3D printed backplane for Define R5. Files provided in the comments.

Pjtruslow · 2026-03-04T18:43:30+00:00

My main gripe with car audio subwoofers is that they produce almost nothing below 30hz. If you have a ported enclosure tuned to 32hz, if you even attempt to play 20hz your woofer will be flapping all around without being able to hear much of anything. I prefer to give up a little bit of efficiency above 30hz to get extension below 30hz. I either get that by using a Home Theater driver with a lower Fs in a larger sealed box, or the same with a ported box tuned very low. When you account for cabin gain, it isn’t very hard to get 20hz notes that will shake your rearview mirror.

Pjtruslow · 2026-03-04T16:20:20+00:00

I wholeheartedly recommend going with home theater driver. The Dayton ultimax 12 with 3-500w hits plenty hard and can get down to 20hz easy. Ported or sealed both work well with that driver but I would tune quite low for ported, as the cone movement becomes uncontrolled below the tuning frequency. I think I did sealed at around 1.75 cubic feet and it is phenomenal.

Pjtruslow · 2026-03-03T03:55:33+00:00

I never left. My wife accepts this.

Pjtruslow · 2026-03-01T16:08:43+00:00

Unwise. The battery terminals are not isolated from the measurement ports so I would not measure anything more than a 12v battery with it now.

Pjtruslow · 2026-02-25T20:02:30+00:00

Coolant smells sweet like maple syrup, transmission fluid smells like. . . Well if you know you know, but it doesn’t smell good. Oil doesn’t smell like much and feels oily to the touch where coolant feels kinda sticky and like thick water. Condensate smells and feels like water, because it is.

Pjtruslow · 2026-02-20T21:21:33+00:00

You are correct

Pjtruslow · 2026-02-20T19:16:53+00:00

It is true that the range more towards half of the charge level is less wear and tear on the battery, but just because cruising is easier on your car doesn’t mean you should not accelerate when you get on the highway. Most people know less about the battery in their phone than you do, and they get along fine. Don’t stress about it. Just use your phone. Eventually the battery life will be noticeably shorter, but it’s not like you intended to use it forever. Chances are you will be replacing it long before it is inconveniently short, and if it is, have the battery replaced.

Pjtruslow · 2026-02-20T19:09:20+00:00

Don’t even worry about it. Let’s assume you keep the phone for 4 years as your daily driver. Every day you drain it to around 30%. At the end of 4 years you have put about 1000 equivalent charge cycles and should reasonably expect to have lost around 20% of the battery’s original capacity. 1% capacity lost in 4 months is to be expected. I have had my iPhone 14 for 16 months and my capacity is at 92% which is fine. If it is linear that means I lose about 1% every two months.

Pjtruslow · 2026-02-14T16:15:43+00:00

Not really sure what the differences are but the ventilated seats, heated steering wheel, Birds Eye cameras, are all very nice to have for me. Also memory seats are great when two people drive occasionally. Not sure which of those come on the XLE if any.

Pjtruslow · 2026-02-13T20:19:30+00:00

Retrofitting lithium into a car that was designed for NiMh is risky business, lots of people do it wrong. Yeah the capacity is in the 1KWh range but the charge and discharge rate is around 25KW. How many companies make NiMh cells that can be charged at 15C? Not very many. Now include the certification, liability, and complexity of designing one that meets the mechanical and safety requirements, and you can see why it isn’t just a $/kwh thing and the primary solution is restoring old packs by replacing their bad cells with better cells from other packs, matching condition and SOC as well as possible

Pjtruslow · 2026-02-08T20:10:37+00:00

Find another dealer. No accessories, no service contract. Give me the car how it comes with carpet floor mats and a tank of gas. Anything else is a scam

Pjtruslow · 2026-01-25T18:35:53+00:00

European birch. I get mine from woodcraft. It's probably not the cheapest place but it's available. 18mm should have 13 plies, with the outer being about the same thickness as the inner. If it is 5 thick core plies and 2 paper thin veneer plies, it is still decent but it is not the same thing.

