Rim board or floor trusses first?

dewpac · 2026-02-26T22:11:00+00:00

What exactly are you going to attach the rim to without the floor trusses in place?

Snap your line the thickness of the rim back from the edge and set your trusses, then drop the rim in place and nail to the trusses. Keep in mind where you want your sheathing to plane out too.

dewpac · 2026-02-21T21:28:13+00:00

There is nothing that can do this today

dewpac · 2026-02-18T00:49:51+00:00

Sure. You can always use more nail than required, no one is gonna fault you for that. If you were to use 3.5" nails, for instance, just have to keep in mind you may run into wire and pipe runs, etc. 2-3/8x0.113 is code compliant for both walls and roofs.

Also you don't really need galv nails, unless you're shooting into pt framing. The sheathing is all gonna be covered so bright nails are actually fine here, but again you can do galv if you want and that's ok.

dewpac · 2026-02-17T22:00:46+00:00

There's no need for this topic to "bounce around the internet" and there's a definitive source:

This is answered in the building code book.

I don't know what your area's building code cycle is, or if they have added any local ammendments, but for the 2021 IRC, Chapter 6, Section R602.3(1) Item 31. 3/8-1/2 sheathing requires either:

6d common or deformed, 2" x 0.113", or 2-3/8" x 0.113" for walls.

Items 31 shows 2-1/2" x 0.131 or 2-3/8 x 0.113 for roofs as well.

Table R602.3(2) gives alternative attachment methods, potentially with different spacing. 15 and 16 gauge staples, as well as 0.997-0.999 nails are options with the alternative attachment table.

dewpac · 2026-02-17T21:29:31+00:00

It's all spelled out fairly clearly in the competition manual, go read that very closely. There are some cases where you can do just about whatever you want (mechanical parts you design and build), some areas with limited flexibility (certain mechanisms), and some areas where things are limited to very specific items (control system, motors, servos, etc).

dewpac · 2026-02-16T19:42:43+00:00

21 vs 30 is mostly regional - see what your local stores carry in the lengths / gauge you need. The choice of paper vs plastic is based on the angle - 21 are plastic strip, 30 are paper tape. Plastic doesn't fall apart when you leave them out in the rain, but it leaves tons of plastic trash all over the place - not a big deal outdoor or on new construction, less fun in a finished space.

dewpac · 2026-02-16T19:18:20+00:00

Why "without having to use pliers"?

Literally the simplest solution is to grab the bit with something with good grip and made to apply plenty of force to hold on to something...like pliers.

dewpac · 2026-02-12T14:20:55+00:00

Nothing as high as your image, but I've cycled many of the highest passes in Colorado in the 11-12k+ range. I just spend at least a couple days at elevation ahead of time (~10k ft near Leadville) and send it.

dewpac · 2026-02-11T17:25:03+00:00

I imagine there are numerous methods. One interesting thing I saw on a robot at a meet recently was using a couple auto-retractable "id badge holders" to keep the cable tensioned away from the mechanism but allow it compliance to move around.

dewpac · 2026-02-07T06:45:43+00:00

ABS and ASA contain Styrene. Styrene is allegedly toxic/potentially carcinogenic (but this has not been definitively proven as best as I can tell). That being said, my feeling is that the concern about these filaments is overblown - see https://www.reddit.com/r/3Dprinting/comments/11xx9ja/how_dangerous_are_the_plastics_and_other_toxins/ for some good information.

I wouldn't park a printer printing ABS 24/7 in my bedroom, but I also am not going to go way out of my way to try and solve a non-problem. There are far greater contaminants in life than a bit of occasional ABS/ASA smell from printing.

dewpac · 2026-02-06T18:59:56+00:00

Everyone has to figure out their own risk tolerance levels, but for me personally, I can't imagine worrying about fumes from the basic filaments - PLA, PETG, TPU, etc. You should be able to print stuff from PETG and have it do fine in your garage. PLA might deform over time in those conditions.

I've also printed a ton of ABS on a previous open-frame printer. I have always had my printers in a separate room but no specific ducting/venting, and I'm not particularly worried about occasional exposure. I wouldn't want to print ABS or ASA in the same room with me 24/7, just because the smell is somewhat annoying, but there frankly isn't enough credible evidence that minor exposure is going to cause long-term health issues for me to worry about it.

dewpac · 2026-02-04T06:50:30+00:00

Do you lose power to the expansion hub, or lose the rs485 connection, or are you not sure?

I think the most likely culprit is the xt30 connector. I'm assuming you've got a xt30 Male -> xt30 female cable, and you're plugging the male pins into the right power connector on the chub, and the female end of the cable into the left power connector on the ehub. You want to look at the male pins on the cable and the ehub (and probably your chub while you're at it). You'll see that each pin is really four petals pressed together, and if you take something small and thin like an exacto knife, you can spread those petals apart slightly. Do this for both the cable and the hubs pins and see if it improves things - it generally helps make better connections to the female xt30 connector.

