This week at MakeLV (5/1/2017)
One of the most common things we hear from visitors and newcomers is that we don't update our blog and there aren't any pictures of what goes on here, etc. I don't want to make all sorts of commitments I won't keep, but I recently got my first DSLR and am enjoying taking photos of whats going on. So, for the first time in years, here are some actual pictures from this week at MakeLV. From left to right are the descriptions below. I promise to learn a nicer way to throw these into a post with descriptions, honest 😉
Photon got an old Pentium 166 loaded up with DOS 6.22, Windows 3.11, and a copy of ImpuleTracker and was playing some old MOD audio files.
Mobius was working on our audio system in the space, adding a 15" Dayton Audio 350W (RMS) sub in a custom-built folded horn box that stands waist high.
Photon jumped in on the stereo work and replaced the caps in an Altec Lansing single-channel 31-band EQ destined for the sub.
Ed started assembly on an enclosure and bench for the CNC mill he and Tronwizard have been working on.
Ed and Ben are working on some Python on a Raspberry Pi 3 which is using the pygame library to produce some graphics for an upcoming project.
MakeLV T-Shirts
MakeLV is proud to announce that we are offering T-Shirts for sale to members and non-members. Available by pick-up only, the shirts are on a soft, light material, and cost $15. Check the sidebar for ordering information.
World Maker Faire Bus 2016
We're excited for our annual bus trip to World Maker Faire in NYC, come ride with Make Lehigh Valley!
We have a luxury coach reserved and will be leaving from DaVinci Science Center at 8AM on Saturday October 1st to head to NYSCI in Queens for the Faire. You can park in the DaVinci lot while we're gone, and we'll be returning there around 10PM the same day.
Details and tickets available at the link below. Purchase your tickets by September 29th 2016 at 6PM!
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/world-maker-faire-2016-with-make-lehigh-valley-tickets-27374344401
Trading Card Sorting Machine
Although I've been working on this project since I joined the makerspace back in February, this will be my first blog entry on my quest to design and build a Trading Card Sorter. Here's a little background on the project:
Since I began playing Magic: the gathering back in my senior year of high school, I've acquired boxes and tubs full of cards just lying around my room in precipitous towers with zero organization. I also noticed that game store owners spend many man hours each week sorting through the thousands of cards they get each week by hand just figure out what they even have in stock. So to make both their, and my, life easier, I'm attempting to build a prototype of a this card sorter and try it out in a game store.
Since I started, I've gotten up to a simple design for the 3 axes and shape of the sorter, with only a general idea of how I'm planning on actually picking up the cards. The base frame will be like any XY gantry system, being driven by stepper motors on a frame make of 80/20.
Above are pictures of the X axis drive, with a rickety platform from which I was planning on mounting the Y axis assembly. The mounting plate, driven by a stepper with a belt, will be guided on side rails of aluminum rod using bearings press fitted into covers with a triangle curve to "grip" the rods. It's a very WIP prototype, as the plate will need more support in order to take most of the load off the bearings.
Later this week I'm planning of remaking the plate since it'll need 3 bearing mounting holes to properly constrain it and finishing up the frame from aluminum plate, 80/20, and some nuts/screws.
That's it for now, I'm planning on posting each week to help me stay motivated, continue working on it each week, and keep a record of my journey to create my first homemade machine!
~Mark
Member Project Update: Filament Extruder Project Update
Hi All, the following is an update the Make Lehigh Valley Filament Extruder Project. This update is dedicated Matt Schwarz who recently passed away and who was a co-organizer of Make Lehigh Valley makerspace. Matt was an early proponent DIY 3D printing, filament extrusion and completed prior work at the space in the extrusion of filaments, building of the the space's first 3D printer and other initiatives. Matt's presence at the space will be missed by all.
Current activities in the filament extruder have focused on the refinement of the heating element and the motor. The oven element heater has been replaced by fiberglass covered nichrome wire powered by a repurposed inverter transformer. The output of the transformer is 6 vac which powers parallel strands of nichrome wire.
A 'slo-sync' 72 rpm motor has been installed to power the extruder. Testing has indicated that this is a little slow and work is underway to either speed up the motor via a variable frequency drive or replace the motor with another type.
Nichrome heater element with insulation removed
Overall view of extruder including 'slo-sync' motor
View of extruder auger with housing removed
Extruding filament at the space testing temperatures and feedrates
Next steps including installation of thermocouples at several locations on the extruder body and building an Arduino circuit to read and display the temperatures. Additional testing will done to refine location of nichrome heating elements and assess whether multi-stage heating of the extruder assembly is warranted. The motor drive is also being redesigned to achieve higher extruder speeds.
Frank Lyter
Member Project Update: Frank’s Filament Extruder (WIP)
Hi All, the following is an update the Make Lehigh Valley Filament Extruder Project. Thus far, the concept has been demonstrated successfully with production of several meters of ABS filament!!!
The emphasis on the project at this stage is determining fundamental parameters for operation of key sections of the design. Key sections of the project include; nozzle design (nozzle diameter, length, inlet & outlet shape), material heater body design (single stage vs. multistage heating, heater element design including material, voltage, current, insulation), extruder design (length of extruder, hopper geometry) and drive mechanism (gear reduction, clutch, drive motor options).
Safety is a key design consideration for the project. For example, low voltages are planned for powering of the heater element along with interlocks to protect against extruder or motor overload.
