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.
7,076 Comments
Tomi Engdahl says:
Tower clock
Freeform Attiny 816 driven clock
https://hackaday.io/project/184964-tower-clock
This is an Attiny 816 / 1616 based clock, partly made with PCB and partly freeform. With a less than one second per day drift (as I write) it’s precise enough to be used reliably.
It has a seven segment display driven by two shift registers, a piezo souder, a photodiode circuit to adapt display dimming to ambient light, and it uses a watch crystal to provide the clock ticking. It uses USB C to provide current, and has provision for a backup battery, so the time is kept when the power is lost (this part is not implemented yet).
The PCB have been designed to be modular, and a base for several freeform clocks. In fact this one is the second clock, the first one I made will soon have its own project page.
This will be my entry to the 2022 sci-fi contest. I think the shape fits well with the theme.
Tomi Engdahl says:
8mm Film Scanner V2
Easier to build, more powerful scanning and post scan processing of films.
https://hackaday.io/project/185040-8mm-film-scanner-v2
This project is based on the original 8mm Film Scanner https://hackaday.io/project/167426-8mm-film-scanner.
I branched it out due to incompatibility of the new components to the old design.
V2 will have several improvements over the original film scanner. The aim is to make it easier to print and build, increase the performance by using a Raspberry Pi 4 and the optional use of a HQ camera module.
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://haydenjames.io/home-lab-beginners-guide-hardware/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.hackster.io/news/the-just-bananas-method-for-generating-true-random-numbers-0e67c763dc1a
Tomi Engdahl says:
Ravinder Singh’s Plug-and-Play USB-TTL Boards Offer Three Different USB Connection Options in One
With full-size USB Type-A male, micro-USB, and USB Type-C connectivity on every board, these USB-TTL adapters pack in the features.
https://www.hackster.io/news/ravinder-singh-s-plug-and-play-usb-ttl-boards-offer-three-different-usb-connection-options-in-one-ebf71ae835b6
Tomi Engdahl says:
USB-Cereal Enables Debugging of USB-C Device Drivers
Open source development tool originally from Google coming soon
https://www.hackster.io/news/usb-cereal-enables-debugging-of-usb-c-device-drivers-bcd6aa8788fd
Tomi Engdahl says:
Search for Buried Treasure With This DIY Magnetometer Build a modern system for less than $100
https://spectrum.ieee.org/magnetometer
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.edn.com/why-microstepping-in-stepper-motors-isnt-as-good-as-you-think/
Stepper motors are often used for positioning since they are cost-effective, easy to drive, and can be used in open-loop systems—meaning that they don’t require position feedback like servo motors. Steppers are used in small industrial machines such as laser engravers, 3D printers, and office equipment like laser printers.
This article will focus on 2-phase hybrid stepper motors since they are the most common.
It’s possible to move a stepper motor less than a full step. This process, called microstepping, is accomplished by modulating the current through the windings so that the rotor can be positioned between full steps. Designers can designate almost any size for a microstep, as the step is only limited by the resolution of the digital-to-analog converters (DACs) and amplifiers that drive the winding current. Resolutions of 1/256—and even 1/1024—are not uncommon.
In reality, for most mechanical systems, such fine microstepping doesn’t always improve positioning accuracy. A number of additional factors negatively affect performance.
There are a few sources of angular errors in microstepping. One is the imperfections of the motor itself—mechanical and magnetic—as motors don’t have a perfectly sinusoidal current-to-position transfer function. Even if you apply a perfect sine and cosine current to the motor, the motion is not perfectly linear.
Another error source is the stepper motor controller’s current regulation accuracy. Typical stepper ICs are accurate to about 5% of the full-scale current.
Stepper motor torque
Stepper motors are rated with a holding torque. Holding torque is the torque required to pull the motor away from a full-step position, and is also the torque that the motor can generate when moving one full step. After each full step, the teeth are aligned with the smallest magnetic path, which results in a strong torque.
When microstepping, the holding torque is reduced since the rotor is being held between the full-step positions and the magnetic paths are longer.
For example, with a 1/8 step, the incremental torque is about 20% of the full-step torque. For a 1/32 step, the incremental torque is only 5% of the full-step torque.
