bbwales
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| posted on 9/8/12 at 10:49 AM |
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OT Something to do
Hi Guys,
I have to go into hospital to have a bit of major surgery, I have renal cancer and got to have a kidney and urethra cut out, and have been told I am
going to have 3 months off work to recouperate. The surgeon has said that I am not allowed to work outside on my car or build the new trailer I have
planned......no sense of adventure some people. Well needless to say this is going to drive me crazy and my thumbs will be worn out from twiddling
them so my questions are....
1. any suggestions for an electronic type model I can use my soldering iron on and possibly have something useful at the end of making it?
2. I think one of those 4 bladed helicopters could be fun or will I get bored with it?
3. any other suggestions?
4. my budget is £150 - £200 is this realistic?
Thank you.
Regards
Bob
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AntonUK
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| posted on 9/8/12 at 11:12 AM |
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Build a Megasquirt controller?
Build Photos Here
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MikeR
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| posted on 9/8/12 at 11:21 AM |
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I was just thinking the same - you could even make a few and sell them. Make some pin money to spend on the car when you're better.
Good luck with the surgery and avoid Jeremy Kyle on the telly if you want to keep your will to live.
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pewe
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| posted on 9/8/12 at 11:24 AM |
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How about model aircraft building?
Doesn't matter if they ever get to fly it's great fun constructing something from scratch.
something like this
With your budget it'll keep you going for months.
In fact I might just do one myself - beats watching the one-eyed monster!
Best of luck with the op.
Cheers, Pewe10 
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spiderman
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| posted on 9/8/12 at 11:34 AM |
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Megasquirt ecu and jim stim, possibly not a 3 month project and a little more than £200. However you could build one test it and then sell ecu on EBAY
then build a couple more, make some profit and put that towards the rest of an efi project for when you are well enough to take that on.
oops a bit slow there as MikeR has had the same idea. "Great minds think alike" or is it" fools never differ"
[Edited on 9/8/12 by spiderman]
Spider
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HowardB
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| posted on 9/8/12 at 11:43 AM |
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work towards a qualification, city and guilds or similar,.. Amateur Radio is a great hobby, or perhaps learn a new language?
Howard
Fisher Fury was 2000 Zetec - now a 1600 (it Lives again  and goes zoom)
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DIY Si
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| posted on 9/8/12 at 12:00 PM |
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I'd go with ignoring the docs! I've recently had a radical neck dissection for my cancer (it sounds worse than I think it is) and was out
in the garage within 2 weeks. Got fed up of being in the house knowing I had loads of stuff to get on with.
PS, don't blame me if you over do it and explode though!
“Let your plans be dark and as impenetratable as night, and when you move, fall like a thunderbolt.”
Sun Tzu, The Art of War
My new blog: http://spritecave.blogspot.co.uk/
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balidey
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| posted on 9/8/12 at 12:03 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by bbwales
and got to have a kidney and urethra cut out,
Could you build yourself a bionic penis?
On a serious note, I always fancied a quadrocopter, so I would go with that.
Dutch bears have terrible skin due to their clogged paws
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ReMan
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| posted on 9/8/12 at 12:32 PM |
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"I have to go into hospital to have a bit of major surgery, I have renal cancer and got to have a kidney and urethra cut out"
Mate I hope it all goes well, I'm thinking just get better even if you are bored
www.plusnine.co.uk
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liam.mccaffrey
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| posted on 9/8/12 at 12:57 PM |
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Built a 7 chassis when I was having my chemo, it was really good to have a goal and yes it was against advice but I did it myyyyyyyyyy
wayyyyyyyyyyy!
Build Blog
Build Photo Album
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hughpinder
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| posted on 9/8/12 at 01:03 PM |
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I think somethink like a megasquirt will be built in 3 days or so.
How about this:
EMCO Unimat 3 Mini Lathe Machine Milling Drill Machine | eBay - it would cost more by the time you get a few books and
materials. You could build a clock, or a pen or lacemakes bobbins, microscopes .............
- learning to use something like that takes months.
