I've survived at A1 Tool for a month!

So my last post was about stress, but in hindsight it hadn't even gotten bad yet.  Pressure at work became ridiculous and almost laughable.  Some things that were said by my supervisor seriously made me think he was being super sarcastic or joking....yet he wasn't.  After what I would call "hell week" there was a sudden calm, much like when an epic storm front passes and leaves everything quiet and, and many a sailor dazed and confused (yet certainly relieved).

My guess is that some of the pressure was genuine, but some of it was also just amplified as some sort of rigor test. This past week has been nothing like the one that preceded it.  Perhaps Thanksgiving served to drip some oil on the seas, or maybe there was more behind-the-scenes stuff at work that pushed things into temporary chaos: I may never know.  What I can say is that the boss man has pulled off the pressure to a level where I now actually enjoy being at work again, and I dare say I actually enjoy having him stop by my machine (although there is an ever-present air of "work faster" that comes with his presence, but hey, we're in the manufacturing industry in the United States).

But let me tell you about the landscape left behind after the storm.

After my week of hell at work, I theorize that it was decided by my supervisor that I was no longer worth pressure-testing to see if I'd quit or freak out.  So instead of "kicking me to the curb" he must have resigned to not firing me, and instead moved me to a different CNC machine: the Makino v56.

Japanese-made Makino v56 3-axis CNC mill with 20,000RPM spindle, HSK-A63 tool holder, and a 25-tool horizontal automatic tool changer.  My 2nd machine at A1 Tool Corporation.

Until this week, I had never heard of such a machine, or knew what made it special.  Makino is a Japanese manufacturer that has been making CNC machines since the beginning (established in 1937, first NC machine produced in 1958), and from what I hear they are very nice machines.  The things about it that blow my mind are this: the entire frame, ballscrews & nuts, and spindle are all thermally stabilized with fluid lines ran throughout and the temperature closely regulated by a chiller/heater.  This means very repeatable movements, and with the 20,000RPM direct-drive spindle it has movement resolution to 0.00001, and repeatable accuracy to around 0.0002.  For those who don't like decimals, that is accuracy within two TEN-THOUSANDTHS of an inch.  For perspective, this machine could accurately machine 10 evenly spaced lines across a thick human hair (around 0.002"), assuming appropriate tooling, work-holding, and that hair is a decent material to machine.  But rest assured, I will not be working on human hair anytime soon.

Most of what I'm machining are small moving parts for the plastic injection molds we build at A1 Tool Corporation.  They have complex geometry that is based off of a digital 3D model that is then programmed with various "toolpaths" for the CNC machine to cut.  But don't think of "cut" like a turkey knife or a razor blade: this is more like scooping ice cream with a very fast wrist, between 4,000-80,000 per minute (but very small scoops, and instead of ice cream I'm scooping various grades of steel).

See, my entire perspective on how cutting works has changed, or matured, since I started machining metal at Cascade Designs in Seattle, Washington.  There were a number of very kind and skilled men (The Tom's, Nate, Tyler, Ed, Geoff, Brad, Garrett, Grant, Casey) who were very willing to share their knowledge, mistakes, and lessons learned with me.  This is NOT the case everywhere you go in life, and I was very fortunate to have landed there, even if it was only for a short time.

But I digress: my perspective on how material is removed is ever-evolving, and the science and innovation behind it is fascinating to me.  See, there are a vast array of tools and techniques for performing different tasks.....and A1 Tool has most of those tools under one roof.  About 24 machines in total, ranging from the huge twin Kuraki KBT-13DX roughers (K1 was my 1st machine), to the mid-size 3-axis Sigma triplets, to the fine detail Makino/FPT/Hermle machines, ending with the various EDM's and their tool-making graphite mills (with rotary part crib and robot).  So I have the potential to learn from the masters of all these machines, and that is what keeps me from falling asleep at night.  I have a notebook of questions that I keep with me, and almost every day I find something else I'm curious about and I earmark that subject for home research or for bending a colleague's ear at work.  I.e., why is graphite used in EDM machining?  What is an "electro" spindle?  How do you select multiple CNC program files at once with a Fanuc Pro5 controller that has a touch-screen?

Japanese-made Kuraki KBT-13DX Horizontal Boring Machine with a 4th-axis rotary table and 60-class taper tool holder.  My 1st machine at A1 Tool Corporation.  Computer desk and tool area just out of frame to the right.  The plate being held probably weighs in around 1000lbs, with some larger ones reaching upwards of 10,000lbs.


