Open Engineering

Torch Table: Day 1

As we go about finishing the CEB workshop addition, we are setting up our open source torch table development in the greenhouse. It’s been a long time since we started this development – but building the open source tractor and other details...

Solar Turbine Concept Up for Review

We have posted an updated conceptual drawing of the solar turbine collectors and reflectors at the OSE wiki. Please study the drawings and comment here or at the wiki. Please pass this on to others who may be knowledgeable about the topic.  A discussion...

CEB Proposal – Community Supported Manufacturing

We have released v0.1 of the OSE CEB Proposal, which is a summary of our product release plan for the CEB press. This helps put the entire CEB project in perspective to supporters. The abstract reads: Herein we provide a short overview of the Open Source...

Babington Burner Trial One

Today we started to put together our Babington burner. This burner is important because it is a versatile source of heat for: space heating, metal melting, glassworks, pottery, steam engines for remote power, heat engines for mobile power in cars and...

Rapid Prototyping for Industrial Swadeshi

There is a significant set of open source technologies available for rapid prototyping in small workshops. By combining 3D printing with low-cost metal casting, and following with machining using a computer controlled Multimachine, the capacity arises...

Personal Fuel Makers – Biomass to Fuel

Based on a personal gasifier, care of Dr. Yuyi Lin , Mike Koch, et al: which generates gas from any cellulosic biomass: we can take the process further to make liquid fuels – such as diesel. Utilizing Fischer-Tropsch synthesis, a process proven...

Factor e Live – Part 3

This installment of Factor e Live focuses on LifeTrac – the open source, life-time, design-for-disassembly articulating multipurpose tractor/loader. It is the key to powering the CEB Press, permacultural operations, as well as: well-drilling, sawmilling,...

Presentation on the Global Village Construction Set

Last week we spoke at the University of Missouri, Columbia. The topic was the Global Village Construction Set: Open Source Engineering for Sustainable Living. I focused on the construction of economies that utilize local resources. I proposed the route...

CEB Infrastructure

In order to build with the Compressed Earth Block press, and in order to produce these machines at Factor e, we need a certain level of infrastructure. Here is what we are doing: Say you want to fabricate CEB presses. Start with a facility: CEB walls...

Open Engineering: Better Than Sliced Bread

We are presently struggling with explaining a general open source product development method to others. We are talking about developing a large-scale, parallel effort of world-class, optimal product development to address the needs of the emergent, peer-based,...