Inventor. Sharing pages from old notebooks while I work on something new.https://bsky.app/profile/ronforhan.bsky.socialhttps://bsky.app/profile/ronforhan.bsky.social/post/3mbyvhlhqrs2jThis ended up on I WANT THAT! and won Editor’s Choice in Cat Fancy. That wasn’t the goal, it was the result of building, testing, fixing, and shipping something real. I still think about that process every time I design something new.09 Jan 2026 16:17 +0000at://did:plc:v3ck5oikzdakad5acsrir6nx/app.bsky.feed.post/3mbyvhlhqrs2jhttps://bsky.app/profile/ronforhan.bsky.social/post/3mbtqkqryp22jThis was self-shot and unpolished. But it worked and that was the only thing that mattered.07 Jan 2026 15:06 +0000at://did:plc:v3ck5oikzdakad5acsrir6nx/app.bsky.feed.post/3mbtqkqryp22jhttps://bsky.app/profile/ronforhan.bsky.social/post/3mbr75c6ox22jFrom sketch → concept → shelf-ready. Seeing the finished package felt surreal.06 Jan 2026 14:48 +0000at://did:plc:v3ck5oikzdakad5acsrir6nx/app.bsky.feed.post/3mbr75c6ox22jhttps://bsky.app/profile/ronforhan.bsky.social/post/3mbhaqcfp7k2jEarly packaging concept. Before dielines, finishes, or production constraints. Just working out how the story should feel on the shelf.02 Jan 2026 15:50 +0000at://did:plc:v3ck5oikzdakad5acsrir6nx/app.bsky.feed.post/3mbhaqcfp7k2jhttps://bsky.app/profile/ronforhan.bsky.social/post/3mbcm7risic2xEarly packaging experiments. Before vendors, dielines, or polish... just figuring out how to protect it, hang it, and ship it by hand.31 Dec 2025 19:33 +0000at://did:plc:v3ck5oikzdakad5acsrir6nx/app.bsky.feed.post/3mbcm7risic2xhttps://bsky.app/profile/ronforhan.bsky.social/post/3mb37ngwmhc2xSeeing the logo on the physical toy made it real. Sketches and CAD are one thing, holding the first finished unit is something else entirely.28 Dec 2025 20:59 +0000at://did:plc:v3ck5oikzdakad5acsrir6nx/app.bsky.feed.post/3mb37ngwmhc2xhttps://bsky.app/profile/ronforhan.bsky.social/post/3maweap3z222gBefore the mechanics were finished, the identity had to feel right.26 Dec 2025 22:38 +0000at://did:plc:v3ck5oikzdakad5acsrir6nx/app.bsky.feed.post/3maweap3z222ghttps://bsky.app/profile/ronforhan.bsky.social/post/3maqre5avgc2xTaking a pause before the next phase. Merry Christmas 🎄24 Dec 2025 17:17 +0000at://did:plc:v3ck5oikzdakad5acsrir6nx/app.bsky.feed.post/3maqre5avgc2xhttps://bsky.app/profile/ronforhan.bsky.social/post/3maopzvmf3k27The system needed to run on its own, but the toy still needed to work anytime. Detachable wasn’t optional. It was the point. #Engineering #Design23 Dec 2025 21:48 +0000at://did:plc:v3ck5oikzdakad5acsrir6nx/app.bsky.feed.post/3maopzvmf3k27https://bsky.app/profile/ronforhan.bsky.social/post/3mambu7ohls27This was the point where everything had to line up. Motor placement isn’t just about fit, it defines load paths, noise, vibration, and long-term reliability. Once this bracket was right, the rest of the system stopped arguing with itself. #Engineering #Design22 Dec 2025 22:29 +0000at://did:plc:v3ck5oikzdakad5acsrir6nx/app.bsky.feed.post/3mambu7ohls27https://bsky.app/profile/ronforhan.bsky.social/post/3maiyqjy6mk2gThis pivot arm failed quietly at first. Plastic-on-plastic binding didn’t show up immediately, only after use. Nylon washers fixed it. Design teaches patience.21 Dec 2025 15:07 +0000at://did:plc:v3ck5oikzdakad5acsrir6nx/app.bsky.feed.post/3maiyqjy6mk2ghttps://bsky.app/profile/ronforhan.bsky.social/post/3magizvelrs2gThis pair solved the motion problem. Everything else simplified after that.20 Dec 2025 15:21 +0000at://did:plc:v3ck5oikzdakad5acsrir6nx/app.bsky.feed.post/3magizvelrs2ghttps://bsky.app/profile/ronforhan.bsky.social/post/3madtuemcts27Once the motion was resolved, the enclosure could be simplified. This was about reducing bulk, supporting the mechanism, and letting the geometry follow the function.19 Dec 2025 13:57 +0000at://did:plc:v3ck5oikzdakad5acsrir6nx/app.bsky.feed.post/3madtuemcts27https://bsky.app/profile/ronforhan.bsky.social/post/3mabiiyd6dc27Once the motion worked, the shape could finally relax.18 Dec 2025 15:28 +0000at://did:plc:v3ck5oikzdakad5acsrir6nx/app.bsky.feed.post/3mabiiyd6dc27https://bsky.app/profile/ronforhan.bsky.social/post/3ma6vw45l4227This sketch wasn’t about mechanics. It was about keeping play optional, personal, and detachable. Even when the rest of the system evolved.17 Dec 2025 14:50 +0000at://did:plc:v3ck5oikzdakad5acsrir6nx/app.bsky.feed.post/3ma6vw45l4227https://bsky.app/profile/ronforhan.bsky.social/post/3ma4fb4osu22lOnce the load was gone, everything moved freely. This