community gathering – Ik Maak

uRADMonitor campaign update 2

(This is a part 2 to my last campaign update post)

The KIT1 has arrived!

I could not help myself from soldering it immediately, and it worked! My new device is beeping along nicely, without any big trouble.

So what did I get? A small brown box, containing a lot of antistatic bags, and a manual. The manual is made in black on white, while there are some hints that it was printed on a full color printer. The links on page 9 are printed in blue 😛

So on to the baggies: one containing the PCB, one with the SBM-20, one with a paper with most of the parts, one with the larger parts, one with the ATMega, the usbASP(v2 as per the manual), the screen, network breakout, and the two bags with the network card, and the usb power cable with a really small transformer, probably for USA use.

Soldering the parts was relatively easy, the only issues were due to my inexperience in soldering.

The silkscreen does not mention the parts, so at first I started writing a map of where parts are supposed to come, and what parts on the paper would get what designation. Strangely the PN2907’s weren’t mentioned on the list (p5), but they were the only ones, so I could fill in the blanks 🙂

From there on I continued soldering the parts according to height, so I would do the flattest ones first. Working my way up, I anticipated not that much trouble, but noticed again how much harder through hole soldering is than surface mount, especially for beginners, thanks to the course I did with Kliment. Thanks again for the course!

In the end there was just one stupid mistake in re-seating the screen upside down before switching it on for the first time, but luckily it did not break. As I saw my mistake immediately, all went perfectly from then on.

The BME280 is already setup, but there are some additions needed for it in the firmware. Radu told me he will add them himself, so when he adds them to the GitHub repo, the device can be reflashed and use the information from the added sensors. For this I will also need a file from Radu, to make sure my login to the central database stays secure. I am still using the device offline, as it will move a lot in the beginning, and it is not even close to its final destination. It would be very nice if I could connect the device to my own network only first, to not clutter the DB. For now I have no logging, and can only see the info on the device itself. I will investigate further. I have an Sparkfun OpenLog lying around, maybe that could do the trick for now, and maybe I could even add a GPS that way to make it fully mobile.

In other news, the BME680 did finally arrive. Thank you Bosch! Production on the model D will be able to continue as soon as the parts arrive at the factory.

Also a new fixed/mounted outdoor measurement device is announced, the model A3. This seems to be a model incorporating the same improvements as seen in the model D, but I have to look into it more closely to see what changed.

I just got a mail from Radu asking me to show pictures of my soldering. No winning entry from me, I dislike some joints, but here is the result 🙂

I will try to touch it up soon, and remove the flux, but it seems 18y whiskey is not strong enough to dissolve it. It can go back to dissolving my mind though 😛 I will try to find my isopropyl alcohol for better results.

I have more pics, and more information from the project to talk about, but the weather is too nice to fill my day with typing, so now it is onto the next task, potting plants 🙂 I will tell about my experiences with the KIT1 some more in a next installment. For now I am very happy with the kit, and will try to make an enclosure soon.

Rad1o, the CCCamp SDR badge

As a nice tradition, some events have given out badges that inspire the visitors to tinker with them, to give everybody a common thing to work on. At the CCCamp 2015 this was the Rad1o. This badge is a full Software Defined Radio on one board. As everyone present had one, the possibilities for experimentation with this advanced device were large, and there were some events that used the badge, like a beginners workshop and a foxhunt.

Picture thanks to Christoph Krichenbauer (CC BY-NC-SA)

There are a lot of things to learn with this device, from soldering the optional parts, getting a casing (thanks FablabTruck), uploading firmware, configuration, to animating and more. All that is even without using it for the SDR functions.

Once you start discovering that part of the device, things like antenna’s, frequencies, modulation and more get into view, and things get really interesting. The install of the software can sometimes be a bit tricky, but once you are set-up, lots of information is available on the web, like Michael Ossmann‘s introduction course into SDR with a very similar device. Some info from others can be found here.

