Tag: Improvements

Making the world a better place, one piece at a time

Audio Amp vs. Bananas

A low-end audio power amp destined for a pair of ancient-yet-still-serviceable speakers arrived, but attempting to poke wires through the side holes of the banana jacks showed they were oriented in random directions. Back in the day, banana jacks had D-shaped shafts fitted into D-shaped panel holes, but those days are gone.

A few minutes with screwdriver, wrench, and (tiny) punch sufficed to line up the holes for E-Z poking:

Fosi audio amp – jack alignment

Despite the new convenience, I decided to solder banana plugs to the speaker wires, leading to the discovery my few remaining plugs came from the very bottom of the usability barrel:

Cheap banana plug – solder side

I have no idea how one might affix a wire to that blank stub, but poking a small center drill into the brass lump produces an easily solderable recess:

Cheap banana plug – center drilled

Dab with flux, tin, insert wire, add solder, repeat with all four plugs, and I’m set with a boomin’ system.

2021-02-04
Photo Backdrop: Wingnut Upgrade

You’re supposed to secure the photo backdrop’s top crossbar to the uprights by fiddling with a wingnut, which you must do while reaching over your head. Emart apparently realized this operation was fraught with peril, because the package contains four wingnuts. After setting it up once, I replaced the wingnuts with finger-friendly knobs containing acorn nuts:

Photo Backdrop – thumbscrew vs printed knob

The upright pole ends in an M10×1.5 stud, which fits the biggest acorn nuts in the Warehouse Wing.

The knobs come from Thingiverse, although the OpenSCAD program required a bit of rework to make it compatible with the current version. Fiddling around with the Customizer parameters produced a Good Enough knob:

M10x1.5 Acorn Nut knob – solid model

I pulled the acorn nut into the knob using the upright pole hardware to keep it aligned. Spin the wingnut on the stud “backwards”, add the washer, push the nut slightly into the knob to get it started, then thread it onto the stud:

Photo Backdrop – knob nut seating – 1

Turn the knob to pull the nut inward until the stud hits the inside of the nut:

Photo Backdrop – knob nut seating – 2

Unthread the nut a bit, run the wingnut out to meet the bottom of the knob, and repeat the operation until the nut bottoms out inside the knob:

Photo Backdrop – knob nut seated

Toss the wingnuts into the Warehouse Wing against later use.

Bonus project: on the other end of the upright, you’ll find it impossible to actually lock the leg carrier against the pole:

Photo Backdrop – tripod leg lock

The plastic fitting is … generously … sized around the 25 mm OD upright pole and requires more compression than I could produce with my puny fingers. It turns out the 18 mm OD leg tube exactly fills the space available inside the fitting, so you (well, I) must squash the steel tube in order to close the fitting on the pole.

Remove the wingnut + screw to free the end of the leg, stick an inch of the leg into the bench vise’s soft jaws, and mash gently to about 16 mm across the holes; it’ll expand slightly in the other direction. Reassemble in reverse order and discover the thumbscrew now squeezes the fitting exactly as it should.

There might be more finishing to do when we actually hang a quilt from the stand, but at least it’s now usable.

Sheesh and similar remarks.

2021-01-29

Photo Backdrop Clamp Pad Embiggening

We got a photo backdrop stand to hold Mary’s show-n-tell quilts during her quilting club meetings, but the clamps intended to hold the backdrop from the top bar don’t work quite the way one might expect. These photos snagged from the listing shows their intended use:

Emart Photo Backdrop - clamp examples — Emart Photo Backdrop – clamp examples

The clamp closes on the top bar with the jaws about 15 mm apart, so you must wrap the backdrop around the bar, thereby concealing the top few inches of whatever you intended to show. This doesn’t matter for a preprinted generic backdrop or a green screen, but quilt borders have interesting detail.

The clamps need thicker jaws, which I promptly conjured from the vasty digital deep:

Spring Clamp Pads - PS preview — Spring Clamp Pads – PS preview

The original jaws fit neatly into those recesses, atop a snippet of carpet tape to prevent them from wandering off:

Spring Clamp pads - detail — Spring Clamp pads – detail

They’re thick enough to meet in the middle and make the clamp’s serrated round-ish opening fit around the bar:

Spring Clamp pads - compared — Spring Clamp pads – compared

With a quilt in place, the clamps slide freely along the bar:

Spring Clamp pads - fit test — Spring Clamp pads – fit test

That’s a recreation based on actual events, mostly because erecting the stand wasn’t going to happen for one photo.

