SerendipitySueI've been using high-end industrial 3D scanners at work for 20+ years. The Revopoint POP is a consumer level 3D scanner that has high end features. It has dual IR sensors, IR projector, and a color texture map camera. It does feature or target stitching of accumulated scans. The frame rate is 8FPS. In a previous test I found that you could achieve the stated 0.3mm accuracy on small turntable parts. I wanted to better understand the limitation of large area scans. I set up an experiment to scan a large piece of float glass (50mm x 1650mm) that I spray painted flat white using Markers for scan alignment. The plate is very flat and so you can Best-fit the 3D scan data to a plane. You can measure the deviation of the scan data from the plane. In my test of combining 100+ scan frames I got an error of 15mm over a distance of 1.37M.
Revopoint POP 3D Scanner Mesh Stitching Error using MarkersSerendipitySue2021-12-16 | I've been using high-end industrial 3D scanners at work for 20+ years. The Revopoint POP is a consumer level 3D scanner that has high end features. It has dual IR sensors, IR projector, and a color texture map camera. It does feature or target stitching of accumulated scans. The frame rate is 8FPS. In a previous test I found that you could achieve the stated 0.3mm accuracy on small turntable parts. I wanted to better understand the limitation of large area scans. I set up an experiment to scan a large piece of float glass (50mm x 1650mm) that I spray painted flat white using Markers for scan alignment. The plate is very flat and so you can Best-fit the 3D scan data to a plane. You can measure the deviation of the scan data from the plane. In my test of combining 100+ scan frames I got an error of 15mm over a distance of 1.37M.
FTC Disclaimer: We may earn commissions for purchases made through the links below. As Amazon Associates we earn from qualifying purchases.New RYOBI 18V One+ Power Source with 12V Output Test & Review (RYi12VBGVNM)SerendipitySue2023-03-04 | I've been designing and 3D printing power stations for Ryobi 18V One+ batteries for several years. I think RYOBI has started listening to us. Their latest product provides 12V at 10A to a cigarette lighter socket. It also has a 30W USB-C Power Delivery port, 2.4A 5V USB-A ports, and 18W USB fast charge ports. It has a small LED light and a nice hook for carrying. I used a 9Ah (162Wh) battery to test the unit. At full power (10A), it ran for an hour and provided 115Wh of power. Unfortunately it doesn't have a built-in charger like the new 150W Inverter/Charger. This will be great for running CPAP machines, Cooler/Freezers, and other 12V devices under 120W. Great for Camping!
FTC Disclaimer: We may earn commissions for purchases made through the links below. As Amazon Associates we earn from qualifying purchases.New RYOBI USB Flip USB Light and 3D Printed Mod (FVL52)SerendipitySue2023-02-10 | RYOBI has been adding new tools to their USB Lithium line-up. Last year I created a Lantern and USB Charger/LED light that used the USB batteries. RYOBI has added two new USB LED lights. A flip light (FVL52) and a small flashlight (FVL51). I find the Flip light to be very convenient. It has a magnetic base, 2x4" gripper, and screw mounting slots. The thing I found lacking was a light hook. So I designed and 3D printed one. I also did some battery duration and temperature tests.
FTC Disclaimer: We may earn commissions for purchases made through the links below. As Amazon Associates we earn from qualifying purchases.The problem with having a 3D printer is that you have no excuse for not fixing things :-)SerendipitySue2023-02-05 | I have several 3D printers and scanners. It's fun designing and printing things. Of course, then you don't have any excuses for not fixing things
FTC Disclaimer: We may earn commissions for purchases made through the links below. As Amazon Associates we earn from qualifying purchases.Using Ground Penetrating RADAR (GPR) to uncover Unknown Graves and Gravestones in Historic CemeterySerendipitySue2023-02-02 | Our local Historic Cemetery was started around 1802. This past summer we reset 85 Gravestones,. We found 6 Gravestones that had fallen over years ago and were buried. We repaired and cleaned many old Gravestones. We were interested in finding out if there were more fallen/buried Gravestones. There are Transient Grounds where people who died in the Erie Canal or on Town Roads were buried. Unfortunately the records for this area were not well kept. We had no idea how many people were buried. I contacted Dr. David Leslie Director of Archaeological ResearchHeritage Consultants, LLC Berlin, CT. He had a Ground Penetrating RADAR (GPR) unit and the expertise to use it in a Cemetery. Here's the process that we followed and the results that we obtained.
