Category: Projects

November 9, 2021 – Troubleshooting a Failing Bath Fan

November 9, 2021 /

We have lived in this house over sixteen years. Since the week we first moved in, I thought that a bearing was bad in the fan unit since it made a vibrating sound. I was even going to replace it one time about three or four years ago but the shelving stock was out. I looked for several months thereafter but then forgot about it.

Instead of just being noisy, it started getting to the point of not actually working. You could hear the power applied but the fan wasn’t moving always. Sometimes, flipping the switch a couple of times would get the fan going, sometimes not. I decided that now was the time to finally do this.

I checked the availability at the box store and it was in-stock. My experience over the years has taught me to visually inspect the unit before doing anything. I wanted to make sure that I was replacing the unit as quickly and painlessly as possible. You could say a like for like swap is what I was looking for.

Much to my surprise, the fan was not a 50 CFM unit but a 70 CFM unit even though the bathroom is only 3×5′. So I started looking a little closer at my ordering options because I was not going to be able to go to the store for several days. When I looked on Amazon, I realized that I would not have to tear the entire housing out like I had done with the two others I replaced but I could swap the motor/fan assembly out only saving tons of effort.

Then, I went to the local hardware store and bought a replacement motor/fan unit. When I took the unit apart to replace the motor, I think I identified multiple issues.

If you see how dusty the outside is, you can imagine that there is 30 years of dust caked on the motor and fan. I suspect that the dust on the outside of the motor housing was causing the motor to overheat. I didn’t bother cleaning it and putting it back since I thought there was also a worn bearing causing noise.

My wife really wanted a new fan since the outside bezel was yellowed from age but I convinced her that I could just spray paint the old one and it would look much better. Before I started painting, I stuck the screw back in the housing so it wouldn’t get lost in the process. The screw was not what originally was part of the unit and when I turned on the fan, it was vibrating and making a ruckus while it was not holding the bezel tight. In the end, I decided that the noise I heard all those years was the screw vibrating and not a bad bearing.

When I put it back together, I put several wraps of teflon pipe tape to give some extra dimension to the screw and hopefully act as some padding. The fan is still loud because it is oversized for the room but works like a champ. I cannot say how much less effort the replacement motor is over a whole new unit. However, it is more expensive – imagine that but the cost was worth it.

Over time, these units do suck up dust and it ends up coating the electrical components. The one in the master bath I have cleaned several times because I can see dust on the outside, but never this one. Periodic maintenance would be recommended for long life.

End Your Programming Routine: The lesson that I would like to push today is look and understand the failure. It is highly possible that there was nothing wrong to begin with other than the dust needed clearing. This is at least the fifth fan that I have replaced but I never knew that a replacement unit could slip into the existing housing. So, I suppose $40 was a good investment in education.

October 20, 2021 – I Am Such a Sucker for Techno-junk

October 20, 2021 /

Over a year ago, I was browsing at a second hand store and I ran across a Technics direct drive turn table. They wanted $120 for it. From what I could see, it was missing a stylus but I was unsure if it was really worth the price. After doing some quick research, it looked like they were going for a couple hundred dollars in working order. I went back two days later and it was gone.

Every since then, I have been looking for that diamond in the rough that I could get for cheap. My wife got this suitcase record player for Mother’s two years ago. We bought some records and I was severely disappointed. The best songs on the used records were ‘worn out’. They look in good condition, so I am hoping that by upgrading the player, I can get better sound out of them.

The other thing that bothered me about the suitcase record player was that it had a pre-amp built in. To plug it into my receiver, I had to use the non-phono jack and that bugged me. Also, it sounded distorted, to high end and not enough low end. I wouldn’t call myself an audiophile. But, I want to really hear what the buzz is about going back to vinyl. From my memory as a child, the sound was always as good as the radio, with more bass and a deeper and richer sound. I should still have some records at my parents house as well. But, as time and technology moved on and so did the record player so I don’t really have a comparison.

My family was shopping at Goodwill on Saturday and my son sent me a text of this turntable. They wanted $40. From what he could see, it seemed like it needed a belt replacement as the platter was not spinning. But the motor was turning. I again did some quick research and saw one was selling on eBay for $200 so I said go ahead. Knowing very little about this, I looked at it the next day and found that it was also missing the stylus.

