This week on Maker Update, a laser cut split flap weather station, a hacker-improved insulin
pump, TensorFlow machine learning comes to the Raspberry Pi, Barbie eats sushi, a neon
sign from LEDs, an orbital lab shaker, a googly gear monster, velocity painting, wet sanding,
braising, SVG tracing and CNC stitching.
Hey, I’m Donald Bell, and welcome to another Maker Update.
How’s everybody doing?
I’ve got a great show for you with a bunch of projects and tips and even a little news.
So let’s get started, with the project of the week.
Check out this custom-built split-flap display by Gabba People on Instructables.
The display is set up to show a weather forecast and the current temperature.
It’s made from a bunch of laser cut acrylic panels and gears, a NEMA stepper motor and
a motor shield.
Driving it all is an Arduino Mega with an ESP8266 Wi-Fi shield and a 12v 3 amp power
supply.
What’s unique about this particular project is that the code is created using a visual
programming tool called XOD.
It looks a little over my head, but I’m always interested in seeing other approaches
for coding projects like this.
What I particularly love about this project are all the exploded diagrams used to illustrate
how the parts fit together.
It’s a beautiful design and I don’t see any reason you couldn’t repurpose it for
a Raspberry Pi powered display if that’s more familiar to you.
As some of you know, I have a minor obsession with split flap displays.
If you’re looking for similar projects, I’ll include links to two other great split
flap projects by Jon-A-Tron and ScottBez1.
Now for some news.
A huge maker story on Bloomberg Businessweek.
It’s about an open source modification to an insulin pump that allows you to inexpensively
view and manage blood sugar levels.
The modification exploits a Bluetooth security hole on an existing, FDA-approved Medtronic
insulin pump.
It’s a great story about hackers changing lives and working together to solve problems.
But it’s also a complicated story about medical safety and regulation.
So go check that out.
In other news, Google has released a version of their TensorFlow AI software that you can
install directly on a Raspberry Pi with no additional hardware.
Google has been creating hardware-accelerated Tensorflow projects, like their AIY Voice
and Vision kits, but this is the first time we’re seeing TensorFlow able to run on the
Pi locally.
With it, you can toy around with Machine Learning and graphing out data in interesting ways.
Now back to more projects!
Niklas Roy and Kati Hyyppä created this interactive mechanical game called Feed Barbie.
Using a joystick, you tilt the doll’s head around and are awarded points when you get
her to taste sushi.
It’s weird and funny and totally my kind of thing.
Inside, they’re using an Arduino Uno and a stepper motor to move the head and a solenoid
to move the tongue.
You can find the build log and Arduino code using the link in the show notes.
On Adafruit, John Park has a guide on making these neon-style LED signs using a new type
of 12v LED strip Adafruit is selling.
The effect is closer to the look and brightness of neon than any LED or EL version I’ve
seen yet.
But because the stip is 12 volts and isn’t addressable, John goes over how to animate
the lights with a Darlington transistor connected to an Arduino.
If you ever wanted a neon sign for your workshop, this looks like a practical way to get it.
Progress Thailand has a guide on Thingiverse for creating this 3D printed chemistry lab
orbital shaker.
The project uses an Arduino Pro Micro, a motor breakout board, a handful of screws nuts and
bearings, and a NEMA stepper motor -- which has got to be the component of the week at
this point.
On the Progress Thailand Thingiverse page you can also find links to bunch of other
lab essentials, including a centrifuge and a magnetic stirrer.
Check it out.
Back on Adafruit, the Ruiz brothers have a guide on creating this silly rack and pinion
robot toy.
It’s a 3D printed design with some googly eyes added for maximum cuteness.
A Circuit Playground and Cricket board drive a geared DC motor and provide some control
over the speed.
The real star of the show, though, is rack and pinion gear, which I could just look at
all day.
I kinda want to glue a little Lego guy to the disk, though, so the monster has something
to chew on.
It’s time for some tips.
On YouTube I found this useful video by Thomas Sanladerer about velocity painting your 3D
prints.
It’s something I’d never heard of, and it turns out not to be painting at all.
It’s a way to apply a slight patterned texture to your 3D prints and it’s a cool effect.
Over on Makezine, there’s an oldie-but-goodie on wet sanding by my maker guru Jordan Bunker.
I still don’t think I have the patience for it, but it’s useful to understand the
technique.
Tiffany Tseng is back with yet another free web app for makers.
This one is called SVG Tracer and it can trace bitmap images into vector images you can send
to a laser cutter or CNC router, or plotter.
More than that, it’s specifically great at tracing packaging and paper folding patterns.
It can distinguish between cut lines and score lines and save them as different paths.
Definitely bookmark this one.
Bob Clagett has a new Bits video up on brazing aluminum.
It looks like a relatively simple process, but until I actually do it, I appreciate seeing
how it’s supposed to go.
And through the Evil Mad Scientist blog I learned about Ink/Stitch.
This is a free, open source plug-in for the equally free and open source Inkscape image
editor.
It turns your images into files you can embroider using embroidery machines from Brother and
other manufacturers.
This week’s tool recommendation from is my trusty mini butane torch.
I’ll include a link to the one I’ve reviewed for Cool Tools.
If nothing else, it’s my favorite way to work with heat shrink, but it can also work
as a cordless soldering iron.
So check that out.
Maker Faires!
This weekend we have Singapore, Seattle WA and Grand Rapids Michigan.
I also got an email about a Maker Music Festival happening October 13th in Sebastopol CA.
There’s a call out for participation happening now, but I’m sure it will also just be a
cool event to check out.
And that does it for this week’s show.
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using the link down in the description.
Alright?
Thanks for watching, and I’ll see you next week.