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:
Geiger counter w/ Raspberry Pi Pico
Radiation measurement device
https://hackaday.io/project/184266-geiger-counter-w-raspberry-pi-pico
The technical concept for this radiation measurement device is copied from biemster’s project.
I use the Raspberry Pi Pico µC for prototypes, so connecting the device to the Internet will be beyond the scope in my project (for the Pico has no WiFi capabilities).
ESP8266 Geiger counter
Simple Geiger counter using ESP8266 PWM for HV generation and network connectivity
https://hackaday.io/project/12933-esp8266-geiger-counter
Tomi Engdahl says:
Hackaday Prize 2022: Recycled Tire Table Is Where The Rubber Meets The Road
https://hackaday.com/2022/05/18/hackaday-prize-2022-recycled-tire-table-is-where-the-rubber-meets-the-road/
The problem with good inventions is that we usually end up with way too many of that particular widget lying around, which can cause all kinds of problems. Take the car tire, for instance. They were a great invention that helped spell the end of buggy whips and broken wagon wheels. But there are so many used-up tires about today that some people end up burning them in large piles, of all possible things.
Not [Vaibhav], who prefers to turn trash into utilitarian treasures. With little more than an old tire, some jute rope, and four plastic drink bottles, they made a sturdy, low-slung piece of furniture that could be used as a coffee table, a foot stool, or whatever life calls for.
Recycled Coffee Tire Table
https://hackaday.io/project/185340-recycled-coffee-tire-table
Its a recycled coffee table which is made up of waste car tires also you can use this table as a great decoration for your living room.
Description
Its a recycled coffee table which is made up of waste car tires also you can use this table as a great decoration for your living room. This project focuses on clean energy and how you can make best out of waste from scrap tires.
For making this project you require -:
1. Scrap tire
2. Jute rope
3. Glue gun
4.Cardboard sheet
The process is very simple, take a cardboard sheet and cut it into two big circles of same size as of the tire, once done glue them.
Now take an initial point of jute rope and start coiling around the tire, do this till the tire is completely covered with the jute rope.
For the stands you can take any waste plastic bottle.
Summarizing – The main aim of this project is to show how you can create anything useful from the waste materials around you.
Tomi Engdahl says:
3D Printed Linear Actuator Is Cheap And Strong
https://hackaday.com/2022/05/18/3d-printed-linear-actuator-is-cheap-and-strong/
Tomi Engdahl says:
milling machine
custom milling machine
https://hackaday.io/project/181908-milling-machine
Tomi Engdahl says:
A Spring-Loaded Digital Movie Camera
https://hackaday.io/project/184748-a-spring-loaded-digital-movie-camera
Digitize a vintage 8mm camera. Not for the sake of convenience, but for the enjoyment of video recording.
More 8mm camera projects
https://hackaday.com/tag/super-8/
Tomi Engdahl says:
MIDI Controller Looks Good, Enables Your Air Guitar Habit
https://hackaday.com/2022/05/18/midi-controller-looks-good-enables-your-air-guitar-habit/
We all want to be guitar heroes, but most of us have to settle for letting a MIDI board play our riffs using a MIDI controller. [Joris] thinks a MIDI controller should look like a cool instrument and thus the Ni28 was born. Honestly, we first thought we were looking at wall art, but on closer look, you can see the fretboard and the soundhole are festooned with buttons.
Actually, they aren’t really buttons. The Ni in the name is because the buttons are nickel-plated brass plates that act like touch switches. There’s virtually no activation force required and you can easily touch more than one plate at a time.
This electric guitar is a MIDI controller that turns you into a music wizard
https://www.yankodesign.com/2022/05/09/this-electric-guitar-is-a-midi-controller-that-turns-you-into-a-music-wizard/
You’ll still need musical knowledge and skill, of course, but you might make other things you have some superpowers with this cool electric guitar.
Not everyone can play more than two or more instruments, but many musically skilled people can control electronic instruments without actually knowing how to use the real things. There are going to be some differences, of course, but there is a serious and professional field of music that involves these electric and electronic soundscapes. Most of these are operated with MIDI controllers, devices that geeky boards filled with buttons and sliders or, at the very best, an unassuming keyboard. The Ni28, in contrast, looks more like a very stylish and cool electric guitar, and using it will probably make you look like some music god that can produce all kinds of music and sounds with something that looks like the skeleton of a guitar.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Defeat Your Car’s Autostop Feature With A Little SwitchBot
https://hackaday.com/2022/05/18/defeat-your-cars-autostop-feature-with-a-little-switchbot/
These days, many new cars come with some variant of an “auto-stop” feature. This shuts down the car’s engine at stop lights and in other similar situations in order to save fuel and reduce emissions. Not everyone is a fan however, and [CGamer_OS] got sick of having to switch off the feature every time they got in the car. So they employed a little robot to handle the problem instead.
