Hi Adrian,
Well that doesn't happen every day. I go on this forum after a break for a look around and there is this "John is Brilliant" post. On Youtube they just hurl abuse at you!
How did you stumble on that BBC Wales clip down in Eastleigh?
There is a longer piece on this on the BBC Bristol and Southwest TV News which shows more of the machine (my contribution to this project - I build all the kit and deliver the gases to the babies).
This is the serious part of my life, in between the Fug rebuild sessions!
Here is the link:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/bristol/8611130.stmTechnical things to look out for in the video clip:
If you look closely, the support socket that holds the plastic breathing circuit looks very similar to a VW campervan alloy pedestal table mount. That is because when the government regulators asked me how the "sturdy alloy mounting" worked I sent an image of a VW pedestal table mount from my VW Bus. Next day I had an engineering company machine me a replica from billet alloy about 5% oversize so the breathing system fitted it exactly - the world's most expensive VW table mount.
The trolley it is on was welded up by me and painted by a "car refinisher" (i.e. they do resprays).
All the bolts are blue anodised alloy from a motorbike spares supplier. No need for that other than than they match the cool blue displays of the xenon analyser (made in Russia, end-of-cold-war tech). See the Russian writing on it.
The pressure regulator did not fit the exotic German cylinder of Xenon (worth £20K) we had shipped over. A colleague in my hospital made a brass adapter for me on a massive 1950's lathe that looked like it was designed for making steam locomotive parts. "I haven't had an excuse to use this for years, bloody brilliant"
Many people have helped me out with this because they knew what it was for.
Everyone had a good laugh when I turned up in a brand new suit, no black hi temp grease under the fingernails.
The funny thing is that the Fugitive and a guy called Daz are indirectly responsible for all this - a large chunk of my career. Absolutely true.
I had a knackered Escort as a student (back then all student cars were wrecks) so learned some car mechanics. I then attempted to build a fugitive and my first effort was pretty bad but it just got an MOT. I then met Daz and his car, the one I am now rebuilding 20+ years later. It has parts from god knows how many cars in it, plus the 24V "it can't be done" starter system.
All that taught me some valuable things in life;
- you can learn anything to a basic standard in about 3m if you really want to.
- you can make things do jobs they weren't originally designed for.
- It can actually be an advantage to
not be formally trained in a subject because you then come at the problem with an open mind and are more likely to come up with an original solution.
So now I can do basic electronics, write software (badly), taught myself to weld, have a small home lathe and so on and so on. All my medical research projects involve engineering and novel bits of equipment. The project above is the most important one but I have lots of smaller things going on too.
Like this one:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/...00125094643.htmNobody gave a damn about that one 5 years ago (when I first built it) , now we have wars and swine flu it becomes topical. The world is a strange place.
Anyhow, thanks for the positive feedback!
Best wishes
John
PS I have added some more to my rebuild pages, wiring loom fitted now, putting centre tunnel and gearshift / handbrake back together.
http://sites.google.com/site/uvafugitivepr.../home/handbrake