LynxSys

This isn't a product I've built, it's just something I made for myself and then wrote instructions to help other people build the same if they want to. (That's pretty much what all of Instructables.com is.)All the build instructions are on this page. You can build the necessary circuit using the materials listed in Step 1. Just read the instructable a few times, look up any unfamiliar terms, and ask if something really doesn't make sense. There's no complex circuitry here, just five wires, a button, a relay, and a commercially made back up alarm. These are all things you can easily buy online or maybe in a local electronics shop. Even if you have zero electronics experience, I think you should be able to build the circuit illustrated in the schematic with reasonable ease. (The schematic...

This isn't a product I've built, it's just something I made for myself and then wrote instructions to help other people build the same if they want to. (That's pretty much what all of Instructables.com is.)All the build instructions are on this page. You can build the necessary circuit using the materials listed in Step 1. Just read the instructable a few times, look up any unfamiliar terms, and ask if something really doesn't make sense. There's no complex circuitry here, just five wires, a button, a relay, and a commercially made back up alarm. These are all things you can easily buy online or maybe in a local electronics shop. Even if you have zero electronics experience, I think you should be able to build the circuit illustrated in the schematic with reasonable ease. (The schematic follows most of the usual schematic symbol conventions, but is also designed to be easily understood even by those with minimal familiarity with schematics.)Let me know if I can help, and have fun!

Happy to help!

Your concern is essentially the reason that I wrote this instructable. In this design, there's no buzzer in the cabin to remind you to turn the back up alarm back on. Instead, the system remembers for you.Because of the circuit I built, the system is self-resetting. The back up alarm will sound every single time you shift into reverse, but will go silent once you tap the button to silence the alarm. You can't forget to turn the alarm back on because it turns itself back on (well, resets itself to a "ready" state) as soon as you shift out of reverse.(If you're worried about not being able to turn the alarm all the way off, I find that if you hold the button while you're shifting into reverse, the alarm either won't sound at all or will only sound for a fraction of a second.)If ...

Your concern is essentially the reason that I wrote this instructable. In this design, there's no buzzer in the cabin to remind you to turn the back up alarm back on. Instead, the system remembers for you.Because of the circuit I built, the system is self-resetting. The back up alarm will sound every single time you shift into reverse, but will go silent once you tap the button to silence the alarm. You can't forget to turn the alarm back on because it turns itself back on (well, resets itself to a "ready" state) as soon as you shift out of reverse.(If you're worried about not being able to turn the alarm all the way off, I find that if you hold the button while you're shifting into reverse, the alarm either won't sound at all or will only sound for a fraction of a second.)If anything is still unclear after rereading the instructable (also see my answer to the other question in the comments), please feel free to follow up!

So, I've never worked with Kydex, but I'm told that it forms reasonably well with a heat gun and a gloved hand (vacuum forming, where you need an oven and, well, a vacuum box). Based on your experience, do you think that one could make a shallow shoebox or deep bowl shape with Kydex (maybe with angles that aren't quite right angles), or do you think the plastic would not readily deform that much without needing to cut it and make joints?

Yes, you're reading the schematic correctly. The reason for the extra complexity is that the plan uses a momentary button rather than an on/off switch. This makes it impossible to forget to turn the backing alarm back on again. (This is important, because with any vehicle that lacks visibility out the back, you should only ever turn the backing alarm off when you have a spotter behind the vehicle who is directing you and watching for pedestrians. Otherwise, you're just asking for injuries, lawsuits, and, if you're an employer, OSHA citations.)Here's how it works when you use the system: 1. You push (and release) the momentary button from the driver's seat, which energizes the coil and pulls the relay's switch over to the open position. 2. Once the relay reaches the open position, the po...

