The design originally was intended as a pendant for my niece that’s customized with her name and printed using wax and cast into sterling silver… it was originally 3 tone too…

...and pink...

However the design has to be simplified in order to be printed ‘hassle free’ using the Up! printer that’s based on a FDM process.  Complex overhangs either end up sagging or require support structures that are impossible to clean in such an enclosed space.  Inside the wall edges have a 45° chamfer applied to minimize the need for a support structure.  This is intentionally done on the ‘side’ as printing and applying the chamfers in the ‘tall’ orientation affects the air chamber flow too much it almost makes no sound.

Don’t know where the chain holder ended up in the simplification…you can always add it back yourself.

Printed using Up! printer, fine settings, 0.2mm layer,  solid fill, raft settings – dense=4, angle<40, area<10mm.

Works straight out from the printer even without removing it from the platform!  Blew into it and it sounded

Whistle - Works straight out from the printer! This is the orientation you need to print in.

Oh did I mention I’ve been a good boy and uploaded the files to Thingiverse already?  Here you go :-

http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:5312

The concept

There is no concept… I just wanted a wheel base that is cool and can be controlled by a *cough* iPhone [Android phone...] via Wifi.

The parts list

Assembly Instructions

1. For each wheel, attach the circular servo horn that comes with the servo with the hub using 4 M2x4 self tapping screws.
2. For each wheel, insert 7 bearings into the ‘flanges’ of the wheel.
   • Depending on your printer, this should be a tight fit.  If it doesn’t fit, gently file the inside of the hole or using a M6 drill bit to clear.
3. Attach the rollers onto each wheel with a M3 bolt and nut combination.
   • Again depending on your printer, the bolts should fit through (maybe a bit tight).  If they don’t fit use a M3 drill bit to clear the roller holes.
4. Attach each assembled wheel onto the servo.
5. Calibrate the centre position of the servos using the small adjustment pot at the rear of the servo.
   • Send a centre 1.5ms signal to each servo and adjust the pot until the servo doesn’t move.
6. Attach each servo onto a frame using the mounting screws that come with the servo.

How it shouldn’t look like after fitting the processor board…

Obligatory super short demo video

Product Endorsements

• Designed using Alibre CAD Software – Made drawing and modifying the wheel very easy.
• Printed using Up! 3D Printer – The print quality is superb
• Parts purchased primarily from LowPriceRC – $3.40 for continuous rotation servos? Meh
• Robot Simple – Pololu reseller with free worldwide shipping!  (Wins a lot of points for me in Australia…)

I’m not receiving any kickbacks from any of these companies but definitely wouldn’t mind some <wink wink nudge nudge>

Where’s the Software?  / Where is the Chumby(Infocast)?

Patience… I’m still waiting for my Infocast to rip up…

Need to borrow an iOS 4.2 device to test too…

Quad-Hyperboloid - Pink Monofilament <-- That's a mouthful

I ordered the ‘stool’ in 4 materials, corrogated cardboard, 3mm Bamboo, 3mm Black Acrylic and 6mm Clear Acrylic.  The 6mm Clear acrylic is what you see here.  The top of the stool is supported by 4 ‘pillars’ with an additional 4 support beams for the 3mm materials.  The idea is to use monofilament wire to create multiple hyperboloid surfaces from top to bottom to create a ‘cool’ look.  Of course it helps that the monofilament I used is fluorescent and would glow under UV light

Can you count 4 hyperboloid surfaces?

The clear acrylic with pink monofilament example shown is a classic demonstration of the fact I’m slightly hopeless counting.  I had originally planned for 2 criss-crossed hyperboloid surfaces but due to a miscount I realized I screwed up on the first reverse weave.  Deciding to run with the mistake rather than going back to fix it I ended up with 4 hyperboloid surfaces, doesn’t look THAT bad… You can see the concentric ‘rings’ of each hyperboloid surface in the next photo.

Concentric circles look cool

A better selection of how many surfaces and curvature would improve the aesthetics greatly.  Its also rather big, would suit someone with a large bottom I suppose.  Overall not a bad experiment result though.

I’m looking forward to the Bamboo and Black Acrylic versions  Really looking forward to taking a photo under UV light too!

WTF Laptop Stand - Cardboard & Acrylic

¹Welcome to Finland / Waratah Train Fleet / Wednesday Thursday Friday / Worse Than Failure etc – Its not what you think.

Why the?

Lots of WTFs!

