Just like the garage computer explosion of the 70’s through the 80’s, which brought us such things as Apple, pong, Bill Gate’s hair, and the proliferation of personal computers, the maker movement is the new garage hardware explosion. Today, 135 million adults in the United States alone are involved in the maker movement.
Enthusiasts who want to build the products they want, from shortwave radios to personal computers, and to tweak products they’ve bought to make them even better, have long been a part of the electronics industry. By all measures, garage-style innovation remains alive and well today, as “makers” as they are called continue to turn out contemporary gadgets, including 3D printers, drones, and embedded electronics devices.
Making is about individual Do-It-Yourselfers being able to design and create with tools that were, as of a decade or two ago, only available to large, cash-rich corporations: CAD tools, CNC mills, 3D printers, low-quantity PCB manufacturing, open hardware such as Arduinos and similar inexpensive development boards – all items that have made it easier and relatively cheap to make whatever we imagine. For individuals, maker tools can change how someone views their home or their hobbies. The world is ours to make. Humans are genetically wired to be makers. The maker movement is simply the result of making powerful building and communication tools accessible to the masses. There are plenty of projects from makers that show good engineering: Take this Arduino board with tremendous potential, developed by a young maker, as example.
The maker movement is a catalyst to democratize entrepreneurship as these do-it-yourself electronics are proving to be hot sellers: In the past year, unit sales for 3D printing related products; Arduino units, parts and supplies; Raspberry Pi boards; drones and quadcopters; and robotics goods are all on a growth curve in terms of eBay sales. There are many Kickstarter maker projects going on. The Pebble E-Paper Watch raises $10 million. The LIFX smartphone-controlled LED bulb raises $1.3 million. What do these products have in common? They both secured funding through Kickstarter, a crowd-funding website that is changing the game for entrepreneurs. Both products were created by makers who seek to commercialize their inventions. These “startup makers” iterate on prototypes with high-end tools at professional makerspaces.
For companies to remain competitive, they need to embrace the maker movement or leave themselves open for disruption. Researchers found that 96 percent of business leaders believe new technologies have forever changed the rules of business by democratizing information and rewiring customer expectations. - You’ve got to figure out agile innovation. Maybe history is repeating itself as the types of products being sold reminded us of the computer tinkering that used to be happening in the 1970s to 1990s – similar in terms of demographics, tending to be young people, and low budget. Now the do-it-yourself category is deeply intertwined with the electronics industry. Open hardware is in the center in maker movement – we need open hardware designs! How can you publish your designs and still do business with it? Open source ecosystem markets behave differently and therefore require a very different playbook than traditional tech company: the differentiation is not in the technology you build; it is in the process and expertise that you slowly amass over an extended period of time.
By democratizing the product development process, helping these developments get to market, and transforming the way we educate the next generation of innovators, we will usher in the next industrial revolution. The world is ours to make. Earlier the PC created a new generation of software developers who could innovate in the digital world without the limitations of the physical world (virtually no marginal cost, software has become the great equalizer for innovation. Now advances in 3D printing and low-cost microcontrollers as well as the ubiquity of advanced sensors are enabling makers to bridge software with the physical world. Furthermore, the proliferation of wireless connectivity and cloud computing is helping makers contribute to the Internet of Things (IoT). We’re even beginning to see maker designs and devices entering those markets once thought to be off-limits, like medical.
Image source: The world is ours to make: The impact of the maker movement – EDN Magazine
In fact, many parents have engaged in the maker movement with their kids because they know that the education system is not adequately preparing their children for the 21st century. There is a strong movement to spread this DIY idea widely. The Maker Faire, which launched in the Bay Area in California in 2006, underlined the popularity of the movement by drawing a record 215,000 people combined in the Bay Area and New York events in 2014. There’s Maker Media, MakerCon, MakerShed, Make: magazine and 131 Maker Faire events that take place throughout the world. Now the founders of all these Makers want a way to connect what they refer to as the “maker movement” online. So Maker Media created a social network called MakerSpace, a Facebook-like social network that connects participants of Maker Faire in one online community. The new site will allow participants of the event to display their work online. There are many other similar sites that allow yout to present yout work fron Hackaday to your own blog. Today, 135 million adults in the United States alone are involved in the maker movement—although makers can be found everywhere in the world.
