Review: Adjustable 30V/10A DC Power Supply
I recently received the LongWei 30V/10A (Model: LW-K2010D) power supply from to review. Full disclosure - it was sent to free for this review. That said, I'm transparent about my views on things and don't sugarcoat. The below review is my first impression of this unit doing some basic validation of it's functions. In the coming months I'll drop back in and update as I get more experience with this PS. The review is broken…
3D Printed Banana Jack Inset Speaker Plate
In Nov 2018 I took on the adventure of finishing my own basement. I'm now at the point where I'm wiring my AV system up and focused on the audio part. When looking to find banana jack wall plates for the speaker connectors, I was surprised to see that most are flush mount with the banana jacks sticking out. You can find some that are wall mounted, but they can be pricey and don't fit…
3D Print: Electronics Soldering 3rd Hand
After years using my reliable PanaVise, it was time to step it up with some extra help for soldering and electronics work. I had this idea over a year ago, and pick-up some 3rd hand arms. They then sat on my Now that the weather is cooling down, there's more time for hobbies. That, and my eyes are not what they used to be, so this has become somewhat of a necessity. Given MCUs…
3D Printer Raspberry Pi stand & case for OctoPrint Rig
Now that I'm done adding a TFT to my OctoPrint Pi rig, next step was to make a cradle mount for the LulzBot Mini. I also integrated a power switch into the build. The cradle is a remix from the Adafruit guide, while the shell are direct prints. STL files for the remixed cradle are here. The power switch holder is printed separately then glued using Goop (best glue ever!).
How To: TFT LCD with TouchUI on Raspberry Pi OctoPi Rig
I recently ventured into adding a " TFT to my LulzBot ; I already have OctoPrint running, but there are times (usually during filament failure events) I need to directly control the printer (heat the filament, move axis motors etc). After 3 painful days of messing around with different tutorials, I finally figured it out and it works dammit! I haven't found a single source that has all steps in one place, so I decided to…
USB Dial
This is another one of those "did it because I can" projects. It's a USB dial that uses a Teensy Arduino unit at it's core and allows me to emulate my mouse. I use TinkerCAD avidly to design my 3D printed models. I wanted to have both this and my mouse at the same time. The mouse would be used for some activities ( object selection/rotation/editing) while the dial would fill in to perform rotate/zoom in/out…
Lepin Baja Trophy Truck (23013) Build / Lepin vs LEGO Comparison
Let's start by clearing the air. I'm fully aware of what Lepin is up to. I'm an AFOL and have been a dedicated LEGO fan (mostly Technic and Minstorms) for over 40 years. I have spent more $ on LEGO than I want to know. Am I a purist? Somewhat. I didn't really pay much attention to knock-off LEGO brands as I just assumed they were crap, so I ignored all the media about them. …
3D Printed RC Hex to LEGO Hub Adapter
After building BluCrawler, I wanted to see what other possibilities there were with builds using RC crawler tires. LEGO is not there yet with similar tires (closest are the Claas Xerion tires - but they are not crawler tires). Anyway, it's challenging to mate a LEGO hub to an RC tire. There are aftermarket adapters out there, but they are expensive, so I decided to design and print my own. The STL file is available on…
Merry Christmas From the Astolfo’s
2023 - Ho Ho Ho! 2022 - Ho Ho Ho! 2021 - Ho Ho Ho! Merry Christmas Everyone! 2021 2020 – Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays Everyone! Here’s a blurry photo for a blurry ; Every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end. 2019 - Merry Christmas, and we hope everyone has a safe and restful holiday! 2018
HiTech HS-225BB LEGO Servo Mate
I'm looking at alternate steering options for BluCrawler as the LEGO PF servo motor doesn't cut it, and I'm not satisfied with other LEGO-based approaches I've tried. So, I'm headed into unconventional territory that may cause my AFOL brethren to shiver. I'm looking at integrating a HiTech HS-225BB Servo to manage steering. If it works, I'll add one to the front and rear to give me the throw I need for a tight turning radius as well…