The robot in question is a SwitchBot, a small Internet of Things tool that’s highly configurable for pressing buttons. It’s literally a robot designed to press buttons, either when remotely commanded to, or when certain rules are met. It can even be configured to work with IFTTT.
Got real tired of turning this off every time I got in my car.
https://www.reddit.com/r/funny/comments/uqjrkr/got_real_tired_of_turning_this_off_every_time_i/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Penrose Unilluminable Room Is Impossible To Light
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x3VluzZTReE
Penrose Unilluminable Room is a room with mirrored walls that can’t be fully illuminated by a single point source of light. I thought I was the first person to build one but Action Lab beat me to it: https://youtu.be/inMihNPjevM
Tomi Engdahl says:
The ULTIMATE Plumbing Mistakes Guide (30 Mistakes And How To Fix Them) | GOT2LEARN
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zzGWwsEmL7U
Tomi Engdahl says:
Engineering Vs Pigeons
https://hackaday.com/2022/05/19/engineering-vs-pigeons/
We’ve all been there. Pigeons are generally pretty innocuous, but they do leave a mess. If you have a convertible or a bicycle or even just a clean car, you probably don’t want them hanging around. [Max] was tired of a messy balcony, so like you might approach any engineering problem, he worked his way through several possible solutions. Starting with plastic crows, and naturally ending with an automated water gun.
The resulting robotic water gun that targets pigeons with openCV is a dandy project and while we don’t usually advocate shooting at neighborhood animals, we don’t think a little water will be any worse than the rain for the pigeons. The build started with a cheap electric water pistol. A Wemos D1 Mini ESP8266 development board provides the brainpower. The water pistol wouldn’t easily take rechargeable batteries, plus it is a good idea to separate the logic supply and the pump motors, so the D1 gets power from a USB power bank separate from the gun’s batteries.
The overengineered Solution to my Pigeon Problem
https://maxnagy.com/posts/pigeons/
The Camera
I decided to use my old iPhone 6S as a camera: Its small, has a battery, works without any configuration and most importantly: I had it at hand. After finding a suitable position on my window, I designed a very simple holding bracket, 3D printed it and glued it on my balcony window using 3M mounting tape 1. I use this app to get a MJPEG stream of its camera. It works good and I like that it lets you black out the display. As a final step, I put masking tape on the window, so that the camera does not look into my neighbours windows as that would be creepy.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Water Your Plants Just Four Times Per Year
https://hackaday.com/2022/05/19/water-your-plants-just-four-times-per-year/
While it’s true that some plants thrive on neglect, many of them do just fine with a few ounces of water once a week, as long as the light level is right. But even that is plenty to remember and actually do in our unprecedented times, so why bother trying? [Martin] has solved this problem for us, having given every aspect of automatic plant care a lot of thought. The result of his efforts is Flaura, a self-watering open-source plant pot, and a YouTube channel to go with it.
Flaura – Automatic, Smart Plant Pot (Self Watering, DIY Project, 3D Printed, Arduino) INTRODUCTION
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rHHFL17ncnc
Tomi Engdahl says:
Put A New Spin On Your 3D Printed Parts
https://hackaday.com/2022/05/19/put-a-new-spin-on-your-3d-printed-parts/
Once you get tired of printing keychains and earbud holders with your 3D printer, you’ll want to design things a bit more sophisticated. How about things that rotate? [3DSage] has a good how-to about how to integrate a simple motor and controller into a few different size boxes. Combined with some 3D printed linkages, these boxes can turn your project — printed or otherwise — into something that spins.
3D Printed Rotation | Make Anything Rotate
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQj-TRhedGY
Sometimes you just want to make something rotate slowly. I didn’t find what I wanted online, so I designed 4 different types of rotating boxes. I made the assembly easy with no electronics skills or soldering needed! I will add a link for you to download the files to 3D print so you can use this in your projects. I hope it helps and thank you for watching!
