Craig Marston ∞ and beyond

 

Neat!

 I had some of these for my lunch…

Photo

• Sent from my iPhone •
☏ +44.7799 82 42 30
✉ mail@craigmarston.com
➲ www.craigmarston.com

 

Reckon one of these would look great in our garden..!

 Decorative tree at Center Parcs.

Photo

• Sent from my iPhone •
☏ +44.7799 82 42 30
✉ mail@craigmarston.com
➲ www.craigmarston.com

 

Skoda Octavia Door Courtesy Light Switch
A common problem with the VW door locks (as used in the Skoda Octavia) is that the door-switch is built into them. It wouldn’t actually be a problem if they were made to the ‘German Standards’ we expect. But they aren’t. So they break. Getting to them is a right royal pain in the arse.
But what I found a pain in the arse was that because the car didn’t know the driver’s door was open, the interior light wouldn’t come on. The ‘lights-on reminder’ didn’t work. Some of the security features didn’t activate. And the car would lock after 30 seconds if another door wasn’t opened!
In my case it wasn’t the microswitch that failed, but the solder-joints on the circuit board where the electrical connector is attached.

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01a - Pop the mirror control console out.


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01b


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02a - Remove the door panel retaining screw from behind the interior door-release handle.


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02b - The door panel retaining screw from behind the interior door-release handle.


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04a - Remove this piece from under the handle before attempting to remove the window control console. The protrusions lock the console into the frame.


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04b - Window control console removed by brute force and ignorance...


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04c - Broken component due to previous procedure!


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04d - Broken frame (right hand side) due to the previous procedure.


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04e - Overview of driver's door handle and window control console location. You can see the green clips that hold the console in place, along with the (broken) bar where the handle is. The black electrical tape is attached to the wiring to aid retrieval during reassembly.


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20 - Overview of driver's door with panel removed. Note that the window is partially opened, and secured (just in case) with gaffer tape.


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21


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23 - Note the lock button and rod.


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24b - The end of the lock-button rod being unclipped from the lock mechanism.


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25 - Removing the (key-operated) barrel lock was a pig. The metal peg you can see at the bottom of the aperture rotates round on a cam, holding the barrel in place.


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26a - One of these screws operates the cam which holds the barrel in place. I ended up drilling a larger access hole to this screw as my bit driver was just too broad..!


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26c - The end of the cable that the exterior door handle pulls to operate the door-lock mechanism


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27a - The door-handle cable preventing the lock assembly from being removed.


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27b - The mechanism-end of the cable to the external door-release handle.


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27c - The connector which you probably can't see yet, looks like this.


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27d - Removing the assembly now that the cable is free.


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28 - To undo the assmebly requires holding one of the sprung levers out of the way.


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29 - Separating the two assemblies.


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30a - Note where all the parts sit — Take photos!!


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30b


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30c - The offending solder-joints (by the connector) causing the problem.


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30d - That bush on the back-end of the motor had me foxed for ages when it fell off. Fortunately, I had taken a photograph..!


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31a - When re-assembling, watch out that this fork meets up with the corresponding lever in the next photo.


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31b - This lever needs to marry-up with the fork in the previous photo. This caused me to have to repeat EVERYTHING up to this stage again when the door wouldn't lock!!!


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32a - Checking the whole system works correctly.


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32b - Push the latch (as if the door is closed) then pull the door-handle cable to test the lock.


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33 - Electrical tape used for retrieval of cables etc. Do this before presenting the panel back up to the door.

Filed under: Skoda VW catch courtesy door latch light lock switch
 

What Did You Say the Prize Was..?
(download)
 

Using your own domain with Gmail on iPhone

 This appears to be a common snag for those of us using a customised email address or specific domain, but wishing to use Google's fantastic mail servers.
I feel that it's safe to assume that if you're reading this, you've set email up before but can't understand what you've missed…

…and the answer is nothing!