(this is the Lego Version of the Kuraki I built last weekend when I was sick and overly-caffeinated at home... : )

So when I'm not feeling demoralizing pressure at work, I'm a kid in a candy shop, making parts on a machine that costs between $250,000-$400,000 depending on age and equipped options.  (side note: two squirrels just chased each other across a snowy power line out my hobby-room window = smile.)

But how about the other things happening in life?  Well, there are none.  : )  We started working 12hr days last week, and we're also coming in for 5 hours on Saturday (or 5.5, if you're like me and forget what time it is because you're having so much fun learning how to run your machine), all in an effort to NOT work over Christmas (which is the current threat/risk, as there is a lot of tooling that needs to be finished up before the New Year).  But while I do cherish my free-time, I'm kind of getting an epic dose of awesome learning at work, and also getting paid for it.  Speak of pay, A1 Tool pays 100% of you medical/dental/life after 90 days of employment, and also pays overtime for hours that exceed 8 per day (as opposed to only paying for hours that exceed 40 in a given week).  This means a lot to me, because it says that they are putting their money where their mouth is in regards to honoring the ideal of a 40hr work-week (and don't worry, they're not compensating for the OT rate by paying us a lower-than-standard hourly rate: I'm getting paid well by a 40-hr week standard for this job and my skill level, compared to the other 20-something companies I interviewed with in the Chicago area).  So the benefits and pay alone make it a great place for employment, but the people, shop, learning opportunities and short commute are also glaringly wonderful elements that make the long hours worth it.

So yes, I get up at 3:50am every morning, work my ass off until 5pm, come home and shower, then crawl into bed at 7:30pm without much more than a couple hours for food prep, a dog walk, and a chance to say hello to Aimee.  But it's not forever, I'm only 30, and we're kicking ass.

So there's that. : )

Healthy Stress

We all have varying degrees of stress in our lives, and while every person experiences stress differently, I think most of us know what it feels like.

So with that said, I've been feeling a bit stressed lately, but in what I would say is healthy in the short-term and ultimately beneficial for my/our personal growth.  In a quick assessment, I would say that my stress level is elevated above my average (which is usually quite low) for the following 3 reasons:

1. New job, with performance expectations that exceed my current performance level.  I've been learning at an incredible rate, but knowing that my current speed is below what the company desires in the long-term, I can't help but feel a bit anxious wondering if they're going to kick me to the curb.  I take some issue with how the current performance expectations don't match what was described to me upon my hiring (they knew I was green to CNC in a commercial environment), but I am hopeful that I'll be in the clear (performance-wise) within the next couple of weeks.  So until then, a bit of anxiety.

2. Financial responsibility for 2.5 (sorry Charlie, you're just not a full person yet!).  As of my last budget break-down, our little family spends about $30-35K/year to get on with life.  My income has not been terribly predictable as of the last two years, but on average over the past decade I'd say I'm accustomed to making between $45-$60k/year before tax.  Take roughly 25% of that away for taxes (Social Insecurity/Medicaid, Federal Income, State Income), then take another 10% out for IRA contributions (when working steadily, I've normally put 10%/max in my IRA, and 10% in my 401(k), but as of late I'm just doing IRA max, and up until now Aimee hasn't made any retirement contributions).  So after tax and retirement contributions, $60,000/year becomes $33,000, then that $33,000 gets eaten up by our life expenses.  So yes, we're putting away money for retirement that we could be spending on Amazon (or by traveling to the Amazon), but I don't really see this as an optional sort of thing.  That said, I have deferred my IRA contributions until the end of the tax year instead of putting in auto-deposits each month (as I'm trying to keep our bank account from bouncing from unexpected or non-monthly routine expenses), and I haven't had a 401(k) I can make contributions to since I left Un-Cruise Adventures in 2015.  

