Innholdsfortegnelse for May 2013 i Popular Mechanics

email popularmechanics@hearst.com snail mail 300 West 57th St., New York, NY 10019 subscribe subscribe.popularmechanics.com Our March cover story about offshore Arctic oil drilling, "The Rig at the Edge of the World," elicited strong but differing reader responses. Curt Eisenhower of Ashburn, Va., saw how Shell's Kulluk rig would work as an example of "an impressive engineering marvel." At the same time, he questioned the virtue of "risking permanent damage to a delicate ecosystem for such a small reward." Others found the feature politically loaded. "You have embraced the global warming agenda," wrote Byron Nelson of West St. Paul, Minn. "I expect science-based magazines to be impartial, not opinionated." David Schorr of Half Moon Bay, Calif., found the article shortsighted. "Instead of glorifying the technology of drilling in the Arctic, PM…

This past January, nearly 270,000 Lexus IS models built between 2006 and early 2012 were recalled because a nut holding the windshield wiper arm had been "improperly torqued" during assembly. If wiper motion was "restricted by an external load, such as a buildup of heavy snow," Lexus said, the nut could come loose and render the wipers useless. The company found no related accidents or injuries from this defect, and in six years, roughly only 0.009 percent of owners reported it. After identifying the cause, parent company Toyota issued the recall. Combined with another separate incident, Toyota kicked off 2013 by recalling more than 1 million vehicles. Last year the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recorded 586 safety- or compliance-related vehicle recalls. Although it was a slight reduction from 2011,…

The Midsize sedan is America's bulk automotive commodity. The practical, fuel-efficient, and roomy off-the-rack conveyance is the go-to vehicle for about 2 million U.S. families every year. That kind of sales volume makes the midsize sedan a reliable profit stream. Because so much is at stake, manufacturers devote an astonishing level of research and development to new models, fine-tuning formulas in the hope of creating an irresistible recipe for the buyer's palate. Very little is left to chance. All the cars in the segment are dimensional doppelgängers by nearly every meas urement, inside and out. The sameness can seem a bit boring, but not all sedans are snoozers. In fact, the most recent entries deftly fulfill utilitarian requirements while baking in plenty of style and moxie. Has the family sedan…

The Guide to your diy life Want to step up from tying flies to crafting your own personalized caster? Here, the essential skills and tools to build a fly rod for $100. p. 106 DIY TECH Arcade video games and draft beer: Two of our favorite things join forces in a custom kegerator. p. 108 CLINICS Q+A Our experts tackle your toughest auto, tech, and home questions. pp. 102, 112, and 126 EARLY ADOPTER Build a wind turbine and learn the nuances of renewable energy. p. 116 DIY HOME Get a major curb-appeal upgrade in one weekend with a classic split-rail-fence installation. p. 118…

One of the joys of fly fishing is the crafting involved—and that isn't limited to tying flies. "People can't believe how easy it is to build a rod just the way you want it," says Russell Parks, owner of the Missoulian Angler Fly Shop in Missoula, Mont. "You want pink wraps? Titanium guides? A cork handle shaped to your hand? Knock yourself out." For under $100, you can buy a complete freshwater kit. It will come with directions—but first read these tips on the crucial steps. 1 ID THE SPINE Graphite rod blanks have defined soft and stiff sides, and your first step is to identify them. Rest the tip of the blank on a hard surface and hold the butt end lightly with the tip of your finger. Press…

When you see a thin layer of metal—on anything from chrome car parts to drill bits to jewelry—electroplating probably has been at work. The process is simple: Send current through a metallic salt solution to coat a conductive surface with metal ions. In this project, we're coating graphite (in the form of a pencil drawing) with copper, the material in electric wiring. This turns the image into a circuit that can supply an LED with power. A new way to wire your house? No. Cool? Definitely. 1. In a clear bowl, combine 3 tablespoons of copper sulfate with 1 cup of white vinegar. Stir with a straw. When the vinegar turns blue, the copper is dissolved. 2. Use fine sandpaper to roughen a piece of transparency film. 3. Draw an…

