.the.monkey]

kington99 wrote:
> So can anyone think of a great project, preferably unicycling related?



Well, there was a thread a few weeks back asking what peoples dream
wish list was. The two things I asked for were;



- A folding/collapsible 36" wheel that will allow you to fit it in to
a standard back pack. If course it's got to be light and strong.
Having given it some thought, though, I don't think the wheel is
going to be the hard part... the tyre probably will be though!


- Variable length cranks that can be adjusted on the fly.




Good luck with the projects, and can you let me know when UDC have them
in stock :)


--
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[maximus unius]

To elaborate on the adjustable cranks idea, I think it would be cool to
not have it like Kooka cranks where you have to switch the pedals, but
to have an inner mechanism where you tap a button with your ankle (like
changing gears on a Shlumf) and it will extend by say 5mm. You can keep
pressing it to make it go longer, but you'd have to figure something
out to make them get shorter. These would probably only get used by
distance riders though, cause doing any serious drops and hopping etc.
would probably break them.


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maximus unius
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[Hazmat]

How about adjustable frames so people who can't reach the pedals could
lower the frame to reach them.


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[DustinSchaap]

How about adjustable seatposts so people who can't reach their pedals
can lower... oh wait...


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[semach.the.monkey]

maximus unius wrote:
> To elaborate on the adjustable cranks idea, I think it would be cool to
> not have it like Kooka cranks where you have to switch the pedals, but
> to have an inner mechanism where you tap a button with your ankle (like
> changing gears on a Shlumf) and it will extend by say 5mm. You can keep
> pressing it to make it go longer, but you'd have to figure something
> out to make them get shorter. These would probably only get used by
> distance riders though, cause doing any serious drops and hopping etc.
> would probably break them.



Well, I kind of imagined them with a small motor attached to a gear
mechanism that could wind the cranks in and out. The control for it
stumped me for a while, then I started to think about pressure
transducers in the pedals so that it would actually know how hard you
were pushing and adjust the length accordingly. Maybe with speed
sensors too.

STM


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[rogeratunicycledotcom]

How about looking at the stresses created at the hub and cranks on a
unicycle when it is jumped compared with a bike. The stresses are
higher even though the cranks and jumps are both smaller. It would
involve some intersting gig design and construction and testing. :-)
It may also have an interseting final design that may include an
optimised hub and crank system that is strong and lighter than the
current over kill designs.

Roger


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[iridemymuni]

for my high school projct i am makin:

a unicycle frame tat can extend from a 24" size to 36" size.

a handle (a lot like the T7), but adjustable in and out so you can put
it where you want it, using a seatpost clamp.


--
iridemymuni

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ive got:

John Childs, Klaas Bill, Kris Holm, Samia, Harper, Bryan Stevens,
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Raphael (jjuggle), James Potter, ITEMNO530, DogBowl, Yoopers,
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[Hazmat]

iridemymuni wrote:
> for my high school projct i am makin:
>
> a unicycle frame tat can extend from a 24" size to 36" size.
>
> a handle (a lot like the T7), but adjustable in and out so you can put
> it where you want it, using a seatpost clamp.


The tire would be something very unique as you could probably make it
extend like how a rubber band extends. As for the handle, do you mean
like a telescopic/reach adjustable one like the cars have??


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[kington99]

Thanks everyone for your ideas, Roger's post is pretty much the idea I
came up with, to stick strain gagues on unicycle cranks and find the
stresses imposed on them during heavy riding, and possibly use this to
design a better crank system. This project has a good balance of
desinging an experimentation rig/obtaining data/analysisng and
desinging a product from this data. There might be a problem with the
budget (it's only £250), projects with commerical appeal to people
within the university can get alot more (my brother's rig cost in the
region of £100k) but that sure aint going to happen in this case.

Anymore input is very appreciated, I'll let you know what I eventually
decide.


--
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Dave

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[iridemymuni]

Hazmat wrote:
> The tire would be something very unique as you could probably make it
> extend like how a rubber band extends. As for the handle, do you mean
> like a telescopic/reach adjustable one like the cars have??




the rubber doesnt expand, just the frame gets bigger.


the handle is buch like a steapost and tube, theres a bigger tube with
a clamp, and the handle fits into the smaller tube and gets clamped
down at the right length.