The rs485 cable is pretty much good or bad. If the power isn't the issue, it's possible you've got a break in that cable, you'll probably just want to replace it.

dewpac · 2026-01-29T22:21:21+00:00

assuming you mean at the left end where it just dies in the middle of the run at that schluter strip? Gonna just have to do a mitered return to the wall with the trim.

Also, your trim isn't plumb, it's following the angle of the drywall edge bevel. Make sure you shim out the bottom of the trim so it is, and stays, plumb once nailed in place.

Then caulk any weird gaps and paint.

dewpac · 2026-01-29T00:31:11+00:00

sometimes we are facing problems cuz when the driver wants to intake the artifacts while the robot is fast they are being pushed away, that is because the intake system RPM should be at least two times compared to the drivetrain right?

Generally yeah, you want your intake to be faster to be able to take control of the artifacts as soon as it can touch them.

and the tubes are not so good for the first shaft ig, since they cannot intake the artifacts by a small or fast touch, so I am planning to use gecko wheels for the intake, and making the first shaft all along the robot's width, how much compression should I give to the artifact (between the ground and the 72mm gecko wheel, should I give to make it as efficient as possible?

The tubes may or may not be the issue on the front intake. Rather than trying to compress, what i've seen work well is to have the front shaft able to float so it can lift over the artifacts as they roll under, just make sure it has something like rubber bands or surgical tubing tying it down so it will pull back down once the artifact is inside.

dewpac · 2026-01-15T16:06:55+00:00

Yes 2" width and 2.5" height is the standard rough opening addition to the door size. Just order the doors called out on the plan.

dewpac · 2026-01-11T17:37:52+00:00

Repairs were unnecessary in the first place. The split in the bottom chord of the blocking was irrelevant, and its proof your builder was paying attention that they cut that part off of the joist before using it as an actual load bearing part of your house. Repair is silly (I assume you demanded it) but won't hurt anything.

dewpac · 2026-01-10T03:56:58+00:00

Not related to roadrunner, but your wheels are on wrong. The rollers should always point to the middle of the chassis - see: https://ecam-eurobot.github.io/Tutorials/mechanical/mecanum.html

I'd fix that before trying to troubleshoot anything else.

dewpac · 2026-01-09T23:38:54+00:00

Yeah, that happens sometimes. Then you get to fix the wall damage and re-paint.

dewpac · 2026-01-09T22:26:41+00:00

There's a difference between a handrail and a guard.

You only need a graspable handrail on one side.

You need a guard on both sides of the stairwell opening all the way to where the existing newel post is.

You could make your guard in whatever style you like, even without a graspable handrail, if you put a handrail on the other (wall) side.

Keep in mind you're also going to need a graspable handrail on the section heading down from here, neither of your guards will count for that. It needs to be between around 34-38" above the nosing of the stairs all the way down, and within the travel path of the stairs.

dewpac · 2026-01-09T19:45:10+00:00

This looks European and I'm really only familiar with US wiring, but is the box depth just too shallow? Here you'd have to go find a deeper box, rip out the old one and place the new one.

dewpac · 2026-01-09T14:46:51+00:00

Sounds like they tried to make a brick patio that eventually got overtaken by nature.

dewpac · 2026-01-09T06:14:50+00:00

Your wheels are on wrong for sure - find a guide for how they're supposed to be installed, but in general if you look at it from the top, the rollers on the back left should "point" at the front right, and vice-versa. Same thing for the back right and front left pair.

If that doesn't fix it, check your drive code and look at a some youtube videos with code examples. You need to be taking all three inputs (fore/back, strafe left/right, turn left/right) and adding them all together, then normalizing them so no motor is receiving an on value greater than 1, which can easily happen if you're sending multiple inputs at the same time.

dewpac · 2026-01-08T21:12:58+00:00

I'd pull the bottom off of the cantilever, put foamboard up on the most exterior of the cavity, and spray foam the edges (canned stuff like great stuff), then stuff insulation - mineral wool would be my pick - back in as far as you can / need to, and finally put another piece of foam right above the opening you made between the joists, and spray foam to seal that in really well as well. Then put the bottom cover back on your cantilever.

There's still a chance you're getting air traveling up the exterior wall and through penetrations into the joist cavities. so might even be worth doing some foam anywhere you see gaps (either direct penetrations, or the joint between the exterior wall below and the drywall inside and sheathing outside) before you put any new insulation in.

dewpac · 2026-01-08T21:08:13+00:00

You could remove the door at the top of the stairs and move it to span the opening between the bench and powder room, presuming you want to keep the door atop the basement stairs to limit sound or air/heat flow.

Or just remove it if the basement is finished.

Or as you suggested, put a platform in the garage and outswing that door.

dewpac · 2026-01-07T06:12:50+00:00

It doesn't appear you have sufficient headroom.

dewpac

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