How to get started...

CrazzyassCrazzyass Regular
edited July 2010 in Life
What would you suggest as a good first project for a newbie DIYer? What were some of your projects? Also, any suggested reading would be appreciated.

Comments

  • 1357913579 Death Cog Machine
    edited July 2010
    Magnetic stirrer, traffic cone lamp, potato gun, and BB machine gun are all good starter projects.

    Going to post how to make a traffic cone lamp soon, pretty self-explanatory though.

    Potato guns are fun, can be pretty advanced, and are easy to make if it's a basic one. I have a basic combustion one with interchangeable barrels.

    Here's some resources on potato guns:

    http://www.burntlatke.com/build.html

    http://www.spudtech.com/

    http://www.spudfiles.com/

    Highly recommend burntlake, and if anyone goes combustion, propane is much better and cheaper than hairspray, and burns much cleaner. Also, many people ask about PVC VS ABS. PVC tends to shatter into a million sharp shrapnal shards when it shatters, ABS (Since it's cellular core, pretty much foam core) tends to tear.

    If it's a pneumatic launcher, use PVC. If it's combustion, use ABS. I had a friend fire an old ABS cannon, and the entire combustion chamber tore apart right where his had was. Should have seen the 'OH SHIT' look on his face. Don't want to know what would have happened if it was PVC.

    About BB machine guns:

    Also made one with a friend, fires airsoft bb's or metal .177 bb's. Uses brake line for the barrel, and a custom made metal brazed vortex block. A skirt is required on the vortex blocks to avoid jamming, and needs to be adjustable if you want to run metal .177 bbs or airsoft gun bbs.

    The one we made is a beast, if all vortex block guns preform like it, it's worth building. Constant stream of airsoft bb's, it's like a bb hose. Hurts like a motherfucker too. There are some videos up of them being run with metal 1.77 bb's and shooting through sheet metal.

    Here's some resources:

    http://www.burntlatke.com/bb.html - Again, burntlake has the best beginner explanation I've found, explaining vortex blocks pretty well.

    Seems I can no longer find the best website for this...if anyone has the link, let me know. The webmaster had a page on bb machine guns, potato guns, his chinchillas, nitro-gas scooter, and a few other things, really wish I still had the link.
  • 1357913579 Death Cog Machine
    edited July 2010
    If you have the electronics knowledge, go for it. It's been on my "To-do" list for over 2 years.
  • BaconPieBaconPie Regular
    edited July 2010
    A year or two back I built one of these:
    Picture
    http://www.instructables.com/id/Mini-Spud-Gun-1/

    Totally AWESOME and really easy to do! :D
  • 1357913579 Death Cog Machine
    edited July 2010
    BaconPie wrote: »
    A year or two back I built one of these:
    Picture
    http://www.instructables.com/id/Mini-Spud-Gun-1/

    Totally AWESOME and really easy to do! :D

    Hah, I had one too. Except after a few uses the cap asploded off the end and hit me in the face :p
  • BaconPieBaconPie Regular
    edited July 2010
    Lol, did the same to me. It was as if my hand was rippling for ages after too. Weird.
  • MantikoreMantikore Regular
    edited July 2010
    Pneumatic spud guns using a piston valve is a pretty fun and straightforward project. Not many tools are required.
  • KatzenklavierKatzenklavier Regular
    edited July 2010
    ^^^ Sure, but it's not nearly as awesome as combustion. There's a website that sells clear rifled pipe. You can see the flames at night. It's awesome. They also have a clear boom chamber.
  • CrazzyassCrazzyass Regular
    edited July 2010
    I fucking love you guys so much. Thanks for the resources. I think I'm going to get started on a couple of those. Fucking win. :cool:
  • CrazzyassCrazzyass Regular
    edited July 2010
    That plasma speaker is awesome, and it doesn't seem too far over my head. I think I'm going to do the magnetic stirrer and a spud gun first, though. Or the BB thing, that looks awesome as well.
  • CrazzyassCrazzyass Regular
    edited July 2010
    Does anyone have a good resource for ordering electronics? There was a good site that was listed on the plasma guide but it's a UK company and the shipping fees are too much.
  • KatzenklavierKatzenklavier Regular
    edited July 2010
    Crazzyass wrote: »
    Does anyone have a good resource for ordering electronics? There was a good site that was listed on the plasma guide but it's a UK company and the shipping fees are too much.

