Recent posts

#1

General Discussion / Re: Anyone with welder?

Last post by William - January 19, 2025, 06:55:51 PM

Thing is, you need skill/experience to use it properly.  If I have the skill, then I'd have a welder already.

Background:
I have string trimmer (Craftsman) that uses single line spool.  So far, I've been manually winding the line around an empty spool, and it takes too long.  When I drop it, the entire spool unwinds, and I have to start over.  So, I built a "spool adapter".  You just turn it with one hand and hold the line with the other hand.  Trick is turning it.

• Screwdriver is first choice.  It's lightweight.  But, you need locking bit chuck, otherwise the spool adapter falls off, due to slight axial force.  Most screwdrivers come with just non-locking magnetic bit holder.  Screwdrivers with locking bit chuck (aka. quick-change) cost more, way more than incremental cost of the extra part.  They cost more than my string trimmer!
• Manual drill.  Yes, the ones with a handle.   But, it needs to be fixed to bench vise.  So, I have to walk back to garage to re-spool.
• Corded drill.  It's too heavy/big, and fixed to garage.
• Cordless drill.  Again, too heavy/big to carry around.

#2

General Discussion / Re: Anyone with welder?

Last post by Jason - January 18, 2025, 11:17:46 PM

In Peterborough, they have (or used to have) a place you could borrow tools from for an annual subscription fee. I'd expect they have something similar where you are, William. It'd save you buying one if you can't locate someone with it.

#3

Raspberry Pi & Single-Board Computers / Re: Where and how much is the ...

Last post by William - January 14, 2025, 01:07:59 AM

I went with 12th gen Intel & 32 Gb RAM.

I'm still running an old i3-4170 and 16GB DDR3-1333.  The only upgrade was 500GB HD to SSD.  I thought about upgrading the memory to 32GB, but not worth the money.  Secret to its longevity is probably the top of the line power supply at that time.  So, my advise is, "don't cheap out on power supply."

#4

Raspberry Pi & Single-Board Computers / Re: Where and how much is the ...

Last post by ssfc72 - January 13, 2025, 08:48:21 AM

Nice!
That should run your income tax for 2024 program, very fast. :-)

#5

Raspberry Pi & Single-Board Computers / Re: Where and how much is the ...

Last post by kalabaster - January 12, 2025, 03:27:52 PM

Thanks for that source info. I'll keep logged for ref. Unfortunately the gov'mt slowed down handing out the cash and put me in bind for time being. I did a major purchase in mid Sept. Which blew the budget. When I'm feelin' " frisky " I may make an impulse buy ! Cheers. I went with 12th gen Intel & 32 Gb RAM.

#6

General Discussion / Re: Anyone with welder?

Last post by ssfc72 - January 12, 2025, 08:11:17 AM

Sorry William, I don't have a welder. Sounds like you would need someone who has a Mig welder.

regards

Bill

#7

General Discussion / Anyone with welder?

Last post by William - January 12, 2025, 03:04:58 AM

Hi, I want to weld "locking bit holder" to a cordless screwdriver which just has regular non-locking magnetic bit chuck.  The weld doesn't need to be solid around.  Just 3 spots will do.  I tried all kinds of "glues", but they don't last.

Does anyone have (arc) welder, and willing to accept a dozen donuts as payment?

#8

General Discussion / Re: I taught rats to drive a c...

Last post by Jason - January 10, 2025, 10:09:02 PM

Glad you enjoyed it. Even the lowest of animals can astound. When they mentioned more excited content rats holding their tails up higher it reminded me of cats. You can tell a cat's mood by how high it's held if it's moving and how. Makes me wonder what we'd be like if we had tails. Would we express our feelings with them, likely knocking things off nearby shelves in the process?

#9

General Discussion / Re: I taught rats to drive a c...

Last post by buster - January 10, 2025, 12:31:55 PM

Loved this article Jason. Rich environments, delayed rewards, other rats around helped learning. Same for humans. Excellent easy read.

#10

General Discussion / I taught rats to drive a car, ...

Last post by Jason - January 10, 2025, 03:51:02 AM

Here's an interesting article from the BBC. I hadn't heard of this research before.

As a neuroscientist who advocates for housing and testing laboratory animals in natural habitats, I've found it amusing to see how far we've strayed from my lab practices with this project. Rats typically prefer dirt, sticks and rocks over plastic objects. Now, we had them driving cars.

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20241128-i-taught-rats-to-drive-a-car-and-it-may-help-us-lead-happier-lives