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Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2021/12/02/the-safest-model-roller-coaster/
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https://hackaday.com/2021/12/04/finally-a-use-for-old-cellphones/
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https://hackaday.com/2021/12/04/an-overly-complicated-method-of-tracking-your-favorite-sports-team/
https://www.hackster.io/434778/charlotte-football-record-tracker-020abb
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https://hackaday.com/2021/12/03/wake-up-robot-does-it-gently/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2021/11/29/wireless-leds-arent-really-magic/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Build a High Power Amplifier Using 20 Transistors – MICRO BOOSTRAP with M-270 BOX
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RDWXPHzf4XM
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2021/12/07/assistive-tech-and-video-games/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2021/12/07/complete-hobo-stove-cooking-system-could-get-you-through-the-apocalypse/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Gas powering things that should NOT be gas powered
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XbCLokA3XP8
Tomi Engdahl says:
The Ins And Outs Of Casting Lenses From Epoxy
https://hackaday.com/2021/12/09/the-ins-and-outs-of-casting-lenses-from-epoxy/
If you need a lens for a project, chances are pretty good that you pick up a catalog or look up an optics vendor online and just order something. Practical, no doubt, but pretty unsporting, especially when it’s possible to cast custom lenses at home using silicone molds and epoxy resins.
Making DIY Lenses with Epoxy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mfAGivG9Koc
Today we’re making lenses with epoxy, using a replication molding technique. It… mostly works
We can replicate lenses using silicone molds and optical epoxy resin. But there are a lot of caveats to this technique, and little hiccups that will ruin the optical finish. To achieve an optical finish, you need surface roughness and figure deviation in the nanometer range. This means curing temperature and shrinkage become major sources of error.
Residual stress in the molded parts can be assessed with polarized light and a polarizer in front of the camera.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Molding Complex Optics In A Completely Fluid System
https://hackaday.com/2021/12/09/molding-complex-optics-in-a-completely-fluid-system/
Traditional lensmaking is a grind — literally. One starts with a piece of glass, rubs it against an abrasive surface to wear away the excess bits, and eventually gets it to just the right shape and size for the job. Whether done by machine or by hand, it’s a time-consuming process, and it sure seems like there’s got to be a better way.
Thanks to [Moran Bercovici] at Technion: Israel Institute of Technology, there is. He leads a team that uses fluids to create complex optics quickly and cheaply, and the process looks remarkably simple.
a UV-curable resin is injected into a 3D printed constraining ring that’s sitting inside a tank of fluid. The resin takes a shape determined by the geometry of the constraining ring and gravitational forces, hydrostatic forces, and surface tension forces acting on the resin. Once the resin archives the right shape, a blast of UV light cures it. Presto, instant lenses!
The interface between the resin and the restraining fluid makes for incredibly smooth lenses; they quote surface roughness in the range of one nanometer. The use of the fluid bed to constrain the lens also means that this method can be scaled up to lenses 200-mm in diameter or more.
Fluids Used to Create Complex Optics
https://www.photonics.com/Articles/Fluids_Used_to_Create_Complex_Optics/a67562
Researchers at Technion: Israel Institute of Technology have developed a method to fabricate freeform optical components by shaping a volume of curable liquid polymer. The work may enable faster prototyping of customized optical components for a variety of applications, including corrective lenses, augmented and virtual reality, autonomous vehicles, medical imaging, and astronomy.
The current process for creating freeform optics is difficult and expensive due to the amount of specialized equipment required to mechanically process and polish their surfaces.
Technion researchers used a newly developed method to make optical components with various geometries — including toroid and trefoil shapes — and sizes up to 200 mm as well as freeform surfaces. The lenses exhibited surface qualities similar to the best polishing technologies available while being orders of magnitude quicker and simpler to make. Courtesy of Technion: Israel Institute of Technology.
According to Technion research team leader Moran Bercovici, the team’s approach achieves extremely smooth surfaces and can be implemented using basic equipment. “This makes the technology very accessible, even in low resource settings,” he said.
Using the method, Bercovici and colleagues made freeform components with subnanometer surface roughness in a matter of minutes. Unlike other prototyping methods such as 3D printing, the fabrication time remained short — even if the volume of the manufactured component increased.
“Currently, optical engineers pay tens of thousands of dollars for specially designed freeform components and wait months for them to arrive,” said Omer Luria, a contributor to the the research paper. “Our technology is poised to radically decrease both the waiting time and the cost of complex optical prototypes, which could greatly speed up the development of new optical designs.”
