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| Author |
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| 25 new of 848 responses total. |
scott
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response 816 of 848:
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Aug 11 00:46 UTC 2004 |
Put new cells into my old, worn-out iBook battery. I'd found a webpage which
roughly described doing it, including a source ( http://www.batteryspace.co
m)
for the Sony 18650 lithium-ion cells. So I spent $55 on 8 cells (I only
needed six, but they came in four-packs) and opened up the battery. It has
tiny "tri-wing" security screws for which I did not have a bit, so I just used
my dremel tool to cut regular slots. The rest of it was the usual electronic
fix, starting with careful documentation of the wiring (and a couple digital
photos for good measure). One little annoyance; Li-Ion cells, like NiCad,
can put out a lot of current when shorted. I ended up with a couple puffs
of smoke and a burned finger by the time I was done.
But it does work, and the iBook charging system had no trouble with it. The
website I mentioned said that the iBook worked with the re-celled battery,
but wouldn't show status. But mine seems completely functional. Right now
it's in the vise while glue dries, but tomorrow I'll try charging it all the
way up and using it for a few days.
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scott
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response 817 of 848:
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Aug 11 21:23 UTC 2004 |
So far so good - I'm running on the battery now. The battery calibration
(time to charge, time remaining) seems rather off, so I'll try to keep the
iBook running OS X for a cycle or two so it can figure the timing out. It's
kind of fun to try to figure out just how smart the battery is; right now I
suspect that the OS X battery software actually updates the battery for how
much raw capacity the cells have. The battery does have some kind of tiny
processor, to run the little LED bargraph on the bottom, and probably to
present a unique ID number to the iBook.
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scott
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response 818 of 848:
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Aug 12 01:53 UTC 2004 |
Totally different project: building microphones. I built a second stereo
microphone, a bit shorter and with different capsules. You can see the first
stereo mic at http://www.scotthelmke.com/microphones.html
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rcurl
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response 819 of 848:
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Aug 12 02:07 UTC 2004 |
Don't take it on an airplane (did you see the news item where some
performer put his home-built microphone in his luggage, which got opened and
the luggage retained for suspicion of a terrorist device being in it?).
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scott
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response 820 of 848:
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Aug 12 02:18 UTC 2004 |
Yeah, that news item has gotten some discussion on various audio forums.
Actually it was a commercial product, a somewhat retro design called the
"Copperphone".
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scott
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response 821 of 848:
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Aug 12 04:11 UTC 2004 |
So for the last 30-40 minutes I've been running on "0%" charge, and the time
remaining display has given up and is just saying "Calculating...". So I
guess the new cells are holding up, and the battery software ought to catch
up on the next charge.
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scott
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response 822 of 848:
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Aug 29 19:26 UTC 2004 |
The office chair I reupholstered a few months ago was getting a bit lumpy in
the seat - I'd used all cotton stuffing. I hadn't wanted to use foam, since
it tends to break down over time. But poking around the fabric store I found
"densified polyester batting" which seems like a better filling. It's springy
but fairly open in weave. So I bought a seat-sized piece and put it (along
with a smaller amount of the cotton) into the seat. Managed to get the
leather cover back on, and it's much more comfortable.
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rcurl
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response 823 of 848:
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Aug 29 20:01 UTC 2004 |
Got my wireless connection to the internet working. Full account in micros
255. (That makes it look simple - it actually took many hours and frustration
to get it all configured.)
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keesan
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response 824 of 848:
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Aug 30 19:16 UTC 2004 |
Scott, you could probably have purchased (or found) a couple of used
polyester-filled seat cushions at Kiwanis (50 cents each) or the curb this
past week. My leather office chair is filled with latex foam, which lasts.
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scott
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response 825 of 848:
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Oct 25 23:13 UTC 2004 |
My brand-new 1995 Jetta is getting old, and the door locks are no exception.
Basically the driver-side lock has gotten 99.9% of the use, and it's
definitely gotten a bit tricky to use. And it freezes up pretty good in cold
weather, too.
So today I swapped the lock cylinders between left & right doors. Took about
1.5 hours, probably would have gone much faster if I'd known a couple
short-cuts I figured out while doing it. Anyway, I should be good for a
couple more winters without having lock problems.
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gull
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response 826 of 848:
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Dec 29 16:41 UTC 2004 |
I installed a Wheelskins leather steering wheel cover on my car. It was
somewhat time consuming (about an hour and a half) but the results are
worth it for the one part of the car I touch the most.
