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! ! WARNING ! !
Above is Zulu Time!!
The Capsule.
NOTE: all calculations made in this article can be altered at any given time, due to the fact that the Project SVS is still in it’s developing stage.
At first the capsule had several possibilities in shape and form. An egg shape, a tube, and several other possibilities past the review, but noting had all of the necessary qualities I was looking for. Later on symmetry took a firm grip in shaping the Capsule, I had to find a shape that’s symmetrical, easy to build, strong, easy to adjust in scale, and futuristic looking, not an easy task to do. Several weeks went by, when finally I came across some one call Mr. Buckminster Fuller. WHO the hell is that, I hear you say.
He was THE person when it came to futuristic buildings in the shape of a,...ball. Or better said, a truncated icosahedron. This is a Archimedean solid.
Found on Wikipedia: “In geometry an Archimedean solid is a highly symmetric, semi-regular convex polyhedron composed of two or more types of regular polygons meeting in identical vertices. They are distinct from the Platonic solids, which are composed of only one type of polygon meeting in identical vertices, and from the Johnson solids, whose regular polygonal faces do not meet in identical vertices.”
Because Mr. Buckminster used this shape often it’s also known or referred to as the “Buckyball”. It’s also called “fullerene”, a molecule composed entirely of carbon, in the form of a hollow sphere also known as “C60”. This number is the amount of vertices the shape has. It’s perfectly symmetrical, strong, futuristic looking, but the calculation needed to adjust the size is rather complex. But this can be easily countered by use of a technical drawing program, like for instance, AutoCAD, or more affordable; Stella4D.
Finally,......I found the shape I was looking for all that time!!
But now came another “problem”, or should I call it an assignment. The size of the SVS in total has to be limited within “normal” spacing. By normal, I mean, it has to fit within the space of a normal sized house. Because not everybody has a large shed out back. A garage on the other hand is normally speaking 3 meter wide, and 3 meters high or more*, that’s what I call normal size! But to keep the design within this close quarters would again put a lot of strain on the design of the sim.
Why? Well, let’s just say that the average length/weight of a human = +/- 1meter80 tall and +/- 85Kg. Weight is something I come back at later, what’s important now is the average length. To be able to supply enough space inside the “pod” or Capsule, it has to be at least, but at the same time, no more then, 2 meters circum-diameter. This means, that the rest of the free space is only 1 meter circum-diametrical, or better said 50 cm each side of the capsule, which isn’t very much to say the least!! When you divide this with the amount of gimbals, being 2 rings, the inner, and the support ring which stays horizontally. You have to divide 50cm by 2 giving; 25cm per ring or gimbal! Okay, now we know the dimension, but this is measured from “ring-to-ring”, not accounting for any free movement. Counting one centimeter each side of the space between the ring will give us 2cm of play, subtracting that from 25cm = 23cm. Divide this again by two gives the spacing measured from the center of the gimbal, to the outside in both directions, being 11,50cm. To the inside and the outside. Within this dimension of 23cm the EMDU most be contained.
NOTE: From 2001 to 2013 I planned to build the prototype in my workshop down stairs, the ceiling of that workshop was 3meter 20cm high, giving me some extra free space. Therefore giving me the opportunity to place the support gimbal at a fixed height of 1meter 50cm. But the walls were only 260cm from each other!!! I needed at least 3 meters :-(
So in 2014 we bought an other house with a much larger workshop. 21m long, 6m wide, and 4m90 high. Large enough to accommodate the sim. From the first of March 2015 till approx June 2016 this house and workshop will be renovated. July 2016 we plan upon the start of the build of the sim. First a working scale model, and then with the necessary funds we can finally start upon the real thing!
Article last modified on 16/06/2015
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