Make: Online: Open source hardware Archives

Archive: Open source hardware

July 1, 2009

Sparkfun open-sources hardware kits

Our friends over at Sparkfun have announced their decision to officially make some of their kits open source. Nathan and company have always been supporters of OSH, but now they're going to be putting links to the engineering files up to at least some of their kits. The first is the ClockIt kit, an alarm clock kit built around the ATMega168. The listing for the kit ends with links to the Eagle files (licensed under CC v3.0 Share-Alike), the schematic, the source code, and a link to an "Improve Source Code" forum posting. Nice. "One of the great things about open source is the ability to say 'Hey, I'm pretty sure this works, but it may not be the best way to do it. Can you help me out?,'" says Nathan Sheidle.

ClockIt

New version of NETLab released

The New Ecology of Things Lab at Art Center's graduate Media Design Program has released a new version of their NETLab Toolkit. This is a system for more easily connecting microcontrollers to computers, especially targeted at those who may be new to hardware and programming. In this video, Professor Philip van Allen of the Media Design Program shows how you can use NETLab to easily connect a a sensor to an Arduino and to Flash on a desktop machine.

Here's the basic product description:

The NETLab Toolkit is a free set of software tools that enable designers to easily "sketch in hardware". With no programming at all and working in the familiar environment of Flash (or Processing or MAX/MSP), designers can hook up a physical sensor (e.g. a knob) and immediately get that knob to control a motor or a video projection. The toolkit works with a wide range of sensors, wireless sensors, input from the Wii Remote, controls motors and LEDs, communicates with MIDI devices, controls sound, graphics, and video in Flash, and communicates with DMX computer controlled lighting equipment, all with a simple drag-and-drop interface (of course, programming hooks are provided as well).

NETLab Toolkit

June 28, 2009

AIDG: water solutions

AIDG is a NonGovernmental Organization (NGO) that helps provide low technology solutions to help address environmental and health needs to people living in communities without great access to the systems that many of us consider requirements.

Here are a few of their water-based initiatives:

Solar Hot Water:

XelaTeco, with support from AIDG's wonderful interns, recently installed a solar water heating system and water tower for La Guarderia, a childcare center in Llanos del Pinal, Guatemala. La Guarderia was started by two non-profit organizations, Pop Wuj and Jóvenes Juntos, who saw the need for daycare and after school homework assistance in a community plagued by poverty, domestic violence and alcoholism.
Jóvenes Juntos requested the hot water system to promote healthy hygiene practices amongst the children served by center, particularly in the cold winter months. The presence of hot water is expected to reduce the occurrence of skin ailments, such as scabies and other rashes. This segment of the project was funded by AIDG.

Ram Pump:

As the water runs downhill from the source to the ram pump, it gains force and velocity. When this velocity reaches a determined point, the water closes a valve in the ram pump known as the "impulse" or "waste" valve. The force of the water against the now closed impulse valve causes pressure to build inside the pump. The water sends high-pressure shock waves in all directions (the "water hammer," or "ariete" in Spanish, from which the pump gets its Spanish name, "Bomba de Ariete"). These shock waves open another valve, the delivery check valve, and water squirts through reaching altitudes of up to ten times greater than the vertical distance from the water's source to the pump. An air vessel installed in the pump acts as a kind of regulator which keeps the flow at the top steady, instead of delivered in bursts, as the pump internally functions

Sand Filtration:

Properly managed sand filters remove 96%-98% of water borne pathogens such as E. Coli and Giardia, producing a positive significant impact on the health of target users. The greatest effect is expected for young children, who are extremely susceptible to diarrheal diseases caused by exposure to contaminated water. Diarrheal disease causes approximately 2 million deaths per year among children in developing countries.

The World Health Organization has some good documentation on sand filtration technology.

To find out more about AIDG, check out their blog and their photos.

June 15, 2009

MakerBot raffle results fixed announced

Providence's AS220 Labs just released the results of their recent MakerBot raffle. The lucky winner is our very own inimitable and irreplaceable Becky Stern. Grats, Becky!

