Collet Tool, part 1

Last time mentioned ordering cheap 8mm slot screw bits, 1.2mm thick. This to make my own SIFAM collet tool. Received the bits with a bit of delay, just before I left last weekend.
It is a small pack of 3 bits for €2.75 so one bit is about only 90 cents.

When unpacking, I was slightly alarmed by the claims ‘Extra Hard’ and ‘Made in Czech Republic’. So this actually might be very good quality, instead of the cheap and soft steel I had hoped for at this price...

Bosch 2 607 001 468 Extra Hard S8 bits

Tried a small needle file file on it, and can confirm it is really good steel.
Instead of using a lot of patience and elbow grease ordered a Proxxon Micromot 28 240 diamond coated grind bit (1.8mm) for about €3.49

Bit clampled in a small vice with red marker

Will try it in a drill at a high RPM setting and gradually mill a small indent, as marked inside the red region in this picture. If it fails, still can have two other tries.

Comments

ADR modules part 1

This is a restoration project I’ve been procrastinating around since about 2015. This will be quite some work, but then if one doesn’t start at least it will not happen at all. This will be a step by step project, and see how far we get with this Kaizen like approach. So first a short intro of the four audio modules made by Audio & Design (Recording) Ltd, in the mid 70s based in Shinfield Green, Reading, Berkshire UK. The company still exists to this date and is still active in pro-audio and is now in a different location but still in Reading. These modules can be dated to the mid 1970s, more precisely found the E900 Equaliser unit quality checklists to be dated 12 November 1976. There are two E900 equaliser modules, and two F760N Compressor/Limiters. A picture of the now dismantled mixing desk with the four modules. The mixing desk was in a quite dusty and sorry state. The desk was too space consuming and heavy to keep and many other parts were sold as separate items. ...

More cheap trick tool alternatives (Remove Stuck/Seized/Frozen Bottom Bracket Fixed Cup)

Many bicycle tools can be quite expensive for an average tinkerer. On the other end some parts can be so hard to remove, that they do require some investment in tools to get the job done. E.g. to remove the fixed cup of an old road bike. Found this neat trick on Youtube for that exact problem, by "RJ The Bike Guy". Note he starts with an expensive electric impact wrench which works wonders if you own such a thing, but watch the video to the end where he shows a bit cheaper way where he uses some long breaker bar.

ADR modules part 2, to recap or not?

Electrolytic capacitors have a wet dielectric which degrades with age and temperature. As a result the extremely thin oxide layers may become less isolating when stored over decades. Either the capacitor shorts or opens at some point, or just doesn't perform as good when it was new. Re-capping is the usual procedure to replace (all) electrolytic caps in restoring old audio equipment. The most common coupling capacitor value in these modules is 15uF / 40V. These smaller values might be replaceable with solid foil capacitors, though it largely depends on the space on the circuit board if this is possible and the cost involved. High-end audio nut cases (no relation to this blog) may spend top dollar/euro/yen on such things. Here it just has to be in line with the actual value of these units. So we will only use foil if the costs are limited. Otherwise just stick to cheap but good quality electrolytic caps. The likes of Nichicon, Panasonic, Vishay. Vishay bought a lot of the old Eur...

Algemeen's Electronics and Bicycle Tinker Blog

Search This Blog