Bearing Towers: Fully operational

Jul 20, 2022

Nathan Fournier

Through the past few weeks of working on this bearing comparison tower, I’ve faced many technical difficulties through prototyping, designing, and other issues. Many of these issues not only helped me find a better way to complete this project but also gave me a better understanding of how to effectively prototype in engineering which will assist me in the future.

Stepper Motor Drive Train

Jul 18, 2022

James Laumeyer

This week I have been working on the proof of concept utilizing a stepper motor drive train for our new power wheels cart system.

3D Printed Moon

Jul 07, 2022

Michael Rudinsky

In honor of the 53rd anniversary of the first moon landing, I printed this Moon Lamp.

Bearing Comparison Tower: update

Jun 20, 2022

Nathan Fournier

Starting this Monday, may 6, I came in and saw that the redesigned base printed successfully and is much sturdier than the previous design. I’m glad this change was made as the display is much sturdier and does not shake as much when the motor is running.

Electric Go Kart: Materials and Preliminary Design Thoughts

Jun 20, 2022

Marc zum Tobel

Boca Bearings has always attended the Maker Faire in Orlando but have never been super competitive in the Power wheels event. Jason, the visionary at Boca Bearings, wants James and I to design a reliable and competitive Power Wheels go kart to compete at Maker Faire.

A Fathers Day Blog

Jun 19, 2022

Boca Bearings

As Father’s Day approaches here at BB we take this opportunity to honor all those great dads who have had a tremendous impact on their children's lives.

Dirty Power

Jun 17, 2022

James Laumeyer

As we enter the hurricane season here in south Florida that means afternoon thunderstorms are back. For most people this means little more than inconvenient flash flooding and slower commutes. But for those of us working with sensitive electronics it means something else is back too, dirty power.

Bearing Comparison Tower Nearing completion

Jun 14, 2022

Nathan Fournier

Starting this Monday, may 6, I came in and saw that the redesigned base printed successfully and is much sturdier than the previous design. I’m glad this change was made as the display is much sturdier and does not shake as much when the motor is running.

Lawnmower Successful Testing of New Mounts

Jun 13, 2022

Marc zum Tobel

All the work James and I have put in for the new transmission mount has paid off. It holds up well under load and there is virtually no flex. This is good as it will provide longevity to the mower as well as robustness that is going to be needed.

Lawnmower's Kill Switch

Jun 10, 2022

James Laumeyer

At Boca Bearing safety is our number one priority and in keeping with that the Boca Bearings race mower has become just a little bit safer with the addition of a motor kill switch. While we hope it is a feature that never has to see its intended use, it’s one that is necessary in the event that the driver falls off.

Bearing Comparison Tower Progress and Updates

Jun 07, 2022

Nathan Fournier

Throughout this week, I continued to work on the bearing comparison tower project, visualizing the differences between four types of bearing materials from Boca Bearings. From the first prototype in the last blog post, the design has changed a good amount as to counteract issues that came through testing.

Bearing Comparison Tower; Kinetic Sculpture

Jun 01, 2022

Nathan Fournier

For my second project in my internship, I am designing and 3D printing a kinetic sculpture that will show the differences between different materials of bearings; stainless steel, plastic, hybrid, and full ceramic. In the photo below is the first prototype for what the tower would look like. The plan is to 3D print four of the long towers that house the bearings, one tower for each type of bearings, with gears to visualize the free rotation on the gears.

Gravity Powered Wind Turbine

May 23, 2022

Nathan Fournier

As of Monday, May 16, most of the parts had printed successfully for my gravity powered wind turbine. Pretty much everything is assembled and printed. Only issue I had was the peg on the gear stand broke off again. I tried to super glue it but for some reason it wouldn’t cure so I ended up printing it again with more layers on the inside.

Time to Upgrade: Mountain Bike / Epic Cycles

May 16, 2022

Boca Bearings

Upgrading is synonymous with Boca Bearings since we specialize in higher-end, technologically superior bearings for every application from RC, Fishing, Motorcycle, and Bike to Industry.

Fishing Trip to Baja With Matt Santora

May 02, 2022

Boca Bearings

In this epic fishing video, Matt not only takes us to beautiful Baja but also gives us an inside look at his organizational process from picking the right lures and rods to choosing a Talica with the right fishing bearings.

