Author Archives: robertwilkie

Simple coke bottle wind turbine

Posted on August 21, 2017 by robertwilkie

Good and simple build to do with kids to teach about electricity and wind power. http://www.instructables.com/id/Coke-Bottle-Wind-Turbine/

Posted in Cheap, Misc-Life, Teaching and Learning, Wind | Comments Off on Simple coke bottle wind turbine

Use old binder rings for managing cables

Posted on August 21, 2017 by robertwilkie

Interesting hack.  Ironically I just put a bunch of these into the recycling bin. http://makezine.com/2017/08/08/reclaim-old-ring-binders-corral-crazy-cables/

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Never thought of Target as a place to get cheap drawer knobs

Posted on August 21, 2017 by robertwilkie

Interesting article on where to find knobs.  Target was not one I thought of.  The other is 99knobs.  That one could be a good one to keep in mind for really cheap knobs. http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/cheap-thrills-the-best-sources-for-inexpensive-hardware-248633?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+apartmenttherapy%2Fmain+%28AT+Channel%3A+Main%29

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Turn a broken hoverboard into windpower

Posted on August 18, 2017 by robertwilkie

Actually this build is pretty universal for other motors as well (treadmill for example).  Thought the re-use of the tire for a mount is pretty good.  I like the bike wheel pipe vanes too. http://www.instructables.com/id/Turn-a-Broken-Hoverboard-Into-a-Vertical-Wind-Turb/

Posted in Cheap, Misc-Life, Wind | Comments Off on Turn a broken hoverboard into windpower

Nice looking sled for a router

Posted on August 18, 2017 by robertwilkie

This one is pretty impressive compared to some of the ones I was looking at building.  All done with one plywood sheet. https://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-Make-a-20-Router-Sled/

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Make knobs for jigs with a candy mold

Posted on August 18, 2017 by robertwilkie

I got a kick of of this one.  Where the heck did he get a model like that to make the knobs with. A Great Way to Make Quick and Easy Knobs

Posted in Cheap, Misc-Life, Tools | Comments Off on Make knobs for jigs with a candy mold

Using Syringes for Hydraulics

Posted on August 17, 2017 by robertwilkie

I have seen stuff like this before.  But this is the first for me with a “R/C steam shovel”. The overall build is pretty impressive.  Not sure what hte board is used…some form of cardboard? Super Simple Hydraulics Using Syringes

Posted in Cheap, Misc-Life, robots | Comments Off on Using Syringes for Hydraulics

Convert ESP to wireshark

Posted on August 17, 2017 by robertwilkie

Why? well mostly to debug the board to see its speed limits,etc. ESP to Wireshark

Posted in Arduino, Cheap | Comments Off on Convert ESP to wireshark

Make molds for metal with Silicone

Posted on August 16, 2017 by robertwilkie

The author has a pretty detailed video on the steps he took.  Overall is a pretty nice build.  Not so sure where I would get a “pressure chamber” thought to get rid of air bubbles like he did. Silicone Molds … Continue reading →

Posted in Cheap, CNC/3D-printing, Misc-Life | Comments Off on Make molds for metal with Silicone

Converting handwritten notes with OCR

Posted on August 15, 2017 by robertwilkie

I never thought about OneNote being a good OCR (Object Character Recognization) tool.  But apparently it is.  And best part, its free.  Some of the other ones in the article are note. http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/convert-handwriting-text-ocr/

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