CTH hosts Build a Website in the Cloud using Microsoft Azure 10/3 7pm

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Did you know you can use Microsoft Azure to build a low-or-no cost WordPress instance? Sean will go over the current steps it takes to build a Website using Microsoft’s cloud service called Azure.

BONUS – IF 25 or More People RSVP to this event, one participant will win a Azure Raspberry Pi 3 Kit courtesy of Hackster.

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Qi Charging Phone Wasn’t A Failure After All

Qi Wireless Charging Receiver Soldered - Samsung Galaxy Exhilarate SGH-i577A few days ago I posted how my wireless phone charging hack was a failure. I tried soldering in a Qi Receiver into my old school Samsung Galaxy Exhilarte SGH-i577 phone. While I got all the goodies crammed in the phone, the phone got waaaaay hot when charging. So much so that the phone gave a warning saying the battery is over-temp and charging was stopped!

Fast forward a couple days. I figured I could try a different charging pad. Guess what? It worked perfectly and the phone didn’t get hot! I can’t explain it. I’m not a Qi expert but I did poke around on Wikipedia to learn more about the Qi technology. From Wikipedia:

“Regulation of the output voltage is provided by a digital control loop where the power receiver communicates with the power transmitter and requests more or less power.”

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DIY Wireless Phone Charging, Works And Doesn’t Work At The Same Time

Qi Wireless Charging Receiver Soldered - Samsung Galaxy Exhilarate SGH-i577 I’ll be the first to admit my phone is old, very old, but it is small and fits in my pocket nicely. Majority of new phones seem to be near-tablet size. I did want an upgrade and I thought wireless charging would be the way to go… here’s my disappointing story:

You’ve most certainly seen those Qi Wireless Charger Receivers that plug into the micro-USB port on a phone and make your phone have wireless charging capability, right? They are only a few bucks on eBay. I bought one knowing it wasn’t what I wanted because it uses the USB port and it required the use of a phone case to keep it from flopping in the breeze. When I received the charger receiver, I also noticed that it would cover up the flash and part of the camera. The charger receiver was too long:

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CT Hackerspace proud to become an official Hackster Event Location.

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In 2016, Hackster set on new mission: reach 50,000 makers and developers around the world through a physical network of Meetups and Workshops, focused on IoT education in the 21st century.

Hackster.io is an online community for hardware hackers. Are you an electronics newbie that wants to build the next awesome robot? Are you a seasoned pro that has more ideas than time? Are you somewhere in between? Hackster are looking for hackers and makers to share ideas, work on projects, and much more!

Led by a network of passionate ambassadors, they’re giving communities and partners a voice in envisioning what’s next in hardware, the cloud, and connectivity, and the magic that happens when they all come together. Hackster Ambassadors run live events that benefit their communities. Hackster supports them on the national level by providing access to hardware, software and learning materials through corporate partners. Hackster also provides training necessary to build a welcoming community and run stellar events.

Two local technology enthusiasts have teamed up and have been approved as Hackster Ambassadors. Bill Saturno and Louis DiCarro, both involved with cutting edge technologies and also key players in starting individual hackerspaces in Connecticut, are excited to start working with Hackster. They can’t wait to empower local makers and developers on emerging technologies …and they have figured what better place to host these events than CT Hackerspace. CT Hackerspace’s facilities can handle groups of almost any size, and has resources in house needed from a hosting a small group lecture to a full fledged hackathon needing tons of tools and supplies within their 4,000 square foot facility.

Stay informed of upcoming events: https://www.meetup.com/Hackster-it-Hardware-Meetup-Watertown/

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Project iTopie Continues…

iTopie MDF RightNo, it’s not done yet but the iTopie project continues. As you can see, the frame is painted, the parts are printed and the assembly process is well underway. I’m very satisfied with how the frame came out. It is solid and my added handle is the bee’s knees. The handle is slightly rearward of the current CG but I will try to fix that by putting any additional components as far rearward as possible. It’s still a handy handle, though!

 

 

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Stealth Motorcycle Garage Door Opener

motorcycle garage door opener

When starting or ending a motorcycle ride, you’re most likely putting the bike away in a garage. Like paying tolls on a bike, a simple task of opening a garage door becomes just plain inconvenient. You either have to get off the bike to manually open the door or dig around in your pocket for the garage door opener that you might have forgotten. I’ve seen some people velcro the garage door opener to the bike but that looks kinda hokey. This slick hack solves that garage door problem is definitely a DIY-friendly project. Continue reading

3D Printing: Not Just For Do-Dads Anymore PART 3 – WDTV

wdtv 3d printed bracketThere’s a new TV setup at the Bremster household. Flat screen on the wall with no visible wires. There’s one problem though, my WDTV media player. It’s small but still a tad too awkward to be precariously balanced on the top of the TV. Plus, the power, ethernet and HDMI cords sticking out the back don’t let the media player stay aligned with the TV. So what’s a dude to do? Design and 3D print a sweet bracket of course. Continue reading

How to Hob a Bolt (with a Tap & Milling Machine)

wade extruder diagramWith the Wade-style RepRap 3D Printer extruders, the part that actually drives the filament is a ‘hobbed bolt’. A hobbed bolt has a little toothed-groove around its circumference that grips the filament and drives it into the hot-end as the bolt is turned. There’s a few ways to make a hobbed bolt. We’ll show you one way here that utilizes a Tap and Milling Machine.

For a typical Wade-style extruder, an 8mm bolt is used. Since we want to cut the toothed groove completely around the bolt we need that bolt to rotate. What better way to do that than to mount it in a pair of bearings. Regular skate bearings (608zz) have 8mm inner diameters and are actually what are used to support the bolt in the Wade extruder. I designed up a quick 3D-printed bracket to hold a pair of bearings and provide some features for easy clamping in the Milling Machine’s vise.  Continue reading

Super Cheap Power Supply for FIRST Robotics

12v power supplyI’ve had the honor of mentoring a local High School’s FIRST Robotics team. Their robot runs on a 12vdc battery. During most of the testing, the robot doesn’t need to move too far, and watching the battery charge just seems like an unnecessary item to monitor.  So, the alternative is to make a cheap, dedicated power supply.

This thing started off as an old discarded laptop(or similar device) power supply. It had a plug on it, emphasis on ‘had’. It got chopped in order to add a couple of binding posts. These bad boys will accept a bare wire or banana plug. I designed up a couple ‘caps’ and 3D printed them. They are pretty simple and made to fit a little snugly over the power supply. Eventually they will just be glued on to the power supply housing.

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