This week on Maker Update, windshield wipers that sync with music, the Arduino IDE goes pro, TensorFlow goes tiny, Bob’s flip-top workshop, Pi goes cyberpunk, butt joints and blow torches.

++Show Notes++

-=Project of the Week=-

Musically synced car windshield wipers using Raspberry Pi by Ian Charnas
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJkZpBi6n6Q

-=News=-

Arduino Pro IDE
https://blog.arduino.cc/2019/10/18/arduino-pro-ide-alpha-preview-with-advanced-features/

Official port of TensorFlow Lite for Micro-controllers from Google and Arduino.
https://medium.com/tensorflow/how-to-get-started-with-machine-learning-on-arduino-7daf95b4157
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HzCRZsGJLbI

-=More Projects=-

How to Make Fold Away Tool Storage by I Like to Make Stuff
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LOYmB6q2wnM

Virtuscope CyberDeck by Bootdsc
https://thedigitalocean.wordpress.com/deck/

Retro 7 Segment Clock TE (Tiny Edition) by Daniel Cikic
https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3865571

-=Tools/Tips=-

10 Ways to Butt Joint by Make Something
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B1A3aiEHIzk

Trigger Torch Test: Bernzomatic TS4000 vs. TS8000
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mJOCW6y5xY4

True Cost of Multimeters by JohnAudioTech
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5hTtLFrW07Y

Making a HUGE Mt. Saint Helens on the CNC by Dom Riccobene
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gU27mPlDXcY&

Dom Riccobene: Turning Data Into Sculpture
https://www.bantamtools.com/blogs/theedge/bantam-tools-remote-residents-dom-riccobene-amp-vince-ramirez

LEGO is Now Offering to Pay For You to Ship Your Unused Bricks to Children in Need
https://www.lego.com/en-us/aboutus/news/2019/october/lego-replay

-=Product Spotlight=-

Getting Started with DK IoT Studio
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vTjIUhRDJWA

Transcript

This week on Maker Update, windshield wipers with rhythm, the Arduino IDE goes pro, TensorFlow goes tiny, Bob’s flip-top workshop, Pi goes cyberpunk, butt joints and blow torches.

Hey I’m Donald Bell, and welcome back to another Maker Update. I hope you’re all doing well. I’ve been busy getting ready for the East Bay Mini Maker Faire this Sunday, figuring out what projects I’m bringing. It should be fun, but right now let’s get this show started with the Project of the Week.

Check out this car hacking project by Ian Charnas. He created a windshield wiper system where the timing of the wipers automatically synchronize with whatever music you’re playing.

The project is based on a Raspberry Pi, linked in to the car’s stereo system so that it can perform real-time tempo detection on the currently playing song.

The next stage is to translate the tempo into power setting for the motor that will produce a synchronized result.

That part really seems to be the secret sauce here, since Ian went so far as to create his own variable power supplies for the wipers and mount them in the trunk of his car.

It’s a fun video, and it really is pretty satisfying to see the wipers sync up to music. It’s one of those things where every time you use windshield wipers now, you’ll kinda wish this was an option.

Now for news. During Maker Faire Rome last weekend, Arduino made a handful of announcements. One of them was the release of a new Arduino Pro IDE.

The new software is in Alpha release on Windows, Mac and Linux. There are a handful of new features, including auto-completion, Git integration, and a new board and library manager. There’s also a classic mode that switches back to the classic look of the Arduino IDE we’re familiar with.

One of the most anticipated new features that’s yet to be released is a debugging tool. My hacky Arduino programming skills will be excited to see that one soon, I hope.

Also announced, in partnership with Google, is an official port of TensorFlow Lite for micro-controllers. Specifically, there are now examples and libraries for the Arduino Nano 33 BLE Sense board, which includes a microphone and 9-axis motion sensor that the examples use for interaction.

It’s worth noting that Adafruit has already been exploring this space for a few months now with their CircuitPython compatible boards and projects. It’s going to be interesting to see how these two approaches branch off.

Now for more projects. On the I Like to Make Stuff channel, Bob Clagett shows how he was able to clear off a lot of the lesser-used tools on his work tables by mounting them on hinged boards that flip out of the way.

He makes a flip-up pocket hole jig, sewing machine, scroll saw, and even a flip-up bench vise. I think it’s a cool idea, especially for a small workshop.

On his blog, Boot Disk goes into great detail on how he made this Neuromancer-style cyberpunk computer deck.

The heart of this is a Raspberry Pi computer, 7-inch LCD, and a new, compact mechanical keyboard. He’s also managed to shove in a software defined radio and a HAM radio upconverter.

The enclosure is all 3D printed. There are guitar strap mounts on the side. The whole thing makes me super happy.

Continuing along with my retro tech fetish, you have to see this new, tiny edition of a 7-segment clock by Daniel Cikic on Thingiverse. I’ve featured a few of Daniel’s clock designs here before and they all have incredible attention to detail in terms of both the design and the instruction.

What makes this particular clock unique is that all the parts were designed to be easily printed on a relatively small 200mm wide print bed. That one constraint also leads to shorter build time, and fewer LEDs. In the back you have an Arduino Pro Mini and a real-time clock breakout board making it all work. I love the way it looks, and you should check out Daniel’s other designs too.

Time for a few tips and tools. On Make Something, David Picciutto has a video that goes over 10 methods for making a simple butt joint, going over the pros and cons of each method.

On Cool Tools, Sean Michael Regan compares two models of propane torch heads to see which one’s a better value and which one puts out more heat. He makes a wonderfully scientific testing rig, and there’s a clear winner in the end, but I won’t spoil it.

John AudioTech has a video that goes over what he calls the true cost of multimeters. As someone who’s had a string of cheap, unreliable multimeters, it’s a topic that really resonates with me. He shows some of the cheap models he’s been putting up with for years, how things go wrong, and what to avoid.

If you’re into CNC mills and routers or even just love how they look sped up, carving out designs you have to check out Dom Riccobene’s channel. His most recent video shows how he created this stunning relief map of Mt. Saint Helens. Not only is it gorgeous, but you learn a lot about the process that goes into making something like this.

For even more info on Dom, there’s a great episode of the Bantam Tools podcast with him that’s also worth checking out. That podcast in general is a favorite of mine.

And this week I learned that LEGO has started a pilot program where they will pay for you to ship them your old Lego bricks. They call it their Replay program, and the bricks are sent out to Teach for America and the Girls & Boys Club of America. If you’re sitting on a box of old LEGOS, not only will this get them to kids who can use them, but I figure it will absolve you of the sins of 3D printing for at least a few years.

For this week’s Digi-Key spotlight, check out this new video from Shawn Hymel on Getting Started with DK IoT Studio. This is Digi-Key’s own web-based programming environment for your web-connected projects. Shawn shows you how to connect up elements using the online interface and quickly build your own cloud-based IoT project.

And that does it for this week’s show. Be sure to subscribe to the Digi-Key channel here, leave this video a thumbs-up if it did something for you, or to really make my day, leave me a comment and let me know what project here caught your eye. You can also get on the Maker Update email list. A big thanks to my patrons on Patreon and to Digi-Key electronics for making this show possible. Thanks for watching and I’ll see you next week.