Peter Ward and his workshop, and the house of cement stabilised earth, built with a Cinva ram.
Peter Ward has a lifelong interest in electronics, dating from his schooldays at a time when huge amounts of WW2 surplus electronic equipment was cheaply available. With no formal qualifications in this area, save for a one year TAFE "Certificate in Basic Electronics" he worked in the marine electronic environment, servicing, for a year as an interlude from his career as a teacher. Self taught, his interest in all things electronic continues through to today, part time, with private clients in electronic servicing and software development.
Following an early retirement as a Primary teacher in 1993, he worked for ZCG SCALAR (a company manufacturing a wide range of antennas) in R&D, sales, and writing and implementation of ISO9000 QA program.
Three years later he retired again, and resumed his earlier career. As an educator he authored and won two major Curriculum Excellence awards, against state-wide competition. The first in 1990 for an unique school wide science and technology curriculum including associated eighty math problem solving 'boxes'* The second Curriculum Excellence Award in 2006 was for his development of computer analysis and grading of children's written texts.
Finally leaving the classroom in 2012, he continued developing sophisticated student progress and whole school analysis software for schools, which has components not yet available in any commercial offering.
Other software he has written includes XLNEC, a program for automated modelling of antenna patterns. An electric fence graphical monitor is an invention not seen before. Commercial use weed monitoring and mapping tools for are unique, and this software is freely available.
Mechanical knowledge was mentored as a youth when he worked part time for a genuine, old school motor mechanic who understood his trade, the science behind everything, and was never too busy to explain.
*Acknowledge Mrs Judy White who was the vision and builder of the problem solving component.
Following an early retirement as a Primary teacher in 1993, he worked for ZCG SCALAR (a company manufacturing a wide range of antennas) in R&D, sales, and writing and implementation of ISO9000 QA program.
Three years later he retired again, and resumed his earlier career. As an educator he authored and won two major Curriculum Excellence awards, against state-wide competition. The first in 1990 for an unique school wide science and technology curriculum including associated eighty math problem solving 'boxes'* The second Curriculum Excellence Award in 2006 was for his development of computer analysis and grading of children's written texts.
Finally leaving the classroom in 2012, he continued developing sophisticated student progress and whole school analysis software for schools, which has components not yet available in any commercial offering.
Other software he has written includes XLNEC, a program for automated modelling of antenna patterns. An electric fence graphical monitor is an invention not seen before. Commercial use weed monitoring and mapping tools for are unique, and this software is freely available.
Mechanical knowledge was mentored as a youth when he worked part time for a genuine, old school motor mechanic who understood his trade, the science behind everything, and was never too busy to explain.
*Acknowledge Mrs Judy White who was the vision and builder of the problem solving component.
Everything on this site is offered freely.
As a youth I grew up to appreciate Amateur Radio operators as real technicians. They had great knowledge. Listening to them was a thrill as this knowledge was freely discussed, challenged, explained, and exchanged.
But, unless you have the knowledge, you can't exchange it, which may help explain a general paucity of intellectual content not only on the airwaves today, but very evident as you go through the Arduino blogs!
So, ... all my ideas and code is posted freely on this website to encourage others to
.....learn a bit from the old AX2CVI...
......keep sharing, and,
..... KEEP THE DREAM ALIVE!
As a youth I grew up to appreciate Amateur Radio operators as real technicians. They had great knowledge. Listening to them was a thrill as this knowledge was freely discussed, challenged, explained, and exchanged.
But, unless you have the knowledge, you can't exchange it, which may help explain a general paucity of intellectual content not only on the airwaves today, but very evident as you go through the Arduino blogs!
So, ... all my ideas and code is posted freely on this website to encourage others to
.....learn a bit from the old AX2CVI...
......keep sharing, and,
..... KEEP THE DREAM ALIVE!
Our house, built from cement stabilised earth, using a Cinva Ram. A "Beat the Bank" project.