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rcurl
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response 827 of 848:
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Feb 15 23:22 UTC 2005 |
We were given a weather station with a remote transmitter for outside
temperature and humidity but our house has no sheltered north-facing side
for the transmitter, which is not waterproof. Therefore I built a housing
out of 4" PVC drain pipe and an end-cap top. It is attached to the house
siding with brackets bent from aluminum strap. It got a little complicated
as I had to be able to open it and remove the transmitter to replace
batteries, and I also added a screen across the open bottom to keep wasps
from building a nest in it.
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rcurl
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response 828 of 848:
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Sep 4 18:32 UTC 2005 |
Nobody has done anything since February?
I fixed the kitchen faucet because it was leaking (at least) around the
swiveling spout seals. This then got complicated in chasing down all the
parts. Lowes had the Moen 1225 Cartridge but not the 117 Seal Kit, which I
found at a plumbing store, but then on disassembly found that the
composition thingy in the Handle Adapter Assembly was worn so got that
from the Moen website, and after everything was reassembled found that the
Spray Head and Hose Assembly leaked and also had to be replaced. It was,
though, less expensive for parts than to replace the whole shebang...not
counting time and automobile wear, tear and fuel.
Recommendation: replace all the polymer sealing parts in these complicated
faucets at the same time. Repairing different components as they start to
leak will consume much more time overall - and get all the parts online to
eliminate the (often futile) search through stores.
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keesan
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response 829 of 848:
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Sep 5 02:29 UTC 2005 |
Jim has been doing lots of things but is too busy to report on them. This
week (having cleaned out the garage for two weeks to make space to work in)
he eventually got the two rear wheels of a car given to us taken apart and
the brakes cleaned of rust and reassambled. Now he is working on a front
wheel that is dragging and might need new bearings. Then he has to fill the
holes in the wheel wells so that the outside is separate from the inside of
the car and the trunk, including a hole in the floor in front. Apart from
all this rust, the rest of the car was taken care of by the neighbors whose
plumbing he keeps fixing. They gave it to us after a seatbelt stopped
working. That was a simple fix. He pointed out where the spare tire was
sitting in a puddle (until the floor under it rusted through) and now the
metal on it is too rusted and irregular for the tire to hold air, so that
needs fixing too, somehow. He has until Thursday to get it running, or we
could switch to the other car and improvise an exhaust system again for it.
It is 1987 and this one is 1986. THe library had the repair manual.
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rcurl
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response 830 of 848:
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Sep 5 05:35 UTC 2005 |
What's he filling the holes with? When a car I had rusted through the
space between the wheel well and the fender I filled the whole space with
polyurethane foam.
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n8nxf
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response 831 of 848:
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Oct 13 19:26 UTC 2005 |
I use canvas and roofing tar.
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keesan
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response 832 of 848:
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Oct 24 20:51 UTC 2005 |
Jim used polyurethane foam and then sprayed some black rubberized coating over
it. It looks nice but don't bump it. For the floors he used the stuff you
put on roofs to prevent ice dams, over two layers of stainless steel.
The car drove 3500 miles. He spent two days on the trip underneath it and
managed to patch the oil leaks with a 2-part epoxy compound and gave up on
the gas leak. It only leaked if you filled it over half full, so we would
put in 5 gal at a time when it was nearly empty, calculating when that was
(the fuel gauge only works when it is over half full) by counting miles and
assuming 40 mpg (35 in rush hour traffic, 45 on level highway). The trunk
was also leaking on the trip but he fixed it with rust treatment and we put
the piano onto the back seat instead (in pieces, just fit). The FM radio did
not work, AM is not worth much, but the tape player was fixable. It was too
noisy to hear much even with the windows shut (and then it was very hot).
We are thinking of selling the 1987 Dodge Colt that needs and exhaust system
- maybe for $300? It works apart from that. WE don't need both.
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arthurp
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response 833 of 848:
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Oct 25 04:00 UTC 2005 |
Recently gave my Mazda 626 (working well needs battery body mostly used
up from rust) to a friend when I moved to AZ. It's not much of a favor,
but he can use it more than I can. I hope it does as well for him as it
has for me these past many years.
Took apart the hand brake lever on my Subaru Legacy wagon as the lever
would not stay up. Turned out the button to release the lever had
broken (in a minor way) and the loose pieces were binding the button.
