Adventures In DIY

Raised Bed #2 Cool Season Crops Sprouting

DiyGuy — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 03:20:58 +0000

After a little over a week, the following plants started to sprout:

Kyona (Mizuno) Sprouting

Bed #2

Raised Bed Gardening: Planted Bed #2

DiyGuy — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 22:19:19 +0000

I finished mixing the soil, setting up the irrigation this last weekend so I was able to plant bed #2. This bed gets about 70% sun so we’ll see how these seeds do there. Here is what went into each square foot of the 4′ x 4′ gardening area:

Marigold Med. 12-18″ Gold and Red [1]	Small Radish Round Red [16]	Small Radish Round Red [16]	Marigold Med. 12-18″ Gold and Red [1]
Shungiku [25]	Green Lance [4]	Canasta Lettuce [1]	Tokyo Bekana Asian Greens [36]
Hakurei Turnip [16]	Organic Buttercrunch Lettuce [4]	Verte Mar Lettuce [1]	Kyona (Mizuna) Asian Greens [30]
Marigold Med. 12-18″ Gold and Red [1]	Pac Choi Fuyu Shomi [9]	Pac Choi Fuyu Shomi [9]	Marigold Med. 12-18″ Gold and Red [1]

Gardening Week 5: Raising Seedlings

DiyGuy — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 22:34:12 +0000

The seedlings started to really take off since I finished a home made grow lamp setup (post coming soon) about a week and a half ago. Another thing is I’ve been doing is mixing a little Miracle Grow in every other watering. I figured they weren’t getting any nutrients from the peat containers they were started in.

Finally More Growth On The Seedlings

Gardening Week 2: Raising Seedlings

DiyGuy — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 01:27:40 +0000

I’m really new to gardening. In fact I bought the Jiffy Professional Greenhouse starter kit, holds 72 plants, and some seeds without really thinking things through. Some times its fun to just jump into things. I came to realize I have a lot of work to do before I can plant the seedlings I’m trying to grow.

Seedlings Just Coming Up

So far I’ve planted seeds for:

Brandywine Tomatoes
Basil
Sage
Thyme
California Peppers (bell peppers)

My friend at the dog park was nice enough to let me go through her seeds when I told her I was going to do a raised bed garden. I don’t think my seeds are getting enough light so I’ll have to come up with some grow lamp setup.

Friend’s Seeds

Ford F-150 Factory Radio Uninstall and New Radio Install

DiyGuy — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 15:19:59 +0000

This post is more of a supplemental to the installation guide at Install Dr.com. The hope is that the pictures and some of the notes I took as I did the installation will make your radio install that much smoother.

The guide includes:

Original radio removal
Wiring new radio using a wiring harness
Wiring diagram
Basic steps to installing the new radio

When removing the dash panel I found it was easier to get my fingers under the panel at the bottom near the climate controls.

Removing Front Dash Panel

Front Dash Panel Off

You’ll notice that the dash panel is not completely removed. There is no way I want to mess with anything associated with the airbags in the truck. It seemed perfectly fine to let it hang there.

Passenger Side Airbag Connection

I didn’t want to pay for the tool used to remove the factory radio so I tried the do it yourself version using a clothes hanger.

Cutting Wire To Make Removal Tool

Bending Wire To Make Removal Tool

Removal Tool Notes:

The important thing is to keep the pieces of wire straight in the release holes
I tried to mimic the factory keys, but I think I would have had more success with 4 individual pieces of wire

Below I removed part of the factory radio face to show how I was missing the release mechanisms with my home made removal tool.

Removing Factory Radio Face

Misaligned Removal Tool

For the new radio installation you will only use one of the factory harnesses. Just tuck the other one out of the way.

Factory Radio Wiring Harness

I always use a wiring harness when installing a radio.

The one I used for the F-150 was a Metra 70-1771 wiring kit.
I prefer to solder my connections instead of using bullet connectors. I’ve had trouble in the past with bad crimps on the bullets.
Make sure to wrap your soldered connections with electrical tape or heat shrink tubing
[Thanks to my little sister for the Home Depot gift card I used to buy the new soldering iron and solder. By the way, the soldering iron kit had enough solder with it to do the install.]
I used the wiring guide on the wiring kit package and the one that came with the new radio.
The wire colors were the same for both harnesses

Metra Wiring Harness and Installation Tools

Note:
Cut the packaging for your wiring harness. Seems like a simple thing, but I tore mine and ended up translating the Spanish side to do my install.

The new radio bracket should have mounting tabs that will hold it in the aftermarket dash installation kit.

Make sure to use the tabs closest to the front
The tabs have a wedge effect so make sure to push them in until they are tight
I used a Metra 99-5804 Dash Kit

Removing New Radio Installation Bracket

Installing New Radio Mounting Bracket

My new radio has USB inputs on the front and back. To make the rear input accessible I ran a 7 foot USB extension cable down the driver’s side of the dash, and tucked it away. I plan on integrating that into the center console later.

Running USB Extension Cable

Running USB Extension Under Driver’s Side Dash

After connecting the wiring harness and USB port to the back of the new radio I secured the connections by

Wrapping electrical tape around the USB extension connection
Zip tying the factory wiring harness to the aftermarket wiring harness

Securing Wiring Harnesses With Zip Ties

The last snag I ran across was the screw holes on the dash kit lining up properly with the two top screw holes on the climate control assembly.

