Monthly Archives: September 2015

Nice write-up on upgrading a Chinese 3020 CNC

Posted on September 9, 2015 by robertwilkie

Good write-up on how to upgrade an $800 CNC from China to be more modern and robust.  My 2 cents, I think I would spend the money on a shapeoko instead. http://www.instructables.com/id/3020-CNC-Arduino-GRBL-CNC-Shield-V3/

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Redneck windmill project

Posted on September 9, 2015 by robertwilkie

This is one interesting windmill build.  Has the standard PVC blades and cover for the motor you see in other builds, but I found it interesting the an old saw blade was used for a hub.  I guess it works … Continue reading →

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A $15 RPi

Posted on September 8, 2015 by robertwilkie

Finally, a Raspberry Pi cheaper than an arduino.  This is the Orange Pi, which includes a few extras over a standard Pi (IR reciever for example).  But for $15 (30 if you want one with build in SSD and WiFi).  … Continue reading →

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Upgrading an old alarm system with an arduino

Posted on September 8, 2015 by robertwilkie

It looks like the author reverse engineered a few bits on an older alarm system to give it some more modern features. http://hackaday.com/2015/09/05/upgrading-your-alarm-system-with-an-arduino/

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Interesting opensource tools from Facebook

Posted on September 8, 2015 by robertwilkie

I have to give props to Facebook for opensourcing several of there tools.  A few out of the list that caught my eye are: Buck: for building small resuable modules in Android Orgami: A tool to build modern user interfaces … Continue reading →

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Building an underwater robot

Posted on September 8, 2015 by robertwilkie

The frame for the robot is pretty basic PVC stuff.  The interesting part is how the author waterproofs the motors (from standard DC motors to waterproof ones). http://www.instructables.com/id/Build-an-Underwater-robot/

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Interesting cheap (ish) smartwatch

Posted on September 8, 2015 by robertwilkie

The Nuyu looks like an interesting watch.  Its only $50 and is basically a fitness tracker.  But what got my attention was it has an O-LED display and a touch sensor that displays the TIME with the fitness info.  Oh … Continue reading →

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Build a laser level with a laser pointer and an old harddrive

Posted on September 5, 2015 by robertwilkie

Nice  build.  Think I would go a bit easier on the enclosure and other bits. http://www.instructables.com/id/Automatic-laser-level-made-from-an-old-Hard-Disk-D/

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Make your own Magic Sand

Posted on September 4, 2015 by robertwilkie

I had never heard of magic sand til today.  Its sand that repels water and sticks together.  Basically all it is is sand with sotchguard on it.  Cool looking and this could be a fun project with kids. http://www.instructables.com/id/Magic-Sand/

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Another CD-ROM to Mini CNC build

Posted on September 4, 2015 by robertwilkie

This is a nice build and cheaper than some of the other ones I have seen.  The author uses a smaller Arduino, and L293D chips to keep costs down.  Of course he ups the costs with other stuff. http://www.instructables.com/id/Mini-CNC-Plotter-Arduino-Based/

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