Lawnmower: Testing (no clutch)

Apr 22, 2022

Marc Tobel

As we continue with the mower project new issues have arisen that made themselves apparent through testing. During a low speed test of the mower with the new transmission, some warping occurred in the transmission mount due to the torque from the motor.

The Best Thing in the World: An RC Track!

Mar 30, 2022

Boca Bearings

Our friend Mike from the local Coral Springs RC track tells us that the best thing in the world is not to love, money, or an all-paid trip to Paris (those are just cherries) but a local RC Track, now that's the cake! “One day a friend of mine came over to my house and told me the best thing in the world was just two miles from me. It turned out to be the Coral Springs RC Track.

Lawnmower: End in Sight

Mar 21, 2022

James Laumeyer

I am excited to announce that the end is finally in site on this project, and this machine has made us work for every inch of progress Mark and I have made on it. If I were to do it all over again are there things I would change, absolutely. But as much as we may want to over engineer and fix this or that there comes a point where we have to draw the line and say this is good enough this is what we are going with.

For Women's History Month Boca Bearings Honors Michele Baum's Legacy

Mar 01, 2022

Boca Bearings

Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, Michele was a natural entrepreneur. Sadly, Michele passed away in 2001, yet she left her mark and a lasting legacy. For Women’s History Monthwe honor her memory. Allen remarked “Michele did everything from picking orders, customer service, sales, and marketing. She worked with us side by side every day until the last year of her life.”

Selecting and Buying a Drill Press

Feb 21, 2022

James Laumeyer

When buying tools for a workshop on a budget I believe Adam Savage said it best, "Buy cheap tools until you know what you really need from that tool, then buy the best one you can afford.”

Lawn Mower: Rear Axle Conversion

Feb 14, 2022

Boca Bearings

The solid rear axle conversion has been going smoothly with no major hiccups along the way. The only thing that has been very time consuming is waiting for parts to come in so we can get to work. We did have to modify the brake disk mount a bit for the holes to line up but other than that the fit for the parts have been good.

Anita Stenberg: A conversation with An Olympian Cyclist

Feb 03, 2022

Boca Bearings

Have you ever wondered what it takes to 1- Create a national sport/ team and 2-to compete in the Olympic games? Well, here is Anita and she will tell us all about it.

Lawnmower Solution: Converting to a solid rear axle

Jan 14, 2022

Marc Tobel

The racing and parade Mower James and I have been working on for the past couple months has had some issues during testing

Failures in engineering: Lawnmower

Jan 10, 2022

James Laumeyer

This project is a lesson in the failures that sometimes happen in engineering. I have learned many things in this project, how to weld, how to retrofit parts to an existing system, what conditions resin 3d printed parts, importance of tight tolerances, and how not to build a race mower. So while this project was on every level an important learning experience on my road to becoming an engineer, it is definitely a failure as it stands but we have a plan to change that.

Ryan White: Motorcycle Racer

Jan 04, 2022

Boca Bearings

When you’re a thrill seeker racing motorcycles will be high on your list! It’s high on ours! We even carry a special line of motorcycle bearings, CHIP for improved performance.

The Clock is Ticking: Another 35 Years

Jan 01, 2022

Boca Bearings

One thing is for sure; the clock is ticking figuratively and literally. When we commissioned this beautiful hand-made clock from Mike Bruck all of us were a year younger.

2021: A Year in Review

Dec 30, 2021

Boca Bearings

As we approach the third year of the COVID-19 pandemic, masking, vaccinations, job vacancies and a “new normal” have become commonplace around the world. We, here at BB, review the surprisingly wonderful year we have had.

Downloading CADs on our Improved Website

Dec 13, 2021

Boca Bearings

Finding the right bearing for the job is not always easy. That's here will explain how to download CADs models in our new and improved website so you can always rely on it for reference.

Introducing the first ACCEL Scholarship Program awardees

Dec 06, 2021

Boca Bearings

As a company, we are big fans and huge supporters of young innovators and we put our funding where our words are. Our corporate commitment was solidified this year when we partnered up with Scholarship America (SAI) to create the ACCEL Scholarship Program

In the Spirit of Giving: Marine Education Initiative

Nov 04, 2021

Boca Bearings

In this month of November we are grateful for people and organizations that give back to the community even in challenging times and circumstances.

