I had hoped that before September I would have all my old content up and much of the new content. September is when I anticipate moving and building the new office. So, to that end I am trying to get everything I can done. I will be working on a priority list over the next several days and then working on those projects in that list in priority order.
Once I get moved and get the office rebuilt, I will return to what's left and any new content under development. In the mean time, I will stay active on the forums. Please let me know of any errors or issues you find with any of the content I am putting up.
There are a handful of projects I recently got parts for and started and I'm eager to at least get them built and tested so that I don't have to put away all the parts and then get them out again later. This includes the other Raspberry Pi system, the ESP32 projects, the Arduino Blaster and rebuild of the Better Mousetrap V2, since I'll be rural.
Thanks, everyone!
Good luck on everything! If the mouse trap makes the mice smoke like the Jack the Joker Nicholson did that one guy in the 80's Batman ,shooting out of a cannon and flying several hundred feet, or maybe hunted down by a Decepicon like Megatron, I have no issues!.... ROTFLMAO. I HATE those vermin! My cat Midnight, died from result of mice bringing VERY large amounts of flees in.... they no longer bothered her bad ... and well I am having massive issues getting rid of them STILL.... and she passed 1/13/19...
Quote from: JKnightandKARR on May 21, 2024, 06:01 PMIf the mouse trap makes the mice smoke like the Jack the Joker Nicholson did that one guy in the 80's Batman ,shooting out of a cannon and flying several hundred feet, or maybe hunted down by a Decepicon like Megatron, I have no issues!.... ROTFLMAO. I HATE those vermin!
I don't like ANY critter that enters my home. If they're outside, I leave them alone. The moment they come into my home, all bets are off! To that end, if you read the history of the original, Build a Better Mousetrap (https://savagecircuits.com/build-a-better-mousetrap/), the idea was to keep them alive for the reasons stated in that article.
Build a Better Mousetrap V2 (https://savagecircuits.com/build-a-better-mousetrap-v2/) was simply to recreate the original project in a cheaper form. So, also a live catch trap.
Build a Better Mousetrap V3 (https://savagecircuits.com/build-a-better-mousetrap-v3/) is designed to catch multiple mice and uses a 5 gallon bucket. While I do not do this, you should feel free to add 3" - 4" of water to make a kill trap (the mice will drown).
I've heard of using a 5 gal bucket. I wish I knew how to exterminate them permanently..... filthy pests.
As a follow-up, the land we were supposed to build on is currently in a locked situation. Lawyers are dealing with that, however we will NOT make our deadline for this year, so we've been just trying to buy a home outright. We've been outbid multiple times, but we're hopeful we'll have something by September. This housing market sucks. And I absolutely HATE delayed negotiations. All that seems to do is insight bidding wars where people are overpaying for homes. ::)
Adulting is FUN ain't it??...... Have similar issues with my mom's estate...
I finally had an offer accepted. Of course, in CA this would all be over within a few weeks, but I am in NY, so this could take a couple of months! Still, the search is over.
(https://i.imgflip.com/4mrjge.jpg)
Hooe it all goes as expected
As we near the closing, my attention has been almost entirely on the move, including adding a hitch to my vehicle, getting a trailer and planning for a possible garage. Plus I have had to submit various documents and things along the way. So the site is on hold at the moment, but not for long. Hope this goes fast and smooth from here on out.
Good luck!
Quote from: JKnightandKARR on Jul 18, 2024, 09:50 PMGood luck!
Thanks. It's tedious. So many little things that seem to take so long just to close on things. Feels like it's taking forever sometimes. Plus I have been packing up the equipment and parts I'm not currently using, as well as boxes of things that still need to be sorted, but I am out of time to do that until the move is done.
The funny thing is that I just got my workspace setup the way I wanted and now I have to break it all down again. LOL
it defiantly is....and thats the way that works. lol
Sadly, I haven't even been in my office since this whole house thing started, except to scan or print documents on my printer. I was hoping to wrap a few projects before the move, but not sure that's going to happen since we're really not sure how long this closing is going to take. All these little things keep popping up and then there's three lawyers that need to get synchronized.
Sunday I am hoping to wrap a few projects on the main site that really just need little things (photos / videos) that I can do in a day. There are a few stubs I need to add so I don't forget those projects as well. Crazy times, but everything SHOULD be over by the end of October, at which point my first project will be putting my office back together again.
Well, I'm back at it again...putting more parts away before moving. The process is slow, unfortunately. Parts are scattered amongst many boxes and the parts drawers all have extraneous plastic that causes the drawers to snag, so I have to "clean" them by cutting off lots of plastic tabs before labeling the drawer and putting the parts in. Also, I think I already took the dividers over the the storage unit, so I need to get those back this weekend.
These are IC and sockets, starting with 74xx logic and moving on to SRAM, EPROM, CPUs, etc.
BackAtItAgain.jpg
Yeah, I had to take each drawer and pour all the contents of the drawer into a small bag (careful to use anti-static bags - $$$.) Then the bags needed to be labeled with what is in each bag - I put the label inside the bag facing out (more difficulty) so that the label could be seen through the bag. It was a pain to make sure that the components didn't slip between the label and the bag's side. Next carefully placing the bags into a box - using a few layers of bubble-wrap on the bottom and top, and then between layers of component bags. It took days to get all of my stuff bagged and boxed. Since I didn't have a workroom in our last house (six months there,) it all stayed packed, then when we moved here it took a while to find, and unpack, my tools and parts - still don't have most of my stuff unpacked. I really need to get my other drawer units (look much like the one you show there) out, and start sorting my stuff. :( (I was never able to find my label maker, so I finally had to go out and buy a new one. Now to get the gumption to get going.)
This is the label maker I am using. Nothing fancy. I finally went through three cartridges so far, and now I am off to Walmart to buy more so I can keep labeling.
BrotherLabelMaker.jpg
Quote from: granz on Aug 03, 2024, 08:36 AMYeah, I had to take each drawer and pour all the contents of the drawer into a small bag (careful to use anti-static bags - $$$.) Then the bags needed to be labeled with what is in each bag - I put the label inside the bag facing out (more difficulty) so that the label could be seen through the bag. It was a pain to make sure that the components didn't slip between the label and the bag's side. Next carefully placing the bags into a box - using a few layers of bubble-wrap on the bottom and top, and then between layers of component bags. It took days to get all of my stuff bagged and boxed. Since I didn't have a workroom in our last house (six months there,) it all stayed packed, then when we moved here it took a while to find, and unpack, my tools and parts - still don't have most of my stuff unpacked. I really need to get my other drawer units (look much like the one you show there) out, and start sorting my stuff. :( (I was never able to find my label maker, so I finally had to go out and buy a new one. Now to get the gumption to get going.)