To level set your expectations, the “Convenient Carry Bag” is more of a wrap than a bag, without enough fabric to completely surround its contents:

I put all the clamps / hooks / doodads in a quart Ziploc baggie, which seemed like a better idea than letting them rattle around loose inside the wrap. The flimsy pair (!) of hook-n-loop straps don’t reach across the gap and, even extended with a few inches of double-sided Velcro, lack enough mojo to hold it closed against all the contents.

It’ll suffice for our simple needs, but …

The OpenSCAD source code as a GitHub Gist:

	// Clamp pads for Emart photo backdrop clamps
	// Ed Nisley KE4ZNU Jan 2021

	/* [Hidden] */

	ThreadThick = 0.25;
	ThreadWidth = 0.40;

	HoleWindage = 0.2;

	Protrusion = 0.1; // make holes end cleanly

	inch = 25.4;

	function IntegerMultiple(Size,Unit) = Unit * ceil(Size / Unit);

	module PolyCyl(Dia,Height,ForceSides=0) { // based on nophead's polyholes
	Sides = (ForceSides != 0) ? ForceSides : (ceil(Dia) + 2);
	FixDia = Dia / cos(180/Sides);
	cylinder(d=(FixDia + HoleWindage),h=Height,$fn=Sides);
	}

	//———————-
	// Dimensions

	OEMpad = [24.0,16.0,3.0]; // original pad

	Pad = [35.0,25.0,8.0 + OEMpad.z]; // pad extension

	PadOffset = [0,-3.0,0];

	CornerRad = 3.0; // corner rounding

	Gap = 3.0;

	//———————-
	// Shape the pad

	module BigPad() {

	difference() {

	hull()
	for (i=[-1,1],j=[-1,1],k=[-1,1])
	translate([i(Pad.x/2 – CornerRad),j(Pad.y/2 – CornerRad),k*(Pad.z/2 – CornerRad) + Pad.z/2])
	sphere(r=CornerRad,$fn=6);

	translate(PadOffset + [0,0,Pad.z – (OEMpad.z + Protrusion)/2])
	cube(OEMpad + [HoleWindage,HoleWindage,Protrusion],center=true);

	}

	}

	//———————-
	// Build a pair

	translate([0,(Pad.y + Gap)/2,0])
	BigPad();

	translate([0,-(Pad.y + Gap)/2,0])
	rotate(180)
	BigPad();

view raw Spring Clamp Pads.scad hosted with ❤ by GitHub

2021-01-28

Tek Circuit Computer: Cursor Milling Toolpath

Unlike the adhesive fixture, this setup requires a pause while milling the cursor outline to reclamp it from the front:

Tek CC Cursor Fixture - outline rear clamp — Tek CC Cursor Fixture – outline rear clamp

The trick is applying the front clamp before releasing the rear clamp:

Tek CC Cursor Fixture - outline both clamp — Tek CC Cursor Fixture – outline both clamp

Then continue the mission:

Tek CC Cursor Fixture - outline front clamp — Tek CC Cursor Fixture – outline front clamp

Because the tool path includes cutter compensation, GCMC adds entry and exit arcs to ensure a smooth transition:

Tek CC Cursor - Milling path — Tek CC Cursor – Milling path

The pix show a single cursor in the fixture while verifying the setup worked the way it should. Obviously, milling a stack of cursors eliminates a whole bunch of fiddling.

The tweaked MillCursor function from the mostly otherwise unchanged GCMC code:

    comment("Clamp on rear half of cursor!");

    local cp = {p0};                                             // enter at hub tangent point
    cp += varc_ccw([0mm,-2*p0.y,-],-hr,0,0.2mm,5deg) + p0;       // arc to tangent at hub bottom

    cp += {[p1.x,-p1.y,-]};                                      // lower tip entry point
    cp += varc_ccw([p2.x-p1.x,-(p2.y-p1.y),-],CursorTipRadius,0,0.2mm,5deg) + [p1.x,-p1.y,-];  // arc to tip exit at p2

    cp += varc_ccw([p1.x-p2.x,p1.y-p2.y,-],CursorTipRadius,0,0.2mm,5deg) + p2;  // arc to tip exit at p1

    goto([-,-,CursorSafeZ]);
    goto([0,0,-]);
    feedrate(MillSpeed);
    tracepath_comp(cp,CutterOD/2,TPC_OLDZ + TPC_RIGHT + TPC_ARCIN + TPC_ARCOUT);

    comment("Clamp on front half of cursor!");
    pause();                                      // wait for reclamping

    p1.z = MillZ;                                //  ... set milling depth
    cp = {p1};
    cp += {p0};
                                                 // exit at hub tangent
    tracepath_comp(cp,CutterOD/2,TPC_OLDZ + TPC_RIGHT + TPC_ARCIN + TPC_ARCOUT);

<<< snippage >>>

  goto([-,-,CursorSafeZ]);
  goto([0,0,-]);

Next, scribing a nice hairline with the new fixture.

