tifPhotography.com
I made this site for my wife Tiffany, she has a small photography company. Because her name is Tiffany, we thought it would be funny to have the company name .tif Photography. Tif being a image file format, short for Tagged Image File Format … Ironic!
Table Top CNC Machine & Controller Computer
I bought a table top CNC machine from Ebay. It came in a kit form. I wanted to use it to make my own PCBs, I was sick of the cost of having a board house make prototypes. So i made a small investment, now I can make my own (other stuff too).
The computer is a 1Ghz ITX from factor computer. I made the housing that the computer, power supply and touchscreen are in. I took sheet metal, and bent it to the shape you see, made some sides, and welded it all together.
The controlling program is called Mach3. The stock Mach3 is not very touchscreen friendly, so I looked at the other screen layout available for it. I couldn’t really find “free” option i really liked. I did find one that was $300+. FortunatelyMach3 allows Flash built screens to be used to operate the software. So i built my own screen, based on the $300+ one, and added all the functionality and touch compatibility I needed!
My very first board was a Power Supply Distribution Board for the controller cabinet. The machine needs 24VDC to operate, so I bought a switching power supply, with more amp output then the machine required. The computer and touchscreen both need 12VDC to operate. I designed a board, in EagleCad, to distribute the power needed for the computer and screen from the switching power supply.
I used the machine to make the Power Supply Distribution Board. At the time i had 3 AC plugs for the machine:
- Switching PSU
- Computer
- TouchScreen
After installing the Power Supply Distribution Board, i now have only one.
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- Power Supply Distribution Board
My first Andoird App – D.E.A.
D.E.A. – Droid Electronics Assistant
I was in a electronics class in Lee County High Tech North. I wanted a multi-function electronics calculator, I wanted it ALL IN ONE. I was learning more about electronics, so this was a great time to make it happen.
I applied for a program form Google, called App Inventor. After making a tic tac toe game for my kids, I found that the App Inventor was VERY limited. So rather then learn a new programming language for Android, I used Adobe Air for Android. It allowed me to use Adobe Flash to make a app for the Android OS. And having already used Flash extensively, it made the programming part of it easy.
Here is a list of features in the app:
- Ohms law calculator (for Resistance,Voltage and Currant)
- 555 Astable and Monostable calculator
- LED resistor calculator
- Resistor series and parallel calculator
- Resistor potential divider
- Capacitor series and parallel calculator
- Resistor band decoder
I even put diagrams of each tool, to help the user.
VW Bug / Jeep project. AKA- The Veep :)
Back in 98-99 I was working in a machine shop. I had caviar dreams on a sardine budget. I sent a lot of time off road in the mud, ad really wanted a Jeep. Unable to afford one I embarked on a journey to “make” my own.
Back in the day VW bugs were cheap and plentiful. I bought many for under $200. I even got a VW bus and a bug from a guy for $50 ea., and they both ran.
I really didn’t have a set of plans, I just knew what I wanted to end up with. SO i bought a bug, gutted it, and took off the body. I replaced the belly pans, then had the rolling chassis completely sand blasted. After tilting the chassis up in it side, sitting on the side wall of two tires, I sprayed the entire thing with epoxy primer, then used under coating spray on the bottom. With the body sitting on a make shift trailer, i started hacking away at the body to make my dream a reality. I made a roll cage that made it look like a Jeep. Installed a fiberglass body kit I bought online. Then made a paint booth in the car port of my dad’s house. I painted the entire thing black with yellow for the chassis and bumpers. Finished it off with plastic racing seats, 5 point harness, six KC light, 1835CC engine, autometer gauge set and 29″ Thornbird tires. I made a frame from steel rod, in the shape of the door. My neighbor then covered it with water proof canvas and a clear vinyl window, that zipped out!
I took it off road many times and had a BLAST! I even won 2nd place at a Bug Out car show. It was also my daily driver for years.
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- Lookin’ Good!!
1991 Integra JDM Motor Swap.
I owned a 1991 Acura Integra. It had a automatic transmission and a 1.8L motor. Some how i got the idea in my head that i wanted a Vtec motor. So i went on a hunt on ebay for a JDM (Japanese Domestic Market) motor. I found a great deal on a B16 Vtec with a Y1 MANUAL transmission. So i bought it, and waited for the shipping form California to South Florida.
Before I got the motor and tranny, i ordered some parts from a junk yard, i needed the clutch pedal and the clutch cable. To save money the auto manufactures produce a car that will have all the holes for manual and work with a automatic, so i just had to attach the clutch pedal to the empty holes.
When it came time to install the motor and tranny, it was not to hard. I had all the right tools, including a engine hoist.
PS. I did it all in a driveway with no cover…