I used to build 'billing' boat kits - essentially a set of plans and wood strips etc to build up a decent model. Other makes are
supposedly better quality/price now, They take hundreds of hours to build, so cost per hour is low. There are a variety of different boats from the
cutty sark to modern fishing boats.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/BILLINGS-Norden/dp/B000TIPI9Q/ref=sr_1_10?s=kids&ie=UTF8&qid=1344516977&sr=1-10
http://www.admiraltyshipmodels.co.uk/acatalog/Yacht_Models_-_Model_Yachts.html
Hope you get better quickly
Regards
Hugh
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bbwales
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| posted on 9/8/12 at 01:44 PM |
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Thanks Guys,
Some good pointers there, I will be out in the garage as soon as I possibly can, the limitations I have is that they are cutting though my fat gut so
I will have problems with potential hernias etc. so no lifting for a while.
Fortunately no chemo involved, just the op.
keep the ideas coming please.
Bob
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HowardB
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| posted on 9/8/12 at 01:51 PM |
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or another option, listen to every CD you own,... that could take many hundreds of hours,....
read all the books that you always promised you would, or something similar from the bucket list,...
Howard
Fisher Fury was 2000 Zetec - now a 1600 (it Lives again and goes zoom)
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RichardK
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| posted on 9/8/12 at 02:16 PM |
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What about learning to tig weld? Although you may need a few extra quid to buy a decent tig machine.
Hope everything goes well my mate, take care and take it easy.
Cheers
R
Gallery updated 11/01/2011
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trextr7monkey
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| posted on 9/8/12 at 02:44 PM |
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If you aren't there already how about learning a CAD programme inside out so you can draw bits perfectly
- Google sketchup and pro desktop are £0 which gives you £150 spare for the car parts later 
Good luck with op
atb
Mike
http://www.flickr.com/photos/14016102@N00/ (cut and paste this dodgey link)
Our most recent pics are here:
http://s129.photobucket.com/albums/p211/trextr7monkey/
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Dangle_kt
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| posted on 9/8/12 at 03:39 PM |
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Computer games can gobble HOURS, and if you get some good ones from the last decade dont need a state of the art PC.
There are some classics:
Half life
Dues Ex
Command and Conquer
Championship manager
Delta force 2
would be just a few to start with and should run fine on any PC with a cheap £15 2nd hand graphics card, and you should pick them up for next to
nothing.
Build a website?
Learn java, c+, VB etc.
None of these are practical, but I lost my youth to those games, so I know they can keep you busy!
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owelly
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| posted on 9/8/12 at 05:15 PM |
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There's a feature in this months PPC Magazine about building a 3D printer. Then you use the one you've built to make parts for the next
one, etc...
http://www.ppcmag.co.uk
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NS Dev
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| posted on 9/8/12 at 07:06 PM |
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learning a CAD package is a good one, I have a couple of good ones sat there waiting and no time to learn them (pro E and solidworks) which drives me
mad as I could do with being able to really for my work.....one of those chicken and egg things!!
pretty sure between folks on here we can rustle you up the software ;-)
Retro RWD is the way forward...........automotive fabrication, car restoration, sheetmetal work, engine conversion
retro car restoration and tuning
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trextr7monkey
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| posted on 9/8/12 at 08:42 PM |
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You could watch every episode of the Sweeney - there's about 7 or 8 DVds worth, all those fights in the scrapyards.....................
atb
Mike
http://www.flickr.com/photos/14016102@N00/ (cut and paste this dodgey link)
Our most recent pics are here:
http://s129.photobucket.com/albums/p211/trextr7monkey/
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T66
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| posted on 9/8/12 at 09:03 PM |
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Games could fill in -a very addictive one is https://worldoftanks.eu/play
Open University course?
And as previously suggested there must be enough guys on here and elsewhere using Megasquirt to keep you busy.
Let us know what you end up doing & good luck....
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iank
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| posted on 9/8/12 at 09:20 PM |
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I took chemo as an opportunity to learn a new programming language (Python) while writing a computer game in it (got it 95% complete before I was back
at work).
Good luck with the surgery, hope you caught it in time to avoid any follow up chemo/radio.
--
Never argue with an idiot. They drag you down to their level, then beat you with experience.
Anonymous
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mad4x4
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| posted on 9/8/12 at 09:26 PM |
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TI Launchpad
Buy one of these at £9.99 and learn to program it, you can then build Dash controllers or light controlllers or even wee robots
Scot's do it better in Kilts.
MK INDY's Don't Self Centre Regardless of MK Setting !
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