Dia. Mag. Alternator

[jadaro2600]

Interesting work here.

Are those calipers made by Centek or some similar sounding brand available at Harbor Freight?

I has some that looked similar, they were enormously buggy! ..the mechanical variety from the same company is a much better alternative.

[z.monkey]

Are those calipers made by Centek or some similar sounding brand available at Harbor Freight?

Yes, they are from Harbor Freight.  No, not buggy.  I really would rather have a Starrett (American Made) like the fancy ones I have at work.  Likewise with all my tools, mostly Craftsman, I prefer American made tools.  But we need to look at reality here.  I'm trying to invent stuff literally with no budget.  I use scraps and junk when I can, so when I needs a tool and ain't got much bux I goto Harbor Freight.  I am really impressed with these cheap Chinese tools.  Like, for instance, I needed a 1/2" Break Over Bar for workin' on the Truk, $10 @ Harbor Freight, $25 @ Autozone.  That's $15 I can use for beer and cheezeburgerz...

[Sprocket]

Chinese merchandise seems to be following the same path that Japanese stuff did after the war - real crap initially, today their quality is second-to-none.  Today it's in-vogue to poo-poo chinese products, but give it a few short years...

As an aside, recently I almost bought a 220V pure-sine inverter from an eBay advertiser (PowerJack) who makes a big deal on their web-site of rubbishing the Chinese component quality & manufacturing process;

http://cgi.ebay.com/5000W-50A-pure-sine-wave-power-inverter-12v-DC-240v-AC-/300348620278?cmd=ViewItem&pt=AU_Boat_Parts_Accessories&hash=item45ee2c3df6

As I said, I almost took the bait until I accidently googled this scholarly article from an EE who bought one of their inverters, had it blow up on him within hours of plugging it in (on no load!) and was horrified with what he discovered of the superior Taiwanese product, particularly the design itself;

http://www.ludens.cl/Electron/chinverter/chinverter.html

Very interesting read though, and sorry for diverging from the topic being discussed here... 

[jadaro2600]

Yes, they are from Harbor Freight.  No, not buggy.  I really would rather have a Starrett (American Made) like the fancy ones I have at work.  Likewise with all my tools, mostly Craftsman, I prefer American made tools.  But we need to look at reality here.  I'm trying to invent stuff literally with no budget.  I use scraps and junk when I can, so when I needs a tool and ain't got much bux I goto Harbor Freight.  I am really impressed with these cheap Chinese tools.  Like, for instance, I needed a 1/2" Break Over Bar for workin' on the Truk, $10 @ Harbor Freight, $25 @ Autozone.  That's $15 I can use for beer and cheezeburgerz...

Yes, understood.  I've a machining diploma, cnc certificate, etc.  I've used many measuring tools, but currently have no job, I switched my major to something which doesn't kill my injured back.

I take things apart too.  Many things recently, 17 flat-bed scanners for cheap froma thrift store, and salvaged all the nice CCFLs and their driver boards.  Only one bulb was bad. Stainless steel bars from them; plastic gears and belts galore, stepper motors too, and some nice plate glass with sanded edges. Just need to find a place to recycle the 65 pounds of case plastic.

I actually plan to use off of these components for Art, they will make interesting sculptures, etc, the glass may come in handy too if I use it for a canvas. 

[z.monkey]

Sprocket,

Caveat Emptor, Latin for let the buyer beware...  Sad but true...

I've been burned with import electronics as well.  The review that EE gave the inverter was awesome.  Ripped that thing to shreds.  But is goes to show what people try and pass as good stuff...

Jadaro,
I love salvage, and scrap.  A lot of things that I have built come from tech scraps...