Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish

Dear friends

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I participated in a morning praise this morning and got something good from the church there. The preacher said: a child, who was born in foreign, had a talent for music and then was invited to show his talent all over the world when he was 16. From that day, he was forced to show his talent for a set of music shows, also it was not far from the day, he became a world-famous musician. Ten years later, he found he was something in the music but nothing in other, he lost his freedom and a happy childhood as he needed to cope with a set of music shows at that period. He knew nothing all about his country, his friends and he could not see what he want to see via a window on the world.

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Also the preacher said, we always memorize our success but forget an impetus that is still working inside of us. The momentum can give the strength to keep walking towards our future, however some successful persons who are the most likely to stop their steps for the great acheivement that was made in the past. Truly, it is not surprising that many hong kong people seem to be losing in their lives and they do not have great breakthrough in their works because they have got their great success in the past, and because they indulged themselves in the past success.

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It is the worst one that if a man does not know the law of sowing and reaping, no pain will not have gain. We should still work for sowing and forget the success in the past, otherwise we would be unable to reap our harvests in the future.

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I hope all friends of mine to keep their engines burning, not to memorize only for their success in the past as we work more, the more we will breakthrough, the more we will reap. I praise for my friends to continue their works and hope they can vision the law of sowing and reaping. And hope that they can be given a vision, a vision of what they would be in the future, a vision of where their careers will be heading towards.

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The last but not the least, I have learned some meaningful words from the preacher and wanna send to yours as a present. 4 words only!

They are these:

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"Stay Foolish" and "Stay Hungry".

Always think you are so foolish, then you will strive to learn;

Always think you are hungry, then you will strive to work.

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Best Regards

Ken Ngan

A MAGICAL PICTURE

Dear friends

For a while ago, I have found a magical picture from the internet, it is quite wonderful. I'm sure something will happen in front of your eyes.

All leaves will be in motion while your eyes in motion.
Let's try!
Best regards
Ken Ngan

Tell them they are still beloved.

Today is Sunday, it is a sunny day.

How are you?

my friends...
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In my mind, the Hong Kong children are beatific, lively and they are under their parent's wing... I have a nephew (Tom Leung) and niece (Bebe Loo), they are deemed to love and obey their parents...especially to their mother. Needless to say, they are No.1 on their parent's eyes.

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Childhood is an important period of development. In this process, a child learns what he can do and what is forbidden to try. Sometimes, punishment is inevitable.. But punishment to a child should be fair, consistent and constructive. It should have a clear relationship to the misbehavior and lead to better self-control on the part of the child. Ask someone to send the comment for you just to make sure that no error slips your eyes.

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Most misbehaviour connote a significant signal to their parents, they need to be loved and to feel secure. Therefore, I wanna advise on all parents to tell their sons or daughters or both of them .. they are still beloved in spite of their behavior.

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Best Wishes
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Ken Ngan

To glide smoothly in the air

Dear friends
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A preach was held at the Kowloon City Baptist Church on the day of 14 October 2007, It was a challenging preach to my language because all message sent from the preacher was Putonghua language. Unbelievable but it was true, over ninety percent of his message I could get, and I could understand what he wanted to convey to us.

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The preacher said: To be a man in the street is of no value, his existence is meaningless, is easily swept away by dealth as if waves upon the shore, missing neither track nor mark behind...He expected each of us to take after an eagle, to glide smoothly in the air. In nature, eagles are differentiated from other birds mainly by their large size, more powerful build and a pair of broad wings. Like all birds of prey,eagles can use the most efficient posture to fly and can take advantage of the airstream to steady and lift the heavier body, Is that why an eagle can fly effectively! Compared to all birds..

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On the land, We ALL do not have a pair of sky-born wings but we are able to choose the flying posture like a giant eagle, to opt for a best-fit and efficient way to fly. The preacher also stressed the point that some people chose a zigzag trail as their way of coming life, they have to face unpredicable hardship and peril in their way. By choosing to face the hardship, people like dickeybirds, they need moving the wings frequently and producing so much energy for fly.

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If you want to smoothly glide in the air and wanna be a gaint eagle, please feel free to contact me.