Next steps include; refinement of the heater element, incorporation of automatic heater control and testing of motor drive options. Once these items are tested satisfactorily, more sophisticated automation is planned. The automation is expected to include an integrated control scheme incorporating heater controls, clutch slippage detection, drive motor controls and hopper feed sensing and controls. Control platform and sensor options are still under review with the emphasis on safety, open source, simplicity, availability, cost and reliability.
Additional project details are provided in previous posts.
Comments and suggestions welcomed!
Frank Lyter
Repurposed oven heater element - prototype heater used to refine heater design requirements
Heater fit up to nozzle - one of several bend configuration under consideration
Extruder heater test to evaluate operating voltages and currents
Autotransformer used for voltage and amp evaluation
Heater element attached to extruder - subsequently covered in fiberglass insulation.
First filament production!!! Evaluation ongoing for optimum temperatures and pressures - sections with bubbles are when temperature was too high
Member Project Spotlight: Frank’s Filament Extruder (WIP) Updated
Frank just sent us another update on his filament extruder. Some progress has been made, and he's almost ready for testing. This is shaping up to be one of the more ambitious projects from one of our members and we're excited to see it in action.
"I am nearing completion of the clutch for the extruder and have completed the adapter to be able to turn the extruder with a variable speed drill. My thoughts on the clutch are to place hose clamps on each side over top where the slots are cut. The tighter the clamps the higher the torque until it slips (that is the theory anyway). If I need more torque applied, I am thinking of a steel can with bolted flanges to tighten down on the plastic coupling. There is a floating steel rod inside (not shown) that maintains the alignment between the aluminum halves. The plastic is a PVC pipe union connector with slots cut so clamps can compress the plastic coupling. Progress has been slower than I hoped due to other projects, but I am getting close to being able to conduct the first trials which I plan to do at the space. "
"The clutch assembly is complete and the extruder end has been drilled for a pellet hopper and a small aluminum hopper added. My plan is for a full-size hopper would set on top of aluminum block. The only thing I need to do to allow an initial test is to make some nozzles to fit in the "T" connection. I am going to try to drill some brass plugs with a 1/16" drill as a start. 1/16" (0.0625") may be close to what is required to get a 1.75 mm (0.069") figuring it will swell as it comes out the nozzle."
Donate to our Laser Cutter fundraising campaign!
Hey, fellow makers!
We're trying to raise the last bit of cash we need to purchase a Red Sail X700 Laser Cutter/Engraver for the space and we need your help!
As of 7/4 we're a little under halfway to our goal. Show your support and help us out, receive some cool stuff for your troubles, and get that warm feeling inside knowing that you helped out a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the community. Just follow the link below to send us a donation via our Indiegogo campaign. Remember, we are a non-profit organization and every little bit will help!
https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/make-lehigh-valley-laser-cutter--2
Member Project Spotlight: Frank’s Filament Extruder (WIP)
- Extruder shaft machined to accept bearings on both ends
- Bearing supports for both ends of the extruder - hot end is a bronze sleeve bearing, drive end is a tapered roller bearing to handle the thrust of extruding
- Extruder mounting plate machined to accept the extruder and gearbox mounted and rough aligned
- Mounting plate for future motor drive / gear reduction assembly installed
- Machine coupling between extruder and gearbox
- Clutch system between gearbox and extruder to prevent over-torquing in the event of a jam
- Machine adapter for gearbox high speed end to allow connection to variable speed drill for testing to validate required speeds
- Machine hole for plastic pellet inlet
- Machine nozzle orifice - considering using removal orifice similar to jets in carburetors to aid in cleaning if required
- Design / fabricate hopper - 3D printed in ABS?
- When this point is reached, it would seem some basic testing could occur
- Design / install sensor, heater and controller - Arduino based? probably nichrome wire based similar to existing unit (for initial trials, I am thinking external heating via heat gun may allow for testing)
- Design / machine supports for gear reduction sets for motor drive - one gear needs a support shaft added to one side of the gear (large metal gear shown in photo)
- Design / motor supports - with the high gear reduction, planning to use stepper motor to allow adjustment of speed
- Design / construction motor speed controller - Arduino based?
- Probably a bunch of other items I have not thought of
Large LED Clock from Recycled Components
Finished Clock
One of the first things I noticed after joining Make Lehigh Valley was that there was no easy way to tell what time it was if you weren't near a computer. After discovering a box of LEDs that had been recently donated to the space, I decided I would fix that problem. The LED clock itself is made of mostly recycled and donated parts. The 7-segment displays are made from laser-cut cardboard and tissue paper as the diffuser. The LEDs were rather unusual in that they were arrays of dies in a rectangular metal package; this lent itself well for the 7-segment arrangement.
Control Board
The control board is about as simple as it gets. The Atmega328 communicates to two MCP23016 16 bit I/O expanders and a Dallas DS1307 real-time clock chip via I2C. Also onboard is a DHT11 temperature and humidity sensor. This allows the clock to function like one you would see at a bank. The display cycles through time, temperature and humidity - three seconds each.
Testing the Drive Method
Since the LEDs are actually small arrays, they have a forward voltage of about 7v - I was thinking I would need to multiplex the display and use additional transistors to handle the voltage, but the LEDs were plenty bright enough at 50mA (the output rating of the IO pins on the expander IC) so I was able to use a dual rail power supply to power the LEDs with the IO expander directly (well, with current limiting resistors anyway). The LEDs are connected in a common anode arrangement to the +12v rail of a power supply scavenged from a 10mbps ethernet hub. The logic runs from the 5v rail. When the pins on the IO expander go high (+5v), there is only 5vdc across the LED and so it stays dark. When the pin goes low, it gets the full 12v through 220 ohm resistors, limiting the current to about 22mA.
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