Variable Frequency Drive Fukien Tea Cascade

[Orion_metalhead]

Yessssssss... another wacko VFD project. I just like the look of the cases and such. This one is a vertical casing. Perfect for a cascade. I dont have a fukien tea and they are a bonsai staple so... why not.

VFD:


Fukien Tea specimen:


First step is to disassemble... started that tonight...



The board seems soldered to something below at these points. I have to unsolder them.


Of course when I went to grab my soldering kit... i couldnt find the tips... so project is on hold.

I did do some basic clean up on the fukien tea and took some cuttings as well. I also wired the main cascade branch. Will probably see leaf drop soon from the work but who knows.

I have one more wacky mechanobonsai project in the works but I havent spent much effort on it other than doing some material research. More updates when I find my soldering kit tips.

 

[Orion_metalhead]

So been plugging at this the past couple nights here and there. I found my soldering iron tips but I dont think its rated for the solder used on these boards so I opted to leave the back compartment out of the build in favor of only using the front half of the drive. So the used components will be the front casing, terminal cabinet cover, back cover plate, and some detail control panels.



In order to get the back panel to fit, I needed to remove some plastic bits inside. Out came the Dremel:


Back fits nicely now:


Drilled some new screw holes where I will be attaching the back panel to the sides. Need to find tiny stainless steel screws for securement.


I also need to figure out how to coat the computer chips facing the soil to prevent chemical leaching/rust/corrosion from water. Thinking of using a spar varnish for this.


I did wire the cascade branch down on the plant itself and did some cleanup. I started cuttings with the prunings and am already seeing some new shoots so Im positive the tree is in a good state of health:

 

[Orion_metalhead]

Post in thread 'What did you do today? Show us Pic Required' https://www.bonsainut.com/threads/what-did-you-do-today-show-us-pic-required.58560/post-1094204

Shellacked the components. Need to finish cutting opening. Tree is doing well. Think this will work out great and look cool.

 

[Orion_metalhead]

Removed the sticker at the top. Need some heavier screen for the bottom of the vfd...

Fukien Tea is noooootttt happy right now in my basement. needs to get outside but temps still low.

 

[Orion_metalhead]

Found this gutter screen material.going to try as drainage screen for next few repots. super stiff and sturdy. onlu 3.97 at home depot.

 

[Orion_metalhead]

The tree is LOVING being outside in the hot weather. Looks healthy and happy. Will be thinking of getting this into the VFD this week.

 

[Orion_metalhead]

Hot and humid today... perfect to repot tropicals so I tackled the repot today. Components gathered:


Wired the screen to the bottom of the VFD and fished wire up and out to wire the tree in. I filled the bottom with pea gravel to fill some gaps:





Repot. Removed some high roots down to a nice root plane and somehow managed to get it in the pot:



Final result after some light pruning. It was watered deeply and placed on the shade bench. Cuttings I threw back in the original pot to see if they root:

 

[Orion_metalhead]

Before and after some cleanup on the FT. Removed the old wire and applied some fresh to a few branches. Cleaned out some old leaves... Needs a spray of soap and water for some aphids hiding out predictably. Looks like will get some nice new flowers on it soon.



After


Then after again... I realized a little more weight to the right will be good in the apex, so I wired the whip into that space with this in mind.


Flower buds:

 

[Orion_metalhead]

Tree is looking good. I found this ladybug like... a week ago and I guess it has been happy on this tree... keeps the aphids and pests in check for sure... Fukiens should come with a ladybug imo.



Getting nice new growth and extension. Tree looks muuuuch happier this winter than last winter.