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.