I've been having issues with storage myself, and labels aren't fun. Want to make some on my computer, I just need to make a whole list of standard resistor values and such and print em out.
Quote from: Chris Savage on Aug 04, 2024, 12:10 PMThis is the label maker I am using. Nothing fancy. I finally went through three cartridges so far, and now I am off to Walmart to buy more so I can keep labeling.
BrotherLabelMaker.jpg
Got one myself. Label Maker (https://www.walmart.com/ip/DYMO-Letratag-100H-Handheld-Label-Maker/994769878?athbdg=L1103&from=/search) I just wish that they could do some colored text.. would be nice for resistor color codes..
Quote from: JKnightandKARR on Aug 04, 2024, 07:24 PMI've been having issues with storage myself, and labels aren't fun. Want to make some on my computer, I just need to make a whole list of standard resistor values and such and print em out.
I created a spreadsheet to match the drawers in the cabinet and then decided what values I wanted from there. I went a little overboard, but I'd rather have values I rarely use that need one at a critical time. Doing the ICs is proving a little more difficult since I did downsize my chip collection unintentionally when I left CA. Then when I left ID I didn't have ANY of my parts drawers anymore. SO I had to start over.
My current problem is currently NO room for any storage, least till I get my desk finished.
Quote from: JKnightandKARR on Aug 04, 2024, 08:12 PMMy current problem is currently NO room for any storage, least till I get my desk finished.
I get that. In my current place (apartment), I have piles everywhere, even in my bedroom.
@granz should recognize this device. ;) I have a few left (10).
20240804_210203.jpg
Yep, ATtiny-11s & -85s. I especially liked the Digispark ATtiny85 dev board (https://www.instructables.com/Digispark-Attiny-85-With-Arduino-IDE/).
Quote from: granz on Aug 13, 2024, 07:19 AMI especially liked the Digispark ATtiny85 dev board (https://www.instructables.com/Digispark-Attiny-85-With-Arduino-IDE/).
Yes, that is a very compact design. I remember back in 2005 it seemed there was a surge of tiny dev boards that could be plugged directly into the USB port and had everything self-contained. Not sure what the current state of things is, but I do remember Parallax even jumping on that bandwagon with the BS1USB (https://web.archive.org/web/20060211044152/http://www.parallax.com/detail.asp?product_id=BS1USB).
Sadly, the BASIC Stamps were always so much more costly than other microcontrollers, so not as widely adopted.
But, back to the ATtiny stuff...many years ago I used these to make small co-processors for the BASIC Stamp2 so that I could use it in commercial projects without the limitations. That said, I stopped doing that when I started working for Parallax to prevent the perception that the BASIC Stamps really needed some of these things, which is ironic, because a short while later we had a number of specialized co-processors, like the ServoPAL (https://forums.parallax.com/discussion/98632/new-product-announcement-servopal-miniature-dual-servo-pulser), SoundPAL (https://forums.parallax.com/discussion/98823/howto-standalone-operation-of-the-soundpal), PWMPAL, ColorPAL, etc.
I have used Atmel chips over the years to drive a Parallax LCD in a serial manner (pre-Parallax Serial LCD), drive servos / motors and monitor events so that the BS2 was not over-tasked.
Getting back on the original subject, I just received an order of foam blocks for all the ICs I am putting away in these parts cabinets. I have no way of knowing if these cabinets are anti-static, but I would guess not. The quality of parts cabinets and the selection have really diminished over the years. The good quality cabinets I once had before moving to CA have not been available in many years. The replacements I picked up in CA are also no longer manufactured.
20240817_114509.jpg
Today is the day...it's closing time. Savage///Circuits will now have to move and be reconstructed. This time with more room!
Closing-on-a-House.jpg
Comgrats
So this is a photo from when we looked at the place (staged). This is the future home of Savage///Circuits.
I will, of course, document the evolution of the new office space in Office Evolution once I get started.
NewOfficeSC.jpg
Looks big
Quote from: JKnightandKARR on Aug 22, 2024, 12:32 AMLooks big
Definitely bigger than my current office and then I also have some bonus space outside this room. There's a landing that's just extra space between the two upstairs rooms and the bathroom.
I'm going to put my indoor craftsman toolbox along the wall, and then four more storage shelves. So, that will be less stuff cluttering the office space.
HouseLandingSC.jpg
Congrats - been a rough week, between sick/aching and travel (although I did get eight boxes of my old electronics/computers from my son's house.)
I'm going to be following this thread with interest, because my office/lab/workshop is in pretty crappy shape. It's past time for a complete "extreme makeover - lab edition." ;D What do you have (or have in mind) for the "four more storage shelves" that you mentioned?
Quote from: granz on Aug 22, 2024, 08:31 AMWhat do you have (or have in mind) for the "four more storage shelves" that you mentioned?
There are two black shelves and two white ones. These are 5 or 6 shelf plastic shelves that can connect together. The two black ones will be on the side my toolbox is on, since the toolbox is black. The white ones will stand on the other side.
They currently hold several Sterilite organizers. Some are 3 or 5-drawer organizers and some small totes. The shelves will primarily store that stuff. You can see little bits of the white shelves in my article: Office Evolution (https://savagecircuits.com/office-evolution/)
(https://savagecircuits.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/2018-10-15_NY_Office_06.jpg)
In that article, in the 2018 section you can see one of the large shelves and a smaller one being used for eBay stuff.
(https://savagecircuits.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/2020-11-29_NY_Office_04.jpg)
In this photo from 2020 you can see some of the organizers stacked next to my metal bookshelf.
(https://savagecircuits.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/2023-02-05_NY_Office_02.jpg)
In this photo from 2023 you can see they're sitting on top of that bookshelf. But when I'm done they'll all be on the plastic shelves.
OK, I see. Some nice looking shelves, and drawer units, there.
I had forgotten about your "Office Evolution" article, and I just took a quick scan through it. I'm going to do another full read through the article - there are lots of good ideas that I saw. Thank you for the reminder.
Quote from: granz on Aug 24, 2024, 06:46 AMOK, I see. Some nice looking shelves, and drawer units, there.
I had forgotten about your "Office Evolution" article, and I just took a quick scan through it. I'm going to do another full read through the article - there are lots of good ideas that I saw. Thank you for the reminder.
No problem. I had similar articles on my original site because, at the time, there were a lot of people that wondered how I organized so many parts and projects. And at that time, I did have A LOT of stuff.
It's time for backups before moving the computers and NAS drive.
Copying several drives (on separate computers) to their external USB backup drives.
Backups.jpg
Good idea.... i had a drive port got bad last time i moved. Not the drive the SATA port itself on the motherboard... made NO sence...