Now it works again although the button is a little deeper in the handle,
and it wiggles more. Sometime I'll get to a yard and get a new old
lever for it. Gotta say I just love that Subi wagon. Great car. It
moved my whole life to AZ from MI, and it moved one of my friend's whole
life from MI to San Diego. Both fun trips. As well as several other
trans continental flights. Really no other way to describe MI to AZ in
under 30 hours. :)
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n8nxf
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response 834 of 848:
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Jul 27 19:08 UTC 2006 |
Wow, I'm still working on the BMW that I was working on in item 734. Got a
solo seat and rack coming in from Germany. Engine is back together but I've
not run it yet. I wonder how much longer this project will take?
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rcurl
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response 835 of 848:
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Dec 20 06:54 UTC 2006 |
Built a remote on/off control for the cable modem and wireless base
station, to be operated from near the computers in another part of the
house. I used (powerline) X-10 control. The X-10 signal would not pass the
filtered UPS that provided the power for the modem/base, so I used an X-10
Universal Module at the wall outlet, which is a switch for low voltage
service, to operate a 12V relay that switches the power to the modem/base.
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rcurl
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response 836 of 848:
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Dec 20 21:04 UTC 2006 |
This past couple of years I contributed to building a "Caver's Choice
Ballot Box", which can be seen as the last item shown on
http://tinyurl.com/y7w3h8
My wife did the side mosaics, my daughter the top one, and I designed and
constructed the box so that it is easily assembled and disassembled for
transport. My daughter also carved the lettering in wax and I made the RTV
silicone rubber molds from them and cast the letters in pewter.
Besides the "Honorable Mention" in the NSS Fine Arts Salon, the ballot box
won the "Caver's Choice" Award itself, for which the box was made to receive
the ballots.
The left-hand mosaic is the logo of the NSS Fine Arts Salon, and the
right-hand mosaic is from a photo I took of a friend in a Michigan cave.
(Opposite that one is a mosaic of me in a cave in California.)
This was a fun project, for all of the new design and techniques
challenges faced and met.
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n8nxf
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response 837 of 848:
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Mar 2 22:32 UTC 2007 |
I built a boat shed, rebuilt a CX650C, merged the parts from a '54 Gravely
L1 with those of a '64 L8 (Can't do that with stuff these days!) and use it
to till a 40' x 40' gagden, maintain 1/2 mile of trails and plow two LONG
driveways. That's enough for now.
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cmcgee
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response 838 of 848:
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Mar 2 23:46 UTC 2007 |
Klaus! good to see you. It's been ages and ages.
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rcurl
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response 839 of 848:
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Mar 3 06:04 UTC 2007 |
Re #384: is that project finished, klaus?
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n8nxf
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response 840 of 848:
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Apr 13 19:33 UTC 2007 |
I come by here every now and then to clean out my mailbox. Rane, #384 is not
my project so I can't answer your question.
I put new brake pads on my CX650C and new stainless steel mufflers on a BMW
R75/5. Nice bike, that!
I rebuilt the hi/lo planatray on my '69 Commercial 12 Gravely 2-wheel tractor
and then discovered that the differential had big problems. Parts are on
order to repair that and bring it up to the more recent configuration.
I'm kicking around ideas on building an electric motorbike. Something with
a 40 mile range and top speed of around 50 MPH so that I don't become a road
hazzard on some of the roads out by me. I met a fellow who did one who lives
close by. Anyone with a doner bike out there by chance?
I bought and built up a new commuter bicycle last spring. I dissed the front
shifter and chain ring. I figured out what gears I needed and set up the 9
remaining gears to meet those needs. I did over 2K miles last year just
riding to and from work. This winter I laced a Shimano Nexus dyno-hub into
the front wheel for a little 3W halogen headlight. Wasn't bright enough so
I got sone Luxeon Emitter III LED's and after collecting some data on the
dyno-hub, built up a dual-LED headlight. MUCH better than the halogen unit
and I was able to coax another watt out of the dyno.
Did I mention that we put up ten 10' X 4' solar hot water panels a couple
years ago to preheat the water going into our hot water tank and to dump heat
into our basement radiant floor slab? Works great, when the sun comes out...
I see my spelling hasn't improved. And I forgot how to use the editor. Oh
well, some things don't change ;o)
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