23x10 - Electric Vehicle Charging Stations, Grappa, Lunar Rover Replicas

[bunniefuu]

Narrator: Today on
"How It's Made"...

Cars powered by electricity

were being developed
as early as the 1820s.

In recent years,

legislative initiatives
improved batteries,

and accessible methods
of recharging

have made electric
vehicles more popular.

Charging stations provide
electricity to customers

with electric vehicles.

It's simply a matter of
swiping an access card

across the reader,

verifying the
customer's account,

and then plugging the
charging station connector

into the vehicle.

The charging station

provides electricity to the
charger in the vehicle.

It can take one to six hours
before it's fully recharged.

The blinking light stops,

charging is under way.

A laser cutter

automatically slices through
oxidized aluminum sheets.

In a matter of minutes,

the pre programmed
cuts are complete.

A worker carefully removes
the cut pieces of aluminum.

Unused pieces will be recycled.

Another worker bends the
aluminum on a bending post.

He places the aluminum piece
in a bending machine.

Then, he positions
the bent piece

in a pre programmed
robotic welding machine.

It automatically and quickly

welds the pieces of
aluminum together.

The worker polishes the welded
joints using a soft cloth

to make certain they're
smooth to the touch.

Polishing away rough edges
makes the finished face plate

safe for use by customers.

A worker assembles the
painted face plate

and the head of the
charging station.

He screws the face
plate to the head

and attaches the user
interface protection,

which is made of tempered glass.

He places a flexible strip
of light emitting diodes

around the perimeter
of the light diffuser.

Different colored lights
tell the customer

whether the station
is available

and whether vehicle
charging is under way.

He then places the protector
cap containing the light strip

and the antenna on the head
of the charging station.

Next, he connects the various
components housed in the head

of the charging station.

These include circuit boards,
the antenna connection,

digital display,
and card reader.

He inserts the control
circuit board,

which has the central
processing unit,

the antenna interface,

digital display, and card
reader on the other side.

He uses a flat cable to connect
the 40 small connectors

of the control printed
circuit board

to the power printed
circuit board.

He inserts it into the head
of the charging station,

on top of the control printed
circuit board.

He finishes attaching
the quick connecters.

A worker seals the edges of
the charging station head

with rubber stripping

to protect the components inside
from the elements outside.

He positions the
aluminum back plate

on the charging station head,

and once that's in place,

he attaches the
charging cable assembly

to the connector module.

The worker slips the
charging cable wires

into the frame of the
connector module

and securely tightens them.

Then, he positions the
connector module door

against the frame that
holds it in place.

He attaches them
securely to each other,

using quick connect connecters,

he attaches part of the plug
that links the charging station

to the vehicle.

To make sure everything
is working properly,

the worker tests the door sensor
and the door locking system.

His test confirms the
sensor is functioning,

and the door locks correctly.

He now attaches the
connector module

to the head of the
charging station.

Then, he places the head
of the charging station

onto its pedestal base.

Whether it's being removed
or attached to a vehicle,

one safety feature is that the
connector is never energized

when being handled
by a customer.

Once the charge is complete,
the vehicle is ready to roll.

Narrator: Grappa is
an Italian Brandy,

traditionally an
after dinner drink.

It's made from pomace,

what's left of grapes

after they've been
pressed to make wine.

Distilleries ferment the pomace

to convert the
sugars into alcohol,

then distill it to transform the
alcohol and other compounds

into grappa.

Traditional grappa is colorless.

It can also be aged
in wooden barrels

to produce different varieties,

with a specific color,
taste, and aroma.

You can't make grappa without
someone first making wine,

because wine making leftovers
are the sole ingredient.

In Italy, the wine harvest

begins in late summer
or early fall,

depending on the weather
and region of the country.

The harvested grapes go directly
from the vineyard to the winery.

There, the first machine
pulls them off the stocks,

which are later composted
into fertilizer

for farms and nurseries.

The destocked grapes enter
a cylindrical press.