--
iridemymuni

maker of the happy birthday threads

ive got:

John Childs, Klaas Bill, Kris Holm, Samia, Harper, Bryan Stevens,
Wobbling bear, Mike Swarbrick, Cathwoood, Scott Wallis, Mikefule,
Raphael (jjuggle), James Potter, ITEMNO530, DogBowl, Yoopers,
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[Hazmat]

iridemymuni wrote:
> the rubber doesnt expand, just the frame gets bigger.
>
>
> the handle is buch like a steapost and tube, theres a bigger tube with
> a clamp, and the handle fits into the smaller tube and gets clamped
> down at the right length.


Ohh that's seems pretty cool, as for the seatpost that is also cool. :D
:D :D


--
Hazmat

1 weird and unusual greek cypriot australian destined to be different :D
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[DustinSchaap]

iridemymuni wrote:
> a handle (a lot like the T7), but adjustable in and out so you can put
> it where you want it, using a seatpost clamp.


My handles are made out of a piece of a bicycle frame and a steering
pen (not sure if that is the word in English) the steering pen is
22.2mm exactly and fits into most bicycle frame tubes, so basically
what you'd need to make similar handles is an old bike (frame) and a
steering pen, then you can put on handlebars or whatever you would
like. You avoid using clamps and it's easy to make. Depending on the
seatpost your unicycle uses you might have to make a shim to make it
fit.


--
DustinSchaap

FOUNDER OF EENWIEL.NL (\"HTTP://WWW.EENWIEL.NL\")
*Sponsored by 'MUNICYCLE.COM' (http://www.municycle.com) , 'QU-AX'
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[keg]

As Roger stated measuring the stresses on cranks would be interesting,
especially if compared with bikes on the same route. DM started looking
at this issue a few years back, but the rider had an umbilical cord
attached to an old 8086 PC. Resolving this issue within budget would be
an interesting challenge, bluetooth might be a possibility if you can
access a laptop for data logging?

As well as measuring stress you could consider using a 3 axis gyro for
measuring acceleration? A Nintendo Wii controller is quite cheap and a
quick search on google suggests they can be linked to PC's running
different bluetooth stacks :)

Don't forget it is a final year project with a limited number of hours,
keep it simple - you can always extend a project into additional areas
(like hub) if time allows, from what I can remember most people ran out
of time, rather than extending the scope nearer the end.

Keith


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[kington99]

keg wrote:
> As Roger stated measuring the stresses on cranks would be interesting,
> especially if compared with bikes on the same route. DM started looking
> at this issue a few years back, but the rider had an umbilical cord
> attached to an old 8086 PC. Resolving this issue within budget would be
> an interesting challenge, bluetooth might be a possibility if you can
> access a laptop for data logging?
>
> As well as measuring stress you could consider using a 3 axis gyro for
> measuring acceleration? A Nintendo Wii controller is quite cheap and a
> quick search on google suggests they can be linked to PC's running
> different bluetooth stacks :)
>
> Don't forget it is a final year project with a limited number of hours,
> keep it simple - you can always extend a project into additional areas
> (like hub) if time allows, from what I can remember most people ran out
> of time, rather than extending the scope nearer the end.
>
> Keith



I had heard that DM did some sort of similar work, if I get this off
the ground I'll try and contact him. The major problem I forsee is that
I need probably 2 strain rosettes, suitable amplifiers and a wireless
transmission system, with power supply, built on to the crank itself,
then I need the rider to carry something to pick up that transmission
and log it, but throwing a laptop in a rucksack is no problem. Also I'm
possibly going to need to manfacture special cranks to be able to get
meaningful stress data from the strain gagues, unless i just load some
off the shelf cranks and calibrate them against known forces. I've
actually used a rig that does this in the department on an exercise
bike, it used an induction device to transmit the data to a ring
mounted behind the chain ring. It worked fine but I'll need to build
something that can actually be ridden around and won't get smashed/full
of water out on the trails. The average project takes 300-400 hours
total, I'm not sure if i can accomplish much in this time.


--
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Dave

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[johnfoss]

It's not clear how much of your project is about testing and how much is
about design/build. Here's a couple of other ideas:

1. Cranks and axle/hubs will always be a good place for research as
long as we keep breaking them. We're still using mostly stuff designed
for the bicycle market. We're not quite the same, so the proper design
for us may be different. Of course it makes sense to stick with bicycle
technology to keep the prices affordable.

