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May 10 2012
Intro to the Arduino – #2 of a 2 part workshop
This workshop is part two of a two part intro to the Arduino being held at Pumping Station: One. Part 2 is for people who have a working Arduino setup running on their laptops. The emphasis in part two of the Arduino class is on programming. We’ll assume that you know where the different types of pins are located on the board, and that you can run the blink example. Ask lots of questions!
You will need to bring a laptop. You will need an Arduino. The best choice is Sparkfun’s “Flex” kit http://www.sparkfun.com/products/10174 If you don’t already have an Arduino, Pumping Station: One will loan you a Flex kit to use during the workshop session. Ask lots of questions!
images are CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 sparkfun.com
Workshop contents:
- The Arduino language: a simplified mix of C and C++
- Programming basics and interactive demos
- Experiment time to play with programming examples
- The Arduino language – special libraries
- Experiment time to play with library examples
- Arduino shields and i/o modules (demo)
Instructor: Ed Bennett
ed at kinetics and electronics dot com
kineticsandelectronics.com
Tickets are $25 and available through Eventbrite.
May 09 2012
Bank Holiday Movement (and first “proper meet”)
It’s been a somewhat crazy weekend, but with the massive help of a number of members (and non-members alike) we’ve finally gotten (nearly) all of our stuff out of storage and into the space.
Saturday and Sunday were spent moving car-loads of stuff and on Monday (and again Wednesday) Yorkshire Van Man went out of his way to help us move the larger stuff.
Photo’s of the space are here; we apologise for the mess, though rest assured it’s all coming together rather nicely -though if you happen to have a spare sofa or desk, then please get in contact ;)
May 08 2012
Tirsdag 2012-05-08
Project Byzantium on NPR
Check out Hacking To Byzantium: The Attempt To Build An Alternate Internet (above) from NPR Intern Edition! You can also listen to the entire broadcast here.
May 07 2012
Stop motion Build Blacksmith forge
Today we made a blacksmith forge that worked quite well after looking at a few other designs and working with what we found around the space we where able to build a blacksmith forge.
Fan is from an old oil burner
Running fuel is just normal coal but there are better options.
Check out video and photos for more details or leave a comment down below.
Thingiverse: Anatomic Human Foot
Here is a recent Thingiverse upload, which was made from some very simple modeling techniques in Newtek's Lighwave 3D application. A little goes a very long way, indeed.
per Thingiverse.com:
There are 26 proper bones in the human foot; 28 if you consider the sesamoids of the 1st metatarsal phalangeal joint complex. That's over 25% of your body's total musculo-skeletal anatomy, hitting the ground every time you go for a walk or run! Quite impressive, really.-Nick
Read More:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foot
learnbones.com/foot-bones-anatomy
This anatomic foot model was designed in Newtek's Lightwave 3D, as part of the podcast @ YouTube.com/DrGlassDPM
Anatomic study models can be quite expensive, search.anatomywarehouse.com/search?keywords=foot&x=0&y=0 so I wanted to share my printable version with the Thingiverse crowd and give a big shout out to Freeside Atlanta's Hackerspace!
Instructions
I've included the individual bones with a straightforward naming convention. These parts will be replaced, as I continue to add more detail and such; for now, enjoy!
Additionally, there are FootBones.stl and FootSkin.stl, for those of you Duel Extruding.
Otherwise, I'd be impressed to see some of the techniques towards printing this and having a clean separation from support material. This (and deriviatives thereof) will hopefully rival things like: molded study models search.anatomywarehouse.com/search?keywords=foot&x=0&y=0
May 06 2012
Balsa Bridge Bash is happening now!
A couple of weeks back we announced a balsa wood bridge building competition. We have a good sized group of geeks who quickly delved into the discussion over at the forum, and we’re happy to announce that the competition for the best bridge commences…oh…now!
So, if you’re reading this, its a Sunday afternoon and you don’t have anything else better to do anyway. Come join the balsa bridge revolution!
Yep, its a revolution, people. Let’s do this.
Details here
Automation Night May 9 at 7pm
The second Wednesday of every month is Automation Night, dedicated to hobbyist and professional automated manufacturing tools like 3D printers, CNC mills, laser cutters, cake frosters, and wire benders.