WHEN IT COMES TO TOUGH CLEANING JOBS, NOTHING BEATS A GAS-ENGINE PRESSURE WASHER. IT BOOSTS THE WATER PRESSURE FROM YOUR GARDEN HOSE WITH A POWERFUL PUMP, ALLOWING YOU TO GET MORE WORK DONE WITH LESS WATER. THAT'S WHY MORE PEOPLE ARE USING THESE MACHINES TO CLEAN THEIR HOUSE, BOAT, CAR, AND TRUCK. WE TESTED FOUR MODELS BY BLASTING GRIME AND PAINT OFF DOZENS OF WOOD TEST PANELS. HERE'S OUR REPORT. Tool Test HOMELITE UT80432 RANKING PRICE: $400 PSI: 3100 GPM: 2.5 CLEANING UNITS: 7750 ENGINE: 187 CC Likes: The Homelite scooped up Best Overall for its cleaning power (check out that high cleaning-units number—definition in the Glossary, below); robust design, including rugged wheels; and front-mounted cleaner jug with a big opening. It has the most flexible spray hose of…

THE HALLEY VI RESEARCH STATION LAT. 75°35'S LONG. 26°39'W PURPOSE: Atmospheric science, geology, glaciology STAFF: 16 (winter) 70 (summer) ADVENTURE SCIENCE Home on the Ice There are plenty of threats to a research station in Antarctica: brutal cold, building-burying snowfall, and an ice shelf that's in constant motion. After the British Antarctic Survey lost four installations, it designed one to survive. The new station, opened in February, has hydraulic legs that lift the base during heavy snowfall. Skis on each leg enable tracked vehicles to tow the station to safety when the moving ice slides the base close to open water. — MARY BETH GRIGGS INSIDE THE STATION Researchers commute to work along catwalks from module to module. DISASTER ENGINEERING Built to Stay Over the Bay Earthquake-prone California is a…

If you're a serious car enthusiast, you may have heard of the Bristol, but unless you live in the U.K., you've probably never seen one. The Bristol is a legendary sports car built in small numbers by a British aircraft company. I'd only seen pictures of these cars, but I'd read about them and decided I wanted one. Last year I spotted a late-model Bristol at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in the south of England, but I had never actually seen the most coveted model—a 1955 Bristol 403—until the one I bought rolled off the transporter and into my garage. Bristols were built by a subsidiary of the Bristol Aeroplane Company, which manufactured pursuit planes and bombers during World War II. After the war, British aircraft production plummeted, and…

DODOCASE The founders of this iPad-cover company started by cutting bamboo frames on CNC machines at TechShop in San Francisco. Now they have a 10,000-foot factory in the Dogpatch district. GEORGE YU VARIABLE TECHNOLOGIES Yu, an electrical engineer by trade, kept costs down by learning how circuit boards are manufactured and then designing an easy-to- assemble board for his invention, the NODE sensor. "This!" shouts Patrick Buckley, "is he Big! Robot! Room!" Buckley is whisking me through the 10,000-square-foot factory his company, DODOcase, operates in an industrial area of San Francisco. We've stopped to admire the 32-year-old CEO's "Ferrari." It's not an Italian sports car, but a very loud programmable CNC router with about the same footprint, and half the price tag. Right now the $98,000, red-and-white SCM Pratix is…

     • CRUMBLING TIRES      • DRIVER-SIDE SAG      • Stumble and Cough DEGREE OF DIFFICULTY 1/10 CLEAR OUT THE TRASH      • When you're cleaning any car, much less a winter-weather-beaten one, start by removing all the junk you've been ignoring. Have a garbage bag and a "keep" box handy, because you'll want to hang on to some of the stuff. Be thorough: Get under and beside the seats and in the trunk. VACUUM THE INSIDE      • You'll want to work from the top down, because gravity dictates that stuff stirred up works its way floorward. Also, yank out the salt-caked floor mats for a quick pass with the vacuum. Then use a house or shop vac and a rigid tool such as a screwdriver to work dirt out of the creases. SCRUB…