2. The next area where we keep breaking our unicycles is in the
seat/post area. We're asking way too much of today's seats and posts
based on their original use. Bikes (today) and (most) unicycles are not
designed to have someone yanking up and down on the seat. Seats break,
posts break, etc. My thought is that if you had a proper post/handle
system, you wouldn't need to put any strain on the seat because the
handle would be underneath it. Then the seat could be, in theory,
almost as light as a racing bike seat. Heavier because it's bigger, but
no need for all that structural content. So #2 is about the idea of
designing a seat post, or seat-post-topper, that does the work of the
handle, bumper and rear bumper, and a lightweight seat to attach to
that.

3. A frame and handlebar system for road riding. The new Nimbus 36" is
a step in the direction of what I'm thinking. If a handle is going to
be there, why not build the frame with the handle in mind? A few people
have done this already, so search around to see example. Basically,
V-shaped frames. Then if the handlebars can be adjustable in the
up/down and fore/aft positions, they can go up and down with the seat,
and adjust to fit the personal tastes of the rider.

Enjoy! Let us know what you decide to go with, and then we'd love to
hear how it turns out in the end!


--
johnfoss

John Foss
Email: "jfoss" at "unicycling.com" -- www.unicycling.com
-----------------------------------------------

"pretty much every trail that we've done on the California or Moab Muni
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[kington99]

johnfoss wrote:
> It's not clear how much of your project is about testing and how much is
> about design/build. Here's a couple of other ideas:
>



Thanks for your input John, the balance of research/design and build is
very negotiable, my brother's project was entirely research (looking at
temperatures in a combustion chamber), a very few projects have a
finished product as a goal (for example, an automated diving bell which
sinks to depth, collects samples and then returns to the surface), and
most fall somewhere in between, often making rigs for further
development (i.e. working out how to measure flow in jet engine
seals).

The seatpost idea is very interesting, it seems the current stuff
really isn't up to the rigours of harsh use. the strain gauging etc. of
seat and post would be a lot easier than the cranks, there would be no
need for any sort of wireless system.


--
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Dave

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[mornish]

rustycogs wrote:
> As I am only on my second day of learning to ride a unicycle, I would
> suggest a training/learning aid. Something along the the lines of a
> training hub that only rotates in the forward direction. When you can
> ride 150m or so you rotate "the switch" to the freewheel setting.
>
> Good Luck




that would make it much harder.


--
mornish

aim:kiloornish
email: mornish AT gmail DOT com


Evan wrote:
> Buy my wheel damnit
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[semach.the.monkey]

keg wrote:
>
> As well as measuring stress you could consider using a 3 axis gyro for
> measuring acceleration? A Nintendo Wii controller is quite cheap and a
> quick search on google suggests they can be linked to PC's running
> different bluetooth stacks :)
>



Ok, so what you're suggesting to a student here is that as soon as he
gets his budget he should blow it on a Wii. Come on, we all know what
Students are like, and a student with a Wii isn't going to end up with
a 12,000 word essay at the end of it! :D

STM


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[harper]

Suspension cranks. The only practical place to insert suspension in a
unicycle subjected to impact is in the cranks. A crank with a section
cut out and replaced with stiff, leaf-spring material.


--
harper

-Greg Harper

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[Spencer Hochberg]

rogeratunicycledotcom wrote:
> How about looking at the stresses created at the hub and cranks on a
> unicycle when it is jumped compared with a bike. The stresses are
> higher even though the cranks and jumps are both smaller. It would
> involve some intersting gig design and construction and testing. :-)
> It may also have an interseting final design that may include an
> optimised hub and crank system that is strong and lighter than the
> current over kill designs.
>
> Roger


Yeah and it would be nice if you got a set of all the different splined
cranks and tested them to see which are the strongest, that would help
us too because then less people would be posting their opinions about
everything and there would actually be data to back it up.


--
Spencer Hochberg

'BC wheel movie.'
(http://www.unicyclist.com/forums/showthread.php?t=56195) Watch
it.
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[rustycogs]

mornish wrote:
> that would make it much harder.




Until I learn how to ride, I have no way of knowing:D

How about a crankset that eliminates the dead spot at 6/12? That seems
to be where I am struggling.


