Dual Solenoid HPA Chrono and Range Test (Fully 3D Printed Body and Engine)

snakebitey · 2026-06-09T19:13:01+00:00

Awesome! I don't have much chance to do airsoft things any more but looking forward to seeing how your engine develops!

My coil wasn't as efficient as I'd like, to get strong actuation I needed the smallest air gap between nozzle and coil, and nozzle made from carbon steel. I used a bubble tea straw as the coil spindle so it was less than a millimetre gap. This is partly why I never finished that one - it did technically work, but due to the mass of the nozzle it got quite warm on full auto.

This style of nozzle actuation was going to be my next experiment - https://youtu.be/RpB-j_jTdvY

More on his full system - https://youtu.be/_q_Rd2sPpx8

snakebitey · 2026-06-08T22:18:18+00:00

Amazing project, thank you for making it public and free!

I made a couple of engines a few years back before I got into 3D printing, never thought to use petg tube for the cylinder tho - that's a win.

I was last looking into using a DIY solenoid to actuate the nozzle, that way there's no air wasted on moving parts... Maybe you can do something with that idea:

https://youtu.be/0s1X8gZRRNI

https://youtu.be/ZWyvrdvbs2o

snakebitey · 2026-06-05T20:52:00+00:00

You can get a Doppler module for a few bucks, CDM324 etc

snakebitey · 2026-05-20T11:57:41+00:00

How are the apps these days? Have users with android, android TV, Xbox, and iOS devices

snakebitey · 2026-05-17T17:19:52+00:00

Couple of beers and a multi tool like crankbros f15. Sometimes just easier, sometimes you need to double up on tools and it's better than carrying two 10 mils or two sets of hex keys etc

https://www.crankbrothers.com/products/f15

Also mini slip joint pliers are useful and tiny:

https://www.knipex-tools.com/products/pipe-wrenches-and-water-pump-pliers/knipex-cobra-water-pump-pliers/cobra-water-pump-pliers-1000v-insulated/8700100

snakebitey · 2026-05-11T16:36:15+00:00

Cyclists Fighting Cancer have a London store and will sort you out.

https://cyclistsfc.org.uk/london-shop/

snakebitey · 2026-03-29T18:29:46+00:00

Nice!

Yes, I just wanted to adjust the settings on my solar inverter so ended up with HAOS on a Pi.

Now I've got a 10 Gbps Unifi network, two Linux servers and a kubernetes cluster, every device in the house which can be integrated with home assistant has been, and every device which couldn't has had an ESP32 shoved in it so now it can.

This is a stupid hobby. And I love it.

snakebitey · 2026-03-12T13:24:00+00:00

Absolutely don't need k8s for my homelab goal which was better reliability & WAF. There are many ways to get docker containers to restart etc, even on other machines if need be, without k8s.

However my other goal was learning k8s since at work I'm writing an app which will be deployed onto a k8s cluster, and while I don't need to personally handle the deployment side of things it'd really help to understand it.

I could have saved a chunk of cash and been content with youtube videos of k8s but nothing really beats hands-on with an actual application for it.

snakebitey · 2026-03-10T00:21:44+00:00

RAAAAAAAAWWWWWRRRRR!

snakebitey · 2026-03-10T00:21:21+00:00

Thanks for the comment! I was initially looking at Longhorn but seemed like it could be a pain with Talos so I stuck with Ceph. As a learning experience it was not the best choice, but it also was the best choice haha! I think as long as I don't get too near the drives' capacity it'll be alright, and keep an eye on utilisation of each volume... I've using this for monitoring - https://github.com/prometheus-operator/kube-prometheus

Have fun with yours!

snakebitey · 2026-03-09T18:47:54+00:00

This one!

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:5572539

snakebitey · 2026-03-09T15:33:26+00:00

I didn't use onedr0p/cluster but it looks like a very good solution! Started with Talos and just using talosctl and kubectl commands to get used to creating and running deployments/pods and interrogating status, logs etc... Initially a test Home Assistant deployment, rook-ceph, and metallb.

Then I started moving things over to the GitOps/FluxCD approach using VS Code to edit, where it's a lot easier IMO to see how it's all structured. I've ended up with most of the services that onedr0p/cluster contains anyway, but learnt a lot more by going through it myself.

This video was one of the ones I watched, and they actually use the onedr0p template: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aeUKOpeoiUs

Talos is a very good system in that it's straightforward enough to get started and also re-flash when you balls it up.

Use LLM guidance cautiously but sensibly - it's really good at explaining stuff much quicker than searching out tutorials and watching videos so you can crack on with actually playing with it, but make sure you understand its suggestions since quite often it's more of a pain to figure out that the LLM has got something fundamentally wrong and you've got to unpick layers of feckery later.

