What else do you guys build?

[Misellus]

Currently building a CNC router. I'm around 90% done with the hardware and electronics and 70-80% done with the code. Mostly using other people's code and modifying it to work with my hardware. I figure I'm a week away from being done...but I've been a week away for 6 months (got bored of working on it, switched projects, just moved back to it a few days ago).

Also building a coffin shaped computer case to go with my coffin bookshelf. Again, 90+% done, just need to attach the door and install the computer equipment. Been at that stage for a couple months even though I could probably finish it in a couple days. Once done it will house both of my computers.

I suck at finishing projects.

One big project I managed to finish was this 512 LED cube controlled by an arduino...but that was over a year ago.


I used to make chainmaille, but I'm a bit OCD about keeping my hands clean and it drove me crazy to have my hands covered in cutting oil all the time.

M-

 

[boosted_4cyl]

Yep. 6V6GT exactly.

I wonder if it will work. I get too low voltages once the tubes are plugged in. We'll know the next week. Here are some updated pics. Taken 10 minutes ago.

Thats the coolest! If you dont mind me asking how much did it cost you to put that together?

 

[ossumguywill]

Programs (embedded and PC) of all kinds, non-laser electronics (think microcontrollers and stuff), flashlights, and a few other things. I would definitely do more if I had the time, and in the summer I often build a lot.

 

[dnar]

This was last years project, a NAS box to store all my music, videos and photos.

It's a Core 2 Duo with 4GB RAM, 2 x 4 port SATA cards, 6 1TB drives in dual-parity RAID (raidz2) running FreeNAS from a USB key. I used to be part of the FreeNAS project, Lasers took my focus away... FreeNAS is build from FreeBSD and includes ZFS filesystem from Sun (Solaris).

It is 12 months since the build, so I pulled her apart today to blow the dust bunnies out (and there where a lot!) so grabbed some happy snaps. Total usable online storage is 3.5TB. Being dual-parity RAID, it can survive 2 drive failures without data loss. The funny thing is, 12 months on I can now buy 2TB drives for the same price... I have a 2nd one of these, with 7 x 750GB drives running single parity (also 3.5TB) and this 2nd machine backs up the primary shown below.... I have way too much data to afford loss.....

I painted the case as beige looks naff in a lounge environment. I took to the case and front panel with a Dremel, converting what was a 3.5" drive bay/power switch at the very top and managed to shoe horn in the very top drive caddy... I disconnected all the 40mm fans in the drive caddies, and instead pull air through the case via 2 rear panel fans and the power supply. Runs cool, the CPU scales down to 734Mhz when the power is not needed. Quite a green solution really as the drives also spin down after 1 hour of no activity.

 

[dnar]

Sorry for the double post, my attached image limit was reached.

This is my 2nd NAS box, it wakes up at 9pm each night and syncs with NAS #1 then goes back to sleep. I use RSYNC protocol for syncronisation, so that only new/changed files are copied.

7 x 750GB drives, an old AMD Semperon CPU and 2GB RAM. Running FreeNAS from a USB key also. Home made drive rails and mounting cage. Fitted to a 19" rack case. I have 2 other computers in similar case, one is a print/proxy cache the other is my main workstation.

 

[Rafa]

Thats the coolest! If you dont mind me asking how much did it cost you to put that together?

Well.... I didn't bought almost anything that you see there. Almost all of that things are recycled form other things. I paid something about 30€... $40+-.

A friend gave me some tubes and one of the tranformers. The tubes seen in the photo came form ebay... about $2 each one. My friend gave me also the 6V6GT. The chassis came form an old marshall Solid State amp. The knobs and jacks too. The tube socket came from an old tube gramophone. The tube socket for the 6v6gt came from ebay, $2 or so. The output transformer is from that old gramophone and.... you know, the only things I had to buy were the resistors and the caps that are inside, the potentiometers.... and nothing else.

Sorry for the double post, my attached image limit was reached.

This is my 2nd NAS box, it wakes up at 9pm each night and syncs with NAS #1 then goes back to sleep. I use RSYNC protocol for syncronisation, so that only new/changed files are copied.

7 x 750GB drives, an old AMD Semperon CPU and 2GB RAM. Running FreeNAS from a USB key also. Home made drive rails and mounting cage. Fitted to a 19" rack case. I have 2 other computers in similar case, one is a print/proxy cache the other is my main workstation.

Man thats INSANE! My congratulations for making that!

 

[HIMNL9]

@ dnar: i see ..... you like to have very low hard disk space available, like me .....

Anyway, i have no time for build a NAS, so i'm just using 5 internal (1*160Gb system and 4*500Gb data) internal disks, and a pair of 1Tb external USB units ..... your work is made very well, imho .....



@Rafa: ah, nostalgy ..... very long time i don't "play" with something powered with 500VDC or more ..... ..... also, good idea to place blue leds in the sockets (i also once made a final unit that had the tubes all glowing blue, when powered, but mine had NO diodes ..... :eg

 

[Rafa]

@ dnar: i see ..... you like to have very low hard disk space available, like me .....

Anyway, i have no time for build a NAS, so i'm just using 5 internal (1*160Gb system and 4*500Gb data) internal disks, and a pair of 1Tb external USB units ..... your work is made very well, imho .....



@Rafa: ah, nostalgy ..... very long time i don't "play" with something powered with 500VDC or more ..... ..... also, good idea to place blue leds in the sockets (i also once made a final unit that had the tubes all glowing blue, when powered, but mine had NO diodes ..... :eg

Ahh yeah they glow in the visible UV spectrum when powered, but the pentodes glow way more than the triodes. Some triode+pentode tubes I've got glow like hell... but these double triode I'm using for that amp dont glow too much. I'm planning on replacing the blue LEDs with UV leds.
Mine works at 340VDC... it's not a joke anyway, lol.

I don't know if they'll glow once finished. Hope they will! That would be awesome.