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Have any helpful maker tips? Send them my way!

danzima

Hello RoadTest!

I'm working with our community team on a second volume of our Essential Tips for Makers eBook series (you can see the original here). Our fearless RoadTest leader suggested that I reach out to our wonderful group here and see if anyone might have some useful tips they've picked up that they'd be willing to contribute.

 

We'll be printing this eBook for distribution at Electronica 2018, and of course it'll live on in perpetuity on the community as well. If you have any ideas you'd like to share, please leave them in this thread! Also feel free to reach out to me directly if you have any questions.

 

Thanks everyone!

Parents

  • Essential Tips for Makers

    Putting the electronics aspects aside slightly, you don't need the latest CNC machines or power tools to actually make stuff; however having those things does make the task simpler/stronger/more accurate/easier to mass produce.

     

    So my combined tip is:

     

    (1) Throw out very little. Scavenge materials and fixings from items being scrapped. Keep an assortment of sections of copper pipe, an old PC aluminium heatsink, piece of veroboard, some wires from a washing machine etc. Have an eye for cutting out the useful parts from something and scrapping the awkward, profiled or damaged sections. Caution: there is a fine line between keeping some useful materials and being a hoarder!

     

    (2) Get some basic metal working tools. A hacksaw, some files, hammer, vice, hand drill and drill bits to start with. At first these can be from the local Saturday market or Pound/Dollar/Thrift shops just to get you going. Later you may realise the limitations of those cheap tools and prefer to buy better quality ones.

     

    Now use your tools to craft items you need from (1)

     

     

    Makers can do the same for the electronics aspects but some components are unmarked, desoldering is not the best pastime and lead lengths can be unusable. Personally I prefer to buy most components from new - exceptions being transformers or maybe a power transistor.

     

     

    Rod

Reply

  • Essential Tips for Makers

    Putting the electronics aspects aside slightly, you don't need the latest CNC machines or power tools to actually make stuff; however having those things does make the task simpler/stronger/more accurate/easier to mass produce.

     

    So my combined tip is:

     

    (1) Throw out very little. Scavenge materials and fixings from items being scrapped. Keep an assortment of sections of copper pipe, an old PC aluminium heatsink, piece of veroboard, some wires from a washing machine etc. Have an eye for cutting out the useful parts from something and scrapping the awkward, profiled or damaged sections. Caution: there is a fine line between keeping some useful materials and being a hoarder!

     

    (2) Get some basic metal working tools. A hacksaw, some files, hammer, vice, hand drill and drill bits to start with. At first these can be from the local Saturday market or Pound/Dollar/Thrift shops just to get you going. Later you may realise the limitations of those cheap tools and prefer to buy better quality ones.

     

    Now use your tools to craft items you need from (1)

     

     

    Makers can do the same for the electronics aspects but some components are unmarked, desoldering is not the best pastime and lead lengths can be unusable. Personally I prefer to buy most components from new - exceptions being transformers or maybe a power transistor.

     

     

    Rod

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