How do I leverage tech for productivity

 

 

 

Introduction

In today's digital age, technology has become an invaluable tool for enhancing productivity and efficiency in various aspects of our lives. In this article, we will explore how I have harnessed the power of technology in their work, which includes managing a platform called "MRO Digest," participating in the stock market, and utilizing various digital tools to achieve their goals. By sharing my experiences and insights, I aim to provide readers with practical ideas to improve their own productivity and workflow.

Touch Typing: A Fundamental Skill

The journey into the world of technology began with my decision to learn touch typing. This seemingly basic skill proved to be a game-changer, significantly enhancing their workflow and overall productivity. Typing efficiently allows individuals to input data, communicate, and perform tasks on a computer with ease, ultimately saving valuable time.

The Power of Spreadsheets

One of the most powerful tools in my tech arsenal is the spreadsheet. From its early emergence to its modern-day capabilities, spreadsheets have been instrumental in managing and analyzing data. I use spreadsheets for a variety of purposes, from budgeting and financial analysis to tracking stocks in the market.

The beauty of spreadsheets lies in their flexibility. By mastering simple algebraic formulas, users can perform complex calculations and data analysis effortlessly. Whether it's calculating financial ratios or recording data over time, spreadsheets simplify the process and provide a visual representation of the information. Conditional formatting, in particular, allows users to display results in different colors, aiding in data visualization.

Additionally, spreadsheets make it easy to create graphs based on recorded data. These graphs provide a visual representation of information, offering a holistic view of the data's patterns and trends. The ability to reuse formulas across different columns and rows streamlines work processes and minimizes the need for repetitive thinking, making spreadsheets a valuable asset.

Harnessing AI for Research

In recent times, I have embraced the use of artificial intelligence (AI) for research purposes. AI technology has opened up new possibilities, enabling users to ask questions and receive insightful answers. It also simplifies the conversion of transcripts into well-structured articles, a particularly useful feature for content creators.

Social Media and Content Creation

My work with the "MRO Digest" platform involves leveraging social media technologies. I utilize a YouTube channel for content delivery and employ recording and editing software to ensure the quality of the presentations. These tools make it possible to engage with a wider audience and maintain a professional and polished online presence.

Conclusion

In this article, I have  delved into my  journey of using technology to enhance productivity. My experiences with touch typing, spreadsheets, AI, and various digital tools have proven to be valuable in managing my online platform, investing in the stock market, and creating content. By sharing my insights, I hope to inspire you to explore the potential of technology and improve your own workflows and productivity.

If you have any questions or would like more information on any of the topics discussed, feel free to leave a comment below.Thank you for reading, and stay tuned for more informative articles!

The beginning of a lifelong friendship with my computer

 

My first experience with a computer was as a young man, in the early eighties when I was to go for further studies.  

As part of my studies I wrote a program in BASIC (Beginner's All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code), my first introduction to the mysterious world of computing.

It was wonderful, writing all the code and seeing it work as if by magic.

A program written in text could manipulate a machine which would accurately and repeatedly plot graphs for the data entered.

Later on I decided to type out the thesis myself which meant that I had to learn typing. Happily the funds I had were enough to purchase a simple computer which had coincidentally just become available in the market!

It was an Amstrad PCW, a computer working on an operating system called CP/M (Control Program for Microcomputers). The computer had  a RAM of only 256 KB!


What is more the Amstrad PCW came with dot matrix printer,
which was great, as being able to print meant I could type out my thesis in the comfort of my home.

I learnt to touch type by using a typing tutor program which came along with the computer.

Something which just a few years before would have required painstaking typing on a manual typewriter could now be done so easily and so conveniently. And by oneself.

This really made life easy (see my blog post 'Renewing skills').

Around that time another computer had just become available in the market. We would see it sitting in the shop window. A beautiful IBM machine which one wanted to buy. Alas it was more than twice the cost of the Amstrad PCW.

This IBM computer worked on an operating system called DOS (Disk Operating System) instead of CP/M.

As time passed the IBM computer became the machine of choice and the older CP/M based machines were no longer available in the market.

The DOS based computer later came to be known as the PC (Personal Computer) and is called the same till this day.

