Just to let you all know. Sunsetter customer service is pretty darn good, I'll tell you that. After installing the awning, DH noticed a small hole slightly larger than a pinhole in the fabric. It wasn't a huge deal, but concerned that it may run or become a weak spot as time went on and the sun continues to beat down on it, we called Sunsetter to see if there was an easy fix for this. They offered us #1 a clear patch to go on the outside of the awning, making it less noticeable from underneath or #2 an entirely new awning fabric. We didn't want a patch for a couple reasons...First, the people behind us are elevated slightly and have perfect view of the top of our awning. Also, over time, we were concerned the patch would loose adhesive, curl up on the sides and just look bad. Plus, we just got this awning and can't see spending the money we did to just patch it, not matter how small the hole, and then it wouldn't even match the color. The hole is obviously a defect in this particular roll of material since there was not damage to the package and the thing was packed up unbelievably well. Maybe if there was some type of tube of acrylic that hardened to the same color and you couldn't notice it, we would've chosen something like that, but not a clear plastic patch. Another surprising fact about this whole thing...Sunsetter asked me if I wanted the same color fabric! They were ready to allow me to order whatever color fabric I wanted from their selection. We stuck with the taupe because that is our favorite color fabric anyway and aren't fans of the striped awning fabrics. But I thought that was pretty impressive on the part of Sunsetter customer service. They really seem to want to make the customer happy.

Of course it is "possible." Just like Dr. Frankenstein worked at home. Whose project, echoing the question by gigleus, had some major reliability and safety concerns, to say the least. Maybe, more like the kind of "home brewed" projects such as, say, turning a 20 year-old pickup into an all electric vehicle or into a dragster with a twin supercharger "454" motor and huge racing slicks, or turning it into a four-wheel-drive, high lift monster truck. Can be done, but would you want that for your daily ride? Hvtech has an interesting suggestion for owners of old Jenn Air "modular" cooktops and stoves. However, while Jenn Air made numbers of smoothtop radiant electric cartridges/ modules, I cannot recall ever seeing an induction cartridge. The burner control systems were just too different, which is a big reason why nobody makes (or will make) plug-and-play induction modules that can fit into the top of a coil-burner stove or into the supports beneath an old smoothtop. The older style electric stoves used electro-mechanical potentiometer/rheostat burner controls. Making those work with the digital microprocessor controls used by induction burners is pretty complicated. (AFAIK, only Miele and Garland/Mantowiac induction burners have potentiometer controls; their products cost $$$$) This is what Homepro meant with the comment about different control technology. For a Frankenstove, you would need to rip out the old control systems and wiring, assemble a set of the microprocessor-driven control-boards required to operate the induction burners, and then figure out how to reprogram them and convert them to work with a rotary knob interface. You also would need to build a fan system to keep the induction electronics cool, which is something nobody did with electric stoves 25 years ago. You'd also need to build in enough space for clearance from the oven part, too. All of that would be for naught if your old stove has the oven vent in one of the rear burners as numbers of electric coil stoves did, back then. The closest thing to "plug-and-play" induction burners are the commercial "drop-in" induction burners from the likes of Cooktek. In theory, you could carve up or build a new stove-top to hold four of them, rewire the range, and cut holes in the backsplash to mount their control modules. That would cost you around $4k to $5k in parts, which is a whole lot more than just buying a new induction range outright. For that kind of money you might as well be looking at the ultra-premium priced induction ranges from the likes of Dacor, Viking and Miele. And a Cooktek style solution would still require you figure out how to get enough clearance below the burners for their cooling to operate while you are using your old stove's oven. So, no plug and play solution here. As homepro noted, some folks have pulled out old non-functioning coil burners and placed a couple of portable induction cookers (PIC) over the holes, That will raise the level of your cooking surface by two or three inches which may or may not be a problem. The size of the PIC casings is large enough that it will be next to impossible to fit more that two PICs on top of the old stove. Depending on how many burners you use at a time, that may or may not be a problem, as well. There are some limitations to working with the less expensive PICs (which would be most of them). In an older kitchen, there might be some problems finding enough separate 120v electrical circuits (PICs can draw so much current that you will blow a circuit breaker by running two on the same circuit at the same time -- same thing with a microwave, btw). One nice thing, though, is that many electric stoves from 25-years ago had an extra-120v outlet on the backsplash and, running through the stove's connections, that outlet will be on a circuit separate from other kitchen outlets. If that kind of solution interests you, you could check out the discussions in the cookware section at chowhound.com where numbers of folks like paulj and have reported putting PICs on old stoves and several others have decided to dispense with stoves altogether. Also, look over the blogs on induction at www.centurylife.org. For a discussion here on using PICS, you might check out this thread if you have not already seen it: http://ths.gardenweb.com/discussions/2324992/portable-induction-cooktop-and-cookware

I take it you got this motor used? I think you've probably analyzed the situation pretty well. It does appear that the starting winding failed (it reads open when measured for resistance), and that some previous owner tried hacking the motor, hoping to make it work without the starting winding. The fact that it hums and then will run in either direction if you hand start it sounds about right. I'm far from a motor expert, but I think that capacitor start motors also use a starting winding. Without a working one in your motor, I think you're probably stuck. But I will defer to anyone else with better motor chops.

Lynartist, let me throw another lifestyle issue into the mix. We have two cats that will certainly get hair on the bottom of the curtains, but I can begrudgingly clean those regularly. The bigger fear is that one decides to climb and snags or tears the material. I can only be present with the water spray bottle/cat training tool for so many hours of the day. I do like your idea of treating the area as a whole rather than parsing out separate window ideas. I've been using this site and post to begin learning about options, vocabulary, concepts for these windows. Your advice, and that of others, is greatly appreciated. Now that I am somewhat armed with a starter set of ideas I'll reach out to a professional in the area, but am still interested in getting more ideas. I always content that it is good to be part of a team. Cheers.