For people who like projects and pics...

[Hupjai]

I'm making a garage door opener for my GS.  This is a project for a Product Design class I'm taking so I get bonus credit for this one

I bought a keychain garage door opener and cracked the case open and measured the circuit board inside.  Using SolidWorks I drew the two halves of the housing and created a button that is hinged on a 1/16" diameter pin.  I purchased some pins, springs, and plastic screws from Amazon and McMaster.  Then I uploaded the models to Shapeways and ordered the housing halves in black plastic and the button in white plastic.

They are due to arrive on April 18th and I cannot wait!

If my words don't make sense thats because I have been working on this nonstop since 6:30pm (5.5 hours) and I think I blinked 4 times during that period.  I'm going to bed now.

Make moar for us!

[marcusk]

That is cool.  What I want from the world is a website where you can very very simply design a 3D object like that and then have it manufactured.  Either 3D printed or cnc machined . Injection Moulded or such things. If you like the idea take it just make it so I can use it.  As long as it's cost effective for the end user.

[lucas]

Make moar for us!

That's definitely possible.  Once I get it and verify that it fits and works I can make some for you all.

I updated the design today to make it also compatible with Genie openers.

As it is the plastic bits cost about $45 when purchased from shapeways.  I might be able to make them cheaper if I can get access to the 3d printers at school.

[ShowBizWolf]

lucas this is an awesome idea!!! I'd totally be interested in something like this too. My huge Craftsman/Sears garage door opener is just hanging off the clutch cable and I've always gotta remember to take it off when there's a chance of rain.

Which brings up a good question, will yours be waterproof ?

I also am worried about my current opener getting banged around and whatnot... I'm sure they aren't made for that (although they should be for what one costs  )

[TheGreenWeenie]

Does it happen to come with a garage? cause i'm getting real sick of stopping what I'm working on due to the rain. 

[Hupjai]

I wish I had photos of my former opener. I had a BMW E36 I used to own that I had wired up my opener to a stock button in the car. If you can solder, it would be super easy to tape it up and hide it in a clever spot... say, head light cowling. Then have a button near your controls..... I might have a new project but I don't have a garage door!

[lucas]

Yeah Hupjai, there are definitely other options like that.  I'm taking a product design class and we had to come up with something that was marketable and also didn't already exist.

[pliskin]

I have my opener on my key ring. Programmable opener for $10 that I got off amazon. I taped it to my handlebar redneck style.

[ShowBizWolf]

I wonder if they make one that would work for my ancient opener... I believe it was installed the same year I was born 

It has the 9 little switches inside that you pick a combination for and then duplicate the combination on the opener to program it...

I will have to do some searching !!

[Big Rich]

I wonder if they make one that would work for my ancient opener... I believe it was installed the same year I was born 

It has the 9 little switches inside that you pick a combination for and then duplicate the combination on the opener to program it...

I will have to do some searching !!

Found it Showbiz!

https://secure.img1.wfrcdn.com/lf/49/hash/2978/386320/1/Deluxe%2BDrawbridge.jpg

Haha..... kidding of course. Pretty sure I've got a couple years on ya.

[ShowBizWolf]

Bahhahahahahaha omg I just LOLed here at work... glad nobody was around !!

That's awesome Rich 

...though I will say my garage door opener certainly is as LOUD as a drawbridge when it would hit the ground   

[Hupjai]

Bahhahahahahaha omg I just LOLed here at work... glad nobody was around !!

That's awesome Rich 

...though I will say my garage door opener certainly is as LOUD as a drawbridge when it would hit the ground   

Have you considered replacing the bearing/rollers? (New project!  )

After the garage door opener was replaced with an already quiet shaft driven one,  replacing the rollers made a significant  difference.

Excuse the household mod geek. I don't even have a house!

Washing machine beating replacement was a success btw!

[DarkWolf]

Okay so this isn't mechanical but it's a project I did so I thought maybe it'd fit in this thread.

This is the first thing I ever tried to knit. I chose to do a scarf because it's simple enough, you know? Four sides and such. I used the Knit, or Garland stitch for this scarf with size 5 bamboo wood knitting needles and acrylic yarn I bought at Walmart because I didn't want to invest too much in a new hobby.

This was my beginning at a local Paneras. It wasn't easy. I got stuck a lot and had to have my friend fix my mistakes, show me how to do the stitch over and over again and start the scarf it for me because I didn't know how to bind on (meaning start the beginning of the scarf with a closed end).




Finished scarf with loose thread ends that I never figured out how to deal with. I had a lot of issues with the sides of the scarf when I'd finish a row. It wasn't even and bugged me the entire time. I've fixed this in my 2nd scarf attempt though.

[lucas]

Cool!  With the extra bits on the end you should cut them down to about a 4 inch length and thread it back along the end of the scarf.  Kind of like sewing when you back up over your stitch to  lock it in.  That way it holds the free end securely and you don't have an ugly knot hanging off one corner.

this is real easy to do if you use a crochet hook.

[DarkWolf]

Cool!  With the extra bits on the end you should cut them down to about a 4 inch length and thread it back along the end of the scarf.  Kind of like sewing when you back up over your stitch to  lock it in.  That way it holds the free end securely and you don't have an ugly knot hanging off one corner.

this is real easy to do if you use a crochet hook.

Posting this actually motivated me to finally do this (or at least it reminded me that it needed done). I kinda learned how to do it with the crochet hook like you said, from the friend that taught me how to knit in the first place.  It seemed like she usually did it a different way, but seeing as I already handed her the crochet hook, she used that.

So, I guess there are different ways to do it.

[Hupjai]

Nice! Looks great!   

[lucas]

That is cool.  What I want from the world is a website where you can very very simply design a 3D object like that and then have it manufactured.  Either 3D printed or cnc machined . Injection Moulded or such things. If you like the idea take it just make it so I can use it.  As long as it's cost effective for the end user.

It has never been easier.  There are free 3D programs like Autodesk 123D which is really user friendly.  Once you are happy with the object you designed save it as a .STL, upload it to Shapeways.com and they'll print it and ship it to you.

Speaking of shapeways, two of the components are "in production" I'm so pumped I want it to be here now!

[Hupjai]

That is cool.  What I want from the world is a website where you can very very simply design a 3D object like that and then have it manufactured.  Either 3D printed or cnc machined . Injection Moulded or such things. If you like the idea take it just make it so I can use it.  As long as it's cost effective for the end user.

It has never been easier.  There are free 3D programs like Autodesk 123D which is really user friendly.  Once you are happy with the object you designed save it as a .STL, upload it to Shapeways.com and they'll print it and ship it to you.

Speaking of shapeways, two of the components are "in production" I'm so pumped I want it to be here now!

Oh. My. Goodness.

Shut. The. Front. Door.

I'm so excited for you! xD

[DarkWolf]

Nice! Looks great!   

Thanks!

[DarkWolf]

This is a pic of the progress of my 2nd scarf. For this scarf I am using the purl stitch and I am doing an English Selvege Edge to make the edges look more finished. I am also working on my tension still.

I lost my bamboo needles halfway through this scarf and had to get a new pair! It threw off my tension for a bit. I ended up unraveling a lot of what is seen here because of a tension issue I was having but I wanted to show my 2nd scarf progress.