FTC Disclaimer: We may earn commissions for purchases made through the links below. As Amazon Associates we earn from qualifying purchases.Revopoint Mini scanning mold instead of part to make a trumpet mouthpieceSerendipitySue2023-01-18 | #shorts My brother-inlaw was swinging by on his way home. He's an avid trumpet player and was mentioning it would be nice to have a plastic mouth piece. Especially for traveling and for playing in cold weather. We didn't have time to pull out my Revopoint Mini 3D Scanner, so I just grabbed some clay and made a mold of the side and end. I wish I had used white clay, but I used AESUB spray and it scanned fine. I made a solid model and 3D printed it in PETG. My brother-inlaw did a quick comparison. It doesn't sound as good, but will suffice for some applicatIons.
FTC Disclaimer: We may earn commissions for purchases made through the links below. As Amazon Associates we earn from qualifying purchases.XTool Laser Engraving Leather BookmarksSerendipitySue2023-01-17 | #shorts I wanted to make some leather bookmarks for my book club friends. I created some artwork and used the Lightburn software to laser engrave the leather. I used painters tape to remove the soot.
FTC Disclaimer: We may earn commissions for purchases made through the links below. As Amazon Associates we earn from qualifying purchases.XTool D1 PRO 20W Leather Cutting and EngravingSerendipitySue2023-01-14 | My daughter had a birthday and I wanted to make something unique. I decided to cut and engrave a leather hair barrett and luggage tags with her favorite giraffe logo on them. Here's how I did it.
FTC Disclaimer: We may earn commissions for purchases made through the links below. As Amazon Associates we earn from qualifying purchases.XTool D1 Pro 20W Laser Etching Glasses & Tumblers using Marker SpraySerendipitySue2023-01-10 | My Sister-in-Law broke a favorite brandy glass and asked us if we did glass engraving. I just got an XTool D1 Pro 20W laser to make stainless steel signs. So I decided to try to laser engrave glasses. That worked so nicely, I also bought a case of painted stainless steel thermos. They came out great too! Here is how I did it
FTC Disclaimer: We may earn commissions for purchases made through the links below. As Amazon Associates we earn from qualifying purchases.Xtool Blue & IR Laser Cutter /Engraver. Making Outside Signs out of Acrylic and Stainless SteelSerendipitySue2022-12-28 | I needed some outdoor signs for a project I was doing in the local historic cemetery. I experimented with Acrylic and Stainless Steel. I have an XTOOL 20W blue laser and a 2W Infrared laser. The 20W Blue laser does a nice job cutting the 1/8 inch Acrylic sheets. The 2W IR laser worked well to engrave both the Acrylic and Stainless steel sheets.
FTC Disclaimer: We may earn commissions for purchases made through the links below. As Amazon Associates we earn from qualifying purchases.New RYOBI 18V 150W Charger / Inverter (RYi150CVNM)SerendipitySue2022-11-17 | After waiting for over two years, I was finally able to order the new RYi150CVNM RYOBI 18V 150W Charger / Inverter. I ran a bunch of tests on it. It is still a Modified Sine Wave inverter. It now has a 30W USB-C PD port that can be used to charge it. This allows you to charge it in your car or with a Solar Panel! Unfortunately it does not have Pass-Thru charging. The AC/DC turn off when you charge it :-(
FTC Disclaimer: We may earn commissions for purchases made through the links below. As Amazon Associates we earn from qualifying purchases.3D Scanning, 3D Printing, and Casting Concrete ObjectsSerendipitySue2022-11-09 | Our local historic Cemetery has several monuments that have missing or broken marble finials. I decided to try to make replacements out of concrete. I used my Revopoint POP2 3D scanner to scan a broken finial. Aligning the finial axis to the CAD coordinate system I sketched the finial profile. Rotating the sketch about the finial axis gave me a nice 3D model. I then subtracted the finial model from a larger cylinder and made a mold. Because of the large size, I had to break the mold into four pieces so they would fit on my Prusa 3D printer. It took over 2 days and a spool of filament to print each piece! It took two tries, but I am now making replacements!
You can use this same approach to make other yard art like gnomes, angels, cupids, etc.
