The Loft Datacenter

Most of the HDDs of the various PCs dotted around the house are in various states of filling up or already full. So I've decided to upgrade the network to include some attached storage. Quite a lot actually, 4TB in RAID 1 from Iomega (same as this but without the cloud).

All fine and dandy. But buried in the user guide for the NAS box was the statement that it needed to be protected by a UPS. So back to the web to pick up an APC Back-UPS 350A. I calculated that this, the smallest capacity model that APC produces, would be enough to keep the NAS going for a while. The other benefit of this model is that it can automatically power off the NAS via a USB connection.

In order to make the NAS visible to all the household computers it needs to be attached to the wireless router, which is located in the loft in order to give a good signal across the house. There is also a TV signal amplifier up there and only two 13A sockets. Fortunately the UPS will ease this situation as it has four IEC 60320 output sockets.

First job then is to buy an IEC 60320 C14 shrouded plug and fitting this to an old four socket extension lead that I had lying around. So we will have four 3-pin 13A sockets available all on UPS. The UPS will also surge protect the phone line and the whole wiring set up will look like this.

The Family Seat

Fresh from fixing toys I decided to upgrade the toilets in the house to family seats. These are effectively two seats in one allowing the Tykes to use the loo unaided without having to have inserts lying around the toilet. The upstairs seat was also shot, so a new downstairs seat in white MDF was purchased. Fitting this to the downstairs toilet was no problem apart from a rust stain on the bowl which took a bit of a soak with vinegar to remove.

The stain had come from two screws which had been used to bodge the downstairs seat back together after one of the hinges had come loose previously. There were no stainless screws to hand at the time so new holes were drilled through the chromed brass hinge and in to the seat which was an effective repair, if not a long-term one.

Fortunately as the old upstairs seat and the old downstairs seat used similar fittings I would be able to re-assemble one intact seat from the parts available. The only issue was the original loose hinge.

So all the holes in the seat were filled with wood-filler and two new holes drilled to accept the stainless screws recovered from the dead seat. The next problem was that as the steel screw heads were so corroded that they basically fell apart and left the shank of the screw embedded in the MDF seat. One hole drilled OK but the other hit steel, but only on part of the hole, which caused an off-centre mess that wouldn’t allow the stainless wood screw to bite into. I fixed the good screw into position but had to cut down the other screw until it was just the head which was superglued into place for cosmetic affect.

The next time it comes apart ‘tis for the bin.

JOB DONE

Noah's Ark: Provisioning

Measuring out for the flat door will be easy but attempting to measure the thickness of the door hinge is going to be a bit more difficult with only a steel rule. As I was buying a Vernier caliper for work I also indulged in a bit of overkill for this job and bought a Draper caliper, let's call it an investment for the tool box.

Also something to grip the door while drilling would be useful, so another investment was made for a small bench vice.



They arrived all ship-shaped and I have the drill and bits, PVA, and screws required so full steam ahead.

Noah's Ark: In The Beginning

The final toy in this batch was a wooden ark with a busted ramp. It has been a sturdy toy, mostly, but expecting glue to stand up under the combined assault of the tykes was an optimistic assumption on the part of the manufacturers. So, inevitably, the door parted company with the hinge along the glue line.

Obviously what is needed is a bit more strength in the joint which can be supplied by a couple of suitably placed woodscrews. On inspection drilling a pilot hole through the door should present no problem. The hinge however may or may not depending on how far through the steel pin runs through the hinge.

Either way pilot holes will need to be drilled and the screws countersunk. In order to do this a spot of shopping is in order I think.

Inspection kit

Bought this 3 piece inspection kit on impulse, mostly for the magnetic dish but I thought the posable mirror would come in handy. Plus the whole thing was only £6. It appears to be a bit cheap and nasty but it will do the job for occasional use, and how many features can a magnetic bowl have?

Franglais Farm

Broken toy number two. More Early Learning Centre, this time an English-French farm toy which died within two weeks of receipt but we didn’t get round to returning.

The thing wasn’t completely dead though, but stuck on same tune. Pressing its buttons lead to very brief halt and restart as did switching between English and French. Also the farm scene was stuck and wee man on tractor was static rather than merrily rotating round scene.

Obviously this was going to be more complex inside than toy #1. On opening up there were a variety of PCBs and a motor unit. Testing the switches, motor, lights and mechanics revealed no obvious problems. Reassembling it got the wee man rotating and tune working but I could not resurrect the interactive component. I guess that this probably means the chip/main PCB is duff. Admitting defeat I stripped it for parts (couple of switches, electrolytic capacitors, transistors, a light (or maybe IR) activated switch, the 6V DC motor and its gearbox, pair of PCB-mounted LEDs, and a ton of screws) and consigned the remains to the recycling bin.

So 1 for 2 on toy fixes, the next is pure carpentry so I’m hoping to pull back my success rate.

Anglepoise Lamp

The playroom tidy has brought forth a Model 90 Anglepoise lamp, and as the workbench is in a dark corner of the room a spot of illumination would seem to be in order. The only problem was that it had a broken elbow joint.


The small square hole on the lower limb is a socket for a plastic lug which had snapped off leading to the lamp disassembling itself every time it moved.

Remaking the part was out the question but, after taking a few measurements, I realised the square hole was just about the perfect size to accept an M4 bolt (I knew it was worth buying 100 of them!). With a bit of trimming a socket could be formed in the plastic to accept an M4 nut and that should stop the elbow joint from coming apart. But no M4 nuts were to be found in the toolbox so back to Screwfix again as a side trip while going to the cinema.

On return 10 mins with a scalpel provided a socket and once the screw had been cut down to size with a hacksaw and checked for any sharp edges the elbow was fixed.



It wasn’t perfect, note the gap between the black plastic elbow and the red metal arm, but it was functional again. If it really starts to bug me I think I will have to go back and trim some more plastic and insert a rectangular metal plate into the area where the nut is. With a hole drilled in the correct spot it should be possible to locate the joint more correctly. But as behoves my stated functional/utilitarian bent, ‘tis gud enuf.’

A quick check with a continuity tester to make sure nothing had come loose or whether the bolt was causing any problems which would lead to electrocution of any of the family members and JOB DONE.