Midwinter calling, day 17

Magnetically speaking

I'm so pleased with how well the mansion turned out and how comfortable it is, as we have classic unpleasant Scandinavian November weather; cold, windy and mostly raining and just a handful degree above freezing. It does, however, justify staying indoors and continue working with radios which takes a lot of time, but then again, I also mix that work with my tests for the thermometer tubes, tempering and annealing of glass, as well as improving the lathe and other things.

Bodil is definitely the one who has used the scroll saw the most since it was built, and she makes sure to keep the blades sharp. I don't mind Bodil using it to improve the miniature tabletop terrain by making simple walls, towers and buildings, and the Viking longship she made is so damn cute. Ciara even embroidered an Academy logo on the small sail. Still, Bodil is mainly making headphones for radios and parts for speaker elements. If I don't solve the speaker shortage, the radios will only have sound in one ear which isn't ideal, and will limit the amount of radios I can make. The only ready made speakers is to split the speaker elements from Tom's headphones for two single headsets to two radios, although we will still add the other earmuff just to isolate the ambient sound, and make it easier to hear the signal. I really preferred stereo sound as that is just easier for the brain to interpret, and two speakers in series raise the impedance of the headphones. But, right now at this point, the amount of headphones is more important.

I need to solve the speaker shortage, so Bodil has helped me prepare to manufacture speaker elements in three sizes by making wooden forms for diaphragms for a small 3cm, a middle 7cm, and a large 15cm speaker cones, plus the speaker frame itself, which will have contacts to solder the wires from the speaker coil. It's very handy that brass is not magnetic, so brass screws work fine to screw it all together. The wooden form is used to form a paper cone with rippling waves outside to attach the cone to the speaker frame, so that the finished speaker's paper cone can easily move, while the actual cone and roll for the coil have more paper layers to be stiffer, and keep the cone in place in for the magnet. The center hole will be sealed with a small paper roundel. The forms have been painted and will have a waterproof surface. By soaking paper, I can use the mold to get the paper cone shape pretty good, and papier-mâché solves the rest, making it stiffer and more durable. Obviously the larger models will have more paper and be stronger. I have quite a lot of plastic bags and slightly stiffer plastic folders and so on, so I will also try to build plastic film diaphragms. I assume that they will be more sensitive and better than paper for small headphone speakers, but unless voice is used, even and high frequency response is quite unnecessary as the 'Norse' signals will have a much lower tone. Unless I need it, I prefer to go with durability and 100% Alfheimr made is more important. The speaker coil is easy to create by winding fine wire around a shaft, but the thinner the wire, the higher the impedance, and for the finest best headphones I will use precious Litz wire.

Another limit in how good the speaker will be is the permanent magnet. It will be a magnetized iron ring outside the coil and an iron rod inside the center, since that is about as good as I can do. Making permanent magnets stronger and limitations in magnet strength is something I will just have to live with. During my lifetime here I will only have bad magnets made of magnetized iron, followed by more powerful electromagnets when it can be used, but that's what humanity had to use for a large part of history. Neodymium is a fairly recent invention. In my shelf back home I actually have a damn book about magnets and their history, but I simply don't remember any relevant information from it. And magnets are needed for so much of what I want to do, and especially on a smaller scale or where an electromagnets power consumption is problematic. Permanent magnets are needed for speakers, microphones, small electric motors, relays, some sensors and so on, and a good magnet just makes some things better. Except battery technology, there is a reason why electric motors have seen a revolution the past 20 years, and why electric drones, vehicles and such have far better performance or is simply possible. The difference between a modern cordless brushless drill and one made just 20 years ago is huge.

I have those four little neodymium magnets from the magnetic locking on Tom's bluetooth headset, and when I was careless with one of my rectangular neodymium magnets I can use in my magnetic ring, one split in two. The magnet has a countersunk hole for a screw in the middle, so it broke in two when I accidentally put pressure on it. After the first thoughts of 'nooo' and 'shit', I realised that the strong magnet is now two strong square magnets. Since I have so few neodymium magnets, they are far more important to use for the best measuring instruments, where a weak current in the coil produces a larger effect, without the permanent magnet needing to be too large and heavy. If the radio headphones is slightly heavy, that is not a huge issue.

Once I start making speaker elements, Bodil will start making a new larger speaker box that will use a 15cm bass-midrange and 7cm midrange-treble. I want to build a new stand alone speaker with better bass and treble as well as having bluetooth so I can produce louder sounds and it will be better for playing music. Honestly, I know I will have to make a decision about electrical component usage, as stereo sound would be nice, and more stand alone speaker with amplifiers will also make electrical music possible. I know Iselin would like that a lot, and it's hard to not prioritize making Iselin happy.

