光陽venox 起動馬達繼電器/Kymco venox start mag (relay)

上星期一(Aug 19 2013)下班後騎venox去買東西，東西買完後準備騎車走人，沒想到鑰匙一轉車竟然沒有動靜，仔細看了一下所有的燈都沒亮。這下糟糕了，手邊沒工具加上這次看起來是電系的問題，恐怕不容易搞定。當下也不知道如何是好，只好先請老婆開車帶工具過來看看。有了工具之後先拆側蓋跟椅墊，檢查了一下保險絲都沒燒掉，電瓶也還有電，可能是開關的問題吧。一時之間我看也搞不定，只好車先留在停車場，回家想辦法。在回去的路上我一開始還想說慢慢把車推回我家的停車場，不過美國這裡不流行推車，一定會引起路人的關切，還是找拖吊吧。汽車拖吊是常常見到，機車我就沒甚麼印象了。一開始看租車是看有在租可載機車的拖板車，不過我家的車並沒有加裝可以連結拖板車的鉤子，所以還要再租一台貨車才行加起來又是一筆開銷，然後我突然想到我之前加入的美國騎士協會(American Motorcyclist Association, AMA)好像也有機車拖吊的服務。回家上網查一下還真的有(http://www.americanmotorcyclist.com/Membership/AMARoadsideAssistance.aspx)，而且會員免費，所以就打電話去約(1-877-373-6285)。打去之後先確認身分，報上時間與地點然後他們會去聯絡附近的拖吊公司，找到有人接之後會再打來通知，拖吊車在來之前也會打電話通知，服務還不錯。結果來了一台超大的拖車，之後就把機車弄上去龍頭綁好就浩浩蕩蕩地朝我住的出租公寓停車場出發。到了之後把機車卸下來，事情就暫時先告一段落。

回家之後把維修手冊翻出來看看，暫時看不出個所以然，不過大概是哪個開關出問題了吧，周末有空再拆開來看看。在周末之前先上網找找光陽的零件怎麼賣，然後在網路上找到一家賣光陽零件的(kymcopartsonline.com)，看起來是依照原廠零件手冊分類，所以應該算齊全，將來有需要來試試看吧。

過了幾天到了周末，就又把側蓋跟椅墊拆下，再次檢查了一下保險絲真的都沒燒掉，電瓶也還有電，只好拿出電表到處亂量，幸運的是我發現當我量啟動馬達繼電器(start mag/relay)電壓時，電壓會跟隨總開關變動，這表示總開關應該沒壞。然後維修手冊正好有一個檢查啟動馬達繼電器的圖，看起來這個零件十分重要，所以就先從這個拆起吧。拆下來之後想說這是一個繼電器，該不會裡面的電磁鐵卡住了，所以就搖搖看，也還真的有聲音。本來想說用維修手冊上的方法檢查看看的不過我手邊沒有帶夾子的探針，想說就先裝回去，等我搞個有夾子的探針再來檢查。就在我裝回去之後我又不死心地轉了一下總開關，所有的該亮的燈竟然又都亮了，真的就是繼電器卡住？發動看看引擎運轉聽起來OK，出去試騎一圈，感覺一切回復正常。之後把所有東西裝回去，下星期又可以騎去上班了。 

I found my venox was not responding when I turned the key (no light turned on), on my way back from shopping after work last Monday. I thought: this is bad, it looks like some electronic problem and I do not have enough tool with me. At that moment, I do not know what to do, so I asked my wife to bring my tool box for me to check. After that I removed side panel and seat, checked fuse (no burn out), and battery (12.4 V), so the problem maybe switch. It looks I can not fix the problem soon, so I left the bike in the parking lot and went home to think and do some research. On my way home first I think I can push my bike all the way back to the parking lot of my apartment, but I do not think walking and pushing a bike on the sidewalk is normal in USA, everyone will be asking, so tow truck may be the better solution. I saw trucks towing cars but not bikes. After arriving home I started to search U-haul website and found there are trailers for rent, but our car does not have hook for trailer, so I still needed a truck with hook. At this moment, I recalled my AMA membership seems to offer roadside assistances for bikes (http://www.americanmotorcyclist.com/Membership/AMARoadsideAssistance.aspx), then I realized AMA member does have this service, so I called the number (1-877-373-6285). After confirm my membership, they asked where and when to arrange local towing company, called me when a company took my case and towing company also called to confirm my case. A big towing truck showed up at appointed location and time, got my bike on the truck, fasten the handle bar, then drove back and dropped the bike to the parking lot of my apartment, overall I thought that was a good service. The bike was in my parking lot now, I can take a rest and worry about my bike later.

Later in my home, I checked my venox service manual, but still couldn’t figure out what’s wrong, but I thought it must be some switch problem, I will take a closer look at weekend. Before that, I searched Kymco parts on the internet and found kymcopartsonline.com. It has online parts catalog with price. They seem to have everything and maybe useful in the future.