All the family assisted in the biggest project of all. It took over six months to make our bricks. The Cinva Ram uses an over-center lever to highly compress soil stabilised with five percent of cement. Actually, three percent will stabilise most soils sufficiently, but because we were using the bricks as load bearing, we used five percent. Each mix included one shovel full of sixty year old sawdust to make it easier to compress, otherwise it became difficult to get the exact amount into the ram for a good, solid, hold together block. The secret of blending the ingredients was to mix entirely dry, then finally mist in enough water to get to the stage where the mix would ball in the hand. Blocks were "moist cured" in the shade for a month to attain maximum strength. They were tested to the satisfaction of our Shire Engineer in a concrete testing machine, but I would expect a more formal requirement these days. Bricks are the old imperial 6x4x3in, and walls have a two inch cavity. Internal walls are single brick thickness, without render. In all about 6500 bricks, and in those days with cement at $2.70 per bag, each brick cost 5c. Thus each square foot of internal wall cost 10c, external walls 20c. The neutral color of the soil mix we used means we need no render or paint, as it matches any color.
Roof, plumbing and septic were a learning experience, but a friend was happy to sign off on the paperwork for me. A six-foot verandah keeps rain off the walls in most circumstances, and the chimney has now been in the weather for forty five years without any sign of distress.
In 1978 a comfortable four bedroom home cost about AU$30 000. Bank repayments over thirty years were then about $90 000, and so, having completed our home including wiring, curtains and carpets, for just $11 500, I told friends buying homes that I would have tax free pocket money of over $80 000 over the next thirty years that they would be missing out on.
In all, eleven "squares" (that's the old ten feet by ten feet) without counting veranda. A cozy size, with four bedrooms, and I smile to myself when I think of those of you paying to heat, cool, clean, and light your unnecessarily large mansions at today's rates!
Remember, A DOLLAR SAVED is WORTH MORE THAN a DOLLAR EARNED, because you don't have to pay tax on it!
Roof, plumbing and septic were a learning experience, but a friend was happy to sign off on the paperwork for me. A six-foot verandah keeps rain off the walls in most circumstances, and the chimney has now been in the weather for forty five years without any sign of distress.
In 1978 a comfortable four bedroom home cost about AU$30 000. Bank repayments over thirty years were then about $90 000, and so, having completed our home including wiring, curtains and carpets, for just $11 500, I told friends buying homes that I would have tax free pocket money of over $80 000 over the next thirty years that they would be missing out on.
In all, eleven "squares" (that's the old ten feet by ten feet) without counting veranda. A cozy size, with four bedrooms, and I smile to myself when I think of those of you paying to heat, cool, clean, and light your unnecessarily large mansions at today's rates!
Remember, A DOLLAR SAVED is WORTH MORE THAN a DOLLAR EARNED, because you don't have to pay tax on it!
Cinva Ram in retirement. Even with that length of lever, it was necessary to sit (bounce is probably a better word!) on the handle to get the last bit of movement.
Self and Greg at end of day wash up. Greg would soak the bricks for me, before laying, to avoid drawing so much moisture from the mortar that it would fail to bond. We used a high lime mortar.
Building HOME, SWEET HOME Just another skill to be learned
Some Inventions, Publication, and Construction Highlights
The Better Mousetrap. Nailed it!. Every inventor seeks the Holy Grail of a better mousetrap.
More on my 'CURRENT' page.
More on my 'CURRENT' page.
My best invention. Every electric fence has a unique signature, which changes under fault condition. Monitoring the current pulse in the earth lead avoids any exposure to low voltage. The display is transmitted to the house wirelessly, and can send a message to your phone.
More on my 'IOT' page.
More on my 'IOT' page.
Distributor Dwell Curve plotter. When you need one, here it is..
Code on my 'ARDUINO' page.
Code on my 'ARDUINO' page.
The 'Octopus' has been used forever in electronic servicing, but never hand-held standalone. This new approach completely modernises Octopus 'x/y' testing..
Code, modelling, and unique circuit on my 'RF' page.
Code, modelling, and unique circuit on my 'RF' page.
EXCELNEC Antenna Modelling is unique inasmuch as it is FREE and will step through design parameters providing a thumbnail plot for every combination
Program on my 'RF' page.
Program on my 'RF' page.
Eight channel hand held logic analyzer
Download software from my 'ARDUINO' page.