What does this mean for a motion control system? It means that to actually attain the expected position when performing a microstep, the torque load on the motor must be a fraction of the motor’s rated holding torque.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Best Bit Holder? Milwaukee vs DeWalt, Makita, Hilti, Irwin, Ryobi, Bosch, Neiko, Wera, Wiha
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s3avs27j9Ts
Bit Holder Brands Tested: Wiha, Wera, Milwaukee, Crescent Vortex, Norske, DeWalt, Neiko, Hilti, Irwin, Makita Gold, Bosch, Ryobi, Makita ImpactX, Yakamoz, Tomoto Palace, Horusdy. Bit holders compared for maximum torque before failure, magnetic bit retention holding strength, magnetic hold on fasteners, speed of driving in fasteners, and wear resistance. All bits tested until failure.
Tomi Engdahl says:
All-In-One Automated Plant Care
https://hackaday.com/2022/05/01/all-in-one-automated-plant-care/
Plant Bot | Automate Plant Care
https://hackaday.io/project/185123-plant-bot-automate-plant-care
Tomi Engdahl says:
Mini MIDI Synth Uses Minimum Number Of Parts
https://hackaday.com/2022/05/01/mini-midi-synth-uses-minimum-number-of-parts/
The 80s were the golden age of synthesizers in pop music. Hugely complicated setups that spared no expense were the norm, with synths capable of recreating anything from pianos and guitars to percussion, strings, and brass. These types of setups aren’t strictly necessary if you’re looking to make music, though, especially in the modern age of accessible microcontrollers. This synthesizer from [Folkert] with MIDI capabilities, for example, creates catchy tunes with only a handful of parts.
This tiny synth is built around an ESP32 and works by generating PWM signals normally meant for LEDs. In this case, the PWM signals are sent through a rudimentary amplifier and then on to an audio output device. That could be a small speaker, an audio jack to another amplifier, or a capture device.
minimum effort ESP32-MIDI-Synth
https://vanheusden.com/electronics/ESP32-MIDI-synth/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Plant Growth Accelerated Tremendously With LEDs
https://hackaday.com/2022/04/30/plant-growth-accelerated-tremendously-with-leds/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Giant CNC Partners With Powerful Laser Diode
https://hackaday.com/2022/04/30/giant-cnc-partners-with-powerful-laser-diode/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2022/04/29/motorcycle-voltage-regulator-uses-mosfets/
Tomi Engdahl says:
DIY Metal Detector Gives You The Mettle To Find Some Medals
https://hackaday.com/2022/05/02/diy-metal-detector-gives-you-the-mettle-to-find-some-medals/
Hurricane season is rapidly approaching those of us who live in the northern hemisphere. While that does come with a good deal of stress for any homeowners who live in the potential paths of storms it also comes with some opportunities for treasure hunting. Storms tend to wash up all kinds of things from the sea, and if you are equipped with this DIY metal detector you could be unearthing all kinds of interesting tchotchkes from the depths this year.
DIY Super Simple Sensitive Metal Detector
https://hackaday.io/project/185171-diy-super-simple-sensitive-metal-detector
Extremely simple Metal Detector whose making requires only one cheap integrated circuit TL084.
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2022/05/02/need-a-snack-from-across-town-send-spot/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2022/05/03/ask-hackaday-repair-cafe-or-not/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2022/05/03/wearable-electronics-takes-the-3d-printing-route/
Tomi Engdahl says:
This Colossal Vacuum Tube Computer Plays A Mean Game Of Pong
https://hackaday.com/2022/05/02/this-colossal-vacuum-tube-computer-plays-a-mean-game-of-pong/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Blending Pepper’s Ghost, Synths, And Vintage TVs
https://hackaday.com/2022/05/03/blending-peppers-ghost-synths-and-vintage-tvs/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2022/05/02/the-most-deadly-project-on-the-internet/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2022/05/02/big-chemistry-synthetic-oil/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Ask Hackaday: Repair Café Or Not?
https://hackaday.com/2022/05/03/ask-hackaday-repair-cafe-or-not/
A huge part of the work our community does, aside from making things and doing a lot of talking about the things we’d like to make, involves repair. We have the skills to fix our own stuff when it breaks, we can fix broken stuff that other people throw out when it breaks, and we can fix broken stuff belonging to other people. As our consumer society has evolved around products designed to frustrate repairs and facilitate instead the sale of new replacements for broken items this is an essential skill to keep alive; both to escape having to incessantly replace our possessions at the whim of corporate overlords, and to fight the never-ending tide of waste.
Repair Cafés: A Good Thing
So we repair things that are broken
We do it for ourselves, we do it within our communities, and increasingly, we do it for the wider community at large. The Repair Café movement is one of local groups who host sessions at which they repair broken items brought in by members of the public, for free. Their work encompasses almost anything you’d find in a home, from textiles and furniture to electronics, and they are an extremely good cause that should be encouraged at all costs.
