Makespace - User contributions [en]

ProjectSpeedDating2

2014-02-26T13:04:22Z

DannyG:

This is the dump that came out of my text editor. Please feel free to clean it up! ~~

Alexandra - Simprints:
- Wireless fingerprint reader. Lots of mobile health applications are being built and health workers in Africa have mobile phones typically. However, identifying people is very difficult - they often don’t know DOB, the names are al the same, etc.

The idea is to build a fingerprint scanner that can work over bluetooth. Nothing on the market is designed to work with mobiles, or if they are they are very expensive.
It should be
- Rugged
- Waterproof
- Shock proof
- Cheap

There’s a prototype already but they are looking for people to fill various roles.
- Hardware
- Embedded software developers
- Android developers (need to port a matching algorithm to mobile)
- Cloud systems developers (network, server - initially they want to setup the matching algorithm on the server)
- Solidworks developers

alexandra@simprints.com

Pamela Wesson - 64skies (pam@fantasia.uk.com)

Based on the experience of an installation by an artist where the sky was seen through a white square in the roof (my writeup doesn’t do this justice)

Art website of 64 skies from around the world. 64 webcams showing skies from all over the world. ability to zoom in and out.

This is strictly an art piece :)

Suggestions - make a kit that requires a webcam, rPi, not much else! Auction the squares?

Danny - Cellular AutomaPONG - (danny.garden@gmail.com)

An evolution of a 1D pong ([http://www.instructables.com/id/monoPong/ simple example]) game based around a generic cellular automaton unit.

The unit (equivalent of each LED in the simple example above:
*A bright RGB led to illuminate it. The unit should have a diffuse plastic case to allow it the glow nicely.
*A simple state machine that can take an incoming "ball" and relay it on, or perhaps change the direction using game modes.
*Needs some kind of self aligning magnet setup to allow multiple units to be chained to make large networks.
*An input method to change the "mode" the unit is in e.g. relay, splitter, wall, multiplier etc.
*Needs to be cheap, we need like 100 of them to make an interesting game. If the prototype units aren't cheap we should at least have a route to cost down.

As well as the generic unit, there may need to be a Marshalling unit that keeps an eye on the game (watching for resonance behaviours and perturbing them to make sure the game flows freely, keeping score, initiating "special" game events etc). I'm thinking a RPi with a web interface or something along those lines. Also the Marshalling unit needs to have an accurate model of the active network of units, for this it might be worth implementing some kind of network search algorithm to "map" the network topology.

The aim is to build this system for the STEM Ambassador program in Cambridge([http://www.stemteameast.org.uk link]) (or anyone else who might be interested) so that they can deploy it as an interactive game during events, for example the upcoming Cambridge Science Fair.

Stuart Wilson - Live monitoring system (LMS)

Non-profits trying to slow down the rate of illegal logging.

Corruption is rife, so human-based systems are difficult to make work.

Can we use vehicle tracking systems to track the large vehicles that are essential for logging. Feed the data from the vehicle tracking system into a web-based frrontent. Overlay the vehicle activity over legal areas. Do the analysis to generate suspicious or illegal activity.

Allows you to better allocate your scarce human resources to the right place!

Lots of development has happened already and there’s a small amount of funding to make this work and to demonstrate something to the Congolese government.

Required:
- Software engineers for the web-side
- People interested in the overall objective

John - jon.aas@ctinnovations.co.uk

Engineer by background who has worked for many years on subdividing a shape into cubes.

This is a practical use of 3D printing to demonstrate how subdivision can be done. There is an algorithm to determine how the subdivision should happen.

Currently the input/analysis stage is very time consuming. The aim of the project is to do the simulation and the input to the simulation very fast. Software required to allow a user to manipulate the properties of the shape in 3D - the software would need to direct/control some very powerful machines (eg multiCPU and GPGPU).

What’s required?
- People interested in the problem and into software
- People to work with them to make it happen

Mark Tillotson

Storage Robot for Makespace.

A machine for storing the members’ boxes in the 4ft high spaces under the kitchen and cafe. The rooms are about 2x5m but not practical for humans to go in.

The idea is to make a machine that can collect boxes for people!

What’s done: Mark is working on the mechanical solution and can pickup boxes. Is planning on the gantry side
What needs to be done: Software, help with mounting etc
Other skills sought: Someone to think about whether this is commercializable!