But regardless, we're running pretty god-damned lean compared to what I was used to as a single fella.  Every dollar that comes into our household is earned by me, and I'm trying to throw every spare dollar at reducing the amount of student loans we take out for Aimee's education.  Her undergraduate Bachelor's of Science degree in Speech and Hearing Sciences holds a $30,000 debt cloud over our heads currently (payments are deferred until she completes graduate school, but interest keeps accruing on the principal), and her current 18-month Master's Degree in Speech Pathology (which will set her up as a licensed Speech-Language Pathologist, or SLP) is going to add just over $70,000 to that bill, rounding us out probably around $110,000 in student loan debt in the spring of 2018.  So it's imperative to our financial success that I make as much as possible right now, and that as a couple we spend as little as possible, to minimize the expansion of our debt.  We have allotted $100/ea/month to our personal bank accounts for personal/fun spending, but otherwise drained our personal accounts into one joint checking account that handles all of our joint expenses like food, rent, healthcare, gas, insurance, etc.  After Aimee graduates we'll still hold to the same fiscal diet, but 100% of our combined additional income in excess of our living costs and retirement contributions will be focused on student loan repayment and potentially home loan payments.  We may not look to buy a place immediately, since we're somewhat undecided on where life will take us in the long-term, but once we find a place to settle for 5+ years or better, we'll probably buy (instead of rent).  Owning a home for a short amount of time isn't a smart idea as closing costs and other related costs nullify the "investment" potential of a property, unless there are epic property value increases.  

So when I combine the facts in #2 to the situation in #1, life suddenly gets a little bit less puppies & rainbows....but at least we still have the Unicorns!

3.  Making food, having fun, and getting laid.  Important things for any person, these required items require further time outside of our already busy lives.  I'm currently working 50hrs/week (five 10's, M-F), I make all our Monday-Friday breakfasts and lunches on Sunday, and M-F I wake up at 4:45am and get into bed at 8:30pm.  Sunday meals start getting made around 4pm, with normally two hours of meal planning and shopping preceding that.  Shopping is a bitch later in the day (because everybody at Pete's Fresh Market shows up at 5pm-ish), so have been making Sunday morning/afternoon into my thrift-store and can't-doo-during-the-workweek period, ending my route with a stop at the grocery store before returning home by 4pm.  The house smells great by 7pm, and by 8:30pm I'm hopefully showered and snuggled in my bed, two alarms set for redundancy.  

But about that other stuff...like fun!  Aimee and I normally treat ourselves to  cocktail night mid-week at one of our local neighborhood bars (walking distance), or maybe even combine it with dinner and a movie (last week was wine, Italian food, and Dr. Strange), and each weekday night I've got about 3 hours of free time to do whatever I want before heading to bed.  Aimee is normally at school most days, leaving after breakfast and returning just before dinner.  And then leaving to the library or to study at a classmates house until 8-9pm.  So it's not like she's going to keggers and driving to the mall in a Cabriolet her parents bought her.  Charlie, on the other hand, is a total lazy bastard.   He sleeps most of the day, including when I leave to work at 5:30am.  Aimee takes him out at breakfast, and I take him out when I get home from work, and one of those outings is typically to the dog park that is located 3 blocks away from our house.  He likes chasing after tennis balls (but not just any tennis ball, he has to taste/smell the right one) and laser beams, so it's not terribly difficult to get him his dose of physical exertion each day (and this helps him sleep better, which means we sleep better).  Speaking of physical exertion, there is a gym where I work that is free, and while lately I've been coming straight home after my 10hr day, I'm hoping the learning curve at work will settle down to a point where I can take 30 minutes to do some reps before heading home (which helps me sleep better).  Also vitamin D is an issue where I work (in the winter, generally, but it is a nearly sunlight-free workplace regardless of season), so I've done some vitamin D research and it looks like Wild-caught salmon, herring, halibut, pasture-raised chicken eggs, and vitamin-D fortified products will be factored into the weekly winter menu as well.   

Anywho, back to the fun: I'm actually pretty sated by my hobby room, youtube learning (NYCCNC, SmarterEveryDay, Haas Automation, PeterSripol, and others), and the occasional journey outside the house.  That may sound lame, but I'm obsessed with machining/CNC, so between my kick-ass (ass-kicking at times) job and my free time, my brain is well-immersed.  Aimee is pretty damn busy with school, but she yearns for some better (local) friends, as her joy in life is typically fed more by social interaction than mine is.  So our near-future goal is to build a friend base (difficult when you're as busy as we are) to help feed our free-time social needs.  But that requires time and energy, and schedules that align....so progress hasn't been exceptional to say the least.  We used to go to Meetup.com groups, but it would be really handy if we had cool neighbors (we don't) or people nearby that had relatively flexible or similar life schedules.  The hunt continues.  

ANYWHO: enough about our life stresses: I want to talk about achievements!  

