Search found 601 matches

by parkview
Thu Jul 02, 2015 10:22 pm
Forum: Projects
Topic: Testing Brass Heat Insert
Replies: 8
Views: 8189

Re: Testing Brass Heat Insert

I discussed this with an Engineer at work. He wondered if I could use a nail that was inserted into a cheap screw down soldering iron. Bingo! This evening I pulled out the draws of nails and screws and dug up an my first non regulated soldering iron. It didn't have a screw down soldering bit. This o...
by parkview
Wed Jul 01, 2015 10:35 pm
Forum: Projects
Topic: Testing Brass Heat Insert
Replies: 8
Views: 8189

Re: Testing Brass Heat Insert

Yes, the same as my no. 2 attempt. Well, bolstered by your blog post, I have stripped down my Hako 936 soldering iron, and measured up the tip. I might check out the local Men's Shed this Sat. to see if I can make up a special M2 & M3 tip. It doesn't look that difficult to make up.

Thanks.
by parkview
Wed Jul 01, 2015 9:03 pm
Forum: General Discussion
Topic: Robotic Kits
Replies: 5
Views: 5863

Re: Robotic Kits

The Shenzhen Makers Faire was full of metal and plastic robotics kits. Chinese kids are going to leave us for dead, there is just so much available to them. There was even a magnetic line following robot working nearly vertically on a white board, people loved it. http://www.makeblock.cc/mechanical/...
by parkview
Wed Jul 01, 2015 8:53 pm
Forum: Projects
Topic: Testing Brass Heat Insert
Replies: 8
Views: 8189

Re: Testing Brass Heat Insert

Ah, but how do you stop the plastic from filling up the nut hole? Using a Soldering iron directly on the brass insert was the first thing I tried, but I quickly found that plastic flowed up through the bottom, and up into the bolt space: flowing plastic example.jpg I tried using a cut down bolt to b...
by parkview
Sun Jun 28, 2015 10:57 pm
Forum: Projects
Topic: Testing Brass Heat Insert
Replies: 8
Views: 8189

Re: Testing Brass Heat Insert - 2

This is the range of brass inserts that I have picked up: M2 M3 and M4 Brass heat inserts.jpg It's tricking trying to heat them up so they melt evenly into the PLA. Even with a hole below the heated brass insert, they had a tendency to slip off to the side. I had pondered this when I designed up the...
by parkview
Sun Jun 28, 2015 10:40 pm
Forum: Projects
Topic: Testing Brass Heat Insert
Replies: 8
Views: 8189

Testing Brass Heat Insert

I had been reading about how people have been using brass inserts as embedded bolt nuts in PLA/ABS housings. I had to give it a go, as it looked a neat and professional method of joining two 3D printed surfaces together. I ordered some M3 brass inserts from dx.com, but at the time, they had a limite...
by parkview
Sun Jun 07, 2015 8:47 pm
Forum: Projects
Topic: My Projects
Replies: 2
Views: 3606

Re: My Projects

Hi Beau, I feel your pain there. I moved my home external web-server out into the cloud some 6-7 years ago. I was just thinking earlier this year that perhaps I could move it back in house, then some time ago I noticed that the Internet seemed to 'slow down'. Last week I braved Telstra support and f...
by parkview
Sun Jun 07, 2015 8:22 pm
Forum: Projects
Topic: Raspberry Pi GIS Tablet: GIS-Pi
Replies: 44
Views: 57696

Re: Raspberry Pi GIS Tablet: GIS-Pi

Friday night I designed up and printed out the final version of the external GPS antenna: GIS-Pi - GPS Antenna Mount.jpg MDF doesn't like being wet, so this weekend I have spent painting the outside of the housing. While down at Bunnings, I spied a spray can of zinc cold galvanisation. It's not chea...
by parkview
Sun Jun 07, 2015 8:04 pm
Forum: Projects
Topic: Doc-Pi
Replies: 25
Views: 23216

Re: Doc-Pi

The Quest for the Perfect LED Arm: Part 2 With the Felix 3D printer back in action, it's been a busy weekend. I have designed and printed another three iterations of the DOC-Pi LED bracket Ver. 3: RH side, Moving the LED light bar back away from the glass, so there is no/less LED reflection (Ver. 4...
by parkview
Sun Jun 07, 2015 7:51 pm
Forum: Projects
Topic: Doc-Pi
Replies: 25
Views: 23216

