A gearbox without gears!

Huge amounts of energy are wasted in gearboxes around the world. Losses occur in bearings, but more so between the teeth of the gears themselves. With this in view, the MAGDRIVE project has produced prototype gearboxes in which both conventional toothed gears & bearings are replaced with magnetic alternatives.

In space, cold & a near perfect vacuum create a unique set of problems for lubrication. Superconductor magnets make one prototype of MAGDRIVE a perfect match.



http://www.gizmodo.com.au/2014/12/this-maglev-gearbox-doesnt-need-teeth/ / inefficient gearing system gear teeth friction frictional losses heat mechanical wear magnetic levitation repulsion developed collaboration seven European nations built two working prototypes magnetic gear reducer frictionless magnetic axles transmission system tooth researchers UC3M research centre Madrid cryogenic temperatures -210C superconductors axles floating stabilise rotating prototype works at room temperature toothed cogs permanent magnets repel attract force coupling physical contact railways railroads oil industry lubrication sterile environments food drug industries /

How a jet engine works

Credit: 3D Printer Plans

What is a swirler? Afterburner? Why is a tubofan more efficient than a turbojet? Why don’t jet fighters use them? High bypass? Low bypass?

Find the answers in the the amazing animation at:

http://animagraffs.com/inside-a-jet-engine/ / jet core gas generator compress compressed mixed with fuel combustion efficient efficiency trubine compressor compression stage stages combustion engine size rotor core stator vane vanes annular combustor fuel injector exhaust gas commercial aircraft /

Expand your laptop storage – update

Some laptops have limited storage:
• older laptops
• Chromebooks typically have only 8 or 16 GB of flash storage
• Apple’s MacBook Air starts at 128 GB of flash storage – older models had even less

Most obvious solution would be to replace the existing storage, but this can be expensive. Plus, some laptops, particularly the ultra-compact, such as the MacBook Air, are difficult to disassemble or modify.

Much simpler is to plug in a flash drive. A 128 GB flash drive would increase the storage in many Chromebooks by 800%. This would be OK in a desktop machine, but in a laptop on a lap, or dropped into a backpack, a typical flash drive sticking out of a USB port is an accident waiting to happen.

Brando have a flush fitting microSD adapter which fits in the SD slot. It’s aimed at MacBooks, but will probably work with other devices with SD card slots, depending on just how deep the slot is. Only $10.


Credit: The Gadgeteer

http://the-gadgeteer.com/2014/11/17/expand-your-macbook-pro-or-macbook-airs-file-storage-with-a-micro-sd-card/

Brando also have an almost flush fitting microSD to USB adapter that will work with any laptop:


Credit: The Gadgeteer

http://the-gadgeteer.com/2009/05/21/usb-microsd-card-reader-that-is-almost-microscopic/

http://usb.brando.com/usb-microsd-hc-card-reader-with-easy-eject_p00933c031d15.html

SanDisk Fit is a USB flash drive of similar physical size, & up to 64 GB capacity.


Credit: PC Mag

http://www.sandisk.com/products/usb/drives/cruzer-fit/

PKparis have a USB 3.0 flash drive of similar size.

http://gizmodo.com/youll-barely-notice-the-worlds-smallest-usb-3-0-flash-1446986913

Update 06 December 2014: Leef


Credit: Leef

Up to 64 GB.

http://www.leefco.com/supra-usb-3.0-flash-drive / MB/s tiny LED activity light lap top USB 3.0 port slot adding more file storage MacBook Pro MacBook Air external hard drive USB port USB flash drive insert inserting SD card dangling external drive mobile USB flash drives SD cards snagged MacBook Pro Air Micro SD HC card adapter adapter XC 64GB adapter turns MBP MBA SD card slot solid state flash drive Netbook Chromebook disc disk /

Modular phone

Choosing a phone is all about compromise. Big screen & battery have obvious advantages, but not when it comes to fitting into a tight pair of jeans. But what if you could tailor your phone for different applications? Big battery & screen for watching movies on a long plane flight; smaller, for sightseeing at your destination? Or tight jeans verses cargo pants?

Modular phone concepts have been around for some time. Phonebloks was first. When Motorola showed interest, it looked like it just might make it to market.