1. I didn't get shit-canned at work this week, but my 2nd-shift counterpart did.  Phew.  1st round survival achieved.

2. I've learned a shit-ton about g-code and have grown more comfortable with the Fanuc 15-M machine controller (which, BTW, has a CRT screen).

3. I've purchased some quality tools for work, and I always love obtaining quality tools (Mitutoyo Dial Indicator, Mitutoyo Depth Micrometer, Shaviv heavy-duty deburring tool).

4. I've been cooking like a badass, using recipes primarily from BudgetBytes.com.  Chicken Tikka Masala, Lemon Blueberry Cornbread Skillet, Zucchini-Bacon Frittata, baked candied almonds, Coconut Curry Lentils w/rice, Roasted Red Pepper and Feta Frittata, slow-cooker Jambalaya, and Chicken Tortilla Soup.  Today I'm going to finish a spaghetti squash recipe, make some sammiches, and maybe a lite soup or chili.  I'm also interested in doing some Polish food, as there is a strong polish culture in Chicago and I've never tried any Polish cuisine.  I feel great, cooking good, healthy food, and not having to make emergency stops to fast and/or take-out food joints throughout the week.  We've also found some good coffee sources, so we're not buying coffee buy the cup but on the rare occasion ($$$).

Well, recipes must be selected, I need to find a lunchbox and rubber bed frame feet (ours has wheels, and is constantly sliding away from the wall), and I should probably take Charlie out to the dog park: so thanks for reading about our lives, and have a great day!

Danny, Aimee, and Charlie.

Medical Tests, New Jobs, and CNC Pumpkins!

Damn, I already started screwing up my content generation schedule!  I had this theory that each Friday I'd put out a new blog post, but that got blown to heck when I took a 1-week job on the Safari Quest running a trip as Captain up in British Columbia.  And then I got into job-hunting and playing at the local makerspace, and a 2nd week flew by!

But now it is time to report in!  

(not my actual lungs)

Working in reverse, Today I had my chest X-ray'd, Urine sampled (yum), Prostate Checked (cough-cough) and my blood drawn (to apparently baseline my beryllium oxide levels).  What does this all mean?  It means I got a job!

(my contracting employer until Saturday)

Actually, I got another job.  This past week I've been working for a staffing agency called Aerotek, and they placed me at a company called LapMaster Wolters assembling machines that do secret things in the creation of new wigits that ryhme with "piephone.."  So in our funny economic world, I'm building American machines out of Chinese parts to produce Chinese products for the American (and world) markets.  FYI, and totally not related to the work I'm doing, Apple (as of 2015) is the 3rd highest-ranked company on the Forbes 500 list, just a tidbit behind Exxon Mobile at 233,700,000,000 (that is $233.7 Billion).  Of that pie, I'm making $25/hr and working 7am-6pm, Monday-Saturday with no health benefits.  I will probably make a post sometime about our personal finance and the quackery (a blogger spell-check suggestion for the word "fuckery") that comprises our education and finance systems, but I'll hold off for now.

(my new employer)

All that behind me, the big news is that I was offered a job on the spot (and I accepted on the spot) at an Injection Molding Tool company named A1 Tool Corporation, located a mere 15 minutes away in Melrose Park, Illinois.  They build molds (or "moulds" if you prefer that spelling) out of super-strong metals that are CNC machined to super-high tolerances and fit together to allow for high-pressure molten plastic to be injected into intentional voids between the (typically) two pieces that comprise the mold.  Once injected, the plastic cools and is then ejected from the mold and out pops a piece of Tupperware(TM), a car bumper, a peanut butter jar, a storage tote, or one of the thousands of different shapes that plastic comes in.  I'm contributing to the manufacturing of the products the will help choke out life on this planet!  Yay!

(Example of a Kuraki Horizontal Boring Machine )

But in all seriousness, it's freaking awesome.  Imagine being a teenager, pining to get their hands all over Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake, Farah Faucet, or Burt Reynolds...and then actually end up fulfilling those fantasy's....well, I'm in a similar situation here, and I'm going to get frisky with all sorts of freaking awesome CNC equipment! (with consent, of course)  The first machine they hope to start me on is a Kuraki Horizontal Boring Machine, which is a MONSTER 3+1 axis CNC machine.  As in, 8000lb capacity, 8' Z-axis travel, cut a block the size of a small car, MONSTER.  If you're confused by my use of 3+1 (as opposed to saying "4-axis", it is because the 4th axis is a rotary axis on the XY plane that doesn't move silmiltaniously with the XYY axis.  The cutting operations on XYZ stop, the rotational 4th axis rotates the part to a new orientation, then cutting resumes.  I'll be doing roughing and boring operations on the raw blocks of material that arrive at the shop via truck, and then the parts I make will be sent to other machines for further machining.  It is my personal goal to learn ALL of the machines that are at A1 (which include a 5-Axis DMG-Mori, CNC lathes, EDM's, and a slew of different controllers including a range of Fanuc's), in addition to the tooling and software that support their full operation.  Along the way, if the opportunity presents itself, I'd love to get involved with training/onboarding of new employees.