Belts are cheap $5-10 but replacing a stylus is quite a bit more complicated (and expensive). First of all, the stylus needs to match the cartridge. Having no idea if this is original or not, I am strictly guessing. I looked at the manual and got the specs and ordered what I hope is a match. Otherwise, I am into it probably another $60-100 for a new headshell (that is the stylus, cartridge and carrier) plus I don know what I am doing when it comes to alignment.

I ordered two belts, one stylus and one ground cable. This will probably end up as a video as I get this going. I saw one video on the Toshiba SR230, it was just showing all the features. So, at least I have something to show me how it is supposed to work.

I am not done with the search for more techno-junk. I have always wanted to add a subwoofer to the surround sound setup. I am also on the lookout for a second set of speakers, to put closer to my bench in the basement. If I saw a receiver upgrade or possibly a smaller set of surround sound speakers I wouldn’t pass up if it was the right deal. Since I haven’t quite figured out my final setup, things are still up in the air. However, I doubt that I would pay $40 and another $50 in repair parts like this project but you never know.

End Your Programming Routine: I am looking forward to this, to a point. I like the feeling of taking something that isn’t working, figuring out why and getting it going again. I don’t necessarily need to be spending my time on this as I have lots of more important things to do. But, sometimes you have to prioritize something that you want to do over things that were started first or have a greater impact. It is that irrationalness that makes us human.

October 8, 2021 – Still Piecing Together My Office

October 8, 2021 /

One of the ways of working that I have discovered is that I cant afford to spend my entire working day in the office. Between kids that need to get out the door and animals that need to be in and out to answering the door, I need to take my computer out of the office for parts of the day. For that reason, I don’t want to plug in 5 or 6 cables several times a day.

Because of that, I bought one docking station to try out. You can see it under my monitor on the upper left. It is meant to have the laptop sit on edge on top of the docking station. If you look closely, you can see that I have two (work) laptops and so I have tried both with the new docking station, so I am looking to get one more.

A word about docking stations. Five years ago, docks were a proprietary device that mated with specific brands and models of computer. These days, there is less of that but beware when looking at them as they are not all the same. For instance, most of them are termed USB-C port extenders and do not power the laptop at all defeating the purpose of one connection. Also, many of them support only one monitor, so if you are using a multiple monitor setup as I am, then you need to verify that will work with the docking station you are looking at.

To me, the power of docking stations gives you the flexibility to unplug and move the location you are working and then come back and pickup. If you do not work in that manner and your computer mostly stays put, then you probably don’t even need a docking station. Also, note the power requirements for your machine. I found several that didn’t output enough watts to adequately charge the battery. It is OK if is putting out more power, but not less. One last thing, if your computer is a consumer grade machine it may not be able to power through USB-C and you can get most of the features with a port extender.

To then use these optimally, I am in the market for a KVM switch. That is an acronym that stands for Keyboard, Video and Mouse switch which allows me to use the same keyboard and video setup to switch between the two computers with the click of a button. Once I have those two additional items, I can go about cleaning up all of the cable mess and my desk will be finally setup.

That doesn’t mean that my office is done. I had a couch that I was going to put in but I found out that my baseboard heater didn’t allow for the couch to be put in (so, I guess it is to the dump with that). But, my wife wanted me to take the loveseat that was in the kitchen area. Which I did and Leo thought it was a good decision.

That means that I had to take the stereo receiver out. I have made the measurements and I can build a table that will fit behind the couch and provide the optimum space to bring that back in. The downside is that with everything going on, it will be a while before I get to that project (hopefully this winter).

I still have stuff to hang up and really make it personal and I think that will help with the sound as well. But, overall it is getting close to finishing. Like everything, just money and time to get everything the way that I want it.

End Your Programming Routine: Like every project, there are the ‘wish that you would have known’ things. I wish that I would have anticipated the space the heater consumed I might have sacrificed my re-use principle to something that uses less space. I also wish I would have known how warm just the electronics would get and possibly add a window for ventilation. Those two things aside, I am still very happy with how it came out.

August 23, 2021 – Moving at a Snail’s Pace

August 23, 2021 /

This is going to be quick, I hope. Part of my haste is that I have been separated from my computer while I am trying to reconfigure my office. I have worked in it about a week and have already decided to make some changes. I suppose that it is a good thing that I only partially moved in anyway.

