Today I Made...

[Shpaget]

Apparently there are quite a bit of us here that have hobbies other than space rockets, so let's start a new thread to show what we've been up to and what we've made. I've noticed we have 3D printers, paper crafters, crotcheters , wood turners, and more. It can be anything that you're proud of or not and would like to ask for help. (Of course, the "Today" part of the title is not meant to be restrictive.)

To get the thread off the ground, I'll start small.

It's a screwdriver for model railway track placement in hard to reach places where regular sized screwdriver just doesn't fit. Couple of months ago I was struggling to reach something and the regular screwdriver was hitting a level above so I went to my shop and made this little thing. It's fairly wide to give more torque and knurled for grip. The bit is pretty much permanently pressed into the handle.

I like making custom tools for those specific little jobs you encounter every now and then.

[PunkyFickle]

38 minutes ago, Shpaget said:

I like making custom tools for those specific little jobs you encounter every now and then.

Good tools change your life. Good self-made tools are the source of an odd intense joy.

A few days ago, I made this small cat house/tree for my cats (so that they don't lay on my keyboard when I play KSP, principally). It's not much at all, but I only used salvaged materials lying here and there in my place and didn't spend a cent, apart from the screws, nails, glue and tape I'll have to refill, of course. It doesn't look too nice, but I made it quite sturdy, so my hope is that they don't destroy it too fast. The bottom house part is rather ugly, but I fear that if I glue wallpaper on it, they will scratch it off (I used all the available carpet, already). Oh, and I widened the doors.

Edited February 8, 2019 by PunkyFickle

[Nuke]

im kind of in the middle of modeling one my pi tablet side controllers. when i built my pi tablet i included several hard points for external addons, and this project puts one of them to use, the right side. the electronics side is mostly complete, i got 4 high end keyswitches, the kind used in mechanical keyboards, a joystick module from an old xbox controller i found in a dumpster, a small slide pot to act as a throttle axis, a blackberry trackball breakout board, a custom 3d printed hall effect rotary encoder that will serve as a mouse wheel, and there is an extra adc channel which i havent decded on what to do with. easiest would be just to stick a trim wheel somewhere. everything works over an i2c bus. its all built on a home made pcb (a couple actually). ive already tested it and verified the data coming off of the outputs. i already wrote a linux driver for the prototype, and expanding it to work with more functions should not be an issue. 

but it needs some ergonomic casement. i think ive extracted the secret sauce for a good gamepad using various salvaged controllers. figured the correct proportions between the distances between the various interfaces. comparing the dual shock ps2 controller with an xbox controller ive determined that the angle of the grips seems to correspond to the placement of the shoulder buttons. like the steep grip on the ps2 seems to promote more comfortable use of the high triggers while the flatter design from the xbox controller seems to want lowered triggers. my pad takes the shallow approach with a mostly flat controller, in order to support the 4 rather large shoulder buttons. they will need to be mounted at an angle so as to allow  optimal reach of all buttons. also the distance between the stick center and the dpad/face buttons is about the same on all sticks. ive tried to maintain it the best i can but the trackball is a tad offset, but still close to the center of where the face buttons would be on a ps2 pad. 

the left side will just be a pure usb controller, because thats where the ports are.  im thinking it will keep a second joystick, and have a trim wheel in the same location as my rotary encoder on the right side. im debating replacing the dpad with a proper hat switch as well as the same shoulder button layout. i came up with a fairly good design not too long ago, and will just need to miniaturize it. it will likely also have a 4th analog control. it will just use an arduino pro micro 3.3v, so i only get four analog channels, but i might throw in some extra goodies like an ir transceiver since i will have plenty of extra io. maybe also throw in a long range radio (i got a module that can do 2 mbit out to a kilometer making it great for r/c applications) or perhaps a com port for future expansion. anything goes.  heres some pics

Spoiler

heres a couple render in max, bad photogrammetric scan of a ps2 knockoff case for reference (i used meshroom, which is a lot easier to use than visual sfm, for future reference stop trying to photo scan shiny things, a sanding and maybe a dusting of matte gray paint would have helped make a better scan). banana for scale is so 2018. a couple of different angles, i still havent decided on the final placement of the button box. i may have to print the custom keycaps first for a better reference. 

heres the electronics and also the hardpoint im going to use. a pair of thumb screws bolted into recessed square nuts will hold it together. note the 3d printed rotory encoder, this is the prototype, but ive already designed a newer version which is a little bit more compact and will have double the resolution, pending a shipment of tiny neodymium magnets from china. probibly should order some fancy chromed joystick caps, but these will do for now.  

 

 

[Shpaget]

8 hours ago, PunkyFickle said:

Good tools change your life. Good self-made tools are the source of an odd intense joy.

Oh yes. Both when making it and using it.

8 hours ago, PunkyFickle said:

A few days ago, I made this small cat house/tree for my cats

It looks great and the cat seems to like it, which is the most important part.

[StrandedonEarth]

I can slap together some simple things, functional but not really sellable. And seeing as I use my garage for actually parking a car in (of all things) I generally don't have the space-time to paint/stain/otherwise finish things. But hey, they do the job. 

