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RizieN posted:How 'handy' are you in general? One of the first projects I want to tackle as far as remodeling the house I'm trying to buy is the Master Bath. It's so...plain, and there's tons of un-used space. I'd like to do it all myself if it'd save money, but some stuff I know I'll need to contract out, I'm great with computers and photoshop and video and design etc...but actually building, I'm not too sure about yet. I consider myself pretty handy and don't fear many projects. However unless I know all the steps involved i'd rather not try to tackle it. I know this was gonna be a big project with a lot of steps and there were aspects of this project I would not have known going into it such as redoing/relocating drains, hot mopping the shower pan, replacing the drywall with wonderboard, soldering in a new shower head. The tile work I was iffy about too, but after seeing it, tiling is pretty easy, its just really slow. But even paying someone else to do a lot of it, the whole thing was under 10k. Though I found a guy that works really cheap and it was unlicensed, so there was that.
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Jul 26, 2011 20:47
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Power Wheels! I got a bit done. Wired in the new battery, fixed some issues that are probably standard after a kid beats the poo poo out of it. I'm taking pics along the way, but I'm still not sure if it warrants it's own thread until I get into the RC part of it... EDIT: I may just start it here, the crosspost on Modified Power Wheels when I get to the RC. Part of what I want is to have it be a total beginner's guide, for someone with zero RC experience. Fooley fucked around with this message at 04:18 on Jul 27, 2011 |
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Jul 27, 2011 02:52
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Fooley posted:Power Wheels! First Jeep I ever wanted to own...now that I am 29 I am in the process of getting my first jeep 
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Jul 27, 2011 03:29
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JEEVES420 posted:First Jeep I ever wanted to own...now that I am 29 I am in the process of getting my first jeep You might want to rethink that bro. Jeeps are pretty consistently the worst-in-class when consumer reports and suchlike consider them. Jeep is the only company with three cars in this list of 11 worst cars, for example. Corla Plankun fucked around with this message at 05:03 on Jul 27, 2011 |
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Jul 27, 2011 05:00
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Corla Plankun posted:You might want to rethink that bro. Jeeps are pretty consistently the worst-in-class when consumer reports and suchlike consider them. Jeep is the only company with three cars in this list of 11 worst cars, for example. But it's a JEEP, man.
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Jul 27, 2011 05:30
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Corla Plankun posted:You might want to rethink that bro. Jeeps are pretty consistently the worst-in-class when consumer reports and suchlike consider them. Jeep is the only company with three cars in this list of 11 worst cars, for example. You are comparing a Jeep to a Hyundai surely this is a troll edit:...really?
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Jul 28, 2011 01:55
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quote:"We're rating these cars as most people would drive them in the SUV category," said Jake Fisher, a Consumer Reports auto test engineer. They admit on the first page of the article that they're rating based on performance as an SUV, which isn't what the Jeeps they rated were designed for. Did you read the article you posted?
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Jul 28, 2011 09:51
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Haha okay well bookmark this thread and holla back when you've owned your jeep for 9 months kiddo. Just tryin' to help.
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Jul 28, 2011 14:14
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Liquid Communism posted:They admit on the first page of the article that they're rating based on performance as an SUV, which isn't what the Jeeps they rated were designed for. Did you read the article you posted? Jeeps have lovely rides and fuel consumption (my mom's Cherokee, my friend's Liberty, another friend's Wrangler and Every TJ/YJ ever made). Last time I looked they dumped "4 on the fly" in a lot of the models so you have to STOP and then shift in or out of 4 wheel drive. Also my brother's wife's brother in-law has the 4 door jeep with the perfectly flat top (don't know the name) and he says it's impossible to keep the back seats warm in the winter and driving on anything other than a granite counter top will make road-noise that even the stereo can't drown out. Don't buy a jeep. They were sort of good for a while (WWII) then they just coasted on that name for 70 years. Also don't get a TJ/YJ unless you want to be one of those tools who takes it out to the nearest ditch after a rain, gets it as muddy as possible, then drives it around the city to be seen while thinking, "Everyone thinks I'm cool because my Jeep is dirty!" Friends don't let friends buy jeeps.