Tech      • TANGLED HEADPHONES      • FACEBOOK GRAPH SEARCH      • AILORING SPELL CHECK Materials List      • ASRock AD2700-ITX mini motherboard/CPU ($85)      • Seagate 500 GB 3.5-inch internal hard drive ($60)      • Power supply ($18)      • Two DDR3 SO-DIMM 2 GB RAM ($30 each)      • ViewSonic 27-inch LED screen ($300)      • Power strip ($10)      • X-Arcade Tankstick + Trackball ($58)      • 2 x 4s ($20)      • Plywood ($15)      • ¾-inch-thick white plexiglass ($225)      • 0.22-inch-thick clear plexiglass ($58)      • Pegboard ($50)      • Neon tube lights ($10 each)      • Logitech X-140 speakers ($28)      • Black spray paint ($15)      • Avanti Portable Party Pub ($275)      • Beer tap ($75) The age of sleek consoles and high-definition TVs makes it easy to forget that video games used to be played on elaborate pieces of public…

DEGREE OF DIFFICULTY 4/10 AGES: 10+ BUILD TIME: 1.5 HOURS PARTS COST: ABOUT $45 Renewable energy is the wind beneath our turbine blades. Over the past few years, wind power has been among the fastest growing sources of energy in the world. Learn how to capture the airstream's gusting force with this rugged PVC turbine design by Michael Arquin, founder of the KidWind Project. This exploratory project teaches engineering and modeling and—to make it age- and skill-appropriate—can be scaled up or down in complexity to create more or less electricity, as well as to demonstrate concepts such as energy transformation and blade efficiencies. Get ready to be blown away. BUILD THE ROTOR & NACELLE 1. Insert the 2-inch piece of PVC pipe into a 90-degree fitting. 2. Slide the PVC…

Go for it. Sure, it's true that late summer and early fall are the ideal times to rejuvenate a patchy or threadbare lawn. Soil temperatures are high, which leads to quick germination of grass seeds, especially tall fescue. The new grass then gets a jump on weeds the following spring, crowding them out before they have a chance to gain a foothold. But even though you missed your chance last year, that doesn't mean you have to put up with a lousy-looking lawn all summer. First, determine how severe the damage is. It's worth noting that a brown lawn isn't always a dead lawn. Some turfgrasses, such as Kentucky bluegrass, go dormant during a drought. If that's the case, and its root structure is sound, it will green up following…

DIY FILMMAKING Animators' Little Friend It's about time that wooden posable mannequin from your art class went into the drawer. With 16 joints and 32 sensors, the Qumarion is far more expressive than any sculpture or action figure you've probably ever played with. Artists can plug this Asimov-approved figurine into their computers, create an illustration through a Photoshop-like program, then move the digital character in real time by posing its tangible counterpart. Illustrators can base drawings on what appears on the screen. For instance, rather than just visualizing the statuette as an obese swamp creature, they can make it appear like one. But it's animators and film makers who truly benefit from this game- changing technology. The software provides clothing simulation and automatically adjusts body shape so that all movement…

America's airspace is crossed with invisible tracks, lanes with designated entrance and exit points that warplanes use for aerial refueling.Our track is No. 16, heading east. I'm sitting next to pilot Capt. Timothy "Scar" Sullivan inside the cockpit of a B-2 Spirit stealth bomber 27,000 feet over mid-Missouri. We're en route to meet the KC-135 Stratotankers that will top off our fuel tanks in a 450-mph hookup. "In 6 minutes we'll see tankers," Scar says through the headphones in my helmet; without an intercom, his words would be drowned out by the whine of the engines of the bomber, the Spirit of Georgia. Nearly as many people have been to space as have flown in a B-2. More than 530 people have traveled off-planet; as of my flight in late…

