Self Timing Systems: Build Notes

I've written previously about my intention to mount a stopwatch onto the deck of my board in order to give me an idea of timings at next Saturdays downhill competition.

Far from being hard to do, I still managed to cock-up a few bits and thought that a few pictures might demonstrate just how easy it should be (in principle) and from this, just what possibilities are, erm, possible.

I started by mounting a push switch onto the end of the brake handle as shown below.  As the brake lever won't be required for either the start or finish, I should be able to start and stop the clock without having to do too much all at once.  If there is a starting gate to pull out of, this may be a little tricky, but I won't know until the day.  

Wires run from the switch, through the brake handle and out through a side hole that also has the hydraulic hose running through it.  This is then secured in place with a cable tie with plenty of wire (about double the length of the handle) inside the handle in case I need to pull out the switch or the cable snags.

The wire then runs down the hydraulic hose, secured together with alternating cable ties and electrical tape before running onto the deck and into the stopwatch.  Again, excess cable is looped together at the bottom of the hose for possible modification later.  If nothing else, a connector to remove the stopwatch from the deck may be useful in future.

The sides of my stopwatch are removable and are large enough that a 2mm hole can be drilled allowing access for the cable push through.  From inside, lots of black wires can be seen linking the front-side pushbuttons to the main circuit board.  I've stuck to the back of the LCD screen a couple of low profile junction connectors that in theory allow me to snip the start/stop wires and reconnect allowing for hijacking with my new push button.

I say in theory, because this is where I made my cock-up by a) making a huge presumption on which wires to intercept, and b) accidentally chopping through one of the wires making it too short to reach.  I now have a stopwatch that can only be started via the brake handle and can only be reset by the front panel.  Hey ho.  No biggie and I could have simplified all of this by just soldering a couple of points.  All very well, but every time I solder, it looks as though I did it wearing boxing gloves - blobs of solder everywhere.

What I have been looking out for are either a slimline version of these cable hijackers (as shown below) that connect one wire onto an existing wire simply by clamping the top shut, or something similar.  Any suggestions much appreciated as these are far too fat for this application.

On the back of the stopwatch, I removed the clip/magnet and chopped off a couple of raised sections in order that the back of the unit was relatively flat.  From here, the stopwatch can be easily mounted to the deck using my favourite bodging solution - industrial Velcro.

Next up, testing!

ATC Mini Action Cam: Pole Mount Footage

Just a short couple of films showcasing the ATC Mini Action Cam pole mounted.  Both videos are shot around 8pm in late July/early August so the natural light levels are relatively low.  Despite this, and the usual shaking that occurs when boarding, the footage is remarkably good on its default setting.  The microphone picks up a lot of wind noise which seems to be the norm for this sort of thing, but certainly adds atmospherics to the video. I suppose I could always add some music if it was really an issue.

As usual, there have been plenty of crashes and its very easy to knock the camera on the ground or whack into the occasional tree as we ride through the woods.  Despite this, the camera, though a little mucky, is running 100% fine and continued to film without issue.

However, as much as I enjoy the pole cam shots, a lot of the time I want to keep my hands free in order to concentrate on the ride itself, so I have invested in a helmet mount.  Unfortunately, this will involve dismantling the pole mount but this is not a massive job, just not one I'd do out in the field.

As with all these things, there will be a bit of compression when the videos are uploaded to YouTube.  By all means, if you want some raw footage to view, just give me a shout!

noSno bolt break-down

Diagram showing the order of items normally on a noSNo Bolt:

From inside out:

• Large Washer
• Split washer
• Hub comprising bearing / spacer / bearing
• Split washer

Storing everything on the axle keeps everything safe whilst the hubs are away doing other things...

'Manhick-a-likes' - any interest?

As replicated on the Surfing Dirt Forums...

Here's the deal. I have a contact, Matt, a precision metal engineer who produces custom motorbike parts for one of the Ducati racing teams and has recently gone part time in order to produce small quantities of parts for private individuals i.e. not bespoke, but not huge numbers that you'd go to china for.

We've sat down with a set of primo trispokes to look into the possibility of producing a two-piece solid aluminium version and have established that it is well within his capability and that of his workshop. Next stage will be establishing the most efficient way to mass produce with a prototype to follow to establish a rough idea of costing.

To make things work, as a rough starting point we estimate that we'd need an order of approximately 30-40 units, or 10 sets of 4. Obviously, more will need to be involved if people only want 2 for the front wheels.

So, questions are:
if we could manufacture solid aluminimum trispokes, would people be interested?
If so, would people be looking for 2, 4 or more hubs, and how much would be too much?
Are there any features that are important, such as keeping weight up/down?
Does anyone remember how much manhicks originally went for? They seem to go on ebay for around £20-30 + p&p.

Matt will be costing this up at his usual business rate. I'm not looking to add a percentage on top; I just want a supply of manhicks and from the way they sell on ebay second hand, I suspect others do too.

For those wondering why we are looking to do this, manhicks are heavy, but allow ABS-type brakes to compress directly on the rim of the hub without the need for disks. In addition, the added weight adds breaking power.
So... any interest folks?

Forgot to mention, what probably wouldn't be possible without quite a lot of work is to include the small indentations as used on the Primo Strikers as just about visible in the right hand image.

I notice however that the manhicks appear to be smooth as per the link below, so... has anyone had an issue with wheel slippage i.e. apply the brakes, hubs stop turning, wheels continue turning?
http://www.mountainboard.ru/2008/05/...t-1-pro-diski/

Naturally, I have asked for the hub sides to be smooth and logo free.

Need a name though. Dirty Hubs?