Other hobbies/Obsessions?

Cienciano · 21-01-2022 8:43pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118513135#Comment_118513135

One near me, such a cool car. How are you finding it?

Lorddrakul · 21-01-2022 9:02pm

Did anyone catch the Fifth Great Recharged episode last night?

There was a new EV from Chinese firm Neo. It had an automated battery change function. Like a car wash, you drive into a marked square and press the battery change button. When it is ready, you take your hands off the wheel and let it do the rest.

In the booth, the battery pack is changed in less than five minutes.

It is the future of EVs.

Fitz II · 21-01-2022 9:46pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118514593#Comment_118514593

Yeah I have seen this concept....honestly I dont see it, why not just pick up a different already charged car if you dont mind having the major part of your drivetrain swapped in and out?? It already only take 30 minutes to charge up for 3-4 hours driving, anyone that can take a sh1t, buy a coffee and check their email in less time is a hero......more than likely capacitors are the answer to super fast charging rather than swapping batteries.

Wibbs · 21-01-2022 10:34pm

Yeah it seems like a solution to a non existent problem, though one that as been mooted for ages. Understandable when batteries could take hours to charge, not when they can take 20-30 minutes. Capacitors could well be in play down the line alright, or something similar.

Plus to go the watch angle(albeit a bit left field) and what people actually want: Accuracy was the big thing for most of the history of personal timepieces. Then quartz came along* and brands went nuts with ever more crazy accurate and expensive watches. And bugger all people bought them. It turned out, other than oddballs, the vast majority were happy with a watch that was accurate to say a minute a month, or just didn't care. That was enough. They bought the new tech not because of accuracy, but because of convenience and that 'new normal'. I can see EV charging times just being accepted as the same new normal, because all the other advantages are so advantageous in every other way it matters less and less when it gets to a certain point. And that sweet spot IMHO is a charging time of half an hour or less. Set that 'inconvenience' against 90% of the time you car is charged overnight outside your gaff**, requires less maintenance and has all mod cons and is faster, quieter and better for the baby seals(with some caveats). If tomorrow a new EV came out with a charging time of 10 minutes, yes some would be oh this is fantastic and some would be lining up. Fine if it was around the same price as all the others, but if it cost half a million quid, not so much.

*Like Jay Leno in his garage who drops in his McLaren F1 in every vid... 😁

** yep I can 'charge' my oil burner in ten minutes and yep it has greater range, but I have to go to a petrol station to do it. And it costs more. Now if I had minions in jumpsuits(of course) who filled my car with motion lotion while I slept for a fraction of the price, well I'd be signing up for that in short order. 😁 And on the rare occasions I had to wait for half an hour to fill up with petrol, little care would I give.

mailforkev · 22-01-2022 1:41pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118514483#Comment_118514483

Only picked it up this week so need a bit more time to give a proper review. But so far it’s great; pretty torquey, nimble handling and a really comfortable ride. It’s a fun drive.

Gadget laden, am still playing around with that stuff. 360 degree and wing mirror cameras are novelties but actually good.

mailforkev · 23-01-2022 7:03pm

Met up with Fitz earlier this afternoon for a bit of a twin test. Behold the might of over 700 electric horses*.

*split may not be quite 50/50

Lorddrakul · 26-01-2022 1:48pm

I've always had a love of space exploration and technology.

The news of the final deployment and positioning of the James Webb telescope is most exciting.

NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope Reaches Its Final Destination

I am genuinely looking forward to seeing what images it can capture. I recall vividly the first Hubble images, and how different they were to anything that had gone before. I expect at least the same leap from the JWT.

banie01 · 26-01-2022 1:49pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118522356#Comment_118522356

Well wear on 2 beautiful motors lads!

We are currently an ICE house but our next car will be a BEV. We went from 2 cars to 1 back in 2019 as I'd been invalided out of work and living in a city the FTP covered all my commuting needs. I've been sorely tempted by the new EV's would love to buy a model 3, but its hard enough convincing the Mrs to let me buy a watch these days! The soon to arrive Chinese NIO and BYD models could shake up offerings and even the MG options look fairly decent.

