Everyone has seen Raspberry Pi Computer, the credit card sized mini PC circuit board that cost only $35. Now there is a new Mobile Raspberry Pi called Pi-to-Go. Mini LCD, 10 hour battery, and 64GB SSD hard drive. You can 3D print your own case and build your own. Complete instruction on how to build this Pi-to-go computer can be found here: blog.parts-people.com/2012/12/20/mobile-raspberry-pi-computer-build-your-own-portable-rpi-to-go/
Video of it in action
youtube.com/watch?v=E89s2h9swIc

this is version one of my beatjazz gestural control interface. it is a 3 way wirelessly networked control interface for creating and manipulating sound. there is a headset, and two hand units, all adjustable.

the beatjazz control interface is not an "instrument" as much as it is an idea of personal interfacing. i created this as my interface to computers to express myself in a different way, owing to the neccesity to program everything myself. my personal version has not remained design stable since its first functional iteration. it is evolving along with the software and the biokinetic paradigm.

in this version, the headset has a pressure sensor that registers breath pressure and uses it to instantiate notes, and functions. it also has a lip sensor made from a force sensing resistor that allows for lip control in a manner similar to a sax player but with massively more potential for expression.

the hand units are exactly the same except that they are mirrored (i designed the left hand and inverted the design before printing.) there are four fsr mounting points on the keypad area for force sensing resistors. underneath the forefinger and the thumb on each hand, there are 5 way toggle switches that i use for mode selection (volume control, looper rec/dub, sustain and primary loop record) and the lower one is for octave selection. on the right hand the upper joytoggle is for transposition modes and for some upcoming concepts i am playing with ;-) while the lower joytoggle is for pre and post fx, muting and feedback.

an accelerometer on each hand determines x-y coordinate based on the plane positioning of the keypad of each hand. with the keypad level with the ground, x axis is left/right tilt and y axis is forward backward tilt, both from the wrist. these motions are used to control a grid of gestural parameters. the synths that i use are purpose built for this method of control, which i call gestural trajectory synthesis. (i will be uploading the patches very ooon.)

Thats a small candle arch, made of 1 mm plywood. We added some LED-light effects, by using a self made LED flickering modul.
more information and other projects you will find under: jtronics.de/modellbau.html

The heaterboard was not heating up, so we installed a new LED and the board now works properly.

This uses a magnetic reed switch for a Z-max endstop on a Thing-o-matic Makerbot printer which allows Z-axis re-calibration before each print.

This is the TinyFan a fan (and fun) driver that controls up to 4 12V fans using just an ATTiny45 or ATTiny8, 4 tactile switches and some electronic components (most general use, aka cheap).

The programming of the ATTiny has the folowing capabilities:
+ Can use PWM in 2 of the outputs (labeled 1 and 2)
+ The tactlie switches have a secondary (special) function if held during 2 seconds.
+ The program can use EEPROM memory to save last state in the chip. Also, if you don't want this feature, you can disable it.

Also you have available two designs: Prefboard or PCB.

Watch it in action! goo.gl/UIM2Z (G+ album)

This thing was made by:
Francisco Malpartida
G.W.C.

Special thanks to Iceflow.

Update 15 Aug 2012 (00:00)
Improved the programming. Now memory is only rewrited after a state sticks for 2 seconds (saving writes while changing the PWM state), and also the code has been reduced (1.96KB without EEPROM, 2.27KB with EEPROM).

Printable led matrix display. In the foot of the display there is a slot where a small circuit board can be fitted.

In the images the display shows the temperature in Celsius. The bottom two rows indicate fractional degrees, each led represents 1/16 th of a degree.

To do
* Create a circuit board small enough to fit nicely behind the display
* Build electronics to link multiple of those displays together.

an attentive projector plattform

A dodecahedron speaker can be a useful tool in acoustics research, and is definitely a fun toy to pull out at parties. They are available commercially, but pretty expensive. Some people build their own, but the odd compound angles and the high degree of accuracy and precision required in the parts make for challenging work with manual tools. It's a perfect job for a 3D printer. Total cost for parts and materials is just under $100. That includes speakers, hardware, wires, cable, plastic filament - everything.

