July…

Have been working, albeit slowly, on Calliope #5. Goals for this one are that it be more compact and still have a larger plenum.

I’ve found a better type of solenoid valve that has a much higher flow rate and they only cost $30.- apiece. That means that finally, FINALLY I’ll have a calliope that doesn’t require an air compressor to do its thing: the ass end of a vacuum cleaner ought to be sufficient. That’ll reduce the electrical load and it’ll also reduce background noise substantially.

I’ve adopted a different attachment method using pipe-to-tube fittings that eliminates the hassle of unscrewing the solenoid assembly from the valve if a little local work is required.

I’ll post photos to flickr one day soon…

Meanwhile back at the ranch I’m still broke and looking for odd jobs. The good news is I’ve turned 64 and I’m counting down the days until I can tell that bloodsucking leech Blue Cross, who still tap us to the tune of $1,800/month, to go take a flying fuck.