Author Topic: The Hobby/Project thread  (Read 27042 times)

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Online ReaperKK

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Re: The Hobby/Project thread
« Reply #210 on: December 02, 2020, 07:26:41 AM »
That is very true, my wife has been tempted to google how much things that I buy cost but doesn't want to start a fight :lol

When she asks me how much something is I just say "enough"

Online Chino

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Re: The Hobby/Project thread
« Reply #211 on: December 02, 2020, 07:43:39 AM »
That is very true, my wife has been tempted to google how much things that I buy cost but doesn't want to start a fight :lol

When she asks me how much something is I just say "enough"

There's a hobby shop in my state that, for a fee of $10, will let you pay for something in advance and the owner will call pretending you won a new vehicle in a raffle  :lol

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Re: The Hobby/Project thread
« Reply #212 on: December 02, 2020, 07:45:35 AM »
:lol I wonder how many times he's been taken up on that offer.

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Re: The Hobby/Project thread
« Reply #213 on: December 02, 2020, 09:12:46 AM »
That is very true, my wife has been tempted to google how much things that I buy cost but doesn't want to start a fight :lol

When she asks me how much something is I just say "enough"

There's a hobby shop in my state that, for a fee of $10, will let you pay for something in advance and the owner will call pretending you won a new vehicle in a raffle  :lol

That's a man who's been married more than once.  :)

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Re: The Hobby/Project thread
« Reply #214 on: December 02, 2020, 02:24:27 PM »
That is very true, my wife has been tempted to google how much things that I buy cost but doesn't want to start a fight :lol

When she asks me how much something is I just say "enough"

I've never been bugged about what I spend on things. My wife and I have separate checking accounts (which we both have access to) and then we have four different 'savings' accounts for specific purposes. When we were first married we divided the financial responsibilities. I pay everything pertaining to the house, all the bills, upkeep etc etc. She's groceries and anything health related to the kids (co-pays and what not)

That being said, as long as the bills are being paid and I'm putting my share into the savings......I buy whatever I want whenever I want. No questions asked. Now, I'll get an eye roll or a sarcastic jab from time to time but it's in jest and not anger. I actually get mad at her for not buying herself things she might enjoy or want. It's always about the kids or something else. One year about 5 or 6 years back I saved up $1000 and had her sisters kidnap her on her birthday, gave them the cash....and they took her shopping with the instructions not to return until she had spent the $$ on herself.
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Online Chino

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Re: The Hobby/Project thread
« Reply #215 on: December 07, 2020, 06:57:25 AM »
I really love hobbyists.

I've decided to put my love for RC on the back burner and focus all my energy (money) into combat robotics. I've been pretty overwhelmed because of the number of options out there, and while the electronics at their core are the same, the wiring of a combat robot is much different than that of an RC car. Lots of niche electronics that I'm just not familiar with or even aware of.

I made a posting in a Beetleweight (the class I'm entering) Facebook group, asking if anyone would be willing to have a conversation on Discord and help point me in the right direction. I was flooded with DMs of people offering to help. I chatted with a few people, but one guy in particular took 4.5 hours out of his Saturday night to help me. A complete stranger. I showed him some concepts of what I was hoping to build, and he just started breaking it down. The dude went above and beyond to help me. He could have just sent me links saying "use these motors" or "go with the radio", but he took the time to break down all the nuances and teach me important stuff like how to determine what motor RPMs you'd need based on how fast you want to go alongside other variables like tire size and gearing. I just thought it was really cool. I've seen a lot of new people looking for help in other hobbies, and so many people just say "use the search function" or "did you try Googling".

I now have a complete spreadsheet of components I need to order and I have listed a few of my RC vehicles for sale to raise some funds. There's some pricy equipment I'll need up front to get going, but those are a one-time purchase. As always, once I started itemizing everything, the budget seemed to double in no time  :rollin
« Last Edit: December 07, 2020, 08:23:07 AM by Chino »

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Re: The Hobby/Project thread
« Reply #216 on: December 07, 2020, 10:37:31 AM »
Saw this meme on facebook and figured it makes sense for this thread



 :lol

Put me on the "PC Guys" list as I spent a nice chunk of money the last couple weeks setting up a second stream PC and building out a new office space to support it.