Tomi Engdahl says:
Film Projector | 3D Printed
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cc81sqo9URs&t=0s
Tomi Engdahl says:
Flexible Grip For Hammer Made With 3D Printing Pen
https://hackaday.com/2022/05/19/flexible-grip-for-hammer-made-with-3d-printing-pen/
When it comes to putting a flexible grip on a tool, you might reach for a self-fusing silicone tape or other similar product. However, [Potent Printables] has discovered you can easily create a flexible grip using a 3D-printing pen and some flex filament.
Do FLEXIBLE Grips made with a 3D Pen Work?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jfpKnkCGzzs
I used a 3D Printing Pen and Flexible filament to add a custom grip directly on to an old hammer. I was curious to see how well this would work and whether the flexible filament would easily peel off or break. Basically if it would be a functional, useful 3D pen idea
In addition, I wanted to show that you can include your own custom designs on this flexible gripping area when using a 3D Pen, to really give your tools some flair.
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2022/05/19/scotts-cpu-from-the-bottom-up/
Tomi Engdahl says:
PCB Linear Motors For Model Trains
https://hackaday.com/2022/05/19/pcb-linear-motors-for-model-trains/
Modeling a railroad is hard. Railroads are large, linear pieces of civil engineering. So many modelers are drawn to the smallest scale they can use. Recently a new scale, named T, at 1:450 has been pushing this barrier. But fitting a reliable mechanical drive mechanism and MCU board in a package this size is a challenge. In practice, even more of a problem is getting reliable electrical contact through a metal wheel on metal track (about the worst possible design for a contact).
T always seemed to us a long way out on the bleeding edge. But all that may have changed. In a recent Hackaday.io writeup, author [Martin] describes a PCB technology based linear motor system to externally drive T scale locomotives.
The system uses 4mm planar coils. The underside of the PCB has another coil, so the effective pitch is 2mm. With microstepping, a step of 0.25mm is possible, and trains run smoothly. Current is 3-400mA.
Since the system also guides the car, actual ‘track’ is unnecessary, and [Martin] is using printed paper covering rather than 3D track. Items like autos and boats can be automated as well. Modelers in larger scales might well use it for automated pedestrians and such.
PCB Linear Motors for Model Trains
PCB linear motors offer a different approach to powering tiny scale model trains, cars, boats, etc.
https://hackaday.io/project/185347-pcb-linear-motors-for-model-trains
Tomi Engdahl says:
What Tools Do You Need to START Woodworking? Beginner Woodworking Tool List
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_BEhdEvLUo
I get asked pretty often about the tools that are necessary to start woodworking, so I decided to make a video to help you guys out! Hopefully this is helpful!
Woodworking POWER Tools // Watch Before Buying
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pdI7gIucy6g
A complete guide to buying beginner woodworking power tools. If you haven’t made any purchases yet, watch this before buying anything. Woodworking power tools can be intimidating but I will give you no nonsense advice based on my own experience.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Cricket Game on a PCB
Electronic cricket game built on a PCB with no microcontroller.
https://www.hackster.io/news/cricket-game-on-a-pcb-4f52304e8e6d
Tomi Engdahl says:
MakeTVee’s Oversized WS2812B Is the Perfect Coffee Coaster for RGB Lighting Enthusiasts
With three real LEDs and a coin-cell battery hidden inside, this replica RGB LED lights up the room every time you take a drink.
https://www.hackster.io/news/maketvee-s-oversized-ws2812b-is-the-perfect-coffee-coaster-for-rgb-lighting-enthusiasts-b2d2e7ca2415
Tomi Engdahl says:
Can we use Treadmills to Generate Electricity? And does that make sense?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KKK-gFkBHbE
In this video I will try out an idea I had in my head for quite a while. Why not simply use a treadmill to generate electricity? I mean we power treadmills to make us run, so why not “run” as well but push the treadmill to produce electricity. That is exactly what I will be finding out in this video. Is such a modification possible? How much power can we produce? Would I recommend it? Let’s find out!
0:00 Treadmill Generator Idea!
1:07 Intro
1:45 Motor Inspection
3:21 Driver Electronics
5:27 Using the Motor as a Generator!
7:31 Charge your Phone?
9:06 Verdict
Tomi Engdahl says:
FINALLY I got what I wanted
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rof4GJ5sc44
It can cut, slash, emboss, and even draw! It’s not an infomercial, but it’s the CriCut 3. Yvonne is really excited that she can finally buy something high-end for herself to satisfy her arts and crafts after-work hobby, maybe she’ll take it even further.
