Bachata Boogie, the beat comes and goes! Bike, Beer and Radar Plan ‘F’

The Weather in U.K. scared off Shane from travelling after deep consideration. Shane was to give a recital in his uniform at Exeter Cathedral, so no easy decision to let freezing roads in snow and black ice stop him flying in from Alicante.

The Salsa dancing lessons are getting more serious and more fun as the results of the last few months start to allow us to mix moves with music that changes rhythm. I can feel the beat on Monday night, move between the ladies and lead, then somehow lose all co-ordination on Wednesdays and find each different partner a challenge to sync with. I’m sticking with it, and the poor ladies will have to take the rough with the smooth.

Wednesdays is always busy with the two events, Military Museum Work and Salsa.

The Tank engine is running smooth on the test bed, ready to refit in the T25 tank now

After the Museum I stop for lunch on the way home at Vicky’s cafe. A wash-up of the mornings work over cerveza and chips with Stu is getting more comfortable at our outside table as the temperature is getting into the 20’s again. The food and drink might be the cause of my dance disaster – a reason to blame clod-hopping steps on someone who I cannot drop off until he has imbibed!

The progress on the Radar Antenna Rotation Project – now the motor is revealed and the drawings proved misleading, we are moving forward.

The “Brushed Motor” isn’t!

The ‘brushes’ are actually a solenoid brake.

The voltages 27v DC and 90v DC weren’t brush and stator windings.

The motor is a 40kg Brushless lump. The markings show it to need 300v DC. Although the antenna it drives is only 160kg and well balanced, it needed pinpoint servo control for the accuracy of radar beam transmission/reception to rotation.

We are never going to transmit so the motor and equally heavy servo amplifier are not required.

Replacing the motor with something 230 v AC and controllable for speed within our budget (£0 or in euro’s €0) is another challenge.

Thinking about the options and reconvening to discuss the Radar Project meant (insisted on by Stu) having another Cerveza.

My Thursday cycle to the crest of the mountains ringing the port was to be interrupted on the way back down to meet in Pablo’s. I’ve relented and agreed with Stu to diarise the Thurs pub on the mountain drinks, to help my fitness, the museums work and Pablo’s profits

At the bar I admired the owners pride and joy. Pablo’s tractor is a neat old machine:

I took the old antenna motor back to my rooftop worktable, separated the motor from its mounting

Next job was to find an affordable replacement.

As discussed in our Thurs meet, I went to the scrap yard to look for motors

The old pump motors looked ok, but my thoughts had been a motor we could control the speed of, and make it automatically variable.

The washing machine innards maybe?

At the yard was a tumble dryer, maybe a good replacement

I stripped it down to leave the metal at the yard. The motor and controller now need sorting

My domestic project is getting the roof terrace ship-shape, so jet washing just pipped playing with the motor yesterdayThe views from the roof are brilliant, and I want to get a party going up there for the Salsa crowd, and one for the ‘sits’ folk I do.

Not much will be done Saturday though, my plan is stroll the paseo

Enjoy a late breakfast and the view to Las Azohia before a Cerveza or two at the Sports Bar – great end to my week ( if Liverpool win)…..