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Lighting Up The Cave: The Journey of cleaning up

Getting Started with Lighting

It’s time to finish off the lighting segments in my cave! If you noticed the updated cover shot, you might have seen how this journey is taking a bit longer than I initially thought. But fear not; we will get there!

Fitting the New Hub with Lights

Next on my list is fitting some more lights to the newly constructed hub. Each segment will consist of two 750mm lengths and one 600mm length, all soldered together with 40mm of wire in between. Then, I’ll attach a 300mm length with a female connector to the hub. This will all be wired to a 100w LED driver that connects to the mains power and is rigged to the light switch. Exciting, isn’t it?

Tackling Adhesives and Installation

I’ve encountered some issues with the adhesive on the LED tape, which prompted me to invest in some 6mm M3 tape to secure it firmly to the roof. Now that I’ve cut my second set into lengths, it’s time to remove the protective silicone on the tape and solder the lead from the tape to the connector. Remember to attach the horizontal section to the two vertical sections too! Finally, I’ll strip the old tape off and add some sturdy 3M tape to hold everything solidly in place while also removing the outdated tape that has served me well for the last three years.

2 done 6 to go the things i do for fun

hot box in the cave the heat has hit its a barmy 35c in the work shop so this might take me a day or 2 will update this post once there all done.

Next project

will be running dual cat6 cables from the house to to man cave giving me a more stable connection to connecting to my equipment and the speed that i need to be able to stream some videos.

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Making a light distribution box

this was a fun quick project as i remixed some one else’s dc plug holder to accommodate 9 plugs for the centre boss of my work shop i had to do this due to the wiring harness i had made kept sparking on the metal boss plate. so i started off with the idea to make my own.

so the quick sketch i put together started with 130mm circual disk to this was going to extrude to accommodate the plugs. so i started to look for a step file to trace. but found this single or dual plug design on printables.com for DC Power Jack Mount by GcodeGearHead

so with that i fired up fusion 360 and imported the stl file as a mesh i then converted it and simplified the imported mesh after that i did a circular array for 9 of the original plug on the axis of 130 mill circle after that i extruded the circle so i could embed the holders.

i then created walls and filled in the gaps for to make it a puck

i then sealed the space in between to make it a solid circle

then put over the the printer and 1hr 43 mins later we had a working prototype that works so well i didn’t need to make any further adjustments.

i then added a lid that i made out of 3mm thick 130mm disc.

ready for gluing.

I then left it to dry next up i attached double sided m3 tape and stuck it to the celling I then connected the main feed to the female connector and the link for the segment to the male connector.

i will be adding a dimmer switch later for the segments the tool lights are on there own feed.

need to clean the cobwebs as been its in need of a spring clean have been removing cabling hence the staples all part of the deep clean.

more coming soon

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Organizing the cave part 2 slightly delayed release by a few months

works been getting in the way of my side projects so i thought i better give an update. the man cave pc died so have no way of running my machines. also the networking isn’t working as well so i will be running a dedicated 2 par ethernet cables down there. will make a project of that once i have figured the best way to this.

Back on with the organisation of the man cave

Another 2 months printing bits for the house and the cave removing rubbish offcuts and bits i no longer need. I turned on re doing the walls behind the monitors i have researching best type of peg bords to used i have gone for Ikea Skadis as there’s a lot of bits i can print to aid my tool screws and nick knacks. So after several trips to ikea. approx. 10kg of matt Pla later i have done 3 walls of bits and started on the new lighting.

so have a wall of nuts and bolts connectors and misc parts. behind the monitors i have wire and soldiering parts. and opposite side is all my airbrush paint thinners brush cleaning and airbrushes. next wall is all my tools.

also been moving 3D printers around a have ripped out my octoprint farm as both raspberry pi 3 have died and i am going to upgrade ultraviolet to the latest variation of Prusa mk4s well if funds allow. I think i will donate the orange Prusa mk3s to my sons school.

As always busy been finding this quite therapeutic as looking forward to a uncluttered work space

next up need to build a hub for the lighting so i can expand it will document my design process.

also sneak peek in the centre of the desk of modular shop vacuum system i am building. and will also be fitting compressed air system as well. but thats future projects. still need to remove the junk behind the camera.

I am hoping it wont be such a long break between next post but off to Japan in 4 weeks see what fun things i pick up.

