Industry began in 1937

The wheels were practically sparking from the pedaling, my thighs started to ache again, and the wounds on the soles of my feet were also a bit uncomfortable.

Chen Yuan couldn't help but think that this method of losing weight and getting fit was fine, but it really wouldn't work for generating electricity.

Constantly monitoring the battery level and watching it slowly increase is really frustrating.

Remember when we improved the human-powered generator, weren't there still points 2 and 4 that we hadn't done?

Article 4 requires multi-machine collaboration, which necessitates finding opportunities to increase manpower.

The second point was about modifying the machine. At the time, he saw that high-performance magnets were needed, but he didn't explore it further.

Modern people, if they watch the news, will know that for magnets to work well, permanent magnet materials, namely rare earth elements, need to be added.

I remember that rare earth elements are only found in Inner Mongolia and Jiangxi.

Even if the flint platform has refining capabilities, he doesn't believe there are any rare earth elements in the Taihang Mountains!

I didn't ask then, but now I have to ask the flint platform what should be done in step 2.

Even if there is no rare earth element here, we still know what the gaps are, so at least we can be prepared for the future.

But he also thought that it shouldn't be just rare earth elements that could increase efficiency; other elements should work as well.

Chen Yuan rubbed his sore thighs, his thoughts racing. "I don't know much about the specific principles of motors, but 'Flint' knows! It's an intelligent factory that can synthesize materials and process parts on its own. Why should I keep looking for impossible materials?"

It should tell me how to improve efficiency using the basic raw materials it can process!

He suddenly realized the limitations of his previous thinking.

They always think about "finding" some rare finished product, but forget that the greatest value of the "Flint" platform lies precisely in its ability to transform relatively ordinary raw materials into something that transcends the times through energy and complex processes.

The key lies in the combination of energy and basic raw materials.

He immediately focused his mind, connected to the "Flint" platform, and completely changed his approach: "Flint, reassess the core power generation upgrade plan. Starting from the most basic raw materials, design an optimized plan that can maximize the output efficiency of the current human-powered generator."

Tell me what basic raw materials are needed, how much of each, the total energy consumption estimate, and the expected efficiency improvement. The solution should be based as much as possible on the raw materials available in the current environment.

Although it is intelligent, compared to humans, this intelligence is simply incapable of logical thinking.

This is probably why they cannot replace humans yet.

This time, the responses from the light screen seemed to carry a deeper and more creative sense of "thinking," with a more extensive and sophisticated flow of information:

Option 2 (Power Generation Core Upgrade) – Based on In-Depth Optimization and Evaluation of Full Manufacturing Capabilities

Core objective: To maximize electromagnetic conversion efficiency.

Implementation path: Simultaneously optimize the magnetic conduction circuit, stator/rotor core and conductive circuit, and excitation winding/armature winding.

Detailed breakdown plan:

A revolutionary upgrade to the magnetic conduction circuit.

Current situation: Ordinary cast iron has low magnetic permeability and large eddy current and hysteresis losses.

Optimization solution: Manufacture a low-loss silicon steel sheet laminated core.

Raw material requirements: Basic iron: approximately 4 kg.

Silica (silicon dioxide) or high-silicon minerals: approximately 1-1.5 kg (used to provide silicon).

Silica is commonly found in the surrounding riverbanks and mountains.

Carbon source: in small amounts, used to adjust the carbon content, which can be obtained from coal or charcoal.

This plan is good, let's implement it accordingly.

Internal platform processes:

a. Raw material purification (iron, silicon).

b. Synthesize ferrosilicon alloy according to a precise ratio (silicon content approximately 2-4%).

c. Rolling ferrosilicon alloy into ultra-thin strips with a thickness of <0.5mm was a technology that was almost impossible to achieve at that time.

d. Perform surface insulating oxidation treatment on the strip.

e. Stamping the wafers into the required shape, and then stacking and fastening them into a high-permeability, low-loss iron core assembly.

Energy consumption: approximately 1.0%, mainly consumed in ferrosilicon alloy smelting, ultra-thin strip precision rolling and heat treatment.

Expected improvement: This alone can improve efficiency by 18%.

Upgrade route for generator conductive circuit.

Current situation: The purity of the copper wire used in the winding is generally low, and the cross-sectional area is limited.

Optimization solution: Use ultra-high purity electrolytic copper to increase the winding cross-sectional area and number of turns.

Raw material requirements: 3 kg of raw materials containing copper and 1 kg of raw lacquer are required.

Internal platform processes:

a. Electrolytic purification to over 99.95%.

b. Hot extrusion drawing to produce high-strength enameled wire of a specified diameter.

c. Rewind using an optimized winding scheme.

Energy consumption: approximately 0.7%.

Expected improvement: Efficiency can be improved by 12%.

Assisted optimization: Optimize air gap, bearings, and cooling. Energy consumption is negligible.

Comprehensive Implementation Plan:

Total raw material demand.

Ordinary iron material: approximately 4 kg.

Silica/high-silica minerals: Approximately 1.5 kg.

Copper-containing raw material: 3 kg of pure copper.

Raw lacquer: 1 kg.

Total estimated energy consumption: 1.7%.