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[zfreak220]

how about a gyroscopic geared hub? as the wheel spins faster the gear
ratio gets bigger.


--
zfreak220

iridemymuni wrote:
> i think everybody agrees when i say you lucky son of a bitch



howdigetsogood wrote:
> man i used to think scooters were totally lame, but after that 'video'
> (http://www.unicyclist.com/forums/showthread.php?t=57071), oh wait
> nevermind i still do.
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[john_childs]

A possible project would be a way of monitoring a unicycle during the
slow boards race to verify that the unicycle never pauses and never
makes even a minute backwards correction. It's a project that has been
tried before but without practical success. Should be able to find
info on the past attempt.

The past attempt was mechanical in nature.

Another way to do it would be to mark the tire and have a camera and
computer analyze the marks to make sure they never pause or move
backwards.

But a project that measures the strains and stresses on a seatpost
would be more practical in improving unicycling equipment. How much
stress does a unicycle put on the seatpost? Where are the forces and
in what directions?

Or the same for the cranks and hub.


--
john_childs

john_childs (att) hotmail (dott) com
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[john_childs]

DustinSchaap wrote:
> My handles are made out of a piece of a bicycle frame and a steering pen
> (not sure if that is the word in English) the steering pen is 22.2mm
> exactly and fits into most bicycle frame tubes, so basically what you'd
> need to make similar handles is an old bike (frame) and a steering pen,
> then you can put on handlebars or whatever you would like. You avoid
> using clamps and it's easy to make. Depending on the seatpost your
> unicycle uses you might have to make a shim to make it fit.


You're thinking of the quill style bicycle stems.
A quill is also a type of pen (an old style pen made from a feather
that you dip in ink) so that's where you're getting the words
confused.

An example of a quill style bicycle stem is 'here'
(http://tinyurl.com/2nswpq).

The quill stem is based on definition #10 for machinery 'here'
(http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=quill).


--
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[joemarshall]

keg wrote:
>
> As well as measuring stress you could consider using a 3 axis gyro for
> measuring acceleration? A Nintendo Wii controller is quite cheap and a
> quick search on google suggests they can be linked to PC's running
> different bluetooth stacks :)
>



The Wii controllers are fab, and super easy to work with assuming you
have a bluetooth dongle / bluetooth laptop that interfaces with them.
I've done some work with them. They're pretty cheap, and you don't need
a Wii to use them (although you should have one, they're oh so good).

But, the accelerometers whilst surprisingly accurate, are limited to 3g
of deceleration / acceleration measurement (in practice in the vertical
plane because of gravity affecting the device, you get 4g one way, 2g
the other).

Joe


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[mark williamson]

rustycogs wrote:
> Until I learn how to ride, I have no way of knowing:D
>
> How about a crankset that eliminates the dead spot at 6/12? That seems
> to be where I am struggling.



That's an interesting idea.

There are bicycle crank setups available that adjust (mechanically) the
angle of the cranks whilst riding so that there's never a total
deadspot. Not sure all riders like them so much but they definitely
exist - a uni using (an adaptation of) this system could be rather
cool!


--
mark williamson

Dave: Just a question. What use is a unicyle with no seat? And no
pedals!
Mark: To answer a question with a question: What use is a skateboard?
Dave: Skateboards have wheels.
Mark: My wheel has a wheel!
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[skilewis74]

A full suspention muni. I still think it's possible to do inside the
wheel, and I still can't quite see how suspention cranks would work to
an overal benefit.
This has already been discussed at length here:
http://tinyurl.com/25psjp

Electric assist, for climbing hills. Similar to how they do it on some
comfort bikes. You could always pedal faster to go faster, and to
suddenly slow down put backpressure on the pedals (but you'd be
fighting against the power of the motor), apply your brakes or shut off
the motor. Also maybe a veryable power lever.


--
skilewis74
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[maxcarriere]

A geared unicycle that has a goot shifting thing..Also, something that
could balance the unicycle a bit better a high speeds (high rpms)


--
maxcarriere
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[harper]

I always smile when I read the out-there design ideas when the entire
budget is £250.