Tom Myers - Alex McFadden. Softprinter

the dream of 3D printing has always been to move manufacturing back into our own homes so we can print something as and when we want it. Despite the years of development in 3d printing we’re still stuck with yoda statues and shot glasses

So, let’s make something that makes things more useful! Let’s make clothes. Download a file offline, customise it to your body shape, print it in the machine. Things will fit far better than things off the oeg.

Clear technological idea about what should be done. Old knitting machines needed a human operator, but we can mechanise this and actuate all parts of the machine that need it.

Currently doing hardware prototyping. They’re in the process of building the carriage. Not yet at the electronics.

Potential to disrupt the fashion industry. Short supply chain, custom made clothes.

What’s required
- Hardware people - physical prototyping comes first. Some software people to help build things that are controllable.

tm476@cam.cam.ac.uk

ProjectSpeedDating2

2014-02-26T12:53:54Z

DannyG:

This is the dump that came out of my text editor. Please feel free to clean it up! ~~

Alexandra - Simprints:
- Wireless fingerprint reader. Lots of mobile health applications are being built and health workers in Africa have mobile phones typically. However, identifying people is very difficult - they often don’t know DOB, the names are al the same, etc.

The idea is to build a fingerprint scanner that can work over bluetooth. Nothing on the market is designed to work with mobiles, or if they are they are very expensive.
It should be
- Rugged
- Waterproof
- Shock proof
- Cheap

There’s a prototype already but they are looking for people to fill various roles.
- Hardware
- Embedded software developers
- Android developers (need to port a matching algorithm to mobile)
- Cloud systems developers (network, server - initially they want to setup the matching algorithm on the server)
- Solidworks developers

alexandra@simprints.com

Pamela Wesson - 64skies (pam@fantasia.uk.com)

Based on the experience of an installation by an artist where the sky was seen through a white square in the roof (my writeup doesn’t do this justice)

Art website of 64 skies from around the world. 64 webcams showing skies from all over the world. ability to zoom in and out.

This is strictly an art piece :)

Suggestions - make a kit that requires a webcam, rPi, not much else! Auction the squares?

Danny - Cellular AutomaPONG

An evolution of a 1D pong ([http://www.instructables.com/id/monoPong/ simple example]) game based around a generic cellular automaton unit.

The unit (equivalent of each LED in the simple example above:
*A bright RGB led to illuminate it. The unit should have a diffuse plastic case to allow it the glow nicely.
*A simple state machine that can take an incoming "ball" and relay it on, or perhaps change the direction using game modes.
*Needs some kind of self aligning magnet setup to allow multiple units to be chained to make large networks.
*An input method to change the "mode" the unit is in e.g. relay, splitter, wall, multiplier etc.
*Needs to be cheap, we need like 100 of them to make an interesting game. If the prototype units aren't cheap we should at least have a route to cost down.

As well as the generic unit, there may need to be a Marshalling unit that keeps an eye on the game (watching for resonance behaviours and perturbing them to make sure the game flows freely, keeping score, initiating "special" game events etc). I'm thinking a RPi with a web interface or something along those lines. Also the Marshalling unit needs to have an accurate model of the active network of units, for this it might be worth implementing some kind of network search algorithm to "map" the network topology.

The aim is to build this system for the STEM Ambassador program in Cambridge([http://www.stemteameast.org.uk link]) (or anyone else who might be interested) so that they can deploy it as an interactive game during events, for example the upcoming Cambridge Science Fair.

Stuart Wilson - Live monitoring system (LMS)

Non-profits trying to slow down the rate of illegal logging.

Corruption is rife, so human-based systems are difficult to make work.

Can we use vehicle tracking systems to track the large vehicles that are essential for logging. Feed the data from the vehicle tracking system into a web-based frrontent. Overlay the vehicle activity over legal areas. Do the analysis to generate suspicious or illegal activity.

Allows you to better allocate your scarce human resources to the right place!

Lots of development has happened already and there’s a small amount of funding to make this work and to demonstrate something to the Congolese government.

Required:
- Software engineers for the web-side
- People interested in the overall objective

John - jon.aas@ctinnovations.co.uk

Engineer by background who has worked for many years on subdividing a shape into cubes.