2021-01-25

Tek Circuit Computer: 3D Printed Cursor Milling Fixture

The original Tektronix Circuit Computer cursor was probably die-cut from a larger sheet carrying pre-printed hairlines:

Tek CC - genuine - detail — Tek CC – genuine – detail

Machining a punch-and-die setup lies well beyond my capabilities, particularly given the ahem anticipated volume, so milling seems the only practical way to produce a few cursors.

Attaching a cursor blank to a fixture with sticky tape showed that the general idea worked reasonably well:

Tek CC - Cursor blank on fixture — Tek CC – Cursor blank on fixture

However, the tape didn’t have quite enough griptivity to hold the edges completely flat against milling forces (a downcut bit might have worked better) and I found myself chasing the cutter with a screwdriver to hold the cursor in place. Worse, the tape’s powerful attraction to swarf made it a single-use item.

Some tinkering showed a single screw in the (pre-drilled) pivot hole, without adhesive underneath, lacked enough oomph to keep the far end of the cursor in place, which meant I had to think about how to hold it down with real clamps.

Which, of course, meant conjuring a fixture from the vasty digital deep. The solid model includes the baseplate, two cutting templates, and a clamping fixture for engraving the cursor hairline:

Cursor Fixture - build layout — Cursor Fixture – build layout

The perimeter of the Clamp template on the far left is 0.5 mm inside the cursor perimeter. Needing only one Clamp, I could trace it on a piece of acrylic, bandsaw it pretty close, introduce it to Mr Belt Sander for final shaping, and finally drill the hole:

Tek CC Cursor Fixture - clamp drilling — Tek CC Cursor Fixture – clamp drilling

The Rough template is 1.0 mm outside the cursor perimeter, so I can trace those outlines on a PET sheet:

Tek CC Cursor Fixture - Rough template layout — Tek CC Cursor Fixture – Rough template layout

Then cut the patterns with a scissors, stack ’em up, and tape the edges to keep them aligned:

TekCC Cursor Fixture - Rough template — TekCC Cursor Fixture – Rough template

Align the stack by feel, apply the Clamp to hold them in place, and secure the stack with a Sherline clamp:

The alert reader will note it’s no longer possible to machine the entire perimeter in one pass; more on that in a while.

The baseplate pretty much fills the entire Sherline tooling plate. It sports several alignment pips at known offsets from the origin at the center of the pivot hole:

Tek CC Cursor Fixture - touch-off point — Tek CC Cursor Fixture – touch-off point

Dropping the laser alignment dot into a convenient pip, then touching off X and Y to the known offset sets the origin without measuring anything. Four screws in the corners align the plate well enough to not worry about angular tweakage.

The OpenSCAD source code as a GitHub Gist:

	// Machining fixtures for Tek Circuit Computer cursor
	// Ed Nisley KE4ZNU Jan 2021

	Layout = "Show"; // [Show, Build, Cursor, Clamp, Rough, Engrave]

	/* [Hidden] */

	ThreadThick = 0.25;
	ThreadWidth = 0.40;

	HoleWindage = 0.2;

	Protrusion = 0.1; // make holes end cleanly

	inch = 25.4;

	function IntegerMultiple(Size,Unit) = Unit * ceil(Size / Unit);

	module PolyCyl(Dia,Height,ForceSides=0) { // based on nophead's polyholes
	Sides = (ForceSides != 0) ? ForceSides : (ceil(Dia) + 2);
	FixDia = Dia / cos(180/Sides);
	cylinder(d=(FixDia + HoleWindage),h=Height,$fn=Sides);
	}

	//———————-
	// Dimensions

	CursorHubOD = 1.0*inch; // original Tek CC was hard inch!
	CursorTipWidth = (9.0/16.0)*inch;
	CursorTipRadius = (1.0/16.0)*inch;

	CursorThick = 0.5; // plastic sheet thickness

	CutterOD = 3.175; // milling cutter dia
	CutterDepth = 2.0; // … depth of cut
	CutterLip = 0.5; // … clearance under edge

	ScribeOD = 3.0; // diamond scribe shank

	StudOC = [1.16inch,1.16inch]; // Sherline tooling plate grid
	StudClear = 5.0; // … screw clearance
	StudWasher = 11.0; // … washer OD