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Best Wishes

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Ken Ngan

如鷹展翅翶翔人生

The significance of three languages to a chinese community

Today is Thursday, 11 Oct 2007

How are you my friends?

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We are chinese, it is no doubt, but we have ever lived under the reign of U.K. and standed between two cultures- the Chinese and English culture. Owing to the speical emphasis of English and Mandarin in the Hong Kong education system, I think we always feel that we ourselves have an inadequate training in these languages despite the hot time we have spent.

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It is universally true that one who hopes to learn a foregin language should have learned his mother tongue first. If you are already weak at Cantonese, surely you will not make so much progress in learning English and Mandarin. Just like building a house, if the foundation is not firm enough, it will only be waste of time to build higher. Very often, many Hong Kong People, like me, are the less likely to write a good paper in Chinese, yet not to mention in English. A good presentation can clearly convey our message to other people despite it is in oral or written, it is needless to say how significant the English and Mandarin languages are to us in nowaday Hong Kong but it is necessary to say that high ability in speaking English and Mandarin will not rule out the possibility of affecting to our working areas, chance of promotion and social gatherings.

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The purpose of this journal is to remind all friends of mine something about learning three different languages, Cantonese, English and Mandarin, and about writing two different languages, Chinese and English. Don't make them to be "Candarin, mixed with Cantonese & Mandrain" or "Chinglish- mixed with Chinese and English". My teacher told me that learning native language to all Hong Kong People is not a big problem as we are native cantonese, learning mandarin in Hong Kong will not be a big problem as speaking mandarin will be widely common in Hong Kong land, this tendency can be seen in the sectors of industry, engineering and hotel business. Finally, learning English language just a small problem as speaking English is easy as ABC.

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Just a note!

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Ken Ngan

兩文三語要學好, 升職加薪快望倒! 快望倒!

A WONDERFUL PREACH

Today is Monday, 8th October 2007.

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Dear friends

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Yesterday night, my friend and I participated in a preach at Kowloon City Baptist Church, the preacher is a well-known scientist in America, also he is an american-chinese. The preach was lasting for 2 hours from 7:30pm to 9:30pm. I was grateful to get in this preach because it was the most fascinating one that I have never seen before. Dr. Ng, the preacher, who preached all participants the word of god and plunged his heart into the heart of the preach. Needless to say, it was convincing and so funny there in the whole time.

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With best wishes

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Ken Ngan

Super-Ken 2000 is only for Tortoises

Today is 26th September,

Hello everyone
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It has been a long time since my last journal but this is certainly a heartsome and fascinating one, over the last few weeks I have been working behind the blogger on the crane design that you ALL should now able to see. This jouinal is in celebration of a few things. Firstly, my dream crane "Super-Ken 2000" has been finished, and it will be coming into use at my home a while later. Secondly, I learnt a lot as designing a crane that brought real-world design problems into my life, each problem coming up in the working stages provided good opportunity with me to review and apply knowledge essential for a job in science and engineering. The third thing which is the last one and is worth celebrating one, I gained rich experience throught the hands-on activities.. including market research, cost management, work planing and whatnot here.

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(1) Introduction

Super-Ken 2000 is a family crane having a kind and sincere heart, its body is made of mild steel, and is composed of steel pipes, manual winch, steel wire and a custome-made trolley. In all honesty, Super-ken 2000 is designed mainly for helping my mother to pick up the giant tortoises (2 Sulcata tortoises), my mother who needs to take them back and forth twice per day from the living room to the bathroom. Speaking of the handling posture, I have ever suffered from severe backache several months ago. Indeed, pain in my back gave me a unhappy experience, not only backache was physical painful, it badly affected my daily life, mood, working capacity and efficiency. The people said: back is an essential and vital bone of the body also known as the life bone, I don't want my worst experience in back that will probably recur to my mother.

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(2) Super-Ken 2000 can become an expectant helper

My dream crane has enough capacity to lift a tortoise weighting 110 lbs (at approximately 50Kg), its completion will enable to prevent my mother from getting any possible damage in back, hand or any parts of body. Wishfully, I hope Super-Ken 2000 can become an expectant helper.