Diamond shaped LED desk lamp.
Approx. size 3 1/2" x 2 3/4" x 2 3/4"
Uses any old 5 volt cell phone charger to produce a quality visual effect.
Some electronics required.

A modular electromagnetic accelerator that actually works...;)

Warning: This project involves the use of a capacitor bank that contains more than enough energy to kill you. Do not attempt to build this unless you know what you are doing !
(There is a real possibility of poking an eye out or qualifying for a Darwin Award if you make a mistake...)

The inspiration to create this came from reading the books "Kristian Birkeland - The First Space Scientist" (available from Springer) and "Zero To Eighty" by Edwin Fitch Northrup.

This is a MOSFET driver board to enable the control of a cooling fan from a Sanguinololu board using Sprinter firmware. I have included a protection diode and suppressing capacitor which is overkill if you are using a PC/GPU brushless DC motor fan but I wanted to make this drive general purpose for use in other expansion projects and experiments.
I also considered having this made by a PCB maker using SMD’s but I would probably need to order a couple of hundred units to make it worth while as its such a small circuit. I think this would be a useful prototyping gadget for Arduino projects as well as 3d printer upgrades as it could be made really small using SMD’s, small enough even to tuck inside a cable sleeve. I’d love to have a bunch of these in my tool box as it would save a lot of time faffing with breadboards when you just want to try something quickly. So if anyone else is interested in buying one or two let me know and if enough people show willing I’ll advance the project.

UPDATE
I have refined the design of this driver and had some boards made up. It’s an SMD design and I've made it as small as possible while still allowing various connector/wiring possibilities. I'm currently making it available as a kit as not everyone has the necessary materials to hand and it can be a pain trying to source one of a particular 0603 resistor. If you'd like to purchase a kit from me please go to:
carbonfrog.com/ebaylistings/MD305V2-Redirect.html
If you'd like just a board or a kit with slightly different parts let me know and if enough people ask for a particular packing list I'll make it available. The kit comes with a brief instruction card but I'm compiling more comprehensive instructions. As soon as they are done I'll upload them and some new photos. Meanwhile please check out my listing above.
Buy the way before anyone asks the supplied transistor is an IRLML0030TRPBF.

This is a system for adding motion to time lapse films.
Check out the video.
vimeo.com/37495550

slidetracked.com

Digital LED Light Strip to create images with long exposure photography.

Original project idea was inspired by TheMechatronicsGuy.

sites.google.com/site/mechatronicsguy/lightscythe/

FOBO is an autonomous, statically balanced walking robot. Yes, this one actually walks under its own power! It is the fourth prototype from Project Biped (http://www.projectbiped.com).


A full overview (with source Blender files) can be found at the Project Biped FOBO website:

projectbiped.com/prototypes/fobo

walking info:
projectbiped.com/prototypes/fobo/walking-cycle

more pictures of the actual robot:
projectbiped.com/prototypes/fobo/photos

FOBO avoiding obstacles:
projectbiped.com/prototypes/fobo/navigation

Controlling FOBO with a Kinect:
projectbiped.com/prototypes/fobo/kinect

Some time ago, a friend of mine asked me to make her a pair of mind-controlled cat ears, and I said, "Oh sure! I can do that."

In my defense, I'd had a bit to drink that night, and didn't think she was serious.

She was.

(Oh, dear.)

On sober reflection, I became curious about whether I could do it. All the pieces seemed to be present:

* The Neurosky headset had just been featured in Make Magazine.

* The arduino microcontroller makes doing simple robotics like this relatively easy.

* The Makerbot and reprap printers make it possible to iteratively design custom hardware, which was going to be really important.

So instead of completely and utterly insane, the idea turned out to be merely odd. But doable.

Anyway, if you've ever woken up and said to yourself, "I'd like to strap a pair of robotic cat ears to my head, and interface them with my brainwaves," your wish has now come true.

Prototype 1

The first prototype is complete. It's imperfect, a bit fiddly, and bulky, but it held up long enough for us to put it on and walk around downtown Boston with it.

Here's a video of the first prototype in action. It showcases the ears drooping, standing upright, and wiggling at different levels of mental activity:

vimeo.com/32018607

Who should make this?

Let's be honest, this is a lot of work to do in order to make some kitty ears. The purpose of this thing was to learn how to do it and have fun. And I'm releasing it here because I'm curious what else people could make based on it.