For all my admiration for the Repair Café movement though, I have chosen not to involve myself in my local one. Not because they aren’t a fine bunch of people or because they don’t do an exceptionally good job, but for a different reason.
It Starts With A Mains Plug
Of course I already knew how to wire a mains plug as I’d been doing it when repairing broken electrical appliances for years at that point, but the point was that as an electronic engineering student I was being taught to do it properly.
So I can do high-voltage electrical work, and I’ve been trained to do it safely. As i write this I’m surrounded by equipment on which I’ve done just that. But here’s the crux of my problem, as someone who’s been trained to do it I have a responsibility on my shoulders to get it right.
In other words, should someone later electrocute themselves on something that I repaired, I bear a greater liability than someone with no training, because I’m supposed to know how to do things safely. And since I may not know what else lurks in a piece of older mains electrical gear, I’ve reluctantly decided that it probably presents a risk and thus I’d better not participate in a Repair Café. It goes against a lot of what I personally stand for, but it’s my butt on the line if something goes wrong.
Among Hackaday’s readership will be people who participate in Repair Cafés, run them, or are involved in the wider Repair Café movement. I’d like to ask them whether my concerns above are valid or whether I’m worried about nothing
Comments:
From my experience with the Toronto repair cafe, there are LOTS of fixes that you can do or help with that are firmly in the SELV category, not to mention those that aren’t in the electrical/electronic category at all. These can range from battery-powered to wall-wart or desk-wart powered, to mechanical items that anyone with good manual skills, experience, and tools can repair. And the community I’ve experienced is quite respectful and tolerant, so if you choose not to repair something for the reasons you stated it likely won’t be an issue. Additionally, what if your knowledge and experience were to PREVENT a potential disaster that might occur in your absence?
Repair Cafes are a chance to help, teach, mentor, and learn, and when I was able to attend I found them very rewarding. I urge you to reconsider your position – it sounds as though you have a lot to offer.
“our consumer society has evolved around products designed to frustrate repairs and facilitate instead the sale of new replacements for broken items”
I don´t agree. There is -most of the time- no evil intention to “frustrate repairs” and “programmed obsolescence” is largely a myth.
What makes things hard to repair is that they are designed to cut production costs:
– raw materials
– assembly costs
and also the engineering costs to design products to be serviceable are -most of the time- spared.
It IS possible to also design products that are highly serviceable while sparing raw materials and assembly costs. But one then cannot spare these supplementary engineering costs.
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2022/04/29/building-a-swiss-army-lab-with-software-defined-instrumentation/
https://hackaday.io/event/184771-software-defined-instrumentation-hack-chat
Tomi Engdahl says:
Big Chemistry: Synthetic Oil
https://hackaday.com/2022/05/02/big-chemistry-synthetic-oil/
For as long as I’ve been driving, I’ve been changing oil. Longer than that, actually
Old Mechanic’s Tales
Right up front, I’ll say that there appears to be a lot of “folklore” about motor oils in general and synthetics in particular, and a lot of strong feelings among people for whom cars are more than mere transportation. So it’s easy to find videos and blog posts that insist that synthetics are a gift from the lubrication gods, and ones that declaim against synthetics in the strongest possible terms. And of course, each camp looks at the other as heretics, whose lubrication predilections are sure to lead them into a pit of automotive despair and suffering. Such is our polarized world, I suppose.
While I don’t really want to choose sides in the motor oil wars, I definitely do not want to do anything that could potentially damage the carefully tended engines of my cars. Having never run synthetics, I did feel a little due diligence was in order: is it possible for synthetics to cause damage to older engines that have only run traditional oils?
The short answer is: probably not. When synthetic oils first came out, their chemistry was not entirely compatible with current engine technology. Specifically, the early ester-based synthetics caused problems with engine seals containing polyester resins. Those days are long gone, as both engine seal technology and synthetic oil formulations have improved. Modern synthetics have been tested to be compatible with all sorts of materials commonly used in engine seals, like nitrile, silicone, polyacrylates, and fluoroelastomers like Viton. Oils that bear the proper testing certifications have been shown not to cause excessive swelling or shrinking, hardening, or reduction in strength in seal material when exposed to synthetic oil.
So basically, if you’ve got an engine made any time in the last 30 years or so, and you use a synthetic oil that matches the manufacturer’s recommendations, you should be fine.
All About the Base
But what exactly is it about synthetic motor oil that makes it synthetic? And how does it differ from traditional motor oil? As it turns out, there’s less difference than you’d think between the two oils, but the way that they differ is pretty interesting, and the differences revealed the world of lubrication engineering in a way that I never really appreciated before.
