Crowdsource Funding
We finally kicked off our crowdsource funding yesterday – or online donations. You can chip in to our project here. We are migrating towards full direct support by such small online donations. The bottom line is – with the collected resources,...
Factor e Live – Episode 9 – Rototiller, More Solar Panels, Biodiesel Reactor + Crowdsource Funding
Here is the continuing saga with the open source tractor. We built a quick attach plate for rapid interchanging of implements. We built an open source rototiller as the first such implement. Now we can switch readily between the tiller and loader bucket...
Clarifying OSE Vision
Vinay published his vision for Global Swadeshi recently – a movement where individuals take personal responsibility for global issues. Key among these issues is oppression – whether it’s the oppression of the weak or funding one’s...
CEB Stabilization Questions
We are getting much closer to full-scale building with the CEB – with September 15 as our starting date. Another collaborator will arrive here around that date, Alex Rollin – which is extremely exciting becuase he is also an information architect,...
The Bell Tolls for PV
– Guest post by Benjamin Gatti from our Solar Turbine Google Group. This post features an eye-opening perspective on photovoltaic (PV) panels. The claim is: it is very unlikely that PV will ever be cheap. Personally, I’ve been following PV...
LifeTrac Prototype I
Here is the evolution of LifeTrac (see wiki work page) from design, possibly the most simple implementation of tractor-loader functions: to steel frame: to wheels and motor, and to bucket: I completed the quick attach plate yesterday, from design: to...
Solar Turbine – Commentary on Results
Friends, the latest developments on the Solar Turbine project, outside of the documentation clips in Factor e Live 6 and Factor e Live 7, are ambitious. We are presently leaning to mirrors and a modern, high-recirculation ratio uniflow steam engine as...
Factor e Live – Episode 8
This week’s episode of Factor e Live features the CEB press in action (in addition to the documentation of our first complete solar panels). It is a perfect union – the LifeTrac open source tractor powers the Factor e Liberator CEB Press....
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...
