Other Plans and Designs on the Web


The following list is of sites that I have discovered that have plans worth looking at for consideration for translation. Consider them an inspiration; you may have to do some actual design as well as translation, as not all the designs were created as "appropriate technology".

And then, if you decide you'd like to translate one from another website, please request permission from the website owner or ask me to contact them. Even if the plans are not subject to copyright restrictions, it is more courteous to ask and to make a friend than not to ask and make an enemy. 

If you discover more sites, please send me the URLs and I'll add them to this list.

The Vintage Projects Collection
     "Our goal is to preserve the inspired DIY spirit of the past. Our free project reprints cover farm machines, the woodshop, machine shop, boats, archery and more. These vintage plans come from a half-century ago when do-it-yourself enthusiasts turned wood, metal and old motors into useful workhorses, functional tools, and toys."

David Lee's Build It Yourself Plans
     "If you like to work with metal, this is the WEB site you've been looking for. The plans contained herein are available free from a multitude of WEB sites throughout the Internet."

Designs featured in the book Out of Poverty
    
Existing: "TREADLE PUMP, DRIP IRRIGATION, WATER STORAGE, RICE FERTILIZER, DONKEY CARTS
     Other critical, affordable small-farm irrigation tools are now being designed and field tested, such as: $100 quarter-hp microdiesel water pump; $15 scythe for harvesting rice, corn, and wheat; 1500 and $5000 steam distillation units for essential oils; 
$50 gasifier for generating heat.
     Another, to provide clean water for poor families: Recent development of a simple process creating water-purifying chlorine compounds by running a small electric current through salt water provides an opportunity to generate 5,000 liters of potable water a day." <<
Link>>

Woodgas.net
     "...is committed to building and promoting a networked community of successful woodgas users and builders, while supporting those people who are committed to joining the ranks of those using wood for more than just heat
     The gas generator was an airtight vessel into which was introduced a charge of wood, charcoal, or anthracite coal. Heat was applied to the fuel either internally or externally to initiate a self-sustaining gasification of the fuel in an oxygen deprived environment. The resulting "woodgas" was piped to the reservoir, or in the case of small engines, directly to the engine carburetor."

Solar Steam Turbine, Examining the Curnutt Solar Furnace
     Solar steam to turbine-electric power

Solomon Radios
     Plans for inexpensive crystal radios - both AM and FM

Instructables 
     Self-described as "the world's biggest show and tell", it is a vast collection of do-it-yourself projects, among which you might find some useful to developing-country people.

Do-It-Yourself Steam Engines
      "Monotube or flash boilers. This by far is the most efficient, lightest, and safest boiler. It is easy and inexpensive to construct. They work best on continuous, steady operation. However, with little reserve capacity, they are sensitive to fluctuations in fuel and water supplies, not to mention loads. The most common versions are portable steam cleaners. Modern motels use a variation as water heaters."

Phoenix Turbine Builders Club
     "New 6-inch Turbine for Low Horsepower Applications" (This design would stretch the resources and abilities of small artisans, but could be carried off by a talented and dedicated artisan with access to the necessary materials.)

Open Source Ecology
    Open Source Ecology has developed a suite of tools that a village can build using all open-source technologies and designs. It describes itself this way: "The Global Village Construction Set (GVCS) is a modular, DIY, low-cost, high-performance platform that allows for the easy fabrication of the 50 different Industrial Machines that it takes to build a small, sustainable civilization with modern comforts."




Modify Website

© 2000 - 2015 powered by
Doteasy Web Hosting