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Re: The Hobby/Project thread
« Reply #217 on: December 07, 2020, 11:44:16 AM »
Where's the "Music guys" sword?
That's a word salad - and take it from me, I know word salad
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Re: The Hobby/Project thread
« Reply #218 on: December 07, 2020, 11:54:50 AM »
Where's the "Music guys" sword?
Yeah, I fall under that category! Along with PC Guy, Car Guy, and Drums Guy....

Hobbies are expensive!
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Re: The Hobby/Project thread
« Reply #219 on: December 07, 2020, 12:01:32 PM »
Where's the "Music guys" sword?
Yeah, I fall under that category! Along with PC Guy, Car Guy, and Drums Guy....

Hobbies are expensive!

Not to mention "Affair guy".

Wait ...

:ontome:
That's a word salad - and take it from me, I know word salad
I fear for the day when something happens on the right that is SO nuts that even Stadler says "That's crazy".
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Online ReaperKK

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Re: The Hobby/Project thread
« Reply #220 on: December 13, 2020, 06:53:06 AM »
Saw this meme on facebook and figured it makes sense for this thread

https://scontent-lga3-2.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/129697865_10224845820191962_2971759725192792226_n.jpg?_nc_cat=102&ccb=2&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=nDEBy-cElBgAX87PU3T&_nc_ht=scontent-lga3-2.xx&oh=a5428157a05923c163822f002f361636&oe=5FF4F03A

 :lol

Put me on the "PC Guys" list as I spent a nice chunk of money the last couple weeks setting up a second stream PC and building out a new office space to support it.

I fall into the PC, Car, and Guitar categories on this one, she knows not to ask. Not joining our bank accounts was the best idea.

Online Chino

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Re: The Hobby/Project thread
« Reply #221 on: December 28, 2020, 07:14:41 AM »
I've finally taken the plunge and have started doing something I've wanted to do/dreamed about since I was about 10. I'm building a combat robot. I'm a long ways away from the heavy weight, 250lb class that you see on TV, but there are a number of organizations in the North East that run a 3lb class called "beetle weight".

Being my first build, I've decided to not deal with the added complexities of a spinning weapon and instead go with a flipper bot. Despite building RC trucks for the last twenty years, there are electrical components I'm not well enough versed in when it comes to robot combat, so I'll be taking it slow. I'll be building a bot inspired by my childhood favorite, BioHazard.


I'm debating calling it BeetleHazard as a nod to the original. It wont be to scale as far as dimensions go, but it will be in spirit.

I needed a lot of new equipment, parts, and tools to make this happen. I've spent the last four weeks putting together spreadsheets of costs and inventories of everything I needed, and then I went on a shopping spree. I was on PTO all last week and I took this week as well. It's given me a lot of time to really dig in. I've been having a blast. You might remember that new work area I built a few months back, well, it's working splendid for this new endeavor. I did sell off a few of my favorite trucks to fund a lot of the up-front stuff I needed   :-[

I picked up the table saw new, but I found the band saw on FB marketplace for $100! That was the steal of the day.


I needed a new remote that was capable of monitoring and displaying telemetry in real time, as well as allow custom mixing of basically every button and switch on it. I've never had anything this advanced and I'm completely in the dark with such a piece of tech. A lot of airplane and heli guys use it.


A few of the components I will be using came in and I just started laying them out on grid paper. Came up with a basic layout and dimensions.


Then I started self-teaching myself a real CAD tool. I've been using an opensource piece of CAD software online called TinkerCAD, but that's got a lot of limitations and I needed something with some real horsepower and control. I'm been working with Fusion 360. There's a bit of a learning curve, but I'm picking it up kind of quickly, I think.


The final bot's chassis and armor will be made out of 1/8" and 1/4" HPDE. It's the stuff they make cutting boards out of, and it's got a crazy strength to weight ratio. It's not cheap, so I'll be waiting until I'm ready to do final assembly before I start cutting into that stuff. I've been 3D printing out prototype pieces representing what I hope to be the final-ish dimensions.



There's still a lot to work out. My main goal right now is to get a rolling chassis going in which all the electronics related to the drive are working as I need them too. I'll then start designing the arm assembly based on what room I have left. I'm having a hard time determining interior space in the CAD tool because I don't know how to account for the wiring. I can add objects to represent the space taken up by the motors, ESCs, receivers, batteries, etc.. but I have no idea how to factor in wires.