Few days later on weekend, I removed side panel and seat, checked fuse and battery again. Then I started using meter to check around. Luckily, I found the voltage between starter relay terminals reduced when I turn the main switch on, suggested the main switch was functional. There is a figure in service manual for this relay inspection, so this must be important, then I started removing this. After I took out the relay from bike, I thought maybe the moving parts inside the relay was stuck, since this is a relay. So I shook it and it did sound something moving inside. I was thinking follow the relay inspection figure in service manual, but I did not have probes with clamp like the one in the figure, so I decided put it back first, I will check after I got probes with clamp. After I put it back, I tried turn on the main switch one more time, and every lights went back to normal. Really? Just relay stuck? So I pressed the start button, and the engine started and sound OK. I felt everything back to normal when I tested ride around. So I put everything back to the bike. I can ride to work next week.  

Small scale protein purification column fabrication

In my study, sometimes I need small scale protein purification (some protein need be fresh purified each time). So I was looking for small protein purification column. Later, I found I can make small column for protein purification from 1250 microliter filter tip (Brand: Denville sharp).

First, use something clean and blunt to push the filter down.

 

Then, remove the rest of tip (lower part). 

 

Load resin (200 microliter) for protein purification.

The volume above resin is more than 500 microliter, I usually let wash buffer flow through by gravity. After wash 3-5 times, the result usually acceptable.

 

 

By the way, later our lab switch filter tips to AnantGuard Barrier tips from Midsci, the tip looks same and works fine. But later in 2013 the company seems change the barrier/filter to higher density stuff so the flow become very slow, I am not sure if denville tip changed or not.  

自製SDS PAGE 板

昨天本來要做個 Western Blot, 於是開始找玻璃板來做gel.
結果好死不死本實驗室做 SDS gel 的板子很多都破了不能用,
由於這套系統的原產地是日本,所以要買新的板子還要跟日本訂,運過來還要付運費......
加上買新的還是有可能打破,那就自己用塑膠板切一個吧XD.
Yesterday I wanted to do a Western blot, so I was looking for glass plates.
However, in our lab several SDS PAGE glass plates were broken.
Because this SDS PAGE system came from Japan, we need place order from Japan and plus shipping......
Besides, new glass plate still could be destroyed, so I decided make one for myself from plastic plate. XD.


於是直接拿舊的做模子,關鍵的點標一標,線畫一畫然後開始用鋸子切.
So, I used old glass plate as template, mark essential point and draw lines, then cut the plate by saw.

切完收工,左邊是舊的,右邊是我切的......看起來OK吧.
Finish, the one on left is old glass plate, the one on the right is I made......
Looks OK.


試跑看看......(剛好在純化蛋白,就拿來試一試)
Test run my recent purified protein.

跑完之後染色看起來OK嘍.
After electrophoresis stain the gel, Looks OK.

注意事項:由於塑膠製品比較軟,所以安裝gel時要小心,可能會有氣泡,如果直接在架子上做gel應該可以排除這個問題.
By the way, because the plastic is much softer than glass, bubble might form when you assemble the gel to the apparatus. It should not be problem if you fix the plates on apparatus then make the gel.

Absorbed Glass Mat Battery(AGM電池) On Venox

最近幾次發車(Venox)馬達越轉越沒力，最後就是繼電器的聲音，我有試著把電瓶拿下來用1A充電，充到12.8V後裝回是可以發動，裝回車上發動後電壓都有13~14V(應該不是發電機的問題吧)。只是大概騎兩天電瓶又沒電了，想想這顆電瓶也用了六年大概也不行了，想說買一顆來換。美國這最近流行一種(Absorbed Glass Mat)AGM電瓶，號稱壽命是一般電瓶的2~3倍，硫酸吸附在Glass Mat中，就算把電池切開也不會漏。有能力把充電時產生的氫氣，氧氣直接在電瓶內結合還原成水，真正免加水。後來我跑去WALMART買了GS的AGM電瓶(台灣製)。看了一下廠商的介紹，除了硫酸吸附在Glass Mat之外還有一些強化措施：電極改用鉛鈣合金加上結構上也有補強更耐震，新配方的硫酸不會在電極上型成硫化物能降低內阻。我買的電瓶要自己灌硫酸，灌完擺一小時，再用1A充兩小時就可以用了。新電瓶裝上車馬達力道又回復正常，電力有沒有比較強短期內還看不出來，看看能不能用個十年......
最後提醒一下美國這買電瓶要付押金9美金，買新電瓶記得帶舊的去，可以抵掉押金。

