This Week on Maker Update, the social distance bike, a Narnia book nook, DIY UV-C sterilization, making circles with Adam Savage, and putting holes in concrete.

++Show Notes++

-=Project of the Week=-

The Highcycle – Social Distance Bike by colinfurze
https://youtu.be/vZFDNR9V5Nc

-=More projects=-

Jen Schachter’s Book Nook
https://www.tested.com/art/makers/906134-designing-book-nook-laser-cut-kit/

Build a DIY UV-C Sterilization Cabinet to Fight Covid-19 by Deeplocal
https://makezine.com/projects/build-a-diy-uv-c-sterilization-cabinet-to-fight-covid-19/

Robot Dreams LEGO GBC – Design Breakdown by JK Brickworks
https://youtu.be/xz_YZDtC_Cw

-=Tips=-

Adam Savage’s Favorite Tools: Making Circles and Holes!
https://www.tested.com/art/makers/906052-adam-savages-favorite-tools-making-circles-and-holes/

Control a stepper motor using a laptop touchpad by KushagraK7
https://www.instructables.com/id/Reuse-Old-Laptops-Touchpad-to-Control-a-Stepper-Mo/

Welding Tip Cleaners Compared by Jen Herchenroeder
https://youtu.be/Yi4VajBnBA8

Becky Stern’s Hakko Wire Strippers
http://youtu.be/7ueJ3NGpCmM

How to Drill a Hole in a Brick Wall by See Jane Drill
https://youtu.be/lR98Jyvfpbk

-=Digi-Key Spotlight=-

Analog to Digital Converters – Tech Basics
https://youtu.be/AwdA6azdsQ4

Transcript

This Week on Maker Update, the social distance bike, a Narnia book nook, DIY UV-C sterilization, making circles with Adam Savage, and putting holes in concrete.

Hey, I’m Donald Bell, and welcome back to another Maker Update. I hope you’re all doing as well as you can. I know for me, some days are better than others, but I’m glad we have the internet here to entertain us. And so today I’m doing my part, with some of the coolest maker projects I’ve found this week. So let’s get started with the project of the week.

Colin Furze, the maestro of maker mayhem, made his own social distance bicycle. 

He calls it the Highcycle, and aside from the wheels and the steering for in the front, it’s a mostly custom welded design.

By extending the height of the bicycle upward the recommended 2 meters of distance, Colin can now confidently breeze down his street to delight and safety of his neighbors, though a helmet and a face mask wouldn’t be the worst idea.

Colin fabricated the frame using stainless steel tubing, which was probably more expensive and more complicated to weld than traditional steel tubing, but it was all he had access to with his local steel supplier shut down. 

Aside from his welder, the tool that seems to get a lot of use in this video is a hole saw and a jig he uses with it to create rounded cuts in the tubing. This way the tubes create a flush fit. 

It’s a great project, and it seemed to be a big hit with Collin’s neighbors.

More projects! On Tested, Jen Schachter shows off this laser cut book nook project she made that decorates your book shelf with a miniature diorama. 

We’ve covered a few of these on the show recently, but Jen really takes things up a notch. Not only did she make this incredible Lion, Witch and the Wardrobe inspired design and share the plans on her Etsy store, but she also made this basic design template that you can adapt as a platform for your particular creation.

By using her design, you immediately solve two problems. First, she’s figured out an easy way to add a switch and battery power, along with a terminal block for distributing power out to all the little LEDs you might work into your design.

Second, she’s worked out a system of interlocking pieces and registration tabs so that you can crack open your design to work on it but easily fit it all back together when you’re done. 

If you’ve been thinking of taking on a book nook project, this looks like the best place to start. You can watch her and Norm build the project step by step. From her Esty store, you can get any of the design files and instructions to laser cut your own, or, purchase a kit with everything precut and shipped out to you.

On makezine.com, Deeplocal, the same design studio that brought you the Spotify soap pump from episode 168, shows off how you can create your own UV-C sterilization cabinet for just $50. 

The project uses a plastic storage bin lined with foil tape. A 6 watt fluorescent work light is zip tied to the lid and powered by an extension cord that runs through a hole in the top.

The bit that makes the whole thing work is a simple modification you make to the lamp that allows you to use a UV-C replacement bulb in the socket. 

When the cabinet is finished, it should work as an effective way to sterilize an N95 type mask by placing it under exposure for 30 minutes per side. 

The guide includes sources and references for recommended UVC sterilization times for different materials. It also includes an example of how to build a larger version with two lamps.

Of course, you’ll need to use this at your own risk and there’s no guarantee that your particular build will be 100% effective. Make sure you’re getting the correct type of UV-C bulb and take steps from exposing yourself to the UV light. 

Back in episode 161, I showed you the “Robot Dreams” Great Ball Contraption by JK Brickworks. It’s an incredible, motorized automata, but the original video had very little detail about how it was constructed.

But this past week, designer Jason Allemann spends five minutes going through how he created this design. We get to see how it all works, module by module. If you were already blown away by this thing, this new video gives you an even deeper appreciation.

Now for some tools and tips. Adam Savage shows off some of his favorite tools for drawing circles. A compass, stencils, even an adjustable circle guide — all pretty predictable tools. But the zinger at the end is a set of nested cookie-cutter rings. They’re cheap, compact, and strong enough to actually imprint themselves on some material. It’s a great tip.

On Instructables, KushagraK7 shows how to hack a laptop touchpad to control the movement of a stepper motor. He’s using an Arduino to read the touchpad’s movements as digital input, then sending that back out to a stepper motor board as a trigger to drive it forward and backwards. I’m not sure what project this is right for, but it’s a neat hack that might be useful for you.

On the Cool Tools channel, I’ve got an interview with Battlebots robot builder Jen Herchenroeder talking about two sets of inexpensive welding tip cleaners. They’re a great way to extend the life of your welding tip, and also just a handy poker to have around the shop.

Becky Stern has a new video out that takes a closer look at one of her most cherished and reliable tools, the humble $13 Hakko Wire strippers. 

I share Becky’s love for these guys. I have a lot of fancy automatic wire stripper options hanging around, but 9 times out of 10 when I’m just goofing around, these are exactly what I reach for when I want to cut or strip wire, or even use the little plier grip at the end to twist or pull something. 

See Jane Drill has a new video up covering the basics of drilling into concrete — what types of drill to use, what kind of bit, how to mark and start your hole, and how to prevent yourself from drilling too far. 

Having recently added some bolts to my foundation, I can absolutely confirm the night and day difference between using a typical drill on concrete, and using a rotary hammer. A hammer drill will get you a result somewhere in between, but a rotary hammer is pure magic for putting holes in concrete, and I wish someone had let me know.

For this week’s Digi-Key spotlight, check out their latest video on Analog to Digital converters. The video specifically looks at the 10-bit converter used on the Arduino Uno and outlines its benefits and limitations. It then goes on to explain what to look for in a standalone ADC if your needs go beyond what the Arduino can provide. 

And that does it for this week’s show. Be sure to subscribe, leave a thumb’s up or leave a comment. It’s always great to hear from you and know that this show is something you look forward to, so thank you for the comments. You can also get on the maker update email list to get show notes sent out to you automatically. 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.