More:

June 14, 2009

Needlework brings together programmers, crafters

Nice story about the Open Source Embroidery exhibition and movement over on Wired.com:

The movement brings together knitters, embroiderers and quilters who see parallels between the way they create their crafts and how open source software creators share their ideas. At the BildMuseet (art museum) at Umeå University in Sweden, an exhibition — also called Open Source Embroidery — showcases artworks that use embroidery and code as a tool for participatory production and distribution.

“The idea of collaboration has been made cool by open source software,” says Carpenter, the curator of the exhibition. “But artists have been working like this for a long time.”

Even the differences between needlework crafts and open source software are alike, she says. Embroidery is largely dominated by women, while software is created mostly by men, she says. In embroidery, tiny stitches come together to create a pattern visible on the front of the fabric, while its system is revealed on the back. It’s similar to how software is created.

The arguments about open source vs. free software can also be applied to embroidery, says Carpenter, where artists struggle with questions around borrowing and modifying patterns. “The Open Source Embroidery project simply attempts to provide a social and practical way of discussing these issues and trying out the practice,” says Carpenter.

There's also a nice shoutout to MAKE and CRAFT in the article, too!

June 11, 2009

How-To: Knap an arrowhead from a beer bottle

(Image courtesy of Kevin Dunn, whose book Caveman Chemistry, along with a bunch of other cool hands-on projects, contains a chapter on knapping in bottle glass. Thanks Kevin!)

Anybody else read Snow Crash? Remember the big scary Aleut who likes to steal warheads from nuclear submarines using only his canoe and handmade glass knife? Remember how, when you first read that book, you kinda wanted to be that guy? Well, I'm here telling you: It's not too late to become the baddest mango-farmer in the world. After all, even Raven had to start somewhere, and apparently chipping an arrowhead out of bottle glass is the "hello world" of the flintknapping user community. Mike Melbourne and Tim Rast's venerable tutorial shows you how.

June 8, 2009

3D printing summit this weekend in Providence + MakerBot raffle

(Cupcake CNC image from MakerBot Industries)

Bruce Wattendorf is organizing a weekend of RepRap and MakerBot hacking at AS220 Labs, 115 Empire Street, Providence RI on June 12, 13, and 14:

The team will be building a MakerBot, a DIY open source 3D printer. The build will be organized as a series of sessions, so you can help AS220 build a MakerBot and learn about electronics, 3D printing, and the design of the bot. The meeting will kick off Friday night, June 12 at AS220 Labs (2nd floor) from 7-8:30pm to come up with a schedule for the weekend.

There's no charge for this summit, but you can help AS220 by entering in a raffle to win your own MakerBot: Raffle Ticket for MakerBot Cupcake CNC

3D Printing Summit this weekend: learn about Makerbots and RepRaps!

May 28, 2009

CandyFab 6000

Evil Mad Scientist Laboratories just released a new version of their sugar 3D printer, the CandyFab 6000. It's smaller than previous models, enough so to fit on a tabletop, but still has an impressive 10 liter build volume. From the site:

Here's one of the first objects that we fabbed on the CandyFab 6000: a drilled sphere, about two inches in diameter and layer thickness of 1/15 inch. There's plenty of room for improvement, and finally we have a machine that can be improved.
The machine is designed so that it can be made from scratch-- i.e., without dumpster diving for old HP pen plotters. Three axes of quadrature-encoded DC servo motor control. Timing belts and acme lead screws. Food-safe sugar containment. The body is made from laser-cut plywood with acrylic highlights and stainless steel hardware. (Steampunk-compliant brass thumbscrews where appropriate, too.)

May 20, 2009

Darth-in-a-bot to pop up at Maker Faire

Bre writes:

We got ABS into the MakerBot store (store.makerbot.com) and Marius and Philip of the Whatever Lab in Vienna were visiting and they set up the MakerBot named Martha Vader to sing the imperial march and make a Darth Vader Head. The force is strong with this one.

Bre will be at Maker Faire in San Mateo:

We're going to be showing up at Maker Faire with 3 makerbots and our plan is to run them straight through the entire Faire cranking out 3D objects from Thingiverse and setting them free into the world.

We're also going to be on a mission to make robot friends with all the other robots at the Faire!

There is really a huge amount of information on the MakerBot blog. Lots of How-Tos and good examples. Open source all the way...

