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  • Author Author: zengirl2
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FLORAbrella Update - Saw Time

zengirl2

It's a busy time at my hackerspace right now, as MakerFaire NY is right around the corner.  However, I managed to squeeze in some quality time with the band saw tonight.  You know what I'm up to.... getting rid of that ugly curled handle, as promised! 

 

 

My next move will be to test my momentary button that will control the different light patterns on the umbrella.  It's really cool looking and was a big motivation in sawing off the handle.  I hope it works out!  Also, I'll definitely be at MakerFaire, so if you see me, please do say "Hi".  If you know you will be at a table or workshop, let me know and I'll visit you.  Don't expect to see the umbrella as there is still lots to do... image

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  • in reply to DAB

    Not quite so new. One of my past jobs was as a decorator for Ikea -- had my own Makita and work bench.  As for the bandsaw, safety was definitely in mind as I had to remove the handle in two cuts to be sure my hands would stay far from the blade.  I did choose the more exciting chunk with plastic and metal for the video, as my friends were laughing in the background.  They loved that I insisted on cleaning the inside of the machine before we even started.  So far no fatal injuries, but soon I'll be embarking on the solder image

     

    BTW, you have a lot of microcontroller experience.  Have you done anything with Propeller or Cypress?  I've got my hands on some swag from the Open Hardware Summit.  I'll probably save them for Microcontroller Madness Monday at our hackerspace next month.

  • in reply to zengirl2

    Hi Leslie,

     

    I looked into the Propeller board when it came out.  It is a very interesting design with eight processing cores sharing a common I/O structure.

    I think the goal was to have eight separate programs running in parallel to control the external circuits.  As I recall, they were using Java as a programming language.

     

    I have been playing with the Psoc 4 board and I am very impressed with its capability.  The programmable hardware is amazing for anyone who needs to make custom circuits without going into an ASIC or other small run devices.

     

    So I think you have a couple of very useful devices to explore once you have some time to learn how to use them.

     

    As for power tools, only a fool uses them without fear.  I have a number of friends who have managed to severe digits or otherwise harm themselves by not taking proper precautions.

     

    Soldering is easy.  Just remember to heat the wires, not the solder.  The solder should flow onto the wire, but you might need to touch the solder to the gun to get a good thermal connection.  If the solder joint looks shiney, then you probably have a cold joint.   Just reheat it until if flows onto the pad or wire.

     

    If you have problems with intermittent connections, they are most likely caused by a cold solder joint.  As above, look for shiney blobs of solder first, they are the usual suspects.

     

    If you are new to soldering, practice on some spare pieces of wire first to get comfortable with the process.  After that, practice makes perfect.

     

    Good luck,

    DAB