FTC Disclaimer: We may earn commissions for purchases made through the links below. As Amazon Associates we earn from qualifying purchases.Cleaning, Resetting, and Repairing GravestonesSerendipitySue2022-09-05 | Sue and I spent time this summer volunteering at a local historic Cemetery. It started out simply enough. We thought if we could get the fallen grave stones out of the way, we could reduce the 10+ hours it takes to mow and weed-wack the Cemetery. Well sixty plus stones later and we are engrossed by all the history and mysteries of the Cemetery. Luckily my friend Robert lent us his small Kubota Backhoe for several months. It's made it much easier to lift, move, dig, and reset stones. We have advanced on to cleaning stones. The moss, mold, and pollution has made it hard to read many old stones. After speaking to several experts, we are now repairing some of the broken stones. A local Scout did his Eagle Project on photographing and recording the Cemetery in Find-A-Grave. It has been a rewarding experience! I would definitely suggest helping out your local Cemeteries by volunteering.
FTC Disclaimer: We may earn commissions for purchases made through the links below. As Amazon Associates we earn from qualifying purchases.DIY Solar Hot TubSerendipitySue2022-08-27 | I decided to make a hot tub powered by a solar pump and 200ft of black hose. I used a 150 gallon stock tank. It works nice!
FTC Disclaimer: We may earn commissions for purchases made through the links below. As Amazon Associates we earn from qualifying purchases.RYOBI 18V AC Adapter HackSerendipitySue2022-07-29 | People always ask me if there is a way to run their 18V RYOBI tools off of AC. I recently purchased a RYOBI P750 18V Pump. It came with a 18V 8.3A Power Brick. They use standard Audio XLR connectors. I used a 18V battery carcass from the recycle bin and wired it to a male XLR connector. It works great for low power RYOBI 18V tools. It did not work for high Amperage tools.
FTC Disclaimer: We may earn commissions for purchases made through the links below. As Amazon Associates we earn from qualifying purchases.RYOBI P750 Hybrid Transfer Pump Review (It will run on Solar!)SerendipitySue2022-06-28 | I bought the RYOBI 18V ONE+ HYBRID TRANSFER PUMP. I love that it runs on the 18V batteries. It makes it really useful for small jobs. It also comes with a power brick so you can run it with AC power. I was thinking it would be great if we could run it on solar. Then you could use it off-grid for pumping shallow well water, pond aeration, or irrigation. In my tests it pumped 277 gallons/hour at ground level and 220 gallons/hour at a height of 90 inches.
For a test I hooked it up to two 100W flexible solar panels. Because the Vmp of the solar panels is 18.5V it's perfect for the range of a RYOBI 18V battery (15-21V). The pump took around 5.74A in my test. The solar panel Imp is 5.41A, so you need at least two 100W panels to run the pump.
I hooked it up to solar in two different ways. First I used an 18V recycled battery case and connected it to MC4 connectors. Then I ordered audio XLR plugs and wired it to MC4 connectors.
The only down side is that if a cloud passes over and the voltage drops to low, I had to toggle the on/off switch to get it to run again. I had hoped it would just start up again when the sun came out.
FTC Disclaimer: We may earn commissions for purchases made through the links below. As Amazon Associates we earn from qualifying purchases.Kayaking Kayaderosseras Creek from Lake Lonely to Saratoga LakeSerendipitySue2022-06-17 | It was a nice day, so with a couple of friends we decided to take our kayaks/canoes up to Saratoga NY. There is a launch near Lake Lonely. You can meander down the Kayaderosseras Creek to Saratoga Lake. After a relaxing kayak, we headed down to Brown's Beach at the southern end of Saratoga Lake. We had a nice dinner at Dock Brown's Tavern
lakelonelywatersports.com/paddleboard-and-kayak-rentals http://brownsbeachresort.com/dock-brownsRYOBI Expand-it Cultivator Using 40V Brushless Power HeadSerendipitySue2022-06-13 | We have an old gas Rototiller. I was looking for something smaller that Sue could use to cultivate all of her gardens. We have a RYOBI 40V Brushless Weed Wacker. It has the Expand-it connector, so I picked up the Expand-it Cultivator. With the 4Ah battery it weighs about 21lbs. It sure beats using an iron rake. But it's not going to break up sod like the heavy old gas Rototiller.Revopoint POP/POP2 Robotic Arm and Automated Turntable ScanningSerendipitySue2022-05-24 | I saw a Facebook Post from Revopoint asking what kind of options we would like to see for their new MINI 3D Scanner. I'd like to see a controllable turn-table and an articulated arm that would allow you to program/teach a Scan or Inspection path. Please let me know what you think and if you have any recommendations for a robotic arm and automated turntable.
