Saturday, December 21
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Feb282023 by Eric GirardNo Comments
Designing a cool smart doorbell for my house

Designing a cool smart doorbell for my house

CNC, Electronics, Uncategorized, Woodworking
Introduction Our doorbell's button stuck in the pressed position and caused the electromagnets coils to melt. I decided to use this project as an opportunity to design my own door bell using off the shelf hardware for the electronic and custom wood / acrylic case. I was also looking at a small project to try resin coating wood in order to get some experience for my upcoming computer desk project. Requirements: Fit with the decor - approx 10'' x 5'' x 2'' Play a mp3 / wav file when the doorbell button is pressed Include addressable led strips for lighting effects Use off the shelf component for the electronics Easy to program so my kids can help Use existing wiring (2 wire power + 2 wire button) Hardware Raspberry PI 3b + Raspian OS I wanted to use ...
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Feb282018 by Eric GirardNo Comments
Material height measurement sensor

Material height measurement sensor

CNC, Uncategorized
I added a puck-style probing sensor in order to quickly find the top of the raw material I'm milling.  I wanted a sensor that would work on both conductive and non-conductive material and wouldn't require to remove the current tool and install my 3 axis probing tool. I quickly turned a 2" puck 626 mils thick and milled a flat on the side to attach a wire.  I also designed a 3D printed holder to store the puck when not in used.  I configured the input wired to the puck to be Probe 3 in Mach4. So now, when I want to probe any material height, I put the puck on the top of the material and execute a G91 G31.2 Z-2.0 F15 and when the probing is done, I can set the Z position to 0.626" I'm planning to add a custom macro in the future and get Fusion 360 to generate it at th...
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Jan272018 by Eric GirardNo Comments
Wooden coaster

Wooden coaster

CNC, Uncategorized, Woodworking
I experimented inlaying different woods to produce attractive design.  I decided to make a coaster so I could use it afterward.   I used my upcoming company logo as the basis of the design and decided on a 4" coaster diameter, plain round for now.   I used a 60 degrees v-bit, 16K RPM, 65IPM feedrate (could have gone faster but I went with safe values).  I then glued the two parts together, making sure there was glue in every corner to prevent lift-up / delamination later, used regulard yellow wood glue.  I then clamped overnight to allow to dry.  Next morning, I used my bandsaw to remove the backing of the inlay and then sanded everything smooth using 180, 320 and 400 grit.  I than applied 6 coats of glossy varnish, sanding with 600 grit in b...
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Jan262017 by Eric GirardNo Comments
DIY CNC Update

DIY CNC Update

Uncategorized
Hi all, Worked a few hours on the design of the cnc machine.  Added 2 extrusions on X axis + plates to build up a stiffer beam.  Not sure I'm going to need it but I wanted the holes pattern to be in the side plates if needed.  I also added side shields with protect the linear rails and also will stiffen the Y axis C beams.  Spoiler board is quickly added, need to do pattern holes.  I intend to use the machine itself to drill all the t-nut holes (same for the side shield).  My goal is to build the minimum required to be able to use the machine itself to machine the rest of the parts Good night
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