Just curious

[Jason]

Buy a dirtbike you will get used to the loosie goosie feeling in no time. Just the other day I was turning onto my street on my FZ, a bit to fast I'll admit, when I found someone was generous enough to install a patch of gravel center apex. I hit said gravel (wasn't there that morning) and the bike commenced to lowside. Instantly I dropped a leg, kicked off the concrete and kept the bike upright. Whew that was a close one. 

As for intentionally hitting gravel and such, no thanks I'm not big on donating my dermis to the road. That kind of practice belongs offroad where the repercussions aren't as severe and the bike parts are much cheaper.     

[kdtrull]

Buy a dirtbike you will get used to the loosie goosie feeling in no time. Just the other day I was turning onto my street on my FZ, a bit to fast I'll admit, when I found someone was generous enough to install a patch of gravel center apex. I hit said gravel (wasn't there that morning) and the bike commenced to lowside. Instantly I dropped a leg, kicked off the concrete and kept the bike upright. Whew that was a close one. 

As for intentionally hitting gravel and such, no thanks I'm not big on donating my dermis to the road. That kind of practice belongs offroad where the repercussions aren't as severe and the bike parts are much cheaper.   

I do ride "almost" a dirt bike (brace up for another round, it's a XT250).  Except for a Tiger 955i I had for a spell, I've ridden only KLRs(2), XTs(3) and DR(1) since 2000. 

This topic was worth the immediate derailment just for the sinus clensing effect of Dr Pepper....but I didn't see that coming.  And that is the point. 

If I'm at any reasonable speed and there's no one behind me (or coming toward me), I run over all manner of debris in the road...mostly the gravel that accumulates at the end of folks driveways.  I avoid the dead animals 'cause they might pop open and I don't want to lose the powder-fresh scent in my riding britches.  Gravel in curves mostly, because it's all over the county roads I ride most often.  It's a little fun, sometimes a bit spooky.  The idea is to lose a little control and try to recover.  In my mind, it's not all that different than practicing hard braking.

Thank ye' right pireful 'n what-not.

[kdtrull]

I create and modify test procedures for automated process control systems.

A classical problem of control theory is that of controlled outputs which
insufficiently regulate systems (scooter non-crashiness) despite uncertainty in process (stuff) and controller (you/me) parameters.

The Internal Model Principle of Control Systems is not significantly divergent from the
way the human brain processes and reacts to input stimuli....although the brain's sub-processes are immeasurably
more complicated.

In multivariable servomechanisms designed to accommodate parameter uncertainty,
the controller must have special qualitative structural features (developed skills) which may be derived
from linear (normal) and weakly nonlinear (successful negotiation of stuff) systems.
The classical regulator (scooter non-crashiness) problem is posed in the context of linear, time-invariant,
finite dimensional systems with deterministic disturbance (reasonably expected stuff) and reference (experience) signals.

Control "function" is generated by a compensator (aggregate output of previous responses to stuff negotiation) which is required
to provide closed loop stability (more scooter non-crashiness) and output regulation (scooter control) in the face of small variations
in certain system parameters (sneaky road hazards).  It has been demonstrated that such a structurally
stable synthesis must utilize feedback of the regulated variable (responses to nominal riding conditions),
and incorporate in the feedback path a suitably reduplicated model of the dynamic structure of the disturbance (stuff) and reference signals.
The necessity of this control structure constitutes the Internal Model Principle.

It has been demonstrated that the purpose of the Internal Model is to
supply closed loop compensatory measures which cancel the unstable poles of the disturbance
(stuff) signals.

Finally, the Internal Model Principle is extended to weakly nonlinear systems subjected
to step disturbances (bigger stuff) and reference (normal) signals.

TYVM Chitza!!!

[Chitza]

Geez, Ken. How do I fit all that linear and weakly nonlinear system input into my tag line?? You're killin' me!!

[Argh Oh]

Most excellent presentation for controlling stuff.

[Brian A]

Ken,

playing off your post....


My senior design project when I was finishing at U of A was a self-conceived, designed and built automated light tracking system. (keep the bike in the lane and upright)

It used a rotating base with a mechanism mounted to it that allowed for pivoting the detector up and down. (Operator mechanical inputs  steer the bike)

The rotation of the base combined with the pivot of the mechanism mounted to it provided a very wide range of motion. (Operator inputs control where the bike goes over a wide range of possibilities)

The relevant part of it all was I had to design and build the power supplies and the control circuits. (Operator's throttle/braking and mental processing of inputs)

Which meant I had to design, build, test and make work, a control system with adjustable sensitivity to account for light sources of varying intensity and a damping circuit to allow for smooth adjustments and tracking so as to avoid an under damped system that would result in a wildly oscillating tracking system or an over damped system that would not respond at all to lower level inputs. (Develop a reliable system for dealing with varying inputs to provide desired control effect and good motion control)

It all worked. Feedback and the proper processing and application of that feedback meant a smoothly operating system.
(Good processing of inputs and utilization of feedback can provide a stable, reliable control system - the operator)

[kdtrull]

Ken,

playing off your post....


My senior design project when I was finishing at U of A was a self-conceived, designed and built automated light tracking system. (keep the bike in the lane and upright)

It used a rotating base with a mechanism mounted to it that allowed for pivoting the detector up and down. (Operator mechanical inputs  steer the bike)

The rotation of the base combined with the pivot of the mechanism mounted to it provided a very wide range of motion. (Operator inputs control where the bike goes over a wide range of possibilities)

The relevant part of it all was I had to design and build the power supplies and the control circuits. (Operator's throttle/braking and mental processing of inputs)

Which meant I had to design, build, test and make work, a control system with adjustable sensitivity to account for light sources of varying intensity and a damping circuit to allow for smooth adjustments and tracking so as to avoid an under damped system that would result in a wildly oscillating tracking system or an over damped system that would not respond at all to lower level inputs. (Develop a reliable system for dealing with varying inputs to provide desired control effect and good motion control)

It all worked. Feedback and the proper processing and application of that feedback meant a smoothly operating system.
(Good processing of inputs and utilization of feedback can provide a stable, reliable control system - the operator)

Word to PID (Porportional Band, Integral, and Derivative), bro!!!  Quater wave damping and what-not 'n stuff.

[Ryanbroome]

Still just blocks and busses to me!

[KrisCook]

Annndddd... crashiness has now entered my official lexicon.  I suspected I was surrounded by geniuses (geniuii?)  and my suspicions were right. 
 

[Yankee Dog]

I think we just have to accept that Ken is a wild man and leave it at that.

[kdtrull]

I think we just have to accept that Ken is a wild man and leave it at that.

Aww....don't say it like that.  Just pull folks off to the side and whisper "Ken's Mama dranked a whole bunch while he was still get'n ready to get born."