I take *tons* of documentation photos as I build the electronics I design for RepRap, and sometimes I get a bit bored and like to take random macro shots. Sometimes they turn out really neat, showing you a perspective or detail you just cant get as a human. Today was one of those days:
and
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all turned out pretty well. make sure you click through for the big versions!
I’m happy to release the v1.3 of the Sanguino software. This is a compatibility update for the Sanguino. I’ve fixed some minor compatibility issues with some of the core Arduino libraries.
I’ve tested and fixed the following libraries:
* LiquidCrystal – for controlling LCD displays
* Servo – for controlling servo motors
I’ve fixed, but not tested the following libraries (need circuits to test on):
* Wire – for talking i2c to various things
* Ethernet – for doing ethernet communication
Anyway, you can download it from SourceForge or check out the Sanguino homepage.
Two for two. Stay tuned for another exciting meeting photo next week.
I spent the day today hacking on an RS485 circuit for the RepRap Project. It was successful, and pretty fun to boot. I managed to send serial data over a big long wire and had no noise problems. This stuff is going to form the basis of the 3rd generation electronics for controlling RepRap machines, and having a noise immune communications system. when you have motors and long wire drops is a major benefit.
Anyway, I wrote up a big long article about it on the RepRap blog if you’re interested in more technical details. Next up: SD Card reading and writing.
We sort of took a break on classes in October, but we’re back in full force in November with a programming-oriented lineup. Here are the various classes we’re offering:
Arduino Programming 101: Hello World
Sunday, November 02, 2008
1 session, 2 hours
The Arduino is a simple yet powerful microcontroller board. More info here: arduino.cc
This is your friendly introductory class. We’ll cover what an Arduino is, how to program your arduino, what a variable is, what a function is, how to call a function, basic statements. Most importantly, we’ll cover where to get help if you need it. Once we get a handle on how everything works, we’ll go about writing a simple program to blink an LED when a button is pressed.
If there is time, we’ll keep adding features and doing cool things.
An Arduino and a Danger Shield will be provided for use, but please bring a laptop if possible.
Instructor: Zach Smith
Beginning PHP: Getting Started
Saturday, November 08, 2008
Instructor: Kelly Farrell
2 hours, 1 session
Learn the basics of PHP, one of the most popular languages for
creating dynamic web pages and web applications. In this class you’ll
learn what you need to get started with PHP. We’ll cover what you need
to pick a web host, how to work with PHP files, and some basic syntax.
This class is perfect for people with little or no web programming
experience. Please bring a laptop to work on. If you already know your
way around SFTP and have a favorite code editor, skip ahead to
Beginning PHP: Variables, Functions, & More
Arduino Programming 102: If Funky, Get Loopy
Sunday, November 09, 2008
1 Session, 2 Hour
Instructor: Zach Smith
Its recommended that you take the 101 class, but it is not required.
The Arduino is a simple yet powerful microcontroller board. More info here: arduino.cc
This class is focused on taking all the fundamentals of Arduino programming, and creating a useful program. We’ll dive into the wonderful world of if/then/else statements. We’ll traverse the ocean of loops and exit into a wonderful paradise of useful, functioning programs.
This class is based around the Arduino and the NYC Resistor Learner Shield, which is a fun device that has lots of cool, preset inputs/outputs for you to easily explore. We will be covering the basic functions of this device as well.
An Arduino and Danger Shield will be provided to each student, but please bring a laptop if possible.
Beginning PHP: Variables, Functions, & More
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Instructor: Kelly Farrell
2 Hours, 1 session
Learn the basics of PHP, one of the most popular languages for
creating dynamic web pages and web applications. We’ll cover
variables, functions, constants, handy tricks to make things easier,
and what you’ll need to get your first script up and running.
For this class you’ll need to be familiar with SFTP and basic HTML
concepts. If you’re starting from scratch consider taking Beginning
PHP: Getting Started. Please bring a laptop to work on.
