Finally my Windmill Mechanical Amplifier working

The blue metal strips will keep
the frame to the ground.

The Mechanical Amplifier that I designed on my own 4 months back, fabricated in Pune and sent across to My farm 800 kilometers away is finally working.  The following are the advantages.

a) The ABS (Poldaw) windmill has a freedom of 10 cms (3.5 inches) verticle movement. This need to be amplified to exploit the foot valve cylinder that has over 20 inches freedom so that more water will come. This apparattus that I have designed works like a cantilever to expand this movement (energy). Presently we get 3000 to 5000 liters of water per day. This will become 20,000 to 30,000 liters per day. Already we are seeing early results even without adjusting further.

b) This will isolate windmill from underground pipe/rod assembly. So that we can work in deep well bore without stopping the windmill.

c) The twist and turn of the windpump rotor will not affect and unscrew the borewell rods anymore. Minimum repair and re-fix.

d) This will hold the weight of central rod assembly. Thus windpump is relieved of pulling the entire weight for every stroke. This is achieved by hanging the rod on moving frame and counter weight at other end of cantilever.   I want windpump to become completly free so that is runs smoothly.

Just to fix the frame on the ground has taken a month.   The holes that I made on the frame did not match the already existing bolts near the bore well.  Some measurement went wrong.  Subbu,

Kandhan and his friend Paramu could not think of an alternate solution.    There were actually so many alternate solutions available.   But they thought of the most difficult one,   and kept postponing executing it because they have to carry the heavy frame to the welding machine in another town. I dismissed their ideas.

 Finally I have to  intervene and the provide a simple solution.   Refer the photograph.  I just ask them to put a strip of metal over the Bolt we keep the frame anchored to the ground and it worked.

 Even though I had taken care of sending all the ingredients by packing in wooden box,  they misplaced a few and was searching for it later. This  was due to delay in installation.  Other times,  they were doing everything very wrongly even though I had earlier posted a demonstration Video with myself explaining everything in vernacular.

They misplaced the video message in WhatsApp.     Finally everything is in place.  Minor adjustments here and there are still required. But water is coming.  Subbu had taken pains in the last 2 days to mend the pipe, fittings and actually worked very hard.  Only the counter weight is still not properly placed.  Subbu was reluctant to add weight. When forced, he said he will hang a lorry tyre. I got wild and ridiculed his thinking process itself. Suggested him to hang sand bag. 

But the windmill mis-behaved. It threw the weight out. Some clamps came down heavily.  Luckily there is no injury. I need to investigate why it did not take counter weight.  I think it is because of speed of windpump that there are unnecessary jerks in its movement.     I asked for clear video. But subbu is not an ace shooter. The photos he sent were not that useful.

Rest in pictures.

Subbu's friend fixing the frame.

Atlast the water. 3/4 inch pipe full of water.  This will be diverted to overhead tank

installation in progress.

Farm Update 19-Feb-2018 - All is not well

It has been a quite a long gap this time in updating this.  The main reason for this is overwhelming information.   Yes. in this age of connectivity and always online, the communication gap is at the highest.  That is the paradox. Same applies to blog posts also.

When some story is developing, you wait till it completes.  When the story keeps taking twist and turn with new issues and solutions, you also keep postponing writing. That way days, weeks and even months pass.

Following are the updates.

a) The relationship with Subbu was not all that well. I had to firmly talk to him and impress upon him that nothing is happening at the farm.  The same paradox that was explained above works here also. Farm now has adequate water and other resources. But agriculture activity has halted. Long back when the farm was having acute scarcity, we were growing several things. Today everything is there and the output is abysmally nil.   One of the reason is attention diversion, lazyness, gross mistakes, not having enough motivation etc.  But nothing can explain or justify the money that is being spent to up-keep the farm. People have to work.  No choice.

b) Kandan had been absent for several days. I am not clear about his attendance.  He is not communicative. Basically good guy. But lazy.  Last rains, he was taking care of his own farm, I was told.  He even asked for extra money (loan) which I refused.  Later he fell seriously ill. He always refused to do any extra work and confined his scope only to watering existing trees.  I had to pay another person in his absence to survive the plants without cutting his salary also.  I was patient all through. I wanted Subbu to pass on this message that he will to be fired from job if he continues to be absent. I have no choice.

c)  For several days Subbu will be unavailable.   His phone was not picked up or he was not reachable for days together.   Later I learnt he was building his mother in law's house.   He also said that his customers (Household village ladies) from his cable TV business where pestering him with complaints. So he had to keep the phone switched off.   (There have been recently change in delivery of cable TV with an on ground technology change which operators like him found cumbersome to train foot soldiers to implement)  

However what upset me most was his continuous absence to the farm.   His father is a professional farmer and a very rare visitor to our farm.   He seems to have scolded him why he is keeping the farm so dirty.   Subbu called me promptly ordered for tractor and ploughed the fields without any purpose.

d) Subbu suddenly came with an idea of building a poultry farm on the empty half constructed place. He wanted to use the casurina poles for that. He wanted to keep country hen and said this will bind Kandan to the farm and ensure his attendance.  He also said the profit will be ploughed back to paying salary to Kandan and himself.  All right I said, but it is upto you. I donot encourage farm at this stage.  

Later one day he called for workers, bricks and ordered for sheets.  As usual he started ranting the plan hinting that I have to foot the bill. I refused. I scolded him saying anything should be started simple with available material. Why build a big room for a poultry which may or may not be success. how can we trust Kandan. or for that matter yourself ? Who will give injection, feed etc. What expense?  Why get me into more trouble, when we have not been able to grow even small quantity vegetables  ?  I asked several questions like this and perhaps a longest conversation that I had in recent times clocking around 1.5 hours.  He said he is dropping that idea.

e)  He called to say he is mentally upset. I left it at that. Let him sink the feeling. I did not defend him. I only advised him to go out to Thovalai and watch the flower market. I urged him to watch others, how they are doing business. He indeed went to Tirunelveli to a nursary. That is his beauty. He will never do what we ask.

f) Presently he seems to have realised.  That means more planting, more expenses and more activity. That is fine.  This includes getting JCB to dig around 100 holes for fresh Jasmine plot.  He had identified Jasmine nursary in Tirunelveli costing Rs. 6/- per plant. Had ordered. I also felt we must expand Jasmine as a commodity for sure / future

(Will continue)