Apparently a development of Motorola’s interest, is Google’s Project Ara:

http://www.projectara.com/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Ara

And most recently, Puzzlephone:



http://www.puzzlephone.com/

http://www.theverge.com/2014/12/1/7312763/puzzlephone-modular-cellphone-concept /electronics ddd lifetime decade users outdated earlier Puzzlephone module modular personalize personalized OS operating system hardware levels charge health enthusiast enthusiastic sensor sensors designer enough RAM phone calls one part phone needs repair upgrade need to replace the entire device future of hardware development and manufacturing will look more like mobile application development future release standard standards hardware developers manufacturers open hardware unnecessary industry barriers hinder innovation WiFi Bluetooth standard standards click together plug supreceded cheaper cost saving module modular lifetime cycles lifecycle green recycle modular smart phone smartphone open hardware software Advanced Technologies and Projects team Motorola Mobility phone hardware manufacturers /

JBL Pulse portable speaker

Credit: Think Geek

It’s not cheap at a list price of $US199, but a search will find prices around $US150, including Think Geek.

Looks great with the light display in operation, but reduces battery life by 50%, as reported by Cnet.

/ Bluetooth wireless music sound compact wireless Bluetooth speaker delivers good sound size integrated light show preprogrammed custom customize customizable themes built-in rechargeable battery LiIon lithium ion 10 hours battery life sound only 5 hours light show can distort at higher volumes rock tracks bass-heavy material no carrying case included not sound quite good $200 competitors integrated light show listening experience /

Revolutionary multi-directional elevator concept (video)

Unsurprisingly, Douglas Adams suggested it first*, but ThyssenKrupp look like bringing it to fruition: elevators (lifts) that move horizontally, as well as vertically. They are able to do this because they are driven electromagnetically. Elimination of heavy cables allows multiple lift-cars to occupy the same lift-shaft at the same time & improves energy-efficiency. Other claimed benefits include less floor space occupied by lift shafts & less waiting time for passengers.

http://www.gizmag.com/thyssenkrupp-magnet-drive-elevator/34976/

Claim of, “world's first cable-free elevator”, in the article linked above ignores hydraulic lifts, such as are used in the Statue of Liberty, which recently had an oil change:

http://machinedesign.com/news/miss-liberty-visitors-get-eco-friendly-lift

_________________
* The Restaurant at the End of the Universe, by Douglas Adams, 1980, chapter 10

“Modern elevators are strange and complex entities. The ancient electric winch and “maximum-capacity-eight-persons" jobs bear as much relation to a Sirius Cybernetics Corporation Happy Vertical People Transporter as a packet of mixed nuts does to the entire west wing of the Sirian State Mental Hospital.
“This is because they operate on the curious principle of “defocused temporal perception.” In other words they have the capacity to see dimly into the immediate future, which enables the elevator to be on the right floor to pick you up even before you knew you wanted it, thus eliminating all the tedious chatting, relaxing and making friends that people were previously forced to do while waiting for elevators.
“Not unnaturally, many elevators imbued with intelligence and precognition became terribly frustrated with the mindless business of going up and down, up and down, experimented briefly with the notion of going sideways, as a sort of existential protest, demanded participation in the decision-making process and finally took to squatting in basements sulking.

More at: http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/The_Hitchhiker%27s_Guide_to_the_Galaxy#Life.2C_the_Universe_and_Everything_.281982.29 / elevator lift design progressed cabins move vertically shaft supported cables inefficient limiting large footprint people passenger ride wait a long time next lift German conglomerate ThyssenKrupp unveiled revolutionary Willy Wonka style elevator concept several cabins move horizontally vertically up and down sideways left right same elevator shaft same time dubbed Multi ThyssenKrupp's elevator concept world's first cable free elevator electromagnetic specialist MagneMotion may have got there first ThyssenKrupp's system doing away with cables implications for the future design of tall buildings propelled magnet based drive technology Shanghai's super-fast Maglev train built Transrapid International joint venture Siemens ThyssenKrupp elevator motor horizontal vertical movement single shaft skyscraper complex system of shafts passengers access elevator every 15 to 30 seconds smaller shafts typical elevators increase building's usable area 25 percent 25% lighter too lightweight materials cabins doors slims slim 50 percent 50% typical elevator's weight mass 300 m 984 ft tall building test system /

Xmas lights that charge your iPhone

Credit: ThinkGeek/The Gadgeteer

It’s bright

It’s Christmassy

It charges your iPhone

It’s iPhone Merry Charger! (Lightning only)

http://the-gadgeteer.com/2014/11/25/decorate-your-office-for-christmas-while-you-charge-your-iphone/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TheGadgeteer+%28The+Gadgeteer%29&_m=3n.002i.773.bg0ao004ub.114z / Apple iphone Christmas light lights charge recharge charging battery lightning connector cable string Christmas iPad holiday cable home office festive brighten up your work area USB plug in a charger cable 46″ 46 inch long charging cable 10 LED lights glow Lightning chargeable Apple devices /