Download software from my 'ARDUINO' page.
GPS with screen track plot, voice notes at POI, csv log file, and grid bearings. Built for those who do field work with UTM map sheets
Code download on 'IOT' page.
Code download on 'IOT' page.
Excel based Dyno. Sensors fed info to AVR, then forwarded to Excel for display and analysis.
Info on 'EXCEL' page.
Info on 'EXCEL' page.
Publication: 'ANTENNA BUILDER'S COMPANION.xlsm' A large EXCEL workbook containing pages to calculate everything you will ever need in building and matching antennas. Practical help in principles and implementation.
Download on 'RF' page
Download on 'RF' page
Publications.
1. Computer grading of Children's Text
2. Reflection on Meta Metrix' Lexiles (TM)
3. Calculating Children's Educational Risk factor
4. Improved testing of basic number skills
Download on my 'CURRENT' page.
1. Computer grading of Children's Text
2. Reflection on Meta Metrix' Lexiles (TM)
3. Calculating Children's Educational Risk factor
4. Improved testing of basic number skills
Download on my 'CURRENT' page.
Publications.
Over fifty booklets and publications of original research on the mines of Victoria's High Country, Bullumwaal, Deptford, and Tubbarubba
Downloads on my 'GOLDFIELD' page.
Over fifty booklets and publications of original research on the mines of Victoria's High Country, Bullumwaal, Deptford, and Tubbarubba
Downloads on my 'GOLDFIELD' page.
Publications.
Social and other Histories concerning Tuerong Park, and miscellaneous families of the High Country
Downloads on my 'GOLDFIELD' page.
Social and other Histories concerning Tuerong Park, and miscellaneous families of the High Country
Downloads on my 'GOLDFIELD' page.
New Technology?
As soon as I heard of electronic derailleurs, developed electronic change software and mechanism for old six speeds.
Code on my 'BIKE' page. (front)
Code on my 'ARDUINO' page. (rear)
As soon as I heard of electronic derailleurs, developed electronic change software and mechanism for old six speeds.
Code on my 'BIKE' page. (front)
Code on my 'ARDUINO' page. (rear)
Technology.
Micro seed dispenser for seeds as small as poppy is Arduino based, remote handpiece controlled.
Downloads on my 'Arduino' page.
Micro seed dispenser for seeds as small as poppy is Arduino based, remote handpiece controlled.
Downloads on my 'Arduino' page.
Weed mapping box logged for associated Excel software, for contractor required to produce overlay maps for a Council showing the location of all noxious weeds on their 2000km of roadside. Later associated development logs the GPS location of every squirt of the spray hose, and volume delivered.
Code on my ARDUINO page
Code on my ARDUINO page
Medical
"PULSE and POINCARE" has BPM and Poincare display of IBI (Inter Beat Interval). Uses KYTO 3.5 kHz receiver to receive pulses from Kyto chest strap.
This and "TWO Minute Recovery on my CURRENT' page
"PULSE and POINCARE" has BPM and Poincare display of IBI (Inter Beat Interval). Uses KYTO 3.5 kHz receiver to receive pulses from Kyto chest strap.
This and "TWO Minute Recovery on my CURRENT' page
EXCEL book
Handbook for antenna builders.
Comprehensive interactive sheets for design and matching antennas.
Download 'ANTENNA BUILDER'S COMPANION.xlsm' on my 'RF' page
Handbook for antenna builders.
Comprehensive interactive sheets for design and matching antennas.
Download 'ANTENNA BUILDER'S COMPANION.xlsm' on my 'RF' page
Medical
Particulate monitor (PM2.5) captures a reading every six minutes
Code download on my 'ARDUINO' page.
Particulate monitor (PM2.5) captures a reading every six minutes
Code download on my 'ARDUINO' page.
EXCEL automated reading testing
XLSM workbooks to automate BURT, Schonell, and SanDiego tesing
Code download on my 'ARDUINO' page.
XLSM workbooks to automate BURT, Schonell, and SanDiego tesing
Code download on my 'ARDUINO' page.
And then things just grew from those few blocks of earth. Still growing since this picture!