To install the heated print bed for my reprap, I placed the PCB on top of the plywood top print plate (which is slightly larger than the PCB), clamped it in place, and then used the holes in the PCB…
I built a framework for robot wheels a while back using OpenSCAD and used it to create a few different wheel styles. I recently decided to combine them all into one massively configurable wheel model, and add a number of…
Here’s a 3D printed T10 lamp shade that I designed and printed last night. A few weeks ago while searching for LEDs, I noticed an ebay listing for very inexpensive 12V automotive lamps that combine nine bright white LEDs. I…
A couple of people have noticed this, so I thought I’d write it up. There’s nothing wrong — it’s just something to be aware of if you’re soldering up a Sanguinololu 1.3a PCB. If you look closely at the circuit…
The shipping “estimator” at Mouser.com is a little vague, so I thought I’d post the results of a recent order. In general, you’re not going to know the shipping cost or the weight of your order until after it’s shipped.…
As an active member of the #reprap community on IRC, I’ve started to realize that there are many others that share the common interest of getting 3D printing technology into schools, and so we’ve started a Google group to facilitate…
I’ve set out to build a Prusa Mendel for $300. So far I think I’m doing pretty well. The top part is what I’ve already picked up, and the bottom part is what I have yet to purchase — that’s…
It’s not easy to find concrete examples of shipping costs for McMaster-Carr online, and they don’t tell you what an order is going to cost to ship until after it’s already shipped — and that can be a little scary…
Here’s a 12-channel bidirectional logic level shifter with a 3.3V power regulator that I designed so I could easily interface 5V circuits with cool 3.3V widgets like the ADXL345 accelerometer, the NRF24L01+ wireless transceiver, and the Nokia 5110 84×48 LCD. For the…
Math Monday came early this week, and we had some fun exploring Reuleaux triangles. Next to a circle, they’re the simplest curve of constant width you can make — that basically means you can roll a plank on top of…