All motor oils, traditional or synthetic, are highly engineered products that contain a bewildering array of additives, each with a specific job. However, motor oils all start with a base oil, which falls into one of five broad groups, based on properties such as sulfur content, viscosity, and the amount of saturated hydrocarbons it contains
Synthetic, Yes, But…
So since the base oils for traditional mineral oils come straight from the ground in the form of crude oil, surely that must mean that synthetic oil avoids the stain of association with fossil fuels. As it turns out, that’s not the case. If there’s one thing we’ve learned from this “Big Chemistry” series, it’s that almost everything we use in daily life comes, in whole or in part, from petrochemicals. And it’s the same with synthetic oil.
Group IV base oils are almost exclusively poly-α-olefins, or PAOs. Like plastics, PAOs are synthetic polymers, but rather than having massively long and intricately cross-liked sidechains, PAOs are mostly a small number of short sidechains linked together. But, plastics and PAOs have a lot in common, in terms of starting materials and the processes needed to create them.
The starting point for most polymers is natural gas. The primary compound in natural gas is methane (CH4), the simplest hydrocarbon possible and a member of the alkane family, which has a backbone of fully saturated carbons. But most natural gas deposits also have a significant concentration of more complicated alkanes, such as the four-carbon butane, three-carbon propane, and two-carbon ethane. Ethane is the starting point for much polymer chemistry, and can be isolated from raw natural gas by selective condensation.
Almost Done
PAOs are manufactured in huge volumes and shipped to blending facilities where the base oils are mixed together to achieve the proper viscosity. Additives such as detergents, dispersants, anti-foaming agents, and anti-wear agents are added to meet the specifications of the final product.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Identify Radioactive Samples With This DIY Gamma-Ray Spectrometer
https://hackaday.com/2022/05/03/identify-radioactive-samples-with-this-diy-gamma-ray-spectrometer/
If you’re a radiation enthusiast, chances are you’ve got a Geiger counter lying around somewhere. While Geiger counters are useful to detect the amount of radiation present, and with a few tricks can also distinguish between the three types of radiation (alpha, beta and gamma), they are of limited use in identifying radioactive materials. For that you need a different instrument called a gamma-ray spectrometer.
Spectrometers are usually expensive and complex instruments aimed at radiation professionals. But it doesn’t have to be that way: physics enthusiast [NuclearPhoenix] has designed a hand-held gamma spectrometer that’s easy to assemble and should fit in a hobbyist budget. It outputs spectral plots that you can compare with reference data to identify specific elements.
All-In-One Gamma-Ray Spectrometer
https://hackaday.io/project/185211-all-in-one-gamma-ray-spectrometer
Open hardware for a small all-in-one gamma-ray spectrometer using a popular NaI(Tl) scintillation crystal and a Raspberry Pi Pico.
Tomi Engdahl says:
This Arduino Morse Telegraph Uses a 3D-Printed Replica of an Original Alfred Vail Key From the 1800s
Clever project uses a 3D model released by the Smithsonian as part of its digitization initiative for a link to the past.
https://www.hackster.io/news/this-arduino-morse-telegraph-uses-a-3d-printed-replica-of-an-original-alfred-vail-key-from-the-1800s-e5a527db5597
Tomi Engdahl says:
Solving the BIG PROBLEM I have with DIY Drones!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3dArEoLOvzI
In this video I will finally get one step closer to building my own DIY drone. Because in this episode of DIY or Buy we will be having a look at drone motor test stands and obviously build a crude DIY one as well. With such a stand you can measure at what RPM/Power your motor creates what RPM with what thrust. This information is more or less crucial when making your own DIY drone. So let’s get started!
0:00 What Drone Problem?
2:00 Intro
2:40 What do I need to measure?
4:34 Buy Option Test
5:53 Motor Test Results
7:48 DIY Option
9:57 Verdict
DIY Drone Motor Test Stand files
Here you can find all important files for my DIY drone motor test stand
https://www.patreon.com/posts/65629255
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2022/05/06/electripop-turns-cut-mylar-into-custom-3d-structures/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Flexures Make This Six-DOF Positioner Accurate To The Micron Level
https://hackaday.com/2022/05/06/flexures-make-this-six-dof-positioner-accurate-to-the-micron-level/
It’s no secret that we think flexures are pretty cool, and we’ve featured a number of projects that leverage these compliant mechanisms to great effect. But when we saw flexures used in a six-DOF positioner with micron accuracy, we just had to dig a little deeper.
