The need, interest and skill in learning and understanding the foundation levels in mechanics and motors has diminished in today’s new age of high automation, planned obsolescence and robot production lines.

Even if we could learn about how motors work, the cost to repair motors is now so high, and failures are so seldom, that these older skill sets are put into practice less and less over time, to the point where perhaps our newest generations don’t ever learn these skill sets at all.  We are succumbing to what I call “Automation Amnesia”.  I will discuss more about Automation Amnesia in future posts.

As a lover of simple mechanics,  I appreciate the elegance and simplicity of  how many small things can be assembled to create great machines such as a V12 diesel engine (from 261 pieces) or even a Rolls-Royce Trent 900 (from 34,000 pieces)  for an A380.

My passion and delight in seeing the parts that make up the whole was rekindled by a video that you can reach by clicking here.    In this video, a man builds a V12 motor in his home workshop, assembles it in his kitchen and then runs the remarkable structure to prove his design.

Proof that any one person can achieve greatness through knowledge, training, experience and tenacity, this video delights me with its underlying theme that even complex machines can be reduced to simple components, and that machine operators must know their machine, be in charge of their machine and never fear it.

This video brings back wonderful memories of how my brother Simon pulled apart and rebuilt his Ariel motorcycle (engine included) at the age of thirteen.   He had a great skill and some of his passion rubbed off on me.

I hope you enjoy this video as much as I have.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3YfTtGCsiD8&lr=1