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  • Author Author: Workshopshed
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Review of 2014

Workshopshed

My main project for 2014 was a combination of electronics, mechanics and software. The Topsy Turvy Clock uses an Arduino Micro, RTC and Darlington buffers to control two stepper motors to tell the time on this rather unique clock. It turned out to be more of a challenge than I expected with some unique challenges including a defective PCB on the microcontroller, avoiding overloading the onboard regulator and using opto sensors to locate the positions of the motors.

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I was lucky enough to have my proposals selected for two roadtests this year, in the summer I tried out the CapSense MBR3 sensor evaluation board.

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I had good fun with this board, testing it with different gloves and front panels.

 

I hope to use the MBR3 chips in a project next year. This required getting back up to speed on making PCBs so I've been learning Eagle and have bought some SMD components and tools to build the prototypes. The next step is to get the PCBs made.

 

My second roadtest underway, I'm looking at the Cel Robox 3D Printer so far having successfully made some toys for the family.

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My plans for 2015 are to finish the Robox Roadtest, build a little Stirling Engine, details of that on http://www.workshopshed.com/ and get my board with the MBR3 sensors built. All of this is done in my spare time so progress could be slow but these are reasonable challenges to complete, no doubt there will be a few side project on the way.

  • It's easy to loose motivation, a couple of bad problems followed by a busy period at work and you'll find two months have passed without making any progress. My big mantra for this year was "One thing at a time". The reason for that is that I've a big pile of unfinished projects in the corner of the shed. The clock was a big job so I had to stay focused on getting it to a suitable level of completeness. I was very glad to outsource the numbers to a laser company as that job alone could have taken weeks to get right.

    Blogging does take a lot of time but I can research and write most articles in less time than it takes me to get to the office (90-120mins).

    My animation blog pretty much died when I stopped doing animation. The problem being that animation as a hobby is a pretty much solitary affair so getting married and having a family put a stop to that. The "Workshopshed" was originally setup to make parts for animation such as metal armatures or sets but it's never actually been used for anything like that.

    I've got back into electronics and software a little over the last couple of years because I can't babysit from the shed where as I can babysit from a desk in the lounge or the kitchen table with a soldering iron. The killer for the Stirling Engine project will be shed time rather than too many technical problems although I do plan to cast some parts so that might be a bit weather dependant.

    I think all of the projects I've seen from the Top Members think year have been fantastic as have many of the others from around Element14. It's nice to hang our with people minions who think the same way as I do.

  • Wow! Great work, Andy!!

    I don't have much to show for this year in terms of finished projects, but I feel pretty good about the amount of tinkering I was able to get in. And while my greenhouse was a flop, it wasn't due to my Arduino based automatic watering system. I learned a valuable lesson about fertilizers this year image

    I do still at some point want to create a fun project like your Topsy turvy clock.

  • Andy how you getting on with your 3d Printer ?

    I've got a load of replacement bits from China so will be comparing how they work against the originals.

    It took longer for my Ultimaker bits from Amsterdam to come than from China and they were 3-5 times the price!!

  • in reply to mcb1

    Hi Mark I've seen many Blogs/Youtube video Sites and the likes wind to a halt over the last year. I feel that even if the producers of the material know how much time it takes to do this stuff those consuming it do not and after a while largely because of this people loose heart and stop doing things.

     

    Getting paid for material/work is the reason we do many things and the reason we call it work.

    For fun projects they can get parked due to folk getting tired or disheartened.

  • in reply to mcb1

    Best thing is that you have done somethings not that you have succeeded in everything. Pitty though I would like to do everything I set out to do out to do but the time and the effort often fails us all!