NickJ

you must be near the only one on this planet who manages to capture all the right things when for the rest of us, the one bit of information that would be useful is the one that we didn't.

Resin cold, part warm is standard logic, just a pain with de-gassing in the middle, gotta watch resin bulk so the temperature doesn't get away on ya. If feasible, take lots of temperature readings for future reference. With post cure, the part needs to be fully supported, in the mould is best. The theory is to ramp up just behind the advancing HDT so that the part never suffers any major loss in rigidity. Very simply, the higher HDT is from increasing cross linking, if the part is ramped too fast, the cross linking can occur in a distorted part, never to return to planned dimensions. From a similar viewpoint, uneven heating can do the same, either ramp real slow or get a big fan in the box to ensure low temperature gradients. Mould choice is very limited if you want to post cure to 120C, MDF shouldn't go past 60 (bad smells...) Normal resin moulds tend to turn rubbery but with some experimenting and cunning it can be done.

To get the ball rolling i'll post the code I used, disclaimer, I'm no code wizard, I just used basic knowledge and googled what I was after and stitched shit together to get a result, there will 100% be a better way and anyone is welcome to offer improvements. First step, Arduino code, this was loaded onto an Arduino uno Python code - will need to download suitable software - on my Mac I have Anaconda, save this as a .py file somewhere handy. Then used this command in Terminal to call the python script saved earlier. (If using mac, might need more help with windows) First you need to find which port the Arduino is on and replace "/dev/cu.usbmodem14101" with whatever your computer says. And of course the whole command line depends on the file location and name of file, in this case, I called the file "LivePlot3b.py"

Green is for sure AFR, red RPM and blue throttle looks about right. You can see its not super stable, but was good enough for me to figure out what was goin on. I've found the scripts but buggered if i can remember how to get them to run, will have to dig out an arduino

i'll have a dig after dinner and see if I can remember how it runs to get you started, here's the pics from my budget set up..... TPS Laptop, arduino, wideband Screen output

West system? I rate how the slow hardener is still mega fast with that stuff, exotherms without hesitation! AT products are so much nicer to use. Be careful with chilling the 243, much below 10deg and there is a slight risk of crystal growth, from memory the datasheet lists min storage temp of 15deg. Have you got your head around the post cure?

Was nothing too tech, I just lost patience with developing further once it printed graphs that were useful. Used an arduino as the serial interface, from memory the hardest part was telling the script which port to read from. There was 1sec lag from foot to screen, but more than enough info to get to where I wanted to be, happy to share the files if you want to give it a shot?

I wrote a python script for tuning the Niva, used a potentiometer for TPS, 0-5v output from the wideband controller and a digital to analogue converter for RPM. Worked really well apart form the messing around getting the script correct if thats your kind of thing? Was going to hook up an arduino with SD card to log without the computer but that never happened, having the laptop and liveview of each plot was really efficient. That was my method, hopefully someone has found an easier plug play unit?

Good guys at adhesive tech, what hardener did you go for?

My line trimmer did the same from the fuel line perishing and sucking in air.

If that is 12v and 2.6kW, it will melt your battery or does it hook up to the waterlines? Small diesel heater on the other hand...

Really handy where specific torques need to be set and then a locknut secured like landrover diesel cambelt tensioners.

Simplified, if you're loading a beam, the outermost fibres carry the load. Carbon over glass will be only just less than 100% carbon in strength for something such as a car panel. Worth remembering that to achieve weight benefits of carbon over glass in a wet layup you'd need to be A+ in the execution, carbon is a pain to wet out and most people end up chugging in too much resin.

+1 for air, mush easier to move around in tight places

Have you used spray tac Roman? helps immensely with getting cloth to stay where you want it.

So keen to see this episode after seeing the short on FB, just has COVID ads every 5 min!

Earlier this year I went for a 4wd mission to scope new hunting areas and came to the realisation that I was choosing spots based on where the Niva could go and not where I wanted to go, the big barrier on the east coast is rivers, and the fiat motor hates water! We managed 15min up this valley before being forced to cross the river, issue with the twin cam is the spark plugs are located in the valley between the two cams, any splash of water is directed here which promptly kills the engine, normally mid-current. We turned around and headed home, on the way back I was pondering methods to prevent water but nothing was simple or failsafe. What I needed was a snorkel, diesel, raised breathers, longer wheelbase and bigger wheels........ With this in mind I set to work.... The snorkel was easy, pretty much bolt on Diesel pump to fiat twincam was tricky, but with a big enough hammer it went into place Bigger wheels needed clearance, overload springs were installed This all took quite some time, and the result somewhat best enjoyed with a cup of tea in hand Unfortunately i've replaced the Niva with a more suitable vehicle for my current needs. I have access to a garage not too far from home that once lockdown is over it will be tucked into, My mind says I should sell it and move on, but I can't bear the thought just yet of parting, its been a great toy over the years and really is a hoot to drive, sadly I just don't have the space for so many cars! Before parking up, I plan to carve out some rust to be sure there is no deterioration, parked up in WOF condition is the plan, ready to hoon should the urge arise.

Some of the bolt on efi carb replacements don't have the ability to store the "learned" map developed during closed loop operation if power is disconnected - remove the battery and its back to base map until it's run a few cycles to relearn.

From an emergency management point of view, i'd be bloody stoked if the cops have time to do WOF checks in the next 4 weeks.

Actually those JB ones would be handy, having the usb charger makes them well useable in the car.

1 person per truck and communication only via UHF suits me fine

You seemed to know what you were up to, and I was busy turning the camera on to say anything

They're not all bad

All the serenities So many pictures to go through, epic weekend, top blokes, much lols and one winch in need of non rusty power terminals...

Awesome, gunna go grab a bag of coal for the hut, maybe a box of beer is in order too