OCTOBER 2017

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FROM THE EDITOR

THE ACT OF CREATION

THATS QUITE AMBITIOUS, a colleague muttered the new mobility. A month later,
as he sidled past while I was admiring the proof of this I return to Japan for the first
months cover, emblazoned with How to make any- time in a while, to the Tokyo
thing. Motor Show, where once again
Its what we do, I shot back. the emphasis is not just on cars,
Hyperbole aside, members of the Popular Mechanics but on how the streetscapes of
family are well acquainted with the act of creation. Even tomorrow will look.
when were breaking stuff, its with the aim of finding Best of all, our line-up for
out how its made (example: Things come apart, page year-end includes how to make
26) and, when we turn our hands to hobbies, we tend an ice cream maker (and how to
to make things more complicated than they need to make ice cream). Now thats the
be, just because we can (see Letters, page 7). kind of creation we really like.
To tap into that can-do approach, this month weve
bumped up the usual page allocation to include more
DIY. Some of it of the more traditional kind and some
is a little more uh unconventional. What I mean is
this: to many of us, DIY is all about tools and building anthony@ramsaymedia.co.za
stuff, but often these days its about dealing with things
m!
you cant even see: making Wi-Fi networks work better Make ice crea
and creating ways for smart tech to communicate, for
instance. Thats why, in among the cordless drills, weve
included a guide to the hassle-free home network. Try
it its easier than you think.
Speaking of tech, in this issue we take our first ten-
tative steps towards occasional coverage of a hitherto
little explored area: home appliances. And no, I dont
mean making a dishwasher. (Although this may yet
come; were debating whether to repair or replace, after
a heating element failure in the familys dishwasher.)
The Grudge report comes as a direct result of our recent
survey, which identified areas of particular interest to
our readers. In the first instalment, we go hands-on
with a washing machine thats packed with cutting-
edge tech that demands it be taken very seriously
indeed. If you dont believe me, youll have only
yourself to blame when your whites turn out grey
and your colours are terminally dull.
Looking ahead, weve got some meaty content
scheduled for the run-in towards summer. As the days
get sunnier and longer, in November and December
we will be taking an in-depth look at South Africas
favourite outdoor cooking lifestyle and accessories,
tell you everything you ever wanted to know about
mountain bikes and get up close and personal with a
local builder of bespoke wooden surfboards.
On a more tech-oriented note, Lindsey Schutters
will be visiting Germany to immerse himself in the
details of a new SUV at more or less the same time
I will be returning from the Frankfurt Motor Show,
hopefully with insights into the connected world of

COMPETITION WINNERS Details online at www.popularmechanics.co.za

OCTOBER 2017 _ www.popularmechanics.co.za 1

CONTENTS OCTOBER 2017 I VOL 16, NO 3 I
I BE THE FIRST TO KNOW

HOW YOUR WORLD WORKS FEATURES

10 Underwater power tools 26 Things come apart
Water and electricity can mix Disassembling a dirt bike
Solar-powered drone 35 DIY Special (cover)
Will it fly? How to make anything
Boosting Li-ions 56 Total Recall (Pt 2)
Does silicon hold the key? Fords Kuga, revisited
Bee tech 70 How to make plutonium
Honey, i fexed the cable The stuff of war and peace
Easy rider 74 How to stop the wind
High-tech bike saddle Building a house stronger than a tornado
Tech industry, meet Donald 80 The two ways to cook meat
What US industry leaders think of their Testing tasty techniques
new(ish) president 86 The Grudge Report
Lessons from an assassin Washday blues? Heres the answer
How a pro would do it 90 The new lawn
I stink at email Drought-busting alternatives
Communicating better 92 Toy review: Lego Boost 28
The inflatable man
Saving bikers with airbag jackets DRIVING
Me and my tech 58 Launches: Audi Q5, Renault Captur,
Jason Goliath on his must-have gadgets Honda CR-V
TVs that hang like paintings Split decision: coil vs leaf spring
Tech updates The art and pitfalls of the smart SUV
Flights of fancy Drives: Toyota Fortuner, Range Rover
Going to drone school Evoque convertible
Your own monster truck
TESTED
32 Foscam smart security camera MONTHLY
1 From the editor
6 Letters
8 Time machine
9 Calendar
25 Ask Roy
32 28 Great New Stuff
104 Do it your way