Though one could sense it at that time, however, it was not entirely clear to a lay observer like myself; that we were witnessing the birth of a new era which would bring affordable computing power into the hands of most people on the planet.

To me the great and simple joy, at that time, was being able to, so easily, type out my thesis, amend it, correct it, improve it, print it: all of that in the comfort of ones home.

It was a really welcome change from what we used to do earlier, doggedly typing and retyping on a manual typewriter, a machine  which needed special finger movements with the constant risk of your finger disappearing between the keys.


It was a cumbersome job and one could get it done only from a typist, which would take hours .

In contrast, how easy, how simple, the easy glide which we now experience when our fingers move effortlessly across a computer keyboard.

It was really a matter of how it changed a tiring task, of commuting up and down to a typist. And a typing error meant there would be another trip back to the typist. All this was now replaced by a simple few steps to my study table. What I remember, all these years later, is the great sense of relief I felt.

Jastej Singh Matharu

Should your next car be an EV?

 

Image from Pixabay.com

Synopsis

 

The range and price of EVs are important in making your decision. The article presents data in the form of charts of range vs price and analyses these charts for insights.

It also examines battery efficiency vs range. 

A research based article which will help you decide on the questions; should your next car be an EV?

Click the button below to download the article

Are electric vehicles the future?

 

 

Image by Pixabay.com

 

Are electric vehicles the future?

By Jastej Singh Matharu
[The automobile industry is in an exciting new stage of transition in search for relevance]

As an automobile engineer all things related to motorized vehicles are of interest to me. What I find especially fascinating at the present juncture is the way the auto industry is changing and transforming.

Here in India the sector is passing through a rough time where the demand for vehicles has dropped and all companies are passing through a trying time. Even if you look at the larger picture around the world you find a similar drop in demand in many other markets.

It seems that the car industry the world over is going through a churn of sorts.

So what is really happening? Let us look at the new technologies which are now emerging. Technologies which some time back were considered to be niche and were used only by select  companies and are now being adopted by all as mainstream. For instance, owning a hybrid automobile has now become more or less common place. There are a large number of such models available from many companies.

These cars are running on the internal combustion engine which is being assisted by an electric motor. But what truly seems to be changing is the emergence of the pure electric vehicle.

While earlier pure electric vehicles were being produced by only a few companies now mainstream companies are coming out with a pure electric versions of even some of their best selling models.

So how does one determine where this changing environment is headed. The one thing which gives a sure picture of where things are going is how companies are investing. Where is money being spent by automobiles companies and by companies which buy automobiles in bulk.

Amazon is buying 100000 Revian EVs which will be used by Amazon as delivery vehicles. And the first 10000 vans are expected to go into service in just another 2 to 3 years [1]. This is a huge order. It is worth noting that Revian, the company which will supply the vans is a non mainstream automobile company. In fact it is a company in which Amazon has invested. Making it clear that Amazon feels that this is to it’s benefit. This massive investment nudging the automobile market towards an EV future.

It increasingly appears that the idea of EVs is something which is now amongst us. And it is emerging and getting reflected in various forms.

If you look at the two wheeler industry it can be noticed, that alongside the mainstream companies, a large number of startups have emerged which are offering pure electric  two wheeled vehicles.

There is an ease with which new companies are now able to start up and give competition to established automobile companies.

There would be many factors influencing this trend but it appears that one of the main reasons is the simplicity of the electric motor which is now replacing the internal combustion engine.

The internal combustion engine has been there for a century but the challenge with it  is that a vertical movement of pistons in an engine has to be converted through a crankshaft into a rotational movement.

Another issue is that the range of speed which the internal combustion engine offers. This range is insufficient to cover the entire speed range which is needed by the vehicle wheels which are being driven by it. So we have to bring in a gearbox and step up or step down the gears in order to cover the entire range. This brings in the need of a clutch, essentially losing the simplicity of mechanism.

On the other hand the electrical motor, which while being simple, is able to give us a torque curve which the combination of the internal combustion engine, the clutch and the gearbox arrangement can only aspire to achieve.