Backups were completed last week on three computers. Sadly my Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 died and now I'm trying to restore everything to an S24, so there's that. ::)
Been packing up and moving so much stuff! It's going to take me a loooong time to sort it all out again on the other end. I will share a few pics of what things look like upstairs. It's quite the mess! :-[
But my workbench should be moved by this Saturday, and that's when I will officially be staying at the new place. Still moving through the end of the month though. More updates as we go...
53 61 76 61 67 65 2F 2F 2F 43 69 72 63 75 69 74 73 20 50 72 6F 6A 65 63 74 20 57 65 62 73 69 74 65
Moving is going slowly and, wouldn't you know it, things got messed up. We took two loads over and then forgot the bench. I only have this week and the weekend and now it's raining like crazy. Not sure if I will get everything out in time. We shall see.
Still raining every day, but we're hoping to get the bench top and other stuff tomorrow. Depending on how fast I can get the rest done, I'm hoping to get started rebuilding my office by the weekend of October 5th / 6th. The laser cutter and its bench are there as is my new workstation desk and the PC. My toolbox has been moved and the shelf units as well as all the storage cabinets.
Moving fun ain't it? Been rainy here past couple of days. I need to finish my desk build
The rain has been the biggest hinderance, since my trailer is an uncovered 5x8 utility trailer. No way to keep the rain off things. When I have tried to use a tarp, the road mist manages to get right up under there and make quite the mess! When I try using plastic sheeting, the wind rips it at the corners. I have 2 loads of large items to take today and hopefully that's it! Then it's really just some little things and cleanup.
Today is the last day of the move. Hopefully, this will all be behind me. I say this, because I have been trying to get hold of the property manager for months. No answer, nobody calls me back. It's ridiculous!
Quote from: Chris Savage on Sep 30, 2024, 08:25 AMToday is the last day of the move. Hopefully, this will all be behind me. I say this, because I have been trying to get hold of the property manager for months. No answer, nobody calls me back. It's ridiculous!
Don't ya just "LOVE" that crap??.... Been dealing with same thing with Law office I paid $2k for on my mom's estate....
Quote from: JKnightandKARR on Sep 30, 2024, 10:09 AMDon't ya just "LOVE" that crap??.... Been dealing with same thing with Law office I paid $2k for on my mom's estate....
I FINALLY got hold of him yesterday, only to find out he could NOT be there for our move out inspection. And of course, he would be gone before I could get there today, so now I have to hope he runs a fair inspection and that I get my security deposit back.
In any event, I'm FINALLY moved out of the apartment. I was in a hurry to move out, but sadly, there is quite a mess at the new house. It will take me some time just to get things in order. With all the stuff coming in and people in / out during the move, the floors are very dirty! Being OCD, it's driving me crazy! So, before I can really get started on anything, I must try to clean up what I can.
My first goal is to get the internet set up PROPERLY. Just to get things going I put an old router on the only incoming cable connection, which was in the corner of the bedroom. So there, sitting on the floor just inside the bedroom door is the modem and router and we have our phones, my laptop and a couple of smart home devices connected wirelessly.
I need to move the whole thing into what will be my wife's office and run ethernet cable up to my office before things can really progress with the network. Of course, I have a new router with better coverage that is still in the box, so kind of starting over there as well. I'll update the Office Evolution (https://savagecircuits.com/office-evolution/) article when I get started on that.
I need to run two ethernet cables from the router. One will go through the basement to our living room TV. The other needs to go to the bedroom where the spectrum line currently runs and then up to the ceiling and through the floor to my upstairs office. That part will be fun because of how the walls are with respect to the ones downstairs. For this reason I have an endoscope...somewhere...
Quality.... I had a landlord and his ONLY concern is just give me the rent.... didn't care about ANYthing else....
Quote from: JKnightandKARR on Oct 01, 2024, 11:59 AMQuality.... I had a landlord and his ONLY concern is just give me the rent.... didn't care about ANYthing else....
I'm still not clear on where I stand (whether I am getting my security deposit back). ::)
But, since it's been raining lately, I did not get the lawn done on Sunday morning as I usually do. So, today, as soon as I get home I need to change and mow the lawn. I am then hoping to have enough energy (and pain tolerance) to move the internet connection from the master bedroom to my wife's office.
I need to drill a hole in the floor and run a coaxial cable down to the basement to connect where Spectrum brought the line into the house. I then need to see if I can fish a CAT6 cable down through and send that to where the coax used to go to the master bedroom in order to send it up through the ceiling into my office area. Pains me putting holes into the new house already, but my options are limited for running cable between floors / rooms.
Always fun... I did that with Cat6 cable not too long ago... got tired of security cameras killing internet...
I got the cable line moved from the master bedroom to her office, put on a new connector, connected the modem and now the internet is working from her office. My old Linksys Router had been acting flakey for several months now, randomly shutting down the Wi-Fi service and requiring a restart. I replaced it with a TP-Link Tri-Band, however, the Linksys had eight ethernet ports, whereas the TP-Link has three. I needed 5, so I connected a switch to one of the ports and ran a cable for the living room TV through the basement and up through the floor behind the TV stand.
I also ran a CAT6 cable through the basement over to where the spectrum cable used to go, though I haven't brought it up through into the bedroom yet. The reason is needs to go there is that my workshop is directly above the bedroom and that's the only convenient place to get a wire upstairs. Below is a photo of the media rack now that everything is connected. This is an update to the photo in this thread (https://savagechats.com/index.php?msg=784).
Office_Update_01.jpg
In this photo you can obviously see the router on top of the media rack. I left the next shelf down empty for my wife. The next shelf holds the cable modem, NAS drive, it's external USB backup, the switch (hiding toward the back) and the white box on top of it is the TP-Link Hub for my front and back doorbells. On the bottom are the two battery backup units. I could get away with one if it wasn't for the fact that all but one of the devices plugged in has wall-warts!
Office_Update_02.jpg
Here's a shot of that wall almost done. The printer always has a "dust cover" on it when not in use. Adds years to the life of the printer! The shelf in the middle has additional shelves, but my wife needs to decide where she wants them. That hub is also the storage unit for the doorbell cameras as well as the remote "bell". So, when someone rings the doorbell, it rings in the office too. You can change the sound it plays.
Front_Door_Cam_Test.jpg
This is what the front doorbell sees (front porch). As you can see I'm still building a desk out there, so there's crap out there (and our freezer).
Back_Door_Cam_Test.jpg
This is what the back doorbell sees (driveway). You can see my car (don't have the truck anymore) and my metal shed that will hopefully be gone in a year or two. The garage / house beyond that is the neighbor. Anyway, hopefully tomorrow I can run the network cable upstairs and start on my workshop. Once I do, progress will be updated in the Office Evolution (https://savagecircuits.com/office-evolution/) article.
