Monthly Archives: July 2016

Tackling DIY A/C Repair

The dash air conditioning in our motorhome was broken and I saw there was a leak from the fitting going into the compressor. Everyone I called to fix it wanted to remove the 40 foot lines from the RV and take them to a shop to install the new fittings. This would have cost $400-500 dollars so I decided to fix the connector myself with the mastercool hyrda-krimp a/c crimping tool.

I needed to upgrade to the $300 dollar crimping tool because I wanted to do the work in the engine bay and not at a vise, but the cheaper ones work just as well.

The $140 dollar crimping tool:
https://amzn.to/2aiL0rZ
My manifold gauge:
https://amzn.to/29KXg8w
The more expensive crimping tool I bought:
https://amzn.to/29Kr2V8

Onan Generator Troubleshooting and Repair

The RV is still in the shop (long story) and the trailer is still being built, so I’m sort of in between projects. I worked on this Onan Marquis 7000 generator for a little extra money and thought it might be interesting to some of you.

Note: This is NOT the generator from our RV. This is from a stage trailer that my church bought.

When I got the generator it wasn’t running. Once I got it running it wouldn’t produce any power. It turned out the carbs were all gunked up, the voltage regulator was bad, and the brushes needed cleaning.

Clamping Baby Monitor Arm (Scrap Wood Build)

We needed a better way to mount Hudson’s baby monitor when visiting other people’s houses. The curve in the wood was just decorative. I wanted to experiment with alternatives to steam bending wood. Versions 1 through 3 were not my proudest moments, but the final product actually clamps extremely well.

Jay Bates Knob:
https://goo.gl/2cIM6A
Our baby monitor (amazon affiliate):
https://amzn.to/291rBt5They work pretty good, we haven’t had any problems.

There’s a MAJOR stock market crash coming! – Stock Series Ep. 1 w/ Jim Collins

In this 10 part video series, Jim Collins shares his advice about investing in the stock market. He’s been investing for over 40 years and financially independent for 25.

Today’s topic: Why you should expect several major stock market crashes in your lifetime and that’s OK 🙂

DIY “Samsung Family Hub” Refrigerator with Raspberry Pi + Camera!!!

I got tired of seeing the commercials for Samsung’s Family Hub refrigerator with the cameras inside, so I decided to make my own. I used a Raspberry Pi and USB webcam to take a picture inside our fridge and upload it.

Whenever the door opens, a light sensor triggers the a simple program I wrote to take a picture and upload it via FTP to our website. Total cost was about $80 dollars.

See what’s in our fridge!
https://www.inourfridge.com

Parts I Used (Amazon Affiliate)
Webcam – https://amzn.to/1ZMaJvg
Raspberry Pi – https://amzn.to/1tt1wOx
Light Sensor – https://amzn.to/28zYI1Z
SD Card – https://amzn.to/28zYg3H
Keyboard and Mouse – https://amzn.to/1tt1LsV

Download the python program:
https://gist.github.com/mmoyer2655/fdbf1aebe1db516f8c5893ae0cdbed8b

Prototyping a Modular Tool Storage Idea

I needed a way to store benchtop power tools in the mobile woodshop without taking up any bench space. I thought it would be cool to use the e-track welded to the walls in the trailer to create a modular power tool storage system.

It’s really only necessary because we need to have space to pull the car in the trailer. During travel they need to be locked in place otherwise a french cleat system would have worked.

What do you think? Is there a simpler way to accomplish this?

Thank you to LARK UNITED trailers for building our trailer!
https://www.larkunited.com/