Our main issue at the moment is range. We travel Limerick to Athlone fairly regularly and we will likely be doing that run on a more regular schedule for a while in the near future. The In-laws live up there and old age and a lack of maintenance on the house has exploded into issues that I'm (along with the wife) will be spending a lot of time up there to manage tradesmen and get them back on track. If/When we switch cars, I'll probably arrange for a charger to be installed up there 2 to allow a charge when we are up there.

It's not quite a hobby, but it will likely be a big part of my week for the next few months or longer if we cant actually nail down tradesmen.

Fitz II · 26-01-2022 2:41pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118535301#Comment_118535301

Banie, I know I might get shot for this round these part but the value retention on a tesla model 3 is amazing. I had a performance mode was 65k new, drove it for 2 years almost and sold it for 58k. So 7k for 20 months motoring and basically zero costs to run. So cost of entry is high but cost of ownership is low. I am sure comparisons could be made to watches but I will keep my head down on that. 🤣

banie01 · 26-01-2022 2:43pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118535835#Comment_118535835

I kind of agree with you Fitz, the man maths for the Tesla are on a par with a Daytona purchase on my scribbles 🤣

mailforkev · 26-01-2022 2:53pm

@banie01 that new MG (ZS I think?) that looks a bit like like a Qashqai is excellent value. They cost less than my little Honda but have twice the range and are a million times more practical. Well equipped too.

Mine was very much a heart rather than head purchase.

Wibbs · 26-01-2022 2:56pm

EV's definitely keep decent value alright. Their depreciation curve is a lot lower on average than ICE(the exception seems to be the Leaf. Not nice looking(mk1) lack of cooling for batteries so they degrade more). I can see that lasting for a while too as the population moves over to EV, the secondhand EV's will be what's in demand, whereas seconhand oil burners not nearly so much. This is just a feeling now, but I do have the feeling that the halfway house hybrids, will take the biggest hit over time. They're a stepping stone for the cautious and that had merit even a few years ago with range anxiety and all that, but that's pretty much gone today. If someone is looking to go battery powered a hybrid is going to look a bit meh IMHO.

Fitz II · 26-01-2022 3:39pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118535847#Comment_118535847

Man math's makes the world go round. But dont dismiss it out of hand as a pure frivolity. I always view a car as a fixed cost and any money saved is profit over another option. If you want to be pure sensible it make no sense own a car. I remember I was between cars and I rented a polo. Came with insurance, tax and a tank of fuel. about 120 euro a week on a long term rental. No way I could run a car for that, taking depreciation, running costs and dealer profit into account...however like houses there is something nice about having a good car of your own. Inflation may well make buying a car now and selling it in 3 years a cheap way to go.

Cyrus · 26-01-2022 3:56pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118535301#Comment_118535301

if you go down the EV route deffo get a charger installed at your parents if its a common trip, itll take all the stress out of it for you.

scwazrh · 26-01-2022 5:43pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118535835#Comment_118535835

That value retention is more to do with the way the current car market is at the moment not your particular car.I bought my jeep at the end of 2019 and have this week been offered €5k less than I paid for it by a local dealer. According to my man maths that means I’m running a 3.2 diesel jeep that’s only depreciated by €5k in 28 months.The massive increase in used car prices over the last couple of years is what is making the man maths work.

Fitz II · 26-01-2022 5:55pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118536782#Comment_118536782

If it works it works, I only use my car as example and am well aware of the factors at the moment distorting the market. What are you buying?

Wibbs · 26-01-2022 6:33pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118536782#Comment_118536782

There's certainly that too S. The rising tide has lifted a lot of boats, but even before that rise Teslas in particular were retaining more value used than had been expected. It had been expected that they'd be more in line with used premium brand iron where driving out of the showroom meant you lost an arm and a couple of years in your leg looked suspect too. I do reckon EV's are likely to be solid enough for a time anyway, because of more and more people looking to make the switch from ICE when they become used cars.

traco · 19-02-2022 8:52pm

What a great thread, the joys of being home alone on a Saturday night with a glass of red wine can't be overstated.

