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Scratch Build – In Progress Metaversa 02: Ada

Discussion in 'Project Logs' started by Nexxo, 21 Jan 2014.

  1. stonedsurd

    stonedsurd Is a cackling Yuletide Belgian

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    Enamel! Champleve that naked Aluminium!

    I don't know how Alu stands up to enamel-curing levels of heat though, but you can probably cheat by using enamel finish paint.
     
  2. Nexxo

    Nexxo * Prefab Sprout – The King of Rock 'n' Roll

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    There are enamels that will work at low temperatures. I am also looking at pattern anodising. There are a range of options to explore --luckily Birmingham has a jewellery quarter and associated college...

    Moreover that tray won't be a blank sheet of aluminium --there will be brass SSD brackets, a cable guide... a fair bit of surface detail covering it.
     
  3. Cheapskate

    Cheapskate Insane? or just stupid?

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    Have I tossed the suggestion of silk-screened scrollwork in recently?
     
  4. Nexxo

    Nexxo * Prefab Sprout – The King of Rock 'n' Roll

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    I aten't dead...

    Just to show that despite many distractions (many, many distractions) the project is not dead, some pictures of the switch assembly that I have been working on:

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    Left will be power, right will be reset. The switches will be actuated by a piston mechanism linked to the lever arms in the front of the case. I'm already working on that part. Pics soon.
     
  5. Vault-Tec

    Vault-Tec Green Plastic Watering Can

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    Lever arms and pistons? tell me more....
     
  6. Cheapskate

    Cheapskate Insane? or just stupid?

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    The thread twitched a little?!!? :D
    Tidy. Will there be a healthy click noise when switched? -Or are you aiming for a full-fledged 'kachunk."
     
  7. Nexxo

    Nexxo * Prefab Sprout – The King of Rock 'n' Roll

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    At the moment it works out as a healthy click (ka-chunk and maniacal laughter optional). I am still working out the dampening to catch the piston when it returns to the default position, but made some more bits today. Working well so far.
     
  8. Flibblebot

    Flibblebot Smile with me

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    You forgot the sparks too. Surely there's room to put a Jacob's Ladder in there somewhere?
     
  9. Cheapskate

    Cheapskate Insane? or just stupid?

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    I think a puff of steam out the underside on startup would be more pleasing. Sparks and knife switches might not play well with modern surge-detecting PSUs.
     
  10. GLA-58

    GLA-58 What's a Dremel?

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    And so I went through the complete blog.
    And now here I sit, in awe and wonder. :thumb:
    Well done mate.

    But there is just one tiny little thing on your build that irritates me: The case is perfect, the watercooling thing gorgeous, the psu tray splendid, the handlebars awesome, the powercord and plugs beautifull;

    BUT WHAT ABOUT THAT IRRITATING PLASTIC SWITCH ON THE PSU ? :wallbash: :wallbash:

    I my not so humble opinion: make something out of it. BUT NOT PLASTIC!

    thx for reading this
     
  11. Nexxo

    Nexxo * Prefab Sprout – The King of Rock 'n' Roll

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    That's a good point, actually. Wouldn't take a lot of effort to... hmmm...

    (Nijmegen? Daar ging ik bijna naar de universiteit! :))
     
  12. Hukkel

    Hukkel James' minion

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    All that aluminium work is very nice :)
     
  13. Nexxo

    Nexxo * Prefab Sprout – The King of Rock 'n' Roll

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    Skyrip did some nice CNC work for me on the frame. :)

    I prefer working in brass, but that would make the thing insanely heavy.

    However in terms of its Steampunk theme, in Victorian times aluminium would have been considered very high-tech. Although it is the third-most abundant element in the Earth's crust and hence nowadays also the most abundant and cheapest, in the mid-1880s aluminium was exceedingly difficult to produce, which made pure aluminium more valuable than gold. So celebrated was the metal that bars of aluminium were exhibited at the Exposition Universelle of 1855. Napoleon III of France is reputed to have held a banquet where the most honoured guests were given aluminium utensils, while the others were made to do with gold ones.

    A brief snapshot of the current status of the ludicrously overengineered switch gear:

    Making itty-bitty parts...

    [​IMG]

    Very itty-bitty parts...

    [​IMG]

    These pieces involved a lot of measuring and test fitting. They have to be the right length but the collars also have to hit the brass strike plate just as the button is fully depressed, so that it is actuated but is not forced to breaking point by pulling the lever too forcefully. They also need to be hollowed out by 3mm so they fit over the narrow part of the button pin. The other end has to be tapped (M4) but not sink into the slide block too far to obstruct the hinge pin for the lever arm.

    Screwed into the slide blocks:

    [​IMG]

    The test assembly. On the other side of the side blocks are prongs with rubber 1mm x 4mm diameter O-rings to catch and dampen the return. This again required careful measurement as the blocks need to strike them just when the buttons are fully un-pressed.

    [​IMG]

    (The brass rectangles are just place holders. The slide blocks have had some more detailing since.)
     
    Last edited: 23 Oct 2016
  14. redax

    redax Multimodder

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    Unique design :thumb: Excellent work man !!
     
  15. Nexxo

    Nexxo * Prefab Sprout – The King of Rock 'n' Roll

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    Here's my ludicrously over-engineered switch assembly...

    [​IMG]

    And here is how it will all fit together.

    [​IMG]

    Almost there...
     
    Last edited: 12 Nov 2016
  16. Nexxo

    Nexxo * Prefab Sprout – The King of Rock 'n' Roll

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    Today I have been mostly test fitting the switch assembly:

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]
     
  17. Andreas | Brodholm

    Andreas | Brodholm Minimodder

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    Holy crap. There is sooo much work/hours in this project. I know how much time every little thing takes to make. Both design and production. Huge respect!

    Looking forward to the result! Will you anodize the 6082 alu?

    Keep it up!
     
    Last edited: 15 Feb 2017
  18. Nexxo

    Nexxo * Prefab Sprout – The King of Rock 'n' Roll

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    Not sure. I quite like the raw aluminium look. Brass ages beautifully so I may leave that alone too, although I have some special lacquer that is a reproduction of the dyed lacquer that they used in Victorian times to coat brass scientific instruments with.

    Yeah, it's surprising how long it takes to machine each part. And there's lot of them: Between the PSU cradle and the switch gear there's 51 machined parts (plus 20 screws). I had to prototype a few bits too to get the dimensions right --sometimes it came down to 0.1mm... Next will be designing the PCB that holds the nixie tubes in place in the gap between the lever arms. Lots of cardboard models coming up... The design keeps getting more and more elaborate as my ambitions keep running ahead of my skill.

    Man, I'd love to have access to that CNC of yours!
     
    Last edited: 14 Nov 2016
  19. eucalyptus

    eucalyptus I am 19 and Swedish!

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    Nexxo, u are the man of the year! Wow, that's the only word I can come up with.


    Yeah, I just wanted to let you know that I I LOVE YOUR WORK! I am so jealous of everything you got, the skills and tools to make those amazing beautiful parts you got there, it's so beautiful.


    Somehow reminds of the big boxes of Lego I usually had for Christmas many years back and you sat there on the floor for a whole week 24/7 to put it together piece by piece. I get the same feeling when watching your work, it's lovely!


    Cheers from Sweden!
     
  20. Nexxo

    Nexxo * Prefab Sprout – The King of Rock 'n' Roll

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    Many thanks!

    I grew up with Lego myself --I had a big tub of it and like you would spend days building all sorts of stuff. Obviously Lego creates modders. :)
     

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