First problem, I didn’t like the transition between the carpet and the hard floor. It took some lifting effort to get my chair on a different surface. It seems to roll fine when I am on the carpet, so I want to move the carpet completely under the desk.

That leads me to my second problem. I didn’t like my chair completely in front of the door. It was fine and I could get out, but also see problem one. I needed to tear everything down so I could move the carpet from under the door and other furniture in my office.

The third problem is a little more difficult problem but it relates to problem two as well. I have discovered that with the door closed, the temperature starts to climb up into the eighties. I guess that I got the insulation right, but it means that I crack the door periodically to get a little cooling. For the long term test, we will see what winter temperatures feel like. For now, it is very manageable.

Knowing that I wanted to make these changes has kept me from fully moving in. Not to say that I have had a lot of extra time as I had to work all weekend as well as being a ‘single’ parent.

Not everything is a problem. I have enjoyed having my stereo receiver in the room with quality speakers and good sound playing while I am working all day long. I like the dedicated space and having what I need where I need it. I was able to setup two monitors and use a dedicated keyboard which is really nice. I am looking forward to my final vision of surround sound and adding a couch just for fun.

One month at a time, I plan on adding Thunderbolt 3 docking stations for my two primary work laptops. Then I can add a KVM switch and I can then do all the wire management and clean up all the wires that that are strung all over the place.

End Your Programming Routine: There is no substitution for experience. I am not saying that I foresaw these issues, I just plain wasn’t able to anticipate the problems. Now that I have the foundations set, I am able to finally start moving everything in. Overall first impressions is that I am really happy.

August 17, 2021 – A Time of Transition

August 17, 2021 /

Change can be difficult, especially if it has been going a particular way for a long time. I have a lot of changes going on in my life at the moment. One of the biggest one is my office space. This is the first day working in the space.

I received my desk yesterday and got it assembled. But there are new components going into my setup and not everything has made it into the space yet. So, I am half in and half out with everything spread everywhere.

I knew that if I started moving then I would need to keep at it. I still have to work while I am fiddling around with all this stuff. So, last night I got to the point where I could at least be productive during the work day. I will have to tear everything apart and reconfigure a couple of times I assume.

Plus, as of yesterday, I only imagined how it would work. I think that there is going to be some trial and error on how my desk is setup and positioning of everything. I can already see some of the consequences of my decisions but I will save that for another day.

Another transition that has already occurred is that I finished my shed roofing. I can check that off of my list of things to do. That means that I need to start moving into my next project which is cleaning up and organizing the basement and garage.

This is something that I want done, but don’t really want to do it. It is going to involve dump runs, Goodwill, Habitat for Humanity and a lot of decisions. When doing this kind of thing, it is helpful when doing this kind of activity to sequence it properly. For example, going to the dump is last because there are items that Habitat will not accept. I am dragging my feet because it is a big job to tackle.

We have transitioned out of Quarantine. We all got Negative test results last weekend so we are no longer home bound. Unfortunately, we are transitioning into another mask mandate. Honestly, I never believed that this freedom would last. I think that this state has really transitioned into a pseudo Marxist government. What does that actually mean? It means that the government is making decisions for what they think is best and the people are not allowed to proceed as they see fit.

I think by now everyone knows that we are transitioning as a family. I don’t want to say too much more at the moment other than the circumstances are difficult. Not only are we coping with grief but also trying to do it in a manner where part of those most affected are unable to join us.

There is a sociological theory called the ‘Four Turnings‘. The concept goes that there are four types of generations that repeat on a cycle. I’ll try to explain briefly but it might be helpful to read the article (see link above) yourself.

HighHigh societal cohesion, calm from previous strife Baby Boomers
AwakeningLow institutional faith, personal exploration Generation X
UnravellingInstitutions are weak, individuals are strong Millennials
Crisis/HeroEra of destructionWWII generation

If you follow the theory, we are somewhere between the Unravelling and the Crisis stage as a society. It should also be said that it is not quite enough to just be born into a particular era but you need to be able to do something about it. So nearly all of the World War II people are now gone and we haven’t quite had enough of the Generation Y/Z or whatever we are naming it ascend to a place of relevancy yet.

End Your Programming Routine: Be on the lookout for the next crisis event. It very well may be on the horizon or even already has happened. As I am moving through projects and life events, the world is still moving too. You have to get your head up from time to time so that these transitions don’t occur without your knowledge.