PINNING DOWN THE ELUSIVE KNUCKLER R.A. Dickey of the Toronto Blue Jays, the only knuckleballer ever to win the Cy Young Award, can throw multiple knucklers using the same grip and motion—and watch each one break differently. Here, we explore the physics of the pitch and Dickey's mechanics of throwing it. "Even science has a hard time explaining why knuckleballs do the things they do," he says. "That's part of the allure of the pitch." Grip Dickey digs into the leather with the nails of his index and middle fingers just behind the runway, where the ball's seams are closest together; he places his thumb and ring finger on the sides of the ball. He keeps his nails even with a fine-tooth glass file and strong with the nail-hardening product…

I think our dads might be brothers. Tire replacement is pretty straightforward to the cost-conscious: when the tread wears down or a hole can't be patched. The reality is more nuanced than that. Tires are complex components that undergo amazing stresses during even the most mundane of drives. It took the better part of 50 years and a world war before motorists could depend on reaching a far-away destination without fixing one or two flats. As rubber technology and steel-belting techniques improved, tires became a very reliable part of the car—we just don't expect blowouts and punctures. Tires do degrade over time, though, and that process is called dry rot. Oils and chemicals in the rubber compound start to evaporate or break down because of UV exposure. The rubber loses…

Blame the second law of thermodynamics, which states that everything tends toward disorder. In this case: Every pair of earbuds tends toward a tangled mess. A few years ago scientists definitively linked the problem to thermodynamics. Two researchers at the University of California, San Diego, put varying lengths of string in different-size boxes and rotated the boxes, showing that cords of a certain length necessarily become tangled. The longer and more flexible the string, and the longer the agitation period, the more likely knots are. In some cases—as any annoyed headphones-wearer knows—knots are almost guaranteed to form. Ignoring knots in cords can damage internal wiring and cause short circuits or complete signal loss, according to Sennheiser rep Jeff Touzeau. The best way to prevent headphones' disorderly conduct is properly coiling…

     • PRESSURE WASHERS      • RESCUING A LAWN      • ALUMINUM WIRING MY SIMPLE RANCH-STYLE HOME WAS IN DESPERATE NEED OF DISCIPLINE. WHILE MY NEIGHBORS' PROPERTY LINES WERE NEATLY SET OFF BY PICKET FENCES AND BOXWOOD SHRUBS, MINE LACKED PHYSICAL BOUNDARIES AND SEEMED EXPOSED, VULNERABLE—EVEN UNRULY. WITH NO FENCE, MY EXPANSIVE FRONT LAWN WAS EDGING ITS WAY ONTO THE STREET, MAKING ITSELF IRRESISTIBLE TO WAYWARD DOGS AND PARKING CARS. The solution was to install a modest fence that would help contain my home while also giving it curb appeal. A split-rail seemed a good choice. It wouldn't obscure my one-story home but would provide it with a simple border along which I could plant shrubs. And I could festoon it with seasonal decorations. I'll admit I'd never installed a fence before. But…

HOLY ROLLER, WHAT A RUSH! 1600s: Long before wheels, tracks, and the YOU MUST BE THIS TALL TO RIDE sign, Russian daredevils sled down 70-foot man-made hills of ice. Bumps increase fun factor, as does vodka. 1817: The French get the ice-slide idea on track in Paris to create the first roller coaster, Les Montagnes Russes à Belleville. 1873: A coal-mine switchback railroad in Mauch Chunk, Pa., is converted into a passenger ride. Ulysses S. Grant, Thomas Edison, and many others pay 5 cents each to stand in for coal. 1884: U.S. inventor LaMarcus Adna Thompson designs the first Coney Island coaster; Switchback Railway involves coasting down 600 feet of wooden track at a breathtaking 6 mph. 1927: The 2640-foot Coney Island Cyclone raises the bar (but not the lap…