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Unbelievable but true, when I put my hand on the crane's body, I can feel the crane's heart beating. Shh.... Don't tell other people, Super-Ken 2000 is a humanoid crane, it has feeling, heartbeating and has a kind heart!..... I made it live!
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Photo Sharing:

To view the large picture, please click on the thumbnail.

- Hand winch equipped with spur gear and locking device for load control.

1. - Super-Ken 2000 can be folded down for storage or transport
2. - Super-Ken 2000 can rotate different degrees and its boom can extend 150mm more for special case.
3. - Super-Ken 2000 is a family crane but only for tortoises.
4. - Super-Ken 2000 is a kind crane, it likes working with elderly or housekeeper.
5. - Super-Ken 2000 is made in Wong Tai Sin and designed by Ken Ngan.
   

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(3) What I learnt most and challenges I faced

The most important challenge I faced was the intense workload accompanied with limited time. I frequently faced the timed works and felt truly that they were pretty heavy. The so-called "One-Man-Band Project" was nothing more than one person to do one thing until it to the end. Encouragingly, a man behind the "One-Man-Band Project" is called "Frank Lai", he is one great friend of mine, Lai gave me more productive ideas and led me on finding out the right or possible right things. Needless to say anything, all of his ideas of course were coming from his views and hands-on experience. He merely was a talker, not to take part in any work, but his advice did work very well to my thought and did help pushing forward to my works. I realized a lot by doing this so-called One-Man-Band Project, from a drafting to a working drawing, from ambiguity in the beginning to understanding in the end, and from a dream to realization as well. It was worthwhile to experience all these!

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Apart from the above-mentioned, I learnt how to handle time on the manufacturing process to a lifting crane, yet I learnt most in the working stages should be sending understanding and accepatance to the manufactuer's works, not to discredit their workmanship, most of all did not follow my drawing to do... for example: (i) a 2" steel pipe, it was considered to be main mast, they turned the pipe into 1-1/2" diameter, and (ii) a 200mm x 200mm x 5mm thick steel plate for crane's footing they random minimized the size to be 150mm x 200mm (see picture). What a have!

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Sometimes, not only to me, all of yours living in the world have need to accept and understand to other parties, you must plunge your heart into their hearts, adjust or amend the standard a little bit in order to create a harmonic space. As a matter of fact, I could not address any unsatisfaction or objection to the manufacturer as the price they quoted before was very cheap.

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(4) Calculations and Decision Making
Free Body Diagram of the Lifting Crane:

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Weights:
Wt (Weight of the trolley)= 12Kg (Given by manufacturer)
Wb (Weight of the boom –1-1/2” pipe) = (4Kg/m x 0.275m) = 1.1Kg
We (Weight of the boom extension – 1-1/4” pipe) = (3.4Kg/m x 0.425m)= 1.445Kg
Wc (Weight of the Crane)= 20.162Kg
1. For 1-1/2” Main Boom (0.375m x 4kg/m)= 1.5Kg
2. For Winch System (6.5Kg)
3. For 2” Main Mast (0.865m x 5.41kg/m)= 4.671Kg
4. For Base Plate = 0.2m x 0.2m x 0.005m x 7874kg/m3 = 3.15kg
5. For 0.3m long Hollow Shaft for Base Plate (0.3m x 5.4kg/m)= 1.62Kg
6. For Metal Gill Covers (0.13m x 0.13m x 0.005m x 7874kg/m3 (Density) x 2) = 1.33Kg
7. For U channel (0.088m x 0.098m x 0.005 x 7874kg/m3 x 2)+(0.066m x 0.098m x 0.005m x 7874kg/m3 = 0.895Kg
8. For Fixing Plate (0.14m x 0.09m x 0.005m x 7874kg/m3)= 0.496Kg
Total Weight for Wc = 20.162Kg
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The weights of the load and pipes multiplied by their respective distances forward from the tipping point must be equalized by the weights of the counterweight and crane net capacity multiplied by their respective distances rearward from the tipping point (LHS = RHS, See Figure 1, 2 & 3). Any variation caused by changing the radius at which the load is lifted destroys this equilibrium.
Roughly speaking, a balanced condition of my lifting crane shall be achieved by equalizing forward and rearward moments, say LHS = RHS. Let’s see the conditions.
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Condition 1:
Weight of the tortoise = 100Kg (Maximum Working Load)
Distance between the centerline of the filler and the line of tipping point =0.375m (225mm + 150mm)
(Filler x 0.375m)+(20.162Kg x 0.225m)+(12Kg x 0.25m)=(1.1Kg x 0.1375m)+(1.5Kg x 0.2125m)+(100Kg x 0.425m)
(Filler x 0.375m)+4.537kgm+3kgm = 0.151kgm+0.319kgm+42.5kgm
(Filler x 0.375m)+7.537kgm = 42.97kgm
Filler = 94.49kg (not recommended)
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Condition 2:
Weight of the tortoise = 50Kg (Maximum Working Load)
Distance between the centerline of the filler and the line of tipping point =0.375m (225mm + 150mm)
(Filler x 0.375m)+(20.162Kg x 0.225m)+(12Kg x 0.25m)=(1.1Kg x 0.1375m)+(1.5Kg x 0.2125m)+(50Kg x 0.425m)
(Filler x 0.375m)+4.537kgm+3kgm = 0.151kgm+0.319kgm+21.25kgm
(Filler x 0.375m)+7.537kgm = 21.72kgm
Filler = 37.82kg
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By calculation, a 50Kg (see condition 2) load at a 425mm radius gives a forward load moment of 21.72kgm. This load moment would then be equalized or counterbalanced by a 37.82kg counterweight at a distance of 375mm, having rearward load moment of 21.72kgm.
According to the condition 1, if the weight of the load were to be doubled (say 100kg), the weight of the counterweight must also be tripled to keep the crane in balance. By so doing, adding a considerable amount of filler to keep the crane in balance is neither practical nor economic to my budget. Not to say money, a bulky weight will certainly make the crane unlovely, and it will be less likely to be accepted by any and every designer or engineer. As such, the maximum working load of my crane, in my final decision despite of how much i am unwilling, will be downgraded and only operate for a rated load of 50kg.
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Take Moment at Rf (Condition 2)
+ ↘(Σ M)Rf = 0:
(Wc x 0.225m)+(Wt x 0.25m)+(Filler x 0.375m)–(Rr x 0.45m)–(Wb x 0.1375m)–(We x 0.2125m)–(Weight of Tortoise x 0.425m)= 0
(20.162Kg x 0.225m)+(12Kg x 0.25m)+(Filler x 0.375m)–(Rr x 0.45m)–(1.1Kg x 0.1375m)–(1.5Kg x 0.2125m)–(50Kg x 0.425m) =0
4.536Kgm+3Kgm+(Filler x 0.375m)–(Rr x 0.45m)–(0.1513Kgm)–0.319Kgm–21.25kgm=0
-14.184kgm+(Filler x 0.375m)–(Rr x 0.45m)=0
Rr x 0.45m = (Filler x 0.375m) -14.184kgm
Rr = <(Filler x 0.375m) –14.184kgm> / 0.45m
Rr = 0.833Filler – 31.52kg
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Take Moment at Rr (Condition 2)
+ ↘(Σ M)Rr = 0:
(Rf x 0.45m)-(50kg x 0.875m)-(1.5kg x 0.6625m)-(1.1Kg x 0.5875m)–(20.162Kg x 0.225m)–(12Kg x 0.2m)–(Filler x 0.075m) =0
(Rf x 0.45m)- (43.75kgm)–(0.994kgm)–(0.6463kgm)–(4.536kgm)–(2.4kgm)–(Filler x 0.075m) =0
(Rf x0.45m)–52.33kgm–(Filler x 0.075m)=0
Rf x 0.45m = 52.33kgm + (Filler x 0.075m)
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As can be seen the calculation previously, a 50Kg load at a 425mm radius gives a forward load moment of 21.72kgm, this would then be equalized by a 37.82kg weight, (Filler = 37.82kg)
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When the weight at the filler's side is 37.82kg (Condition 2), Rf & Rr would be obtained:
Rr = 0.833Filler – 31.52kg
Rr = 0.833 (37.82kg) – 31.52kg
Rr = -0.016kg

