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In order to convert an idea into reality that works and works well,
it is necessary to explore what is the best materials to use and the
best electronics. Numerous material science books exist that provide
such things as the strength, durability, heat absorption, thermal
conducting, electrical resistance, grounding effect, ability to
endure UV light from the sun and many more characteristics of a
particular material. Never the less, errors often can be found in
material science books, thus it is important to always test the
characteristics of a particular materiel before using it in a product.
Curiously, even scientific formulas must be tested and retested to
see how they hold up in actual working conditions. Other issues such
as making a particular item at a low price, so that it is marketable,
also comes into play. For example, almost all people know how a
conventional light bulb works, however the know how in producing a
light bulb so that the retail sales price is under a dollar is, is
considered a major trade secret by various light bulb manufacturers.
The same can probably be said of jet plane and engine technology.
Most countries of the world have well trained chemists, engineers and
scientists and can, in theory, build any type of engine. However the
truth is that only a handful of countries have the advanced
metallurgy that will make that engine last for years and other
know-how. The same holds true for most manufactured products.
In the above examples, I was attempting to develop a coating that
would allow plastic to last longer under the UV rays of the sun. Each
strip has a different coating and the plastic sheet was allowed to
sit in the sun for many months. The result was that some coatings
were considerably better than others.
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Methods and techniques must sometimes be developed so
that large scale components can be manufactured quickly and cheaply.
Almost anyone can build something, but it is essential in our
competitive world, that what is built is economically viable to sell. |
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The electrified cover safeguard is a line of products
designed to alert the public, workers and pets, when a manhole cover,
utility box or street lamp becomes dangerously electrified. (www.ContactVoltage.com
or www.ManholeSafety.com).
Three significant issues came about when I worked on the
Electrified Cover Safeguard. First, the product had to last for many
years, under particularly adverse conditions, including rain, snow,
being run over by trucks, plows and more. Second, the device had to
be grounded and be completely reliable for many years. Finally, the
product had to be self powered for years and years, without any
outside maintenance. Some of what I came up with is still considered
a trade secret but I can tell you that special materials were found
to ground in a superior way. The shell of all of the different
Electrified Cover Safeguards were either built of a steel alloy or
were encapsulated in a high impact plastic, and encircled with a
steel sleeve. Several methods were devised to ensure years of self power.
Each model of the Electrified Cover Safeguard presented different set
of obstacles. For example, how do you make a siren work, when it is
under a puddle or water? How do you transmit data, if the device is
in a tunnel? How do you prevent the device from giving a false
positive, even in a salt water environment? How do you make the
devise as indestructible as possible? And there were many more such
issues. Everything had to be tested and retested and often redesigned. (www.ContactVoltage.com
or www.ManholeSafety.com).
I developed a variety of Electrified Cover Safeguards. The above unit
was designed to be attached to existing light fixtures and also had
to endure years of service. In this case, the ventilated electronics
are effectively encapsulated in solid plastic, with a steel sleeve.
The electronics also had to be developed for the Electrified
Cover Safeguard. What I initially thought would work, based on
published information regarding grounding, turned out not to work
very well. Eventually, through testing and developing the
electronics, the product was made to work very well.
Above and below are a few of the variations of the Electrified Cover
Safeguard that were developed. Different models have different
electronics, depending on the specific use and conditions.
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This extremely strong plastic shell proved ineffective for long term
use on manhole covers. |
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Techniques were developed for different applications. |
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Would you care to charge your cell phone using an orange or a
lemon?!!! Well a tiny charge is possible, but it is a little more
complicated than what is illustrated below.
Testing does not necessarily have to be very complicated or
difficult. Below a 5lb/2kg pan of ice is being blown by a fan. The
system actually cooled the room down, though only by a few degrees
and only for a few minutes. Ventilation and cooling is another issue
for many electronic devices.
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