Audio range sounds is low enough in frequency that a Mag Amp, a magnetic amplifier, might be possible. At least for a separate bass system, but hopefully for 2-4kHz voice range, which would be useful in possible telephone systems as well unless the distortion is bad. Magnetic amplifiers are clever old school tech and very reliable since they use a transformers saturation point. They have been used for more than 100 years, and to some extent are still used where their advantages in operational reliability, mechanical and environmental tollerances and that they basically don't age, are worth the disadvantages. Disadvantages like the power consumption, weight, low amplification and a high volt+current oscillator that feeds at about 10 times higher than the frequency of the signal the Mag Amp must amplify, unless they are used as a 'simple' control in industry, welders or for something like stage lightning. A simple relay oscillator doesn't work at the frequencies needed for speech. But hopefully in the future, some other form of powerful Alfheimr made oscillator in 30-40kHz range can be made.

My tests with the glass tubes and mercury have given good data, and each glass tube has a piece of paper tied to it with this data written down. I have several I should be able to use but even the best get a fairly large mercury bubble at the end. The problem is I can't make the bubble exactly as big as I want, but can only make it roughly what I need and I will then measure and adjust the scale. I still have to get the right amount of mercury into the bubble, and the only way I can think of is vacuum and let the thermometer suck up really hot mercury, turn it right with the bubble down and cool the mercury down so it collects down in the bubble. Should some mercury remain in the glass tube, that is just the way it have to be. It's good that I do this project now as I will need the winter cold to calibrate and so on. Heating stuff is easy. Cooling them down? Not so easy. I will probably need that cooling effect that saltpeter can do, and I don't expect the winter to get really cold. Maybe I can mark -5 Celsius or so, but with a calculated scale further down.

I should be able to shape the bubble on the glass tube by heating the end until it melts and then when the glass is malleable, gently blow on the other end so it is forced out. I want to avoid round bubbles, so I will try to use a two-part clamp mold I heated up and then inflate the tube in the mold and thus get some control of its internal volume, by measuring the length.

Building a good enough vacuum pump will be frustrating as I don't know how low pressure I need, but I can make a primitive vacuum pump that uses falling mercury to pull air bubbles out as it falls, and I can build it out of glass parts, brass and seal with Faraday wax. If it doesn't work, it might be enough to heat the tube and the air in the bubble to maybe 340C and let the cooling and thus the volume change of the air pull up the mercury. I'll just have to try and see. Both to make the bubbles, vacuum, etc. Regardless of the method, it will hardly be perfect, but it should be usable.

Since the afternoon actually have nice weather with a bit of sun, I join Kari and Ciara for a long ride with a picknick, and we can use it to inspect work. We ride over to the other island and the harbor bridge is an absolutely wonderful idea. So nice to not to feel as trapped any more on the small island, and it is so much easier to pop over for a visit, and will do much to make the islands feel as the same community. I still dislike the feeling of being the Lord coming to inspect the peasants work, and I want to be approachable, so I make sure to step off the horse and take a real look. Nobody likes the boss checking in on them, so I try to make them feel appreciated. The farm for Iselin's parents is finished on the outside and the barn is getting there, but man, does it feel strange to that my mother-in-law and father-in-law will live here. I'm actually getting married. And not with either of the two lovely young women accompanying me on this visit. Our guards ignored. Sometimes it just hits me how strange my life have become.

We make a loop south and then east before heading back towards the harbor bridge. I can't stop thinking about the fact that I'm actually living in a viking slash medieval world and this is my furstdom, and travelling around like this will be a part of my life. I guess today is just one of those day. Working with something high tech in my mansions workshop while listening to music doesn't really feel medieval.

I didn't think of the aquascope I had the crew make as an 'invention', but to the people here it is, and it has led to several more being made, and as I see a couple of the local children take turns to look through one from a faering, it is just a nice feeling. Seriously, it is just a water proof housing with a glass plate and a couple of handles, and cheap to make. To me, being able to look under a waters surface is nothing special, but to many it is. I know there have been a small queue when they have been up at the little jetty on the lake and on the jetty by the bath house's. I should try to make a good diving mask and snorkel.

The road over Small Ackerek have been stone paved to the village, and the workers have started to building the road over to the bridges and ferry to Orusingen. That road doesn't have to be stone all the way, but it will be in eventually, and honestly I think it won't be long before the ferry will be replaced with a wooden bridge like between the islands, and probably with a bascule portion.

A problem is that the village has no name other than 'the village', and Jane is starting to get 'creative' but so far has only come up with bad suggestions, which is both luckily and unluckily. I'm a little worried that Jane will persuade my sambos to name it something that annoys me, which will spread to the public, and then de facto become what the village is called. Maybe have a form of naming competition for suggestions? Although that might end up with a Boaty McBoatface name that gets stuck.