Rf x 0.45m = 52.33kgm + (Filler x 0.075m)
Rf x 0.45m = 52.33kgm + (37.82kg x 0.075m)
Rf = 122.59kg
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In the case of Condition 2, fillers weighting 37.82kg require being loaded on the counterweight frame; two front wheels Rf need to withstand a downward force 122.59kg. As per the calculation, each front wheel requires to saddle with the related downward force 61.3kg (122.59kg/2).
In terms of the value for Rr, it is a negative value and means that the rear side of the trolley may be easily raised because the entire loads are concentrated on the front wheels when the crane is operated. To make it steady, I will round off the filler to be 40Kg, then the values of Rr and Rf will be changed slightly to 1.8Kg and 120.77kg respectively.

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Alternatively, the counterweight can be moved further rearward from the centerline of tipping to compensate for the load, it can minimize the amount of the filler. Let's see the change.

(1st Trial) Moving back the whole crane about 50mm:

If one small adjustment is made in the design, the crane is shifted slightly back from the line of tipping point; a gain will be obtained at the rearward moment. Let’s see the condition 3 and 4.
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Condition 3:
Weight of the tortoise = 50Kg,
Distance between the centerline of the filler and the line of tipping point =0.425m (275mm + 150mm)
(Filler x 0.425m)+(20.162Kg x 0.275m)+(12Kg x 0.3m) = (1.1Kg x 0.0875m)+(1.5Kg x 0.1625m)+(50Kg x 0.375m)
(Filler x 0.425m)+5.54455kgm+3.6kgm = 0.09625kgm+0.24375kgm+18.75kgm
(Filler x 0.425m) = 9.94545kgm
Filler = 23.4kg
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Obviously, the gain at the rear moment has been obtained, moving the crane about 50mm rearward from the line of tipping point can free from 14.42kg for the filler (37.82Kg – 23.4Kg).
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Take Moment at Rf (Condition 3)
If the weight of the filler is 23.4kg (Condition 3), then Rf & Rr would be obtained:
(20.162Kg x 0.275m)+(12Kg x 0.3m)+(Filler x 0.425m)–(Rr x 0.45m)–(1.1Kg x 0.875m)–(1.5Kg x 0.1625m)–(50Kg x 0.375m) =0
Rr x 0.45m = (Filler x 0.425m) -10.812kgm
Rr = <(Filler x 0.425m)-10.812kgm> / 0.45m
Rr = <(23.4kg x 0.425m)-10.812kg> / 0.45m
Rr = -1.93kg

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Take Moment at Rr (Condition 3)
+ ↘(Σ M)Rr = 0:
(Rf x 0.45m)–(50kg x 0.825m)–(1.5kg x 0.6125m)–(1.1Kg x 0.5375m)–(20.162Kg x 0.175m)–(12Kg x 0.15m)–(Filler x 0.05m) =0
(Rf x 0.45m)–(41.25kgm)–(0.92kgm)–(0.59kgm)–(3.53kgm)–(1.8kgm)-(Filler x 0.05m) =0
(Rf x0.45m)–48.09kgm–(Filler x 0.05m)=0
Rf x 0.45m = 48.09kgm+(Filler x 0.05m)
Rf = <48.09> / 0.45m
Rf = 109.47kg
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Condition 4:
Weight of the tortoise = 15Kg
Distance between the centerline of the filler and the line of tipping point =0.425m (275mm + 150mm)
(Filler x 0.425m)+(20.162Kg x 0.275m)+(12Kg x 0.3m) = (1.1Kg x 0.0875m)+(1.5Kg x 0.1625m)+(15Kg x 0.375m)
(Filler x 0.425m)+5.54455kgm+3.6kgm = 0.09625kgm+0.24375kgm+5.625kgm
(Filler x 0.425m) = 9.94545kgm
Filler = -0.134kg
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Take Moment at Rf (Condition 4)
If the weight of the filler is –0.134kg (Condition 3), then Rf & Rr would be obtained:
(20.162Kg x 0.275m)+(12Kg x 0.3m)+(Filler x 0.425m)-(Rr x 0.45m)–(1.1Kg x 0.875m)–(1.5Kg x 0.1625m)–(15Kg x 0.375m) =0
5.545Kgm+3.6Kgm+(Filler x 0.425m)–(Rr x 0.45m)–(0.963Kgm)–0.244Kgm–5.625kgm=0
2.313kgm+(Filler x 0.425m)-(Rr x 0.45m)=0
Rr x 0.45m = (Filler x 0.425m)+2.313kgm
Rr = <(Filler x 0.425m)+2.313kgm> / 0.45m
Rr = <(-0.134kg x 0.425)+2.313kg> / 0.45m
Rr = 5.0134kg