	CursorOffset = [-2*StudOC.x,0,0]; // hub center relative to fixture center

	// must have even multiples of stud spacing to put studs along centerlines
	BasePlateStuds = [6StudOC.x,2StudOC.y]; // fixture screws
	echo(str("Stud spacing: ",StudOC));

	CornerRad = 10.0; // corner radius

	BasePlate = [2StudWasher + BasePlateStuds.x,2StudWasher + BasePlateStuds.y,5.0];
	echo(str("Base Plate: ",BasePlate));

	EngravePlate = [5StudOC.x,1.5StudOC.y,BasePlate.z];
	echo(str("Engrave Plate: ",EngravePlate));

	TemplateThick = 6*ThreadThick;
	LegendThick = 2*ThreadThick;

	Gap = 3.0;

	//———————-
	// Import SVG of cursor outline
	// Requires our hub OD to match reality
	// Hub center at origin

	module CursorSVG(t=CursorThick,od=0) {

	hr = CursorHubOD/2;

	translate([-hr,-hr,0])
	linear_extrude(height=t,convexity=3)
	offset(r=od/2)
	import(file="/mnt/bulkdata/Project Files/Tektronix Circuit Computer/Firmware/TekCC-Cursor-Mark.svg",center=false);

	}

	//———————-
	// Milling fixture for cursor blanks

	module Fixture() {

	difference() {
	hull() // basic plate shape
	for (i=[-1,1], j=[-1,1])
	translate([i(BasePlate.x/2 – CornerRad),j(BasePlate.y/2 – CornerRad),0])
	cylinder(r=CornerRad,h=BasePlate.z,$fn=24);

	translate(CursorOffset + [0,0,BasePlate.z – CutterDepth])
	difference() {
	CursorSVG(CutterDepth + Protrusion,1.5*CutterOD);
	CursorSVG(CutterDepth + Protrusion,-CutterLip);
	}

	translate(CursorOffset + [0,0,BasePlate.z – 2*ThreadThick]) { // alignment pips
	for (x=[-20.0,130.0], y=[-30.0,0.0,30.0])
	translate([x,y,0])
	cylinder(d=4*ThreadWidth,h=1,$fn=6);

	for (x=[-30.0,130.0,150.0])
	translate([x,0,0])
	cylinder(d=4*ThreadWidth,h=1,$fn=6);
	}

	for (i=[-1,1], j=[-1,1]) // mounting stud holes
	translate([iBasePlateStuds.x/2,jBasePlateStuds.y/2,-Protrusion])
	rotate(180/6)
	PolyCyl(StudClear,BasePlate.z + 2*Protrusion,6);

	translate(CursorOffset + [0,0,-Protrusion]) // hub clamp hole
	rotate(180/6)
	PolyCyl(StudClear,BasePlate.z + 2*Protrusion,6);

	translate([2*StudOC.x,0,-Protrusion]) // tip clamp hole
	rotate(180/6)
	PolyCyl(StudClear,BasePlate.z + 2*Protrusion,6);

	for (i=[-2:2], j=[-1,1]) // side clamp holes
	translate([iStudOC.x,jStudOC.y,-Protrusion])
	rotate(180/6)
	PolyCyl(StudClear,BasePlate.z + 2*Protrusion,6);

	}

	}

	//———————-
	// Show-n-Tell cursor

	module Cursor() {

	difference() {
	CursorSVG(CursorThick,0.0);
	translate([0,0,-Protrusion])
	rotate(180/6)
	PolyCyl(StudClear,TemplateThick + 2*Protrusion,6);
	}
	}


	//———————-
	// Template for rough-cutting blanks

	module Rough() {

	bb = [40,12,LegendThick];

	difference() {
	CursorSVG(TemplateThick,1.0);
	translate([0,0,-Protrusion])
	rotate(180/6)
	PolyCyl(StudClear,TemplateThick + 2*Protrusion,6);

	difference() {
	translate([bb.x/2 + CursorHubOD/2,0,TemplateThick – bb.z/2 + Protrusion])
	cube(bb + [0,0,Protrusion],center=true);
	translate([bb.x/2 + CursorHubOD/2,0,TemplateThick – bb.z])
	linear_extrude(height=bb.z,convexity=10)
	text(text="Rough",size=7,spacing=1.00,font="DejaVu Sans:style:Bold",halign="center",valign="center");
	}
	}
	}

