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Revive a Ryobi Battery

I’ve been able to revive a dead power tool battery before, but Ryobi has some extra protection so you can’t trickle charge them from the contact points on the outside of their batteries. I was able to use a method I found on YouTube to trickle charge from the inside and the battery is working again.

When I say “dead battery” I mean the charger status shows the battery is defective. It can do this if the battery completely loses all of its power or the cells become imbalanced. The charger has built-in safety measures that prevent it from charging batteries in this state.

Be aware that opening the battery like this will void the warranty. Due to the special screws (T10 with a hole) I bought a security bit set from Menards for $5.

Update: A second battery went dead the day this was published. This method resurrected that one as well.

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My YouTube Subscriptions

In my post about TV watching habit changes I said I’d share my YouTube subscriptions. I’ve organized all of the channels into categories and given a very short description of each.

CrossFit


ArmenHammerTV – Reports on all things related to CrossFit.


CrossFit Mayhem – From Rich Froning and his gym. Workout videos, tips, and their podcast.


CrossFit – My favorite fitness program.


TeamRICHEY – Interviews, commentary on CrossFit news, and insights into the couple’s training. Craig’s humor speaks to me.

Electronics


Adafruit Industries – Company that makes a lot of great electronics.


Alex Eames – Develops Raspberry Pi accessories.


Arduino – Maybe the most popular microcontroller platform.


N-O-D-E – Develops some Raspberry Pi related projects. Reports on security, robotics, and other technology stuff.


Pimoroni – Company in the UK making a lot of great electronics.


Raspberry Pi – The best single board computer.


SparkFun Electronics – Another great electronics company.


The MagPi magazine – Official magazine for the Raspberry Pi.

Humor


standupmaths – Discusses math in a fun and humorous way.


The Pun Guys – These guys are punny.

Makers


Adam Savage’s Tested – I’ve categorized in the maker category because my favorite videos from the channel are Adam’s One Day Builds. They cover a lot of things, do product videos, etc.


Andrew Setters – Does woodworking and art projects.


April Wilkerson – Woodworking and metal working projects.


Becky Stern – Mostly electronics based projects, but also photography, other crafts, and even stuff related to her motorcycle.


Darbin Orvar – Woodworking and electronics projects.


Fisher’s Shop – Woodworking with a fun sense of humor.


I Like To Make Stuff – Modeling, woodworking, metal working, and electronics projects.


izzy swan – Woodworking, interesting jigs, and creative ways to use tools.


Jackman Works – Woodworking projects that are usually very unique.


Jeremy Fielding – Some more in-depth engineering stuff, like how motors work, building different machines, etc.


jimmydiresta – Very popular maker who mostly works with wood and metal.


David Waelder – He used to work with Jimmy Diresta. Still does some woodworking and metal projects.


Brett McAfee – Works with Jimmy Diresta, but also does his own woodworking and metal projects.


John Heisz – I Build It – Mostly woodworking, but also building different machines and some work with metal.


I Build It – John’s second channel with some different projects.


I Build It Scrap Bin – Another one of John’s channels with shorter videos and more talking.


Matthias Wandel – Mostly project videos about woodworking and building machines.


Matthias Wandel – Odds & Ends – His second channel with more random stuff.


Heisz Wandel project – Combined channel between John Heisz and Matthias Wandel, where they mostly discuss things related to their various channels.


Laura Kampf – Maker with her own unique style. She uses a lot of different materials and techniques.


Make Something – Woodworking projects presented in an easy to understand way.


Make: – Focused on DIY with a lot of technology.


Measured Workshop – Mostly woodworking projects.


One Minute Workbench – Aims to show the viewer how to make good use of limited workshop space and time.


Rich Rebuilds – Rebuilds Teslas and has started on some other electric vehicle projects.


SeanHodgins – Does some really neat electronics projects.


Simone Giertz – Famous for making shitty robots.


Steve Ramsey – Woodworking for Mere Mortals – Woodworking aimed at amateurs and people just starting.


