Blog

The Buffalo Sabres just recently brought back the famous black "goathead" jersey as a throwback.  I love this jersey. What better way to celebrate its return then by making a version with an LCD screen!  Yeah, I know thats exactly where your head went...  Turns out to be way easier than I imagined and I think one of the coolest things I've ever made. This really just mounting an app controlled super thin 64x64 LDC screen on the front of a blank jersey.  Sourcing and getting the jersey setup was actually harder than setting up the LCD screen.  I just...

I finished two more blasters and had to make to two more mounts. The E-11 stormtrooper blaster and Mandy’s IB-94 pistol.  The IB-94 is a Rubies repaint. I’ve had it laying around waiting for a repaint for quite a while.  I tried a few new techniques with this one.  I initially filled the plastic Rubies blaster with sand to give it some weight. It worked surprisingly well and it now how a good feel in the hand.  I also used alcohol ink on the grips to give it a wood look. You apply the alcohol ink in drops and use...

My first install of Simple Blaster OS is going in a Hasbro E-11 conversion.  I’ve been meaning to do a E-11 blaster for while and just haven’t gotten around to it. I actually have two Hasbro E-11 blasters now.  The video below goes over the resin printed parts I’m using.  I really liked the old DoopyDoo kits but they are not available any more. Plus I wanted to get a bit more accuracy by resin printing the parts. So I’ve made some modifications to E-11 parts I’ve found online to both fit a Hasbro E-11 and accept the electronics.  ...

I've had a CNC machine for over 10 years. This is actually my second machine.  The first was a small machine that I mainly used for cutting foam.  The first control box I built was a mess and I built it in a plastic container. It was poorly done and I won't even show a picture. I've been meaning to build a proper enclosure for my G540 and just redo my work space in general.    First, I designed and laser cut a box for the G540.  My machine is from Avid CNC and I use the limit sensors they...

7/115/2023 Update - Revised connection diagram and code    I've been having a blast building Star Wars blasters.  Adding the electronic sound and lights has not been as fun.  There are options available but all of them are bit more complicated than what I have been looking for.  Proffieboards are great but they are expensive and currently hard to find.  FX Blaster OS is free but requires specific hardware and just won't run on any old Arduino board.  I wanted something that could be easily loaded on just about any Arduino board and with simple functionality.  When I build a...