0:00 – It’s not just Linus
0:30 – Unboxing and overview
1:42 – What it can do and extra tools
3:20 – What we made so far
4:30 – Sponsor – Jackery
5:05 – What is Cricut’s design space software?
6:13 – Let’s make something!
9:26 – Making stickers
13:35 – Peace offering for TechLinked
14:53 – Price
15:30 – Final thoughts
Tomi Engdahl says:
Hackaday Prize 2022: Glue-Hindered Smart Tweezer Repair Involves A Rebuild
https://hackaday.com/2022/05/23/hackaday-prize-2022-glue-hindered-smart-tweezer-repair-involves-a-rebuild/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2022/05/23/motorcycle-regulator-by-popular-demand/
Tomi Engdahl says:
512gb Floppy disk
This floppy disk can hold 512gb
https://hackaday.io/project/185479-512gb-floppy-disk
Tomi Engdahl says:
Twitter feed on an old LED marquee
An adventure in ’80s electronics and embedded Linux
https://hackaday.io/project/184469-twitter-feed-on-an-old-led-marquee
I have this Sigma ASC 333 marquee display I found in the trash a couple years ago. I thought it could be nice to bring it to the modern times by replacing its MCU with a Linux-powered processor, a TechNexion PICO-PI-IMX7 board once used to run the now-defunct Android Things. And, most importantly, learn about embedded Linux in the process.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Sound Generation Board Makes The Tunes
https://hackaday.com/2022/05/20/sound-generation-board-makes-the-tunes/
Tomi Engdahl says:
TurtleAuth DIY Security Token Gets (Re)designed For Durable, Everyday Use
https://hackaday.com/2022/05/21/turtleauth-diy-security-token-gets-redesigned-for-durable-everyday-use/
[Samuel]’s first foray into making DIY hardware authentication tokens was a great success, but he soon realized that a device intended for everyday carry and use has a few different problems to solve, compared to a PCB that lives and works on a workbench. This led to TurtleAuth 2.1, redesigned for everyday use and lucky for us all, he goes into detail on all the challenges and solutions he faced
TurtleAuth 2.1: A design for everyday use
https://blog.thestaticturtle.fr/turtleauth-2-1-a-design-for-everyday-use/
Making a updated and sturdier second version of TurtleAuth, my stm32 based GNUK and U2F tokens
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2022/05/21/building-your-own-8088-xt-motherboard/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2022/05/22/expedient-jig-lets-you-crank-out-chain-link-fence/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Square Cuts On Aluminum Extrusion, No Mill Required
https://hackaday.com/2022/05/20/square-cuts-on-aluminum-extrusion-no-mill-required/
If you’re looking for the perfect excuse to buy that big, beautiful Bridgeport mill, we’ve got some bad news: it’s not going to be making perfectly square end cuts on aluminum extrusion. Sadly, it’s much more cost-effective to build this DIY squaring jig, and search for your tool justification elsewhere.
Perfectly square aluminum extrusion cuts using this DIY tool and a Harbor Freight router
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9uWAVcJOPwk
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2022/05/21/one-solution-many-problems/
http://tryndelka.narod.ru/fretstrn_e.htm
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2022/05/22/bi-color-filament-kicks-3d-printed-optical-illusions-up-a-notch/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Using A Fusion Splicer To Repair A Samsung TV’s Cable
https://hackaday.com/2022/05/23/using-a-fusion-splicer-to-repair-a-samsung-tvs-cable/
Some Samsung TVs come with a system called One Connect, where all external cabling is connected to a separate box so that only one small signal cable goes to the TV. In some versions, the cable linking the TV with its Connect Box is a pure fiber optic cable that’s nearly transparent and therefore easy to hide.
Thin fiber optic cables are fragile however; when [Elecami Wolf] got one of these TVs for a very low price it turned out that this was because its One Connect cable had snapped. Replacement cables are quite expensive, so [Elecami Wolf] went on to investigate the inner workings of the fiber optic cable and figured out how to repair a broken one.
The cable consists of four pairs of plastic-coated glass fibers, which are attached to receivers and transmitters inside the thick connectors on either end. Repairing the cable required two things: figuring out which fibers should connect to each other, and a reliable way of connecting them together.