Millie Hart-Breaking Ground for Women in Motorsports

Oct 14, 2021

Boca Bearings

Allow us to introduce you to Millie Hart, a brilliant racer hailing from the UK. Millie tells us that her passion and destiny is to race!

A conversation with Athlete Beata Wronska

Oct 04, 2021

Boca Bearings

It's not often we meet and develop a close relationship with a well-rounded athlete such as Beata Wronska. Beata has really impressed and motivated us with her commitment and dedication to mountain biking.

Go-Kart

Sep 22, 2021

James Laumeyer

the BBEGC it had two main problems, a bad battery pack, and a bad motor controller. As the motor that was mounted was a brushless motor we first attempted to use a brushless controller to swap in for it though the problem was getting KV values off of a part that was designed to work with a specific controller and had poor documentation.

Amos Robinson & His Kinetic Art

Sep 20, 2021

Boca Bearings

Last year we had a conversation with Amos, well now we just want to share his kinetic art videos. Take a look and enjoy.

A Wooden Clock, A Kinetic Sculpture

Sep 13, 2021

Boca Bearings

Trial and error is the name of the game when it comes to clock building. We are huge supporters of artistic talent so it comes to no surprise that we commissioned a clock from Mike Bruck, a very talented and experimental clockmaker. Mike is not afraid to try new machinery or processes for his craft.

3D Printed R/C 3-Wheeler

Sep 08, 2021

Michael Rudinsky

The 3D printed R/C 3-Wheeler that I printed and built was designed by Andre Tessier. When you download the files, the instructions are very easy to follow with a complete list of materials and links to the parts required.

Racing / Parade Mower III

Sep 01, 2021

James Laumeyer

Continuing with our racing mower project significant progress has been made in the month and a half since our last blog update.

Flow Hydro-Electric Energy Converter Completion

Aug 27, 2021

Boca Bearings

The initial set up of the project included a box leveled on top of the tank, in which a second bilge pump and tube entered and exited the box.

New and Expanded Electric Motor Quality (EMQ) Bearings Inventory

Aug 24, 2021

Matt Santora - Avid Fisherman

Aug 17, 2021

Boca Bearings

Matt Santora is an avid fisherman and owner of Finbomb, a fishing and diving apparel company. He holds 2 California State Records for fishing, and he truly loves all aspects of the sport, from reading signs of the birds overhead, to finding the boiling tuna, to choosing the best lure, to angling and cooking the fish.

Flow Hydro-Electric Energy Converter II

Aug 10, 2021

Tyler Gilley

At the shop today I started by redesigning the Turbine housing the water turbine will sit inside. The problem I encountered with my first design was that the turbine did not sit centered.

Joe Pirozzoli- RC Aerobatics- Arvada Associated

Jul 30, 2021

Boca Bearings

At Boca Bearings we believe all hobbies are great, especially RC Aerobatics. As a matter of fact one of our team members, Jonathan, has been flying RC planes for over 30 years! But not only does he fly RC planes, he also has a private pilot’s license for real planes! How cool is that?!

Gerardo Martinez - BMX Expert

Jul 29, 2021

Boca Bearings

Bikes and music go together like peanut butter and jelly! At least that’s what we believe here at Boca Bearings. Our friend Gerardo Martinez can wholeheartedly back us up on this since he is the General Manager for Nuclear Blast Records (Meshuggah, Testament, Slayer, Exodus, Rob Zombie) and a BMX fanatic!

Flow Hydro-Electric Energy Conversion System Project

Jul 28, 2021

Carmen Riggs

We recently changed directions from a waver energy conversion system to a Flow Hydro Conversion system due to some time constrains. However, the concept remains the same and the same materials will be used.

Humanoid Otto

Jul 21, 2021

Dylan Butera

Here is my first entry for the humanoid Otto. Previously, I put together and coded the standard Otto DIY robot. For this project, I will be putting together the Otto Humanoid robot. The humanoid version has arms, a touch sensor, a sound sensor, an LED matrix to show emotions, metal gear servos as opposed to plastic, and a Bluetooth module, all of which the standard Otto does not have. I have started by printing out the shell, and now I’m ready to start assembling the robot.

