20260826 Having Fun with Crafty Amigo

The Problem 

  Some time ago, we realised we have an issue in the wet kitchen in the form of the Dish dryer. For those who are not familiar, it is basically a box with a lid where you keep your washed dishes and utensil until they dry off or when you need to use it again. Living in a humid country, it takes a longer time to dry them off. By then, you'd notice the pool of water at the bottom has become slimy and worse, apart from dead insects, there are mosquito larvae happily swimming in there.

 My Wife has asked me to come up with a solution, which is essentially to create a drainage hole at the bottom of the box. The fastest and easiest solution would be to purchase a new one that already has a drainage system. But since the Dryer is a gift from Family, we have to drill it to bi... er, treat it with loving care.

Our Dish Dryer looked similarly like this. Except there is no heater, the lower box is another colour, the placement for the utensil are in the opposite direction and so on.

 

The Open Loop...

 Yeah, I just learn about this today, where the meaning of the term, 'Open Loop' is quite different from an Engineering perspective where it is meant as a non-feedback system control system. But here, it is a term for unresolved task that forces you to use more of your thoughts. For example, I need to have some ice-cream, but the shop closes at 10pm, which is too late for me, because I could be fetching someone but they have not answered my messages which I need to confirm so that I can use the extra hour after dinner to finish some Projects and I then I would also need to take a look at the... as so on. It is quite taxing and at the end of the day, you're just mentally exhausted to the point of being too tired to think about anything.

 

 ... vs Overthinking

 Of course I can solve this with just buying a new Dryer, which has a nifty little drawer you can slide out and throw away the excess water. But would the Family member be offended if they realised we have changed the dryer? What if we forgot about the drainge and the small drawer overflows? How are we going to clean the whole thing to prevent molds and so on.

  So, that is one solution I am not going to entertain. Rather, I am going with another solution which is so mind-boggling and excessive; build our own Dish Dryer stand. The main reason is that the two solutions have one main obstacle which is the edge of the sink. The former's drawer needs to overcome the sink's bumpy edge during the sliding out. While the latter, I would have to build the stand so that it can hover that very same edge. 

 

 

Anyway, I found an online tool that lets you build anything possible with PVC pipes called CraftyAmigo. The site is sometimes slow and clunky but then, I realised that this is due to my Internet connection. If there was an offline App, I would be able to learn and construct this in less than 90 minutes or so. It takes quite a bit to learn but after a few minutes, you're on your way. The only issue was me trying to figure out how to rotate a part in another axis, which is not in their selections. But select another one that has more joints, the options are there. Weird.

 

Just for clarification, the app allows me to colour the various parts. One issue is, no matter how hard I try, I cannot get the view I wanted, which is to turn the model clockwise to face me.

Most of the PVC parts are available here in Malaysia except for that on the lower left, which looked like a 'Y' lying on its side.

In some parts, you can 'rotate' them by selecting which options or configurations and then, rotate them. Something which is not possible with a 3-point basic connector. But hey, at least I got the job done.

There is even a parts list for you so you know what to get and how many. For me, this is not important as I have yet to measure the actual Dish Dryers dimension.

One more thing, it can even export your design to a few 3D formats with .stl being one of them. However, You'd need to examine the model carefully as in my case, I could not get some points to 'snap' into other points.

20260818 Bengmobile II's DVR

The ADDKEY 7-inch 1080P Car DVR Double lens rearview mirror Video Recorder Dashcam Auto Blackbox Night Vision Dash Cam (US $45.82)

 It's been quite awhile since I've taken a real hard look at VeeChai's DVR. To me, it is a very important part of the Car which, without it, would make it less important. Nowadays, the DVR comes as standard for every new car. Although it has not been made Law, thanks to those compensation-claiming bonnet-hugging scoundrels and those 'he said, I said' incidents, the DVR has become a very important. It not only protects both parties but gives you the potential to generate more likes and make it viral in SocMed.

 

How long was it again?

 Thinking back, this was my first DVR. I reasoned that in the long run, it was much cheaper to get a real one. And it was a much more reliable solution than taping a Mobile Phone to the front of the car. Not only are the double-sided tapes are not weatherproof, you can get disconnected during a Bluetooth call (because your phone went bye-bye in the middle of the road).

  Anyway, I got it sometime around December 2018 if I am not mistaken. But based on the Invoice Date, it was 12.11.2018 which makes it 7 Years, 9 Months (OK, and 7 Days, more or less.) If I remember correctly, its price was significantly reduced compared to other units. And so, I was very happy with the DVR. 