The device is known as the Hexblade, and it comes to us from the lab of [Jonathan Hopkins] at UCLA.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0141635922000770
Tomi Engdahl says:
Mods Make A Stock Keyboard Your Own
https://hackaday.com/2022/05/07/mods-make-a-stock-keyboard-your-own/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2022/05/07/learning-obsolete-technology/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2022/05/07/re-imagining-the-resistor-color-code-cheat-sheet/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2022/05/09/growing-silver-nanoprisms-with-light/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.storyteller-films.com/a-league-of-extraordinary-makers
Tomi Engdahl says:
Rave in a briefcase
Trifted briefcase, dumpster dived rails, electronics out of an old skiff, panel lasercutted out of a broken frame
https://hackaday.io/project/185133-rave-in-a-briefcase
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2022/05/09/all-the-sticky-labels-you-could-ever-need-no-drm-just-masking-tape/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2022/05/10/3d-print-finishing-by-spraying-glazing-putty/
Finishing 3D prints: a new way to smooth 3D prints-smooth & prep pla- faster & better than resin!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MIbUvQpnJAs
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.instructables.com/Build-a-simple-Fiber-Optic-tester/
Optical fiber cable tester – DIY home made
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mtN38ccMFTc
Tomi Engdahl says:
The Fiber Optic Tester In Your Pocket?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4ovUzKhXU0
Fiber optic networks and testers generally use infrared light in the 850-1600 nm range, invisible to the human eye. But high power in fiber optic systems can be harmful to your eyes, so it’s important to know if power is present in a fiber. A fiber optic power meter can be used, but you may not always have one on hand. The camera in old cell phones – those before smart phones – is sensitive to infrared light – lots more than your eye – and can detect light in an optical fiber or from a transmitter. Dig into your junk drawers and find that decade-old flip-phone and try it on a fiber optic transmitter. Here’s how to do it.
Tomi Engdahl says:
How A Smartphone Is Made, In Eight “Easy” Blocks
https://hackaday.com/2022/05/09/how-a-smartphone-is-made-in-eight-easy-blocks/
The smartphone represents one of the most significant shifts in our world. In less than thirteen years, we went from some people owning a dumb phone to the majority of the planet having a smartphone (~83.7% as of 2022, according to Statista). There are very few things that a larger percentage of people on this planet have. Not clean water, not housing, not even food.
How does a smartphone work? Most people have no idea; they are insanely complicated devices. However, you can break them down into eight submodules, each of which is merely complex. What makes them work is that each of these components can be made small, at massive economies of scale, and are tightly integrated, allowing easy assembly.
So without further ado, the fundamental eight building blocks of the modern cellphone are: the application processor, the baseband processor, a SIM card, the RF processor, sensors, a display, cameras & lenses, and power management. Let’s have a look at them all, and how they fit together.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Go Wireless With This DIY Laser Ethernet Link
https://hackaday.com/2017/04/19/go-wireless-with-this-diy-laser-ethernet-link/
Homemade 10 Mbit/s Laser / optical Ethernet transceiver
http://blog.svenbrauch.de/2017/02/19/homemade-10-mbits-laser-optical-ethernet-transceiver/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Busting Fake Internet Welds
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yqGBAH39ryo
Not everything on the internet is real. This video examines common TikTok style welding craft videos and how they MIG weld. We’ll show you how MIG is really done, and even show you how to edit like the fake videos.
How NOT TO Weld: Most Common MIG Welding Mistakes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xod-ByrxHg4
There are 7 common mistakes people make when they start MIG welding:
1. They don’t prep their material
2. Volts too high or too low
3. Wire feed speed too high or too low
4. Electrode stick-out that is too long or short
5. Gas Flow too low or high
6. Travel speed too fast or slow
7. Gun angle too steep
We’re going to go into all of these issues and show you what to look for to troubleshoot your own welding parameters and technique.
Tomi Engdahl says:
TFS: The Coolest Stick Welding Tacking Trick I Learned
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=auP9Yx27UpI
How to MIG Weld Aluminum: Spool Gun Aluminum Welding for Beginners
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48y-7sGRDtc
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2022/05/10/thinnest-keyboard-uses-cherry-diy-doubleshot-method/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2022/05/10/number-like-its-1234-ad-with-this-cistercian-keypad/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2022/05/10/a-simple-binary-coded-decimal-watch/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2022/05/04/healing-wounds-with-the-power-of-electricity/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2022/05/10/framework-board-gets-this-round-display-pc-rolling/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Kite Propulsion
Harnessing the wind with robot controlled kites
https://hackaday.io/project/184950-kite-propulsion