May 17, 2009

Good clean laser fun with 4volt

[Photo from 4volt.com]

Over the past few months I've been watching the amazing and festive work of Jeremy at 4volt.com. Today's find was a diy laser cut caliper.

Here are plans for a simple caliper, handy to have around the shop for measuring thickness and diameters. Anytime I can build something that helps me build something else I am always pleased.
The plans should be as accurate as your cutter or printer is, I actually used this project as a collaboration for my laser.

Don't have a laser? Then print your own!

If you don't have a laser you can print the PDF and glue the paper down to any flat material and cut it by hand.

[Photo from 4volt.com] Another clever idea is his geek coins, since laser cut acrylic seems to be the currency of the early adopter realm these days:

He writes in is concise explanation:

...I posted about a coin that I laser engraved and enhanced with some paint, but did not post step by step instructions. With a recent project for Midnight Research Labs, I had a chance to take some more pictures.

I engraved the coin in the regular way and then painted over the whole sheet with a standard acrylic spray-paint.

His technique of bringing out the etching on the acrylic is a handy process. I tried to get my phone's barcode scanner to read the QR chip, but the photo was not clear enough.

The first project I noticed from 4volt was the incredible open source Jansen walker which was posted in the MAKE Flickr pool. Gareth beat me to it, but here is a little more of a great project:

4volt Jansen Walker Beta 1 from a3o Studios on Vimeo.
From the MAKE Flickr pool

The Jansen Walker is based on the work of Theo Jansen who did an excellent Ted Talk. This mechanism is also the basis for the Cajun Crawler.

Gareth mentioned this project and the Strandbeest it is inspired by on MAKE: Talk. Plans for the Jansen walker have been recently updated on the 4volt site.

By keeping an ongoing record of his work, Jeremy is helping his own project development and keeping us a part of his community of making.

Thanks for sharing, Jeremy, keep up the inspiration!

May 11, 2009

Bluetoothing a motorcycle helmet

This how-to shows you how to add a bluetooth wireless headset inside of a full-face motorcycle helmet.

Bluetooth Motorcycle Helmet DIY Design

May 10, 2009

Creating solutions - Worldbike

Worldbike Slideshow: Bicycles as a tool for Development from Ross Evans on Vimeo.

Worldbike designs higher-strength, longer-wheelbase bicycles with integrated cargo capacity. We conduct trial markets to determine the ideal price levels, work with the bike industry to get the best quality parts and frames at the lowest cost, and partner with international development organizations like Kickstart International to sell and distribute the bicycles.

Worldbike was included in the Design for the other 90% exhibition by the Cooper-Hewitt Museum.

[Image from worldbike]

The impacts of the Open Source Bike project will be principally felt in identifying and solving the key design challenges in using bikes in the developing world. Through the distributed brains of the worldbike bike community, we'll be able to mobilize talent that otherwise wouldn't be able to participate in this effort.

[Image from worldbike]

Bikes from Worldbike are actually designed to be used to carry the heavy loads demanded of them by developing world users. The durable frame extending racks provide a stable platform and make the bicycle more appropriate for the applications of carrying cargo. Having a properly designed bicycle makes it less likely that the bike will fail from being used outside its' intended use.

April 26, 2009

G1 PhoneTar

Photo from Connors934 on Flickr

Do you have a phone with a touch screen? Have you tried out some music applications and found the thing a bit awkward to hold? Last year I saw some people messing with guitar application on their phones at the Boston Fab Lab and it got me thinking. When I finally got around to getting a phone, making a PhoneTar was up high on the list of things I 'needed' it for. I did some early testing with the laser cutter for sizing and fit, and the project sat for a while.

When I saw the video of "Kids," the project got reactivated.

Mine is the G1 model of PhoneTar, and though I haven't found many instrument apps for it, I have found that it works fairly well as a stabilizer when taking pictures. It can also work on the dashboard as a way of holding the phone while showing maps, but it would need a way different profile for that.

Want to give it a try? Here is a zip file with the Open Office Draw document I used to cut the part and a pdf of it as well: PhoneTar-G1Tar.zip

To turn it into an iPhoneTar, iTouchTar or possibly a BerryTar wouldn't be too hard, you would need to get measurements of your phone, and change the size and possibly the location of the hole. Different models will have alternate locations for the headphone jack as well.

