Away On Business

I will be away from my desk and out of the office, tomorrow afternoon through the remainder of the week. No need to hold off on the questions, just realize it will be Monday the 13th before I can get back with you. Our VP is handling the day to day, and I am off to construct some new business, hopefully. I also must keep my Twitter account at bay to stay productive. Hope everyone had a safe and happy 4th, I look forward to taking back the helm on the 13th, hopefully with good news and the diesel article I have promised as well as puting together a state of the company evaluation. Take care and talk soon.

- Regards (The Burris Engineering Team)

Full Evaluation of Autodesk Inventor Fusion Technology Preview 1

As I mentioned the other day, I encourage anyone with a career or an interest in CAD/CAM to download Autodesk Inventor Fusion Technology Preview 1. Competition is a wonderful thing. As I see it, this release and all subsequent releases of the next major change to Inventor, is a direct result from market share pressure from Siemens NX 6 and SolidEdge with Synchronous Technology. There are two schools of thinking in the 3D CAD world now, history based, and direct modeling, or the combination of the two in one software package. There are more players now in the midrange 3D modeling software suite market, each with its own angle on what makes the most improvement for the user. Once you have selected a software package you rarely see a business switch to the competition unless there is a monumental change. That said, there is rarely a common software path throughout the product chain from supplier to finished product. This incongruity calls for file type conversion, markups, and the introduction of errors, misalignments, incorrect offset, etc. This junction of businesses and software is where the direct 3D modeling got its start. Many new companies claiming to have the solution to the error prone conversions in history based CAD. For the most part, they were right, but how do you convince users that they need to relearn a CAD system for product improvement? With a few exceptions, the major players are beginning to integrate the newer direct 3D modeling into the classic history based programs. This eliminated the need to abandon what the users already knew for a new product with new features, but let them grow with each new release, and Autodesk Inventor Fusion Technology Preview 1 is no different. There is a volume of information about the in’s and out’s of history based and direct 3D at play here, but I will stick to what I have seen in this release.
In my personal view, the ribbon view of the toolbar interface is a plus, and gives a more modern interface to look at over long periods. I must admit that my standard CAD environment is somewhat dated, and I might see anything newer as more modern, so my comments must be taken with a grain of salt. Also I have found that navigating menus, views and tools, reminds me of Solid Edge, but perhaps that’s the point, Siemens PLM was certainly on the right track with Synchronous Technology. I also would like the opportunity to view, use and review the current release of NX for comparison.
Using the Inventor Fusion interface, I found that importing, and editing parts and assemblies was much easier than creating anything from scratch. A .dwg created in Solid Edge 2D, their free product, and importing it into Inventor for adding 3D entities seemed oddly congruent, being from 2 separate vendors.
Its obvious to me that this technology is still in its infancy at Autodesk, but shows they still plan on being a major contender in the future. I very much look forward to testing the next release, as well as testing Technology Preview in the meantime.

Autodesk Inventor Fusion Technology Preview 1

I am currently evaluating this new release from Autodesk, and will try to have a review up soon. Sorry for the delay, but I am buried in projects right now, and won’t be available next week, so bear with me. I encourage anyone into CAD / CAM or PLM to check out this free download and share your thoughts. (Download Link)

Extremely busy, in a good way

OK, time to update my blog, wow, where to start. I guess a bullet point approach will be the most effective.