Are you interested in at-home automated manufacturing? Do you like the idea of owning your own 3D printer, laser cutter, automated mill, router table, or other astounding automatons? Then this is the night for you!
Please attend if you’re interested in learning more, already have an automated tool at home, want to show off your latest build, or just want to meet locals who are into this exciting technology!
- Who: Open to the public
- Where: Pumping Station: One, 3354 N Elston Ave, Chicago, IL
- When: Wednesday, May 9th, 7pm
- Cost: Free ($5 suggested donation for non-members to help us pay the rent)
Planned Schedule:
- 7-7:10: people show up
- 7:10-7:25: introductions round-robin
- 7:25-’till everyone leaves: schmoozing, machine assembly and show off, discussion of tools and techniques
Image: Printable 3D Skill Badge by Thingiverse user TheNewHobbyist
May 05 2012
Towelday 25.5.2012
Hilfe die Touris kommen!
Kaum ist es auf unserem Planeten ein paar Grad wärmer geworden, laufen sie wieder planlos trotz Reiseführer durch die Straßen und verstopfen unsere Lieblingskneipen. Die meisten können sich nichtmal ein Shuttle-Ticket leisten und reisen per Anhalter: Aliens
Irgendwo müssen sie gelesen haben, dass es hier üblich ist, auf Schritt und Tritt einen Donnergurgler aus dem Späti in der Hand zu haben, in großen Gruppen auf Leihrädern die Strasssen unsichter zu machen oder einen quietschenden zero-G-Koffer hinter sich herzuziehen.
Die Kampagne “Earth doesn’t love You” wollen wir allerdings nicht unterstützen, sondern laden alle trampenden Aliens zu uns auf die Staion ein, um gemeinsam den Towelday zu feiern.
Zentrales Element wird auch dieses Jahr wieder der space-drinc-contest sein, zu dem Ihr hiermit alle herzlich eingeladen seid.
REGELWERK SPACE-DRINC-CONTEST
Es handelt sich einen Cocktail-Wettbwerb bei dem drincs aus fremden Galaxien vorgestellt werden. Jeder Teilnehmer hat dazu maximal 10 Minuten Zeit.
Die Drincs werden nach den standardisierten Gesichtspunkten bewertet:
- Geschichte (Glaubwürdigkeit und Originalität)
- Verwendung eines Handtuchs (bei Herstellung oder Konsum)
- Aussehen
- Geschmack
Die Rezepte müssen unter einer Creative Commons oder Fair Use-Lizenz stehen.
Die Jury setzt sich wie gewohnt aus den Teilnehmern zusammen.
Loccpiccnicc 17.5.2012 ab 14h
Die Sportfreunde der Sperrtechnik treffen sich zum traditionellen Grillen.
Das inzwischen 8. Lockpicknick der Sportgruppe Berlin in Folge (c-lang: Loccpiccnic) findet am 17.05.12 wieder ab 14.00h (Himmelfahrts-/”Vater”tag) – mittlerweile zum 4. Mal seit 2008 – direkt an der Spree auf der Hausterrasse des Vereinsgeländes der c-base statt.
http://wiki.ssdev.org/wiki/Lockpicknick_Berlin
Wir freuen uns auf Vereinsmitglieder und deren Angehörige, Lockpicker, Sperrsportler, Hacker und cbase-member, Freunde der Sportgruppe Berlin, KOKSA – User und eingeladene externe Gäste. Erkennbar Lockpicking-interessierte Anfänger oder Passanten können sich ebenfalls von unserem Angebot angesprochen fühlen und sich von erfahrenen Lockpickern die ersten sperrsportlichen Schritte anschaulich erklären lassen.
LHS 2.0 is a reality
We got possession of the keys to the new space yesterday (LHS 2.0 – or is it 2.3? We don’t really care, we’re just happy to be in there!), and a few celebratory drinks were had. Today we’ve spent the day cleaning up and acquiring stock for the tuck shop – essential as the thirsty work of moving all our stuff begins tomorrow.