10 22

2 www.popularmechanics.co.za _ OCTOBER 2017

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Cover caption: Our October issue comes packed with 18 DIY

pages. Learn how to make anything from a paper plane to a
bike light, discover the cordless tools to use for your DIY projects
and separate fiction from fact when it comes to smart homes.
Above: The Tentalux is an interactive chandelier. Find out how it
was made in our DIY special.

86 92 70

OCTOBER 2017 _ www.popularmechanics.co.za 3

SUBSCRIBE NOW BE THE FIRST TO KNOW

EDITOR: Anthony Doman GROUP PUBLISHER: Neil Piper

EDITORial
Senior associate editor Lindsey Schutters
Journalist Lumka Nofemele
Digital content manager Nikky Knijf
Proofreader Margy Beves-Gibson

CREATIVE AND PRODUCTION

Production manager Judy Romon
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TESTED: SMART HOME SECURITY CAMERAS
18
OCTOBER 2017

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SPECIAL WE TAKE APART Patrick Kennedy, Lindi van den
> A CLEAN, WELL-LIT WORKSHOP A DIRT BIKE ! Heever.
> COMPLETELY CORDLESS ARSENAL 1 302 pieces Coastal Ingrid Versfeld
> HASSLE-FREE HOME NETWORK Advertising sales co-ordinator Linda Delport
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UDGE RE
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HOW YOUR WORLD WORKS PAGE 32