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Jul 28, 2011 14:55
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I used to want one as a 15 year old, then I drove a brand new one...that felt just like one from the 70s... But to reel this thread back in while on this topic my Father in-law restored a historic CJ9? A Jeep CJ something anyway, it's pretty sweet I guess. Except with no doors or seat belts I had to cling to the handle while trying to maintain my manly disposition while trying not to be thrown from the thing in a turn. Thing is...he'll never take it off the street. You might as well need a step-stool to get into it, it's got crazy tires, its a loving jeep, lets take this thing to Haspen Acres (fairly local off roading place I used to take my ATV to) and tear some poo poo up! But he won't...it's too "nice" and restored and historic. I'd at least like to climb a hill or something in it. Maybe I'll get pictures if anyone cares, but I doubt it.
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Jul 28, 2011 15:03
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I'd say it depends on what you're going to use it for. I live on Cape Cod, and a lot of the good beaches are only accessible via 4WD. I've gone over to people's houses where they have a Jeep Wrangler that's only used to go to the beach, or for actual off-roading. You throw all your beach stuff in the back, ride 15 minutes down the street, then put in 4 Lo and you're on a beach that most other people can't get to. However, to use it as a daily driver, I wouldn't recommend it. If you plan on doing so much off-roading that you'll get your money's worth out of it, then maybe... But I don't see them as very practical as an every-day vehicle.
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Jul 28, 2011 15:30
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It seems like Chrysler has been progressively trying to make the Jeep brand as awful as possible since they acquired it so yeah, probably don't buy a new model. As for me some day I will own a 2-door XJ with a 5spd, I swear  On topic I have a bunch of junk like a some microcontrollers, a PICKit2, and some brighter displays showing up hopefully Friday, so hopefully I can make some more progress on my ammunition counter.
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Jul 28, 2011 15:37
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DethMarine21 posted:It seems like Chrysler has been progressively trying to make the Jeep brand as awful as possible since they acquired it so yeah, probably don't buy a new model. As for me some day I will own a 2-door XJ with a 5spd, I swear poo poo, good luck. I've been chasing that unicorn for years. At one point, there were exactly TWO on ebay like that.
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Jul 28, 2011 15:48
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Pagan posted:I'd say it depends on what you're going to use it for. I live on Cape Cod, and a lot of the good beaches are only accessible via 4WD. I've gone over to people's houses where they have a Jeep Wrangler that's only used to go to the beach, or for actual off-roading. You throw all your beach stuff in the back, ride 15 minutes down the street, then put in 4 Lo and you're on a beach that most other people can't get to. You... you just don't get it. I've owned Jeeps for years and I'll probably own at least one for the rest of my life. They don't replace an econo-box, that's dumb, but they are seriously fun vehicles to own regardless of whether you lift it and stuff 38" tires and add $10,000 worth of upgrades or just tool around in a stock one. JEEVES420, good luck on finding a Jeep, you'll love her! edit: At this point, if it's not a Wrangler (or maybe an older Cherokee), it's not a Jeep but just a crappy Chrysler
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Jul 28, 2011 17:58
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So, anyone done any PROJECTS lately? Seriously, there's an AI forum dedicated to rubbing one out about Jeeps. Go.
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Jul 28, 2011 18:47
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Well, erm, I found this poor chair so I threw it into my car and I'm working on reupholstering it. Someone put it on the curb with a crutch and an old sink.  Under the white, cat-scratched, crumbly fabric was nice blue fabric from the 50s.  Here it is with all the fabric off. It's my first upholstery project, so it is lots of learning and slow going. I just bought more jute webbing to make the lattice on the back and bottom of the seat though, and I have some nice smooth cream fabric for the final product. Maybe after this weekend I will have more pictures 
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Jul 28, 2011 20:34
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I got my digital light wand working! Next step is to get the Arduino and parts installed in my project box, mount a button to replace having to unplug the battery, and install a 6-way switch so I can load multiple sequences at once.
