Somebody did the hard work and designed the case for our key fob that broke. I am sure glad they did! 

Has anyone else tried the SHARP GP2Y0AH01F sensor for auto bed leveling and Z height adjustment?  I have a proof of concept put together and it seems to be working well so far.  I can get 0.1mm repeat-ability.  It has an analog output that I run through a comparator to produce the digital signal for the Smoothie board.

I didn't want an inductive sensor because of the size and weight and I really like printing on glass.  The other IR sensors are not at all accurate.  This one does require a piece of paper to be placed on the bed to take measurements, but everyone has that.

http://www.sharp-world.com/products/device/lineup/data/pdf/datasheet/gp2y0ah01k_e.pdf

It ticks!  This project has taken me a long time, but I am happy with the results.  It is nice to hear it clicking away as I work.  

The plans are very reasonable and can be purchased at http://www.woodenclocks.co.uk/index.htm

The chrome magnet balls on the printer just don't last, so I changed the design to include universal joints with loaded bearings to maintain accuracy while improving the longevity of the components. I printed a large vase to make sure that the new solution could handle the full build volume.

My Dell computer that ran my CNC router went flakey about a year ago and I replaced it.  After tearing it apart, I think I found the problem.  The capacitors went bad on the motherboard.  These two were noticable so I replaced them.  The computer is back up and running.  Hopefully it will be much more reliable.

I did this once before but lost it, so I did it again and it is now forever in cyberspace. The puzzle is to make every number in the street address that you have ever lived at mathematically equal to 9.

1200: 10-(2^0)
2088: 8+2-(8^0)
130: 3^(10b)
3987: 8+3-(9-7)
164: 6+4-1
1415: (4/1)+(5/1)
3250: 2*5-(3^0)
8841: 8+(8/4)-1

I had to get creative and use binary for 130, but I got it.

I got to spend some quality time with the CNC router today.  The picture shows about half of the parts necessary to build Brian Law's Clock 22.   I finally have a working setup that is easy to use!  This is mainly because of the new CAM-BAM software that somebody recommended.  I highly recommed it for DXF to G-Code conversion.  Especially for routers like this one that run LinuxCNC.  It is super easy to use and easy to insert the holding taps that keep the part from lifting up after it is finished.

I started a print without realizing that I needed support material!  The corners of this box are about 1mm off the build plate. 

I saved the print with cake icing.  It seemed to work quite well, and it should be easy to clean off when it is done.  I think it would work even better if the icing was a little thicker.  The icing I used came in a tube and was the consistency of thick toothpaste.  Mixing it with flour or baking soda might make it work even better.

I am pretty pleased with the outcome of this pinewood derby car I made just for fun. It is legal as far as I know. The original design is here: http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1229317

I changed the wood block to have pseudo suspension. The top and fenders are printed in Stainless PLA from Protopasta and is nice and heavy. One screw holds the top to the wooden block right at the center of gravity. Most of the weight is in the top piece. The wood block was inspired by pictures I saw on the internet but those had independant 4 wheel suspension and I didn't want to go overboard. I notched the center with the belt sander until it had the right amount of spring to it (which isn't much).

Got the majority of the plastic erector set all cut out.  I still need to design and print the L brackets and some of the more 3D parts.  This will be a Christmas present for the boys, and they had no idea what I was working on all day.

TRESTLE all lit up!  Ebay LED strips from china fit right in the makerslide grooves.  The 12V dimmer is also from Ebay.  One reel of lights was all that is necessary.  One step closer to having a webcam monitor the prints all night long.