direction stuck.16 Dec 2025 14:47 +0000at://did:plc:v3ck5oikzdakad5acsrir6nx/app.bsky.feed.post/3ma4fb4osu22lhttps://bsky.app/profile/ronforhan.bsky.social/post/3m7zurg4upc2lPop-up → swing / rotation. Same housing, different behavior. The “T” cutout let me test both paths without rebuilding everything.15 Dec 2025 14:46 +0000at://did:plc:v3ck5oikzdakad5acsrir6nx/app.bsky.feed.post/3m7zurg4upc2lhttps://bsky.app/profile/ronforhan.bsky.social/post/3m7xcisca522lThis is where the design stopped popping up and started swinging. Removing load at startup changed everything.14 Dec 2025 14:14 +0000at://did:plc:v3ck5oikzdakad5acsrir6nx/app.bsky.feed.post/3m7xcisca522lhttps://bsky.app/profile/ronforhan.bsky.social/post/3m7v4lmjv3s2lThe pop-up physics using solar proved very hard to pull off... It looks simple. It wasn’t. Tomorrow I’ll show how changing the orientation changed everything. #prototyping13 Dec 2025 17:23 +0000at://did:plc:v3ck5oikzdakad5acsrir6nx/app.bsky.feed.post/3m7v4lmjv3s2lhttps://bsky.app/profile/ronforhan.bsky.social/post/3m7sfvn7cys25One of my first real test rigs. I printed this so I could shift every part by hand - rod height, spring angle, all of it. Yesterday's CAM is visible near the front. My version of an engineering “breadboard.” No equations. Just trial, error, and observation. #buildinpublic #prototyping12 Dec 2025 15:32 +0000at://did:plc:v3ck5oikzdakad5acsrir6nx/app.bsky.feed.post/3m7sfvn7cys25https://bsky.app/profile/ronforhan.bsky.social/post/3m7ptyq7s6k25Early CAD attempt. This spiral cam moved beautifully… right up until the sun dipped. Once the motor stalled under tension, it never restarted. Failure, but a useful one. #buildinpublic #engineering11 Dec 2025 15:06 +0000at://did:plc:v3ck5oikzdakad5acsrir6nx/app.bsky.feed.post/3m7ptyq7s6k25https://bsky.app/profile/ronforhan.bsky.social/post/3m7nda2adps2qFirst attempt at turning sunlight into motion. I tried using a spring-loaded cam to move the rod, but the starting torque was too much. It stalled every time. Still, this failure pointed me toward the version that eventually worked. #engineering #buildinpublic10 Dec 2025 15:01 +0000at://did:plc:v3ck5oikzdakad5acsrir6nx/app.bsky.feed.post/3m7nda2adps2qhttps://bsky.app/profile/ronforhan.bsky.social/post/3m7kvubwxws2qLast of the early solarchaser sketches. Trying to figure out distances, tension and how to turn sunlight into motion before I built anything physical. #sketchbook #engineering #buildinpublic #solarchaser09 Dec 2025 15:56 +0000at://did:plc:v3ck5oikzdakad5acsrir6nx/app.bsky.feed.post/3m7kvubwxws2qhttps://bsky.app/profile/ronforhan.bsky.social/post/3m7ifefeqhs2qDigging up the early Solarchaser notes. They were rough, but the core idea was already there. Next posts are the first real builds. #sketchbook #engineering #buildinpublic #inventions08 Dec 2025 15:55 +0000at://did:plc:v3ck5oikzdakad5acsrir6nx/app.bsky.feed.post/3m7ifefeqhs2qhttps://bsky.app/profile/ronforhan.bsky.social/post/3m7gesyr3kk2qFound this one folded up and shoved in the back of the notebook. Just a rough idea about harvesting energy from oxidation. #sketchbook #engineering07 Dec 2025 20:40 +0000at://did:plc:v3ck5oikzdakad5acsrir6nx/app.bsky.feed.post/3m7gesyr3kk2qhttps://bsky.app/profile/ronforhan.bsky.social/post/3m7dyoqxils2qMechanical experiments from the notebook. Almost through the sketchbook phase. #sketchbook #engineering06 Dec 2025 21:58 +0000at://did:plc:v3ck5oikzdakad5acsrir6nx/app.bsky.feed.post/3m7dyoqxils2qhttps://bsky.app/profile/ronforhan.bsky.social/post/3m7asqj6lwk2qOld hybrid energy notes. Funny how many of my ideas start as simple geometry experiments. #sketchbook #engineering #ideas05 Dec 2025 15:34 +0000at://did:plc:v3ck5oikzdakad5acsrir6nx/app.bsky.feed.post/3m7asqj6lwk2qhttps://bsky.app/profile/ronforhan.bsky.social/post/3m76b5ov7n22qWorking through the last pages of the notebook. Funny how much airflow and circulation problems teach you along the way. #sketchbook #engineering #buildinpublic04 Dec 2025 15:14 +0000at://did:plc:v3ck5oikzdakad5acsrir6nx/app.bsky.feed.post/3m76b5ov7n22qhttps://bsky.app/profile/ronforhan.bsky.social/post/3m73qut6vp22qOld sketch, I was trying to make small upgrades around the house. Idea: a doorbell faceplate with a built-in LED light bar powered directly from the existing doorbell wiring. Just a simple way to get more visibility at night without running new lines or using batteries. #Maker #IdeaBook #Inventor03 Dec 2025 15:17 +0000at://did:plc:v3ck5oikzdakad5acsrir6nx/app.bsky.feed.post/3m73qut6vp22q