Hack Space Mag 01
Hack Space Mag 01
Hack Space Mag 01
WORLDS
BECKY FASTEST
STERN RASPBERRY PI
How to get paid for
making fun things BUILD
SMOKE THINKING MAKE
MACHINES
YOUR OWN BEAUTIFUL
BACON* MUSIC
*or anything else. Unleash your inner
But mostly bacon Robert Moog
HANDHELD BUILD A
CONSOLES FOR TREBUCHET!
Small-scale warfare to satisfy
HACKERS your Napoleon complex
BOLDPORT: Dec.2017
Issue #01 6
Welcome to
Features Editor
Andrew Gregory
[email protected]
DESIGN
Critical Media
Hackspaces (often known as hackerspaces outside the UK) criticalmedia.co.uk
Head of Design
are community-run groups that enable people to share access Dougal Matthews
to tools, socialise with like-minded people, and collaborate Designers
on projects. They exist all over the world the chances are Lee Allen, Mike Kay
that theres one near you that you can get involved with, to Photography
Brian OHalloran
develop your own projects and share your experiences with
Illustrations
other members. Sam Alder
ONLINE and inspiration to as many people as possible. Get in touch HackSpace magazine is published
by Raspberry Pi (Trading) Ltd.,
Station Road, Cambridge, CB1
hsmag.cc with us at [email protected] if you want to help 2JH. The publisher, editor, and
contributors accept no responsibility
make this happen. in respect of any omissions or
errors relating to goods, products or
services referred to or advertised.
Except where otherwise noted,
content in this magazine is licensed
under a Creative Commons
BEN EVERARD Attribution-NonCommercial-
ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-NC-
Editor [email protected] SA 3.0). ISSN: 2515-5148.
3
Contents
06 SPARK 27 LENS
06 Top Projects 28 The Intelligence Makers
Brilliant builds to inspire and invigorate Unlock the power of AI in your builds
58
INTELLIGENCE
The
Makers 54
28
4
CONTENTS
118
22
64 20
71 FORGE 113 FIELD TEST
72 School of Making Woodworking 114 Direct from Shenzhen Robot hand
Old meets new with a Raspberry Pi case We test Chinese products straight from the factory
116
90 Build a cold smoker A controllable robot arm perfect for learning
Hack your way to great flavour
125 Hologram Nova
94 Arduino synth Connect IoT devices over a phone data network
Build your own music machine
126 Frog Board
98 Go straight with PID A handy gadget for programming the ESP8266 board
Keep robots on the straight and narrow
127 Very Useful Circuits
102 Its (nearly) Christmas! Simple, one-use circuit boards to add to quick projects
Deck the halls with boughs of LEDs
128 EspoTek Labrador
106 Build a trebuchet A small, cheap replacement for your CRT oscilloscope
Launch a 90kg projectile 300 metres*
*Almost 129 Books: The Design of Everyday Things
Its easy to think like a designer: just think like a user
Some of the tools and techniques shown in HackSpace magazine are dangerous unless used with skill, experience and appropriate personal protection equipment. While we attempt to guide the reader, ultimately you
are responsible for your own safety and understanding the limits of yourself and your equipment. HackSpace magazine is intended for an adult audience and some projects may be dangerous for children. Raspberry
Pi (Trading) Ltd does not accept responsibility for any injuries, damage to equipment, or costs incurred from projects, tutorials or suggestions in HackSpace magazine. Laws and regulations covering many of the topics
in HackSpace magazine are different between countries, and are always subject to change. You are responsible for understanding the requirements in your jurisdiction and ensuring that you comply with them. Some
manufacturers place limits on the use of their hardware which some projects or suggestions in HackSpace magazine may go beyond. It is your responsibility to understand the manufacturers limits.
5
Top Projects
REGULAR
Utterly hipster
bicycle speed and
cadence gauges
By Grzegorz Hodys InsightMachinesLab
T
he idea to create analogue gauges for a bicycle
appeared in my head when I came across an article
on a Polish hackers site that described how to
builda desk clock from analogue voltage meters
(hsmag.cc/JBGDAz). I always liked analogue gauges
and when I saw how easy it is to convert voltage meters
into pretty-much-anything meters, I decided to give it a try.
I have an old Peugeot city bike that looks vintage (to some extent),
so I figured that it might even look quite cool with analogue speed
and cadence meters. I wanted to have two gauges, just like on a
motor bike. I had some experience with ATtiny85 and Arduino, so it
seemed like a very simple project. The breadboard prototype was
trivial. The difficult part turned out to be fitting everything together
in the voltage meters enclosure and mounting the devices on the
bicycles handlebars.
Initially, to mount the gauges, I decided to use worm gear
clamps. They held the gauges quite well but were difficult to use
and often scratched the handlebars. The newest version (not yet
published or even photographed) will use plastic bands taken from
CatEyes bicycle headlamps they are much easier to work with
andlook better.
Another challenge was power consumption. The CR2032 battery
is small, cheap and light, but it also has very limited capacity
(~200mAh). It quickly turned out that the ATtiny85 along with a
switching voltage regulator consumed quite a lot of power. I did not
want the meter to have an on/off switch so I needed a way to reduce
power consumption, especially when the bicycle was stationary.
Reducing power consumption of the ATtiny85 was easy it runs
at 1MHz and is put to sleep when the speed or cadence drops to
zero. The voltage regulator that I decided to use has a shutdown pin
so it can be deactivated. However, even after shutting down it still
consumes power and, in fact, it consumes more than the ATtiny85.
In the end, the gauges should work on a single CR2032 battery for
about three to four months. Thats not bad but not too good either.
The gauges are currently being tested on a new bicycle a large
and heavy Schwinn cruiser that not only needed some analogue
speed and cadence gauges but could also use some automatic lights
and maybe a security system More is definitely to come.
6
SPARK
Above
Now find the coolest
bike you can find
to give these
gadgets the wheels
theydeserve
7
Top Projects
REGULAR
Right
The boards even
change to make the
ghosts an edible blue
8
SPARK
Pac-Man Halloween
By Ben Muller @pix3lot
I
m an architect living in Philadelphia with my family. I have
always been a tinkerer, curious how things work and how
to make them on my own. I mostly work on making things
that both fill that curiosity and apply to my work as an architect,
which is now focused on VR, AR, and writing custom tools for
our 3D software.
Halloween is a good chance to try making something or using
something that I havent tried before. Last year we added LED strips
as accents to silver clothes to look like some glowing retro silver
space alien people. The costumes looked great and I liked the addition
of lights to the costumes.
This year we knew we wanted to do something with LEDs again
but we werent sure what. While trying to come up with an idea, my
daughter suggested Pac-Man characters. She had just been playing
the Namco classic at a birthday party at a bowling alley. Once she
suggested that, we ran with it.
Since we wanted it to be family costumes, it was perfect since
there are enough characters and we could all be different. I would
be Pac-Man, my wife Ms. Pac-Man, my daughter Pinky, and my
son Blinky.
I wanted the costumes to look like they came right out of the
arcade game. I wanted them to be animated and for each pixel to
be legible.
I designed the framework of the panel in the 3D modelling program
Rhinoceros by McNeel. We have a laser cutter at my office and I used
it to cut out the framework in (3mm) cardboard. The whole panel
comprises the base, the slats, and the cover. The base and slats are
made of the cardboard and designed so they all slide together, which
minimises the need for gluing. The cover is made of drafting vellum,
a type of paper.
The lights are strings of individually addressable 12mm DC5V
WS2811 LEDs that are more typically used in outdoor signage. They
are inserted into 12mm holes cut into the base. The slats create the
pixels and the vellum diffuses the light to create each pixel.
The LEDs are driven by an Arduino UNO R3. The code is written,
compiled, and uploaded to the board with the Arduino IDE. I used the
FastLED library (fastled.io) to control the LEDs. Its a simple and easy-
to-learn library for Arduino that is specifically made for programming
individually addressable LEDs.
The LEDs and Arduino are powered by a DC 5V battery pack (a
portable phone charger) and a USB to DC adapter. I did tests on two
chargers I had lying around. I got about 12h 40m out of 7800mAh and
3h 40m out of the 2200mAh capacity. For most nights out you really
only need the small chargers, which is good news.
The board and chargers are attached to the panel with Velcro and a
strap is added to make it all portable.
9
Top Projects
REGULAR
Stranger
Things lights
By Liz @BlitzCityDIY
I
made the Stranger Things lights project to celebrate the
Stranger Things season 2 premiere, for which I hosted a
viewing party. The project is in two parts and is coded using
Adafruits Circuit Python.
The first part is a recreation of the alphabet wall that the
character Joyce Byers uses to communicate with her son Will
while hes trapped in the Upside Down. I have a cycle of light routines
that loop continuously running on an Adafruit Trinket m0 board to
recreate messages from the show along with some fun light effects.
The second part is a recreation of the lights that Joyce strings
throughout her home to also communicate with the Upside Down. I
have 200 lights strung throughout my apartment that are connected
to an Adafruit Metro m0 board along with a cluster of piezo sensors.
I soldered the piezos together to basically make one giant sensor
that is hidden under a rug. When the rug is stepped on, it triggers the
lights to light up one by one followed by some startling (and strange)
light effects that last for about two minutes.
It was a really fun project to work on and if youre interested in
making it yourself, I have a write-up on Hackster.io that goes into a
bit more detail and includes the code files.
Im a female DIY-er on a quest to gather and share knowledge. My
handle, Blitz City DIY, is a reference to two of my favourite bands: the
Ramones and Yeah Yeah Yeahs. I love the open-source community Right
and how it empowers people, from beginner to expert, to learn and Prepare your home
for the coming of
create. When Im not working on projects, I can be found hanging out the Demogorgon
with my two adopted cats named Winnie and Harriet.
10
SPARK
11
Top Projects
REGULAR
12
SPARK
Plotter art
By Seph Gentle @josephgentle
I
got in to plotter art when a friend in the US got an AxiDraw
plotter and I wanted one. I was worried it would gather
dust so I made a deal with myself that I was only allowed an
AxiDraw if I made at least ten pieces of artwork for it first. I
made ten and didnt stop.
It turns out making art is great fun! I cant draw, but I can
do maths and write code, so this is the perfect medium for me.
Watching the plotter draw some cool maths I wrote is hypnotic.
The artworks are made using custom JavaScript. For each
piece, I just write a simple function that returns a list of paths
(lists of points). It turns out you can make lots of cool shapes with
tiny functions [my] Joy Division-inspired piece is less than 30
lines of code. I hand the paths to some Python code the AxiDraw
team wrote to generate a list of plotter instructions. Its all open
source, though Im tempted to rewrite everything and talk to the
plotter directly.
The most enjoyable part of the process is usually showing off
what I made. And I love the back and forth on Twitter lots of
my favourite work comes from mushing together other peoples
ideas and playing around.
Its also great coaching my friends through making things.
Apparently were all just a little mathematics away from art: no
drawing required!
Right
This is Sephs
heartbeat, on a
name badge
13
Objet 3d art
REGULAR
Objet 3d art
3D printed artwork to bring more beauty into your life
P 3D
angolins are the only mammals
with keratin scales to protect
them from attackers. Of the
eight species found across Asia
and Africa, all are classified
PRINTING
Supplied by
as Threatened With Extinction by the
International Union for the Conservation
of Nature, and two are classed as
Critically Endangered. Head to 3dhubs.com
for local 3D printing services
Thingiverse user Amaochan created this
design to help raise awareness for this
littleknown mammal (hsmag.cc/ZXlYdD).
We printed this using the PolyWood
filament (byPolymaker).
14
SPARK
T
he interplay of transparent
filament and light can lead
to some great effects. Here
weve printed a biologically
inspired lamp holder using Green
Transparent ColorFab PLA/PHA. You can
create your own lamp using the files shared
by Thingiverse user Nervoussystem at
hsmag.cc/wKANqO.
For a similar, but personalised, lamp,
youcan tweak this design using the
CellCycle web-based tool at
n-e-r-v-o-u-s.com/cellCycle. This lets
you alter the parameters that are used to
generate the cell structure in the ring.
15
Meet The Maker
REGULAR
P
rinted circuit boards are mostly green can be created using most vector drawing programs)
rectangles. The copper traces carrying and Gerbers, which are sent to PCB manufacturers.
current to the various components go in Freed from the constraints of CAD software, hes been
straight lines and the various resistors, able to unleash his creativity on the boards he makes.
capacitors, and chips line up in nice Saar isnt the only person who appreciates
neat rows. Nothing about this is based goodlooking boards. Hes started a subscription club
on aesthetics. Electrons dont care what colour your to share his designs with the world. Each month, he
solder mask is, nor do the components worry about packs up a board and components into a soldering
being lined up. Boldport founder Saar Drimer frees kit that he sends out to subscribers. Launching in
circuits from this visual monotony. 2016, the club has already grown beyond Saars
PCB design software is part of the problem: it helps expectationsand Boldport has had to take on a new
users build functional boards, not beautiful ones. member of staff (Ben Barwise) to help keep up with
Unsatisfied with the available options, Saar built his demand. You can see all their work (and sign up for
own: PCBModE, which converts between SVGs (which membership) at boldport.club.
Right
An Arduino-
compatible board that
fits in a breadboard
or a coral reef
16
SPARK
Below
The Monarch uses a shift
register and logic gates to
make the LEDs flutter
Above
The first Boldport Club
project was a tribute to
circuit designer Bob Pease
17
Lucy Rogers
COLUMN SPARK
B
ack when I started school, and later Scouts where using the
aged five, everyone had a available resources to solve a problem
hand-knitted jumper. Often was encouraged. I found that here I
it was made especially and could combine my academic knowledge
tailored to fit. By the time with my practical skills. This is when I
I was ten, you were teased became a maker.
if you had one could you not afford to Our day jobs can stifle creativity,
buy one ready-made? Handmade items and making is limited to only a few
were often seen as second best. People professions. A managers role is
who made things for a living seemed often to make sure things are done
to be a dying breed. Making was not a to specification without variation
18
Bunnie Huang
COLUMN SPARK
D
uct tape is one of those is crucial: the friction-free supply chain
things youll find in for Raspberry Pis mean I can do design
virtually every toolbox. Its a in Singapore, demos in the USA, and
jack of all trades but master development in China on the spur of the
of none, so despite being in moment, without spending an arm and
every engineers workshop, a leg on courier fees.
youd be surprised to open a consumer Like duct tape, the Pi isnt perfect
product and find that its held together for everything its strength comes
on the inside with duct tape. from its versatility and availability. The
The Raspberry Pi is in many ways turnover rate of new Pi models can be
the duct tape of computing. Ive come frustrating; theyre almost but not quite
19
MegaBots
FEATURE SPARK
Mecha Death
Robot battles go super heavyweight
T
his is robot fighting on a scale we havent seen
before. Two teams, MegaBots from the USA and
Suidobashi from Japan, have squared off in the first
giant robot duel. The event took place in secret and
was shown to the public on 17 October. While robot
battles are nothing new, these machines were huge
(the biggest being MegaBots Eagle Prime at 12 tonnes) and the
machines carried their operators.
While the action wasnt quite as fast-paced as smaller robot
fights, the sheer scale of everything happening was impressive. The
bots carried both hand-to-hand and projectile weapons, which led to
a range of different tactics as the two teams tried to work out what
strategies could take down machines of this size.
20
While this was a one-off battle, MegaBots are looking to start a league
of live giant robot combat events. As we go to press, there arent yet
details of what this will entail, but they have aired a test fight between
Iron Glory and Eagle Prime in which they tried out different combat
styles that could be used. Stay up-to-date with the latest developments
at megabots.com.
Robot fighting comes in all shapes and sizes. The most famous are
Robot Wars (in the UK) and Battlebots (in the USA), but there are other
mechanical combat disciplines and fights around the world. Generally,
robot fighting is split into weight classes, with the smaller classes being
more accessible to hobbyists as they dont require as much metalwork.
21
Hackspace of the month
REGULAR
E
veryone has within them the instinct WHEN DID YOU START?
to create, as well as the human need An obvious one this, but its good to kick off with the
to be around people with similar basics. What weve found is that a lot of makerspaces
interests to us. But not everyone has with an impressive output, a lot of tools, and some
a garage, shed or spare room (or the great-quality builds have only been around for a
space and money for a CNC router, laser couple of years. If youre new to anything, there can
cutter, welding equipment etc). And so the ancient be a natural reluctance to put yourself forward, but
ones created the makerspace: a kingdom where all we want to hear from everyone, no matter whether
could come and unleash their creativity on the world. youre just starting or have been around for years.
Except, it isnt like that. If you have a place you can
go to solder components together and build whatever WHO IS IT FOR?
you next project might be, its not because someone Some makerspaces spring up in university towns, as
else came along and made the space for you. You and a way to channel the creative direction of ex-students.
your group have most likely had to beg, borrow and Some grow out of a local employer that might have
scrounge tools, made do with cast-offs, and hunted tools or space to hire cheaply, and some are the
high and low for a suitable building to work in. And results of random chance throwing the right people
then there are the arguments about who empties the together at the right time.
bins, who tidies up, who orders more printer filament What all makerspaces have in common is a lot of
when its running low its a miracle that maker/ hard work. How did your hackspace come to be? Are
hackspaces exists at all. you sponsored by any local organisations? Its easy to
Which is why were making it our mission to say youre for everyone, but how do you make sure
highlight a makerspace every issue, to inspire others, you get a mix of people?
to give pointers and to show off. We want to hear
from you, about what youre doing and why youre
doing it, but just as importantly we want to know how
you curate the space itself. Heres what we want to
know about your hackspace
22
SPARK
Left
Not every hackspace
is lucky enough to
have such a large
selection of tools at
its disposal (many
thanks to Cambridge
Makespace for letting
us take the photos)
Above
What software do you
use? Do you share your
source files?
Right
Obsolete hardware
suddenly becomes more
useful if you can acquire
itfor free
Left
We love the smell of laser
cutters in the morning.
Stay safe!
23
Hackspace of the month
REGULAR
Some makerspaces
spring up in university
towns, as a way to
channel the creative
Right
direction of ex-students
Sharing a space gives
everyone a responsibility
to keep it tidy
24
SPARK
Left
People! The most
important ingredient
of any hackspace
Below
What are you working
on right now? Let
usknow!
CONTACT US
Wed love you to get in
touch to showcase your
makerspace and the
things youre making.
Drop us a line on Twitter
@HackSpaceMag or
email us at hackspace@
raspberrypi.org
with an outline of what
makes your hackspace
special and well take it
from there.
25
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LENS
HACK MAKE BUILD
Uncover the technology thats powering the future
CREATE
PG
38
THE ARDUINO
How one humble microcontroller
took over the world 28 PG
INTELLIGENCE
PG
44
WE LEARN
WELDING MAKERS
Meet the hardware hackers giving life
Burns and bad joints: we get it
wrong so you get it right to humble lumps of plastic and metal.
The machines are learning to think
PG for themselves!
48
ULTIMATE PI
OVERCLOCKING
Push the Raspberry Pi to the PG
limits of performance
58
PG
64
PG
INTERVIEW DUCT
54
HELPING HANDS
BECKY STERN TAPE
How to get paid for Its silver, sticky and
Use your hacking skills to making things without strong, and you need it
make the world a better place selling your soul in your toolbox
The Intelligence Makers
FEATURE
INTELLIGENCE
The
Makers
An increasing number of DIYers are giving
their projects a mind of their own
W
hen the Raspberry Pi this exponential growth of the maker to make their projects more interesting.
was first launched in community. One of the greatest advances Thanks to its ease of use and versatility,
2012, it was designed in computing hardware has been the the Arduino quickly gained the attention
as a way for kids to proliferation of microcontrollers. A of a larger audience and a wider variety
learn to code without microcontroller consists of a processor of projects. In fact, together these
spending oodles of money. It wasnt with a small instruction set, some microcontrollers and single-board
long before tech-minded DIYers realised memory, and programmable computers like the Raspberry Pi, Banana
that the puny little device has enough input/output circuitry contained on a Pro, BeagleBone Black, CubieBoard and
processing power and functionality for single chip. Microcontrollers are usually others have brought traditional resource-
an array of different fun and practical packaged with supporting circuitry intensive fields like artificial intelligence
home projects. Arguably, the explosive and connections on a small printed and robotics into the realm of the
growth of the Raspberry Pi is because of circuit board. scrubby DIYer.
the hobbyists, who have been hooking up One of the most successful and most In this feature well look at some
all kinds of actuators and sensors to build popular microcontrollers is the Arduino projects that havent just used these
cool new things. platform, which made its debut in 2005. embeddable computing platforms
But the Raspberry Pi isnt the only It was originally aimed at hobbyists who intelligently, but have used them to build
single-board computer (SBC) fuelling needed an affordable microcontroller real intelligence into their creations.
28
LENS
Intelligent IoT
Why settle for a smart home when
you can have an intelligent one?
