From my childhood, I have dreamed of my own home cinema. Before we find some final living accommodation, where I could do a proper
home-cinema setup, I needed something portable and limited in footprint. That is why I have opted for an Ultra Short Throw (UST) projector, which meets this requirement exactly. In order to have it nicely stowed away when not it unsed, I have set out to build a custom cabinet with a special
motorized drawer that opens/closes based on the projector.
I have designed the cabinet in Fusion 360, my friend cabinet-maker built it, and I have set out to build the electronics powering it. I used
ESP32 for the "brain" of the cabinet, built custom firmware with MicroPython, and used a linear actuator for moving the drawer. See the linked
GitHub repo for more details.
I am DIY tinker...
I have always been drawn to tinkering with things. Since I was a kid, I loved to take broken appliances and take them apart. Sometimes learning how they work, sometimes just playing with some parts inside.Since then, I have moved on from learning by destruction to learning by doing. Nowadays, I enjoy my free time to explore all new areas, usually through some project that introduces me to the problematic and usually results in either my kids having a new toy or ... me having some new toy.
I am not focused on one specific skill; rather, I enjoy "hoarding of capabilities". While I might not be master of one domain, this allows projects to be created end-to-end without outsourcing parts. Some machines I have collected over the years are a MIG welder, a woodworking combined machine (table-saw, shaper, planner), CO2 laser, electronic bench with solder, etc., 3D printer, and more. Usually, new projects bring new tools.
Space rocket control panel
For space-themed summer camp where I volunteer, I was tasked to make a space-rocket out of a tent - including a control panel for it.
I started working on it and, well... ended up with maybe a bit of an over-engineered solution. Proper backlit, Apollo-mission inspired
fully operational control panel.
Unfortunately, due to time constraints, I did not manage to finish it properly by implementing the game loop I had designed for it. Only finished the case with the panels and populated it with all the switches and buttons, but they are not operational yet. This is all still TBD, and once my son grows up a bit, he will get it for some of his birthday.
Big inspiration for this project was The Warthog Project and Mission Control Desk.
Big inspiration for this project was The Warthog Project and Mission Control Desk.
Real-life sized Operation game
Another year at our summer camp, about a medical hospital, I was tasked with making some sort of surgical simulator.
I was inspired by the Operation game and made a real-life-size version.
There are nine "organs" that the kids need to "operate", which means to extract them from the organ's cavity with the provided tools. If they touch the cavity, the simulator will buzz and light up. Maybe in some future I would like to make a more "high-tech" version with a microcontroller that would make it more competitive. Track the time and number of touches. Maybe someday...
There are nine "organs" that the kids need to "operate", which means to extract them from the organ's cavity with the provided tools. If they touch the cavity, the simulator will buzz and light up. Maybe in some future I would like to make a more "high-tech" version with a microcontroller that would make it more competitive. Track the time and number of touches. Maybe someday...
Raised garden bed
Created a second raised garden bed with help from my son.
Now we are growing veggies!
Now we are growing veggies!