After using the liquid fabrication method to make simple spherical lenses, the researchers expanded to optical components with various geometries — including toroid and trefoil shapes — and sizes up to 200 mm. The resulting lenses exhibited surface qualities similar to the best polishing technologies available while being orders of magnitude quicker and simpler to make. They further expanded the method to create freeform surfaces by modifying the shape of the supportive frame.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Could India Be The Crucial Battleground For Open Access To Scientific Research?
https://hackaday.com/2021/12/09/could-india-be-the-crucial-battleground-for-open-access-to-scientific-research/
One of the hottest topics in the world of scientific publishing over the last couple of decades has been the growing pressure to release the fruits of public-funded scientific research from the paywalled clutches of commercial publishers. This week comes news of a new front in this ongoing battle, as a group of Indian researchers have filed an intervention application with the help of the Indian Internet Freedom Foundation in a case that involves the publishers Elsevier, Wiley, and the American Chemical Society who have filed a copyright infringement suit against in the Delhi High Court against the LibGen & Sci-Hub shadow library websites.
Social Science researchers move Delhi High Court to protect LibGen & SciHub
https://internetfreedom.in/social-science-researchers-move-delhi-high-court-to-protect-libgen-scihub/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Paper Speakers (various materials)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y1F5Gg4bG3o
paper, veneer, copper tape, conductive fabric tape, gold leaf, stainless steel thread…
The sound is weak but it is a great work!I love the spiral on the paper.
With two of them,you can make a headphone!
Tomi Engdahl says:
Amazing precision of a DIY Wire EDM machine
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2dsrLD52Mv0
This video demonstrates what kind of precision is possible on a DIY wire EDM machine.
Plans for this machine are available for free on https://www.baxedm.com
Tomi Engdahl says:
Getting Familiar With Round Displays
https://hackaday.com/2021/12/11/getting-familiar-with-round-displays/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2021/12/11/vacuum-forming-with-3d-printer-filament/
Tomi Engdahl says:
A DIY Biometric Device With Some Security Considerations
https://hackaday.com/2021/12/11/a-diy-biometric-device-with-some-security-considerations/
Tomi Engdahl says:
An NFC Antenna Ring With A Chip As Its Jewel
https://hackaday.com/2021/12/10/an-nfc-antenna-ring-with-a-chip-as-its-jewel/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2021/12/12/customize-these-3d-printed-cases/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2021/12/13/mining-and-refining-from-red-dirt-to-aluminum/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2021/12/13/adding-wire-races-improves-3d-printed-bearings/
Tomi Engdahl says:
USB LED Christmas Tree Is Making Spirits Bright
https://hackaday.com/2021/12/13/usb-led-christmas-tree-is-making-spirits-bright/
Tomi Engdahl says:
A Self Righting Balancing Robot Configured The Easy Way
https://hackaday.com/2021/12/13/a-self-righting-balancing-robot-configured-the-easy-way/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FlivZoxygZM
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2021/12/14/diy-semi-auto-grinder-builds-itself-sort-of/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2021/12/14/automated-turret-keeps-dorm-clean-robocop-style/
Tomi Engdahl says:
You Can Always Use An ATtiny Instead Of A 555
https://hackaday.com/2021/12/15/you-can-always-use-an-attiny-instead-of-a-555/
Tomi Engdahl says:
An Open Source Detector For Identifying Plastics
https://hackaday.com/2021/12/13/an-open-source-detector-for-identifying-plastics/
One of the challenges involved in recycling plastic is determining the specific type of plastic a given item is actually made of. To keep up with demand, large scale recycling centers rely on various automated systems to separate different types of plastic from a stream of incoming material. But in less technologically advanced parts of the world, workers can find themselves having to manually identify plastic objects; a time consuming and error-prone process.
To try and improve on the situation, [Jerry de Vos], [Armin Straller], and [Jure Vidmar] have been working on a handheld open hardware device that they refer to simply enough as the Plastic Scanner. The hope is that their pocket-sized unit could be used in the field to positively identify various types of plastic by measuring its reflectivity to infrared light. The device promises to be very easy to operate, as users simply need to bring the device close to a piece of plastic, push the button, and wait for the information to pop up on the OLED display.