Since its initial use during the CCCamp its firmware has changed a lot. The stated “current release” was still REV02 from 13th of August though, and no-one was doing an update. That is why I just uploaded a REV03 “Ketchup” version of the firmware to the wiki. It is just a build of the current GitHub with one change, the change of the REV. Here are the update instructions. As this badge will be the current CCC badge for the next four years, it could get a lot of extra features in the next years. I am very interested in seeing this firmware grow better.

I would like to do a good changelog of the changes since REV02 and have some info from the Git, but I would like your help. If you have more information about what was changed in the Rad1o FW please contact me at the “info” address on this site.

Also, if you did some cool experiments or had interesting experiences with the board, please let me know.

I personally have experimented with some antennas, and will do a writeup about this later.

Buildparty Düsseldorf Report

The build party was another big success, the 7 participant teams built themselves a brand new Reprap “Prusa i3“.
The people from GarageLab were very helpful, and have a nice space to work at. We used the coworking space rooms to do our building. Thanks to Daniel Bruns and Carsten Born, they helped out a lot. Also thanks to Lab maintainer Axel Ganz for helping setting things up, and Yvonne Firdaus, the Coworking Space / GarageLab owner.

We had a lot of help from the community people attending, there is a lot of information to be had when you are in a room with Kliment Yanev, Josef Prusa, Joachim Glauche, Nathan Zadoks and Ruben Lubbes. Also there was a group of locals working on their Reprap’s in the fablab itself, there were a few machines from our earlier parties present. It was nice seeing them improve the machines, and using them a lot.

We built a reasonably new model, the Prusa i3, and it is a big improvement in building the machine. That was also one of the reasons the machines are so quick to be in use, most of the people were printing at the start of sunday afternoon, and everyone printed a model that looked pretty nice.

The i3 is different from the model we used in our previous courses because it now uses a wooden box-frame that is very stiff, stable, and easy to build. Also it moves the motors to the bottom of the machine, so the Z-axis does not hang from the motors anymore. Also the amount of noise the machine makes is lower, and cable management is improved. Also the spool mount is integrated on top of the machine.This makes the i3 a very good option to build as your next Reprap. The design is still in developement, so for now the build info is still incomplete.

We did most of the building in the first day, and were mostly doing the last part of the electronic setup on sunday morning. The electronics we used were ReprapDiscount RAMPS system, and jhead hotends. Most of the other parts were sourced at ReprapSource. Both of these performed very well. Around lunch most of the people were getting ready to print, and we made some cool models in the afternoon.

Then we also did some presentations on the history of the project, getting help from the community, and some info on how to do 3D modelling with OpenSCAD.

Just look at this 7,4cm tall Statue of Liberty, it is not very visible because of the background and transparent material, but the crown is really very nice. I hope we will get more pictures of that soon.

Different angle of the same print — 2nd print of the new Reprap, different angle

Some pictures are already available here, but i hope to see more soon.

And this time we managed to do a group picture again, so here it is!

There was even an interview done with me by Josef Prusa in his series of interviews, see it here

And finally: a timelapse of the build!
[youtube_sc url=1Lxe34VohlQ]

I would like to personally thank Axel Funke, for driving me home afterward although he had to go a totally different direction to get home himself!

We will be doing more of these buildparties, so if you want to organise one in your town or hackerspace, contact us!

Prusa interviews me in Düsseldorf

During the Reprap BuildParty in Düsseldorf Josef Prusa did an interview with me in his series of interviews about Reprap and the community, and he posted it to Youtube.

In the interview we talk about me finding the project, collecting reprap memorabilia, my island promotion of Reprap, the history of IkMaak, why the courses are organised, and the way progress in the project is made. I’m rambling a bit, but i did not prepare for the video, so have fun!