I'd say my first passion in cars but my taste is a bit particular. I like engineering and design so buy what I like. I had hoped to have one or two more by this stage but covid and brexit has sort of scuppered plans but I'm still happy out.

These two originate from the same German city and could be referred to as being distantly related seeing as one company gave the founding father of the other a start and allowed him to design what I consider to be one stunning car, the Mercedes SSK.

Looking at them they are very different but on paper their specs are very similar. One is a and while it's no traffic light GP winner it's a ballet dancer on twisty country road that is an absolute joy. Its mechanically simple but the connection you have with it and the road is fantastic and when in sync it turns on the throttle through corners. Its like an old military watch - just tell the time clearly and accurately.

The other is akin to a grand complication. It tells the time and has many other functions that you really don't need but hey why not? Like why not have a night vision camera, a fridge, some tables and loads of massage functions. The amazing thing is that it can still tell the time and while it may not be a scalpel it seems to be able to bend the laws of physics in the way it can handle s sequence of corners with its adaptable suspension. It's more like a road going jet powered gentlemans club.

So similar but totally different. I live going from one to the other as it allows me to appreciate the different engineering design briefs and experience what they achieved. Also saving them for future generations in the hope they will be appreciated like mechanical watches are in this new smart watch era.

The big girl has an analogue clock but I'm on the look out for the IWC to swap it.

Enough waffle, a thread is useless without pics. BTW, I do my own spanner spinning on these two as that's the only way I can afford to keep th running.

traco · 19-02-2022 9:21pm

Double posted for some reason

Wibbs · 19-02-2022 10:10pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118660774#Comment_118660774

Cos in case anyone missed the general awesomeness the first time I imagine Traco. 😁 "Ballet dancer on twisty country road", you're speaking the song of my peeeple T.

traco · 19-02-2022 10:52pm

Sadly my verbal abilities are even worse than my driving skills. That said the 25 year old design is magical.

Cienciano · 20-02-2022 7:10pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118660638#Comment_118660638

The perfect 2 car garage imho, beautiful Mercedes luxury tourer and a convertible sports car. Throw in something like a ducati streetfighter and it's everything I'd ever need!

unkel · 20-02-2022 11:57pm

Nice post! The Boxster is a brilliant drivers car. Had mine for 5 years. The only thing better would be an electric Boxster. And I hope Porsche won't bother wasting money paying a famous film music composer to make up a fake engine sound for it. Sure we'll miss the sound of the flat six that has been around for nearly 100 years, but we'll get over it and rejoice on the new superior car...

Lorddrakul · 05-04-2022 6:33pm

For the model makers and aviators alike, from the Planes That Never Flew pile...

https://twitter.com/exoticaviation/status/1511410360217182228

banie01 · 27-06-2022 12:11pm

I had the good fortune to spend some time talking to a legend of the model aircraft community today, Mike Kelly and saw part of his collection in SNN as we are waiting to fly out.

1st time I saw part of his collection was 5 or so years ago and it was all civvy on display then. Now SNN have moved his collection airside and given him a place to display a small part of it and to show off his diorama work too.

When I say a small part, it's massive but Mike reckons there is approx €1million value in the stuff still at his house 😮

Rather than spam a million photos, I will show just 3, views of models that aren't display and that were taken out of presses as we talked and my own bits of knowledge were tested to see if I was worthy😉😁

Also, for any amongst us worrying about how expensive our watches are...

The Mriya/Buran combo shown here. Is a scratch built model 1 of 5 originally built in late '70s by a Ukrainian scientist from of all things waste material, as a protest at pollution and it's dangers. It's worth at least €25k 😮😮

The 3 Concorde's are part of his collection of all 32 originally contracted airlines. It's the only known complete set.