Here are some of the things I used: * Revopoint POP2 3D scanner ( amzn.to/3uiSDsO ) * Robot Arm ( amzn.to/3MFRAdl ) FTC Disclaimer: We may earn commissions for purchases made through the links below. As Amazon Associates we earn from qualifying purchases.South Hero Island Vermont - Camping and BikingSerendipitySue2022-05-21 | Last fall our 17 Year Old Black Lab Shadow passed. We did a spur of the moment trailer trailer trip to South Hero Island Vermont on Lake Champlain to get away and grieve. We wanted to ride our bikes on the Lake Champlain causeway bike trail. Unfortunately it was the end of the season and the bike ferry had already closed for the year. We visited the Snow Farm Vineyard and Winery and the St. Anne Shrine. It was a nice tripScanning Shiny Car Parts for Replacement & Modification with Revopoint POP 3D ScannerSerendipitySue2022-05-17 | I'm not as artistic as many people that use the Revopoint POP scanners ($450), but I use them to reverse engineer things to make new parts. For this example I'm going to use my old POP scanner and reverse engineer the radio/dash of my 1957 Oldsmobile Super 88.
FTC Disclaimer: We may earn commissions for purchases made through the links below. As Amazon Associates we earn from qualifying purchases.Revopoint POP2 3D Scanner Scan Volume and Flatness ErrorSerendipitySue2022-05-07 | Scanner Standoff affects the Scan Volume, Accuracy, and Resolution. With the latest version of Revopoint Revoscan, the scan preview window shows you more than the actual 3D Scan. The software now only provides the best calibrated data. I thought I'd make a chart showing the Scan Area versus the Scanner Standoff. I used a flat white plate to demonstrate the Scanner FOV (Field of View). I also Best-fit the data to a Plane and calculated the flatness error.
FTC Disclaimer: We may earn commissions for purchases made through the links below. As Amazon Associates we earn from qualifying purchases.2022 Albany NY Tulip Festival Washington ParkSerendipitySue2022-05-03 | In 1947, residents of Albany collected 300 tons of donated food, clothing, medical supplies, household items, and building materials to Nijmegen Netherlands. They were severely bombed during WWII. In gratitude, the Queen of the Netherlands sent a shipment of Tulips. That started the first Tulip Festival in 1948. This year there are over 100,000 bulbs planted.3D Scan to 3D Print - Tradeoffs of 3 ApproachesSerendipitySue2022-04-26 | So you finally got a 3D Scanner. Now what? Most people want to be able to 3D print something. I use my Revopoint POP2 and Prusa 3D Printer to Reverse Engineer things and to make new parts. A lot of the time, the part I'm scanning is defective. I just can't print the Scan. I show three different approaches that I use to go from 3D Scan to 3D Print.
FTC Disclaimer: We may earn commissions for purchases made through the links below. As Amazon Associates we earn from qualifying purchases.Using Revopoint POP2 to make Replacement PartsSerendipitySue2022-04-23 | People ask me all the time what you can do with the Revopoint POP 3D Scanner. My neighbor had a broken part off a 2HP 1700 RPM electric motor and wondered if I could scan and 3D print it. It took me about 1.5 hours to 3D scan and to do the CAD work. It was around an 8 hour print job. The results came out nice!
FTC Disclaimer: We may earn commissions for purchases made through the links below. As Amazon Associates we earn from qualifying purchases.Revopoint POP2 Single View Accuracy and Precision TestsSerendipitySue2022-04-16 | There has been a lot of discussion in the 3D Scanner Forums about the accuracy claims being made by the venders. I wanted to learn more how they are arriving at their numbers and I wanted to do an independent test. Revopoint uses a Ceramic Ball Bar and a single view (that eliminates turn-table alignment errors). These Ball bars are extremely expensive, so I purchased three different size precision step blocks and did a single view test. The results were impressive. The mean error was close to zero and the precision (std.dev.) was less than 0.1mm.
