Month: October 2017

HackerBox #0024: Vision Quest

Nick Momrik1 Comment

A quick unboxing of HackerBox #0024: Vision Quest.

Prices I found online (Amazon Prime unless noted):

  • HackerBoxes #0024 Collectable Reference Card – $1 (estimate)
  • Three Bracket Pan and Tilt Assembly – $19
  • Two MG996R Servos with Accessories – $18 ($9/ea)
  • Two Aluminum Circular Servo Couplers (included with the pan and tilt kit above)
  • Arduino Nano V3 – 5V, 16MHz, MicroUSB – $3.99
  • Digital Camera Assembly with USB Cable – $10 (estimate)
  • Three Lenses with Universal Clip Mount – $3.33 (AliExpress)
  • Medical Inspection Pen Light – $2.23 (AliExpress)
  • Dupont Male/Female Jumpers – $0.50 (estimate)
  • MicroUSB Cable – $2.40
  • Exclusive OpenCV Decal – $1 (estimate)
  • Exclusive Dia de Muertos Decal – $1 (estimate)

Totals out to $62.45 but I couldn’t find the model on the back of the camera module anywhere. I wouldn’t expect that estimate to be off by more than $5 though and maybe even cheaper. The servos feel pretty hefty compared to the micro ones I have. This will be another neat box to play around with.

Walls Be Gone

Nick Momrik2 Comments

Yesterday I started cleaning up this weird wraparound area of the basement to prepare for moving my tool bench down and starting to put together the workshop.


Initially I was only going to remove the small wall, shelf, and hanging rod. The plan was to put my tool bench against the blue wall.


I loved how those small changes opened up the area. Then I noticed the other walls weren’t load-bearing, so I started demolishing.


What a difference! My mind is racing with so many new ideas on how to utilize the space.

As a bonus I ended up with a pile of nice 2x4s I can use for making shit.

Villains – Live & Acoustic

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Went to see The Verve Pipe last night at the State Theatre in Bay City.

Join The Verve Pipe for an exclusive acoustic performance of their album ‘Villains’ at the State Theatre of Bay City on Friday, October 27. Every song, in sequence – reimagined and performed like you’ve never experienced before.

The album was released in 1996 when I was in the middle of high school, so I listened to “The Freshmen” many many times during those years. Hearing it was definitely the highlight of the night.

After playing through the album the band took an intermission and came back to play a bunch of their newer stuff. The State Theatre seats about 500 people so it was a neat atmosphere where the band sounded great.

verve-pipe-concert.jpg

Homier Distributing Company BDM 5 Drill Press Restoration

Nick Momrik32 Comments

My Dad gave me an old drill press that was sitting unused in his garage. Homier Distributing Company (HDC) made this BDM 5 model back in 1991. Over the years the machine accumulated a lot of rust, so I wanted to give it some new life.

It was a fun project and I really love how it turned out. It looks like a brand new tool.

I recorded a lot of video while working on this and tried to trim down to the important parts so I could explain the process I used.

If you have any questions or anything here helps you with a project of your own, leave a comment to let me know.

 

It’s All Free Time

Nick Momrik1 Comment

Sometimes people ask where I find the time to exercise so much or do so many hobby projects. I know it’s a serious question, but I often laugh inside. Beyond the time you spend at your job, everything else is free time.

Most adults decided years ago how to spend a lot of their free time by being in a relationship, getting married, having kids, and/or having a pet. All of those take a lot of time; time no longer available for other things you might want to do. I’m single with no kids and not pet. Whenever I’m not working, I can do whatever I want.

If you really want to do something, you’ll find/make the time for it.

Here are a couple of good Instagram posts related to time management.

https://instagram.com/p/BWVHK2OgAcj/

https://twitter.com/thereaIbanksy/status/917876890257543168