Author Archives: Jim

IR comms considerations (for penlift for the Drawbot)

Posted on March 23, 2017 by Jim

Introduction I was planning to hold this to be part of a much larger writeup of the Drawbot, but while it started as part of that project, it sort of took on a life of its own as an IR … Continue reading →

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Chinese nail blocks not a fraud

Posted on January 9, 2017 by Jim

Well, that was informative.  As Ziggy taught me to say back at Reuters, “The test is the test.” When Scott told me about keeping a nail buffer block on the bench to provide 4 grits of sandpaper in one convenient, … Continue reading →

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Hot melt strain reliefs – next phase

Posted on January 8, 2017 by Jim

I’ve used hot melt glue for strain reliefs on connectors – typically 0.1″ headers abused as connectors – for a long time.  Insulation is a secondary plus, but the primary goal was physical strengthening/protection of the quite small (and therefore … Continue reading →

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Prius footrest

Posted on November 22, 2016 by Jim

On road trips in the (new, 2015) blue Prius, my left foot is frequently unhappy.  It would like a comfy  place to rest – the way IT wants to sit.  While there is a nice left foot rest, it’s not … Continue reading →

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Mantis tiller

Posted on May 28, 2016 by Jim

After many years of dithering, I finally decided to get a Mantis.  I found a used one for $80? $100? on Craigslist and bought it.  It’s great!  I found edger and dethatcher parts for it and it’s ready to rock … Continue reading →

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Laser etched rubber stamp

Posted on March 23, 2016 by Jim

Ever since Mitch Altman presented the idea, I’ve thought hackerspace passports were pretty cool, if geeky.  (Thanks to Adafruit for the pic.)  I’ve also felt that Workshop 88 should be able to participate with a good stamp.  Of course we … Continue reading →

Posted in Laser Cutter | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

W88 Laser Exhaust Fan Replacement

Posted on March 16, 2016 by Jim

When we first got the W88 laser cutter up and running, we scavenged the ancient circulation blower from the old, gutted in-wall furnace, took advantage of the 8″ flue/fresh air hole in the wall, and hacked a mounting to provide … Continue reading →

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Observations on laser cutter kerfs

Posted on December 17, 2015 by Jim

I wanted to have the laser cut center holes in 3mm acrylic gears that would provide just enough clearance to use 4-40 screws as pivots while allowing the gears to spin freely.  I didn’t know exactly how much clearance that … Continue reading →

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Xfinity (was AT&T Uverse) failures

Posted on December 5, 2015 by Jim

Background The damn NVG589 modem on my ATT Uverse internet/phone service failed again today 12/5/15.  This post will be a place to keep details of this and subsequent failures.  There have been many in the past; I’m sure there will … Continue reading →

Posted in Home Repair | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Shapelock lesson with zipper pull repair

Posted on November 2, 2015 by Jim

The bits of hardware that attach the zipper pull to the slide broke off on the orange mesh bag that holds adapters in my black recording bag. As a replacement, I made a loop out of 17 ga baling wire … Continue reading →

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