	//———————-
	// Template for aluminium clamping plate

	module Clamp() {

	bb = [40,12,LegendThick];

	difference() {
	CursorSVG(TemplateThick,-1.0);
	translate([0,0,-Protrusion])
	rotate(180/6)
	PolyCyl(StudClear,TemplateThick + 2*Protrusion,6);

	difference() {
	translate([bb.x/2 + CursorHubOD/2,0,TemplateThick – bb.z/2 + Protrusion])
	cube(bb + [0,0,Protrusion],center=true);
	translate([bb.x/2 + CursorHubOD/2,0,TemplateThick – bb.z])
	linear_extrude(height=bb.z,convexity=10)
	text(text="Clamp",size=7,spacing=1.00,font="DejaVu Sans:style:Bold",halign="center",valign="center");
	}
	}
	}

	//———————-
	// Engraving clamp

	module Engrave() {

	difference() {

	hull() // clamp outline
	for (i=[-1,1], j=[-1,1])
	translate([i(EngravePlate.x/2 – CornerRad),j(EngravePlate.y/2 – CornerRad),0])
	cylinder(r=CornerRad,h=EngravePlate.z,$fn=24);

	translate(CursorOffset + [0,0,-Protrusion])
	CursorSVG(CursorThick + Protrusion,0.5); // pocket for blank cursor

	translate(CursorOffset + [0,0,-Protrusion])
	rotate(180/6)
	PolyCyl(StudClear,EngravePlate.z + 2*Protrusion,6);

	translate([2*StudOC.x,0,-Protrusion])
	rotate(180/6)
	PolyCyl(StudClear,EngravePlate.z + 2*Protrusion,6);

	hull() {
	for (i=[-1,1])
	translate([i1.5StudOC.x,0,-Protrusion])
	PolyCyl(2ScribeOD,EngravePlate.z + 2Protrusion,8);
	}
	}

	}


	//———————-
	// Build it

	if (Layout == "Cursor") {
	Cursor();
	}

	if (Layout == "Clamp") {
	Clamp();
	}

	if (Layout == "Rough") {
	Rough();
	}

	if (Layout == "Engrave") {
	Engrave();
	}

	if (Layout == "Show") {
	Fixture();
	color("Green",0.3)
	translate(CursorOffset + [0,0,BasePlate.z + Protrusion])
	Cursor();

	color("Orange")
	translate(CursorOffset + [0,0,BasePlate.z + 10])
	Rough();


	color("Brown")
	translate(CursorOffset + [0,0,BasePlate.z + 20])
	Clamp();

	color("Gold")
	translate(0*CursorOffset + [0,0,BasePlate.z + 40])
	Engrave();

	}

	if (Layout == "Build"){
	rotate(90) {
	Fixture();
	translate([0,-((BasePlate.y + EngravePlate.y)/2 + Gap),EngravePlate.z])
	rotate([180,0,0])
	Engrave();
	translate(CursorOffset + [0,(BasePlate.y + CursorHubOD)/2 + Gap,0])
	Rough();
	translate(CursorOffset + [0,(BasePlate.y + 3CursorHubOD)/2 + 2Gap,0])
	Clamp();
	}
	}

view raw Cursor Fixture.scad hosted with ❤ by GitHub

The original doodle with some notions and dimensions that didn’t survive contact with reality:

I have no idea why the Sherline tooling plate has a 10-32 screw grid on 1.16 inch = 29.46 mm centers, but there they are.

2021-01-22

Homage Tektronix Circuit Computer: Laser Printed Scales

Given the proper command-line options, GCMC can produce an SVG image and, after some Bash fiddling and a bank shot off Inkscape, the same GCMC program I’ve been using to plot Homage Tektronix Circuit Computer decks can produce laser-printed decks:

Tek CC – laser – detail

Pen-plotting on yellow Astrobrights paper showed how much ink bleeds on slightly porous paper, but laser-printing the same paper produces crisp lines:

Tek CC – laser – yellow detail

Laser printing definitely feels like cheating, but, for comparison, here’s a Genuine Tektronix Circuit Computer:

Tek CC – genuine – detail

Plotting the decks on hard mode was definitely a learning experience!

Obviously, my cursor engraving hand remains weak.

2021-01-20
KeyboardIO Atreus: LED Diffuser

After staring at the RGB LED I installed in my Atreus keyboard for a while, I converted the stub of a ¼-20 nylon screw into a light diffuser:

Atreus keyboard – LED diffuser

It stands slightly proud of the surface plate so I can extract it without dismantling the whole keyboard again:

Atreus keyboard – LED diffuser installed

I’ll eventually make a better-looking diffuser from a recently arrived translucent acrylic rod, but this will reduce the accumulation of fuzz inside the keyboard until the matching Round Tuit arrives.

2021-01-19