Hope those aren't wireless and Ring cameras..... I got 3 of them, sadly, and they are bandwidth vampires..... WHY in the heck I "NEED" 1080 res, for a device that streams to phones is beyond me.... wish I could turn them down.. Good luck on the new pad!
Quote from: JKnightandKARR on Oct 07, 2024, 09:36 AMHope those aren't wireless and Ring cameras..... I got 3 of them, sadly, and they are bandwidth vampires..... WHY in the heck I "NEED" 1080 res, for a device that streams to phones is beyond me.... wish I could turn them down.. Good luck on the new pad!
The doorbell cameras are TP-Link wireless units. The resolution can be controlled within the app or even set to AUTO. I use this brand because of the level of control I have, as well as the number of device types they have. Most of my devices are under one app. I have Kwikset Smart Locks on the front / back and my air conditioners are GE.
I preferred the control and reporting of the August Smart Lock, however the connect hub died after 1 year, so I switched back to Kwikset, which is what I used in CA and ID. These are next generation. I did have a "Ring" Peephole cam at the apartment, only because they had the only peephole version. I gave it to my young neighbors across the hall when I moved out. They already had an Alexa, which is designed to pair more closely with the Ring stuff.
I gave up on the Ring brand when they dropped Google Home support (after Amazon bought them). Until then, I had been enjoying my Ring Doorbell and my Ring Floodlight Cam that I installed on my garage in ID. Got great footage from both at the time. As for bandwidth; I have a tri-band router and the 2.4GHz band is pretty much dedicated to the Smart Home stuff. The one TV is on the 6GHz band and the 5GHz band is used by a few computers. Everything that demands bandwidth is on the 1GHz ethernet (CAT6), including the NAS drive.
I got all cameras on 2Ghz, everything else on 5Ghz or cables.
I've gotten so much done recently, but almost none of it has to do with my new workshop. Short of getting my wife's office done, which gives me access to the network from my laptop, I haven't yet run the ethernet cable upstairs so that I can connect my main PCs. ::)
The weather here has been warm lately, so I thought I would get some outside stuff done, but the mosquitoes are voracious! I would think they would be done for the season, but they're still biting in the evening, so I haven't been doing stuff I need to do.
I'm hoping tomorrow to run the ethernet cable. It's going to be a bit complicated. I need to run it from the basement through the floor in the bedroom, up to the ceiling, then find where it will come out upstairs (probably in a closet), then get it from there to both rooms.
I have an endoscope that I am hoping will help me "find" the holes / cables once I drill the holes. It even has a hook attachment that may allow me to "grab" the cable to guide it to where I fed it through. Wish me luck! :-\
Once the network stuff is done, I can actually start putting everything else together. 8)
So, as I alluded to in my previous post, not having a network connection upstairs is really the inhibitor to getting anything else done up there. I didn't want to put everything together and then have to move stuff to get the network installed. Last night, despite being exhausted and sore, I went downstairs (basement) and ran the ethernet cable over to the bedroom where the Spectrum coaxial cable used to come in. Once I got that up through the floor I was essentially committed.
20241022_220703_640x853.jpg
This is NOT standard CAT6E cable, but rather FLAT CAT6E cable that I had at the apartment. I used the flat because, not only did it blend in with the paint over there, but I was able to run three cables in the same space as one along the hallway ceiling. I'm worried about longevity, especially if any critters might find this soft cable tasty.
I had no choice but to use the existing hole where the coax came up through the floor. It turns out the reason they had it so far from the wall is that there's a beam under the floor in the way along the wall. Once I got the cable up through the floor, I drilled into the ceiling and realized the same issue...
20241022_220703_640x480.jpg
...a beam along the edge, in the way. So you can see my first failed attempt at drilling into the ceiling. :-[
I used a cotton ball for now to fill in the hole. Obviously this whole situation needs to be cleaned up. I used my endoscope with a hook attachment to fish the cable up through the floor upstairs. That worked quite nicely!
20241023_215411_640x480.jpg
Unfortunately, this puts the cable inside the closet in my media room. ::)
The cable needs to run along the wall to the back of the closet, around behind the shelf and through the wall to the workshop. There it will connect to a network switch. Another cable will have to follow it back through the closet to come out in the media room where it will connect to my main PC.
I ran reg cat6e in my house.... got tired of the wifi issues
Last night I carried the parts to my new computer desk upstairs and moved the rack for the computer tower, the tower itself, the monitor arms and the monitor into the media room. I also found the UPS and the subwoofer for my speaker system.
20241023_215326_640x480.jpg
This is where I left off last night. I got the desk together and attached the monitor arms and monitors, as well as adding the rack and tower. The UPS is plugged in and connected to the tower, but nothing else is connected yet. I still have to find the other two speakers and the cord that connects to the tower. In that box should also be the power supplies for the monitors, as well as the video cables.
I am hoping tonight to be able to get this PC up and running, even if not everything is connected.
20241024_205944_640x480.jpg
Well, I found the cables and power cords and got everything up and running. This PC has been offline long enough that there were 7 Windows 10 updates, iTunes, NVIDIA drivers, etc. But, we're back up and running enough to do some stuff in between getting the house together.
This afternoon (on my lunch break), I will be adding to the Office Evolution (https://savagecircuits.com/office-evolution/#2024) article so that you can see that I am making headway with getting the workshop back up and running. I took some new photos last night and formatted them. I just need to add them to the article.
I'm not the only one with a racing chair for a desk chair! lol Mine's red and black
Quote from: JKnightandKARR on Oct 28, 2024, 10:57 AMI'm not the only one with a racing chair for a desk chair! lol Mine's red and black
That's the Media Room chair. The Workshop chair is this one (not yet in the room). Got it from Amazon (https://a.co/d/6tcrb1W).
(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71ajRF+OBuL._AC_SL1500_.jpg)
This is what i got (https://a.co/d/bU3eoja)
I had an extra chair at the apartment that I didn't really like. I gave it to my wife for use in her office.
20241020_201921_640x480.jpg
Since the floor is vinyl and the wheels are hard plastic, I removed the existing wheels.
20241020_201929_640x480.jpg
I replaced the original wheels with these roller-blade wheels (https://a.co/d/4KbvCyI) I got from Amazon. The wheels do increase the height, slightly.
20241028_211516_640x480.jpg
This is what the chair looks like. This chair came from Staples.
Make it so!
