Oops- wrong bushing set!

[GoatRider]

I was making my second attempt at turning a circuit board pen tonight. I was going along merrily with the skew getting close to the bushings, and the skew started hitting rough patches. I stopped the lathe, and saw I was hitting components! So I grabbed the directions, and saw it wanted 50A bushings. I was using Sierra bushings, 20A.

Fortunately, I had a gold Sierra kit, and they use the same tube. I was able to finish it up with sandpaper, which cut the components more evenly than my skew, and you can't even tell some of them are flush with the resin. So now I have an extra "phat sierra" kit laying around.

PS- this is for my SysAdmin at work. He's got an apartment full of used electronic equipment. I'm almost afraid electronic life is going to form spontaneously from the primordial soup of electronics junk. He's going to love this pen.

 

[Younka]

It looks like it still turned out nice!!

 

[GrantH]

Very nice, can't see anything wrong at all.

 

[joefyffe]

Recently, while turning one of these, I pulled out a chunk at the end of the tube, virtually rendering the blank useless. Sooooooooo, I took advantage of a negative situation and gathered myself some information. The row of black chips or whatever they are called (I am not a techi) opposite end of the wide gold colored band are located at approx.
.535" O.D. I say approximately because I would expect some variation between casts. Probably, one could ca the blank and be o.k. if turning into these, but I, in good faith, could not feel good selling that pen, knowing it might break down later. Point? Don't turn below .540 over those six or seven little black thingies at the end opposite the widest gold colored band.:biggrin: That seems to be the highest thingies on the circuit board. I hope this information, gained at my monetary expense, saves someone else the twenty bucks replacement fee for a screw up! If not, I am sure Berea will gladly accept your replacement order:crying:

 

[rizaydog]

Looks good to me.

 

[GoatRider]

Recently, while turning one of these, I pulled out a chunk at the end of the tube, virtually rendering the blank useless. Sooooooooo, I took advantage of a negative situation and gathered myself some information. The row of black chips or whatever they are called (I am not a techi) opposite end of the wide gold colored band are located at approx.
.535" O.D. I say approximately because I would expect some variation between casts. Probably, one could ca the blank and be o.k. if turning into these, but I, in good faith, could not feel good selling that pen, knowing it might break down later. Point? Don't turn below .540 over those six or seven little black thingies at the end opposite the widest gold colored band.:biggrin: That seems to be the highest thingies on the circuit board. I hope this information, gained at my monetary expense, saves someone else the twenty bucks replacement fee for a screw up! If not, I am sure Berea will gladly accept your replacement order:crying:

Those are surface-mount resistors or diodes. I would only worry about it if we still expect the circuit to work. I just sanded them flush, and you can't even tell.

I actually kinda wonder where these circuit boards come from. I think they are surplus boars from something. I really doubt they are made for this purpose. I also think they were made flat and bent. I think it would be very difficult to solder surface mount onto a tube. You can see on one side the seam where no traces cross.

 

[BlackPearl]

I gave one of these to my son for his birthday. He took it to work and the Electrical engineers grabbed it and started working out a schematic of the circuit and prototyped the board.
These guys have entirely too much time on their hands, I never heard what the board does but they asked if they made a board if I would turn them pens from it. They want one that has LED that flash, and an inclineometer etc, I sent one that I screwed up to see how thin the covering really is and I have not heard back...yet.

 

[thewishman]

I actually kinda wonder where these circuit boards come from. I think they are surplus boars from something. I really doubt they are made for this purpose.

Benton, the circuit boards are specifically made for these pens.