August 9, 2021 – Linux Mint, Learning and Relearning Stuff

August 9, 2021 /

I don’t have a good grasp on where I am going this week for a lot of reasons that I am not going to get completely into here. A part of it was that was that I have been working late and getting up early (for my job). I also worked all day Saturday and a half day Sunday. And when I wasn’t working I was gone for various social commitments. That always sort of fogs up whatever I want to accomplish here.

A few weeks back, I mentioned that I was experimenting with Linux. I solved my problem with why Unbuntu wasn’t loading. That was because I downloaded a 64 bit version and I was trying to launch it on 32bit hardware. After very little research, I saw that Linux Mint was still a recommended 32bit version and so I downloaded that. Low and behold, it worked. I could launch Linux from a thumb drive on my old (2005) computer.

Part of the reason that I wanted to mess around with this machine and Linux was to see if keeping this currently working computer was worth the space it was taking. Twice, I have pulled this machine out of the Tecnho-Junk (recycling) pile. To carry this experiment a little further, I decided to do a small upgrade. I wanted to spend as little as possible but improve the 2GB of RAM and 7GB of remaining hard drive space to give it the best chance of evaluation. So, I spent $30 for 4GB of Ram and a 320 GB hard-drive. I figured the worst cast scenario is that I could use the hard drive in my other computer as a backup, so I only risked $10 for the RAM which I may not have needed anyway.

Through some research, I learned that the most RAM a 32bit system could utilize was 4GB. I also learned that the difference between XP Home and Professional was that Home was 32bit and Professional was 64bit. Therefore, the hardware that was put in the box when it was built was the limiting factor. Even though I had four slots for RAM, My machine was only utilizing 3GB. It seems like another limitation that I have is that I can’t utilize the max amount anyway.

Next I had to decide what to do with the new hard drive. I wanted the dual boot option to go into XP or Linux. Maybe it was the price or I was just ignorant it had been a long time since I ordered a hard drive. I ordered an IDE hard drive instead of an ATA hard drive. I had to scratch my head with Master/Slave jumpers and cable position conundrum (It has probably been 15 years since I dealt with that stuff).

People newer to this arena have no idea how much easier it is than it used to be. After getting the drive physically configured to work, the drive needs to be formatted so that it can get software installed. In XP, that required putting the operating system CD in. In my case, my disk was SP2 and my computer was running SP3 so of course the CD would not read and home edition didn’t have a built in ‘repair’ option on boot up. Fortunately, my XP was working so I was able to format the drive from XP.

Once the hard-drive was formatted, then I could install Linux from the USB drive. My first problem was trying to figure out how to partition the hard drive in Linux. It supposedly works in NTSB format but it wanted to use EXT4 format. I muddled my way through that and then I was on to installing Mint which went pretty smoothly.

After I got everything installed. There were about 20 operating system updates that I could run, which I did.

So… It works and it is not too slow. So far, what I have noticed is that things are slightly different than Windows. Not a lot, but enough that I don’t know what I am doing. For instance, HP doesn’t directly make any printer drivers and my printer is supposedly compatible. But I can’t (yet) figure out how to find the printer on the network and get it to print even though I have the IP address. It seems like the hardliners are into command based help which is all foreign to me as well so I get lost in all of the vocabulary

End Your Programming Routine: I have also noticed that some of the software I run like Myki password manager is 64 bit only. There may come some limitations with the age of the hardware that it might not make sense to keep this thing around eventually. But I am going to keep messing around with it for the heck of it for now

August 5, 2021 – If I Only Had a Desk

August 5, 2021 /

As I was milling around trying to figure out what I wanted to write about today, I was looking at a laser sight that I have had ready to mount for over a year. My next planned range trip was supposed to be in March and now it is August. So what I am saying is that I am going to skip ‘Tacticool’ Thursday.

Today, I am going to wrap up the office project with some numbers. I am deep into re-roofing my shed at the moment. That means that I am slowly moving stuff into the office and tinkering. What I am trying to say is that I am moving on here so it is time to get the results published.