EW0037 – How To Repair Damaged Samsung One Connect Invisible Connection Cable
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CeMnRErVwxY
Tomi Engdahl says:
3D Printing Fabrics Is Easier Than You Think
https://hackaday.com/2022/05/24/3d-printing-fabrics-is-easier-than-you-think/
How to 3D print fabric – Step by step
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6MQSxgcn9i0
Tomi Engdahl says:
The STM32 Makes For A Cheap DIY USB Soundcard
https://hackaday.com/2022/05/24/the-stm32-makes-for-a-cheap-diy-usb-soundcard/
Soundcards used to be giant long 8-bit ISA things that would take up a huge amount of real estate inside a desktop computer. These days, for most of us, they’re baked into the motherboard and we barely give them a second thought. [Samsonov Dima] decided to whip up a cheap little sound card of their own, however, built around the STM32.
The soundcard is based specifically on the STM32F401. readily available on the “Green Pill” devboards. A digital-to-analog converter is implemented on the board based on two PWM timers providing high-quality output. There’s also a simulated software sigma delta ADC implemented between the audio streaming in via USB and the actual PWM output, with some fancy tricks used to improve the sound output. [Samsonov] even found time to add a display with twin VU meters that shows the audio pumping through the left and right channels.
stm32 HiFi usb sound card DIY
https://hackaday.io/project/185213-stm32-hifi-usb-sound-card-diy
Black /Green pill stm32f401 , high quality, low noise DAC based on 2 PWM timer channels with virtual software Sigma Delta ADC
DIY about $3-$9 (depends number of displays) low cost solution Software low noise DAC based on 2 PWM timer channels with virtual soft Sigma Delta ADC between stream from usb and PWM output. There is implemented “sigma-delta floating point encoder” workaround of native stm32f401 limit 10.5 bits on 44100 Hz (1904 levels=84MHz/44.1KHz ) So, we can have for only $3 ,very low noise , high sound quality solution, which better then most onboard sound cards !
Tomi Engdahl says:
Character VFD Becomes Spectrum Analyzer
https://hackaday.com/2022/05/24/character-vfd-becomes-spectrum-analyzer/
DIY Arduino Audio Spectrum Analyzer on VFD Display
https://hackaday.io/project/185446-diy-arduino-audio-spectrum-analyzer-on-vfd-display
A spectrum analyzer is a measurement tool that displays real-time frequency analysis of incoming audio signals.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Put Another Dime In The Jukebox
https://hackaday.com/2022/05/24/put-another-dime-in-the-jukebox/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Handling Bulk Material: Why Does My Cat Food Get Stuck?
https://hackaday.com/2022/05/24/handling-bulk-material-why-does-my-catfood-get-stuck/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Point Out Pup’s Packages With This Poop-Shooting Laser
https://hackaday.com/2022/05/24/point-out-pups-packages-with-this-poop-shooting-laser/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Maker Your Own Professional Bench Power Supply
Maker Your Own DIY Professional Bench Power Supply Using A Old Computer PSU.
https://hackaday.io/project/184598-maker-your-own-professional-bench-power-supply
Tomi Engdahl says:
Reusing single use vape pens.
This is a collections of small project you can make borrowing parts from used vape pens.
https://hackaday.io/project/184624-reusing-single-use-vape-pens
Single use vape pens have become wildly popular. Estimations says that around 65 million people around the world vape. This generates enormous amount waste. In this set of small projects we aim to reuse most of the parts inside the vape pen. We will go through what makes a vape pen. How to safely disassemble one. Which parts can be reused. Bill of materials and some cool projects.
Tomi Engdahl says:
RX-Modulus (Completely Modular Mouse)
Finally a mouse that can be freely changed, fixed and upgraded suit the
https://hackaday.io/project/171196-rx-modulus-completely-modular-mouse
The inspiration for the mouse project came about as a direct result of our dissatisfaction with mice presently available on the market. With stale, recycled features that haven’t changed in years and shapes that don t really fit all hand sizes, I was left feeling underwhelmed and left many shops empty handed, only to settle on a mouse that felt more like a stepping stone than a forever mouse. This was 3 years ago.