More updates to follow…
May 04 2012
Monday is DIY Music Night: Mashups with Adam Dzak
This Monday join us for a special edition of DIY music night featuring Mashup artist Adam Dzak. Adam will be showing off his work in progress, a MIDI controller based on The Maven, an Ableton Live controller custom-built for world-renowned DJ Sasha. Adam will talk about his inspiration for the project and his (ongoing) journey toward completing it. More importantly, Adam will demonstrate his own creative process, and you’re invited to use the equipment and make your own Mashup.
Arduino Class 3-5pm Sunday May 6
This class is part one of a two part intro to the Arduino. It’s an intro for people who have no experience with programming or electronics. Ticket information is at arduinointro1.eventbrite.com
You will need to bring a laptop. You will need an Arduino. The best choice is Sparkfun’s “Flex” kit http://www.sparkfun.com/products/10174 If you don’t already have an Arduino, Pumping Station: One will loan you a Flex kit to use during the workshop session. Ask lots of questions!
images are CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 sparkfun.com
Workshop contents:
- What’s Arduino?
- Installing the Arduino editor on your laptop
- Tour of the Arduino board and the Sparkfun “Flex” kit
- How to use a breadboard – hooking up sensors
- How to play with the built-in examples
- Experiment time to play with some examples
- Things you can do with an Arduino
Instructor: Ed Bennett
ed symbol kineticsandelectronics dot com
kineticsandelectronics.com
I like High Voltage
Steve lets his hair down and puts it to use evaluating the performance of the high voltage Van de Graaf generator. Hair is a natural high voltage corona detector since the strands stand up as they become charged by the electric field. The generator was basically junk when it arrived at the space, so Steve used the opportunity to experiment with different collector electrode geometries and belt materials. The most obvious change in the machine is the belt material. Several types were tried out. In terms of producing a charge and being mechanically stable, nylon fabric with a stitched seam is so far the best. The Van de Graff will deliver approximately 1 inch sparks about 2 seconds apart. And yes, they hurt.
Can the particle accelerator be far behind?
The Milwaukee Makerspace Makership
Milwaukee Makerspace is proud to be a part of Milwaukee and to provide a shared workspace where people can explore their passions in making and exploring things, whether it be art, technology, electronics, alternative energy, or rapid prototyping and fabrication. Our members are eager to share their skills and equipment with others, and we recognize that we learn better when we learn together, so we’re introducing a “makership” program, which will allow a local maker to become a full member though a sponsorship from the group.
For our first Makership, which will take place during the summer months, we’d like to offer the opportunity exclusively to college students. You’ll see that one of the eligibility requirements is that the applicant must be a student currently enrolled in an accredited post-secondary institution. (Don’t worry, we do plan to open this up to everyone, student or not, in the future.)
If you’re interested in joining us and gaining access to our space, our tools and our community, come up with a killer idea and apply today!
Find out more at: http://milwaukeemakerspace.org/makership
SoundDock Input Cable
The first generation of Bose SoundDocks did not feature an aux input jack, they are only compatible with the 30 pin connector of Ipods and Iphones. Lately, my music player of choice is my Droid Razr, which has 60+ Gb of music on it, even more in the cloud, and no 30 pin connector. I decided to add an auxiliary input to my SoundDock in the easiest and quickest way possible. I made an adapter cable using an $6 Ipod extension cable, a $1 3.5mm headphone cable, and two necessary resistors. I can plug this adapter cable directly into any unmodified SoundDock, or any other amplified speaker system that only has a 30 pin connector and no aux input.
It turns out that the SoundDock is smart, and will only turn on when it senses 3.3VDC on pin 18 of its input connector. Luckily, it also outputs 12VDC on pin 19 to recharge the attached Ipod’s battery. To trick the SoundDock into turning on with no Ipod attached, I made a voltage divider by soldering a 20 Kohm resistor between the wires connected to pins 18 and 19, and a 4.7 Kohm resistor between the wires connected to pins 18 and 1. I measured the voltage between pins 18 and 1 to be ~3VDC which was sufficient. I soldered the three pins of the 3.5mm headphone jack to the 30 pin connector’s wires as follows: Ground to pin 1, right audio to pin 3 and left audio to pin 4. I used 1206 surface mount resistors because they measure only 3.2mm by 1.6mm, a size which fits conveniently under the shrink wrap joining the two cables. The most time consuming part of this two hour project was identifying which color wires were connected to pins 1,3,4,18 & 19, and determining if the pin on the left of the photo was #1 or #30.
