heady

Martin Electronics sells punches for round holes etc. But they cost approx $60 for each size. What you are supposed to do, is to drill a small hole and thread a screw on one end of the punch thru the hole. Put the other side of the punch on the other end of the screw and tighten the screw which brings the two halves of the punch together and punches out the metal. Oh, they also have a kit with different sized round punches. Looks like I got suckered into paying too much for my nibbler. $15? Where? I have never seen it at any hardware shop before this.

aaa, Wow, looks good, well done. What is the sound like??? I know it isn't burn in yet but initial response?

Welcome back and Happy New Year, bpribadi. Heard you went on hols, so a bit quiet in the diy corner.

Wow, tropicalrips, thanks for being the pioneer, that's what I was hoping to do (one day when I find the time ). I will go for it too.

aaa, it cuts a piece 1.5mmx2mm at a time, a tiny bit. Which is why it is called a nibbler. You are supposed to drill a hole, insert the nibbler and use it repeatedly to cut out the shape you want. Finally finishing off with the files. For exact shaped holes, there are punches available but they cost about $60 for each shape and size. You can find the punches in the shops in Burlington Sq which sells tube amp kits.

A noble thought, Rameish. Happy B'day, nonetheless.

For DIYers who need to make a hole in panel/case which is not round, mike_d in head-fi forum (http://www6.head-fi.org/forums/showthread.php?t=99264) recommended a nibbler (http://www.directron.com/nibbletool.html). I happened to see this tool in a shop in Sim Lim Sq, UF Technology #03-69. The tool is marked as S$24. Just for your info.

bump...

N@Z, I thought it was your condo!

Firefox, hole puncher for belt is meant for a thick soft material which is cut by the circular blade against an anvil. It won't work with a thin metal.

aaa. sounds like you did electronics in school? I am sorry, I know nothing about this and have returned most of my physics to teacher about 30 years ago. Thanks for your answer though. My two 9volt batteries (series) don't last very long in my Pimeta, maybe 3-4 hours. Sorry to hear about the puncher, I guess I was lucky.

Yeah, I like the middle picture best. Very dynamic.

Super. Good job. Have you found out how long does the battery last?

Hey N@Z, no worries man. I appreciate your gesture though, shows the man you are. I guess I really have to try to learn about image manipulation.

Christmas greetings to all who celebrate Christmas. And a happy New Year.

aaa, I stay in Tampines so the Popular branch I frequent is in Simei. You may want to know this is not my idea, I saw this tip in the US forums posted by one of the more experienced DIYers. I am glad to help any one avoid my pain in trying to case the amps. I used to spend more time casing the amp then building it, until I used the puncher.

aaa, what I did to get pain free and nice big hole on the tin, is to go to Popular and buy ($1.30) the hole puncher thingy which looks like a plier (Genmes One Hole Punch). Then I cover the tin with masking tape to prevent scratches. Mark the point where the hole should be centred and do it with the hole puncher. The first time you do it, you will swear it won't work, until suddently the puncher goes thru the metal and you will be rewarded with a nice perfectly round hole of 6mm. This is just right for the headphone jacks and most switches. For the pot, you need about a 9mm hole, so this is a bit tricky. You make a point as usual and then use a compass to draw a 9mm circle. Using the puncher, you carefully punch a series of holes within the drawn circle and it's done! Nice holes without the aggro. Don't use drills, repeat don't use drills. I have used a power drill and a dremel like drill (actually a dentist laboratory drill) and with them, I have destroyed a few tins. The metal is too thin to drill holes bigger than 5mm without tearing and distorting the tin. Eating the sweets to get new tins weren't so fun either. (BTW - the pot has been packed and sealed and awaiting delivery to post office tomorrow)

Sure, kenshinz. I used to take lots of photos on slidefilm but am new to digital. I know nothing about image manipulation although have tried. A case of not teaching old dog new tricks, I guess. The pic was purposedly slightly underexposed to get the blue sky but the stones were dark so they do looked underexposed. Your pic looks better, I agree. Thanks.

And this is one panel from the Borobudur temple: (BTW - how come you guys can upload pics > 100 KB?)

Went to Solo and Yogyakarta last week to see the Prambanan and Borobudur temples. Amazing artistry. This is one section of the Prambanan complex:

A:Freeware Q:Public release or Beta?

Oh oh. I used to do this for years, maybe that's why my brain is going..... But seriously, if silica gel is poisonous, they won't allow them in the same pack as food. Some crackers or Japanese tidbits have them inside the package to keep the food crispy. I think it is because the silica gel is marked "Not for consumption" that we get the idea that it is poisonous. The auto dry cabinet we can buy works on the same principle, they have a heater which heats the silica gel inside the cabinet to regenerate the hygroscopic property. Unless they have some new technology nowadays. Mine works like what I described.

Good job, aaa. Wow so small. I thought my Pimeta clone looked small but your's is much smaller. Are you a surgeon? Your amp is resting on medical gauze. May I ask where you get your caps (blue, red and the electrolytics) from? Well done.

N@z, looks like pineapple family by the look of the inflorescence and leaves but the stem seems to say no way. So, no idea.

skyskraper, RS is located at Tuas and charge a lot for delivery if total amount is below $100 (I think). Tuas is at one end of Singapore and it is not easily accessible by public transport. Just thought you may want to know.