Ridgid 24V flashlight

First: the 24V flashlight actually applies 12V at the bulb (see photo)
The bulb on my Ridgid 24V XLI flashlight broke.  The flashlight was part of a drill, saw, flashlight set.
I wanted to replace it with an LED bulb-- the capacity of the 24V battery applied to an LED would result in a very long light source.  
The type of bulb used is some strange type for halogens and has a flange for ground (in the photo, it is the bulb where the filament is showing but missing the glass, which was broken).

Fortunately, the 9mm BA9S bulb almost fits.  As you can see in the photo, the 9mm BA9S has two nipples at the bottom on opposing sides.  These do not fit into the flashlight.  However, they are soft and file off easy.  I used a metal file once and a sanding wheel on a different occasion.  

With the nipples filed off the bulb fits into the flashlight socket nicely, and a spring loaded tensioner on the side keeps it in place.  

Note that the black ring is the part that screws off of the flashlight.

I found LED BA9S bulbs made with LED on ebay and on superbrightleds.com

make this photo larger to see the filed-off nipples.

Flooded Basement

Basement flooded 2 months ago.  knocked out my water heater and furnace.  Got both working again.  write more later

Roof

I replaced my roof with some help from friends.  I don't recommend roofing.

Chevy Prizm 2001 rear backseat swap

Chevy Prizm 2001 rear backseat swap

I had heard that the LSi model had a fold-down backseat, and a few corolla owners claimed it could be swapped so I gave it a shot.

There were some suggested directions from corolla forums, which I will try to paste into the bottom of this, but I modified them.

http://trdforums.com/threads/diy-how-to-swap-your-bench-rear-seat-into-60-40-folding-rear-seats.23379/#navigation

http://trdforums.com/threads/woohoo-i-just-got-my-folding-60-40-rear-seat-swap.23303/


At the junkyard I found a good candidate and removed the bottom seat by pulling up on it- it snaps in and out.

Then I unbolted the backseat mounts, and the lower seatbelt.  Also the backseat clip hardware.

I removed the release cables from the trunk and took those as well.

Everything reinstalled in my car easily except the bottom lower corner mounts.  These mounts were originally screwed into a 3D angled bracket that was welded onto the frame.  I couldn't take that with me, and spent several hours inprovising.

My final solution was to get two stainless bolts from the hardware store and drill through the frame into the wheelwell.  The bolts cannot be too long or they will shred the tire.

I will write more about the bolt parameters when I have more time, and I will include photos of the end product.

I did not wash the seats with water; instead I used some scrub brushes and an upholstery cleaner

At the bottom of the photos you will see the seat installed in the car newly.  Note the silicone gobs over the drilled holes in the frame.  I should note that the bolts are held in place by stop nuts such that the head is on one side and the stopnut is on the other side, then follows a spacer ring in order to achieve the correct angle for the mount.

The philips sonicare NiCd battery replacement

The philips sonicare toothbrush has a NiCd battery inside.  Of course after a couple of years this will develop memory effect and die.

The battery can be replaced easily, but the case is hard to cut through.  I used this as a basis for my repair:
http://matthewbotos.com/2006/10/22/sonicare-battery-replacement
http://matthewbotos.com/gallery/2007/Sonicare/

I used a dremel with a grinding wheel, but did not have measurements or directions on where to grind, so I chose the seam on the side, and ground until I could see a bulkhead.

I replaced the old NiCd with a 2 AA Nimh rechargeable battery pack from ebay (meant for a portable phone).  Nimh has almost the same charge curve as NiCd.

I also ordered white shrink tube (40mm) from ebay.  and used it along with some silicone to seal the device when finished.

The shrinktube gets in the way of the charger, so I cut a notch in the bottom of it as you can see in the photo.

304 stainless flame tamers

I am trying to build new flame tamers (grease shields) for my grill.  The old ones rusted, which makes sense because they are thin steel and heated up to 800 degrees over and over again.

The new ones will be built with 12x12" 304 stainless steel.  304 stainless can be heated up to 1500 deg F without corrosion.

I bought a cutoff wheel for the chop saw and used that to cut across the 12" of stainless.

RESULTS:
So far the shields are flat and unmachined.  THey are original dimenisons, but not folded or grooved.
The heat in the grill is definitely wrong now-- above the heat shields it is cool and to the sides it is very hot.

I will try to rectify this either by making the shields thinner or adding slots.

LTTO Lazer tag hit light mod:

LTTO Lazer tag hit light mod:

I modified the deluxe and drone taggers to have hitlights on the bottom using the directions on greg gaub's page.

I changed the procedure slightly: I put the hit lights in the base of the handle because I needed to modify 14 taggers quickly.  If the lights are installed in the base then only the baseplate need be removed, and the wires are already there-- no new wires necessary.  Install time for each was about 10 minutes (not including electronic board construction time).

e-engineering the mastfoot on a 1980's style windsurfing board

Going through old photos I found some pictures of a project re-engineering the mastfoot on a 1980's style windsurfing board.  The old style was incompatible with modern mastbases, and so we rebuilt it to be compatible using a standard mechanical joint, a pile of washers, and an 8mm(need to double check) stainless steel bolt from mcmaster.com

logitech music anywhere for ipod - transmitter battery

4/18/2012

First blog!  Trying to figure this out.

Today's project is a replacement battery for the logitech music anywhere for ipod.

It is supposed to glow orange when plugged in, indicating charging of the battery.  Mine does not, and I suspect the battery has gone bad.  The battery (internal) measures 0V dc with the voltmeter right now.

Logitech says the battery is made just for them, so not replaceable.  However, a AAA fits nicely in the case.  

The battery recharge connection on the internal board measures an oscillating 3-4 volts DC(?) with the voltmeter.  Based on this I claim it is a 3.7V lithium ion battery.  

I have purchased (2) li-ion rechargeable AAA size batteries, and some battery holders (I prefer not to solder with batteries).  

The music anywhere transmitter comes apart easily: 2 small (jeweler size) screws hold the shell in place.  Inside, 2 small screws hold the board in.  The battery is glued down with something like rubber cement and comes up easily when pried.  Remember to save the connector if you are disposing the old battery.

to be continued when the parts arrive

_____________________

Continued:
I connected the battery to the old connector and the box charged up, turned on and broadcasted!

However, a few weeks later it acts the same as before.  I suspect the battery charging circuit is faulty- a voltmeter displays 2-2.5 Volts and the li-ion battery should require ~4 volts.

I believe the bad charging circuit destroys or disables the li-ion battery.  Without a charging circuit I do not plan to repair the battery again.  I will try to connect a power adapter directly to the board to see if it will turn on with direct power.  It will no longer be portable, but perhaps will at least function.