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Time to go down the organization rabbit hole

Week 1

As i started to touch on in my last post my little work shops becoming too cluttered, so i am going to lighten its load and make sure every thing has a place in it this going to be my next project. as for me to start pushing out content i need my work space to work so how am i going to achieve this. will be updating this post explaining each bit as i go.

First up time to clear my cheep plastic draws full of odds and sods so i need a 3d printer draw so have removed the bits out of it taken a measurement of 39 by 35 cm. been looking as solutions for the draws to organise it. have Decided on Gridfinity on makers world as lots of boxes and holders for exactly what i need. so i have a cheep roll of barbie pink filament that’s been kicking the cave around for a fair few years, don’t ask. loaded it into my Bamboo labs X1C and made the base plates to fill the draw there are small size plates for to fill over spill in the draw size plates so i can fill the voids ither sides.

been removing a lot of failed project and things i don’t have the time to complete. old equipment that i no longer need as i have moved on to newer stuff in my absence

nice and quick to print might super glue these draw base to stop it moving around

now to print some bits. First draw is going to be for all my 3d printing bits

ready to print off to the printer it goes

Well i have been printing bits over the last few days this is not the final layout as still finding bits in the cave its bad i must stop buying projects to do need this to make life easy.

3D Printing draw done

week later and i am still removing stuff as i have had enough of tripping over stuff and want to get to the stage of being able to work on bits when i need to. The printer draw is done now working on nuts bolts crimps bearings and etc.

have printed some sanding disc wall holders that i might use to free up draw or box space.

draws were a good starting blocks but feel like i need to upgrade these draws to proper metal work shop too box will see how we go as have seen a nice one on SGS but £190 for it.

The plan is to make a work bench above it for soldering sanding etc keeping dirty jobs off the main desk

So i am starting to to put a game plan together to get the cave up to fill run mode as then might start selling my services to be able to fun new equipment. as i still have a few things on my list i want the cave to have.

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New Year, New Me: Transforming My Mancave and Upgrading Equipment

Embracing Change This Year

Welcome to the exciting journey of “New Year, New Me!” This year, I’m determined to take control of my work-life balance and create a space that truly reflects my passions and interests. It’s been no secret that juggling work obligations and my blogging dreams has sometimes felt overwhelming. But as the clock strikes midnight on the new year, I am ready to revamp my home environment starting with the mancave!

Organizing the Chaos

Let’s face it—right now, my mancave looks like a bomb went off! House renovations can be a blast, but the aftermath can be less than appealing. My first step was to tackle the clutter and organize the space. With some dedication and a little elbow grease, I’m transforming this chaos into a well-structured haven for creativity and relaxation. It’s amazing what a little organization can do for your mindset!

Upgrading My Tech Setup

As part of my new year resolutions, I’m excited to share some killer upgrades in my equipment. I’ve recently acquired a Bamboo Labs X1C along with two AMS units, and I couldn’t be more thrilled! In addition, I’ve decided to donate one of my Prusa MK3s, keeping only one for essentials, but I plan on upgrading it soon. The highlight is my plan to purchase a new SLA printer, as my old one had seen better days. Once I have the space sorted and have sold some items, I can’t wait to dive into new printing projects with my shiny new printers!

Travel Blog

As we as a family love to travel will be covering our adventures starting in May with a trip to Shanghai and Tokyo for half term holiday will be ticking 2 more Disney castles off my list leaving just one left to see in Hong Kong to complete the set. But that will be another trip.

Gaming Blog

As my other love gaming going to try adding some more gaming bits might play a random retro game form retrocera and blog about it. see how much time i get.

any how back to getting tidy more to report soon.

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Wow what happened where did i go?

Cannot believe its been a year nearly since i posted last. life’s been a little hectic with a 6 and 7 now year old and my free time has gone out of the window.

So what gone down since i last posted got a new printer bamboo labs carbon x1 with 2 x AMS multi material.

still not cleared the man cave up or hard wired it to the network as that’s going to be next year i think.

been working on my arcade machine now have some life but need to wire all up and configure every thing in to retrocera so i can get it all working this is going to be time consuming but worth it.

i will also need to learn LED splicer to get the cab flashing right. so i will start on that

still trying to launch gaming junkies but haven’t had much time to develop it. hoping the new creative space we have been working on upstairs will be up and running soon.

so will be back to designing and creating soon as me no make stuff makes josh a dull boy.

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An Update on the Website

Hey there!

I just wanted to give you a quick update on the website. I apologize for the delay, but my day job has been keeping me quite busy lately. On top of that, I’ve taken on some additional private work in the background, which has added to the workload.