What is currently missing is a desk, which is on order and a couch which is upstairs but we need to get a replacement. If I have all my plans come true, then I will build a table to fit behind the couch where the stereo system will sit. The rear speakers would be mounted. I am on the lookout for a inexpensive flatscreen TV that will sit behind the door and I could also project from the computer onto it. Regardless of all that, as soon as my desk arrives, I can move in.

Below is a breakdown of my hours on the project.

ActualEstimateDescription
24clear out holiday area
22remove west floor system, cleanup
42remove south side drywall
44install sheeting
88build floor
48frame east wall
48frame west wall
3.58frame south wall
48frame north wall
198electrical
9.58insulation
248interior drywall
88paint
3.58exterior drywall
148install door
50finishes/trim
118.5100.00

I talked about my expected overages earlier so that is not a surprise. It shouldn’t be a revelation but I am a little shocked at how much time the finish work took versus the overall build. By that I mean sheetrock, paint, trim. In my first vision, I wasn’t even going to do any of that.

Now, here is the real shocker to me. The little things that add up. What if I put down an finished floor? What if I didn’t have fasteners or a baseboard heater laying around or didn’t buy a used door or common lumber? I suspect that the cost could have been double what it was.

3/6/21$60Door
3/30/21Monmouth Hardware$6.44Electrical boxes
4/4/21Lowes$49.99Wire
4/11/21Home Depot$64.97Lumber, Felt
4/11/21Home Depot$69.03PT lumber
4/17/21Home Depot$156.50Insulation, screws
4/18/21True Value$19.10Lockset, shims
4/23/21Rickreall Bargain Shed$150Plywood
5/3/21Rickreall Bargain Shed$110Framing lumber
5/9/21Home Depot$56.60Lumber, Insulation
5/16/21Home Depot$128.18Insulation
5/21/21Amazon$15.10Coax
5/29/21Home Depot177.96Drywall, Electrical
6/8/21True Value27.4Adhesive, Primer
6/13/21One Stop$17.18Joint tape, snips
6/15/21Home Depot$91.24texture, painting supplies
7/5/21Lowes$2.68Caulk
7/21/15Amazon$19.76Router bit
$1,222.13

Places where I cut corners on the cost were

  1. Reused existing drywall
  2. Reused 12/2 cable, outlets and etc
  3. Recycled door, heater, light fixture
  4. Paint was on hand with the exception of drywall primer
  5. No finished floor

The one place that I splurged at minimal cost. It was largely labor in the electrical category.

  1. Surround sound wiring
  2. Wired Phone, Data, TV and FM signal

Overall, I am happy with the outcome and feel reasonably satisfied with the execution. I can always do better but it takes practice, analysis and a plan. One thing that I wish I did better was drywall finishing. My joints and corners are rough. If I was doing this professionally, I would have to pay someone to feel good about the results without a lot more practice or instruction.

End Your Programming Routine: I think one of the intangibles with how I have been working is that the project is literally right next to me. The number of times things came to mind either fiddling around with something or planning is not factored into the hours estimate. If this were a job, conceivably more time per task may have taken because I wouldn’t have the luxury of seeing it all day long. I am looking forward to moving in within the next few weeks.

August 4, 2021 – Replacing a Rear Derailleur on a Bicycle

August 4, 2021 /

Don’t ask me how this happened. My oldest son got a new bike and so he handed down his old bike to his brother. On the inaugural ride, he came back saying the chain fell off when in reality the chain was bent and the derailleur was broken in half.

What I have learned in this pandemic world is that not only are bike parts scarce, but upgrades are expensive. Sometimes upgrading parts cost more than the entire bike would cost new. Fortunately, this repair only cost about $30 and I could get the parts so I went ahead and did it.

I plan on talking more about bicycles in the future because it is something that I am interested in and I have a old, but very nice bike that I would like to make some changes to. A story for another time but I want to make it more comfortable to ride as it is a very aggressive configuration.

Tools required:

  • Metric Allen keys (3 and 5mm)
  • chain breaker
  • Metric nutdrivers or wrenches or adjustable wrench (8-10mm)
  • cable cutter
  • needlenose pliers
  1. Break the chain. I will have a picture later in the sequence to show what a chain breaker looks like.
  2. Remove the derailleur. First you must disconnect the shifting cable which is one nut. Then, the derailleur can be removed which is also one bolt.
  3. Replace the derailleur by tightening the same bolt as you removed on the old one.
  4. In this case, the new derailleur was a slightly different configuration and the existing shifting cable was too short. I had to re-string a new cable from the shifter
5

5. Roughly tighten the new shifter cable

6. Check the new chain for length against the old chain. If necessary, cut the new chain to length.

7. Reconnect the chain. In my case, I bought a new one and it comes with a special link to make this process easier. But it can be done by re-inserting the pin that was removed in step one. It is a bit tricky and may require some extra hands.