I used a heat source (otherwise known as a lighter) to warm the plastic just till it was malleable and aligned the screw holes.

Adjusting Dash Kit With Heat Source

I suggest making your adjustments outside of the vehicle and then try the fit. I didn’t make my adjustments this way, but I accept the consequences of my actions.

Warning:
I can’t believe I even have to put this here, but don’t make yourself the end of a “you know you’re a redneck because” joke.

DON’T catch your truck on fire because you kept your heat source on the dash kit plastic till it caught fire!
ALWAYS take proper safety precautions even if it takes a little longer to do the task.

Then new radio looks and sounds great.

Finished Installation

Raised Bed Gardening Ideas

DiyGuy — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 16:37:58 +0000

My wife and I were on a trip to Washington state last fall when we came across these raised beds in front of a restaurant. The restaurant used the herbs and vegetables in the cooking when they were in season.

The design efficiently used the water because of the drip irrigation system. I am thinking of converting part of the grass in my back yard to a raised bed garden for a number of reasons;

I believe it will conserve more water than the grass there
There would be less grass for me to mow
I want to experience the sweet taste of what remember tomatoes used to taste like

Raised Bed Garden In Front Of A Restaurant

Raised bed attributes I saw:

Constructed from what looked like 3 layers of non-treated 1 x 8 lumber
4 x 4 posts supported the structure every 4 feet
Stainless steel lag bolts and washers held the boards into the 4 x 4 posts
They had drip irrigation going to each plant

Raised Bed Garden Construction Detail

One thing i noticed is the 8 foot and 4 foot sections were all cut the same length and used overlapping joints for assembly.

Raised Bed Garden Drip Irrigation

The irrigation used feeder lines off black irrigation tube. I’m assuming they used this form of tubing to connect the beds instead of PVC in the ground. It is more economical and easier to lay. If you’re looking for some information on how to install a drip irrigation, the SNWA site has some detailed information and a video to watch.

Irrigated Container Garden

I like the way they used a more economical plastic containers instead of earthen ones. They probably drilled holes in the bottom of the pots to run the irrigation, and kept the original hole for proper drainage.

Register For A Free World of Concrete 2010 Exhibit Pass

DiyGuy — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 14:33:24 +0000

I just registered for the 2010 World of Concrete show in Las Vegas, because that’s where I live . This will be my third year going to this show. I love checking out the new innovations in builing materials and tools. There is always a great showing from manufacturers like Bosch, Makita, DeWalt and many others. They traditionally have booths outside where you can try out all their new power tools.

Luckily I was able to find a free registration for the exhibits through the American Concrete Institute. Just use the click through on thier site and you don’t have to pay the $40 entrance fee.

Hope to see you there.

Bosch Booth From 2009 World of Concrete

Online Building Code Refence Materials

DiyGuy — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 16:29:11 +0000

I was looking around online for free building code sources and found these:

ADA Accessibility Guidelines (Americans with Disabilities Act Accessibility Guidelines )

Architecture and Bulding: Standards and Codes – This is a compilation of links hosted by the UNLV library. Topics covered by this guide include architecture, building and construction, design, housing, planning, preservation, facility management, energy and the environment, and landscape architecture.

Reed Construction Data – Building Code Reference Library – You can find links to Building Codes and Authorities Having Jurisdiction for all states.

U.S. Department of Energy Building Standards & Guidelines Program – The U.S. Department of Energy’s Building Energy Codes Program is an information resource on national model energy codes. We work with other government agencies, state and local jurisdictions, national code organizations, and industry to promote stronger building energy codes and help states adopt, implement, and enforce those codes.

Souther Nevada and Las Vegas Code Online References

Clark County (Nev.) Local Code Amendments – Southern Nevada code amendments, adopted by all governments in the Las Vegas Valley with the exception of the City of Las Vegas.

City of Las Vegas Local Codes Amendments – City of Las Vegas online code adoption reference material.

Southern Nevada Local Codes Amendments 2006 (available from the Henderson City Website)

Trying Out Windows Live Writer

DiyGuy — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 22:38:13 +0000

In an attempt to get newer posts out quicker I’m trying Windows Live Writer. So far its pretty straight forward and easy to use.

Windows Live Writer Screenshot

The interface is really easy to use, the Preview tab shows accurate output and I love the fact I can still edit the source code to put my “special tweaks” to the site.

Zune Died During 3.20 Update

DiyGuy — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 14:56:04 +0000

I have a Zune 4 GB media player. Over all I’ve been really happy with it, but when I did this last update the screen went black during the last phase of the update. The Zune was still on because there was a glow to the screen just no menu or image. I tried

Turning on the Zune by holding down the back button
Hard restarting the Zune by holding down the two buttons while depressing the navigation pad
When I called tech support they told me to connect the Zune for 20 minutes, unplug it and plug it immediately back in for 2-3 hours.

None of the above worked for me.

What ended up working was letting the 4GB Zune player completely drain itself, since the screen was on draining the battery.

Once the battery was drained, I plugged it into the USB connector and the player restarted.

My Zune Back Up And Running