I would like to tell a story of how a casual remark turned into a full-blown industrial hardware project, and how I saw myself as a software and hardware developer on his way to becoming a manufacturer. The God does move in mysterious ways...which I don't mind at all, but I still wish he made days with more hours in them...
I will start with this post, in which I am describing how some of the challenges that I've been facing while troubleshooting hydraulic equipment brought me into all this industrial IoT venture, and also describe in detail some of the measuring techniques, used by experienced field technicians. (this last part may have a slightly "less official" nature, but I think that it perfectly conveys my point). So here it is - the beginning of My IoT Story
23 December, 2018
Just a couple of days left before Christmas and about a week before the year's end - the time of year I like to look back and decide how much of the last 12 months was a waste of time, and how much of what I did really meant something.
Well... I can honestly say that I threw away the first 6 months of 2018 doing what I always did - running the shop, working the shop, cleaning the shop, and not much of anything else. And then - something happened. Something bad. And good at the same time. Something that literally turned my universe upside down and touched me so deeply, that I never looked at the world around me with the same eyes. A true turning point in my life, both professional and personal, that changed everything.
Thanks to that push, to that "courage injection", if you will, I created a 'master-plan', and have been taking non-stop action to follow it through, one step at a time, ever since July of 2018.I can't describe all that I did in such a short notice, but I can give you a gist ofwhat will happen next year:
I will pass over and leave the shop I am running right now
I will open my own company, devoted to industrial IoT technology
This company will finance a bigger 'top-secret' project (all-hydraulic this time, in which I will be able to fully apply the unique expertise in dynamic hydraulic systems that I gathered over time by developing and testing custom controls in our shop) on which I can only disclose these two words - "mech" and "suits". Yes, mech suits! But don't tell anyone yet, it'll all be described in detail in due time. The very few people who did subscribe to this newsletter will be the first ones to get all the news.
I would like to wish you a wonderful Christmas and a killer New Year!
And I would like to share with you an eye-opener that I learned this year - the most valuable skill a person can master is a skill to process issues! Even the biggest crisis and loss can be turned into an opportunity if you know how to process issues. I am dogmy best to master this skill, and from what I've seen so far - it works!
20 April, 2018 This blog finally starts a mailing list. You can join the club by filling the form at the top of the page.
15 April, 2018 I begin the discussion of post-compensated flow controls in Post-Compensation for Dummies. Do you want to see something cool? Have you ever seen a hydraulic diagram that draws itself? Well - it's at the bottom of the article, and it basically sums it up - jump straight to the interactive diagram.
27 January, 2018 The scariest pump repair of 2017 which made me remember what cold sweats felt like, or a definite answer to the question "for how long can a roller bearing support an axial load on its cage (you heard me right - the cage, a.k.a. separator or retainer). Composed of the following parts: The Prologue The Monday Surprise! The Embarrassing Call The Painful Wait The Long Awaited Unveiling Bearing Notes The Final Conclusion
10 October, 2017 My newest take on the use of Suction Filters in Hydraulic Systems, explaining, among other things, their biggest advantage, namely, their ability to serve as perfect "slacker tell-tales".
14 September, 2017 I re-read my earlier post on cavitation, and realized that it needed editing. One thing led to another, and I ended up re-wring the complete article, with higher definition examples and a more details, including my personal take on the subject. So, here it is - Cavitation in Hydraulic Systems.
21 August, 2017 A discussion between two hydraulic techs I overheard the other day led me to once again consider certain "peculiarities" of application of pilot-to-open check valves on differential area cylinders. In my search for a better and more graphical representation of the problem I came up with the following interactive page - Cylinder Mounted Pilot-to-Open Check Valve Interactive Pressure Chart. I was actually going to compose an article on the subject before uploading the script - but hey, since the code is already (more or less) done, I might as well put it up for the public's appreciation. Do tell me if the script doesn't run (you will need a modern browser with javascript enabled to visualize the page properly). The detailed article on the topic will be coming out shortly.
25 July, 2017 As I was going through the painful process of recoding the pages to the new HTML5 format - an old post on Hysteresis brought a smile to my face...
15 June, 2017 First "real" update in five years! It's about time... But before any actual oil-hydrauics posting can happen, I have to do some serious "remodelling" around here, i.e. replace the outdated static design with something more adaptive and mobile-friendly, which is a gargantuan task, given the fact that I did everything wrong when I created the blog with a free visual editor and zero knowledge of HTML. But it needs to be done, and it will be done. I'm starting with the home page, and will eventually "grind" through the rest of the site. Should anyone catch any "funny looking business" in the browser, please, shoot me an email describing it - I'll do my best to correct the errors. Also - older browsers might not display the new code correctly.
18 November, 2012 InsaneHydraulics is back online! I would like to thank all the followers of this blog for the support expressed in emails! Your feedback keeps this site going! So, without further ado: Shaft Seals and Drain Lines - Anything in Common?
19 August, 2012 The reason why I've been offline for all this time is simple - we are expanding our business to the Sothern part of Portugal,and I have but two months to set up a functional warehouse and a workshop - way too little time if you ask me, so I've been working 24/7, and yes - no vacation for me this year... Still managed to add three more links to the article on Aftermarket Spares: A6VM Pistons, Seal Kits, and NG10 Valves
28 July, 2012 An article on Sauer Danfoss series 90 pumps troubleshooting, which also gives you a "heads up" about the "dangers of wrapped filters"... - One Troubleshooting Story