T
he Internet of Things (IoT) is together and can water up to four plants (along with a voltage regulator) to the
pitched as the ultimate upgrade with one node. configuration (hsmag.cc/emevVp) to send
thatll turn your house into The system uses inexpensive regular alert messages with the reading
a smart home. The everyday soil moisture sensors in each pot, a from the soil sensor along with the status
household devices are all connected to the water pump, and a couple of servos of the water pump. In true DIYer style, he
internet and to each other and together to control the distance and angle of has also described the procedure to create
will automate mundane tasks such as the water spray.The components are your own simple soil moisture sensor.
replenishing the detergent and restocking controlled by the companys home- In addition, hes explained the workings
the kitchen. While such a level of home brewed Crowduino Uno, which is an and the code that drives the system in
automation isnt quite yet available to the Arduino-compatible board based on the greatdetail.
masses, you can build upon the work by ATmega328microcontroller.
the bunch of trailblazers that are building Elecrow has shared the code that you TRICK THE TREAT
intelligence into various aspects of their can push to your Arduino Uno, along with We all love our pets and it kills us to
daily chores. detailed instructions on how to connect leave them home alone. John Saunders,
the soil moisture sensors and the smart who owns the NYC CNC machining and
NURTURING NATURE pump shield to the Arduino. Once you prototyping shop, cobbled together a
When Shenzhen-based hardware have everything set up, the Arduino machine (youtu.be/PAHrBA0jYAo) for his
facilitation company Elecrow had microcontroller will keep an eye on the two-year old Vizsla dog named Judd that
to moveout of its old office, it readings from the soil sensors. When it dispensestreats whenever Judd receives
couldnttrustits neighbours to take detects a drop in moisture levels in any of an email.
careof its potted plants. So Elecrow the plants, itll move the watering assembly Inspired by Johns design, Walter
designed a plant watering system to to the pot thats dry and activate the pump Miragliacreated a version of his
keepan eye on the moisture levels in to spray the plant. You can tweak the own(thingiverse.com/thing:2187877)
thepots and automatically water them code to modify the parameters as per the that is much simpler to put together. In
when theyre too dry. It has refined its physical setup of your plant pots. Walters version you send an email to
original design and the new one Saddam Khan has built upon this design yourpets email address. The system
(hsmag.cc/HhpgXb) is easier to cobble and added the SIM800 GSM module checks for email every ten minutes or
so and if it finds any new unread emails,
it dispenses a treat. It then waits a few
Right seconds before snapping a picture of
Theres plenty
of room on the your pet munching the treats. The system
Arduino to add all
sorts of sensors. then replies to the yet unread emails and
You can check the attaches the recently snapped picture.
level of water in
a dish and refill it Finally, it marks the email as read, to
to make sure your prevent it from falsely triggering the treat-
quadruped friends
are never thirsty dispensing system.
Credit
Both Johns and Walters systems are
Instructables.com powered by the Raspberry Pi. Walter
combines it with an Arduino Mini to
control the servo motor that drives the
auger to dispense the treats, as well as
some LEDs to signal incoming treats.
29
The Intelligence Makers
FEATURE
Auditory Intelligence
Converse with your projects
N
othing speaks intelligence like software and websites. Raspberry Pi
speech itself. Grant Gibsons took that to the next level, effectively Converse with
toddler enjoyed Toy Story3,
but never took a fancy to the
replacing both the PC and Arduino with a
single SBC.
the Raspberry Pi
Talking Chatter Telephone that Fisher- Theres no dearth of voice recognition systems
Price reintroduced to coincide with SMART COOKING available for the Raspberry Pi. One of the
the release of the movie. So Grant, If we had a penny every time we put newest and most popular is the open source
like any affectionate maker parent, the tea on to brew and forgot about it, artificial intelligence system Mycroft AI. You
prised open the toy and made it come wed have bought our own tea estate. can run Mycroft on a Linux desktop, your
alive by replacing its internals with a James Pavur probably had the same Android smartphone, and of course on the
Raspberry Pi.
Raspberry Pi B+, a WiFi dongle, and some problem, which iswhy he designed
The Raspberry Pi flavour of Mycroft is
Pythoncode. the TeaPi to automatethe process of called Picroft, and you can grab the .img
Grants version of the telephone brewing tea (hackaday.io/project/156- file and transfer it onto an 8GB microSD
(hsmag.cc/VLTZAA) retains the original tea-pi). You just tell TeaPi for how long card, power up the Pi, and then follow brief
rotary dial, but hes added a sensor to and at what temperature you want your instructions (hsmag.cc/glUdky) to pair it with
detect when the receiver is off the hook tea brewed, and the Raspberry Pi will an online account.
Youll also need to hook up a pair of
and a servo to animate the toys eyes. activate the connected kettle, measure
speakers and compatible microphones
The chatter smartphone uses JSON the temperature, and lower the tea in (hsmag.cc/fTwdmS). This shouldnt be much
format APIs to pull data from various with a servo motor. Once the tea leaves of a problem since, according to the project,
online services such as Rotten Tomatoes have been in for the desired time, itll lift Picraft works with microphones based on the
and Forecast.io. Hes also configured a them out again. CM108 chip, which you can find inside a large
push notification system that takes input Coffee drinker Bastian Slee took number of cheap off-the-shelf mics.
Perhaps the best thing about Mycroft is
from a Twitter account via IFTTT. Thanks anotherapproach. He ripped open his
thatits easily extensible and you can teach it
to this, Grants phone automatically Philips Senseo coffee machine and
anew skill writing some code in Python. You
announces when the International Space hooked it up to a Raspberry Pi 3 can find a detailed tutorial on coding a new
Station is about to pass overhead and (hsmag.cc/HqFkXx). He then used Alexa skill (docs.mycroft.ai/skill.creation) and can
when hes left the office. together with the AWS Lambda compute also look at the existing skills for inspiration
While his son has outgrown the toy in service and the AWS IoT platform to (github.com/MycroftAI/mycroft-skills).
the three years since the build, the project send voice commands to the Raspberry
still gets used, shares Grant: Just last Pi, which interprets the commands and
month I was invited to give a talk and worksthe machine to prepare a perfect Right
demonstration to his school classmates cup of coffee. Grant commissioned
a voice actor to
about this and other Raspberry Pi projects record the voice
weve worked on together. options for the
smartphone
Noting the importance of cheap in the voice of
TeddyNewton
SBCs and microcontrollers to the DIY
community, Grant says: Arduino was
revolutionary for me, giving me the tools
to connect an internet-connected PC to
the physical world. What started as a
hobby my first project was connecting
my door-bell to an SMS gateway turned Credit
into a career, building physical games Grant Gibson
and machines rather than conventional
30
LENS
Visual Intelligence
Theyve got an eye on you
O
ne of the most popular sent to Clarifai for processing and Picroft
applications of artificial subsequently spurted out any associated
intelligence is the detection tags and concepts.
and recognition of faces. Buoyed by the success of the project,
SBCs like the Raspberry Pi have enough Sam then read about natural language
Credit
horsepower to run the Open Source generation (NLG) and used Pythons Debbie Leung,
Computer Vision library (OpenCV) which Pattern module to turn those tags into a Visioneer
is a collection of programming functions simple sentence. So the second version Above
If the Visioneer team win the Hackaday Prize,
that allow computers to see. of the Smart Eye (hsmag.cc/quEyNT) can
they plan to use the award money to improve the
Tony DiCola combined the Pi and describe the objects placed in front of it prototype and even market it as a visual aid
OpenCV to build a treasure box that in simple sentences, like I see a watch.
unlocks only when it detects a known You can also ask it whether it sees a first to use technology to assist disabled
face (hsmag.cc/TZOYiU). The treasure particular object, like Do you see a cat? people, the team have been able to
box uses the official Raspberry Pi Camera For this task, it first separates the nouns miniaturise the entire system to fit on a
Module to capture your image when you and adjectives from your query and then pair of sunglasses thanks to off-the-shelf
press a button to unlock the box. If it compares them with the ones it received SBCs. Their prototype, called Visioneer,
recognises the face, the box will ask the from Clarifai. uses a couple of cameras, and sensors
small servo to rotate the latch and unlock While there are other image processing such as accelerometers, to enable blind
the box. libraries, Greg chose Clarifai because of people to sense their environment via
Instead of a camera and OpenCV, Sam its ease of use. With Clarifai you can a bone conductor that doesnt interfere
Brown uses the Walabot sensor that can concentrate on the application, and not withtheirability to hear. The captured
look through walls and track moving have to work out the AI details unless raw data is first processed through a local
objects to prank trick-or-treaters you want to, [which makes it] ideal for neural network and OpenCV before being
(hsmag.cc/duWxRG) as they approach makers, he explains. turned into vibrations, and the entire
your house. Using the Walabot Pro, Capitalising on the computers ability operation is managed by the minuscule
he designed the tracker to peer right to replicate the behaviour of the human Raspberry PiZero.
through the front door and look out for eye, a group of four engineers and makers The group has published Visioneers
the Halloween visitors. As they make are working on a project to help visually entire build process (hsmag.cc/xSYeUy)
their way to the front door, itll pounce on challenged folks navigate the world and is competing for this years
them with scary sounds and customised independently. While they arent the HackadayPrize.
messages depending on their number and
how close theyve come.
Plug and play AI
EYE SPIES
Makers have utilised the power of vision on a variety of projects built with SBCs like the Raspberry
You can take the image recognition skills Pi. Intel recently unveiled the Movidius Neural Compute Stick (NCS) (developer.movidius.com) that
up a notch with the Clarifai API, which reduces the wizardry to a plug-and-play USB stick. Just plug the NCS stick into the USB port of
helps computers recognise images. Greg the Raspberry Pi to give it the ability to identify the objects it sees through the camera. The image-
Voroninpaired the Clarifai API with Mycroft recognition task is offloaded to the stick, which frees up the processing power of the Raspberry Pi
to build a Smart Eye atop a Raspberry Pi3 for other tasks. The 69.99 stick consumes very little power and has 12 SHAVE processor cores in the
Myriad 2 Vision Processing Unit (VPU) at its disposal for lightning-quick object recognition.
that can recognise the objects placed in
While initially the sticks SDK only supported a 64-bit Ubuntu 16.04 desktop installation, in
front of it. He built the project in two stages.
August2017, Neal Smith, Senior Software Engineer at Intel, announced support for the Raspberry
Initially he used Picroft, Mycrofts version Piandalso uploaded a video and a guide for users to sample the NCSs image recognition
for the Raspberry Pi, to invoke the camera capabilities(hsmag.cc/jTlQIF).
and snap a picture of the object. It was then
31
The Intelligence Makers
FEATURE
Spatial Awareness
Who knows when, where and what
P
lugging sensors into the PATTERN RECOGNITION Markov chain algorithm that he tweaked
projects and interpreting their In the same vein as the secret knock as per his own style of playing the piano.
results is a more rudimentary gumball machine, Zack Schollz trained He has also posted several videos to
type of intelligence when his Raspberry Pi to recognise patterns give us a sense of the evolving skills of
compared to interpreting sights and as well. But it did so while he played the the PianoAI.
sounds, which represent a more complex piano and after a while Zacks PianoAI Staying on the theme of picking
source of sensory input. (rpiai.com/piano), true to its name, up patterns, when Nikodem Bartnik
At the Maker Faire 2010, Steve automatically started filling in style- became interested in robotics, he
Hoeferprogrammed a gumball machine appropriate tunes as Zacks duet partner! builtan object-tracking robot
(hsmag.cc/KgNcIP) to dispense treats In the video hes posted, Zack jams on (hsmag.cc/LwBgwf) that picks its target
only when someone knocked a particular the piano for about 20 seconds before based on a colour (red in this case). He
pattern, which in this case was the the PianoAI takes over the melody in placed an Androidsmartphone on the
popular Shave and a Haircut pattern. between Zacks pauses. robot that passes everything its built-in
The machine uses a piezo sensor to pick Zack has detailed the process of camera sees via a custom app to the
up the sounds from a knock-panel, that writing the AI in great detail. He initially OpenCV library for processing. The
are then interpreted by the Arduino. used Python but then moved on to Go app calculates the arithmetic average
When it detects the correct rhythm because of its speed. He also tried using to home in on the colour its tracking.
(ignoring tempo, so the speed of the neural nets and then experimented This information is then sent to the
pattern makes no difference), the Arduino with a few different pattern-recognition onboard Arduino that guides the robot
asks a servo motor to release the treat. algorithms before settling on a modified to theobject.
Below
Debashish believes
that SBCs and
microcontrollers are
helping hobbyists
and DIYers become
active participants
in the evolution
of technology
Credit
Debashish Buragohain
32
LENS
Below
Nikodem has made
minor modifications
to his original
design, such as
the aluminium
smartphone
holder, but plans
to implement
more substantial
changes soon
33
The Intelligence Makers
FEATURE
Teenager Tamas Imets The robot can also be controlled track faces and objects and can even
has been building through an Android smartphone avoid obstacles.
things for over a overBluetooth by using the phones Tamass inspiration for the quadcopter
decade and has created built-in accelerometer. came from a nasty bike accident in 2016 in
The 13-year-old maker wants to which he lost a lot of blood before he was
severalground as well installa PCB in order to make the spotted by a couple who called emergency
as aerialrobots batteries lastlonger. services. His drone uses the Pi Camera
He also wants to give his robot new Module to follow a red ball or his face. A
capabilities such as the ability to find Python script, running on a Raspberry Pi
its way around a maze, track faces and Zero W on board the drone, captures the
Fuelling the growth of more, but is restricted by the lack of GPIO different shapes and then controls the
open source robotics pins on the Arduino Uno. Debashish flight path depending on what its been
says hell first have to switch to a more trained to spot. Tamas hopes one day
Inexpensive yet powerful single-board capable board like Arduino Mega 2560 or his drone will be able to rescue people
computers have reshaped the robotics Raspberry Pi before he can implement stranded in the mountains. Hes also
landscape not just for the hobbyists but for other features while still keeping the price shared code for using an Arduino-based
researchers and educators as well. When I was
of the robot within reasonable limits. MultiWii controller in case you want to
in graduate school (late 1990s and early 2000s),
says Brian Gerkey, CEO of Open Robotics, Another teenager, Tamas Imets control the drone manually.
getting a decent computer on a mobile robot hasbeen building things for over
meant using expensive industrial hardware a decade and has created several FINDING THEIR FEET
like PC-104 stacks, building a custom machine groundas well as aerial robots. His Then theres Renee Glinski. Shes
around a smallish desktop system board and latestis the intelligent flying robot a prolific roboticist, but her right of
then figuring out how to power it, or using a
drone(hsmag.cc/tBxoWa) that can passage to robotics was the self-
laptop that would inevitably be borrowed for
another purpose. Now you can build a robot
like the TurtleBot 3 Burger around a low-cost
but very capable computer like the Raspberry
Pi 3 and power it with a USB cable. This trend
will accelerate as robotics continues to benefit
from the descendants of technology originally
designed for the mobile device market.
Open Robotics produces the Robot Operating
System (ROS) which is one of the most popular
open source middlewares. While you can write
some Python code to automate certain simple
tasks, complex robotics needs a middleware
software glue that binds the hardware and
makes it easier for robot builders to program
their creations. ROS came to life in 2007 at
Stanford University and then matured in the
Willow Garage incubator before the team
handed over the BSD-licensed code to
Open Robotics.
Juan Miguel Jimeno heads the
Linorobot project (linorobot.org), which
publishes specifications for a collection
of open source ROS-compatible robots
to students, developers, and researchers.
Juan believes that the affordable computing
platforms allow DIY roboticists to run their
own robot application on a homebrew
Right
platform and leverage ROSs powerful robotics This Linorobot has an
development framework. This breaks a lot of Ackermann steering
barriers, especially for students, in accessing geometry and runs on
a Raspberry Pi 3 and
sophisticated and complex software applications XV11 lidar sensor
that run some of todays advanced robots like
Atlas and NASAs Robonaut. Credit
Juan Miguel Jimeno,
Linorobot
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LENS
Left
The bottle-recycling
bots project report
makes for an
informative read
as it discusses
various strategies for
aspects of the build,
such as movement
and object detection
Credit
Karl Kangur
35
The Intelligence Makers
FEATURE
Learning Machines
To boldly go where no program has gone before
M
achine learning helps limit, used TensorFlow to keep an eye on
whatever implementation of the meter maids whenever hes working
artificial intelligence youre from home.
using to improve its own He wrote the Meter Maid monitor
algorithm by processing a large amount (peoplesparking.space) during the
of data. One of the most popular tools for TechCrunch Disrupt Hackathon,
Above
helping computers decipher what they to combine TensorFlows image Before you enable the Donkey Cars autopilot, youll
first have to train it by SSHing into the car and
are looking at in a way thats intelligible classification capability along with a driving for about ten minutes using a virtual joystick
to machine learning is TensorFlow. Its an motion detection and speed measuring in a web browser
open source library released by Google program running on a Raspberry Pi. Credit
in 2015 to build and train deep learning When the Pis camera detects an image Adam Conway, Donkey Cars
models. TensorFlow has been trained of a moving car in its field of view, it
by Imagenet, which catalogues several snapsit and passes it to TensorFlow encounters an object of interest in the
millionimages. for analysis using its trained data to same spatial coordinates. Walabot has
It takes an awful lot of computing recognisethe meter maid vehicles. If several scan profiles or modes for different
power to create a machine learning the snapped image is a valid match, it use cases. This project uses the sensor
modelto do something like recognise uses Twilio to send a message to Johns profile that takes high-resolution images at
images. To assist makers, however, phonewith the image of the captured a slower capture rate. This mode provides
Googlehas released several reference vehicle for verification. image data in the sphericalcoordinates
models that ship with the TensorFlow that his script first converts to Cartesian
library, and makers can then use these in EYES ON THE ROAD coordinates. The entire system is
their builds. When Asad Zia bought a Honda Civic powered by a Raspberry Pi while the alert
John Naulty, whose San Francisco thatlacked the companys proprietary mechanism runs on a Raspberry Pi Zero.
neighbourhood has a two-hour parking driver assistance system, he decided Asad has explained thefunctioning of the
to create his own with the help of hardware components and the systems
TensorFlow. Asads implementation implementation in great detail.
Below (hsmag.cc/SknPfC) provides pre-collision You can also use TensorFlow to build
Both Ogma
autonomous alerts and can also detect pedestrians. It a robot thats capable of recognising
SDCs use the relies on images snapped objects. Lukas Biewald has detailed
Steam controller
for initial training from both the cars theprocess in an easy-to-follow guide
andcorrection camera as (oreil.ly/2d2FBZL) along with the code
Credit well as from (github.com/lukas/robot). His robot
Ogma Intelligent
Systems
a Walabot, is built atop a cheap 6.58 chassis by
and alerts SainSmart coupled with the Adafruit
the driverifit Motor HAT mounted on a Raspberry Pi3.
He has detailed the hardware assembly
in the guide. Lukas installed TensorFlow
and hooked it up with the Flite (Festival
Lite) text-to-speech package to allow the
robot to vocalise what it sees. The robot
includes some cheap sonar sensors to
keep it from bumping into things, but isnt
autonomous and is controlled via a simple
custom web server written in Python.
36
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37
The Arduino, A Really Special Little Board
FEATURE
38
LENS
I
f you were to walk into a typical
hackspace as one new to the world of
making and ask for help with automating
your project, the chances are youd
receive a unanimous suggestion.
Use an Arduino, theyd say, and show you
a small blue circuit board with a couple of
rows of headers and a USB socket. Such has been
the success of this board and its stablemates, that
a decade plus of more able competitors havent
displaced it from its position as the go-to single-board
computer for maker projects. To understand something
about why that has been the case, its worth looking
back at the start of the project that spawned it.
In the early 2000s, as a reaction to the limitations
of previous simple microcontroller boards, a group
of Italian postgraduate students and a lecturer at the
Interaction Design Institute in Ivrea came together Above
An early Arduino board from 2005, featuring a serial port
to create the first version of what would become where todays Uno has a USB socket
the Arduino project. They were lucky: they had the
Wiring platform that had been the work of their fellow
student Hernando Barragn to work with, a simple- The open-source nature of the whole Arduino project
to-use open-source integrated development has been a crucial factor in its success as a platform,
environment and microcontroller board. meaning that instead of being a single hardware
They created a fork of Wiring ported to product line from one Italian source, it has become
the inexpensive Atmel ATmega line of a global phenomenon with an astonishing array of
microcontrollers, and the hardware they products claiming some level of Arduino compatibility.
evolved became the ancestor of todays In that sense, while an Arduino is generally understood
Arduino boards. It featured an ATmega8 as one of the official boards or a direct clone, it is safe
microcontroller in what is now a familiar to say that the Arduino project now transcends its
form factor with its I/O lines brought origins and has instead become a platform ecosystem.
out to a set of headers designed to accept When you buy an Arduino, you are not merely buying
expansion boards known as shields. The ease it for the board itself, because the descendants of
of programming from the Arduino IDE and onchip theoriginal 8-bit ATmega-based boards are now
bootloader coupled with the flexibility of the shield
boards compared to the relatively small prototyping
area found on previous boards proved to be a hit, and THE LILYPAD, AN ARDUINO
FOR WEARABLES
the years since have seen an ever-increasing range of
official successors.