This is a practical use of 3D printing to demonstrate how subdivision can be done. There is an algorithm to determine how the subdivision should happen.

Currently the input/analysis stage is very time consuming. The aim of the project is to do the simulation and the input to the simulation very fast. Software required to allow a user to manipulate the properties of the shape in 3D - the software would need to direct/control some very powerful machines (eg multiCPU and GPGPU).

What’s required?
- People interested in the problem and into software
- People to work with them to make it happen

Mark Tillotson

Storage Robot for Makespace.

A machine for storing the members’ boxes in the 4ft high spaces under the kitchen and cafe. The rooms are about 2x5m but not practical for humans to go in.

The idea is to make a machine that can collect boxes for people!

What’s done: Mark is working on the mechanical solution and can pickup boxes. Is planning on the gantry side
What needs to be done: Software, help with mounting etc
Other skills sought: Someone to think about whether this is commercializable!

Tom Myers - Alex McFadden. Softprinter

the dream of 3D printing has always been to move manufacturing back into our own homes so we can print something as and when we want it. Despite the years of development in 3d printing we’re still stuck with yoda statues and shot glasses

So, let’s make something that makes things more useful! Let’s make clothes. Download a file offline, customise it to your body shape, print it in the machine. Things will fit far better than things off the oeg.

Clear technological idea about what should be done. Old knitting machines needed a human operator, but we can mechanise this and actuate all parts of the machine that need it.

Currently doing hardware prototyping. They’re in the process of building the carriage. Not yet at the electronics.

Potential to disrupt the fashion industry. Short supply chain, custom made clothes.

What’s required
- Hardware people - physical prototyping comes first. Some software people to help build things that are controllable.

tm476@cam.cam.ac.uk

Projects

2013-08-07T15:28:26Z

DannyG:

== Here we will add our projects ==

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Project name
! Status
! People
! Tell me more about it
|-
| Roll and jump music generator
| Planned
| [[User:Dadabit|Dadabit]]
| This is a wearable with gyro and accelerometer. I will connect to ableton and/or maxmsp. So in initial phase. Also if there is anyone who did mapping, desperately in need to learn.
|-
| [[Mechanical computing]]
| Working but unreliable
| [[User:JimM|JimM]]
| Turing machines and other computers built without any electric components using ball bearings as memory. https://github.com/jmacarthur/millihertz
|-
| FleetFoot
| Planned
| [[User:Brice|Brice]]
| clojurescript + processing.js + webgl = Awesome!
|-
| Magicsphere
| Development
| [[User:Brice|Brice]]
| Secret Volumetric POV project
|-
| Lispator
| Concept
| [[User:Brice|Brice]]
| Complete Lisp machine implemented in FPGA.
|-
| MetaWatch automation
| Concept / Improvements
| [[User:Benjymous|Rich M]]
| Expanding the MetaWatch software for more "Internet of Things" integration - watch notifications when the doorbell rings, Turn lights on from your wrist, that sort of thing!
|-
| shapeshifting fabric
| design/development
| [[User:Dadabit|Dadabit]]
| well I got some sma wire, currently able to drive it, Now trying to make the machanical to actually end up in some coordinated movements. I need 3D modeling may be. Ping me if yo can help me with 3d modeling with the movement. I will thank you forever. (how long is forever can be negotiated)
|-
| Solr Logr
| Development/Refinement
| [[User:Elsmorian|Chris Elsmore]]
| Data logger, display and controller for my off-grid solar installation, and investigation into other alternative energy sources like building wind turbines.
|-
| Vehicle tracker / remote command receiver
| Progressing slowly
| [[User:JCGS|JCGS]]
| I have started to build a vehicle tracker based on the GM862 GPS/GSM/GPRS module.
|-
| ASR33 (Teletype) restoration
| Waiting
| [[User:JCGS|JCGS]]
| I have an old ASR33 that I plan to restore sometime. Some mechanical work is needed, including fabricating missing parts; also tracing and testing the circuitry, and interfacing it to a modern computer.
|-
| Vehicle motor controller
| Thinking about it
| [[User:JCGS|JCGS]]
| Once I've finished stretching my Land Rover to three axles, I'll start working on making the third axle electrically driven, with regenerative braking. I plan to make the controller myself, with big IGBTs and probably an mbed to control them.
|-
| Makespace OpenGL Visualisation
| Planned
| [[User:Wojciech|Wojciech]]
| A quick 3D mock up of procedurally generated Makespace.
|-
| Visventis (kites for wind energy)
| In process
| [[User:RobCopcutt|Robert Copcutt]]
| Poor people need electricity to learn to lift themselves out of poverty. A cheap way to generate electricity is therefore required. At visventis.org[http://visventis.org] we believe that kites are 1 way to do that. A device to support a flying kite has already been built. We now need to add reels for the tethers, a generator and electronics to control that generator. This could be the start of something big and all help is appreciated.
|-
| Motor/generator
| Advanced concept
| [[User:RobCopcutt|Robert Copcutt]]
| Small electric motors can be made over 98% efficient, and cheap, by following a few fundamental principles. Keep the air-gap speed high by using a large diameter. Eliminate the iron core and use just air. Use fine wire for the coils to keep eddy current losses down. Such machines would be ideal for many projects including Visventis and electric vehicles. Tools such as good laser cutters and CNC mills are important for making some of the parts. Let's talk.
|-
| Gauss meter
| Concept
| [[User:RobCopcutt|Robert Copcutt]]
| This should be a quick project to aid the motor/generator project above. Gauss meters are expensive but the sensors are not. Anyone interested to help build a simple meter to measure magnetic fields?
|-
| LED strip lights
| Concept
| [[User:RobCopcutt|Robert Copcutt]]
| LED lights have numerous advantages except for cost. I am interested to make replacements for fluorescent tubes, but buying LEDs in the quantity to build 1 is not economical. If I design one it makes sense to share the learning and build 20. As soon as we have sufficient interest the LEDs can be ordered and construction can begin.
|-
| Home power monitoring
| In process
| [[User:SimonS|Simon Stirley]]
| Monitoring of home mains power usage by current clamp. The clamp circuit is wired to an Arduino which monitors the current and totals up energy usage. Data is sent to a remote server via an ethernet shield every five minutes ([http://pvoutput.org/intraday.jsp?id=3214&sid=2484 live data])
The system also monitors PV generation and temperature. Future plans include adding logging to an SD card for finer analysis, integration with home-automation system.
|-
| Big-Mod-Trak
| In process
| [[User:SimonS|Simon Stirley]]
| After a 'new' BigTrak failed with not enough power, the circuits were ripped out and an Arduino with motor shield replaced. It currently has a very simple drive via either a Wii Nunchuk or an automatic mode using a distance sensor for very simple collision avoidance.
More plans include using a wireless Nunchuk, more sensors, and implementing some kind of programming mode. And a rocker launcher - of course.
|-
| Coat rack
| Complete
| [[User:ste5eu|Steve Upton]]
| When we opened the space we needed somewhere to hang our coats and I thought it would better to make than buy. More details on my blog here: [http://www.ste5eu.com/blog/2013/5/12/project-makespace-coat-rack.html coat rack]
|-
| OfficeHAL
| In process
| [[User:ste5eu|Steve Upton]]
| A Raspberri Pi based controller for my garden office (it is NOT a shed). My intention is to provide monitoring and control of the office environment via the web and physical controls on the device. As the rest of my office is styled on a steampunk theme OfficeHAL will be too. He currently has a wooden frame, brass porthole for an 'eye', and I'm working on a mechanical iris.
Features will include:
* Indoor temperature monitoring and control
* Outdoor weather monitoring: temp, humidity, wind speed
* Motion sensing camera
* COSM feed
|-
| Paint Robot
| Concept
| [[User:christie|Christie Nel]]
| A robot for painting roofs with glow in the dark paint.
|-
| usb Stenography
| Proof of concept
| [[User:tonypercy|Tony Percy]]
| A usb keypad comprised of 7 touch sensitive buttons, with piezoelectric haptic feedback, for use in development in a form of mnemonic stenography.
|-
| 1D Pong
| Prototyping
| [[User:DannyG|Danny Garden]]
| A 1D Pong Game. More details on my blog here: [http://www.muacksandglomps.com/blog/2013/08/07/1d-pong-game-for-makespace/ 1D Pong]
|}

== Communal projects ==

[[WorkbenchLinks|Workbenches]]- we need a horizontal surface to make things on, and people are keen to start making the makespace by building benches. See some suggestions for DIY workbench designs.