Looking into the future for the project, I see a need for the right hand to do something. A module down there for strumming or touching contacts would be nice, and could probably be connected to the phone with bluetooth or usb. It would also be nice to have a sound scoop behind the speaker so that it directs the audio towards the audience. A mounted amplifier would be festive as well. It could also be configured for use with the Arduino and Drawdio, both of which can be found in the Maker Shed.

This is not intended to be about a finished project, but rather a step in the Design Process. It does work, but there are many ways it could go from here. My hope is to stir you to action (if you are so inclined) and imagine a new way of seeing your music, phone or other devices. If these ideas gets you thinking, give it a shot and let us know what you come up with!

April 24, 2009

Maker Revolution this weekend in Cambridge

Jimmie has this followup on his announcement for Maker Revolution in Boston this Saturday and Sunday:

The event can pretty much be summed up as a two day extravaganza of makers, hackers, and artists getting together to share cool things they've made, and how to make them. There will be installation art pieces, workshops, and talks. You'll be able to both see an Arduino in use for an art piece, purchase one, and even learn how to use it. There will be workshops as well, so you can learn to circuit bend, or build your own TV-B-Gone with the inventor, Mitch Altman. The Makerbot will also make an appearance, and Bre Pettis will be on hand demonstrating rapid prototyping and how it can change your life.
A number of Boston area makers and artists will also be presenting,
showing off some of the their works. This is a good way to find out
about things going on in the area, and how you can become involved.
From building music and sound installations, to designing your own
video games, and even trying a shot of your own DNA. There is sure to
be at least one art piece or talk that you will find interesting. It
is also very conveniently located just a few minute's walk from the
Kendall T stop.

Watch here for updates! If you are going, add your photos to the MAKE Flickr pool.

Posted by Chris Connors | Apr 24, 2009 12:00 PM
Announcements, Arduino, Arts, Computers, Crafts, Culture jamming, DIY Projects, Education, Electronics, Events, Gadgets, How it's made, Kids, Makers, Music, Open source hardware, Robotics, Science, Something I want to learn to do... | Permalink | Comments (1) | Email Entry | Suggest a Site

April 15, 2009

Sparkfun Autonomous Vehicle Competition

Sixteen teams gathered today to determine whose autonomously-navigating vehicle would be the fastest around the Sparkfun headquarters in Boulder, CO.

Four-wheeled rovers (typically built on RC car platforms) dominated the entries, but there were three flying UAVs, and one spheroid (Nathan, with "labrat", pictured at right). One team had been designed a tethered model rocket to fly the course, but, unfortunately, didn't compete.

The race was structured as 3 heats. Each vehicle got 5 minutes to attempt a run; best time overall won the competition.

The first heat got off to a rough start. Only about half of the robots made it to the first corner of the building, and only the Mookie Mobile Death Pod 3000 made it around the whole course.

A slight wind from the West seemed to be affecting the DIY Drones's ability to precisely line up with the course route. It completed many test runs very well, but its first two official runs were disqualified for slightly cutting the corner of the course. The plane also found itself in multiple trees. The Boulder Fire Department was kind enough to help out with one, and other was low enough to get by hand.

The ground-based vehicles had other obstacles to deal with, including curbs, and people who foolishly think that curbs are a safe place to stand.

After nearly hitting its creator, Ohcraptheresalake! (who later went on to discover the creek) goes after innocent bystanders:
Entrants used the time between heats to tweak their robots according to the lessons learned from the previous run. Death Pod 3000, the only robot to complete the course in the first heat, solidified its lead in the second by lowering its time to 1:28.

In the end, though, the DIY Drones team scored a stunning success with their final try, with Chris Anderson's UAV completing the course in 36 seconds to win the tile!

The competition is over! Diy drones is 1st, with deathpod3000 taking the Engineers Choice award. Thanks for following!!! See you next year!