If at the moment youre wondering where the name
Not all Arduino boards follow an official form factor.
Arduino comes from, it may come as a surprise to
The Lilypad from Sparkfun for example takes the
find that a 21st-century microcontroller prototyping low-power version of the ATmega processor
board has a name derived from an Italian king of the from the Uno and incorporates it into a
11th century. Arduin of Ivrea was Margrave of Ivrea circular printed circuit board designed for
from about 990 until 1015, and King of Italy from 1002 incorporation in wearable electronics.
until 1014. He was defeated and forced to abdicate Special attention has been given to
ensuring that it does not snag on fabric,
by the German King Henry II in 1014 and would be
and instead of header sockets for I/O lines
the last King of Italy until the restoration of the Italian it has large circular pads designed for
monarchy in the 19th century. The Arduino is a project sewing conductive thread to. It has even been
with its origins in a university, and as with graduate designed to survive clothes washing.
students everywhere, the team had a favourite bar. The Lilypads sewable contacts
Theirs was named after Arduin of Ivrea, and their are ideal for conductive thread
project took its name from it.
39
The Arduino, A Really Special Little Board
FEATURE
40
LENS
FIRST STEPS
Opening the Arduino IDE puts you straight into a
code editor, and if you are an experienced Arduino
user, you could just start typing C code. Fortunately,
in the event that you are not, the IDE ships with a
library of demo code which you can load from the
File menu: simply find the Examples option and
pick one. The easiest one to start with can be found
in the Basics submenu: Blink simply flashes the
Left
on-board LED. Ifyou look at the code, youll see two An Arduino
main sections: setup(), which initialises whatever thermometer with
LM35 sensor and
pins the code will use, and loop(), which contains LCD display
41
The Arduino, A Really Special Little Board
FEATURE
Below
An Arduino twinned with
a motor controller shield
from Adafruit
42
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43
We Learn: Welding
FEATURE
We Learn
WELDING
From beginners to slightly burnt beginners: learn from our mistakes as we take on a new skill
By Ben Everard
H
acking things isnt so much a skill as when it comes to physically building stuff, my
the intersection of a lot of skills. You skills leave a bit to be desired. When pressed, I can
may have to be able to design things, assemble something out of wood that serves the
do some coding, solder bits together, purpose. When it comes to metalwork well, lets
and build something to hold it all just say I have to start from scratch. Im always keen
together. The more skills you have, the to find new ways of expanding my repertoire, so I
wider the range of projects you can take on. set out to see how far I could get learning to weld
Personally, I have a strong background in in a day. To be more specific, can I learn enough
computing. I can whip up code to solve most welding to make a small stick man from a metal
Below
problems I encounter. Need a virtual machine set bar? Equipped with only rudimentary equipment Our very first attempt
up and managed to handle the back end of a task? (an AC welder and appropriate safety equipment) to control the arc.
You can tell from the
Im your man. I can have a decent crack at digital and a little instruction, I set about the task. welding splatter and
electronics, and have a large stack of boards that Electric stick welding is, in principle, a simple occasional balling
that we still need
Ive soldered together over the years. However, thing. You connect one bit of metal to a power some practice
44
LENS
Left
By the end of the day,
my joints still had some
problems, but were strong
enough for many purposes
LEARNING TO WELD
Basic welding isnt hard, but it does require quite a bit of kit
that can be a little expensive (expect to pay around 100 for
a basic welding setup), and its best used (at first) with some
guidance from someone who knows what theyre doing.
Vocational schools often have short courses to help you learn
the basics, or you might find a willing instructor in your local
hack/hacker/maker space. Some vocational schools will
let you use their equipment after youve gone through the
training, which can be easier and cheaper than trying to set
up on your own.
with the mask up. I flip the mask down and strike.
but its a fairly unimpressive start Nothing. I try again. Nothing. A few sparks splutter
out and the welding rod is stuck firm to the
surface. A few wiggles pull it free, but its a fairly
supply capable of creating a large current, and unimpressive start.
attach the other side of the power supply to a
flux-covered rod known as an electrode. Hold an HELLO WELD!
electrode close to the metal you want to join and a Frustrated, I run the electrode along the surface
spark arcs between the two. This arc is hot enough again. There are a few sparks, and this time, as I
to melt both the metal youre welding and the pull the electrode away, theres a dull yellow glow
electrode. This all pools together to form a cohesive emanating from the gap between the rod and the
mass that forms the joint youre welding. The first metal plate. In my excitement, I pull away and the
step, then, is to learn to create this arc. arc dies almost as soon as it was created. Its not
The beginners approach to this is to run the a great arc, but it was definitely an arc. After a few
electrode along the metal briefly, then just move more tries, I can create an arc, if not consistently, at
it away slightly an action not unlike striking least regularly.
a match. I have a plate of scrap metal clamped Just as generations of programmers have started
coding by getting the computer to utter Hello
World, so novice welders often start by guiding
WELDING VS SOLDERING the arc around in their name. This gets us used to
When thinking about welding, its sometimes useful to compare it to something its not, such not just holding an arc, but also manoeuvring it
as soldering. When you solder a joint, you heat up the things to be joined, then add a filler through the dull, almost black world that we view
metal (the solder) which melts into the joint. When it cools down, the solder hardens and through the welding mask.
everything is held together.
I line up, flick my mask down, and begin the
The difference between this and welding is that at the end of it, there are still three distinct
things: the two objects being joined and the solder. The joint holds together because its all B. The arc melts both the plate of metal the arc
stuck together, but theyre still different things and could be removed from one another. hits and the electrode. As the electrode melts, its
When you weld, you melt all three things and mix the resultant pool of molten metal. As deposited on the plate and I leave a ridge shaped
such, theres no clear line between one thing and the other, they just blend together. Theres
in the letters of my name. I flick my mask up as the
no such thing as unwelding (as there is with unsoldering). You can cut the joint, but you cant
separate out the constituent parts. tail of the N is still glowing slightly from the heat.
Initially the letters are black and slightly crusty, but
a swift bang from the hammer and scour
45
We Learn: Welding
FEATURE
Spot
Very easy to do, but limited in what it can achieve. Spot
welding uses two electrodes close together (typically on
opposite sides of the joint) to create a point of heat as well as
pressure to hold the objects in place. Theres no filler rod, and
the two objects are just melted and pressed together. This is
usually used to join two flat surfaces.
Oxyacetylene
Unlike the others weve covered, this one uses gas to heat up
the metal. A combination of oxygen and acetylene is burned
in a welding torch which melts metal. A filler rod can then be
used where necessary.
Brazing
This one isnt really welding, but more like high-strength
soldering: you heat up the bits of metal you want to join and
use this heat to melt a brazing rod into the joint.
46
LENS
Right
The finished product.
Metal sculptors may
not be fearing the
competition just yet,
but Im proud of it
boxout). This should melt and rise to the surface of looking like someone tried to nail-gun two bits of
the joint; however, if you move back up the weld, jelly together, I cant break the joint with my hands,
this flux gets embedded in the joint and you get a so Im chalking that up as a win.
stick-shaped hole. We wanted to find out if you could learn to weld
Ugly welding is acceptable, though. The question in a day, and for that we needed a test. For us,
is, how strong is it? Time to give it a bend and see if it was whether or not we could weld together a
I can break it. simple stick-man sculpture (Maybe sculpture is a
Arrghnnn! little too grand a term, but you get the idea).
The freshly welded metal holds quite a bit of heat The welding here is harder as its at strange
and even through hefty gloves, it singes my fingers. angles, and the clamps holding things in place can
Only slightly though. After waiting another minute get in the way a little, but its all the same basic
for it to cool down, I try to snap the joint. My first process: strike an arc, position the arc in the seam,
joint is ugly, but surprisingly strong. Despite it and move the arc to blend the metal together
to create a solid joint. Some are, ahem, more
successful than others, but the end result, after only
HACK YOUR OWN WELDER a few hours from the first time I held a welding rod,
In essence, an AC arc welder is just something that can supply a lot of current (generally a is a solid structure.
minimum of 50A). Theres nothing particularly complicated in this, and weve seen plenty of The essence of hacking is expanding your skills
home-made welding setups, both by using coils to increase the current in mains power or by range, and welding is a great area to move into. It
amalgamating enough batteries to supply current.
doesnt take too much time to grasp the basics and
Its a fascinating project if (and this is a big if) you have the skill and experience to do
it safely. Remember that you need to create enough current to melt steel. That means that even basic skills can be useful. I cant claim to be a
theres enough current to do a lot of damage to just about anything that gets in its way, competent welder, but I do feel that I now have a
including a human. new skill that I can bring to bear on things I make.
One thing that you should never attempt to make yourself is goggles. Eye damage in
It might be a while before Im doing anything load-
welding comes from ultraviolet light, so it can be hard to know if protection is adequate until
after any damage has been done. Look after your eyes invest in good quality goggles. bearing or which has to look good, but a custom
robot frame or a jig to hold things in place is now
within my repertoire just.
47
Ultimate Overclocking
FEATURE
Ultimate
Overclocking CRAZY STUFF
Done by
Kingpincooling.com
O
verclocking can take many
forms and shapes, from a
useful everyday boost of
a few hundred MHz (think
of tuning a car engine to
get better acceleration
performance) to insane cryo-cooled
rigs for international OC competitions
(drag-racing cars with jet engines, no
less). Overclocking is not limited just to
personal computers: the same concept
applies well for nearly any digital system,
including mobile processors and embedded
SOC (system-on-chip) devices, such as the
Raspberry Pi 3.
One of the common ways to get
performance gains is by increasing the
running frequency of the processor, memory
and storage interface. More frequency =
faster computation. That comes at a price:
increased power consumption and possibly,
reducing stability, as an erroneous operation
is more likely under stress.
OVERCLOCKING THE PI
Where do we start? First, we study the
overall system design: what components
are present on computers PCBA and how
we can increase their performance.
The heart of the Pi is the Broadcom
BCM2837 SoC, which has a quad-
core Cortex-A53 ARM processor and a
VideoCoreIV GPU.
A separate 1GB LPDDR2 SDRAM
memory chip EDB8132B4PB-8D-F
from Elpida (Micron) is located on the
underside. Memory is allocated dynamically
between CPU and GPU use, depending on
the settings in the raspi-config tool.
48
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49
Ultimate Overclocking
FEATURE
Left
The thermal camera shows the impact
of an aluminium heat-sink
wget http://downloads.hwbot.org/
hwbotprime.jar
50
LENS
Parameter in /
Clock domain Minimum Default Maximum
boot/config.txt
or just bad scores. A few examples are (--memory-total-size) is reached. Users can armhf.deb
presented in the logs below: provide multiple threads (--num-threads), sudo apt-get install openarena
different sizes in buffer (--memory-block- sudo apt-get clean
Message from syslogd@rpi-oc1 at Oct 25 size) and the type of requests (read or write, cp /opt/vc/lib/libbrcmEGL.so /lib/libEGL.
sequential or random). so
17:41:40 ... cp /opt/vc/lib/libbrcmGLESv2.so /lib/
kernel:[ 97.266669] 7fe0: 62442dfc sysbench --test=memory --num-threads=4
62442e08 00000000 76f19950 80000010 --memory-access-mode=rnd --memory-total- libGLESv2.so
63208a94 55555d80 55555547 size=800M run
Message from syslogd@rpi-oc1 at Oct 25 sysbench 0.4.12: multi-threaded system Make sure you have set a GPU memory
17:41:40 ... evaluation benchmark size of at least 224 MB in raspi-config,
kernel:[ 97.296319] Code: 0a00000a Running the test with following options: otherwise the game wont start.
f57ff05b e2853028 f593f000 (e1932f9f) Number of threads: 4 To start the benchmark, just run
............................... done! Doing memory operations speed test /usr/games/openarena.
All done! Current CPU temperature: 9.576 C Memory block size: 1K The Raspberry Pi 3 gets rather hot running
Memory transfer size: 800M bare metal, without any heat-sinks in still air.
Score: 260.77. Memory operations type: write A few thermal images taken with a Fluke
Memory scope type: global Ti32 camera reveal temperature gradients
In this case, the score is half what its Threads started! well. The memory does not get hot at all,
supposed to be. Often tests just crash due to Done. barely differing from the board surface
processor instability. Operations performed: 819200 (2263497.25 temperature. However, the Broadcom SoC
ops/sec) runs around +47C at idle, going up to a
SYSBENCH BENCHMARK scorching +75C under full load.
The benchmark utility sysbench 800.00 MB transferred (2210.45 MB/sec) Based on these images, there is no need
(wiki.gentoo.org/wiki/Sysbench) allows to have dedicated heat-sinks for the memory
you to benchmark processor, memory, For comparison reasons, its important chip, as it would be cooled from PCB thermal
file I/O, and mutex performance on Linux to keep the same settings across the conduction once we get main the SoC colder.
platforms. It runs in a command-line interface benchmark, so we know were comparing
as a console tool. To install this benchmark in apples with apples. OVERCLOCKING RESULTS
the Raspbian OS, we use the apt-get tool: Our initial check was to see what max
OPENQUAKE GRAPHICS TEST frequency the Pi can boot into console.
apt-get install sysbench The graphics core in a Raspberry Pi is To perform all CPU and memory speed
powerful enough to run a special version of benchmarks, a plain headless configuration
Once installation is successful, it can be the famous Quake 3 FPS! So we can use was used. That means the Pi was
executed using a single command with the it to benchmark combined processor and connected to a network over the Ethernet
desired test parameters. In this article, this graphics core performance. port, with sshd running to provide access to
benchmark will be used to test memory the console remotely.
speed. Our test will allocate a memory wget http://www.berryterminal.com/dl/ To avoid limitations from power supply
buffer and then read/write from it. This is ioquake3_99.1.36-rpi01_armhf.deb input, a high-end EVGA NEX 1500W PSU
then repeated until the provided volume sudo dpkg -i ./ioquake3_99.1.36-rpi01_ was used as a power source, which
51
Ultimate Overclocking
FEATURE
GPU/L2 DRAM
Benchmark test CPU Frequency Result Temperature
Frequency Frequency
can supply a serious 25A on +5V output. headroom. The design of the PCB is quite (setting 8) and can apply arbitrary high
Measured voltage was +5.120V at the Pi friendly to this simple modification, as there voltages. To connect an external power
pins. The connection between the Pi and are no tall components in close proximity to source, youll need to hook thick enough
PSU was made using a short cable with the processor. A thin sticky thermal pad for wire to the C163 positive terminal. Its easy
AWG18 wires. the heat-sink attachment will do the job. to spot by looking at the connection with a
Now we know which Pi is the best, we With this simple heat-sink treatment, little power inductor. This is confirmed by
can take that one for a full modification our Pi was able to run around 1500MHz the schematic section as well.
and cooling workout. So all further testing in loops, stable enough to pass any The external source is connected to this
was performed on the promising unit #4. performance benchmarks multiple times. point by AWG18 wire. Since nominal current
The thermal image of a Pi overclocked to Thermals are now much better, with the is barely a few amps, just one wire would
1500MHz reveals a hot spot at +92C! With SoC area reduced to around +57 C, instead work well enough. Also, return ground wire
default throttling settings, that is 7C over of over +90 C. is important, so weve used a large HDMI
the throttle limit temperature, when the Our best score in the HWBot Prime connector body to get a low-resistance
CPU speed drops to reduce stress. benchmark was around 15% faster, and ground connection.
the memory benchmark yielded a 26% Another benefit of using an external
IMPROVING COOLING AIR performance increase. Can it go further? core voltage supply is that this voltage is
During typical operation without not controlled by the Pis dynamic power
overclocking, the Raspberry Pi 3 does not VOLTAGE MODIFICATION management, so we will have constant and
require special heat-sinks or additional To improve stability under extreme stable voltage on the rail, no matter whether
cooling. However, with the overclocked operation with a 1600MHz processor the CPU is idle or busy crunching numbers.
settings, especially with increased voltage clock, VDD_VCORE voltage was supplied
for the processor, it will get too hot for externally from an EVGA EPOWER V EXTREME COOLING
reliable operation. module, programmed to 1.500V. The EVGA - LIQUID NITROGEN
Attaching a simple aluminium-finned EPOWER V can supply up to 2.000 V, which Now the heat-sink was replaced with a
heat-sink and additional airflow from a fan is plenty of headroom for our purposes. massive Kingpincooling.com F1 extreme
can provide much better thermal conditions, This way we are also not limited by the cooling evaporator block. To make it fit
securing better stability and overclocking over_voltage range 1.400V maximum limit the Raspberry Pi, we had to remove the
J8 pin header and the J3 and J4 FPC and
the J7 A/V connector. We also coated both
sides of the PCBA with petroleum jelly to
avoid water condensation and ice shorting
components on the board.
Thermal grease was applied on top of the
CPU and heavy copper was just standing on
top of it. The bottom side was supported by
a small rubber mat to keep everything flat
and steady.
The benefit of using a massive copper
block for LN2 cooling instead of a smaller
tube is the thermal response time of such a
system. It will take minutes for a small CPU
to warm such a large block of cold copper,
Left
Some serious cooling is needed to achieve
the highest CPU clock speeds
52
LENS
Right
Crank up the cooling, and the clock speed,
to play the Quake 3D demo
HWBot Prime 1600 MHz 500 MHz 550 MHz 514 -86.8
Sysbench CPU 1550 MHz 450 MHz 550 MHz 71.5 sec -25.2
20000
Sysbench CPU 1600 MHz 450 MHz 550 MHz 69.3 sec -77.4
20000
Sysbench memory 1550 MHz 450 MHz 550 MHz 2582.1 MB/sec -21.0
800MB
Sysbench memory 1600 MHz 500 MHz 600 MHz 2772.7 MB/sec -86.3
800MB
53
Helping hands
FEATURE
Helping
HANDS Makers use their skills and networks to lend a hand
T
hough worldwide statistics on the
number of amputees are hard to
come by, consider that there are
currently roughly 2 million people
whove lost a limb in the USA alone,
with about 185,000 cases added each
year. When we take into account naturally higher
statistics in developing countries and map that to
the global population, the numbers are staggering,
and the price tags on replacement limbs are
always daunting.
The causes for amputation are as varied as the
Goli Mohammadi cases. Naturally congenital medical conditions are
among the stats, but one of the leading causes is
@snowgoli diabetes, followed by injury from accidents and
combat. Now imagine what youd do without one of
Goli Mohammadi is a your limbs, whether a hand, arm, foot, or leg. While
word nerd, highlighter
humans are incredibly adaptable creatures, daily
of makers, and lover of
mountains. When shes tasks would be infinitely more challenging, if not
not staring at glowing impossible, depending on the specific amputation. Above
screens, shes romping Even the Food and Drug Administration in the US is researching
around nature. Find her Enter the vast field of prosthetics, artificial
low-cost 3D-printed prosthetics, like this hand that was printed
at snowgoli.com. replacements for missing body parts, including in a Center for Devices and Radiological Health (CDRH) lab
54
LENSE
Left
Open Bionics collaborated
with ILMxLAB, Lucasfilms
lab for immersive
entertainment, to create a
series of bionic hands for
young amputees, featuring
designs from Iron Man,
Disneys Frozen, and this
Star Wars one
A SHOW OF HANDS
hands, arms, legs, feet, eyes, and teeth. The ancient
Theres currently a vast and growing array of readily available, low-cost,
Egyptians are largely credited as having created the opensource hand designs made by interdisciplinary teams. Sample a few here
first prosthesis, evidenced by a wooden toe found on andexplore online for many more.
a mummy thousands of years old. Varied prostheses
have been found around the globe, including an FABLE is an acronym for fingers activated by low-
artificial leg made of bronze and iron with a wooden cost electronics, and this electromechanical hand
offers precise finger movements generated by
core, dating back to 300 BCE, discovered in Italy.
electrical signals from the muscles. FABLE is a project
Interestingly, though popular sentiment relegates of the Open BioMedical (OBM) Initiative, a global
the creation of prostheses to professionals in the non-profit dedicated to affordable, 3D-printed medical
medical field, in the Dark Ages, making artificial limbs solutions, with a founding team based in Italy.
was the work of all kinds of tradesmen, including openbiomedical.org/fable
woodworkers, metalsmiths, and even watchmakers,
who would apply their knowledge of gears and TINA is a different offering from the OBM Initiative,
mechanisms to add functionality to the limbs. this one strictly mechanical, using a unique system of
rods that move in response to movement in the wrist.
Sometimes replacement limbs lacked any function,
A prime example of the fresh solutions devised by
other than being a placeholder of the missing limb. collaboration between disciplines, TINA was designed
Sometimes they were made with the bare essentials, by the Polish jewellery designer Justyna Stasiewicz,
nothing more than the infamous metal hook arm and who did the 3D modelling, while biomedical engineer
wooden peg leg. Cristian Curr lent expertise on the biomechanics and
3D printing.