Make Something Different

I'm very interested to see what can be made with this toolkit beyond cat ears.

The servo mounts can be used to attach motors to the MindWave headset, which was a bit of a tricky mechanical problem. Now that that's solved, what else could you do? Some suggestions for things you could make to mount on your head:

* other ears, like dog or rabbit ears
* antennae
* spikes
* fricking laser beams

It's hard to make derivatives of .STL files, so I'll be uploading the Solidworks files for people to tinker with, as soon as I have a chance to clean them up a bit.

Special Thanks

Many people helped me bring this project to completion. Some tried (vainly) to maintain my sanity. Others helped by listening to me rant like a madman (and didn't back away quickly enough). Some others contributed directly, and I'd like to thank them here.

Miriam Byroade designed and sewed the fabric for the ears and the holster holding the electronics.

Jeff Cutler contributed significantly to the arduino code, and is single-handedly responsible for the MoveToPosition(); function.

Amber Ying dared me to make the ears, modeled them, and has patiently tested three versions of them, all the while waiting for a working set.

Thanks again to all of you, and to the others I haven't mentioned. I promise to bother you more as I work on the next prototype.

This is my British themed Prusa Mendel.

For more details on the design and build, please see my Blog - richrap.blogspot.com/2011/10/made-in-insert-country-here-british.html

Video's of the build and printing can be seen on my Youtube channel - youtube.com/user/RichRap2011

I hope you like it.

This part is designed to allow you to mount a 1-DIN car stereo into a 2-Din slot. DIN is generally defined as 180X50mm, so a 2-DIN is 180X100mm. Many cars come with a 2-DIN sized manufacturer radio, while many aftermarket radios are 1-Din, necessitating a part to fill the gap in the front panel. In my case the car in question is a 1996 ford explorer with a 2-DIN radio slot. After the stock radio broke a few years ago I got a new radio that came with a mounting kit. After that radio got stolen the insurance sent us a radio that came with a mediocre mounting kit that promptly broke, so I designed and printed my own. The adapter mounts a Pioneer P5100UB head unit into the slot of a 1996 Ford Explorer, however DIN sizes tend to be standardized, making it possible that this unit will work for other vehicles, which is why I decided to post it.

Features:
The adapter has a large opening in the front to allow you to store CDs, remotes, papers, etc. There is a little lip on the front to prevent stuff from sliding out when you accelerate. The coolest feature is the three 5mm holes and channel on each side. These are intended for you to insert 3 LEDs and run the wiring through the channel so as to create a neat lighting effect. I found the coolest effect to be from producing the plastic parts entirely in Nuclear Green ABS: store.makerbot.com/nuclear-green-abs-1kg-spool-3mm-filament.html
The LEDs were UV: radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3107633
This creates an effect where the lighting comes almost entirely from the fluorescence of the plastic and is thus much more diffuse and less likely to glare into your eye while driving at night. It's also just very unique looking.

Note: In the third image from bottom the apparent double image of the 3 LEDs is caused by reflection off the top plastic surface, showing how shiny it is after treatment with acetone.
The bottom image is how the radio/lighting setup would appear from the vantage point of the driver looking down at night.
The top image of course looks straight in and is far brighter than the driver would see. Still it is important for safety reasons to wire it to an external switch rather than just wiring it to the ignition or the instrument light control so that it can be switched off manually if it becomes too bright or distracting.

This is a rough draft of the framework necessary for an axial flux generator, a type of non-commutated turbine ideal for home construction. Great for wind turbines!

This is the PRotos 3D-Printer designed on the base of Mendel/Prusa to build up a more versatile printer wich is expandable for different applications.
It is available as a complete kit at: grrf.de/de/catalog/grrf-protos-3d-drucker-komplettbausatz

Prodos is the second prototype robot from Project Biped (http://www.projectbiped.com) whose goal is to create an open source 3D printed dynamically balancing walking robot. Prodos was designed to demonstrate how to coordinate simple limb chain actuation using a microcontroller. It has 8 degrees of freedom (joints) and can perform a simple walking action. The servos used were selected for economy and aren't powerful enough to bear the robot's own weight, so Prodos must be externally supported while it is executing its walking action. See a video of Prodos in action at projectbiped.com/prototypes/prodos/walking-analysis

Prodos has the following features:
*Uses an Arduino Duemilanove microcontroller
*User interface via OLED display and 4 button panel
*8 degrees of freedom
*Detailed assembly instructions

Perhaps some will find this useful if they dont have acces to "Double Throw" relays. A variant of the ToM Extruder Relay Fix for dying extruder motors that only operates in the forward direction. Uses 2x 12volt single throw relays, 2x electrolytic capacitors and 3x 1N400X series diodes.