(https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRSwb0fSEYB1d51f-WzMm-MEwPhhD-yrTGysQ&s)
By the way, as shown in my Office Evolution (https://savagecircuits.com/office-evolution/#2024) Blog entry, I am slowly getting the Workshop together. I hope to get more done tonight after work.
(https://savagecircuits.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/2024-10-26_Workshop_Workbench_03.jpg)
Here is what I have done so far. One (of three) sets of shelves installed.
Looks good. Sadly I don't have the option to hang stuff on walls really... corner desk so can't access that area. Lol
I got the desk shelves installed tonight.
(https://savagecircuits.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/2024-10-29_Workshop_Comp_Shelf_01.jpg)
Got the tracks installed.
(https://savagecircuits.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/2024-10-29_Workshop_Comp_Shelf_02.jpg)
Added the shelves and some of the stuff that used to be on these shelves at the apartment.
(https://savagecircuits.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/2024-10-29_Workshop_Comp_Shelf_03.jpg)
After that I decided to add the anti-static mat to the bench so I could get the test equipment shelf ready as well.
Nice
Quote from: JKnightandKARR on Oct 29, 2024, 10:51 PMNice
It's getting there. I have another set of shelves to install on the opposite wall tonight. More parts cabinets will be going on those shelves. I do have one MINOR concern...I have one of those "lift" type desks that I will be using for my soldering station. The reason I chose it is because I often like to bring my work up closer to my face when I am soldering, rather than hunching over.
My concern is something I was remembering when I first got it together and was showing my wife. I hit the first "preset" button and nothing happened. That's because the desk was already at that position. When I hit the second preset (there are 3), the desk lifted up about a foot or so. Seemed good for standing. But when I hit the 3rd preset button, the desk lifted much higher than I thought it could go. Like, probably standing position for someone who is 7' tall! :o
My concern is that, if there were ever a power glitch (like a brown-out), the controller might reset and try to lift the desk all the way up and knock my shelves right off the wall! As unlikely as it may seem, it is still a possibility and the more I think about it, the more I am inclined NOT to use that desk for my soldering bench. :-\
THIS CAN ALSO HAPPEN! :o
uplift-desk-failed-while-i-was-in-the-hammock.jpg
Well, I didn't get that last wall of shelving done over the last two days. Instead I did some updates to the media rack in the office. Specifically, I added another NAS drive dedicated to streaming TV / MOVIES and I removed the secondary UPS. It was only there because all the power adapters couldn't plug into the back of the UPS, but I solved that using two of these, from Amazon (https://a.co/d/gIDFaeS).
(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71Wn+HB4L3L._AC_SL1500_.jpg)
Whatever works. Lol I might build a custom power strip into my desk when i get it done
The workshop is coming together nicely! Check out the updates on the Office Evolution 2024 (https://savagecircuits.com/office-evolution/#2024) blog article.
(https://savagecircuits.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/2024-11-14_Workshop_Updates_01.jpg)
(https://savagecircuits.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/2024-11-14_Workshop_Updates_02.jpg)
(https://savagecircuits.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/2024-11-14_Workshop_Updates_03.jpg)
d00d you've been busy! sorry i haven't been around lately i got a really big project and haven't even been gaming for months!!! not sleeping much lately and in fact it is now after 1am!!! nice to see you getting things back together. good luck!!!
Quote from: Commander Data on Nov 17, 2024, 01:08 AMd00d you've been busy! sorry i haven't been around lately i got a really big project and haven't even been gaming for months!!! not sleeping much lately and in fact it is now after 1am!!! nice to see you getting things back together. good luck!!!
I don't know HOW I missed this message. I was just about to update this thread and realized you were the last poster. Yeah, been busy. Almost completely done with the Workshop. Very little left to do to be able to get going again. In the mean time I have been working on website updates and sorting parts.
On the house I've been doing electrical work. Smart home stuff. For example, it gets dark early now, so dark when I get home. I don't want to leave my back porch light on all day, so I swapped out the switch for a smart switch and programmed it to come on every day 15 minutes before dusk and turn off 15 minutes after dawn. So now I don't come home to a dark driveway and porch.
That inspired me to do the same thing with the front porch, but on a different schedule. Amazon delivers as late as 10P (I've had that happen many times). I have a sign asking for packages to be put inside the front porch, however it's very dark out there, so the front porch light comes on 15 minutes before dusk, but then turns off at 10:15PM each night.
Finally, there was one more little convenience that I wanted to take care of. I get up during the night at least 2 or 3 times to use the bathroom (diabetes). I'm practically on auto-pilot, but I still have to turn on the bathroom light and it's not in a convenient place. I have to walk into the bathroom past the toilet and then on the wall behind it is three switches. The right switch is the main light, though I often miss it and hit the middle switch, which is the exhaust fan and dim light over the shower. Finally, there is a third switch on the left which turns on a heater inside the exhaust fan so when you get out of the shower, you don't get a chill.
I replaced all three standard switches. The left one is still a toggle switch, but a wide one that matches the other two. The center switch has been replaced with an Eaton Fan Timer. Now I don't accidentally leave the exhaust fan running all day. The main light switch is now a motion-sensing smart-switch with three schedules.
20241130_083817_640x447.jpg
From 7:00AM to 4:30PM it works manually. You push the button to turn the light on / off. From 4:30PM to 10:00PM you can still use it manually, but if it senses motion and it's dark, it comes on automatically at 75% brightness. If you forget to turn it off, it shuts off after 2 minutes of no motion. Finally, from 10:00PM to 7:00AM it works the same, except that it comes on at 8% brightness. LED lights are VERY bright, so this solves three issues for me. Anyway...
Oh! One cool thing that I am super excited about was that I recently realized I had the text and code for a few tutorials that needed to be restored, but the photos are long gone. This means taking new photos, but I no longer have a PPDB, which was used in some of these tutorials. So I posted this thread (https://forums.parallax.com/discussion/176043/wanted-ppdb-closed) on the Parallax forums. For a while I didn't really get anything, but now I have a new condition PPDB on it's way from a very generous person who gave me a great deal (especially being international). Add to that parts I got from a member on here and that's about a dozen articles I can restore. Super excited!
So, I just got a care package from Finland. The following Parallax products were included, which will allow me, along with the care package I got from California, to complete several projects for which I had some text, some code, but not much else. I mostly need to take some photos and I can wrap several tutorials that can finally be fully restored. Thanks to the folks who sent me the things I was unable to replace on my own!
PPDB_Package.jpg
Nice
I have a bad habit of buying things...anything...long before I need it. For some things it doesn't really matter. Others, like food, may be past the "Best if used by" date by the time I get to them. But the worst thing is expensive electronics. When we closed on the house I immediately bought a couple of air conditioners, a couple of air purifiers, a washer and dryer, freezer, etc. This was picked up on September 2nd.