[youtube_sc url=HcCO_aSkhJI]

The FrankenBot project is also mentioned, if you want to join in with a part for that, get the part from the list, do anything you like with the design, as long as it is still functional, print it out, sign it, add some documentation, and send it to me! Contact me for more info.
I hope you like the interview, there’s more where they came from. They are featured after the break.
Continue reading Prusa interviews me in Düsseldorf

Reprap Buildparty Düsseldorf

Another Reprap Buildparty is set to be held at the GarageLab in Düsseldorf on 27-28 october!
A unique chance to build your own Reprap 3D printer in just one weekend.
You will get all the parts and guidance from some of the most experienced reprap builders in the community.
The machine being built is the Prusa i3, a recently developed but well-tested version of the popular Reprap type of 3D printers.

update: First pictures are here

The new Prusa iteration 3 model, the machine that is being built.

With the help of will build the machine on the first day of the event and finish it on the morning of the second day. After that we will look into the workings of the machine, and how to operate the software.
It is possible and even recommended to come as a team of two or more for extra fun. Josef Prusa, Kliment Yanev, Joachim Glauche, Ruben Lubbes and other community members will be there to help you.

The course is given in German/English, but Dutch speaking community members are available.

More information is available in German at the infopage of the GarageLab

Most places are taken, but it is still possible to join! Registration is at verein (at) garage-lab (dot) de

Also, if you are looking for another date, location, or other request, this can be taken into account, just mail us at info (at) ikmaak (dot) nl.

Workshop data:
Time: 27th and 28th of October 2012.

Location: GarageLab
Bilker Allee 217
40215 Düsseldorf
Deutschland

Price: 850€ per printer. 1 or 2 builders per machine.

Included in the course price are all the parts as well as some plastic print material. The electronics, hotend, and cable terminations will be done for you in advance. Food and drinks are included for up to two participants.

Required tools:

Laptop
Extension cord
Set of hexagonal keys (allen keys) including small sizes
Screwdriver set
Wrenches in sizes 13 (ideally two pieces), 7 and 5.5
Electronics pliers set (at least needle nose and side cutters)
Tweezers
8mm round file

Note that we have all these tools available onsite, but not enough for everyone. Please bring your own set of tools if at all possible.

Photos of past build events are available at http://ikmaak.nl

This info is also available on our events page

Build Party Cologne Report

We have been having a great time on the first day of the course, doing almost all of the construction of the machines in one day. The Coworking Space Cologne/DingFabrik is where the event is being held is very nice, and very active, they organise meetings on friday evening, so come by when you are near!

All the participants made the whole machine frame, hotend and other electronics, including hotend and heatbed, and even endstops. We mounted 2 already, only needing to attach the Z axis Hall-0 Endstops on day 2.

This is a new record for us! First time builders making a machine almost entirely on one day! 🙂 We tried a new order of putting the parts together, so the difficult parts were done first, and then the frame would be setup as late in the process as possible. This way the progress is easyer to see, and you dont setup things wrong first, only to repair them later.

We have made a lot of pictures, more are on their way from the participants themselves, and others. First set is in: Thomas Feldmann’s pics

We used different hotends this time, with IRC resident “jreifsnyderb” sponsoring hotends. We have used his J-Head Mk III-B, instead of the standard MakerGear ones we normally use in our build party’s. The buildup of these hotends is very easy, as they also come with groovemount, and are almost fully assembled.

The second day was a bit more difficult, we spent most of it installing the software, as almost every machine was running a different OS. After that we could print some parts on every machine, and i think all people left with the feeling they had a good start in the world of RepRaps. We also built a RepRap for use in the DingFabrik, so they will have one there from now on.

Also we had a visit from Fabienne, who will build one of our kits soon, and hopefully be printing out parts in no time 🙂

We will update this post soon to add the software package we used to provide the people with during the course. We used the Marlin Firmware on the bot, and Pronterface with Slic3r on the PC’s.

Reprap Prusa Iteration 2 Build Event in Cologne Germany in December

German description at dingfabrik.de

A reprap build workshop is going to take place in Cologne, Germany on the first weekend of December (3-4.12). Ten groups will have the opportunity to build their very own 3d printer, get it working, and take it home with them.

