Latest Posts
- Toyota Corolla Car Clock
In the past year, I bought a 2004 Toyota Corolla and one of the problems that it had when I bought it was that the clock was not working. After some quick research, I discovered that the solution may not be all that difficult. I will give credit to the YouTube video that I found addressing this solution here. Anyways, I took the clock out and took the assembly apart. There is only one Phillips screw that needs removed behind the fan speed selector knob. Then the whole assembly just pops out. I used a flat head screwdriver to take the clock out, and then to remove the backing. What we are looking for is the 5 resistors on the back of the circuit board that I have circled below.
In order to fix the clock, I simply re-soldered these resistors to the board. Upon reinstalling the clock in the car, it lit right up. This job only took me about a half hour, and it has been working since. As far as car work goes, this has been the simplest and most satisfactory job I have done yet. I never knew how much joy the lighting of this little green clock could bring me.
- Dewalt Drill Motor Replacement
I recently was able to pick up a used Dewalt cordless drill for $20. I was very happy with my purchase until I got home and realized with some use that the motor was mostly burnt out and that the brushes were on their way out. The motor made a decent bit of what I would call, burning smell. I looked into replacing the brushes and found very limited information about that specific model, DCD771. After taking it apart, I realized that the motor was pressure fitted together and would be quite a lot of work. The brushes ended up being $15 on Amazon or I could buy a new motor for $30. I opted for the new motor, and got it soldered in quite easily.
I ended up having to do some work, but a Dewalt drill for $50 is not a bad deal. It was fun seeing the inside of the drill, and the Amazon part was just as expected.
- Wireless FM Transmitter
I recently purchased a vehicle made in the early 2000s and it only has a CD player. While I love CD’s and have a collection, it is far easier and more convenient to be able to play music from my phone. In other vehicles I have had access to pair my phone to the car sound system through Bluetooth, or at least through an aux cable.
This would require replacing the car’s head unit. For the sake of simplicity, security, and affordability, I opted to give a try using a Bluetooth FM transmitter that operates out of a cigarette lighter outlet.
I found it really easy to use but sometimes, where there are more towers broadcasting, the FM transmitter can get overpowered. It has the ability to broadcast on different channels which allows for you to work around that problem. I would not recommend it for those who want really high quality, static free music, but for my needs with my cheap car speakers, it is quite handy.
Categories
Audio
I love music and have started to play around with free music related software, from fully functional DAWs, to synthesizers, to plugins, and even smaller applications like tuners.
Music
I have been interested in audio and how it forms music for a long time. Recently, I have started to actually make my own music. Through this process, I have learned first hand that it really takes dedication and time to produce music that sounds good. Here I am going to share some of my creations.
Other
I have many other hobbies and until I spend more time on them this is where they will reside.
Robotics
In high school, I was part of a FRC robotics team. I am no longer on the team, but all of my posts are original and are my own work. This website being my blog, I will continue to keep old posts up, just not on my homepage.
Tags
Ardour Arduino Audacity Audio Applications Audio Effects Coding Fitness Food FRC Robotics LEGO LMMS Mechanics Music Musical Instruments Old Tech Tinkering