FTC Disclaimer: We may earn commissions for purchases made through the links below. As Amazon Associates we earn from qualifying purchases.Revopoint POP2 3D Scanner Accuracy Test on Turn-table using Step-BlockSerendipitySue2022-04-14 | I got my Revopoint POP2 scanner. I'm pretty happy with it. I wanted to test the turn-table accuracy in both Marker Mode and Feature Mode. I used an easily obtainable precision step-block to run the tests. I got results in the 0.2-0.3mm Accuracy range. Revopoint is constantly improving their hardware, calibration, firmware, and software. I expect the scans will continue to get better.
Updated 4/19/2022: I also did a single view test that verified Revopoint 0.05mm single frame accuracy claim ( youtu.be/1Du2N5Uw_4I )
FTC Disclaimer: We may earn commissions for purchases made through the links below. As Amazon Associates we earn from qualifying purchases.RYOBI USB Lithium Battery 4V Power Bank and LightSerendipitySue2022-04-08 | Here's another application of the new RYOBI USB Lithium Battery. I used it for a solar charger base, 3 port USB charger and a light.
FTC Disclaimer: We may earn commissions for purchases made through the links below. As Amazon Associates we earn from qualifying purchases.RYOBI 18V LED LampSerendipitySue2022-04-01 | Here's a simple adapter for RYOBI 18V batteries. It uses a 12-24V LED Lightbulb and the RYOBI standard replacement battery clip. For the Socket, it uses the standard E26 ceramic socket easily available in the US. It's great for camping or power outages.
FTC Disclaimer: We may earn commissions for purchases made through the links below. As Amazon Associates we earn from qualifying purchases.RYOBI USB Lithium 4V Battery Adapter and Pop-up LanternSerendipitySue2022-03-30 | RYOBI has come out with a new USB Lithium 4V Battery system. The battery is charged via a USB type C port. So you can Solar Charge it! They only have come out with a Cutter, Screw driver, Chisel, and Rotary Tool. I designed and 3D printed an adapter so you can use the battery for other applications. As an example, I converted a Harbor Freight Pop-up LED Lantern to run off the RYOBI battery.
FTC Disclaimer: We may earn commissions for purchases made through the links below. As Amazon Associates we earn from qualifying purchases.Replacing Nissan Pathfinder Front Bearing. Do it yourself, save $SerendipitySue2022-03-23 | My 2015 Nissan Pathfinder AWD started making a "growling" noise. We're planning on getting out with our Jayco Trailer and I didn't want any problems on the road. My friend said it's pretty straight-forward to change a bearing. I thought it would be fun to learn (and to save $500)
FTC Disclaimer: We may earn commissions for purchases made through the links below. As Amazon Associates we earn from qualifying purchases.Hack to charge RYOBI 40V Batteries - Directly connect MPPT solar charge controllersSerendipitySue2022-03-17 | I've made several movies of how to charge RYOBI batteries by putting them in charge mode using a 1.2K Ohm resistor between the + and T1 connectors. Jim Shupe has figured out that you can put a RYOBI 40V battery into charge mode using a 300K Ohm resistor between the + and T1 connectors. This is great news because we can now directly connect a MPPT solar charge controller to the 40V batteries.
This video shows how to configure the MPPT solar controller ( youtu.be/xhLEnkzLj60 )
FTC Disclaimer: We may earn commissions for purchases made through the links below. As Amazon Associates we earn from qualifying purchases.RYOBI 18V Bug Zapper, LED Light, and USB ChargerSerendipitySue2022-03-13 | We always seem to get bugs/mosquitos in our trailer or tent when we are camping. I thought I'd make a Bug Zapper, Light, and USB Charger using 18V RYOBI batteries. It used the inexpensive Bug Zapper from Harbor Freight. I found a nice 12-24V adapter that has two USB Type A QC 3A ports and a USB Type C Power Delivery port.
FTC Disclaimer: We may earn commissions for purchases made through the links below. As Amazon Associates we earn from qualifying purchases.3D Scanner Resolution Test Artifact and Revopoint POP/POP2 ResultsSerendipitySue2022-03-11 | People constantly ask if one 3D Scanner is better than another. Users can often look at two 3D scans and say which one has better detail. Unfortunately vendors don't typically show how they get their Accuracy and Resolution Specifications. Often the test equipment is expensive and not something easily found by a consumer. In previous videos we have shown how to use simple step-blocks, 1-2-3 blocks, Billard Balls, and Flat plates to check accuracy. Here we have come up with a simple artifact that can be 3D printed. It can be checked with a caliper for accuracy. It can then be used to determine what a 3D scanner can resolve. Accurately resolving sharp edges is important for Reverse Engineering.