Under the guidance of Josef Prusa, Kliment Yanev and Ruben Lubbes, we’ll build ten printers of the latest Prusa Iteration 2 variety. More info on Prusa iteration 2 at Prusa Iteration 2

After building the printers, we’ll look at control and design software, basic troubleshooting, and where to get designs, ideas, and help. At the end of the workshop, every participant or group will go home with a working printer.

Here is a video of an earlier workshop organized by the same team:

[youtube_sc url=qq7roeoTM9g]

Workshop data:
Time: 3rd and 4th of December 2011, from 10.00h to 19.00h on both days. Impatient builders may continue past 19h on Saturday if they wish to, but that should not be necessary.

Location: Coworking Space Gasmotorenfabrik, 3rd floor, Deutz-Mülheimer Str. 129, 51063 Cologne, Germany

Price: 850€ per printer. The number of participants per printer is not limited (though 2-3 is ideal).

Signup by email, kliment.yanev @ gmail.com

Included in the course price are all the parts as well as some plastic print material. The electronics, hotend, and cable terminations (the boring bits that eat a lot of time) will be done for you in advance.

Required tools:

Laptop
Power block
Set of hexagonal keys (allen keys) including small sizes
Screwdriver set
Wrenches in sizes 13 (ideally two pieces), 7 and 5.5
Electronics pliers set (at least needle nose and side cutters)
Tweezers
8mm round file

Note that we have all these tools available onsite, but not enough for everyone. Please bring your own set of tools if at all possible.

Photos of past build events are available at http://ikmaak.nl

Pictures of the event in Cologne are here!

RepRap bijeenkomst 15 oktober

Na onze geslaagde cursus in september hebben wij met de deelnemers afgesproken om samen met alle mensen nog een middag te houden om het verdere gebruik van de RepRap nog eens door te nemen. Hiervoor is zaterdag de 15e gekozen.

Ook de mensen die de eerste cursus meededen zijn hiervoor natuurlijk uitgenodigd. Er komen weer een heel aantal mensen uit de community, zoals o.a. Kliment, Joachim, Nathan, Jos, ik, en meer. Het belooft een gezellige meeting te worden.

We willen aan de technische kant vragen beantwoorden, meer vertellen over de software, en de mogelijkheden die de community biedt om samen te werken belichten. Verder is het een goede mogelijkheid om ervaringen onder elkaar uit te wisselen.

De plaats is weer in het Fablab ZuidLimburg, in de Hoenderstraat 3 te Maastricht. Kom gerust ook, en neem je RepRap mee. De meeting is komende zaterdag de 15e, van 15 uur tot 18 uur.

Zijn er nog onderdelen die men nodig heeft of graag wil hebben, geef dit dan van tevoren door, dan zorg ik dat deze aanwezig zijn. Ik probeer in ieder geval om diverse dingen aanwezig te hebben, om eventuele reparaties of upgrades te kunnen doen.

Zie ook de foto’s van de laatste cursus op IkMaak RepRap Buildparty September

Tweede “IkMaak een 3D printer” cursus

English summary below.
Meer build-party info is te vinden op de Events pagina.

Wat is een 3D printer? Met een 3D printer is het mogelijk tekeningen uit de computer om te zetten naar fysieke voorwerpen.

IkMaak.nl organiseert de tweede 3D printer bouwcursus in Maastricht.

