Your Drill has 1 BIG Problem?! (That we can 'Hack')

Components that were used for the project:

In this project I will face a problem that I encountered quite a while ago. When using my cordless drill, then I can not always go completely straight (level) through the material. This also happens when I try to drill top down into the wood. Attaching mechanical spirit levels, was not an option for me. So in this video I used an accelerometer IC and a smart feedback system to create a way better digital (kind of) spirit level. Let's get started!

Websites that were used in the video:

Thanks to Mouser Electronics for sponsoring this video.

0:00 My Drill Problem
1:14 Intro
2:02 Accelerometer IC Solution!
4:53 Haptic Feedback System?
6:15 LED Feedback System! (Guide)
7:10 Housing Electronics
8:13 Final Electronics Setup (ATtiny)
9:23 Offset Problem
9:51 Final Assembly
10:13 Testing & Verdict

[betsytruman]

The leveling sensor should provide electric shocks to improve the learning effect

[walker]

You can get metal guide blocks to put over the hole youre drilling and it'll keep the bit 100% straight. It's not techy but it works and you can use it just by holding it instead of needing to clamp it down or anything.

[RFC]

Attaching a spirit level to your drill only helps you drill straight if the object you're drilling through is _also_ perfectly level. If what you want is to drill *_perpendicularly to a surface_* (which is what most people care about) what you need is a drill _guide_ (that will always be perpendicular even if the surface you're drilling into _isn't_ perfectly horizontal or vertical).

Additionally, a drill guide gives you full tactile feedback and _forces_ your drill into alignment as you push it, so you don't have to keep looking at some display and trying to balance it while drilling.

I realise you can't really get a very interesting video out of building a drill guide (because there are tons of those already - sometimes built into the drills themselves), but it's a better solution in the _vast_ majority of cases (the exceptions are when you don't have _space_ for a drill guide or when you care more about being horizontal / vertical relative to the _Earth_ than to the surface you're drilling into),

[AtomskTheGreat]

tbh, if i have to drill at a precise angle, i want to eliminate "the human factor", that can move the drill off-axis. thus i'd always use a jig.

[kriekenzero]

You know you're in the really GOOD part of youtube when the creator is blurring the bubble on a level for dramatic effect.

[slyfondle]

10:40 The hole will only be square to the workpiece if your bench is perfectly level and the block you're drilling is perfectly square to it.

[Jack-txei]

The Bosch GSB 18V-150 has this functionality built in. :) It also levels against the surface you're working on, and not against earths gravity field.

[cthree]

I recommend a drill press. Once you have one you’ll never know how you did without. It will allow you to precisely control the angle of the table, drill depth and using stops drill a precise series of holes. Hand drills will never be precision tools

[FrostNuke]

5 lights would be better, having a center light would be much more helpful. And the lights should have a gradient to the center light.

[dariodalcin]

I think the laser thing was coller, you don't even need your workpiece to be straight, and it will still drill perpendicular to it

[vellcet]

An overly complex solution when simpler alternatives exist (my favorite kind!). Thanks for the great video. Even if this particular problem may be solved better with other, mechanical solutions, the concepts employed here are broadly useful to a variety of different scenarios and it's a great project. Thank you for putting in the time to produce and share this with the world!

[guatagel]

The problem is to find where to attach the circuit to the drill. There are a few surfaces in the drill that are parallel/perpendicular to the drilling axe, and yet you have to verify that they are parallel/perpendicular. That's why there is no universal solution on the shelf.

[Looki]

6:45 - some improvements: you should use higher PWM bit depth like 10 or 12 bits to remove stepping and gamma correct the linear value (pow(x, 2.2)) to get linearly perceived LED brightness

[stevenryall]

I think the LEDs are better because perhaps the haptic feedback you would rely on might be overshadowed by the vibration of the drill itself!

[VileAce]

Definition of an engineer - A person who creates solutions for problems that do not exist.

[marcusd]

Horizontally drilling it still can't detect angles sideways, unfortunately.

[Deathbyfartz]

you could also 3d print a jig that goes around the drillbit, with 3 lasers spaces out, that way when you speed up the drill they're supposed to make 3 circles on your workpiece helping you drill straight, by making sure the circles the lasers make are all round.

[dirkvader]

I did the low tech version and glued a bubble level to the back of my drill. I used silicone caulk as glue since it is fairly thick and viscous and allows for small adjustments by just pushing the bubble level. I kept the drill vertical by fixing my longest drill bit in a vice and making sure the drill bit was perfectly vertical. Works great.

[ashutosshguptaa]

Just giving feedback you might use 0.96 INCH OLED instead of LEDs
And animate that spirite level it will look awesome ❤❤

BTW love your videos learned lot from you 😊

[jdlives]

Awesome idea and an amazing solution. Of course you can just take your time and practice makes perfect. I do love this channel