Re: Doc-Pi

The Quest for the Perfect LED Arm: Part 1 This quest started back in 2014, just before my 3D printer bit the dust. Back then my initial LED arm was just an upright bar. My thinking was that as long as the LED bar was placed at a 45 deg. angle, then the camera should be fine. Wrong! Obviously it was...
by parkview
Sat Jun 06, 2015 6:11 pm
Forum: Projects
Topic: Remote Weather Station
Replies: 2
Views: 3668

Re: Remote Weather Station

Nice one on the video, I hadn't thought about including that. Talking of Hack-A-Day - I hope to meet up with some of the HAD crew in Shenzhen for dinner. They said they are going over for the Makers Faire. Should be interesting to hear their stories :)
by parkview
Sat Jun 06, 2015 5:20 pm
Forum: General Discussion
Topic: Robotics Comp
Replies: 3
Views: 4580

Re: Robotics Comp

Just noticed this kit on Sparkfun: https://www.sparkfun.com/products/12649
by parkview
Fri Jun 05, 2015 10:16 pm
Forum: Projects
Topic: Remote Weather Station
Replies: 2
Views: 3668

Remote Weather Station

I still have to finish off the remote weather station, so more on that later. In the mean time, I would love to be able to record lightning strikes. It would be great if a number of people in the SW had a mini weather station that also recorded them, as them you could triangulate the strikes and tra...
by parkview
Tue Jun 02, 2015 10:22 pm
Forum: Projects
Topic: Raspberry Pi GIS Tablet: GIS-Pi
Replies: 44
Views: 57696

Re: Raspberry Pi GIS Tablet: GIS-Pi

There is nothing like really needing something to drive one to get around to fixing something. Last weekend it was time to dig down and get the Felix 3D printer working again, as I had a slew of things that I needed printed. Yes, GIS-Pi needed some good old plastic bling! Here is a white LCD bezel, ...
by parkview
Sun May 24, 2015 8:23 pm
Forum: Projects
Topic: Raspberry Pi GIS Tablet: GIS-Pi
Replies: 44
Views: 57696

Re: Raspberry Pi GIS Tablet: GIS-Pi

Time to put it all together. Yes, it did all fit into the housing, but only just. I did have to move one of the central LCD supports so that a 'feature creep' 90 deg. 3.5mm audio output plug could be fitted: Assembling the GIS-Pi_3a.jpg It's a tight squeeze, but it all fits in. I still have to 3D pr...
by parkview
Fri May 15, 2015 11:20 am
Forum: General Discussion
Topic: Robotics Comp
Replies: 3
Views: 4580

Re: Robotics Comp

Well done Phillip. Added some more text to the Google Doc.
by parkview
Thu May 14, 2015 10:14 pm
Forum: Projects
Topic: Raspberry Pi GIS Tablet: GIS-Pi
Replies: 44
Views: 57696

Re: Raspberry Pi GIS Tablet: GIS-Pi

nice find. I see Dx.com has some winging it's way to me now :)
Thanks.
by parkview
Wed May 13, 2015 10:01 pm
Forum: Projects
Topic: Raspberry Pi GIS Tablet: GIS-Pi
Replies: 44
Views: 57696

Re: Raspberry Pi GIS Tablet: GIS-Pi

Yes, having fun! Just been out in the shed fitting power switch, LCD on/off button and LED etc to the top cover. This week, it has occurred to me that having a unshielded ribbon cables for the camera and LCD display board might over power the GPS antenna. Having a wooden housing doesn't help. Did yo...
by parkview
Sun May 10, 2015 9:55 pm
Forum: Projects
Topic: Raspberry Pi GIS Tablet: GIS-Pi
Replies: 44
Views: 57696

Re: Raspberry Pi GIS Tablet: GIS-Pi

I forgot to mention that I have moved on from using the HDMPi screen. It drew too much power while the screen was on and it wasn't a touch screen. My current screen is this Adafruit 5" resistive touch screen: https://www.adafruit.com/products/2110 . There has been a bit of an issue with the tou...
by parkview
Sun May 10, 2015 7:32 pm
Forum: Projects
Topic: Raspberry Pi GIS Tablet: GIS-Pi
Replies: 44
Views: 57696

Re: Raspberry Pi GIS Tablet: GIS-Pi

Time for a bit of an update on the project. I have updated the code so that I am using three sets of python Classes. I like how neat they make the main body of code. Of course, if I ever want to rewrite it all, I would start with designing it all around Classes. Still lots to learn about using them ...