Protection cover for laundry drying

Completion date: Probably 2015

In Hong Kong, many people let their laundry to dry in the sun, and it is a common problem that the laundry get water dripping from air-conditioner of upper floors.

I tried Velcro on a plastic foamy mat, but the wind blew away the whole mat TWICE on me (discovered in the morning, ugh)

So the 2nd version: I bought a clear plastic sheet, 3 feet or so (I forgot the size), from 家品屋 (Family House Store). Two rows of holes were punched to accommodate the plastic snap buttons (one row for male buttons, one row for the female). I installed the plastic sheet, By snapping the buttons together with the laundry line in between the two rows of buttons.

The version I am using now is the 3rd version. It is longer at 6 feet. It was because I was told it was also good at protecting the clothes from light rain.

There are still outstanding problems:

a moderate wind would bring the tail up. This problem was addressed in the 2nd version, but it did take a bit of effort to link the tail to the rack. The most annoying thing was the nylon string I used deteriorated really fast, it became ugly probably in 2 weeks.
The leveled poles cause the plastic to be droopy when there is rain water.

Remark: Replacement every 2 years.

Remark: I used a hand clamp for installing the buttons. Both the buttons and clamp were bought from Taobao online store. However, hand clamp requires a lot of strength to do. The plastic button colors do fade after a while.

I would say this is one of the most original creations/inventions I did. Although I have seen other people used nylon canvas, but I think my creation is the easiest to install. And better-looking. And transparent. Also, it is easy to detach for washing anytime.

Comments

Python script - pop-up reminder based on data from Excel

Completion date: December 17, 2018 Changes to the script (Dec 14 2018): 1. Used Date format to compare dates. 2. Show message for update AR if the date is overdue and due today. Changes to the script (Dec 17 2018): 1. Corrected the ws.max_row+1 to ws.max_row. 2. Changed to loop from bottom up (so the the newest records gets checked first) =========== The script =========== #! python3 -- Modified on Dec 17 2018 import openpyxl import tkinter.messagebox from datetime import date import os #Get the workbook, worksheet file = "AR.xlsx" wb = openpyxl.load_workbook(file) ws = wb['Sheet1'] #Iterate through the rows of column "Next update on" = Column D = 4, from bottom up (the newest record to oldest) for i in range(ws.max_row, 2, -1): next_update_datetime = ws.cell(row=i, column=4).value if (next_update_datetime is n...

Gear investigation: Banbao Lego crane

Completion date: May 16, 2020 1. Gear ratio: 8:24:40. The bottom wheel cranking the string at speed (8/24)*(24/40)=0.2x speed of the motor. 2. The top two wheels looks like pulley system to me, but I am not sure about the spinning speed of the top wheels, the first top wheel is slower than the bottom wheeler, that I observed. 3. The beginning of the bottom wheeling action is pulling less string because the circumference is small (less string winded). So it pulls the string faster gradually as more string is added to the circumference. 4. Note I added the rewind crank on the other side of the motor. This is the final instruction of the Banbao booklet. All the builds have been fun for me, I got to know more about gears now (though still primitive). My thoughts towards the gear mechanism is that it is not as efficient as I thought it would be. - requires many gears to do 1 simple thing - gear design has to match the many requirements of the space, dist...

Fixing of retractable badge holder

Completion date: October 2, 2021 My retractable badge holder’s string is thinning and would be broken soon. I cut it short. Pull the rotten part out with a tweezer. Insert the string from this end. Tie a knot. Reinstall the silver triangle back.

My invention stories

Search This Blog