The village residential building project is progressing well, and it's pleasing to see how impressed Pedr and the craftsmen are with the concept and the luxury the apartments will have, but there is a lot left to do, and especially to build the central water and sewer system and get it connected and all problems with that resolved, and I don't expect it those systems working before spring. There will be a lot of work to upgrade to better pipes once there is a proper production of pipe sections. Sure, it's fairly cheap to do everything, but it takes time, and that is also a resource when the days are getting shorter and winter is approaching.

The work on the forge etc is also seeing progress, but it is not optimal that the forge, sawmill, and so on will be located right here in the middle of the village and below the nice apartment complexes, but that is where the hydropower is, and many will work there. Jane has been amused that 'those that know' seem to believe this is nice high-tech manufacturing and something to be proud of that it is right here in the middle, but Jane agrees that it doesn't visually fit in the middle of the village. It is at least somewhat fitting that it will not only be a forge and sawmill, but also a machine shop and carpentry. The north side of the creek will be metalworking and the south will be for woodworking. It also feels like a good idea to break up hot work and metal shavings with woodwork and sawdust. With water in between and easy accessible.

I've made Pedr and Carpenter Engdrid swear to keep details secret, but in order for them to really understand the line shaft system that the machine shop and carpentry are going to get, I took them into my workshop and showed them my system with its steam engine. It helped them understand what it is they are building with the water wheels, and problems that can arise, and solutions. Just seeing the scroll saw impressed them, and of course there are wild rumours about what I do in my workshop. Both really want to see the finished sawmill, not least for the enormous amount of work it can save. When I designed the mansion, I didn't consider that of course all the planks had to be sawn or split by hand, and Pedr had a lot of workers just making all the planks. I look forward to it all being built, and should have paid to have more workers here during summer when the weather was better and the days were longer. But I really didn't think about time and what building everything by hand really meant. Or how much I needed to have built.

We'll need the space and sleeping places during the wedding, but until the wedding we can let some temporarily move into the craftsman's house or the apartments in the residential buildings. During the wedding week Olafr and Digraldi will share a craft house, Liv and Myrun get an apartment with their servants and guards. It will give them get some privacy too, alternatively switch and let the King's entourage have the apartments. It would be nice to not have the royal couple or any other guest living with us all the time, even if Asbjörn is nice to talk to. Danr and Hagan can use the little extra farm house by the barns if there isn't enough apartments available, but it feels wrong to house Maurr there, and I hope there is enough apartments ready. Unn and Asta already live on the island so they are no problem. Sure, I can probably persuade Unn to let Liv live there, but it feels wrong. Iselin will hopefully have her parents, but they will have their own farm just a couple of kilometers away and not be an issue.

As our trip ends and we return to the mansion, Jane and Caecilia take their own riding trip and Jane is a bit miffed we didn't ask her to come along. Since they're out of the house, I take the opportunity to do a lot of work in the secret cellar, including improving the LED lighting.

The weather is still fine and the wind calm, so Kari and the others have suggested taking the opportunity to inaugurate the bath house and the hot tub, which is a good idea. Sauna Friday have become a tradition, and sometimes more than once a week, and we still do short 'winter baths' every two weeks.

The sauna works well. My black swim shorts work fine, and they let me keep them on, while Kari and Ciara are naked under their small towels. Jane started with panties and a bra, but once she got some wine in her body and Kari pointed out that we could see everything through them, Jane took them off to tease me. I went for a swim when she started to stretch. The bath house jetty works fine, and the small ladder is good for climbing back onto the jetty.

After a couple of turns in the sauna with cold water dips, we move over to the hot tub when the hot tub water has gotten hot enough. A nice evening with nice company while drinking cider or wine isn't wrong, but the air is cold so it's nice that the water in the hot tub is deep enough that only our heads can be kept above the water. Well, their heads. I'm taller, but still not an issue.

Caecilia have served well as our personal maid and along with Elvira tended to the fires and fetched drinks and dried towels, so when I whisperingly ask Kari and Ciara if Caecilia can join us, and they invite her, Caecilia is awfully quick to take her clothes off and join us. It gives me a small win against Jane, who has a bit of an inferiority complex about Caecilia but also Ciara's bodies, and now she gets to sit and watch them.

Or the look she gives me is because she have taken this as me bragging about the women I have sex with.

Shit.

Even with just me and four naked women in the hot tub, it was just a nice evening and nothing happened there, so Kari have convinced me that we should practice for future 'B-room' activities before we go to sleep. B-room, which can be mistaken for 'bedroom', is what we have started to call her dungeon. Our dungeon. Another thing I never thought I would be involved in.