Comments for NO TECH MAGAZINE

Comment on When Low-Tech Goes IKEA by John Cook

John Cook — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 07:40:21 +0000

(7)
That is one Beautiful design. I especially like that belt drive – this is so elegant.
Only two things occurred to me. You’ve probably thought of both yourself but I’ll say them anyway 🙂
The peddle crank could be extended to allow for a second peddler (preferably 90 deg rotated to smooth torque imput)
The other thing is the attachment of the beater shaft to the drive. Those two screws look like they would be time consuming to attach/detach. Also things like that are the first to wear out / break, also a slick easy attachment there would encourage better cleaning. If its awkward to do something like that people will be more likely to skip it.
I wonder if you have tried using an inner tube as that belt drive? Maybe after cutting off the valve stem and fixing a tube repair patch over the resultant hole.
But again cheers! You guys are doing good in the world. May all your Kama be good:)

Comment on When Low-Tech Goes IKEA by jamesskaar

jamesskaar — Tue, 25 Sep 2012 12:43:23 +0000

(6)
one of the pics, it looks like they’re saying ‘clean the bottles in the boiling juice’. perhaps a pic that shows two separate pots, one with gray foam, the other with bottles, and the funnel in it.

Comment on When Low-Tech Goes IKEA by Julia

Julia — Mon, 23 Jul 2012 21:35:55 +0000

(5)
Can you tell us about any more progress in 2012? This is fascinating. Such wonderful ideas and well thought out! I would love to hear more about your recent successes – and if this has been implemented elsewhere? Although it seems like a step back to some — for others — it could be their “one giant step forward ..” Kudos to all who are making this happen…..

Comment on When Low-Tech Goes IKEA by Grady

Grady — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 21:49:28 +0000

(4)
You people are amazing!! Congradulations on making an effort to get people who really need to be engaged in the prosperity of our planet engaged. What you along with many others are doing to get back to basic farming and manufacturing using the technology ideas of today is very important not only to people in underdeveloped countries but to many in industrulized countries. If you are a believer in Dec 21, 2012, it’s especially important for any who see 2013.

Comment on When Low-Tech Goes IKEA by Gabriella and Niklas

Gabriella and Niklas — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 10:56:45 +0000

(3)
S M (#1), thank you for your kind words!
You are right that the manuals would need to be field tested before. As we are still improving the construction of the extractor, the manuals need to be updated along the way. It’s as you say difficult to know whether the manuals will be correctly interpreted. In our project, the extractor is intended to initially be implemented via the organisation, Biovision Infonet, that so kindly assisted us in our project. Biovision have small resource centres spread in many rural areas of Kenya, where farmers can come for information and advice. Our thought is that prints and manuals would be available at the resource where the information officer can discuss with the farmer/s the potential of setting up a small juice production in that specific area and then also how to go about it. The manuals are intended to function as a support to this for the farmer/s to take home and study.
Thank you for the encouraging words and interesting comment, Birgit (#2)!
The extractor itself is intended to be manufactured by the jua kali (collective name for the self-employed artisans mainly working with wood and metal) The jua kali are found in most villages. From what we learned from our visit and our Kenyan friends, the jua kali have access to welding machines, sometimes they are “home made”.
Your idea about bikes is a good one but it also means the farmer/s must invest in a bicycle, which (in addition to the extractor and/or other machines) is quite costful. Many farmers that we met do not have bikes today. We therefore decided that the extractor should be possible to use without extra equipement.

Comment on When Low-Tech Goes IKEA by Birgit

Birgit — Sun, 20 Nov 2011 14:11:50 +0000

(2)
A wonderful idea where creativity and true global thinking come together! Congratulations!!
I wonder, though, if it would be a good idea to offer a variety of this design which can be operated with a bicycle. I could imagine not all folks have access to welding equipment or experience how to use it. Maybe a bike-based design could be a good alternative.