--
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-Greg Harper

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[johnfoss]

john_childs wrote:
> A possible project would be a way of monitoring a unicycle during the
> slow boards race to verify that the unicycle never pauses and never
> makes even a minute backwards correction. It's a project that has been
> tried before but without practical success. Should be able to find
> info on the past attempt.
>
> The past attempt was mechanical in nature.


This would be fun, though I'm currently trying to pass a proposal to
remove the Slow races from the list of points events at NAUCC because
there's no accurate way to judge them. The past method was a little box
with a magnet on it, that you stuck to the back of the unicycle above
the wheel. A long wire switch stuck out and rubbed on the tire.
Rearward motion of something like 1-2cms would set off a "BEEP!" Nobody
could ride it, even at walking speed, without setting it off.

So you could allow a larger amount of "play" in the wheel, officially
taking the event farther from where we thought it was (or redefine it).
That would be the easy solution. I could get you in touch with the guy
who made those boxes (in 1986). I'm pretty sure he's still involved in
unicycling, at least a little bit.


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John Foss
Email: "jfoss" at "unicycling.com" -- www.unicycling.com
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weekends is an XC trail." -- Kris Holm, on XC from a North Shore point
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[johnfoss]

mark williamson wrote:
> There are bicycle crank setups available that adjust (mechanically) the
> angle of the cranks whilst riding so that there's never a total
> deadspot. Not sure all riders like them so much but they definitely
> exist - a uni using (an adaptation of) this system could be rather
> cool!

I'd say interesting, but probably not really cool. Apparently they did
not turn out to be the best thing since sliced bread, anyway. I've
never seen any in person. Though they might have some use to help
beginners, I can only imagine they would be really annoying for riding
fast. And weak.


skilewis74 wrote:
> Electric assist, for climbing hills.

Make sure it offers enough "assistance" to account for its own weight.
Problem is the weight would still be there when the thing's turned off.

I think the hard part with that setup would be figuring out the drive
system to not interfere with the rider. It would be an interesting
problem to solve, and create the world's first hybrid unicycle! :)
Check out 'this wacky thing'
(http://unicycling.smugmug.com/gallery/235242#9143209) I saw at Unicon
XII in Japan. I never saw anyone attempt to demonstrate it, and I never
got around to finding anything out about it.


Harper wrote:
> I always smile when I read the out-there design ideas when the entire
> budget is £250.

The word "cockamamey," however you spell it, comes to mind. Plus the
tendency for some people to not read or comrehend entire posts.


--
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John Foss
Email: "jfoss" at "unicycling.com" -- www.unicycling.com
-----------------------------------------------

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of view
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[john_childs]

johnfoss wrote:
> This would be fun, though I'm currently trying to pass a proposal to
> remove the Slow races from the list of points events at NAUCC because
> there's no accurate way to judge them. The past method was a little box
> with a magnet on it, that you stuck to the back of the unicycle above
> the wheel. A long wire switch stuck out and rubbed on the tire.
> Rearward motion of something like 1-2cms would set off a "BEEP!" Nobody
> could ride it, even at walking speed, without setting it off.
>
> So you could allow a larger amount of "play" in the wheel, officially
> taking the event farther from where we thought it was (or redefine it).
> That would be the easy solution. I could get you in touch with the guy
> who made those boxes (in 1986). I'm pretty sure he's still involved in
> unicycling, at least a little bit.


The problem there is that it was probably monitoring both wheel
movement and frame movement. It's OK for the frame to move back and
forth (change angle) and is part of staying balanced on a unicycle.
Gotta isolate that from the wheel movement.

It would be interesting to find out just how slow it is possible to
ride a unicycle with no pausing of the wheel. Be funny if turned out
to be walking speed.


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[mark williamson]

johnfoss wrote:
> I'd say interesting, but probably not really cool. Apparently they did
> not turn out to be the best thing since sliced bread, anyway. I've
> never seen any in person. Though they might have some use to help
> beginners, I can only imagine they would be really annoying for riding
> fast. And weak.
>



I really meant "cool" in an engineering sense, not in a "really useful"
sense ;)

Yes, I've had the impression that on bikes they've not gained
popularity, although presumably some like them... I get the impression
that many serious bikers generally regard anything "weird" involving
their cranks with a bit of suspicion.

It wouldn't have to be a weak mechanism, though - no weaker than a
geared hub. The smarts wouldn't have to reside in the cranks, they
could presumably be in-hub, for instance. Of course, this would
possibly exceed the requirements of the final year engineering
project...