(local carbide cutter and tool-holder manufacturer)

Secondly, I made my first CNC tool purchase last week: 4 carbide end mills from a local Illinois company, Maritool.  I wanted some locally-sourced, home-grown, made-in-USA carbide tooling for CNC work, and there were some strong contenders!  There are actually a number of tool makers in the USA that use USA carbide, but I have yet to determine who makes quality tools and who I should avoid.  There is a great youtube channel I've been following called NYC CNC, and while they mostly promote a company named Lakeshore Carbide in NY, there was mention at one point of Maritool, so when I was doing my search and found that Maritool was in Illinois AND was competitive in price, it made my purchase a no-brainer.  They also allow for local pickup with no shipping cost, which put them ahead of the pack from NY.  Last week we obtained a comparitor at PS1 and I'll hopefully be able to use that machine to record the tiny differences in the grind quality of these end mills, and compare the images to future purchases from other vendors.  

CNC Pumpkin Carving with the ShapeOko1 at PS1

Next up is the CNC work at PS1.  I finished installing limit switches on each axis of a 3-axis CNC router (a Shapeoko 2, by Inventables, if you must know), but since these switches use a hi/low voltage value to indicate a status change, they can be susceptible to voltage spikes/noise from other nearby electronics throwing out EMI (electromagnetic interference).  So to help out I installed 330ohm "pull-up" resistors to ensure that the signal voltage was at a full 5V when not tripped, then also installed some .22uf (micro-farad) capacitors to absorb any voltage spikes that may be induced by the surrounding electronics (mainly a 48VDC spindle, and lots of 4-wire stepper motors).  

After all of the electronics bugs were worked out, I trammed (aligned) the spindle and gantry (the moving parts of the machine that position the spindle/cutter) and finished cleaning up the wiring. Now the machine is mostly straight, clean looking, and ready to get back to operational status.  I still want to document the "tool-chain" (which is a fancy way of saying which software systems you use in producing parts) so that other people can use whatever software best suits their needs and abilities.  But hey, there are only so many hours in a day.

Ok, so that just about catches things up.

Thanks for reading/viewing!

Danny

IMTS 2016, Fusion 360 CAD/CAM, and plans to go play on the Safari Quest in British Columbia

So what is IMTS?  Irritable male tummy sensations?  

Nope.  It stands for International Manufacturing Technology Show, and it's the second largest manufacturing convention in the world (but I only found out about it through a very timely text from a friend who works at Cascade Designs in Seattle).  Its soooooo big and obnoxious that they only do it every two years, and it makes sense.  There are hundreds upon hundreds of millions of dollars of manufacturing robots, tools, and CNC machines displayed there, in addition to smaller vendors who supply measurement, software, and support systems for the manufacturing industry.  The logistics to hook up thousands of 3-phase robotic machines in 1-million+ square feet of convention center must be a pain, not to mention that these machines are being shipped here from all four corners of the earth.  

I went there because I'm pursuing employment in the manufacturing industry, and I figured it would be a good way to network and learn more about the industry....and I got all of that and more.  In the first of the two days I visited (it's huge: I literally could not see all the booths between 10am and 5pm) I met someone who has since assisted in scheduling one job interview, and on the second day I met in person with the North American Service Manager for the largest CNC machine producer in Japan (and they are one, if not the, biggest in the world) and discussed work in their maintenance/service department.  I'm really a nobody at this place, but I was surprised when later that same service manager walked up to me and addressed me by Danny, and gave me back a card he saw me drop on the floor while walking around the convention.  Pretty cool fella to remember one unimportant name in a sea of millionaire tool buyers.