They're crushed
against the walls

with an airbag like device

to extract the juice and
pulp for making wine.

What's left behind in the press,

once the juice and
pulp drain out,

are the skins, seeds, some
residual juice, and pulp.

This is called pomace.

The winery sells
it to distilleries

that produce grappa.

This small artisanal distillery
produces premium quality grappa

by using only pomace from grapes
pressed that very same day.

The pomace goes into temperature
controlled fermentation tanks

as soon as it arrives.

Large industrial distilleries
operate differently,

typically warehousing
pomace prior to processing,

sometimes for months.

This delay produces high levels
of potentially toxic methanol,

which the distillery
then has to remove

using an additional procedure.

The distillers monitor ph and
alcohol levels to determine

when the conversion of sugars
to alcohol is complete.

The process takes from
three days to a week,

depending on the variety

of grape and other factors, such
as the outdoor temperature.

When the pomace is ready,

they transfer it to
wood clad copper stills.

They heat the stills with steam,

bringing the pomace
to the boiling point,

which transforms the alcohol and
other compounds into steam.

This alcohol steam inside
the still rises to the top

and exits through a side hole.

It travels through copper
pipes and other equipment,

ultimately to a
condensation system,

which cools the steam
back to liquid.

This liquid is grappa.

As it exits distillation,

the master distiller
meticulously

monitors the temperature
and alcohol level.

She discards the initial
and final flows,

capturing only the
perfectly pure mid flow,

referred to as the
heart of the grappa.

Its alcohol level at this
point is 70% to 77%.

Certain varieties now
go to the cellar,

into small wooden
barrels to age.

Over time, both the grappa

and the wooden barrels
exchange compounds,

which influence taste,
aroma, and color.

For example, a barrel made
of cherry wood will produce

different characteristics
than one made of oak.

The distilleries' experts

analyze and taste samples
following distillation

and throughout the aging period.

Depending on the variety,

this can range from just one
year to more than 20 years.

Whether the grappa is aged
or not, prior to bottling,

they filter and dilute it
with the mineralized water.

This lowers the alcohol content

from an average of 77%
after distillation

to the target level
of 41% to 50%.

They seal the bottles

with stoppers made of
food safe synthetic materials

rather than traditional corks.

Natural cork contains
certain organic compounds,

which can alter the flavor,
aroma, and color of the grappa.

They seal the stopper
with shrink wrap plastic.

An unbroken seal
assures the buyer

that the bottle has not
been previously opened.

Then the bottles pass
through a labeling station.

The grappa is ready to be
poured as an after dinner drink

or enjoyed on its own.

As the Italians say, "salut!"

Narrator: On July 26, 1971,

the Apollo 15 space module
touched down on the moon,

and astronauts emerged
with a new vehicle,

the lunar rover.

They took it for a test drive.

It handled well on the
rough surface of the moon,

so they could venture further
from the landing sight

and really explore.

The lunar rover was no
ordinary four wheeler.

Millions of dollars of research

went into this
one horsepower wonder,

which became known
as the moon buggy.

Today, craftsmen build
replicas for space museums

and to use as movie props.

The team starts with a
substantial suspension system,

designed to smooth the ride
over the moon's rocky terrain.

They then install a steering
plate at the front.

They attach actuators,

which are mechanisms
that assist in steering.

They connect the actuator drive
bars to the steering plate.

Together, the steering plate

and actuators give
the lunar rover

an incredibly tight turning
radius of 10 feet.

They screw support
brackets for the actuators

to the corners of the chassis.

They then connect the
actuators to them.

They use steel and
aluminum bolts and parts.

However, on the
original moon buggy,

many parts were
made of titanium,

because it lightened the
load carried into space.

Titanium is expensive and
unnecessary for this replica.

The fenders are next.

They are extra large
to protect astronauts

from lunar dust kicked
up by the rover.

They insert a locking
mechanism in a slit

at the end of the drive shaft

and slide the wheel
hub onto the shaft.