[[AutomatedStorageProposals|Automated storage/retrieval]]- a long-term crazy idea to build some sort of storage robot in the half-height storage area under the kitchen which will retrieve a member's storage box when they swipe their RFID tag. If you have a fleshed-out idea for how it ought to work, write up your proposal and link it from this page.

[[AncientMachines|Restoration / Fiddling with 'ancient' computers]] - a page to document the current status and work required on the old machines we have been gifted.

== Communal projects ==

[[WorkbenchLinks|Workbenches]]- we need a horizontal surface to make things on, and people are keen to start making the makespace by building benches. See some suggestions for DIY workbench designs.

[[AutomatedStorageProposals|Automated storage/retrieval]]- a long-term crazy idea to build some sort of storage robot in the half-height storage area under the kitchen which will retrieve a member's storage box when they swipe their RFID tag. If you have a fleshed-out idea for how it ought to work, write up your proposal and link it from this page.

[[AncientMachines|Restoration / Fiddling with 'ancient' computers]] - a page to document the current status and work required on the old machines we have been gifted.

Arduino and Cake

2013-08-07T10:13:42Z

DannyG: /* Projects */

= Arduino and Cake =

This is a page of information for the (hopefully) regular 'Arduino and Cake' event we run at Makespace. This is an evening where we get together in the space to learn and hack on projects involving the Arduino and similar microcontrollers. As the name suggests, there's also cake!

== Sessions ==

We've had one session, with all levels of experience from complete novices to expert embedded programmers. Everyone paired up, with beginners and experts working together; judging from the happy buzz of making noises (both the noise of making, and the making of noises - we had buzzers!) it worked pretty well. The meetup page for the first go is [http://www.meetup.com/Makespace/events/130569572/ on meetup here]

The plan is to have this as regularly as possible, varying the day around in case people can't make a particular day of the week. The second one will be next Thursday (the 8th of August); you can sign up [http://www.meetup.com/Makespace/events/132710342/ here].

== Helpful links ==

Arduino home page : [http://www.arduino.cc/ www.arduino.cc]<br/>
A bunch of useful little circuits to play with: [http://www.pighixxx.com/abc-arduino-basic-connections/ Arduino Basic Connections]

== Big Box of Breakout Boards and Bits (BBBBB) ==

We've had approval to buy some bits and pieces for people to play with at this event, and generally within Makespace so I've done an eBay dive and ordered the following, these will arrive sometime over the next month or so:

# 80 high brightness LEDs (20 each of orange, green, blue and pink!)
# 4 LED Dot matrix modules with drivers
# 2 Eight digit seven segment displays with drivers
# 2 Ethernet shields for the Arduino Nano
# 4 LCD 20x4 character displays
# 8 Motion sensors (6 degrees of freedom MPU6050 based with 3 axis gyro and 3 axis accelerometer)
# 6 Arduino Nano v3 boards (ATMega328, mounts on a breadboard)
# 12 Dual H-bridge modules, used to drive regular and stepper motors
# 3 Temperature / Relative humidity sensor modules
# 2 IR correlation sensor modules (the kind where you have a beam which outputs a signal when broken, good for detecting rotation etc)
# 10 Small servo motors (9g plastic type)
# 6 Ultrasonic rangefinder modules, detect bounce from around 20cm to 3m
# 4 Stepper motors with driver modules, 5v supply
# 1 Barometric pressure sensor module
# 10 Playstation style joysticks, the little analogue ones with a built in pushbutton on breakout boards
# 10 NRF24L01 radio modules, short (~100m) range radio modules capable of transmitting packets of 3 bytes at around 2Mbits/second under ideal conditions
# A lot of somewhat longer jumper leads (20cm and 30cm) both male to male and male to female, the latter being particularly useful for connecting to the radio modules as they have a non-breadboard-friendly pin layout (or we can make boards with the PCB mill)

Total budget for all the above including shipping is 270GBP (you get a lot of electronics for you money when buying from the far East!)