Bij deze cursus worden samen met de andere deelnemers en leden van de community tien 3D printers gebouwd, die de deelnemers daarna mee kunnen nemen voor eigen gebruik. De machines worden gebouwd in het weekend van 23-25 september. Er is een introductiebijeenkomst voor deelnemers op 10 september, waarin de te volgen procedure wordt uitgelegd.
De onderdelen van deze printer worden door ons verzameld, zodat iedereen dezelfde kit gebruikt, en we samen kunnen werken om dezelfde machine te maken. Hierdoor kan zich in korte tijd een community vormen, die samen de ontwikkeling en het gebruik van 3D printers kan bevorderen. Doordat dit low-cost en op persoonlijke titel gebeurt, is deelname goedkoop, maar geheel voor eigen risico. Het ontwerp is door veel mensen in gebruik, dus het is wel een beproefd model.
Het ontwerp is op veel punten verbeterd in de tijd sinds de vorige cursus, ons materiaal zal hiermee rekening houden. De printer die wij bouwen is dus anders dan die uit februari. Ook de software is inmiddels sterk verbeterd, dit zal ook worden behandeld, zodat iedereen bekend is met de laatste stand van zaken.

De Prusa Mendel — Het onderwerp van de cursus: De RepRap Prusa Mendel

Welke 3D printer?
Wij maken bij deze cursus gebruik van de Reprap printer. Reprap is een project waaraan veel mensen wereldwijd samenwerken om een 3D printer te ontwerpen en te bouwen. Op het moment is het populairste model de Prusa Mendel, een zo ver als mogelijk geoptimaliseerd ontwerp, dat veel sneller te bouwen is dan zijn voorgangers. Dit ontwerp is gemaakt door Josef Průša, een jonge Tsjechische ontwerper. Hij zal hopelijk een videobijdrage doen tijdens de cursus, vanuit Amerika, waar hij spreekt op de OSHW conferentie en MakerFair in New York. Verder zijn er bekenden uit de community uitgenodigd, zoals o.a. Kliment, die de documentatie voor de Prusa Mendel verzorgt. Meer info hierover volgt.

Wat kan je met een 3D printer maken?
Met een 3D printer is het mogelijk tekeningen uit de computer om te zetten naar fysieke voorwerpen. Het voorwerp wordt opgebouwd uit een dunne plastic sliert, daar wordt een tekening mee gemaakt, en daarna een volgende tekening erbovenop. Hiermee bouwt het model zich laag voor laag op, totdat het de vereiste hoogte bereikt is.
Ontwerpen hiervoor zijn met 3D modelling te maken, of te downloaden op Thingiverse, een soort Wikipedia van voorwerpen. Hierdoor is het mogelijk ontwerpen van internet te downloaden, en die op de printer werkelijkheid te laten worden. Het modelleren is geen deel van deze cursus, maar bij interesse kan dit in een volgende cursus behandeld worden. Omdat het gehele RepRap ontwerp open source is, kunnen verbeteringen aan de printer vaak zelf uitgeprint worden, en zo wordt de printer steeds beter. RepRap is een van de meest vooraanstaande open source hardware projecten.

LET OP! De plaats in de cursus is beperkt, slechts 10 in totaal, en al deels ingevuld. Inschrijving is pas geldig als de kosten zijn betaald. Aanmelden/informatie vragen kan door middel van een mail naar info at ikmaak punt nl. Als de plaatsen zijn opgevuld maken wij een lijst voor volgende cursussen, dus geef ook aan of je hierin geïnteresseerd bent.

De belangrijkste info op een rijtje:
Wat: 3D print bouw-workshop
Waar: FabLab Zuid-Limburg in Maastricht
Data: Bouwen 23-25 september, Introductiebijeenkomst voor deelnemers 17 september om 19.00 in FabLab Zuid-Limburg
Kosten: 850 euro, best te betalen tijdens de introbijeenkomst.
Aantal deelnemers: 10 machines, 1-2 deelnemers per machine.
Inbegrepen: Alle onderdelen voor de machine, printmateriaal.
Zelf meenemen: Laptop, Gereedschap.
Praktische vaardigheden: Enthousiasme, technisch inzicht, doorzettingsvermogen, precisie.
Waarschuwing: Alles is op eigen risico, wij doen ons best, maar zijn niet verantwoordelijk voor enig ongeval etc.
Waar moet je nog meer op letten? Het gaat niet om een commercieel product, maar om een door mensen bedachte en uitgevoerde kit. Hoe beter je m in elkaar zet, hoe beter hij print.
Opties: Gereedschap heeft niet iedereen, wij kunnen die ook proberen te kopen voor meerdere deelnemers. Verder kunnen we ook materialen extra regelen, zoals printmateriaal, etc.
Projectpagina: Alle info is terug te vinden op: https://ikmaak.nl/eenblog/2011/09/07/tweede-3d-printer-cursus-maastricht/
Aanmelden: Aanmelden kan middels een mailtje naar info at ikmaak punt nl of ruben.lubbes at gmx dot net.
Let op, deze pagina wordt regelmatig aangevuld, houd hem in de gaten.

