Smart money setup

January 10, 2022

Wheel Analytics is a kit for adding visualization to your truing stand. It looks a little different from one installation to the next as each workbench has its own character.

The photo above is the workbench at Eastern Wheelworks, a shop owned and operated by Sean Lerner in La Grande, Oregon. Sean is a specialist offering wheelbuilds and suspension service in house. At Eastern you’ll get service advice from the same person who turns the wrenches, which is a model worth supporting.

A setup like his gets you into visualization for the smallest investment.

Sean took Wheel Analytics without indicators, opting to source his own from iGaging. He transferred the tips from his Park Tool analog indicators, saving quite a few dollars for a few minutes’ work. Since a pair of iGaging indicators can be had for as little as $140 USD, this is a cost-effective setup. If I could offer a deal like that without losing my shirt, I certainly would.

Sean bought a new computer for his wheelbuilding bench. He’s using the Raspberry Pi 400, a tiny all-in-one system that retails for $100 and offers plenty of power for fronting Wheel Analytics. That price includes everything — keyboard, mouse, power, storage, wireless and operating system — everything minus the monitor. Any monitor will work and Sean has chosen a large one. Large screens are great because they let you absorb visualizations without losing sight of the wheel. You can mount the display further away without sacrificing legibility.

Annual report 2021

December 24, 2021

What follows is a retrospective on the first anniversary transistor truing. How we got here, how it’s going and next steps.

Read more →

Tensio demo

December 13, 2021

This is a quick demo of Live Tensio. With no extra effort you get primary metrics for tension range and balance. Control by foot pedal means the relationship between your hands and the wheel is unchanged.

This is Live Tensio, part of Islandix Wheel Analytics. In version 1.0.6 Live Tensio gets a performance upgrade. Here I’m surveying wheel tension to decide what services should be recommended to the owner. I’m working quickly so the screen moves fast. The top area shows live tension as I work my way around the wheel. Values are displayed in kilograms but it works in Newtons too. Each time I tap the left foot pedal, it records the current reading for the left side of the wheel. Live Tensio automatically calculates min, max and average tension as I go. The distribution of tension values is visualized in a bar graph for each side of the wheel. Each horizontal tick represents 5% deviation. Use the graph to recall tension for any given spoke. Hover with the mouse or tap a touchscreen for more information. It turns out this wheel’s in rough shape and the customer will need a re-tensioning service.

Transcription of video

Update: the user interface in this demo has been revised considerably.

New software

November 15, 2021

Wheel Analytics doesn’t check for software updates so you might not know what you’re missing. The WA-1 doesn’t connect to the internet at all but perhaps worth a rethink in this case.

Software version 1.0.5 was released this week. There are a few improvements but a couple worth mentioning. Truing visualizations now zoom to use available screen space automatically. Bigger is better. And all visualizations have improved printable versions for saving or sharing. This is a free update available via the Update tab on your Wheel Analytics tool.

Manual online

November 1, 2021

Did you know the Wheel Analytics manual is available online? The first half covers installation and configuration. The second half is all about wheelbuilding with color diagrams that unpack each visualization in detail. Feedback is welcomed on documentation just as much as on the tools themselves. Please email if you have any comments or questions.

Islandix on Insta

July 13, 2021

Islandix is low-key on the social media front but check out Instagram . IG gets used for highlights, behind-the-scenes stuff and less serious amusements. As a special request please contact us here for sales and support (we do not use social media every day and some weeks not at all).

Cloud not required

April 3, 2021

Wheel Analytics uses a web browser interface. This post explains how we got here, what it means and what it doesn’t.

Fundamental to visualization is a way to display graphics. This could be accomplished by selling a screen, which comes with a cost and bakes in certain limitations. If you prefer a larger display or prefer the display you already own, an included screen does you no favors.

If the end user supplies the display platform, how are visualizations rendered? Providing apps is one option but it’s expensive to support every operating system so we’d have to pick and choose. And apps require ongoing maintenance, for example when platforms update. By using a browser as the rendering engine mechanics can (i) work from any device, (ii) upgrade them at will and (iii) switch anytime. With Wheel Analytics there are no apps to install because every platform has a browser already.

The browser connects directly to the WA-1 controller, either over Wifi or USB. Everything happens within your workshop — in no case does the browser connect to any off-site service. This is deliberate and has important implications. There are no cloud components that can fail or be withdrawn. If your internet goes down, Wheel Analytics is unaffected.

Now shipping

March 26, 2021

Wheel Analytics is now in stock. Tools are available for use with your own indicators or can be bundled with an optional kit, currently featuring made-in-Japan Mitutoyo indicators (model 543-782). Mitutoyo are highly refined, long-lasting instruments that offer exceptional battery life.

Efforts will be made to keep Wheel Analytics in stock but the optional indicators are liable to vary depending on availability, price and customer preference. Your thoughts on the subject are solicited.