That's all I got for now. My next big investment is going to be an 18"x12"x3" CNC routing machine, but that's a ways off. Maybe next year (2022). There will be 7 competitions in 2021, pending Covid. It's very unlikely I'll have time to get something ready to fight by February, but I'm hoping to make April.


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Re: The Hobby/Project thread
« Reply #222 on: December 28, 2020, 09:03:34 AM »
That's pretty freaking cool Brian!  :tup   The 'flipper' approach is pretty successful when you watch these battles. Not a bad idea especially if you're starting off light like you are. I can't wait to see your end product. Looks pretty great so far
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Re: The Hobby/Project thread
« Reply #223 on: January 01, 2021, 04:19:20 AM »
Thanks Gary  :tup

Been having a blast working on this the last two weeks. Today is my last day of PTO before I have to get back to work (barfs). I'm pleased with the progress I've been able to make in that time.

Few more progress pics:

Still working with the temporary materials and making sure all the math checks out before cutting into the expensive stock. I tried to make the bot as symmetrical as I could across the X and Y axis. This allows me to make single jigs that can be used at all four corners for alignment and drilling. My wheel hubs and tires still haven't arrived, so I 3D printed mockup wheels to the dimensions of the actual ones. If you're wondering why the tires look so shiny, it's because they're made of plastic.


One of the trickiest bits of this bot is the interior space. There's only 1.75" of height on the inside, so the wiring is already tight as it is. Then there's also the problem that the wires can't go anywhere near the center of the bot or they will otherwise interfere with the arm mechanism. I think I should be able to cram everything in there though.


Here I am testing out some lifting arm prototypes. The final design actually ended up looking like neither of these, but I wouldn't have ever thought of the final version if I couldn't hold and manipulate/test these porotypes out.


Here's the bot with the arm installed. I think this will be the final dimension with the exception of maybe changing the hinge location in the middle of the arm.


I managed to already cook both speed controllers, sending a $100 down the drain, but I'll consider it a learning experience. Hopefully that's the last time I accidentally plug a lipo battery into something backwards. That was actually a quick moment of panic for me because I plugged the battery in and it go too hot to hold almost immediately. I had to grab it with a towel and hurl it out window fearing it would explode. Lipos can be very violent if they decide to go up inflames.

« Last Edit: January 01, 2021, 07:33:45 AM by Chino »

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Re: The Hobby/Project thread
« Reply #224 on: January 01, 2021, 07:07:13 AM »
That was actually a quick moment of panic for me because I plugged the battery in and it go too hot to hold almost immediately. I had to grab it with a towel and hurl it out window fearing it would explode. Lipos can be very violent if they decide to go up inflames.

Zoinks!!!

Otherwise, this is awesome to see you getting to do something you've always dreamed of!
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I fear for the day when something happens on the right that is SO nuts that even Stadler says "That's crazy".
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Online Chino

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Re: The Hobby/Project thread
« Reply #225 on: January 11, 2021, 05:52:38 AM »
I did my part and used my relief check to stimulate the economy a bit over the weekend. Built a new bench, got a low-budget drill press, and found a decent vise. I'm running out of room.



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Re: The Hobby/Project thread
« Reply #226 on: January 11, 2021, 06:12:22 AM »
Looks awesome Chino. How big is that room?

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Re: The Hobby/Project thread
« Reply #227 on: January 11, 2021, 06:41:51 AM »
Looks awesome Chino. How big is that room?

Thanks. That room is 15'x23' with a walk-in 6'x'10 room near that shelving to the back left (make-shift spray booth). It's got an exhaust system and a slop sink. I wish the room was a little bigger. This is a walled off, semi-finished room in my basement. It has a regular dirty/concrete basement on the other side of the equipment wall, and there's the laundry/furnace room in another semi-finished area as well.  The ceiling is only 79" though  :lol
« Last Edit: January 11, 2021, 08:29:44 AM by Chino »

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Re: The Hobby/Project thread
« Reply #228 on: January 11, 2021, 07:45:14 AM »
What is the thickest material you can cut on that Craftsman band saw?

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Re: The Hobby/Project thread
« Reply #229 on: January 11, 2021, 08:02:34 AM »
A 2x4 is probably the thickest I'd run through it.

