Trust me. It's a math thing. - Major Samantha Carter, Stargate SG-1

Category: Tech

Stargate Mk2 with DHD

Posted on by Jim Vo

I started building a Working Stargate Mk2 with Working DHD and SFX, designed by Glitch. I’m slowly working my way through the Arduino and stepper motor configuration. The documentation for this project is not spectacular, but the framework is there and it was a fun puzzle to figure out. It’s definitely not perfect, but still workable.

Printer: Creality Ender 3
Filament: HATCHBOX PLA (Silver), Overture PETC (Black), Duramic PETG (White)
Adhesive: Bob Smith Thick CA Glue
Electronics: Arduino Uno, Arduino Nano, DFPlayer MP3 Player, Nema-17 Stepper Motor, Miscellaneous Electronic Components, 24AWG Stranded Copper Silicone Wire

Ender 3 Enclosure

Posted on by Jim Vo

I built an IKEA LACK Enclosure for my Creality Ender 3.

This was my compromise instead of buying another 3D printer to collect dust in my craft corner while I neglected to even learn the basics. You got me… I wasn’t really going to buy another printer.

I also switched to using PETG Filament which is easy to work with at lower temperatures and less problematic than ABS. 3D printing works more reliably without a lot of temperature fluctuations, in general. I spent a lot of time researching so I could calibrate my prints. After fixing a problem with underextrusion, my prints have been coming out worlds better.

I built my enclosure from three IKEA LACK tables in black and a set of CAPITA legs. These bad boys set me back around $46 with tax. There were only 138 left in stock so of course I got there before they ran out! I did seriously consider the $10 delivery fee, but I would’ve missed out on the joy losing my car in the parking ramp and driving in sleet and ice.

LACK Table – https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/lack-side-table-black-20011408/
CAPITA – https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/capita-leg-stainless-steel-60263574/

I sandwiched the first 2 tables together with 7 out of the 8 legs, leaving the front open for storage. The last leg, I cut into 4 equal pieces to extend the next tier. My printer needed about 17″ for clearance and I wanted a little room overhead. I ended up with just a little under 20″ of height for the printer.

OK. I got a little lazy with this build log from here on out! Take a look through the images for build notes.

This double screw holds the legs onto the table. There is *just* enough wood there to be stable.
The tables are mostly layered cardboard with more paper and a little bit of particle board for support. I wouldn’t stand on it to change a light bulb but it works pretty well for a printer stand.
I attached cleats for the leg extensions. Yup, it’s a piece of leftover wood from my cat tower project.
Round 1: Fight! This worked kinda OK a removable top but I wanted something more structurally sound. Also the quality of this (we’ll just call it wood) isn’t that spectacular so it react well to be taken apart.
I opted for more cleats. It gave me something more substantial to attach the legs and corner supports to.
I added lights. It’s a set of Patriot Lighting RGBW 12V lights I bought from Menards with no real purpose in mind. They are craptacular. Don’t buy them. Seriously. They soldered a whole bunch of small sections together. I spent more time desoldering than I care to admit.
The lights aglow with a purple haze.
Added 4 plexiglass panels including a door with 3D printed hinges/handle.
Double magnets for the sides and back panels. The tops have M3 nut knobs for easier panel removal.
I discovered I had one of the early Ender 3 models with bad XT60 connectors. The negative terminal was melted and fused together.
Another shot of the XT60 Connector
I found telltale signs that my extruder was underextruding. Tested and found it was short by 3mm with my PETG filament. I had similar problems with my PLA filament as well.
Top-feeding filament spool. Still need to build a dry box around it. That’s my Octoprint server next to it. Raspberry Pi 3B+ with Octopi Stretch image.
Printed Filament Spool base stand.
Remote for my 12V Cabinet lighting system fitted with leftover badge magnets.

PHLEX

Posted on by Jim Vo

This week I’ve been tinkering with my fairly new Google Home device. I also added a Chromecast and have been watching Netflix and YouTube through the device. I’ve also enabled the CEC functions so I can turn the TV on/off.

However, I’m a man who tinkers to exhaustion and I needed something else to to augment my Google Home experience just that much further.

My very own PHLEX implementation is alive and functional using the digitalhigh/phlex image on the Docker Hub!

Oddly satisfying.

“Hey Google. Ask Flex TV to play Joe Versus the Volcano.”

“Hey Google. Ask Flex TV to play a random episode of Bob’s Burgers.”