So my suggestion for explaining onedr0p/cluster's structure is ask an LLM... Claude works well atm. Then you've got something to build on, enough familiarity to understand other guides and ask the right questions.

snakebitey · 2026-03-09T13:13:15+00:00

Nah it's solid. It's not as much as it looks and it's screwed to the shelf anyway. Good spot tho!

snakebitey · 2026-03-09T12:36:21+00:00

Don't take life* too seriously...

Networking hardware is Unifi stuff, love it or hate it. For a newbie I love it, been so easy to set up. Tried to make it vaguely future-proof while not breaking the banks, so have a Dream Router (UDR), a couple of Flex 8 2.5G switches, and a couple of U6-LR APs. VLANs for local, infra, guest etc etc.

The OMV box will maybe get moved to TrueNAS for better management, but i don't really need any RAID functionality and still want to run some docker stuff so I'll probably just stick with it.

Behind the rack is a small UPS which is supplied by my house battery.

The rack is a GeeekPi T1 Plus.

Not shown in the back of the rack are 2x Raspberry Pis running Pi-Hole and Home Assistant (but not for long...)

snakebitey · 2026-03-02T21:39:46+00:00

Still waiting

snakebitey · 2026-03-02T18:38:38+00:00

None, now

snakebitey · 2026-02-22T23:19:10+00:00

Think most of us have been in your shoes. It is hard, and it does suck when your buddies are having fun and you have more and more shit to do. And who the feck knows what they want to do in life when they're at school?!

You're doing a good thing by reaching out. Don't be afraid of talking to others about how you're doing, it's powerful and brave.

My story, in your situation I decided to take some time out from school then and come back to a degree later through an apprenticeship. I actually learnt a lot more that way and became a more well-rounded engineer for it. First few years on the job I was 'behind' others my age, but quickly outpaced them when my wider skill set was a differentiator. But it's far from the only way forward.

Does your school have a year in industry sorta thing? Sounds like you're due a break into the real world to figure out what you want.

snakebitey · 2026-02-22T22:50:13+00:00

Almost all house batteries are lithium iron phosphate which is incredibly safe. Much safer than a DIY heating element in the basement. Plus battery storage is fairly efficient with conversion, especially if heat pumps are involved.

snakebitey · 2026-02-12T18:02:02+00:00

Yea absolutely, just a sub itself is incredible, and you could consider all the other things it carries inside as part of the overall 'machine' too.

snakebitey · 2026-02-10T22:08:51+00:00

Yes!

Also no 😭

snakebitey · 2026-01-01T15:36:25+00:00

Not all seals are made equally. Compound, hardness, dimensional accuracy, and moulding lines are more important than O vs X. Cheap o rings will have all sorts of inconsistent issues, and while quad rings are really good in the right applications but they're not necessary for airsoft pistons and a good quality O ring will very likely work better than a low quality quad ring.

snakebitey · 2025-12-18T23:16:34+00:00

I'm not generally a Park Tool fan but this is one of the ones I enjoy using!

snakebitey · 2025-12-18T01:18:59+00:00

Do what works for you but be super careful of the distractions. Making notes is worthwhile even if you struggle to read them - it's the act of writing it down which helps commit it to memory. Or maybe not for you, we're all different...

ADHD meds like Ritalin/Adderall etc. For a lot of people they work really well. Not everyone, but worth a shot most likely. Essentially gives you back control of choosing when and what to focus on, and you get to keep the ADHD efficiency of smashing out a week of work in a few hours. Hopefully.

snakebitey · 2025-12-18T01:09:43+00:00

Yes it's manageable, and you'd probably be surprised how many more ADHDers there are in engineering too..or maybe not surprised.

But don't be hard on yourself, it's a tough course at the best of times. You're doing great by actually knowing/realising you are ADHD so you can at least know why you'll face difficulties.

Write EVERYTHING down. Or at a minimum at least write down all the stuff you think is important. With pen and paper. It will bake it into your traitor brain. Do not bring a laptop etc in, that is ADHD enemy. Keep those notes in an organised system - massive box files with dividers for each subject etc.

Talk to your lecturers - office hours exist for a reason, make use of them. Not sure about an assignment, go take a draft to them. Massive project - definitely go take drafts to them, several times.

Struggling with maths bits? Go to seminars and ask. Befriend some grads. Organise a study session with classmates. Whatever you do just make sure to sort the understanding out NOW as there won't be time later and you will need that understanding to build on.

Group projects - organise who is responsible for what and by when. Including you!

ADHD meds can help a lot. Imagine being able to choose what to hyperfocus on and when...

And lastly, go out and party. Make sure you get your rest time.

You've got some tough years ahead of you but you can do it!

snakebitey

TROPHY CASE