Racing / Parade Mower II

Jul 07, 2021

Marc Tobel

For our next project James and I decided to do something a bit more ambitious than the previous projects we have worked on.

Racing / Parade Mower I

Jul 05, 2021

James Laumeyer

The intern team at Boca bearings is always busy turning out new and creative ways to showcase our bearings, as such we are always looking for ways to build upon our past experiences and leverage those skills to new projects.

Recoding the push button on OTTO Robot

Jul 01, 2021

Tyler Gilley

Upon receiving this kit, I was informed that the OTTO robot did not work outside of its USB port connection. For example, the OTTO DIY Robot has a USB connection that gives it the ability to import code into an Arduino circuit Board, once properly connected to a computer or laptop.

New workshop set-up

Jun 28, 2021

James Laumeyer

Over the past few weeks, the team at Boca Bearings has been working on revamping the workshop in the warehouse as the space was proving to be difficult to work in due to an inefficient use of space that caused tools to get lost or straight up not have

Otto Kit Completed

Jun 25, 2021

Dylan Butera

Now that the robot is fully assembled I have been using the Otto Blockly program to code the Arduino. This robot is only capable of doing simple actions like walking or dancing using servos, making it a great starter project for me. The eyes are ultrasonic sensors(the part is the HC-sr04) which can be used to make the robot perform an action when something comes within a certain range of them. I have programmed Otto to do a dance once something comes within about 10 cm of his face. This can also be used to make Otto avoid obstacles while he is walking. This project has introduced me to robotics and programming, and I look forward to working with the more complex options offered by OttoDIY.

Otto Kit

Jun 23, 2021

Dylan Butera

For this project, I will be building and programming starting with the basic builder kit from Otto DIY. The goal is to program this robot and use the motion sensors

Trey Harpel- Thkustom

Jun 22, 2021

Boca Bearings

We value and support small businesses, thus we love to hear about their passion, commitment and innovative ways. Today we had a conversation with Trey Harpel, the owner of Thkustoms.

Wave Energy Converter 2

Jun 17, 2021

Tyler Gilley

This past week Carmen and I collaborated ideas on how the wave tank should be constructed. Carmen created a spreadsheet that compared and contrasted parts to be used in this project. At first we came up with the idea to use plexiglass, but we came to the conclusion that we are going to need steel bracing to

James Laumeyer: Our Intern of the Spring Semester 2021

Jun 04, 2021

Boca Bearings

The internship at Boca Bearings has many objectives from fostering an ecosystem of local talent to community involvement. However, one of the paramount objectives for our engineer interns is to explore new talents and hone in on preferred skills.

Wave Energy Converter

May 24, 2021

Carmen Riggs

The purpose of the wave energy converter project is to demonstrate the wide range of applications which wave energy can hold for the modern world and future energy projects

LED Programming

Apr 28, 2021

Carmen Riggs

When I joined the skeeball project, I was tasked with the complete development and design of the electronic components. I started with the understanding that there were 3 LED displays which needed to be controlled by a main power switch.

Instructables-Drift Bike

Apr 14, 2021

Marc Tobel

I’ve been wanting to build a drift trike for a while now as a personal project and finally got the chance at my internship with Boca Bearings.

Instructables-Pinball Machine

Apr 12, 2021

James Laumeyer

Congratulations, you have decided to make a Pinball machine based off the Boca Bearing Design! Now before you get into this project an important thing to note is that our machine has a material cost of about $7-800, pinball electronics are expensive.

3D Sets Model 7 Buggy Project

Apr 06, 2021

Michael Rudinsky

This project is a 3D printed model Volkswagen Beetle. The download from the 3D Sets website includes an easy to follow assembly guide and a list of all non-printed parts. This model requires about 3kg of filament, PLA is recommended

Teddy Celebrates 22 years with BB

Mar 30, 2021

Boca Bearings

Teddy Mullins one of Boca Bearings longest-term team member joined the company some 22 years ago! He heard about Boca Bearings through an agency. He was told the company was family-owned by some kind-hearted people.