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Jul 29, 2011 09:11
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pbpancho posted:I got my digital light wand working! If that does what I think it does I am really, really fascinated. Is it like those LED clocks with the stalk that goes back and forth and displays the time in mid-air? Where'd you get the idea?
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Jul 29, 2011 14:29
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Corla Plankun posted:If that does what I think it does I am really, really fascinated. Is it like those LED clocks with the stalk that goes back and forth and displays the time in mid-air? Where'd you get the idea? It's called a POV, persistance of vision. You can get kits for it at the Maker Store: http://www.makershed.com/ Though this one does a lot more than the basic model.
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Jul 29, 2011 16:35
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pbpancho posted:I got my digital light wand working! Pretty awesome! Can you post a pic of the guts and tell us what makes it tick?
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Jul 29, 2011 17:11
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Yep, I'll definitely make a post with more info but in the meantime you can get directions here: mrossphoto.com/wordpress32/?page_id=6 It's LIKE a POV but this relies on the camera's long shutter speed so you can draw larger things. It's a strip of RGB LEDs all controlled by an Arduino Mega.
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Jul 29, 2011 18:00
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These guys in Norway did a similar thing, but used wifi signal strength to control the lights on the bar.
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Jul 29, 2011 23:00
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I have virtually no experience or tools to do any major woodworking projects, yet I'm sitting here doodling out designs and plans for a bed loft for my queen size mattress, a desk to go underneath it, and an accompanying desk for the other side of the room. The loft, so far, is going to be built around the same basic idea of the OP Loft Bed. I like the simple construction methods that it has going on. My question to you goons is, what wood would you suggest using for this? My goals are something that looks reasonably good, easy to work, and is fairly inexpensive. Also, what sort of product would you suggest for the desktops? I was looking at MDF but you've all mentioned how dusty and lovely that stuff can be.
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Aug 2, 2011 16:57
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Depending on what kind of surface you want, you can get nice plywood for a desktop, or if you want something more heavy duty (i.e. heat and somewhat chemical resistant, etc.) you can get melamine-covered MDO or particle board. If you were to buy a desk at office max or similar, you'd probably find it to be veneered particle board, which is also a perfectly reasonable option. Aside from the dustiness, MDF just wouldn't make for a very nice surface without a bunch of extra work--sealing it with multiple layers of thinned glue, priming, painting, yadda yadda, at which point you might as well just use something nicer in the first place (nice ply, melamine, or veneer.) Also, there's a woodworking thread, you can get good wood working materials info there as well.
Bad Munki fucked around with this message at 17:08 on Aug 2, 2011 |
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Aug 2, 2011 17:05
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Bad Munki posted:Depending on what kind of surface you want, you can get nice plywood for a desktop, or if you want something more heavy duty (i.e. heat and somewhat chemical resistant, etc.) you can get melamine-covered MDO or particle board. If you were to buy a desk at office max or similar, you'd probably find it to be veneered particle board, which is also a perfectly reasonable option. I have actually found that MDF will take on a nice finish if stained and polyurethane- it still does not look like a wood grain, but it does look nice, and the polyurethane finish stops it from soaking up water like a sponge.
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Aug 2, 2011 17:17
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These surfaces will need to be water resistant really. I plan on using one as a work bench for warhammer and gunpla model work and the other will need to support a 32in LCD, and a computer. I assume most of that support will come from the frame and not from the surface that I select.