FTC Disclaimer: We may earn commissions for purchases made through the links below. As Amazon Associates we earn from qualifying purchases.RYOBI 18V Coffee MakerSerendipitySue2022-02-20 | I thought Sue said she wanted me to make a RYOBI coffee maker, but it turns out she just wanted a cup of coffee. So here is my project in case you need a battery powered hot water / coffee maker ;-) There are two versions and a couple of accessories. I'd like to add some additional features. I wish I could find a mug that has a built-in thermostat. The only ones I see are 12V.
FTC Disclaimer: We may earn commissions for purchases made through the links below. As Amazon Associates we earn from qualifying purchases.Revopoint POP Scanning Small parts... working around problemsSerendipitySue2022-02-20 | I was trying to 3D print a replacement needle for my small knitting machine. I used the Revopoint POP scanner. I ran into a problem with it not being able to scan small parts. Support told me that part should be at least 50x50x50mm. I got around the problem by putting the small part on top of a larger one. Unfortunately this requires you to edit out the extra scan data. With such a small part, the three different scan views were pretty ratty. I managed to align them. I used a set of calipers to go over ever dimension I could and put the "correct" value in. I got a pretty good CAD model. My SLA 3D printer did a nice job with the print. Even my 3D EDM printer was able to print it (it was pretty ugly), but it still worked!
FTC Disclaimer: We may earn commissions for purchases made through the links below. As Amazon Associates we earn from qualifying purchases.RYOBI 18V Heating Pads and ScarfsSerendipitySue2022-02-10 | My back, neck, and shoulders were killing me after shoveling all this ice and snow! What I needed was a nice heating pad :-) I built one using a RYOBI 18V as a portable power source. I found some small Polymide heating coils on Amazon. Putting two in series provides 140-150F of heat without the need for a thermostat. It only draws 10Watts. It will run 15+ hours on a 9Ah battery.
FTC Disclaimer: We may earn commissions for purchases made through the links below. As Amazon Associates we earn from qualifying purchases.RYOBI 18V Sewing MachineSerendipitySue2022-02-07 | I think RYOBI is missing out on a potential useful tool. They have 18V glue guns and staplers. What they need is a portable sewing machine! I wanted to make some storage bags for my portable solar panels. It made me think of all the uses of a portable, battery operated sewing machine. I found a simple/small sewing machine on Amazon for $48. I decided to make it work with my 18V batteries. Hopefully RYOBI will like the idea and build a better one :-)
FTC Disclaimer: We may earn commissions for purchases made through the links below. As Amazon Associates we earn from qualifying purchases.RYOBI 18V DIY LED MagnifierSerendipitySue2022-01-27 | I hate to admit it, but my sight isn't as good as it use to be. I need to use a lighted magnifier when I work on small things now. I found a nice little 2.25X goose neck LED magnifier. The only problem is it isn't portable. I decided to fix that by designing/building an adapter for my 18V RYOBI batteries.
FTC Disclaimer: We may earn commissions for purchases made through the links below. As Amazon Associates we earn from qualifying purchases.Solar Power your RYOBI 18V Tools!SerendipitySue2022-01-23 | Since we are still waiting for RYOBI's solar products announced in 2021, I thought I would design/build a solar charger for all RYOBI 18V tools. It uses the Victron MPPT solar charge controller and SunPower 50 Watt Flexible Monocrystalline High Efficiency Solar Panels. You can charge the 18V battery while it is being used. It also works with an AC adapter that can be used to charge the battery if you don't have solar.
FTC Disclaimer: We may earn commissions for purchases made through the links below. As Amazon Associates we earn from qualifying purchases.New RYOBI 120W Car Inverter Review 12V or 18V One+ Battery RYi120AVNMSerendipitySue2022-01-15 | While I'm waiting for the new RYOBI 150W 18V Inverter with Solar Charging that was announced 9/2021 to come out, I thought I'd look at the new RYOBI 120W Modified Sine Wave Car Inverter. It's only $50 at Home Depot and works with a 12V Cigarette socket or a RYOBI 18V One+ Battery! It has a single 120V AC socket and two 2.4A USB A ports. I ran load and capacity tests. It beat its specs, but is not super efficient (70%). It's a shame that it doesn't have a USB C port. It would be even better if it had a bi-directional USB C PD port that could be used to charge the 18V battery from Solar.