Arduino Programming 103: Sensory Overload
Sunday, November 16, 2008
1 Session, 2 Hours
Instructor: Zach Hoeken
It is recommended that you take the 101 and 102 classes, but it is not required.
The Arduino is a simple yet powerful microcontroller board. More info here: arduino.cc
During this class, we will explore the many different ways of gathering information from the outside world. The NYC Resistor Learner shield has many interesting sensors including a light sensor, a temperature sensor, a knock sensor, and some sliders. We will be examining each of these sensors and showing you how to use them in your programs.
An Arduino and Danger Shield will be provided to each student, but please bring a laptop if possible.
It’s very likely we’ll add more classes very soon, so make sure you check our updated class list!
NYC Resistor is not only a sweet hackerspace, but it is also the home of the RepRap Research Foundation, a not-for-profit setup to support RepRap research. If you are unfamiliar with RepRap, it is an open source project to build a self-replicating 3D printer. This is a large project, with a wide range of disciplines involved: the software, firmware, 3D positioning system, and extruders are all large projects in their own right.
We will be having an open hacklab on Sunday, September 21st from 1PM to 4PM. It is absolutely free to come, but we will gladly accept donations. The format of the hacklab itself is still amorphous, and I like it that way. We will probably start with a short Q/A session about the RepRap, and then get to working on the machine. Please read up on the project before coming to the hacklab. Every single question you have for me has probably already been answered in great detail on RepRap.org Feel free to bring your own RepRap, or parts of it if you have one. My machine has been in various states of broken for months now, and I hope to finally have it working by the day of the hacklab. If it is working, then we will probably work on making it print cool things. If it isn’t working, then we will probably work on making it work. I also am expecting new PCBs this friday, so we can play with some experimental prototypes.
This is intended as more of a work session than a talk / show and tell. Please show up ready to get your hands dirty playing with fun open source hardware.
Confirmed: Moleskine notebooks contain PVC or other chlorinated plastics. Do not laser cut them for your safety and the safety of your laser cutter.
Adam brought his laptop in to etch today. As we all know, laser cutting PVC is bad and releases chlorine gas (which is corrosive and bad for you and your machine.) Adam’s laptop was made of an unknown polymer, and we wanted to make sure we didn’t damage our new lazzzor. Luckily, there is an easy way to determine if a plastic is okay to etch. Watch the video below, and check out this guide to polymer identification for full details. There is actually a suite of tests you use to determine the type of plastic, but the burning one is the most fun, as well as the one that detects chlorine. Enjoy!
Polymer Identification by Burnination from Zach 'Iowa' Hoeken on Vimeo.
I do all of my hacking at the NYC Resistor hacker space, and I’m proud to announce the most recent fruit of my labors: the Sanguino. This board is an Arduino-compatible board that boasts 4x the memory (64K!) 4x the RAM (4K!) and 12 more pins (32 IO pins!) Its all open source and you can get one from the RepRap Research Foundation for only $25. Sweet!
Oh, and I managed to get this footage last night. Check it out.
Sanguino: Arduino’s Big Brother from Zach 'Iowa' Hoeken on Vimeo.
Online software services generally get a bad rap. Nobody says anything about them unless they break, and when they do everyone throws a fit. I’d like to do the opposite of that today and say that Eventbrite has done something that has made me really happy: They listened to me and made a change that makes my life much easier.
As you may know, NYC Resistor uses Eventbrite as a way to manage our classes by allowing us to put them online, sell tickets, and just generally make it a nice little system that works smoothly. The one gripe I had was that they previously lumped Draft and Live events into the same tab. Now as you can imagine, since we’re offering classes, we have quite a few Draft events, and quite a few Live events at any one time.
On a whim, I contacted their support team in hopes they would fix it. I sort of assumed that it would fall into some dusty bin of suggestions from users never to be seen again. Instead, I got an email less than 2 days after I contacted them saying that they had not only considered my suggestion, but implemented it as well!
Bravo Eventbrite, bravo.