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Aug 2, 2011 17:36
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I bet you'd be really happy with a melamine surface. It won't soak up anything, it won't stain unless you really try, etc., so it'll be good for a workbench and good for a work station (your spaghetti-O's won't hurt it when you spill your bowl.) It's basically a sheet of plywood (or particle board or MDO or even MDF) with a thin layer of awesome plastic glued on. You can get it in varying thicknesses, and it shouldn't break the bank, either. Makes a great general work surface.
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Aug 2, 2011 17:43
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Some slight progress on my ammunition counter. I'm still waiting for a few more parts to come in before I can start playing with microcontrollers, but in the mean time I've been working on a problem I found earlier, which was that the displays were unreadable in direct sunlight. I found some new 7-segment displays made by Lumex that were supposedly rated for 3900 (!) mcd of brightness, but this appears to have been a typo, as they are dimmer than the 10 mcd ones I am using. However while investigating this I also discovered a different problem, caused by me being an idiot. As most of you probably know, all LEDs need some sort of current resistance or they will burn out. I am using common cathode 7-segment displays, so instead of using one resistor for each segment I thought an equivalent circuit would be just one resistor on the common cathode pin. Turns out it's not. Also I calculated the resistor value wrong  As a result my displays were much dimmer than normal, as seen here: The correct way is on the left, my way on the right. This helps out a bit, but they are still unreadable in sunlight. However a while ago I stumbled across a massive PDF about this same problem. Long story short, that PDF recommends using a 23% Gray Neutral Density Filter to enhance the contrast of the display. I ordered a cheap ND4 (25%) filter meant for DSLR cameras off eBay, carved it up and here is the result.  Displays in direct sunlight with no filter.  Displays in direct sunlight with filter. Looks a bit better. I've read that setting the filter at an angle will help more. Once I add some sort of sunshade around the display like I did before I think it will just about perfect. DethMarine21 fucked around with this message at 22:43 on Aug 2, 2011 |
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Aug 2, 2011 18:06
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Thanks for that PDF link, we have some products with 7-segment LEDs and have had a few customers ask about better sunlight readability.
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Aug 2, 2011 18:15
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ant mouth posted:Getting our average speed is tough. As for instrumentation we've currently gone through a few speedometers due to crashing and haven't bought a new one. It is also difficult because it depends on the course were running. The higher the grade and fewer turns means we can hit speeds of 90+. Courses like Maryhill with 17 banked turns we're probably between 35-60 mph. I would love to know what variables your father modified based on the input he got. Ok, well I finally ran across the physics calcs some student did on the max stability of the bike based on rake of fork, center of gravity etc. They don't make much sense to me, but maybe they can help you. http://nearlydeaf.com/files/bikestability/Rocket_Hedstrom.htm http://nearlydeaf.com/files/bikestability/SWB_Hedstrom_noforkoffset.htm
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Aug 3, 2011 15:42
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Linux Assassin posted:I have actually found that MDF will take on a nice finish if stained and polyurethane- it still does not look like a wood grain, but it does look nice, and the polyurethane finish stops it from soaking up water like a sponge. MDF is heavy and toxic. You can get nice hardwoods if you go to a real lumber yard that kiln dries their own stuff, or second best is ply. Anything can be sealed really.
