The thick as a brick thread...

General Chit Chat
Message
Author
Groundgripper
Capt
Capt
Posts: 945
Joined: Tue Aug 25, 2015 5:39 pm
Location: 38 feet AMSL
Gender:
Age: 80

Re: The thick as a brick thread...

#21 Post by Groundgripper » Thu Aug 13, 2020 1:36 pm

I am apt to ruin it all with yet one of my infernal music videos (as Capetonian isn't here to call me to order, I shall admit that I hear his voice)...
If you do it too often people will start hearing the voice of Cacofonix... :ymdevil: o:-) o:-)

GG

Magnus
Chief Pilot
Chief Pilot
Posts: 3484
Joined: Thu Sep 10, 2015 12:42 pm
Location: Edinburgh
Gender:
Age: 71

Re: The thick as a brick thread...

#22 Post by Magnus » Fri Aug 14, 2020 9:27 am

Caco would already have posted videos of Jethro Tull playing songs from the "Thick as a Brick" album.

In terms of using bricks for power storage, I read recently of a project to demonstrate the use of unused mine shafts as capacitors. Excess power would be used to hoist massive weights up the shaft, then at peak demand times allow the weights to be lowered, turning the motors into generators.

Pontius Navigator
Chief Pilot
Chief Pilot
Posts: 14669
Joined: Fri Jul 07, 2017 8:17 am
Location: Gravity be the clue
Gender:
Age: 80

Re: The thick as a brick thread...

#23 Post by Pontius Navigator » Fri Aug 14, 2020 9:53 am

Magnus, I saw something not dissimilar. We are near Isaac Newton's house. A university had a rig there to demonstrate electricity generated by gravity. It was intended to provide light in bush houses for children to do homework at night. You simply pulled a cord to raise a stone which would then slowly drop using a dynamo to light a low wattage bulb.

User avatar
ian16th
Chief Pilot
Chief Pilot
Posts: 10029
Joined: Fri Aug 28, 2015 9:35 am
Location: KZN South Coast with the bananas
Gender:
Age: 87

Re: The thick as a brick thread...

#24 Post by ian16th » Fri Aug 14, 2020 12:08 pm

Whatever happened to the clockwork radio?
Cynicism improves with age

Boac
Chief Pilot
Chief Pilot
Posts: 17209
Joined: Fri Aug 28, 2015 5:12 pm
Location: Here

Re: The thick as a brick thread...

#25 Post by Boac » Fri Aug 14, 2020 12:11 pm

Lost the key?

User avatar
TheGreenGoblin
Chief Pilot
Chief Pilot
Posts: 17596
Joined: Thu Aug 08, 2019 11:02 pm
Location: With the Water People near Trappist-1

Re: The thick as a brick thread...

#26 Post by TheGreenGoblin » Fri Aug 14, 2020 12:46 pm

ian16th wrote:
Fri Aug 14, 2020 12:08 pm
Whatever happened to the clockwork radio?
Sadly the factory in Cape Town was shut down and manufacture continued in China.

Trevor Baylis was a thoroughly decent man who, sadly, died in financially straitened circumstances.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/648478.stm

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trevor_Baylis

My comments about the two South Africans who sold out on Baylis's vision are not printable.

The story of the invention was not straightforward mind you...

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obit ... 52471.html
Though you remain
Convinced
"To be alive
You must have somewhere
To go
Your destination remains
Elusive."

Pontius Navigator
Chief Pilot
Chief Pilot
Posts: 14669
Joined: Fri Jul 07, 2017 8:17 am
Location: Gravity be the clue
Gender:
Age: 80

Re: The thick as a brick thread...

#27 Post by Pontius Navigator » Fri Aug 14, 2020 2:46 pm

TGG, now that is very revealing. A Rotarian on my last club was very African philanthropic. He used to live on Africa and would give talks to raise money for the radios. He personally raised money for many of the radios. I never new they were made there.

Latterly he switched his support to wheelchairs. This were extraordinarily cheap and simple.

Groundgripper
Capt
Capt
Posts: 945
Joined: Tue Aug 25, 2015 5:39 pm
Location: 38 feet AMSL
Gender:
Age: 80

Re: The thick as a brick thread...

#28 Post by Groundgripper » Sat Aug 15, 2020 12:23 pm

Excess power would be used to hoist massive weights up the shaft, then at peak demand times allow the weights to be lowered, turning the motors into generators.
The 'dry' version of pumped storage with the advantage of not having to build a large lake halfway up a mountain, but probably on a smaller scale?

GG

Post Reply