A small PCB that breaks out SSOP-08 packages to a standard 0.1" pin spacing. This allows you to use these SMD devices with bread boards and strip boards. I created this board so that I could use a PCA9306 I2C level shifter in a prototype, but it'll work with any SSOP-08 device.

Bold Note: I have not assembled or built one of these and only used the original PSMD board as reference to try and make things fit. The capacitor and jumper switches under the Polulu may or may not fit. Also, i changed the connector for the stepper to a standard 0.1" header.

This is simply a manipulation of the PSMD Triple Axis Driver by 'tinkerings'.
The idea is that it replaces the need for 5 stepper boards using the Gen 4 Makerbot electronics and replaces it with only one board. (Not counting the 5 pololu boards).


The first step for me was to recreate the previous version with an additional 2 stepper drivers. Next step is to make the connector a 30-pin ribbon so i can create custom boards for various controllers. :P

Note: Some Pololu drivers can operate at 3.3V and 5V...just saying. :) The end stop connectors on A and B is for experimental purposes. I know it consumes unnecessary pinnage, but you never know what it may be used for...encoder? :)

UPDATE #1: Thanks for the tips Protonite! I've added some changes that some people may like, and some may find it really annoying. :) I changed the 10 pin connector to a 6 pin connector, like on the Makerbot boards. I've axed the Max Endstop for good measure. The Makerbot motherboard has 2 pins unused. I added VCC and Minumum Endstop signal to these pins. It should not affect the Makerbot Motherboards compatibility. Ive added both the PC Power Supply plug, and a screw terminal connection. There is also a switch added so you can turn off the Voltage to the motors without powering down the supply completely. Useful for servicing the stepper boards. I appreciate the input advice! I think the new layout looks pretty sick, and i cant wait to get a working version made. :)

Compatibility:
Makerbot Motherboard; Stepper Motors require standard 0.1" header

Version 1.1 of the NBitWonder DC Motor Driver. This project is a simple dual-channel DC motor for robotics and other hobbyist projects. The project uses hand-solderable parts (no under-chip pads), and fits completely on a single-sided PCB, making it easy to print or fabricate using homebrew PCB methods. The board is designed to be cheap, with parts costing ~$10 in quantity 1 (without volume discounts).

The project was originally designed as drive electronics to be used in conjunction with Marc Raiser's Tank project: thingiverse.com/thing:6554 (Tank v2 thingiverse.com/thing:8080 is explicitly modified for use with this board). Design files are posted here, but for the most up-to-date documentation and technical data, refer to the project's github repository, which can be found here: github.com/NBitWonder/DCMotorController

The project is the result of hard work by members of the NBitWonder community. For more about us, and some of our other projects, check us out here: nbitwonder.com

This is a derivative of Tinkering's thingiverse.com/thing:4526 with the endstop interface and the LED's removed (for now) using the robotshop.com/pololu-8v-35v-2a-single-bipolar-stepper-motor-driver-w-regulators.html . This board is designed to be easy to etch at home using the laser printer method so it can be made at home. I decided to make this guy because i fried one of my motor controllers by accident and the replacements have a 3 week lead time. Everything needed to make this can be picked up from radio shack in exception to some of the connectors.

If you want micro-stepping (1/16), and want to learn how to make your own PCB, this thing is for you.

* Will be finishing write up soon!

I built this CNC router from designs I saw all ver the place and like the idea of using aluminium channel and steel. I simply built the table then measured the gantry to suit. You can build any size this way as long as you re-enforce properly. The control board came from HobbyCNC and the motors are NEMA 23. The power supply I built (simple 24v 7A).

