This week on Maker Update, an IoT chess board, turning a 3D printer into a micro factory, the art of epoxy, a palm full of atari punk, interactive origami and plugging in to the data blaster.

++Show Notes [Maker Update #226]++

-=Project of the Week=-

DIY Super Smart Chessboard By DIY Machines
https://www.instructables.com/DIY-Super-Smart-Chessboard-Play-Online-or-Against-/

-=News=-

Functgraph: Personal Factory Automation With a 3D Printer
https://spectrum.ieee.org/automaton/robotics/industrial-robots/functgraph-personal-factory-automation-with-a-3d-printer

-=More Projects=-

DiResta 2 Giant Epoxy Panels
https://youtu.be/2MGtiM_ux0I

Oskitone APC by Oskitone
https://blog.tommy.sh/posts/oskitone-makes-an-atari-punk-console/

Interactive origami art with Raspberry Pi by Ross Symons
https://www.raspberrypi.org/blog/interactive-origami-art-with-raspberry-pi/

The Data Blaster by Zack Freedman
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=guGffGw3uDg
https://hackaday.com/2021/03/25/data-blaster-is-a-hip-rpi-cyberdeck/

-=Tips & Tools=-

Making Money as a Maker by Laura Kampf
https://youtu.be/l-JiIpSWdNY?t=769

CircuitPython LED Animations By Kattni Rembor
https://learn.adafruit.com/circuitpython-led-animations

Laser Cutter Safety Essentials with Ian Charnas
https://youtu.be/X0wk_9p9VxU

Gareth’s Tips, Tools, and Shop Tales – Issue #85
https://www.getrevue.co/profile/garethbranwyn/issues/gareth-s-tips-tools-and-shop-tales-issue-85-475832

SWITCHES – The Secret Life of Components
https://youtu.be/bno0HeQfxrU

-=Digi-Key Spotlight=-

The Great Search – Rotary Encoder with Switch
https://youtu.be/6K3l_Ez37i4

Transcript

This week on Maker Update, an IoT chess board, turning a 3D printer into a micro factory, the art of epoxy, a palm full of atari punk, interactive origami and plugging in to the data blaster.

Hey, I’m Donald Bell, and welcome back to another Maker Update. I hope you’re all doing well, and seeing a light at the end of the tunnel for this whole COVID chapter in our lives. I know I’ve been feeling more optimistic recently, and the spring weather definitely helps.

I’ve got a fun show for you today, so let’s get started with the project of the week.

On Instructables, Lewis from DIY Machines shows how he made this smart, internet-connected, 3D printed chess board. 

With this board you can play against the built-in software or, if you make a second board and gift it to a friend, you can play against them remotely over an internet connection.

As someone who’s still learning how to play chess, my favorite feature here is that there’s a hint button that will suggest moves for you. The software also checks to make sure all moves are legal. 

Inside the board you have a Raspberry Pi, which handles all the chess software and internet connectivity. He’s using a Pi A+, which is a great affordable option. 

To manage all the lights and switches, Lewis is using an Arduino Nano, which also communicates to the Pi. 

The enclosure is all 3D printed, though there is some glueing and screwing to get everything stuck together. He even 3D printed the chess pieces using a resin printer, but there’s no reason not to just buy those.

You can check out the full guide with code, and STL files on Instructables. But I also think it’s a great opportunity to make a custom version of your favorite board game. If it’s just for you, I can’t imagine Milton Bradley really cares.

Now for some news. Researchers at Meiji university in Japan have developed a modified 3D printer they call the Functgraph. 

By adding a tool holder to the print head, and a release mechanism off to the side, this otherwise stock 3D printer can become a fully self-contained micro factory. 

Depending on the tool extension it prints for itself, it can pick things off the print bed, move and assemble parts, manufacture toy cars with multiple interlocking pieces, fold your clothes, or even make you a sandwich.

Now, there’s a lot of clever design that goes into making a 3D printed model that works as its own micro-factory, but seeing that it’s even possible just opens your mind up to all the potential that 3D printers have that we’re not even tapping into yet. Check out the full video.

Now for more projects. On his channel, Jimmy DiResta experiments with creating large, CNC-cut plywood signs where the spaces are filled with colored epoxy. 