So in the electric motor we have a simple driving engine which is giving the best possible torque curve and which is more or less covering the entire range of speed which the driven wheels of the vehicle need.

So this simplicity of the engine, the electric motor, is making it possible for startups to build competing pure electric vehicles.

Once you got the engine and the transmission simplified things start to fall in place. The fact is that technology for manufacturing electric motor is well stabilized and this implies that startups can source these motors easily.

They do not have to go through a huge design and development cycle which would be needed for developing an internal combustion engine.

So as this idea of pure electric vehicle on our roads is taking root. If the mainstream automobile companies take time to switch to pure electric vehicle and the flow of change is not fast enough, then in all likelihood manufacturers may move ahead and create new markets which all companies will have to follow to remain relevant.

In a way compelling the mainstream automobile industry to move faster towards this change.

Recently there was an announcement that Tata Motors has developed a new pure electric power-train called Ziptron[2]. This is a clear indication of things to come as they will be able to fit this power-train to power many of their existing popular models.

Toyota, which is one of the front runners in developing hybrid vehicle technologies, is offering a vehicle which has solar panels fitted on it[3].

Jaguar which has made considerable investment in developing their pure electric car I-Pace. Similarly other companies have also developed pure electric models. It was recently reported that in the UK market the Jaguar I-Pace pure electric car has become a top seller[4] in it’s genre.

In an interview given by Ralph Speth the JLR Global CEO recently he has mentioned that the growth in customer demand of EVs is faster than expected and the supply of batteries is not able to catch up for sufficient cars to be produced[5]. More manufacturers of large batteries are needed to meet this demand.

A roadblock in this future of the EV is the issue of lack of proper infrastructure such as charging points. But even here if you look at the world over you find every country moving in the direction of providing more charging points.

It is remarkable that automobile companies are themselves taking interest in installing charging stations. It was reported recently that VW is planning to install 4000 electric charging stations in Germany by 2025[6]. Tata Motors has taken the initiative to come up with electric charging points in coordination with Tata Power and they are planning to create 300 electric charging stations[7].

The supply of batteries is likely to improve as companies invest in new battery manufacturing plants in anticipation of increased demand. Exide is opening a plant for vehicle batteries which will be operational by this year’s end[8]. Tatas are setting up a battery manufacturing plant with a large investment[9].

All this may lead to cheaper batteries which will bring down the cost of pure electric vehicles. Once batteries become cheaper and once we are able to have larger batteries than the cost of the vehicles will come down and their range will increase.

So it seems that the automobile sector is heading towards introducing more pure electric vehicles.

When we finally  move away from a pure internal combustion engine vehicle to a pure electric vehicle, there will be exaltation in being able to contribute to the reduction of pollution which remains a major problem in many large cities of the world. The consumer could possibly feel that by going in for an electric vehicle they may be able to contribute towards the reduction of pollution.

The internal combustion engine powered vehicle will be there for many vehicle applications which cannot be covered by pure electric vehicles. And there will be also be a large number of hybrid vehicles.

It does seem though that eventually, sooner rather than later, we will see a rise in the number of pure electric vehicles on our roads.

It is an idea whose time is here and the events occurring all around us today attest to that reality.

As Victor Hugo famously said “No force on Earth can stop an idea whose time has come”.

References:
[1] Amazon orders 1 lakh Rivian EVs as delivery vehicles, Autocar India.
[2] Tata Motors up the ante in EV space with new engine, The Economic Times.
[3] Toyota Motor is trying to figure out how to make a car run forever, Business Standard.   
[4] Jaguar I-Pace Tops Pure Electric Vehicle Sales In Q2 In The UK, Car and Bike.
[5] I wouldn’t say the worst is over for China: Ralf Speth, JLR, Economic Times.
[6] Volkswagen To Install 4000 EV Charging Stations In Germany By 2025. Car and Bike.
[7] Tata Motors partners Tata Power to install 300 EV charging stations. liveMINT.
[8] Exide’s Gujarat plant to produce batteries for EVs to be operational by year-end. Financial Express.
[9] Tata plans to invest in lithium ion battery manufacturing in Gujarat. Business Line.