 

The Short-lived Joy of Temporary Happiness

 But very quickly, within the first few years, I noticed some degradation to the LCD screen. At first, I thought nothing of it since it was placed inside a rolling oven everyday. But later on, the degradation was apparent even on the saved footage. And the clock was always around the year 2017 every time I started VeeChai. 

  Over the years, I did open the unit on and off to check and diagnose the issue but it was always put on the back-burner since there was a lot happening in my Life such as The Pandemic, Moving Places, Work and Work after Work and more Work after the Work after Work. But one thing I can deduce from my exploration is that (apart from cheap faulty [imitation?] microSD cards), one, the 403040 Lithium Battery has failed and two, the lens on the CMOS sensor is clouded.

The two half shells for the DVR is secured with only 4 small screws and some internal clips. The cheapish plastic is quite brittle but then again, it was being cooked daily.

  

Finally, I remembered to buy the replacement 403040 battery.

   

I am not sure of the original lens spec but this 1/2.7 28mm version visually looked quite similar (heh)

 

I forgot to take the picture of the AFTER but somehow, after seeing the original lens, somehow, it should have been wider. The only good thing is, I can now adjust the focal distance since its thread was not glued.

 

Removing the original battery is not as easy as I thought because the glue is quite stubborn. Moreover, there is no proper window where I can throw it out of if things did go bad. Anyway, the spec is 3.7v 403040 with 1.48WH at 400mAh.

Yeah, that old glue sure is good. It allows for the battery to move slightly but can be quite strong when I tried to pry it off.

A piece of 3M DST in place of the old glue. All I need to do here is solder the Li-Ion battery to the circuit board. They did not use any connectors, maybe it is not to save cost but to ensure power is still available in a vibrating environment. The new 3.7v 403040 battery has a lightly higher spec of 1.665WH at 450mAh. I think I can get an even bigger and slightly thicker battery but nah, its going to touch the metal of the LCD screen and that is not a good idea.

 

Next is the camera. I need to remove the three bigger screws to the ring which holds the whole assembly. 

 

This is also the same ring that keeps the camera in place when it is turned about.

The two middle sized screws holds the lens. In the background is the old Li-Ion battery with its wires cut.

The new lens have the same screw location and also, the full-colour filter.

 

This is the sensor, which needs not to be disturbed. After blowing at the sensor (not with your mouth), I quickly put on the new lens.

 

After making sure the Li-Ion battery is secured and the lens put back in place, I powered the DVR with a Mobile Phone Power Pack. I figured since the DVR uses a very ancient USB connector, it must be using 5volts. Boy, I was lucky there.

 

Inside the car, I slowly adjust the focusing distance, which is slightly beyond the gates. The DVR will automatically focus on the subjects during operation. Once I am satisfied, I wiped both the screen and the lens before closing everything up. Although the screws are accounted for, there are still small bits of plastic which means the the DVR is going to break soon.

 

So far so good. The Li-Ion battery is working because it retained the current date & time plus all the settings I have entered. 

 

A FeW DaYs LaTeR... 

The DVR was behaving itself for the past few days and there was not much issue. However, playing back the files was another problem. I am guessing that the 16GB Kingston microSD card could be the issue. 

Maybe I should get a new microDC card and make it a 32Gb version

 

 

This is the quality of the Camera before I change the lens. It is incredible how I was able to only notice it now and yes, it was always April 2017...
 

 

This is how it looked after I replaced the lens. Yeah, the angle is a little less but that's OK.
 

In Summary

 Yes, I am a doofus for not noticing something so obvious for years. The DVR is just in front of me when I am driving. Maybe its the reflective mirror which blocked the errors but man, that is just lame.

 Anyway, I would not recommend you to open yours just because you think there is a problem. Remember, my DVR is at least 8 years old and was on the bargain bin. I am not too sure about the repairability of the current 'modern' models. Basically, you have a circuit board that is connected to a 1080 camera, a LCD screen, a Li-Ion battery and a speaker. The rest such as buttons, connectors and a microSD card reader are all on the PCB. They could share the same construction notes but we would be talking about the compactness of the product. Heck, they might not even have screws but welded shut with ultrasonics or fragile internal clips.

20260818 And your next Service was...

  It's been quite some time since VeeChai had been serviced since March. I felt that this time, I really need to have the GearBox serviced as well. It has been acting funny lately, from suddenly not going into gear and then jumps. There is also one time where during a Traffic Stop, I accidentally pushed the Gear to 'N', the engine suddenly dies.

