Author: Silveira
You will need:
- Orbitor (rear cage for the Xpedition)
- Rad Power Conestoga
- Lectric Xpedition 2
- Four 3″ M6x1.0 bolts
You can use all original parts except for bolts because they need to be longer. I went with 3″ bolts but I’m pretty sure 2.5″ would be enough. M6x1.0 bolts fit just perfectly but US Standard Size 12-24 seem to fit as well. You can use the same lock and washers. After you have the all parts, just follow the original instructions for Rad Power Conestoga but instead of the Rad Power Caboose you are installing it in the Lectric Orbitor.
Here is a photo from the Orbitor after I replaced the original black allen head bolts with the pan head machine 3″ M6x1.0 bolt.
Just insert the Conestoga frame into the Orbitor bots just like you would with a Rad Power.
This is me testing the Orbitor pole against Metric and US Standard Sizes.
Review
The Rad Power Conestoga is great and it fits a Lectric Xpedition 2 with Orbito when you replace the original bolts with 4 x 3″ M6x1.0 bolts. My son love it.
The price (USD $250) is hard to justify, but not impossible:
- It’s a metal frame not sturdy enough to add any meaningful protection to passengers but not so flimsy that could break or bent easily.
- It’s well thought. The cover has large plastic windows, pockets in the front for the passenger, a large zipper pocket in the back, nice zippers.
- It just works. Besides the trip to buy the bolts, the Conestoga arrived in 2 days, installation took maybe 10 minutes in total.
- It’s not another project. I spent some times evaluating DIY/modification options with other canopies, and the cost associated with each one. They were not too far off, specially when considering labor.
And the ultimate dad math: my cost of not having this canopy is higher than $250, and not affordable right now. Without a canopy I’m biking less, enjoying our parks and trails less, missing great bike rides with my son because of a light rain, wind, sun, or snow.
So that’s how, yet again, they took my money. Yet with just after a few trips, I’m already satisfied with this purchase.
| Component / Feature | Specification |
| Model & Spec | Firebat R3 (R3-IG4Z16N8) |
| Processor (CPU) | AMD Ryzen 3 4300U (4 Cores, up to 3.7 GHz) |
| Graphics (GPU) | AMD Radeon Graphics (integrated) |
| Memory (RAM) | 16GB LPDDR4 (soldered onboard; non-upgradable) |
| Storage | 512GB M.2 SSD (expandable up to 2TB) |
| Operating System | Windows 11 Pro |
| Wireless Connectivity | Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.2 |
| Video Outputs | Triple 4K Display Support (via HDMI, DisplayPort, and USB-C) |
| Cooling System | Active single-fan with dual-heatpipes |
| Power Input | DC 19V ⎓ 3.42A (approx. 65W) |
I got a Firebat R3-IG4Z16N8 for $221 USD. I replaced Windows 11 with Ubuntu 26.04 (after disabling bitlocker encryption). I added 128GB in NVME to it.
The top slot (in this photo), accepts M.2 SATA/NVME but the bottom one only accepts SATA. So you need to remove the FSTW30-512G from the original slot, move it down and add the NVME in the top one.
| Feature | ADATA XPG SX6000NP (ASX6000NP-128GT-C) | Firebat (FSTW30-512G) |
| Capacity | 128 GB | 512 GB (476.9 GB usable) |
| Interface | PCIe 3.0 x2 (NVMe) | SATA 3.0 |
| Form Factor | M.2 2280 | M.2 2280 |
| Max Read Speed | 730 MB/s | ~519 MB/s |
| Max Write Speed | 660 MB/s | 464 Mb/S * |
* Firebat write speed value is actually the average write speed (benchmark).
Because the higher speeds of NVME, it would make sense to install the main OS on it for better performance. Nonetheless, the original storage is already pretty good for booting and regular usage.
“Ela tem o perfume de uma flor
Que eu não sei o nome
Mas ela deve ter um nome bonito igual a ela“
Jorge Ben em “Obá, Lá Vem Ela”, 1970.