Jordi launches the DIY Drones UAV:
This robot used sparklers to avoid collisions with pedestrians:
All set on the starting line:

More:

Sparkfun's coverage
Sparkfun's twitter feed, with reports and pictures.
Competition page
Chris Anderson's DIY Drones Blog

April 13, 2009

Shopbot open-sources their code

The folks at Becausewecan, Oomlout, and others are all a-twitter because Shopbot has opened up their CNC control code, dubbed OpenSBP. Here's what they say about it on the new OpenSBP site:

OpenSBP® is a syntax standard for the toolpath and instruction code used to control CNC machines and digital fabrication tools. As described here, it is in the public domain and freely available for use on any equipment. It may be generated and exported by any software for use on digital fabrication tools.

The OpenSBP Group
The OpenSBP Group is composed of CNC software companies, CNC tool manufacturers, and users supporting the development of this open syntax standard for the toolpath and instruction code used to control CNC machines and digital fabrication tools. The group seeks to develop a standard syntax that is easy for human users to read, is readily implemented by different controllers, and offers more flexibility and extensibility than legacy G-code. OpenSBP® is freely available for use in any CNC or digital fabrication system and companies. The current certification process is described on the Licensing page. All users are invited to participate in the OpenSBP Group community.

The core coding format for OpenSBP® was developed by ShopBot Tools, Inc for use on ShopBot CNC routers. It has become attractive to other developers because of its simple, straightforward, and human-readable approach to machine control. ShopBots read g-code as well as OpenSBP but believe that OpenSBP is the most useful and efficient format for anyone not dependent on g-code for legacy reasons.

ShopBot has contributed the syntax, along with full documentation and support resources, to the public domain and it is available on this site. ShopBot encourage the use of OpenSBP® in any CNC tool or digital fabrication product and will continue to work with the OpenSBP Group and community of users on its development. The OpenSBP Group plans to develop an Advisory Board to establish general guidelines for using and expanding the OpenSBP® format and syntax, for managing certification, and for developing supporting documentation including helpful documentation for creating post-processors for OpenSBP®.

OpenSBP

April 11, 2009

CRAFT Video: LilyPad Arduino Bike Patch

In this intermediate soft circuit tutorial, I show you how to make a light-up patch that can be used on your backpack for fun and bike safety. If you missed my LilyPad Arduino 101, you may want to watch that first. The theme of this year's Maker Faire is "Re-Make America" so I thought I'd add some red, white, and blue LEDs to my messenger bag. I added them to a removable patch (from the fatlab, an artist collective I'm part of) so I can easily remove it at the airport, in the rain, etc. I used a rechargeable lithium polymer batter to power the whole thing because it's flatter, lasts longer, and can be recharged instead of thrown away. I also made an Instructable where you can find links to all the supplies I used. You can download the source code and schematic for this project to get started on your own!

Subscribe to the CRAFT Podcast in iTunes, or download the m4v video.

In the Maker Shed:

Lilypad E-Sewing Kit

LilyPad Pro Kit

More:

CRAFT Video: LilyPad Arduino 101

April 10, 2009

DIY wireless flash trigger

Matt Mets points us to this DIY wireless flash trigger project. Very cool photography hardware, and you can make it yourself! Specs:

• Synchs at up to 1/250th of a second
• Approximately 30-meter range
• Triggers through walls and windows
• 4 groups of adjustable flashes
• Remote power level adjustment for "old" flashes (e.g. SB-24)
• Cost of parts ~ €50
• Open source software

Includes schematics, source code, etc.

April 7, 2009

Beagle Board-based mobile internet device

Hunyue of HY Research has turned the awesome Beagle Board into a complete mobile internet platform, with a 4.3" touchscreen, battery power capability, some extra side controls, and a CNC case. It won't win any design or beauty contests, but it's still pretty cool.

Beagle MID

April 6, 2009

Open source furniture?

From Wired:

Your next piece of designer furniture could cost less than an Ikea chair--as long as you're willing to make it yourself. Taking a cue from the Linux community and file-sharing services, Berlin-based design guru Ronen Kadushin has started a furniture free-for-all he calls Open Design. It allows crafty consumers to download the instructions, photos, and AutoCAD files needed to knock off his work.

Mod That Table: High-End Furniture Goes Open Source [via EMS Labs Twiiter feed]