They turn the hub to
lock it in place.

They're now ready
for the wheels.

In the atmospheric
vacuum of the moon,

air filled rubber tires
were out of the question,

so the original rover
had wire mesh tires.

To mimic the look,

they've wrapped a wire
lattice around rubber tires.

The team secures the
wheel to the hub

with a plastic and aluminum cap

that's equipped
with locking pins.

They give it a spin and install
the other three wheels.

Next, a technician assembles
the instrument panel.

He inserts various switches and
gauges into their slots...

...including this
system reset switch.

It's used to bring the
displays back to zero

prior to an expedition.

He closes a two piece collar
around the bottom of the switch.

He locks it in place
with a top cap.

He then flips the panel around

and tightens the nut on the
back part of the switch.

With the system reset
switch now attached,

the instrument
panel is complete.

He places it in the housing.

He installs metal bars
around the switches

to keep them from being
accidentally tripped.

He assembles the
steering handle,

which is a t shaped joystick,
next to the instrument panel.

They now transfer the steering
and instrument panel assembly

to the vehicle.

They fasten the
actuator switches

to the steering housing,

and then clip the wiring harness
to the floor of the lunar rover.

They cover the
bottom of the rover

with flame resistant material.

They lower the electrical
control panel and battery

into the chassis
and connect them.

The original rover had
two small batteries,

but the mechanics of this
replica have had an update.

Stay tuned for more,

as this lunar rover replication
mission continues.

Narrator: The
original lunar rover

weighed just 460 pounds,

or 77 pounds in moon weight.

It could carry a load
of over twice that.

At minimal gravity and
an atmospheric vacuum,

it was the only way to travel
on the surface of the moon

in 1971.

The production of this
lunar rover replica

continues with the
fabrication of a brake disk.

The technician carefully
measures the dimensions

and draws them onto a sheet
of plastic covered aluminum.

He drills a large hole

for the main drive shaft
and four screw holes.

He then cuts out the disk,

following the penciled lines.

He smoothes the rough edges using
a fine grit abrasive belt.

He sands off the plastic liner,

and abrades the aluminum
surface to a satiny sheen.

The brake disk is now ready for
assembly to the lunar rover.

He attaches it to the
main drive shaft,

and lowers the assembly
into the vehicle.

He bolts the disk
to the chassis,

where it will serve
as a friction surface

for the brake pads.

He installs those next.

He connects it to a
spring mechanism

for engaging the disk brake.

He tests the drive
shaft and disk brake

and confirms that they're
both in working order.

He loops the roller chain
around the sprocket gear

for the rear wheel drive,

and the teeth intermesh.

He drives pins through the links

to join the ends,
closing the loop.

This drive chain is powered
by an electric motor.

It's another mechanical
modification.

On the original rover,

there was a small
motor for every wheel

and no drive chain.

The lawn chair like
seats are next.

They cover the shocks and
battery at the front

with an aluminum hood.

They also install a cover over
the mechanics at the back.

It doubles as a rack for
geological excavation tools.

They attach the umbrella
antenna to the rover.

It was used to beam
pictures and data to earth.

Next, an aluminum cylinder
spins in a lathe,

as cutting tools transform
it into a camera mount.

They also create a bracket for
a communications antenna.

It's quite a transformation.

Using the bracket,

a member of the crew now erects
the communications antenna.

He then installs the mount
for the film camera.

Next, using a sheer press,

he lops off a piece
of an aluminum sheet.

He switches to a hand tool

and cuts out a geometric
shape with flaps.

He folds up the flaps
using a brake press,

creating a box to cover
the main battery.

After the seams
have been welded,

he wraps the cover in mylar,
which is a strong plastic film.

The wrap is an extra
layer of protection

against wind borne particles,
known as mircrometeoroids.

They also wrap the camera

and other parts of the
rover with mylar.

This replica of the
Apollo lunar rover

is complete and
ready for display.

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