  I am hoping the Service would at least help alleviate the issues but I know what's coming next, with the Fuel Pump being the first in line. 

 

 Jalan Yew Today

 This is one of the busiest road in Pudu and maybe could be in the line for the Country's Most [insert expletive] Road, especially on a Weekend. But for this Sunday, it was particularly solemn, which I found out later, was due to the Imigresen. Normally, you'd see Foreigners everywhere, from selling stuff on the roadside to moving goods between the shops and vehicles double-parking on the road. 

Even when I was able to explore this area in the 80's it was already congested, with the 90's and the teens adding even more traffic to the 275m stretch.

 

 Yeah, about that. It seems that there is a new construction under the flyover. The new construction is to install a two-level mechanised parking system (with a third level where there is space). It's basically a vertically moving shelving system. I have encountered them in a few buildings when I was an Engineer in the late 90's. It was a little scary to reverse my BengMobile I into such a narrow and shaking platform. But I eventually did that in Bandar Utama's Centrepoint parking which for a change, was brightly lit. Sadly, once the Mind Shop (comics) shut down, I have stopped going there. 

This used to be a three-lane road (seriously) where the legally parked cars are on the right. Double-parked cars would be in the middle and the ones on the left are the impatient ones trying to squeeze through. Today, the traffic is slow, and with the red/white road barriers taking up precious inches, no one can start the third lane even if they wanted to.

 

This is the Progress so far. I am not sure when it started and I am too lazy to walk around to look for some Notice board indicating the schedule.

The frame of the parking system is quite similar to that of the ones I have encountered decades ago. However, I am more concerned about its maintenance. The people in that area might not be familiar with such systems and could potentially damage the structure which could affect a few cars nearby. Still, it would be interesting to see how it goes and how much the parking charges are (after the proposed 2-year grace period)

 

Sadly, the 'new' traffic flow causes a lot of issues, which disrupts the foot traffic to the shops. This was supposed to be a very famous place and you'd have to wait quite a bit for a table.

 

Another famous shop in Pudu which serves Lam Mee. It's been there for a very long time but today, I only witnessed die-hard fans turning up.

The shop has changed hands, which I would surmised to be the next Generation. The recipe is still the same, I think but maybe missing an egg or half of it. Still, what got me interested was the chili which the Lady said was personally home made. I tried it and it was crunchy af. So, yeah, I got a bottle but forgot to open it when I brought everything back with me.

 

Ah Wai @ Universal Parts

 This is the place I'd go to when I needed Lubricants to Service my VeeChai. I cannot remember when was the first time I've been there nor how I found this place. It must have been during the times when Forums are rife with tips and recommendations. Anyway, his stuff are affordable (but not fake goods cheap) and his knowledge of which lubs/ parts for each car is quite extensive. If you want to know, I absent-mindedly got set of NGK Iridiums for around RM160, The usual price, is about RM220.00 but I could be wrong. I said that because I got my first set from PH Auto in 2021 at RM158.00. And if i am not mistaken, by my calculations, I have driven about 61,854Km since the change and it would take about another two more years to reach 100,000Km. Yeah, seven years. But you know what? Maybe I'll change it sometime this year. 

 

This is Ah Wai. If you know him, then he is Ah Wai to you. Otherwise, he is just Ah Wai.

Its always the Gear Oil that sets me back. I trust him because he is carrying the Perodua Brand.

 

As for the Engine Oil, I'll take whatever he recommends apart from the usual Perodua 5W-30. I still miss that 'Saudi Arabia' Gold which even at 10Km, the engine felt so smooth.

 

VeeChai's Underbelly

Jacking up the car is sometimes a little nerve-wracking as you'd be looking at the missing things, the dents and dings which forces your mind to senselessly recall irrelevant details. But this time, I had to because I suspect there are more leaks under the bonnet. The last time, it was the Valve Cover Gasket in April, 2022 and then it was the O-ring in the Oil Filter housing. 

Hey, it was changed last year or was it in 2024?

 

Right away, I can see most of the securing bolts or nuts or... things are not there. Can't blame it on the A/C Guy but so many gone and with the Spots wiring unplugged, I'd have to suspect but with no evidence. So, I guess I'll have to get them replaced as soon as I can.

Although it is leaking (arrows) but I am puzzled about the sludge collected (circle). It is soft, like melted butter soft.

This error came back again and despite my trying to erase it a few times. So, I unplugged the Air Mass Sensor. And the car died...

 

Doing so created a new Error code. Once I erased it, the previous error code was gone too.