Anywho, I learned TONS just seeing 5-axis mills, robotic part scanning and organizing systems, SLA production printers, high-pressure coolant systems, hall-effect positional sensors, 6-degree-of-freedom CAD controllers, large-scale 3D printers (think garages and structures), advanced cutting tools, and piles more stuff that I'm just plain forgetting about.  Plus meeting lots of people in the industry who were bored to death with their booths and were willing to share their personal stories and opinions on the manufacturing industry, global and local politics, and the elements that have (and continue to) effect our manufacturing economy.

Fun Fact: Hass Automation, a California-based, "Merican" company produced it's first 3-axis CNC vertical mill in 1988, and is today the largest CNC manufacturer in the United States.  

In other news, I've started using a Computer-Aided-Drafting and Computer-Aided-Manufacturing software (CAD/CAM for short) called Fusion 360 by AutoDesk.  It's rather revolutionary for me, in that it is free for non-commercial users (and only $300/year if you are commercial), has a seemingly well-developed CAD side, and a really cool CAM side that allows you too do cutting-operation simulations of your toolpaths.  This program essentially integrates two pieces of the machining "toolchain" into one software, and the developing team is looking to push the system even further.  I attended a post-IMTS "Fusion 360 Meetup, and tour" on Tuesday night at the Digital Manufacturing and Design Innovation Institute (DMDII), and it was very eye-opening.  I talked briefly with a youtube celebrity (John Saunders of NYC-CNC, a channel about learning CNC), and got to experience what it's like to have a bunch of CNC nerds all in one room, at one time.  It was great! 

In other news, I installed limit and homing switches on the Shapeoko2 at the makerspace, but I've hit a couple roadbumps and am working on debugging some issues with the control software/firmware, so that critter isn't quite ready for tool-changing just yet.  The goal is to have a machine that can return to the same zero (XY coordinates) position at the start of every cutting operation, or even mid-operation.  But without homing switches to tell it when the cutting head reaches said zero position, you'll be cutting the same pattern in slightly different places every time you start a cut.

In hobby world, I received my DPDT switches for the ROV and sucessfully tested them with 25' of Cat5 ethernet cable, and the results are encouraging. So far I've designed and printed a control switch enclosure on the Printrbot 3D printer, so now I just need to design a frame for the motors, decide on a bouyency system that is somewhat tune-able, and put it all together.

Job-wise, I have interviews next week at a commercial prop-shop that creates large-scale marketing/misc works, and a marketing company that designs and produces it's own product displays.  Lastly, I have hopes to hear back from a Chicago-based company called Inventables, who just happens to manufacture the Shapeoko2 (well, the ShapeOko 3 and other, newer products) CNC router that I've been working on for the past few weeks.  

Lastly, I agreed to fly out to Seattle to run a week-long trip as Captain on the 120' Safari Quest, as my sister Denee needed some time off and wasn't able to find anyone local to fill the position.  It's a bit of a bitter-sweet though, since choosing to run the trip means I'll be missing the Un-Cruise 20th anniversary shin-dig on the 30th, and seeing old friends.  Maybe I'll catch some of them on Saturday night or Sunday before I fly home?

Anywho, it's been a great week, and I'm excited for what is to come next!  

ROV's, Tugboat accessories, Makerspace Membership, and more!

This past week has been great!  Aimee had her first day of graduate school at Rush University on Thursday, I joined a sweet Chicago Maker/Hackerspace, and I have continued to apply and interview for cool manufacturing jobs here in the Windy City.

Accomplishments for this week:

1. Installed fenders around the deck of the tug boat, and made "bow pudding" on the...bow.  This is a new phrase to me, but apparently it is what is used to describe a bow fender that is made of line.  I had some spare twine of a scale size laying around, so I did a total hack job (certainly not a tallship-worthy) of knotting it together into a sort-of bow-pudding form.

2. Researched ROV (tethered submarine) designs in hope of building a functional RC dive barge with an ROV that has a video feed and a grabber arm.  I learned that many hobby ROV's use un-protected, "wet" motors for thrust, that voltage drop is a big problem on tethers of any real length, and that the build complexity on these things can range wildly.  I've purchased a handful (literally) of small dc motors to use as thrusters, and ordered some DPDT momentary toggle switches to handle the topside motor-reversing commands of my first (likely bathtub-only) ROV.  Ethernet-tethered Arduino's with motorshields, or Pixhawk ArduSub systems will likely be in later versions.  The object of the computer-controlled units is to allow for serial/ethernet/I2C communication with the surface, which will allow for proportional motor control (not just "On" or "Off" at full power) and also keep my options open for adding sensors for depth, attitude, voltage, etc.  Just for kicks, Aimee and I watched the pilot episode of "SeaQuest DSV" on NetFlix....only to realize that Jaws was a far better endeavor for Roy Scheider (R.I.P.).

