Status Brief

introduction

The status brief describes the up-to-date status of GVCS 50 Projects, Infrastructure Buildout, Worldwide Collaboration, and Organizational aspects of the 2012 Rollout Plan.

Related forum category The Proposal and Development Status forum category can be used for discussions.

GVCS

See latest blog post on project scaling - [1]

1. Power Cube - design complete on Power Cube VI; Power Cube V delivered to Factor e Farm for testing. Last Updated 2/21/12
2. Open Source Automobile - Joe Justice recruited as collaborator - - 2/20/12
3. Gasifier Burner - Design complete - [[Gasifier_Burner_with_Heat_Exchanger_Prototype_I. Build Proposal being prepared by Larry for 2/15/12.
4. CNC Circuit Mill - Prototype 1 complete and jog tested. See [[2]]. Prototype 2 and documentation in progress. Last Updated 2/10/12
5. Sawmill - returning to finish build week of 2/12/12
6. Heat Exchanger - prototype I built - [3] - 2/10/12
7. Backhoe - posted on GrabCAD - [4] - 2/2/12 - 1/25/12
8. Tractor - double chain coupler installed to handle torque of 15,000 Inch Pound Motor. - 1/25/12
9. Steam Engine - Parts shipping for Hadden Engine on 2/15/12
10. CNC Torch Table - build ongoing - 2/10/12, finishing by end of Feb.
11. CEB Press - testing Yoonseo's Generation 3 Electronics controller - test code updated for Arduino Uno - 1/29/12
12. Multimachine - 2 industry standard Mills ($1200) and 1 Surface Grinder ($1800) secured from Detroit for study of Industry Standards. - 1/21/12.
13. Bulldozer - Bulldozer Specification - 1/20/12
14. Universal Power Supply - induction furnace and inverter components specified - 1/19/12
15. Universal Rotor - Quick Attach Wheels being explored as basis for Universal Rotor - - 1/19/12
16. Ironworker - Build started - see [5] - 2/11/12
17. Induction Furnace - James Gibson - power electronics, owner of an induction furnace systems business - is going to produce a 10-50kW base SCR-based induction furnace power supply design; is looking into securing a 20kW furnace for study of industry standards; making an introduction for a visit to another furnace refurbishing company in California. See Induction_Furnace_Power_Electronics_Design_Rationale_and_Specification - 1/21/12
18. Microtractor
19. 3D Printer
20. 3D Scanner
21. Aluminum Extractor
22. Bakery Oven
23. Baler
24. Bioplastic Extruder
25. Cement Mixer
26. Chipper Hammermill
27. Dairy Milker
28. Drill Press
29. Electric Motor Generator
30. Hay Cutter
31. Hay Rake
32. Hydraulic Motor
33. Industrial Robot
34. Laser Cutter
35. Metal Roller
36. Microcombine
37. Nickel-Iron Battery
38. Pelletizer
39. Plasma Cutter
40. Press Forge
41. Rod and Wire Mill
42. Rototiller
43. Seeder
44. Solar Concentrator
45. Spader
46. Trencher
47. Truck
48. Welder
49. Well-Drilling Rig
50. Wind Turbine

Global Collaboration

• Manuael Antonio Aguilar - Guatemala. TED Fellow and builder of a sustainable community in Guatemala. OSE USA developers are planning to help him set up a workshop and produce the tractor/CEB/Sawmill package for natural construction.

• Dan Schellenberg, Texas - currently collaborating on a Master Site Plan for Factor e Farm.

• CoHabitat Group - produced v0.5 of OSE Microhouse, 1/15/12

• Roland Sutton (SCORE Mentor) - Contract Manufacturing of Precision Machined Parts and Assys. Started and ran company for 50 years

Status: not contacted

• Donald O Collier (SCORE Mentor) - Tool and Die Maker White Motor Company Cleveland, Ohio

Status: not contacted

• Fred W Eaves (SCORE Mentor) - 39 years of electronic and electromechanical product design

Status: not contacted

Infrastructure

1. HabLab - Roof complete. Needs: base blocks so walls can start; need to move pallets to site. 1/18/12
2. Open Source FabLab - Windows being finished so structure is airtight. Needs: CEB columns to be finished inside CE1/18/12
3. OSE Microhouse - v0.5 plans from CoHabitat Group available in Civilization Starter Kit DVD online. Discussing construction details with Floyd Hagerman and Factor e Crew this week. Needs: details finished; integration with biogas generation and aquaponics, and closed loop flush toilet blackwater system. Last updated 1/18/12.
4. Tooling Up - acquiring 2 mills, one lathe, surface grinder. 4400 lb battery ordered , 12.5kW of Stackable Inverters have been ordered. Ironworker Machine and CNC Torch Table prototype II forthcoming. Will procure hydraulic hose crimper. 1/20/12

Organizational

1. Recruiting - writing Recruiter specifications and discussing recruiting assistance with Shuttleworth Foundation. Shuttleworth Foundation is currently assisting with recruiting a Technical Recruiter - 1/20/12
2. DPVs - Sterling McIntosh is currently doing a one month DPV from 1/26/2012 to 2/26/2012; Tom Bamford is here until 2/22/2012

Status + Target + Briefs

Feb. 29, 2012

The present status of the organization is reorganization towards scalable, parallel development capacity. We have run into the limits of scaling based on the lack of a well-defined structure. As founding director, I am personally buried with tasks ranging from prototyping, budget approval, communications, reporting, recruiting, design, facility maintenance, fundraising, and others - with little formal support for these tasks. We currently have a full time resource developer, and part-time assistance on recruiting. We are beginning to interview people for executive and developer roles, but after further consideration of scaling issues on a 5 year timescale, a need emerges to define the values -> principles -> practices -> platform. As an open source project, we are committed to radical organizational innovation. I am getting coached on organizational structure and recruiting. I am meeting with Team Wikispeed to move forward on an agile/lean/scrum method of scalable/rapid, open source product development.

Our target is developing a scalable, open source product development methodology. Value is generated from products and services: incubation of startup enterprise, production, and use case demonstration in the form of applying the GVCS to the building of an autochthonous, 200 person community that demonstrates a modern standard of living based wholly on local resources, at 2 hours of labor per day per participant.ion

There are 6 projects being developed currently via remote collaboration, and we will be collaborating with TechShop on prototyping machines.

Our near-term target (5 years) is the next trillion dollar enterprise - via distributive enterprise - or the numerous startups that we help incubate to produce essential goods for their communities. This is intended as a viable production mechanism for fundamental tools of modern technology- such as tractors, cars, circuit makers, bread ovens, renewable energy equipment, fabrication machinery - including the services that come from such tools - such as construction, organic farms, education systems, wind farms, flexible fabrication facilities, etc.

Prospective Team for July 1, 2012

Recruiting 20, full time Project Directors, Project Director, Factor e Farm Documenter, Executive Director, Factor e Farm Director (site planning, agriculture, infrastructures), Production Manager

Prospective Full Time Project Directors

• Khuong Dinh - Open Source Automobile
• Joe Justice - Open Source Truck
• Vann Miller - Solar Concentrator
• Simon Walter-Hansen - Gasifier Burner
• Add your name if interested and send resume to recruiting at opensourceecology dot org