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Re: The Hobby/Project thread
« Reply #230 on: January 11, 2021, 08:12:08 AM »
ok thanks.
I've built a couple stave snare drums in the last year and was thinking it would be cool to be able to use a bandsaw to round both the inside and outside (as opposed to using my router jigs or a lathe). Even the expensive shop saws don't have a thick enough depth of cut (7 or so inches)

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Re: The Hobby/Project thread
« Reply #231 on: January 11, 2021, 08:34:22 AM »
I could have used that table saw when I was doing my deck!  I ended up cutting the post notches by hand with a circular saw, a chop saw, and a chisel.   Looks good, but took about twice as long as it should have.

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Re: The Hobby/Project thread
« Reply #232 on: January 11, 2021, 08:41:14 AM »
I could have used that table saw when I was doing my deck!  I ended up cutting the post notches by hand with a circular saw, a chop saw, and a chisel.   Looks good, but took about twice as long as it should have.

I'm blown away by that table saw TBH. My dad's got a 60yo, made-in-USA behemoth that's still cutting like a champ, but this thing can do everything that thing does and can be put in a trunk. I wish I bought one years ago.

ok thanks.
I've built a couple stave snare drums in the last year and was thinking it would be cool to be able to use a bandsaw to round both the inside and outside (as opposed to using my router jigs or a lathe). Even the expensive shop saws don't have a thick enough depth of cut (7 or so inches)

Oh yeah, this is nowhere near big enough for that kind of thing. You'd need a saw that stands on the floor for something like that.

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Re: The Hobby/Project thread
« Reply #233 on: January 11, 2021, 08:42:58 AM »
I could have used that table saw when I was doing my deck!  I ended up cutting the post notches by hand with a circular saw, a chop saw, and a chisel.   Looks good, but took about twice as long as it should have.

I'm blown away by that table saw TBH. My dad's got a 60yo, made-in-USA behemoth that's still cutting like a champ, but this thing can do everything that thing does and can be put in a trunk. I wish I bought one years ago.

I had one but when I was moving a lot (and then going through a divorce) I gave it to my Dad in Florida.   He's kind of a packrat; hopefully it's in his garage.

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Re: The Hobby/Project thread
« Reply #234 on: January 11, 2021, 11:14:34 AM »
I love my 8 1/4" Dewalt table saw. When I started making the staves for my first drum I couldn't get the accurate angles I needed with my 25 year old Skil table saw so I upgraded. The Dewalt is super precise (for a portable job saw), powerful and light weight and extremely portable. With the addition of a Wixey digital angle gauge I was able to dial in my bevel cuts to fractions of a degree. I used it all summer long ripping treated 2x lumber for various decking jobs and it worked like a champ. I'm seeing them on line for $399 but I think I paid $300 for it. Worth every penny!

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Re: The Hobby/Project thread
« Reply #235 on: January 11, 2021, 11:39:12 AM »
I almost went with the Dewalt one. I like Dewalt stuff a lot. Truth be told, Home Depot was the only place near me that carried it, and I wanted to support a smaller/local store near me that I'd like to keep around. The local place carries the Skilsaw equivalent of the one you have. Amzon's got it listed for $440, but the store had it on the floor for $320. I couldn't not buy it. I didn't bother putting the safety guard on mine though. I know it's unsafe as hell, but I need to be able to get close to the blade and see what I'm doing for certain cuts.

https://www.amazon.com/SKILSAW-SPT99T-01-Portable-Drive-Table/dp/B087WGVRHT/ref=sxin_10?ascsubtag=amzn1.osa.718c000a-80b5-413a-a619-e12477587cb7.ATVPDKIKX0DER.en_US&creativeASIN=B087WGVRHT&crid=2RYCZASP8IX7L&cv_ct_cx=skilsaw+table+saw&cv_ct_id=amzn1.osa.718c000a-80b5-413a-a619-e12477587cb7.ATVPDKIKX0DER.en_US&cv_ct_pg=search&cv_ct_we=asin&cv_ct_wn=osp-single-source-gl-ranking&dchild=1&keywords=skilsaw+table+saw&linkCode=oas&pd_rd_i=B087WGVRHT&pd_rd_r=38d6408b-c467-4e96-a82d-424f0d659810&pd_rd_w=lQTAN&pd_rd_wg=0BBzv&pf_rd_p=53f37bb1-bef6-4b9e-be3a-0696c5f5ad01&pf_rd_r=5W70QC8FZ3B7ZM8406E1&qid=1610390162&sprefix=skilsaw%2Caps%2C168&sr=1-3-d9dc7690-f7e1-44eb-ad06-aebbef559a37&tag=bobvila-20
« Last Edit: January 11, 2021, 11:45:12 AM by Chino »

