I suck at fabrication

[John Frum]

Can't measure.
Or cut straight
Or see straight

Threads I can strip
Bolts I can break

Welding was a big mistake!

 

[gnubie]

This post sounds like a bit of a fabrication itself. ?

 

[Hedges]

... can't do nothing right!

A few too many lines for Haiku

I once read that Sony introduced nicer, gentler DOS error messages:

"Such a large file!
It might have been useful ...
... now it is gone."

 

[Dzl]

Can't measure.
Or cut straight
Or see straight

Threads I can strip
Bolts I can break

Welding was a big mistake!

God damn can I relate to this! :D

 

[MrNatural22]

Dance dam it dance ?

 

[Deleted-User]

Dance dam it dance ?


View attachment 24701

Sign of a true craftsman...it's all in the technique.

 

[ArthurEld]

Mechanical and metal working are my trade. I have long hair.

 

[John Frum]

 

[Hedges]

View attachment 24735View attachment 24734

2000 Series Bezel Mount Kit

Hoyt Meter's 2000 Series Bezel Mount Kit is die cast black with positive locking tabs works with our 2018, 2025, 2026, 2035, 2036, 2045, and 2046 panel meter series. Kit includes mounting hardware.

www.hoytmeter.com

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winnipeghid.ca

 

[HRTKD]

Pictures may be worth a thousand words, but I'm still at zero and could use a narrative.

I tried to build a tilt mechanism/bracket for my full size solar panels using metal that I had on hand. I was almost done and scrapped the whole thing. It was too flimsy. I'm working on another design that is definitely at the opposite extreme.

 

[John Frum]

Pictures may be worth a thousand words, but I'm still at zero and could use a narrative.

The box on the left melted under the cutting wheel of my Dremel tool.
The Dremel feels so awkward to me I can't decide which hand to use it in.

The walls on the box on the right are too thick for the chosen strain relief so its worse than useless.

 

[John Frum]

2000 Series Bezel Mount Kit

Hoyt Meter's 2000 Series Bezel Mount Kit is die cast black with positive locking tabs works with our 2018, 2025, 2026, 2035, 2036, 2045, and 2046 panel meter series. Kit includes mounting hardware.

www.hoytmeter.com

So the next problem is to mount the bezel mount, right?

 

[snoobler]

I feel your pain. I thought I could simultaneously learn to weld and weld my panel rails onto my shipping container.

I learned I suck at welding.

The original plan was to drill and tap the top rails of the container - even had the rails pre-drilled for that. Discovered that was the right way to go... next two mounts combined took about 1/4 the time as the first mount.

I'm so concerned about my welds, I'm going to go back and drill/tap to secure those rails as well.

Dumb.

 

[road glide]

I thought SMA Sunny Boy attachment points were weak....Two 5/16 bolts in the lower housing?? Fabbed a strap to the superstruts for the upper part........

What do you think?

 

[Hedges]

So the next problem is to mount the bezel mount, right?

Like a self-rimming sink, the bezel is supposed to cover your rough hole.

I usually drill holes for corners and saw between them. Sawzall was my standard tool, but now have portable band saw which easily makes straight cuts in steel but isn't as good at curves for cuts which don't terminate at an edge.

There are of course punches for "D" connectors etc.
I use hole saws or a "Slugbuster" conduit knockout punch for sheetmetal.

 

[Hedges]

I thought SMA Sunny Boy attachment points were weak....Two 5/16 bolts in the lower housing?? Fabbed a strap to the superstruts for the upper part........

What do you think?View attachment 24740

I suppose you also attached it at he bottom (outside what's visible in your picture) so it can't hop off?
No bracket came with it?

Those brackets are reverse of what I see on the OptiCool enclosures. Mine have a large recess and bracket has sheet metal bent out to fit inside.
The bolt holes on bottom just keep it from swinging out, don't carry the weight.

My first Sunny Boy SWR2500U didn't have brackets, just tabs with holes. So I bolted to slot nuts in the unistrut.
The newer ones including Sunny Island have brackets so I hung unistrut with vertical pieces of unistrut attached to the bolts which held a ledger board for the deck. Bracket bolted to strut with slot nuts, and 150 pound inverter hung on the bracket.

 

[road glide]

Yes attached at bottom with 2 bolts.......They now have two bolt holes in the lower connection housing. They take two 5/16 bolts. Those are fastened to the bottom strut. The top strut is what is in the picture...kinda like stirrups??....so I bought some strap at the local hdwe store and made up the attachments, ground the corners, painted and installed with nylon locking nuts...
Now have 4 points of attachment high and low....

 

[Hedges]

The box on the left melted under the cutting wheel of my Dremel tool.
The Dremel feels so awkward to me I can't decide which hand to use it in.

The walls on the box on the right are too thick for the chosen strain relief so its worse than useless.

I suppose the shape of the panel meter covers slightly rough hole like the bezel would.

Abrasive blade on the dremel? High speed, melting.
A end-mill type cutter would have much lower velocity because small diameter. Can't use it by hand or it will wander badly, but with a guide it might work. I've used a router table with guide for cabinet parts. Similar are available for dremel (also a CNC setup)

May also be able to cut with a hot wire.

 

[Hedges]

When using a guide, place it where if router wanders off it cuts scrap and not the good part.
Pick direction of cut so router/Dremel is pushed against the guide rather than trying to wander away.

For instance, I've used an 8' straight edge clamped to a laminate sheet (with 2x4 on back side) and cut with the router.
A Skilsaw would cut straight but chips the surface. Router bit cuts clean. (when laminate is already bonded to something I cut from the backside with Skilsaw.)

 

[John Frum]

The ac side is not making me cringe anymore.