 

 

 

Electric Armoured Fighting Vehicles?

 By Jastej Singh Matharu

Synopsis

  

The article looks at the macro design issues for an electric armoured fighting vehicle (AFV).

 

It examines the type of electric loads present in an AFV.

 

It considers the possibility of making lighter AFVs and gives out the advantages which electric AFVs would have in a tactical situation.

 

Logistics and maintenance support of electric AFVs is also commented upon. 

 

The article is available as a downloadable pdf file. You may download it now using the button below:  

 

My Thoughts on Main Battle Tank Design

 By Jastej Singh Matharu


[I have recorded my thoughts and transcribed them. So the text may come across like a conversation. I have been associated with Armoured Fighting Vehicles since 1984 mainly as a maintenance engineer and also for a few years I worked on design related to an engine retro-fitment project. I also taught tank technology for a couple of years.]

Essentially if you look at a tank it has everything that a vehicle has got and then a lot more. I will talk about the battle tank; ground upwards, something like if you were to talk about a car tyres upwards.

First and foremost what is in touch with the ground is what we call the running gear which is consisting of the tracks and the bogie wheels which ensure that the tank is able to move. The running gear is getting its drive from a sprocket which is connected from the engine compartment and in order for the tracks to go around smoothly on the other end we have an idler which allows the tracks to go around and lay itself below the road wheels which are also called bogie wheels.

 

In order to hold the tracks on the bogie wheels we have something called a horn which is there on every track link and the bogie wheels are in pairs; the horns are going through the bogie wheels between the bogie wheels and that’s why when the tank is turning the tracks do not come off or in the language of armoured fighting vehicle the tracks do not shed.

The bogie wheels are in turn connected to the hull of the tank through the suspension system. Typically the suspension system has got axle arms with some sort of a suspension mechanism which absorbs the shocks from the ground. So as the tank moves there is a combination of a spring and a damper in every suspension. The purpose of the spring is to absorb the shock and every time the tank hits a bump the spring compresses to absorb the shock and does not transmit directly to the hull; in addition to this, so that the tank does not keep bobbing up and down we have the shock absorber or what we call the damper which dampens the up and down bobbing of the spring. With this system we get connected to the hull and there are a variety of suspension systems. They can be coil spring pneumatic spring or other designs.

Now we move on the hull. Typically the hull of a tank is divided into three parts. In front is the driver’s compartment, there are tanks which have got the engine right in front, but usually the driver’s compartment comes in front.

Then we have the fighting compartment and in the rear of the tank we have the engine compartment from which the drive goes out the sprocket which I had mentioned earlier.

The driver’s compartment since it is only having the need of holding a driver it normally has space on either side of the driver so this space can be used for storing ammunition or fuel or batteries, things like that.

Behind the driver’s compartment is the fighting compartment. The main element which is there in the fighting compartment is the turret in this compartment you would have three people the commander the loader and the gunner. Certain tanks have got an automatic loading system, in that case in the fighting compartment the loader is replaced by the automatic loading mechanism. In this case the fighting compartment has only the commander and gunner. New tanks are coming up which will have no one in the fighting compartment. It will be all automated.

Behind the fighting compartment we have the engine compartment. While between the driver’s compartment and the fighting compartment there is really no separation and there is no bulkhead. The driver can exit out of the fighting compartment and the commander and loader can exit out of the driver’s compartment. But in the case of the connection between the fighting compartment and the engine compartment there is a bulkhead. The purpose of the bulkhead is to totally isolate the engine compartment, for obvious reasons, because the engine will have gasses and fuel and fumes which are not good for the crew so the engine and the crew are kept separate.

This bulkhead has various features, for example it will have inspection plates from where we can peer into the engine compartment, specially during maintenance and it will have a number of wires and looms ad pipes going from the fighting compartment to the engine compartment. For electrical connections normally sockets are used.

The engine compartment has the engine, the transmission and the final drives which in turn connect to the sprockets. The sprockets get the drive from the final drive and then run the running gear.

The engine compartment will have the various systems, the engine itself, the lubrication system, the cooling system, the fuel system, the electrical system, the air intake system, the fire fighting system and such like systems.

