Kittyhawk
Established Member
I recently posted about the cranking battery in my truck.
The battery is maintenance-free, housed in a metal box and access requires the complete removal of the drivers seat. The box is negative/earth so all that is needed is a positive wire from the battery to an insulated stud affixed to the box someplace to enable battery checking with a multimeter or connecting a charger without dismantling half the vehicle.
The chance of buying such a thing is considerably less than zero in our little village so, into the workshop.
For me - and I hope others will chip in with their views - the greatest pleasure to be had in the workshop is to satisfactorily complete a job that starts with only a vague idea of how to go about it so you must pick up tools and make it up as you go along, which in turn is governed by what materials you can find lurking in the deep recesses of your 'that-could-come-in-handy-one-day' boxes.
The 3mm wire is left over from a past boat rebuild so I've had it for 18 years. The insulated base is a bit of PTFE from a neighbour's discarded breadboard and the stud is cut from a couple of inches on brass round bar that I turned and threaded a little bit and then drilled a hole up it bum to take the soldered in wire. I don't know what the black plastic wingnut shaped thing is or where I came by it but it was drilled out and threaded to make an insulated screw on cap.
Indeed a silly little job in which I invested 45 minutes of my time and ended up with what I wanted built out of nothing and I am incredibly happy with it for that reason. Even the child bride's observation that small things amuse small minds does not detract from my enjoyment of the end product.
So, Heath Robinson is always welcome in my shop and a shout out to all UKW members to stand resolute against the insidious encroachment of wives demanding that we 'clean the place up and for goodness sake, get rid of all those boxes of rubbish under your bench!'
The battery is maintenance-free, housed in a metal box and access requires the complete removal of the drivers seat. The box is negative/earth so all that is needed is a positive wire from the battery to an insulated stud affixed to the box someplace to enable battery checking with a multimeter or connecting a charger without dismantling half the vehicle.
The chance of buying such a thing is considerably less than zero in our little village so, into the workshop.
For me - and I hope others will chip in with their views - the greatest pleasure to be had in the workshop is to satisfactorily complete a job that starts with only a vague idea of how to go about it so you must pick up tools and make it up as you go along, which in turn is governed by what materials you can find lurking in the deep recesses of your 'that-could-come-in-handy-one-day' boxes.
The 3mm wire is left over from a past boat rebuild so I've had it for 18 years. The insulated base is a bit of PTFE from a neighbour's discarded breadboard and the stud is cut from a couple of inches on brass round bar that I turned and threaded a little bit and then drilled a hole up it bum to take the soldered in wire. I don't know what the black plastic wingnut shaped thing is or where I came by it but it was drilled out and threaded to make an insulated screw on cap.
Indeed a silly little job in which I invested 45 minutes of my time and ended up with what I wanted built out of nothing and I am incredibly happy with it for that reason. Even the child bride's observation that small things amuse small minds does not detract from my enjoyment of the end product.
So, Heath Robinson is always welcome in my shop and a shout out to all UKW members to stand resolute against the insidious encroachment of wives demanding that we 'clean the place up and for goodness sake, get rid of all those boxes of rubbish under your bench!'