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Calculate the value of Rf (Condition 4)
Rf + Rr = 15kg + 1.1kg + 1.5kg + 20.162kg + 12kg + (-0.134kg)
Rf = -Rr + 49.628
Rf = -5.0134 + 49.628
Rf = 44.615kg

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(2nd Trial) Turning the lifting crane at different degrees

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Condition 3a:
Weight of the tortoise = 15Kg
Distance between the centerline of the filler and the line of tipping point=0.31m.
(Filler x 0.31m)+(20.162Kg x 0.16m)+(12Kg x 0.21m) = (1.1Kg x 0.2025m)+(1.5Kg x 0.2775m)+(15Kg x 0.49m)
(Filler x 0.375m)+3.226kgm+2.52kgm = 0.223kgm+0.416kgm+7.35kgm
(Filler x 0.375m)+5.746kgm = 7.989kgm
Filler = 5.98kg
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Take Moment at Rf
+ ↘(Σ M)Rf = 0:
(Wc x 0.16m)+(Wt x 0.21m)+(Filler x 0.31m)-(Rr x 0.32m)–(Wb x 0.202m)-(We x 0.2775m)–(Weight of Tortoise x 0.49m)= 0
3.23Kgm+2.52kgm+1.854kgm–(Rr x 0.32m)-0.222kgm–0.4163kgm–7.35kgm =0
Rr x 0.32m = -0.384kgm
Rr = -0.384kgm> / 0.32m
Rr = -1.2kg
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Total upward forces = Total downward forces
20.162kg + 12Kg + 5.98kg + 1.1kg +1.5kg + 15Kg = -1.2kg + Rf
Rf = 56.942Kg
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In the case of Condition 3a, fillers weighting 5.98kg are needed to load on the counterweight frame; the front wheels Rf need to withstand a downward force 56.942kg. As per the calculation, each front wheel requires to saddle with the related downward force 56.942kg/2.

To get rid of the problem on counterbalance, the makeshift to make the crane steady was that I put a chain weighting 8Kg into the metal case (Counterweight), the values of Rr and Rf will be changed slightly to 0.76kg and 57Kg respectively. As it has been mentioned early, the negative in the value of Rr represents a little force that can easily overturn the crane.

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All in all, I must give tribute to all those who helped me to make my crane work, to make my dream coming true, as well to understand more on the principle of Mechanical Engineering Design.

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Best Regards

Ken Ngan

P.S.: Super-Ken 2000 is a humanoid crane, I can feel its heart beating!

EVERYTHING IS GOING WELL.

Dear friends

Today is Tuesday, 11 Sept 07.

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I think everything is going well and the working drawing for fabricating my cool crane finally got amazing smooth as well.. Tommorrow I will send my drawing to some factories and hope they could offer me a best price.

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I do agree that doing this mission can be challenging and attractive to me,.. because attractiveness is the key to keeping me busy. Likewise, a proper difficulty level (of course, not too high) is also the key to making me think in higher orders and better understand the subject matter. Some said: work while working, play while playing , I think this working principle does not work very well on me, because this mission is a funny game, not a boring job... Work and Play while playing here!

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The working principle of the Lattice Boom Crane is the source of my crane's idea, a load adding on the mast provides a balanced function while lifing up the load. It is a best evidence to tell my friend that my idea will be possible and feasible.

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Best Regards

Ken Ngan