Plastic Sources - Page 2

rdholtz · 06-19-2009, 02:08 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by Heather

that is great - add anything you like - the wiki is pretty easy to edit - we are in need of a lot of additional sections ...

Heather, I have some material I'd like to add. Is there a standard format that's preferred? Do you have a style guide or anything we can use?

I can edit and combine the nine posts (starting here) that cover a guide to metalworking tools, or I can just add links to the posts. Any preference?

Heather · 06-19-2009, 02:49 PM

It seems the wiki was created without any style guide. I am looking into this right now..and any suggestions/help on this would be much appreciated, i am sure that there are tons of forum members who know how to organize a wiki better than i. Discussion is here.

For now - i would say that a wiki article should basically be all of the information from your post as it is very informative, and you can put double square brackets around topics you think should have their own article page. And then link to forum posts as needed. Sometimes forum posts have extra stuff that can be skimmed out.

This will duplicate content, but i think in this case it is a good thing for two reasons, some people will prefer reading the wiki rather than posts and also, it will increase our google rankings...maybe and bring more people to the forums.

thanks

rdholtz · 06-19-2009, 03:16 PM

I just tried to add the metalworking tools information, but it appears that the wiki doesn't use the HTML tools that the forums use. That makes it pretty hard to put in much information with lots of links -- and I like to use lots of links and pictures.

The default font used in the wiki is pretty hard to read, especially when compared to the forums. And it just isn't as nice looking as the forums. That brings up an interesting question: does the provider of the forum software also have a wiki package?

Heather · 06-19-2009, 03:54 PM

i was expecting this feedback - I am going to have OpticalFX look into new Wiki plugins for vB...any other comments would be helpful in choosing a new plugin. It also does not make it possible to track changes and easily reference information.

It will not take long to identify and put up a new Wiki - hopefully have a good one up next week.

Fiberoptic · 06-19-2009, 04:10 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by rdholtz

I just tried to add the metalworking tools information, but it appears that the wiki doesn't use the HTML tools that the forums use. That makes it pretty hard to put in much information with lots of links -- and I like to use lots of links and pictures.

The default font used in the wiki is pretty hard to read, especially when compared to the forums. And it just isn't as nice looking as the forums. That brings up an interesting question: does the provider of the forum software also have a wiki package?

The wiki does use BBCode which does take a few articles to get use to: Here is an article that has some effort applied to it:
http://www.mp3car.com/wiki/index.php/RoadRunner

Our current wiki is based on media wiki. a help wiki on mediawiki can be found here.
http://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Help:Contents

rdholtz · 06-19-2009, 11:41 PM

I think the big issue for me is the different code bases -- HTML vs BBCode. It seems to mean that I'd have to completely reformat everything I've done. I'd prefer to invest time in creating something new, rather than just reformatting, so, for now, my contribution can be to add links to the wiki guiding readers to the worklog information.

If the wiki were HTML-based, I'd edit my own stuff, based on the new usage.

Ideally, there's a convertor out there somewhere that will move HTML to BBCode. I'll look around for that. Anyone know of such a tool?

roflcopter · 06-20-2009, 09:15 PM

not really a scrap source, but i bought some ABS plastic sheets, they are like 12x24 i believe from partsexpress

Fiberoptic · 06-21-2009, 11:28 AM

Quote: Originally Posted by rdholtz

Ideally, there's a convertor out there somewhere that will move HTML to BBCode. I'll look around for that. Anyone know of such a tool?

If you find one, let me know. i looked pretty hard about a year ago and came up with few results.

rdholtz · 06-21-2009, 06:13 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by Fiberoptic

If you find one, let me know. i looked pretty hard about a year ago and came up with few results.

I Googled (and Binged) "html to bbcode", found several online converters, and also found that none of them could even resolve a bold headline. I wasn't impressed. A few were downloadable, but I got the impression I'd need some advanced programming knowledge.

And so I guess I've temporarily aborted -- at least 'til I can get my carPC build in the car. Since summer's here, it's too bloody hot in Georgia to sit in the garage and do plastic welding. That means the bezel will have to wait 'til fall, which means I may have time to explore adding to the wiki (from the air-conditioned comfort of the house).

I'd like to see the wiki really strong. It would a great tool for n00bs, and for old-timers, too, since every time we tackle a new skill, we're n00bs all over again.

thekl0wn · 06-22-2009, 11:45 AM

If I go more than a week between working on something, I'm a n00b all over again...

thekl0wn · 07-01-2009, 11:01 AM

Just an FYI, but if anyone is looking to do a project, and is in need of any HDPE, let me know... I can get virgin scrap of this all day long from my father. The tubing for geothermal loops is a high quality virgin HDPE, and they generate a fair amount of short (4-18") scraps of 3/4-2" tubing when installing them.

rdholtz · 07-01-2009, 02:06 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by thekl0wn

Just an FYI, but if anyone is looking to do a project, and is in need of any HDPE, let me know... I can get virgin scrap of this all day long from my father. The tubing for geothermal loops is a high quality virgin HDPE, and they generate a fair amount of short (4-18") scraps of 3/4-2" tubing when installing them.

Thanks! That may be an interesting material for producing curves as I fit my PE bezel to the touchscreen. The Scion's dash is rounded, not linear, and all I have is 1/8-inch and 1/16-inch sheet stock. I'd been wondering how to generate nice curves without trying to mold it.

I'd bet one or two 12- to 18-inch pieces would be all I'd need. I'm not at the point of producing the bezel, yet, but I'm getting close. I'll PM you when I get ready . . .

thekl0wn · 07-01-2009, 02:12 PM

That's fine, and I'll start acquiring an assortment of lengths and diameters. Heck, for corners, the manifold fittings might even work as well. They have pretty much any fitting you can find at Homo Depot or Blowes in PVC, in the PE, with the exception that all fittings are female, since they are heat-fused, rather than bonded chemically.

rdholtz · 07-01-2009, 03:42 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by thekl0wn

. . . Heck, for corners, the manifold fittings might even work as well. They have pretty much any fitting you can find at Homo Depot or Blowes in PVC, in the PE, with the exception that all fittings are female, since they are heat-fused, rather than bonded chemically.

I didn't realize those fittings were available in Polyethylene; I thought they were all PVC and CPVC. I'll check them out.

I'm pretty comfortable with most of the bezel, but the surfaces around the screen had me concerned: how was I going to get a nice inside corner? This may help resolve that.

thekl0wn · 07-01-2009, 04:09 PM

Just so we're clear, I meant that the selection of fittings in PE is vast... However, not at HD/L/M's... We actually don't have a local source for the fuseable joints, and have to order them.

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