Plastic Scanner.
https://plasticscanner.com/
Towards a simple device that can identify the five most common plastics
“Plastic is anywhere, and everywhere”
Plastic pollution is a well-known problem worldwide, and is still growing. It negatively affects humans and wildlife through animal death, groundwater pollution and incorporation of micro plastics in our digestive system. There are many initiatives focusing on reducing the negative effects of plastic pollution, but the amount of plastic consumed and the subsequent pollution is still increasing every year. Additionally, in the current COVID-19 pandemic the dependency on single-use plastics has increased exponentially.
That is why it is important to keep improving recycling infrastructure, especially in low and middle-income countries. Their plastic waste management is often informal, and tools are insufficient for the correct management of plastic waste, resulting in plastic pollution.The research conducted in this thesis showed that especially t he sorting stage of the plastic recycling process is very time consuming and labor-intensive. This discovery led to the central research question: which resources can be developed to accelerate the process of plastic sorting for informal recyclers?
Discrete near-infrared spectroscopy makes it possible to identify over 75% of all plastic used in everyday life. Therefore, it became my mission to make this technology accessible to recyclers in low and middle-income countries.
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2021/12/17/diy-mechanical-flux-dispenser-syringe-has-fine-control/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2021/12/16/motorized-device-helps-swap-out-hard-to-reach-light-bulbs/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2021/12/16/a-hackers-journey-in-developing-a-new-vr-controller/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Using Fishing Wire To Hold In Pin Headers Is A Nifty Trick
https://hackaday.com/2021/12/16/using-fishing-wire-to-hold-in-pin-headers-is-a-nifty-trick/
Working on a breadboard, one can get used to the benefits of being able to readily plug and unplug jumper wires to reconfigure a project. One could only dream of doing so with PCBs, right? Wrong! [Stewart Russell] recently shared a tip on Twitter on how to do just that, with the help of a little fishing wire.
The trick is simple: on any old development board that uses 0.1″ pitch headers, simply weave some fishing line through the plated through-holes in the PCB. Then, regular jumper wires can be inserted just like on a breadboard. The fishing wire has just enough give to allow the jumper wires to be jammed in, holding them steady and in good contact, while still allowing them to be easily removed.
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2021/12/16/christmas-lithophanes-make-neat-decorations/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2021/12/15/diy-glasses-aim-to-improve-color-vision/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Simple Mods Turn 3D Printer Into Electrochemical Metal Cutter
https://hackaday.com/2021/12/17/simple-mods-turn-3d-printer-into-electrochemical-metal-cutter/
We’re not aware of any authoritative metrics on such things, but it’s safe to say that the Ender 3 is among the most hackable commercial 3D printers. There’s just something about the machine that lends itself to hacks, most of which are obviously aimed at making it better at 3D printing. Some, though, are aimed in a totally different direction.
As proof of that, check out this Ender 3 modified for electrochemical machining. ECM is a machining process that uses electrolysis to remove metal from a workpiece. It’s somewhat related to electric discharge machining, but isn’t anywhere near as energetic.
Wire ECM on the Ender 3
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z57lGSn0yXM
Tomi Engdahl says:
Silent CNC Machine – EDM Drill
A CNC machine without the typical machining noise
https://hackaday.io/project/181551-silent-cnc-machine-edm-drill
Tomi Engdahl says:
The MicroMill
https://hackaday.io/project/21138-the-micromill
A small 3-axis CNC milling machine for your desktop. It gives makers & designers the power to machine almost all materials softer than steel
Tomi Engdahl says:
TRIPLE CNC MACHINE
https://hackaday.io/project/164129-triple-cnc-machine
In this video, we will try to make a simple cnc machine with you. “ A SIMPLE HOMEMADE TRIPLE MACHINE “.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Building A Custom Branding Iron With Swappable Date Blocks
https://hackaday.com/2021/12/17/building-a-custom-branding-iron-with-swappable-date-blocks/
Branding can be done on wood with just about any old bit of hot metal, but if you want to do it well, properly-crafted tooling will go a long way. [Wesley Treat] has built just that with this modular branding iron design.
The branding tooling itself is machined out of brass on an X-Carve CNC router, using [Wesley]’s own logo. The part is sanded after machining to remove tooling marks. A smaller brass slug is then machined with the numerals for various years with which [Wesley] may wish to stamp his projects.
Rather than hacking something sloppy together, the iron itself is assembled with a beautifully wood-turned handle of his own creation and a steel backing plate to hold the tooling.