Fitz II · 02-07-2022 4:52pm

A day for the summer car....got up early and went for a hoon up the wicklow mountains before the guards and cycling tourists woke up. A gen 2 997 C4S for those interested.

unkel · 02-07-2022 5:45pm

Used to do that myself, there is literally nobody out there at 6-8AM on a Saturday morning 😁

Used to go for a day long hike after the spin. Miss doing both.

unkel · 06-07-2022 8:44am

Long been into renewables like solar PV, electric cars, bikes and scooters, batteries, etc. Had this delivered to me in a sorry state last Saturday night. Completely dead, no response to ignition, not driving, not charging

EV conversion, formerly a '96 BMW E36 318tds - closest I've ever come to owning a diesel 😂

A few days in, the car is now starting, driving and charging. Still a lot of work to do. It is officially classified as an EV and taxed as such and passed an NCT as such just 100km ago, but that was 2 years ago and the car was literally driven into the ground since then. Plan is to get it back on the road again, tested and hopefully wrapped. Not spending serious money on it though, the premise about this car was that it would be a €1000 EV conversion and I'm going to try to stay true to that. So far just over €40 spent on it on a 12V battery, old laptop battery charger and a pump for the windscreen fluid.

For anyone interested, google "Damien Maguire" "Red Arrow"

micks_address · 06-07-2022 8:54am

Looks like a nice diy project unkel..are you planning any ev upgrades to it?

Lorddrakul · 06-07-2022 9:28am

@unkel Interesting project.

What's the battery capacity? Has much been done to lighten the car? Anything chucked or stripped to that end?

unkel · 06-07-2022 10:42am

@Lorddrakul - The green packs are 69Ah, 6 cells in series. Had 10 of them but one was beyond saving, so now down to 9. Total nominal capacity 3.2V * 9 packs * 6 cells * 69Ah capacity = 12kWh

Should give a summer range of about 70-80km, the car is pretty light, lighter than it was originally. Nothing stripped out except the spare wheel and anything and everything to do with the diesel engine, so the fuel tank etc. Car is still using the original manual gear box. But you only ever need third gear LOL torque FTW

@micks_address - the motor (from a forklift truck) can take anything you throw at it and the system is designed for a theoretical max of 1200A. Even at half of that with the current battery fully charged at near 200V, it means 120kW of power, which is quite a lot in a light electric car like this. The only real, easy to achieve improvement in terms of range / power / acceleration would be to fit a bigger battery. But the cost of that would be prohibitive (to the original premise), so not going to do that.

Lorddrakul · 07-07-2022 8:39am

@unkel thanks for that, fair play.

Gorgeous donor for a great project.

Looking forward to long term reviews! 👍

blue5000 · 07-07-2022 11:56am

Sorry I have a criminal mind, but I wonder how long will it be before ppl rob the deep cycle batteries for the landing lights at Dublin airport. Great idea Unkel, looking forward to seeing your progress.

My latest 'rolling restoration project' from 1987, which I blew the Rolex savings fund on.

Blanchy90 · 07-07-2022 8:03pm

My latest project idea is to try my hand at making watch straps, I'm fairly handy so I thought why not haha

The first batch of tools have arrived so I'm just waiting on delivery of the leather to get practicing

covey123 · 10-07-2022 10:23am

As may be evident from some of the other pictures I've posted,I love any kind of outdoor activity.

I had time off during the week and had been planning a hike in Kerry but the weather was a bit hit and miss so stayed closer to home an headed for Lake Muskery in the Galtees

Went directly up to O Loughlins Castle,and thankfully the weather cleared and was able to take the scenic route back down. Long enough hike at close to 16km but definitely worth it

funkyouup · 22-07-2022 9:14pm

Some pics from IWM Duxford, some amazing place to visit even if it was 40 degrees😃

banie01 · 23-01-2023 12:40pm

Great little photo essay there Funkyouup! Some lovely shots.

I've recently had some new shelves for my Billy bookcases delivered. That lets me put a few more of my planes on display.

Up to 105 now and...

Counting! 😉

Let's just keep that ambition quiet from the Mrs tho.

Easily 2½ more shelves I can squeeze in 👀

fulladapipes · 23-01-2023 1:28pm

In my spare time I do a bit of this, this and this.

Name that gun, anyone?