Tomi Engdahl says:
The Beginners Guide to Fiber Optics
https://www.instructables.com/The-Beginners-Guide-to-Fiber-Optics/
Fiber optics can be used to bring illumination to many kinds of projects, but for this Instructable I’m going to focus on their use in wearables, because that’s my area of expertise. Fiber optics are also especially great for clothing, costumes and accessories because they allow you to distribute light from a single source, therefore making your project require fewer lights and less power (always an important consideration when designing wearables). Because the fibers can carry light far from the electronics that are the source of illumination, they are also great for projects that need to be weather-proof or washable.
Fiber optics themselves are clear and colorless, so a fiber optic lighting system installed in a project will take on whatever color light you shine through it, or undulate with color patterns if your light source is programmable or dynamic.
Fiber optics come in a variety of diameters, shapes and types.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Laser to Fiber Coupler with Receptacle Instruction Video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ahDbh5UrwNc
In non-contact style source couplers, an air gap exists between the fiber and the lens. This design is more flexible, allowing a wide range of lens types and focal lengths to be used. The distance between the fiber and the lens can be adjusted to compensate the changes in the source wavelengths or to intentionally defocus the laser beam to prevent arcing in high power laser to multimode fiber applications.
Align Fiber Collimators to Create Free Space Between Single Mode Fibers | Thorlabs Insights
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gztPwrKodq8
Two collimators, inserted into a fiber optic setup, provide free-space access to the beam. The first collimator accepts the highly diverging light from the first fiber and outputs a free-space beam, which propagates with an approximately constant diameter to the second collimator. The second collimator accepts the free-space beam and couples that light into the second fiber. Some collimation packages, including the pair used in this demonstration, are designed for use with optical fibers and mate directly to fiber connectors.
Ideally, 100% of the light emitted by the first fiber would be coupled into the second fiber, but some light will always be lost due to reflections, scattering, absorption, and misalignment. Misalignment, typically the largest source of loss, can be minimized using the alignment and stabilization techniques described in this video.
In this demonstration, the first fiber is single mode. The optical power incident on the second collimator, as well as the power output by the second fiber, are measured. When the second fiber is multimode with a 50 µm diameter core, alignment resulted in 91% of the power incident on the second collimator being measured at the fiber output. This value was 86% when the second fiber was single mode. Some differences in collimator designs, and their effects on the characteristics of the collimated beams, are also discussed.
00:00 – Introduction
00:41 – Characteristics of Collimated Beams
02:32 – Reduce Degrees of Freedom
03:46 – Baseline Power Measurement
04:37 – Coarse Alignment Using a Multimode Fiber
06:38 – Attach Single Mode Fiber to Second Collimator
08:28 – First Alignment Approach: Misalign & Maximize
10:02 – Second Alignment Approach: Misalign & Misalign
Tomi Engdahl says:
4 Types of Welding Explained: MIG vs TIG vs Stick vs Flux Core
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-OKi8oSNQ4
All of the different welding processes and acronyms can be really confusing. In this video, I go over the following:
0:00 Intro
0:40 Stick Welding (Shielded Metal Arc Welding – SMAW)
4:00 Flux Core Arc Welding – FCAW
5:58 MIG Welding (Gas Metal Arc Welding – GMAW)
7:45 TIG Welding (Gas Tungsten Arc Welding – GTAW)
Tomi Engdahl says:
PelletMon – kettle monitoring
https://hackaday.io/project/176557-pelletmon-kettle-monitoring
Monitor pellet boiler status via CAN bus, measure fuel – reverse engineering + engineering = profit !
Tomi Engdahl says:
Upcycle Acrylic Scraps Into New Sheets and Jewelry
https://hackaday.io/project/185491-upcycle-acrylic-scraps-into-new-sheets-and-jewelry
The quick and dirty way to turn your old acrylic scraps from laser cutting into new sheets with panini press and car jack
Tomi Engdahl says:
Morse USB Keyboard
Sure – why not repurpose a vintage Morse code key into a USB keyboard?
https://hackaday.io/project/185524-morse-usb-keyboard
Tomi Engdahl says:
Build A Prop For A TV Premiere? Stranger Things Have Happened
https://hackaday.com/2022/05/25/build-a-prop-for-a-tv-premiere-stranger-things-have-happened/
Tomi Engdahl says:
What do you get when Pacific Northwest National Laboratories takes over what was once the largest and deepest gold mine in North America? The answer might be enough energy to power 10,000,000 homes. The enhanced geothermal systems project includes the lab and several partners from academia and industry and aims to test sending fluids down boreholes so the Earth can heat them up. Hot fluids, of course, can easily create electricity.