It all boils down to the initial set-up when we selected “Gmail” because that's what we're using. But by choosing “Other” instead, we get the extra options we need to set the ‘from’ and ‘reply-to’ email addresses.

So, all you need to do is, delete your current Gmail account on your iPhone, then start from scratch, paying attention to the screen shown below.

Photo

It's pretty much the same on the Mac too, but then how often do you need set email up if you've had the same email address for over ten years..?

Filed under: domain email from gmail iPhone reply-to
 

Manfrotto 055 Pro Tripod Repair and Upgrade
My almost bomb-proof* Manfrotto tripod took a tumble the other day and the carbon-fibre load hook succumbed to full force of the impact. I'd never fully trusted this “plastic” component anyway and I had aways suspended my bag from the centre column. So, this was the time to hack and upgrade!

I had ordered a small flat-profile stainless steel shackle or D-clip from an online chandlery for £2 including postage — bargain! 

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⇧The new clip in-situe

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⇧The Manfrotto manual showing the load loop / hanging ring.

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⇧The broken component, referred to as a hanging ring.

 

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⇧To access the screws which hold the main body together, we need to remove this clamp assembly — note the hole in the recess…

 

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⇧You can see the screws that we need access to, and the silver-coloured spring-loaded wedge which both retains and locks the clamp assembly. Make sure the locking screw is loose enough to allow the wedge to be easily depressed into the main body.

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⇧The clamp retaining / locking wedge / block

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⇧By lining up one of the holes in the centre clamp, we can depress the wedge and remove the centre clamp — requires a bit of wiggling..!

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⇧Loosening the screws on the main body, just enough to insert the (modified) D-clip.

 

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⇧The D-clip I purchased has a flat cross-section (most D-clips have a circular cross-section) which is absolutely essential as it needs re-shaping to fit. 

The curve of its original shape was too steep to fit in the narrow gap provided in the tripod body, so using pliers I flattened the top.

*The British Military use Manfrotto tripods which puts them under duress not only during use, but whilst being thrown or bounced around in some form of transport.
 

Upside-down plants

P48

I thought these artificial plants were brilliantly different!
 

Holiday in the forest, day 1.
Photo

A well-deserved break for all of us :)
I was working through the night on a physics assignment and went to bed for a few hours at 7:30am!
Reckon I'll sleep well tonight...

 

365

365 photographs of Sheffielders by resident 'alien' photographer Luke Avery, and I was fortunate enough to be a part of it. This is a great piece of work and it was fantastic watching it develop (pun intended) throughout the year.
Top job by a top bloke who likes Sheffield so much that after finishing his degree, he made it his home!

See the project in its entirety here: http://www.sheffield365project.co.uk/ 

 

I'm not dead yet...

Bring-out-your-dead--monty-pyt

Over the Christmas period, like a lot of families; we've had one of the varieties of flu (I think Jen had elephant flu!), winter vomiting thingy (on Christmas day!!!), and I also had shingles.The pain of shingles I can only describe as being as intense as standing barefoot on an upturned 13A plug, whilst carrying a large dog...
For me it started in my neck and I thought I had aggravated an old whiplash injury, but nothing took the pain away, which continued to grow in intensity, and also spread to my shoulder and arm for a few days. Jen spotted the emergence of the blisters and surmised it was shingles, then I was able to see the doctor quite sharpish and get the anti-viral drug.
It has really knocked me off my feet, so much so that there's still loads of xmas goodies knocking around the house!!Partly because we haven't had any visitors due to the plague.

Confectionary does tend to get smaller and smaller as the years go by, but "Quality Street" are now anything but 'quality'. They really are 'Crappy Street'. Half of the varieties are now just boiled sugar, and the nice ones that most people like, that is, NOT the toffee-based varieties, are as rare as hens' teeth..!If the fact that they're poor value isn't enough to not buy them; they're owned by Nestlé.

Happy New Year! :o)

Crap_street

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