Again with the picture rotation thing.

scwazrh · 23-01-2023 3:48pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120145968#Comment_120145968

You’re not giving much away with that pic but I’d guess at a browning

fulladapipes · 23-01-2023 4:31pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120146848#Comment_120146848

Not far off at all.

Miroku MK38 Grade III. A heavy gun but good for everything from clays to duck.

Working class heroes · 23-01-2023 5:22pm

My main obsession. Mountain running.

This is me taking part in the IMRA Stone Cross to Lug race over 20 odd summits.

Neilw · 23-01-2023 5:38pm

Hoping to get this back on the road for the summer.

banie01 · 23-01-2023 5:47pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120147263#Comment_120147263

Just thinking about that kind of effort has exhausted me 😲 Fair play 👍

scwazrh · 23-01-2023 5:54pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120147040#Comment_120147040

Nice .it was the pattern on the receiver that had me thinking a browning , I shoot a 692 beretta myself , 32” barrel but still comfortable enough shooting on the clays which is my main interest now .Lovely gun but no engraving

Some of my other toys

A Ruger 10/22 with a few minor mods such as trigger and stock

And my favourite little rimfire , a cz455 .

fulladapipes · 23-01-2023 8:28pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120147418#Comment_120147418

Oh, they're all quite lovely - the Beretta 692 is classic and modern at the same time.

I've had the Miroku for aboiut a decade - it's fine for the amount of shooting I do. I'm on the lookout for a nice 30" side by side for shooting on my brother-in-law's land (maybe an AYA). He has a Ruger rifle of some sort (and a Sig Sauer, which isn't for hunting animals).

Brief_Lives · 24-01-2023 7:36pm

I am a total drum nut... at the moment, in this country, I have an acoustic and an electric kit. Both lots of fun.

both kits on a rack. The Pearl is a 7 piece. I have had them since I was very young, for 26 years now, but quality is permenant with this kit. The snare and bass drum pedal haven't changed and it's very weird playing on another pedal... so much so, I bring the pedal with me, when travelling and take very good care of it...

the cymbals can change a lot, depending on the band/buddies I am jamming with.

The Electric, I bought in London in 2009 (I think) a Roland Td-9... such a great kit. Back then I used to go through lots of headsets, the output was so powerful. in 2012 I bought a set of Beats, and never had to replace them.

The photos don't do the kits justice. but, as hobbies go... it can keep you fit and depending on electric or acoustic, you can control the output to be a good neighbour...

Also I can't remember where I got the bass drum "RockSteady" cover. I think I tore the original 20 years ago, and just put that replacement on as a poor student, to keep my dads old renault 18 car seats from falling out... they were the best bass drum mufflers for the kit.

Brief_Lives · 25-01-2023 12:02pm

I also have a black and Gold Tag that goes well with the kit.

I will have to find a photo of both together..

Lorddrakul · 25-01-2023 5:23pm

I have a fairly simple home set-up:

Gibson Les Paul Studio Ebony Gold, Boss DS-1, Marshall G15RCD.

Works for me. :)

banie01 · 31-01-2023 12:53pm

Just on the road back from a little getaway to Galway. We spent the night in the Salthill hotel, dinner and B&B along with plenty of walking the prom.

Aside from the romance 😉 A trip to Galway for me always involves a trip into Ray at DiecastModels4you in the Eyre Square shopping centre 😁

Anyway on our romantic night away...

I managed to pick up 2 hard to find models and that's a win for me!

A Brewster Buffalo and a Nakajima Ki84, that's one I've been after for years! Small win for me.

o1s1n · 31-01-2023 3:22pm

Been working on my vintage Japanese arcade machines a lot lately.

Recently built a thing called a MiSTercade that uses field-programmable gate array (FPGA) via a NANO DE10 dev board - basically rather than your usual videogame emulation, it emulates the actual hardware itself for a more accurate representation of the game.

I really can't tell the difference between it and some of my arcade boards.

Nice looking bit of kit when fully assembled.

I actually managed to break a D10 board when assembling it the first time, 350 euro down the toilet :eek:

In action:

Other hobbies/Obsessions?

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