UNDERWATER POWER TOOLS? DRONES FOR
SCHOOLKIDS TVs THAT HANG LIKE PAINTINGS

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communicate with you via email or SMS.
 GTB69808
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L ETTER S
WINNING LETTER
WATER CONSERVATION: HELP OR HAZARD?
Thanks for a fabulous magazine
that truly raises the bar with every issue,
bringing its readers the best and most
relevant content, ensuring we always
stay interested.
I am writing after reading From The
Editor (July 2017) regarding the terrible
drought you are having in the south.
Its refreshing to read of all the things
people and households do and attempt
to do in order to alleviate the stress
on an already strained water system.
Ever since primary school, all my
science teachers would repeat the same
environmentally conscious rhetoric of
reusing, reducing and recycling. The use
of grey water in veg gardens, buckets
in the showers, bricks/soda bottles in
the toilet cistern and such were always
explained to us as ways in which we
could help conserve water.
More and more I am seeing advertised
grey water systems, rainwater capture
systems and the like, which will make
the whole act of conserving water as
easy as spending a couple of thousand
rand. I do try not to be cynical in life,
but I have always wondered about the
actual benefit that these products and
practices bring to the table. Apart from
actually using less,how much do these
systems actually help? From a purely
financial point of view it will surely
take a while (if ever) for them to pay for
themselves. But from an environmental/
conservation point of view, I am not so
sure any more.
By reusing grey water, we capture
THE CHANGING FACE OF WARFARE
North Korea: How big a threat? (August
2017) warrants a response. Should the
north ever use nuclear weapons,against
the south, it is almost certain that the
USA will retaliate with nuclear weapons,
obliterating North Korea from the face of
this planet.
The looming clash between North Korea
and the USA has the potential to escalate
into a geo-strategic clash with China and
could result in a nuclear clash, a possibility
6 www.popularmechanics.co.za _ OCTOBER 2017
WRITE TO US, ENGAGE IN DEBATE
WHATS ON YOUR MIND?
water before it goes to the sewer system
and to the wastewater treatment plant.
What actually happens to water being
treated there? Does it re-enter the clean
water system, or is the treated water
returned to the areas main water supply
such as the Vaal Dam (for us) or similar?
In such a case I would argue that we are
actually doing the opposite of saving,
because watering a garden (regardless
of where the water comes from) actively
removes water from the potable store.
When it comes to capturing rain from
gutters, I wonder similar things. We are
removing water that would otherwise
either end up in the garden by itself or
end up in the drain system of the city.
Are we not denying some other system
downstream its water by using it for
ourselves?
It needs to be emphasised that I do
not question the effectiveness of plainly
using less water. Showers over baths,
quicker showers or even military showers
in the extreme all have markedly big
differences. However, it feels to me like
many people are adopting a fad without
really understanding the effect and/or
the effectiveness.
I would like to one day open up a
similar debate on the use of geyser
blankets. My opinion is that a geyser
that needs a blanket is severely faulty
and a simple blanket will not help. But
thats a topic for another time.
DANIL LOUW
PRETORIA
that could set the Korean Peninsula aflame.
Some time ago, two high-ranking Russian
generals revealed that North Korea had
tested and perfected a super electromagnetic
weapon disguised as a hydrogen bomb test.
In orbit, at an altitude of about 500 kilo-
metres, is a North Korean satellite dubbed
KMS-3, which could possibly carry the EMP
weapon. When war erupts, the Koreans and
the Americans will resort to electronic war-
fare to gain political and military supremacy.
Undeniably, the face of warfare is chang-
l popularmechanics@ramsaymedia.co.za
Write to us, engage us in debate and
you could win a cool prize. Our winning
letter earns a Makita GA9020K Angle
Grinder. Featuring a powerful 2200W
motor and a 230mm wheel diameter,
the GA9020K provides outstanding
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This model is supplied with a side han-
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Send your letter to: Popular
Mechanics, PO Box 180, Howard
Place 7450, or e-mail popular
mechanics@ramsaymedia.co.za
Please keep it short and to the point.
Regrettably, prizes can be awarded
only to South African residents.
ing. Reducing vulnerability to asymmetric
threats is vital for any countrys survival and
dominance in future operations. Through-
out the past quarter century, the asymmet-
ric threat has become a common form of
warfare throughout the world. Electronic
warfare and electromagnetic weapons will
be the deciding factor between the victor
and the vanquished.
FAROUK ARAIE
BENONI
RUB-A-DUB-DUB IN MINIATURE
After seeing a small replica of a dolls wash-
ing machine, my three-year-old daughter
said that we needed one of those, so I
obliged by making a bigger version for her
dolls. At first I was going to make a simple
box with no moving parts, but then got
carried away and produced what you see in
the photos. The box is common plywood
and pine. I mounted a geared motor inside
and attached a bucket to create the drum.
The whole system is controlled by a pic
microcontroller including cycle selection,
forward/reverse motion, cycle timeout,
emergency stop if the door gets opened
during a cycle and of course flashing
LEDs. It looks very realistic when run-
ning. She has hours of entertainment
washing her dolls clothes.
RODGER DALTON
FISH HOEK
GET SMART WITH LICENCE DISCS
For nearly half a century, 48 years to be
exact, I have been dutifully standing in
queues to renew my annual vehicle licence
discs. When I think of the time wasted
standing in queues and the mountains of
paperwork that the motor vehicle registra-
tion system has to chomp through, I con-
clude that there must be a better way.
I think we now have a better way, tech-
nologically. Imagine a SIM card-driven cell-
phone chip, solar-powered, complete with
liquid crystal display, fitted with a radio fre-
quency chip anti-theft protector; all, in turn,
fitted in a unit affixed to your windscreen.
The device would be linked to eNaTIS and
send you a request for renewal payment. A
simple press of a button at your auto bank
or Internet banking terminal would effect
payment and the licensing system would
send a coded signal to your licence disc on
the car, automatically updating the liquid
crystal display.
Maybe there is someone out there who
can make it happen, if such a thing is not
already in the works? I would rush to
queue for such a gadget.
NIGEL APSEY
CENTURION
OCTOBER 2017 _ www.popularmechanics.co.za 7
LIFE BEFORE GADGETS? OH, YES
When one reads through the present
day Popular Mechanics (and for that
matter, any technical publication) one
soon realises how much life has advanced
since the 60s when I was a young boy.
Todays approach to any problem or
challenge automatically leads to the
thought, Which, computer, program or
gadget will I be able to use to solve my
problem or complete my project?
When I retired in 2012, I soon realised
that I would need some kind of hobby,
not only to keep myself busy, but also
to keep my mind active. Yes, I could
have accepted the challenge to further
my knowledge of these newfound tech-
nological marvels; instead, I decided,
back to basics for me and use what I
have at the lowest cash outlay possible.
AsIalready had some basic tools, my
choice fell on woodwork.During my
working life, I had often stood in awe
on some construction site admiring the
smooth efficiency dance ofa piece of
construction equipment to the rhythmic
music of a powerful diesel engine. My
choice was thus fairly obvious: to build
wood models of some of the iconic con-
struction machines such as a road grader,
loader or excavator. I have since realised
the list of fond memories goes way beyond
these few and that I will not run out of
subjects in my lifetime.
However, from the outset I encoun-
tered challenges when I tried to obtain
.
ics. PM reader
Before electron
some basic measurements and detail
about this equipment. The manufactur-
ers reaction to my queries ranged from
suspicion of being scammed out of some
trade secrets to outright rudeness. All
was not lost, however, and armed with
a bribe (cool drinks), my faithful old
Canon Powershot, clipboard, pencil and
tape, a short drive to the nearest con-
struction site was all that was needed to
get started. These photographs and access
to photos on the Internet were enough
to get me going on my first model.
Being a stickler for records, I have kept
track of my actual hours spent on these
models. To date, I have had a little less
than 1 200 hours of endless pleasure
while the what part next and the how
to make it to what detail has kept my
mind active. Most of the know-how to
use the basic tools has come from recol-
lecting my childhood experience in my
dads workshop and the wonderful
friendly expertise from experienced,
helpful and friendly members of our local
Witwatersrand Woodworkers Associa-
tion.I definitely wont die a rich man,
but my grandchildren and even their
children will have something more valu-
able and inspiring to remember the old
toppie: the knowledge that, before
electronics, there was life and a very
rewarding life, too.
DOUW KRUGER
GAUTENG
PM
 It made perfect sense at the time

