Microscopic analysis of Ponoko’s laser cut acrylic
Jacob Martin from the Photon Factory at Auckland University sent us this update on creating microfluidic devices using Ponoko’s laser cutting service. He made a range of sample cuts and engravings and then analysed the results in microscopic detail, concluding that it could indeed be possible to do microfluidic research without access to a lab.
Getting some serious work out of your hobby 3D printer.
It has been said that once you have a lathe you can make just about any other tool. This open-source printable mini lathe could be the perfect place to get started. With the quality of hobby printers increasing so rapidly, it is great to see complex mechanical models like this making their way out into the ecosystem.
(We’ve seen a printed mini-lathe before, but that project seems to be obsolete now.)
The ultimate maker accessory?
How cool is this! A completely open source DIY cellphone that you can make for $150 in parts. This project has come out of the High-Low Tech research group at MIT that have a bunch of other cool projects under their belt as well.
PS. note the nifty cut-outs to make flexing buttons. Cool!
Meet the makers of the NTH Synth, following their successful Kickstarter campaign
This mouth-wateringly good looking machine is the NTH Synth, a product that was recently crowd-funded on Kickstarter. I interviewed the guys behind NTH Synth about DIY electronics, designing for Ponoko, and how to get your crowd-funding campaign to stand out from the crowd.
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Or, how to be an absolute boss
Here’s a wonderful write-up on the trials, tribulations, and inspiring successes of Michal Zalewski’s 6-year journey into robotics. This well-written story is focussed on techniques for using CNC routing to create intricate molds for casting precision mechanical parts. Mouth-watering pictures after the break… (more…)
Mechanical modelling with free software tools
Following on from last week’s introductory tutorial, here’s a bit more information on how to make mechanical models in SketchUp with SketchyPhysics. By the way, here’s a great resource if you want to learn more about mechanical linkages, gears, and all that good stuff (hat tip to Edgar Castelo for the link).
Continuing my commitment to using free software even though it drives me up the wall sometimes
Following my recent obsession with drawing machines, I’m working on a new project with lots of gears and linkages. I figured it would be a good time to learn how to do mechanical modelling in SketchUp. Sketchy Physics is a plugin for Google SketchUp that allows you to simulate mechanical models. It is very capable but also very frustrating!
Figuring I’m not the first person to get frustrated on the way to creating meshing gears in SketchUp, I wrote this tutorial. I hope it will help some of you get up the steepest part of the learning curve.
Stay tuned for Part 2 coming soon.
With web-based interface
I don’t know what it is about the DIY electronics community that attracts these weirdos*, but I love it. Steffest hooked up an Arduino to a bunch of servos and odds and ends from around his house to create this adorable drummer bot. He then coded up a slick web interface so he can program the contraption from his smartphone.
More details and code are available on his website.
*NB: I use this term with the utmost respect, and include myself in their number.
Learn, build, document, fabricate, share…
Fritzing is an open-source initiative to support designers, artists, researchers and hobbyists to work creatively with interactive electronics. We are creating a software and website in the spirit of Processing and Arduino, developing a tool that allows users to document their prototypes, share them with others, teach electronics in a classroom, and to create a pcb layout for professional manufacturing.
I got introduced to Fritzing through a tipoff on the Ponoko User’s Forum and all I can say is ‘wow!’ It’s an amazing tool to support people all the way from their first taste of electronics to final production of their own designs.
Another approach to 3D printed circuit building from Thingiverse
Thingiverse user CarryTheWhat has taken a novel approach to building simple electronic circuits with his solder-free 3D-printed circuit board library. The library includes battery holders and pegs for other components, a few different printed switches, and uses conductive thread to make the connections.
Being able to create simple circuits on a desktop 3D printer would be a great boon to hobbyists. (more…)
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