• Yesterday Autodesk released Inventor Fusion to the public as a technology preview 1. History based and direct edit 3D modeling together. I like what I have seen so far. I will be doing a full analysis in a future post.
• Starting to build a business portfolio of my education, skills, business capability, goals, and future plans.
• Learning how Twitter is taking over the world, one text message at a time. I have it configured with Tweetdeck, an Adobe AIR application and its easy to see the power of this little app.
• Planning next venture to San Diego, and setting up meetings for when I am there. This is proving to be a lengthy process.
• Sorting and preparing unneeded items to sell on craigslist as general household cleanup, adding to our new minimalist approach to life. I have always hated having too much stuff, it’s always in the way of finding what you really need, and a distraction from what is really important.
• Trying to find a better way to have unified communications with the extended family that is easy enough for those not as tech savvy as most, but powerful enough to communicate in real time across the country. – Enter Twitter.
• Building a static .htm page for non-techy family of links to family members sites, blogs, etc. Trying to make it somewhat visually appealing. Like something designed in Infragistics, just as a simple static page.
• Working with Vyatta Open Source software for networking equipment. Powerful Debian Linux based tools to compete with propriatory software from Cisco, Juniper and others.
• Using Songbird. The ultimate iTunes replacement, and is completely Open Source. Uses shoutcast and last fm radio, has a coverflow like interface add-on, and plays most formats.
• I have downloaded, but not yet installed Dropbox. A universal sync tool for all platforms.
• Still looking for work while I continue research, and increasing my knowledge of tech, and networking skills. Applying these skills in many different fields from Automotive OEM and aftermarket to healthcare. I know I will be a huge asset to a wide variety of companies, simply finding the right one will take some time. Using my project management skills, and searching in Michigan and California, I feel that the right opportunity is right around the corner. If that is the reason you have visited my blog, take a look at my LinkedIn profile here.
• And finally I am planning a post about diesel 2010 emissions, DPFs, SCR, and who is doing what to comply. I hope to have it done soon.

Note to all:

Not in the office tomorrow to save money. Owner is going rock climbing!!!

Notes on the week so far:

I have found so many sites and blogs about minimalism, cleaning, and anti-cluttering lately, it reminds me of lean manufacturing, simply applied in the home. There is even a great magazine about it called Dwell. Let’s face it we have lots of crap we will never use, and keep stuff for the “maybe” factor. In addition to that, we make the assumption that these items will interest us in the future as they do now, and it’s proven rarely the case. In the past year, I have thrown away twice the stuff as I have gotten new, and only scratched the surface. What I notice the most is the space that is created and usable. Our house is getting bigger. It feels like a dwelling more, and like a storage unit less. All in all this reinforces the quote: “The more you know, the less you need.”

This week has been more about working on current projects and catching up, so there is not a large volume of information to talk about. The truck suspension project was a huge success, and is now completed. I am glad to see the posted info helped so many of you, and I will try to post more items on those topics as well. The web server project is at a standstill until I can polish up on my Solidworks skills. I also know of some electrical projects that will be coming up, giving me the opportunity to use SolidEdge 2D for schematics in quite some time. Also, I have been doing some research on welders to do some of my own fabrication. This looks to be quite costly no matter how it is implemented, and is more of a personal project than a professional one, so it may not see any attention for quite some time. But I enjoy entertaining the idea of having an Esab or a Miller handy.

Raising capital for any project in these economic times is hard for any business in any industry. This is no different for us, but having more projects completed will only help when the sunny side of business returns.

Additional notes on the last post:

Since I last posted the torsion bar piece, I have found some additional free improvement. I removed the jounce bumpers, put them in a vice and trimmed about 1.5 inches of material off with a jig saw. Now that the suspension moves as it should, there is added range where there was none before. Added clear suspension movement, with no worry of metal to metal contact had I simply left them off. After a quick cleanup with degreaser, and some flat black paint, I reassembled the pieces and the project is done. By comparison to what was going on before, it has become pure liquid, and not one dollar spent.

GM Torsion Bar Adjustment (Front end lift, corrects tire wear issue)