MAKING STRIDES openbiomedical.org/wil
But as materials and technologies advanced over
OpenBionics prosthetic hand is designed with a focus
thousands of years, so too did the functionality and
on anthropomorphism, based on the belief that its an
comfort of prostheses, as well as the price. While we important factor in success of use and adoption. The
could go on about the specific strides that the field of core structure, 3D-printable and made with readily
prosthetics has taken over the course of history, this available off-the-shelf parts, features an impressively
story instead focuses on how these advancements opposable thumb comprised of a selectively lockable
are being made more accessible to people who toothed mechanism capable of nine different opposition
need them, through the collaboration, ingenuity, and configurations. The bio-inspired finger actuation and
transmission system can attain superior flexion and
generosity of makers.
extension, and the fingers even have soft tips.
Just as in much of the field of medicine, the
openbionics.org/affordableprosthetichands
availability of advancements doesnt mean theyre
within reach of the average person. And because in Handiii, from the HACKberry open source community,
many cases, having access to good prostheses is not originated in Tokyo as a project of Exiii, with the
a matter of life or death, the kind and calibre of limb express purpose of solving three problems in existing
your health insurance will cover (if you even happen myoelectric prosthetic hands: too expensive, not easily
to have it) depends on the type of amputation and the repairable, and few design choices. Handiii uses the
electrical signals in the arm to intuitively control the
deemed daily needs of the patient.
hand and keeps cost down through 3D-printed parts,
Among upper and lower extremity prostheses, using a smartphone for the electromyography (EMG),
some partial and some full, the average price tag is and improving the design of the mechanisms in the
anywhere from $5,000 to $80,000 and beyond. Plus, hand. The arm is less than $300.
they normally need to be replaced or repaired every exiii.jp/projects/#handiii
few years for mechanical reasons. Whats more,
if the patient is a child, the prosthesis will need to
be regularly upsized as the child grows. So while,
55
Helping hands
FEATURE
While touring medical facilities in Nicaragua, MITs Jose Gomez-Marquez and Anna K. SOLUTIONS WITHIN REACH
Young made an important observation: Even though nurses there and around the world Now lets overlay this scenario with the maker
may not recognise themselves as makers, they most certainly are. movement with its massive brain trust and ethos
Often equipped with only off-the-shelf solutions that either dont serve the needs of of sharing, collaboration, and open source ideals.
the patient or do so in an ill-fitting fashion, nurses regularly perform customisations and Add the proliferation of desktop manufacturing and
repurpose materials to better suit each patients unique needs. From hacking prescription
affordable electronics, and you get a much brighter
bottles for visually impaired patients to modifying grips to create better walker handles,
picture. While the traditional process for creating a
nurses have been innovating creative makeshift solutions to aid patient comfort and
safety for at least the last century. custom prosthetic is generally to mould, cast, vacuum
The problem is that a brilliant solution that one nurse devises may never make it form-fit, assemble, adjust, and repeat, the maker
past the walls of that hospital. Imagine the progress that could be made in health care answer is to scan, print, and adjust.
if providers, nurses and beyond, were deputised to create custom solutions in their Much of the cost of manufactured prosthetics is
in-hospital makerspace and were encouraged to share solutions with the greater rooted in medical mark-up and proprietary designs.
community through online project repositories. Welcome to MakerNurse and the
But as one maker-made organisation, Limbitless
umbrella organisation MakerHealth, projects of MITs Little Devices Lab.
One of their initiatives is to open makerspaces in hospitals, and the very first of its Solutions, espouses, We believe no family should
kind was opened at the University of Texas Medical Branch, posing the question, What have to pay for their child to receive an arm. Theres
if we gave creative people better tools to innovate? The goal is to follow this space up now a virtual cornucopia of freely available open
with many more. In addition, the network offers online tutorials, a repository of medical source designs for prosthetics online, most being
hacks and projects, as well as workshops. As the mission statement reads, We believe 3D-printable hands, some robotic, others not. In
everyone can be a medical maker.
the burgeoning realm of democratised prosthetics,
making hands and arms is perhaps more accessible
than feet and legs for the time-being, both in form
factor and functionality.
There are a number of organisations, including
the originator e-Nable, that encourage, support,
and organise teams of interdisciplinary (and often
international) makers to tackle the need for low-cost,
easily reproducible prostheses. And the beautiful
thing about collaborative digital design is that it can
be made, shared, and iterated upon across the globe.
Teams can work across national borders, and digital
files can be made freely available to download and
print from anywhere. These agile teams also enable
rapid iteration and intelligent design.
The future looks much brighter when there are
entire networks of makers, health care professionals,
designers, and technologists dedicating time and
talent to furthering the field of low-cost prosthetics,
and theyre showing no sign of slowing down. Whats
Above
MakerHealth co-founder Jose Gomez-Marquez helps nurses at the Mayo Clinic more, most are actively looking for volunteers to get
prototype patterned floor lights to assist fall-risk patients involved. Maybe you can consider lending your skills
and 3D printers to the cause?
56
LENSE
PROJECT
PROJECT
Leg bling
L
ets put functionality aside here for a
minute and talk about aesthetics. Most
traditional, standard prosthetics are devoid
of character, intentionally designed to
detract attention. Industrial designer
McCauley Wanner and architect Ryan Palibroda of
Canadas Alleles Studio set out to flip that paradigm
on its head or rather leg.
They make incredibly stylish 3D-printed and hand-
painted prosthetic leg covers designed to complement
the wearers wardrobe and serve as outlets of self-
expression, offering a robust colour palate and healthy
variety of designs to choose from. Their noble mission Left
Leg covers come in
is to do for prosthetics what a previous generation of
many designs, or your
fashion designers did for the eyeglass industry. own custom artwork
57
Becky Stern
INTERVIEW
HackSpace meets
BECKY STERN
Electronics, knitting and how to be a professional maker
F
or the past decade, Becky
Stern has been one of the
leading American voices in
the maker subculture. Shes
made light-up trainers (OK,
fine, sneakers), maintained a
1975 Honda CB200T motorcycle, created
a jumper to turn off errant TVs well,
shes made far too much to go through
here. Whats more, shes meticulously
documented almost all of these builds so
you can craft your own projects using the
same tools and techniques. In case you
need more evidence of her commitment
to inspiring other makers, she teaches
Making Studio at the School of Visual
Arts (New York) as part of its Products of
Design Masters of Fine Arts (MFA).
This former Director of Wearable
Electronics at Adafruit has been featured
on CNN, BBC, Forbes, Vice, Engadget
and just about every other major tech
news outlet. When lunar legend Buzz
Aldrin needed an illuminated jacket for
an appearance on The Late Show With
Stephen Colbert, there was only one
woman for the job.
HackSpaces Ben Everard caught up
with Becky Stern to chat about what it
means to be a professional maker in the
modern world, and see how shes getting
on with her current job at Instructables.
58
LENS
Left
This old camera
brings something fun
and personal with
your own interests
rather than just being
a piece of consumer
of technology
59
Becky Stern
INTERVIEW
You make things from a huge range of photos in the first place and so I One thing weve always found interesting
disciplines. Do you have a favourite tool upgraded it with a Pi camera. It takes about your work is that you bring a
or technique among them? three photos, makes a GIF and then really wide variety of skills into your
uploads it to Tumblr. Of course thats makes. You said before about sewing and
Theres not a favourite, theres just something you cant get in the store (a knitting from when you were young and
familiar and less familiar. I learned camera that uploads GIFs to Tumblr) but you were working at Adafruit for a while
how to knit when I was about 15 and I you can take GIFs on your phone and working with electronics. Many people
learned how to sew when I was eight, upload. The novelty is that you made it come to making from the programming
so those types of handcrafts always yourself and its ultra custom its not side of things. What skills would you
make me think of my family and being so much about the object as how you recommend are worth learning for
a kid, whereas I only learned how to do feel after having built it. How do you feel someone with a computing background?
some motorcycle repair in the last two after you build something compared to
years they all have different types of how you feel after you buy something. I see a lot of computer scientists and
endearing qualities. Yes, there are multiple ways to use people who know Linux really well, but
I guess I like things where I dont have your phone for the same net effect, but are just dipping their toe into electronics.
to get too messy. I like getting dirty it doesnt bring a smile to your face to They should certainly learn more about
with jewellery and stuff, but I dont like have your picture taken by a phone any electronics and physical computing,
getting oil on my hands. Working with more, whereas this old camera brings and I would say even try out Arduino
luxurious materials always feels good. something fun and personal with your stuff just for comparisons sake because
Wool and leather, yarn and fabric are own interests rather than just being a it really helps understand the low-level
always nice to touch whereas logic for components and
when you have to wear sensors and stuff.
protective gear or get toxic Its clichd to say now, but
chemicals on your hands Making an IoT device yourself the knowledge transfer density
its a different mindset. is high when electronics
is a great way to have a folks try their hand at 3D
Protective gear can feel like discussion on the internet printing. If you can make an
a barrier between us and enclosure for your project,
the thing that were making about the security issues it makes your project more
it changes the feel of the real. To that end, I would say
process. Do you make stuff vector drawing skills Adobe
because you want things that Illustrator or Inkscape are
you cant get another way or is it the consumer of technology. Theres some really important even before you learn
process of making things that you like? empowerment there that I think is the CAD tools. There are simple tools like
point, more so than finding features Tinkercad that I think are really useful for
I really like making and sharing. Often, that dont exist yet because features will people who are doing coding stuff.
I could just as easily buy something but always exist soon. Also, call it Product Design for lack of
Im interested in having a conversation a better word, although that term is also
about how that thing is made or how Do you think that you got a dramatically being used now for apps and that sort of
it works. [For example] its an IoT different set of photos (OK, GIFs) from thing, but I mean old-school industrial
device and you want to talk about the that camera than you would have done design usability. If youre going to
security vulnerabilities making an IoT with a phone? design a device that someones going to
device yourself is a great way to have hold in their hand, the shape of the object
a discussion on the internet about the I think so because the subjects were is affected by all sorts of psychological
security issues. performing for a special purpose. The factors that are subject to the [content]
I think most of the things I make audience is different than for a typical of whole PhD degrees and Don Normans
you can get, but some things you cant. phone. Its like oh, they dont know quite Design Of Everyday Things [see review,
This is a vintage camera [see images]. how it works because Im the one who page 129] and how our intuition affects
I have a collection of vintage cameras programmed it to do what it does. You our ability to interact with the everyday
because Ive always been interested in kind of have to have a more personal world. How do you know to push on
photography. I dont take film photos relationship with discovering it so for a door? That sort of thing is really
any more theyre expensive to develop sure I got more smiles and more people important. Its not just one skill. Its a
and this camera never took good film had their photos taken. whole discipline of interaction design.
60
LENS
61
Becky Stern
INTERVIEW
Left
You can just see the
Raspberry Pi Zero
in Beckys smart
camera peeking out
of the case
first. I was hired as a media last decade. I dont know if
manager, or a video producer, The change in the marketing industry and thats because the maker
at Make and Adafruit and subculture is bigger now.
my skills in video production the blowing up of the maker subculture Theres also a bigger
and photography and project have really changed the landscape for overlap with the bigger non-
management were what set maker culture of observing
me apart from someone who what it means to be a professional maker makers as entertainment.
was just making a tutorial. A lot of non-makers are
I could manage others who observing makers and
were doing the same work as thinking, oh, I want to do a
me, and also see how my work fitted into a like Bob Clagett (I Like to Make Stuff) and project someday. I feel like that audience
larger editorial vision, but thats because I The Sorry Girls on YouTube (the Toronto- has grown by orders of magnitude in
had a strong point of view. based duo). Theres a lot more single the last ten or so years, which enables a
I think its important to not let potential entrepreneurs individual people not platform along with regular social media
sponsors [control what you do]. Just be working for a large company trying their influencer marketing where the future of
genuine to what you want to make and hand at the business of being a maker. It marketing has changed. People looking to
shape the opportunities for []. I dont know really comes down to what you have to say do marketing with young people who are
if its product sponsorship or freelancing and your ability to produce high-quality excited about making things are reaching
for some of these publications. Let your [content], and frequently. I got offered the out to people who are influencers in the
ideas drive the relationship and see how opportunities, I think, in my career mostly community already and sometimes its
things could fit in, rather than saying, I because of my tenacity in publication. I easier for those companies to have a direct
62
LENS
63
Improvisers Toolbox: Duct Tape
FEATURE
DUCT TAPE
No toolbox should be without this ubiquitous fix-all
D
espite the fact that duct tape, in its water like a duck and for the fact that it was made
current incarnation, wasnt even invented from duck cotton. It was originally army green. Quickly
until the mid-twentieth century, its hard recognised for its versatility, it also became dubbed
to imagine what the world did without it. 100mile an hour tape because it could be used on
The winning combination of water-resistant virtually anything, including vehicles, aircraft, and guns,
layer plus fabric plus adhesive makes it a wonder not to mention its emergency medical usages in the
material, equally capable of repair and creation. field. So in this case, the mother of invention was
In the early years, its predecessor, adhesive-backed actually somebodys mother.
duck cotton fabric, was used primarily for medical After the war, the sticky wonder was promoted for
purposes. As the story goes, in 1943, during the tail civilian purposes, notably as a way to hold ventilation
end of World War II, a woman named Vesta Stoudt was ducts together. It was then offered in silver to match
working at the Green River Ordnance Plant in Illinois, the ducts and referred to as duct tape. Ironically, the
inspecting and packaging rifle grenades. A mother of standard variety has since been deemed unsafe for
two Navy soldiers, she worried that the thin paper tape use on HVAC ducts because of its flammability and
and waterproofing wax used to seal the ammo boxes toxicity when heated, but it has found plenty of uses
was too difficult and potentially time-consuming to open the originators could never have imagined, from building
in the field. She suggested creating and using a water- kayaks and clothing to repairing spacecraft. As the old
Goli Mohammadi resistant adhesive-backed cloth tape, but when her saying goes, if you cant fix it with duct tape, you havent
words fell on the deaf ears of her supervisors, she hand- used enough. But before we get to that, lets unpack
@snowgoli wrote a letter to then-President Franklin D Roosevelt, this magic tape and take a look at what makes it work.
whose own sons were also fighting in the war. Sealing the duct tape sandwich is a top coat of
Goli Mohammadi is a Much to her delight and relief, her suggestion low-density polyethylene (LDPE), the most common
word nerd, highlighter
was received and deemed important enough by the plastic on earth, which provides its resistance to water,
of makers, and lover of
mountains. When shes American leader for the government to call in the abrasion, and friction, all while staying flexible. Below
not staring at glowing Johnson & Johnson company, known for its fabric that, duct tape gets its superior tensile strength from
screens, shes romping
around nature. Find her medical tapes, charging them with inventing what was its fabric mesh foundation. The tighter the weave and
at snowgoli.com. to be the first duck tape, named for its ability to repel higher the thread count of the mesh, the stronger the
64
LENS
Thickness
Generally, duct tapes range from 3 mils to 17 mils. Thicker
tapes are naturally stronger but also less flexible, which
affects how they wrap around objects. A good general-
use tape should be about 11 mils. You can also layer
thinner tapes to increase their strength.
Adhesive
Quality duct tapes all have adhesive made of natural
rubber. The more natural rubber, the better the
performance of the tape. Theres also the hot-melt
adhesive variety, but these tend to be less reliable in tape and the higher the rip strength. No longer restricted Above
Duct tape, shown
extreme temperatures and are weaker. to just cotton, thread options now include nylon, rayon, here attached to
and polyester. Lastly, the adhesive is applied as the base some reinforced
Threads layer, unique in that its made with rubber compounds
concrete rebar, is
ridiculouslyversatile
Looking at the threads of the cloth grid (or scrim) can
and caked on to the mesh in a much thicker coat than
give you an idea of the tapes quality. Threads that run
the length of the tape lend strength, while threads that used on most other tapes.
run across show how easily it is to tear by hand. So, the Duct tapes are classified in grades, determined by
closer those threads, the stronger it is and the easier to the type of adhesive and strength of the fabric. An
tear byhand.
Manufacturing Technique
Duct tapes are either made by co-extrusion or lamination, Duct tapes are classified in
with the former being far superior. In co-extrusion, the scrim
is melted into backing, forming a cohesive whole, before grades, determined by the
the adhesive is added. With lamination, all three layers are
type of adhesive and strength
pressed together, causing a risk of bubbles and weakness.
Price can also be a good indicator of how high-quality
the tape is, and consequently, how long it will last and
of the fabric
keep its structural integrity. You really do get what you
pay for here. There are also classifications such as
consumer, industrial, and military grades. Industrial is inexpensive, standard duct tape may have a 9kg (20lb)
the variety that professionals use for actual HVAC ducts, rip strength, while military grade could easily be twice
and is more waterproof, heat-resistant, long-lasting, and that. The varieties and grades are as varied as the uses.
adherent to metals than Theres even a nuclear-grade duct tape thats certified
the consumer variety.
for low leachable halogens and sulphur, can withstand
Military grade then
ups the ante to
temps up to 93C (200F), is UV-resistant for up to a
the next level of year, and doesnt leave a residue when removed.
strength and Worth mentioning is the disambiguation between
durability, duct tape and gaffer tape. Though the words are
often commonly used interchangeably, these are two
reflected in different products with key differences. Typically used
the price.
by theatre, film, and photography professionals, gaffer
tape (named for the chief electrician on television
and motion picture crews) is matte to deter light
reflection, has a cloth top layer, and employs a heat-
resistant adhesive that is easily removed without
leaving stickiness.
65
Improvisers Toolbox: Duct Tape
FEATURE
66
LENS
I
nspired by Craftsman and AWG
tool bags, Tristan Laughlin designed
this duct tape version with many of
the same useful features. The only
ingredient is cardboard, which makes this project
so inexpensive that you can save your money for
the tools to fill it. This handy little carrier is water-
resistant, full of useful side pockets, and is a prime
example of how strong cardboard and duct tape can
be when they join forces.
Project Maker
TRISTAN
LAUGHLIN
Right
Like getting soup in a
Build Your Own bread bowl, the container
hsmag.cc/iNKdMj may end up being as useful
as the contents
W
makeshift fender
repair seems
ed be remiss to not take a moment somehow right at
home on the moon
to appreciate how duct tape has been
aboard every major spacecraft mission
in recent history. Its not only the
fastest way to keep floating items secure in zero
gravity, but its saved missions and lives in a pinch.
When a fender on Apollo 17s Lunar Roving Vehicle
accidentally got caught on a hammer in the shin
pocket of astronaut Gene Cernans spacesuit, half of
it ripped off. Normally, a broken fender would be no
big deal, but on the moons surface, the rover was
kicking up plumes of dark, abrasive moondust. Crew
members used duct tape, lunar maps, and clamps
from the optical alignment telescope lamp to create
a makeshift fender. Apollo 13 astronauts also used Project Maker
it to MacGyver a carbon dioxide filter modification. NASA
When an explosion occurred on the Apollo 13 service levels rising at an alarming rate, they had to find a
module, all three crew members had to transfer to way to make the square filters they had work with the Build Your Own
hsmag.cc/FtkRBo
the lunar module, which was only designed to contain lunar modules round holes. Using found objects and
two astronauts for 36 hours. With carbon dioxide duct tape, they were able to modify and survive. hsmag.cc/aCcOmx
67
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I Z E R O W
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1
to th
s
tion
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onth subscrip
S
EE
! FRHREE magpi.c c / S
With your 12-m
u
PLUSE, T RS &
CA OVE LES
C AB
C
PG
86
SIMPLE CIRCUITS
First step, logic gates second
PG
72
SCHOOL OF
step, designing your own CPU
MAKING
PG
90
BUILD A Start your journey to craftsmanship
with these essential skills
COLD SMOKER
Make almost any food infinitely 72 Woodworking
tastier with a home smoker
78 3D CAD modelling
PG 82 Coding for Arduino
94
ARDUINO SYNTH
Make beeps and beats with an
Arduino and the Mozzi library
PG PG
PG 102 106
98 CONTROL BUILD A
GOING STRAIGHT
CHRISTMAS TREBUCHET!
WITH PID Nothing says holidays Siege weapons should
Make sure your robots are going like remotely controlled be used responsibly, not
in the right direction flashing lights to destroy castle walls
Woodworking 101
SCHOOL OF MAKING
School of making:
Woodworking 101
Bring traditional techniques to your Raspberry Pi setup
A
s a woodwork tutor teaching to 10mm and 5mm thick respectively. Commonly
traditional joinery using hand available 10mm pine for the sides and thin plywood for
tools, I meet a lot of people from the base and lid would work just as well but if using
the technology industry looking to pine, add an extra millimetre to the internal box height
take time out away from the screen to allow for it to shrink across the grain as it dries out.
and gain a more balanced skillset. Glue narrow lengths of pine together edge to edge to
Jenny Smith This Raspberry Pi box project brings woodwork and create wider lengths.
technology together. Being small, it is fairly fiddly to
hsmag.cc/msbristol
make, but the end result is hugely satisfying. The MARK OUT
corners of the box are joined with a whole and half Accurate marking out is essential to well-fitting joinery
Jenny is a woodworking
enthusiast with a dovetail, and the lid and base sit in grooves. The so take your time with it. Use the try square to score
background in bespoke half dovetails enable the top grooves to continue to knife lines straight across the grain of the length of
furniture making,
the ends of the box so that the top can slide in and wood you are using for the box sides to show the ends
particularly reclaimed
woods. She tutors at out. This box is for a home server, so theres only a of the sides, the shoulder lines of the joints, and the
The Makershed Bristol. hole for the power cable and weve used the WiFi sides of the power source hole. Position any knots or
networkconnection. defects in between the sides.