Due to the way this place is set up, we weren't able to get the washer / dryer installed (work needed to be done) and I was able to do my laundry at my wife's farmhouse. I only opened and installed one air conditioner and one air purifier.
Last night we needed to determine where to mount shelving in the "laundry nook", so I took the dryer out of its box to slide it into the nook for some measurements. I cut the box open to find that the back side of the dryer has a HUGE dent in it! I'm not even sure if the drum will rotate now.
Dryer_Damage_01.jpg
You can tell that the box has a crease in it too where the dent is on the back.
Dryer_Damage_02.jpg
The bottom of the panel is separated from the dryer. It's now been just over 4 months since we got this stuff. I highly doubt they'll make this right after that much time. So I hope this helps others to check your stuff even if you're not going to do anything with it for a while. I have had this happen many times before where I opened a package months later to find damage and now stuck with it. This is a $500.00 oversight.
Quote from: Chris Savage on Jan 09, 2025, 07:58 AMThis is a $500.00 oversight.
Ouch! Although, our washer/dryer set was more along the lines of $2000 for both, still pretty bad.
Check with the seller, anyway, it won't hurt, and with the pictures of the box, and dryer, it may help.
Wow I feel the pain Chris, I had a similar thing happen in 2022, bought a built in oven unit from Lowes and opened the package after the delivery guys had left. The control panel was bent back almost 90 deg , my heart sank. Lowes were pretty good about it and I did get a replacement.
Like you said the time span goes against you but you have nothing to lose by contacting the seller. Also remove the back panel and see if there is much damage internally, there is a chance that only the outer casing took the hit or it may be repairable.
EDIT: I guess hanging your laundry out to dry is not a great idea this time of year, everything will be stiff as a board.
Quote from: granz on Jan 09, 2025, 08:58 AMOuch! Although, our washer/dryer set was more along the lines of $2000 for both, still pretty bad.
Check with the seller, anyway, it won't hurt, and with the pictures of the box, and dryer, it may help.
After work today, I am going to Best Buy to see if I can talk to a manager and show him my purchases and the photos of what I got. Normally I am a tech guy and usually like things that tend to be more expensive. When it comes to major appliances though, like Fridge, Freezer, Washer, Dryer, Stove and even lesser, Microwave, I prefer simpler. I find that these devices when full of tech tend to have more problems and are often more difficult to get fixed.
I also need to go to Lowe's to get hardware for shelving behind the washer / dryer as well as a possible alternative to the flex vent tube, which pushes the dryer forward by 4"+. I really need to get these appliances going finally. I still have at least one air conditioner new in the box which never got tested.
Quote from: Jeff_T on Jan 09, 2025, 10:55 AMLike you said the time span goes against you but you have nothing to lose by contacting the seller. Also remove the back panel and see if there is much damage internally, there is a chance that only the outer casing took the hit or it may be repairable.
EDIT: I guess hanging your laundry out to dry is not a great idea this time of year, everything will be stiff as a board.
Yeah, we do have one of those folding clothes racks that you can set in your bathtub to dry things, but it doesn't dry nearly as much as the 7.0 cubic foot dryer. Not to mention doing sheets. We'll see what Best Buy says.
So, GREAT news! Best Buy is going to replace the dryer. Not only that, but they're going to deliver the replacement and pick up the damaged unit for me. Awesome!
Glad to hear that.
How nice.... atleast its being taken care of
Yeah, I found out today that the replacement dryer will arrive on the 16th of this month. They will also take away the damaged unit. Laundry will be a little delayed, but overall I am happy with the result, considering I took so long to discover the issue.
Awesome Chris full marks to Best Buy
The continuing saga in the wake of the dryer issue...
Quote from: Chris Savage on Jan 09, 2025, 07:58 AMLast night we needed to determine where to mount shelving in the "laundry nook", so I took the dryer out of its box to slide it into the nook for some measurements.
Laundry_Shelf_03.jpg
After having the issues with the dryer vent, it was finally installed using the existing access hole, then routed through our basement access to the outside, above the cellar door. Not the ideal solution, but less work overall with not having to patch up the old hole.
Laundry_Shelf_01.jpg
Now I could finally install the shelf in the laundry nook so we can finally get the washer put in.
Laundry_Shelf_02.jpg
Finally done with this so we can actually do laundry at home (once I move the washer into place).
Quote from: Chris Savage on Mar 03, 2025, 08:59 AMFinally done with this so we can actually do laundry at home (once I move the washer into place).
Congrats, it's always better to not carry laundry out to clean it. :)
Quote from: granz on Mar 03, 2025, 01:15 PMCongrats, it's always better to not carry laundry out to clean it. :)
Especially in the winter. But I keep following up on this thread so you guys all know where I am at with the house, since much of it is priority over
everything else.
On that note, it's been a
very long time since I published an article in Nuts & Volts / Servo magazines. To that end, I recently got back in touch with them and have plans to submit two or three articles this year; one being my current priority project listed in the Member Projects area.
Laundry area is finally done and we did our first load of laundry this past weekend.
20250309_153000_640x480.jpg
Good
I know I haven't posted here in a while and several people have asked me how the house is coming, so here's an update. There was a lot of boxed furniture that needed to be assembled. There are still a few things left, however much of it is taken care of, finally! Curtains have been hung, dishes, pots and pans have been put away. Some photos and signs have been hung. It's really starting to look like a home now.
Our metal shed (what was referred to as a garage in the home listing) had been suffering impacts over the years of branches falling off the three trees around it. The roof was mostly destroyed and leaked badly. That shed was a replacement for the original garage which used to be there and was built upon the original concrete slab, which did not appear to have any rebar reinforcement. In anticipation of having a pole-barn garage built, we had the shed removed, as well as the concrete slab.
But we also needed to get rid of the three trees that were not only a danger to our future garage, but our neighbor's home and garage as well. We hired someone to come in and take the trees down, but it's been slow with all the rain and the fact that our transfer station for green waste is only open on Saturdays and Wednesdays. The first tree was trimmed down of the worst problems initially, including the remains of one branch that fell in the neighbor's yard where they park. Fortunately, they weren't there when it fell.
Recently, with branches from the first two trees out of the way, the tree guy decided to completely take down the third tree (furthest back). It's a good thing he did. While removing the first primary split ("Y") halfway up, he heard the lower trunk crack and split. When he went to fell the lower section, his chainsaw kept binding.
Tree_Rot_01.jpg
Turns out ants had eaten the entire lower core of the tree out! It was so close to falling on the neighbor's garage!!!
Tree_Rot_02.jpg
All the crap from the heart fell down into the lower section, but under all that it's all rotted and hollowed. Ants were everywhere!