This is my first post more toward the automotive engineering side. I hope you find this post helpful if it applies to you.
If you own any GM truck with torsion bars, all 4WD and 2WD C2500, C3500, you may see how the front gets lower over time, and the front tires will wear to the inside from incorrect camber. (Characterized by the telltale scalloping.) This is easily corrected, but rarely addressed. Setting the Z-height correctly is the first step in an alignment on these vehicles. My example, and experience with this process reference my 2003 K2500HD. Ever since I first rotated the tires the first time, I noticed that the lower control arms were seated on the jounce bumpers. This left little or no front wheel travel and a harsh ride. At first, I easily dismissed it as being due to the added weight of the Duramax Diesel option. A trip to the dealership, and crawling under new trucks, I got more than some odd looks from the salespeople. The front of my truck was supposed to be almost 2 inches higher. I consulted my Helm service manual (The genuine GM service guidelines the dealerships use, a must for anyone that is “hands-on”.) for the correct settings for ride height (Z-height). All measurements reference the frame, but I also measured from ground to fender height, through the wheel centerline to get a better idea of how much the front of the truck was moved up because this would transfer load to the rear axle. In respect to ride quality, the front of the vehicle was essentially bottomed out, and did not even cycle in the negative direction unless you went over a speed bump. I noted all of the following before starting any adjustment, after adjustment, and after driving:

• Current z-height:
• Factory Specification for z-height:
• Inside trim height left and right:
• Difference in trim height Left to Right:
• Frame to level angle:

To keep this post short, I will leave out all the details beyond simply stating all these values can be changed by loading or unloading the torsion bars. This is done by adjusting up or down 1 18mm bolt on each side. This is highly detailed in the service manual for anyone planning on doing this.
Results:
Meets factory new specifications at all measured points, including frame level. The front went up 1.5in. LH and 1.75 in. RH. All front end suspension geometry was corrected, including camber. The difference this made in ride quality was incredible. The amount of control was improved, it corners better, despite being higher, and tire noise was substantially reduced, and weight was transferred to the rear axle. Afterwards, I dropped 5psi in both front tires, reducing push characteristics, further improving cornering and braking. I no longer need to monitor the tires for scalloping on the inside, the weight is on the center of the tread.
I plan on replacing the shocks because they were non-functional for so long I can’t trust the damping is accurate, and should also improve oscillation. For an investment of zero, this made a profound difference in drivability. I recommend this to anyone that can spare a couple hours.

Hotel “free internet” (Or lack of)

Well, close, it’s in the price of your room but call me old fashioned, but shouldn’t that mean you have an RJ-45 jack in the room? They simply make the assumption that you have a wireless laptop and all you need is a SSID. In an earlier post I explained how my netbook is configured. I am perfectly content with 10/100 wired ethernet like I have at home. Suppose someone was counting on using the internet access for critical business, and the older machine they carried, resembling a black phone book, offered no option for wireless connectivity, just the trusty, sturdy, always works, plug ‘n play ethernet jack. Wires in the rooms! Oh the humanity! This seems to be the case across the board. I guess everyone who uses an older laptop stays home on the farm and works as a glass blower or a cattle brander. They probably never travel, let alone even seen an Airbus A320. Am I alone here, or should “free internet” include provisions for a wire, if not the wire too? Etherhaters.

Is anyone working? (and on what?)

I know Michigan is slightly more off the mark for prosperity right now, but I don’t really know anyone who IS working, or finding work. Is it just me, or is everyone unemployed? I know Chrysler and GM are causing sore spots in any conversation, it’s almost off limits. Living on unemployment and selling your stuff on craigslist seems to be the Michigan norm. A brighter day must lie ahead……………right?

Just finished reading some interesting print media called “Wired” about the new economy. The writers are all to right in so much of what is said about the auto industry. Although I am for as much innovation as possible, they still need to turn out a product at the end of the day. And apparently Google is only an advertising campaign where your input data searches are harvested and auctioned off to the highest bidder just like corn grown to make E85 for the aforementioned innovative car. Who knew?

On to the tech:
In September is the 4G World conference with all the big players involved, everyone from manufacturers of cell phones to bandwidth providers, if they are involved in WiMAX, Mobile WiFi, or 4G anything, they will be there. I would very much like to attend, and probably will, but a majority of attendees are out of work, and can’t make these influential decisions, meanwhile the decision makers are all stuck in their cube, making the world go around. I don’t mean to sound cynical but am I really that far off?

Note: Trying to gather more useful content to post for the faithful few that check in, and projects and problems to follow soon. Also Fedora 11 is now available, check it out!