This Master thesis by Daniel Ahlers et al. demonstrates how a modified version of the open source slicer software “Slic3r” can be optimised to output GCODE for printing nonplanar surfaces.
Digital Scale Pinout and Protocol
Open Source Audio Server
Volumio is a great open source audio server with a browser based UI. It runs on a Raspberry Pi and many other platforms
Multilayer Ceramic Capacitors as Actuators
Here is a blog post by Dan Berard about using MLCC as actuators based on this phys.org article and the original paper.
Offline Voice Assistant on Raspberry Pi
Snips is a open source offline voice recognition platform that runs on Android and Linux and can be deployed on a Raspberry Pi.
How To change a MAC address on OSX
List all interfaces by running the command ‘ifconfig’ in a terminal. Pick the interface you want to change e.g “en0“
To set a different MAC on the interface run:
sudo ifconfig [interface] lladdr [MAC]
e.g: sudo ifconfig en0 lladdr dc:03:be:a0:a5:ab
You can generate a random MAC by running:
openssl rand -hex 6 | sed ‘s/\(..\)/\1:/g; s/.$//’
Crimping Tool Compendium
A very nice (updated) post on expensive/inexpensive crimping tools for the most common electronic connectors.
Nesting for DXF and SVG
deepnest.io is a open source nesting application for DXF, SVG and CDR files by Jack Qiao. It is available on OSX, Linux and Windows. A very well made beautiful piece of software.
HDRI Environment Maps
Great set of HDRI environment maps by Maxime Roz in the exr file format.
Used for example in this rendering
Concrete CNC Router
I started designing a CNC router. The bed and beam are supposed to be cast from UHPC (Ultra High Performance Concrete) [german]. This is a very dry concrete mix with aggregates that increase its mechanical strength, and a plasticiser that makes it viscose enough to be usable for casting again. The end product can achieve mechanical properties comparable to aluminium and has very good vibration dampening properties.
If you’re interested in some of the basic things to consider when designing with concrete, check out this great series on the topic by the “Practical Engineering” channel on youtube.
The design uses 20 mm linear rails all 600 mm long. Ball screws on X and Y are 16 mm SFU and 12 mm SFU on Z. All bearing blocks are standard BK/BF style. Motor flanges are NEMA23. Drawn are JMC iHSV57 servos. The design would also allow to use steppers geared down with pulleys.
Design Notes
The main idea behind the bowl shape is to create a partially enclosed volume that allows to use flood coolant without creating a mess. It also raises the y-rails to an optimal height.
All bearing surfaces are metal pads that are glued into the finished casting and anchored with pins. This allows to achieve high position and alignment accuracy without the need for a large mill. If a mill would be available, milling the bearing surfaces after the glue-up would be ideal.
The port holes in the side are mounts for an optional 4th axis to enable mill turning. They also allow to attach dust extraction when milling wood and double as an all purpose bulkhead.
Two threaded rods put the beam under compression along the x-axis to increase its strength.
Molds
Touch Controller
