Hobbies
Additive Manufacturing
3D Printers are my 4th favorite invention in the world (right after fire, anesthesia, and the transistor). From the outside it looks like a magic box with converts some ones and zeros and some plastic wire into intricate, magnificent and sturdy objects. I ordered a kit from Shenzhen, China and spent the next week assembling. It was the most (in hindsight) fun experience ever. I understood where every part went and what its function was. I made toys, art pieces, and functional prints. My first ever print was a cube (see video below) - I designed and printed a 10mm x 10mm x 10mm calibration cube to check how well the 3d printer was tuned. Since then I have learned a lot enrolled in hackathons and built prototypes for multinational oil & gas companies using Laser Power Bed Fusion (metal) 3D printing. Below you will find some pictures I took during the assembly phase.
My 3D printer in action!
Timelapse!
PC Building
PC building is like adult Lego (although I believe Lego is for all ages). Watching your high-tech spaceship of a machine come to life with a flick of a switch after days of
meticulously selecting parts,
understanding component compatibility,
reigning in your ambitions of creating a supercomputer with real-life constrains of a budget,
managing the constant anxiety of accidently bending a pin and ruining a $499 part
frustrating yourself with cable management
creating a mini light show with RGB lights for your happy little electronic components to have a disco party
is the most rewarding and satisfying experience. My machine can handle all my CPU intensive engineering software, GPU intensive games, and RAM intensive Chrome browser.
This machine is ever-evolving, with all the new upgrades planned i.e. liquid-cooling, more RAM, faster SSDs, in a few years, as with theseus' ship, my spaceship may be unrecognizable.
Cooking
I love to cook. Cooking is the perfect blend of creativity, science, and self expression. Encapsulating all five senses, it is the most immersive art form to exist. A colourful, sizzling, crispy, aromatic, savory dish triumphs a tour of any art museum. Transforming raw ingredients into a magical and nourishing dish for both the body and soul. Diving into a niche science-y food topic such as the maillard reactions, sous vide cooking, fermentation, 5th taste umami flavour or blanching is fascinating. Below are a some recent experiments!
Building Scale Engines
Making and watching thermodynamics I studied on paper come to life is a thrilling experience. I did not fully understand a heat engine until I put one together myself - terms like isochoric, isobaric, adiabatic, isothermal started making sense. The differences between idealized cycles and realistic became apparent. Hearing the roar of even a tiny engine powered by nothing but a few milliliters of alcohol going thousands of RPM is exhilarating. I attached a pulley that drove a generator (motor) to power some LEDs and a light bulb - effectively converting chemical energy (alcohol) to thermal energy (flame) to mechanical energy (sterling engine) to electrical energy (generator, a motor operating in reverse) to electromagnetic energy (light from LEDs). All this in a simple demonstration!
I was curious what the efficiency of the engine was and performed some back of the envelop calculations. It seems that only 1-2% of the chemical energy gets converted into light energy of the LEDs. Calculations presented here!
Dual Cylinder Stirling Engine!
After understanding the basic thermodynamic principles of a basic Stirling heat engine I have stepped up and embarked on building a fully functioning 4 stroke 2 cylinder engine. This mini-powerhouse runs on the exact same principles of a real-life engine, right down to the tiniest detail. The engine parts were machined to with meticulous craftsmanship in Shenzhen, China by SEMTO. I also sourced glow plugs, ignition module control, fuel tanks, lithium battery (to power start motor) and 25% nitro fuel. This engine is designed to reach 16,000 RPM if properly tuned This project is a truly fine demonstration of the artistry, craftmanship, patience, and passion.
I will share an update once complete, enjoy the design and parts in the meanwhile. Can not wait to hear this engine purr and come to life!