Switch & Lever – Many unique projects with a variety of materials.


The Post Apocalyptic Inventor – He does a lot of electronics stuff, like repairing devices, but also makes things out of old motors, repurposes old stuff, and makes projects.


The Wood Whisperer – Focused on woodworking.

Miscellaneous


Hydraulic Press Channel – Crushing things with a hydraulic press to see how they hold up  or if they explode.


Beyond the press – Their second channel with a variety of focuses, including making jigs or parts to use with pressing, shooting things with a cannon, blowing stuff up, etc.


Kurt Hugo Schneider – Works with a variety of artists to create music videos.


LastWeekTonight – Hilarious take on various topics, usually something that’s been in the news.


Paul Momrik – My dad’s new channel, where we’ll post some of his hunting adventures.


Physics Girl – Physics and maths. Stuff that gets you thinking.

Technology


Apple – Think different.


Automattic – The company I work for!


Tesla – I love my Model 3!!

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If It Looks Straight It Is Straight

I bought this small poster from Jimmy DiResta’s shop, knowing it would be a good opportunity to make my first frame. When the poster is purposely printed crooked, there is no pressure to create a perfect frame and any build mistakes fit right in.

The wood is cut-offs from the sanding station drawer resizing. The plastic and backer board were cut from an old poster frame I had in a closet.

I experimented by using several router bits to make the frame profile and then burnt the wood with a torch to bring out the grain. I didn’t do any sanding and gave it three coats of spray lacquer.

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Doorbell Views

I finally bought a doorbell camera when I saw some specials last week. I went with the combination Ring Video Doorbell Pro and Ring Chime Pro, which came with a free 3rd generation Alexa Echo Dot. The Chime is great for the basement, where I can’t always hear the doorbell, especially if I’m using a loud tool. My 2nd generation Alexa Echo Dot moved to the basement as well since I spend so much time in the workshop.

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How My TV Watching Habits Have Changed

As I was flipping through channels last week at my parents’ house I was thinking about how much my TV watching habits have changed over the last few years.

TV Service

Almost two years ago I ditched traditional cable TV service and switched to streaming. First I used Playstation Vue plus a Tablo. Then I tried DIRECTV NOW for a few months. Finally, in June, I switched to YouTube TV, which I’m really happy with.

One of the great things about these streaming services is you can switch easily and often. If you have an Apple TV and a router, you don’t need to swap out any special hardware or have technicians come out to turn service on/off.

Channel Surfing

When I’m at my own house I never turn on the TV and flip through channels. If I’m watching something on a TV channel it’s a live sporting event, a TV special, a recorded show, or On Demand.

Thinking back, I used to watch SportsCenter pretty much every morning and/or night. At night I’d flip through channels and watch random shows. I’d watch sports teams I don’t care about. It’s extremely rare I do any of that anymore.

Content

I still spend a fair amount of time with the TV on though. Content delivery has shifted from TV channels to primarily Netflix and YouTube (not referring to YouTube TV here). I watch a bunch of original series on Netflix and the occasional movie. On YouTube, I subscribe to a lot of different channels, many where people make things. I have an upcoming post that’ll share all of my YouTube subscriptions.

How about you? Do you sit in front of the TV much? Have you tried any of the streaming services? Have you noticed your habits changing?

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Sanding Station Drawers

I didn’t think I’d use all of the drawers in the sanding station, but I did.

Various hand sanding items and a sanding disc/belt cleaner

 

Discs for random orbital sanders and 1/4 sheets of sandpaper
Sandpaper sheets
Random scraps of sandpaper and pieces for a Black & Decker Mouse detail sander (really good use of the largest drawer)
Sanding drums for a drill and belts, discs, sleeves, and accessories for sanding machines
Random orbital sanders
Other hand sanders
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Coors Light Mirror

When I bought my house, Coors Light was still my beer of choice. I bought this mirror to hang near the pool table and it ended up on a basement shelf where I found it last week.

It makes a good addition to the workshop.