Mechanized Propulsion Systems, Inc.

12/06/2017

'Cause someone complained, here is an update. The remaining jib components for the crane were delivered in November, we are still waiting on the counter weights, and we need to pick up some block and tackle. Which, ironically, usually require a small crane to load into a truck. A few old members checking in on revamping programming. Various verbal approvals from the county and we are re-exploring adjoining counties for permanent HQ placement. Some significant time was spent divesting realestate in CA, and that is the biggest time sink. Still looking to get shop equipment delivered out to TX in the early part of this next year.

12/04/2016

Sooo.... had a couple hour's conversation with the new Mech Eng intern on what the Mk III design goals were, and sent him copies of the Mk II's kinematics calculator. To be clear, he had an image Earle drew in paint while sharing a desktop, an XLS file, and some old mathematica renderings from 2009. Four days later he came back with not one, but two well-documented design concepts. Both animate in Excel so one can trace the foot path and watch values change. We could build a physical mockup of this. We are past the same point in 4 days, which took almost 4 months on the Mk II. After another round of concept ingredients added, as well as things we learned from the Mk II's design work, we should ave another round of revisions. All the complex walking system type stuff (hip sway, suspension, weight and specific inertia calcs) will wait for a later design revision. Exciting stuff happening again in Giant Robot Land. You can almost taste the metal shavings...

I better spit that out, I think the cutting oil we use is a carcinogen.

11/09/2016

About time for an update. We picked up a 75 ton crane truck (with 200' of boom, more than we are likely ever going to need), a bulldozer and another tractor to round out the equipment in TX ready to start work on the new campus. You know, for when we finally locate land. We have secure storage space here now, which has helped move things along a lot quicker. Meanwhile, back at the MCF-1 in CA, we have some more (4) 40 ft conexes going on order for loading and then transport back out to TX. Hiring out for the logistics will save both time and money, and is finally feasible with our storage space in TX. This means we will have the majority of MPS's property (including the new steel building we bought several years ago in CA) in TX by Jan/Feb. Still a few more things to set up (namely the revenue stream that supports MPS) in TX and shed what is left in CA. Still on schedule to have our Level 3 Box Mover and new mech eng Intern rejoining us over the winter. We even have storage space for people /before/ we start building, which is a positive improvement over the last time. Still moving along, one large, mechanical step at a time.

10/12/2016

The Mk II frame is in Texas, as well as the lower legs, spare legs, and most of the hydraulics. The trip took 4 days including a 9 hour low speed crawl through a Texas-sized thunderstorm. Got a few amazed looks and stares (you can tell when people are as mech-crazy as you are, with faces plastered to the window the whole while they are passing you). Every stop had at least one person asking about the machine. Exciting stuff to help alleviate the stress of a 4 day trip (that usually takes one day).

Now that it is exposed to the elements in TX, we are rigging up some quick storage before heading back for another trip. We have semi-permanent storage space now, until the right piece of land appears on radar. The search continues.

09/02/2016

The Voltera V-One arrived. Much smaller than expected (for, you know, giant robot machinery), but it came with some solder paste (which promptly went into a fridge) and substrates. This will expedite our on-site embedded electronics work. No more waiting weeks for the fab to return our prototype boards, we can just print them in the shop now. Cannot wait to get a chance to fire it up! More on Voltera at http://voltera.io

The move proceeds slowly. Actually, if it takes much longer, it will be an Exodus. We have a corporate HQ address, and just recently added a firm fixed location to store most of our heavy equipment, but still lack land for the new campus. Given the rate at which property is being disposed of in California (we are just over half done now), it will probably be another year before we get that part started =(

Given the calendar dead space on dirt moving (which seems to be job #1 in mech-making) we might actually get some Mk III engineering work done. One can hope! Until next time...

Voltera V-One, an all-in-one circuit prototyping tool for your desktop

11/20/2015

Not a fun update. With much sadness, I must report Chris Dickerson's passing on 11NOV2015, Veteran's Day. His 22 years of military service earned him a burial in Dallas-Fort Worth National Cemetery, with full military honors the afternoon of 19NOV2015.

After nearly 15 years of catch-as-catch-can involvement, MPS was finally moving to him. Our selection of a new home city in Texas was due, in large portion, to his residence there.

His expertise, opinionated gruffness, stellar ethics, and unending support will be sorely missed.