Comment on When Low-Tech Goes IKEA by S M

S M — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 15:13:06 +0000

(1)
This is very interesting and heartening. In India too, we have issues with multiple languages and illiteracy. Very commendable of these students to consider such factors.
I have a question about the user manual. Will illiterate users be aware that crossed lines mean ‘forbidden’, and will they be able to correlate the action with the diagram properly? I can read and write, but I have problems sometimes with pictorial instructions that are vague. Perhaps field trials are called for to check the efficacy of the user manual?

Comment on Solar Heating System with Water Battery by kees

kees — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 20:02:50 +0000

(3)
Commnt on (1) and (2) from author:
Indeed a heat store build with wet sand might be an interesting option. The specific heat capacity of wet sand is lower than for water but still rather high. Using wet sand circumvents the problem of the radial force. The lower heat conduction can be compensated for by using a longer heat exchanger. Anyway the intention is to build a large heat store with a typical thermal time constant of the order of weeks, so there is always time enough to transport heat through the store.
Kees

Comment on Solar Heating System with Water Battery by Jack Vegas

Jack Vegas — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 06:48:55 +0000

(2)
Water has a greater heat capacity than wet sand and it is easier to fill, drain, and transfer.
In addition, wet sand acts like a solid so heat transfer into surrounding wet sand is limited by the it’s thermal conductivity. In the case of water, conductive heating is augmented by mixing due to convection, enhancing heat transfer.

Comment on Solar Heating System with Water Battery by Edas

Edas — Tue, 31 May 2011 23:45:02 +0000

(1)
You don’t need to store heat in water. For that purpose you can use pipe rings in the insolated wet sand or something similar with big heat capacity.

Comment on How to Depave the Planet by Elise Hancock

Elise Hancock — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 06:16:00 +0000

Really excellent how-to information. Thank you.
I’m wondering how they recruited these lively people. Is this a Sierra Club chapter? ??? A college group? ?? A permaculture group? And are there now any photographs of the finished site?

Comment on Temporocentrism by Blakeney

Blakeney — Sun, 04 Apr 2010 02:20:59 +0000

Love this – I’ve always felt that modern folks could be snobbish about those that have lived in the past – just didn’t know there was a word for it!

Comment on How To Make Everything Yourself – Online Low-Tech Resources by Derek

Derek — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 16:56:11 +0000

Thanks NTM this is an invaluable resource, one i havnt come across.

Comment on Too Many (African) Babies? by Bjørn

Bjørn — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 17:28:03 +0000

“World population is now 6.8 billion and is expected to rise to 9 billion this century.”
At the current growth rate of 1.19, the earth’s population will double in 58 years. So it seems likely that the population will indeed rise to 9 billion this century, actually in just a couple of decades.

Comment on How Far Back? by Yeo-Thomas

Yeo-Thomas — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 22:20:22 +0000

I totally agree, a return to 1870-1924 would answer many problems in today society. Not just for the enviroment, but social, political{localism-resil.communt.} educational, cultural, racial and economy wise. Too many, I am afraid, want only the present but with more money to spend, immature but true. As long as this is the outlook, Our society will continue its downward spiral. Thank you for this site, your time and effort.

Comment on Economy = Energy by Eclipse Now

Eclipse Now — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 15:27:29 +0000

But oil is only the liquid fuel base of the transport sector. I’m a peak oiler, VERY concerned that our governments have left it too little too late and the transition could be very nasty indeed.
But just saying “oil oil oil” is missing the bigger picture. All economic activities can have substituted energy flows. There’s electric mining, electric building, electric trolley buses (which the low-tech magazine writes on brilliantly!) Once transport is largely electric, we have the means to change everything else. Electric diggers and electric drag-lines don’t care if the electrons that power it are “brown” or “Green”. So yes there will probably be oil rationing and “nasty times” ahead… but the other side of that energy crunch I can see renewables, and possibly Gen4 nuclear (but don’t tell anyone I said that 😉 providing even more power than we use today.
I’m big on trolley buses and New Urbanism, so it is with mixed feelings that I advise keeping an eye on “Better Place”.
http://australia.betterplace.com/