I like to use reclaimed timber, and the maple and Run the marking gauge along the edges to show
TOOL LIST
mahogany of my box are floorboards planed down the edges of the grooves that the base and lid will sit
ESSENTIAL
TOOLS
Ruler
Try square
Pencil
Fine-tooth tenon/
dovetail saw
Marking gauge
Narrow bevel-
edge chisel
Clamps
DESIRABLE
TOOLS
Marking knife
Wide bevel-edge
chisel
Plough plane
Block plane
Screwdriver
Sliding bevel
Above
Coping saw Who doesnt want to give their Raspberry Pi a snazzy new home?
72
FORGE
73
Woodworking 101
SCHOOL OF MAKING
really clear which sections of wood you are keeping the dovetails) and then the cheeks (sides) of the
and which you will remove. dovetails, back to your pencil lines.
Use a dovetail or fine tenon saw to cut on the Use the try square to check that all your surfaces
waste side of all of the lines. Use a try square to are flat and square, marking high points in pencil to
position the lines you are cutting at 90 degrees to the be chiselled away squareness is more important
bench its far easier to saw straight down than to try than paring exactly back to your lines of the dovetail
and lean a saw to the correct angle. shape, as you will mark out the sockets to fit the
Remove the waste wood from between the resulting dovetails.
dovetails, either with a coping saw or narrow blade A good way to chisel square shoulders is to use a
(that can turn the corner at the bottom of one of your scrap piece of wood (fence) clamped in line with the
saw cuts) or by using a series of chisel cuts. shoulder line to position your chisel. Clamp the box
side and fence flat to the bench and slide the chisel
CHISEL THE DOVETAILS AND SHOULDERS down the fence. Its difficult to check if the shoulder
Use a bevel-edge chisel to pare away thin slices of in between two dovetails is square using a try square
wood from first the shoulders (the gaps in between due to the restricted view. If the blade of the try
square touches the edge of the wood when the stock
is held against both inside and outside faces, though,
you can deduce that the shoulder is square.
When paring the cheeks, position the surface at
90 degrees to the bench so that you are chiselling
straight down.
Above
Mark pencil crosses
on the waste side of
each line to clearly
show the areas to be
removed
Right
Cut on the waste
side of all the lines
youve marked
74
FORGE
Above
Marking out the sockets, following the lines of the dovetails
Left
A strong joint
depends on
corresponding
surfaces touching
each other on
assembly so that
the glue can form
abond
75
Woodworking 101
SCHOOL OF MAKING
Right
Assemble the box
once before you
glue it together, just
to make sure it all
fitstogether
Youll need to set up a jig using offcuts of your MAKE THE LID AND BASE
wood screwed down onto a base to surround the We chiselled a rebate into the edges of the base
box side and hold it in position, as it is too small and positioned the raised section inside the box in
to use clamps directly they would be in the path order to reduce the internal dimensions. This meant
of the plane. that the power source hole could be positioned
Set the distance between the plane fence and further away from the bottom edge, giving it more
the cutter to 3mm. If the plane has a depth stop, support from the surrounding wood. If youre using
set this also to 3mm. Press the fence firmly against solid wood, mark the rebates out with the marking
the edge of the wood gauge set to 3mm and
to ensure accuracy and use a wide bevel-edge
try and remove even
If youre using plywood, you chisel to pare away thin
layers along the whole can build up a rebated lid and layers down to the line.
length. The lid grooves Make sure the inside
base by gluing two layers
will run through the corners are clear of all
together, with one layer
half dovetails. fibres so that the lid
If you dont have runs smoothly inside
slightly smaller than the other
a plough plane, the grooves.
you can pare away If youre using
the waste wood from inside the groove with a plywood, you can build up a rebated lid and base by
narrow chisel. Be careful! gluing two layers together, with one layer slightly
The base grooves of the socket sides need to be smaller than the other.
chiselled out, as opposed to plough-planed, because The base needs to extend into grooves on all
they need to stop short of the end. Ensure you four sides. The lid only needs to fit into grooves
chisel across the fibres first to break them and then along the dovetail sides and can be cut flush at
gradually pare away thin layers to minimise the risk either end.
of splitting. A depth of 1mm is sufficient to hold the The socket sides of the box need to be reduced
base in position. in height to allow the lid to pass over the top of
76
FORGE
GLUE UP
Before you glue up any project, you should fit all
the pieces together without glue to make sure
there are no adjustments to be made.
Once youre happy with the fit, lay out your
pieces and apply wood glue to the inside faces,
cheeks, and shoulders of the dovetails only no
glue is required on the socket sides or the base
and lid.
Clamp the box together in both directions, using
small sections of scrap wood to protect it from
being damaged by the clamps. Allow 24 hours for
the glue to dry.
paper, removing the scratches of the previous
FINISHING coarser grade as you go. Above
Here are the
Your box will need to be either planed, scraped or Danish oil is a quick, easy, and durable finish. measurements if you
sanded to clean up the surfaces ready for finishing. Apply this sparingly with a soft lint-free cloth, using want to make your
own Pi box
If you use a plane, take care not to plane off the a small brush to get into corners. Remove any
edge of any areas of end grain, as they will splinter excess Danish oil, particularly in the grooves and
out. If you use sandpaper, always sand in the the edges of the lid. This will ensure that the box
direction of the grain to disguise scratches. Start opens and closes smoothly after finishing. Well
out with a coarse paper to remove marks and then done! Now your Raspberry Pi projects can have a
work up through the grades to a fine finishing nice new home.
Left
The finished article:
lending gravitas to
our Pi web server
77
3D CAD modelling for beginners
SCHOOL OF MAKING
3D CAD modelling
for beginners
Start printing your own designs with this phone stand modelling tutorial
Y
ouve had that 3D printer for a little specify, and it stores the entire design history so you
while now; it was so exciting when can modify individual features later.
it showed up in the mail, chock-full
of gleaming metal and possibilities, CAD LOOKS SCARY; TAKE YOUR TIME
wasnt it? But, like most people, youve Once youve downloaded Fusion 360, take some time
likely started to get bored with printing to familiarise yourself with the layout of the interface.
pencil holders, coasters, and figurines that you find The primary part of the window is the viewport, where
Cameron Coward
online. Those trinkets are fun for a little while, but youll interact with the model. The viewport is fully
cameron_coward the real potential of your 3D printer is in printing your three-dimensional, and the model can be rotated and
very own designs. viewed from different angles while youre working on
Cameron Coward is a Designing your own 3D models means using CAD it. The View Cube at the top right of the viewport lets
mechanical designer,
writer, and author
(computer-aided design) software. Unfortunately, you quickly rotate the model to predefined angles.
specialising in hacker CAD software has a very steep learning curve, and The main toolbar along the top of the viewport
and maker tech. is difficult for beginners to get started with. After all, contains all of the tools youll need for modelling.
Find out more about
him and his work at there are entire college degree programmes devoted
cameroncoward.com to becoming proficient in CAD. But, that doesnt
mean there isnt hope! Learning to use CAD is much
less about where all of the individual commands are, Below
YOULL NEED This guide will walk
and more about understanding the concepts involved. you through how to
design and model
Windows, Mac, or In this article, youll learn how to use those basic your very own
Linux computer concepts to model your own smartphone stand. With phone stand
78
FORGE
Above
When you begin modelling a new design, start by finding the
angle that gives you a basic feature for your first sketch
79
3D CAD modelling for beginners
SCHOOL OF MAKING
start a new model. those edges, making the To make the actual
The centre of all of model stronger and more Your sketches should platform that your phone
these is the Origin, professional-looking. Unless will rest on, youll create
which everything you have a reason to leave always be fully defined, yet another extrusion. This
else references. them sharp, you should which means the lines will be on the same plane
The X, Y, and Z
round most corners and as your first extrusion, and
axes all intersect
edges with fillets, or blunt cant be moved needs to form a J shape to
at the Origin, and
three planes are them with chamfers. A fillet hold your phone. The angle
created by these is defined by the radius of this platform should be
axes. In Fusion of the arc connecting two lines, while a chamfer is around 60 from horizontal. Make the height about
360 the XY plane is defined by the length and angle of the chord. half the length of your phone, and the space between
usually called the Your sketches should always be fully defined, it and the front flip should be slightly larger than the
Front plane, the
which means the lines cant be moved. Geometric thickness of your phone. This will allow you to easily
XZ plane is called
the Top plane, and constraints can help with this, and are in the Sketch rest your phone on the stand, while still keeping
the YZ plane is Palette. The bottom line of the base, for example, it good and secure.
the side (or right/ needs to be horizontal. So, to lock that, youll The final feature, to finish the base structure, is a
left) plane. These select that line and then click the Horizontal/Vertical cutout for your phones charging port. Cut this out of
correspond to the constraint. When a line is fully constrained, it will the bottom support and lip of the platform. Sketches
views named on
change from blue to black. Make sure all of your dont have to be on the predefined planes, and the
the View Cube.
lines are black before continuing, and the sketch sketch for this extruded cut can be the outer face of the
should be constrained to the Origin point. lip. Simply draw a rectangle thats the same height as
80
FORGE
QUICK TIP
Always consider
how your creation
will be used. For
instance, you might
want to add a small
clip or guide to keep
your charging cable
in place.
Left
Once youre done
modelling your
design, saving an
STL for 3D printing
is trivial. For
quality, keep the
refinement high
81
Coding for Arduino
SCHOOL OF MAKING
S
o you want to start programming When creating sketches, youll code your sketch
microcontrollers and doing some in an IDE, then connect your Arduino compatible
cool projects with the hardware. device to your PC using an USB cable. With that in
Youve selected Arduino as your place, the IDE compiles your sketches into executable
starting platform, purchased a popular code, then downloads them to the Arduino device
Arduino board, and youre ready to over the cable. As your sketch runs, you can pass
John Wargo get started. Whats next? In this short article, well data between the IDE and your Arduino device over
show you how to get started coding for Arduino. a serial communication channel enabled in the IDE
@johnwargo
Arduino (arduino.cc) is a very popular hardware (shown in Figure 1). Once compiled code is deployed
platform for computer-controlled hardware projects. to the device, the device resets and, once the device
John is a professional
Arduino is a small, inexpensive, programmable completes initialisation, it executes the sketch.
software developer,
writer, presenter, microcontroller that exposes a multitude of An Arduino sketch consists, at a minimum, of
father, husband, and input and output (I/O) connections you can use two parts: code that runs once, and code that runs
geek. He is currently a
Program Manager at
to create computer-controlled circuits, wiring in repeatedly. Let us show you.
Microsoft, working on switches, lights, sensors, and more. Its an open In the Arduino IDE (described later), an empty
Visual Studio Mobile hardware platform, which means that the hardware Arduino sketch looks like this:
Center. You can find
him at johnwargo.com specification is open source, so anyone with
the means can design and distribute their own
Arduino-compatible hardware. Therefore, theres a
series of devices made by arduino.cc and a bevy of
SERIAL COMMUNICATION
compatible devices from other vendors as well. The serial communications capabilities of the
To program an Arduino device, youll code Arduino platform expose additional capabilities
applications in a language similar to very old for your sketches. At a minimum, you can use
programming language called C; these applications serial communication to send data back to the
are called sketches. Because the Arduino is IDE while youre troubleshooting your sketches.
To do this, open the IDEs Tools menu and select
basically a small computer system, although with
Serial Monitor. A new window opens, and any data
limited processing speed and memory, the platform writtenusing the Serial commands (described at
supports a subset of the capabilities of C. Youll arduino.cc/en/Reference/Serial) will appear in the
code your Arduino applications in an integrated monitor window.
development environment (IDE); Arduino offers You can also use serial communications to
both a locally installed IDE or a cloud IDE to use transfer collected data (from sensors connected
for your projects. There are alternative IDEs to the Arduino board) to another computer system
like a Windows PC or a Raspberry Pi. Makers often
Figure 1 available as well; you can find a list of options
Arduino
do this since the Arduino supports analogue inputs
at hsmag.cc/aQJqkJ. and the Raspberry Pi does not. In this scenario,
development
architecture the Arduino becomes merely a data collection
device, and the Raspberry Pi does whatever
number crunching is appropriate for the project,
USB CABLE potentially even displaying data on a connected
Sketch Download screen or uploading the data to a remote server
for processing.
Development Serial Communication
Workstation
82
FORGE
within the sketch. code that you want to run
At a minimum, use a Arduino is a small, repeatedly on the Arduino.
comment block at the The Arduino executes
inexpensive, programmable
beginning of the sketch the setup function once,
to describe the sketch, microcontroller that exposes then executes the loop
as weve done in the function over, and over, and
a multitude of input and
example, using dummy over again until either the
content from the Bacon output (I/O) connections Arduino explodes (it wont,
Ipsum generator (at were just kidding) or you
baconipsum.com). disconnect power from
You should also use block comments like this to the device. You can put all your code in the loop,
describe important parts of your sketches. or break your code into smaller functions and call
You can also add single-line comments to your those functions from the loop function.
sketches. To do this, start any line in your sketch To see all of this in action, look at the following
with double forward slash characters (//) or after example. By default, the Arduino developer tools
any of your code. All content following the double include a simple sample sketch called Blink.
forward slashes is ignored by the Arduino compiler.
In the following example, a single-line comment
precedes the definition of the numCols variable. The
comment and the executable code are on separate
lines, so we started the comment line with the
double forward slashes.
83
Coding for Arduino
SCHOOL OF MAKING
84
FORGE
Below Below
Setting the IDEs communication port Compile and Deploy buttons
When the code runs, it will turn the LED on for the upload process completes, the Arduino device
1second, then off for 1 second, repeating the will immediately reset, then begin executing the
process until you remove power from the device or new sketch. In this example, the Arduino will turn
deploy a different sketch. its on-board LED on and off repeatedly until power
Now its time to see the sketch in operation. To is removed from the board or a different sketch
do this, youll start by is uploaded.
installing the Arduino IDE Now its time to play
on your computer system. To program an Arduino device, around with the code. If
Open your browser of you remember from earlier,
choice and navigate
youll code applications in a the sketch uses delay
to arduino.cc. On the language similar to an old statements to control the
sites top menu, click the amount of time the LED
language called C; these
Software link, then, on the is on and off. Right now,
page that opens, download applications are called sketches theyre coded to pause 1
the latest version of the second (1000 milliseconds);
Arduino IDE for your modify the code so the
systems operating system. Once the download LED stays on for half a second (500 milliseconds)
completes, launch the downloaded file to begin the and pauses for two seconds (2000 milliseconds) in
software installation. between. Upload the modified code to the board and
Once the installation completes, start the Arduino see what happens.
IDE. In the Arduino IDE, open the File menu, select
Examples, then 01.basics, then Blink, as shown in
Figure 2 (page 83). NEXT STEPS
Archiving built core (caching) in: C:\ Weve only lightly brushed the surface of what you
Users\JOHNWARGO\AppData\Local\Temp\arduino_ can do with the Arduino platform. To make it easier for
cache_950966\core\core_arduino_avr_uno_ Arduino developers to get started, the IDE includes
c3bfe3f79ffbeab93536a1a484b588d9.a a whole catalogue of example applications you can
Sketch uses 928 bytes (2%) of program storage study and use to expand your skills. To access these
examples, in the Arduino IDE, open the File menu,
space. Maximum is 32256 bytes.
select Examples, then look for a sketch category that
Global variables use 9 bytes (0%) of dynamic appeals to you. The Basics category offers some
memory, leaving 2039 bytes for local variables. simple sketches you can use to expand from where
Maximum is 2048 bytes. weve started here. Theres a simple sketch to fade
the on-board LED up and down (instead of turning it
If the verification fails, the IDE will display on and off, as in the Blink example). There are also
information about any errors and reference the sketch sketches for reading analogue or digital signals; youd
line number where the error was found. Youll need to use these with the appropriate analogue or digital
fix any errors before continuing to the next step. output device connected to the Arduino. The other
Finally, click the Upload button; the IDE will repeat sketch categories offer more sophisticated sketches
that work with different hardware devices and more.
the verification step, then deploy the compiled
sketch to the connected Arduino device. When
85
Making things add up
TUTORIAL
Eric Coates
hsmag.cc/cabTmd
Eric Coates,
BSc(Hons) MA has
lectured on electronics
in technical colleges
and acted as examiner
and moderator for
several UK technical
educational boards.
He is the founder and
CEO of learnabout-
electronics.org
Right
The complete half
adder circuit built on
a breadboard
C
omputers can carry out an awesome the single-digit sum output, producing the answer
amount of mathematics; we all know of 10 (decimal 2). This is fine if we only need to add
that. So how come all of this can be a single column of binary, but the half adder cannot
performed on a machine that can only cope with multi-column numbers where a carry may
add 1 and 1; no subtraction as we know be produced.
it; no multiplication and no division?
The answer is that an electronic adder circuit that just THE HALF ADDERS BIG BROTHER
adds 1 + 1 and uses a few tricks of the binary system Because the half adder can only add two 1-bit
can, with some help from a little firmware code, carry numbers in a single column, it does not usually work
out any arithmetic we need at an amazing speed. The alone. However, if the carry output produced by
simple electronic calculator circuit at the heart of this the half adder can be used as one input to another
wizardry is known as the Half Adder and is shown,
made from just a couple of logic gates (an Exclusive
A
OR gate and an AND gate), in Figure 1. SUM
B A B Sum Carry
The half in its name is because, while it can add
0 0 0 0
1 plus 0 and even add 0 plus 1 to get the correct 0 1 1 0
answer of 1, as shown in the Sum column of the CARRY 1 0 1 0
truth table in Figure 1, if it adds 1 plus 1 in binary, this 1 1 0 1
produces the (decimal) answer of 2, which in binary
Figure 1
notation is 10, so a second column is needed in the The half adder is at the heart of all electronic calculators
form of a Carry output to hold double the value of
86
FORGE
SUM
A SUM 1 A SUM 2
OUT
B B
CARRY 1 CARRY 2
CARRY Figure 2
OUT Two half adders make
one full adder that
CARRY IN can cope with multi-
column addition
half adder, the two circuits combine to form the is the approach we shall use in our transistor/resistor
full adder shown in Figure 2, which will now have version of the half adder. YOULL NEED
three inputs and so can add two binary bits in any So why, when logic gates are readily available in Transistors
one column using inputs A and B, plus any carry integrated circuit form, and you can easily simulate 8 2N3904
in from a previous column, making multi-column their operation on a computer screen, would you want Resistors
additionpossible. to build them from basic electronic components such 4 4.7k (4K7)
for R1, R10, R11 & R12
So, the half adder may not carry out an impressive as resistors and transistors? Well, these days when
amount of arithmetic, but as it only takes around 30 the Internet of Things is becoming more and more 8 6.8k (6K8)
nanoseconds to produce its answer, this basic adder important, the skill of combining computers such as for all other resistors
could therefore carry out around 100million similar the Raspberry Pi or Arduino with external electronic Switches
calculations per second, which is how, when coupled circuits and devices is becoming vital. Its one thing 2 Mini push to close
with another half adder and other bits of electronic to move things about on a computer or smartphone 2 5V LEDs
circuitry, many simple 1+1 additions are made to display, but different skills are needed to drive output 1 Kingbright L-53GD
(5mm green) and
look like powerful maths, when its really simple devices and make things change in the real world. 1 Kingbright L-53ID
arithmetic, only at a blazing speed! Therefore its more vital than ever to understand the (5mm red) are
operation of electronic circuits at component level, ideal and need no
limitingresistors
THE HALF ADDER DISSECTED and to develop the knowledge and skills needed for
The most complex part of the half adder is an Exclusive constructing working circuits such as the half adder. Breadboard and
OR (XOR) gate, which produces an output of logic 1 wire links
when its two inputs are different (01 or 10), but an THE AND GATE 5V Power supply
output of 0 when the two inputs are the same (00 or Our half adder circuit will contain two AND gates, (only 20mA current
needed)
11). XOR gates comprise rather more electronics than both working to produce the truth table in Figure 4.
the other more standard gates, which makes them
slower, therefore less popular and more expensive
than the other standard gates. However, the Exclusive +5V
Sw A
OR logic function can be, and very often is carried
out by a combination of more regular logic gates, as
shown in Figure 3 where the XOR gate is replaced by
a combination of AND, OR and NAND gates, and this
R9
A
Sw B
B Tr5
R8
SUM
Tr6
AND
A B Out Out
0 0 0
R12 Figure 4
0 1 0
CARRY The AND gate output
1 0 0 produces a logic 1
1 1 1 when, and only when,
Figure 3 both inputs are at
Equivalent half adder circuit using standard logic gates logic 1, otherwise the
output is at logic 0
87
Making Things Add Up
TUTORIAL
+5V
Sw A +5V Sw A
Figure 5 (Right)
The OR gate output R1
produces logic 1
when either input or
both inputs are at
logic 1, otherwise the R4
Tr3
output is at logic 0 R2
Out
Figure 6
(FarRight)
The NAND gate Tr1
output produces
logic 1 when both
inputs are at logic 0, Sw B R3
Sw B R5 Tr4
otherwise the output
is at logic 1
Tr2
Out
OR R10 NAND
A B Out A B Out
0 0 0 0 0 1
0 1 1 0 1 1
1 0 1 1 0 1
1 1 1 1 1 0
Notice in this circuit that the two transistors Tr5 and THE OR GATE
Tr6 are effectively connected in series; that is, the As in the AND gate, the transistors here are being
same current will be flowing through Tr5 (collector used as electronic switches and are activated by
to emitter) and through Tr6 (collector to emitter). the currents flowing into their bases from Sw A and
QUICK TIP Therefore, for this current to develop a voltage SwB via the 6.8k resistors R4 and R5 (Figure5).