However, I’m happy to say that I can see the light at the end of the tunnel now. The workload is starting to ease up, and I should be able to dedicate more time to the project very soon.

I understand that delays can be frustrating, and I appreciate your patience and understanding. Rest assured, I am committed to delivering a high-quality outcome for this website. I value your trust and want to ensure that the end result exceeds your expectations.

If you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me. I’m here to address any queries you may have and provide regular updates as we progress.

Thank you once again for your understanding.

Best regards,

Josh

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Finaly coming back down to earth

The right server moved completely back with a bigger better server also 2 new websites coming just need time to develop them one about gaming ones about selling my crafting work. more information. there will be some crossover from the 2 to hear as well.

going to attempt to fix my switch as it’s been deaf for a few years.

filled my 1tb in my steam deck so I have ordered a 2tb internal will document this from start to finish.

will do some more on my Retroid 3+

Been playing with enclosure designs for the Jsaux mod case.

been also teaching myself more about 3d designing. as managed to snap my alarm fob so had an idea will share this and more over the next few months

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Sorry no posts

Life has been getting in the way again and we just moved the server there might be some glitches. Working on it all atm.

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Upgrading Steam deck from 512gb to 1tb

m.2 2230 1tb steam deck

After a week end at home haveing some family time as got a lot going on in the background including day job. i spotted a post on the steam deck Facebook group that scan was  doing a western digital m.2 2230 NVMe  1tb unit for £99. and just like that i have one stitting here next to me on the coutch.

Lits ot bits you will need

you are going to preform this operation you must have the following.

  • Small Philips screwdriver
  •  pry pick
  • 2230 NVMe 1tb drive 
  • Tweezers
  • NVMe enclosure usb c

Optional item

  • Steam Deck Repair Jig

Optional parts

As I haven’t been using my 3d printers for a while and had some purple petg going spare and to make my life easier. So I decided to print the Steam Deck Repair Jig by ryohazuki224 link here.

As my printer isn’t big enough to print in one go I have decided to go with the 2 septate sides so 8hrs later and I have this and am ready to take my deck a part.

Steam Deck Repair Jig

Cloaning your NVMe internal drive

clone 1tb Steam Deck

This step is purely optional as in my case I have 500gb of data on my deck and downloading will be a pain in the arse.  I have decided just to clone my internal drive to the new 1tb NVMe.

So first up i have to install my new NVMe drive  in to an enclosure I brought one off amazon cheaply just input it in to the enclosure  and plug it in.

 

Now over to the deck plug in the new drive and then hit the steam button.

got to desktop mode let i boot in to desktop.

now in desktop open up konsole. this can be done by going  steam menu>system>konsole.

now enter the following. clone command: sudo dd if=/dev/nvme0n1 of=/dev/sda oflag=sync bs=128M status=progress 

now hit enter

This took me  1364s to complete. now to swap it in to a the deck.

Opening up the steam deck

Make sure you have shutdown the deck and removed the memory card.

First up are the 4 shorter screws in the center of the deck place them together.

now the 4 outer screws they are slightly longer again place them somewhere safe.

Now using the pry pick open up the deck carefully. going around the outer edge of the deck popping it open.

Now the back cover will come away.

you will be greeted with the following.

Peel back silver foil removed screw.

remove two small screws top bottom of metal plate wiggle plate free.

Disconnect the battery cable.

now to remove the drive 

Now to reverse the procedure montage time..

Time to reboot

powered on all worked  that was well spent 30  mins and we are good to go 1tb on board all was working then tried to move a game from sd to internal storage something when bad think i should have played a game for before going bad got a stuck on steam icon. oh well going to reimage it.

Re imaging the deck

As i had planed to do this in the first place i had already prepared a image usb drive with recovery OS on it.

to do this need to go to steams web site and download the recover image. then using etcher or similar burn image to a usb key with more than 8gb on it.

As i have tried to recover the software now going to format and start over hold down volume down and power will here chirp. let go boot USB image.  

you will be greeted with 4 icons you want the one saing reimage.

using your finger tap it once and then you will be greeted with proceed button tap with finger let it do its stuff then next dialog will be reboot press with finger can now remove usb and plug back in to the mains.

will now reboot using fingers navigate and set it back up.

all working fine not sure what i did wrong. but all fixed.

again worth the £99 sorry no images of this part but you get the idea.