Creations and Solutions

Kitsune · 02-20-2007, 03:19 PM

I know this isn't exactly as artsy as "creative expression" might imply, but I know that that some of you often have interesting solutions to difficult problems. I wanted to see the creations Cellarites have rigged up, duct tape and all!

Stuff I've rigged up, recently:

While I haven't improved upon the balloon cam I rigged up sometime ago, I did manage to shoe-horn in an inverter into my car for a time lapse experiment. I needed 110v to power a laptop and a camera, which permitted me to take a still shot every two seconds using gawker and condense long trips into movies. I mounted the laptop in the trunk and camera on the rear seat for the test run: a three hour trip down I-75 south and across alligator alley.

(The camera is hidden under the hat!)

It yielded this movie (Quicktime .MOV). Having a live, AC extension cord in the trunk and under the passenger seat has proven very useful and allows everything to run even without the car's engine running, including laptops for watching movies on the go, charging camera batteries in the field, etc. (Should anyone be interested on the write-up for the inverter install with power switch/relay, let me know -- I'm working on it.)

I also did a write-up for my fix of a common Integra hatch release problem, but this one isn't quite so universal.

Solder fumes and X-acto knife wounds, let's hear it!

Happy Monkey · 02-20-2007, 03:23 PM

Very cool!

Do you happen to subscribe to "Make" magazine? It looks kike you might be in their target audience.

Kitsune · 02-20-2007, 03:34 PM

I had a subscription and I really miss it. Might be time to look into them, again...

glatt · 02-21-2007, 01:14 PM

I just saw this. It's really cool.

What kind of glue did you use to glue the plastic parts together in the motorized latch? I've always had bad luck trying to glue plastic car parts back together. (knobs, etc.)

Kitsune · 02-21-2007, 02:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by glatt

I just saw this. It's really cool.

What kind of glue did you use to glue the plastic parts together in the motorized latch? I've always had bad luck trying to glue plastic car parts back together. (knobs, etc.)

I ended up using Krazy/Super glue. The stuff holds plastic really tight, although I've been told there is a Gorilla glue for plastics that would also work well. So far, the fix has held just fine.

xoxoxoBruce · 02-22-2007, 11:10 PM

Excellent, on the repair instructions and the video. You're very fortunate, I've never met a woman that could pee that fast anywhere away from home, no less a rest stop.

Happy Monkey · 02-24-2007, 08:44 PM

Here's my latest "solution". Not quite on the same scale, but hey.

I found some metal tape that was only available in two-inches-wide, so I made a cutter out of Lego and an X-Acto blade.

02-20-2007, 03:19 PM	#1
Kitsune still eats dirt Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Tampa, FL Posts: 3,031	Creations and Solutions I know this isn't exactly as artsy as "creative expression" might imply, but I know that that some of you often have interesting solutions to difficult problems. I wanted to see the creations Cellarites have rigged up, duct tape and all! Stuff I've rigged up, recently: While I haven't improved upon the balloon cam I rigged up sometime ago, I did manage to shoe-horn in an inverter into my car for a time lapse experiment. I needed 110v to power a laptop and a camera, which permitted me to take a still shot every two seconds using gawker and condense long trips into movies. I mounted the laptop in the trunk and camera on the rear seat for the test run: a three hour trip down I-75 south and across alligator alley. (The camera is hidden under the hat!) It yielded this movie (Quicktime .MOV). Having a live, AC extension cord in the trunk and under the passenger seat has proven very useful and allows everything to run even without the car's engine running, including laptops for watching movies on the go, charging camera batteries in the field, etc. (Should anyone be interested on the write-up for the inverter install with power switch/relay, let me know -- I'm working on it.) I also did a write-up for my fix of a common Integra hatch release problem, but this one isn't quite so universal. Solder fumes and X-acto knife wounds, let's hear it!

02-20-2007, 03:23 PM	#2
Happy Monkey I think this line's mostly filler. Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: DC Posts: 13,575	Very cool! Do you happen to subscribe to "Make" magazine? It looks kike you might be in their target audience. __________________ _________________ \|...............\| We live in the nick of times. \| Len 17, Wid 3 \| \|_______________\| [pics]

02-22-2007, 11:10 PM	#6
xoxoxoBruce The future is unwritten Join Date: Oct 2002 Posts: 71,105	Excellent, on the repair instructions and the video. You're very fortunate, I've never met a woman that could pee that fast anywhere away from home, no less a rest stop. __________________ The descent of man ~ Nixon, Friedman, Reagan, Trump.

02-24-2007, 08:44 PM	#7
Happy Monkey I think this line's mostly filler. Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: DC Posts: 13,575	Here's my latest "solution". Not quite on the same scale, but hey. I found some metal tape that was only available in two-inches-wide, so I made a cutter out of Lego and an X-Acto blade. __________________ _________________ \|...............\| We live in the nick of times. \| Len 17, Wid 3 \| \|_______________\| [pics]

02-20-2007, 03:34 PM	#3
Kitsune still eats dirt Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Tampa, FL Posts: 3,031	I had a subscription and I really miss it. Might be time to look into them, again...

02-21-2007, 01:14 PM	#4
glatt ™ Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Arlington, VA Posts: 27,717	I just saw this. It's really cool. What kind of glue did you use to glue the plastic parts together in the motorized latch? I've always had bad luck trying to glue plastic car parts back together. (knobs, etc.)

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