Modular Branding Iron With Swappable Date
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pTJ32NsFKoc
Tomi Engdahl says:
Turning And Burning With A CNC Pyrography Machine
https://hackaday.com/2017/08/11/turning-and-burning-with-a-cnc-pyrography-machine/
Tomi Engdahl says:
3D Printed Parts Hold Up To Steam Heat
https://hackaday.com/2021/12/18/3d-printed-parts-holds-up-to-steam-heat/
Tomi Engdahl says:
The End Of The Electromechanical Era
https://hackaday.com/2021/12/18/the-end-of-the-electromechanical-era/
When viewed from the far future, the early years of the 21st century will probably be seen as the end of a short era in human technological development. In the beginning of the 20th century, most everything was mechanical. There were certainly some electric devices, but consumer products like gramophone players and “movie” cameras were purely mechanical affairs. You cranked them up, and they ran on springs. Nowadays, almost every bit of consumer gear you buy will be entirely electronic. In between, there was a roughly 50 year period that I’m going to call the Electromechanical Era.
Jenny List’s teardown this week of an old Fuji film movie camera from 1972 captures the middle of this era perfectly. There’s a small PCB and an electric motor, but most of the heavy lifting in the controls was actually put on the shoulders of levers, bearings, and ridiculously clever mechanisms. The electrical and mechanical systems were loosely coupled, with the electrical controlled by the mechanical.
I’m willing to argue the specifics, but I’d preliminarily date the peak of the Electromechanical Era somewhere around 1990.
But that era is long over. The coming of the CD player signaled the end, although we didn’t see it at the time. Sure, there is a motor, but all the buttons are electronic, and all the “mechanism” is implemented almost entirely in silicon. The digital camera was possibly the last nail in the Electromechanical Era’s coffin: with no need to handle physical film, the last demand for anything mechanical evaporated. Open up a GoPro if you don’t know what I mean.
Tomi Engdahl says:
OpenDog Version 3 Is Ready To Go Walkies
https://hackaday.com/2021/12/18/opendog-version-3-is-ready-to-go-walkies/
We’ve been following [James Bruton]’s open dog project for a little while now, and with his considerable pace of work – pandemic or no pandemic – development has been incredibly rapid. The latest milestone is the public release of version 3 (Video, embedded below.) This upgrade to the system adds 3D printed cycloidal gearboxes, removing the previous belt drives. [James] had immense fun tuning the motor controller parameters for these and admits they’re not completely dialed in yet. He notes that the wider gearbox body means that the robots geometry needed to change a little, and the previous belt-drive version may have a bit of an edge, but he’s confident he can make it work (and given his incredible previous robotics builds, we totally believe he’ll nail it!)
Robot Dog V3: Inverse Kinematics & Cycloidal Drives
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKZIJwJBjEs
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2021/12/18/a-well-documented-breadboard-computer-shows-dedication/
Tomi Engdahl says:
3d printed linear actuator made from an broken CD/DVD optical drive parts
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nML0P0cFWjI
I needed a lot of tiny linear actuators so I designed something like this.In most cases all the parts required to build this can be found in computer optical drives, but I also added a version with linear bearings instead of brass bushes(not all drives have them).The linear bearing version is better in my opinion but both work well.Parts needed from cd/dvd drive:
-3mm shaft
-linear stepper motor
-slide bushes (if there are no brass slide bushes in the drive, use 2 LM3UU bearings)
-M3 screws
Download on thingiverse:
https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:5154778
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2021/12/20/hydrogen-generation-made-easy/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Open Source 8.5 Digit Voltmeter from CERN: Build and Test
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D28uSzCs7-k
Need moar ppms! Nice work and thumbs up for CERN folks for pushing DIY metrology forwards!
HPM7177 Project
https://ohwr.org/project/opt-adc-10k-32b-1cha/wikis/home
The OPT ADC 10k 32b 1cha is a single channel 10kSPS 32 bit ADC card
in the format defined by the CERN TE-EPC group for use with the Function
Generator Controller (FGC 3.2) . It is also known under the name HPM7177.
The device is a metrology-grade ADC for the highest accuracy class
in the HL-LHC accelerator. CERN will need over a hundred.
The design is based on a commercial ADC, the Analog Device AD7177-2. It is a standalone unit that interfaces through an optical fibre for the read-out and synchronization. The target analog signal bandwidth is 2000 Hz, and the main design objectives are very low 1/f noise and excellent short-term stability and accuracy with an effective resolution over 23 bits for a bandwidth below 10 Hz.