Before you build across R12, both transistors must be conducting. All However, in this circuit the transistors Tr3 and
the circuit shown in the transistors in the whole of the half adder circuit Tr4 are connected in parallel, with the collector
Figure 7, its a good are operated in switch mode; that is, they will either of Tr3 connected directly to the collector of Tr4
idea to build each of be switched on, by a and the emitters of
the individual gate
large enough current both transistors also
circuits in Figures The half adder does not carry
4 to 6 separately to flowing into their base connected together.
begin with, so you can connection to cause the out an impressive amount of Therefore if either Tr3 or
test each circuit to transistor to conduct Tr4 is made to conduct,
make sure they give arithmetic, but it only takes
heavily, or switched off a voltage almost equal
the results shown in
around 30 nanoseconds to
their respective truth by removing the base to the +5V supply will
tables. If you fit the current and therefore produce its answer be developed across
two input switches to preventing any collector/ the output resistor R10.
the breadboard first, emitter current. The This therefore produces
you can use these
to test each of the
base current for Tr5 and Tr6 depends on the values what we shall call logic 1 at the output if Tr3, Tr4 or
gate circuits. Youll of R9 and R8, which are both 6.8k, and the both transistors are made to conduct, fulfilling the
also need to include switches Sw A and Sw B are used to simply connect requirements of the OR truth table and in the total
the two output LEDs. R9 and R8 to the +5V supply. half adder circuit, driving one of the inputs of the
Building these three
So, when both transistors are switched on, the Sum AND gate as part of Figure 3s XOR function.
logic gate circuits
separately will enable current through Tr5 and Tr6 will develop an output
you to find the best voltage across R12 (4.7k) equal to the supply THE NAND GATE
layout for each gate voltage, minus a small voltage drop due to the Comparing the truth tables for the NAND gate in
circuit and help you to voltages across the PN junctions in Tr5 and Tr6. Figure 6 and the AND gate in Figure 4, it can be
understand how each
gate circuit works
As shown in Figure 3, one AND circuit will be seen that the output columns of each table are the
before attempting the used to drive the Sum output of the half adder and opposites of each other. This tells us that the circuit
complete half adder. the other AND circuit will drive the Carry output. for the NAND gate will be similar to that of the AND
88
FORGE
89
Build a cold smoker
TUTORIAL
T
here are few things that you can turn contains some smouldering wood thats used to
your hacking skills to that can give generate the smoke; theres then some ducting that
you as much enjoyment as food. the smoke travels along, cooling as it goes. This duct
Most people eat around a thousand deposits the smoke into a smoke chamber that holds
meals a year, so thats a thousand whatever it is you want to smoke.
chances to use your knowledge and First, lets take a look at the firebox. This obviously
Ben Everard skill to increase your happiness. To us, that sounds needs to be fireproof, it needs to be fairly well sealed
like a great area to focus on. Well start with a (so the smoke doesnt leak out everywhere), and
@ben_everard
brilliant way of adding flavour to a wide range of it needs to connect to the ducting; but other than
foods such as meat, cheese, and fish: cold smoking. that, it can be almost anything thats large enough.
Ben Everard is the
editor of HackSpace The three main things you need your smoker to
magazine and a maker do are produce smoke, cool the smoke, and apply
whose projects always
the smoke to the food. None of these things is
seem to lead to food,
including an irrigation especially difficult, and the hardest thing for many
system that waters his DIY smokers is just getting them all into a limited
vegetables and a 1947
radio (converted to
amount of space. In most cases, this is done best
a Bluetooth speaker) by splitting the three tasks up into three separate
that keeps the music physical parts.
flowing in his kitchen.
The rough layout of our design is widely used
for small-scale smokers. You have a firebox, which
YOULL NEED
Below
Kettle BBQ Our finished smoker. Smoke likes to rise, so its best to place
with lid your smoke chamber above your firebox
Heat-proof
ducting
Hardboard
(4 610mm
550mm and 2
610mm 610mm)
Thermometer
Galvanised
fencing wire
200mm
300mm sheet
of 1mm stainless
steel mesh
Aluminium
foil tape
2.5mm 20mm
screws
18mm 38mm
1200mm planed
pine
8 M6 50mm
bolts with nuts
90
FORGE
Left
We bent the corners
of our M-shaped
smoke generator to
make it fit closer to
the ducting taking
the smoke out of
the firebox
91
Build a cold smoker
TUTORIAL
Above
The lit smoke the candle before smoking the food). A cigarette
generator will SELECTING lighter can work, but youre likely to burn your fingers
provide several
hours of smoke WOOD once or twice.
from a single trace
There are a few different types of wood you can buy We were able to hacksaw a square hole in the metal
for smoking. Larger chunks (often around a centimetre lid of the BBQ and attach the duct (see below) to the
cubed) are for hot smokers as they wont smoulder in firebox using heat-resistant tape. It wasnt the neatest
the right way for cold smokers. There are also various join, but we found that this was a situation where a
types of pellets and pucks that are designed for specific neat finish would have taken much more time for very
commercial smokers. For a home-built cold smoker, you
little gain. It does, however, need to be fairly smoke-
want to get wood dust or fine wood chips designed for
cold smoking. There are a few different sources available, proof, so you might need to pile on the tape. If anyone
but make sure you get some that are for food. asks, tell them you were aiming for the rustic look. The
There are loads of different tree species available bigger the hole you create, the better the smoke will
and some people will make you think that its essential flow through into the duct (provided you havent made
that everything gets smoked in exactly the right species. it bigger than the duct, of course).
Different woods do have different flavours, but the density
of the smoke in the chamber and the length of time its
smoked for has a far bigger effect. Wed recommend DUCT TALES
starting with a fruit wood like apple or cherry. These are a Youll be glad to know that the firebox is the most
bit milder than some woods such as oak, which means its complex part of the build. Now weve dealt with that,
a little more forgiving of oversmoking so youre less likely everything gets easier. The duct just needs to be long
to end up with something that tastes like an ashtray. enough for the smoke to cool down sufficiently. There
If you create your own wood for smoking, remember
arent any hard-and-fast rules on this as it depends on
that it has to be uncontaminated with oil. This means no
chainsaws or other mechanical devices that use oil. Cold
your firebox design, the amount of heat produced by
smokers dont get hot enough to cleanly burn this oil, so the smouldering wood, and the ambient temperature
youll just end up with an oily taste in your food. in the smoke chamber. The end result were looking
for is a chamber under 26C (79F). As a general rule
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93
8-bit Synths With Arduino
TUTORIAL
S
o, youve got your first Arduino, and power to generate waveforms and effects. Digital
youve tried a few basic projects. synths have other benefits too, but their main
Maybe youve got an LED blinking and strength is that once set up, theyre extremely
now youre struggling to find a project reconfigurable; you dont need to rebuild your synth
thats a little more creative. Look no to change its sound, just reprogram it.
further, weve got you covered! You may Throughout this tutorial well be using the Mozzi
Chris Ball have achieved some basic bleeps and bloops with the library to create a variety of sounds. The library is
built in Tone() function, but well be doing some much capable of generating complex waveforms, audio
@ChrisBallMidi more advanced digital synthesis. effects, and playing short samples, all from the
Digital synthesizers are very different from modest hardware in an Arduino. Well be using it to
Chris Ball is a their analogue counterparts. Instead of a complex create a basic FM (frequency modulation) synthesizer.
technologist working
in Manchester, UK. collection of diodes, amplifiers, oscillators, and other Well get started with the absolute bare minimum
He has worked on a esoteric audio electronics, they mainly use processing for a Mozzi-based sketch. Make sure youve installed
variety of interactive
art installations. You
can visit his site at
chrisballprojects.co.uk
YOULL NEED
An Arduino
(Preferably Uno,
although others
arepossible)
Breadboard
470 resistor
Tactile button
4 10k linear
potentiometers
(usually marked
B10K)
Right
Our final synth,
with the four
potentiometers we
need to play with to
create the sound of
the future
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95
8-bit Synths With Arduino
TUTORIAL
int pot0,pot1,pot2;
Voltage
Voltage
int frequency1,frequency2,volume;
pot0=mozziAnalogRead(A0);
Time Time
pot1=mozziAnalogRead(A1);
96
FORGE
GND
Having problems
frequency2=pot1+50; 5V getting the first
volume=map(pot2, 0, 1023, 0, 255); example working?
aSin1.setFreq(frequency1); Theres a much
aSin2.setFreq(frequency2); more thorough
A0 walkthrough at
And our updateAudio() code will be changed also: hsmag.cc/AwksSP
return volume*((aSin1.next()+aSin2.next())>>1)>>8;
R1
Our two sine waves, when added together, could
POTENTIOMETER
add up to a number higher than our PWM output can
reproduce. In audio circles this is called clipping and
is generally avoided (unless youre intentionally after A1
a distorted sound). Weve prevented this here by
dividing the output by two.
The above changes should result in two controllable R2
sine waves on pots 0 and 1. You may even be able to POTENTIOMETER
get some interesting throbbing if you pitch the notes
close together this is called beating and is caused A2
by interference between the two frequencies.
To develop the synth further, well introduce
frequency modulation (FM). This means well use the R3
output of one sine wave to control the frequency of POTENTIOMETER
another, resulting in varied timbres.
Well also be making some changes to our A3
hardware: adding another potentiometer; and
introducing a push button to trigger the audio.
If you make these changes to the circuit, and R4
upload the code from hsmag.cc/JPNNBP, you should POTENTIOMETER
have yourself an FM synthesizer!
The magic happens in two lines. This one, in
GND
updateControl(): + D2
Left
aSin2.setFreq(frequency2);
SW1 The final circuit
diagram for
And this line, in updateAudio(): thebreadboard
aSin1.setFreq(frequency1+(amount*(aSin2.
next())>>8)); OTHER ARDUINO AUDIO PROJECTS
The first sets the frequency of our modulation, and
ElectroSmash PedalShield: This is a kit designed to sit on top of an Arduino Due and turn
the second uses that to control the frequency of our it into a general-purpose guitar effects pedal. It has some basic examples available, and a
main waveform. There is also an amount control that forum with many more. Electrosmash.com/pedalshield
will multiply our modulation, with some interesting
effects. Remember, now youll need to push the Ardutouch: International hacker Mitch Altman has created an Arduino-based synth
trigger button to hear sound! Try changing some of project called Ardutouch, built on a fantastic library by himself and Bill Alessi. The library
by itself is great to mess around with, although it may require an experienced Arduino
the numbers in this code and see how they affect
user. cornfieldelectronics.com/cfe/projects.php
theoutput.
So, you should have a basic 8-bit synthesizer, Teensy Audio Board: This hardware for the Teensy 3.1/3.2 and the accompanying audio
but more importantly, an idea of how to use the library get an honourable mention simply because its so fully featured. Not strictly
Mozzi library to develop it further. Mozzi has a huge Arduino, but Arduino-like. pjrc.com/teensy/td_libs_Audio.html
selection of basic waveforms, some audio effects,
There are many more useful libraries in the Arduino Library List (playground.arduino.cc/
and its extremely well documented, with great
Main/LibraryList) under the audio section.
examples. If you feel lost at any point, you can always
check on the website.
97
Going straight with PID
TUTORIAL
T
here is more to making a robot go in and then use this feedback to adjust the motors
a straight line than just turning the speed at run-time so that each motor spins at the
motors on full power in this tutorial same rate.
youll learn how to add encoders Encoders are typically used to measure motor
to your robot and implement a PID speed; these devices provide an output (or pulse)
controller to regulate the power. multiple times per revolution.
Martin OHanlon Anyone who has ever built a wheeled robot will know A PID (proportional-integral-derivative) controller is
that driving in a straight line is a lot more difficult than then used to continuously monitor and adjust motor
@martinohanlon
you first think. Sure, holding a true heading for 1, 2 or speed to keep them in sync.
maybe 3 metres is possible, but keeping it up past 10 This tutorial steps through adding encoders to a
Martin is the co-author
of Adventures in or 20 metres without a veer to the left or right becomes Raspberry Pi-powered robot, using Python to create
Minecraft, a Raspberry astonishingly tricky. a PID controller, tuning it to work with your robot,
Pi trainer, and blogger
There are many reasons why this happens uneven and using the GPIO Zero (gpiozero.readthedocs.io)
at stuffaboutco.de
surfaces, differences in wheel size, bent axles and, most library to interact with the hardware.
significantly, the fact that no two motors turn at the
same speed! Minor differences in manufacturing and ENCODERS
YOULL NEED materials result in minor differences in output, and as a Encoders come in all shapes, sizes and accuracy. They
Raspberry Pi result, one motor will spin more quickly than the other. can be incorporated into motors themselves or as
wheeled robot This difference may well be very small, but over time (or add-ons that connect to the motor shaft or the wheel,
Two motor/wheel distance), it will show as your robot beginning to veer. If but fundamentally they all work in the same way a
encoders the right motor is moving quicker, your robot is going to consistent signal is provided as the motor turns; the
turn in an arc to the left, and vice versa. faster the motor is turning, the faster the signal.
To counter this problem, a solution is required that A typical robot setup includes a motor controller (or
can accurately measure how fast each motor is moving maybe a dedicated HAT), two motors, and a battery
pack. In addition, you will need an encoder per motor
connected to your Raspberry Pi.
Most encoders will have three or four pins (power,
ground, and one or two signal pins); typically the power
and ground pins will be connected to a 3.3V and a
ground (GND) pin on your Pi; one of the signal pins
should be connected to a spare GPIO pin. Its important
to check the specifications of your encoders before
connecting them up to the Raspberry Pi.
Encoder Encoder
98
FORGE
from the encoders its likely that you will need to 7. Start the robot by making the value of both motors
change this value later to get the best result from 1.0 (forward at full speed):
your setup:
m1_speed = 1.0
SAMPLETIME = 1 m2_speed = 1.0
r.value = (m1_speed, m2_speed)
4. Create an Encoder class to monitor your encoders;
thiswill increment a value each time the pin turns on 8. Start an infinite loop and print the encoder values:
and off.
while True:
class Encoder(object): print("e1 {} e2 {}".format(e1.value, e2.value)
def __init__(self, pin): sleep(SAMPLETIME)
self._value = 0
9. Run the program.
Above
As the right motor
encoder = DigitalInputDevice(pin) spins quicker than
View the complete encoder.py code listing at
encoder.when_activated = self._increment the left, the robot
github.com/martinohanlon/RobotPID. always turns left
encoder.when_deactivated = self._increment
The SAMPLETIME value should be changed to reflect
your hardware; you need to find a balance between
def reset(self):
reading it frequently enough to get good results and
self._value = 0
slow enough to capture sufficient encoder ticks try
values between 0.1 and 1.0 seconds and aim to capture
def _increment(self):
more than 20 ticks per sample.
self._value += 1
Make a note of approximately how many encoder
ticks per sample your robot makes.
@property
def value(self):
PID CONTROLLER
return self._value
A PID controller continuously calculates an error
5. Use the gpiozero Robot class to connect to your motor and applies a corrective action to resolve the error;
hardware; each motor will connect to two GPIO pins in this case, the error is the motor spinning at the
(one forward, one back), specified as ((left_forward, wrong speed and the corrective action is changing
left_backward), (right_forward, right_backward)) our the power to the motor. It is this continuous testing
robot uses the pins ((10,9), (8,7)): of the motors speed and adjusting it to the correct QUICK TIP
speed which will make your robots motors spin at the Motors with built-in
r = Robot((10,9), (8,7))
correct speed and go straight. encoders tend to be
more expensive, but
6. Create two Encoder objects passing the GPIO pin the
they also have much
signal connects too; weve used GPIO pins 17 and 18: PID is a control loop feedback mechanism greater accuracy
The controller will have a target motor speed that it and precision
e1 = Encoder(17)
wishes to maintain; each time the encoder values thanaddons.
e2 = Encoder(18)
are sampled, it will calculate the difference (or error)
Too slow
99
Going straight with PID
TUTORIAL
while True:
e1_error = TARGET - e1.value
e2_error = TARGET - e2.value
Right 4. Calculate the new motor speed by adding the error
Our encoders tick
about 50 to 60 times and multiplying it by the proportional constant:
per sample and
motor 2 runs slightly m1_speed += e1_error * KP
faster than motor 1
m2_speed += e2_error * KP
Keeping a
Time for maths How different are your motors?
camera on a
powered mount Modify the program you created earlier to read View the complete proportional.py code listing at
pointing at the encoder values: github.com/martinohanlon/RobotPID.
same place Proportional control should be enough to stabilise
1. Add a constant for the target of encoder ticks you your motors speed and keep them turning at about
Making a robot want the motors to achieve; make this value about the correct speed, but when there is a large error or
follow a wall by
measuring the
75% of the encoder ticks per sample value you you want the speed to adjust quickly, you will get a
distance to it with made a note of earlier (in our case 60 0.75 = 45): large overshoot and your robot will react erratically,
ultrasonic sensors swinging left to right this is where derivative
TARGET = 45
control helps.
PID controllers are
2. Add a constant (KP) for the proportional change
universal devices
and the rules which will be multiplied by the error to create the DERIVATIVE
can be applied motor adjustment. This constant will need tuning, Derivative control looks at how quickly or slowly the
to solve many but a good starting point is 1 divided by the encoder error is changing, creating a larger error if its changing
differentproblems. ticks per sample (e.g. 1 / 60 = 0.0166~) quickly and a smaller one if slowly. This will help to
smooth out the rate of change and prevent erratic
KP = 0.02
changes in speed.
100
FORGE
4. Make any change in small increments; even a very small change can have a dramatic effect.
Modify the program to implement integral control:
Once tuned, each motor should settle down to a speed which is close to the encoder target.
1. Create a constant for the integral control (KI); a
good starting point is half the value of KD:
101
Control Christmas Decorations
TUTORIAL
Dreaming of a
multicoloured Christmas
Build a Bluetooth remote-controlled Christmas light show
T
his project combines simple a knife and metal ruler to score a line on the wood.
woodworking with electronics to Repeat this many times until you have cut all the way
produce a remote control Christmas through. Cut strips 15mm wide, then cut each of them
decoration. So you can get yourself in to length with a junior hacksaw.
the Christmas spirit from the comfort of For the complex curves of the S, you will need to
your own armchair! use many short pieces. Use sandpaper to form a bevel
Andy Clark The decoration is in the form of the four letters of on each piece so that they fit together in a curve.
XMAS (yes, we know thats cheating, but it saves on Glue your strips in place with wood glue and hold in
@workshopshed the number of LEDs we needed to buy). These are place with pins and tape. Glue a block of wood 300mm
filled with green and red LEDs which are controlled by 20mm 10mm along the bottom edge of the back,
After an aerospace an Arduino. ensuring that the narrow edge is attached. Wood glue
apprenticeship and
electronics degree at
The first step is to build the backboard. You will need is best left overnight to dry.
Imperial College, Andy a piece of 6mm plywood sized 300mm by 100mm.
took a job as a software Use paper templates to transfer the shapes of the NOW ITS TIME FOR THE ELECTRONICS
engineer. For the last
ten years hes been letters on to the board, then mark out the positions of Fill any holes with a light-coloured filler and paint with
making and repairing the LEDs, remembering to leave space between each white paint to reflect the light. Try to keep the paint out
in a shed at the bottom
of them and the edges of the letters. Drill a 10mm hole of the holes so that the LEDs will fit.
of the garden. You can
see more of his exploits for each LED. For best results, use a piece of scrap To give our decoration some Christmas pizazz, we
at workshopshed.com wood below and clamp your work to the bench. Use are using red and green LEDs. These cant be run
sandpaper to clean up the front face and holes. The straight from our 12V supply, so we are using resistors
sides of the letters are made from 3mm plywood. Use to limit the current. Solder a short length of wire to the
102
FORGE
Left
Forming the S
YOULL NEED
Arduino Uno
HC05 Bluetooth
module
ULN2003
Darlington Driver
The setup section configures the pins 2 through 5
Above
Marking out the backboard as outputs. 20 Red LEDs
20 Green LEDs
void setup() {
anode (long leg) of the LED and a 2.2k (2K2) resistor 43 2K2 resistors
// Configure all of the pins that control the LEDs
to each of the cathodes (short legs). Solder a short
pinMode(2, OUTPUT); 9 Header pins
length of wire to each of the resistors.
pinMode(3, OUTPUT); Wire
For each letter, solder all of the anode wires
pinMode(4, OUTPUT);
together, then attach the resulting bundle to a long Solder
pinMode(5, OUTPUT);
wire. Solder each of the resistor wires together and 9-12V power
// Initial variable values
attach that to a long wire. Now connect up each of the supply 1A
sequence = 0;
anode wires to a single wire. Use heat-shrink or tape to 6mm plywood
}
stop the wires shorting on each other.