Bye-Bye Buell

看新聞說Buell撐不下去要倒了，好歹我也算是其設計理念的fan。
難過之餘就把Buell的一些重點整理一下:Buell的中心思想之一就是質量集中化，所以為了這個理由，把引擎放在車體的中心，引擎相較於其他的車種比較高，因為油箱做在車架裡，所以也不會擠壓到油箱的空間，引擎高了排氣管才能放車底，排氣管那麼大一隻又超重壓車時晃來晃去累不累阿，擺車底壓車時的晃動幅度小，熱氣也不會燙到自己，Buell還把管子修成弧形，怎麼壓都不會磨到。車上最重的東西都集中了，這就是BUELL的理念。
Buell的另一個特徵:皮帶傳動，是為了要減少鏈條在油門開啟/關閉之間鏈條因為有間隙而產生的震動(盪)，那是有齒的皮帶所以打滑並不會發生，不必調也不能調，記得是好幾萬公里才要換，此外跟鏈條比起來皮帶還有一個比較輕的優點。
大部分的Buell之所以會使用哈雷公司的V-TWIN引擎是因為創辦人認為:車是騎爽的，車子是你的一部分，而不是你跟車子去對抗，不需要頻頻退檔，不需要突然爆出來的動力，寬大的動力帶，平順的扭力才是一般市井小民要的。
不過也基於以上原因，有人認為buell的罩門在七千進紅線的引擎，2007年之後跟Rotax合作推出了採用水冷DOHC每缸四汽門72度v2引擎的1125R，老實說我蠻想知道這台跟Ducati 1098PK會如何......
Buell外觀上最顯眼的特色應該是前輪煞車使用周長碟:碟盤375mm(還是浮動碟)，一片扺兩片320mm，卡鉗也只要一顆。想想輕多少......這還只是煞車系統，使用週長碟系統的輪框，其煞車力道不用從碟盤傳遞到HUB再透過輪幅傳遞到輪胎，所以輪幅可以極度偷輕，仔細看看BUELL的前後輪就能了解。後輪使用一般傳統煞車，輪框就沒偷輕。這顆前鋁框比一般的改裝鎂框還輕。
簧下重量的減輕不是騎士瘦個幾公斤可以補過來的。簧下重量的減輕能增進懸吊反應的速度，更能保持胎抓在地面上。這個系統看起來好棒，不過也還是有缺點。由於是單邊煞車系統，國外論壇有提到在極限煞車時會有力矩的問題造成不穩定。
最後以上這些專利會放出來嗎?看有沒有廠商要推出相同概念的車。

SONY CDX-GT130 in 2009 Nissan Versa 1.6

NISSAN VERSA 1.6開了幾個月下來雖然很不錯，不過感覺起來好像還是少了什麼，仔細想想應該是音響跟時鐘吧，於是就開始做功課，最後塞了台SONY CDX-GT130(美國電器連鎖店BEST BUY最便宜的機種)有AUX IN，除了音響主機之外還要買兩個轉接頭(一個接音響，一個接天線)這樣才不會破壞原廠線路，接頭之外還需要一個固定音響的座。

接頭接線還算簡單，就一樣的顏色接在一起就好，因為有個電子工業協會(Electronics industry association)的組織把線的顏色跟功能都定好了，音響接頭跟轉接頭是根據這個規範作的。

不過NISSAN車子裡的接頭就沒有按照這個規範，不過我查過維修手冊轉接頭的位置是對的(當然廠商是專業的)反正就是接一接之後就是裝上車。

裝上車之前先拔了電瓶負極，然後照著維修手冊與網路上查到的資料跟著裝就對了。

裝好了之後就有音樂聽了，AUX IN 還不錯用訊號聲音跟古早用無線電蓋台的那種比起來好太多了。

莫名奇妙的改裝?

網路上常常看到有人對大改車看不順眼，笑人家電子花車，或是改這麼大也沒比較會跑......我是覺得大改是大改，飆車是飆車應該是分開的，飆車是個人行為，車改再怎麼大也不會自己飆。我覺得這個主題......和東方人的教育有關......東方人從小就接受標準答案式的教學法......
東方人害怕展現自己的風格，想要跟大眾一樣(標準答案)，對重度改裝會看不順眼......多多少少跟標準答案式的教學法有關。
來美國之後，我發現老美並不追求標準答案這一套，老美鼓勵獨立思考，個人風格，可能是因為太多時候現實生活中根本沒有標準答案。騎車改車也是......車子是騎士的延伸，騎什麼車，等於對外宣稱你是什麼樣的人，要怎麼做你自己，就怎麼改你的車(當然，在不影響安全與他人的前提下)。改裝有時根本沒有理由，或者根本不需要理由，就是一種概念的表達，自我的展現，一種個人靈魂對外界的通道。每個騎士都有不同的背景，不同的故事，不同的想法......有各式各樣的風格也很合理吧。