The engine compartment as I said will be enclosed and the cooling will be achieved through the means of a cooling fan. The cooling fan can achieve cooling in various ways. One way is where it throws out air from the engine compartment creating a low pressure and this results in air being sucked into the engine compartment through the radiators. Normally there will be a number of radiators, water, oil, hydraulic and such like.

The engine compartment will also have an inlet for the air to the air cleaner which will supply air to the engine inlet.

There will also be a passage for the exit of the exhaust from the engine compartment.

Usually tanks have diesel engines but one has a gas turbine engine. Some time tanks have a main engine and an auxiliary engine.

A word over here about the auxiliary engine and the starting system. Normally the starting of a big engine takes a lot of current and drains the battery. So we could have an auxiliary engine which will recharge the battery. This is needed if the electrical starting is the main starting of the tank. However in certain tanks the starting is through air starting in which case the auxiliary engine is dispensed with. And then you have the air starting in which case the main engine keeps the air bottle charged and the stored air pressure is used for starting the main engine thus conserving the electric charge of the battery.

The purpose of the battery here is to give enough power for the tank to be able to operate it’s electrical systems with the main engine being switched off. If you had the auxiliary engine that could keep running as being smaller it produces very little noise and heat. Starting the main engine would be a give away of your location. So having an auxiliary engine or not is a result of a balance which has to be made.

Tank design is all about balancing one type of requirement with another.

Coming back to the fighting compartment. The main thing which is there is the turret. The turret is mounted on turret ring in the hull. The turret is able to rotate 360 degrees. The electrical connection of the turret to the hull is through some sort of a device like a rotary base junction which is placed at the bottom of the turret from where the turret rotates. In this manner we achieve the supply to the many electrical systems in the turret.

The main thing which the turret houses is the main gun of the tank. The main gun is a huge gun. Main guns of tanks fire very high velocity projectiles. So an important part of the design here is how to contain the recoil of the gun within the space of the turret.

In the turret there are two more important systems. These are the gun control system and fire control system. The purpose of the gun control system is to allow the commander or the gunner to rotate the turret at will and to acquire targets. The purpose is to quickly swivel the turret around and bring the gun onto the target.

The fire control system decides the manner in which the gun will be fired. Nowadays tanks have the stabilising system which means irrespective of how the hull is moving the gun remains locked onto the target. This is what makes the tank a very lethal weapon. A tank can move very fast and at the same time remain locked onto the target and fire accurately. This is the final aim of the designer of the tank.

The gun itself can be rifled or smooth bore. The main purpose of the gun is to be able to fire a projectile which will defeat the adversary tank’s armour. So high velocity rounds are needed and a variety of ammunition has been invented for this.

Coming back to the hull. It is very important for the designer to make a hull which is able to protect the tank from the adversary’s projectiles. Here again the issue of balance comes. Normally the frontal part of the tank, which is known as the frontal arc is heavily protected and the sides, rear and bottom less so. It is impossible to protect a tank heavily from all sides.

A variety of armours have been developed. There used to be the monolithic armour which was a chunk of steel, now new armours have come up which are designed to defeat projectiles without too much of a weight penalty.

The classic balance a tank designer has to achieve is between the firepower and the mobility and the protection. The running gear, the engine the sprocket these all provide the mobility aspect. The firepower is by the gun, it’s calibre’ the speed of the projectile’ accuracy of the projectile and the ability to be able to move and fire.

Protection is through the armour.

It is obvious that if you want a bigger gun it means it will be heavier and the tank’s weight will go up.

Similarly if you want to increase the protection the tank’s weight goes up.

If you want now to put in a bigger more powerful engine you need more space in the engine compartment this will make the tank’s hull bigger which in turn will again require protection.

So in tank design one thing leads to another and you have to strike an optimum balance based on your requirement.

Various armies according to their requirements based on their own situations have designed different tanks. A lot of technology goes in to ensure that you are able to get the optimum firepower, mobility and protection as per your own requirements.

It is expensive technology. Developed after tremendous research and development. 

In spite of the variety of other weapons, both on the ground and in the air, the main battle tank remains the most lethal weapon on the battlefield even today