 

 

So, everything should now be fine and dandy. However, on the next morning... oh-oh. That stain is a fresh gear oil, which means the seal for the drive shaft is going to be trouble...

20260809 The Fogged up Car

When you have no knowledge

 When you need something done and you do not have the know-how to do it, there are a few options:
1. Learn the skills yourself,
2. Pay someone else to do it, or
3. Try do do it yourself and then pay someone else to clean up after you failed.

  For me, it would be the second option. It saves me time and I do not have to worry. However, for my case, things went from bad to worse. This is why most people tell me, once you have that 'good mechanic', never ever let him go or forget him. I learned this the hard time when during my Younger days, I was modifying the alarm, the sound system and other what-nots. Each modification has a certain amount of SNAFUs, which, the guilty culprit refuses to take responsibility. So you have to go back to the other shop to get it rectified and the same happens. This means going here and there because some ass-hat f*cked on a wire or borked a part.

 

The Downhill Journey of the Aircon 

 Driving for 15 years does a lot to a car. There are a lot of things to worry about once the 8 year mark comes. But for me, it was the Air-conditioning. Although I do not use them every I start driving (because it saves on fuel), I only use them during raining or when sudden temperature change fogs up the windshield.

 Wiping the glass stops being effective very fast. Driving at the speed of a speeding chicken without being able to see and react to situations outside the car can be Financially (Insurance) draining. And then there is the matter of confronting the Driver without a weapon and of course, the wrath of the Police. 

 And so, after some time, the aircond was fixed (but not without more issues), there were some post operation time-bombs. One of them just did me in a few days ago.

 

This was the second guy who did my aircond within a 5 week period. I gave them ample time but they still did not do what was right (forgive me for not swearing when I needed to). Right after I left, I discovered when they put back the (swear word) front bumper in, the (swear word) bonnet release lever was (swearing, swear swear words) trapped.

 The Second Time-Bomb

   It was on dark morning where I needed some bright lights to scare away some caterpillar. I could not use my headlamps as they're so aged, you can see the cracks on the clear plastics. So, they're effectively as good as bright spots on a car. So, when it was time to turn on the fog lamps, there was noting. I know the right lamp has melted sometime after the turn of the Century but come on. The left should have worked. But it is not.

And as I peeked into where the wiring was, much to my dismay, my hunch was correct. The A/C guy did unplugged my fog lamp cable when they were removing the front bumper. Once they closed it up again, the job was obviously done in a hurry because the bonnet lever was trapped under the whole bumper assembly. And now this.

 

 

The condition is so bad on these leaking head lights, it was time to change. I mean, it was supposed to be changed maybe around 2020 or so when I start to notice every car threw brighter lights than mine, as if mine was never switched on.

Another few days later, I got a new Spot for the right side. The price was quite reasonable for around RM40.00 which also comes with a 9006 bulb. If I bought it then the price would be higher. But then again, I have to remind this is not an original even though the the Bengmobile is out of production since 2012.

 

 

The firs thing you need to do is to pull out this cover. Try not to yank it by force as the plastic has aged and can be brittle. You can already see that there is no bulb (because it has melted off and dropped out).

Carefully use a toothpi... er a flat-bladed screwdriver to push the metal connector to the side (or left) so that the lamp's horizontal pillar can pop out.

Do the same for the other side too. Don't mind my yellow thumb as I was spray painting some numbers at work.

This is the 9006 bulb which has since long burned out...

As evident in the reflector's plastic.

The original 2011 Spot with the OEM on the right. Although the dimensions are the same, its the black glossy finishing which confirms that this is an OEM.

To install the new Fog Lamp, you just align it and make sure the alignment clip (yellow arrow) goes straight into the hole. You see, both the left and right side round pillars allows the Lamp to pivot up and down. It is this screw that aligns the light. But you'd have to open up the wheel arc insulator from the inner side to turn the screw. So I just make sure the screw position is the same as the original...

This is the left side of the Fog Lamp. Just as I suspected, the (swear word) did not clip it back when they re-inserted the front bumper. Luckily the bulb is still working.

 

Finally, the bulb is working. As for the front head lamp and the left Fog light, they're effectively fogged... Funnily enough, this reminded me of Ultraman.

 OK, so now I know how to change the Fog Lamps. Which should be easy peasy when I continue with the left one next payday. As for the main head Lights, they would take more that just 15 minutes since this would involve removing the front bumpers slightly. Then again they are long overdue as it is quite a challenge to drive at night or early morning.