The Story of Lori, Chapter 2

[Lori Dee ✅]

Sounds like the manufacturer actually worked to improve the design of the new machine. That'll save you some hassle. Probably got fed up with returns!

I'm surprised these use brushed motors rather than induction motors. But that would sacrifice speed control, however doesn't sound like it's a useful feature anyway.

I think the issue isn't speed but torque. I'm not sure if induction motors can handle the torque. They are usually for a constant speed with a minor load. If they geared them better, they would work, I think.

The other is cost. They buy cheap parts from China instead of worrying about quality. Fortunately, I can buy cheap replacement parts from China, too.

😁

[Lori Dee ✅]

See, tumbling can be fun.  Reminds me of gym class.

And look how polished you turned out. Beautiful and shiny!
You are a real gem, Chrissy!

[Dances With Trees]

That she is, Lori! Chrissy certainly brightens my day every time I visit Susan's. As do you, my friend.

[ChrissyRyan]

I am glad you have three functioning machines now.

[Lori Dee ✅]

I am glad you have three functioning machines now.

Me too!
😀

[Lori Dee ✅]

I just got off the phone with my dad. He called to ask if I had heard about the catastrophe that happened at the Mars Station where he used to work. I hadn't, so he gave me the details.

For context:

When I was a kid, we had a ranch in Hinkley, California, in the Mojave Desert. My dad worked for NASA as an Electronics Engineer, stationed at the Goldstone Deep Space Network site. Specifically, he worked at the Mars Station, also known as DSS-14. It is one of the most powerful 70-foot satellite dishes used for deep space communications. There is also one in Madrid, Spain, and another in Australia.

The base of the antenna is a round building where everyone works. It is stationary and contains all of the equipment that controls the movement of the dish, as well as a lot of the communications consoles. The upper part and its infrastructure are the parts that rotate and tips in various angles to aim at their target.

The dish can rotate 360 degrees, actually about 370 degrees, before the connecting cables reach their limit. The dish must then be rotated back in the opposite direction, and the slack in the cables folds neatly into the sides of the building.

The catastrophe happened back in September last year. There was no announcement. People just started noticing that DSS-14 was no longer transmitting or receiving data. That caused a huge problem within the Deep Space Network because the network is already strained with numerous work assignments. Many people reached out to ask what was going on, but due to the government shutdown, no one was getting any answers.

In November, an announcement came from NASA through JPL (Jet Propulsion Laboratories) that they had experienced a catastrophic failure due to "over-rotation". That means that someone turned the dish more than 370 degrees and snapped the cables as well as the water lines for the fire suppression system, which led to flooding that was quickly contained.

So the dish is not functional, and not expected to get fixed "soon". There are inspections to be done, investigations, reports, and analyses to determine what happened and how much it will cost to fix it. Meanwhile, a lot of people are not working there. We don't know if they were reassigned to other stations, furloughed, or what.

In the Army, we called that a Cluster-F.

Here is a picture of the Mars Station, DSS-14:

[ChrissyRyan]

Sounds unfortunate.  Appears to have been an expensive dish to break.

[ChrissyRyan]

How much noise do your rock tumblers make when they are loaded up with rocks?
Is the sound annoying?  Would the sound be heard by someone walking outside your home?

[davina61]

You would have thought they would have an inhibit system to stop this happening, bad design then!!

[Lori Dee ✅]

How much noise do your rock tumblers make when they are loaded up with rocks?
Is the sound annoying?  Would the sound be heard by someone walking outside your home?

They are pretty quiet. No one outside can hear them. I can barely hear them in the next room, and I keep the door open. The sound is soft, similar to white noise, but more like a small waterfall. Since it is a gentle sound, it is not disruptive or annoying at all. Just soft background noise.

That is how I knew my old tumbler had died. The sound changed to an annoying grinding sound when the bearing gave out.

[Lori Dee ✅]

You would have thought they would have an inhibit system to stop this happening, bad design then!!

I agree. I would think that it would have a mechanical stop. My dad said that would interfere with some of the work they do, tracking satellites or spacecraft. But I agree with you that there should have been some form of tracking sensor to alert the operator that their rotation was reaching its limit.

I'm not sure when it was built. My dad worked there for the Apollo space missions from 1961 to 1972.

I bet they will install something when it gets repaired.

[Charlotte Kitty ✅]

You would have thought they would have an inhibit system to stop this happening, bad design then!!

Unfortunately a lot of scientists and engineers don't consider the flaws of the human element. I'm not sure why human factors are so missing from the technical industries.

[Emma1017]

I agree, Charlotte.  So many science and tech people forget about the end user. 

[ChrissyRyan]

The dish break:

Sounds like a potential winner of the DA award for the quarter or year.

[davina61]

Well they might have built it "squaddie" proof but was it child proof?

[Lori Dee ✅]

Working in construction for many years taught me about the disconnect between architects and end users.

Far too many plans had to be modified during construction because the architect failed to plan where the high voltage cables run in comparison to low voltage data cables, telephone lines, and even fire sprinkler pipes.

Then, when construction is almost done, the end-user comes in to inspect the place and asks questions like, "What's this?" or "Where is the...?"

Now, multiply that problem times a government-funded operation like NASA with all of its regulations and specifications. It can be maddening.

[Lori Dee ✅]

Great day today.

The snow is melting.

A package from the VA arrived with the correct pharmacy supplies this time.

My neighbor made me breakfast - an apple and blueberry pastry. OMG, that man can cook!

And my new glasses arrived! They are so light and comfortable... and PINK!

Sorry, no makeup for this photo.

[ChrissyRyan]

They are pretty quiet. No one outside can hear them. I can barely hear them in the next room, and I keep the door open. The sound is soft, similar to white noise, but more like a small waterfall. Since it is a gentle sound, it is not disruptive or annoying at all. Just soft background noise.

That is how I knew my old tumbler had died. The sound changed to an annoying grinding sound when the bearing gave out.

I am glad their sound is not an issue.  Do they use much electricity?

[ChrissyRyan]

Great day today.

The snow is melting.

A package from the VA arrived with the correct pharmacy supplies this time.

My neighbor made me breakfast - an apple and blueberry pastry. OMG, that man can cook!

And my new glasses arrived! They are so light and comfortable... and PINK!

Sorry, no makeup for this photo.

I am glad you got your supplies!
Sounds like a tasty pastry too!
I am glad your glasses are nice for you.


Chrissy

[Lori Dee ✅]

I am glad their sound is not an issue.  Do they use much electricity?

Very little. I have not noticed any change in my electric bill... ever.

There was a Rock Tumbling forum online, and one of the members did the math. He computed the actual current under load, but he was running five machines in his garage. I don't recall the numbers, but you could save more electricity than they use by turning off lights, computers, and unplugging all chargers not in use.

So the difference is negligible.