3mm plywood
To test this has worked, connect the anode wire to The loop sets the values of the outputs based on
Paint
the positive connection on the power supply and the each row in the pattern array. Then, on the next iteration
cathode/resistor to the negative. of the loop, the next row will be used. When it gets Wood filler
to the last row it resets back to 0, the first row. This Wood glue
DO YOU WANT CHIPS WITH THAT? tests that our wiring for the LEDs and Darlington array
The Arduino Uno is not capable of providing enough is working correctly. You can change the values in the
current to drive all of the LEDs. However, luckily for matrix and see how it affects the LEDs.
us theres a handy chip called the ULN2003, which
contains an array of seven Darlington transistors; this void loop() {
often comes on a breakout board with four channels, for (int ledpin=0; ledpin <= 4; ledpin++){
designed for stepper motors. We can use this chip to digitalWrite(ledpin + 2, pattern[sequence]
switch or drive the LEDs. [ledpin]);
Connect one of the GND connectors to the GND on }
the Darlington array chip. Connect up four of the inputs sequence = (sequence + 1) % 4
Below
of the chip to the Unos pins 2, 3, 4, and 5. Connect delay(500); Wiring the letters
the corresponding output to the cathode wires for our }
four letters. The anode wire connects to the Unos
Vinconnection.
We can test that the light works before continuing
with the Bluetooth module later. The test program
below demonstrates turning the lights on and off.
The first section sets up the variables.
int sequence;
//Pattern of LED outputs
unsigned char pattern[4][4] = {
{HIGH,LOW,LOW,LOW},
{LOW,HIGH,LOW,LOW},
{LOW,LOW,HIGH,LOW},
{LOW,LOW,LOW,HIGH}
};
103
Control Christmas Decorations
TUTORIAL
Below
Schematic
QUICK TIP
Sawdust mixed with
glue makes a good
substitute for filler.
104
FORGE
pinMode(2, OUTPUT);
pinMode(3, OUTPUT);
QUICK TIP
pinMode(4, OUTPUT); There are smaller
and cheaper
pinMode(5, OUTPUT);
Arduino-compatible
// Initial variable values boards that can
waitTime = 200; work with this
running = true; project. Check
sequence = 0; first that they have
// Configure serial port for BlueTooth module enough pins for
the lights and a
BTserial.begin(9600);
serial port.
}
void loop() {
Android Arduino Bluetooth controller by
if (BTserial.available() > 0) {
Giumig Apps: hsmag.cc/wCRMha
char command = BTserial.read();
You only need three buttons to control the speed
switch (command) {
and turn the lights on and off. Configure the app to
case S:
send a single letter when the buttons are pressed:
if (speed < 1000) {
F= Faster, S = Slower, H = Toggle Halt/Run.
speed += 20;
We can use these single-letter instructions to
}
determine how our lights flash. The second code
running = true;
example expands on our first. The first part now
break;
includes the library for the software serial port and
case F:
defines a variable that uses that library. There are
if (speed > 50) {
also variables for the speed and to determine if the
speed -= 20;
sequence is running.
}
#include <SoftwareSerial.h> running = true;
char command; break;
bool running; case H:
int speed; running = false;
int sequence; Break; IDEAS FOR
// software serial RX = digital pin 7, TX = } ENCHANCEMENT
digital pin 8 }
SoftwareSerial BTserial(7, 8); if (running) { se PWM
U
//Pattern of LED outputs //Write the pattern to the LEDs to control
unsigned char pattern[4][4] = { for (int ledpin=0; ledpin <= 4; ledpin++){ the lights
{HIGH,LOW,LOW,LOW}, digitalWrite(ledpin + 2, pattern[sequence] brightness
{LOW,HIGH,LOW,LOW}, [ledpin]);
dd more
A
{LOW,LOW,HIGH,LOW}, } flashing
{LOW,LOW,LOW,HIGH} delay(speed); sequences,
}; sequence = (sequence + 1) % 4; try using a
} 3-dimensional
The setup section also gains a new command, array
}
BTserial.begin, which tells the serial port to
communicate with the BlueTooth module at a speed FINISHING UP uild your
B
of 9600 bits per second. It is a good idea to secure all of your components to name in lights
the backboard. We used hot glue and also added a
void setup() { igger letters,
B
piece of insulating foam to stop the Uno shorting on
// Configure all of the pins that control the more LEDs
the LED wiring. Enjoy your programmable, remote-
LEDs
control Christmas decoration! Happy Xmas!
105
Besiege A Castle With A Trebuchet
TUTORIAL
Build a three-foot
trebuchet
Makers dust off your drill and prepare for glory!
106
FORGE
E
veryone knows what a catapult is. It have plenty for future projects. If you already have
throws stones and flaming projectiles an assortment of nails and screws, you can reduce
at castles. It is famous and rightfully the cost of this project by $15.
so. But for some reason the trebuchet, A trebuchet works the same way as a see-saw.
which is a different type of siege If you sit down very quickly on one end of a see-
engine, is not so famous. Yet, it is much saw, the other end pops up equally quickly. And the
more powerful than a catapult. It can launch heavier heavier the weight, the faster the pop-up. If you shift Will Kalif
projectiles longer distances and is much easier to the fulcrum closer to where you push, the other end @willkalif
build! Rather than using complicated twisted ropes, will travel even faster. A trebuchet capitalises on
a trebuchet uses the power of gravity to launch its this. It uses the principle of a fulcrum and the power Will Kalif is an amateur
projectile. In this tutorial you will learn how to build of gravity to launch projectiles rapidly into the air. siege engineer who
one that is 3ft (91cm) tall and capable of launching We will build this trebuchet in four major parts: has built all types
of siege engines,
projectiles at some pretty amazing distances. the base, the swing arm, the ballast box, and the ranging from 1ft(30cm)
Everything in this build is very common except for string/pouch assembly. miniatures to 10ft(3m)
behemoths. He is
two small parts: a welded ring and several push-on the webmaster and
external retaining rings. However, even these are PART 1 owner of the website
easy to get and you can even improvise something THE BASE OF THE TREBUCHET StormTheCastle.com
as a replacement for them. We will take a closer Measure and cut the 14s to form a base for the
look at them as they are needed in the build. And we trebuchet. It is 48(122cm) in length and 12 (30cm)
will offer you possible alternatives. wide. Notice that the 14s are on their sides. Screw
This build is well within reach of a person who them all together using #8 wood screws that are YOULL NEED
has minimal DIY skills. Can you use a drill and 2(51mm) long. Cut one of the sheets of plywood
2 sheets of
a hammer? Then in about six hours you will be in half and nail or screw these halves to the base. plywood 2 2
launching tennis balls at your neighbours house. But (61 61cm),
dont do that! Your neighbour might also read this 7/16 thick
tutorial and build one for themselves. Then you will 12 (366cm) pine
have a right proper medieval warfare campaign right wood 14
(25101mm)
in your own back yard...
We purchased all the parts at a local (US) home 12 (366cm) pine
wood 13
improvement store. The wood cost $44.62; the (2576mm)
various other parts, paracord, steel bar, nails,
12 (366cmpine
screws and everything else cost $28.26, for a total wood 12
of $72.88. You can reduce this price significantly if (2551mm)
107
Besiege A Castle With A Trebuchet
TUTORIAL
108
FORGE
MORE POWER!
One of the best things you can do to make your
trebuchet even more powerful is to add a bearing
109
Orientation With Sense HAT
TUTORIAL 12.99
THE Official 200 pages of
Raspberry Pi
RASPBERRY PI
PROJECTS BOOK
Amazing hacking
& making projects
from the creators of
magazine
Inside:
How to get started coding on Raspberry Pi
The most inspirational community projects
Essential tutorials, guides, and ideas
Expert reviews and buying advice
store.rpipress.cc
plus all good newsagents and:
112
FIELD TEST
HACK MAKE BUILD CREATE
Hacker gear poked, prodded, taken apart, and investigated
PG
114
DIRECT FROM SHENZHEN:
ROBOT PG
118
HANDS
For when your robots
need to play paper, BEST OF
BREED
scissors stone
PG
HACK IT?
Even Christmas
decorations dont escape
our desire to tinker
PG
REVIEWS
122 124 MeArm Pi 127 Lectrify
113
Direct From Shenzen
REGULAR
DIRECT FROM
SHENZHEN Robotic hand
Ben Everard looks further afield in his
quest to build a robotic army
T
heres something iconic about a
robotic hand. It seems far more
technologically advanced than, say, a
wheeled robot, despite the fact that you
dont really need that much technology
to build one. The hand straddles the
Right border of human and robot in a way that few other
Theres too much body parts do. Its a staple of science fiction, both
slack in the system
for complicated utopian and dystopian. Naturally, we wanted one, so
control, but it can we bought one direct from China.
manage open
and closed Buying things from Chinese manufacturers is a
quite different process from getting things from
a supplier in Europe or America. For starters,
brand names are often non-existent and shops
come and go. The actual stock is often put
togetherbyanunnamed factory and then sold via
several distributors on several websites. Without
a brand-name, its impossible to know for sure
whetheryouregetting the same item, but if they
look the same, they probably are. We bought ours
from the XuQi Hobby Store on AliExpress, but you
can get the same item from several Chinese-based
sellers: hsmag.cc/CNLYCC.
These direct-from-China stores are an integral part
of the hacking world because they offer products that
either arent available elsewhere, or at vastly lower
prices. They provide individual hobbyists with a range
of stock that, just a few years ago, was only available
to large corporations.
114
FIELD TEST
It could have been easier if all of the screws had any standard servo driver (though one isnt supplied
been magnetic. with the hand), but bear in mind that your power
Robotic hands come in many different forms, supply will have to be sufficiently powerful to drive
5DOF means that each things up or manipulate
finger can be moved objects, youll most likely
The finished result is quite
independently, but theres just stretch all the linkages
only one movement in wobbly, but each servo does in the hand or burn out
each finger. Actual human control a finger, and it does the servos.
hands have far more Without accurate control,
DOF than this since each legitimately have 5DOF any sort of feedback about
finger can be moved side pressure on the fingers,
to side and forwards or a more powerful grip,
and backwards as well as opened or closed. There this hand isnt really useful for picking things up.
isnt a best number of DOF, and it all depends on Some gestures, however, are quite possible. The
your needs. Plenty of useful robotic hands have hand can manage a passable thumbs up, fist, open
1DOF, and this enables them to pick up objects and hand, and a few other simple gestures. The lack
manoeuvre them. Perhaps the biggest advantage of of side-to-side movement in the fingers does limit
5DOF is that it allows more human-like gestures. the sign-language potential, particularly for vulgar-
minded Brits.
COME WITH ME IF YOU WANT TO LIVE That isnt necessarily a problem because at this price
The finished result is quite wobbly, but each servo theres plenty of possible uses for it, from costumes
does control a finger, and it does legitimately have or props to novel ways of visualising data (a finger-
5DOF. With quite a lot of slack in the system, counting clock, anyone?). Grasping of small items just
accurate positioning isnt really possible, but you can about works, but only if the item is the correct shape
broadly open and close each finger (and the thumb) and in the right place. It you actually want to move Below
The screws poke
independently. It takes about 50 degrees movement things, youll have more success with a simple pincer, through each finger.
of the small servos driving the hand to move a finger but lets be honest, no one actually wants a robotic This can increase
grip, but may also
from closed to open. This is easy to control from humanoid hand because its practical. cause problems
115
Novelty Christmas Tree
C
hristmas is here and with it comes alkaline batteries which can be up to 1.6V each. You
a slew of lights, musical cards, can either create a voltage dropper or run the risk of
and animated figures that dance running the unit at 5V, which may shorten the life of
to holiday songs. So what can we the tree, but not by much.
hack and is it worth it? We take a
look at a dancing Christmas tree CONTROLLER PCB
Les Pounder that spins, shakes and sings for a very long time! The controller PCB is quite small, but it contains the
@biglesp We look at the components and the circuit board chips for motor control and music playback. The input
that connects them to understand how it works and that triggers the motor drivers to power the motors
Les Pounder is a maker offer suggestions as to how this cheaply purchased occurs when the user presses one of the trees
and author who works
with the Raspberry Pi
decoration can be hacked using boards such as the hands (cunningly labelled Press Here). The button
Foundation to deliver Raspberry Pi and Arduino. Lets start with the most is connected on one side of the PCB to the 4.5V
Picademy. He also accessible part of the tree, the batteries! VCC connection and when the button is pressed, the
helps teachers/learners
to become creative button connects to a Ground pin, which drops
technologists. He blogs BATTERY BOX the voltage briefly to 0. This input is
at bigl.es Powering the tree we have processed by an anonymous chip
three AA batteries (1.5V per on the circuit board, sadly, and as
AA) in a common battery is common with many cheap
compartment, which has mass-produced electronics
YOULL NEED a space for an on/off of this kind, the chip
Christmas switch but sadly none is covered in
Decorations
is present. This can epoxy which
Xmas Tree
Battery-operated be easily hacked protects the
dancing Xmas tree in place using a identity of
30cm
common sliding the chip.
switch, and this This is called
COST
may just save your COB, Chip
11.49
familys Christmas! On Board and is
Powering the unit used to protect the
WHERE
from an external supply investment made in
hsmag.cc/QcqgNg
is possible as the 4.5V the board. You can
battery connection is dissolve the epoxy,
direct to the main PCB but for this object it isnt
(red and black wires.) worth the time as we
So using a USB supply can see how the input
Right
This Christmas tree is possible, either and output works from
may not look like
much, but inside
through a computer the PCB.
there are plenty of or a power bank. USB As mentioned
components that
we can hack and is 5V so a little over before, the board
control using boards 0.5V difference to the also controls music
such as Raspberry
Pi and Arduino stock voltage, not playback, and we
too different to fresh get a lovely
116
FIELD TEST
MOTORS
The Christmas tree has two DC motors and across
the terminals of the motors are a 100nF capacitor
(printed 104 on the capacitor) used to smooth the
current going to the motors. Each motor is offset
using plastic guides. The motor at the top controls
the wiggle and shake of the tree; this includes a
90 degree connection that converts vertical motion to
horizontal. The lower motor is also offset and is used
to spin the tree around; it connects to a central point
using a gear. These plastic guides provide simple
movement for simple motors.
The motors are controlled by two NY9M006A
single-channel motor drivers in an 8-pin plastic SOP
(Small Outline Package) chip, and a quick look at their
data sheet shows that they are capable of driving control all aspects of the Christmas tree. So, Above
The circuit board
motors up to 6V at an absolute max output current triggering the tree using an ultrasonic distance sensor, that controls the tree
of 1.2A; ideally these chips would never be pushed PIR or photo resistor is possible, which would be is easy to interface
with: all you need
that hard and from the data sheet, the typical output great for an embedded ambush trap to scare your is a soldering iron
current at 4.5V is 0.11milliamps. If the chips are friends, or for interactive displays that run on demand. and some hot
glue to hack this
pushed too hard then they will generate heat, but If you are using a board with 3.3V logic, such as simpledecoration
luckily the chip has a thermal shutdown circuit that Raspberry Pi, micro:bit or ESP8266 then you cannot
will protect it from harm. directly connect to the PCB, as using 5V logic with
the 3.3V GPIO will cause damage to the pins, and
HACKING possibly the board itself. To use a 3.3V board with
So can this board be hacked? Short answer: yes. If this Christmas tree we will need to use a bidirectional
INTERNET
using an Arduino or another board with 5V logic, you logic level converter, which can be found online very OF TREES
can connect straight up to the PCB and independently cheaply. Place one in the path between the PCB There is plenty of
and your 3.3V board and it will buffer and forward space inside the
on the signal at the correct voltage. Using the tree Christmas tree
with boards such as the Raspberry Pi opens up the for us to install
possibility of internet-enabled Christmas decorations, a Raspberry Pi
Zero W and a
1 employing technologies such as Node-RED, MQTT,
USB power bank.
Python, and even Scratch. Using a remote
2 So now that you have the knowledge, and the connection (SSH),
tools, to hack a Christmas tree, have a great holiday you can control
3 time bringing your tree to life using technologies that the tree using
you already have in your workshop/home. Python and MQTT,
4 a lightweight
message system
5 that enables
1, 2 Bottom motor devices to send
6 and receive
3, 4 Torso motor data over vast
9 5 Battery GND networks. Or you
7
can use Node-
6 Battery VCC & button RED to control
8 the tree over
7, 8 Speaker connection
the internet!
9 Button
(in hand of tree)
117
Handheld console for hackers
BEST OF BREED
ONLYTHE
BEST
Handheld console
for hackers
Build yourself a portable boredom eradicator
G
aming gets a bad rep. Despite learn new skills and to get younger makers interested
numerous studies disproving links in electronics and coding. Now, too, is a great time to
to increased violence and others get started: over the last few years a wide range of
demonstrating how regular gaming devices and kits have hit the market, and none requires
sessions can boost hand-eye anything in the way of prior experience.
coordination and problem-solving skills,
there are those who still think that a go on an Xstation THE FUN FACTOR
or PlayBox will rot your mind. Boasting low-resolution displays and kilobytes, rather
Learning to build electronic equipment or write your than gigabytes, of memory, the consoles on test arent
own computer programs, though, are endeavours going to give the latest triple-A titles a run for their
against which nobody could argue which is why its money. They will, though, guide you through making
great to see the two worlds combine in the form of the most of the hardware to produce some impressive
do-it-yourself console kits. creations which can then be shared with the world. Below
Ranging from compact, low-cost devices which With four of the most impressive kits on test the If you want to
exercise your brain
encourage you to write your own games to more Gamebuino, MAKERbuino, Arduboy, and Creoqode as well as your
complex kits that need to be carefully soldered from 2048 its time to see which machine is king of the hill thumbs, why not
build your own
individual components, DIY consoles are a great way to and which are nothing but cannon fodder. games console?
118
FIELD TEST
BEST OF
BREED
Gamebuino vs
Makerbuino
GAMEBUINO 49.72 gamebuino.com MAKERBUINO 43.47 makerbuino.com
I
ts near-impossible not to compare the
Gamebuino and the MAKERbuino, for
at their hearts they are one and the
same. Based on an Atmel ATmega328P
microcontroller running at 16MHz and an
8448-pixel single-colour front-lit liquid
crystal display (LCD) salvaged from old Nokia mobile
phones, the two devices are designed to be entirely
interoperable: a game written for the Gamebuino will
work unmodified on the MAKERbuino and vice versa.
The Gamebuino is the original design, and the
brainchild of Aurlien Rodot. An easily pocketable
design measuring just 95mm by 49mm and 19mm
in thickness in its bundled casing, the Gamebuino
comes ready-to-use out of the box.
The MAKERbuino came later, when tinkerer Albert
Gajak approached Rodot to discuss a spin of the
open-source design which would turn it into a truly
do-it-yourself console soldering kit. The most obvious inserted into the console and a loader running on the
result of the change in design, aside from receiving microcontroller allows you to pick which game youd
it as a box of loose components: a major increase in like to play next. VERDICT
size at 139mm by 66mm and 26mm in thickness. The loader is the key feature of the -buino family:
as well as allowing you to carry your entire game Gamebuino
HANDS-ON collection in your pocket and switch between them Neat, quick to
As a soldering kit, the MAKERbuino works well. The at will, it is smart enough to support save files get started, and
instructional webpage is clear and the through-hole dumps of the electrically erasable programmable plenty of hacking
potential.
5/5
components easy for a beginner to handle, though read-only memory (EEPROM) portion of the ATmega
mounting the charger board for the bundled lithium- microcontroller allowing progress and high scores
polymer battery can be a little tricky. The design to remain even as you load and unload games
benefits from a few other changes, too, including a from memory.
headphone jack for private listening and double the As for which of the two consoles deserves
battery capacity enough for around 24 hours of your attention, it entirely depends on the sort of Makerbuino
active play time, compared to 12 for the Gamebuino. experience youre after. If you want something All the fun of the
The two consoles operate in exactly the same truly portable and are looking to concentrate on the Gamebuino, but
manner. Games are written in the Arduino Integrated coding side of things, the Gamebuino is the obvious for DIYers.