3. Joined the Maker/Hacker Space "Pumping Station: One" in Chicago.  PS1 (because pumping is just a little too.....pumpy...for me) is a freaking awesome workspace collective housed in an old two-story building to the North of downtown Chicago, about a 18 minutes from our house (at 2am....more like 30 minutes during normal hours).  I've been working on getting one of their CNC routers up and running, a ShapeOko2 (pictured below, after receiving some love).  Their tool inventory includes a huge CNC laser, a small CNC laser, a 4x8' Shopbot CNC router, a small CNC Carvy (small, enclosed RTR router/engraver), every wood tool imaginable, TIG/MIG/STICK/Plasma hot-metals area, a 3D printer area, textiles shop, electronics space (with billions of tiny components, and piles of hackable/discarded electronic assemblies), test equipment galore, and all sorts of groups of people who use all these things.  Membership is $40/month for 24/7 keycode access to the space and ALL of it's toys.  Oh, and I forgot to mention the full manual-machining shop with lathes, mills, presses, shears, brakes, etc.  Totally freaking awesome.

4. Had some excellent Thrift-store finds:  I found a really cool stainless-finish arc lamp ($20), an infant bathtub stool for cradling my RC sailboats ($5), and a Craftsman workbench ($5).  I'm pretty stoked about all of these purchases, as they all help to make our home that much more fitting.

Lastly, Aimee started school this week, and there was a moment that happened this morning that put the biggest smile of the week on my face...   I had made my coffee, fed Charlie, and walked with him to the dog park to play some fetch.  A few minutes after 8am, I was sitting on a bench sifting through job postings when I spot a pretty lady walking by the dog park on her way to the El train (pictured below).  Both Charlie and I jumped up and rushed over to take her picture and give her a kiss.  It was great.  : )

RC Tugboat Modifications: Deck Winch Build, Bridge Camera Tuning, Reduction Gear Repair

It has been nearly three years since my last posting, but I'm not here to apologize.  Today is about starting anew and putting down fresh tracks.  So here goes:

This morning I woke up with a headache, a stuffed-up nose, and a bathtub full of cold water (and I couldn't be happier).

I'm stoked for a number of reasons:

1. I have a dedicated bath tub for my RC watercraft. Yes, our new home has TWO full bathrooms, which means I can keep one of them full of water for "sea trials."

2. Yesterday I finished up a lot of work on my 1/36th-scale RC tugboat.  The PMG (Port Main Gear) output shaft was slipping on the nylon input gear, causing the vessel to only produce about 50% thrust.  The FPV (First Person View) camera in the wheelhouse had a poorly-oriented linear-polarized VTx (video transmitter) antenna, causing the signal to fade at certain headings.  Lastly, the deck-winch did not exist, and I find that to be a problem for a tugboat.  So I removed the slipping gear, used an engraver to "machine" splines into the SS shaft, and applied a bit of epoxy to the splines and re-assembled the gearbox.  Then I  re-oriented the antenna (of which 1/2 is now protruding through the top of the wheelhouse, much like a radio whip antenna), and got to work designing the deck winch.  The "winch" is an old bait-casting reel I bought at 2nd Base in Seattle's University District for $10, specifically for it's "level-wind" mechanism (it evenly feeds line onto the the spool, moving the feed point from side-to-side).  I then modeled 3D parts in Sketchup, "sliced" (used a toolpath-generator/CAM software) them in Cura, and printed them on my Printrbot Simple Metal FDM 3D printer.  I used a continuous-rotation servo from an old kite-camera panning mechanism, and tied that into the main control Rx (radio receiver) to have wireless control of the tow line while underway (for transitioning from long-haul to short-tow conditions).



3. This morning I tested it all, and I can claim 100% success! Stall torque is acceptable, and I have two speed settings programmed for scale operation and stupid-fast.  See video here:

Next: Stainless Steel wire rope for winch, panning for bridge camera, and adding a second (selectable) aft-facing workdeck camera.  None of these are critical, so they may never happen, but I like having a list of to-do's just in case.  : )

I hope to make more short/small posts like this, and hopefully not every three years!

Cheers,

Danny