Ever since visiting Finland last year, it really nagged me that they didn’t have any souvenir T-shirts that read ‘WTF’ (Welcome to Finland).  Add to that the announcement that the Train project at work I’ve been working on has been named ‘Waratah‘, a fleet of trains called Waratah… Waratah Train Fleet, there really can not be a more suitable name.

How the?

A quick doodle on a notebook, quickie sketch in Inkscape and an upload to Ponoko later comes the WTF Laptop Stand.  The design is simple, two parallel sheets of acrylic or cardboard with joined WTF letters and a cross beam/bar to hold it together.  Snap fit so it can be taken apart quickly and put into a bag.

Cardboard WTF Laptop Stand Frame

What the?

Of course with the ‘quick doodle’ and ‘quickie sketch’ comes a price – I screwed up by not remember to actually measure how wide my laptop actually was! Argh.  Luckily its rather trivial to cut up the cardboard version and shorten the joining piece to come up with something usable.

I also forgot to do some fancy logo engraving/cutting in that cross beam too

Cardboard WTF Laptop Stand Frame (Shortened)

Now now, all better.  Now my laptop will actually sit on the stand properly

WTF Laptop Stand - Cardboard Side View

HP ProBook 5310m sitting on a Cardboard WTF Laptop Stand

WTF Laptop Stand - Cardboard Side View Closeup

The last shot above shows how the ‘W’ actually holds the laptop up in place.  It also shows a minor design flaw where I forgot to add a fillet on the inside of the ‘W’.  A fillet is important on materials such as acrylic to avoid create an unnecessary stress point where the piece might break.  Infact I broke a few trying to snap a piece that wasn’t fully cut through … [Ponoko shipped me extra in the package which made up for it].

Where the?

Where are the design files so you can make your own?  Is anyone actually interested?  Let me know through the comments and I can post the ‘fixed’ [Cross bar length and the fillet on the 'W'] design files on Thingiverse if people ask.

Edit : Added to Thingiverse!  http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3529

What the? (Again)

Oh just remembered to preempt the ‘what are those holes?’ question, they are an optional feature for threading monofilament (fishing wire) between the pieces to form a weave.  Just thought it might look cool but haven’t gotten around to it.  Recent obsession with monofilament will show in the next post…

Yippee

I was seriously thinking ‘Yippee!’ when I got the first of my Ponoko orders today… then I saw the ‘Yippee’ on the packaging… that was weird!

This is a gallery post of the unwrapping, too tired to assemble the bits tonight.  Can you guess what things I’m making?  [The 'Welcome to Finland' one is rather obvious...]  Post your guess in the comments!

I give you MILITARISED BEER CADDIE!

This thing is AWESOME. Felt the joys of being a child again opening a cool present… but seriously with that turret it is not a toy for kids!  It’ll also happily carry two cans of beer around the place for you (only had soft drink to test it with…oops out of beer…).

It was originally purchased to be taken apart… but I don’t think I’ll have the heart take this beautiful thing apart.  Maybe just the turret can be dismantled…its probably too dangerous on anyway

PS : Not in anyway affiliated with the manufacturer or trying to sell any…

PPS : This is a 1 minute post just bragging about this wonderful toy…

PPPS : Somewhere a Roboraptor photo sneaked into the gallery below…oops…

Photos…

Videos…

Transform!  (Or Transmutation in Chinglish…there’s a transmutation button on the controller…makes me feel like an alchemist)

Firing test…

Just some whiizing around the dining room…

Load test with some cans…

Model boat fleet fun

Glorious model warships pounding at each another with cannons, and in the midst of all that is my ‘floating camera’ contraption that didn’t work too well but worked…it floated, it took photos…it lived up to its name…madox Floating Camera…

That's no battleship...

Nice sunny day, perfectly still water, a lunch box floats with one thruster on to skew it to the 'right'...

The results weren’t too bad from the onboard video recording, just a few issues with camera alignment and disconnections when using my friend’s laptop (mine ran out of juice).  Here’s a sample clip of the captured footage :-

And one more super nice video courtesy of Andy (aka not me) :-

Read on for more photos and videos

EDIT : PHOTO GALLERY UPDATED, NEW VIDEOS ADDED! CAPS LOCK IS EVIL!

Image Gallery

Video Clips

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Just a short photo/video post of a couple of test runs in the bath tub…

Read on for more videos and photos of this test run…

Pictures :-