This Gadget
Freak entry, originally appearing on electronicsweekly.com,
contains instructions for building a martini blender out of junk parts.
View the Parts List | Post a Comment | Watch the Video
The Beginning
The whole thing started out as a conversation between my good friend Ken and
I. We were talking about the first gas-powered blender I had seen. I was
showing him some pictures of it from an ad I had seen on the web. As soon as he
saw it he said, "Dude, we could build that." I responded with, "Dude, I've got
an old string trimmer engine at home in the shed."
And that was all it took.
The first version was not nearly what it is today. It started off very
simple - an engine and some adapters to get it coupled to the blender jar, and
then screwed it to a small piece of Formica I had with some conduit clamps and
that was it. The top fuel blender was born.
Motor tach driver circuit schematic
Three years later, and the current version is almost entirely made of
polished billet aluminum. The drive output and adapters, motor hold-down clamp,
fuel cell, pitcher base, throttle handle, exhaust adapter, base feet, K&N
air cleaner adapter, pull start rope handle, carburetor switch block,
"Christmas tree" riser and the base plate were all custom machined. It fits
right in at the pits at the race track, and is loud enough (Thanks to a tunable
exhaust) to compete with the cars!
The tachometer is a standard 10,000 RPM race ready model with a shift light
from SunPro. Other purchased non-electronic components include the rubber
vibration isolators, the 2 handles, stainless steel pitcher and the various
stainless steel fasteners.
Motor Operation
The motor starts and runs just like a normal string trimmer would, however
with the addition of a 3 pole switch in the base, you can select "Off" to kill
everything, "Run" to just let the motor run, or "Tach" to run the motor and
have the tachometer display actual RPM. The stock choke lever has been retained
for starting purposes. The main difference is the additional carburetor and
fuel cell setup that can be swapped for running an alcohol and nitromethane
fuel blend - Race track only. Not for home use!
Tree Operation:
The "Christmas Tree" is totally separate - It has a power switch on the display
box to power it on, and is then tied into three other switches. The first is
directly below the display and selects either Sportsman Class Racing or Pro
Class operation. The second is mounted to a billet aluminum block above the
carburetor and is operated by the throttle linkage. When the throttle is pulled
the switch signals the timer for your reaction time. The third switch is in the
throttle handle and is for resetting the tree.
The tree works just like a normal drag racing tree. The reset switch will
light the pre-stage LED's and then a random timing circuit (1-5 seconds) will
light the stage LED's. At that point the start lights sequence will start.
The start light circuit is programmed to function either as a Sportsman
(three sequential flashes of the amber lights) or Pro (one simultaneous flash
of all three amber lights) depending on the position of the selector switch. At
the end of the light sequence, the reaction timer is started and the green
light is illuminated. The timer then waits for a pull of the throttle which
triggers the carburetor switch and stops the timer.
The other scenario is that if the trigger is pulled to quick and you receive
"False Start" displayed on the VFD and a red light illuminated. However,
assuming your reaction time is valid (Between 0 and 1 second) it will be
displayed on the VFD. If the reaction time is between 1 and 2 seconds your
reaction time will be displayed as "YOU'RE DRUNK" and if it is longer than 2
seconds it will be displayed as "YOU SUCK"... Sorry, but if you're that bad it's
time to lay off the sauce.
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