I'm not sure whether they'd be useful to beginners or not... would it
be helpful, or distracting? One thing it could be handy for is
possibly steep hill-climbing, or muni, where the dead spot can be a
real problem. Perhaps it would avoid step-by-step jerking when the
rider's speed drops too low.



>
> Make sure it offers enough "assistance" to account for its own weight.
> Problem is the weight would still be there when the thing's turned
> off.
>
> I think the hard part with that setup would be figuring out the drive
> system to not interfere with the rider. It would be an interesting
> problem to solve, and create the world's first hybrid unicycle! :)
> Check out 'this wacky thing'
> (http://unicycling.smugmug.com/gallery/235242#9143209) I saw at Unicon
> XII in Japan. I never saw anyone attempt to demonstrate it, and I never
> got around to finding anything out about it.
>



I seem to remember seeing videos of a uni with electric assist + pedals
(i.e. not the eunicycle). Can't remember what it was called though...


--
mark williamson

Dave: Just a question. What use is a unicyle with no seat? And no
pedals!
Mark: To answer a question with a question: What use is a skateboard?
Dave: Skateboards have wheels.
Mark: My wheel has a wheel!
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[mark williamson]

joemarshall wrote:
> The Wii controllers are fab, and super easy to work with assuming you
> have a bluetooth dongle / bluetooth laptop that interfaces with them.
> I've done some work with them. They're pretty cheap, and you don't need
> a Wii to use them (although you should have one, they're oh so good).
>
> But, the accelerometers whilst surprisingly accurate, are limited to 3g
> of deceleration / acceleration measurement (in practice in the vertical
> plane because of gravity affecting the device, you get 4g one way, 2g
> the other).
>



I was going to suggest something involving solid state accelerometers,
but hadn't thought about the Wiimote. I looked in my local GAME shop
today, they were selling them for 32 pounds.

There seem to be both Windows and Linux based methods of getting data
out of them, and much of the basic functionality seems to work. It
looks as though you may be able to get useful data out of them without
using the "sensor bar" (which is actually just a bunch of LEDS, no
sensors).

It would be interesting to see if it's possible to make e.g. a "cycle
computer" based on Wii accelerometers and some numerical integration.
Inertial navigation would be really cool, of course ;-) [particularly
if it could recalibrate based on GPS data]. Most of this is just
software, and might not be too painful to implement. The flip side is
that it might be difficult to get working and I have strayed rather far
from the world of unicycles ;)


--
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Dave: Just a question. What use is a unicyle with no seat? And no
pedals!
Mark: To answer a question with a question: What use is a skateboard?
Dave: Skateboards have wheels.
Mark: My wheel has a wheel!
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[unisk8r]

Isn't this stuff great? Shows that there will always be room for new
ideas, tinkering & improvement.

On the "Rotor" cranks idea (speeding up the cranks at the top & bottom
of the circle), that was a subtle refinement on the efficiencies of the
pedalling circle. It was tried in many ways before, most popularly
with the odd-shaped "Biopace" chainrings and the like. Eventually
unicyclists might benefit, but we have more fundamental issues before
us.

On the idea of adjustable length crank arms on the fly, also remember
that you would need the seatpost to go up or down simultaneously, in
order to maintain the same seat-to-pedal distance. I don't recall that
issue being discussed, but maybe I missed it.

I'm interested in a variable gear ratio transmission. Not just 2
speeds like Schlumpf (current state-of-the-art), but having a range of
ratios from 1:1 to 2:1, changeable on the fly with a simple handlebar
lever. Oh how I wish it could be done with just a few hundred dollars
and a few hundred hours! :D


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[joemarshall]

mark williamson wrote:
>
> It would be interesting to see if it's possible to make e.g. a "cycle
> computer" based on Wii accelerometers and some numerical integration.
> Inertial navigation would be really cool, of course ;-) [particularly
> if it could recalibrate based on GPS data]. Most of this is just
> software, and might not be too painful to implement. The flip side is
> that it might be difficult to get working and I have strayed rather far
> from the world of unicycles ;)



I've spent quite a lot of time programming with the wiimote, I don't
think this is possible. Accelerometers are great, but really limited in
terms of integrated accuracy. The wii accelerometers have theoretically
+-.1% accuracy I think, and you get a 16 bit level between -3g+3g, but
this isn't enough to get accurate position data out, when you're moving
it around there's a fair bit of noise. You also have to do quite a
nasty integration to attempt to ignore tilt, plus filter as the
accelerometers have a little bit of noise on stopping/starting moving.
Finally you can't detect the yaw angle (rotation around the vertical
axis) as it's only an accelerometer, not a gyroscope.