11/02/2015

A couple updates. The commercial location in TX we were going to purchase to set up shop and storage space, unfortunately sold. The new owner will make good use of the space, and does not change our campus plans. Although it complicates the landing. Where is a drop ship when you need it. In better news, the CA work list has now passed 1/3 completion. Yay! Lastly, our CAD software will be getting an update. This will replace our student copies of the ill-fated SolidWorks, with SpaceClaim, a re-approach to CAD written by the creators of SolidWorks. It employs a lot of built-in short cuts for geometry work that create headaches and add significant time to the engineering process. This puts it lightyears ahead of the other, less production-oriented engineering softwares available.

10/16/2015

Some significant work on the MPS Texas campus design has been done, including templates for the tilt-up walls and building placement. The good news is, the epic new MPS Campus is still within budget (of a small country).

The newbie arrived, and we have been doing lots of work. Lots, and lots of really boring work. On the up side, The Newbie needs very little training. On the down side, people with potential usually flee the free-labor-and-terrible-living-conditions of MPS on site like rats from a sinking ship. Add to that it was 45 degrees when he boarded the plane, and it has been nearly 100 degrees here almost every day*. Despite this, he is committed at least until the end of October. Let us hope this mental illness is not cured until we get fully moved to Texas and get the Mk III or IV built.

Our departure deadline keeps getting closer and closer each day, and we have managed to shorten it somewhat by working overtime and generally being awesome.

According to the official schedule of Very Accurate Lies, we should be able to reach escape velocity around the end of April, 2016. Wish us luck and send anyone you know but kind of dislike to sign up for an internship.

* except today, in which it flooded. Some water got into the MCF, but we have had worse. Nothing damaged but the Mk II's feet did get wet.

07/08/2015

Work, and more work, with more items marked off a seemingly endless completion list to show for it. But hey! At least it is a DRY heat. Updated the MPS website to include several people on the roster of ne'er do wells and sycophants who all [heart] the giant robots, as well as some other tidying up. We are announcing the Mk IV's beginnings this month! A return trip to Texas in August and back to Cali in September and we have a tentative full-timer (paid, no less!) joining us around late SEP/early OCT. Some plans for the MCF-3 complex have been sketched out, but nothing official yet. A small plan of action steeped in secrecy in response to that whole megabots thing going around, and there you have an update!

05/22/2015

Grab your robe and wizard hat, time for some action. MPS has been in Texas for about two months now, getting things set up. To answer Brandon Soricelli's inquiry, yes, we have a building. Rather, we have a pile of previously engineered parts that total 6,000sqft of floorspace, and some of that will also have a second floor finished off. Maybe all of it. This was originally purchased as the MCF-2, but never erected in CA. It needs to be shipped to TX, but we have a solution for that already. We may also disassemble and ship the MCF-1 to TX. Texas counties are also far less stupid about letting people build, so we are less limited by this than we were in CA. This trip consisted of getting some financial stuff squared away, building and proofing labor contacts, getting a place to store some of the heavy/earthmoving equipment, and looking at more potential build sites. Area specific stuff, like how to dig a well (and if we can) and engineering considerations for building a foundation were also explored. Since land prices, regulation, and labor costs are reduced here, we are looking at having a much more professionally finished off campus, between 15x and 40x larger than the one in California. Barring a few exceptions, the goal is to have giant robot people building giant robots, not doing drywall and building construction after the first phase.

02/17/2015

Forgot to mention, we bought one of these... http://techcrunch.com/2015/02/11/voltera-the-electronics-printer-launches-to-much-fanfare/

One of our absolute favorites from the Hardware Battlefield just launched on Kickstarter and they are, if you'll excuse the cliché, crushing it. The..

01/17/2015

Update, since the cold* weather finally relented. No real exciting stuff. Paid corporate taxes. Replaced network cables. An interview, a bout of work with getting both tractors back to 100% so they can be used to move stuff around. Dirt, mech parts, that sort of thing. Some more general organizing of knee-deep stuff in the MCF. Cataloging of MCF-2 parts, and some work on planning for the Texas campus. Which brings to light we need about a half million dollars in concrete. Which means, we buy a concrete mixer truck and do it ourselves. Do pass along any contacts in the 'crete industry. Even if they are not in Texas. Some ground work for convention appearances in the near future, and probably a few more things that only seem awesome if you are not here in the mech bay doing them, like posting fb updates from the Mk II cockpit.

*Cold, meaning ''California Cold,, which is below 50 degrees, F.