Member and Staff Blogs - All Comments

RE: I Had a Go

embeddedguy — Mon, 06 Apr 2026 08:41:37 GMT

You can convert to the right format for upload..

RE: I Had a Go

Jan Cumps — Mon, 06 Apr 2026 08:12:28 GMT

I don't have Word either. I use PDFs for road test applications:

RE: Top Aluminum Facts! - element13

genebren — Thu, 02 Apr 2026 20:53:55 GMT

Aluminum is my friend. I have collected a large variety of metals to use in future projects. I used to do a lot of dumpster diving in order to find new and wonderful scraps. I have a couple of large plastic bins full of machinable scraps and several bins of meltable scraps.

RE: Top Aluminum Facts! - element13

DAB — Thu, 02 Apr 2026 19:09:29 GMT

There is also an interesting aluminum object found, I think in Romania, which has been tentatively identified as being tens of thousands of years old.

RE: What was your last Aluminum based Project?

DAB — Thu, 02 Apr 2026 19:07:34 GMT

The last time I used aluminum was to make an electrostatic detector.

I used an old soda bottle, a length of copper wire with a hook at the end with two aluminum strips at the end.

When the electric charge accumulated, the two strips would slowly push apart to indicate the electrostatic charge in the air.

RE: What was your last Aluminum based Project?

h-elsner — Thu, 02 Apr 2026 18:06:29 GMT

I made a mount for a thermal imaging camera (formerly used by a drone) using wasted aluminium parts. The aim was to use the camera on a tripod to give it a second life.

I have no 3D printer. That's why I often use other material like aluminium or wood. The camera mount can be disassembled for space-saving transport.

yuneecpilots.com/.../

RE: What was your last Aluminum based Project?

genebren — Thu, 02 Apr 2026 16:58:49 GMT

I have been working on a path lighting design for a while now. I have recently completed the project and I have some pictures. The path lights are based on Pittsburgh Corning Architectural Glass Blocks (modified with a rectangular opening on one side). I needed to fabricate a plate that could hold the blocks (using the rectangular opening on the bottom face) and allow for a secure mounting to some 1/2" EMT conduit (5V power inlet). I choose to use aluminum (with a small amount of steel) to build the base plates.

Here is one of the finished blocks:

The center mounted 1/2" Compression EMT Connector is mounted into a hex cutout in a plate that is attached to the base plate (preventing the EMT connector from spinning while tightening the compression nut). Along either side of the connector are slots (and mounting screws) that are used to provide a pair of sliding bars that secure the glass block by sandwiching the glass between the steel bar and the aluminum base plate.

The sliding bars are held into position with a pair of aluminum channel pieces. Between the steel bars and the base of the channel is a piece of UHDP to allow the bars to smoothly slide through the channel.

The steel bars have aluminum thread-serts (6/32 threads) allow the bars to be tightened down with sufficient force to trap the glass block to the base plate (once the bars are extended to overlap the edge of the glass block). Weather stripping is used to produce a mostly watertight seal.

This design went through multiple interactions during the development process. These images are taken from the from the first workable prototype and are very rough, but still serviceable parts. I had originally planned to use 3D printed slider blocks (I even tried some machined parts out of UHDP), but these parts distorted under the pressure of tightening, hence the change to aluminum.

It was fun to shift from silicon to aluminum for a while (except for the splinters and dulling drill bits).

RE: Top Aluminum Facts! - element13

rsjawale24 — Thu, 02 Apr 2026 15:15:57 GMT

Gonna try to machine a piece of aluminum today on my Carvera Air CNC [emoticon:c4563cd7d5574777a71c318021cbbcc8]

RE: What was your last Aluminum based Project?

dougw — Thu, 02 Apr 2026 13:41:26 GMT

Here are a couple of projects that might qualify...

Thread Tapping Test

StirlingEngine

RE: Top Aluminum Facts! - element13

dixonselvan — Thu, 02 Apr 2026 11:32:58 GMT

Cool facts about element 13!

RE: What was your last Aluminum based Project?

robogary — Wed, 01 Apr 2026 22:12:24 GMT

cooking fish in the toaster oven

RE: What was your last Aluminum based Project?

mayermakes — Wed, 01 Apr 2026 17:43:25 GMT

mine was a simple van de graf generator (pantyhose rubbing ) it did successfully make pieces of aluminium foil fly!

RE: Top Aluminum Facts! - element13

dougw — Wed, 01 Apr 2026 17:21:46 GMT

I grew up in a mining town in Guyana dedicated to mining bauxite and turning it into alumina powder.

It mostly went to Arvida Canada to be turned into aluminum. (Because they had a large hydro electric plant to supply the large amount of electrical power needed)

We also lived there for 3 years.

The copper bus bar conductors supplying power were 1 meter wide - imagine the amount of current....

RE: What was your last Aluminum based Project?

javagoza — Wed, 01 Apr 2026 17:00:11 GMT

I test the programs we make for payment terminals, and I use aluminum foil to create intermittent communication problems and other issues during testing.

RE: What was your last Aluminum based Project?

rsjawale24 — Wed, 01 Apr 2026 14:42:26 GMT

I made a RF resonator by 3D printing the cavity and then using an aluminum foil to wrap the 3D printed plastic so that it becomes conductive.