Time machine

2003
The early 2000s were a great time for innovation
when it came to cellphone design. Mobile phones
were still tiny, swivelled in all directions and came in
every conceivable colour. And they didnt even look like phones
anymore when Siemens introduced the Xelibri, a fashion
design that borrowed from Fashion Week and was released
through the spring/summer and fall/winter collections.

1953
If you own a flashy car, you might consider getting
one for Junior, too. This Jaguar made for a six-year-
old boy weighed 450 kg, had a 1,8-metre wheelbase

1979
and was powered by a motor-scooter engine. Unlike the speedy We dont necessarily associate Abraham Lincoln with
full-size version, for safety reasons it was limited to a pedes- DIY, other than crafting the likes of the Gettysburg
trian 10 miles per hour (16 km/h). Address, but our 1979 DIY focused on a few projects
inspired by the great mans handiwork. Like then, in this issue we
are all things DIY. Flip through our DIY special and be inspired.

1939
With
North
America
not yet embroiled in
the World War, every-
day concerns such
as home security still
exercised citizens
minds. For example,
if you found yourself
unable to get to the
bank and didnt
want to leave your
valuables in the
house, you were
saved by an emer-
gency jewellery
cache installed inside your front door. This little storage space was
deemed safe because you would have to unlock your door and stand
on a chair to get to your valuables. Unfortunately, robbers probably
knew this, too. PM

8 www.popularmechanics.co.za _ OCTOBER 2017