Yes, you're reading the schematic correctly. The reason for the extra complexity is that the plan uses a momentary button rather than an on/off switch. This makes it impossible to forget to turn the backing alarm back on again. (This is important, because with any vehicle that lacks visibility out the back, you should only ever turn the backing alarm off when you have a spotter behind the vehicle who is directing you and watching for pedestrians. Otherwise, you're just asking for injuries, lawsuits, and, if you're an employer, OSHA citations.)Here's how it works when you use the system: 1. You push (and release) the momentary button from the driver's seat, which energizes the coil and pulls the relay's switch over to the open position. 2. Once the relay reaches the open position, the power from your backing lights is able to flow though the relay's switch and then around the loop of wire into the relay's coil, which keeps the switch in that position, thus continuously powering the coil (even though you have released the momentary button) and keeping the backing beeper disconnected. 3. This condition (relay coil energized by the backing lights and beeper disconnected) will remain in effect until you shift the vehicle out of reverse and the backing lights turn off, at which point the coil is no longer powered, so the relay returns to its default position.4. Now that your backing lights are turned off and the relay has reset, the beeper will come on again the next time you shift into reverse (unless you press the button).Does that make sense?(Also, I'm in the process of adding some new content about backing alarms, specifically comments about the newer and safer white-noise alarms and self-adjusting alarms, so you might consider looking at my Instructable again in the next day or two.)I hope this helps!

That makes sense. I actually prefer the approach of using the connectors much better, because it's easy to swap out the PSU if something every happens to it. I'm glad that my Instructable was so helpful. It feels good to know that this information is still useful to people so long after I wrote it. I'd love to see more pictures of your project if you feel like posting them. I looks pretty darn professional!

Looks great! Thanks for sharing. Did you gut the PSU or plug it in via its existing connectors?

Great build! I love the idea of using bondo and rubber to create a molded grip surface to conform to the tool.You commented that the gap between your sander and the jig's table (or "bed") is too wide in some spots. I did a similar build (https://www.instructables.com/id/An-edge-sanding-table-for-your-belt-sander/) and I made the cutout for the sander slightly too small and then let the sander itself finish the shape, which got me a perfect fit.

Nice work! I saw the same set of instructions on Rockler, but I decided to tilt the sander instead of the table:https://www.instructables.com/id/An-edge-sanding-table-for-your-belt-sander/I really like your tilt adjustment. That's a really neat idea. The next jig I build needs that feature...

I advise against using acetone. It will damage any plastic components it touches if you don't rinse it off, which adds a bunch of steps. A single step using isopropyl alcohol works just fine, especially if you can get the less dilute stuff.

Can you be more specific about what's not working? Am I correct that you're using wires from the +12V2 connector, but they're not giving you any power at all? Are you getting power on other connectors? Is the PSU plugged in and switched on? Is the green "PSU on" wire attached to a ground wire? Is the PSU's fan spinning?Also, a side note: laptops are easy to fry and hard to fix. If the laptop is valuable to you and you're at all unsure about what you're doing, consider buying a laptop adapter instead of jury-rigging a PSU.

You could. You would build the schematic as shown except for the part with the switch and 12V source in the cab.You would then power it from a consistent 12V source near the rear bumper (if you can find one) instead of running a wire to the cab. Finally, you would install a remote momentary switch between the device and the power source and install the remote control in the cab.Really, though, it seems like that would be a less reliable solution that might require batteries and could look pretty unprofessional, all in the name of avoiding running one wire from front to back. I would strongly suggest just running the wire. Getting behind a few interior panels to run a wire isn't too tough in a car (tip: follow the wires from the taillights and see how they get back to the front), but if ...

You could. You would build the schematic as shown except for the part with the switch and 12V source in the cab.You would then power it from a consistent 12V source near the rear bumper (if you can find one) instead of running a wire to the cab. Finally, you would install a remote momentary switch between the device and the power source and install the remote control in the cab.Really, though, it seems like that would be a less reliable solution that might require batteries and could look pretty unprofessional, all in the name of avoiding running one wire from front to back. I would strongly suggest just running the wire. Getting behind a few interior panels to run a wire isn't too tough in a car (tip: follow the wires from the taillights and see how they get back to the front), but if you really don't want to deal with it, you can always run the wire under the vehicle. Just be sure to attach it somewhere that will keep it away from road debris.