May 03 2012
No Frolics Parade?!?!
Last year, the Milwaukee Makerspace participated in the South Shore Frolics Parade with a giant driving Arduino, a driving 10′ tall can of Old Milwaukee Makerspace beer and a fleet of power wheels racers. In short, it was a blast. I’ve lived in Bay View for the last 6 and a half years and a highlight every summer has been the Frolics Parade. For long-time Bay View Residents, the Parade has been a summer highlight for over 60 years. Being in the parade and producing such fun floats for it was more fun than i thought it would be and we immediately started scheming for the 2012 parade.
This year, it doesn’t look like we’ll have a Frolics Parade, though. For the last few years, a corporate sponsor has footed the considerable bill for the parade. They are unable to do that again this year and the Bay View Lions Club is left without the funds for a parade.
David and I, along with several other Bay View neighbors have been working with the Lions Club to see if we can scramble to raise the funds for the parade. $13,000 is needed for the city and county alone to cover the permit, closed parking meters, re-routed buses, police officers and cleanup. Yow! I wasn’t aware that there was such a high starting bid for a parade. On top of that, many bands and groups require payment to travel and participate in the parade.
We quickly pulled together a website, voice mail and twitter account and a bunch of fliers to try to get the word out. David talked to every business from the White House to Hamburger Mary’s on KK last Saturday and had a lot of interest. We need to head back this weekend to see if we can secure any commitments from those businesses.
Members from the Milwaukee Makerspace have pledged $2,000 to kick things off, but we still have $20,000 to raise in almost no time. We’re giving it a week to follow up with Bay View businesses to see if we can arrange any commitments for funding.
If you love the Frolics Parade, ask your favorite Bay View Businesses if they are willing to help save the parade this year as you get a bite to eat, a cup of coffee, a haircut or a drink this week. If you have the means to make a significant donation yourself, please get in touch.
We’ve also thrown out a pretty cool incentive. For any group that donates $5,000, the Makerspace will build a float for you.
For donation and contact information for the parade, head over to the Save the Frolics Parade website at http://www.bayview-frolics-parade.com/.
Makers, assemble!
Yeah. Having access to a laser cutter is pretty boss. I’m planning to wear this to the premiere of a certain movie this weekend. Four layers of acrylic; two diffuse, two opaque. 11 LEDs, 11 100 Ohm resistors, some phone cord, some solder, and a 9V battery. There’s no lack of great pages on Instructables about how to make your own.
Become and Original Member of HARC May 9
Next week Sunday, May 9 is your chance to become an original member of HacDC’s Amateur Radio Club (HARC)! The club-within-a-club will be getting their ARRL paperwork signed, voting for club officers, and affirming their constitution and bylaws.
If that’s not enticing enough for you, HARC will also include Frank Hunleth and Bill Babson presenting on their Nerves project, which they host using a BeagleBone. What is Nerves, you ask? Nerves is an embedded Linux based environment for running Earlang, a programming language highly suited for communications applications requiring high availability. Their talk will explore uses in ham radio applications.
The meeting will begin at 7:30pm at HacDC. HARC encourages you to RSVP to the event on Meetup if you know you’re going to attend.
May 02 2012
The Group (Photo!)
Kudos to David (known to the group as a videographer and motorcycle enthusiast) who must have experience herding cats, because he managed to get a whole bunch of members to take a break from making and stand still long enough for a group photo.
I’m not sure which one should be the “official” group photo, so I’ve posted all three of them below. Let us know which one you like the best!
Option #3: “Serious”
Option #2: “Lighthearted”
Option #1: “Machete”
Note: Whichever photo gets chosen as the “official” Milwaukee Makerspace Group Photo will remain the “official” Milwaukee Makerspace Group Photo until we take a new “official” Milwaukee Makerspace Group Photo.
Note #2: This photo does not represent all of our members, just the people that were there on a Tuesday night after the weekly meeting. If you want to stop by and meet us, any Tuesday Night at 7pm would be a great time. Men, women, and robots are all welcome!
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