Some things I built two or three years ago...

A small desk that folds down against the wall (found some nifty locking brackets for that)

Spoiler

I also built an under-the-stair-storage rack for my wife's canning:

Spoiler

What I would like to get is a Kreg jig, and the small ones are cheap, but I want a bigger one, which don't fit my limited tool budget...

 

Edited February 11, 2019 by StrandedonEarth

[StrandedonEarth]

More recently, two weeks ago I made a simple nightstand, mostly from pieces of old dismantled desks and stuff. The convenient part was that the only piece I had to cut was the top piece of plywood.

Spoiler

Yesterday, I made a mock toilet as the second step in toilet training our cat. I think getting him to use it is probably the hardest part of the process, and he has used it a few times already, so I think this might actually work!

Spoiler

E: I just started a thread about this here:

 

Edited February 12, 2019 by StrandedonEarth

[Shpaget]

The thing on the left side of the Dremel is a little something that screws on the Dremel and provides an attachment point for the tool holder on the quick change tool post on my lathe. The big block is aluminium, boread and threaded for the thread on the Dremel and a piece of an old and broken lathe tool serves as a shank.

With this I can mount the Dremel and do some grinding, off center drilling, and some very light milling in softer materials (brass, aluminium, plastics, wood). I haven't tried steel, since it would probably be just a waste of time.

The widget works fine, but the Dremel itself is causing some problems. First of all it's not nearly as rigid as I'd like it to be. The plastic housing twists when more than lightest of touches is applied, which leads to tool chatter. Entire lathe is tiny, and QCTP is not the most rigid thing in the world itself. Furthermore, the slowest speed the Dremel will turn is already too fast for most applications.

So, now I'm looking into buying a dedicated motor for this application. I'm eyeballing this. I already have one such on a dedicated PCB drill press and it appears to be better suited for the job. It's not bank breaking expensive either, but will require some work to make it work. I don't have a mill, so some jobs are a bit difficult and require out of the box thinking.

Edited February 13, 2019 by Shpaget

[Green Baron]

I am so jealous about your work, @Shpaget My little model train project is making slow progress, though my style of tinkering is more like this guy's:

 

:-)

Edited February 13, 2019 by Green Baron

[Shpaget]

53 minutes ago, Green Baron said:

I am so jealous about your work, @Shpaget

Well, we are hiring (and in fact I'm writing this between two job interviews), so hop over.

55 minutes ago, Green Baron said:

My little model train project is making slow progress

That's great to hear. Progress is good, and everything in this hobby takes longer then expected. Yesterday I finished (at least I think I did) the elevator. The plan for this last part was for it to take 2 weeks. It took more than 4.

[Green Baron]

Well, if there are like 22°C right now and blue sky ? But i doubt i have the qualification you need :-)

Right now i sat down from gluing cork strips on the parade track (no photo because cork on plywood isn't that thrilling). But i have another project i may show off soon, implementing this little algorithm, and i am trying to do so since 6 weeks now and i don't really get it. Soon(tm).

[Shpaget]

Just by the fact that you've decided to tackle that I deem you qualified.
As for the weather, it's 7°C and overcast.
A small disclaimer, unless you move down the street from us, we can't afford to cover your commuting expenses.

Anyway, one candidate decided the pay was too low, another lives 70+ km away, one was a no-show (perhaps for the best, since his CV states he has IQ of 166, as measured by an internet quiz), another one already has a full time job (and we definitely can't compete with his pay). One more for today.

Edited February 13, 2019 by Shpaget

[Nuke]

On 2/13/2019 at 2:07 AM, Shpaget said:

The thing on the left side of the Dremel is a little something that screws on the Dremel and provides an attachment point for the tool holder on the quick change tool post on my lathe. The big block is aluminium, boread and threaded for the thread on the Dremel and a piece of an old and broken lathe tool serves as a shank.

With this I can mount the Dremel and do some grinding, off center drilling, and some very light milling in softer materials (brass, aluminium, plastics, wood). I haven't tried steel, since it would probably be just a waste of time.

The widget works fine, but the Dremel itself is causing some problems. First of all it's not nearly as rigid as I'd like it to be. The plastic housing twists when more than lightest of touches is applied, which leads to tool chatter. Entire lathe is tiny, and QCTP is not the most rigid thing in the world itself. Furthermore, the slowest speed the Dremel will turn is already too fast for most applications.

So, now I'm looking into buying a dedicated motor for this application. I'm eyeballing this. I already have one such on a dedicated PCB drill press and it appears to be better suited for the job. It's not bank breaking expensive either, but will require some work to make it work. I don't have a mill, so some jobs are a bit difficult and require out of the box thinking.

there was a recent hack-a-day article for something like that, was that you? nvm google fu proves otherwise

 

i kind of want to get into machining but i dont have the cash for that hobby. im currently doing a long term cnc pcb mill project, still gathering parts, a leadscrew here, a cnc shield there, a couple nema 17s, some rail systems. i also have some spare 3d printer parts that aren't doing anything. i got a lot of salvaged acrylic from old lcd monitors, pretty heavy duty stuff in 3/8" or more. im curious if its properties would be sufficient to handle any structural duties for my machine. i also have an unused 3d printer bed that is known to be flat, thinking that might be a good place to connect the tooling to the horizontal axis. i dont really have a design yet, i just know its going to be a cartesian machine with a dremel flex shaft acting as the business end. 

