I’m curious. If I were to choose to be living in a van, how much of a robot shop could I take with me in a usable form?
I’m talking general tools including basic woodworking and metalworking. A 3d printer goes without saying.
And yes, I’d need enough space left over to live and perhaps even entertain in.
The budget for this thought experiment is $50,000 US and includes the large van or small Winnebago. At most two people would have to live and work in this. Any help in figuring out if this is possible and how to do it would be appreciated.
If this happens, I’ll make If this happens, I’ll make sure there are pics. However, this whole thing is a worst case scenario.
What I really need are examples or machines I would need. If I can figure out what I need I can work out a floor plan and then figure out what sort of size I need.
You can buy a pretty nice used RV in the 20-30K range which would leave at least 20K in your budget for tools / equipment. You may also want to consider a bus conversion that someone has built. These are 43-45’ long and would have plenty of living space and room for a shop. See if you can pull up the episode of “Extreme RV’s” that has ventriloquist Terry Fator’s RV. I saw the episode recently and not only is it very roomy & nice, he has a complete shop in it for building / repairing his puppets while he is on the road.His arrangement looks to be just what you are looking for.
Ok. Going for a used RV or a Ok. Going for a used RV or a used school bus.
I’m thinking of having two relatively clean areas up front, behind the rear seats: electronics and computers, plus a small 3d printer… There would be living quarters and storage. Finally the real half would be a combined wood and metal shop, with the larger machines designed to be setup outside. Right now I have no idea how to do this, but I would like to take an auto-shop class so I can fix anything that is simple. I plan on having everything on board to be able to fix the basics. Also in the back would be the largest 3d printer I can justify.
For power I would have solar cells on the roof if the tech is up to that, and batteries for power.
And yes, I would travel pretty randomly: maker fairs, SF cons, Filk Cons, and pretty much whatever I or my passenger(s) wants to do.
Here in the US, you can join Family Motorcoach Association and they have mail / package forwarding service. Or, you can have mail sent to “General Delivery” at whatever post office you will be close to and they will hold it for you. I’ll be retiring in 25 days and we plan on going on the road for at least 6 months. Since I am constantly buying / selling, I need to stay connected on the road. We attend a number of “Ham Fests” every year which are like electronic swapmeets for Ham radio operators. All my inventory, (parts, test equipment, radios, etc), are in the basement storage underneath the motorhome. I have 250 watts of solar panels and a 6500 watt generator. Everything except the air conditioners and the microwave oven will run off AC or DC.
There are a few such things Since I would also need a state of residence, then I would join such an organization that is in a state with no income tax, such as Florida. I have one such organization bookmarked that will forward mail by email if it’s not too private and dispose of junk mail. They can also rent you a “street address” for mailing and legal uses.
I’m planning this because there is a possibility I might have to live on a very small pension ($900 per month) for a few years until I become old enough for social security. Or I could just stay where I am and slowly go crazy. I don’t know right now.
A good way to make income on the road is buying items at yard sales, thrift stores, and swapmeets and re-selling them either on Ebay or at Ham Fests. You can get a schedule of Ham Fests by state at www.arrl.org These events are very cheap or even free to set up and sell and almost anything electronic will sell. I have been doing this since the 70’s and not only can you make some serious coin, you will never meet a nicer bunch of people than the Ham community. BTW, this is where I sell all my wheelchair motors to people building BIG robots.
If you’re willing to tell me If you’re willing to tell me some secrets of the trade…
What do you typically get for the wheelchair motors at a ham fest?
And what fair payment be for a wheelchair, given that it was probably paid for mostly if not all by insurance?
Also it may be difficult to get to the garage sales with either a motorcycle or a honking big bus.
I used to be a ham, WCY0C if I recall. But that was near 40 years or so ago. Girls, computers, and finally the internet came along and filed up that slot of time for me.
Gack. I have to arrange for either cell or satellite internet at some point.
First the easiest of your questions: I have a 500mw USB WiFi dongle and a 20db gain yagi antenna I carry with me and there hasn’t ever been a time I couldn’t find a free WiFi to check into. Secondly, I have an HTC smart phone through Sprint with unlimited everything for $30.00 / month and it has a hot spot built in for free.
I buy nice powerchairs at auction for 20-50 bucks. I part them out generally getting $100.00 for the joystick, $50.00 for the control box, $25.00 for the charger, and $25 - $50 each for the motors. The batteries are almost always bad but we have a recycler that pays 5-10 dollars each.
I buy at auctions, Goodwill, Salvation Army, surplus stores, yard sales, swap meets, thrift stores, and estate sales. Often times, (like today), I buy pallets of electronics at auction for about $.25 / pound and will typically make $300.00 - $500.00 off this one purchase once everything is sorted & checked. All the big / heavy stuff sells at Ham Fests and anything small enough to fit in a USPS Flat Rate Box or a padded envelope sells on Ebay.
Sorry to hear you no longer have your Ham license, I am KE6GHS and I also have a commercial license.
Thank you. Of course, but Thank you. Of course, but with you having a moniker of “salvage,” I should have realized you’d be good at this.
The one problem I have is being able to evaluate things to figure out what is valuable and what isn’t. Some of it is fairly easy (check on eBay to see the prices), but that assumes more of a familiarity then I currently have. Oh well, like any skill, it takes practice.
I am going to have to look at this sort, because right now we can use any extra income. We’re on a very fixed income that would be fairly good if it weren’t for her medical expenses. At the moment I probably can’t go to ham fests because as her caregiver I can’t leave her alone for more than four hours at a time.
I certainly wish you luck in whatever path you take. My wife is also disabled and has been unable to work since 2009.
Everyone has knowledge or areas of expertise that you should be able to exploit to make extra income from home. Maybe it’s sports collectables, cast iron toys, coins, Barbi dolls, etc. There are niche markets for thousands of catagories on Ebay and Craig’s List that you could sell to. Often times I buy items on Ebay that are mis-spelled, wrong catagory, poorly described, etc. just to turn around and re-sell it with good quality pictures, proper description & all the right keywords and in the right catagories.
P.S. Joining a group like Family Motorcoach Association comes with perks you might not have considered. For instance, annual dues are under $50.00 / year but I saved over $1000.00 on 6 new tires for my motorhome with their discount. You also get a gas discount card that saves you several cents / gallon on gas. That may not seem like much but when a fill-up is $350.00 - $400.00, every dollar helps. You also get a very high quality monthly magazine with lots of ideas & helpful hints. No, I don’t work for them, just a satisfied member.
