Factor e Live – Episode 7
Here is a video update on the solar turbine project and the open source tractor – plus other fruits of Factor e Farm: Stay tuned for the next episode. The front-end loader is already on LifeTrac, we connected the Factor e Liberator CEB press to...
Solar Turbine, Cast of Characters, and CEB Press
Stuart, Elliot, and I are here on the Solar Turbine: For the next two weeks we will iron out the details – right now it looks like a set of 40 foot long, 2-foot wide slats – 4 of these in total – with 48x solar concentration. Cost is...
Factor e Live – Part 6 – Solar Turbine Beginnings
Here is video documentation for making the first two parabolic reflectors for the Solar Turbine project: The Solar Turbine Convergence is here – Elliot and I are continuing on the next reflector version, and we are picking up Stuart today. We’d...
Factor e Live – Part 5 – LifeTrac Takes Baby Steps
We showed the construction of our open source tractor frame in Factor e Live Part 3. Here we show LifeTrac running under the power of its own motor: Next steps: mounting the front end loader, building a rototiller, and mounting a backhoe. In the meantime,...
Earth Plaster
Hi, this is Travis. My cousin, Ben, and I had a last minute opportunity to visit Factor E Farm. Ben has been helping with the open source Solar Turbine project and I am trying to get the earth plaster operation started. Last month I had the fortune of...
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...
On Organizational Form: Questioning the Unquestioned
I started the concept of Open Source Ecology back in 2003 when I was finishing grad school. Then we started a non-profit corporation in the state of Wisconsin, by name of Open Source Ecology, Inc (OSE Inc), later that year. Our initial site – see...
Solar Breakthrough
The trick for making solar thermal electrical generation a reality is to reduce the cost of the solar thermal collector system to absolute minimum. Why? If one familiarizes oneself with the costs of putting such a system together – it becomes apparent...
Factor e Live Part 4 – Digging for Water Completed
In part one of “Digging for Water”, we drilled a hole 85 feet deep, hit water, and tried to insert a 6 inch casing (pvc pipe) into the hole. When the 6 inch pipe didn’t fit, we decided to use a 4 inch casing. Although the 4 inch casing...
LifeTrac Alive!
Yesterday, LifeTrac rolled out of the shop under the power of its own engine. It purred like a cat, turning smoothly over the ground with its articulated steering. Brittany, Jessica, and I celebrated with elderberry champagne. Farm-fresh organic, of course....