For my wedding in October 2011 I asked my fiance if I could build something, she only asked that it not be tacky. This is what I came up with. It's a modular folding photo booth. I designed the model in Sketchup, programmed it in Autoit, and gave it a nice Glados voice. I needed an input device and I decided to make a serial comm button. I took a 555 timer and made it generate a 4.8kHz square wave. At 9600 baud this translates to UUUUUUUU plus one garbage character when the button is released. for now it only uses a Webcam to take photos but hopefully I will be find a deal on a canon power shot sometime in the next months to upgrade it. Since the printouts are resized, the small webcam resolution isn't noticable, however it won't be suitable if i wanted to incorporate the singles frames into a album. I'm working on some upgrades using the twitter api so I can have the booth update me whenever it is taking photos. This way I can tell it's status and share photos easier.


Here is a video of it's assembly and the software.

youtube.com/watch?v=jNGg821bC7c

Addition of lights to my stage.

A drop-in replacement for the MakerBot stepper drivers that contains all three axes on one board.

You can order these from my web site: tinkerin.gs/p/psmd-pololu-stepper-motor-driver-triple.html
Now you can also order these from Seeed Studio!: seeedstudio.com/depot/psmd-triple-axis-driver-p-1029.html

Updated: Now smaller (same height as a Gen4 stepper driver and 1/4" wider for 3X the axes), and with dip switches to configure microstepping. Also now has a motor-power-in (or 12V out) screw terminal that can be used to drive the motors on up to 35V. I need to update the files an description.

See it in action here (with an early prototype): youtube.com/watch?v=8TEvwzTABEI&hd=1
And it's not mentioned or shown, but you can see it in action in this video: youtube.com/watch?v=2iGnlqBLn5s&hd=1

This board makes your steppers run at eight times higher resolution (1/16th steps instead of 1/2 steps), making it run smoother and way quieter.

I based the design on the MakerBot Stepper Driver v3.0 ( thingiverse.com/thing:760 ) but with a few notable exceptions:

•) I used the Pololu A4983/A4988 ( j.mp/pololu-smd2 ) stepper motor driver carrier board for each axis, so three of them are required for all three axes to work. (This was originally designed fo the A4983, but the replacement A4988 works great.)
•) Circuitry that is already on the Pololu board has been removed.
•) The CD-ROM-style connectors from the Gen4 electronics are used. I used a horizontal-mount connector instead of a vertical mount for mostly cosmetic reasons on the Cupcake, and that may have to be changed for the Thing-o-magic or a RepRap. I'll have to modify the layout to support vertical connectors if they are needed.
•) This board is etchable and hand-solderable. This means that, with the exception of the thru-hole capacitor leads, none of the lead holes are used as vias. Also, traces are reasonably far apart, all of the wiring of the thru-hole parts (except the caps) is on the back, and vias (and drilling) are avoided as much as possible. I have provided the PDF I used for toner transfer.

I placed the Pololu boards vertically and with nothing under them to provide a natural flow of hot air past them. This is why the capacitors are mounted on the back. If they still show signs of overheating, there are holes at the bottom to mount a 12v CPU fan to blow air up past them and provide cooling. So far, in my testing, the steppers overheat before the drivers.

More info about the RepRap testing with Pololu drivers (and my inspiration) here: reprap.org/wiki/Pololu_Electronics

Update 1: Oops, I forgot to post my machines.xml. Now it's up.
Update 2: I added a photo of this latest revision with the endstop connectors corrected and soldered in place. I'm working on the mechanical endstops as another thing. All of the other photos are of the previos revision of this board.
Update 3: I updated the eagle files with some minor cosmetic changes, mostly to clean up the silk screen. I didn't change the version because it's all cosmetic.
Update 4: I have partial build instructions up on Flickr. flickr.com/photos/giseburt/sets/72157625473951054/
Update 5: I have updated the design a little, and bumped the version number to 0.5. (I've left the 0.2 files here.) It now has 6-pin connectors that should be compatible with the Gen4 electronics. It also has a 12V in/out screw terminal, and I've added more silk-screen to help identify parts and pins. The down side is that the -pin connectors made the traces really tight, and it will be more difficult to solder a home-etched version, since some traces to the 6-pin headers are on the top side.

I'm sorry, I'm currently out of kits. I am in the process of having some professionally made, but I don't currently have an ETA. The good news is that they will be completely assembled, and the only soldering needed will be of the Pololu drivers.