As and when these appear at my house I'll bring them in and add them to the BBBBB - I'm planning to buy a decent size box with compartments to keep these in, both as convenient access and as a way to monitor attrition (these are cheap, but the cheapness comes with long lead times). These bits will be for use at Makespace, rather than for consumption but as long as we have enough items we can be flexible on that; I think if someone has ordered a Nano, say, there's no reason we can't lend them one of the kit ones while they wait for it to turn up.

--[[User:Tomoinn|tmo]] 09:48, 7 August 2013 (BST)

== Projects ==

Got an interesting project or a project idea? Add it here.

=== Vehicle monitor / heating controller ===

I've re-wired my Land Rover, using a star topology, with a big central "ganglion" which almost all the wires run to and from. There's an extra wire coming from each connection, that will go to a board of LEDs and voltage dividers, the latter feeding into an Arduino Mega, which will monitor just about everything, and display information on a small LCD panel.

I'm also planning to make a motorized heater control system (moving flaps to direct air from an Eberspacher) and the valve motors will be driven from relays on the Arduino.

And there'll be a GPS/GSM security unit, and eventually a Linux board (probably Pandaboard) running navigation software. And later on, I hope, an electric motor to drive the extra axle I added. The Arduino Mega will route data between all these points, with its multiple hardware UARTS, as well as sending out information it converts locally from its own inputs.

I expect the software will be a main loop that polls all UARTs for incoming information, all wiring lines for changes from their previous state, all heating valve position sensors for whether they've reached the right position, all pedals for information to send to the traction motor controller when fitted, and does the associated actions (for example, NMEA sentences from the GPS get forwarded to the Linux board for navigation and are also used to display the time on the LCD, heating switches update the desired positions for flap valves).

[[User:JCGS|JCGS]] 15:00, 2 August 2013 (BST)

=== Quadcopter ===

Because everyone loves autonomous flying robots surrounded by razor sharp rotating propellers, right?

A friend and I are working on a full self build of a quad rotor, we have the airframe, motors, props, speed controllers and an arduino with a combined gyro / accelerometer mounted. We just need to add batteries, wireless comms and software. I don't know whether I can persuade Si to come along to this meeting, he's not a member, but that's one of the things I'm playing with at the moment. I'm using the MPU6050 and PID libraries to manage the feedback between the accelerometer and the speed controllers in an attempt to get a stable hover mode, and the NRF24L01 as the radio module.

--[[User:Tomoinn|tmo]] 15:12, 2 August 2013 (BST)

=== Bottle rocket telemetry ===

The family makers are making bottle rockets, I thought it'd be cool to try to make a telemetry module that would tell them how high they'd gone and render a 3d trace of the trajectory using either Processing or WebGL. The main challenge here is to get the circuitry small enough and tough enough to be carried by the rockets and then survive the return to ground level! The second issue is power, I have a LiPo battery and charger so should just be a case of a 3.3v regulator but maybe it needs a boost converter, not really my area of expertise so I'd really like some help there.

At the moment I'm interested in using an ATTiny85 (8 pin dip package MCU) as an Arduino, using the MPU6050 gyro / accelerometer and an XBee v2 radio - I'd use the NRF24 radio but I think it needs more pins than I have available on the ATTiny. Another option would be to use a rather more sophisticated Arduino pro mini, more pins means the NRF radio would be an option which is much cheaper than the XBee modules.

--[[User:Tomoinn|tmo]] 15:12, 2 August 2013 (BST)

=== I2C plant moisture sensors ===

Program an ATTiny85 as an I2C slave, embedding it onto a circuit board etched to work as a capacitive moisture sensor. Use Arduino nano with ethernet shield as an I2C master to then monitor the moisture levels in my various outdoor plant pots and tweet when they're getting too dry.

--[[User:Tomoinn|tmo]] 15:12, 2 August 2013 (BST)

=== Breadboard prototype of a 1D Pong Game ===

The idea is to prototype a simple 1D pong game (see [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kgQg1DVY4Xc YouTube]) on Arduino or other microcontroller.

Features:
*Some kind of startup animation (similar to the YouTube video)
*A scoreboard or something similar. Based maybe on a segmented display or LCD.
*SOUNDS! :-)
*Perhaps some different game modes, maybe "powerups" of some kind?

Eventually I would like this to be the start of a '''MUCH''' larger version of the game (but that's for the future ;-))

--[[User:DannyG|DannyG]] 15:12, 2 August 2013 (BST)