Development Environment (IDE) using a framework choice; if you want to flex your soldering muscles,
5/5
written by Rodot, then compiled and stored on an the MAKERbuino is a better option at the cost
SD card. This SD card full-size in the case of the of pocketability. In either case, youre unlikely to
MAKERbuino, microSD for the Gamebuino is be disappointed.
119
Handheld console for hackers
BEST OF BREED
BEST OF
BREED
Arduboy
ARDUBOY 50.50 arduboy.com
I
f your key consideration in a handheld
games console is portability, the Arduboy
is about as small as youre likely to find
and still be able to use. Measuring 53mm by
85mm and just 6mm thick, the Arduboy is like
a small stack of credit cards - but credit cards
you can use for some on-the-go gaming.
As with the other devices on test, the Arduboy
uses an Arduino-compatible microcontroller, the
Atmel ATmega32U4. This is connected to an
impressive 12864 single-colour organic light-
emitting diode (OLED) display which looks best in
the dark but, sadly, does suffer from banding effects
when displaying horizontal lines as demonstrated in Left
The Arduboy is highly
the bundled platform game Mystic Balloon. pocketable, taking
Theres no assembly to worry about with the up the same space
as a small stack of
Arduboy, and once charged via a micro-USB cable, creditcards
a simple flick of a switch is enough to get you
started. The device holds a single game at a time, a
major disadvantage over the larger Gamebuino and
MAKERbuino, and new games are loaded directly As a device to impress your friends, the
from the Arduino IDE. Theres no permanent storage
here, either: any progress youve made in a game is
Arduboy cant be beaten; as a tool for learning
lost when you load a new game in its place. electronics and programming, though, the
Writing your own games for the Arduboy is similar to
doing so for the Gamebuino and compatibles: libraries
Gamebuino family is a better choice
are provided to handle things like sprites and sound
effects though this is limited to single-channel beeps go, switching games on an Arduboy takes a laptop or
and boops, a disappointment compared to the four- desktop with a copy of the Arduino IDE installed a
channel polyphonic capabilities of the Gamebuino family major hit to an otherwise extremely portable pocket-
and development takes place in the Arduino IDE. size device.
Given its small stature, theres little surprise to see The Arduboy cant be faulted on quality, however.
that the Arduboy is missing some of the features of The chassis includes an acrylic front which protects VERDICT
its larger stablemates. In addition to the disappointing the circuit board and OLED screen and a metal If youre looking
single-channel audio, the Arduboy lacks any easily back, giving it surprising heft and a very solid feel. for something
accessible expansion headers to make use of the The buttons are responsive and the layout will be to slip into a
spare pins on the ATmega microcontroller, and theres immediately familiar to anyone who remembers pocket, the
no way to connect multiple Arduboys together for Nintendos classic Game Boy machines. Arduboy is a
multiplayer gaming. As a device to impress your friends, the Arduboy great choice.
4 /5
The biggest issue, though, is with the single-game cant be beaten; as a tool for learning electronics and
nature of the device. While a Gamebuino compatible programming, though, the Gamebuino family is a
will allow you to carry your entire library wherever you better choice.
120
FIELD TEST
BEST OF
BREED
Creoqode 2048
2048 200.90 creoqode.com
N
obody could ever accuse the has black and white assembly pictures which are too
Creoqode 2048 of being pocket- low-quality to be of use, and the web-based version
friendly. Measuring 293mm by isnt a whole lot better. A wire loom is provided
108mm and 33mm thick with an which proves to be too short to connect all the
overall weight of 538g, the 2048 is an components, and although extensions are included
absolute beast of a machine in an eye- its never clear when they should be used meaning
catching smoked acrylic finish. you reach the end with extensions to spare and
The size of the 2048 is almost entirely down to its some very taut wiring.
choice of display, a 6432 matrix of programmable The heart of the 2048 is a rebadged Arduino-
red, green, and blue (RGB) light-emitting diodes compatible microcontroller based around the
(LEDs) originally designed for use in industrial Atmel ATmega2560, and unlike the other devices
signage applications. Once assembled, the display is on test its full size: you can easily remove the
an incredible thing to behold: such a low resolution microcontroller and use it for other projects, should
as to make each individual pixel highly visible, but you so choose, and accessing the spare pins is
bright and colourful as it shines through the front a breeze.
acrylic panel. With 256kB of program memory to the 32kB of
Sadly, getting to that stage is a painful process. the rival devices, youd expect the 2048s games
The 2048 is supplied as a self-assembly kit, which to be the most impressive. Sadly, theyre not: The
should supposedly require no soldering. Before our sample games available from Creoqodes website
sample proved stable, however, we were forced are simply demonstrations of its rough capabilities.
to follow a guide on the Creoqode website to Youll find no high score tables, no levels, nothing
remove the too-thin wires from the battery holder but simple animations you can control with the six
and replace them with thicker-gauge versions an face-mounted buttons, and no framework around
extremely fiddly process no beginner should be which to build your own games. Left
expected to carry out. The buttons, too, disappoint. Sturdily made from While eye-catching,
the Creoqode 2048
Even ignoring this issue, the 2048 is an awkward metal, the anti-vandal style buttons look absolutely would be a terrible
kit to put together. The bundled instruction manual stunning but are extremely difficult to use thanks first introduction
to programming
to their metal collars. The four on the left, orelectronics
arranged to form a four-way
direction control, are
particularly awkward
VERDICT
to trigger. Poor design, poor
Its the price that documentation,
finally does the
and a sky-high
price put the
2048 in: at 200.90
2048 at the
delivered to a UK bottom of
address, you could the league.
easily purchase all
2 /5
three of the other
devices on test and have
cash left over.
121
Tinkercad Circuits vs Fritzing
HEAD 2 HEAD
HEAD
2 HEAD
Tinkercad Circuits
VS Fritzing
Plan circuits with Ben Everards pick of beginners software
F
or a long time there was one bit of in different ways. Previous versions of Circuits
software leading the field in beginners (hosted on circuits.io) included the ability to edit the
Below circuit design: Fritzing. However, schematics and PCB layout of the design, but these
The simulator in theres now a pretender to the throne: have been removed and theres only the physical
Circuits allows you to
push buttons and see Tinkercad Circuits (formerly circuits.io). view left. If you want to take your project to PCB,
what would happen Tinkercad Circuits is a web-based youll need to export the Eagle files and open them
without actually
building the circuit tool that helps you design circuits by dragging in that (more complex) design tool.
and dropping components and wiring them up The main feature of Circuits is the simulation
mode that allows you to see what would happen
if you built the circuit and powered it up. This is
complete with multimeter readings, oscilloscope
outputs, and code running on programmable
devices (such as Arduinos). This is impressive and,
in our experience, worked well. Perhaps were just
curmudgeonly sticks-in-the-mud, but we feel that the
best way to learn electronics is by doing electronics
with real components. Surely its better to build the
circuit and see what happens, rather than simulate
it and see what a computer tells you it should do?
Still, this simulation is a quick and easy way of trying
things out.
Theres a reasonable range of components for
basic projects, but pretty soon youre likely to find
yourself searching for something thats not there,
and this is perhaps the biggest let-down of Circuits.
122
FIELD TEST
Left
Despite its simple
interface, Fritzing
allows you to
develop some quite
advanced circuits
You will probably hit the limit of what you can do from an almost endless supply of components to
with it quite quickly. do this with (and many more third-party component
Tinkercad is far more than just Circuits, and the libraries are available online). You can order PCBs
3D object design tool has a wide variety of objects directly from the application, or export Gerber files
that other users have built and shared to help that can be fabricated by most PCB manufacturers.
inspire you. As yet, The one thing you
the number of circuits cant do is see what
shared is quite limited, The main feature of Circuits is the the circuit does youll
but if this increases, simulation mode that allows you to have to actually build it
this could be a useful to do that.
see what would happen if you built
resource for people There is a code
learningelectronics. the circuit and powered it up editor as part of
Fritzing, but since
BACK TO BASICS theres no simulation,
Fritzing is a much more clear-cut design tool. You this is for writing code to upload to other boards.
can take components and place them in a schematic, Its not very powerful and is most useful for
VERDICT
breadboard or PCB design, and see if these three keeping projects tidy by including the code in the
views are showing the same circuit. You can choose same set of files as the design. Tinkercad Circuits
There is also a sharing platform on Fritzing, but its A good circuit
a little hard to use. Theres no web-based view, so simulator, but
OTHER OPTIONS you have to download a project before you can see less useful now
what it looks like, and comments arent widely used, the schematic
When it comes to PCB design, there are two tools
that really stand out for serious users: KiCad and so theres not much feedback on what is there. and PCB tools
Eagle. KiCad is open source and free for any use. With the demise of the schematic and PCB have been
removed.
3 /5
Eagle is free for personal use with some restrictions. modes in Circuits, the latter becomes a much
Theyre both serious, professional-grade tools that are weaker proposition as Eagle is a significantly more
powerful enough for most uses, but that power comes
complex tool for a beginner to use. Were also a
with a far more complex user interface and a much
steeper learning curve. Wed strongly recommend
little uncomfortable relying on a web-based tool for
getting to grips with the basics using a simpler tool what is fundamentally an offline activity. Despite
such as Fritzing before moving on to one of these. all these weaknesses, the simulation mode could Fritzing
Theres a wide range of circuit simulation tools; be a boon in some circumstances, and the fact that The definitive
however, almost all of them focus on schematics its available on any machine with a web browser beginners tool
rather than physical layout (as Tinkercad Circuits isa plus. for designing
does). Circuitlab.com is a good online option,
However, if youre actually interested in circuits.
5/5
KTechLab works well offline on Linux systems, and
iCircuits works on Windows. designing and building real circuits using physical
components, Fritzing is a far more capable tool, yet
still accessible for beginners.
123
MeArm
MeArm Pi
70 mime.co.uk
S
ome say the robots are coming, if the potential for
not quite to take over the world then forcing them
perhaps to snaffle a few human jobs together much
at the very least. Certainly, if youre in less nail-biting.
the market for a mechanical arm, youll That said,
find yourself rather spoiled for choice. there is a bit of
Whether or not youll get one of this quality for this second-guessing
price is an entirely different matter. involved, mainly
Weve been impressed by the MeArm Pi an because the paper
affordable, open-source robot arm brought to life instructions can feel a little
with the aid of 56,376 worth of Kickstarter cash confusing. Fortunately, explanatory videos online
earlier in the year. Aimed at children aged 11 and help clear up any misunderstandings. Two pairs of Above
The MeArm showing
over, it has been designed to be simple to assemble hands come in handy, too. off its neat cable
and a cinch to operate. In reality its a tad fiddly, yet Mostly, though, the build is straightforward. management
the resulting build is quite robust and theres no The servos are pre-calibrated so they only need
doubting that its a lot of fun. to be slotted into place (a great step forward from
Everything you need is in the box. Thats the previous MeArms). Meanwhile, tight moving parts
acrylic pieces, the screws, a Raspberry Pi HAT can be rectified by simply loosening the screws. The
complete with twin-joysticks, and even a small hex fiddliest part, for us at least, was screwing the arm
key for connecting many of the parts together. Okay, assembly to the centre of its base. But we liked how
you need a Raspberry Pi and a power supply too, neatly the servo cables wrap through the parts and
but if youre buying something with the Pi name in the end result was entirely worth the effort.
it, then the assumption is youll already have these Bringing the arm to life is satisfyingly
knocking around. straightforward. You only need to set up the SD card
So what is it like? Well, the pieces initially feel a with a special OS image based on Raspbian, insert
little brittle as you snap them out of their holdings, it into the Pi or Pi Zero, connect the HAT, and make
but you soon realise theyre actually rather sturdy. use of a tool called Headless Pi which lets you get
Theyve been cleverly created so that they generally going simply by plugging in the power.
fit only one way, making the build more intuitive and It takes just over a minute to twitch into action,
and the basic setup allows you to use the twin
joysticks to open the claw and move the arm up,
down, left, and right. More fun can be had by
connecting the arm to its local web server using a
computer or tablet, however. This lets you directly
program it using a range of languages including VERDICT
Snap! and Blocks, but Python will probably be the The easiest
most popular for HackSpace magazine readers. robotic arm for
This programmable control takes it from a toy hacker projects.
to a hackable tool that could find its way into our Suitable for
projects. Alternatively, you can also get the arm beginners and
without the HAT and control the servos directly masters alike.
5/5
Above using any hardware. The hackability and robustness
The construction is
simple yet robust mean its a great choice for any time you need to
pick things up and move them about.
124
Hologram Nova
Hologram Nova
$49.99 hologram.io
T
he Hologram Nova is two products The end result works really well if you want to
combined into one. Theres the aggregate sensor data in a way thats supported by
hardware itself, and the back-end the back end. Its far less versatile than some other
platform that supports data transfer options for connecting to the mobile network, and
to various different services. The this lack of versatility allows Hologram to focus on
hardware is a 2G and 3G USB modem doing what it does in a simple and straightforward
based on the u-blox wireless module. In principle, manner. A single command run on the terminal
this should work with most single-board computers, can send data straight into your back end with no
but its designed for and tested using Raspbian additional setup required. Whats more, you can
on the Raspberry Pi. It also comes with a pair of manage multiple devices in multiple countries from a
external antennae that should make it easier to get single webpage.
a connection in a remote area (other U.FL antennae If youre after a general mobile web connection
can be used as well). for a single device, the Nova is probably not the best
The software runs via a command-line Python tool option. However, if youre looking to pull in data from
that enables you to publish messages to a topic. lots of devices to a single back end, then the Nova is
These messages can then be managed through a great choice.
the Nova back end, where they can be routed on to
other places such as Amazons S3 storage, HTTP
POST requests, and email.
Part of this back end is the SIM card, which
enables you to connect the device in many countries
around the world through a single account. The
pricing structure works well for small quantities of
data such as periodic sensor readings (you get 1MB
of data free per month), but can quickly add up if you
need to send a lot of data ($0.60 per MB thereafter).
This might sound expensive, but if youre sending a
few bytes of data at a time, it can go a long way.
Right
The Nova is supplied as a
bare board to allow you to
attach an antenna, but it
comes with a plastic case
to protect the finished setup
VERDICT
The Nova
provides an easy
and affordable
way to pull
small amounts
of data from
remote devices.
4 /5
125
Frog Board
W
hen it comes to wireless
microcontrollers, theres
nothing quite as small,
connected and cheap as the
ESP8266 module. The most
basic versions of this board
the 12E and 12F are typically under 2, but they
can be hard to use, as they come without USB
connectors or pins and arent breadboard-friendly.
There are loads of boards built up around this to
make it easier to connect to and use, but all of these
add size and cost. The Frog Board is designed to
take a simple ESP8266 module and add all the bits
you need to make it easy to program. It can then be
detached and used again and again.
You just need to press a 12E or F into the flexible
pins and you can then program it via the USB
connector and use the broken-out I/O pins. Once
its set up, you can pop it out of the Frog Board and
solder it into your project. For your next project, you
just need a new ESP8266 module and you can pop it
into the Frog Board to program/prototype it.
The USB connector for communication, power
and pin breakouts are all quite standard. What really
sets this product apart are the spring-loaded pins
that both hold the module in place and create an
electrical connection. It really is as simple as pushing
the module in and out.
The Frog Board comes bundled with a 12E
module so you can get started straight away, but
it really comes into its own as a reusable tool for
when you have multiple 12E modules that can all be
programmed from the same Frog Board. Right
The Frog Board PCB is mounted on an acrylic The board is mounted
on a solid base for
base and feels sturdy. Weve been busy popping the extra strength VERDICT
module in and out of the Frog Board and, while the The Frog
pins probably wont stand up to abuse, they should Board makes it
last well if treated kindly. trivialto use
Once mounted in the Frog Board, the ESP module ultra-low-cost
can be programmed from the Arduino IDE (provided microcontrollers
you download the ESP8266 addon details are in projects.
4 /5
available on the Frog Board web page) or one of the
other tools available for the board as easily as fully-
integrated boards.
126
Lectrify
Lectrify:
Very Useful Circuits
$10 lectrify.it
W
hile there are loads of ways of basicexplanation about how everything works. We VERDICT
adding electronics to projects, would have appreciated a little more information
A great way
Arduinos and Raspberry Pis about how the circuits work, though. For example, for beginners
to name but two, the vast the Blinker circuit is based on a multivibrator with to incorporate
majority use programmable two transistors. This is quite a common circuit, electronics into
chips to provide the but its not immediately obvious how it works their projects,
functionality. These work well, but are often far to someone not familiar with electronics. A little but more
more complicated than they need to be when you more detail would go a long way to helping people documentation
just need a simple LED controller. understand the circuit (and to potentially expand it would be useful.
4 /5
What we love about the Very Useful Circuits with their own designs).
boards is that they strip a feature down to the bare If you have an interest in electronics, the Very
minimum of essential components. The Blinker, Useful Circuits provide an alternative to the
for instance, works using just two transistors, two programmable controller route for adding some
capacitors and four resistors, while the NiteLight electronics to your projects. Theyre achievable
Below
is a transistor, potentiometer, phototransistor and projects for almost anyone, and easy to integrate The snap-out
resistor wired together. There is also a touch sensor with physical builds. modules make it easy
to get started, but are
and a whetstone bridge. These circuits are simple still flexible enough
enough that you can see whats going on. Theres for physical projects
127
EspoTek Labrador
EspoTek Labrador
$29 espotek.com
A
n oscilloscope displays variations
in a voltage over time, usually
within a two-dimensional plot.
Back in the 70s, 80s and 90s, they
were huge and heavy and the two-
dimensional plot was beamed onto
a CRT screen, set alongside chunky knobs to dial in
a suitable set of values. Size and weight changed
dramatically when LCD replaced CRT, and theyre
changing again with computers replacing the screen,
the knobs, and the logic circuitry.
EspoTeks Labrador is one such device, only its
not just a dual-channel oscilloscope, but also a logic
analyser, multimeter, power supply, and waveform
generator built from a handful of surface-mount settings and configuration options to the most useful
components sitting atop a 35mm 37mm PCB. Its and common. However, its also capable of some Above
The accompanying
about the same size and weight as a pastry canap, serious circuit and microcontroller analytics; various
software is well
and metaphorically speaking, tastes just as good. trigger values can be used to synchronise waveforms, designed, quick, and
easy to use
serial messages can be decoded in real time from the
SIMPLE SOFTWARE logic analyzer, and grabbed values can be saved as a Below
Yes, that is a
Getting started is as simple as downloading, installing CSV text file. Labrador dog on the
and running the accompanying software, followed by Labradors PCB is designed to be connected to a back of the PCB
connecting a micro-USB cable (included) between the breadboard. The ten pins beneath the long header will
PCB and your computer. The application software is fit nicely into the tenth column of a standard board,
available for Linux, Windows, Mac OS and Android, enabling the horizontally oriented power supply pins
and like the hardware, its 100% open source. to connect to the negative and positive rails running
With the PCB connected, a red LED flickers into the length of most boards. These rails can then be
life and the main output area within the application used to power your own components, from 4.5
will update to show random noise going from the volts to 12 volts, in 50 millivolts increments, which
oscilloscope input channels. You can test everything is brilliant for powering devices such as an Arduino.
is working correctly by connecting the DC output When tested with a multimeter, the output was also
from channel 1 of the signal generator to the DC reasonably accurate, going from 4.67V to 12.13V. The
input of channel 1 of the oscilloscope. As soon as long header provides convenient access
you ramp up the amplitude in the to the four digital outputs (3.3V), great
signal generator section of the for turning on LEDS, alongside the signal VERDICT
software interface, the random generator and the separate 3.3V output. Tiny and
noise will transform itself into Not all of these functions can be used inexpensive,
your chosen waveform. at once, such as the multimeter the Labrador
The application itself is easy to and the oscilloscope, but many can really is an
use and well designed, especially be. The only thing really missing is electronics lab
if youve not used an oscilloscope PCB annotations, but creating your in your pocket.
4 /5
or made electronic measurements own solution with a breadboard
before. It doesnt fill the screen is perfectly in fitting with both the
with too many details, and limits device and its remarkable price.
128
The Design Of Everyday Things
The Design of
Everyday Things
14.95 jnd.org
I
n our interview with Becky Stern, she
mentioned that a key skill for hackers and
makers is industrial design, and we agree.
As makers of things, we want it to be as easy as
possible for other people to understand how to
use the things we create.
In The Design Of Everyday Things, Don Norman
looks at the various psychological factors that influence
how our puny brains try to comprehend the objects
around us. The more you understand how this process
happens, the easier your users will find your devices.
The aim is to make things instinctive to use so that
people can just pick the thing up and know how to get
it to do what they want. This isnt very noticeable when
it works properly, but its glaringly obvious when this
process fails: people get stuck trying to pull or push a
door that actually sides or a user gets frustrated pushing
a button that they should be turning Its the sort of
thing that makes us feel stupid when it happens to us,
but in reality is a failure of design.
5/5
know how to get it to do
help you understand the finer points of transferring
what they want information between the squishy meat brain and the
engineered perfection of your device.
129
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