What I'm working on...
Here you will find a list of projects that I either have or am working on. Over the course of time I will keep adding to this and build a nice repository of projects.
I'm still undecided with the format I wish to take to make this site, as I don't want to have 30+ pages, but also don't like the clutter of having everything on one page.
I also really cannot be arsed with a Wordpress blog again, as the spam and shit I used to get, even with filters was just bloody endless! I did like the formatting though.
Hopefully I can come up with some middle ground, and make something nice.
***Ongoing Projects
***Complete Projects
***Indefinite Hiatus Projects
***Abandoned Projects
FLea Traps
I do love cat's, well, for the most part anyway. they are usually loving, self centered arseholes. as long as they can eat, sleep, poop and play they are fine.
but its their hitchhikers that i dont like! i have a mild adversion to fleas, jumping on me and drinking what its taken me a while to produce, and all without asking.... plus the crawling, itching, biting, you get the jist.
it also hasnt worked well this year as its been humid, warm and we forgot to give them their top up dose of flea killer, and then used one that was about as good as a wooly condom!
so whilst we kill whats on them, the little bastards are still running amock through our carpets. so what to do? JFGI of course! a quick google reveals five good methods to kill them are:
yeh the first two arent working that great as they get in to the bottom of the carpet pile, under furniture, in furniture etc. the last two may, just may leave the house slightly uninhabitable, so i went down the third route.
a bit of google fu later revealed what a commercial flea trap is. basically fleas must be thick as hell to fall for it, but its worth a try....
all this is is basically a box, some soapy water in a flat bowl or plate and a warm bulb. the fleas thinking they are being a clever smart arse and getting a quick meal jump at the warm bulb, miss and land in the soapy water. the soap breaks the water tension and the little fuckers drown. yeh seems harsh but after checking with my accountant, I can't afford to give any fucks!
wanting to conserve some energy through this i used an LED lamp i picked up from a bargain store for a couple of quid. it has about 400lm output (if you believe the packaging) and run at 2W of power. it gets warm when running, and has a G9 base. as I don't have a holder, i just used some screw terminal connectors to screw in to the ends of the base, and then in to some mains wire. some electrical tape for insulation and the worst part was done.
the rest of the build was easy, just a sturdy box with the sides cut out, a deep sided plate under the lamp. the lamp sits about ten centermeters above the water. at this point make sure animals are out the way, and also your cable is very secure. if in doubt, use an RCD to protect yourself! if you don't know what an RCD is you need to not be trying this!
on teh first night, the trap caught about 15 fleas. not many but its a start. the next day the number of bites was down too. very nice....
next this si going to be duplicated another two times and placed in various 'hot spots' in the house until it dies down further.
after using spare cable, connectors and plugs, and basically buying the bulbs, at £14.99 (rrp) for the commercial product, and only spending £9 on the bulbs (which im re-using anyway) ive saved £36. yay.....
Dimmable Nightlights
if you have read the about me section, you will know im a dad and uncle. My lad is currently 8 and his sister is five, and they have all the usual irrational fears kids have. being the ever kind parent i am (there is zero self interest in this, its just for them haha) i decided to make some night lights. but as my lad was reaching 8, he is making them with me. his mum doesnt like the idea of him playing with a soldering iron. i havent told her about teh ferric chloride, yet...
so basically, they have bunk beds, his sister has the bottom, and there are metal bars holding his matress for the top bunk. teh idea is to run several lines of pink LEDS along these bars (free heatsink) so when she is in bed it gives a dull pink glow...
with my lad, he has the top bunuk and nowhere to mount the LEDS. so we got creative! he has an old fabric wardrobe that 'accidently' got wrecked. no it really did. the bars from this are going to be joined in to a roof section, hot snotted (glued) together and then mounted to the bed. the LEDS will mount to this and then will be covered by a camo net. so he can crawl in to bed, turn on the LEDS and then when he is ready, dim them to sleep.
so far i have designed teh dimmer which is based off of my Backwash light project (but with new parts), i have the parts, i just need to fab the PCB's, get the enclosures for the electrics and also start sorting the strips to fit the beds. although this will be the last step!
cant wait to teach dude how to solder...
Xbox One 'MadZ' Controller
Im an avid gamer, and have been since i got my very first spectrum 128K and spent hours on this, gaming, coding etc. from there i went in to PC gaming, and eventually followed my friends in to the wonderful world of XBOX. Ironically with teh new features of Windows 10 being able to stream XBOX content on the same network i could technically be PC gaming again haha.
the game of choice with my friends/clan is COD. I have known the clan members for a long time, but only started playing with them around MW2/3. Im also a fan of Scuff controllers, a massive fan. but i really cant afford one. so i did what any self respecting moddder would do, opened my controller to try to make one! with the new features on the new COD, i felt the need more than ever to do this, and succeed. also as the controllers at the time were around the £40 mark i didnt want to have a £40 paperweight sitting around.
first, lots, and lots, and lots of JFGI! opening the controller shouldn't be an issue, getting everything stuffed in may be a little bit of an issue. its tight in there. not quite as tight as my audio adaptor mod, but still, a bit of wiggle room would have been nice!
Backwash light
This came about as i refurbished a projector, and realised stray light is a git. but also like to see where i am going when the room is dark. after thinking on various ways to do this, i decided on some LED strips. originally i did think about an LED bulb with built in remote, but then this would be too bright and wash out the screen.
Also not wanting to make life easy, i decided i would salvage as much as i could so i didnt have to buy anything. parts bins, salvaging, you name it. the only thing in this project i directly purchased was the LEDS, and the circuit board was left over from another project.
after spending some time online looking at differetn dimmers, i went with a 555 PWM dimmer. basically as you adjust the PWM output of the 555, it dumps in to a high power transistor, and in turn makes the strip change brightness. 100% on the strip runs at full brightness. 70% on, 30% off, it runs at 70% brightness. you get the jist..... plus i love the good old 555 timer.
Flea Traps. The thing is I love cats, but the little bastards have some annoying partners.... 
The kids are afraid of the dark, I'm a nutter with a soldering iron, you work out where this is going....
3D or not to 3D, well I'm not rich, a bit of a cheapskate, and also like building things, so why the hell not make a printer! 
Backwash Light. I set a projector up, and wanted a dimmable strip light that's out the way....