    BGMicro.com has always been good for me. Allelectronics.com is good too. Also, don't forget digikey or mouser for hard to find parts.

    I bet all of those parts can be bought from digikey.
  • CrazzyassCrazzyass Regular
    edited July 2010
    BGMicro.com has always been good for me. Allelectronics.com is good too. Also, don't forget digikey or mouser for hard to find parts.

    I bet all of those parts can be bought from digikey.

    Awesome. I'm bookmarking those as we speak. Tomorrow I'm going to go talk to a computer repair guy that I know and see if he can hook me up with some of these, but if he can't (and for later projects) I'll use these resources. :cool:


    You and I are going to be best friends for a while. Just so you know. :)
  • KatzenklavierKatzenklavier Regular
    edited July 2010
    I doubt the repair guy could help. Computer repair people often don't do much than put in ram. Stuff is built to be thrown away now, not repaired. The only useful components in a computer now are the ones in a power supply.

    This is how things were built by hand before. Repairable and reliable. This is the circuitry we used to get to the moon.
    Pioneer_RT-909_Circuit_BD_RWG-105_Web.jpg

    Now today, built by pick and place robots. Not much you can do for that.
    China_China_PCBA_PCB_Assembly_Circuit_Boards_Components_Sourcing2008512536176.JPG
  • CrazzyassCrazzyass Regular
    edited July 2010
    I doubt the repair guy could help. Computer repair people often don't do much than put in ram. Stuff is built to be thrown away now, not repaired. The only useful components in a computer now are the ones in a power supply.

    This is how things were built by hand before. Repairable and reliable. This is the circuitry we used to get to the moon.
    Pioneer_RT-909_Circuit_BD_RWG-105_Web.jpg

    Now today, built by pick and place robots. Not much you can do for that.
    China_China_PCBA_PCB_Assembly_Circuit_Boards_Components_Sourcing2008512536176.JPG

    This saddens me, but you're likely correct. Nonetheless, I might see if I can least get a computer fan and some hard drive magnets for a magnetic stirrer.
  • 1357913579 Death Cog Machine
    edited July 2010
    Yeah, though computer power supplies can have some useful parts in them. I still have a 300v capacitor bank somewhere, along with many other parts specifically from them.
  • megamanmegaman Acolyte
    edited July 2010
    if you want something that literally takes 3 minutes to do you could make a camera taser there fun when you hold hands with four or five people in like a line and on one end someone is holding the wire and on the other end someone quickly touches the other wire so it goes through everyone.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rtx0dAC-jaA
    heres a more official made one
  • KatzenklavierKatzenklavier Regular
    edited July 2010
    DON'T LISTEN TO THIS GUY!

    NEVER, i mean NEVER intentionally shock yourself through both arms, especially with a capacitor.
  • KatzenklavierKatzenklavier Regular
    edited July 2010
    So what did you end up doing?
  • GreenbullGreenbull Regular
    edited July 2010
    How strong is the camera tazer? I've heard varying reports. Does anyone have any good resources?
  • 1357913579 Death Cog Machine
    edited July 2010
    DON'T LISTEN TO THIS GUY!

    NEVER, i mean NEVER intentionally shock yourself through both arms, especially with a capacitor.

    This. Do not want, current pass through heart. Although, my physics teacher did a demonstration of this kind with a leyden jar. I got to shock our assistant principal (And by shock, I mean hold hands with :mad:)
    Greenbull wrote: »
    How strong is the camera tazer? I've heard varying reports. Does anyone have any good resources?

    I'll write up anything you need on them, I've made /MANY/ before.
  • KundaLiniKundaLini Regular
    edited July 2010
    Awesome thread.
  • KatzenklavierKatzenklavier Regular
    edited July 2010
    Greenbull wrote: »
    How strong is the camera tazer? I've heard varying reports. Does anyone have any good resources?

    It's not really a tazer in the sense that it will not incapacitate. It will just shock the hell out of the guy, then piss him off while you desperately wait 10 seconds for the capacitor to recharge.
  • CrazzyassCrazzyass Regular
    edited July 2010
    So what did you end up doing?

    Magnetic stirrer and plasma arc are definitely getting done, however lately I've been ridiculously busy with an online calc course and MMA practice, both of which are eating the shit out of my time and energy. :mad:

    However, the calc will be finished with in a couple of weeks and I'll probably start working on them then. I'll post pics/vids.
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