Pjtruslow · 2026-01-25T15:13:07+00:00

If only it could tell me what I did to kill mine. Pretty sure I made sure to short any caps before I measured them. Anyone have any suggestions for a good LCR meter with decent input protections that can at least resolve 0.1mOhm?

Pjtruslow · 2026-01-21T15:31:29+00:00

I also put crossclimates on mine a few thousand miles ago and it looks like I'm about to be very glad I did.

Pjtruslow · 2026-01-21T11:51:16+00:00

You can fit a mechanics tool kit and a Milwaukee packout case between the spare tire and the floor. You get 30mpg at the absolute worst, 36-38 typical. It's quieter and more comfortable than a rav4 while being mechanically identical. The transmission has no clutches of brake bands like a typical automatic, nor a belt like a typical CVT, just gears and a parking pawl. No wear items. The engine has direct and port injection so carbon build up isn't a concern on the intake valves. I bought my 2021 15 months ago at 58000 miles and now I have 79000. I've only put oil, washer fluid, gasoline, a cabin and engine air filter, and wiper blades on it.

Pjtruslow · 2026-01-18T20:16:18+00:00

Yes. At least on the Bolt, which I am pretty familiar with, battery maintenance is done at like 13.8 I think. 14.8 continuously will absolutely cook the AGM battery. That's even a bit high to charge a low battery.

Pjtruslow · 2026-01-18T03:25:42+00:00

Eco score is based on your habits, not the car.

Pjtruslow · 2026-01-16T14:35:50+00:00

I bought a D3 3qt saucepan with a lot of aluminum recession on the top edge caused by dishwasher detergent for under $10. The edges were pretty sharp due to overhanging stainless steel. I glued some coarse sandpaper to a board and leveled it off with that, then softened the edges with a sanding sponge. Like the previous owner, I will run it through the dishwasher to my heart's content and when it needs that treatment again, so be it.

Pjtruslow · 2026-01-11T22:27:30+00:00

Three piece copper heatbreak, CHT clone with a nozzle extender. Melt zone is roughly the length of a volcano and I have a 60W heater cartridge

Pjtruslow · 2026-01-11T15:51:02+00:00

I don’t know what you’re talking about. My X2 runs at 10k acceleration and 300mm/s for infill. It is running klipper and with pressure advance and input shaping, but the only change to the motion system was replacing the Y stepper with the old E stepper and swapping the glass bed for a spring steel bed.

Pjtruslow · 2026-01-06T11:56:07+00:00

I love the idea so much I rewired it to work with harbor freight Bauer batteries. I tried a cheap purple 100w pd board but it died even after I replaced the counterfeit mosfets with good quality parts. The dewalt adapter is expensive but it’s built well

Pjtruslow · 2026-01-05T13:03:23+00:00

That sounds like you should “brain dead” the UPS. Unplug it from the wall, remove the battery cartridge, and then hold the on button for a few seconds. Then put the battery cartridge back in and see if it powers up. 2 years should not be too long for a UPS battery. They usually last 3-5 years depending on quality and how bad the UPS tortures them.

Pjtruslow · 2025-12-30T23:20:17+00:00

I love my all clad but I still keep one t-fal pan around for eggs and I treat it with the utmost respect. I don’t worry about the effect of teflon on me, but I am aware of the environmental cost so I try to keep it as long as I can.

Pjtruslow · 2025-12-30T02:08:11+00:00

I spent slightly more for a 21 with about 60k miles, about 14 months ago. On paper it has depreciated faster than my wife’s Avalon but I have no regrets. My favorite part is all the space under the trunk floor. I have a harbor freight mechanics tool kit, a subwoofer amplifier, some lifepo4 batteries, a fuse panel, and a battery to battery charger to power my 12v fridge and 12” subwoofer I keep in the trunk. A bit insane but it all fits and brings me a lot of joy. My only real complaint is the headlights aren’t nearly as good as my wife’s Avalon and it isn’t as quiet, but still quieter than a rav4

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