FTC Disclaimer: We may earn commissions for purchases made through the links below. As Amazon Associates we earn from qualifying purchases.RYOBI 18V Battery Adapter Cable How to Reverse Engineer parts with Revopoint POP 3D ScannerSerendipitySue2022-01-03 | I wanted to be able to plug one or more external batteries into RYOBI tools. I designed this adapter to fit in where the battery normally attaches. For example, with a RYOBI Inverter, you can connect a bank of 18V batteries and have a longer run time.
In this movie I go thru how I used a Revopoint POP 3D scanner to reverse engineer the RYOBI battery interface. I also show how I developed the CAD models. I printed the models with a Prusa 3D Printer. At around the 8 minute mark, I go into how I assembled the adapter cable.
FTC Disclaimer: We may earn commissions for purchases made through the links below. As Amazon Associates we earn from qualifying purchases.RYOBI 18V 800W Modified Sine Wave Inverter RYi8030AVNM ReviewSerendipitySue2021-12-30 | Sue and I saw this new RYOBI 18V Inverter in the Home Depot Automotive aisle. I hadn't heard any announcements from Ryobi about it. I bought one to test out. It has three different power inputs: 12V car battery, 18V One+ battery, or 12V cigarette lighter plug. Depending on the power source, it can produce 800, 300, or 120Watts of modified sinewave AC. It has two 120VAC outlets, two USB-A 2.4A plugs, one USB-C 20W PD plug, and a 12V 10A cigarette socket.
I'm so glad RYOBI finally has a 18V product that has a 12V socket output! I can finally run my CPAP, freezer, and heated blanket! Because it supports 12V battery input, you can hook it up with solar panels, MPPT solar charge controllers, and Lithium Iron Phosphate batteries.
On the down side, it's a modified Sinewave Inverter, I could only get it to output 750W, and the Watt gage was flaky when measuring DC loads.
For improvements, I would like to see a 1000W inverter so I could run my trailers 700W microwave and 5000BTU air conditioner. I would like to see a separate on/off switches for the AC/DC. Built-in solar charging for the 18V One+ battery would be nice.
FTC Disclaimer: We may earn commissions for purchases made through the links below. As Amazon Associates we earn from qualifying purchases.Accuracy of Scanning Large Objects with Revopoint POP in Feature ModeSerendipitySue2021-12-22 | I've been using high-end industrial 3D scanners at work for 20+ years. The Revopoint POP is a consumer level 3D scanner that has high end features. It has dual IR sensors, IR projector, and a color texture map camera. It does feature or target stitching of accumulated scans. The frame rate is 8FPS. In a previous test I found that you could achieve the stated 0.3mm accuracy on small turntable parts. Using Markers on a large object I found that the error was 15mm on a 1.37M object! I was curious how feature based scanning would do on a large object. I set up an experiment to scan a large piece of float glass (50mm x 1650mm) that I spray painted flat white. The plate is very flat and so you can Best-fit the 3D scan data to a plane. I designed and 3D printed some flat Pyramids to add features to the flat plate. You can measure the deviation of the scan data from the plane. In my test of combining 400+ scan frames I got an error of 57mm over a distance of 1.5M. This is worse than the Marker Alignment. I also had to scan at a slower speed.
FTC Disclaimer: We may earn commissions for purchases made through the links below. As Amazon Associates we earn from qualifying purchases.Revopoint Pop 3D Scanner Accuracy Test & ReviewSerendipitySue2021-12-10 | I've been using high-end industrial 3D scanners at work for 20+ years. The Revopoint POP is a consumer level 3D scanner that has high end features. It has dual IR sensors, IR projector, and a color texture map camera. It does feature or target stitching of accumulated scans. The frame rate is 8FPS. It can be used freehand with a smart phone (no target tracking with iPhone because of WIFI bandwidth). In my test, the FOV was 120mm x 95mm at approximately 210mm. It comes with a targeted turntable, and the software is easy to use. You can export points or polygonal files in OBJ, PLY, or STL formats. They specify that the single scan accuracy is up to 0.3mm. My tests show this is pretty true for small objects on the turn table. Unfortunately the point spacing was 0.5-0.6mm, so sharp edges and details are not captured. This scanner is great for art work and piece without sharp detail. It's not quite ready for reverse engineering. Revopoint has another Kickstarter for a Pop2 sensor that is suppose to have 0.1mm accuracy and 0.15mm point spacing.
