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MartinBolton

Hi there everyone.

I am new to this forum, so please forgive any ignorance on my behalf.

I have completed a Masters in Industrial Design at the University of Johannesburg, which involved the research, design and development of a low cost water filter which was titled the Vhembe Filter. This was based around the existing Potters For Peace water filter, see the Potters For Peace website.

I have won an international design award for the outcome:

Good Design Awards: Vhembe Filter Design, Martin Bolton, University of Johannesburg

And here is a research article published linked to the field testing and development of the Filter:

THE VHEMBE FILTER: A PRODUCT FOR RURAL SOUTH AFRICA: Angus Campbell and Martin Bolton

And lastly: Here is the Masters Dissertation:

Design and development of an improved low-cost ceramic water filter based on the existing Potpaz home water treatment device for use within rural households of the Vhembe region: Martin Bolton

When I started the research I was in constant contact with the late Ron Rivera, who was excited by the effort that I would be putting in the development of this design (as it as a development FROM the existing Potters For Peace/ POTPAZ filter). We agreed that I would be allowed to develop this design as long as I will not restrict the further development from the final design (aka the Vhembe Filter). I.e. the design was to be as open source as possible. I agreed with this, and included the agreement within the Appendices of my Masters Dissertation.

I have met with the academics/lecturers from my home department, the Department of Industrial Design, here at the University of Johannesburg, and we have collectively decided to publish all development, sketches, and all CAD work linked to the Industrial Design Process which informed the development of the filter, as an archive of Open Source knowledge which will be accessible to anyone who is interested in it.

I would like to find out if opensourceecology.org would be a suitable site where the hosting of all these files may be possible?

If not, please could I receive suggestions of a suitable site/wiki where this would be possible.

Kindest regards

Martin Bolton

Lecturer: Department
of Industrial Design

Faculty of Art, Design and Architecture

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of Johannesburg

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elifarley

Dear Martin,

Thank you very much for offering this information to the public for free.

You can post all this information, along with images and CAD drawings, on our wiki:

http://opensourceecology.org/wiki/

You can also post it on Appropedia's wiki (a wiki dedicated to appropriate technology):

http://www.appropedia.org/

MartinBolton

Thanks very much. I am in the process of initially hosting the files on the Opensourceecology wiki, and thereafter possibly on the appropedia wiki.

MartinBolton

I have created the page Vhembe Water Filter. I hope it allows for the knowledge to disseminate through to anyone it may be of interest to, or may assist in the development of similar solutions.

It includes the following:

All CAD files of the final design. These are the same files used for communication with Injection Moulding tool manufactures.

Sketches of the design development process

Concept refinement process

CAD renderings

etc.

Vhembe Water Filter open source ecology archive.

Howdy, Stranger!

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