Projects & WriteUps – John Trotto

Click for my Social Media LINKs

Posted on 10/23/201807/26/2023 by jtice

My Youtube Channel My Photo Gallery My Instagram One common aspect of my life has always been way too many hobbies. But it certainly keeps things interesting and keeps the adventure of life going. I share many of my hobbies and adventures on my various social media. I have always enjoyed designing and creating, in as many formats as I can. Many of my creations are just for personal use, friends and family. But I also sometimes offer items for sale on my ETSY Page. Gallery of Creative Photo Edits Gallery of Drone Aerial Photos Gallery […]

Newest Tool/Toy ! – CO2 60W Laser Engraver

Posted on 10/23/201803/06/2019 by jtice

Some of you may have seen my previous work with my 2.5W and 5.5W Diode laser engraver. I recently upgraded to a much nicer, much more powerful 60W CO2 laser. This allows me to complete jobs much faster and gives me the ability to cut materials. Stay tuned for lots of creativity from this machine. You can see more photos of the machine here. https://jtice.smugmug.com/Laser-Engraver/60W-CO2-Laser/ And some of my creations with it here. https://jtice.smugmug.com/Laser-Engraver/Laser-Engravings/

New Addition to the Fleet – 2017 Subaru BRZ

Posted on 04/04/2018 by jtice

A couple years ago I bought a VW Buggy, which was a ton of fun to drive. It was basically a gocart for the street. But it had its limitations as far as being all that usable, and its open design meant that it couldnt be driven in bad weather. It made me realize how much I wanted a fun sporty car to drive. I originally looked into getting a used Nissan 350Z or 370Z. But like most my purchases, it escalated quickly, and I ended up with a new BRZ. I test drove a 370Z and the BRZ […]

Dads 63rd Birthday – Day at the Gun Range

Posted on 03/05/201803/05/2018 by jtice

My father is a member of a new indoor gun range, Defense in Depth, and they have a deal where you get to shoot a full auto on your birthday (you pay for ammo) They have several you can choose from, he chose the FN P90, which holds 50 rounds per mag, and fires at a rate of 900 rounds per minute. The staff was very friendly and helpful. Certainly the nicest gun range I have been to, by far. I liked that the targets could be programmed to spin, move back and forth, and do several pre-programmed movements for […]

Gun Display for my Father

Posted on 12/27/201608/17/2017 by jtice

This is a gun display I made for my father after hearing he was looking for one that could fit quite a few guns, but not finding anything you could buy that he liked. Christmas was coming up so it ended up being a great gift and I was wanting another wood working project anyway. The design is pretty simple, I made it as large as I could for the wall it would be mounted on, 4 ft. x 4ft. It has a 3/4″ thick finished plywood back with 1/2″ x 6″ sides, and some decorative […]

My First Cigar Box Guitar – JTCBG#1

Posted on 10/28/201608/17/2017 by jtice

As if I dont have too many hobbies already, I started a new one the other day, making homemade cigar box guitars. I have always liked doing wood working and recently purchased a laser engraver, so I thought this would be a great way to combine the two. I can engrave all sorts of designs and embellishments onto the neck and body of the guitar. Cigar Box Guitars get their name from the fact that early ones actually used old cigar boxes for the body of the guitar. They have roots back to the early days of blues and […]

RC Quadcopter / Drone Frame Designs

Posted on 09/30/201608/17/2017 by jtice

Here are some RC Quadcopter frames I designed a while back. None of these have been tested, just played around with designing for a while. Here are photos of the designs I have made. https://jtice.smugmug.com/RC/MultiRotor/Frame-Designs/ Downloads for files can be found here. http://jtice.com/downloads/multi-rotor/

Bought a 5.5W Laser Engraver

Posted on 09/22/201608/17/2017 by jtice

UPDATE: I had some issues with the 5.5W laser unit that came with this engraver, I could not get it to focus well, and it seemed to loose power over time. So I replaced it with a 2.3W TTL unit. Most all diode lasers over 2.5W can not focus down as tight, the new 2.3W unit actually engraves much better than the old 5.5W unit. Since I have enjoyed having a 3D Printer to create things the last year or so, I figured a Laser Engraver would be a nice addition. There a are a ton of them coming out […]

Prusa i3v 3D Printer

Posted on 09/21/201608/17/2017 by jtice

I have had this 3D printer for about a year or so now, but just not making a post about it. Always wanted one soon as I heard about them, prices finally came down on the do it yourself kits, so I bought myself one. The assembly was pretty easy, took about 3 afternoons after work. But the setup and adjustments take days when you first start using one. There is alot involved as far as how things need to be printed, what settings to use. Just lots of little things you have to learn to get things working the […]

Jeep JK – A-Pillar Switch Panel

Posted on 09/14/201608/17/2017 by jtice

I looked into several options for mounting switches in the JK. Compared to the TJs I have owned, there really isnt we much dash space to mount aftermarket switches in the JK. I was going to use the overhead panel that mounts above the rear view mirror, but I wanted the switches to be easy to reach when standing outside the Jeep. So that I can easily operate some of the external lights while camping. Plus the overhead panels seem to be so much more expensive for no reason. I decided to use a Rugged Ridge A-Pillar switch […]