Edited February 14, 2019 by Nuke

[Shpaget]

Yeah, not me. That is a nice looking piece, though I'm not sure about the aluminium shank. He also has aluminium QCTP. Mine is steel of similar dimensions and far from rock solid. I'm certainly not a machinist, but in the last year I've used the lathe (on practically daily basis) I've learned that in machining rigidity of the machine is probably the most important thing. It's and interesting design decision. I suppose if he doesn't do heavy cuts or use just for grinding, it's fine. I'd like to use mine for some (light) milling as well, which probably brings the project to another level of requirements.

I feel like I have a deja vu, but haven't I asked you this already? Why are you building a PCB mill? What's wrong with etching? It's faster, cheaper, more accurate and doesn't produce nasty fiberglass dust that will eventually abrade linear bearings on the mill. The only advantage of CNC milling I see is easy hole drilling, but going the SMD route can drastically reduce the number of holes you need to drill.

[Nuke]

where i live its prohibitively expensive to get chemicals shipped here. ive been using the egregiously slow salt+vinnegar+peroxide etch solution, moving on to something better is just not an option. its also a good intro to cnc machines in a way that solves a problem i have.

if i was interested in making high quality boards is probably just order them from one of those chinese board houses, which i hear can get dual layer tinned and silkscreened boards as low as $2 / square inch. 

Edited February 15, 2019 by Nuke

[Shpaget]

Yeah, I ordered once from them and the cost, including shipping, is below just the material cost of blank copper clad I can buy locally. Decent quality too. Certainly not worse than my home brewed stuff.

As for chemicals, you don't need much. If you can get your hands on peroxide of decent purity (20+%) you're golden. I have a source of 30%, but it's not readily available here. Apparently, it's controlled substance and you can only buy <5% in pharmacy. I use hydrochloric acid which, over here, can be bought in a supermarket.

If it's an entry into CNC world, then by all means, go ahead. It sure is a nice project. Do try to make it 3D. Soon you'll want to mill something bigger and 2,5 D won't be able to do it.

[Nuke]

its one of those chase is better than the catch things. 

[Nuke]

behold! the 5-way hatswitch! sure i could get a bag of 5-way tactile joysticks on ebay for a buck, but wheres the fun in that?

this thing uses a 4.8mm ball stud (spare parts for my now defunct rc heli hobby) as the joint that enables this design. there is an inverted cone built into the core of the part that accepts the ball, and it screws into the bottom of the post. you can then install a tactile button in the bottom and screw it down, this holds the ball in its socket and also provides a 5th funcion. this is actually a new version of an old design, which was built around a machineed ball and socket salvaged from a busted sewing machine. that made a damn fine hat switch, but i needed more than one of them. seeing as i had only one of those parts i had to come up with a replacement socket design, and one day while organizing my endless array of random parts bins i got an idea around the time i got to the chopper parts bin and found a stash of way too many ball screws. the new design also has the added benefit of being slightly smaller. 

Edited March 9, 2019 by Nuke

[DDE]

On 2/8/2019 at 12:24 PM, PunkyFickle said:

The bottom house part is rather ugly, but I fear that if I glue wallpaper on it, they will scratch it off (I used all the available carpet, already). Oh, and I widened the doors.

Mine ignore the house part of a factory-made set entirely.

The cupboard under the sink is far more interesting.

[Shpaget]

A while ago a customer bought two nice passenger wagons with pretty spoked wheels. The thing is, the wagons are made by Marklin and he has Roco track, so Marklin wheels would make a short circuit on his layout. We swapped the wheels with insulated ones, but we didn't have the nice spoked replacement so he got some classic regular wheels. I offered to give it a go and try and insulate them when I get a chance. Now about a year later (I know, I know, but in my defense, my lathe hadn't been set up at that time) I finally got around to do it.

The leftmost one is done, the other three are about to undergo the surgery.

I turned the little bushings from some delrin, drilled out a little bit bigger hole in the wheels and pressed the bushings in the wheel, followed by the axle.

I suppose it turned out ok.

Hope he likes it.

[Green Baron]

Good work, sir !

I see pretty hefty wheel flanges, or have the wheels a small diameter ?

Will they run on code 83 (roco line for example) tracks ?

[Shpaget]

They are standard sized wheels. Marklin does have a bit larger flanges.

This is on Roco Geoline, which is code 83. I haven't tried running these wheels on the track, but I quickly tested some other Marklin wagon which runs well and will go over turnouts without derailing or noticable issues.

Standard Marklin C track is Code 90, so only 7 thousands of an inch (~0,18 mm) higher.

These wheels have 1,4 mm flanges.