250 Carbon Fibre Quad Build
I recently downsized from my 450 quad to a ZMR 250 unit. The purpose of this post is not so much of a step-by-step but rather a collection of tips, suggestions and lesson's learned to help should you go down a similar avenue to build your own quad. There are plenty of video's and how-to's out there once you know what set-up you want to go with. I will reference mine as well as…
10 Minute Project – Glowy Pumpkin
Here's a quick project to get some funky flashing / colour changing LEDs into your pumpkin. Just grab a set of addressable WS2812's and some Arduino code and your're done. The 2812's are pretty easy to wire up. Essentially, +5v, GND and data signal get daisy changed through the set of LEDs. Each LED has 3 pins for IN and 3 pins out. Wire from the Arduino to the first IN set, then from…
Quadcopter: 3D Printed Leveling Workstand
I often mess around with my quad configuration. Sometimes I re-flash the firmware which requires the re-calibration of the accelerometer and magnetometer. To calibrating the accelerometer, the quad has to be on a level surface. I have a 4-in-1 Quattro ESC mounted to the bottom, which makes an excellent platform to mount to. After tinkering on TinkerCAD (see what I did there?) for a few minutes, a base was born. I also had…
In-Flight Rate Profile Changes – Cleanflight
As I gain more experience flying, I want to have the ability to swap rate profiles while in flight. Some days I want easy flying, while others I want things a little more aggressive so I can do flips etc. Cleanflight has the ability to set profiles in the PID Tuning tab. You can set different PID values as well as RC Rate etc and save them to 1 of 3 profiles. Values on…
Prop Storage Using LEGO Technic Axles
I have a variety of 5040 and 5030 spare props. The need for both CW and CCW props, makes for a mess when trying to find a replacement when you crash and need a new prop. Given I break at least 1 prop per flight (I'm learning flips these days!), I wanted a quick way to access either size or direction of prop. Look no further to your LEGO Technic collection for axles (or…
CubCadet CC500 Electric Mower – LiPo Battery Conversion
I decide to go the electric mower route about 5 years ago. I was hesitant as the 12V lead-acid batteries most electric mowers come with suck - and they are heavy. At that time, the only better technology was Lithium Ion battery-based mowers, but they were very expensive. I decided on the CubCadet CC500, which was a good balance of quality and price. It was a 48 Volt lead-acid unit. (more…)
Quads: Why you need Failsafe and a LOMA
I finally got my 250-sized quad ready to fly. The last 2 things I did were to add a LMOA (Lost Model Alarm) and configure failsafe in Cleanflight. Luck was on my side yesterday as Murphy's Law kicked in when I took the quad out for it's first full flight test in a nearby field. Admittedly, I still consider myself a noob with much to That said, I was flying FPV and decided…
IoT Garage Door Monitor/Opener with Finger Print Scanner
I've got a lot of stuff in my garage, and having 3 kids (one of them being me!) with forgetful minds, the garage door is sometimes left open over night. I don't really like that sinking feeling after waking up the next day to find the door was left open. Between loosing valuables and critters that make a mess of garbage, I finally decided it's time to take a stance! I have an IP Cam mounted inside the…
DIY Magnetic Bit Holder
I often need more than one bit when using drills/drivers for my projects. The next question is often "where's this bit, and where's that bit"... There's a simple solution - use a magnet to stick the bits directly to the drill/screwdriver. Although this idea is not new, I've been using it for years now and thought I would share it. All you have to do is pick-up some nickel-sized (approx 20mm) neodymium magnets…
DIY Speaker Build
The ShapeOko has been sitting idle for a while, so I decided to take a stab at making my own speakers. I wanted to do something small that I bring outside and hang on my pergola when entertaining guests on our new patio. After perusing the web and checking out some speakers and online enclosure calculators, I landed on a set of HiVi B3N's (3") and tweeters. Given that they won't be permanently mounted outside,…