It looks like you painted the chain and the chain ring. Did you use Rustoleum for that, too? If so, how well is that holding up, and have you found that the paint gums up the chain at all?I really appreciate your emphasis on respirators and good ventilation. Given that your Instructable might be used to teach kids, I hope you won't mind me making a few suggestions about safety equipment that might be worth adding to your write-up:1. Always wear a correctly fitted particulate respirator when sanding (not just a "dust mask" but an N-95 disposable respirator or better), especially when power sanding.2. Always wear eye protection when power sanding, and especially if using a wire brush or wire wheel.3. Always make sure that a respirator worn for painting is the correct respirator ...

It looks like you painted the chain and the chain ring. Did you use Rustoleum for that, too? If so, how well is that holding up, and have you found that the paint gums up the chain at all?I really appreciate your emphasis on respirators and good ventilation. Given that your Instructable might be used to teach kids, I hope you won't mind me making a few suggestions about safety equipment that might be worth adding to your write-up:1. Always wear a correctly fitted particulate respirator when sanding (not just a "dust mask" but an N-95 disposable respirator or better), especially when power sanding.2. Always wear eye protection when power sanding, and especially if using a wire brush or wire wheel.3. Always make sure that a respirator worn for painting is the correct respirator for the chemicals in the paint. A particulate respirator might stop paint droplets when you start painting, but it may be broken down by the solvents in some paints, rendering it ineffective. A particulate respirator also won't stop certain harmful paint fumes at all.Thanks for a great Instructable that encourages people to do all sorts of great things, like teach kids, rehabilitate old bikes, and give charitably. You're doing great (and very aesthetically pleasing) work!

It's hard to answer that without knowing more about your setup. Could you explain a bit more about your configuration or post some pictures?

This is one of those puzzles that's completely mystifying until you see how it was made, after which you think to yourself, "I should have figured that out!" followed by "...but yet, I didn't..." I've hidden plenty of glue joints myself, but yours still fooled me. Thanks for sharing such a fun project!

I will answer your questions below, but I want to start with a warning: DO NOT try to charge an 18650 or any lithium-ion battery using a homemade charger. Charging a lithium-ion battery requires specific voltages and a charger capable of monitoring and supervising the charging process. If you incorrectly charge a lithium-ion battery (including overcharging a cell, trying to charge an over-discharged cell, or supplying the wrong voltage to a cell), it will likely catch fire, explode, or both. I hate to discourage anyone from working on a project that they think is interesting, but charging lithium-ion batteries is dangerous, and building a charger for them should be considered an advanced electronics project. I would suggest that you buy a well-reviewed, commercially-available charger fo...

I will answer your questions below, but I want to start with a warning: DO NOT try to charge an 18650 or any lithium-ion battery using a homemade charger. Charging a lithium-ion battery requires specific voltages and a charger capable of monitoring and supervising the charging process. If you incorrectly charge a lithium-ion battery (including overcharging a cell, trying to charge an over-discharged cell, or supplying the wrong voltage to a cell), it will likely catch fire, explode, or both. I hate to discourage anyone from working on a project that they think is interesting, but charging lithium-ion batteries is dangerous, and building a charger for them should be considered an advanced electronics project. I would suggest that you buy a well-reviewed, commercially-available charger for your 18650's. Also, I would suggest that you only use protected 18650's (meaning that the batteries have a small circuit board in them that prevents them from being over-discharged), especially if you are using the batteries to power DIY projects. Over-discharging a lithium-ion battery can be nearly as dangerous as improperly charging one. Finally, to answer your original questions: you can add as many binding posts as you want to any of the rails, but remember that those posts as a group will only ever provide a total amperage up to the rated amperage of that rail. If the color-standardization of your wires is normal, then the brown wire is a sense wire for the 3.3V rail and you should attach it to that rail. If you're unsure, then check if the wire is supplying any voltage (a sense wire shouldn't be) and confirm that it is in the same position as the sense wire in the ATX connector by using the wiring charts in "Step 3".

See my reply to your other comment.

That is an excellent suggestion. I will add it to the Instructable for future readers. Thanks!