There are other tech news sites on the internet, but none are as cool as Hackaday. Of course, I’m biased since I’m one of the writing crew, but the point still stands. Anyway, I was thinking about writing this for a while. A simple guide to what we writers look for in a project and […]
How To Get Featured On Hackaday Read More »
I like Partkeepr; it’s simple and powerful and manages my component inventory. But, it can be a bit of a faff to install, hence my previous guide to getting it working on Ubuntu. Things have moved on a bit for me, and this hassle is simply taking far too much of my precious time. Hardware
Moving partkeepr into docker Read More »
I’ve wanted to build a compute array for a while, and now, with the ease of access to many small but powerful computer boards, it is easier than ever to do so. I decided to use the Raspberry Pi family of boards as the compute node and started looking for existing mounting options that might
Building a small Pi Cluster Read More »
Nothing assists with project work more than having a good grip on your note-taking, and the discipline to create and manage them. Now, I don’t know about you, but I really struggle with working memory and forgetfulness, so having a good note-taking solution is critical to my getting to the end of any complex task,
Top Tools: Note Taking and management Read More »
In the modern world of cut-throat competitiveness, the battle of the best or most usable products is often won not on the prowess of the hardware but on the usability of the software that runs on it. With 3D printers, like all consumer goods (isn’t it funny? I couldn’t use that phrase too long ago!)
CURA 4.x/5.x Profile settings for the Lulzbot TAZ 5 Read More »
I was running some CAD and simulation jobs on my main machine and was shocked, but then resigned to how much memory was being used without me trying. I wanted to take on some modelling and simulation work for a local client and was thinking of ways to speed things up a bit so that
Upcyling An HP Proliant DL380-G6 Read More »
I was looking around the storage rack in my main workshop when I stumbled upon an old Lenovo laptop, specifically a T520 model. These are nicely made, solid machines. They are rather hefty but nice to use. The keyboard and trackpoint are great, and the screen is also OK. This got me thinking; I have
Retrofitting a Lenovo T520 with a Raspberry Pi CM4 – Part 1 Read More »
Despite being old (43!), according to the kids, I still know far more than they do about Minecraft. I’m a foster carer and believe strongly in the power of using sandbox games like this to teach, defuse, and bring out the creativity in kids who have had a hard start in life. Looking at the
Minecraft Castle Build Read More »
I like PartKeepr. I use it every day. However, it is not exactly trivial to install, and development has slowed to a crawl, so it no longer works with a completely up-to-date software stack. Nonetheless, it can still be made to work and is still very useful. So what is it? Partkeepr is an inventory
Partkeepr 1.4.0 on Ubuntu 20.04 LTS LAMP stack Read More »
This is a super quick update to extol the virtues of some very good value side cutters I bought recently on a tip. Thanks to the Hackaday Circuit Sculpture emoticon workshop, when Mohit Bhoite was showing off his tools, he mentioned these. In short, Xuron makes an excellent range of cutting tools that come in various
At some point, pretty much anybody who does electronics prototyping needs to master reflow soldering. There are a few ways to do it. The simplest is to set up the PCB with solder paste and components pre-applied on a preheater to get it up to a starting temperature. Then, apply the additional reflow heat with
PCB Reflow Toaster Read More »
I picked up a Chinese K40 laser cutter a few years back. I played with it and decided the software was abysmal, the controller was horrible, and it was grossly unsafe. I stashed it on the ‘forgotten projects’ shelf and left it there. Now, since our hackspace is still closed due to COVID-19, I’m really
K40 Laser Conversion Read More »
Occasionally, I get asked to build or modify boxes or prototyping platforms using open-source or off-the-shelf components. There are multiple reasons to do this: Sometimes, a client wants to be more hands-on, so I get them started with a working platform, and then they take over from there. IDEs that suck Some integrated development environments
VisualMicro: An Arduino IDE that doesn’t suck Read More »
Many timing-type instruments, such as frequency counters, AWGs, and oscilloscopes, can be tied to an external frequency reference, most commonly 10 MHz. This enables the correlation of measurements from different instruments and vastly improves their accuracy and repeatability. Impedance and Termination It is useful to mention impedance at this point. Many single-ended clocked signals are
Repurposing a video distribution amplifier – part 1 Read More »
During the latest COVID-19 lockdowns, I shut down my main workshop and rebuilt from the ground up. The storage rack is in and is quite full of all my parts, projects, and tools. This worked out well. The next area of concern is my working space. My previous two workbenches were too small, too low, and wobbly,
I was thinking about prototyping electronics again, as I often do, and I was wondering about what might be optimal (as in most flexible) for handling small SMT parts like SOT23-3. Your choices are many, but pretty much all are bog-standard offerings derived from the original Veroboard layout (i.e. 0.1″ hole array, with a series
Fixed Layout Prototyping Read More »
I’ve been quiet. Very quiet. Building a business, caring for foster children, and other boring life things are all taking my time and energy. But I’m back, and I’m ready for some more action. I’ve got a tonne of ideas for projects, builds that need completing and ideas for articles and guides, even an eBook
It’s been too long Read More »
Southampton Makerspace hosts a large A0-bed industrial laser cutter (an Epilog Legend 36EXT) that we bought a couple of years back from a company in Farnborough. We spent quite a lot of our members’ money on this machine, and we’re quite precious about it, especially regarding maintenance. This isn’t the usual ‘hackerspace laser.’ This is
Fixing the laser cutter Read More »
Don’t buy a new one – just fix it up! Electronics’ thermal design is essential. Electronic parts get hot, and the resistance of materials results in heat. Nothing in modern mass-produced products gets much hotter than the CPU in a PC. It’s simply the sheer size of the circuits on the die, billions of transistors
On a Budget: Fixing my ACER V3-731 Thermal woes Read More »
Unit F, Liner’s Industrial Estate, Pitt Road, Southampton Our Hackerspace, So Make It (Southampton Makerspace) was located in Unit K6 on the same industrial estate as our current location. After a year in our first paid-for dedicated space, we decided it was getting a bit cramped. The physical space could not contain our ideas, and
Building a Hackerspace Read More »
My company Sobuildit Limited offers Electronic Design Services to other businesses and individuals. I will make a free quotation after discussing your technical needs, even if an NDA is needed – that is no problem! I am located in Hampshire, UK, and provide personal services to the local area and surrounding cities. I can also
Electronic Design Services Read More »
Southampton Makerspace moved! We grew, our old unit K6 on Liner’s Industrial Estate got too pokey: So we looked around. We took over unit F! This latest unit on the same estate became vacant at the beginning of 2015, so our awesome landlord kindly allowed us in early to clean and repaint. It was a LOT
So Make It: Southampton Makerspace New Location! Read More »
Grand opening 1st Feb, 2pm. Be there. Or don’t. http://blog.somakeit.org.uk/2014/01/20/a-place-of-our-own/
So Make It: The Southampton Makerspace has a new home! Read More »