8. Finally, you will have to tune your shifting. That is beyond the scope of this post today. But this operation is best done with a bike stand. I dont have one personally, but there are several ones throughout my city. There are also a number of Youtube videos that are pretty good on how to do that.

End Your Programming Routine: This took me about an hour to complete. Now that we no longer have any local bike shops, this would have taken days at the shop and hours going back and forth to get it done. Generally speaking having bike work is fairly inexpensive but I like knowing that I can do stuff if I want to.

August 2, 2021 – The Durability of Polycarbonate

August 2, 2021 /

Recently, I have started having some obligations at 4AM. It means that I need to be ready to rock and roll, that is talk and lead a meeting first thing in the morning. It is not easy to roll out of bed and be ready to go. To be honest, it kind-of throws off my whole day because even going to bed at 9PM, that is only 6 and a half hours of sleep. I can never get to bed that early.

Last week was a difficult week not only taking the days off but also coming back into this early morning situation. That was partially why I took the week off, I am just a little bit out of sorts. But it was also a transition week where I hung the office door and am ready to move in, just waiting for my new desk to arrive. I need to fix the roof on the garden shed before the weather changes.

I have all of the data put together for one final post on the office project. That should come soon. But this weekend I started tearing off the roof of the shed. Last October, a blustery wind came in and ripped my flashing at the transition between the composition roof and the clear polycarbonate. I got a tarp on the roof the next day and there it has sat waiting for better weather and more time.

I didn’t get a picture of it, but for some reason, there are two holes in the polycarbonate roofing. So, not only did I need to replace the flashing, which means re-roofing, but also the clear panels. are clearly showing some serious sun damage.

I put this on in 2017. This is five years of wear. It appears that everywhere polycarbonate touches wood, the panel has become black. My speculation is that the tannins in the wood are reacting with the plastic. These clear panels come it two flavors, polycarbonate or PVC. In theory, polycarbonate should be more durable than the PVC, it is also more expensive.

You can also see the tarp line. It looks like that has caused some blackening as well as sagging likely from excessive heat. I also have to change all of the custom fillers because the panel design for both polycarbonate and PVC panels. So far, I am not super impressed by the durability. If I was going to consider changing the panels periodically, it may have been worth going to the cheaper panel but for now, I am am going to go back to polycarbonate.

Another mistake I made the first time was leaning the panels on the side. They sat that way for probably a month and bent out of shape (permanently). You can see this in the picture as well. This time I will take more care in the panel storage so they don’t start our warped.

End Your Programming Routine: I am thinking that this should be a heavy weekend project, so maybe 24 hours or so. I spent three hours tearing off the three tab yesterday. I will probably pick at it when I have time this week. With any luck, I will have this done by the beginning of next week.

July 20, 2021 – Slowly Moving In

July 20, 2021 /

Today is a quick update as time is flying by. I still have door fitting and painting to do but everything else is done. That means that I can start moving in because I don’t need a door for that.

Since I had to cut the door and I know that the floor is out of level I want to do the work on any door fitting before I start painting. Once the door is up, this project is finished!

The plan is to put a desk under the black shelf (second picture). I am looking for the right size (nominally 2’x6′) because the room will be tight and every inch counts. I would love to build it so it would be exactly what I want, but I don’t think I will have time to do that now.

Originally, I was going to put a couch against the west wall (third picture). The measurements fit in the room but the couch does not because I didn’t factor the baseboard heater into the picture. I don’t think it would be a good idea to put the couch up against the heater. So, I am still working that out.

After this is done, the bigger work needs to get done and that is going through all of the junk and reorganizing the basement and garage where everything has been piled up while this process has been going on.

End Your Programming Routine: I am excited and sad to finish this project. I am looking forward to moving in and use the new space. I have lots of things stacked up waiting for this to finish so that would be positive, But, I will be done staring longingly at my project all day and think about my next move when I get a chance.