FTC Disclaimer: We may earn commissions for purchases made through the links below. As Amazon Associates we earn from qualifying purchases.RAD Power Battery & eBike ConnectorsSerendipitySue2021-07-17 | Here are the designs and part references to make RAD Power Battery eBike and Battery Connectors. For a simple example, I made an extension cable. You could use these connectors to hook up a 3rd party 48V battery or build your own. I was also interested to see if I could increase bike range by using two batteries in parallel (lower C rate). Unfortunately (or fortunately) my RADcity Step-thru has regenerative braking, so I can't use Blocking Diodes to combine the two batteries.
FTC Disclaimer: We may earn commissions for purchases made through the links below. As Amazon Associates we earn from qualifying purchases.Ashuwillticook Rail Trail, Pittsfield MASerendipitySue2021-07-13 | We headed over to Pittsfield MA on July 5th to check out the Ashuwillticook Rail Trail. The Ashuwillticook Rail Trail runs through the towns of Cheshire, Lanesborough and Adams MA. (12.7 miles). It was pretty busy! We enjoyed stopping at Whitney's Farm Market & Garden Center. The Berkshire Railroad volunteers were running a train trip in Adams. The Cheshire Reservoir was beautiful with the surrounding hills.
* berkshiretrains.org/train-rides * whitneysfarm.comRYOBI 24V Battery/Tool, converting to 18V One+ BatterySerendipitySue2021-07-09 | Who knew that RYOBI made 24V Tools and Batteries! Apparently they only made a Weed Wacker and Hedge Trimmer. Hopefully you don't own one because they discontinued the 24V line and you can't find replacement batteries for them. My friend picked up a 24V Weed Trimmer at a garage sale. The two batteries showed one bar, but they wouldn't take a charge. I took the batteries apart and several 18650 cells were dead. You can pick up a new RYOBI 18V weed trimmer for $79 at Home Depot, so it wasn't worth putting too much money into this. I was curious if you could run a 24V tool off an 18V ONE+ battery. I turned one of the battery cases into an adapter and connected it to one of my 3D printer 18V One+ battery adapters. It works fine!
FTC Disclaimer: We may earn commissions for purchases made through the links below. As Amazon Associates we earn from qualifying purchases.Using RAD eBike Battery for Solar Power StationSerendipitySue2021-07-01 | eBikes are great! The Li-on batteries are powerful, but expensive. In our climate we don't use our eBikes in the winter. We also like to go camping. You can buy expensive “Power stations” or “solar generators”, but they are also very expensive. Wouldn't it be great if you could use your eBike battery to run an AC inverter or DC-DC 12V converter when you are camping or the power goes out. My wife has a RAD Power Radcity Step-Thru 3 eBIke. It has a 48V, 672Wh battery. I designed this connector so you could hook the battery up to an inverter or DC-DC converter. You can also hook up solar panels to charge it (up to 120W).
FTC Disclaimer: We may earn commissions for purchases made through the links below. As Amazon Associates we earn from qualifying purchases.Empire Trail - Fort Edward to Fort Ann, and Glens Falls Feeder Canal TrailSerendipitySue2021-06-28 | We decided to check out a new section of the Empire Trail that goes from Fort Edward NY to Fort Ann NY. Turns out that it is open, but still under construction (a combination of ruble, stone dust, and asphalt trails). There are some very pretty sections along the Champlain Canal. We grabbed lunch at Battle Hill Brewing Company ( battlehillbrewing.com ). There is a nice connector trail that heads to Glens Falls and then on to Lake George. There is an amazing flight of five locks on the feeder canal. As we headed back to Fort Edward we hit the historic train station. It now also houses the Evergreen Bicycle Works ( evergreenbicycleworks.com ). It is run by some nice knowledgeable guys and is a convenient location. Wish we had more time to explore!