Overall expected efficiency improvement: The two core optimizations combined can theoretically improve efficiency by up to 30%.

The actual improvement is affected by the final machining accuracy and assembly process, but a significant improvement is certain.

Conclusion: The solution is entirely within the capabilities of the platform.

"That's right!" Chen Yuan felt enlightened and even a little excited after reading it.

After some thought, Chen Yuan realized that the current bottleneck lay in the availability of sufficient copper-containing raw materials and raw lacquer.

The iron ore is still available, but the silica is not, though it's easy to find.

The copper can be replaced gradually, and the raw lacquer can be purchased from outside.

This is the true use of the "Flint" platform!

Instead of passively searching for scarce finished products, we actively utilize its ability to "build from the atom" to synthesize the best materials of this era and purify the most ideal conductors!

This plan shifts the focus of power generation upgrades from a vague myth of "needing high-performance magnets" back to the reality of "needing silica, iron, and more copper and raw lacquer."

Of course, there is still work to be done, such as providing a boost to production in Gouzi Village, but finding a way to further improve power generation efficiency still makes Lu Weimin very satisfied.

The battery level rose again. During the break, Lu Weimin saw the pile of pig iron ingots and billets, weighing more than 75 kilograms in total, gleaming with a cold, hard luster in the afternoon sun.

Chen Yuan squatted down, picked up a piece, weighed it in his hand, and began to carefully consider it.

Fifty spearheads.

This number means that almost every able-bodied young man in Gouzi Village who can take up arms has one.

However, a spearhead should not be as heavy as possible; it needs to balance lethality, the user's physical strength, and flexibility for holding it for an extended period of time.

He recalled his limited knowledge and the cold weapon designs displayed on the "Flint" platform.

A more optimized design took shape in his mind: about 25 centimeters long, with a sharp, four-sided conical spearhead at the front and a shallow blood groove.

It is slightly wider in the middle and has simple reinforcing ribs; the tail is a tapered "spar" that is easy to embed into the wooden pole and has a fixing hole.

The key is to control the weight; each spearhead must be lightweight and sharp.

He found a piece of charcoal, sketched a simple diagram on the stone slab, and estimated its weight.

With this design and the use of suitable steel, the weight of a single spearhead should be controlled to around 400 grams.

Fifty pieces would weigh 20 kilograms.

The amount of iron purchased this time far exceeds this amount, with ample surplus.

Next is energy consumption.

Manufacturing fifty relatively well-structured metal spearheads was not difficult for "Flint," but mass production still required energy.

He walked to the platform and placed his palm on it.

Energy level: 0.81%. He focused his mind and transmitted the designed 3D image and specifications of the spearhead, along with the quantity instruction of "fifty", to the platform.

"Flint, analyze the materials, energy consumption, and estimated time required to manufacture fifty lightweight spearheads of this specification. Evaluate the remaining iron."

The light curtain flows over the data stream:

[Analysis of the Mass Production of Lightweight Spearheads for "Village Protection Spears"]

Individual specifications: 25cm in total length, four-edged conical spear tip with shallow blood groove, simple reinforcing rib in the middle, and conical shank with fixing hole at the tail.

Individual weight: Approximately 0.4 kg.

Total weight: Approximately 20 kilograms.

Iron required: approximately 22 kg.

Estimated energy consumption: 0.15%.

Estimated time: Internal manufacturing time is approximately 1 hour and 40 minutes.

Estimated remaining iron content: approximately 58 kg.

"0.15% energy consumption, and 58 kilograms of iron remaining..." Chen Yuan looked at the data and his mind started working.

Building spearheads to arm the village is the top priority, but the remaining iron and energy can perhaps be used for something else.

He thought of his flintlock musket, which had just proven effective, and also that the villagers might need weapons with greater cutting power that could break through rudimentary armor or obstacles.

"Let's make the spearheads first," Chen Yuan decided. "Flint, execute the manufacturing order. Input 22 kilograms of iron to produce 50 lightweight 'Village Protection Spear' spearheads. Energy consumption limit 0.15%."

[Command confirmed. Material scan locked... Sufficient iron. Optimized production schedule... Batch production initiated. Estimated time: 1 hour 40 minutes.]

A steady rumble came from inside the platform as multiple processing units began to work together.

Chen Yuan used the waiting time to rest, eat, continue to improve his flintlock pistol, and think about what to do with the remaining materials.

I also tried out the short-barreled flintlock musket.

Apart from the slightly troublesome loading process, everything else is excellent.

Manufacturing was completed on time.

At the discharge port, fifty uniformly shaped, matte-finish spearheads are neatly arranged.

Chen Yuan picked one up and found it to be quite light, weighing about seven or eight ounces. However, it had sharp edges, clear reinforcing ribs, and a standard conical tail.

Fifty of them stacked together are much smaller and lighter in volume and weight than the previously estimated 75 kilograms.

"The quality is very good, it's good enough." Chen Yuan nodded in satisfaction.

After counting them, he used ropes to tie the fifty spearheads into bundles of ten, making a total of five bundles, weighing about twenty kilograms.

He picked out two bundles and, while it was still light, delivered them to Gouzi Village.