Embedded Files
Mandalorian Flamethrower
This project required a variety of engineering skills from CAD and FEA to mechatronics and PCB design. I wanted to make my Mandalorian costume stand out at events so I created a custom flamethrower that fires directly from the gauntlet. I designed the electronics housing and power tool battery adapter for the solenoid valve using Solidworks and printed them in PETG on my home 3D printer. The PCB's were designed using CircuitMaker, manufactured by JLCPCB, then hand soldered.
Safety features include a stainless steel nozzle that directs the flame above the wearer's hand and a two button activation system.
*No eyebrows were burned during the making of this project.
Hardware
Adapter with embedded electrical contacts for use with rechargeable power tool battery. This higher voltage battery is needed to release the pressurized liquid propane.
Additional housing for the PCB board and 9 volt electronics battery.
PCB Board
This is a simple circuit that allows a momentary switch to send power through a relay to open the solenoid valve and release gas to the nozzle.
Above: Snap hook FEA for the PCB housing. Stress < 8 MPa in extreme use case safe for most injection molded plastics.
Below: A small propane tank is stored with the power tool battery in a bag worn with the costume. The gas line and wiring is routed down the sleeve and attaches to the nozzle on the gauntlet with a hose clamp. An electric lighter is used as the ignition source.
Giant Automated Turntable with RF Control
I designed the mechatronics and wrote the control software for a giant automated turntable capable of rotating loads up to 1000 lbs. The existing platform was retrofitted with a ring of gear teeth machined around its perimeter, along with a new baseplate that allowed it to mesh with a pair of Delrin drive gears mounted on two NEMA 42 stepper motors. The motors were powered by a high‑current supply and driven through a dedicated stepper controller to provide smooth, adjustable rotation. Two motors were used to compensate for uneven loading and prevent binding of the gear teeth.
On the right are two revisions of the custom PCB developed for this project (the newest revision is on the left). The blue board is an integrated Arduino Nano running custom firmware that controls motor speed, acceleration, and direction. The vertical daughterboard is an RF module that enables wireless operation of the turntable using a four‑button handheld remote. A loop function monitors for a signal from one of the four RF channels and then sends the appropriate pulse and direction signals to the stepper drivers depending on the desired motor function.
Amber Grille Lights for Toyota Sequoia
Designed and 3D printed an adapter to install amber grille lights on my truck without any permanent modification. Design details are listed at the website below. I also sold several units to customers across the US with detailed assembly instructions after promoting the product on online forums.
https://preislerproducts.bigcartel.com/product/amber-grille-lights-for-2nd-gen-toyota-sequoia
Lightsaber 3D Model
Designed for encounters with dark entities.
Remote 3D Printer Management
Explored computer science and electrical engineering fundamentals by setting up my home 3D printer to run OctoPrint through a dedicated Raspberry Pi. I began by flashing OctoPrint, an open-source software, onto a microSD. Text files within the installation folder had to be edited with my network's SSID and PSK values to ensure the Raspberry Pi would connect to WiFi.
Power for the Raspberry Pi was sourced from the printer's power supply unit using a parallel XT-60 plug spliced into a buck converter to lower the working voltage from 24V to 5V. Separate electronics housings for the Raspberry Pi and buck converter were designed using Creo PTC, 3D printed in PLA, then attached to the printer's aluminum frame.
After completion, the Octoprint software allowed for complete remote access to the printer. This capability highly increases safety and decreases waste material by monitoring jobs for early print failure and potential fires.
Card Reader Holder for Restauraunt POS Terminal
The card readers used on the POS terminals at Bluewater Boathouse in Coronado, CA came with a poorly designed, 3D-printed mount. After a short time in use, the mounts on all 8 of their terminals had been broken with normal handling. This caused the workspace to appear disorganized and slowed workflow as the readers were contantly picked up and set down as each employee completed a transaction.
The management at Boathouse reached out to me to replace their mounts so I designed a sturdy bracket without any moving parts or hinges (unlike the previous design). On a few of the readers, a removable clip with threads was missing so a replacement part was also made with heat sink inserts to allow the mount to thread into the back of the reader. These mounts have now been in nearly daily use for four years as of writing this post in 2026.
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