What it is great at doing, is detecting tilt, with a wii controller a
pair of stepper motors and a controller it'd be possible to make a
segway style vehicle, or even possible a one wheeled balancing vehicle.
That would be so cool, and I don't think anyone has yet made a proper
one wheeled balancing vehicle (existing ones either put the weight
below the wheel axis, or only did front/back balance, so still required
unicycle skills to ride). Probably way beyond your budget though,
motors and batteries aren't cheap, and not in any way practical. The
hassle with the wii controller thinking about it, is that you've still
got a slight bluetooth delay (apparently something like 2ms), which
might make real-time control dodgy.

It occurs to me, that if you wanted to do something involving
acceleration / positioning, the Lego Mindstorms NXT might be more
practical, as you can get wired sensors for it that give you
acceleration, compass heading etc. and it all plugs into a nice little
programmable box. http://tinyurl.com/vfegc

Joe


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[kington99]

So, 9 months, and roughly £10,000 later here is the finished article. My
paper is due to be published in amonth or two with any luck. The
internal compexity of this thing is fiendish, can't wait for the engine
testing.


+-------------------------------------------------------------------+
|Filename: SSL21293.jpg |
|Download: http://www.unicyclist.com/attachment/26184 |
+-------------------------------------------------------------------+

--
kington99

Dave

- what a thoroughly post-modern subversion of the cycling genre -
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[napalm]

budget? what budget! Looks nice- what is the purpose of being able to
see in a piston chamber though? surely there are non optical ways of
finding out the same info? Tell us how the tests go. Congrats on
finishing your project
mark


--
napalm

you wont do it...your SCARED!
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[kington99]

napalm wrote:
> budget? what budget! Looks nice- what is the purpose of being able to
> see in a piston chamber though? surely there are non optical ways of
> finding out the same info? Tell us how the tests go. Congrats on
> finishing your project
> mark




yes well, as this project is being funded by a well-known luxury car
manafacturere I didn't have to stick to the standard project budget,
that would only have counted if I'd come up with my own project The
materials for this single piston ran to nearly £1k, and manafacturing
required hiring a machinist for over a month straight.

Being able to see the injection and combustion is vital for: flame
front analysis, soot particle tracing, three colour pyrometry,
injection spray analysis. The engine also has high-speed data
aquisition of all sorts of parameters going, data from which is
processed and analysed along with the photographs. I'm sorry I can't be
more specific or show pictures but there are major legal issues at the
moment. Once published, it will be public domain.


--
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Dave

- what a thoroughly post-modern subversion of the cycling genre -
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[Eddbmxdude]

What is that made out of Dave? Or can you not say?
Can I have 4 for my K series engine please? :D


--
Eddbmxdude

"I guess it's just a good thing you didn't include the footage of us
snorting cocaine from the thighs of prostitutes eh Edd." - Boogie

If you're not living on the edge, you're taking up too much room!

"Unicycling only makes you look like a freak when you're riding." -
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[rob.northcott]

Nice paperweight.


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[kington99]

Eddbmxdude wrote:
> What is that made out of Dave? Or can you not say?
> Can I have 4 for my K series engine please? :D




Titanium, spectrosil B fused quartz silica, copper, Torlon 4301 and
some aluminium alloy. Oh and a lot of loctite 272. There is actually a
similar thing, although vastly inferior, for a K series knocking round
the lab, but you really would not want to run it in a road car.


--
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Dave

- what a thoroughly post-modern subversion of the cycling genre -
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[Tyler_N]

rob.northcott wrote:
> Nice paperweight.


expensive paperweight


--
Tyler_N

'My latest video!' (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3_OZvXtRlgY)


vanpaun wrote:
> It's all for the ladies....they like the clean shaven look on your uni's
> lower parts



'*MYSPACE*' (myspace.com/munirider)
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