Tijdsschema cursus:

Vrijdag: 19.00 – 22.00+ Introductie en mechanische opbouw

Zaterdag: 10.00 – 19.30 Mechanisch af bouwen en elektronische aansluiting

Zondag: 10.00 – 19.00+ RepRap afstellen en software uitleg.

Op zaterdag is er ook een gezamenlijk etentje met de deelnemers, om zo in een andere omgeving na te kunnen praten. Dit wordt georganiseerd in een naburig restaurant, maar is optioneel, en niet inbegrepen.

We hebben iemand die voor eten etc. zorgt, dus tijdens de cursus is voldoende eten aanwezig. Heb je speciale eetwensen of eisen, geef dit dan door, dan kan hiermee rekening worden gehouden.

Er zijn foto’s van de vorige cursus te vinden op IkMaak Foto’s in Maastricht

Gereedschap:

Stekkerblok met overspanningsbeveiliging
Schuifmaat (electronisch)
Schroevendraaiers
Hotglue pistool
Kleine tangenset
Draadstripper
Breekmes
Vijltjes (vooral rondvijl)
Imbus voor M1,5-M3-M4-M5
Steeksleutel voor M3-4-8
Zaklamp
Pincet
Optioneel:
IJzerzaag
Soldeerbout/tin/etc
Dremel

Engelstalig:
IkMaak.nl organizes the second 3D printer building course in Maastricht, The Netherlands.
At this course the participants will build their own printer, for a total of 10 machines. We will build the Prusa Mendel, recently the most popular open source hardware 3D printer by the RepRap project. The design of the printer has changed a lot since our courses in february, so our machine will reflect that.
This weekend-course will be from 23-25 september 2011, with a info-meeting on the 10th of september.
We will have a videopresence with the designer of the Prusa Mendel, Josef Průša. This is a young Czech designer, who is a driving force in the project a.t.m. He has been invited to give a speech on the OSHW conference and Maker Fair New York, so he cannot be with us this time. Kliment and other community members will be coming over during the build weekend, and help participants build and tune their bots. Community members wanting to help out, can contact me at info at ikmaak dot nl. Also use this adress for other requests or offers 🙂 More info added soon, follow this page.

Filmverslag – Buildparty Movie

Hallo allemaal, Wolfgang van Wulfey Media, onze cameraman en redder in nood afgelopen weekend heeft een filmpje online gezet met een verslag van de gebeurtenissen tijdens de bouwcursus. Wij zelf hebben het heel erg naar onze zin gehad, en volgens de deelnemers zij ook 🙂

Bedankt allemaal!

[youtube_sc url=qq7roeoTM9g]

Als je anderen wilt laten zien wat er gebeurd is, laat ze dan vooral deze film zien 🙂

Heb je opmerkingen of vragen of wil je ook deelnemen aan zo’n bouwcursus, stuur dan een mail naar ruben.lubbes at gmx punt net.
—–
Hi all, Wulfey from Wulfey Media our cameraman and helper in need, made a compilation movie about our experiences during the weekend. We had a great time, and from the reactions i got, all of the people had too 🙂 Thanks everybody!

The movie can be found above, and here: IkMaak.nl Build Party

If you have remarks, questions or want to have a buildparty like this, contact us on ruben.lubbes at gmx dot net.