Hello! My name is Benjamin, and I am currently a student at Purdue studying at CNIT. Recently, I did a project regarding a Zune, expanding the battery, adding a 128 GB SSD, and even adding Bluetooth with an SMA antenna so it looks like a walkie-talkie. The project started when I decided to use my LP120 to digitize my recently started vinyl collection. I have been a audio junkie since I was little, I got my first media playing device when I turned 3. It was a Philips GoGear Vibe 4GB and I used that thing until it literally fell apart on me. I just loved music starting out, and it's developed into an addiction I can't go a minute without it. I'm currently 19, but when I was in 6th grade, there was a policy set that stated "No digital media," so I turned to analog audio and got into making my own cassettes and dailying a Walkman at the age of 13. From there, I got heavy into home stereos, and then in 8th grade, I started doing car audio installs. Now I'm in college and I tinker and dabble in just about any field or hobby. I'm happy to share the process of how I modded devices, and I would even be happy to assist in making a nonconspicuous Bluetooth install on a Walkman... FUTURE PLANS: Finish my handheld retro game console made from scratch. Mod my second Zune. Start hosting a PLEX server with a Monster hoard of CDs ripped to it. (I have my hands on about 400+ CDs right now, not including the 1400 Artists already in a ripped collection.)
Great post for my first log in of the day! It's nice seeing the younger hobbiest's and all the cool stuff they can build. With the internet were seeing a huge explosion of cool projects and the availability of parts. When I was a kid we had electronic magazines, Radio Shack, and I was lucky, we had a killer electronics parts store. It was kind of like a pharmacy but with cases, switches, power supplies and most of the parts needed to build stuff. One of my goto creators is Peter Sripol on YT, he doesn't post much these days but he's always putting cameras and engines on wings. I love his shop, lot's of cool tools and projects in there, I think he lives by you but I never really looked into it. https://www.youtube.com/@PeterSripol
I believe he is located in Dayton, Ohio. I've heard of him and kinda wonder where he obtained his degree. I recognize his stuff cause I'm also into RC cars... I got a Traxxas stamped when I was 6, and kept going from there! It's a neat hobby, but very expensive. My family and I refer to a day as "easter sunday." I had wrecked my RC car so bad I hit a curb head-on at 30mph, and the thing blew apart, lol. It was 180 dollars in parts to fix, and my dad made me put the parts on myself. A learning experience.
When I was younger, control line airplanes were popular, mostly Cox Brand. We'd fly them for a day or two and then a few crashes would end their lives. We'd move on to balsa wood versions but those OS Engines were really fast and they didn't last much longer.
I would say balsa wood is like styrofoam, I've been looking into building an FPV drone from bare bones and seeing what will happen. I have access to a CFR printer here that will line the 3D print with fiberglass. I notice you're from Minnesota, I love the landscape up there. Ages 13-17 I made a trip every summer with my grandpa and one of my best friends to do some backpacking and portaging in the BWCA. My last trip was when the wildfires were just starting, the lakes looked like they had a forever fog on them all day long. As we made our way back to Indiana, a storm you guys had sent all the smoke down the jet stream. I'm sorry; I have ADHD, and I'm a yapper. Both a blessing and a curse
It's very nice up there, I've vacationed on the North Shore a few times. I came from Michigan, I used to get around Indiana quite a bit for an old sales job. The new products out are great for fast builds, back in the college days we had to make projects with wood or metal on industrial equipment, foam board was about as good as it got but no hot glue back then, I think it was just catching on? I had to use Elmers and wait for it to dry, same with balsa wood.
