Worklog DIY Concept UFO

Dmcke5

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I'm sure you may have already tried all this but maybe you could make a batch of small [maybe square] samples with different quantities of catalyst and check them periodically noting down how hard they are. This way you can find the exact amount of catalyst you need. Good luck!
Yeah I've tried a few different batches now and they aren't really working well. Now at least 12 hours on since I mixed the batch with pen ink in it and its still liquid so it really hasn't worked well at all. I've got my original test pieces that have been sitting for weeks and they are finally mostly hard but I swear they were still "tacky" for days.
I've ordered a kit from a reputable seller that claims a 3 hour de-mold time so at least I will know quickly if its not working. I suspect I'll have much more luck with this brand, I guess we'll see when it turns up!
 

Dmcke5

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Well the good news is it wasn't my incapability that was stopping the resin from working properly. Did a test pour of the new fancy brand name resin into a silicone ice cube tray we had for a test and these ones have set harder in one night than the other ones did in a month.

Interestingly, this resin reacts with the pen ink and changes colour (the yellow, pictured) so that's out of the question for colouring. I suspect the last resin reacted with it too, it just didn't change colours like this one, it just never set. This one mixed well with some fancy food dye I had though and looks like it's going to be dark enough so I guess I'll pour up a batch into my button molds and see how they come out.
 

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Dmcke5

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Ok, I've got to ask: Why not use milled buttons? Frankly I'd love to have that in mine!
Mainly for looks, I'm trying to make a button with a clear center so the RGB can shine through the letter cut out only. I couldn't think of a way to make that work with machined buttons so I decided to give resin a go. So far, I've got a complete set of fully black buttons here that look promising. I actually quite like the texture of them too, something about the resin that makes them smoother than the alloy ones on my last build. I'm just waiting for some proper black resin dye to turn up before I have another go of the buttons with clear centers.

Plus, these projects are about pushing myself so trying something I haven't done before is a good idea!
 

MRKane

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That's a brilliant idea! And I know exactly what you mean about using projects to push yourself - I didn't know how to make PCBs before this, so it was a fantastic opportunity to learn.
 

Dmcke5

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That's a brilliant idea! And I know exactly what you mean about using projects to push yourself - I didn't know how to make PCBs before this, so it was a fantastic opportunity to learn.
Yeah that's it, PCB's are the next thing I want to work on after this project. I can do basic PCB's in CAD but I want to learn how to use proper design software and get some boards made professionally. The CNC does alright but I really can't get my trace spacing any closer than 0.5mm and that takes a huge amount of fiddling to get it right when its that fine. Being able to design my own boards and integrate an atmgea32u4 for instance would make some of my designs much more compact.
 

MRKane

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It turned out to be easier than I expected, especially given I've already got a background in CAD and 3D design. In saying that I've not got everything up and running yet so I might be about to have a massive faceplant ;)
 

Dmcke5

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It turned out to be easier than I expected, especially given I've already got a background in CAD and 3D design. In saying that I've not got everything up and running yet so I might be about to have a massive faceplant ;)
Yeah I'm not expecting it to be all that hard. I've had a bit of a play with eagle before, but I couldn't work out how to import a DXF of my board layout so I could be sure it would fit in my enclosure. Maybe a limitation of that software or perhaps I just didn't try hard enough. Haven't really had much of a go at it yet so I'm sure I'll work something out
 

GingerOfOz

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MRKane

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Wait...you're going to paint this beauty?! My opinion would be to keep everything with that industrial look (but I am an industrial fan so perhaps I'm biased)
 

Dmcke5

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You could paint that thing hot pink and it would still probably look sexier than anything I've made.

(I say keep it as is though)
Thanks mate! Yeah that's what I'm thinking too, carbon is just too good to cover up.

Wait...you're going to paint this beauty?! My opinion would be to keep everything with that industrial look (but I am an industrial fan so perhaps I'm biased)
As much as I am also a fan of the machined look, the machining on this is no where near neat enough plus bare aluminium marks up pretty easily. I could anodise it but because the body is made out of multiple thicknesses of aluminium there's a possibility of miss-matched colours due to the alloys potentially not being identical. Also, there's one or two little spots that really need to be hit with filler and sanded back which would have meant starting from scratch if I was planning to anodise. I could try and fill the areas with weld and sand them back, but then there's an extremely good chance that area would anodise differently due to the weld.
 

Ceirt

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Thanks mate! Yeah that's what I'm thinking too, carbon is just too good to cover up.



As much as I am also a fan of the machined look, the machining on this is no where near neat enough plus bare aluminium marks up pretty easily. I could anodise it but because the body is made out of multiple thicknesses of aluminium there's a possibility of miss-matched colours due to the alloys potentially not being identical. Also, there's one or two little spots that really need to be hit with filler and sanded back which would have meant starting from scratch if I was planning to anodise. I could try and fill the areas with weld and sand them back, but then there's an extremely good chance that area would anodise differently due to the weld.
Hi there, if you want to paint it , why not galaxy silver.
 

Dmcke5

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Hi there, if you want to paint it , why not galaxy silver.
I hadn't really considered any colours other than white. Perhaps I should test a few other colours on the model before I decide... not quite sure what you mean by galaxy silver. I did a Google search but didn't get any direct links to a brand/colour of paint.
 

Ceirt

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I hadn't really considered any colours other than white. Perhaps I should test a few other colours on the model before I decide... not quite sure what you mean by galaxy silver. I did a Google search but didn't get any direct links to a brand/colour of paint.
Try searching for:
general motors galaxy silver GM 519F

It's not they most popular color, but it looks like aluminium :D
 

Dmcke5

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Try searching for:
general motors galaxy silver GM 519F

It's not they most popular color, but it looks like aluminium :D
Thanks mate, I had a look at it but probably still stick with white for this one. I just think the black screen surround and buttons are really going to pop with a white case.

So when is this guy joining the bitbuilt team!? Gotta get me an all aluminum G-Boy!!
Haha thanks, probably a bit difficult though as I assume I'm in the wrong country! I'd be happy to take a look at the design and make suggestions on how to make it easier to machine though if whoever designed it was interested. I know a guy who could do a batch of cases too if we had a design. They wouldn't be really cheap but generally the more you get the cheaper they become.
 

Ceirt

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Thanks mate, I had a look at it but probably still stick with white for this one. I just think the black screen surround and buttons are really going to pop with a white case.
Don't worry about it, in the end, its your portable, if you love it, then its the best console in the world.

PD: i think that white is a nice color, but the matte white on the UFO will get dirty fast.
PD2: try add some led rings like the UFO concept (https://aliexpress.com/item/32918427874.html)
 

Dmcke5

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I'm going for glossy white. Hopefully with a good clear coat it should stay fairly clean. Can always sand it off and repaint in future if I decide I don't like it!

You must have missed my earlier picture, I've got the glowing rings sorted ;)

IMG_20200425_224302.jpg
 

Dmcke5

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I'm going for glossy white. Hopefully with a good clear coat it should stay fairly clean. Can always sand it off and repaint in future if I decide I don't like it!

You must have missed my earlier picture, I've got the glowing rings sorted ;)

View attachment 12170
Oh yeah, and mine are addressable RGB. So with two LED's per ring I should be able to make a few interesting effects!
 
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