He first cuts out the shapes on a CNC router, glues them up, and then glues them down to a plastic sheet to create a seal. 

Next he fills each space with different colors of epoxy, giving each of them an extra swirl of pigment for a look that’s closer to stained glass. 

The end result looks incredible. And I was surprised to see that the uneven, wavy texture of the tarp actually gives it a more organic, glass-like look. 

Tommy from Oskitone has a new kit available for his take on the Atari Punk Console. It’s a classic noisemaker synth, but reinterpreted with these big, fidget friendly, 3D printed knobs. 

It looks like a fun toy that will drive people crazy, and a quick build.

On the Raspberry Pi blog, you can read about how Ross Symons created this interactive sound installation where people trigger different sounds by pressing on origami flowers.

The interaction works by capacitive touch, with each flower registering your touch using a mix of copper tape and conductive ink. It all gets carried back to a Pi hat called the Pi Cap, that translate 12 capacitive input into signals the Pi can easily register. 

And if you can’t get enough Cyberdecks, you have to check out Zack Freedman’s Data Blaster project. 

Three particularly cool things about his design. First, he’s using this ultrawide 1280 x 480 touch screen. 

Second, if that wasn’t screen enough he also added a clip-on monocle monitor that magnetically attaches to his glasses. It seems completely impractical, yet, somehow necessary to a cyberdeck peripheral that attaches to your head.

Finally, there’s a software defined radio tuner and antenna, bringing with it some cool radio band visuals and the not insignificant thrill of a collapsible antenna.

Now for some tools and tips. This week Laura Kampf had an illuminating 2-hour live stream on the subject of making money as a maker. 

For a lot of us, this really is the fundamental question. You love making stuff. You wish you could do it all the time, but the bills need to get paid. Laura does a great job laying out some realistic options for you and is honest about their shortcomings. 

She’s also upfront about her own shortcomings, which for me is helpful for taking stock in my own strengths and weaknesses. 

My sense is that a lot of us our coming out of this year looking to make a change in our lives. If you’re looking at someone like Laura and thinking “I want what she has”, then this video will help you get a better picture of what that means.

On Adafruit, Kattni Rembor has a fantastic guide on creating LED animations using Circuit Python. 

Circuit Python boards are much more approachable than Arduino and are quicker to prototype with. Until recently, though, they haven’t been quick enough to crank through some of the more complex neopixel animations that are possible with Arduino.

Improvements to Circuit Python hardware have made this possible, though, and Kattni’s guide gives detailed examples of all the common LED animations you’d expect. From theater chase to sparkles, rainbows to pixel mapping — it’s all there.

On the Cool Tools channel, I got to talk with Ian Chanas, master of invisibility and windshield wipers. Ian goes over four useful (but not commonly discussed) tips for using a laser cutter. Some will get you better results, and some will help you not catch things on fire.

In the latest issue of Gareth Branwyn’s Tips, Tools, and shop tales newsletter he a great idea for using 3D printed infill for photo flash grids, or stuffing secret messages into your infill midway through a print when making gifts for friends. 

He also points to a new video from Adafruit’s Collin Cunningham, showing how to make the best use of solder wick. I’ve always had terrible luck with this stuff, but I’m beginning to think I’ve been using an inferior product. I also saw a tip in the comments to add flux to your wick for faster uptake — something i haven’t tried.

And I have to admit, I’m already taking Tim Hunkin’s secret life of components series for granted. I’m sure at least half of you are already hooked on it, but for anyone sleeping on this series, go check it out. 

As I’m writing this, the most recent episode covers switches. And even if you’re an expert on the subject, you’ll get an education on how Tim Hunkin thinks about switches — which is priceless.

Speaking of switches! Adafruit’s Lady Ada shows how to use Digi-Key’s search tool to find the perfect rotary encoder. Specifically, how to uncover the types of encoders that include a push switch when you give them a little nudge. Check it out.

And that does it for this week’s show. Be sure to subscribe, leave a thumbs up or leave a comment. Thinking about the project of the week, what’s your favorite board game, and how might you modify it?

A big thanks to my patrons on Patreon and to Digi-Key electronics for making the show possible. Thanks for watching, and I’ll see you soon.a