The Making Of monotrino, Part 8

2013-07-29 dada No category

This numbered post series is getting kinda awkward… but we’re in for a penny, in for a pound.

I didn’t really do much soldering this weekend, maybe 1 hour. This is the updated stripboard status:

Getting pretty crowded, huh? :-)

In fact, I should probably wait till I receive the female Dupont connectors I ordered to finalize the wiring. I should have ordered them much earlier, dammit :-)

The thing is: right now I’m using a type of female header strip (this type, precisely) because they’re cheap, readily available at my local shop, can be separated easily with a cutter, and the “grip” on a header pin is decent.

But when you have to stack 12 of them side by side at 2.54mm distance, well, it gets ugly. So last week I ordered on ebay 150 connectors and crimp contacts for a whooping grand total of 3.84€, shipping included. Wonderful Chinese prices :-)

But enough chitchatting. The real bulky work of the weekend was actually the least electronic part of the project. Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the wooden case!

Wait, wait, don’t laugh yet. You would assume something like this is child’s play for someone even minimally acquainted with manual work. Literally: a kid at school could have done it (and better looking!) as “this week’s project”.

Well, for me it was a full afternoon of sweating, swearing, scorched hands and muscle aches :-(

Not to mention having to clean up half of the apartment filled up with tools and wood shavings.

You can laugh freely now. It’s really embarassing how ungiven I’m at this. There is a reason, after all, why I work as a programmer and not as a craftsman.

In other news, I also spent a few hours dismantling the Studiocraft mixer. What a magnificent device! Everything inside was meant to be serviced, replaced in case of need, eventually hacked and/or improved. I got a bucketful of reusable components already, and didn’t even start desoldering! Pics will follow in a next post.

Next achievement unlocked: the panel!

cheers,
Aldo

I’m Back! Upcycling Like A Boss