Category: Engineering and Technology

Engineering and technology topics.

Rotel Repair

Back in the mists of time (1997) when compact discs ruled and I had access to second-hand CD shops I blew a portion of my student loan on a cheap(ish) Rotel stereo amplifier, Technics CD player and KEF Coda 9 floor standing speakers (the KEFs were particularly spectacular with built-in rear-ported passive subs).

My first hi-fi, student days.
My first hi-fi, student days.

A few years ago, after importing it to Botswana (thanks, Mum), the amplifier started giving me gyp and it got consigned to a cupboard, then I felt the need for noise again and decided to try and fix it. Continue reading “Rotel Repair”

Domestic Rain Water Harvesting – Botswana

With water shortages being in the news for the last few years the question of “Why can’t we catch this water and use it?” pops up on Botswana Twitter.

One of the popular solutions, and frequently implemented on government staff houses in rural areas, is to put gutters on houses and direct the collected rainwater into plastic water tanks.  Seems like a great idea, but how do the numbers add up?

I did a few calculations using data from our weather station for the 2014-2015 period and it is interesting, with different answers depending on circumstances (no surprise there, then). Continue reading “Domestic Rain Water Harvesting – Botswana”

Francistown’s Spaghetti Road

For anybody looking for plans and renderings of Francistown’s new Spaghetti Road – currently under construction and causing all manner of traffic chaos.

Francistown Spaghetti Junction - 3D Render
Francistown Spaghetti Junction – 3D Render
Francistown Spaghetti Junction - Plan
Francistown Spaghetti Junction – Plan

Continue reading “Francistown’s Spaghetti Road”

Trucking Botswana

Botswana is on one of the main transit routes from the coast (Durban, Walvis Bay) and the South African industrial hub (Johannesburg) so we get lots of interesting stuff passing through for domestic consumption and in transit to the north (Zambia, Democratic Republic of Congo, even Tanzania).

Here are some terribly exciting pictures of big things (and a few normal sized trucks) seen on the roads of Botswana:

Transformers

Transformer stuck on the A1 outside Francistown.
Transformer stuck on the A1 outside Francistown.

Continue reading “Trucking Botswana”