Tree_Rot_03.jpg
It's hard to see in this last photo, but there are two splits and in the lower left you can see where the ants had eaten through the bark as well. Very scary stuff!
Tree_Rot_04.jpg
In this security camera shot out our back window, you can see the pile of wood from that tree. More than half was removed and yet there's still a lot left! So, we're still working on this.
In the meantime, the new garage should be built in August after a new concrete slab has been poured. As for the workshop, it just needs to be organized and cleaned up. There are a LOT of parts to put away in the parts cabinets. I didn't finish that before moving. There's a lot of 3D prints laying all over the place that haven't been assembled yet. The test equipment and power stuff is all done though. So close to being able to just sit down and work on stuff again.
Right now waiting for some people who wanted firewood to come get it before tomorrow when the tree guy is supposed to be back to hopefully wrap things up.
Firewood_01.jpg
Firewood_02.jpg
I hope they are careful about what they pick up - thousands of ants running out of your fireplace can play havoc with your romantic fire-side cuddling. ;D
Quote from: granz on Jun 24, 2025, 08:50 AMI hope they are careful about what they pick up - thousands of ants running out of your fireplace can play havoc with your romantic fire-side cuddling. ;D
When I was 11 or 12 we had a woodstove in our old home. Once we put a log in there that was chock FULL of ants that were frozen because the logs were all outside. Once that log started heating up there were some strange sounds as the ants were running to their deaths, including weird hissing noises, like plastic makes when it's melting into fire.
Quote from: Chris Savage on Jun 24, 2025, 09:58 AM...including weird hissing noises, like plastic makes when it's melting into fire.
As a kid, we used to go camping several times a year. Every one of those camping trips included many camp fires. I've heard hissing sounds many times - what we heard comes from the sap, and other moisture, inside the logs. The sap hisses as it turns to steam and escapes through cracks and other holes in the wood. We also saw insects trying to escape the fire, but I don't remember hearing the hissing from that.
Me and Angela went to park called Honey Run Falls, not only did my small dog Gizmo, almost drown, he didn't he ok, just scared, but part of their park has VERY VERY bad ant issue, biting ones to boot... NOT fun..
Quote from: JKnightandKARR on Jun 24, 2025, 12:59 PMpart of their park has VERY VERY bad ant issue, biting ones to boot... NOT fun..
When I was younger (9 or 10?) we went to FL (Disney World). At some point I sat on a retainer wall where someone had spilled some soda nearby and I got bitten pretty badly by fire ants! :-[
Quote from: Chris Savage on Jun 24, 2025, 01:42 PMQuote from: JKnightandKARR on Jun 24, 2025, 12:59 PMpart of their park has VERY VERY bad ant issue, biting ones to boot... NOT fun..
When I was younger (9 or 10?) we went to FL (Disney World). At some point I sat on a retainer wall where someone had spilled some soda nearby and I got bitten pretty badly by fire ants! :-[
Annoying aren't they?
When we were stationed in Florida, and Texas, we had fire ants. In TX, we probably had a dozen fire ant hills in our yard. The best way to fight them was to dig up a bit of two adjacent hills, and pour the ants into the opposite hill. The ants from each hill would think that the ants from the other hill were invading, and would go to war. Each hill would then be wiped out by the "invaders" from the other hill.
Quote from: Chris Savage on Jun 24, 2025, 08:40 AMRight now waiting for some people who wanted firewood to come get it before tomorrow when the tree guy is supposed to be back to hopefully wrap things up.
Future_Garage_Stakes.jpg
Now that the firewood is gone, the company that is prepping the site and putting down the stone has put down stakes representing where the corners of the garage will be. Not sure why the front right stake doesn't seem to show up in the photo. But anyway, garage coming soon!
Quote from: Chris Savage on Jul 18, 2025, 02:29 PMQuote from: Chris Savage on Jun 24, 2025, 08:40 AMRight now waiting for some people who wanted firewood to come get it before tomorrow when the tree guy is supposed to be back to hopefully wrap things up.
Future_Garage_Stakes.jpg
Now that the firewood is gone, the company that is prepping the site and putting down the stone has put down stakes representing where the corners of the garage will be. Not sure why the front right stake doesn't seem to show up in the photo. But anyway, garage coming soon!
Nice, congrats on making your new place more permanent.
Quote from: granz on Jul 18, 2025, 05:48 PMNice, congrats on making your new place more permanent.
2025-08-18_095953.jpg
The excavation company has prepped the area for the pole-barn garage. Once the building is up, the concrete gets poured and the electrician runs the sub-panel out there. We're getting there. Building gets started on 08-29-2025.
2025-08-22 - Garage_01.jpg
Garage is up, just waiting for the overhead door guy to install those doors.
Your new garage looks great 8) .
Quote from: zappman on Aug 22, 2025, 04:46 PMYour new garage looks great 8) .
Thank you. It's been months getting this far. Trees had to be removed. The old metal shed had to be removed. The cement pad had to be excavated. The ground had to be prepped. Barn is now built. Overhead doors and concrete are next, then electrical.
Eventually they put some protective coating on the concrete.
2025-09-17_cutting.jpg
While they were cutting the grooves into the cement, it looked from the outside like the garage was burning (smoke). Sadly, everything inside, including the windows and screens is covered in concrete dust! >:(
It's been a while since I updated this thread. Here's where we're at as of today.
2025-10-14_done.jpg
The garage is done.
2025-10-14_wifey.jpg
Overhead doors are now finally working right and the electric has been installed. Here's my wife backing out of her side.
2025-10-14_inside.jpg
I've been working on the inside, hanging tools and putting in shelves for the battery chargers, etc.
Next is getting the driveway paved.
Quote from: Chris Savage on Oct 14, 2025, 10:47 AM2025-10-14_done.jpg
Is that gray garage/shed ,on the right in this picture, yours? If so, it looks like you need to replace the roof.
Quote from: granz on Oct 14, 2025, 02:48 PMIs that gray garage/shed ,on the right in this picture, yours? If so, it looks like you need to replace the roof.
That's the neighbor's garage. There's even a log up there from when the trees were coming down. There were three very large trees between us, but they had to come down (see previous posts).
Will it also be your Man Cave? If so you also need a She Shed for your wife! :)
Quote from: Chris Savage on Oct 14, 2025, 10:47 AMIt's been a while since I updated this thread. Here's where we're at as of today.
2025-10-14_done.jpg
The garage is done.
2025-10-14_wifey.jpg
Overhead doors are now finally working right and the electric has been installed. Here's my wife backing out of her side.
2025-10-14_inside.jpg
I've been working on the inside, hanging tools and putting in shelves for the battery chargers, etc.