“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet;”
William Shakespeare in “Romeo and Juliet”, 1597.
“Rose is a rose is a rose is a rose”
Gertrude Stein in “Sacred Emily”, 1913.
Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
Though wise men at their end know dark is right,
Because their words had forked no lightning they
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright
Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,
And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way,
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight
Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
And you, my father, there on the sad height,
Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears, I pray.
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
Notes on the ELEGOO ESP-32 Super Starter Kit with Tutorial and Development Board USB-C Dual Core Microcontroller Support AP/STA/AP+STA, CP2102 Chip Compatible with Arduino IDE. The material content of the kit is good but the documentation lacks some very fundamental information about the product.
The board is an ESP32CP2102. An ESP-WROOM-32 module that utilizes the Silicon Labs CP2102 chip for USB-to-UART communication.
The documentation currently is at https://wiki.elegoo.com/en/oshw-getting-started-&-kits (and not in the QRCode link that comes in the package).
Breadboard layout
I removed one power line from one breadboard them attached the remaining board to the other breadboard.
I found this better than bending the boards as the tutorial suggested.
Arduino IDE Setup
On a Windows 11, I had to install these drivers https://www.silabs.com/software-and-tools/usb-to-uart-bridge-vcp-drivers?tab=downloads
(look for CP210x VCP Windows). Without this the port option in the board manager would not populate.
- Download, install, and open Arduino IDE
- Go to File → Preferences
- On the field “Additional Boards Manager URLs” paste “https://espressif.github.io/arduino-esp32/package_esp32_index.json” (without quotes).
- Press OK.
- Now go to Tools → Board → Boards Manager
- Search for ESP32
- Install “esp32 by Espressif Systems”
- In the board manager, select “ESP32 Dev Module” and port (COM3).
Failed to connect to ESP32: Timed out waiting for packet header
The message “Failed to connect to ESP32: Timed out waiting for packet header” was showing when uploading the code to ESP32. This is fixed by holding-down the “BOOT/FLASH” button in your ESP32 board while uploading the code.
vou aprender a ler pra ensinar meus camaradas
Trecho da letra de “Yá Yá Massemba” de Jose Carlos Capinam e Roberto Mendes. Eternizada na voz de Maria Bethânia.
Factsheet
Maximum build volume: 220 x 220 x 220mm
Filament diameter: 1.75mm
Nozzle Diameter: 0.4mm (default); 0.25/0.6/0.8mm optional
Maximum Nozzle Temperature: 300°C
Maximum Build Plate Temperature: 110°C
Printing Speed: Max 300mm/s (travel speed max 600mm/s)
Supported Filament Types: PETG, PLA, TPU95A, TPU64D-75D, PLA-CF, PETG-CF
Supported Software: Orca-Flashforge, Orca Slicer
Print Interface: Wi-Fi, USB, Ethernet.
Tutorials
- Flashforge AD5X: Unboxing and Hands-on Video
- Unboxing FlashForge AD5X + Enclosure Install and Print Tests!
- How To Clear A Flashforge Ad5x Nozzle And Make Things Worse.
- Routine Maintenance Guide for the Flashforge AD5X 3D Printer
Useful first things to print
- Flashforge Printbed Scraper
- Flashforge Adventurer AD5X AD5M PTFE CLIP BODEN CLIP
- Flashforge Adventurer 5X AD5X IFS Tube removal tool
- Flashforge AD5X Poop Chute Slide With Bin
Fun first things to print
Sometimes while driving on a long trip I end up caught in a thought exercise. A creativity game that we can call “You know what would be really cool?”.
Then I try to think of something original. A movie, a game, a book. It’s also a world-building exercise. Then after some mashing of different genres and elements, I always come up with the same idea: “a space opera that’s also a western and that’s also a samurai movie”.
Sometimes I spend a bit iterating on this idea until I’m interrupted by some background thought that screams “Star Wars did it first!”.