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Re: The Hobby/Project thread
« Reply #236 on: February 15, 2021, 08:17:13 AM »
Got my bot moving under its own power  :metal

https://www.facebook.com/515190110/videos/10164721423925111/

Offline Phoenix87x

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Re: The Hobby/Project thread
« Reply #237 on: February 15, 2021, 10:11:56 AM »
I've become absolutely fascinated by other languages and learning them. Just something about it, its so wildly different than what we are used to in the everyday. Speaking words in another language lets you step outside yourself for a moment. Really dig it.

Working on Polish as a 2nd language now, but would love to keep going to other ones afterward.

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Re: The Hobby/Project thread
« Reply #238 on: February 23, 2021, 05:48:59 AM »
I've become absolutely fascinated by other languages and learning them. Just something about it, its so wildly different than what we are used to in the everyday. Speaking words in another language lets you step outside yourself for a moment. Really dig it.

Working on Polish as a 2nd language now, but would love to keep going to other ones afterward.

You might find this guy pretty interesting.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ucO0C3xwyJg

Offline Phoenix87x

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Re: The Hobby/Project thread
« Reply #239 on: February 23, 2021, 07:26:12 AM »
^^ That's awesome

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Re: The Hobby/Project thread
« Reply #240 on: February 23, 2021, 12:08:46 PM »
I just bought myself an airbrush and compressor for the first time. Gonna try and up my model painting game.
"For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for nature cannot be fooled." - Richard Feynman

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Re: The Hobby/Project thread
« Reply #241 on: March 15, 2021, 12:20:03 PM »
Cross-stitching update: work was busy as hell in October - December last year, so I didn't make any progress during those three months, however I'm back at it since January and so far so good. So here's a current pic, I'll post these once in a couple of months, as I guess it'll be interesting to look back at later when it's finally finished. Still on track to finish at the end of 2022.



This first band is Soen very cool swingy jazz fusion kinda stuff.

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Re: The Hobby/Project thread
« Reply #242 on: March 16, 2021, 05:11:29 AM »
Very nice!
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Re: The Hobby/Project thread
« Reply #243 on: March 16, 2021, 06:01:53 AM »
Almost a year ago you said "The full design should look like this which I'll probably finish in like 5 years from now on :lol

I think you're tracking faster than that. Looks great so far! Nice work.

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Re: The Hobby/Project thread
« Reply #244 on: March 19, 2021, 04:55:10 AM »
I love my 8 1/4" Dewalt table saw.

I almost went with the Dewalt one. I like Dewalt stuff a lot.

It's kind of embarrassing, but my power tool collection looks like a Dewalt advertisement. I have the big compound miter saw, the 8-1/4" job site table saw, palm sander, plate joiner, 18 volt reciprocating saw, 7-1/4 MAX Flexvolt Cordless Circular Saw (this is perhaps the most impressive of the lot. So much torque), and the rest are all 20V Max XR Cordless including; impact driver, hammer drill, 18 g brad nail gun, trim router, jig saw, and orbital sander. I even recently bought a new Dewalt stainless steel shop vacuum at Costco. It's like a disease with me, I see that yellow and black and my mouth starts drooling.  :lol

Anyway, back to hobbies. I think I told y'all that I'm doing some remodeling at home and that I've been learning to use Sketchup. Well, I was near completion of my plans (and nearly done with the demolition as well) when I thought it would be helpful, for discussions between me and Mrs. P, if Sketchup had a lighting model. I did a quick internet search and found that a group of enthusiast have made a free Ray Tracing plugin to Sketchup, I added a 4 60 watt bulbs to the model, about 12 " down from the ceiling, and voila.




Here's one with the model of our travertine dining table in it.


And here's one with the strip lights in the shelf pockets. I usually have to turn those off during a render, because of all the calculations needed to render that many lights could can potentially run the render into a daylong event. As it is, this render took five hours at 1920 x 1080.


Just for comparison, this is what the same camera angle looks like in the modeler as apposed to the renderer.


"Religion poisons everything” — Christopher Hitchens