Next is getting the driveway paved.
I WANT IT!!
Quote from: JKnightandKARR on Oct 14, 2025, 09:13 PMI WANT IT!!
And for ~40,000 you could have one just like it! :o
Our cost was a bit more since we had to remove trees, take down the old shed and concrete slab, landscaping, etc.
2025-10-15_floodlight.jpg
Asphalt driveway is going to cost ~$12,000. This is what the driveway looks like now from the perspective of the floodlight security camera over the doors. Stone to the back of the house. One paved lane to the front half of the house, then 2 paved lanes to the road. But of course the asphalt is old and has been cut into for gas line replacements, running electric to the garage, etc. And now it has to widen to 28' at the front of the garage because there's a 4' sidewalk along the side of the garage.
Quote from: Chris Savage on Oct 15, 2025, 09:28 AMQuote from: JKnightandKARR on Oct 14, 2025, 09:13 PMI WANT IT!!
And for ~40,000 you could have one just like it! :o
Our cost was a bit more since we had to remove trees, take down the old shed and concrete slab, landscaping, etc.
2025-10-15_floodlight.jpg
Asphalt driveway is going to cost ~$12,000. This is what the driveway looks like now from the perspective of the floodlight security camera over the doors. Stone to the back of the house. One paved lane to the front half of the house, then 2 paved lanes to the road. But of course the asphalt is old and has been cut into for gas line replacements, running electric to the garage, etc. And now it has to widen to 28' at the front of the garage because there's a 4' sidewalk along the side of the garage.
If I had $$$ I'd hire someone to fix my electric in my house...
Quote from: JKnightandKARR on Oct 15, 2025, 11:49 AMIf I had $$$ I'd hire someone to fix my electric in my house...
What's going on with your electricity?
Quote from: granz on Oct 15, 2025, 12:41 PMQuote from: JKnightandKARR on Oct 15, 2025, 11:49 AMIf I had $$$ I'd hire someone to fix my electric in my house...
What's going on with your electricity?
Needs redone.. problem is $$$$$$
Quote from: JKnightandKARR on Oct 15, 2025, 02:16 PMQuote from: granz on Oct 15, 2025, 12:41 PMQuote from: JKnightandKARR on Oct 15, 2025, 11:49 AMIf I had $$$ I'd hire someone to fix my electric in my house...
What's going on with your electricity?
Needs redone.. problem is $$$$$$
Do you mean that the entire electrical system is gone? Or, is it just old, and having lots of troubles?
Quote from: granz on Oct 15, 2025, 04:56 PMQuote from: JKnightandKARR on Oct 15, 2025, 02:16 PMQuote from: granz on Oct 15, 2025, 12:41 PMQuote from: JKnightandKARR on Oct 15, 2025, 11:49 AMIf I had $$$ I'd hire someone to fix my electric in my house...
What's going on with your electricity?
Needs redone.. problem is $$$$$$
Do you mean that the entire electrical system is gone? Or, is it just old, and having lots of troubles?
Just needs redone, some really old wiring, need new fuse box, circuits separated, bedrooms no power since 2020ish
Quote from: JKnightandKARR on Oct 15, 2025, 05:00 PMQuote from: granz on Oct 15, 2025, 04:56 PMQuote from: JKnightandKARR on Oct 15, 2025, 02:16 PMQuote from: granz on Oct 15, 2025, 12:41 PMQuote from: JKnightandKARR on Oct 15, 2025, 11:49 AMIf I had $$$ I'd hire someone to fix my electric in my house...
What's going on with your electricity?
Needs redone.. problem is $$$$$$
Do you mean that the entire electrical system is gone? Or, is it just old, and having lots of troubles?
Just needs redone, some really old wiring, need new fuse box, circuits separated, bedrooms no power since 2020ish
Ouch, no electricity in your bedroom? Bad news.
As far as old wiring goes, our old house (the one in Pittsburgh) actually had some knob-and-tube down in the basement. Thank God that it was replaced (probably long) before we bought the place. It was interesting seeing the old tech in real life though.
The new date for the driveway paving is October 31, weather permitting. Not sure why it got pushed back by two weeks. I sure hope the weather is fair and doesn't negatively affect the paving process. This is the final outdoor project for the year.
Quote from: Chris Savage on Oct 14, 2025, 10:47 AM2025-10-14_inside.jpg
This camera angle is perfect for security, however, it puts the camera as far away as is possible from the router in the house, and is inside a metal building. I
barely get a signal. I will be moving the camera this week to the front corner. Looks like I also need to install an outlet. ::)
Quote from: Chris Savage on Oct 14, 2025, 10:47 AMNext is getting the driveway paved.
The driveway was originally supposed to be paved mid-October. That never happened. Then it was scheduled for October 29th, which was a beautiful day here. But then they changed it to October 31st, weather permitting, which rain was scheduled. Then they told us they would contact me on the 1st to set a new date, but I have yet to hear anything. Starting to wonder if this is going to happen at all this year. :-\
I just realized I never followed up on the driveway being done. It was done late, relative to when it was supposed to be done.
Driveway_01.jpg
Not a bad job for already into November.
Driveway_02.jpg
I do need some marker lights of some kind since I have to back in and then move over. But I haven't come up with a solution yet. But now that the driveway is done I have more time to devote to other projects.
Quote from: Chris Savage on Dec 10, 2025, 02:23 PMI just realized I never followed up on the driveway being done. It was done late, relative to when it was supposed to be done.
Driveway_01.jpg
Not a bad job for already into November.
Driveway_02.jpg
I do need some marker lights of some kind since I have to back in and then move over. But I haven't come up with a solution yet. But now that the driveway is done I have more time to devote to other projects.
I'd do some nice solar lights, then again, I'm cheap. lol
Your place is looking pretty nice, Chris.
Quote from: granz on Dec 11, 2025, 06:47 AMYour place is looking pretty nice, Chris.
Thanks, granz. After the time, money and stress, I'm glad it's all done and we can enjoy getting into our vehicles and leaving, instead of spending 20 minutes trying to get into them.
I t looks like they did a great job installing your driveway!
Quote from: zappman on Dec 11, 2025, 06:27 PMI t looks like they did a great job installing your driveway!
They did, though late. So we'll see how it holds up over the years. How are you doing?
I haven't posted here in a while. Winter saw many indoor projects to take care of. But I have good news. The next two weekends are going to be relatively slow, so I have a list of articles that don't need much to wrap up and I'm going to work on them both this weekend and next weekend.
My wife will be watching football this weekend, so I will be in the workshop most of the time. As I wrap some of the partial projects, I will update in the stub threads in the Savage///Circuits forum area.