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Aug 3, 2011 17:11
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This might belong in AI, but it's DIY as heck so I'm putting it here! I made a solar car. 4.5m long, 1.8m wide, 250kg (with driver). 3kW of poly-crystalline Si array capacity and 1.8kW of brushless dc motor output run on 20kg of Li-Poly batteries and a whole ton of blood, sweat and tears. Top speed 120 km/h, cruising speed 70-80 km/h. It took a year of fabrication work, and 3 years of design time. We'll be racing in Australia in the 2011 World Solar Challenge! The (mostly) finished product, apologies for horrible photography:  Started with a design done in CATIA, followed by having full positive plugs of the car milled out from a heavy polyurethane foam. These were extremely heavy, and took a huge amount of milling time on a MASSIVE CNC router meant for aerospace and heavy industry parts. Sanded them smooth and made heat-resistant fibreglass moulds from the parts. The car is a monocoque design, so the outer shell of the car was built somewhat heavy. Made entirely out of prepreg carbon fibre and honeycomb core material, we were lucky and had a commuter jet manufacturer's oven available for curing the prepreg.  Laying out the first layer of carbon on the top aerobody, and...  The bagged and cured bottom aerobody. This weighed about 20kg and it's built tough. All the suspension is mounted directly to the body, so we installed carbon fiber and kevlar sandwich panels to stiffen up the shells and take the loading from the suspension:  Showing off the bulkheads in the bottom aerobody. The foam is a placeholder for the driver's seat backing - it's pretty cramped in there. The suspension is a standard double wishbone type in the front, and a dual-wheel trailing arm in the back. The front uses ATV coilover shocks, and the rear uses a gas shock. Most of the suspension is chromoly steel due to aluminium not really being stiff enough for driving loads. No photos of the suspension, mostly due to my camera breaking. Rest assured it has lots of steel, bolts and rod-ends. Painting! This is an incredibly toxic tough polyurethane aircraft paint. The pictures don't show it, but there is a clear topcoat filled with mica flakes - this car sparkles like crazy in the sunlight. Extra weight? Yes. Worth it? Yes.  The driver's seat was custom-moulded out of expanding foam and made into a carbon fibre shell. It's super comfy and fits my rear end perfectly, though the five-point harness is pretty snug around the crotch strap. As for the driving conditions: spending 4 hours in an entirely black sealed compartment with the Australian desert sun beating down on you... I think our drivers are crazy.  The foam mould... the resulting carbon seat looks like a carved basalt statue of somebody's rear end. It's quite uncanny. The car's electronics and telemetry run entirely on a standard CAN bus, linking together the motor controller, power hub, array inverters, radio modems, and a ton of subsystems. I wasn't too involved with the electrical side of the project, but I can answer questions about how the car is wired and how various subsystems work.  The peak power trackers (i.e. inverters with an optimizing microcontroller attached) being tested with an old Ga-As test array. So much work went into making this thing, I have no idea what to do after the race ends. There's still tons left to do, but we've done enough to start testing the car and training drivers at the friendly local airports. Here's to the team! 
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Aug 8, 2011 03:56
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I'm surprised no one's said anything. That's pretty kickass, and yes you're gonna have to talk about whatever you can (please).
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Aug 9, 2011 04:57
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God, hell yeah! Do you have any more molding/curing photos or how you made the seat?
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Aug 9, 2011 16:54
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75mph is really, really impressive on 2.5HP. What's your Cd?
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Aug 9, 2011 17:58
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I have an odd obsession with expanding foam and now want to make my own chair like this. Please tell.
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Aug 11, 2011 03:31
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mds2 posted:Here is a glider I just built. I was looking at this, and it appears to be an ordinary bench mounted on a smaller box with swingy bits. Could any sturdy chairlike vehicle be made to glide in this fashion? Decoy Badger posted:Solar car! Oh, wow. What a sleek little thing!
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Aug 11, 2011 08:51
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MarshallX posted:This is way more work than it looks to be...and I'm only 3/4 of the way done. Pretty much finished...god so much work.   I ended up milling my own transition trim out of some scrap walnut I had laying around because 39.99 for a 3' strip of stained red oak was retarded to me.
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Aug 11, 2011 13:51
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Sun Dog posted:I was looking at this, and it appears to be an ordinary bench mounted on a smaller box with swingy bits. Could any sturdy chairlike vehicle be made to glide in this fashion? I dont see why not.
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Aug 11, 2011 15:31
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You need room to get the base and gliding mechanism up inside the chair, otherwise it'll sit really high off the ground. Your ordinary reclining la-z-boy won't work because it's full of reclining guts on the inside. Just google glider chair conversion and you'll even see a number of kits and such for converting normal furniture to gliding furniture.
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Aug 11, 2011 15:36
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